blended learning
EdTech

SMARTtech: “Competency” is the Word of the Week

Carri Schneider

Dell is on the case (part two). The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF) has released the second in a series of case studies that examine blended learning approaches, this time offering a case study of Summit Public Schools. Check out Diane Tavenner, the founder and CEO of Summit Public Schools, speaking about her experiences on the MSDF blog.
Personalized Learning

Competency-Based Progress

Tom Vander Ark

Susan Patrick, iNACOL (where I'm a director) and Chris Sturgis teamed up on a great new site, CompetencyWorks. While the shift to digital is key, and extending the reach of great teachers is important, the shift from age-cohorts to to a show-what-you-know system will prove to be the most profound--and challenging--educational change of our time. That's why the conversation and community on CompetencyWorks is so important.
Personalized Learning

Can Online College Education Ever Really Be Free?

Guest Author

The ingenious idea of giving students access to post-secondary education online has really helped many people follow their dreams over the past few years, especially those who wouldn't be able to pursue a higher education otherwise due to various circumstances like having a fulltime job, raising a family, suffering from a learning disorder, or living in a rural area.
EdTech

Blackboard Collaborate Goes Mobile

Getting Smart Staff

This June, Blackboard, Inc. increased its mobile offerings. The learning management system (LMS) provider launched its collaborative Web tool, Blackboard Collaborate, in app form under private beta with select K-12 and higher education institutions. Blackboard Collaborate Mobile allows educators and students to Web conference, share content, instant message, respond to surveys, raise hands, and more from tablets and smartphones.
EdTech

11 Tools to Turn Your Students Into Academic Superstars

Guest Author

I remember as an undergrad, I looked forward each August to the release of the official university student planner. That planner represented a fresh start: blank days to be filled with color-coded due dates, study group get-togethers, my work schedule at the bakery in the mall, and football tailgate details.
Personalized Learning

SMARTtech Roundup: Blended Learning to Big Data

Carri Schneider

Dell is on the case. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is releasing a series of case studies on blended learning models that examine five school and charter management operators' implementation of blended learning. Five organizations across the nation participated in the case studies: Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools, Firstline Schools, KIPP LA, Rocketship Education, and Summit Public Schools. The studies examine each organization's instructional and operational approaches to blended learning, and offer a high-level overview of each model's potential financial implications.
EdTech

Infographic: Growing Up With Technology

Guest Author

By: Jaclyn Norton. Technology is transforming today's educational landscape, reaching children's fingers before they reach their shoes. According to the infographic below from LearnStuff.com, 70% of children between the ages of 2-5 can use a computer mouse, while only 11% can tie their own shoes. Today's generation is growing up with technology, proving to reject traditional beliefs about how people learn. 90% of students think tablets help them study more efficiently, and cause them to read 1.5 more books annually. See the infographic below to see students different interactions with technology along their scholastic path, from grade school to graduation.
Personalized Learning

Blended Speech Therapy: Q&A with Clay Whitehead

Tom Vander Ark

PresenceLearning delivers more than 10,000 online speech therapy sessions a month to schools in 25 states. The company, formed by two recent Stanford MBAs, is a good example of two translational innovations--synchronous online instruction and distributed workforce--now deployed in education to meet widespread special education challenges.
Personalized Learning

Digital Technology Brings Global Collaboration Between High Schools

Guest Author

By: Jaclyn Norton. Jennifer Bevill knows how to create a global classroom. The “Peace Project” bridged geographic borders between high school students at LSU Laboratory HighSchool in Baton Rouge, LA and Odori High School in Japan by utilizing digital technology to build cultural understanding and bring awareness to issues surrounding tolerance and peace at both schools.