EdTech & Classroom Tools
The case against more screens in elementary classrooms
The 1:1 elementary device push was an overcorrection. The case for fewer screens in younger classrooms is stronger than the device-vendor materials suggest.
EdTech & Classroom Tools
Cohort-based courses (Maven and others): are they worth the price?
Cohort-based courses charge much more than self-paced alternatives. The format works for some learners and subjects and not others. A practical evaluation framework.
Picking a college major when you don’t know what you want
Major selection matters in a few specific fields and matters much less than the cultural anxiety suggests in most. A guide to figuring out which case you are in.
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.
“The case against more screens in elementary classrooms”
26 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.
“Chronic absenteeism, three years on: what the data actually shows”
21 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.
“Cohort-based courses (Maven and others): are they worth the price?”
10 posts
Recent writing
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.
Online Learning
Coding bootcamps in 2026: outcomes, costs, and which ones still work
Bootcamps have matured. The hype is gone, the field is smaller, and the picture is honest enough now to compare schools and outcomes seriously.
Higher Education
Early decision vs. early action: how the choice changes admit rates
Early decision and early action are not interchangeable, and the admit-rate gap between ED and regular decision is misleading. A practical guide for seniors weighing both.
Higher Education
Test-optional admissions in 2026: where it actually stands
The test-optional moment in American college admissions has had three phases. The first was the pre-pandemic era, when a small number of colleges (Bowdoin,…