Posts by Tom Vander Ark

Leadership

Smart Cities Spur Innovations in Learning

Jun 9, 2014

It's time to get smart; innovative tools and schools are helping; most innovations come from smart ecosystems--and it all begins with a startup mindset. We're writing the Smart Cities book--and you can help.

Ed Policy

A District Guide to Online Learning

Tom Vander Ark

Jun 6, 2014

Online learning can expand student (and staff) options, grow enrollment, and power blended learning. It shares many critical success factors with traditional education, but different enough that you need to do your homework and develop a good plan. Following is a 10 point district/network guide to online learning.

EdTech

Innovator’s Dilemma: Edu Style– The Long Transition to Digital

Tom Vander Ark

Jun 5, 2014

“We talk about the transformation of learning--adaptive and blended--but in visiting higher ed customers, it’s interesting to see what has changed and hasn’t,” said Simon Allen, CEO of Macmillan. “Some places don’t change--they want to know what’s in the new addition of a sociology textbook.”

Personalized Learning

Austin: Great Music, Vibrant Tech, Traditional Ed

Tom Vander Ark

Jun 3, 2014

Compared to tech and media, Austin has been slower to develop as an EdTech hotspot. Like other cities, education innovation in Austin runs about a decade behind tech, but a strong group of leaders and organizations show great promise for innovations to come.

Ed Policy

Common Core: Better Standards, Conditions, Tools, & Outcomes

Tom Vander Ark

Jun 2, 2014

Leaving the Common Core would be like a group of phone users leaving iOS or Android and going back to Blackberry--few apps, few updates, few friends. The politically motivated change would lead to weaker expectations, less teacher collaboration, and higher costs.

Ed Policy

Career Education: Even College Grads Should be Employable

Tom Vander Ark

Jun 1, 2014

Parents with boomerang kids in the basement have learned that even college graduates should possess skills and dispositions that make them employable. Young people need access to postsecondary learning and work experiences that will help them develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions for employability.

EdTech

Pittsburgh: University Inspired EdTech

Tom Vander Ark

May 30, 2014

"Pittsburgh is on the verge of reaching a critical mass in terms of the number of successful start-up companies, entrepreneurs, availability of local early stage capital and ability to push and pull university technologies to market.”

Ed Policy

Improvement vs. Innovation

Tom Vander Ark

May 26, 2014

Improvement is playing for singles and doubles. Innovation in swinging for the fences. EdLeaders need to lead community conversations that create the right balance of the two.

Ed Policy

How States Could Improve Online Options & Save Money

Tom Vander Ark

May 25, 2014

As full and part time online learning expands, "an emerging problem confronting state policymakers and education leaders is determining what states should pay for a specific course as part of an offering of supplemental courses."

EdTech

Smart Cities: Portland, Countercultural and Interesting

Tom Vander Ark

May 23, 2014

Like other left coast metro areas, Portland is a creative hotspot. But also like left coast cities, school districts are resistant to options and innovations. State leadership on proficiency-based learning has started to get some results and it is exciting to see the ed startups begin to connect to the public school systems.

	Beginning	Piloting	Implementing
From Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery	BeginningFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Beginning	PilotingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Piloting	ImplementingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Implementing
From One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning	BeginningFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Implementing
From Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry	BeginningFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Beginning	PilotingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Piloting	ImplementingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Implementing
From Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning	BeginningFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Implementing
From Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities	BeginningFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Beginning	PilotingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Piloting	ImplementingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Implementing
From Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment	BeginningFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Beginning	PilotingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Piloting	ImplementingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Implementing
From Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets	BeginningFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Beginning	PilotingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Piloting	ImplementingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Implementing

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Posts by Tom Vander Ark