EdTech
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?
EdTech
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.
EdTech
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.
Personalized Learning
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.
EdTech
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.
Personalized Learning
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,…
EdTech
MasteryConnect Receives $1 Million to Expand Common Core Efforts
NewSchools Venture Fund announced today that MasteryConnect, an online assessment sharing community around Common Core Standards, received more than $1 million in seed funding to scale the organization and reach of its platform among teachers. NewSchools led the round of funding in support with Learn Capital, Imagine K12 and others.
EdTech
Q&A: Nancy Hoffman On Vocational Education
In her book, Hoffman outlines the ways that vocational education and training (VET), which couples hands-on work experience and traditional learning to develop 21st century skills, can better prepare students for higher education and life. In the Q&A below, Hoffman discusses the outlook of VET programs around the world, the differences in the US and the challenges Americans face in producing comparable programs for students.
EdTech
Infographic: The Collapse of Public Education in America
The public opinion of the United States educational system is that it's in crisis, failing to meet competitive scores around the globe. This general opinion dates back to the 1950's and is largely linked to budget cuts that directly affect K-12 education. Online Universities published the infographic "The Collapse of Public Education in America" recently that outlines the ways that budget cuts hurt children's education and deteriorate their success in the future.
EdTech
Top 10 Headlines On Getting Smart
Check out the most popular headlines on Getting Smart this Novmeber, which include "SKYRIM: How far r uu??!!," "Top 10+ TED Videos on Education and Learning," "Fixing Education: Fareed Zakaria's CNN Special Report," "WSJ Picks Problems, Misses the Promise of Learning Online" and more.