The Know New Ideas Community

The sound of taps playing in the distance, seven guns firing in unison, the sight of tomb stones arranged in perfect lines with tiny American flags flapping in the wind are reminders of sacrifices made every day. These are the sounds and images that prevail the last Monday in May. Remembering friends and…

Today we are excited to kick off Teacher Appreciation Week with a note from our CEO and Co-Founder, Randy Wilhelm: What does teacher appreciation week mean? Probably the receipt of numerous apples, trinkets, baked goods and gift cards. I remember as a child that my mom would put together intricate baskets or gifts for my teachers. Yet I now believe that the best way for me to show appreciation would have been to pay attention in class, not staple my finger or gaze out the window as…

How do you know when the vision of personalized learning is advancing?  Well, believe it or not, recent news coverage in USA Today and eSchoolNews about Autism is one indication.  At this point, you might be saying, “Huh, not sure I follow you.”  It’s not that…

As a teacher, I was always concerned about time.  How much time do I have to cover a topic?  How much material can I cover in one quarter or one school year?  What if I run out of time to get it all done? 

What if TIME isn't the core issue?  What if the problem was HOW I was spending my time? …

Depth and rigor, text complexity, close reading and re-reading are all high priorities in the Common Core English Language Arts Standards.  How can we…

The Know New Ideas Community is proud to highlight new member Steven Pritchard, the Enrichment Teacher at South Buffalo Charter School in New York.  The work that Steven is doing with his enrichment classes is truly inspiring – taking a student centered, project-based approach to learning that develops his students so that they are ready to learn and lead in a 21^st century digital world.…

Enjoying the flowers from what you planted in the fall. 

Today is the first day of Spring. Thoughts of Spring are usually about renewal and starting fresh, but I also think of it as a…

In 2010, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference featured an unorthodox keynote selection. The closing keynote presenter was selected by casting a ballet via web. The most popular nominee would provide the closing keynote of one of the largest educational computing conferences in the world.

On July 1, Hawaii's Jeff Piontek won that distinct honor and declared: "It's no longer STEM. It's STEAM." His opening slide displayed white letters for the words…