future of learning
Personalized Learning

Blended Learning Webinar Q&A

Tom Vander Ark

The Getting Smart team participated in an Education Week blended learning webinar today with Dreambox. The chat was lively and we didn’t get to all the questions.
EdTech

Silverback Links with Linkit & Gooru

Getting Smart Staff

“We call it an instructional improvement system,” said Jim Lewis. As Blaine, Idaho superintendent, Lewis got fed up with the lousy systems designed for tracking student interventions and progress, so he built his own. Other districts asked to use his Mileposts tracking software and he realized they were solving a widespread need. He formed Silverback Learning Solutions in 2010 to make it better and share it more broadly.
EdTech

ASU Opening: Is America a Submerging Economy?

Tom Vander Ark

Investor Robert Grady moderated the opening panel at the ASU/GSV Education Innovation Conference in Scottsdale with perennial presenter Chris Whittle, CEO of the pricey global school network Avenues, and Jon Schnur, America Achieves. They agreed that patterns of excellence have emerged from world class models domestically and internationally: high expectations, relentless focus on good teaching, a spirit of continuous improvement, and attention to granular details matter. It’s clear that we have world beating schools in the U.S--we just need more of them.
Personalized Learning

Aerospace Scholars Offers Blended STEM Experience

Getting Smart Staff

While demand for engineers in the workplace is growing, student interest in the STEM field is declining. In particular, students who enter high school interested in engineering, tend to become disengaged in the field as they approach graduation. An educational program located in Washington State hopes to stop that trend by engaging students in the STEM field in new and interesting ways. The Washington Aerospace Scholars Program offers an innovative approach to STEM education by combining online and applied hands on learning.
Leadership

Good Work: Tapping the Dark Matter

Tom Vander Ark

“Education is like the night sky; edreform offers a few points of light and the rest is dark matter,” said Nick Donohue. “The real opportunity is deeper public engagement--tapping the dark matter.”
EdTech

EdTech 10: Innovation on the Brain

Carri Schneider

Team Getting Smart has “ innovation on the brain” this week (even more than usual) as we gear up for next week’s ASU/GSV Education Innovation Summit (#EIsummit). The Getting Smart crew will be there learning, speaking, and blogging about eduinnovation.
Personalized Learning

Preparing for the Future

Guest Author

The future of education will be on display next week in Arizona, at the Education Innovation Summit. There will be a wide range of speakers and panel discussions, which I am really looking forward to hearing.
Leadership

Smart Cities: Early Observations

Tom Vander Ark

We’re more than 20 cities into this weekly series examining education in American cities--a few things are becoming clear. I launched the series because everybody is talking about innovation (inside and outside of education) but I don’t think we know much about where it happens or how it spreads--or why it doesn’t.
Personalized Learning

Oregon School District Shows Success With Individualized Online Learning

Getting Smart Staff

Early indicators suggest that Lebanon School District’s implementation and access of online learning materials, has been a success. Lebanon School District is located in a rural area of Oregon which suffers from high unemployment and high dropout rates. With the help of Oregon iSchool, developed by K12 Inc., 450 students, who might not have otherwise been enrolled in school, have enrolled in the online courses. Giving students who face low socioeconomic challenges more options to attend school, could result in higher attrition rates.