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     Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 25897 Registered: 01-2000  Rating: N/A |
Tools for School: Digital Document Annotation on an iPad, iPod Touch, or Laptop Scott McLeod / LeaderTalk blog June 15, 2010  This is a great demonstration of the different ways of annotating texts in the formats mentioned. It's a long post with lots of pictures, and done very well.
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 25882 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
India unveils prototype of $35 tablet computer By ERIKA KINETZ, AP Business Writer via Yahoo! News Jul 23, 2010 MUMBAI, India – It looks like an iPad, only it's 1/14th the cost: India has unveiled the prototype of a $35 basic touchscreen tablet aimed at students, which it hopes to bring into production by 2011. Sounds amazing, but maybe it's not. When you consider that Apple was selling a $1 bumper for the iPhone for $39, maybe we're already making $35 computers and charging hundreds of dollars for them. * * * "It puts pressure on all device manufacturers to keep costs down and innovate," she said. The project is part of an ambitious education technology initiative by the Indian government, which also aims to bring broadband connectivity to India's 25,000 colleges and 504 universities and make study materials available online. We are in so much trouble. Even supposing our education is better than India's, its education costs are a fraction of ours. The higher our education costs, the less able we are to compete, globally, ceteris paribus. * * * *
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The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to institute an investigation of certain collaborative system products and components thereof. The products at issue in this investigation are teaching systems, primarily used in schools, that include a display, a host computer, wireless tablets, and electronic pens. The investigation is based on a complaint filed on June 15, 2010. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the United States and sale of certain collaborative system products and components thereof that infringe a patent asserted by complainant. The complainant requests that the USITC issue an exclusion order and a cease and desist order. A link to the full notice is: http://www.usitc.gov/press_room/news_release/2010/er0713hh2.htm | ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 25809 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Survey reveals slow progress in education technology Troubled economy might be hampering ed-tech implementation, according to SIIA’s latest survey By Laura Devaney, eSchool News Managing Editor Jul 12th, 2010 U.S. schools’ average overall scores on an annual survey designed to measure their progress toward implementing 21st-century classrooms and learning skills increased less than 1 percent from 2009, even though schools did improve on four out of five measures of progress. * * * The survey pinpoints seven vision goals that institutions can use technology to help them achieve: meeting the needs of all students; supporting accountability and informing instruction; deepening learning and motivating students; facilitating communication, connectivity, and collaboration; effectively and economically managing the education enterprise; enabling students to learn from any place at any time; and nurturing creativity and self-expression. The failure to make significant progress on technology goals is far more about attitude, priorities and work ethic than it is about money. Educators keep spending oodles of money trying to make the current system do things it cannot do. It cannot meet the needs of each student because it's designed to meet the hypothetical needs of all students combined into one. It cannot deepen learning and motivation because it's based on the classroom instructional model. The system has inherent limitations and unless the system is re-engineered, the limitations cannot be significantly changed. What we need are schools designed for The 21st Century Student. If public schools would stop wasting money trying to make the current system work better, they'd have more than enough money to meet every academic need of every student. * * * *
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 25800 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Schools can't avoid tax hikes Despite cost-cutting, most Phila.-area districts are planning increases for the coming school year. By Dan Hardy / Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer Jul. 11, 2010 They cut staff, dipped into their savings, and came up with new ways to lower expenses, but even so, almost all school districts in the Philadelphia suburbs are raising their property taxes for the coming school year. More than half of those districts are increasing taxes at a rate above Pennsylvania's budgeting benchmark "education inflation" index, which is a combination of the statewide average weekly wage and the wage-based federal education inflation index. That rate is 2.9 percent for the 2010-11 school year. * * * Twenty-seven of the 64 school districts in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties kept taxes at or below the 2.9 percent index. Five - Chester Upland, Morrisville, Neshaminy, Oxford, and Philadelphia - kept taxes at 2009-10 levels. In nine districts, taxes went up by more than double the state inflation rate, and in three - Upper Dublin, Southeast Delco, and Bristol Borough - they went up by more than 10 percent. The 2010-11 property-tax increase for all 63 suburban districts averaged slightly more than 4 percent, up from 2.9 percent in 2009-10, even though the education inflation rate for this year was higher, at 4.1 percent. In Bucks County's Bristol Borough district, one of the smallest in the area with an enrollment of about 1,225, taxes are going up 15 percent. School Board President Ralph DiGuiseppe III, who was elected in November, said almost the entire increase is because of a 2009-10 deficit, when the board did not raise taxes. * * * *
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 25719 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Study reveals factors in ed-tech success Results reveal that one-to-one computing programs can have a big impact on achievement if properly implemented By Laura Devaney, eSchool News Managing Editor Jun 28th, 2010 Schools with one-to-one computing programs have fewer discipline problems, lower dropout rates, and higher rates of college attendance than schools with a higher ratio of students to computers, according to the results of a major new study. But for one-to-one programs to boost student achievement as well, they must be properly implemented, the study found. Sixty-nine percent of the schools in the study reported that their students’ achievement scores on high-stakes tests were on the rise. Among schools with 1-to-1 computing programs, that figure was 70 percent. But it was 85 percent for schools with 1-to-1 computing programs that employed certain strategies for success, including electronic formative assessments on a regular basis and frequent collaboration of teachers in professional learning communities. The findings come from Project RED (Revolutionizing Education), a national initiative that aims to prove that when properly implemented, investing in technology can boost student achievement and will result in monetary savings for schools and local governments. The survey results will be revealed June 28 at the annual International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference. . . . Even though we've had the capability for a decade, we are still not creating the courses students need for their greatest success. We are still largely mimicking classroom instruction with computer instruction. It's such a baby step. We need courses that integrate subjects within a compelling story line that simulates real life problems, incentives, frustrations and rewards. We need schools for The 21st Century Student. * * * *
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 24903 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Nation’s ed-tech chief reacts to budget concerns Karen Cator on the administration’s FY11 budget proposal: ‘Every pot of money is really an opportunity to purchase technology’ From staff reports / eSchool News March 8, 2010 Another generation of students is being left behind because the federal government refuses to fund the creation of schools designed for The 21st Century Student. We keep spending money on the educational equivalent of horses, harnesses and one-bottom plows. Karen Cator, director of education technology for the U.S. Department of Education (ED), has heard the concerns from ed-tech groups about President Obama’s 2011 budget proposal, which would fold the largest single source of federal funding for school technology equipment, software, training, and support into a larger grant program that aims to promote effective teaching and learning. The concerns about the lack of a dedicated funding stream for education technology in the 2011 budget are “valid,” Cator said. But she defended the administration’s approach by noting that it encourages the integration of technology throughout all content areas. * * * Under Obama’s budget plan, the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program would be consolidated along with several other grant programs into a new initiative called Effective Teaching and Learning for a Complete Education. * * * *
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 24893 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Obama Ed-Tech Plan Goes Live Online By Katie Ash / Digital Education blog March 5, 2010 The National Educational Technology Plan [pdf] was released today by the U.S. Department of Education, and you can view our coverage of it here. Also, check out Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's speech about the plan given at the annual meeting of the American Association of Publishers
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 24836 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Study: Too few schools are teaching cyber safety Teachers agree that students should learn safe and responsible internet use, but fewer than half say these subjects are required in their districts From staff and wire reports / eSchool News Feb 26th, 2010 Students aren’t getting enough instruction in school on how to use technology and the internet in a safe and responsible manner, a new poll suggests. * * * More than half of teachers reported their school districts do not require these subjects as part of the K-12 curriculum, and only 35 percent said they’ve taught proper online conduct to their students. * * * *
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 24704 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Digital Nation Life on the virtual frontier Frontline with video of entire show February 2, 2010 Introduction Within a single generation, digital media and the World Wide Web have transformed virtually every aspect of modern culture, from the way we learn and work to the ways in which we socialize and even conduct war. But is the technology moving faster than we can adapt to it? And is our 24/7 wired world causing us to lose as much as we've gained? In Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier, FRONTLINE presents an in-depth exploration of what it means to be human in a 21st-century digital world. Continuing a line of investigation she began with the 2008 FRONTLINE report Growing Up Online, award-winning producer Rachel Dretzin embarks on a journey to understand the implications of living in a world consumed by technology and the impact that this constant connectivity may have on future generations. "I'm amazed at the things my kids are able to do online, but I'm also a little bit panicked when I realize that no one seems to know where all this technology is taking us, or its long-term effects," says Dretzin. * * * Beyond school, Digital Nation explores the phenomenon of multiplayer online games like World of Warcraft and 3-D virtual worlds like Second Life -- online destinations with millions of participants. Last summer, Rushkoff and Dretzin traveled to BlizzCon, a giant party Blizzard Entertainment throws every year for its fans. Many of the people they spoke to there had never met, but considered each other close friends. "We've all spent hundreds of hours together," one gamer tells FRONTLINE. "My traditional-style friends who I have outside the game, none of them do I spend 16 hours a week with, week in and week out. I mean, I've known some of these folks for years." * * * *
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 24624 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
What Bill Gates is learning online An advocate for open courseware, Gates shares his favorite sources for online lectures—as well as other education musings—on a new web site From staff reports / eSchool News Jan 24th, 2010 It’s no surprise, really, but it turns out Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates is a strong supporter of the open-courseware movement that has swept through higher education in the last few years. On a new web site that Gates launched this past week, he discusses some of his favorite sources for online lectures and other learning materials. He also offers his thoughts on education reform and a host of other topics. “There are some great examples of how technology can enable almost anyone to learn from the world’s greatest minds,” he posted to www.GatesNotes.com.
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 24560 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
State agency calls on teachers to do more with technology By Encarnacion Pyle / COLUMBUS (OH) DISPATCH WEB EXTRA January 6, 2010 Technology will never replace a good teacher. A myth. But more Ohio teachers could use technology to better prepare students to succeed in school and life, a new state report [pdf] finds. The report takes another small step toward the creation of schools for The 21st Century Student, which is the only reform that can deliver the high quality education services our children deserve. * * * *
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 24468 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Cybersafety Booklet for Parents and Kids Now Available FTC, Department of Education, Federal Communications Commission Officials Present Free Booklet at D.C. Middle School Federal Trade Commission Press Release 12/16/2009 A new booklet released today by the Federal Trade Commission and other government agencies helps parents and teachers steer kids safely through the online and mobile phone worlds. Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online [pdf] was unveiled this morning at Jefferson Middle School in Washington, D.C. by FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski. At the middle school, which is known for its emphasis on science and technology, the officials met with students and teachers to discuss online safety. “The conversations that make kids good digital citizens aren’t about the technology; they’re about communicating your values as a parent,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. “Teaching kids to treat others as they’d like to be treated online is key. Net Cetera tells you how to start those conversations – even if you think your kids are more tech-savvy than you are.” Personally, I think the cutesy title of the publication is going to diminish its use. If you're writing for all parents, you have to keep it simple. Using a play on Latin words is a marketing catastrophe, but the content of the booklet is sound and useful. * * * *
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 24326 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
The Creator of Wikipedia Turns to Education Videos By Sean Cavanagh / Curriculum Matters blog November 17, 2009 The co-founder of Wikipedia has launched a Web site designed to offer free access to thousands of education-related videos for students ages 3-18. Larry Sanger, who helped create Wikipedia and has since left the organization, says the new site, www.watchknow.org, will allow students and teachers to sort through a library of online videos by content, and pick out what they need. Topics range from math and science to history. The site is meant to house and organize videos that are free and available online, yet which most people don't know how to find. The site was launched in October. So far it offers 11,000 videos in 2,000 categories. The contributions have come from National Geographic and Google Videos, among many other sources. Sanger describes it as "YouTube meets Wikipedia." He adds in a statement: "WatchKnow.org links together content from traditional sites, and also allows users of the site to improve the organization of the video categories, which makes finding the video you need much easier." I suppose there's no more appropriate way to sum up Sanger's background than by sending you to this page. His bio says he left Wikipedia seven years and has since been critical of the online encyclopedia. Wikis have become popular in K-12 classrooms over the years, despite educators' and others' worries about who is writing and controlling the content, and how it can be verified. The project is funded the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, whose officials hope to have more than 50,000 videos on the site by the end of 2010. What will this site contribute, if anything, to the nation's classrooms?
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 24228 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Parents: Schools Not Preparing Students for Digital Age by Katie Ash / Digital Education blog October 30, 2009 A new report examines the responses of parents from the 2008 Speak Up survey, conducted by Project Tomorrow, and finds that less than one-third believe that schools are adequately preparing students for jobs in the 21st century. The report analyzes responses from more than 21,000 parents of K-12 students. Parents are also disappointed by the amount of technology in schools and how well it is integrated into lesson plans, says the report. They want higher quality technology available to students and more professional development to help teachers competently integrate technology into the classroom. One place where parents and students who participated in the survey differed in their opinions was the importance of media and information literacy. Parents ranked those skills as slightly more important than students did, but a significant number of parents--68 percent--believed that those skills should be taught in schools while 40 percent of 6th-12th grade students believed they would pick up those skills while exploring technology on their own. It's pretty fascinating to hear what parents have to say about technology in education, especially in how it differs and parallels what students, teachers, and principals have to say. See for yourself by downloading the report here.
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 24210 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Open Internet Open Thinking blog October 25th, 2009 Net neutrality is one of the biggest issues that faces a free and democratic (knowledge) society. Here is a new video that details some of what is at stake.
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 24083 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Google Wave Will Revolutionize Online Classroom Instruction So You Want To Teach blog 30 Sep 2009 Today is the day. Thousands of new users will be presented with the opportunity to get their hands on Google Wave. What is Google Wave? Google Wave is a brand new technology that positions itself as the way Email would have been made if it were invented today. (Watch the 1:20:12 long video clip) This is absolutely fascinating. If you're the least bit interested in technology, you owe it to yourself to watch this video. After 15 minutes, you won't want to stop. Near the end (at 1:11:56) there is a foreign language translation example that will blow you away. Imagine a combination between Email, IM, Twitter, Facebook, and Skype all bundled into one. Now imagine it being drag-and-drop easy, live-updated, and being constantly improved. Then throw on top of that an eager community of developers seeking ways to make it even easier to use and more powerful. Cool, but what does it look like? I haven’t gotten my invitation yet, but am eagerly awaiting one soon. Lifehacker has a great Google Wave First Look that they posted today. It has some really cool pictures that help you get a better idea of what’s going on. Back when it was announced on May 28th, Mashable posted Google Wave: A Complete Guide. And how could it be used in my classroom? Here are some of the uses I can see * Replace wikis I know a lot of teachers out there use wikis, and they are useful. I like the functionality that they pose, but I also know there are some challenges they have. One nice feature of Google Wave is that it allows a combination of public as well as private communication within a wave. * Playback Ever been absent during an extended group project? Wonder what you missed? The playback function of Google Wave is amazing in that it allows you to see step-by-step what has happened in the development of the wave. This can also come in handy for the teacher to see how well groups are working together and how much participation is going on. * Group work One of the huge advantages to Google Wave is that each person in the wave can edit things at the same time. We’ve all been in groups where one person writes, another person thinks, and the other people sleep. I also remember some group work on computers where so much time was wasted trying to find the right font. What if Font girl is responsible for making it look pretty, smart guy is responsible for doing research, and keyboarding goober is responsible for typing it all in? Everyone could be assigned a specific role and work on the same project together. * Teacher involvement The way I see it, each group would be set up by the teacher and each wave would include the teacher as well as the students in the group. One reason I didn’t like group work when I was in school was because I either did way more or way less work than the other people in the group. If an individual student has a complaint for the teacher, he can simply private message the teacher, explain the problem, and then the teacher can view the playback and see that the other students may not be working as hard. Tattling has never been this simple! * Publishing (Embedding) After a project is completed, it can be embedded into a website or Facebook group page or something. Yes, there are even plugins to embed waves into blog posts (at least for WordPress and Blogger). So needless to say, I am excited about this new project and looking forward to seeing how I can use it both personally as well as in my teaching. It won’t be an overnight transformation, and I don’t see email being abolished completely, but I do see it as a pivotal point in the development of online communications. * * * *
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 23809 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Captioning of Internet Videos? David Warlick / 2¢ Worth blog August 2, 2009 There is always, for me, a week-long death march sometime during August. Schools and school districts are starting up the new year, and often with a conference-style professional development day — and some out-of-town speaker to bring the word with a strange and exotic accent. Ya’ll know what I mean… I leave in just a couple of hours for work in Minnesota, Florida, Georgia, and then back to Durham, NC. So I probably shouldn’t be spending this time blogging. But, in checking my e-mail, to see if I’ve gotten an upgrade yet (nope), I read through an e-mail from Jamie Berke. I do not know anything about Mr. Berke, except that he seems to be championing a bill in Congress, HR 3101, that, in his words… ..takes the laws of captioning for television and applies them to the Internet. What this means for educators is, in the future when they give their students assignments like “watch this internet video and write about it” the students will not only be able to watch the video, they will be able to read captions, reinforcing their reading and language skills! Berke continues, ..if the educator has a deaf student in the classroom, bonus! They won’t have to worry about whether that student will be able to do the assignment! Already, some teachers do assign internet video to students and deaf students in the class can’t do the homework assignment! I typically do not chime in on legislation. The issues are usually far more complex than they are often spun out to be. But I’ll briefly voice some concerns here. As someone who is pretty severely hearing-impaired, I can identify with the desire for captioning. My father, whose hearing has recently started to decline, runs captioning on his TV all the time now. I think that this bill is a wonderful idea — whose time has not come. One of the greatest benefits of an increasingly networked and open information environment is that the ability to publish content has been incredibly democratized — not just politically, but economically. Almost anyone can share or teach something on the Internet and we all have something to teach. However, if we are required, by law, to also provide captioning for our video communications, then the ability to share becomes narrowed to only those who can afford the time, staffing, and the technology. We go back to the publishing industry as the prime source of content — which I think is a huge step backward. Again, I think that this is a wonderful idea — but would suggest that we wait until technology is available that could automatically handle the conversion.
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 23224 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Digital textbooks can save money, improve learning By Arnold Schwarzenegger / Special to the San Jose (CA) Mercury News 06/07/2009 Today, our kids get their information from the Internet, downloaded onto their iPods, and in Twitter feeds to their cell phones. A world of up-to-date information fits easily into their pockets and onto their computer screens. So why are California's public school students still forced to lug around antiquated, heavy, expensive textbooks? California is home to software giants, bioscience research pioneers and first-class university systems known around the world. But our students still learn from instructional materials in formats made possible by Gutenberg's printing press. It's nonsensical — and expensive — to look to traditional hard-bound books when information today is so readily available in electronic form. Especially now, when our school districts are strapped for cash and our state budget deficit is forcing further cuts to classrooms, we must do everything we can to untie educators' hands and free up dollars so that schools can do more with fewer resources. In February, we helped schools weather this storm by freeing up categorical restrictions on spending, and we must continue making these changes so more dollars go directly into the classrooms. That's why I am so excited about the digital textbooks initiative California just launched. Starting with high school math and science books, this initiative paves the way for easier access to free digital texts in California's schools. By frequently updating texts as they are developed, rather than continuing to teach from outdated textbooks, we will better prepare our students. For example, many textbooks still describe television technology in terms of cathode-ray tubes, without even mentioning LCD or plasma screens that are being sold today. If California is to remain competitive in an increasingly global economy, this initial focus on math and science texts is critical. These kinds of digital instructional materials are rapidly becoming available. Across the state and around the world, well-respected educators have designed customizable texts to meet the unique needs of their students. Federal grants have funded research that is free for public use. And now California has put out an initial call to content developers, asking that they submit high school math and science digital texts for our review. We hope the floodgates are open. We'll ensure the digital texts meet and exceed California's rigorous academic standards, and we'll post the results of our review online as a reference for high school districts to use in time for fall 2009. California must take the lead on using 21st century technology to expand learning and serve our students, parents, teachers and schools better. Even in good economic times, state government should always strive to use taxpayer dollars to the greatest effect. But especially now, it is imperative that we find ways to do more with less. Last year, the state earmarked $350 million for school books and other instructional materials. Imagine the savings schools could realize by using these high-quality, free resources. Even if teachers have to print out some of the material, it will be far cheaper than regularly buying updated textbooks. If the clamor for digital music and online social networking sites is any indication, young people are the earliest adopters of new technology, and cutting-edge product options are cropping up as quickly as the latest Facebook fads. However, there are those who ardently defend the status quo, claiming our vision of providing learning materials to students for free would risk a high-quality education. That's nonsense. As the music and newspaper industries will attest, those who adapt quickly to changing consumer and business demands will thrive in our increasingly digital society and worldwide economy. Digital textbooks can help us achieve those goals and ensure that California's students continue to thrive in the global marketplace. Arnold Schwarzenegger is governor of California. He wrote this article for the Mercury News.
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 23072 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Social Networking Disconnect Tim Stahmer / Assorted Stuff blog May 30th, 2009 For my weekly dose of irony, yesterday our overly-large school district announced that we can now become a fan of the system on Facebook and follow it on Twitter. Of course that’s unless you are currently in one of our schools. Where Facebook is almost universally blocked and Twitter is being filtered out by a growing number of middle and high schools. So, our administrators seem believe it’s important that the institution be a part of two major social networking systems. But it’s not essential that teachers or students be a part of the conversation.
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 22825 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Groups Unhappy About Ed-Tech Budget Cuts by Kathleen Kennedy Manzo / Digital Educaton blog May 8, 2009 Ed-tech proponents were dismayed to learn of the cuts to the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program proposed in President Obama's budget. Four organizations promoting the use of effective technologies in schools released a statement yesterday urging more money, not less, for the flagship federal ed-tech program. Obama's budget proposal would slash funding from $269 million to just $100 million. In the stimulus package, the program received $650 million in additional funding. The program had been slated for elimination by the Bush administration, and its funding was progressively cut over the last eight years. The stimulus money brought the program’s funding close to what it was when President George W. Bush came into office in 2001, as we reported here. “With the historic level of funding provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, it appeared that the administration was prepared to invest significantly in educational technology, viewing it as an engine of change to modernize our education system," the statement by CoSN, ISTE, SIIA, and SETDA said. "Instead, this cut stalls momentum, ignores demonstrated results and undermines the progress being made in our nation’s classrooms through effective uses of technology to engage students, improve teacher quality, and individualize instruction for all kids."
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 22714 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Guest Blog: The Realities of K-12 Virtual Education by Bill Tucker / The Quick and the Ed blog April 29, 2009 "The Realities of K-12 Virtual Education [pdf]" is a policy brief released this month (April 2009) by the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice. Written by education policy expert Gene Glass, the brief summarizes the growth in virtual schools over the past decade and discusses questions of costs, funding, and quality before recommending regulation, audits, accrediting and assessment in virtual schooling. While we agree with the four policy recommendations offered in the brief and we share the author’s concern about the preponderance of private commercial involvement in virtual schooling, we call for a more thorough examination of the complexities in virtual schooling and a recognition of the great many high quality virtual school programs serving students. The brief paints virtual schools with a broad brush on the basis of a small number of studies and reports, many of which are outdated. * * * *
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| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 22624 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Report: Virtual Ed. On the Rise, But Better Oversight Needed by Katie Ash / Digital Education blog April 20, 2009 Lest anyone think otherwise, I know of no virtual school and no e-course that offers courses designed for The 21st Century Student. Almost all of them mimic learning from a book with a few additional bells and whistles. It's good enough for some students but it's nothing like what's needed to revolutionize education. We need courses with knowledge and skills integrated from multiple subjects combined with sophisticated learner feedback systems that monitor how well the student is learning. We need artificial intelligence software to make on-the-fly adjustments to lessons and to trigger instructor intervention. We currently have all the technology we need to do this, but it's not being done because neither governments nor foundations are willing to do it. Consequently, we continue to suffer needlessly. A new report [pdf] put out by the Education Policy Research Unit at Arizona State University and the Education and the Public Interest Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder asserts that virtual education is growing at a rapid pace throughout the nation and suggests steps for policymakers to support high-quality virtual education for students. The first suggestion that the paper's author, Gene V. Glass, a regents' professor of education at Arizona State University, makes is to adopt new regulations to govern K-12 online learning. Policies should be set that define what certifications teachers should have, how much interaction they should have with students, how those certifications would translate from state to state, as well as a formula that could determine funding, among other recommendations. His second recommendation is to audit the private providers of virtual education as well as the public school districts that provide virtual education to their students to pin down the actual cost of online ed. Next, Glass suggests that an accrediting body should be created to look at the different public and private providers of education in order to avoid abuses. And lastly, he asks that legislators call for credible assessment and evaluation in online classes in order to track the progress of students as they work towards a high school diploma. I think both legislators and online education advocates agree that there needs to be more policies in place to both evaluate and support virtual education, like Glass says. The tricky part will be to make those policies strict enough to hold online education providers accountable for high-quality education while keeping them flexible enough for educators to be able to take full advantage of the differences between brick-and-mortar and virtual classrooms. There's a lot of information in this report, including sections on the growth of online education, research on achievement in virtual ed., the costs of online education, ensuring quality in online classes, and the push and pull between public education and private online education providers. This is a must-read for those who are following virtual education. Check it out here. And for more information about online education, check out Technology Counts 2009, which examines recent developments in e-learning.
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