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Jeb Bush, Melinda Gates, Sal Khan and the Coming Digital Learning Battle

Even as it "disruptively" transforms American education, blended learning is itself being slowly reshaped into new and distinctive forms. A report released this week identified six emerging models for blended learning in K-12, ranging from guided online instruction in the classroom to "self-blended" models where students take courses a la carte.

the future of learning from a variety of experts and lay-people.This collection offers 100 of these blog posts speculating on the future of learning.

s the use of computing and networking technologies in schools grows, educators increasingly incorporate online tools and resources into their curricula-some even replace traditional classroom interactions with "virtual" courses that take place entirely online. At the same time, administrators are concerned with helping students develop 21st century skills while bridging the digital divide between students and adults. To address emerging trends in education, Project Tomorrow, a national education nonprofit group and Blackboard have joined together to bring you Education in the 21st Century, a series of reports that include data from the SpeakUp Survey, which shed light on issues related to learning and leading in K-12 education.

Nice description of one way of developing an online/blended course model. I applaud Stacey's choice to do it, tweak later, rather than postpone doing it because it's "not 100% ready". 

While some professors seek to exclude the devices from the classroom, others are creating multimedia-rich curricula in which students can draw on online resources and interact with each other. Banning laptops is just plain wrong, according to Don Krug, associate professor at UBC's department of curriculum studies. He says students are adults, and the best a professor can hope for is a "respectful learning environment," where students limit their own behaviour. "If they really want to learn the information, they will. They're paying a lot of money," he says. "We're better off teaching them how to be responsible learners." Shows two polar solutions to laptop problems: total ban & adapting curricula to include multi-media interaction. Also presents respectful learning environment as best course for students who are adults. - comment by Kent Gerber

Modumath as linked from Wisconsin Online learning resources. Interesting videos of algebra concepts, not a huge library but well worth the exploration. You must join http://www.wisc-online.com/ to gain access, but it's free and very interesting.

Modumath as linked from Wisconsin Online learning resources. Interesting videos of algebra concepts, not a huge library but well worth the exploration. You must join http://www.wisc-online.com/ to gain access, but it's free and very interesting.

An idea that can be used to contribute to professional learning or for use with your students- Create a collaborative book online. The topic in this case is another way to explore/discover uses for twitter in education. Learn to take advantage of the things students are doing, teach them how to do things responsibly online, share your content, etc.

Online binder of activities created by Kelly Hines for her students. She uses this site (livebinders.com) to organize her online learning for her students. This is just a good example of what an online binder might look like. 

Videoconferencing Out on a Lim is about one distance learning coordinator's experiences, curriculum thoughts, and technology rants related to k12 videoconferencing. I coordinate videoconferencing for 18 school districts in southwest Michigan. We have 70 Polycom units and we also have Tandberg infrastructure (MPS, Gateway, Gatekeeper and TMS). We've been doing videoconferencing since 1999. You can read about our program online here: SouthwestNet Distance Learning.

The K-12 Online Conference invites participation from educators around the world interested in innovative ways Web 2.0 tools and technologies can be used to improve learning. This FREE conference is run by volunteers and open to everyone. The 2008 conference theme is "Amplifying Possibilities". This year's conference begins with a pre-conference keynote the week of October 13, 2008. The following two weeks, October 20-24 and October 27-31, forty presentations will be posted online to the conference blog (this website) for participants to download and view. Live Events in the form of three "Fireside Chats" and a culminating "When Night Falls" event will be announced. Everyone is encouraged to participate in both live events during the conference as well as asynchronous conversations. More information about podcast channels and conference web feeds is available!

Plato Learning has released the Beyond High School Library, a suite of online courses designed to prepare students for college entrance and placement exams and career certification and work skills exams.

Creating slideshows can be an excellent way for students to summarize their learning, share their what they've learned, and to share their ideas. If you have students that create slideshows that you or they think should be shared with a wider audience than that of their immediate peers in the classroom, the web offers many ways to do that. The following are ten free ways for students to publish their slideshows to the web.

"Knowtes is a flashcard-based learning community." Students can design their own flashcards routine. I like this spin on the drill and practice idea for several reasons: I can customize how I interact with the material and MOST importantly of all I can create my own flashcards. I think the creation of the flashcards is critical for a number of reasons.

LMS used by MOMA for it's online PD series

Instructional strategies determine the approach a teacher may take to achieve learning objectives. Five categories of instructional strategies and explanation of these five categories can be found within this site.

Great opportunity to collaborate online with scientists researching real questions: "the team is trying to answer the question - how do the skeletal muscles of seals develop to work during deep dives, even when the animal is not breathing for long periods of time. The researchers believe the answers to this question may have tremendous implications for human medicine. By understanding how another mammal has successfully overcome the debilitating effects of working under low oxygen conditions, we may be able to learn new therapeutic approaches to assist humans with heart or lung disease. "

Great post by Clarence Fisher about reading a novel with another class via Skype and how he is using technology to build the conversation. Instead of being afraid of letting students chat online, he is developing their skills. Rather than hiding some of the less rigorous comments, he's sharing with everyone, so he can learn along with us. 

The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) was developed to help guide the complex task of evaluating technology integration in the classroom. Basic technology skills and integration of technology into the curriculum go hand-in-hand to form teacher technology literacy. Encouraging the seamless use of technology in all curriculum areas and promoting technology literacy are both key NCLB:Title II-D/EETT program purposes. The Inventory for Teacher Technology Skills (ITTS) companion tool is designed to help districts evaluate teachers' current levels of proficiency with technology and is also used as a professional development planning and needs assessment resource. The TIM is envisioned as an EETT program resource which can help support the full integration of technology in Florida schools. What is in each cell? Each cell in the matrix will have a video (or several videos) which illustrate the integration of technology in classrooms where only a few computers are available and/or classrooms where every student has access to a laptop computer. Transformation The teacher creates a rich learning environment in which students regularly engage in activities that would have been impossible to achieve without technology. Active Indicator: Given ongoing access to online resources, students actively select and pursue topics beyond the limitations of even the best school library. Collaborative Indicator: Technology enables students to collaborate with peers and experts irrespective of time zone or physical distances. Constructive Indicator: Students use technology to construct, share, and publish knowledge to a worldwide audience. Authentic Indicator: By means of technology tools, students participate in outside-of-school projects and problem-solving activities that have meaning for the students and the community. Goal Directed Indicator: Students engage in ongoing metacognative activities at a level that would be unattainable without the support of technol

David Jakes does a great job of laying out a vision of what should be expected for classroom interactions through a digital platform but still isn't. I love his thinking about it not being a happy website with mission/vision but a place to collaborate and inform.  The 21st century is now not tomorrow!