EdTech
Pacific Metrics Acquires Prize-Winning Automated Scoring Software
Pacific Metrics announced this week that it has acquired the prize-winning Automated Student Assessment Prize (ASAP), which means that states will now have access to a new era of automated scoring that will in turn improve student writing outcomes.
The Shift Is On: iNACOL Conference Attendees Inventing the Future of Learning
When I joined the iNACOL board three years ago, I was hoping to see a shift in emphasis from virtual schools to a focus on helping all schools incorporate online and personal digital learning. That shift was evident in the name, Inventing the Future of Learning, and content of the Virtual School Symposium program this week in New Orleans.
Internships to Entrepreneurships
It’s great to be alive today! I don’t mean today specifically, but today in general. If you don’t like today or don’t find today particularly pleasing, don’t worry, it will be different tomorrow. I mean that both specifically and generally. Not only will the calendar be +1, but some amazing, forward-thinking, edgy entrepreneur will change the way we live, demonstrating our mercurial existence.
The Case for Authentic Learning
It was John Dewey who created the notion of “learning by doing.” His famous line was, “Education is not preparation for life: Education is life itself.” And years later it was Jerome Bruner who stated that it wasn’t enough to learn, say, history. The more successful approach would be to teach students to think like a historian. The ideas of these education philosophers, and others such as Johann Pestalozzi, are making something of reappearance in the call for more authentic learning experiences in an age of extensive testing. Authentic learning could be defined as learning that involves real-world tasks and problems.
Better Online Schools & Learning Options
Virtual schools and online courses work better for some kids than others. Some of variance is provider based; some of it is student based. In most cases, there is not very good data on students or providers. A new report explained, "Most state accountability and data systems can't easily provide the information about individual student growth on mastery outcomes that is necessary to produce the ans
How Is ‘Back to School’ Changing?
This past month as millions of young people traded in their baseball bats for backpacks, teachers, parents, students – and Blackboard staff – experienced the familiar rituals of Back to School. That got me thinking: technology changes a lot – how we create content, collaborate with our peers and find information. Do today’s tech-savvy students experience a different Back to School transition than past generations?
6 Trends at Virtual School Symposium 2012
More than 2,000 policymakers, education leaders, and education providers met in New Orleans this week for the International Association for K-12 Online Learning's (iNACOL) annual Virtual School Symposium (VSS) to discuss innovations and solutions to today's education challenges with the help of online and blended learning.
Susan Patrick, Stacey Childress & Supt. John White Reimagine Education Systems at VSS
More than 2,000 education leaders and policymakers meet in New Orleans, LA October 21-24, 2012 for Virtual School Symposium (VSS), hosted by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), to collaborate on critical advances in education to boost innovation.
The Future of OER
Open education resource (OER) is one of the rapidly changing education platforms globally. However, as this versatile educational platform gains popularity, a number of questions have been raised concerning its sustainability and future. Here are some aspects about the trend that will help you answer some of the issues or questions about OER.