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 Bill of Rights and Principles for Learning in the Digital Age
January 24, 2013EdSurge discusses a Bill of Rights and Principles, newly developed by a group of people passionate about learning, serving today’s students, and using every available tool to respond better to the needs of students in a global, interactive, digitally connected world....
Digital Content: What Does the Future Hold for Education Systems?
January 23, 2013GETideas.org hosted this GooglePlus hangout on the future of digital content. The online discussion featured a panel of education experts, including Nicole Allen, affordable-textbooks advocate, Student PIRGS; Una Daly, communication college outreach director, OpenCourseWare Consortium; and Cable Green, director of global...
Explaining Inequalities in School Achievement: A Realist Analysis
January 22, 2013In Explaining Inequalities in School Achievement, author Roy Nash argues that a realist framework for the sociological explanation of educational group differences can, and must be, constructed. A move to such an explanatory framework will allow society to take into account the...
Education 3.0: Seven Steps to Better Schools
January 14, 2013In Education 3.0: Seven Steps to Better Schools, renowned educator and technology expert Jim Lengel provides a refreshing and hopeful picture of what schools should look like, including a groundbreaking seven-step process for envisioning and building them that draws on the...
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March 25, 2013Hanna Rosin of the Atlantic has published a fascinating piece detailing parental concerns and research around young children using technology. Entitled The Touch-Screen Generation, this article summarizes expert findings around the affects of television on children. Rosin also notes that this existing research may inform current practices around early childhood use of technology as there is little existing research on kids’ use of technologies such as iPads. Intertwined in this…
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March 16, 2013Last week the Mozilla Foundation announced its first iteration of badges known as Open Badges 1.0. These web-based badges are stored in a virtual backpack and can be used in various platforms to prove mastery of certain skills. The MacArthur Foundation is supporting this project, and over 600 groups will be implementing systems to recognize the accomplishments of individuals.
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March 11, 2013A 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…
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March 10, 2013The value proposition for educational technology seems to periodically challenged in the media, and there’s a bit of that in this NPR piece. Referring to a recent Pew study on teachers’ use of technology and several fairly superficial examples of student learning, NPR laments the fact that there hasn’t been much of a correlation between test scores and use of technology in schools, “So far, there hasn’t been a way…
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March 5, 2013In 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…
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March 4, 2013A 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…
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March 4, 2013Code.org is a new non-profit aimed at improving computer science education. The main goal of this organization is to make sure that every student in every school has an opportunity to learn to code. Computer programming is today’s “superpower” in education. Check out their web site and this promotional video featured a variety of celebrities.
