Group items tagged

the future of learning and education is becoming easier to predict every day: it’s digital.

The combination of ubiquitous mobile devices and dramatic improvements in personalized and engaging digital learning experiences has resulted in drastically reduced time-to-market for high-quality, technology-enhanced educational content.

Alvin Toffler. For a while now, he has talked about the need for speed in learning—and relearning—and the essential skills required for success. He’s said, “the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

Blended learning is any time a student learns at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home and at least in part through online delivery with some element of student control over time, path, and/or pace.

The definition implies simple remote correspondence—like online videoconferencing or web chatting in a real-time environment only—does not qualify as blended learning, and perhaps points to a theoretical division between the labels of "online" and "distance" learning.

The report then labels six types of blended learning approaches:• face-to-face driver programs where teachers deliver most instruction in a live classroom and use online activities to supplement or remediate what goes on in the brick-and-mortar school;• rotation models where students follow a schedule that alternates between face-to-face class sessions and in-person instruction;• flex formats where most of the curriculum originates online, but an on-site instructor provides instruction as needed in individual and small group sessions;• online lab sessions where students do work online, but in a computer lab at a brick-and-mortar school with aides who offer supervision but little subject guidance;• self-blend schools where students may take online courses a la carte to supplement their brick-and-mortar school's curriculum; and• online driver constructs where students receive most of the course online and independently, but participate in required or optional face-to-face meetings.

A connected educator: Believes in sharing and collaboration Uses technology and its connection to other educators to learn and teach Practices and models lifelong learning, which is often a concept professed to students as a goal of education Uses the tools of technology to personalize his or her professional development Is a relevant educator, willing to explore, question, elaborate, and advance ideas through connections with other educators If not comfortable with new technology, still shows a willingness to explore its use Views failure as part of the process of learning May put creation over content, and relevance over doctrine.

The real commonality of connected educators is their use of technology to collaborate in the pursuit of lifelong learning.

not all digital immigrants and not all digital natives are created equal

Digital Immigrants fall into the following three major groups

Avoiders: