Career & Technical Ed
future of learning
EdTech
Impact investing: Where Money & Meaning Meet
Josh Cohen, co-author of white paper on impact investing and founder of City Light Capital, and I share a narrow definition of impact investing as seeking both high return and high impact. Cohen thinks it's entirely possible to have high expectations in both regards across education, safety and security, and energy and environment.
Personalized Learning
Why Aren’t There Any Next Gen Learning Platforms?
The education sector is in the early stages of transitioning from learning management systems (LMS) to learning platform ecosystems. In fact, a lot of U.S. schools will skip the LMS phase and go straight from print to platform.
Personalized Learning
What I Believe Right Now
Some opinion writers are critics. I’m an advocate. I’m less interested in stale reform debates and more interested in the potential of innovation. Like other sectors (energy, health care) new technology allows us to reframe gnarly old problems.
EdTech
Become a Power Searcher: Join Google MOOC
Last week Google opened registration for Power Searching with Google, a free online course on advanced search skills. The six 50-minute classes will blend the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) learning format pioneered by Stanford and MIT with social and communication tools to create a community learning experience.
Leadership
Good Work: The Abundance Mindset
There are two kinds of change agents—angry ones and hopeful one. The hopeful ones work toward new solutions. A subset of them approach the world with the ‘abundance mindset’ knowing that we’re riding an exponential curve that promises innovation. Abundant mindsets have mapped the human genome and launched space flights; they will expand access to quality education and extend life. They might even fix Washington DC.
Personalized Learning
NGLC Awards Innovative School Networks & Colleges
Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) announced its second round of grants to innovative high school and college programs today. The $4.5 million in grants will be shared by eight high school recipients, mostly charter networks, and four colleges. The blended learning models will yield strong college attendance and completion rates among low income students.
Personalized Learning
Should corporations run publicly funded online schools?
Private enterprise should be eligible for statewide operating contracts for public schools and programs. Private companies have the unique ability to provide quality services at scale. Private enterprise has three unique benefits compared to government agencies and nonprofits. The ability to raise and invest capital is critical to building quality content and learning platforms--investments that can easily exceed $100 million. The ability to rapidly respond to increased demand and operate at scale is another key advantage. The third benefit is the ability to manage to outcomes--data driven decision making combined with operational flexibility.
SEL & Mindset
Defining (and Driving) Collaboration
By: Jordan Lippman. In today's world, both employers and educational institutions place a high value on soft skills that are transferable across professional, academic, and social situations. One of the most frequently cited skills is collaboration.
EdTech
NewSchools Summit: Where Equity Meets Entrepreneurship
This crowd starts with an unquestionable commitment to educational equality. They embrace entrepreneurship. Most would still prefer to support or work for a nonprofit just because they want absolute mission clarity.
EdTech
Who Will Work in Schools of the Future?
Robin Lake, CRPE, filled in for Rick Hess last week. One of her great EdWeek blogs asked who will work in schools of the future? "The best technological innovations really are transforming the way kids learn and the way schools are organized." That's the difference between edtech layered on top of how we've always done school and real blended learning.