Digital Literacy Simply Explained

When was the last time you heard someone talk seriously about digital literacy? I’d guess it’s been a while. And honestly, I think I know why. As Lankshear and Knobel (2011) pointed out over a decade ago, literacy as a concept has become so institutionalized and regulated (tied to national tests, international benchmarks, and endless…

Qualitative Research Simply Explained

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a visual on quantitative research and I was really glad to see how many of you found it useful, especially for teaching and workshops. Today I’m shifting the focus to qualitative research, a paradigm I’ve been immersed in since my master’s degree. Here is the thing: condensing the…

Game-based Learning Simply Explained

As part of my Simply Explained series, I’ve been covering a range of student-centered instructional approaches, from project-based learning to experiential and inquiry-based learning. Today, I cover Game-Based Learning (GBL), a topic that has been particularly influential in my work as an educator and researcher. James Paul Gee is one of the key theorists in…

Formative Assessment: Types and Tools

Formative assessment plays a central role in effective teaching. It is not something done at the end of instruction, but rather a continuous process woven into the learning itself. As Bell and Cowie (2000) put it, formative assessment “provides feedback to students (and teachers) about the learning which is occurring, during the teaching and learning,…

Gov. Abbott signs Texas school choice bill into law

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 2, the education savings account (ESA) program, into law on Saturday afternoon, creating the nation’s largest day-one school choice program. After previous failed attempts, alleged threats against Republican House members, and a call from President Donald Trump, Abbott will finally get one of his top…

A new era for student loans begins with garnished wages on the table

Starting Monday, student loan borrowers who find themselves in default will face government-backed involuntary collections, signaling a brand new landscape after years of pauses, delays and Biden-era relief efforts.    Garnished tax returns, Social Security payments and even wages will all be fair game starting May 5 after a five-year pause on severe financial consequences that…

Palestinian student Mohsen Mahdawi calls release ‘a victory for democracy’

Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi called his recent release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention a “victory for democracy.”  Mahdawi recounted the day he was detained by federal immigration authorities in mid-April while he was at a naturalization interview to become a U.S. citizen. “The Department of Homeland Security’s plan did…

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