Archive: Jan 2012
Is Online Education for K-12 Really Wrong-headed?
The real answer is that we don’t know – yet. Recent investigative journalism by papers as diverse as The New York Times and Arizona Republic have left the impression that online education is underperforming, costly, and misguided. A careful look at the way respective journalists made their cases leaves parents and the public asking for more incisive and scientifically-based investigations. Here is how some of the criticism was constructed and what we need to answer the question about the value of online education.
Analyzing Apple’s Education App Store
The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop released iLearn II: An Analysis of the Education Category of Apple's App Store, a review of the 200 top learning apps for iPad and iPhone.
Review: No Excuses Works But There Are Some Lousy Charters
The National Study of Charter Management Organization (CMO) Effectiveness released their final study, Diverse Strategies and Diverse Student Impacts. The factors that differentiate high performers from the dirt bags are behavior policies and teacher coaching--the high expectations, no excuses culture.
Khush CEO Asks, ‘Can Tech Transform Education?’
This week on TechCrunch, Khush CEO Prerna Gupta joined us in scratching our heads over the questions: Why has education fallen so behind other industries in technology adoption? Why is higher education overvalued?
iCivics Creates a Powerful Blend of Civics Knowledge and Engagement
An unintended consequence of the intense focus on English and math standards and assessments in the NCLB decade is that civics took a back seat. “We believe it is a great mistake to push civics to the sideline in schools,” says former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. “Unfortunately, a staggering number of Americans today know dismayingly little about the basic history and traditions of our democracy. Nationwide, more than a third of all high school seniors today lack even basic civics knowledge and skills.”
Top 10 iPad Apps for Science Learning
The iPad is a great educational tool, and it has a variety of useful apps for learning all types of subjects. There are many great apps for helping students of all ages learn and explore scientific concepts.
Shift Your Classroom: Small Strategic Steps
For most of my teaching career, I’ve been a pretty traditional teacher (even now I slip back into that mode sometimes). However, as I went through the motions of trying to “teach” my students, something didn’t feel right. My students seemed to learn things only for the exam, were focused on the mark, not the learning that was supposed to be taking place. When the unit or semester was over, they dumped all their notes and assignments. Frustrating.
Q&A: ‘OK, Computer’ With Tom Vander Ark
The interview that follows addresses issues in the debate over refashioning the U.S. public school system through the adoption of new technologies. As with other American institutions widely perceived as failing or just getting by, the debate around K-12 public education has been increasingly shaped by considerations of technological innovation and the role of entrepreneurship and private-sector involvement.
Vinod Khosla Asks, ‘Will We Need Teachers Or Algorithms?’
Silicon Valley investor Vinod Khosla published "Will We Need Teachers Or Algorithms" on TechCrush this week, an article that argues we make poor use of teachers' and students' talents and training in the United States.
SmartTech Roundup: Gamification, Platforms, Tabs & eBooks
All things edtech every monday; Vinod Khosla on gamification; ST Math boosting blended gains; tablet news including early trouble Aakash, the super cheap Indian tab; platform news including some movement toward competency tracking and attempts to monazite clicks.