Good Work: Love & Work
Erik Erikson recalled that Freud was once asked what he thought a normal person should be able to do well. The questioner probably expected a complicated, “deep” answer. But Freud simply said, “Lieben und arbeiten” (to love and to work). It pays to ponder on this simple formula; it grows deeper as you think about it.
Fareed’s Take: Education & Infrastructure Key to Growth
On his show and in his blog Fareed Zakaria argued that there is no evidence to the current Republican mantra about taxes and regulation stifling growth. He thinks the answer is pretty clear--we need to invest in infrastructure and improve educational outcomes.
Staff Pick: Getting Smart, Vocational Education
Karen picks the top 10 headlines from Getting Smart this November. Sarah picks a Q&A from Nancy Hoffman's recent book on vocational education around the world.
Building a Thoughtful Blend
Innosight Institute’s report The Rise of Blended Learning defines it as “any time a student learns at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home and at least in part through online delivery with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace.” To their definition, I add a requirement that the shift to an online environment for part of the student is intended to boost learning and operating productivity. Here's a description of rotation and flex schools and tools.
Infographic: The Truth About Facebook and Grades
We've seen steady debate around social media and education. Some teachers find it a great tool to engage students in learning, while others fear that it crosses a line of privacy. Some see it as a distraction that should be banned from computers school wide while others see it as healthy socializing in the 21st century. Yet, what's the truth about Facebook and students' grades?
Why Google Is The Most Important Learning Tool Ever Invented
Tom Vander Ark is an edu-futurist par excellence. He's chair of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, author of the new Getting Smart: How Personal Digital Learning is Changing the World, and an investor in startup technology and entrepreneurship school General Assembly (see this month's Life in Beta) through his education-focused venture fund Learn Capital. Here, he shares some of his views on the importance of "just-in-time learning" and the "plummeting" value of traditional education.
Webinar: National Trends In Online & Blended Learning
The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) announced Wednesday that it will provide a webinar with highlights on the latest developments, policies and practices in online and blended learning from the recent Keeping Pace With K-12 Online Learning by the Evergreen Education Group.
HULK’s Thoughts on E-learning
Last week I had a guest in my social-media war room. He is a . . . let’s say . . . a rather misunderstood figure. Most of us think of him as a brute who is emotional and impulsive. He’s been described as part Golem and part Frankenstein monster. I’m referring to none other than THE INCREDIBLE HULK.
Edmodo, Facebook for classrooms, lands $15 million, top advisors
Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, and Matt Cohler, an early employee at Facebook, are joining the board of Edmodo. Their respective venture capital firms, Greylock Partners and Benchmark Capital, are leading a new $15-million funding round. Edmodo is a free social learning platform that makes it easy for teachers to make an manage assignments.
A Kentucky Blend
This morning I met with Kentucky Commissioner Terry Holliday and the State Board. They were the first state to adopt the Common Core and will shift to online assessments ahead of the PARCC timeline. In his own words, you can read about Holliday’s leadership promoting great educators,…