The National Economic Council and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) are asking for public input for a new initiative intended to address the challenges of the 21st century. The initiative, which would be similar to the National Academy of Engineering's (NAE) Grand Challenges for Engineering program, would help catalyze innovations to spur economic growth, encourage multidisciplinary collaborations and improve STEM education. Responses are needed to help identify specific challenges, potential partners and models for the program.

Our entire practice of testing is based on a theory of knowledge that is out of date.  . . . I fear that No Child Left Behind may well be constructed to leave behind exactly those non-linear thinkers, some of whom, if nurtured, might well grow up to Be Like Einstein.

Earlier today I was incorporating copy edits into an essay-in-comics thats being published in a book called Critical Pedagogy and Library Instruction .The essay is about  intersections between comics (considered both as a mode of communication and as a  form of cultural discourse) and critical pedagogy.  Part of this involved looking at how  popular culture and critical pedagogy intersect more generally.

As President Obama called for new efforts to reimagine and improve education in science and math, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced a $2 million open competition for ideas to transform learning using digital media. The competition seeks designers, inventors, entrepreneurs, researchers, and others to build digital media experiences the learning labs of the 21st Century that help young people interact, share, build, tinker, and explore in new and innovative ways. Administered by HASTAC, the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory ("haystack") through a grant to the University of California at Irvine and Duke University, the competition was planned and announced in partnership with National Lab Day, a movement to revitalize science, technology, engineering and math in schools that was highlighted at a White House event today.

The focus of my recent blogs is on MMO games and virtual worlds for learning. If you are involved with this in your work, please leave a comment!

Oakland Blues: Virtual P

Below, is a reblog of an article from the Washington Post about teaching U.S. elementary school teachers how to teach math. One sad part about not having humanists and interpretive social scientists more involved in these kinds of discussions is that we can see the place where A and B and C s