With a passion for helping #highered leverage #edtech, @dchristian5 is a 2017 Must-Read! https://t.co/e7cqFqynBW
— EdTech Higher Ed (@EdTech_HigherEd) June 22, 2017
On 06/17/2017,
in cost of getting a degree, funding / grants, higher education, Michigan, universities,
by Daniel Christian
University of Michigan offering free tuition for families making less than $65K — from mlive.com by Martin Slagter
Excerpt:
ANN ARBOR, MI – The University of Michigan is offering free tuition to in-state families earning up to $65,000, the university announced at its Thursday, June 15, Board of Regents meeting.
UM President Mark Schlissel surprised the audience inside the Michigan Union by announcing the creation of the Go Blue Guarantee to kick off the meeting Thursday, prior to the Regents’ vote on the budget for the upcoming year.
On 04/25/2017,
in 24x7x365 access, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, Asia, attention, Australia, Canada, digital learning, education technology, engagement / engaging students, Europe, geography / geology, Google, higher education, India, innovation, interface design, K-12 related, learning, Michigan, online media, student-related, teachers, UK, United States, user experience (UX), vendors, virtual field trips, youth,
by Daniel Christian
New Google Earth has exciting features for teachers — from thejournal.com by Richard Chang
Excerpt:
Google has recently released a brand new version of Google Earth for both Chrome and Android. This new version has come with a slew of nifty features teachers can use for educational purposes with students in class. Following is a quick overview of the most fascinating features…
On 04/13/2017,
in 21st century, accreditation, adult learning, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business, business side of he, career development, change, changing business models, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, corporate / business world, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, emerging technologies, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, global / globalization, heutagogy, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, leadership, learning, learning ecosystem, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, legislatures / government / legal, lifelong learning, Michigan, microlearning, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, more voice more choice more control, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new business models, online learning, pace of change, passions, reinvent, robotics, society, staying relevant, strategy, student-related, surviving, technologies for your home, the downsides of how people use tech, traditional / tradition, training / L&D, trends, United States, universities, vision/possibilities, workplace, youth,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
The recent pieces below made me once again reflect on the massive changes that are quickly approaching — and in some cases are already here — for a variety of nations throughout the world.
They caused me to reflect on:
- What the potential ramifications for higher education might be regarding these changes that are just starting to take place in the workplace due to artificial intelligence (i.e., the increasing use of algorithms, machine learning, and deep learning, etc.), automation, & robotics?
- The need for people to reinvent themselves quickly throughout their careers (if we can still call them careers)
- How should we, as a nation, prepare for these massive changes so that there isn’t civil unrest due to soaring inequality and unemployment?
As found in the April 9th, 2017 edition of our local newspaper here:
When even our local newspaper is picking up on this trend, you know it is real and has some significance to it.
Then, as I was listening to the radio a day or two after seeing the above article, I heard of another related piece on NPR. NPR is having a journalist travel across the country, trying to identify “robot-safe” jobs. Here’s the feature on this from MarketPlace.org
What changes do institutions of traditional higher education
immediately need to begin planning for? Initiating?
What changes should be planned for and begin to be initiated
in the way(s) that we accredit new programs?
Keywords/ideas that come to my mind:
- Change — to society, to people, to higher ed, to the workplace
- Pace of technological change — no longer linear, but exponential
- Career development
- Staying relevant — as institutions, as individuals in the workplace
- Reinventing ourselves over time — and having to do so quickly
- Adapting, being nimble, willing to innovate — as institutions, as individuals
- Game-changing environment
- Lifelong learning — higher ed needs to put more emphasis on microlearning, heutagogy, and delivering constant/up-to-date streams of content and learning experiences. This could happen via the addition/use of smaller learning hubs, some even makeshift learning hubs that are taking place at locations that these institutions don’t even own…like your local Starbucks.
- If we don’t get this right, there could be major civil unrest as inequality and unemployment soar
- Traditional institutions of higher education have not been nearly as responsive to change as they have needed to be; this opens the door to alternatives. There’s a limited (and closing) window of time left to become more nimble and responsive before these alternatives majorly disrupt the current world of higher education.
Addendum from the corporate world (emphasis DSC):
From The Impact 2017 Conference:
The Role of HR in the Future of Work – A Town Hall
- Josh Bersin, Principal and Founder, Bersin by Deloitte, Deloitte Consulting LLP
- Nicola Vogel, Global Senior HR Director, Danfoss
- Frank Møllerop, Chief Executive Officer, Questback
- David Mallon, Head of Research, Bersin by Deloitte, Deloitte Consulting LLP
Massive changes spurred by new technologies such as artificial intelligence, mobile platforms, sensors and social collaboration have revolutionized the way we live, work and communicate – and the pace is only accelerating. Robots and cognitive technologies are making steady advances, particularly in jobs and tasks that follow set, standardized rules and logic. This reinforces a critical challenge for business and HR leaders—namely, the need to design, source, and manage the future of work.
In this Town Hall, we will discuss the role HR can play in leading the digital transformation that is shaping the future of work in organizations worldwide. We will explore the changes we see taking place in three areas:
- Digital workforce: How can organizations drive new management practices, a culture of innovation and sharing, and a set of talent practices that facilitate a new network-based organization?
- Digital workplace: How can organizations design a working environment that enables productivity; uses modern communication tools (such as Slack, Workplace by Facebook, Microsoft Teams, and many others); and promotes engagement, wellness, and a sense of purpose?
- Digital HR: How can organizations change the HR function itself to operate in a digital way, use digital tools and apps to deliver solutions, and continuously experiment and innovate?
On 03/30/2017,
in career development, collaboration, colleges, community colleges, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Michigan, real-world assignments, science, student-related, teachers, United States, universities, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
Perfect marriage between universities and K12 public schools — from huffingtonpost.com by Dr. Rod Berger
Excerpt:
I sat down with Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift at this year’s AASA conference in New Orleans to learn about the unique advantage of running a public school district that resides alongside one of our nation’s most prominent universities. The University of Michigan provides the district of Ann Arbor with rich partnerships that lift the learning experiences of the children in the community. Kerr Swift is delighted to have the enthusiasm of not only the University but the business community in reaching out to the students of Ann Arbor.
The implementation of real world projects matches University of Michigan scientists with teachers and students to enrich school learning environments. One example is the Woven Wind program that provides real life wind turbine applications. Students learn, and teachers have their classes bolstered by the input of advanced experimentation. Project Lead the Way is another example that is providing modules for classroom learning.
According to Jeanice Kerr Swift, technology should support and strengthen learning, not stand in the place of person-to-person engagement. Devices are there to serve and enhance, not replace teacher-student collaboration and critical thinking. Kerr Swift believes there is a balance of the “Cs” to consider: collaboration, connection, and community. If all the “Cs” are listening and working together, then a school district can thrive.
Jeanice Kerr Swift certainly makes the balance look easy and enviable in Ann Arbor Michigan.
On 03/24/2017,
in active learning, colleges, community colleges, higher education, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, Michigan, universities, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
On 02/03/2017,
in faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, history, Michigan, multimedia, music, relationships, religion, society, United States,
by Daniel Christian
“In a decade, Hymnary.org has become the most complete database of North American hymnody on the planet, a rich resource now visited by more than 5 million people each year!”
Hymnary.org was founded by Calvin College Computer Science Professor Harry Plantinga and Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Music Associate Greg Scheer.
On 10/27/2016,
in business, career development, change, Europe, faith, global / globalization, health, higher education, history, Michigan, music, psychology, real-world assignments, relationships, religion, society, sociology, United States, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
The speakers — and the topics that they’ll be discussing — for the 2017 January Series have been announced. As you can see, very knowledgeable, talented speakers are planning on covering a variety of meaningful topics such as:
- 500 Years Later: Why the Reformation Still Matters
- Poverty and Profit in the American City
- Race, Trauma, and the Doctrine of Discovery
- Closing the Gender Gap in Technology
- Tinkering in Today’s Healthcare Factories: Pursuing the Renewal of Medicine
- Until All Are Free: A Look at Slavery Today and the Church’s Invitation to End It
- I’ll Push You: A Story of Radical Friendship, Overcoming Challenges and the Power of Community
- The EU and Global Governance
- The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong Can Be Made Right
- How Did We Get Here? A Historical Perspective on Our Wild 2016 Election
- How to Find and Live Your Calling: Lessons from the Psychology of Vocation
- The World is a Scary Place, Love Anyway
- The Royal Revolution: Fresh Perspectives on the Cross
- American Violinist in Concert
- Overrated: Are We More in Love with the Idea of Changing the World than Actually Changing the World?
You don’t have to physically attend these presentations in order to benefit from them, as the majority of these presentations will be streamed live over the Internet (audio only). So plan now to attend (physically or virtually) one or more of these excellent talks.
On 10/13/2016,
in Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, education technology, emerging technologies, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, interactivity, internet, K-12 related, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, library / librarians, machine-to-machine communications, Michigan, mobile learning, Near Field Communication (NFC), platforms, reading, smart classrooms, student-related, trends, ubiquitous learning, universities, user experience (UX),
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Here’s an idea that came to my mind the other day as I was walking by a person who was trying to put some books back onto the shelves within our library.
From DSC:
Perhaps this idea is not very timely…as many collections of books will likely continue to be digitized and made available electronically. But preservation is still a goal for many libraries out there.
Also see:
IoT and the Campus of Things — from er.educause.edu by
Excerpt:
Today, the IoT sits at the peak of Gartner’s Hype Cycle. It’s probably not surprising that industry is abuzz with the promise of streaming sensor data. The oft quoted “50 billion connected devices by 2020!” has become a rallying cry for technology analysts, chip vendors, network providers, and other proponents of a deeply connected, communicating world. What is surprising is that academia has been relatively slow to join the parade, particularly when the potential impacts are so exciting. Like most organizations that manage significant facilities, universities stand to benefit by adopting the IoT as part of their management strategy. The IoT also affords new opportunities to improve the customer experience. For universities, this means the ability to provide new student services and improve on those already offered. Perhaps most surprisingly, the IoT represents an opportunity to better engage a diverse student base in computer science and engineering, and to amplify these programs through meaningful interdisciplinary collaboration.
…
The potential benefits of the IoT to the academic community extend beyond facilities management to improving our students’ experience. The lowest hanging fruit can be harvested by adapting some of the smart city applications that have emerged. What student hasn’t shown up late to class after circling the parking lot looking for a space? Ask any student at a major university if it would improve their campus experience to be able to check on their smart phones which parking spots were available. The answer will be a resounding “yes!” and there’s nothing futuristic about it. IoT parking management systems are commercially available through a number of vendors. This same type of technology can be adapted to enable students to find open meeting rooms, computer facilities, or café seating. What might be really exciting for students living in campus dormitories: A guarantee that they’ll never walk down three flights of stairs balancing two loads of dirty laundry to find that none of the washing machines are available. On many campuses, the washing machines are already network-connected to support electronic payment; availability reporting is a straightforward extension.
Also see:
2016 Innovators Awards | A Location-Aware App for Exploring the Library — from campustechnology.com by Meg Lloyd
To help users access rich information resources on campus, the University of Oklahoma Libraries created a mobile app with location-based navigation and “hyperlocal” content.
Category: Education Futurists
Institution: University of Oklahoma
Project: OU Libraries NavApp
Project lead: Matt Cook, emerging technologies librarian
Tech lineup: Aruba, Meridian, RFIP
Somewhat related:
- What is beacon technology and why it’s here to stay — from by sixteen-nine.net
On 10/12/2016,
in 21st century, ideas, K-12 related, Michigan, pedagogy, science, society, teachers, teaching & learning,
by Daniel Christian
FAITH and SCIENCE activities for your classroom—designed by teachers for teachers
From the About Us > The FASTly Story page
Could there be a way forward, a way of exploring the intersection of faith and science that isn’t fearful but hopeful?
In early 2011, a group of high school teachers gathered in a backwoods lodge, talking about the challenges they faced as they tried to engage big questions about science and faith. Students came to them afraid of controversy; parents worried their teaching would present the wrong angle; administrators warned them not to “stir the pot.”
What does it look like, they wondered, to teach science well in a Christian context? How might they help students to trust that the Bible and science aren’t mutually exclusive? Could there be a way forward, a way of exploring the intersection of faith and science that wasn’t fearful but hopeful?
Out of this conversation—and many others like it—the FAST project was born. A broad team came together to create this resource that begins with the conviction that the classroom can be a powerful site for discipleship. Where faith and science are so often seen as a source of conflict, FAST creates a space in which teachers and students are invited to engage them as a fruitful opportunity to learn and grow. FAST explores hard questions with integrity, encouraging the very best teaching practices within the context of Christian faithfulness.
Led by The Kuyers Institute and The Colossian Forum, FAST is a collaborative endeavor, drawing on the expertise of high school teachers, scholars, writers, and web developers. It is made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.
This site already includes a large collection of teaching activities, training materials, background essays, book reviews, and more. Click here to start exploring. By the end of 2017, thanks to the committed work of our project team and the ongoing support of the John Templeton Foundation, the number of Activity Maps on the site will nearly double. Sign up here for updates as teachFASTly.com continues to expand.
Affiliations:
Also see:
- Teaching faith and science? This new website changes everything. — from colossianforum.org by Jennifer Vander Molen
Excerpt:
From TCF’s earliest days, our staff has worked closely with high school teachers to help students engage with difficult questions in the arena of faith and science. Young people so often feel the pinch of our culture’s inability to handle conflict well—but we’re convinced that the church can show them a better way. In order to help educators address these unique concerns, TCF has collaborated with the Kuyers Institute on the three-year FAST (Faith And Science Teaching) Project to create and launch teachFASTly.com.Designed by teachers for teachers, teachFASTly.com promotes an integrated, intentional, and creative approach to teaching and learning at the intersection of faith and science. The site offers hundreds of free, ready-to-use activities organized by subject area. It also features a robust resource section containing practical teaching strategies and conceptual resources.
On 07/13/2016,
in 21st century, colleges, community colleges, cost of getting a degree, distance education, education reform, education technology, elearning, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, legislatures / government / legal, Michigan, online learning, student-related, universities,
by Daniel Christian
What will higher education look like 5, 10 or 20 years from now? — from goodcall.com by Donna Fuscaldo
Excerpts:
- More Focus on ROI
Students and families will focus more on college return on investment, affordability and student loan debt
Over the next five years, D’Amico sees a shift happening, where potential students will weigh college return on investment, including the outcomes of the past students, job prospects upon graduation and the overall college experience more seriously than whether a school has a state-of-the-art gym. Similar to how people get real-person reviews of restaurants, doctors and other services, the same diligence will be applied to shopping for college. - Blending the Traditional and the Technological
Internet will play bigger role in learning
…progress will continue to be made in marrying a traditional college education with online classes. The Internet is increasingly becoming a tool for colleges and universities around the country who see the value it can bring.
- Greater Accountability
Schools will be more accountable to students and graduates
2026 The Decade Ahead — from the Chronicle of Higher Education by Jeff Selingo
Description:
What changes are in store for higher education over the next 10 years? Evolutionary shifts in three critical areas will have significant consequences for students and institutions as a whole.
Tomorrow’s students will be significantly more diverse and demand lower tuition costs. Faculty tenure policies will be reexamined as deep-seated Boomers retire. And how colleges are preparing students to succeed in an evolving global economy will be intensely scrutinized. What does this mean for your institution?
Digital Edition: $149.00
Print Edition: $199.00
The Midwest, which produces 100,000 more graduates than the Northeast in any given year, will face an even steeper decline. The biggest producers of high schools graduates in the Midwest — Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois — will all experience historic downturns, with Michigan ending with 86,000 fewer graduates by 2028, a nearly 30 percent drop from 2009. (p.10)
Since 2007, 72 institutions have shut down, nearly all of them with enrollments of less than 1,000. The report outlined six different factors facing higher education institutions in the future, including small size, no online programs, tuition discount rates greater than 35%, and deficit spending. (p.19)
On 06/20/2016,
in 21st century, adjunct faculty, analytics, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, attention, Augmented Reality (AR), bots, changing business models, colleges, communications, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, convergence, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, data related items, design, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, distance education, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, faculty, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, interaction design, interactivity, interface design, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, lifelong learning, Michigan, Mixed Reality (MR), mobile learning, multimedia, online learning, pace of change, pedagogy, personalized/customized learning, social learning / networks, student-related, teaching & learning, teaching online, transmedia, trends, United States, universities, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design, using teams, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, web design and production, web-based collaboration, writing,
by Daniel Christian
Specialists central to high-quality, engaging online programming — from EvoLLLution.com (where the LLL stands for lifelong learning) by Daniel Christian
Excerpts:
Creating high-quality online courses is getting increasingly complex—requiring an ever-growing set of skills. Faculty members can’t do it all, nor can instructional designers, nor can anyone else. As time goes by, new entrants and alternatives to traditional institutions of higher education will likely continue to appear on the higher education landscape—the ability to compete will be key.
…
For example, will there be a need for the following team members in your not-too-distant future?
- Human Computer Interaction (HCI) Specialists: those with knowledge of how to leverage Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) in order to create fun and engaging learning experiences (while still meeting the learning objectives)
- Data Scientists
- Artificial Intelligence Integrators
- Cognitive Computing Specialists
- Intelligent Tutoring Developers
- Learning Agent Developers
- Algorithm Developers
- Personalized Learning Specialists
- Cloud-based Learner Profile Administrators
- Transmedia Designers
- Social Learning Experts
On 04/12/2016,
in 21st century, Daniel S. Christian, education, education reform, education technology, expectations, K-12 related, Michigan, online learning, pedagogy, personalized/customized learning, quality, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, United States, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Yesterday, I attended the Michigan Virtual University (MVU) Online Learning Symposium on the campus of Michigan State University. I would like to send a shout out to MVU for putting this event together and to MSU for hosting a solid event, as well as to all of the speakers and presenters throughout the day.
Some key points/themes:
- Online-based learning within K-12 in Michigan continues to increase:
- Over 91,000 Michigan K-12 students took one or more virtual courses during the 2014-15 school year. This number is up over 15,000 students compared to the number reported last year (increase of 20%).
- Michigan K-12 students accounted for approximately 446,000 virtual course enrollments in 2014-15, surpassing the 2013-14 figure by more than 126,000 enrollments (increase of 40%).
- A side note from DSC:
Given this growth in online learning in the K-12 space…
Given the emphasis in K-12 to provide more CHOICE to students…
Given the emphasis to turn over the ownership of learning to students…….those colleges and universities who will carry on these students’ educations must realize that the K-12 student is changing…their expectations are changing. They want MORE CHOICE. MORE CONTROL. If you only offer a face-to-face delivery approach, that likely won’t cut it in the future.
- Technology will continue to play a strategic role in the quest to provide greater degrees of personalization as well as provide the data to aid in learning success
An insert, dated 4/14/16 from:
We’re already seeing such changing expectations, as identified in the following article from 4/11/16:
“What Gen Z Thinks About Ed Tech in College” — edtechmagazine.com
A report on digital natives sheds light on their learning preferences.
Excerpt:
A survey of the collegiate educational-technology expectations of 1.300 middle and high school students from 49 states was captured by Barnes and Noble. The survey, Getting to Know Gen Z, includes feedback on the students’ expectations for higher education.
“These initial insights are a springboard for colleges and universities to begin understanding the mindset of Gen Z as they prepare for their future, focusing specifically on their aspirations, college expectations and use of educational technology for their academic journey ahead,” states the survey’s introduction.
Like the millennials before them, Generation Z grew up as digital natives, with devices a fixture in the learning experience. According to the survey results, these students want “engaging, interactive learning experiences” and want to be “empowered to make their own decisions.” In addition, the students “expect technology to play an instrumental role in their educational experience.”
Keynotes/speakers (with some notes on their presentations included):
Buddy Berry
Superintendent of Eminence Independent Schools
Eminence, Kentucky
Also see:
School on FIRE (Framework of Innovation for Reinventing Education)
Woven throughout all we do is the concept of Surprise and Delight. We want each student, staff, and stakeholder to be continually amazed and engaged each and every day. We want to create and foster an environment where creativity and customer service abound in all aspects of our school. Whether great or small, the element of “Surprise and Delight” is the essence of our organization.
Buddy gave an emotional, powerful keynote address — even while cooking up a delicious dish.
Photo from Eric Kunnen at GVSU
The aromas spread throughout the room, even if only a handful of people were actually going to eat the dish (a lesson is in there for education reform as well). Buddy thinks outside the box and wants those in the Eminence Independent School system to start thinking differently as well. He seeks to have their schools surprise and delight students — awesome! As an example of this, he wouldn’t accept no to some things re: providing WiFi to their students. So he had their buses outfitted with WiFi, then saw to it that those buses were parked overnight in the areas where their students didn’t have access to WiFi. Students within 100 yards of those buses now have WiFi.
As a result of a tragic accident involving one of his former football players, Buddy is truly driven to change the world. He thinks big. He is on a mission, backed up by vast amounts of energy and determination.
Their School on FIRE document mentions the following bullet points re: personalized learning:
- Student choice in electives
- Personalized student goals
- Personalized Learning Environment in all classes
- ICE (Interventions, Connections, and Enrichments) Model (K-12)
Brian J. Whiston
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Brian:
- Mentioned Michigan’s Top 10 in 10 Years Program, striving to put Michigan in the nation’s top 10 performers for education within the next 10 years
- Mentioned Governor Snyder’s recently introduced 21st Century Education Commission, created to prepare students for the global economy (see the full text of Executive Order 2016-6) which states that “the Commission shall act in an advisory capacity to the Governor and the state of Michigan, and shall do all of the following:”
- Analyze top performing states and nations to determine how their systems of education (structure, governance, funding, and accountability) have led to academic and career success for students pre-school through career credentialing/post-secondary education.
- Determine, for top performing states and nations, the similarities and differences between their demographic, cultural and economic realities and Michigan’s demographic, cultural, and economic realities.
- Based on this analysis of top performing states and nations, identify the structural (configuration of schools,) governance, funding, and accountability enablers and inhibitors impacting the academic success and career preparedness for Michigan students and residents, including distinct demographic and geographic variances as appropriate.
- Recommend changes to restructure, as necessary, the configuration, governance, funding, and accountability of Michigan’s education system to significantly improve student achievement and career preparedness, and ensure the high quality of all education options available to parents and students.
- Prioritize the Commission’s recommendations for implementation.
.
(The report/recommendations are due by 11/30/16.)
- Asserted that students should lead/own their own learning — that students set and pursue their own goals
(From DSC: I love that goal, as it will serve the students well in their futures; lifelong learning is now required and each of us has to own our own learning.) - Suggested that teacher preparation programs should be more akin to what medical schools do — and have student teachers work with kids earlier on in the process; be able to learn something, then immediately apply it. Teacher prep programs need to become more nimble.
(From DSC: In another panel, it was asked what teacher preparation programs are doing to train future teachers on how to teach online…? A solid, necessary question — at least for the foreseeable future.)
Joe Freidhoff
Vice President of Research, Policy & Professional Learning, MVU
Joe shared numerous pieces of data from the report that he authored:
Freidhoff, J.R. (2016). Michigan’s K-12 virtual learning effectiveness report 2014-15. Lansing, MI: Michigan Virtual University. Retrieved from http://media.mivu.org/institute/pdf/er_2015.pdf.
Some excerpts from the Key Findings section:
- Over 91,000 Michigan K-12 students took one or more virtual courses during the 2014-15 school year. This number is up over 15,000 students compared to the number reported last year (increase of 20%). Three out of four students taking virtual courses came from the Local virtual learner subset, 15% came from cyber schools, and 10% from MVS
- Michigan K-12 students accounted for approximately 446,000 virtual course enrollments in 2014-15, surpassing the 2013-14 figure by more than 126,000 enrollments (increase of 40%). High school grade levels continued to account for the largest number of enrollments, though the elementary grade levels showed the largest year-over-year percentage increases. The Local virtual learner subset accounted for 63% of the virtual enrollments.
- Virtual enrollment patterns suggest that Michigan schools tend to enroll higher performing students in MVS courses, but rarely use MVS for lower performing students. In contrast, when Local schools provide their own virtual solution, they primarily enroll students who have failed several courses taken in the traditional classroom environment.
- As in past years, virtual enrollments were heaviest in the core subject areas, led by English Language and Literature (20%) and Mathematics (17%).
- Once again, males and females each accounted for roughly half of the virtual enrollments, and there was almost no difference in the percentage of males and females enrolling in core subjects.
- Over half (51%) of schools with virtual enrollments had 100 or more virtual enrollments in the 2014-15 school year, though the second most likely scenario was that they had less than 10 (19%). This “all” or “very few” phenomenon continues the trend observed over the past four years, despite the number of schools with virtual enrollments growing from 654 in 2010-11 to over 1,072 in 2014-15.
Joe also shared some items from “A Report to the Legislature” — from 12/1/15.
Other notes:
- Professional Development would be ideally experiential, sustained; and staffed by people who have actually done things. Those people would ideally be available to coach/support others.
- Support is key, as not everyone is highly proficient in using/applying technology.
- edupaths.org
EduPaths is a professional development portal for ALL Michigan Educators. EduPaths courses are aligned with school improvement framework, multi tiered systems of support, and designed to expand understanding on a wide variety of topics. Courses are available online and are completely self-paced. They are intended to help educators to personalize their own learning plan any time and any place. Another feature of EduPaths are the strategic partnerships with statewide educational organizations. Our goal is to “Help Educators Navigate their Professional Growth” through providing content and connecting content from our statewide partners. - GenNET Online Learning
- LearnPort.org
Michigan LearnPort® provides online learning solutions for educators and the educational community. Through Michigan LearnPort, you can access high quality courses and resources, meet professional development requirements, earn State Continuing Education Clock Hours and more. - micourses.org
- mischooldata.org
MI School Data is the State of Michigan’s official public portal for education data to help citizens, educators and policy makers make informed decisions that can lead to improved success for our students. The site offers multiple levels and views for statewide, intermediate school district, district, school, and college level information. Data are presented in graphs, charts, trend lines and downloadable spreadsheets to support meaningful evaluation and decision making. - The culture of a community will be key in determining what happens with that community’s educational system.
- Several of the sessions dealt with the topic of quality, and some of the organizations/tools mentioned there include:
- Quality Matters
- AdvanceED
- iNACOL
- Accreditors
- MVU’s iEducator Program
Backchannel products/solutions I saw used:
On 04/08/2016,
in Daniel S. Christian, faculty, Michigan, teaching & learning, United States,
by Daniel Christian
Western Michigan University prof named state Professor of the Year — from mlive.com by Emily Monacelli
Excerpt:
Christian has taught at WMU since 2001 and has received several awards and grants at the university. Christian has used the grants to tka her students into local high schools and into the community for experiential learning about journalism, multimedia, diversity and bias, and she advises students through WMU’s Student Media Group board and through journalism internships.
Christian’s book, “Overcoming Bias: A Journalist’s Guide to Culture and Context,” is used in newsrooms and classrooms as a guide to addressing implicit biases in news.
“Professor Christian demonstrates a commitment to her discipline which extends well beyond the role of instructor and greatly benefits the Kalamazoo community and Western Michigan University,” WMU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Timothy Greene said in the press release.
From DSC:
From a proud brother — congrats to you Sue Ellen on your award here! Way to go!