ICYMI: Funding Students, Options, and Achievement

News from the neo-liberals at the end of the day…

Dear Friends,It has been an exciting few months at Digital Learning Now! The 2012 Digital Learning Report Card is published and can be accessed through this interactive map. Every state has a three-page profile showing their progress and identifying opportunities for reform. We also summarized the 152 digital learning bills that were signed into law last year. The entire report is downloadable here. In January, Governor Jeb Bush discussed on CNN’s “Schools of Thought” blog how digital learning is offering students more options. He used another op-ed to argue that we can’t use a 19th-century education model to teach 21st-century children. It is evident that a one-size-fits-all education system doesn’t fit today’s generation of students. In February, I explored how various technology trends are changing education in a testimony before Congress. I also called on the federal government to remove regulatory barriers to new innovations like online and blended learning, as well as modernizing the E-rate program to better support next generation models of learning. Digital Learning Now! and Getting Smart released several new whitepapers as part of the DLN Smart Series including: Funding Students, Options, and Achievement, which was developed with Marguerite Roza serving as a technical advisor. Blended Learning Implementation Guide, with co-author Scott Ellis of the Learning Accelerator. The Shift from Cohorts to Competency, with co-author Chris Sturgis of MetisNet. We are also pleased to announce that we will begin publishing in our blog weekly summaries of the latest digital learning legislation being considered in state legislatures. This year is off to a great start, and we look forward to a continued dialogue on how to best serve our students through digital learning. Sincerely, John Bailey Executive Director Digital Learning Now! * * * * * Digital Learning Now! is a national campaign under the Foundation for Excellence in Education with the goal of advancing state policies that will create a high-quality digital learning environment to better equip all students with the knowledge and skills to succeed in this 21st-century economy. The policy framework stems from the belief that access to high-quality, customized learning experiences should be available to all students, unbounded by geography or artificial policy constraints.Getting Smart™ is an advocacy firm passionate about innovations in learning. We help education organizations construct cohesive and forward-thinking strategies for branding, awareness, advancement and communication, and public and media relations. We are advocates for better K-12 education as well as early, post-secondary and informal learning opportunities for all students. We attempt to accelerate and improve the shift to digital learning. On GettingSmart.com we cover important events, trends, products, books, and reports.  # # #

P.O. Box 10691 Tallahassee, FL 32302-2691 T: 850-391-4090 E: info@exelined.org Copyright © 2013 Foundation for Excellence in Education

Interactive Video Profile Released: Quakertown Community School District

Some news from the neo-liberals on Friday…

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Just Released: Quakertown Community School District Interactive Video ProfileLocated about forty-five miles north of Philadelphia, PA, Quakertown Community School District (QCSD) has seen tremendous improvement in student achievement and engagement from implementation of a blended learning approach that combines online learning with traditional classroom instruction, finds a new interactive video profile conducted by the Alliance for Excellent Education and Public Impact. “Quakertown Community School District: A Systematic Approach to Blended Learning That Focuses on District Leadership, Staffing, and Cost-effectiveness,” is the first in a series of interactive video profiles highlighting innovative school districts that utilize digital learning to improve teaching and learning. Read (and watch/listen to) the interactive video profile.

Educators, Parents, Students Urged to Sign White House Petition Calling for Investment in School Broadband Connectivity

Only 13 percent of schools have the broadband access needed to give students the same online access that most Americans have at home, work, or even in a coffee shop. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) initiated an online petition urging the Obama administration to take action to invest in school broadband connectivity to ensure all students graduate equipped for success. If the petition reaches 100,000 signatures by May 1, 2013, the White House will respond. Sign the petition.

Awesome Videos from Digital Learning Day 2013

Black Hawk Elementary School (Rapid City Area School District, SD)

This video answers the question, “What does digital learning look like?” It was filmed collaboratively with third-grade teacher Denise McCormick and her students as they worked on a project with librarian Jack Batchelder.

AUSL Wendell Phillips Academy High School (Chicago, IL)

This video shows AUSL Wendell Phillips Academy High School students use digital media, not just in math and science, but also in sports and other areas, including utilizing the CTA Transit tracker so that students can get to school on time. The video was shot by student members of the Phillips’ “Behind the Paws” crew.

See what educators are talking about in these digital learning blog posts. The following blog post comes from Jeremy Macdonald, the new integrated technology systems coordinator Bend–La Pine Schools in Oregon. He says, “It’s not always bigger and better.” Here’s a snippet:

As of this Monday, April 15, I will be the new Integrated Technology Systems Coordinator for Bend-La Pine Schools in Bend, OR. It’s a new job for me and a big move for my family. It’s been bittersweet. As time has passed getting ready at home and at school, I have reflected on my experience here in Klamath, the last seven years, and what it will mean to leave my school.

Part of this reflection included me taking and sharing a series of pictures, of memories. In response to one of these pictures, a friend of mine on Facebook asked, “Off to bigger and better things?” While innocent, the comment caught me off guard. I had to ask myself, “Am I moving on to bigger and better things?”

The school district is a lot bigger. The town is a lot bigger. I’m working with all 24 schools, so I guess that’s bigger. But does that mean it’s better? I started at Mills Elementary School seven years ago. I was a total newbie. Heck, I even had braces at the time. A lot has happened since. A lot of students have come through my classroom doors. A lot of learning has happened and re-happened in my classroom. Everything that has happened here has set a precedent for me on which I will base many of my future experiences. So struggle to say if anything after this will be better. In education, I like to look at things, at students, and classes, at school years as merely different. Each one providing me with a new challenge or unique experience. Each one as special as the next. I think I would have to rank them in order to find one that is better or even the best. And I just cannot do that, at least not now. Read the entire blog post.

Would you like to be a guest blogger? If so, contact Rachel Jones.

Digital Learning Day 2013 was a huge success! Although it is only a one-day celebration, the Alliance believes digital learning should occur every day for every student and encourages your district, schools, teachers, parents, students, colleagues, and friends to try something new and engage in the power of digital learning. Here are some ideas of what you can do:

• Try a new lesson in English language arts, science, math, or social studies—from Digital DNA to media propaganda.
• Explore the digital learning toolkits with resources and ideas for teachers in specific subject areas.
• Learn more about exemplary model schools highlighted on Digital Learning Day.
• Encourage your district to sign up for Project 24 today so that your district’s planning efforts include digital learning.

Technology in Education: Before You Make a Purchase, Make a Plan (April 16, 2013, Huffington Post blog)

“Classroom technology can pay off in higher student achievement, but simply purchasing the devices is not enough to create change,” writes Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. In this blog post, he writes about Project 24, an initiative launched by the Alliance to help school districts think strategically about how to integrate technology into instruction to ensure student learning is more engaged, rigorous, and relevant.

HISD Technology Officer: District Wants Graduates to Be “Good Digital Citizens” (April 15, 2013, Houston Public Radio)

The Houston Independent School District in Texas plans to spend about $10 million to purchase laptops for every high-school student and another $100 million to upgrade the district’s infrastructure to support the new technology. Officials say the goal is not merely to teach students core subjects using the technology but also to teach students to use technology responsibly.

Report: District Use of Social Networks up 44 Percent over 2 Years (April 17, 2013, THE Journal)

The number of school districts represented on at least one social network in the past two years has risen 44 percent, to 74 percent of districts surveyed, according to a survey by the Center for Digital Education and the National School Boards Association. The survey also found that 94 percent of districts surveyed permit teachers to use Web 2.0 tools—up from 82 percent two years ago—and just 9 percent of respondents said their districts do not have bring-your-own-device programs.

For More Information, visit our website at digitallearningday.org or our social media sites              ©Copyright 2012. Alliance for Excellent Education
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Enroll in the FREE MOOC-Ed Digital Learning Transition Course

This showed up in my inbox on Thursday…

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Enroll in the FREE MOOC-Ed CourseThe Alliance for Excellent Education and Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University invite you to enroll in a first-of-its-kind Massive Online Open Course for Educators (MOOC-Ed). Titled “Digital Learning Transition,” this free course will examine how the effective use of digital learning can help school districts meet educational challenges, including implementing college- and career-ready standards for all students and preparing teachers to make effective use of technology to enhance teaching and learning.

Beginning Monday, April 8, each of the course’s seven weekly sessions will include core resources and supplemental materials around a specific topic, while also allowing for personalization and flexibility. The course—a component of the Alliance’s “Project 24” initiative and the first of a series of MOOC-Eds planned by the Friday Institute—will help school district leaders develop a set of digital learning goals to address their students’ specific needs. Participating educators will learn how technology and the global information age impact both what students need to know and how and when student learning can take place. They will study the elements necessary for a successful digital learning transition, develop a set of goals for digital learning aligned to desired student outcomes, and create an action plan to meet these goals. Sign up today!

Calling All District and School Leaders: Join Project 24!

As part of its Digital Learning Day celebration, the Alliance announced “Project 24,” a ground-breaking new initiative to help school districts plan for and effectively use technology and digital learning. Already, nearly 1,500 individuals are signed up to take the MOOC-Ed and more than 1,000 individuals from districts large and small, across forty-seven states and the District of Columbia, are utilizing the Project 24 tools and resources. Encourage your district to sign up for Project 24 today!

See what educators are talking about in these digital learning blog posts. The following blog post comes from Michael J. Martirano, superintendent of St. Mary’s County Public Schools in Leonardtown, Maryland. Dr. Martirano discusses globalized era skills for students. Here’s a snippet:

In most states in America, great reform efforts are underway to adopt and implement Common Core State Standards in both English/Language Arts and Mathematics. These national educational standards establish, at the basic level, a set of shared goals and expectations for what students should understand and be able to do in grades K-12 in order to be prepared for success in college and the workforce.

In theory, the common standards are expected to help ensure that students are receiving an equally rigorous, high quality education consistent from school to school and from state to state. This expectation has created a firestorm of work around writing local curriculum and retraining the teaching workforce through targeted and intentional professional development. All and all, this reform is a noble and valiant attempt to increase rigor and better prepare students for the world of work in a globalized era. Read the entire blog post.

Would you like to be a guest blogger? If so, contact Rachel Jones.

Digital Learning Day 2013 was a huge success! Although it is only a one-day celebration, the Alliance believes digital learning should occur every day for every student and encourages your district, schools, teachers, parents, students, colleagues, and friends to try something new and engage in the power of digital learning. Here are some ideas of what you can do:

• Enroll in the FREE MOOC-Ed course that begins April 8, 2013.
• Try a new lesson in English language arts, science, math, or social studies—from Digital DNA to media propaganda.
• Explore the digital learning toolkits with resources and ideas for teachers in specific subject areas.
• Learn more about exemplary model schools highlighted on Digital Learning Day.
• Encourage your district to sign up for Project 24 today so that your district’s planning efforts include digital learning.

“Michigan District Prepares Students for Tech-Driven World” Observer and Eccentric newspapers (Livonia, MI)

Michigan’s Plymouth-Canton Community Schools district is using a recently approved $114.4 million bond, in part, to invest in the school technology necessary to implement online testing requirements being implemented in the 2014–15 school year. Among other things, the district will purchase digital devices for all students and make improvements to district labs for science, technology, engineering and math to prepare students for technology-driven jobs of the twenty-first century. “This is the way of the future, it’s the nature of the global world,” said John Barrett, school board president.

More Youth Use Smartphones as Route to Web Education Week

Keep computers in a common area so you can monitor what your kids are doing. It’s a longstanding directive for online safety—but one that’s quickly becoming moot as more young people have mobile devices, often with Internet access. A new report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that 78 percent of young people, ages 12 to 17, now have cellphones. Nearly half of those are smartphones, a share that’s increasing steadily—and that’s having a big effect on how, and where, many young people are accessing the Web. The survey, released Wednesday, finds that one in four young people say they are “cell-mostly” internet users, a percentage that increases to about half when the phone is a smartphone. In comparison, just 15 percent of adults said they access the internet mostly by cellphone.

For More Information, visit our website at digitallearningday.org or our social media sites              ©Copyright 2012. Alliance for Excellent Education
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Getting Digital on Digital Learning Day!

News from some neo-liberals…

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Getting Digital on Digital Learning Day!
Signifying the growing importance and demand for digital learning strategies in the classroom, nearly 26,000 teachers, millions of students, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Todd Park, and U.S. Representative George Miller (D-CA) joined the Alliance for Excellent Education on February 6 for the second annual Digital Learning Day, a national campaign that promotes digital learning and spotlights successful instructional technology practice in K–12 public school classrooms across the country.If you missed any part of the Digital Learning Day celebration, you can find archived materials below.

Digital Learning Day Video Archives:

• Instructional Strategies for Digital Learning Morning Session
• Interactive Lesson Plans That You Can Use Anytime
• Video from the Digital Town Hall
• Gov. Wise’s big announcement about “Project 24”

Digital Learning Day Chat Archives:

• Morning Chat: Focus on Instruction, Lesson Plans, and Innovative Strategies and Tools
• Special Edition Chat: Rock Stars on Education Policy, Practice, and Media
• Afternoon Chat: Project 24: A Focus on the Digital Learning Transition

State and Local Events and Celebrations on Digital Learning Day!
Digital Learning Day is proud to announce that all fifty states and the District of Columbia participated in Digital Learning Day by hosting an event or celebration. Check out some of the statewide celebrations on the State Events web page.

Having had more than 26,000 educators sign up to participate, it’s hard to share the all of their creative ideas, but click here to see how others celebrated Digital Learning Day.

Calling all District and School Leaders: Join Project 24!
As part of its celebration, the Alliance announced “Project 24,” a ground-breaking new initiative to help school districts plan for and effectively use technology and digital learning. Already, more than 400 school districts, representing approximately 2.5 million students across forty-two states and the District of Columbia, have signed up for Project 24. Encourage your district to sign up for Project 24 today!

Thank you to EVERYONE for making
Digital Learning Day 2013 a tremendous success!

See what educators are talking about in these digital learning blog posts. This week, Robyn Young, the school librarian at Avon High School and the Avon Advanced Learning Center in Avon, Indiana, blogs about digital overload. Here’s a snippet:

My daughter said something interesting that really got me thinking about our connection with technology. She is an 18-year-old freshman in college and she said that she doesn’t feel as smart as she used to feel. She is having a really hard time keeping her focus when she is working on assignments or studying and doesn’t really know why that is happening.

After having watched her study when she came home last weekend, I definitely know the problem. She is constantly connected to her phone or laptop. She regularly checks (and by regular, I mean every couple of minutes) Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, and sometimes even old-fashioned Facebook, mostly because that is where her mom and her mom’s friends often post. She also listens to music on her phone through YouTube, so she has to change songs every three minutes. While she is still as smart as ever, this situation has led to an atmosphere that is not conducive to learning. Read more.

Would you like to be a guest blogger? If so, contact Rachel Jones.

Digital Learning Day 2013 was a huge success! Although it is only a one-day celebration, we believe that digital learning should occur every day for every student! We encourage your district, schools, teachers, parents, students, colleagues, and friends to try something new and engage in the power of digital learning. Here are some ideas of what you can do:

• Try a new lesson in English language arts, science, math, or social studies—from Digital DNA to media propaganda.
• Explore our digital learning toolkits with resources and ideas for teachers in specific subject areas.
• Learn more about our exemplary model schools highlighted on Digital Learning Day.
• Encourage your district to sign up for Project 24 today so that your district’s planning efforts include digital learning!

George Miller Marks Digital Learning Day with New EdTech Bill
When it comes to education, the role and effects of technology has been a tough nut to crack. As tomorrow’s Digital Learning Day approaches, education groups and officials are offering up their recommendations. Congress is marking the event with a bill.

What Might a Redesigned High School Look Like? The Quick and the Ed
President Obama, in last night’s State of the Union address, announced a new competitive grant program to award schools that “better equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech economy.” A key way to do so is by developing partnerships with local community colleges and employers. Learn more about what else can shake up a traditional high school, including blended learning, competency-based education, and pathways.

For More Information, visit our website at digitallearningday.org
or our social media sites             

©Copyright 2012. Alliance for Excellent Education

Digital Learning Day 2013 – In A Nutshell

In my head I had planned to use today, Digital Learning Day, as an opportunity to once again write about how K-12 online and blended learning in the United States has been captured by the neo-liberal educational reform movement and used as a way to introduce bottomline thinking and free market principles to our education system that have been proven time and again to be ineffective in having any positive change.  But instead my inner sense of creativity took over (the little that I do possess), and I decided to create an image that – like many of the initiatives supported by these neo-liberal – was designed to dumb down the issue to its lowest common denominators.  Enjoy…