MOOCs, liberal indoctrination, #charlestonsyllabus, TX BOE chair, King & King controversy, y mas: Required Readings, 06.28.15

Hat tip to School of Doubt’s mother ship, Skepchick, for this article on the role MOOCs are playing in the professional development of educators.

Turning Point USA, a conservative activist organization, wants to teach college students how to avoid indoctrination by “liberal professors.” You can view their offerings here.

A Brandeis professor is using crowdsourcing to develop a #charlestonsyllabus on Twitter to share readings relevant to the June 18 mass shooting in South Carolina as well as tips on teaching about the topic.

Eyebrows were raised this week when Texas Governor Greg Abbott appointed a new chair of the State Board of Education whose children were homeschooled and then attended a private high school.

A North Carolina teacher and assistant principal resigned after some parents protested (including personal attacks) his reading the book King & King—a fable about a prince who falls in love with another prince—to his third-grade students. The teacher chose the book to comfort a boy upset that another student had called him gay.

What Friday’s SCOTUS ruling on gay marriage means for higher education.

The Smithsonian Science Education Center has launched a web series called Good Thinking! for elementary and middle school students (and their teachers) to increase understanding of scientific principles.

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Image by Thomas Ricker