About

John Edelson

This blog has long been a discrete hobby for me but recently, I've noticed that people are starting to visit it.  And I'm partially to blame since I mentioned a few of the articles to people and in comments.

So quick! I need an "about me" and a disclosure.  So before the FTC comes banging at my door, lets be clear:  I run a for-profit educational technology company so readers should be aware that this is a form of advertising for our services and products   The primary relevant products are:

VocabularySpellingCity: website and app - Word Study
Science4Us: website and app - Early Elementary Science

My name is John Edelson, I'm the founder of these services and the company that creates and markets them. I'm interested in education both because that's how I make my living but more importantly, because I think education is fascinating.

What is education, what is learning, what is trivial, what is meaningful? I know what skill-building and credential-granting is but surely we have a sense of education beyond that?

Should schools and teachers and curriculum vendors be accountable for student outcomes? Can the meaningful part of education be measured on standardized tests? I think in many ways, the answer is yes.  Reading is a foundation and reading skills can and should be measured. Schools should be responsible for delivering a quality education even to, and especially to, those kids who are least likely to show up ready to learn and pay attention.

Is that enough of a rant to start my about me with?

And on a formal day, this is what I look like in 2015:

John Edelson