Competency-Based Education
10 Trends in K-12 Online Learning
Online learning is growing rapidly in K-12 and powering an even larger movement to blended learning. This list of the 10 top trends in K-12 online learning is headlined by rapid school district adoption of online learning strategies and ends with their opposition to the growth of virtual charter schools.
Time to Modernize Education, Some States Leading the Way
“High-quality digital learning has the power to customize learning for each student’s unique needs, ensuring an education that is challenging, engaging, and relevant,” said Jeb Bush, former Florida governor and chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd).
EdTech 10: Popes, Particles & Personalized Learning
This week’s global headlines included the appointment of new Pope (with #newpope knocking #sxsw from the top spot in trending tweets) and the confirmation of the Higgs Boson “God particle” (a pretty cool return on the $9B investment in the Large Hadron Collider). Were you too busy with…
EdTech 10: In Like A Lion
You know what they say – March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb. While you’re waiting for that transition in your corner of the world, take a break from your basketball brackets and annual hunt for all the green things in your wardrobe to dive…
New iNACOL Report: State Policymakers Guide to K-12 Competency Education
Today iNACOL released Necessary for Success: Building Mastery of World-Class Skills – A State Policymakers Guide to Competency Education co-authored by Susan Patrick and Chris Sturgis. The paper focuses on key changes policymakers can take to remove barriers and create student-centered learning environments that allow for competency education.
New CompetencyWorks Paper: Reengineering IT for Competency Education
CompetencyWorks releasing a briefing paper on IT for for competency-based environments, Re-Engineering Information Technology: Design Considerations for Competency Education.
Assessment All the Time? Why Not?
When talking with people who are not educators, I often think of Fannee Doollee, a character from the Zoom television series, which ran on PBS in the late seventies, who has a fascination with double letters. Fannee Doollee loves one thing but hates something very similar. For example, she loves swEEts but hates candy (notice the double EE in sweets). Similarly, in my conversation with parents and community leaders, I am always amazed at how they can advocate for one thing while mocking a possible solution.
Is Competency Based Learning the Future of Education?
French President, François Hollande, is short and spectacled. Oh, and he wants to abolish homework. Whatever his arguments (youths from poorer backgrounds are at a disadvantage to their more affluent peers, etc), children across the country must be dancing at their desks.
12 Must Read Papers of 2012
The 12 papers I most frequently cite (or plan to cite over the next few months) cover blended learning, online learning, competency-based learning, and edtech. They come from our friends at SETDA, iNACOL, Digital Learning Now, and the Department of Education.
New Paper on Student Supports in Competency-Based Environments
In December 2012, CompetencyWorks released The Learning Edge: Supporting Student Success in a Competency-Based Learning Environment. The paper delves into the fourth element of the definition: Students receive timely, differentiated support based on their individual learning needs.