Andrew Pass's Comments

Thanks, Andrew, I hope it wasn't too long & tedious . . . ;)

Andrew,
I'm very interested in your Living Textbook ideas; very, very thought-provoking.

Thanks for asking.

The newsletter is published at the end of every month.

http://www.classroomtoolkit.net/serendipity

The nine sections are more like a magazine.

If you would like to contribute articles, I would be glad for you to publish them under your by line. (You retain all copyrights.)

But, check out the content of the newsletter to determine if associating with this newsletter would be good for your consulting business.

I planned to work as a consultant after retiring.

I thought that a "Tell it like it is" newsletter would demonstrate my insight into what has to be done to improve and reform our educational system.

Lately, I've been considering marketing "What they want to hear" materials as a more popular and more lucrative strategy.

Right now I am publishing a special report on marketing for Open Source solutions for the Strategic Open Source, Special Interest Group (SOS SIG) of the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA).

Check out...

http://classroomtoolkit.ning.com

over the next few days for some insights. Since you don't seem to be promoting Open Source software, you probably won't feel threatened.

I explain the challenges faced in promoting Open Source software in our schools, and I identify what the organization has to do to market Open Source products.

I also point out how the organization has to distance itself from the failed "Technology Integration" movement, and how any marketing must be for an educational solution, rather than for "free and cheap" software.

Unfortunately, the answer for what this organization has to do to become successful in building a program that impacts education seems to be the same strategy that school districts need to adopt to mend their ways, i.e., change.

The common denominators seem to be...

* Respect the talents and abilities of everyone, especially our students and teachers
* Honor the wisdom and insights of people on the bottom, as well as the top of the 'Chain of Command"
* Trust in the abilities of our students and our teachers
* Trust in the capacity of honest and open (transparent) dialog to identify the required steps needed for improvement
* Make the folks at the bottom, i.e., students and teacher, full partners in the teaching and learning process

I believe that every solution must be individually and uniquely crafted because "no two implementation are the same."

I also believe that planning and project management of educational initiatives must be adequately funded, and that expecting mediocre funding of improvement projects to yield stellar results is folly.

So, "cookie cutter" reform, the most popular kind, remains largely ineffective...a money-leaking drain on our schools.

In fact, "Cookie Cutter Reform" will be the subject of an upcoming newsletter article.

Thanks again for asking.