by Rebecca Hellman
A few weeks ago while channel surfing I stumbled across a
60 Minutes interview with Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, President of University of Maryland Baltimore County. A few months ago, this might not have caught my attention, but that was before – before I met Freeman Hrabrowski, before I visited UMBC and before Blackboard began the
Solutions in Action series with NBC Learn.
Last spring, I traveled to UMBC to assist with an interview between Freeman Hrabowski and NBC News Chief Education Correspondent,
Rehema Ellis. When I learned Hrabowski would kick-off the Solutions in Action series, I quickly did my research. Named one of Time Magazine’s Top Ten College Presidents and one of America’s Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report, respected author, and huge advocate of the sciences (to put it lightly) – it was clear this man was passionate, but what’s made him successful in education where so many others have failed? If you ask Hrabowski he’ll say technology, but if you listen to Hrabowski you’ll say innovation. Two sides of the same coin, but without innovation there is no technology.
by Katie Drossos
“These kids that are digital natives – we just need to meet them where they’re at, and the reality is technology is where they’re at.”
Marc Ecko, fashion designer, entrepreneur, and founder of
Sweat Equity Education (SEE), an education innovation organization, is working at the intersection of education, workforce development, and entrepreneurship. At SEE, Marc uses the technology that excites kids today and combines it with real-world projects that teach real-world skills. SEE is focused on re-engaging and re-invigorating at-risk students and young adults to help set them on a path for success – in school, in the workplace, or in launching their own businesses.
I had the pleasure of meeting Marc in his New York City office:
by Katie Drossos
Together,
Blackboard and
NBC Learn celebrate education’s top influencers and their contributions with
Solutions in Action – an inspiring series of video interviews that highlight who is succeeding and how they’re doing it.
NBC News Chief Education Correspondent
Rehema Ellis sits down with education innovators who are using technology in new ways to create solutions that work:
- See how Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, President of UMBC, uses technology in new ways to change attitudes about math and science.
- Understand how Julie Young, President & CEO of Florida Virtual School uses technology to close the gap between how students live and how they learn.
- Marc Ecko, fashion designer and founder of Sweat Equity Education, scales education’s biggest challenges and uncovers ideas about how to build a better education experience through applied learning.
Watch the Videos
You’ll hear how these individuals are taking unique perspectives and leveraging technology in new ways to solve the challenges educators face every day.
Join us as we look through a different lens and uncover the ideas to build a better education experience.
by Shannon Forte
On October 4, 2011 the following tweet from Mariette DiChristina (
@mdichristina), Editor in Chief of
Scientific American, appeared on my Twitter timeline. The message was simple:
After reading the short article
Calling All Scientists, I was inspired.
Scientific American magazine is calling all scientists who are willing to volunteer to advise on curricula, answer a classroom’s questions, or visit a school in their geographic area. Also, Nobel laureates at the Lindau, Germany meetings are extending a special invitation to its scientist attendees to be a part of
1,000 Scientists in 1,000 Days initiative to get scientists involved with schools. This comes at a wonderfully appropriate time.
by Rajeev Arora
Guest post by Paul Roberge
I’m very excited to head to Indiana to
attend the Virtual School Sympsoiusm (VSS) next week. For virtual schools, Blackboard Collaborate serves as a replacement for the physical buildings and infrastructure. Everything that a brick and mortar school does – from teaching, parent visits, conducting exams, to guidance counseling – can all happen online in Blackboard Collaborate sessions. Blackboard Collaborate is an education friendly, interactive, extensible and reliable virtual classroom environment that provides a student experience chalked full of collaboration and peer-to-peer interaction.
