Group items tagged

Those educators among us who are familiar with constructivist and constructionist models of learning understand the impact that social learning theory has had on the field. Likewise those of us who are familiar with the application of new technology in learning understand that customization (or "the user") is what drives every structure, every program, and every software function. It seems, then, that as educators we have a struggle between emphasizing the social nature of learning while maximizing the benefits of each learner becoming more clearly identified in the process. New technology, of course, can help in both aspects, but it is the teaching method that is challenged. I hope that eventually teaching methods will have morphed into a flexible model of instructional design and delivery that I will call "Customized Learner Networks": networks that are both socially constructed and individually driven.

Inside Higher Ed offers free online news and job information for college and university faculty, adjuncts, graduate students, and administrators, higher education jobs, faculty jobs, college jobs and university jobs

Students who listened to a lecture via iTunes U outperformed those who attended in person -- pause button a factor

Creating a new vision for education in the 21st Century

Microsoft, Intel, and Cisco say global, 21st-century assessments are key to student success and economic prosperity

Web 2.0 is not just for the classroom. The use of Web 2.0 tools can increase and improve communication, collaboration, and cooperation across all levels of a school or education organization. This wiki, which is the companion wiki to the new book Wikified Schools: Using Wikis to Improve Collaboration and Communication in Education, was developed to explore the use of a wiki as a highly effective communication and collaboration tool that enhances the effectiveness of school or district leadership teams.

Online instruction, says best-selling education author, will change schooling as we know it--if we're lucky

Obama wants more PCs for kids, and Harvey Milk Academy is one school doing just that. But a 21st-century, computer-focused curriculum is the real challenge

TechLearning blog post from Terry Freedman Two important new reports, and associated consultations, are now available. These are the eagerly-anticipated interim report from the Rose review of the primary curriculum in England and Wales, and the government's ideas on what a world-class education comprises and the associated school report card. The good thing about the interim report is that it emphasises the importance of ICT in the primary curriculum. I'm not so sure about the 21st century school document.

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is engaged in a Proof of Concept for a Virtual Learning Magnet (VLM) for Space Science and Mathematics with support from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). CCSSO's strategic plan calls for setting the education context for a new century, and the Proof of Concept for the VLM supports this by exploring how states can bring together teachers and subject matter experts to support learners with targeted interests in areas of global importance. The VLM is designed to supplement, and not duplicate, the offerings of state-led virtual schools.

Living and Learning with New Media: Summary of Findings from the Digital Youth Project

Will Richardson Blog post, focusing on Diigo and its impact on critical thinking.