Top 10 Ed Tech predictions for 2011 –– from ZDNet.com by Christopher Dawson; featuring insights from Adam Garry, Dell’s manager of global professional learning
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Simon Lebus, Group Chief Executive, Cambridge Assessment
Welcome and introductory remarks
Video
PodcastProfessor Paul Black, King’s College London
Keynote address: Problems with formative and summative assessment: can a theory of pedagogy help?
Video
PodcastParallel discussion session A: ‘Governments come and go’
Educational reform and strategy in schools and colleges
Professor Jo-Anne Baird, University of Bristol
VideoParallel discussion session A: ‘Governments come and go’
Educational reform and strategy in schools and colleges
Professor Jannette Elwood, Queen’s University Belfast
VideoParallel discussion session A: ‘Governments come and go’
Educational reform and strategy in schools and colleges
Professor Jo-Anne Baird, University of Bristol
Professor Jannette Elwood, Queen’s University Belfast
PodcastParallel discussion session A: Qualifications, skills and employability: a peculiarly British obsession?
Dr. Geoff Hayward, University of Oxford
Video
PodcastParallel discussion session B: Why teacher assessment is not enough
Professor Peter Tymms, University of Durham
PodcastParallel discussion session B: Meeting the challenges of change in assessment systems: A Maltese perspective
Professor Frank Ventura, University of Malta
PodcastQuestions and discussion: Parallel session B
Podcast
Panel discussion chaired by Mike Baker, former BBC Education Editor.
Featuring: Dr Mary Bousted, Association of Teachers and Lecturers Professor Richard Daugherty, Cardiff University Isabel Nisbet, Ofqual Lord Sutherland of Houndwood Delegates are invited to submit questions prior to the conference and questions will also be taken on the day. To submit a question please email us: thenetwork@cambridgeassessment.org.uk.
Video
PodcastDr Philip Davies, Oxford Evidentia Limited
Hitting the target but missing the point
Video
PodcastTim Oates, Director, Assessment Research & Development, Cambridge Assessment
Closing remarks
Video
PodcastDelegates’ reaction
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For another item related to assessment, see: Tests get high marks as a learning tool — from Anne McIlroy
Report on education technology investments — from Education Stormfront
Student advancement will be determined by mastery of subject, not the time spent in class. Through real time and ongoing assessment, the ability to do on-the-fly prescription and “one-on-one” instruction is made possible. “Adaptive Technology” which is used with overwhelming success at companies like Amazon and Netflix, is being incorporated in learning technology that is getting smarter and more personalized with each click. Dreambox Learning is a window to the future showing remarkable results with kids playing math games and learning at an incredibly fast rate. Agilix/Brain Honey is in part a next generation learning management system (LMS) and in part a next generation learning platform that has great traction.
An exceprt from the report at:
http://www.nextupresearch.com/Site/NEXT_up!_files/neXtup%2012.5.10.pdf
The “quiet” growth has been impressive. Currently there are 1.5 million K-12 students online with either a virtual class or blended mode, up from zero students 10 years ago. 38 States have virtual Charter School laws and Alaska has a statewide online program. “Innovator Dilemma” guru Clayton Christensen estimates that 50% of all K-12 classes will be online by 2019.
From DSC:
Thanks crudbasher for publishing this posting. What I found interesting was the amount being invested in the Kno tablet — $46 million. Wow. Change is around the corner…again.
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The test has been canceled — from Boston.com by Keith O’Brien
Final exams are quietly vanishing from college
The change, which was first reported in Harvard Magazine, is not a statement on the value of final exams one way or the other, Harris said. But the shrinking role of big, blockbuster tests at Harvard and colleges elsewhere is raising serious pedagogical questions about 21st century education: How best do students learn? And what’s the best way to assess that? Is the disappearance of high-stakes, high-pressure final exams a sign that universities are failing to challenge today’s students, or is it just a long overdue acknowledgment that such tests aren’t always the best indicator of actual knowledge?
From DSC:
Perhaps like many others, I don’t remember a lot from the final exams taken during my college days. My hope is that whatever methods we use, we can foster deeper, longer-lasting ROI’s from students’ studying time. We can create more “hooks” on which to hang things 5-10 years down the line (if that’s possible these days!). One thought along these lines, is to use the ideas of story, play, and promoting the creativity of our students.
The greatest teacher of all time used story — in the form of parables — all the time. I’ll bet that many of us can still recall to this day the parable of the sower, or the prodigal son…the good Samaritan or the lost coin. With enough repetition, we remember these stories and the deeper meaning behind them. They provide hooks to hang other things upon (i.e. scaffolding).
How would you assess this? — from Education Stormfront
Excerpt:
The good news is that we are entering a golden age of learning. A time where the Yeols of the world will be able to connect with people who will appreciate, encourage and foster their gifts. It will be an explosion of personal expression, where everyone can finally reach their full potential. The resulting massive outburst of creativity will reshape the planet like nothing since the Renaissance.
This year’s presentations included:
Choice – Drive: Time, Technique and Team — from Jim Wenzloff
“These are a few random ideas of ways I think students might accomplish the goal. The motivation is that they can now choose how they wish to express themselves (emphasis DSC). The teacher’s task would be to evaluate how well they met that goal. Evaluation might be based on a rubric that would be applied to all of these assignments. Involving students in the development of the rubric may also help motivate their desire to do the assignment.”
States Rush to Join Testing Consortia — From EdWeek.org by Stephen Sawchuk
Many sign on to boost chances for Race to the Top funding.
Since it isn’t yet clear what the U.S. Department of Education expects to see from the consortia, most states have hedged their bets by signing up for more than one partnership. For the most part, their signatures on the “memorandums of understanding” listing the principles of each consortium are nonbinding.
The situation remains fluid, with the number of states involved in each consortium changing almost daily.
The Open Learning Initiative (OLI)
“Using intelligent tutoring systems, virtual laboratories, simulations, and frequent opportunities for assessment and feedback, the Open Learning Initiative (OLI) builds courses that are intended to enact instruction – or, more precisely, to enact the kind of dynamic, flexible, and responsive instruction that fosters learning.”
