personalized learning
Montessori: The Secret Is Out
In the dual worlds where I live - part Montessori mom and part education innovation advocate - it’s been really exhilarating to see these worlds begin to collide.
Summer Learning, Happens So Fast
This is the time, whether you are a student, parent or teacher, we know summer is approaching and it is time to plan how we will spend the next three months. All of us at Getting Smart, in true Blended Learning fashion, would like to offer recommendations to students and teachers on how they can leverage technology over the summer to meet their personal learning needs.
Deeper Leading
I recently had the opportunity to attend the first ever Deeper Learning conference in San Diego, CA. Educators from around the country convened to discuss deeper learning and the successes and challenges they have encountered in their efforts to precipitate it.
EdTech 10: Tough, Not Impossible
This week we celebrated National Teacher Appreciation Week and National Teacher Day with educators across the country. It’s the time of year when we pause to reflect on importance of great teaching and acknowledge that teachers today are rising up to meet enormous challenges.
EdTech 10: Springtime Trifecta
This week marked the end of the spring conference trifecta of SXSWedu, ASU/GSV Summit and NSVF Summit. We’re returning home for awhile with new scratches on our suitcases, new Clever t-shirts just in time for spring, and a renewed energy to continue the important work we are all doing to bring the best learning opportunities to students everywhere. This week’s Top Ten provides evidence of everyone from states to start-ups rolling up their sleeves to do just that.
Hacker Communities, Local Communities
Mariano Ulibarri, director of the hacker space Parachute Factory in New Mexico, heard about Hacker Scouts in the news just a few months ago. His immediate reaction was to start a troop locally – so he did.
Shrinking the Digital Divide
As more and more students gain access to personal devices, the exposure to personalized learning is becoming readily available to those lucky students who can lay claim to their own digital learning device.
EdTech 10: Spirit of Youth
Shakespeare, who would’ve celebrated his 449th birthday this week, famously noted that April puts “a spirit of youth in every thing.” The Bard was right. (One of our Smart Teachers even celebrated Shakespeare’s birthday with her class.) We’re seeing lots of new ideas springing forth in k-12 and…
Looking for a Few Good Schools
In order to showcase schools who exemplify deeper learning the Getting Smart team is collecting examples from around the country. Great teachers and innovative schools are finding ways to foster deeper learning for their students, Getting Smart is interested in identifying these excellent schools to profile their achievements.
Silverback Links with Linkit & Gooru
“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.