Leadership
Content that enables educators, edleaders, organizations and families to increase capacity, apply a growth mindset and implement what’s next in learning on behalf of those entrusted to them.
Teachers Inspiring Teachers in a New Age of PD
A major shift in the force of education has emerged as teachers have become self-directed, independent designers of their own learning. Embracing social media, blogging, and learning from one another in digital spaces, they have forged a new era of professional development that is changing classrooms from the ground up. Simultaneously, and perhaps because of their online interactions, teachers also have begun to re-energize the professional learning in their brick-and-mortar professional spaces.
SXSWedu Announces Bill Gates as Closing Keynote
Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will address the foundation’s U.S. education work, which focuses primarily on ensuring all students are prepared for success in college and career. The keynote will take place 10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 7, 2013 in Ballroom D of the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas.
Q&A: Connecting to Community
Building frameworks around community and student needs is essential. In simple terms, identify resources and needs in the communities and tie projects to the classroom learning. Make the curriculum real.
Puget Sound Districts Will Lead the Way on Personalization
Earlier this month the Department announced the 16 winning applicants to the Race to the Top District competition. The nearly $400 million will be split by 55 districts in 11 states.
Chicago Appoints Jack Elsey Chief Innovations Officer
Jack J. Elsey Jr. joined Chicago Public Schools as Chief of Innovation and Incubation. Formerly Elsey was Chief Schools Officer for Detroit Rising College Preparatory Schools and Assistant Superintendent in the Detroit Public Schools.
Happy Holidays From the Getting Smart Team
We've appreciated the conversations and dialogue we've had with all of you over the course of the last year. We're looking forward to continued discussions in 2013. From the Getting Smart Team, Happy Holidays!
Good Work: Considering Life in Cities
Geoffrey West studies cities. He found economies of scale—in mammals and cities—the bigger you get the less energy you need. Cities offer about a 15% savings on infrastructure. But he also found that human population growth and resource use is unstable. We share his interest and launched a review of how cities produce and share innovations in learning.
21 Months (and Counting) to Online Assessments
2012 is quickly drawing to a close. When the calendar page flips to 2013 in just a couple of weeks, we suspect that the 2014 implementation of the next generation of online assessments is suddenly going to feel much closer. That realization is sure to provoke a wave of high blood pressure fanning out across the land. But - have no fear - the new DLN Smart Series white paper is here!
Digital Learning Now! Offers Advice to States & Districts Preparing for Online Assessment
Digital Learning Now! (DLN) today released “Getting Ready For Online Assessments,” the third interactive paper in the DLN Smart Series, to plan a pathway of administering new, online assessments in the wake of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) implementation in the 2014-15 school year.
10 Things Next Gen Districts Will Do Well
What will next generation districts do well? In the last week I've had the opportunity to discuss that question with hundreds of school board members and superintendents.