Author Archives: karen mahon

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About karen mahon

i am a behavior and learning scientist. i hold an ed.d. in educational psychology and am trained as an instructional designer. i have spent more than 15 years working in education and instructional software design.

HUGE News! Find the Best Educational Apps NOW!


Today’s the day we’ve all been waiting for, so I hope you’ll forgive my overflowing giddiness! Yes, today, my new business, Balefire Labs, launches!! Parents and teachers, we can help you find the educational apps that provide the best instruction … Continue reading

Posted in App Reviews & Recs, Balefire Labs, Instructional Design, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Teachers LOVE Technology!


Here’s a really cool infographic to kick off your week, from the folks at OnlineUniversities.com!

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Diane Ravitch Doesn’t Understand EdTech Entrepreneurism


I really try my best not to read what Diane Ravitch writes. I usually disagree with her and I find her to be quite inflammatory, and not in a good way. But this time I feel like I really need … Continue reading

Posted in Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

A snapshot of Google’s uphill battle getting Android into schools


Originally posted on Gigaom:
In May at its annual developer conference, Google (s GOOG) announced plans to launch a new Android app store, called Google Play for Education, for teachers this fall. But there’s some new evidence that it’s in…

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Ed App Reviews: Will My Kid Like It?


I’ve noticed something pretty interesting in ed tech. I’m wondering if you’ve noticed it too. There are people out there in ed tech who think it’s meaningful to recommend a product according to whether it is liked by their own … Continue reading

Posted in App Reviews & Recs, Balefire Labs, Instructional Design, Learner Behavior | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

EdTech Reviews: What is an “Objective” Criterion?


For most people this will probably be an incredibly boring post. You’ve been warned. For others, like me, who are very concerned with language in science, and precision of language, this is the post for you. I’ve always described our … Continue reading

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What is Student Engagement? And What Should it Be?


Maybe those seems like weird questions. But they’ve been bouncing around in my head for a while now. I hear a lot of people talk about student engagement as a goal, but I get the impression that not everyone means … Continue reading

Posted in App Reviews & Recs, Instructional Design, Learner Behavior, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

When is Enough, Enough in Education?


This post was written by Dr. Aubrey Daniels and originally appeared on his blog, Aubrey’s Blog. It is reposted here, with his permission and my appreciation. ________________________________________________________________ On NPR this week I heard a report of a study on teacher … Continue reading

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What’s the Trend for Technology Use in the Classroom?


A few weeks ago I met a woman who asked me about “the recent trend in pulling technology out of elementary school classrooms.” For a minute I was kind of speechless. Then I tried to explain to her that all of … Continue reading

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Are MOOCs and Competency-Based Learning on a Collision Course?


Let’s just be clear: Massive Open Online Courseware (MOOC) and Competency-Based Learning (CBL) are not the same thing. They both claim to be “personalized” learning, but that personalization is expressed in completely different ways. In the case of the MOOC, the … Continue reading

Posted in Academics, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments