Innov8

SMARTtech Roundup: From Blended Learning to Big Data

Blended Schools & Tools Blended Schools Sprouting. Vail Blended Learning is a new blended middle school in Arizona that uses laptops as its main learning tool using online content developed by K12 Inc., e2020, and VBL Curriculum and Instruction. Students have a flexible daily schedule and move through…

Leadership

10 Roles for Leading Toward Deeper Learning

As schools shift to personalized, competency-based deeper learning, how will the roles of leaders change? What sorts of skills, habits and mindsets will support these significant changes in education? What roles do leaders play to create and support deeper learning environments? The answers.

EdTech

Social media guidelines

Steve McKee blogs about marketing and business growth on Bloomberg BusinessWeek.  He recently posted his guidelines for dealing with marketing on social media platforms.  Education innovators sart-ups would be wise to take a look at Steve’s list.  Below is an excerpt of his blog post on keeping marketing meaningful on…

Personalized Learning

Kickin’ it old school and inventing the future

Most edreformers want the best version of old school for every student: talented teachers, high expectations, quality instruction, curriculum alignment, strong accountability, and enough standardized tests to verify all of the above. The problem is that it's really hard to pull off and scale. As Bob Wise has pointed out, digital learning is the solution to the teaching gap, the achievement gap, and the fiscal gap. Schools need to balance old school reforms while they phase in the future.

Personalized Learning

The Other Higher Ed: P2P Learning

If you run a 2nd tier degree program, you better make it social, applied, engaging, and flexible. And you better find a way to make your program more affordable, because you're competing with Fred, and he's free.

Personalized Learning

Digital Learning in Kentucky

KY Commissioner Terry Holliday By Terry Holliday Kentucky was one of the early leaders in virtual learning. Today, we are struggling to find the appropriate methods for funding, support and innovation. Over the past two years, we have been working first…

Personalized Learning

UK opens 200th sponsored academy

One of Tony Blair’s reforms that I’m fond of is the Academy program–the equivalent of a sponsored charter school in the US.  The BBC reports that the 200th opened with 67 more to come this year.    They’re dropping a feature that I liked–the requirement to invest at least 2 million…

EdTech

Who Will Work in Schools of the Future?

Robin Lake, CRPE, filled in for Rick Hess last week. One of her great EdWeek blogs asked who will work in schools of the future? "The best technological innovations really are transforming the way kids learn and the way schools are organized." That's the difference between edtech layered on top of how we've always done school and real blended learning.