Image Credit Blended Learning: First, in all of the blended programs, the students learn in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home at least some of the time. Second, the students' experience online delivery with some control over the time, place, path, and/or pace. (Reference) In the rush to digital learning, school districts may be … Continue reading Starting an Online Program: To Blend or Not to Blend
Category: Personal Technologies
Starting an Online Program: The Target Student Group
Image Credit School administrators are being bombarded with encouragement to use digital learning in their classrooms. Neighboring districts may be employing blended learning or fully online learning; the local leadership feels pressure from its peer districts and its community to do something, anything. To start a digital learning program, it is essential to look at … Continue reading Starting an Online Program: The Target Student Group
Innovation and Democracy
Image Credit Is innovation a democratic process? Innovate: to introduce something new; make changes in anything established. (reference) In Disrupting Class, author Clayton Christen informs school boards that introducing digital learning into schools may be hampered by purposeful democratic processes that are part of schools' cultures. Cooperative tools like "financial incentives, negotiations, vision statements, training, performance metrics, and even litigation . . … Continue reading Innovation and Democracy
Student-Teacher Interaction Essential in Online Courses
(Click the image to see it larger.) Student-teacher interaction is essential in online courses. Online courses require rich content that includes many modalities for students to choose their learning path, including text, audio, video, kinesthetic and other modes. This is one of the features of online learning that is difficult to produce and separates from … Continue reading Student-Teacher Interaction Essential in Online Courses
Good Advice for School Technology Leaders
Image Credit In the May 21 issue of Forbes, the article “Thrifty Does It,” describes how Christian Gheorghe Hates started a billion dollar company with a shoestring budget. School leaders tell their communities that they must do more with less. Hates' strategies show how he cut costs nearly 90% while he was able to deliver … Continue reading Good Advice for School Technology Leaders
Deregulation of Education 3: Show Me The Money
Image Credit Wes Freyer recently reported on a digital learning conference in Oklahoma. In this report he included a video about the money potential in digital learning that is embedded below. The presenter outlines the money in Pennsylvania Cyber Charter Schools along with the scope of the money involved in digital learning and executive salaries. … Continue reading Deregulation of Education 3: Show Me The Money
Normal is Revolutionary
Image Credit "What's revolutionary for adults is normal for kids," stated Jaime Casap of Google to technology leaders at a meeting of the Illinois Chief Technology Officers today. Casap implored school leaders to build great teachers, appeal to students' motivations, focus on the basics, and prepare students for more education after high school, although not necessarily a four year … Continue reading Normal is Revolutionary
Notes From the Virtual School Symposium 2011
Over 1,900 conferees assembled in Indianapolis for the Virtual School Symposium November 9-11, 2011. My notes from the day follow. A wiki is available for the event. On Wednesday, I participated in a day long workshop for participants starting online programs. Holly Brzycki, John Canuel, David Glick, and Phil Lacey presented about their specialties: curriculum, leadership, … Continue reading Notes From the Virtual School Symposium 2011
The Deregulation of Education: From Bubbles to Clicks
Image Credit We need leaders who can work with the education community and the "education reformers, proponents of " the status quo" and the "change agents." Finances, changing demographics, and performance measures are putting pressure on the current system. We need change, but is it "market-driven" change? Does market-driven change focus on students and their … Continue reading The Deregulation of Education: From Bubbles to Clicks
Online Learning is Upside Down
Online Learning Models are Upside Down Image Source For those who like to listen or read along, the above audio player reads this posting. (5 minutes, 20 seconds) Online learning models are upside down. The proponents of online education state that "credit recovery" is one of the reasons to learn online. This form of learning … Continue reading Online Learning is Upside Down