Group items tagged

What is blended learning at the college level?

Interesting blog, especially his theory that 4:1 is the idea configuration for students:computers (75% cost savings and a focus on kids learning from one another). Years ago, there were in-depth workshops on teaching and learning in collaborative groups. In recent years, I've noticed that many teachers seem clueless as to how to facilitate successful groups, and fearful about loss of control. My hope is that "classroom management" will become a concern of the past in a successful blended learning environment.

if 4:1 is ideal for students, wouldn't it also be ideal for everyone else?

Here is Wes Fryer's outline for Technology 4 Teachers, part of his "Powerful Ingredients for Blended Learning." Lots of great resources here which we can share with teachers.

As we go into CL schools, here's a great toolkit to help our work with 6th grade teams. Gotta love Wes Fryer. Check it out.

I still see many uses of technology that are not "inspirational," but I'm more hopeful about personalized and intrinsically motivating learning than I've been for many, many years!

What if...a teacher "flipped" students' learning experience so the lecture/mini-lesson happened at home or outside of school time, and homework --applied learning -- happened in the classroom? How could a parent participate in this process? We may not be there yet (especially due to internet access issues), but we're on our way!

Focusing on learning works better than focusing on test scores and grades research finds.

The way we focus students and the language we use matter, as does the substance of what we do. This is part of a larger discussion on intrinsic vs: extrinsic motivation.

Nice tech blended learning example for 5th grade. Envision a home extension.

Teacher collaboration is on the decline. We are cutting against the grain as we try to work with 6th grade teams on the Connected Learning project. What does sustained "sticky" PD look like? How do we truly build capacity?

Hi all. I'm diving in here and notice that my highlighted text showed up as annotations. Sorry. I'm working on it! What I found most interesting was one commenter who noted: "in reality, being fully human is necessarily collaborative. . .Schools would benefit tremendously from honoring and supporting collaboration among faculty but more importantly among students. . .teaching, learning, and assessment are artificially forced into acts in isolation in traditional schooling. . .That is dehumanizing and countereducational. . ." My thoughts: So how can we humanize the PD process? Seems choice and autonomy are huge factors towards ownership of technology integration. Comes back to the question, for adults as well as students, "Who owns the learning?"

All RTT winners had some provision in their applications for online learning. Will it be smartly done and integrated into classroom instruction or just money thrown at a perceived but unexplored opportunity? Which states have a chance of doing it right?

Check out the Booker T. Washington video. He shares his approach to blended learning, but he also discusses challenges for those who are not "connected."

Why it is so hard to measure the value proposition of personalized learning through more technology.

Amazingly, schools are not doing enough to get kids digital.

Teens hide online information "in plain sight" using coded language to convey their feelings to their friends while preserving the illusion of transparency with their parents.

Danah Boyd is a great thinker about internet issues. Great post about teens engaged in steganography, hiding online info in plain sight.

Balancing the what with the how of teaching. Meditation on the messiness of improving instruction teacher by teacher.

I could not agree more with the need for balance. I think different teaching styles are as important as teaching to different student learning styles. I'm concerned that a school full of all Type A "what" teachers is not the best thing for our students -- school culture is a huge factor that is often given a lower priority than "student achievement." Here's to a greater emphasis on the "how's" of teaching and learning!

Mikva Challenge students in Chicago have authored a report on technology innovations in the high school. Among their suggestions, teachers should use Skype, Youtube, video and other tech to enhance instruction.

How PD starts in a session but doesn't end until the rubber meets the road in the classroom. One of those articles that states the obvious, but well enough it reframes it. Nice PD graphic model.

Re-examine our notions about what constitutes good study habits.

This is a meaningful article for how we think about learning environments in the home.

100 Ways Google Can Make You a Better Educator

Very well thought out guide to parent engagement and building the school-home connection. Recommend to all CL consultants taht you distribute this to your parent coordinators and principals.

An interesting variety of answers from some education and ed tech leaders.