On Tuesday we co-hosted OpenBlend, a blended learning conference with the Tacoma Public Schools and the Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) featuring a full-day track of Khan Academy workshops as well as other innovative and open tools.
"Instead of 'fixing' K-12, let's build something better," said Alex Hernandez from Charter Growth Fund (@ThinkSchools) who opened a conversation among experts in the future of learning. "Blended learning is not about technology, it's about personalizing learning for students. We can give students the instruction they need, when they need it."
An international school administrator recently wrote on U.S. high schools and education reform. Here, Tom Vander Ark, shares a list of a baker's dozen high schools worth visiting.
A lot of people (including some educators) have a lot of anxiety about math: How do we teach it? How do we learn it? How do we remember it all and use it correctly in real life? Math actually is a logical, accessible, and useful subject, but not enough people know or experience that.
Matt Candler is growing people that are growing educational solutions. His New Orleans-based incubator, 4.0 Schools, is based on a process that most organizations start as an idea and go through a five-stage process: itch-->hunch-->test-->launch-->scale.
Alesha Bishop and Lisa Valerio worked together for 10 years at Charles Schwab. After both gave birth to sons with special needs, they have reunited to support the development of learning tools for students with special needs and family-friendly apps.
An international educator told me his school community was discussing the "ethics and educational validity of streaming -- deliberately dividing students up into class/work groups based on ability, i.e., a strong and weak group." He asked for my thoughts.
A national research agency received a grant "to frame a program of research reviews [focused on learning technology] that would summarize, synthesize, and draw conclusions from the research. An ongoing program of research reviews would help educators, developers, and policymakers to monitor and apply the latest research in the development and implementation of learning technologies and also to identify key questions and methodologies for future research and development."
How do we manage the shift to personal digital learning? That's the current whole-systems challenge in education. As Chancellor of the largest district in the country, Joel Klein decided New York City needed a kickstart and created the iZone.
"Coders are tough to find since nearly every industry is looking for them and they are also able to start their own company," said Alan Louie, the founder of the edtech incubator ImagineK12. He continued, "There's no magic bullet to finding them. It's old-fashioned networking based on sharing your exciting idea that will change the world through education. Current employees, meet-ups, startup-weekends, friends and family, ex-coworkers, industry friends are all people to tap."
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