eduTecher is a hub for exploring free web resources

Here's what's new on eSchool News site today.

Site of the Week

eduTecher

Photo: eduTecher

Created by Adam Bellow, director of educational technology for the College Board Schools, eduTecher.net is a no-cost resource for finding and sharing free web tools with educators and students around the world.
 
The website includes short-and-sweet reviews of free web tools and resources, as well as video clips showing certain tools in action and explaining how teachers can integrate these into the classroom. The site recently has been revamped to allow for more social media interaction.
Read more...
 
About eduTecher

eduTecher was founded in late 2007 as a way to keep track of the growing number of web tools that could be used in the classroom setting. The website’s mission is to help educators and schools around the world effectively integrate technology and web tools into the classroom.

 
eduTecher currently provides links to thousands of web tools and provides concise information on how these tools may be useful in the classroom setting. We don’t charge any subscription fees, nor do we litter our pages with annoying ads. We also offer educators an easy way to connect with one another, share their favorite links, and form a PLN (Personal Learning Network).
 
Besides the wealth of links to Web Tools, users can also find self-produced webisodes of eduTecherTV with walkthroughs and demonstrations on how to use specific Web Tools for educational purposes.
Read more... 

Source: eSchool News 

eduTecher is a hub for exploring free web resources

Here's what's new on eSchool News site today.

Site of the Week

eduTecher

Photo: eduTecher

Created by Adam Bellow, director of educational technology for the College Board Schools, eduTecher.net is a no-cost resource for finding and sharing free web tools with educators and students around the world.
 
The website includes short-and-sweet reviews of free web tools and resources, as well as video clips showing certain tools in action and explaining how teachers can integrate these into the classroom. The site recently has been revamped to allow for more social media interaction.
Read more...
 
About eduTecher

eduTecher was founded in late 2007 as a way to keep track of the growing number of web tools that could be used in the classroom setting. The website’s mission is to help educators and schools around the world effectively integrate technology and web tools into the classroom.

 
eduTecher currently provides links to thousands of web tools and provides concise information on how these tools may be useful in the classroom setting. We don’t charge any subscription fees, nor do we litter our pages with annoying ads. We also offer educators an easy way to connect with one another, share their favorite links, and form a PLN (Personal Learning Network).
 
Besides the wealth of links to Web Tools, users can also find self-produced webisodes of eduTecherTV with walkthroughs and demonstrations on how to use specific Web Tools for educational purposes.
Read more... 

Source: eSchool News 

New Survey Profiles 40 of America’s Earliest Blended-Learning Programs

Across America, a skyrocketing number of K-12 students are getting their education in a “blended-learning” environment, through programs that mix online learning into brick-and-mortar schools.

A new 200-page study by Innosight Institute and The Charter School Growth Fund discloses a broader picture of this emerging blended-learning market by revealing the six models that are leading the pack and the individual organizations that are among the earliest pioneers of this fast-growing sector.

The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning: Profiles of Emerging Models highlights 40 influential blended-learning organizations across the country, categorizes them by model, and documents their effectiveness in reducing costs and improving academic performance.

It discusses emerging technology trends, and then concludes with advice for policymakers, school leaders, and entrepreneurs about how to shape the playing field to optimize results.
Read more...

Related link
The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning: Profiles of Emerging Models (PDF)

Innosight Institute writes, "Among the programs profiled in this study, several patterns are emerging, including the following:"

Definition of blended learning
In a field with significant confusion around what K−12 blended learning is, the 40 programs converged under a simple, umbrella definition. First, in all of the blended programs, the students learned in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home at least some of the time. Second, in all of the cases, the students experienced online delivery with some control over the time, place, path, and/or pace. These two requirements, then, start to distinguish blended learning from other types of learning.

Blended-learning models
Blended learning is gravitating toward six models. The six distinct clusters each share design elements that differentiate them from the others in terms of teacher roles, scheduling, physical space, and delivery methods. As innovators develop new versions of blended learning, the contours of these clusters will continue to evolve.

Mapping of programs
Often blended learning is depicted as something that takes place across a linear spectrum ranging from face-to-face to online. But blended learning is better captured on a plane, rather than a line, because it varies across two dimensions. The 40 blended-learning profiles map onto a two-by-two matrix, with the X-axis representing geographic location (brick-and-mortar versus remote) and the Y-axis representing content delivery (online versus face-to-face).

Technology trends
The market of companies and organizations providing content and technology is highly fragmented and disjointed. Many of the organizations in this study hope that policymakers will introduce quality metrics that force businesses to compete on network effects, which will consolidate the industry. Otherwise, a lack of outcome-focused policy will foster a “race to the bottom,” whereby providers compete mostly on price rather than outcome. In this scenario, the marketplace could remain significantly fragmented and cluttered with low-end entrants.

Steps for success
Strong patterns emerged in the answers that blended-learning leaders gave to the questions of what policies would best unlock the potential of blended learning. Robert Sommers, former CEO of Cornerstone Charter Schools in Detroit, summed up the pervading mood when he said, “Any policy about procedure, rather than performance, undermines the creation of a child-centered system.” The operators raised a strong voice for reinventing education policy to make it output focused rather than input regulated.

About Innosight Institute

Innosight Institute is a nonprofit/nonpartisan think tank based in Mountain View, Calif. whose mission is to apply Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen’s theories of disruptive innovation to develop and promote solutions to the problems in education.

About Charter School Growth Fund

The Charter School Growth Fund invests philanthropic venture capital in the nation's highest-performing charter school operators to dramatically expand their impact on underserved students.

Source: Reuters

New Survey Profiles 40 of America’s Earliest Blended-Learning Programs

Across America, a skyrocketing number of K-12 students are getting their education in a “blended-learning” environment, through programs that mix online learning into brick-and-mortar schools.

A new 200-page study by Innosight Institute and The Charter School Growth Fund discloses a broader picture of this emerging blended-learning market by revealing the six models that are leading the pack and the individual organizations that are among the earliest pioneers of this fast-growing sector.

The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning: Profiles of Emerging Models highlights 40 influential blended-learning organizations across the country, categorizes them by model, and documents their effectiveness in reducing costs and improving academic performance.

It discusses emerging technology trends, and then concludes with advice for policymakers, school leaders, and entrepreneurs about how to shape the playing field to optimize results.
Read more...

Related link
The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning: Profiles of Emerging Models (PDF)

Innosight Institute writes, "Among the programs profiled in this study, several patterns are emerging, including the following:"

Definition of blended learning
In a field with significant confusion around what K−12 blended learning is, the 40 programs converged under a simple, umbrella definition. First, in all of the blended programs, the students learned in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home at least some of the time. Second, in all of the cases, the students experienced online delivery with some control over the time, place, path, and/or pace. These two requirements, then, start to distinguish blended learning from other types of learning.

Blended-learning models
Blended learning is gravitating toward six models. The six distinct clusters each share design elements that differentiate them from the others in terms of teacher roles, scheduling, physical space, and delivery methods. As innovators develop new versions of blended learning, the contours of these clusters will continue to evolve.

Mapping of programs
Often blended learning is depicted as something that takes place across a linear spectrum ranging from face-to-face to online. But blended learning is better captured on a plane, rather than a line, because it varies across two dimensions. The 40 blended-learning profiles map onto a two-by-two matrix, with the X-axis representing geographic location (brick-and-mortar versus remote) and the Y-axis representing content delivery (online versus face-to-face).

Technology trends
The market of companies and organizations providing content and technology is highly fragmented and disjointed. Many of the organizations in this study hope that policymakers will introduce quality metrics that force businesses to compete on network effects, which will consolidate the industry. Otherwise, a lack of outcome-focused policy will foster a “race to the bottom,” whereby providers compete mostly on price rather than outcome. In this scenario, the marketplace could remain significantly fragmented and cluttered with low-end entrants.

Steps for success
Strong patterns emerged in the answers that blended-learning leaders gave to the questions of what policies would best unlock the potential of blended learning. Robert Sommers, former CEO of Cornerstone Charter Schools in Detroit, summed up the pervading mood when he said, “Any policy about procedure, rather than performance, undermines the creation of a child-centered system.” The operators raised a strong voice for reinventing education policy to make it output focused rather than input regulated.

About Innosight Institute

Innosight Institute is a nonprofit/nonpartisan think tank based in Mountain View, Calif. whose mission is to apply Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen’s theories of disruptive innovation to develop and promote solutions to the problems in education.

About Charter School Growth Fund

The Charter School Growth Fund invests philanthropic venture capital in the nation's highest-performing charter school operators to dramatically expand their impact on underserved students.

Source: Reuters

Southern Denmark University Goes Mobile!

Southern Denmark University is the first university in Denmark to go Mobile!


Photo: Denmark's Minister for Science, Technology
and Innovation

"Southern Denmark University have made mobile learning a priority for their students, so that courses are accessible from anywhere, on a mobile device.
By allowing students to learn and collaborate outside of the classroom, they are adding more flexibility to the lives of their students and professors." summarizes Mobile Garage Blog  

Check out this short video (in English) below.

For more information about the University of Southern Denmark, please visit: http://www.sdu.dk/?sc_lang=en

SDU Goes Mobile - Syddansk Universitet

Source: Mobile Garage Blog and bilalbahij's Channel (YouTube)

Southern Denmark University Goes Mobile!

Southern Denmark University is the first university in Denmark to go Mobile!


Photo: Denmark's Minister for Science, Technology
and Innovation

"Southern Denmark University have made mobile learning a priority for their students, so that courses are accessible from anywhere, on a mobile device.
By allowing students to learn and collaborate outside of the classroom, they are adding more flexibility to the lives of their students and professors." summarizes Mobile Garage Blog  

Check out this short video (in English) below.

For more information about the University of Southern Denmark, please visit: http://www.sdu.dk/?sc_lang=en

SDU Goes Mobile - Syddansk Universitet

Source: Mobile Garage Blog and bilalbahij's Channel (YouTube)

Reed Learning has launched a free book: 'The Little Book of the Future: A Guide to Collaborative Learning'

Reed Learning, one of the UK's largest providers of corporate training & development, has produced a free guide in collaboration with some of the best known names in learning and development.

Contributors include LinkedIn, trainingzone.co.uk, Training Journal magazine, the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies, Campaign for Learning, American Society for Training & Development and former CIPD learning advisor Martyn Sloman. It also includes a case study from the Business Area Manager for L&D at IBM.

Key topics covered include:

- Boosting staff productivity with Google apps
- Self-directed learning
- Collaborating on LinkedIn
- Crowdsourcing knowledge online
- Video learning: a new dimension
- Case study from IBM
- Much more

For a free copy of this book visit www.reedlearning.co.uk/booktpr
Read more... 

About Reed Learning

Reed Learning delivers short courses, professional qualifications, in-house programmes and outsourced training services for businesses. In the last 10 years the company has trained over 250,000 people.

People choose Reed Learning for the widest choice of venues and dates, largest pool of quality-assured trainers and guaranteed standards of training delivery.

Their approach to learning extends beyond the classroom, with pre and post course skills audits, free refresher modules, action planning and e-learning at no extra cost. Everything they do is focused on practical training courses that make a visible difference to clients.

Source: Training Press Releases

Reed Learning has launched a free book: 'The Little Book of the Future: A Guide to Collaborative Learning'

Reed Learning, one of the UK's largest providers of corporate training & development, has produced a free guide in collaboration with some of the best known names in learning and development.

Contributors include LinkedIn, trainingzone.co.uk, Training Journal magazine, the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies, Campaign for Learning, American Society for Training & Development and former CIPD learning advisor Martyn Sloman. It also includes a case study from the Business Area Manager for L&D at IBM.

Key topics covered include:

- Boosting staff productivity with Google apps
- Self-directed learning
- Collaborating on LinkedIn
- Crowdsourcing knowledge online
- Video learning: a new dimension
- Case study from IBM
- Much more

For a free copy of this book visit www.reedlearning.co.uk/booktpr
Read more... 

About Reed Learning

Reed Learning delivers short courses, professional qualifications, in-house programmes and outsourced training services for businesses. In the last 10 years the company has trained over 250,000 people.

People choose Reed Learning for the widest choice of venues and dates, largest pool of quality-assured trainers and guaranteed standards of training delivery.

Their approach to learning extends beyond the classroom, with pre and post course skills audits, free refresher modules, action planning and e-learning at no extra cost. Everything they do is focused on practical training courses that make a visible difference to clients.

Source: Training Press Releases

Video: Newspaper Think Tank Predicted iPads In 1994

Check out this amazing video from 1994 predicting tablet information consumption with impressive accuracy below.

It's not often (well, ever) that I consider the possibility someone might be from the future, but maybe Roger Fidler was. In 2007 the Paleofuture blog pointed to the video below, where Fidler and his team at Knight-Ridder describe an electronic newspaper running on what might as well be an iPad... except that the video was made way back in 1994.

Most futurists are off the mark, or make forecasts for technologies that are so far off in the future, you'll never know if they are right, but the Knight-Ridder team's predictions for the "electronic tablet" were just eerie. Granted, they forecast it for the turn of the century -- and in their version of the future, people still wore collarless denim shirts -- but it's otherwise freakishly accurate.

If you were watching this video in 1994, you were watching 13 minutes of the future. Read on to see the clip. Bonus points to Fidler & co. for the classic PowerBook Duo, Newton and other Apple history in the background.
Read more... 

Tablet Newspaper (1994)


Source: TUAW and paleofuture's Channel (YouTube)

Video: Newspaper Think Tank Predicted iPads In 1994

Check out this amazing video from 1994 predicting tablet information consumption with impressive accuracy below.

It's not often (well, ever) that I consider the possibility someone might be from the future, but maybe Roger Fidler was. In 2007 the Paleofuture blog pointed to the video below, where Fidler and his team at Knight-Ridder describe an electronic newspaper running on what might as well be an iPad... except that the video was made way back in 1994.

Most futurists are off the mark, or make forecasts for technologies that are so far off in the future, you'll never know if they are right, but the Knight-Ridder team's predictions for the "electronic tablet" were just eerie. Granted, they forecast it for the turn of the century -- and in their version of the future, people still wore collarless denim shirts -- but it's otherwise freakishly accurate.

If you were watching this video in 1994, you were watching 13 minutes of the future. Read on to see the clip. Bonus points to Fidler & co. for the classic PowerBook Duo, Newton and other Apple history in the background.
Read more... 

Tablet Newspaper (1994)


Source: TUAW and paleofuture's Channel (YouTube)