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Michigan State senate approved Cyber Schools. Experts question this legislation. A new report by education professors from the University of Colorado finds that there's no reliable evidence showing such institutions are as good brick-and-mortar schools. Some are just not comfortable with all the unknowns in the cyber school equation. Sounds familiar?

There is a lot murkiness in the conversation. There may be no evidence but so much goes on in brick and mortar schools that has no evidence behind it anyway, I'm less and less convinced by that particular rhetorical approach. I think there is no more to lose by the effort than we already lose in undocumented ways. As with any endeavor, planning and execution will be the determinants of success. I'm beginning to resent the attempts in the media to summarize these complex issues because I think they have a significant impact on public opinion but they horrible at conveying complexity.

In Missouri, online learning, such as, webinars, workshops, etc., from peers help farmers - beginners learn from experts. "It's farmers learning from farmers," says Mary Hendrickson. "People like to talk to others with lots experience and great information and who can say, 'I've been there before and had these problems.' It's a great way to bring both the farmers' experience and all the expertise we have in MU Extension to the table together."

Does anybody know much about KPCB? Here are some good statistics about mobile internet trends from February. They also have this article http://www.kpcb.com/insights/internet-trends-2011 from the Web 2.0 Summit in San Fran just last week. Just curious as to their background and credibility. Published February 2011 by Matt Murphy and Mary Meeker This multimedia presentation co-authored by KPCB partners Matt Murphy and Mary Meeker outlines and analyzes the top 10 trends defining the current worldwide mobile Internet industry.

Khan Academy gets a boost of $5m. This grant helpto expand Khan Academy's faculty from one to five, expand range of subjects to arts and humannities.

Envisioning and exploring classroom and education in the future - the video of a panel session at the end of this article is quite interesting. "Learning communities are growing beyond the walls of classrooms. But before we move too fast into that realm, it is critical that students get the support they need to navigate this frontier. They need to learn to think critically, synthesize information, and communicate their ideas effectively and clearly."

In India, three young men redefine teaching in the slums of India through the "smile school" project.

The New York TImes continues their efforts to get an explanation from the Department of Education of NY on their reasons behind the cell phone ban. It seems that the district is not budging on their policy and is so far unwilling to listen to educators vouching for phones as useful learning tools. 

"Resilient mobile classroom incorporating laptops, video camera and electronic blackboard will work in areas without electricity"

Dallas ISD uses cloud computing to keep track of bullying incidents in the district.

I noticed in the video that despite the kids all having computers, the classroom set-up seems to still be the same as the traditional one, with the teacher in front and the students all sitting at individual desks facing the teacher. Where's the group work/peer-to-peer interaction?

In US alone, 4 million K-12 students are enrolled online. Annual conference on online (and blended) learning in Indianapolis on November 9-11, by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL). Online learning is seen as the solution to allowing greater access to diverse resources curriculum, especially when many schools face serious financial crisis. Expect to hear from experts and educators, such as, such as Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director of the Council of Chief State School Officers; Paul Peterson of Harvard University; Michael Horn, author of Disrupting Class; Steve Midgley of the U.S. Department of Education; and iNACOL president Susan Patrick. Full program details are available at www.virtualschoolsymposium.org.

"E-learning programmes often offer training schemes which could help educate employees on the necessary rules and regulations surrounding manual labour jobs, such as construction...Online learning programs which specialise in health and safety and employee training are being increasingly adopted by businesses and large organisations."

Interesting topic! One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) founder Nicholas Negroponte plans to airdrop tablet computers in remote villages and then come back a year later to see how it worked. Remember the movie "The Gods Must be Crazy" or the story of "Hole in the wall" in India? Here is the link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2_CjRbZ5EI)

Industry top firms, including Google, News Corp, Disney, and NBC Universal, are showing interest in online education. "Demand for online education is exploding. The global market for online learning at schools and businesses is expected to grow from $32.1 billion in 2010 to approximately $50 billion by 2015, according to research firm Ambient Insight."

Opinion in edutopia

Although most apps are geared toward the iPad, here are some for Android OS, which could be a more economical alternative for schools and consumers.

For EDC research group

I am currently working on how to integrate IBM Watson in digital media for learning. I would gladly appreciate to talk anybody in the group who has a similar interest. Nice quote "I think the real impact on learning will start to come in the classroom, if you can imagine intelligent tutors - a system that can truly be interactive with the learner as they're engaging and learning the materials,"