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Is this based on research, or on opinion?

At Socrative we've received the same feedback about student comfort and improved fluency with their own devices. From a teacher perspective it has also been appreciated as they aren't expected to be experts in the technology. Especially for teachers who weren't previously in a 1 to 1 or high technology environment. However, from an IT perspective "Y" "O" has caused issues dealing with app updates, permissions, battery life etc. I guess tech isn't the wonder solution for all :)

Discussion of the role of user interfaces in the K-12 environment.

I think it's curious that you're having universities like Antioch and others that are including MOOC courses as for credit options without any kind of evaluation or data on the actual efficacy of MOOCs, let alone specific classes.

My understanding of the pilot program is that students will still have faculty-led components, though, so it's not purely MOOC. It's more like a blended-learning environment that uses the MOOC as the digital part. So the students will have Antioch exams and homework sets, discussions, etc. If they are satisfied with the efficacy after the pilot, then they will expand the model.

simSchool is a classroom simulation that supports the rapid accumulation of a teacher's experience in analyzing student differences, adapting instruction to individual learner needs, gathering data about the impacts of instruction, and seeing the results of their teaching. It's a virtual learning environment where instructors can explore instructional strategies, examine classroom management techniques, and practice building relationships with students that will translate into increased learning.

Survey participants identified four key factors as "extremely important" in building a successful K-12 online education program: -Reporting and progress monitoring tools that enable teachers to assess student comprehension and identify those that need additional help; -Teacher who are readily available to assist struggling students; -Educators specially trained to teach in an online environment; -Rigorous curriculum, designed to accommodate different learning styles, that keeps students focused and engaged.

This is another project by CAST which has been particularly relevant to the work our research project is involved with. For more information click on the link below: http://jlr.sagepub.com/content/43/1/68 This article was provided to us by our contact at CAST and attempts to validate this type of "Digital Reading Environment." It's also authored by Catherine Show of HGSE, and is just a year old. The statistical data is a little above my comprehension level but it is described at a level I can understand. CAST UDL Book Builder This wonderful and free online tool allows you to create your own interactive "books" to help young readers learn reading strategies to build comprehension. Enter your own text, images, and hints.

this was presented in one of my other classes (A-117). it provides an interesting way to use digital text for enhanced learning.

EPIC-Ed is a U.S. Dept. of Education's online community of practice (OCOP) focused on the planning and implementation of ubiquitous computing environments. This is EPICEd's YouTube space. Videos include interviews with Karen Cator, Bob Wise, and teachers around the country, as well as on topics such as assessment and literacy.

This is mind-blowing, Jeff. It certainly speaks to the natural curiosity of children and the human capacity to learn, given resources and opportunities. Although I agree with the NETP about developing a strategic approach to tech implementation, I guess we should keep an open mind to the possibility that the technology can precede the strategy (and definitive research data) and still add value to a learning environment. After all, some inventions go on to serve unintended purposes that sometimes prove more useful than its original intended purpose. Who would have thought Ethiopian children could figure out how to hack tablets? Major props to them because I still have yet to figure it out. Thanks for sharing the article, Jeff.

Sugata Mitra would be proud!

Nice example of a blended learning environment that also values the human element

"The Internet certainly holds the prospect of tapping into the vast store of knowledge and teaching talent that resides beyond the schoolhouse door, addressing students' varying interests and needs more fully and efficiently. But while Rocketship attracts a steady flow of visitors hoping to glimpse education's high-tech future, I came away from my own pilgrimage to Discovery Prep believing that the school's success proves the opposite point: the younger and more disadvantaged students are, the more they need adults supporting them in many different ways day in and day out--the more they need school to be a place rather than merely a process."

are you taking the designing a new learning environment online course?

This Forbes article mentions the Horizon report that we read earlier for class, plus some emerging trends in ed tech. Talks about games, mobile, and adaptive learning (we have touched on some of these topics in class).

Have we posted/discussed this? A system such as this (see following post) would work well in one of the distributive models of teaching and learning we worked with last week. I am considering integrating into my charter school and would be curious to know people's experience and thoughts...

Interesting to see the flipped classroom approach in a prestigious medical school environment

Founded by a HGSE alum, EdTechTeacher takes a holistic approach towards teacher professional development.

Innovative learning environments are found only in isolated pockets and not widespread - a finding in a conference of educators and researchers from seven different countries in New Zealand. "The recurring theme of Partners in Learning is that schools, even those well equipped with technology, are not providing for a 21st century workforce."

Experimentation Down Under and on "the East Island" (NZ) with tech in the classroom is full steam ahead! That's where I got my feet week.

it is really dramatic the fact that there are still teachers who are using traditional methods . i really do not know while the benefits of technology for education are very clear ,what is the reason for people who insist on not to use it

I came across this website in the context of an article on the importance of scientific accuracy and how it stimulates inquiry.

"The best professional-development research shows that teachers need sustained contact hours (between 30 and 100) of training before altering their practices. So, she did a back-of-the envelope calculation about how much time it would take to implement 50 hours of formative-assessment training over the course of a school year...... Teachers would need about six hours a month, for eight months, which amounts to one early-close afternoon a month plus two additional hours. (Good luck with that in this economy.)"

Perhaps this is where technology can play an enabling role. Easy to use and real-time tools like Socrative or technology based learning environments with embedded formative assessments (like my formative assessment design proposal for VPA) could help reduce the time / training barriers for teachers to incorporate formative assessment into the teaching practice. At the very least, new curriculum initiatives aligned with common core standards SHOULD BE REQUIRED to incorporate formative-assessments. Unfortunately on PARCC is. "Of the two assessment consortia, the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, is not developing formative-assessment resources as part of its federal grant. The other consortium, known as SMARTER Balanced, is."

These students were successful within a primarily online environment is spite of not owning their own computer.