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EdTech
5 Cool Things About Online Education
Early in life, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. My mom and grandma were teachers, and I fully intended to join the ranks in a traditional classroom setting. I hadn’t heard of a virtual charter school before, but I’ve always been intrigued by technology, so I decided to check it out. After doing some research, I came to the realization that not only did I prefer it over substitute-teaching for a year but also that there actually wasn’t anything else I would rather do.
Personalized Learning
10 Things School Leaders Should Do to Boost Blended Learning
During a couple breakout sessions at a Rhode Island conference on Innovation Powered by Technology (#iptrideconf) I spent time with teachers and principals thinking about next steps as they prepare for the shift to personal digital learning. We discussed 10 next steps.
Personalized Learning
10 Benefits & 10 Concerns About the Shift to Digital Learning
Rhode Island has produced leading innovations like the Big Picture network but it is in the back of the pack when it comes to online and blended learning (see the Digital Learning Now scorecard) but Gist's team is working hard to change that. If the enthusiastic group of 300 adult learners that spent the day at Rhode Island College are any indication, learning opportunities will improve for Rhode Island kids in the next year.
Leadership
Staff Picks: Global Ed, Online Learning & Flex Schools
Karen Picks “Turkish Kids Are Getting Tablets. What’s Your State Doing?” Karen says, “I was very pleased to listen to a group from the Philippines this week tell us about the digital/eLearn space across the other side of the world. Some of the same issues and some…
Personalized Learning
When Worlds Collide
It was a tough week for those of us that supported NCLB for the bipartisan support for equity it signaled and the baseline school accountability system it required. Obama announced waivers and Kline just wants the feds out of education. Fordham offered a better solution.
Personalized Learning
Could Teacher Evaluation Initiatives Power Down Technology-driven Innovation?
Teacher quality is arguably the largest policy shift in education today and will have a lasting impact on our public education system. Legislatures across the country are hammering out systems intended to improve, reward, and redistribute quality instruction – including teacher evaluation systems and systems to differentiate compensation.
Personalized Learning
Flex Schools Personalize, Enhance and Accelerate Learning
Flex schools offer an online core curriculum with on-site academic support and guidance, integration and application opportunities, and extracurricular activities. Students in flex schools progress as they demonstrate mastery in most courses. Every community should have a flex option that provides a fully supported individualized pathways to graduation.
EdTech
Online Learning Provides Mastery-Based Learning for Students
“When I tuck my children into bed each night and take the laptops off their beds, I see that they were recently looking at Civil War photos on the National Archives website, playing with a pyramid maze on the British Museum website, or translating their names into hieroglyphs,” says Kelly Gutensohn, a parent of ten Florida Virtual School (FLVS) students ranging from five to 28.
EdTech
SmartTech Roundup
Learning Platforms The Gates Foundation finally launched a website with a little info on the Shared Learning Collaborative. Five states are expected to pilot something next year, but will it be a full personalized learning platform in the sky or a data warehouse? Instructure, a Salt Lake…
Personalized Learning
Turkish Kids Are Getting Tablets, What’s Your State Doing?
ast August Fast Company broke the story that Turkish officials were having conversations with US companies about their plans to equip every student with a tablet computer. This morning, World Bulletin reported that the first 12,000 tabs are arriving at schools as part of the Movement to Increase Opportunities and Technology (FATİH) project.