Posts by Tom Vander Ark
Personalized Learning
10 Elements of Next-Generation Higher Education
Next-gen higher education systems will share 10 elements resulting in broader access, stackable credits/credentials, and higher completion rates.
Leadership
Closing the Motivation Gap
The fact that the best professors in the world are making their courses freely available is an important milestone in learning opportunity, but MOOCs are largely serving the college educated seeking additional education.
Leadership
Scaling Non-Profits: Lessons from the Experts
Is your nonprofit making a difference in your community? Starting to think about national expansion? Here is some advice from five experts (bios below).
Ed Policy
Stock Market & Real Estate Boom–What Does it Mean for Edu?
Does the recovery mean good news for for K-12 schools? It depends: in some places yes--for now. In other places, it’s still tough sledding. In every state, it’s time for state leaders to make a plan for the shift to personal digital learning--and back it up with smart investments.
EdTech
Google Glass: Really Promising or Not So Much?
We reviewed all the proposed applications we could find and rated them Really Promising (RP) or Not So Much (NM). Here’s our list of applications and ratings:
Ed Policy
Consortium Points the Way on Proficiency-Based Learning
"David is a great resource for our region," said Nick Donohoe of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, NESSC's primary benefactor. "He has a forward-thinking view of where learning needs to go, related to policies and assessment in particular," and he's particularly good at "summarizing 'edu-ese' for state legislators and local school leaders."
Ed Policy
10 Elements of Next-Generation K-12 Systems
Next generation systems--across a state or region--will share ten elements: goals, standards, a focus on personalized learning, assessments, talent development, authorizing, data systems, accountability, funding, connections, and supports.
Ed Policy
Pearson Partnerships for Principal Development
Michael Fullan's most recent work is also soon to be released in partnership with Pearson as a series of 6 sequential online modules for superintendents and school leaders, and is centered on Fullan'sMotion Leadership™ concept and practices for guiding system-wide change.
EdTech
Every Student Globally Competent, World Language Fluent
My conclusion from the World Language Expo: the toolset is good enough and list of model schools is long enough that all students should have K-12 access to world language learning--and it should be an expectation not an exception.
Personalized Learning
A Maker Makeover for Public Education
MakerSpace team members are "die hard advocates of public education" and are completely immersed in a revolution from within. The MakerSpace ideas started flowing about four years ago when six 10th grade teachers were awarded an ARRA grant to create an integrated project-based block for 100 students.