K-12

Arizona State launching online credential for online teaching — from The Journal by Dian Schaffhauser (06/21/10)

On 06/21/2010, in K-12 related, online learning, teaching online, by Daniel Christian

Arizona State launching online credential for online teaching — from The Journal by Dian Schaffhauser (06/21/10)

Arizona State University has expanded its online degree and certification programs for PK-12 teachers, including the addition of a new credential for online teaching. Tuition will be the same whether the student is in state or out of state.

Beginning with the fall 2010 semester, six new programs in the education area will be available completely online. Arizona preschool and kindergarten teachers will also have the opportunity to fulfill their early childhood education certification requirement online in order to meet a state department of education July 2012 deadline.

Multimedia, Technology Shine in Educational Product Awards — Educational Publishing

On 06/19/2010, in curriculum, education technology, K-12 related, multimedia, pedagogy, publishing, by Daniel Christian

Multimedia, Technology Shine in Educational Product Awards — Educational Publishing [the official blog of the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP)]

Today’s kids are growing up in a world where technology is ubiquitous and connectivity is almost constant. Companies responsible for creating the tools with which these “digital natives” learn face the tall order of making kids’ lives inside the classroom more like their lives outside the classroom. By incorporating technology and multimedia into their products, this year’s finalists in the AEP Awards program do just that, exemplifying the quality and innovation that can be achieved when thinking in terms of the 21st Century classroom.

Unfortunately, the wastes continue — an analogy illustrating lost value/worth and a horrible cost to society

On 06/11/2010, in higher education, K-12 related, sociology, student-related, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
As I was working out today, I noticed that the United States is on Day 53 of the oil spill!!! The figure has now risen to 40,000 barrels of oil a day that is spewing into the the Gulf of Mexico. Not only is this an enormous waste, but the environmental and economic costs are also enormous!

Oil spill -- day 53!

And thoughts about loss and costs ran through my mind…

Then, later today, I saw this article and those thoughts returned to my mind:

Urban Schools Are Broken, Not the Kids, Founder of University Prep Schools Says — from Crain’s Detroit Business by Tom Henderson (from 6/3/10 with emphasis below from DSC)

“We can’t attain our goal of being a top 10 state if we continue to be a 34th state in student achievement,” said Nolan Finley, editorial page editor of The Detroit News, to begin a morning panel Thursday on innovative education reform at the Mackinac Policy Conference. “We can’t continue to allow one of five students to drop out, three of five students in urban areas.“

…

“If you keep your head when all around you are losing theirs, maybe you don’t understand the damn problem,” said Michael Flanagan, state superintendent of public instruction for the state of Michigan. “Many of us in the K-12 community are in denial. But the fact is, economic development is education, and education is economic development.”

And I reflected upon the figure of 30%, which stuck in my mind as the drop out rate that the US is up to for many cities (don’t quote me on this).

The point is…what a waste! When a student drops out, society is hurt. It’s costly to lose that person’s skills, thoughts, ideas, talents, gifts, abilities. And it can be costly to clean up after these losses, as the bulging prisons confirm. We are all in this boat together.

Every day, a much greater “spill” is occurring in our nation — with enormous costs for the societies of the world — yet we don’t seem to have the urgency that we should have.

At the Core of the Apple Store — from the Big Picture

On 06/11/2010, in Apple, K-12 related, social learning / networks, social media, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

Also see:

At the Core of the Apple Store: Images of Next Generation Learning [PDF file]
What can we learn from the Apple Store as a learning environment?

Infowhelm & Information Fluency — from 21st Century Fluency Project

On 06/11/2010, in 21st century, change, curriculum, K-12 related, leadership, legislatures / government / legal, policy, by Daniel Christian

Resource from Educational Origami

Also see:

Education trends: More mobile, more distance learning, more LMS usage — from The Journal by Dian Schaffhauser

On 06/10/2010, in education technology, K-12 related, student-related, teachers, by Daniel Christian

Education trends: More mobile, more distance learning, more LMS usage — from The Journal by Dian Schaffhauser (emphasis below by DSC)

Netbooks are leading K-12 mobile device sales, growing at 200 percent per year. Learning management systems--rather than controlling the learning environment for children–are actually augmenting interactions between the teacher and student. And one in five schools and districts that don’t already offer online courses expect to do so in the next two school years. Those are some of the many observations that surface in the latest set of reports on K-12 and postsecondary education technology markets produced by the Education Division of the Software & Information Industry Association, a trade association for the software and digital content industry.

SIIA Trends Report for Education Technology highlights industry shifts and emerging trends as they relate to five topics: K-12 learning management systems, postsecondary learning management systems, online learning, mobile computing, and the state of education in the face of increasing budget cuts at the state level.

“The purpose of this report was to identify the opportunities, challenges, and potential areas for growth in K-12 and higher education institutions with regards to education technology,” said Karen Billings, vice president SIIA’s Education Division. “We aimed to find where technology has the greatest impact and where it can provide the most prolific benefits moving forward.”

Report: Tough times ahead for children of the Great Recession — from edweek.com by Sarah Garland

On 06/10/2010, in economics, game-changing environment, K-12 related, psychology, sociology, student-related, by Daniel Christian

Report: Tough times ahead for children of the Great Recession — from edweek.com by Sarah Garland | The Hechinger Report

More children will live in poverty this year. More will have two parents who are unemployed. Fewer children will enroll in prekindergarten programs, and fewer teenagers will find jobs. More children are likely to commit suicide, be overweight, and be victimized by crime.

This is all according to a report released Tuesday by the Foundation for Child Development that measures the impact of the recession on the current generation.

These are the children of the Great Recession, a cohort that will experience a decline in fortunes that erases 30 years of social progress, the report contends. Known as the Child and Youth Well-Being Index, the report predicts that in the next few years, the economy may recover and the unemployment rate may drop, but the generation growing up now could feel the harsh impact of the recession for years to come.

“These are the lasting impacts of extreme recessions,” said Kenneth Land, a professor of sociology and demography at Duke University and the author of the report.

New Dimension Media provides education, a second chance to over 1,200 “at risk” Illinois students — from eSchoolNews.com

On 06/08/2010, in digital audio, digital learning, digital video, education technology, K-12 related, online learning, online media, by Daniel Christian

New Dimension Media provides education, a second chance to over 1,200 “at risk” Illinois students — from eSchoolNews.com

Founded in 1978, New Dimension Media, a division of Questar, Inc., is the premier producer and distributor of original core curriculum media content created for K-12 classrooms. NDM programs have won over 100 of the industry’s most prestigious honors, including the CINE Golden Eagle and the Golden Apple. NDM content is used in over 100,000 schools around the country. More…

Like Facebook, but for learning — from eSchoolNews.com by Laura Devaney

On 06/07/2010, in educational games / serious games, interaction design, K-12 related, personalized/customized learning, social learning / networks, by Daniel Christian

Like Facebook, but for learning — from eSchoolNews.com by Laura Devaney
Combining social networking with studying, Grockit encourages academic success through peer interaction

Aiming to engage students who are multitasking with different forms of technology, companies are creating collaborative learning spaces online where students can help one another solve homework problems and study—all while building important 21st-century skills.

One such social-networking study site is Grockit, which currently offers test-prep services and is expanding its focus to include math and English for students in grades 8-12, with history and science soon to follow. Grockit has opened enrollment for a free Summer Enrichment Academy, which is designed to keep students from falling behind during summer vacation as they participate in collaborative group study forums online.

Zooburst — from eduTecher

On 06/02/2010, in 3D, Augmented Reality (AR), creativity, digital storytelling, engagement / engaging students, K-12 related, writing, by Daniel Christian

Zooburst — from eduTecher

ZooBurst is a digital storytelling tool that is designed to let anyone easily create their own customized 3D pop-up books. This is a wonderful way to practice and teach writing as well and it is incredibly cool as well. All you need is a web cam to turn on the augmented reality features that are really awesome. A great site for young writers.

Michigan Connections Academy and MI Virtual Charter Academy — online K-12

On 06/02/2010, in K-12 related, online learning, by Daniel Christian

MICA To Provide 400 Students Online Schooling Tuition-Free — from The Journal by Evan Tassistro

Connections Academy, a private company operating 15 virtual schools in 14 states, has opened enrollment for the Michigan Connections Academy (MICA).

MICA is a tuition-free online public school for grade levels K through 12 and will enroll 400 students this school year with a projection of 1,000 openings for next year (emphasis DSC). In addition to textbooks and other materials, Connections Academy provides a computer, printer, and Internet stipend to participating families. The deadline for application is June 11.

Only a portion of the school day is spent on a computer, the balance used for workbook or other offline activity. Higher grade levels mean more computer time; about 10 percent for elementary grades, 30 percent for middle school, and 50 percent for high school, according to Connections Academy. Part of the online instruction will feature LiveLesson sessions, a virtual classroom where teacher and students interact in real time.

MICA offers a customized curriculum with individual lesson plans for each student based on ability assessment and progress tracking, including a gifted student program in math and language arts for grades 3 through 8, as well as college preparatory, honors, and Advanced Placement coursework for high school students.

The school will ask parents of incoming students to sign a Learning Coach agreement and will offer parents instruction programs to help them guide daily learning. Parents are also invited to become community coordinators who assist with field trips and other special projects. Information sessions are planned for interested parents through the summer. (Dates were not available at the time of this writing.)

More information can be found here.

See also:
Michigan Launches Virtual Charter Academy — from The Journal

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