Academy of One

Reviews / Votes

In Academy of One, David provides the blueprint for a more collaborative, optimistic, and relevant future of learning. With actionable takeaways and brilliant case studies, David showcases how Open-Source Learning gives us a unique opportunity to meaningfully reimagine the way we teach and learn in the moment when it matters most, while fully harnessing the tools at our disposal. Academy of One is, without a doubt, one of the most important books you'll read this year. -- Michael Ioffe, co-founder & CEO, Arist David Preston is creating a new future for education with Open-Source Learning. Employing methods ideally suited to the Digital Age, David uses Open-Source Learning to produce a platform of empowerment - for teachers to become influential leaders in transforming the educational experience, and for students to take active roles in the creation of knowledge. The result of David's model for Open-Source Learning is a teacher-learner partnership that inspires students to become collaborators and team-builders - precisely the tools they will need for success in their personal lives and careers. -- Harlan Lebo, senior fellow, USC Center for the Digital Future David Preston has laid out how and why his methods of student-centric learning work, how digital media can enhance collaborative project-based learning, and how to apply what he has learned through his own brave rethinking of trust, responsibility, interest, and collaboration in the classroom. I look forward to when schools everywhere are using his approach to education. -- Howard Rheingold, author of NetSmart & Virtual Community David Preston is a powerhouse. As an educator, I've found Preston and his teaching methods to be affirming and innovative. In the pages of this book, you will step into his mind and witness his teaching methods first hand. Academy of One gives teachers the tools and ideas to engage with their own students. You will be impressed, inspired, and motivated to explore learning in a brand new way. -- Laura Ritchie, professor of teaching & learning in music, University of Chichester; United Kingdom National Teaching Fellow In a time when teachers and students wonder where education is heading as they grapple with the effects of the pandemic and a deep history of inequalities, David Preston brings us hope with Academy of One. Through students' powerful stories, we learn how Open-Source Learning catalyzes a student-centered pedagogy to create an empowering educational philosophy for the 21st century. Instead of inhibiting students' curiosity and responsibility, or labeling them with standardized tests and grades, Preston invites us to defy conventional methods, trust students' capacities, nurture the use of new technology to transform our learning journeys, foster interdisciplinary collaborations, and amplify our grasp of effective knowledge. -- Maria Luisa Parra, Spanish Senior Preceptor, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University At the dawn of the age of digital learning, David Preston presents a pedagogy that flips the script - the students are in charge and responsible for learning together. The results are profound: learners demonstrate 21st century skills while building networks that reinforce positive, active participation in creating a better world, one online connection at a time. Open-Source Learning at all levels is the strategy to bridge the academic performance gap, re-engage students who have checked out, and prepare learners to lead in life, the workplace, and the community. -- Daveed Benjamin, CEO, Bridgit