Competency-Based Education
EdTech
EdTech
Should Your School Replace Textbooks With Ereaders?
This February, President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan challenged the nation to transition to digital textbooks in the next five years. Only a month prior, Apple announced the ever so controversial iBooks 2 for iPad, which partnered the biggest leaders in publishing, put textbook writing in the hands of many, and drove down the cost of classroom reading (with the exception of the cost of the iPad). As the shift to digital picks up momentum, administrators and educators have rushed to adopt 1:1 programs with iPads, Chromebooks, and netbooks. Yet, what about ereaders?
Personalized Learning
Big Data: Like Sunshine For Parents
Does school performance data really matter to parents? And does it facilitate parent-driven school accountability? As GreatSchools CEO Bill Jackson put it during his testimony before Congress in late 2011, “School performance data is like sunshine for parents. Parents need data to make good decisions about their children’s education.”
EdTech
SMARTtech Roundup: Blended Learning, STEM & Apps
Blended Schools & Tools RTT-D pushes for personalized learning. RttT-D kicked off the $400 million competition for increased personalized learning. CRPE says portfolio schools have the advantage. Tom comments, adds a list of 10 questions for districts, and contributes a list of 35 blogs lends help…
EdTech
3 Free Cool Tools to Curate Content
Content curation is a great way to find, organize and share useful knowledge efficiently. There are many free digital tools available to help manage web content in flexible ways allowing us to quickly share resources that are accessible online. Use of curation tools is social and will connect us to the ideas of others and help build our professional learning networks. Here are three efficient and effective content curation tools that can help educators manage web content and embrace technology.
EdTech
ClassDojo Lands $1.6M to Improve Student Character & Behavior
Today ClassDojo, the first free digital character building and behavior management service for teachers, is officially launching out of beta and announcing $1.6 million in seed funding from some of the most well known start-up investors in the world. The company is also announcing exciting milestones including viral growth to more than 3.5 million teachers and students in more than 30 countries in just 10 months, solidifying its place as the fastest growing education company ever.
EdTech
Q&A: Visualize Learning Concepts
Conceptboard, a German-based technology company, hit the market in early 2011 and has caught the attention of high school educators and students in the U.S. Taking a few cues from the popular social media platform Pinterst, Conceptboard has harnessed the creation of visual boards for learning and productivity.
Personalized Learning
DIY: Building a Team
Recently, folks at the Pearson Foundation asked me to write about " Five Things I've Learned About Startups" and I listed building a great team as a key to success. Whether launching a startup or leading a school district change initiative, building a team is important but difficult work. As I noted, "When you get the talent, trust and focus right, the results are extraordinary."
Personalized Learning
Texas Welcomes a New Disruptive Innovation & Vision: Prime Prep Academy
In a recent blog post titled “A Hope for Future Irrelevance,” Michael Horn reflects on a book which discusses the tenets of American teaching technique – including ensuring every student answers the critical questions of a lesson plan, answering the question of “What exactly do I want my students to master?” and choosing challenging curriculum. He posits the challenges a blended-learning environment, particularly infused with technology, will cause for these traditional techniques.
EdTech
Q&A: Students Take a Social Science Stance & Leverage Tech
This July and August, educators and students from around the U.S. participated in the Microsoft Partners in Learning 2012 U.S. Forum, which showcases and celebrates innovative teaching. Ericha Anderson and Alicia Cast from Chinook Elementary in Vancouver, Wash. participated in the forum and shared their "Snake River Dam Removal? You Decide!" project, which required students to research, track, and develop opinions around the local Snake River Damn Proposal.
EdTech
Cornerstone Anchors Detroit’s Blended Future
Tom Willis isn't playing golf this summer. In a few weeks, Willis will open two new schools in Detroit, an elementary (opening K-4) and a high school (starting with ninth graders). CEO of the Cornerstone Charter Schools, Willis is a construction manager this month.