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Good list of free and pay online language learning resources. See the awards list.

An estimated 250,000 students are enrolled in full-time virtual schools where their instruction and interaction is completely online. There are many benefits to this model: lower overhead, anywhere/anytime learning, meeting students where they are...yet the students in these full-time online schools consistently fall short of their peers in traditional schools. Gives us pause to consider what is lost in the online learning environment and what are the essential parts of face to face learning that cannot be replicated online..

This article contradicts one of my favorite quotes from ISTE 2011 - "The Killer App for 2011? The Teacher" I agree Steve, while it seems to be more and more the norm, economics shouldn't be a major determinant in alternatives to good education. Would they do the same for health care? Perhaps Siri can diagnose and prescribe treatment based on patient symptom input into an app?

States are expanding their offerings of online courses, and in conjunction with this, they are beginning to create policy mandating that students take a set number of online courses in order to graduate from high school. I'm not sure how I feel about this. While I believe that online courses have a way to go and could one day be a solution for all kinds of learners, I believe that right now, online courses are not necessarily for all learners all the time. There are simply some learners who would benefit more from classroom instruction and the built in motivation that face-to-face provides.

A pretty bold assertion - "On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction."

I believe it. Having come as close to a controlled study of this as is possible in day-to-day life (taught the same course in classrooms and online), there's definitely a different level of engagement online.

graphing calculators face new competition from smart phones and such, parents wonder why they should by calculators

Along the lines of the discussions we've been having on the isites, mobile learning has major potential in the developing world. "Mobile phones are increasingly ubiquitous in poor countries, which now account for FOUR IN EVERY FIVE connections worldwide". This means that almost everyone owns or has access to a mobile phone. How can we leverage this reality? Well, we can't impose anything that requires a smart phone, since most of these mobile phones cannot access 3G or wifi networks. Perhaps we can start to send podcasts as voice notes? Audio wikis of information sent via sms? In-phone calculators for math homework completion? I think all we need is an educational system that supports this type of learning, and m-learning can possible change the face of education in the developing world. 

A report by the Alliance for Excellent Education says that public education will face four challenges in adopting education technology: 1) preparing kids for college / career, 2) shrinking budgets, 3) teacher-centered to learner-centered, and 4) technology equality (especially for low-income students).

Schools throughout the country are experiencing the same teacher-driven adoption of technology tools. Internet-savvy teachers are increasingly finding tools to use in the classroom on their own, and lower business-startup costs mean the tools are more readily available. In response, many education companies are changing how they market and sell their products. Nationwide sales teams and central-office visits are giving way to word-of-mouth and sophisticated business-intelligence software as preferred methods for pushing adoption. Companies offer free products to teachers with the goal of influencing districtwide purchases of more-robust versions-known as the "freemium" pricing model. But in most sectors of the existing K-12 system-with its various stakeholders, budgetary restrictions, and procurement regulations- the so-called "consumerization" of education faces many barriers, experts say, making it difficult to find the right balance between selling directly to teachers and addressing the needs of central-office administrators.

A wearable camera system (Self-Cam) to improve recognition of emotions from real-world faces in young adults with Asperger syndrome  and high-functioning autism 

"There is a widespread belief among teachers that students' constant use of digital technology is hampering their attention spans and ability to persevere in the face of challenging tasks, according to two surveys of teachers being released on Thursday. "

issues of evaluating online schools - moving beyond fads

An online course that is a little more than the recording of a face-to-face version; i.e. multi-player gaming feature.

The issue

HGSET561

This is a really interesting article, and coupled with the edX / Anant Agarwal article below from Douglas, I think it brings up additional questions. Even with all the features that Anant says will be added to edX, I feel like they are all just part of the "convenience" factor and in many cases (like grading, discussion forum), more convenience for the teaching staff than the students. It is convenient for the students to do online labwork instead of going to a physical lab, for example. So I wonder if that type of convenience is enough to convince more students to sign up to MOOCs, or if they have to fundamentally change to add more types of value?

Through an example of the University of the People (online, tuition-free, non profit university), the article highlights the hardships such organization face to be successful in achieving their vision/mission. Credibility issue for online university issued certificate is also mentioned.   

Seven questions to consider before you decide on online learning and educational technology. "Not all online learning is the same. Neither is all face-to-face learning."

This article presents a rough framework to work with from a district point of view.

More and more, we see how technology is used as an enabler, in formative assessments and helping the teacher to help the student where it is most needed.

This article talks about online-learning and the ways it may change the college experience. While I agree that new technology is affecting the way our courses are run, I don't see it leading to the complete shut down of Universities. While it is wonderful that people have access to courses and resources that they may not otherwise have, I believe that there will always be a need for face-to-face interactions that one can only get from a University setting.