Personalized Learning
Personalized learning is a mindset and approach to teaching that focuses on meeting each learner where they are and tailoring a curriculum that considers their interests, prior knowledge and skill level, and pace. Such a demand on the teacher requires sophisticated usage of technology in a combination of personalized, blended and online learning.
How EdTech Will Benefit Low Income Students
Digital learning won’t necessarily close the achievement gap between income groups, but it will lift the floor. More students will be more academically successful. Five years from now, a higher percentage of students will soon graduate from high school ready for college and careers. Most will have benefited from Common Core expectations. Some will have benefited from Race to the Top funded programs. Many will have benefited from these 10 reasons that digital learning will benefit low income students.
OER and the Achievement Gap
Justin Reich posted an interesting blog on his edtech site suggesting that Open Educational Resources will expand rather than contract the achievement gap. It caused a bit of an uproar. Where states and districts are proactive about extending learning opportunities, the preparation gap will narrow and that means more young people will have a shot at participating in the idea economy.
Why Don’t We Value Spatial Intelligence?
Consider this. Ever since you were a kid, can you remember taking a standardized test that didn’t have a math or verbal section? I can’t. Pretty much all of them have math, science, English, reading, and maybe writing sections. Even when you got to high school, and you took the SAT or ACT, there were verbal, math, and science sections.
5 things you’ll see more of in 2012
The year coming to a close was difficult for many educators given a second year of budget cutting but it was an inflection point in the shift to personal digital learning. As we turn the corner from the old batch-print system you will see more of these 5 things in 2012: android tabs, playlists, BYOD, online learning, and investment.
Blended Learning: What Research Says
A new Kaplan white paper suggests that effective online and/or blended learning is personalized and adaptive to meet individual learning needs; supports high levels of cognitive engagement in meeting learning objectives; and balances computer- or teacher-led guidance with learner control.
8 Social Media Strategies for Your Classroom
Are you ready to bring social networking to your classroom? If you’re looking to make your classroom more relevant, connected, and meaningful to your students, it’s the best place to start. Study after study has confirmed the benefits of networking. Before we delve into strategies, though, let’s look at some reasons why we should connect with students in this manner.
Blended Learning Lessons from Miami
Miami-Dade uses Florida Virtual powered learning labs to extend options for student. The blending occurs across courses rather than within courses. SRI drew 7 lessons from first year implementation. In short, do your homework, pick a strong partner, and communicate a lot.
Time to Embrace Online Learning
To be successful, our public education system must continually evolve and adapt to take advantage of innovation that supports different ways students learn. Today, young people are spending a significant portion of their lives online and learning in ways that take advantage of a wide-open universe of information available to them 24/7. Educators must embrace this innovation and the power of online learning.
More State Control—And Why That’s A Good Thing
With the great unbundling of NCLB, control is being ceded back to states and they continue to aggregate control from districts. State leadership matters more than ever. Every state should have a Chief for Change like Huffman at the helm. Every state should have an RSD led by a proven operator like Barbic. Every state should have a robust authorizing shop with pathways for high performers, first timers, innovators, improvers and conversions.
Education Funding Should Promote Equity, Performance & Innovation
Kansas governor Brownback is proposing a new school funding formula that would let counties raise their local property taxes rates to spend more on schools. He's right that school funding needs an overhaul, but he's missing all of the key ingredients: school funding should be weighted, portable, and performance-based.