Image Credit The SLATE Conference is October 11-12, 2012 at the Northern Illinois University campus in Naperville, Illinois. The conference brings together conferees who are interested in non-traditional forms of learning, especially in electronically supplementing traditional courses or implementing online courses. My presentation is about factors for successful online courses. They include: issues of curriculum, … Continue reading Successful Online Courses
Tag: blended learning
Starting an Online Program: To Blend or Not to Blend
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
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
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
Technology-Rich Classroom is Not Blended Learning
A technology-rich classroom is not a blended classroom, according to Heather Staker, Senior Research Fellow at the Innosight Institute, speaking at a recent professional development session for the DuPage County Regional Office of Education. (A recording and slides from her presentation are available here.) Ms. Staker states that data continues to support the predictions made by Clayton … Continue reading Technology-Rich Classroom is Not Blended Learning
Developmental Education
Image Credit At a recent SLATE meeting, Blackboard and K12.com presented a Blackboard-branded program about a service for higher education: Developmental education. This is a polished name for remedial courses. The presenters stated that "60% of all students in higher education need at least one remedial math course." Blackboard has a small program that provides courses (from … Continue reading Developmental Education
Technology is Distraction in Schools
Image Credit Ron Packard of K12.com spoke today at an Illinois Policy Institute program today in Chicago. He thinks technology is a distraction in schools because it in not fully part of the core learning. A classroom may have a few computers at the back of the room and they become diversions from learning rather than being core parts of … Continue reading Technology is Distraction in Schools
Online learning: Shouldn’t We Do better?
Image Credit With online learning, shouldn't we do better? Shouldn't we have higher expectations? Shouldn't we stop telling partial truths? Partial truths don't help online learning initiatives. All learning through technology is not all powerful. When I was in elementary school, the teachers used controlled reading projectors. These contraptions used modified film strip projectors to … Continue reading Online learning: Shouldn’t We Do better?