Vander Ark on Innovation
This blog was written by Tom Vander Ark (@tvanderark), an education advocate, adviser, and author of Getting Smart: How Personal Digital Learning is Changing the World. Tom is Founder and Executive Editor of Getting Smart and a partner in Learn Capital. This blog is no longer being updated.
Classroom Technology
Opinion
Ed-Tech Implementation Without Supports Cannot Stand
Successful implementation should start with a vision and a core focus that is aligned to a strategic plan with the ultimate goal of impacting student success. This involves bringing key stakeholders to the table who serve in vital roles to all areas of implementations, ensuring the blending of support.
Education
Opinion
How Smart Cities Develop Teachers and Leaders
How smart cities and a regional approach to talent development can share the load and create an ecosystem that continues to improve. And, how a blended and job-embedded approach to talent development creates the opportunity for personalized learning and ensures highly relevant support for real challenges.
Student Achievement
Opinion
New Open Content Partnership Will Save Schools Money, Boost Personalization
K-12 OER Collaborative, led by a group of eleven states and a group of nonprofit partners organized by The Learning Accelerator (TLA), announced their intent to sponsor development of comprehensive, high-quality, standards-aligned with K-12 mathematics and English language arts content.
Education
Opinion
Ten Ed-Tech Impact Opportunities
There's never been a better time to make a difference. Trends in learning, opportunities in different categories and new pathways in the shift from web to mobile are providing opportunities to create impact.
Classroom Technology
Opinion
Twenty-Five Districts Worth Visiting
Twenty-five districts that are changing the trajectory by working on blended, personalized and competency-based learning. They are big and small, from urban and rural, east and west-representative of the American education challenge.
Personalized Learning
Opinion
Rand Study Says Personalized Learning Boosts Academic Gains
A Gates Foundation funded report indicated that public charter school students are making greater gains in math and reading than similar students at comparable schools. Studied schools are also adopting similar practices such as personal learning paths, competency-based progression and flexible learning environments.
Classroom Technology
Opinion
Elevating and Empowering World Language Teachers
A Getting Smart paper produced in partnership with Rosetta Stone, explores the potential of world language educators to lead the shift to school and district-wide blended, competency-based, deeper learning models. A follow-up to "The Next Generation of World Language Learning."
School & District Management
Opinion
Next-Gen Schools That Are Leading the Way
A new Getting Smart paper tells the stories of schools across the country that are dedicated to creating a next-gen learning environment that sets high expectations for college readiness, personalizes learning for all students, and is optimized for scale.
Education
Opinion
An Equal Opportunity to Participate in the Future
One hundred education CEOs, convened by GSV's Michael Moe and Deborah Quazzo, gather to discuss how ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to participate in the future.
Student Achievement
Opinion
Twelve Reasons Every District Should Open a Flex School
Using a flex model, every community can afford to have a great high school. Here are 12 specific benefits of flex models that every district should consider.
Classroom Technology
Opinion
On Promoting Efficacy: A Conversation with John Tweeddale
A discussion with Boston-based John Tweeddale, the senior vice president of efficacy and quality at Pearson. Learn about the company's customer-facing K-12 and higher education work in North America and how his team defines measurable outcomes for customers.
Education
Opinion
Preparing Principals: Best Practices and Next Steps
It's important to help prepare principals for their roles by identifying effective best practices for the development of new leaders.
Teaching
Opinion
Next-Gen Principal Prep: Blended, Personalized, Competency-based
The current system of preparing U.S. schools and system leaders is broken. What do principals need to know and be able to do for the leadership challenges they'll face?
Families & the Community
Opinion
How Designers Can Enable and Empower Our Schools
Guest blog from My School Information Design Challenge judges Duncan Swain, Sandy Speicher and Leslie Ziegler highlighting how design can enable and empower schools.