Posts by Tom Vander Ark
EdTech
Teachers Now “Pinning” Common Core Resources in MasteryConnect
Recently, MasteryConnect unveiled a cool, social bookmarking feature for standards aligned resources. Much like the Pinterest paradigm of social bookmarking, teachers find or upload any resource on the web, align it to a state or Common Core standard, and “pin” it to a board or collection.
Personalized Learning
Deeper Project Based Learning
High Tech High, Casco, DSST, Odyssey and other schools we’ve studied suggest help us conclude with 4 main lessons that help avoid low-level activities and promote deeper learning projects.
Series
Smart Cities: Where Districts & Charters Are Partners
Ranging from competitive to cool, to collaborative, the relationship between school districts and charters is of growing importance now that more than 25 cities have more than 20% charter enrollment.
Ed Policy
PARCC Unveils Pricing, Stresses Benefits of New Online Tests
PARCC, one of the two big state testing consortia, unveils pricing and a planning tool for states to help them determine what they need to do to get ready to administer the new tests. The price may be a little higher than some had hoped, but PARCC outlines big benefits compared to current state tests.
Ed Policy
Achieve Releases State Framework For Competency-Based Education
Achieve, the leading advocate for college- and career-ready standards, posted an important policy resources this week: Advancing Competency-Based Pathways to College and Career Readiness: A State Policy Framework for Graduation Requirements, Assessment and Accountability. Competency-based education has been part of Achieve’s strategic plan for a few years, but this report is the most important action to date.
Ed Policy
The Conservative Case for Higher Common Standards
Highlighting the support of most current and many former Republican governors, conservatives launched a website yesterday in support of Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
Series
Smart Cities: The Hillsborough Leadership Story
High performing organizations grow their own leaders. A lack of political stability makes that unusual in urban American education--but Hillsborough, Florida is a great exception.
Personalized Learning
10 Signs From NGLC Winners
Next Generation Learning Challenges award applications for “new, personalized, blended, mastery-based school capable of generating dramatically higher outcomes for students.”
Ed Policy
Why Wyoming Should Be a Digital Learning Leader
Wyoming has the opportunity to make a digital leapfrog--a quick advance that will benefits its students and economy. Strong digital learning and charter policy will allow choice and innovation.
Leadership
Boosting Employability
In the US and Africa- 40% of recent grads are unemployed. So, who owns the problem? Is it a government problem, a higher ed problem, a consumer problem, or an employer problem?