Posts by Guest Author
Hire Edupreneurs: Advice for School Start-Ups
In the jargon-filled world of education, neologisms should be used sparingly. For a new school aimed at inspiring innovators and entrepreneurial leaders with a new learning model, the termedupreneur is indispensible. Edupreneur combines the concepts of education and entrepreneur – a person who undertakes any enterprise or venture, usually with considerable initiative and risk.
Creatively Funding Your Blended Learning Program
Last month the U.S. Department of Education announced the 16 Race to The Top District competition winners. The nearly $400 million awarded for the Race to the Top District competition (RTT-D) sounds like it is a lot of money. It is, in fact, a lot of money, and we are excited about the potential that this funding infusion will have on student achievement in those districts. That being said, we know that among 370+ applicants, there were more than just 16 great plans for building personalized learning environments.
Is 1:1 the New One Size Fits All?
Earlier this week I was having dinner with some fellow educational technologists. The conversation took the inevitable turn to discussing 1:1 philosophy. 1:1 is most typically defined as the ratio of one student to one device where that device is provided by the school. During our discussion, the question was posed as “1:1, Chromebooks or iPads?” While I am a fan of both Chromebooks and iPads, I was troubled by this conversation. Not, of course, because I am opposed to the student use of technology, but because I am starting to realize that 1:1 is a parallel philosophy to “one size fits all.”
20 Tips for Creating a Professional Learning Network
Networking is a prime form of 21st century learning. The world is much smaller thanks to technology. Learning is transforming into a globally collaborative enterprise. Take for example scientists; professional networks allow the scientific community to share discoveries much faster.
5 Virtual Field Trip Experiences
Today the field trip is not being used as it once was. Stories of my father being taken to the meat packing plant in his small town are old news. Even being taken to cultural museums are a thing of the past and are even considered safety hazards, because of the intrigue that students have in everything that is going on around them. Sharing a unique experience with classmates is being taken away. Luckily, we now have technology that is being implemented in the classroom that allows these students to go on a field trip anywhere in the world without leaving the classroom.
Is Competency Based Learning the Future of Education?
French President, François Hollande, is short and spectacled. Oh, and he wants to abolish homework. Whatever his arguments (youths from poorer backgrounds are at a disadvantage to their more affluent peers, etc), children across the country must be dancing at their desks.
4 Steps to Making BYOD Work
Just a few years ago, the “smart money” for school districts was on 1:1 computing where schools issued each student a laptop. While there is a role for 1:1 initiatives, increasingly the dialogue has evolved to bring-your-own-device (BYOD), which focuses on the use of student-owned mobile devices, and for good reason. Research shows that “active learners” (students who have grown up with technology and expect it to be readily available) want to bring their own devices to school – and are driving changes in mobile phone use policies.
Competency-Based Learning and FLVS
Competency based learning has its origins in the business world. High school graduates who decide to become a barber, for example, would need specialized training in cutting hair. They would take an assessment to verify competency before receiving a license to cut hair. In order to maintain global standing, industry and education leaders teamed up to create a description of elements for 21st century outcomes.
How We’ll Learn in 2013
Here are three big stories concerning education and learning that you'll be hearing about in the year ahead—and some pointers on how to think about them.
Moving to a ‘Split Screen’ Strategy for K-12
Education|Evolving – a long a source of challenging analysis and new ideas for public education -- is circulating a proposal for a fundamental change in the way America goes about redesigning K-12 education. Tom Vander Ark has cited it. Here is a summary. You can read the full text at http://www.educationevolving.org/strategy.