future of learning
Designing Inquiry-Based PLCs to Differentiate Instruction and Drive School-Wide Improvement
Schools that establish inquiry-based PLCs for the specific purpose of looking at student data to inform curriculum, instruction, and intervention are having the most success.
Next-Gen Learning Models Blend Tech & Experiences
Critics argue that blended and competency-based learning is just testing all the time. They chafe at what appears to be more mindless box checking. When I visit credit recovery labs and see students flying through online lessons and taking end of unit multiple choice quizzes, we worry that there is some truth to the criticism.
Springpoint: Designing Schools for Success
In October, Carnegie made new schools grants for Cleveland, New York City, Philadelphia and Denver. The first three districts will open 2 new schools. Denver will open 1 new school while also conducting a system wide planning process.
Tom’s 30 Best Blogs of 2013
Blended learning went mainstream in 2013-- truckloads of tablets showed up at schools; there was an explosion of apps; platforms got a little better; we still have a lot to learn. All the developments kept us busy. Here’s the creme de le creme, the top ten percent, of Tom’s contributions on Getting Smart this year.
K-12 Breakthrough School Models from NGLC
This updated set of K-12 Breakthrough School Models profiles is an excellent resource and serves as motivation for all in the world of education.
Everything is Coming Up Robots
Now I find myself learning and teaching with robots. Where once I was reading through Chaim Potok’s The Chosen asking myself which learning objectives I could met through this text, now I am searching through Youtube videos of robot challenges to find a match for my objectives for the students.
Scaling Non-Profits: Lessons from the Experts
Is your nonprofit making a difference in your community? Starting to think about national expansion? Here is some advice from five experts (bios below).
Google Glass: Really Promising or Not So Much?
We reviewed all the proposed applications we could find and rated them Really Promising (RP) or Not So Much (NM). Here’s our list of applications and ratings:
Investing in Innovation Pays Off for Math Students
Such a long-term funding relationship is rare; most giving spans at best three to five years. But MIND is rare, too. We have been supporting the organization this long because they have developed one of the best and most effective approaches to helping students learn math that we’ve ever seen, with strong rigorous and significant student outcome data to prove it.
How Google Glass Can Help Students Make Better Music
Improving the day-to-day class experience is an important use of the product, but Johnston Turner has bigger ideas about ways Google Glass can aid in conducting and composing. “I’m also interested in how the Internet and digital technology are changing our brains and changing how we think,” she told me.