stevewandler

[stevewandler]

The Book I Never Got—and the Mission to Take the Guesswork Out of Reading

I never used to love reading. Not because I didn’t want to—but because no one ever helped me find the book that could’ve changed the way I felt about it.

As a kid, I struggled. Reading was hard. School was harder. And over time, I stopped trying. I figured books just weren’t for people like me.

But then something changed.

My daughter, Faith, grew up to love books more than anyone I’ve ever met. She once told me she’d be happy falling asleep on a pile of them—and she meant it.

When I asked her why, she said: “I remember the first book I ever loved. It was The Hunger Games.”

She could point to it. The book. The moment. The connection.

And that’s when it hit me: I never had that. No one ever handed me a book that felt like it was mine. That pulled me in. That made me want to keep going.

Faith gave that to me later in life. She helped me understand what I missed. And I realized I’m not the only one.

A lot of people never became readers— Because every time they gave it a shot, it let them down. Too slow. Too confusing. Not what they expected. So they stopped trying.

There’s too much risk in reading right now. And more than that—there’s too much effort.

In a world of instant everything—fast food, fast apps, fast entertainment—books ask you to slow down before you even know if it’s worth it. That’s the real barrier.

Picking up a book means investing time, attention, and hope. And if it lets you down halfway through, it feels like a waste. That’s why so many people stop reading. Or never start.

The barrier to entry is just too high—and books are losing the battle. That’s what we’re changing.

Just like Spotify reshaped how we find music, or Uber reimagined how we move— We’re here to rethink how people find the right book. The book they’ll actually want to finish.

We’re creating a way to take the guesswork—and the risk—out of picking that next book. So reading feels less like a gamble—and more like something you can trust.

Taking the guesswork out of picking that next book.

Because the book that changes how you feel about reading shouldn’t come down to luck.

[stevewandler]

Book Intelligence

In an era dominated by information, the preservation and accessibility of knowledge have risen to the forefront of societal concerns. However, the surge in censorship has cast shadows on the sanctity of literature, reviving concerns of mass book bans. The influence of book censorship touches various facets of society, extending its reach into education, publishing, government, and retail. In response to this growing concern, Bookmarked emerges to offer a comprehensive solution to the ongoing conversation surrounding book censorship. 

Navigating Book Censorship: Education, Publishing, Government, Retail

The influence of book censorship is pervasive, with its impact felt across the country. In the educational sphere, certain texts may face exclusion or redaction, limiting the accessibility of diverse perspectives. Publishers may encounter pressures to alter content or withhold specific works, impeding the free flow of ideas. Government interventions and retail decisions further shape the availability of literature, creating a complex tapestry that influences what is available to read. 

The legislative landscape mirrors the intensity of this issue, with 42 states enacting legislation directly related to book censorship and the freedom to read. These regulations contribute to shaping the discourse on what is deemed suitable for public consumption, adding layers of complexity to an already nuanced debate.

Our Solution: Onshelf by Bookmarked - A Neutral Haven for Book Intelligence

In the face of this multifaceted matter, Bookmarked emerges as a comprehensive solution, championing the right to read and encouraging education without endorsing any specific ideology. By creating  a systematic and process-driven approach, OnShelf by Bookmarked helps address content concerns in a fair and standardized manner:

Content Concerns: Challenges and data are meticulously collected through a standardized process, fostering transparency and consistency in addressing concerns raised about specific literary works.

Verified Data Districts: Districts gain access to Bookmarked Verify, a tool designed to provide insights into the context and history of book challenges. This empowers decision-makers with data to make informed decisions within school districts.

Trusted Library Districts: Bookmarked HealthCheck serves as a valuable resource to ensure the maintenance of book diversity and effective stewardship, upholding the integrity of library collections within trusted districts.

Parental Involvement: Bookmarked OnShelf empowers parents to actively curate their child's library experience, ensuring personalized literary journeys while maintaining a protective framework against undue censorship.

Protective Measures: By implementing Bookmarked, books remain on shelves, parents are engaged, and districts are shielded from undue pressures, fostering a harmonious environment of diverse literary voices.

The Impact of Bookmarked: Guarantees and Educational Reallocation 

The influence of Bookmarked extends beyond prompt issue resolution, reaching into broader and enduring impacts. By safeguarding the right to read, satisfying parental choices, and reallocating expenses back to teaching, Bookmarked fosters an environment where educators and librarians can focus on providing a growing relationship between home, school, and community

In a world grappling with book censorship, Bookmarked stands as a testament to the belief that education and books matter. By embracing neutrality and providing a comprehensive solution, Bookmarked is guiding the way for a future where literature remains a powerful force for enlightenment, free from undue influence. In doing so, it positions itself as an ally in the ongoing pursuit of knowledge and intellectual development.

[stevewandler]

Embracing the Challenge: How BookmarkED Empowers Readers in the Face of Challenged Books

Today I'm excited to introduce you to BookmarkED, an innovative new platform with a mission to empower parents to personalize school libraries.

Imagine a world where parents can make decisions on the books their children can read, fostering a love for reading and learning. 

Picture teachers confidently recommending and providing more personalized books to their students, knowing precisely the learning outcomes they will achieve. 

Envision librarians able to simply and efficiently navigate the ever-changing challenged books landscape. 

Our platform puts the power into the hands of parents, so that they can decide the individual literary journey for their children, based on their personal values and interests. BookmarkED is designed to create joy in reading, encourage curiosity, and spark a lifelong passion for books.

How BookmarkED works

BookmarkED is a simple to use, streamlined platform that transforms school libraries into personalized learning spaces by giving parents choices on the books their children consume. BookmarkED can also offer alternative book choices to parents, so that they have options for their children.

BookmarkED keeps schools and districts informed and protected from potential liability with real-time updates on challenges at the state and national level. Libraries receive the latest information on when and why a book is challenged, if a book has been removed, and more. Without a central source for this critical information, librarians and administrators are too often left in the dark until challenged books or new legislation becomes an issue.

BookmarkED safeguards the literary well-being of our children, protecting against book challenges, while providing valuable insights and recommendations for a rich and fulfilling reading experience.

The state of challenged books

BookmarkED’s launch is especially timely given the recent passing of Texas House Bill (HB) 900. Under the law, school districts face new compliance standards and public scrutiny in the current landscape of challenged books. Moreover, according to the American Library Association (ALA), there were 1,269 challenges to library books and resources in 2022, which nearly doubles the 729 challenges reported in 2021. With more and more books being challenged, school districts need a solution to track the latest challenges to ensure compliance. 

Libraries currently rely on challenged book data from the previous year, which is immediately out of date as more books become challenged. This is a skyrocketing expense as challenged book reviews and duplicate requests must be checked and updated manually. The ALA estimates these challenged book reviews cost $20 thousand per challenge, which is upwards of $32 million total.

For the love of reading

Our mission is to ignite a sense of joy in reading, fostering a lifelong love for books. As a parent with two children that recently navigated traditional educational environments, I have a first-hand understanding of the challenges both students and parents face. While I was growing up, my unique learning style caused me to struggle in the traditional academic setting, ultimately leading me to drop out of high school. As an entrepreneur in the EdTech space, I have a passion to reshape the educational experience into a more positive one for future generations. 

And we’re already bringing this dream into a reality by working with select Texas school districts to meet the changing requirements for their libraries and to provide a reading journey that is tailored to each student.

The real magic of BookmarkED begins in January 2024 and beyond. We envision a future where young minds are encouraged to actively engage with books, explore their interests, and initiate conversations about the books and content they love. Soon we’ll be connecting learning outcomes directly with books via the platform. Educators can then tie reading back to their curriculum and suggest alternative books in the case of a challenge or parental objection. 

Brighter minds, brighter futures

As we embark on this transformative journey, I am grateful for the unwavering support of all those who believe in the power of literature and the importance of preserving individuality in reading choices. 

BookmarkED enables children to effortlessly discover new books with tailored recommendations awaiting them in libraries. Our platform thrives on constant insight and analysis to create reading experiences that are unique and catered to individual preferences.

Together, we can create a world where reading is celebrated, young minds are empowered in a safe way, and the joy of discovering new ideas through books knows no bounds.

[stevewandler]

Last week I went to my first ever acupuncture session….I loved it! While I was having needles stuck in me, the acupuncturist told me the story of the buffalo and how it runs into storms vs running away as cows do.

The story of the buffalo goes something like this. When a storm rolls in, both cows and buffalo can sense it. The cow will try to run away from the storm. However, cows aren't known for their speed, so the storm catches up with them time and time again. The cow continues to try and outrun it, which increases the time, pain and suffering in the storm.

I don't know about you, but this is something I’ve done continually in my life both personally and professionally far too often. Thinking I'm faster than a cow.

The buffalo, on the other hand, wait for the storm to come to them and as the storm rolls in, they’ll turn and move directly into the storm and run straight through it, minimizing the time, pain and suffering of the storm.

Even though we’re all at different places in life, we all have storms and we don’t always get to choose when our weather decides to roll in. However, we can choose how we respond to the storm and the direction we run to get through it. The choice is how and when we respond to life's storms.

The last 2 years, specifically have been full of struggles for me, with trying to find the “next thing” to sink my teeth into, post my departure from FreshGrade, to the COVID ups and downs of not knowing when our MetaBridge community, which I F’ing LOVE, is able to come back together in person (#fuckcovid), to a crazy relationship roller coaster that I had to get off. All, taking a massive toll on my mental health. I don’t share this for sympathy, as I’ve turned from a cow to a buffalo in recent months. I share because I want to have more conversations like this and talk authentically and be vulnerable about the storms we all share, although different, they're all storms that we can learn from by sharing as the community we have at MetaBridge.

I want to hear from you… what are your storms? How are you getting through the shitty weather in your startup, growth phase, raising money, personal life and how can you help others to get through their storms in a way that minimizes the time, pain and suffering?

If you’re in a storm right now. You’re not alone. We’re (MetaBridge Community) here to walk towards the storm with you.

Lets talk!

Random ADHD moment: While at the acupuncturist, the needle that I felt the most was where my large intestine “was” and the feeling didn’t subside during the session. What's fascinating about that is… I had my large bowel removed when I was 18 yrs old. So, what the heck was that all about?

[stevewandler]

11 years ago I returned to Canada from Silicon Valley after my first startup was acquired. After a 7 yr slog as a lonely entrepreneur, I realized there was a major gap in the ecosystem of access to high-quality network opportunities. The lack of a QUALITY network and access to people that could push me in my first startup set me back... years, yes YEARS!

Enter Metabridge ….

If you’ve never attended Metabridge it can be difficult to understand what it is (or what its NOT). So I hope to help clear some of that up.

Being a startup entrepreneur is difficult. Period. I've personally walked through that minefield a couple of times and wanted to find ways to continue to grow and to help others miss a few landmines that I, and many of my friends in Silicon Valley, have already stepped on along the way.

The vision was to create a highly curated community of mentors, venture capital and seasoned entrepreneurs who could give back and support Founders and CEOs along their entrepreneurial journey. What has always been important to me was keeping this the core value. What it was never intended to be was a “free for all” conference. I wanted to create something to help people network UP because that was something I was personally missing and a problem I wanted to solve for me and others.

Unfortunately, in doing so, we/I have taken a lot of criticism over the years outside of the Metabridge community for being “exclusive”. So to set thing straight...We’re NOT exclusive or at least never intended it to be. We are a highly curated and highly facilitated and there’s is a huge difference. I wanted to create something that anyone can come to… you just have to meet certain criteria to do so. Just as other events or programs have requirements and prerequisites, Metabridge is no different. This, inevitably and understandably, excludes some people.

There are plenty of events that are open to anyone and everyone. They serve a purpose, but in my opinion most of them make it difficult for entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and partners to sift through the noise.

If you listen to, or read about, anyone successful, curated events are the ONLY events they attend, because of the massive noise the large events create. Our goal is to reduce the noise and create a unique and quality experience.

We also have received criticism for charging the amount that we do. The reality is, a program like Metabridge costs real money and for the value attendees receive and the experiences entrepreneurs leave with, it’s already highly subsidized. I challenge people often to find past Metabridge attendee that regrets spending money on their ticket (I’m sure if you hunt enough you’ll find couple over the 10 yrs). On a side note, many don’t realize that I also personally give to Metabridge with my personal funds and massive amounts of time volunteered into the program every year with no expectation of return or reimbursement.

Those that know me, know that I LOVE to have fun. So, the team spends a tremendous amount of time creating experiences for our attendees that allow them to hang out in unique settings and environments and not inside a stuffy conference room with thousands of other folks listening to boring keynotes while checking their phones, completely disengaged.

Small groups mean higher costs. Facilitating experiences like golf, wine, hockey with NHL’ers, wine, sailboats, wine, live music, wine, and digging big ass holes with excavators (which are all designed to break down barriers), are simply not free.

I'm proud of what we’ve built! Our team is always finding new ways to keep Metabridge fresh and relevant. There’s not many events that last a decade and sell out every year with a waiting list. Not to mention we’ve helped our top startups raise over $450M and have seen 22 acquisitions of our top startups since conception.

Metabridge was started, and continues, because there is a need for high-quality networking and I’m looking forward to another 10 years of building strong relationships!

So that's the WHY and I hope that clears a few things up.

____

One more thing!

To re-enforce this thinking I recently listened to a podcast by Dave Asprey (Founder, BulletProof) and Jordan Harbering (Founder, The Jordan Harbinger Podcast) that spoke of valuing your time and not attending just any event.

Take a listen - (https://blog.bulletproof.com/jordan-harbinger-548/)

[stevewandler]

How Digital Portfolios Improve Teaching

Documenting learning shouldn’t feel like hard work. Is that statement surprising? Controversial? If that’s how it feels, it’s a clear indication of how long teachers have been asked to put too much sweat into the part of their jobs that should be purely fulfilling.

Combining different assessment tools into one solution, such as a digital portfolio platform, can give teachers back the valuable time they need to engage in professional development, plan an innovative new lesson, and do the heavy lifting of teaching to make sure each student learns. Who doesn’t want to give a teacher more time to teach?

Reducing Workload While Increasing Effectiveness

Digital portfolios are an excellent way to help students better track and understand their own learning, and they are just as beneficial for teachers. With dozens of students to shepherd through a challenging curriculum, monitoring each learner’s progress the “old way” isn’t effective or efficient. Instead of scaling a mountain of paperwork at the end of term to give parents a report card that only captures a piece of the puzzle anyway, digital portfolios allow teachers to capture learning in real time and give feedback on the go. It enables both the teacher and parent to become a responsive support for individual student needs.

Brian Keller, a 4th and 5th grade teacher from South Carolina, says “Digital portfolios increase student productivity and allow for smoother day-to-day transitions because students can quickly see what work they have completed and what work still needs to be done. Parents are excited when they receive an update on their child's work (with pictures and video) and students take pride in the work they were posting for parents to see. Assessment tools help school leadership view concrete, supported data on the growth of each student. Parent-teacher conferences are also a breeze because there is evidence of skills and proof of mastery as well as documented opportunities of further development.”

Importantly, there are no surprises. All of this information is regularly shared. It helps build a higher level of trust.

Digital portfolios also help teachers manage the needs of multiple learners. With more cloud-based solutions available, it means that teachers can check in with their class wherever they are — whether that’s in class, or while they’re waiting for a meeting.

Getting Parents Involved and Engaged

To base the learning on the abilities and interest of each learner, parent engagement is critical. Digital portfolios are one of the most effective ways to show a student’s learning not just at school, but also at home. Involving parents in a child’s development by having them view and give feedback on their child’s work is especially helpful for parents of children who have special needs.

When parents are given access to their child’s digital portfolio, they get visibility into an environment they don’t typically see. Speaking from experience, my son Noah has an IEP and my ability to engage with his learning is enhanced enormously when I can see his progress on a continuous basis. This completely changes our conversation around the dinner table; it helps me support his teachers and most importantly, my son.

I’ve heard from parents who travel, or who are separated or divorced, tell me how amazing it is to have this window into the classroom. One father told me, “The fact that I can see a video of my son giving a speech in the classroom only a few hours after he delivered it is amazing — and particularly helpful to a parent like me who travels a lot for work. I will be in Spain next week, but I will still be able to see exactly what my son is doing in school.”

Change is a Process

Many education systems have similar goals that they want to achieve — creating strong parent engagement, encouraging student ownership of learning, supporting the needs of multiple students. Goals are good for planning progress but strong systems are what allow educators to make progress happen.  

Teachers might be doing the best job they can with the resources they have, but if documentation of the learning process is still a slog, then it’s time to change the way you document learning.

Digital portfolio platforms have the potential to be complete game changers for teachers. A quality portfolio platform should do three things.

It should save teachers time on documentation, by making it quick and easy to capture learning as it happens with minimal disruption to the learning taking place.

It should allow teachers to manage the needs of multiple students, meeting learners right where they are.

It should connect parents to their child’s learning, providing them with frequent opportunities to see where their child may need to get support.

So where do you get started? When choosing a digital portfolio, it’s important to consider the intuitiveness, the learning curve and the engagement for stakeholders. Look for tools that aggregate different tasks into a single solution, allowing students and teachers to collate artifacts and assessment into the same platform. Consider a platform that blends seamlessly with the learning progress and allows multiple channels for access — for all stakeholders.

Change doesn’t happen on its own. It starts with you. Please give me your thoughts and feedback. 

Thank you to The Learning Counsel for publishing my blog post

[stevewandler]

What Is the Future of Individualized Education Programs?

I have two children, Noah and Faith. Noah is 11 and Faith is 17. Faith is an academic student, who thrives at school. She does what she needs to do to meet her grades, and she's good at it. Noah, on the other hand, really struggles in class. He has a learning disability and is on an Individual Education Plan (IEP).

To have an IEP, your child needs a label. In the past, I thought a label was bad. But in this case, labels are really good because Noah gets accommodations that aren't available to other students. For example, if he's in a class and it's noisy and he needs time to concentrate, Noah can just say, "Teacher, this isn't working for me. I need to either go somewhere else or have a different environment." He's allowed to do that. If the teacher asks him to write things out and he decides he wants to do it on a laptop, he can do that. He doesn't have to do things that typical students do as long as it's in his IEP.

The challenge around that is, of course, you get singled out because you're different. And the older children get, the more they want to fit in with their peers. Many educators want to make these accommodations available to everyone to remove the stigma of being different. But until that happens, I tell my son these are superpowers. When children embrace their superpowers, it changes their whole perspective on education.

A Living Document IEPs are a roadmap. They help provide an individualized pathway based on a student's strengths and needs so they can move forward in their learning. For teachers, IEPs are a LOT of work. Before Noah's teacher started using a digital portfolio, his IEP was about ten pages long. In a lot of cases after completion, those plans are stored until it is time to report on them. As a parent, I admit it -- I often didn't check in with the IEP after I signed it. At the end of the year, it's not surprising that some of the goals aren't met. The IEP can sometimes feel like a requirement to be completed, rather than the roadmap it was meant to be.

What I love about digital portfolios and assessment platforms is the way they make the IEP a living document. The personalized nature of a portfolio allows teachers to set relevant, individualized goals, then capture and share progression in real time with both the student and the parent. It's immediate, it's visible, and IEP goals don't get lost in the day-to-day running of the classroom.

Teachers can create activities or "collections" in the digital portfolio that address the goals of the IEP. Then the teacher can collect notes and evidence, and the student can capture pictures, audio, and video of his learning. Everyone, parents included, can watch the student grow over time. For special education teachers, portfolios can help to completely change everyone's perspective about a special learner.

Providing Voice and Choice to Students who Struggle Digital portfolios let students have voice and choice about how they access information and how they show their learning. They can upload videos of themselves talking about their work and what they need to do to improve it, or they can add photos of their written work and do a voiceover, or they can take a photo and add comments using speech to text.  Students can also choose the method that works for them, based on the subject, the skill, or even how they feel that day. This range of options gives kids the voice they need and teachers the data they're looking for.

Noah's dyslexic; he has a hard time reading. When the focus was on what he couldn't do, he became frustrated and he didn't want to read. But when teachers started documenting his reading through audio recordings on his portfolio, they were easy to compare. You could hear the difference, and the growth was obvious. The teachers stopped saying, "You're not good at it." They started saying, "Noah, listen to how much better you read." Even more importantly, he says, "I'm better."

Since I started working in Ed-Tech, I've heard from lots of special education teachers about how they are using digital portfolios with their students. Their stories just blow me away. Emily Molina, who is an amazing teacher from Eanes ISD in Austin, Texas is currently using portfolios with her 6th Grade class. Emily loves using digital portfolios with her kids -- and she's having a lot of success with them.

"My goals and objectives with the kids are out in the open," she says. "They're able to see their growth, and I'm able to see their growth. It changes their perspective; they're able to see themselves as learners."

One of Emily's students doesn't speak a lot in class at all. But when she uses a digital portfolio, she is able to record herself talking about her work. "She shows what she's done and talks about it, says Emily. "It's a wonderful way for her to advocate for herself and be able to interact with me without feeling uncomfortable.

Communicating and Collaborating with Parents Sometimes it's a difficult conversation with parents of students who have special needs. Some parents might have struggled in school themselves. I'm a prime example of that. In the industry, I'm successful, but I struggled at school, and I dropped out in 10th grade because I was told over and over again that I was a failure. I didn't want to be there. Who would?

I wasn't going to let what happened to me happen to Noah. I want him to love what he's doing. I want him to wake up in the morning and want to go to school and tell his teachers about the progress he made with a project. That's what it should be about.

For me, digital portfolios are a great way to have that ongoing conversation and see what's happening in the classroom. It's amazing when you can see the learning right in front of you. Not only do parents get to see what their child is doing at school, but they also get to talk to their child about it. It totally changes the way you connect.

Parents see that, and they say, "I never want to lose this. I'm having amazing conversations with my kids at the dinner table because we're not talking about grades, we're talking about what did you learn in school today? We're actually talking about it."

We've heard some amazing stories about parents rushing into a school to see their child and celebrate a moment with them after seeing something being uploaded to the digital portfolio. Sometimes these goals are social-emotional, and they're not easily seen through traditional assessment. Portfolios let teachers capture that and parents are stoked!

Noah is absolutely thriving in the public school he's in. When you know what you know, you're more confident. When you're confident in what you can do, you're less afraid of challenges. You can focus on growth. There are things that I'm not good at -- that's why I've got an amazing team. We shouldn't expect our kids to be good at everything.

If I had my way, Noah wouldn't need an IEP. Barriers to learning would be removed for all kids, and the needs of all learners would be addressed. Let's stop asking, why isn't that child doing well at school and start focusing on, "What does this student want to learn? How can we help them achieve their goals? Are there other ways for them to show us what they know?" That's the power of personalized learning. Teachers can help every child learn and thrive to his or her own potential -- and given the tools to do it, they will.

Steve Wandler is the director and co-founder of FreshGrade, a learning collaboration and portfolio tool. Steve has 19 years of entrepreneurial and leadership experience despite never graduating from high school. Teachers, students, and parents can sign up for a free account at www.freshgrade.com and can learn more about using FreshGrade with IEPs in this webinar.

This article was originally published on Education Week's Finding Common Ground blog

[stevewandler]

Ya, you get straight A's, but can you tell me about your learning?

The conversation on communicating the progress of student learning and making learning visible happens every day at FreshGrade HQ, along with our education partners and user community but when that conversation extends to my kids....well that gets me super emotional and is makes it difficult to even describe how excited I get about the problem the FreshGrade team is solving. 

Showing evidence and defending your learning is something I talk to my two kids about often.  Unbeknownst to me, I was so proud when my daughter sent me the essay she wrote (below) and was asked by her teacher to read it aloud to her classmates which provoked incredible dialogue amongst her peers.  I couldn’t be more proud of how Faith continues to truly owning her learning (so is Noah BTW but it looks very different for him which I’ll share later) and how fascinating it is to watch how much more passionate she is about her schooling since she started to turn her focus around the learning and not the grade. 

She allowed me to share her work with you.

Faith Wandler 

Block 1-2  

September 2015

Ya, you get straight A's, but can you tell me about your learning?

  My dad is an entrepreneur making him have a strong opinion on things he is passionate about, I may or may not have picked this certain trait up from him as well. He is also very easy to talk to about anything because you always know that he will help you look at the situation from every aspect.

  We talk a lot about education and what happens in school within our household. My brother has a form of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) he also has quite a few issues with reading and writing. My brother and I are polar opposites when it comes to school, as far as grades and handing in homework. I am definitely the one who gets the higher grades but he seems to have a better understanding of how things work. That’s why almost on a weekly basis the topic of letter grades come up in the Wandler household. “How does a letter grade truly show what you know or have learnt?” Dad brings this to light whenever a grade is mentioned around him. He always reminds us to never worry to much about a test or quiz because at the end of the day it is only a percentage and that percentage does not define you or how smart you truly are. Just because one child  has a B in math does not mean he hasn’t learnt anything or isn’t smart. He may have had a C at the beginning year and has now progressed to a B. This child with a B though doesn’t necessarily get rewarded or validated as much as a child who had a B and now has an A. Now the child with an A is sitting in an assembly getting a medal because they have an A or maintained to keep an A all year long. But what has that child learnt? Both moved up a letter grade. So why is the child that has a C not getting that phone call to be invited for an award of their achievement? The child with a C may perceive that as a negative and think “oh, I guess the improvement I made isn’t valued as much as theirs, why should I even try?”. This is how our dinner conversations end up to be or small talks in the car become loud rants of how unresolved our world is we just use the education system as a branch off of the whole tree.

  This past summer my dad and I had a talk about what my standards should be for this year. He said “Faith don’t worry about the letters and percentages they give you, instead pay attention to retaining what you find interesting and  most importantly pay attention to your learning”. I always try to explain to him how hard that can be. It has been drilled into our heads that if you do not get a good grade or percentage on one assignment or test that it is the end of the world. Standardized testing has taught us to try and memorize as much as we can so we don’t fail a class but memorizing and learning are two very different things. Standardized testing does not necessarily show what a student has learnt throughout the school year. Having to take a test that has been written by someone who was not teaching you the specific material all year can lead to lots of loose ends. Putting in questions that are meant to trick you don’t help show what you learnt. Going into a class for extra help and doing some practice exam questions to prepare yourself is fine. But when you ask the teacher for guidance with one of the questions and they say “oh yeah this one! don’t worry I didn’t get this one right the first time I did it either”.  How is that fair? You can not completely tell what someone has learnt by handing them a sheet of multiple choice questions if they do not know how to get the answer for a question they still have a one out of four chance to get it correct. So the results of a standardized test don’t truly show what a student has learned throughout the school year.

  Although this is one of many topics my Dad and I discuss this is one of the ones that me and him relate on a bit more together. We can talk for hours. It is one thing that I appreciate most about our relationship. Sometimes we do sit in silence but only because the gears are going round and round and there’s almost too many things to say that we can’t decide what to bring up first.

[stevewandler]

Our team continues to knock it out of the park as we continue to mark teachers lives easier and student learning more meaningful! 

We’re having a blast making a difference in education!

[stevewandler]

Teacher workload – perception versus reality.

We created FreshGrade because we wanted to be more involved in our kids’ education. We saw the need for a learning collaboration environment, like FreshGrade, from our perspective as parents, because we felt we lacked real visibility into the classroom.  However, as we began the journey to develop our product we have become advocates for the educators.  We saw a huge gap between what the real workload was for teachers versus the perceived one. 

Recruitment for post-graduate studies in education promotes the “social impact” a career in teaching offers.  It’s a beautiful image. You’re creating programs to support learning and instilling a love for knowledge among those that are most impressionable, and society is grateful, right? Unfortunately, the perception of the teaching profession among those outside of education is that teachers have great work-life balance.  They arrive for the school bell, impart their lesson plan, and then leave at 3pm to carry on with their extra-curricular activities.  Sadly and frustratingly, there is very limited recognition for the actual time it takes to be a teacher, let alone an effective one.

Modern teaching is not just about lesson plans and report cards.  It requires layers of data reporting and policy compliance, let alone the growing need for lesson customization to support individual learning needs.  The goliath LMS (Learning Management System) and SIS (Student Information System) companies are scrambling to push through new features to support modern teaching, but they’ve missed the mark.  They’ve lost focus and have created more barriers than removed them.

A recent article out of the UK profiles a teacher, named Sam Burton, on his career in teaching and his pondering of whether or not it is manageable.  In the article, Burton says, “I am expected to input assessment data into spreadsheets and copy it into other programs click by click, working out manually whether a percentage equates to a 'P6c' or a 'P6b'… I assess work that has already been assessed by completing lavish 'Next Step' stickers to satisfy Ofsted (UK regulatory and inspection body).”

He goes on to say, “the only way to do a good job is to work breathless 12-plus-hour days every day, which I cannot keep up. I am not content, however, to work less and do a bad job for the children. I am angry that I am effectively being forced out of a career that I wanted to love.”

We built FreshGrade to remove barriers, so you can focus on being an effective teacher and creating the social impact that you were promised when you chose this career.

After talking to thousands of teachers through the development of FreshGrade, I now truly know the work you do – all of it - not just what happens when the kids are piled into the classroom.  So, as a parent – thank you.

- Steve Wandler, FreshGrade Co-founder

[stevewandler]

Proud of our team!

[stevewandler]

Critical to determine a scalable and successful business. I did say….Critical!!

[stevewandler]

Why we came up the crazy idea of really trying to understand student learning….and making it easy for everyone!

Report cards haven't changed since I've been in school... heck they haven't changed since my parents have been in school. They are no longer effective and all too often way to late before students are able to receive intervention to help them in their learning.

At FreshGrade we are making it easier for teachers to collect the evidence of learning in the classroom and allow them to easily assess and update parents on how they can help their kids in school. FreshGrade will save teachers hours and hours....and hours of times on report cards and allow them to do what they are paid to do....teach our kids! 

[stevewandler]

I can't wait for the moto360!

http://youtu.be/dnerqDWwVgg

[stevewandler]

A Fresh Start For Club Penguin's Co founder http://bit.ly/1j1Cv5W #edtech via @EdSurge

A Fresh Start For Club Penguin's Co founder http://bit.ly/1j1Cv5W #edtech via @EdSurge

— Steve Wandler (@stevewandler) March 19, 2014

from Twitter http://bit.ly/1dO3DQH

[stevewandler]

Kicking off #SWOkanagan pitch time w/ @upstartweekend weekend pitch.Under the heat of @lloyedlobo @cayleyh @mijustin http://bit.ly/1mbeFVR

Kicking off #SWOkanagan pitch time w/ @upstartweekend weekend pitch.Under the heat of @lloyedlobo @cayleyh @mijustin http://bit.ly/1eIIS6Q

— Steve Wandler (@stevewandler) March 17, 2014

from Twitter http://bit.ly/1dO3DQH

[stevewandler]

Its all about the people and live music http://bit.ly/1oCLDuT