Hacking Your Education

It’s no secret that college doesn’t prepare students for the real world. Student loan debt recently eclipsed credit card debt for the first time in history and now tops one trillion dollars. And the throngs of unemployed graduates chasing the same jobs makes us wonder whether there’s a better way to “make it” in today’s marketplace. There is—and Dale Stephens is proof of that. In Hacking Your Education, Stephens speaks to a new culture of “hackademics” who think college diplomas are antiquated. Stephens shows how he and dozens of others have hacked their education, and how you can, too. You don’t need to be a genius or especially motivated to succeed outside school. The real requirements are much simpler: curiosity, confidence, and grit. Hacking Your Education offers valuable advice to current students as well as those who decided to skip college. Stephens teaches you to create opportunities for yourself and design your curriculum—inside or outside the classroom. Whether your dream is to travel the world, build a startup, or climb the corporate ladder, Stephens proves you can do it now, rather than waiting for life to start after “graduation” day.

It's no secret that university doesn't prepare students for the real world. Large debts and mass unemployment are causing potential students to wonder if there's a better way to 'make it' in today's marketplace. Dale Stephens, the founder of the unCollege movement, speaks to a new culture of 'hackademics' who think degrees are antiquated. Stephens shows how he and dozens of others have hacked their education. This is a handbook for the new order, packed with practical tips to succeed. Stephens helps readers thrive by preparing them with the skills that schools aren't teaching.

Hack Your Education is the ultimate tool for any student who aspires to make their passion their profession and doesn't want to wait until they graduate to get started cultivating their dreams. Jonathan Fritzler spent years, going through the motions of going to school, with the goal to graduate so he could begin his "real life". Finally an epiphany hit him like a truck... literally. On his way to school he was struck by a truck on his moped, and was nearly killed. During his recovery, he began to reevaluate his purpose in life, and ultimately the purpose of his education. He began focusing his school projects toward developing a business plan for an organization called the Aloha Movement Project which led him to getting funding to build a million dollar recording studio in Hawaii. These projects led him to a deep awareness of how powerful Education Energy really is! Now, students and community leaders can experience the Education Energy revolution in their own lives! With Education Energy homework becomes building blocks, teachers become mentors, and the school campus becomes an incubator for students passions to become real world initiatives. Do not waste any more school projects! Harness your Education Energy as a Renewable Resource! Special thanks to contributing authors: Shante Stuart and Jaimy Baek and all the AMPtivists who contributed so much research and support to our non profit!

Want to solve your biggest problems tomorrow? You have problems, but you don't have time for a 5-year plan. You're tired of philosophy, research and piles of data. You want practical solutions that you can implement immediately. You don't need a committee or another meeting. You need Hackers-experienced educators who understand your school's problems and see quick fixes that may be so simple that they've been overlooked. Hacking Education is the book that every teacher, principal, parent, and education stakeholder has been waiting for--the one that actually solves problems. Read it today-fix it tomorrow! In Hacking Education, Mark Barnes and Jennifer Gonzalez employ decades of teaching experience and hundreds of discussions with education thought leaders, to show you how to find and hone the quick fixes that every school and classroom need. Using a Hacker's mentality, they provide one Aha moment after another with 10 Quick Fixes for Every School--solutions to everyday problems that any teacher or administrator can implement immediately. Imagine being able to walk into school tomorrow and eliminate: Hours of wasted meeting time Classroom management issues Interruptions in planning time The need for more books Negative attitudes Technology issues If you want to improve teaching and learning at your school now, learn how to develop a Hacker's mentality. Discover How to Solve Problems with Pineapple Charts The 360 Spreadsheet Glass Classrooms Track Records Marigold Committees The TQZ More Impactful Hacks Not Your Average Education Book Hacking Education won't weigh you down with outdated research or complicated strategies. Barnes and Gonzalez provide brilliant ideas woven into a user-friendly success guide that you'll want to keep nearby throughout the school year. Each chapter is neatly wrapped in this simple formula: The Problem The Hack (a ridiculously easy solution that you've likely never considered) What You Can Do Tomorrow (no waiting necessary) Blueprint for Full Implementation (a step-by-step action plan for capacity building) The Hack in Action (yes, someone has actually done this) Are you ready to fix your school and your classroom? Get Hacking Education now, and solve your biggest problems tomorrow.

On May 21, 2010, Daniel J. Cohen and Tom Scheinfeldt posted the following provocative questions online: “Can an algorithm edit a journal? Can a library exist without books? Can students build and manage their own learning management platforms? Can a conference be held without a program? Can Twitter replace a scholarly society?” As recently as the mid-2000s, questions like these would have been unthinkable. But today serious scholars are asking whether the institutions of the academy as they have existed for decades, even centuries, aren’t becoming obsolete. Every aspect of scholarly infrastructure is being questioned, and even more importantly, being hacked. Sympathetic scholars of traditionally disparate disciplines are canceling their association memberships and building their own networks on Facebook and Twitter. Journals are being compiled automatically from self-published blog posts. Newly minted PhDs are forgoing the tenure track for alternative academic careers that blur the lines between research, teaching, and service. Graduate students are looking beyond the categories of the traditional CV and building expansive professional identities and popular followings through social media. Educational technologists are “punking” established technology vendors by rolling out their own open source infrastructure. Here, in Hacking the Academy, Daniel J. Cohen and Tom Scheinfeldt have gathered a sampling of the answers to their initial questions from scores of engaged academics who care deeply about higher education. These are the responses from a wide array of scholars, presenting their thoughts and approaches with a vibrant intensity, as they explore and contribute to ongoing efforts to rebuild scholarly infrastructure for a new millennium.

Replace traditional school discipline with a proven system, founded on restorative justice. In this Washington Post Bestseller and blueprint for school discipline, national presenters and school leaders Nathan Maynard and Brad Weinstein demonstrate how to eliminate punishment and build a culture of responsible students and independent learners.

A fully revised & updated handbook for teachers and administrators on creating just and equitable learning environments for students; building and maintaining healthy relationships; healing harm and transforming conflict. Much more than a response to harm, restorative justice nurtures relational, interconnected school cultures. The wisdom embedded within its principles and practices is being welcomed at a time when exclusionary discipline and zero tolerance policies are recognized as perpetuating student apathy, disproportionality, and the school-to-prison pipeline. Relying on the wisdom of early proponents of restorative justice, the daily experiences of educators, and the authors’ extensive experience as classroom teachers and researchers, this Little Book guides the growth of restorative justice in education (RJE) into the future. Incorporating activities, stories, and examples throughout the book, three major interconnected and equally important aspects of restorative justice in education are explained and applied: creating just and equitable learning environments; building and maintaining healthy relationships; healing harm and transforming conflict. Chapters include: The Way We Do Things A Brief History of Restorative Justice in Education Beliefs and Values in Restorative Justice in Education Creating just and Equitable Learning Environments Nurturing Healthy relationships Repairing Harm and Transforming Conflict A Tale of Two Schools: Thoughts and Sustainability The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education is a reference that practitioners can turn to repeatedly for clarity and consistency as they implement restorative justice in educational settings.

It's time to say Yes to PBL Project Based Learning can be messy, complicated, and downright scary. When done right, though, PBL and Inquiry are challenging, inspiring and fun for students. Best of all, when project-based learning is done right, it actually makes the teacher's job easier.