Edutopia’s Reader Survey

For a few weeks now, people have been congratulating me for being singled out, along with Will Richardson, as “must-read” blogs in Edutopia’s Reader Survey. I clicked to the web page, read about Will’s thoughtful Weblogg-ed.com and my entertaining 2¢ Worth.

Entertaining?

Uh, right!

Well, enough of that, on with the rest of the survey, because I just discovered that this stuff was actually printed in their magazine, and not just on their web page — and we all know that if it’s printed…

So here’s my take on some of the survey results:

Best site to download free lessons and materials? MarcoPolo
Cool! I can’t think of anything better.

Best old-school teaching tool that has not gone out of style? The Pencil
Again, not a surprise, though I think that we need to come to an increasing consensus that the computer is the pencil and paper of this day and time. That’s my opinion!

Best educators’ Web site? Edutopia.org
Should we be surprised?

Best technology product for less than $100? Flash drives
True enough. I’m finally making fairly extensive use of mine, now that I’m dabbling in Linux.

Best education software? Inspiration
Hands-Down!

Best buys for school supplies? Staples
I thought it was just because there was a Staples store only a mile away from my house.

Best source of classroom freebies? The Web
It was interesting to read on into one responders claim that the school dumpster was his best source for freebies.

Best movie about educators? Stand and Deliver
I’d suggest others, but none would beat this very fine movie.

Ideal class size? Twenty
I want to know the ideal amount of time required to prepare for the ideal class session?

Most overrated buzzword or idea? No Child Left Behind
No comment needed!

Most promising classroom innovation? Smart boards
Certainly seems that way in the UK

Best way to stay current on new education ideas? Edutopia
Hmmmmmmm! Is a pattern emerging here? 😉

If you could take your students on a free field trip, where would you go? Washington, DC
I agree, though it shows some lack of imagination. For free? Europa? Rome? New Zealand? London? Stonehenge? Athens? Xerox Parc? Well, it’s a GOOD question.

Best book about educators? Schools That Learn
OK!

Best book by an educator? Teacher Man: A Memoir by Frank McCourt
A very fine book. The River is Wide, Pat Conroy, is why I became a teacher.

Who, from the past or present, would you like to teach your class for a day? Martin Luther King Jr.
I can’t argue with that, though this too, is a very GOOD question.

Worst old-school teaching tool that should be tossed? The Lecture
OK, Comon! We badmouth the lecture because it is the exact opposite of the style of learning that we are promoting with technology. But it doesn’t make good lectures “bad”. Good lectures are a joy to watch and listen to. It is lecturing all day and every day that we should be discouraging. My answer to this question? Meaningless and shallow worksheets.

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Fun aside, EduTopia is an excellent publication that aims at the heart of education. Please subscribe (free to educators) and spread the world.