Today the Washington Post published an article discussing the issue of data use in education. Ashley and I both read it independently, and I'm guessing a few others of you may have seen it, too. It foreshadows a bit of our Week 2 topical focus.
The article recaps the obsession we've had with big data for the last several years, and suggests that small data, however, is the new "plastics." (OK, that was an old movie reference, glory to whoever in the class recognizes it.)
Read the story here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/05/09/big-data-was-supposed-to-fix-education-it-didnt-its-time-for-small-data/
Personally, I tend to agree. We've got it all wrong. If we worried less about benchmarking to global trends and more about looking at what's happening nearby (focus on local and formative assessment, not on those big high stakes tests), we could solve our local problems and be on the path to actual learning.
What do you think?
(And during Week 6 we're reading an article about small data -- so yes, we're going there)
I just want to say one word to you. Just one word.
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