Can Anyone Out There Hear Me?

Posted by David Parish, Ph.D., CEO Calypso Systems
Tuesday December 22nd, 2009 | 1 Comments

Throughout my adult life I’ve heard others talk with enthusiasm about their good fortune at having stumbled across “low hanging fruit”.  A metaphor (or is it a simile) almost always used in a business context, I’ve listened with envy and a bit of skepticism to stories of cash and profits effortlessly realized by those lucky enough to find themselves in the right time, at the right place, with the right product.  Part of the challenge, of course, is recognizing the opportunity for what it is when it lands in front of you.   Something that’s not always as easy as it sounds.

Here’s a tip.  Education leaders are staring directly at some seriously good and awfully low fruit, but often don’t seem to see it for what it is.

What if you had access to a device that improved test scores, reduced special education referrals, had a positive impact on teacher health and led to fewer classroom behavioral problems?  Even better, what if this mystical device required no change in your approach to curriculum or assessment, and required virtually no investment in professional development?  While we’re at it, let’s make it affordable.

Impossible?  Fantasy?  Put your Low Hanging Fruit glasses on.  The fact is, the device exists and is slowly making its way into districts and across states, though not nearly fast enough by my reckoning.  Most importantly, far too many doubts remain and it’s time to put them to rest once and for all.

Wireless classroom voice amplification delivers on all promises.  Full disclosure - I’m obviously biased since my company manufactures just such a system.  So don’t take it from me.  The volume of independent research that supports the effectiveness of sound reinforcement is overwhelming, starting with MAARS Project, the Mainstream Amplifications Resource Room Study that began in 1979 and continued in various forms through 1994.  Slice and dice the results any way you want and add in the dozens of subsequent classroom amplification research projects.  They all point to the same conclusion.  If you’re serious about improving learning outcomes and can invest in only one classroom technology, voice amplification is the answer.  Did you know, for example, that:

• 70% of all special education students fail a moderate hearing loss test?
• The 14% of all school age children fail a moderate hearing loss test are 10x more likely to repeat a grade than those who pass the test
• A district in WI showed a 40% reduction in special education referrals over a 2-year period after introducing classroom voice amplification
• Teachers using voice amplification have fewer sick days

 Think about it.  A direct link between technology and improved learning outcomes that’s affordable, sustainable and measureable.  Yet it’s still flying “under the radar”.  I’d say it’s time to get loud!

Snowballs from T+L

Posted by David Parish, Ph.D., CEO Calypso Systems
Thursday October 29th, 2009 | 0 Comments

I flew into Denver this morning, just ahead of a slow-moving snow storm, and made it over to NSBA's T+L conference by mid-morning.  I'll admit to being a trade show junkie; I was looking forward to browsing the show floor, seeing what's new, eying the competition and running across some familiar faces. I was especially keen since T+L is one of the first ed tech shows of the "season", coming on the heals of the start of the new school year and the beginning of what we regard as our "marketing" season, which runs through March or so.  Also, I had never been to T+L before and wanted to get a feel for how or if it differs from the TCEA's and FETC's of the world.

The fact is, my view of this and nearly all ed tech trade shows is 90% shaped by what happens in the exhibit hall, though I'm well aware that for most attendees, the primary focus is on the presentations, round tables and break-out sessions.  The show floor is, for the most part, what they do "in between".  Still, for me, the floor is where the action and energy is, and where all the gadgets reside.  So off I went, taking voice notes as I snaked through the exhibits.  My main impressions?

Classroom voice amplification, sound reinforcement, classroom audio, sound enhancement or whatever you want to call it is everywhere.  On what was really a very small show floor, I counted four manufacturers (including Calypso Systems) promoting classroom audio and wireless microphone products.  This matches our experience in the marketplace, where more and more districts nationwide are beginning to recognize the impact of this technology on educational outcomes.  Did you know it's mandated in OH?  The fact is that classroom amplification is relatively inexpensive and, when done right, requires absolutely no training.  All that's required is a bit of enthusiasm from teachers who are willing to try something new, hang a lightweight wireless microphone around their necks, and continue doing what they were doing.  The simple act of BEING HEARD delivers the results we all want to see.  So how do the vendors differ?  Though some want to point to specs and features, the fact is that all of the systems look good, work well, sound fine and deliver results.  This is no spec race and wireless classroom microphones are quickly becoming commodities, which means prices are dropping.   The differences between manufacturers mostly have to with price and our differing approaches to classroom audio as an integrated solution (Calypso) or as a stand-alone solution (everyone else).  And don't forget about battery life!.

Off the show floor, I was fascinated and impressed to see that T+L was partnering with TED (www.ted.com) to produce a "independent TED event".  If you're not aware of TED, stop reading this, go to www.ted.com and click on any presentation that looks interesting.  For the most part, they are all (a) about 20 minutes long and (b) absolutely fascinating.   As they put it, TED is about "Ideas Worth Spreading" and consists of "Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world".  Really, if you've never listened to a TED presentation, you're in for a treat.  Still, I've never heard of a TED collaboration with any other organization, so was thrilled to see the connection to T+L and made my way to the session, not knowing what to expect.  Unfortunately I was able to stay for only about 45 minutes of the 2.5 hour session, so I don't know if the effort worked as hoped and planned.  A crowded room of about 150 people viewed a TED presentation by personal computing visionary Alan Kay that focused on better teaching techniques using computers (http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/alan_kay_shares_a_powerful_idea_about_ideas.html).  We were then asked to write down responses to several questions about what we just saw.  I had time to write only one response, this to the question of whether the presentation was relevant to the future of education (I'm paraphrasing).  Though the video is well worth your while, and entertaining to boot, my answer was "yes, of course".  I continued that the problem in education has nothing to do with a shortage of ideas about where we ought to go.  As far as I can tell, there's broad consensus, or at least arguments among a number of worthy choices.  The challenge, of course, is how to get there.

Need a Classroom Technology Plan? Who You Gonn’a Call?

Posted by David Parish, Ph.D., CEO Calypso Systems
Wednesday August 26th, 2009 | 2 Comments

The mandate is issued, the funds are secured and it’s time to move the notion of 21st Century Classrooms from theory to reality. It’s an exciting time for technology directors fortunate enough to work for districts undergoing school construction or renovation, as you get thrown into the process of defining your unique version of a modern classroom.

From 30,000 feet, tasks always look easy. Interactive white boards, projectors, some speakers and off you go. Of course the view from down on the ground (or in the ceiling!) is quite a bit more challenging, as you wrestle with the details that ultimately determine whether or not your classroom systems deliver the outcome hoped for by teachers, students, parents and administrators. The fact is, there is considerable complexity as you determine precisely what type of equipment you need, which brands are best suited to your goals and to your district’s technical infrastructure, how it all gets installed, configured and supported, what administrative tools are required and what type of training is needed for teachers and support staff. Add the fact that technology is a constantly moving target, and you quickly conclude that you need to some help understanding options that meet your current needs, while anticipating future requirements.

The good news is that you’re surrounded by plenty of resources ready, willing and able to provide the information you need to make good decisions.

Consultants. If the project is large and complex enough, possibly extending beyond the walls of the classroom to include school infrastructure systems (bell, clock, PA, intercom, emergency alert, phones, etc.), then a consultant specializing in school technology planning is often in the mix. The level of integration required among these various systems, especially in the context of new construction, demands some serious expertise and experience.

Dealers. Districts often have existing relationships with commercial electronics dealers who specialize in school technologies. These guys are “on the street”, and have a good sense of what actually works and which manufacturers are delivering real value. Though they often have a vested interest in pushing some products over others, a trusted dealer can provide valuable information and insight.

Colleagues. One of the beautiful things about the school business is how collegial it is. Districts don’t inherently compete with one another. As a result, district technology directors are eager to share information with one another on best practices, on key relationship and on product recommendations. Though education technology shows abound, and are great venues for gathering information from colleagues, the best organization I’ve seen for this is CoSN (http://www.cosn.org), a trade group entirely by and for district technology directors with a stated mission of fostering professional development among this group.

Manufacturers. Talk about vested interest! Still, it’s in every manufacturer's best interest to provide you with all of the information you need. The key, of course, is to know what questions to ask. It’s often the case of figuring out what a manufacturer is NOT telling you that determines whether it’s a good fit for your project. And while price may rule the day, it's important to stay close to important features that may be very relevant a year or two down the road.

Trade Shows. A good trade show is well worth your time, effort and money as you work through this process. If done right, it’s a venue that provides access to manufacturers, consultants and colleagues. One of the keys to making the most of the visit, though, is to do plenty of homework prior to arriving. Again, know what questions to ask by the time you arrive in order to walk away with the information you need to make good decisions.

Designing and building classrooms that serve current and future needs for media-rich, interactive and collaborative learning is challenging. No one resource is going to provide all the answers as you determine just how to implement classroom technology in your district. Yet plenty of information abounds. And with an enormous number of US classrooms outfitted already with interactive white boards, projectors, amplifiers, control systems, microphones and more, the "bugs" have been well shaken out. Take advantage of the experience of dealers, colleagues and manufacturers, specifically working within K-12 classrooms, to make sure your project goes smoothly and that you don't find yourself crawling through too many ceilings!

Lesson Plan Management Standards.

Posted by David Parish, Ph.D., CEO Calypso Systems
Monday July 20th, 2009 | 0 Comments

There's an old joke about standards that says if they're such a good idea, everyone ought to have one. OK. Not much of a joke, but it's about as good as it gets when you're dealing with engineering humor. The point is, standards get a lot of lip service, but often fall short when it comes to delivering the type of universal value they could create. The reality is that it's often difficult, if not impossible, to get those with competing, well-entrenched interests to agree to a common and practical set of guidelines for how, when, where and why to do anything. It's true in all fields, including education. It's an especially relevant topic in education as we as an industry rush headlong into the creation of next generation, media rich, interactive curriculum materials just as districts are making fundamental architecture decisions about Lesson Plan Management (LPM) systems.

Wouldn't it be great if standards allowed you to import lesson plans from any publisher into your LPM, no matter which one you purchase? With proper standards in place your curriculum decision could hinge entirely on qualitative differences between the lessons under consideration rather than on technical compatibility issues. Really, no district technology director or curriculum coordinator should ever have to unwind the pros and cons of IMS Content Package, SCORM 1.2, IMS Common Cartridge formats or simple self-contained web pages as a format foundation for lesson plan management.

Thanks to a terrific group led by CORE Education, a New Zealand-based not-for-profit educational research and development organization, lesson plan developers large and small can take advantage of a free, open source tool called exeLearn. This application was created to assist teachers and academics in the publishing of web content without the need to become proficient in HTML or XML markup. Most importantly, content authored in exeLearn can be exported in any of the standard (there's that word again) formats, making its content compatible with nearly any LPM solution. I don't know, but assume the tool can also be used to convert from one format to another.

If you have anyone in your district interested in media rich lesson plan creation, point them at the exeLearn web site, where they can download and use the application on nearly any platform. They also host a series of very useful videos that explain the exeLearn philosophy and tools. The little bit of time I've spent playing with the tool leads me to conclude they've hit a home run. If you do download and use it, let me know how it works for you. Seems like a support group in the making ...

Related Links

CORE Education
exeLearn web site

NECC Candor from the DOE

Posted by David Parish, Ph.D., CEO Calypso Systems
Tuesday July 7th, 2009 | 1 Comments

Though it required an early wake-up to make the 7am SIIA Education Division breakfast last Wednesday morning at NECC, it was worth the effort. Tucked into a small room at the Renaissance Hotel across from the DC Convention Center, the group consisted of SIIA leadership, various education software publishers, several varieties of industry consultants and one ed tech hardware exec. The speaker that morning was Jim Shelton, the DOE's Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement, where he oversees the Department's competitive teacher quality, school choice and learning technology programs.

Jim's topic was billed as a "Discussion of the Obama Administration's education innovation agenda with emphasis on technology, implementation of the ARRA, and the role of the private sector". Jim is a thoughtful, articulate and engaging speaker, able to make his points extemporaneously and casually and his talk was a well-organized stream of consciousness presentation. Most importantly, he did not shy away from criticizing the industry to which he was speaking, educators to whom we sell our products, or the inefficiencies within his own department. True to President Obama's campaign pledge, the agenda was honest and transparent. Some of the more intriguing comments included:

• Make It Apple Easy. Right out of the box, Secretary Shelton criticized the industry for making products that are unnecessarily complex and which lack an element of "cool". I believe his point was that low adoption and effectiveness of ed tech products can be partially blamed on product designs that emphasize functionality rather than usability. He implored the industry, including the two Intel reps in the room, to make it "Apple Easy". The groan was audible and there may have been a hiss or two. Still, while his point is well-taken, he was intentionally overlooking the business realities of designing, building, deploying and supporting next-generation products to an industry that focuses first and foremost on cost savings and value. Schools don't have much of a budget for "cool".

• Ed Tech Viewed as "Part of the Problem". OK - these are my words, not his. More accurately what Jim said was that end users "... do not view ed tech vendors as part of a solution to their basic problems". I suspect he was referring more so to main stream teachers who struggle with classroom technology adoption while also confronting growing class sizes, fewer resources and changing performance criteria, and not to administrative and instructional technology folks. The district technology leadership we interact having the luxury of stepping away from the fray and envisioning the world they're trying to create. For the most part, they are very supportive of the our efforts to deliver effective and relevant products. Teachers, on the other hand, don't have that luxury and it's easy to imagine their frustration with "yet another change". If I were to corner Jim, this is one topic I would want to explore further.

• E2T2 Funding Cut. For years we've railed as an industry about the prior administration's hypocracy in creating this vastly under-funded mandate within NCLB. To me it was the one moment in the morning's discussion where Jim seemed a bit embarrassed, offering the party politico-speak that E2T2 funding will return when there is "a clear plan with demonstrated effectiveness". Sorry. That bird doesn't fly. There are far too many classrooms without the basic infrastructure required to have a conversation about 21st century teaching. No matter how the details evolve down the road, classrooms with adequate computer and rich-media presentation technologies improve learning outcomes right here and right now. The evidence surrounding the importance of classroom sound reinforcement by itself is overwhelming.

• Mythical Stimulus Money. It was no surprise that stimulus funds was a hot topic at NECC. More to the point, everybody was trying to understand if and when dollars would actually reach targeted districts. Though I'm guessing Jim would deny saying it, when pressed on this topic he clearly stated that the reason stimulus funds are not yet flowing to districts is that " ... states are playing games with the stimulus money". In other words, funds are flowing to the states, but getting redirected to address more pressing needs. He's frustrated, we're frustrated, schools are frustrated, etc. Personally, I've yet to speak with a district anywhere in the country that has actually received IDEA Part B funds.

 

As an industry, we have strong advocates for effective, proven investments in education technology currently DC. The type of candor shown at the SIIA breakfast meeting last week was an important step towards turning potential into results. We didn't necessarily hear what we wanted to hear, but we did hear (mostly) the truth. What's next? It's up to us.

Related Links

SIIA
Jim Shelton

Low Hearing. High Classroom Impact.

Posted by David Parish, Ph.D., CEO Calypso Systems
Wednesday June 24th, 2009 | 2 Comments

Years ago I was involved in scientific research on the effect of vision loss on the everyday tasks we take for granted, such as reading and walking around. After finishing my graduate work at NYU, I moved to Minnesota to join an esteemed research facility known as the Laboratory for Low Vision Research, run by a brilliant scientist named Gordon Legge, who himself had extremely "low vision". The term "low vision", used to describe a state of visual impairment that falls somewhere between normal (corrected) and blind, jumped to mind as I read through a research paper entitled "Classroom Acoustics and The Benefits of Sound Field Amplification", by Deborah Brace, an audiologist and speech therapist at Egg Harbor Township High School in New Jersey. It occurred to me that the term "Low Hearing" perfectly described the conditions addressed in the paper.

Deborah's paper is a very useful compilation of relevant research and includes her recommendations for mitigating the effects of low hearing in the classroom, whether the result of a physical impairment, external noise, a soft-spoken teacher or some combination. If you're in the business of designing, building, supporting or using classrooms, it's well worth 20 minutes of your time to read through it. A few details, however, really jumped out for me.

Looking at auditory properties of classrooms, there are two standards organizations, ANSI and ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association), that each offer guidelines for acceptable classroom background noise, 35 dB and 30 dB respectively. Several studies cited in the paper report unoccupied classroom noise levels that are consistently above these standards, often hitting the 60 dB range. HVAC, for example, can easily add 10-15 dB, while a fish tank can add 20-30 dB, all of which makes it more difficult for the teacher to be heard. Indeed, both standards group agree that classrooms should provide a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR; a comparison of the teacher's voice to the background noise level) of +15 dB or greater. Yet studies have shown classroom SNR that range from +5 dB to -7 dB, placing a strain on both students and teachers.

So - classrooms can be noisy places and it's no real surprise that students who hear the teacher more easily and clearly do better. The surprise for me was the magnitude of the impact of the combination of poor SNR and moderate hearing loss. While the paper offers up several useful and interesting examples, the absolute show-stopper was a reference to a research study by Nelson & Soli (2000) that reported:

 

• 13-15% of school age children studied had hearing losses of 15 dB or greater
• these students were typically unaware of their hearing loss
• these students were 10x more likely to repeat at least one grade as compared to their normal hearing peers

 

Anything that produces a negative learning outcome that is 10x below what we consider to be "normal" sounds like an epidemic to me. Add to that the increased likelihood of some of these students moving into special education programs, with it's attendant costs and consequences, and it may not be an over-reaction to call it a crisis.

Fortunately, there is no mystery to the solution required to turn the situation around. Classroom sound reinforcement is easy to install, easy to use and is even becoming easy to afford. Amplify the teacher's voice to dramatically improve the classroom SNR, regardless of whether the noise is internal, external or the result of low hearing, and the issue goes away. It's rare that we get to connect the dots between classroom technology and improved learning outcomes so directly. I look forward to seeing longitudinal studies that track the long term impact of classroom sound reinforcement as these systems become pervasive in all schools.

Disrupting Everything

Posted by David Parish, Ph.D., CEO Calypso Systems
Tuesday June 16th, 2009 | 0 Comments

Having attended a half-dozen or so ed tech conferences over the past few months, one thing is clear. The book "Disrupting Class", by Clayton Christensen and Michael Horn, has quickly jumped to the center of the education universe, referenced in nearly every conversation about the role of technology in education. If you have not yet read Disrupting Class my advice would be to jump over to Amazon and order your copypost-haste. (You can't possibly be interested in this blog without being fascinated by the book!) The overarching theme of the book is that while technology has had a useful impact on education, it's used primarily within the context of an outdated one-size-fits-all model of teaching and learning. In a world where "tried and true" core curriculum topics are not adequately preparing students for life in a Hot, Flat and Crowded world, something more is needed. Something disruptive to the status quo. As the authors argue, technology provides an opportunity to reinvent education as a personalized experience for each learner, tuned to each person's strengths, interests, intellect, learning style, etc., though all within the context of defined standards.

The notion of personalized education is compelling and as far as I can tell, gets little push back from those who work far closer to the classroom than I. In fact more recently I've sensed that the industry's collective unconsciousness has already voted, and that "individual lesson plans" are as surely a part of the future of education as is pizza in the lunch room. It's all good as far as I'm concerned (including the pizza), especially as one who's career is based upon building technology to improve educational outcomes. So the good news is that when I sit in rooms filled with Superintendents, Technology Directors and Curriculum specialists, there's consensus on where we're headed, something I don't believe I could have said a year ago. Now that's a book with impact!

In all, I've come away encouraged by both the direction articulated by Christensen and Horn, and by the education industry's apparent embrace of those ideas. But it's the second part of the book that worries me. For the latter part of the book leans heavily and convincingly on Christensen's prior work on "disruptive innovation" in business, (see his prior work, "The Innovator's Dilemma") to point out that the type of profound change represented by the idea of personalized instruction CANNOT AND WILL NOT HAPPEN within the confines of the existing, traditional education industry. It must and will first take root in alternatives to mainstream education, most likely in home school and chartered school settings. Why? Read the book for the details, but the answers are pretty much black and white. I repeat ... it cannot and will not happen.

Yet the same Superintendents, Tech Directors and Curriculum Specialists who embrace the notion of personalized instruction are, for the most part, acting as if they can ignore the truth of implementation. It's kind of like saying you believe in physics, but reserve the right to question the existence of gravity. The notion of personalized instruction and the theories of how disruptive innovation happens are two sides of the same coin. You can't realistically have one without the other. (When questioned on this topic, I literally had one superintendent say to me "I just don't believe that part of the book".)

So what's the answer? Should schools ignore the possibilities of personalized instruction for mainstream students, knowing they're unlikely to achieve their all of their goals? Or push ahead and possibly achieve some level of improvement? If the latter, how do they deal with required teacher training, assessment, curriculum and other issues that must be part of the overall personalized instruction experience?

The Integrated Classroom. Start with Control.

Posted by David Parish, Ph.D., CEO Calypso Systems
Tuesday June 2nd, 2009 | 1 Comments

Video projectors and interactive white boards are without question the most visible symbols of the 21st century classroom. The truth is their position is more than symbolic. The ability to project a computer image on a large screen, creating a shared experience, combined with the interactive tools afforded by the white board, profoundly change classroom dynamics for the better. Done well, it's inclusive, engaging, nuanced, interactive and collaborative. It's all good. Take a closer look and we'll find a number of challenging issues in the effort to build, manage and use these devices.

To begin, classroom video sources often includes a computer, DVD player and document camera, with streaming video, perhaps decoded on a set top box, and CATV tuners occasionally in the mix as well. Most of those devices will also drive audio, along with increasingly popular classroom microphones and iPOD's. Implicit in all of this is an audio amplifier capable of not only filling the room with adequate fidelity, but which can act as an on-demand audio switch, while providing volume and other controls. Take a breath, because we've already left most teachers in the dust. For without an intuitive, convenient and flexible control solution, the battle is already lost, and the technology will be used superficially at best. Imagine the frustration of having to manually switch the projector's video input from VGA2 (document camera) to VGA1 (teacher's PC, which is being used to play a DVD) and then attempting to switch a multi-input audio amplifier so that "audio follows video". Most of us with home theaters can relate. Now place 30 kids in the scene and a 40 minute class period packed with activities. No time for troubleshooting. What do you mean it doesn't work!!??

A controller offers a single point of integration for these otherwise incompatible devices and presents an obvious user interface to the teacher. Press the "DVD" button on the control panel, either hardware buttons mounted on the wall or graphics on the teacher's PC, and the projector automatically switches to the right video input, the amplifier switches to the right audio input, while setting volume to the preferred level for DVD's, and the teacher doesn't give it a second thought. Similarly, choose any combination of audio and video sources, and move on. With that addition of a $250 controller (Calypso CB-1000 shown), the $3000 or so investment in classroom technology and installation become usable.

But control can, and should, do much more that that. For example, an automated timer can often be set to turn the video project off at a set time each evening, thus reducing the frequency of very costly lamp replacement. Upgrade to a networked controller, and technology staff can remotely monitor and control classroom devices, including projectors, to provide instant teacher support, to prevent theft and to track preventative maintenance.

Of course, all of this presumes that classroom devices can, in fact, be remotely controlled. Monitoring projector bulb life requires bi-directional communications via a serial or network port on the projector. Similar, amplifier control is most effective using RS-232 rather than IR. Important considerations when evaluating classroom gear.

What's your experience with classroom control and remote support? Am I overstating the challenge or am I on track with what you're seeing in the real world of K-12 classrooms?

Behind the Walls Counts.

Posted by David Parish, Ph.D., CEO Calypso Systems
Monday June 1st, 2009 | 0 Comments

First, some perspective. Calypso Systems manufactures products used to build, manage and use media-rich K-12 classrooms. As President of this 4-year old company, I'm enjoying a close-up view of the evolution of 21st century education - a market still relatively new to me. With nearly 20,000 classrooms deployed with Calypso products over the past few years, I like to believe we're beginning to have enough scale where we may, in fact, have some useful observations. That, combined with a steady diet of education technology trade shows, conferences, industry publications and discussions with ed tech leaders from around the country are all driving some hoped-for clarity on how things may evolve.

My goal here is to instigate conversations that address education technology infrastructure, which is where Calypso's energy is focused, and which most often seems to be an afterthought in conversations about 21st century education. In other words, I care greatly about what happens behind the walls, as we attempt to build a foundation capable of supporting evolving models of 21st century education.

No surprise - the topics I'll focus on, at least initially, will align pretty closely with the work being pursued by Calypso. From a product angle we build classroom device control (e.g., projectors, audio, DVD players, etc.), hardware and software control panels, classroom audio including wireless microphones, and various wiring and connectivity components. Like I said, infrastructure. While there's plenty to be said about these topics, and the crucial role they play in enabling media-rich, collaborative and interactive teaching, I think you'll find that the conversation moves quickly into topics that tend to be more front and center, including curriculum, assessment and special ed.

Hopefully you'll find reason to stay in touch, join the discussion and add to our community.