Posts by Guest Author
How to Leverage Tech to Keep Students Focused
Technology has the potential to dramatically change the role of teachers, especially when it comes to secondary and higher education. Students no longer need instructors to pass along facts when they have access to the internet and other data gathering sources that they can use to learn the essentials. Teachers, then, must transition to take on more of a “guiding” role in students’ education—they should suggest materials and assign exercises to help students think deeply about and synthesize information.
What Your MBA Teaches You (& Doesn’t Teach You) About Entrepreneurship
You want to learn how to start a business, but where do you start? Unfortunately, starting a company doesn’t come with a handy guidebook or a simple “follow these 10 steps” blog post. The typical path has been to go to school and get an MBA. But an MBA may not be for everyone – especially those looking to start a business.
3 Trends You May Have Missed At ISTE
I tend to eschew the advice of seasoned, world-weary attendees to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference each year. “Ignore the exhibit hall,” they implore. “All the real action is in the sessions. The exhibits are just products.”
Ed-Tech Innovators: Get Results Now by Leveraging Great Teachers
We're excited about the prospects, but we all know it will take time for digital learning to transform education. Meanwhile, the effectiveness of teachers will continue to be the single most important school factor in student learning.
A Brief Guide to Tech Training for Faculty
Educators deal with a reality that most tech users do not: responsibility to their students. And, students can be a tricky sort, at least according to reports claiming that some want more tech use in the classroom, while others say that they prefer traditional books and lectures.
An Inside View of Blended Integration at Rocketship Education
At Rocketship Education our mission is to close the achievement gap within our lifetimes. The three pillars of our model are: parent and community engagement, rich professional development for our teachers and school leaders, and individualized learning for our students. Toward the end of individualized learning, we utilize a blended learning model in our K-5 elementary schools. Students use technology and small group tutoring in our Learning Lab for individualized basic skills practice, allowing our teachers to focus on higher-order thinking skills in the classroom.
Christensen’s Curve & The Digital Learning Revolution
In the prophetic Disrupting Class: How Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns (2008, 2011), Clayton Christensen argued that innovations in technology will proliferate in the 21st century, generate “student-centric” forms of digital learning, create customized learning for the individual, and provide innovative alternatives to traditional teaching and learning tools.
The Online High School Graduation That Was: My View From The Trenches
Utah Connections Academy (UCA) Inaugural Graduating Class of 2012 - eight eager faces, eyes sparkling with a sense of pride and accomplishment - for many of them an accomplishment that would not have happened without the transforming powers of digital learning.
North Carolina Should Welcome Online Schools
As a state, North Carolina should welcome more digital learning options, including online schools, that can meet the individual needs of children, rather than clinging to a one-size-fits-all model.
Student Warns “Doing Technology” Isn’t Enough
A guest blog this week at edweek.org gave a student the chance to tell us what he thinks is important about technology in the classroom. The perspective of the learner doesn't often get much air time. What this learner has to say deserves attention.