Forge Ahead With Technology

Reinventing Education with the Flipped Classroom

darlajonesak — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:16:55 +0000

Every educator should watch this video. It’s about meeting every student where they are–PERSONALIZED and FREE. No longer a dream….

Goodbye, Textbooks?

darlajonesak — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:59:22 +0000

Schools without textbooks? Chapters a la carte? The Open Source movement has certainly been gathering steam, but many educators I know are skeptical of how quickly it can or will or should force an overhaul of the textbook industry. However, it may be coming faster than many think as evidenced by examples such as the physics FlexBook project described in this article published on Converge:
http://www.convergemag.com/story.php?catid=421&storyid=108561

Hopefully, we’ll be seeing many more projects like these in the near future!

And Speaking of Disruptive Innovations…

darlajonesak — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 07:54:28 +0000

The more I read about the potential for compelling educational games and simulations to engage students in entirely new ways, the more excited I become by the possibilities. Can an online game or simulation really provide a worthwhile and relevant experience? Can rigorous academic standards still be demonstrated? Will students learn as much? How does the role of the instructor change?

All of these questions and many more will be hotly contested issues. But research has started to document some positive trends in this field, and some interesting examples are emerging.

Just today, I learned of an online American History gaming experience being created through a partnership between Florida Virtual Schools and 360Ed. Completely aligned to Florida’s standards, Conspiracy Code is billed as “an adventure thriller designed to teach a full course in American history” K-12 teachers are assisting with the content. Check out their demo at 360Ed.

Disruptive Innovations

darlajonesak — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:03:22 +0000

One of the best wake-up calls I’ve had in a long while is the concept of personalized learning as the next disruptive innovation for educational institutions. While this video is long, it is well worth watching. From my favorite blog, Dangerously Irrelevant, here is Dr. Scott McLeod reflecting on Dr. Clayton Christensen’s books entitled The Innovator’s Dilemma and Disrupting Class. This presentation was given at the 2008 K-12 Online Conference.