This is the first of two new reports from Project Tomorrow using data from their widely heralded 2012 Speak Up Survey. Part 1 starts out stating the importance of digital considerations in education, “We are at a cosmic moment in K-12 education. The conflux of the impeding implementation of Common Core State Standards (and other new state standards) with the advent of new, high quality, educationally rigorous and innovative digital tools…

A new report in Digital Learning Now’s Smart Series calls attention to America’s school finance system. Complete with an infographic, executive summary and full report, this new resource points out that many of today’s students are opting for blended and online learning environments and that these models will be potentially inaccessible to the mainstream unless funding options are improved. The authors  of this report (John Bailey, Carri Schneider, Tom Vander…

Digital Learning Now! is a group run by a council industry expert, policymakers, and educators dedicated to improving digital opportunities for American students. In March 2012, Digital Learning Now! released its second annual report which grades individual states on their progress towards implementing technological innovations. Criteria for these report cards are based on 10 elements of high quality digital learning, and only 6 states received an A or B for…

A new paper entitled Launching Successful Readers:  the Role of ICT in Early-Grade Literacy Success has been published by the Joan Ganz Cooney Foundation. The intended audience is policy makers and educational technology developers.  This intentionally brief report calls for interested parties to consider applying literacy research to addressing barriers to literacy growth and to the design of comprehensive literacy programs with the goal of avoiding  the creation of more…

In this blog published in January of 2013, Mimi Ito announced the publication on a new report on connected learning. Principles underlying this research agenda and learning framework include the following: Learning Principles Interest-powered Peer-supported Academically oriented Design Principles Production-centered Openly networked Shared purpose Core Values Equity Social connection Full participation Download the full report and summary here. Make sure to also check out the Connected Learning web site and…

A new paper has been published by CompetencyWorks and the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) which outlines the technological requirements for a competency-based learning model. Competency-based learning means that students learn at their own pace with enough time and appropriate supports in place to ensure mastery. This model calls for explicit learning goals, meaningful assessments, and opportunities for real life applications of skills learned. More detailed descriptions and…

In a new report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, results are presented from a survey of American middle and high school teachers involved in Advanced Placement and National Writing Project programs. This survey focused on teachers’ use of technology in education, and many educators reported that the internet positively impacted their ability to access teaching materials, to share ideas with other teachers, and to communicate with families…

In his blog entitled Getting Smart, Tom Vander Ark reviews a new draft of a report issued by the US Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology. This report is entitled Promoting Grit, Tenacity, and Perservance: Critical Factors for Success in the 21st Century and has been prepared by a team from SRI International with guidance from the US Department of Education. Interestingly,  one of the findings detailed in the…