Blended Learning Lessons from Miami
Miami-Dade uses Florida Virtual powered learning labs to extend options for student. The blending occurs across courses rather than within courses. SRI drew 7 lessons from first year implementation. In short, do your homework, pick a strong partner, and communicate a lot.
PLATO Launches New STEM Courses & Customer Support
PLATO Learning, an online learning provider, announced this week the launch of its winter product release, which will expand its course offerings in STEM, language learning, and college preparedness as well as a support site for customers.
Review: Teaching Generation Text
Lisa Nielsen and Willyn Webb have spent the last few years experimenting teaching with cell phones and were thrilled with the results.
Year in Review: Top 10 Headlines of 2011
Getting Smart has witnessed some exciting news and trends throughout 2011. Today we've showcased our 10 most read headlines of 2011.
Time to Embrace Online Learning
To be successful, our public education system must continually evolve and adapt to take advantage of innovation that supports different ways students learn. Today, young people are spending a significant portion of their lives online and learning in ways that take advantage of a wide-open universe of information available to them 24/7. Educators must embrace this innovation and the power of online learning.
Online Algebra Course Leads to Higher Achievement
Eighth-grade students who are "algebra ready" and take an online Algebra I course because their schools do not offer the class, outperform their peers in algebra knowledge and are twice as likely to take advanced mathematics classes in high school. The findings are in a rigorous new federally funded study conducted by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) for the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands (REL-NEI).
Infographic: Getting Into the College of Your Dreams
For students today, getting into the college of their dreams begins freshman year of high school (or sooner). Students must work hard, take the right classes and couple it with the right extra curricular activities. Then, they must research colleges, apply and prepare for the big transition.
Good Work: Vacations
We all need a rhythm of renewal, emotional, spiritual, physical and intellectual renewal to remain positive and focused, not once a year, but every month, every week, every day. Build positive habits into each day, read, write, play, and reflect. Stay connected to the important people in your life. Go out of your way to met new ones. Watch the sun go down. Stay fresh, stay challenged, and stay excited. If your work does not fit when you try to put it all together, go do something else. Life’s too short not to enjoy what you do.
More State Control—And Why That’s A Good Thing
With the great unbundling of NCLB, control is being ceded back to states and they continue to aggregate control from districts. State leadership matters more than ever. Every state should have a Chief for Change like Huffman at the helm. Every state should have an RSD led by a proven operator like Barbic. Every state should have a robust authorizing shop with pathways for high performers, first timers, innovators, improvers and conversions.