Southern White Teams Just Didn’t Play Black Ones, but One Game Ended All That - NYTimes.com

Sports are often derided for being over emphasized in America....and in some cases, of course they are. However, this New York Times story demonstrates the power that sport and coaches have to change the world. As we watch college football move into an exciting November, we should be thankful for the courage of these folks and prayerful that our society will never be as racist and dumb again.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/us/26florida.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

NYT: For Naismith, Basketball Was Only a Start

A New York Times article on the inventor of basketball , Dr. James Naismith. His opinion that officiating would heavily influence the sport was spot on.

Apollo stuff still on the moon

Pictures from the lunar reconnaissance explorer of equipment and lunar modules left behind from decades past.

Superstars not superstars by accident

This weeks Sports Illustrated article on the Laker's championship and Kobe Bryant's determination reveal that terms like "great athlete" and "natural talent" are tremendously misleading. The article talks about Bryant's 5:30am workout after the Lakers took a 3-1 series lead.

From a coaching and athletic development perspective, Bryant's training regimen is fascinating and I think is adaptable to young athletes too (in fact, elements are being used in various sports, but not widely). Perhaps as remarkable the team winning the championship is Kobe's elite performance over such a long time - two years of almost continuous basketball (2 full NBA seasons + playoffs [Lakers were in the finals both years] + the Olympic Games tournament).

I think this excerpt from the article focuses on an training area, all athletes need to focus on to reduce injuries and increase enjoyment of the sport:

....Grover's modifications were small but important. Bryant had never been an advocate of cold tubs; Grover had him taking ice baths frequently for muscle recovery. He focused on strengthening Bryant's ankles, wrists, hips—"areas that don't make you look better in your jersey but can become nagging injuries," Grover says. The result is that, despite having played for nearly three years straight due to his Olympic commitments, Bryant came into these Finals free of ankle braces, shoulder wraps and sleeves—although his right ring finger, dislocated earlier in the season, remained taped. He even wore low-top shoes...

When I see middle-school and high school athletes wearing knee braces, my first thought is they need to train for the sport. The injury reveals a need to correct their technique and fitness.

Wikinomics post on Zappos and Social Media

Keven Morris of the Wikinomics blog with an post on how net shoe company Zappos uses social networking to recruit and promote their customer-centric spirit.

Will Higher Education Be the Next Bubble to Burst? - Chronicle.com

Joseph Cronin and Howard Horton ask important questions and make some inventive suggestions in this commentary: Will Higher Education Be the Next Bubble to Burst? - Chronicle.com

10 skills developers will need in the next five years

Larry Dignan of ZD Net posits the 10 skills developers will need in the next five years

Community Colleges Challenge Hierarchy With 4-Year Degrees - NYTimes.com

A growing number of community colleges are offering bachelor's degree programs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/education/03community.html?_r=1&ref=education

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

New not-for-profit text

Looks like an interesting read from author Dan Pallotta via Joel John Roberts blog (http://tinyurl.com/dzld28).

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

News: More Meaningful Accreditation - Inside Higher Ed

Big changes on the way at the Higher Learning Association:

News: More Meaningful Accreditation - Inside Higher Ed

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Division I sports on the budget chopping block

Scary budget times for some Division I athletic programs. Some are cutting sports to save money reports the New York Times

Office space evolution

A great graphic from the Wired blog:

Evolution of Office Spaces Reflects Changing Attitudes Toward Work

How the White House is using Web 2.0

EFY Times has an article on how the White House is using Web 2.0 tools to interact with the public. The White House photostream on flickr is a great example with great picts.

Op-Ed Contributor - End the University as We Know It - NYTimes.com

Mark Taylor of Columbia argues for change in the structure of higher education:

Op-Ed Contributor - End the University as We Know It - NYTimes.com


Stan Katz's reply in The Chronicle Review

Government Looks Online To Spread Word On Flu : NPR

A good example of how government is using twitter and web 2.0 tools are
to spread word on flu : (NPR article)

News: Left Out of NCAA Leadership - Inside Higher Ed

Faculty demanding a greater voice in NCAA happenings.

From the 4/24/09 issue of Inside Higher Education.

Managing Large Writing Projects - Inside Higher Ed

A good primer on managing large writing projects from John Castil in the April 24, 2009 version of Inside Higher Ed

The Man Who Invented Management

Businessweek editor-in-chief John Byrne reminded us this morning on twitter (JohnAByrne) that the 2005 article on the passing and legacy of management guru Peter Drucker is among the most emailed articles:

The Man Who Invented Management

Times Is On My Side?

Via edwonk...

Sent to you via Google Reader

Times Is On My Side?

The New York Times is cranking out a lot of interesting education pieces. Over the weekend Sam Dillon sorta looked at Title I formulas, Nicholas Kristof looked at Michelle Rhee, and today E.D. Hirsch takes a smart look at test quality.

The Kristof column is generating a lot of buzz. It seems anything with the words "Michelle Rhee" does these days. But while it's terrific that someone with a platform like Kristof is paying attention to education, I didn't flip for the column like some others have. He cites Michelle's big weakness as "bedside manner" And sure, part of Rhee's challenge (and her strength, it should be noted) is her aggressive style. But, does anyone seriously believe that if she had the light touch of Tony Bennett and the political skills of Jack Kennedy we still wouldn't be having this big fight in D.C. about her actual proposals? Of course not. That debate, and others like it, are about changing the rules of the game and taking away privileges that some organized groups have long enjoyed. That is…how do they call it…contentious! In other words, her more serious problem is intense organized opposition to what she's trying to do. It seems that Kristof either missed that dynamic or assumes a lot of background information on the part of the reader. So unless you know the situation pretty well the dots don't get connected that this isn't Michelle Rhee v. rank and file teachers (most of whom unfortunately don't' vote in teachers' union elections anyway), it's Rhee v. a powerful local and national machine driven by activist teachers on these issues. So of course she's made mistakes along the way, we all do in complicated situations. But the underlying dynamic here is a more basic one than that. Education reform is like a bad marriage, we argue about everything except the real issues at hand Arguing about Michelle's style is like arguing about who should be taking out the trash.

Don Hirsch's piece on testing is quite important. The idea that fill in the bubble tests inherently mean low-quality tests has become fashionable but is wrong. That's not to say we shouldn't move to better assessments, but rather that until the field internalizes the core points Hirsch is making about content and cur...

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

The Press Republican - Article: Empire State College helps adult learners

Good article on long-time leader in adult ed programs, Empire State, again helping folks with a great blended degree format.

The Press Republican - Article: Empire State College helps adult learners

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Space Shuttle launch always impressive

How can 1970's technology still appear cutting edge? Each time the Space Shuttle launches, we are reminded of the impressive work of the space program in the '60's and '70's. These operations are also a vibrant example of the ultimate in high-stakes organization and process improvement processes. If they fail, people perish.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

The Press Republican - Article: Empire State College helps adult learners

Good article on long-time leader in adult ed programs, Empire State, again helping folks with a great blended degree format.

The Press Republican - Article: Empire State College helps adult learners

Online Learning, Upscale (and Scaled Up) :: Inside Higher Ed :: Higher Education's Source for News, Views and Jobs

Online Learning, Upscale (and Scaled Up) :: Inside Higher Ed :: Higher Education's Source for News, Views and Jobs

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Simple Guidelines for Workday Quality Over Quantity

Email: Simple Guidelines for Workday Quality Over Quantity

The Final Hurdle

A special conversation with Olympian Harrison Dillard and Rachel Robinson and others about the role of athletics has played in bringing change to America.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=3843594

Half an Hour: The Future of Online Learning: Ten Years On

An earlier essay from author Stephen Downes:

Half an Hour: The Future of Online Learning: Ten Years On

Half an Hour: What Not To Build

Writer Stephen Downes with a great take on the present, past and future of technologies:

Half an Hour: What Not To Build

In These Classrooms, a G.E.D. Is Only a Start - NYTimes.com

A New York Times article on G.E.D. testing and helping high school dropouts to move on to further education.

In These Classrooms, a G.E.D. Is Only a Start - NYTimes.com