Tim Wilson Blog ePortfolio

How Innovative Schools Are Finding Success Tim Wilson Endicott College Introduction             The need for truly transformational education reform has been continually building in my mind as my experiences in education grow.  I have always had the idea that there was a better way to learn than what in the industrialized method that nearly every school is modeled around, but I didn’t yet see a path to what that different system would look like.  In March of 2015, I was lucky enough to be in attendance at the Innovate conference at Graded School in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  The coordinators of the conference were careful to make sure that Innovate was not just another tech conference.  I was introduced to some of the techniques and practices that innovative teachers and administrators are utilizing that are the next stage on from just using technology because it’s ...

Coding for the Future: Looking at the Push for Computer Programming in Education Timothy Wilson Endicott College At the moment, computer programming or coding is a hot topic in education.  There is a high demand for computer programming technicians and a short supply (Pinkston 2015; Shein 2014), but does that mean everyone should learn to code?  Learn the languages of computer programming?  If so, why?  What is the necessity of coding that this push from schools is rooted in?  This paper attempts to answer some of these questions through looking at where we have come from and where we might go with computer programming.               A good place to start in the history of the push for computer programming in schools is the ‘space race’.  The launching of the Russian Sputnik in 1957 ushered in a new era in educational reform placing high esteem in the subj...

Position Paper: Technology and Student Achievement Technology is the great panacea that it is made out to be for instruction, however, our current educational systems are not effectively utilizing the power of technology for individualization, exploration, collaboration, creativity, and passion.  If we shift our values and focus to those of empowering the learner, we will see the shift in learning that many have thought would come just by putting more technology into the classroom.  It is paramount for us as teachers to teach the students how to learn.  Technology continues to expand its usefulness for students to be able to reach a wider audience and access knowledge that is significant and impactful to the individual’s interests. At present, there is a vast array of educational technology tools, apps, websites, software, and hardware out there that can greatly enhance learning outcomes when used to their best ability.  Some of the most effective technology t...

Anchor is a new social media platform where the discussion happens completely in audio recordings. Users get 2 minutes to introduce their topic and then anyone listening can respond with a 1 minute recording.  It's sort of a mix between blogging, twitter, and podcasting.  Here's my first go, I'd love to hear what you think.  Let's make some waves!  

A. Based on your experience and passion, what is your personal vision of education? My vision of what education should and can be is informed by my personal experience and is inspired by the beliefs and views of such educational thinkers as Sal Kahn and Sir Ken Robinson.  I have seen that in the current system that we approach learning through leaves too many students with large holes in their understanding of varied content areas.  This occurs as a result of the pressures to push through a large amount of curriculum.  Students must move on to the next, generally more difficult, stage before fully understanding the concepts that have just been covered because the class is moving on.   Students are also forced into programs of study that neglect to take into account their interests and furthermore their passions.  These programs place great importance on math and science, in some cases completely removing artistic options from students’ schooling.  When...