Friday, February 06, 2009

Bill Gates - How I Am Trying To Change The World...

The TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) 2009 conference is underway this week. This is Bill Gates' presentation at TED 2009 about malaria and what he and his foundation are doing to help rid malaria, and about great teachers. he answers two questions - how to eradicate malaria, and hpw to keep great teachers. A great presentation - great food for thought. So cool watching someone with such a passion for what they are doing. Watch for the mosquitoes...




His second question is "How do you make a teacher great?" So, how do you? Some interesting perspectives and numbers on what great teachers are and the impact of having more great teachers. One point Bill makes is that a Master's degree in education has no effect on improving the quality of a teacher - it's past performance that is the best indicator of success. Slightly more good teachers leave the profession than bad ones, and turnover is high...

Listen to what he says makes successful teachers - engagement, feedback, focus, caring - despite what he says about the current state of teachers and teaching, Bill still has hope for the future. Talks about using technology and education. A must watch video.

Hmmm...

2 comments:

Chris Mogensen said...

Bill's comments on great teachers gives me pause to think about how I do what I do in the classroom, and how I can strive to be better.

I'm already capturing video of the classroom sessions...wondering if the uploading of these might be better suited to our upcoming SharePoint server, for access to all students?

Dr. Ian H. MacLeod, EdD,CD said...

I'm thinking that would be a good idea and that it should be secure as well, not open to protect the privacy of learners.

I also think that capturing video of classes etc. is an innovative approach to teaching and learning...