In a New York Times front-page story today titled “Billionaires Start $60 Million Schools Effort” we learn that the founders of SunAmerica and Microsoft are pumping millions from their billions into the 2008 elections to advocate these three echoes of every campaign in memory and farther back than that:
The project will not endorse candidates — indeed, it is illegal to do so as a charitable group — but will instead focus on three main areas: a call for stronger, more consistent curriculum standards nationwide; lengthening the school day and year; and improving teacher quality through merit pay and other measures.
It not exaggerating in the least to say that the above 3-plank education platform would sound perfectly appropriate for the elections of 1988, or 1948, or 1908. Yet times have changed as the 21st century has arrived. New ideas for education are needed and can work if we make that happen. Here are two ideas for giving our kids a chance to learn with the communication/connectivity tools of their time: using the Internet’s open education resources and putting knowledge and learning collaboration in students’ hands via mobile devices.
