Improved technology played a big role in the identification of the two primary suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing.
Law enforcement officials were deluged with digital images and video after asking anyone who was in the area during the event to submit them. Traditionally it would take hundreds of officers countless hours to examine all of that media, but new versions of facial recognition technology have made that task much more manageable.
CNet explains how this tech works: "The software, which can help pick a person out of crowd, looks for differentiating features -- from the shape of a mouth to the ridge on a nose to the distance between a pair of eyes.
3VR in San Francisco has developed software that extracts information from video and then makes it searchable for its clients, which include retailers, banks, security firms and law enforcement."
The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to adopt a new educational model. After lagging behind, holding on in some ways to the old factory model emerging during the Industrial Age (desks in neat rows like an assembly, bells still ring, stringent schedules keeping everyone on track), public education has moved into uncharted territory.
Students learning from home, having more autonomy and flexibility in schedules. Teachers teaching to children on virtual screens—sometimes juggling between...

As teachers, we all have a passion, and this passion is often our favorite part of what we teach our students. I personally love Literacy and do a lot of research, writing, and presenting hands-on learning approaches when teaching children to read. Each teacher is different in what their passion is, but...
In an earlier blog, I wrote about a mindfulness-based program, where k-12 students learn and practice four breathing techniques in 40 days. I caught up with ABC Breathe director, Maria Andrade, to see how the initiative was going during the pandemic and a time when schools, teachers, and children are shifting between remote learning and in-person classes and having to maintain social distancing and other safety measures.
Q: How is the initiative going...

“The chance to author your own book is incredibly engaging and motivating to students.” – Dan Amos
The Planet Classroom Network is featuring Book Creator’s Create a...
Leaders in a school have a huge impact on teachers, staff, faculty, families, students, and the community. They have the ability to teach, model, engage, collaborate, and communicate. Leaders and administrators wear many hats and have a lot of responsibilities that take courage, organizational skills, the ability to communicate, and the expertise to support, encourage and build others up. As I moved up from...
As I begin teaching classes this semester, I feel it is more crucial than ever to create a safe space in the classroom, what I call a Container of Care & Courage.
Considering the tumultuous times we are living in, and what students –whether k-12 students or college students—might be going through, I think, as educators, we have an even greater responsibility to use the classroom as a microcosm of what society could be. A place where people’s voices are honored, where differences...