EdTech & Classroom Tools
Chromebooks vs. iPads in K-12: where each one actually wins
The K-12 device wars settled into a partial truce. Chromebooks dominate by unit count; iPads still win in specific contexts. A guide to mixed deployments.
EdTech & Classroom Tools
Udemy vs. Skillshare vs. LinkedIn Learning: where each one wins
Three online course marketplaces serve different audiences and use cases. A practical comparison for picking the right platform for what you actually want to learn.
Community college transfer pathways that actually work in 2026
Community college as a stepping stone to a four-year school works in some states and breaks in others. The articulation agreements that exist, and the ones that do not.
Topics
EdTech & Classroom Tools
Honest reviews of the apps, platforms, AI tools, and devices teachers are asked to adopt. We assess what genuinely helps students think, what just keeps them busy, and what's heavily marketed without earning its place.
“Chromebooks vs. iPads in K-12: where each one actually wins”
25 posts
Digital Literacy & Media
Reading, writing, and thinking in a media environment that wasn't built in students' interest. We cover information literacy, source evaluation, attention, and what it means to be a careful reader and a credible writer online.
“Teaching media literacy in an algorithm-shaped attention environment”
25 posts
Schools & Policy
What happens to teaching when policy meets practice. We write about school systems, assessment regimes, district decisions, and the quiet politics that shape what's possible inside the classroom.
“The UnCommon Core”
20 posts
Teaching & Pedagogy
How real classrooms work, lesson by lesson. We write about instructional design, classroom practice, and the small craft decisions that shape what students actually learn, separating durable pedagogy from passing fashion.
“The first ten days: what new teachers should actually focus on”
18 posts
Professional Development
Notes on how teachers actually grow. We cover conferences worth attending, PD that doesn't waste a Saturday, and the case for treating educators as career-long learners rather than topped-off skill sets.
“ISTE 2010: Easy…Not Free”
16 posts
Online Learning
MOOCs, course platforms, bootcamps, and the rest of the open-web learning economy. We cover where online courses deliver, where they don't, and how adults are actually picking up new skills outside traditional classrooms.
“Udemy vs. Skillshare vs. LinkedIn Learning: where each one wins”
9 posts
Recent writing
Digital Literacy & Media
Teaching media literacy in an algorithm-shaped attention environment
The media literacy curriculum most schools use was designed for a search-era internet. The feed era requires different lessons, and the work has gotten harder.
Homeschooling
Outschool, co-ops, and filling the subjects you can’t teach
Long-term homeschoolers do not teach everything themselves. How outsourcing classes, joining co-ops, and finding tutors fits into a sustainable homeschool.
EdTech & Classroom Tools
AI lesson-planning tools that don’t waste teachers’ time
Lesson-planning AI is one of the few clearly working AI use cases in classrooms. Which tools deliver, what they cannot replace, and how to evaluate them.
Online Learning
Which Coursera certificates employers actually recognize
Some Coursera certificates clear resume screens. Most do not. Which credentials function as hiring signals and which are decoration.
Higher Education
The hidden costs of out-of-state public universities
Flagship public universities now charge non-residents two and a half to three times in-state tuition. The math has shifted enough to be worth a fresh look.
Teaching & Pedagogy
The first ten days: what new teachers should actually focus on
Most of how the year goes is decided in the first ten days. New teachers should front-load routines, names, and tone, not lesson plans for September.
Homeschooling
Choosing a math curriculum: Saxon, Singapore, or Beast Academy
Saxon, Singapore, and Beast Academy are not interchangeable. Each does a specific job well and others poorly. A guide to picking the right one for your kid.
EdTech & Classroom Tools
Canvas, Schoology, and Google Classroom: an honest LMS comparison
Three K-12 LMSes dominate, and they optimize for different things. A practical comparison for districts and departments choosing or rethinking their stack.