Personalized Learning
'Innovation' Push Raising Questions
EdWeek ran a good summary of tensions around the innovation agenda. Full text below: School leaders are under increasing pressure to “innovate.” The word is ricocheting around Washington, emanating from the White House, the U.S. Department of Education, and numerous reports and conferences convened by those who hope…
EdTech
3 Takeaways to Look for at #TCEA14
It can be hard to keep up if you're at the conference, let alone if you're trying to follow along at home (or, even more challenging, at work!). Everyone has their ideas about who you should follow or if you should set up additional backchannels to have divergent conversations and, to be sure, the Getting Smart Twitter feed is a good one.
Personalized Learning
Advocating for online options
We’re building a advocacy initiative for online and blended learning. some of the goals include paint pictures of the future of learning promote quality options for kids/families guide state and local policy development encourage investment in innovation Tell me if I missed something obvious and if there are groups that…
Personalized Learning
Reinventing A Secondary Program From The Ground Up
By: Melissa Strong. For those educators who ponder “What if I were to teach this concept, this unit, or this subject completely differently?” Melissa shares her story and strategy of reinventing the foreign language program at Harvard-Westlake School in LA.
Ed Policy
Cage-Busting for Smart Cities
Creating a great education system isn’t just a matter of practice, because rules, regulations, contracts, and cultures can stymie even the most committed educator. But it can’t just be a matter of policy, because what really matters is what educators do in schools—and policies can make people do things but they can’t make them do them well (see school turnarounds, teacher evaluation, et al.).
Personalized Learning
How should we prepare students for college?
The Nation Journal asked this question based on flat results in the recent ACT report. High school graduation is the most important step toward college preparation. American graduation rates remain low especially for low income and minority students. Young people should have the choice of…
Personalized Learning
Classrooms Use Cloud Resources to Save on Supplies
By: James Walker. Whenever educators start talking about cloud-based educational systems, somebody always asks about the cost. After all, when you can buy a pack of pencils for just a few dollars, why is it more efficient to use tablets and computers?
Leadership
60 Day Whirlwind Reveals New Schools & Tools
The future of education is being built, bit by bit, all over this country. New tools and new schools are being developed at a dizzying pace. Here’s a few things we’ve seen in the last 60 days.
Innov8
SMARTtech Roundup: Edmodo, Rapping Teachers & Math Apps
Blended Schools & Tools Be heard. The USDOE’s Karen Cator wants to know what ED can do to support teaching and learning over the next four years. We think this is a great chance to tell Karen about all the great blended learning happening across the country. Add your comments.
EdTech
Rule the Borg, or the Borg Rules You (Video)
Programming is the new digital literacy. In the new Internet, you need to know how to program and amass all the power you can to direct people and ideas using your own technological skill set.