21st Century Scholar

This is the first of a two-part blog where I discuss the use of social media in research and practice. Today’s blog emphasizes methodological concerns. Next week, I will discuss social media in schools. As regular readers of the blog know, I am conducting an ethnography that focuses on the lives of 17- and 18-year-old [...]

In late December, Collegeology game designers Elizabeth Swensen, Sean Bouchard and I traveled to Texas  to conduct a case study at a Houston area high school. Our goal was to playtest the card game (Application Crunch) and soon-to-be launched online game (Mission: Admission) with a group of predominately African American, low-income students. We arrived right [...]

Last week, Governor Jerry Brown described his 2012 budget proposal, which included a $5.2 billion cut in education if voters do not approve a tax increase on the ballot this November. Of the total, Brown plans to cut $4.8 billion in K–12 public school funding—the equivalent of three weeks of schooling—and $200 million to the [...]

My interest in college readiness includes organizations and individual actors; therefore, the case study methodology is an appropriate research tradition. After receiving approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and gaining entrée and access to the respective case, the data collection begins. However, one of the first elements established for my projects is determining reciprocity: [...]

This post is a look back at the web of 2011 (dominated by Web 2.0) and a look forward to the web of 2012 (welcoming Web 3.0). If you’ve heard of Web 2.0 and aren’t sure what that means, here’s a quick refresher. The World Wide Web in its initial incarnation (retroactively dubbed Web 1.0) [...]

“Yes, we can,” exclaimed Senator Barack Obama after winning the presidential primary in South Carolina nearly four years ago. The slogan signified hope and change for a country that desperately needed it. By alluding to Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, it also hinted at a promising new future for the working class and [...]

My children live in St. Louis. Sadly, like many urban school districts, St. Louis faces desperate, some say lethal problems. The condition has been so serious that the state of Missouri has been forced to take control of the district. Several superintendents later, there is no sign of improvement and although St Louis is a [...]

Now is the time to give thanks. I am thankful for having good health, professional successes, and old and new friends and family. When I consider major trends in education, however, giving thanks is more difficult.  Don’t get me wrong—there are people and events for which to be thankful. This year, Governor Brown signed legislation [...]

I call it a blessing to spend time learning from high school students. You might think I am crazy for electing to design research activity that promotes what Geertz’s describes as “thick description.” I honestly enjoy the energy housed in high schools, and smile at what is perceived to be “drama” for adolescents. We must [...]

Want to read more about how to teach writing to college-bound students? Check out the blog post here!