Guest Thinkers

It turns out that there are small clusters of innovation being created all over the world, in some places you might least expect.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg—himself a billionaire captain of the newspaper industry—has a novel perspective: maybe unions are good for business.

“Volcanoes of the World” is an invaluable resource for volcano neophytes and aficionados alike. Check out some of its best charts and figures here.  

Here are two cutting-edge solutions for how we can leverage social media in times of crisis. 

The asteroid discovery record of 19 objects in one night was set on January 29. The asteroid discovery record was accomplished using a powerful telescope on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Scientists are buying up tickets for privately-run trips to space. Space tourism teams like Virgin Atlantic offer relatively cheap ways for cosmologists to observe their subject of study.

“The age of plastic, disposability and consumerism was an artefact of overproduction in the oil industry. Higher prices and harder access will usher in a different age,” says Andrew Simms.

Three new technologies aim to tap unconventional energy sources—automobile motion and the temperature and saltiness of seawater—to produce vast new supplies of electricity.

“Demand for water in agriculture and energy production could spike in the coming decades while catastrophic floods and droughts strike more often,” reports The Independent.

“It never phased him that we’d call out different tunes from the stage and change the set around endlessly to stop from being bored,” Radiohead front man Thom Yorke says […]

When it comes to the Libyan revolution and the peculiar madness of Colonel Gadaffi, what is the right move?

The life of Reverend Peter J. Gomes, a self-described oddity, may appear to be somewhat of an enigma. Rev. Gomes, widely considered one of the country’s leading preachers, died Monday at 68. Gomes was a gay black Baptist preacher and a registered Republican. And yet, while these seeming contradictions–notably being Christian and gay–are irreconcilable to some, according to Rev. Gomes, his identity was “reconciled in me by a loving God.”

It almost goes without saying that the recent demise of bookseller Borders, which is in the process of liquidating more than 200 of its superstores around the nation, was inevitable. […]

In the first of several posts on the AAAS meetings held this month in Washington, DC, Simone Lewis-Koskinen reports on a panel at the conference that encouraged scientists to “communicate […]

Last month, the School of Communication at American University hosted Seth Mnookin, best-selling author of The Panic Virus, a stirring look at America’s debate over childhood vaccination.  The full video […]

Normally I don’t fall too far behind when it comes to the plethora of volcano images that show up on the friendly confines of the interweb. Well, this week looks […]

Why are women earning an average of $280 per hour to do, essentially, what the rest of us do for free?

Watching Prince Albert in the movie The King’s Speech and his struggles with stuttering, both before and after he became king of England, was as compelling a drama as I’ve […]

When Scott first invited me to contribute a post in response to “What Does Every Administrator Need from Teachers” I immediately thought about the “Seven Gifts of El Milagro” that […]

Dear Scott, I haven’t really answered your question, “What do administrators need from teachers?” Instead, I’ve deferred to a colleague who has a most unique perspective. I’d like to share […]

My cell phone rang from the passenger seat of my car as I crossed the last intersection before a two-mile stretch of Hydraulic Road leading to Albemarle High School, my […]

One of my administrative colleagues at my school here in Shanghai is a marathon runner. I am not. The mere thought of running for more than my personal requirement of […]

I want to thank Scott for asking me to do this and I want to curse him a little for making me go last. This is not an easy crew […]

As an administrator I feel that my job is to create, foster, and sustain a culture of learning that focuses on the success of each and every student.Paramount to this […]

by Richard Kassissieh A student gazes at a mystery solution. Its contents are unknown. The student reaches into her toolkit, a set of known solutions, and one by one, combines […]

n by Andrew Smith at Learning Out in the Open n Lately there have been a few words that have become ubiquitous in media discussions of education. That’s right: standards […]

I was a big fan of the recent series on Dangerously Irrelevant about what teachers want their administrators to realize. As a school Principal going into my sixth year with […]

When Scott asked me to contribute a post in answer to the question, “what do administrators need from teachers?” I was happy to comply. As superintendent of schools, I spend […]

I would like to preface my answer to this question by telling you that I am very lucky to work in an elementary school at which my comments are observed […]

Have you ever taken part in a conversation about progressive education or school reform and left the dialogue wondering if you were even talking about the same topic? Often I’m left wondering how […]