EdTech

Steelcase Invites Students to Imagine Their Future

This year, Steelcase launched the 100 Dreams Classroom Project as a part of our “100 Dreams, 100 Minds, 100 Years” centennial celebration. Steelcase is a company dedicated to providing great environments where employees can do their best work. To commemorate its 100th anniversary, the company is looking to the leaders of tomorrow to see what dreams they have and how they hope to achieve these advancements. For the project, we designed a simple lesson plan for teachers to download online and implement in their classrooms, which invites children to use crayons to envision the future.

EdTech

SmartTech Roundup: From Blended Learning to Justin Bieber

Three minute foray into the future. Intel’s three minute video provides a peek into the blended classroom of the future. In response to the video, Tom noted on Getting Smart that the video shows a good partial picture of blended learning but leaves out some of the more compelling reasons for the shift such leveraging teaching talent with technology.

Personalized Learning

PBS: Taste of College Encourages Students to Continue Classes

John Merrow produced a must watch PBS segment on early college high schools in south Texas. Like AP courses, a partnership with a local college allows students to earn college credit in high school. The challenge and the promise encourages more students to stay in school, graduate, and enroll in college. Online learning makes advanced and college credit course offerings more accessible and affordable.

Personalized Learning

ISTE Reflections: Balance Moving Forward

Perhaps the best idea I had for ISTE this year was to arrive in San Diego a day early. It was there, outside of the conference, that I was reminded of a powerful truth in education. Meandering through the meticulously manicured sidewalk shrubbery, the majestically purple Jacaranda trees, and the polite, bayside strollers, I allowed the gentle and cool breeze to nudge me forward ever so slowly under a sunny, cloudless sky. But my steps quickly came to a halt with the sight of an old-school magician whose skin bore witness to the subtle effects of a deceptively hot sun.

Personalized Learning

Investing in Innovation: Capital Flows to Education

The drought is over and capital is flowing to innovators in K-12, postsecondary, and consumer learning. That’s the conclusion of a report from GSV Advisors including industry veterans Deborah Quazzo and Michael Moe. They examine the “near spontaneous explosion of entrepreneurial activity in education.”

Personalized Learning

Solving the Plumbing Problem: SLC & Open Questions

Yesterday on MindShift Frank Catalano provided an update on the Shared Learning Collaborative and described the problems they are trying to solve. He provides a great overview of the data warehouse, the content library and the plumbing that will connect them. We outline some of the remaining questions that we're working on and would love to discuss with you.

Personalized Learning

In the News: Existence & Immigration

Return on Science.  The giant Hadron Collider in Switzerland just paid a big dividend.  Scientists are pretty sure they finally found evidence for the Higgs particle (or so-called God particle) which explains why we’re all here.  NPR said the announcement “had profound implications for understanding our universe and explains the basic…

Personalized Learning

5 Steps to Getting the Most Out of Online Education

For a countless number of people all over, online classes are one way to get ahead while still maintaining some flexibility in daily life. But, in order to get the most out of those online classes and make sure the experience is as rich as possible, you need to be able to know just what kind of mistakes to avoid.