Posts by Tom Vander Ark
EdTech
Two Pathways to EdTech Impact
Shelly Blake-Plock wrote an impassioned blog recently claiming, "edtech doesn't exist." He argued for a "thrust of imagination and creativity" that combines semantic web and "new forms of interaction between the Internet and humans."
Personalized Learning
Ed.gov Advocates for New Approaches to Capturing Evidence
Expanding Evidence Approaches for Learning in a Digital World is a new report from the EdTech Office at the Department of Education. "The report discusses the promise of sophisticated digital learning systems for collecting and analyzing very large amounts of fine-grained data ("big data") as users interact with the systems," said Karen Cator, the outgoing EdTech Director. "It proposes that this data can be used by developers and researchers to improve these learning systems and strive to discover more about how people learn. It discusses the potential of developing more sophisticated ways of measuring what learners know and adaptive systems that can personalize learners' experiences."
Personalized Learning
A Rocketship Takes Off in South Africa
“We are introducing the blended learning model into South Africa to provide quality education at a cost that the country can afford,” said Stacey Brewer, a recent MBA graduate following the now prevalent U.S. trend of smart kids becoming edupreneurs.
Personalized Learning
12 Must Read Papers of 2012
The 12 papers I most frequently cite (or plan to cite over the next few months) cover blended learning, online learning, competency-based learning, and edtech. They come from our friends at SETDA, iNACOL, Digital Learning Now, and the Department of Education.
Ed Policy
Puget Sound Districts Will Lead the Way on Personalization
Earlier this month the Department announced the 16 winning applicants to the Race to the Top District competition. The nearly $400 million will be split by 55 districts in 11 states.
EdTech
MIT Enterprise Forum Points To EdTech Opportunities
The MIT Enterprise Forum NW recently published Opportunities and Obstacles for Entrepreneurs in Education . The report covers the now familiar confluence of forces including foundations, venture investors, and incubators/accelerators;”What all these external efforts also have in common is that they don’t necessarily respect the traditional separations between types of education markets.”…
Personalized Learning
Despite Bad News, Progress is Possible
I have a hard time watching evening news--especially in the last few weeks--the headlines are hard to swallow. You can’t help but assume that things are getting worse. It’s depressing. But the news doesn’t give you an accurate picture of the long term trends that are making life better for more people on this planet.
EdTech
MasteryConnect Eases Common Core Alignment, Instruction & Tracking
Three years ago Doug Weber and Mick Hewitt had left a web design agency and were consulting on a social network in Japan. During that same time, Cory Reid was CEO of Instructure. Trenton Goble, a school principal, and Mick were training for a marathon and discussing Trenton’s frustrations around tracking progress of formative assessments in a mastery learning approach.
Personalized Learning
10 Steps to Build Support for Blended Learning
To build support for a blended learning initiative, start by inventorying hardware and widely used apps, testing broadband, and identifying blended learning programs and strategies. Consider the following ten strategies over the course of six months to begin to lay the groundwork for development and adoption of blended learning models.