Plugged In | 05.17.13 | (powered by iNACOL)

And finishing the day with news from the neo-liberals…

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PLUGGED IN  05.17.13 powered by iNACOL… Upcoming iNACOL webinars… > 05.17 Webinar: How State Educational Leaders are Advancing Competency Education >  05.21 Webinar: Research in Review - Examining K-12 Online Teachers Educational Practices News… Microsoft donates $1 million to help expand ‘blended learning’ in D.C. schools Washington Post | Washington, DC Microsoft has donated $1 million to help D.C. teachers redesign their classrooms using a “blended learning” approach that combines online learning with face-to-face instruction. Blended learning has drawn both excitement and skepticism as it has exploded in popularity in recent years. Boosters believe that (read) What We Can Learn From A Dinner Controversy In The Desert Forbes A few weeks back, I had the honor to emcee the closing awards dinner at the Education Innovation Summit in Scottsdale.  The evening took a sour note though as the dinner keynote, which Andy Kessler delivered, stunned and offended the majority of the audience by essentially arguing that as digital learning rises (read) Think Swiss Cheese CompetencyWorks I think about design a lot.  Indeed, Fast Company is a monthly read. Design is an empowering, creative process. It can also help us rethink the assumptions holding us back. The way design and the design process is taking hold in education is exciting and sometimes disturbing. It’s exciting that ( read) Digital education – Schools, firms starting to integrate tablet technology into classrooms Associated Press (GA) Time is up for the 13 students in Stephanee Stephens’ eighth-grade Spanish class. For the last few minutes they’ve been conjugating verbs, each typing away on a small tablet when a message pops up on the screen: “Eyes on the Teacher.” Stephens, with tablet in hand, asks for “voluntarios o victimas” to (read) State sets hearing dates for online school proposal Chicago Tribune | Chicago, IL A state commission will hold hearings next month as it determines whether to overrule 18 suburban school districts that rejected a proposal for an online charter school. The hearings – one for each of the 18 districts affected – will take place June 19-21 and June 24 in the western suburbs. The proposed (read) Governor signs bill to tighten enrollment requirements at privately run online schools Associated Press (TN) Gov. Bill Haslam has signed into law a measure to tighten enrollment requirements at privately run online schools. The administration legislation allows beginning online schools to start with an enrollment of 1,500 and continue to expand as long as they meet performance requirements. If they fail to do so for three (read) Profession(al) Development Getting Smart The teaching profession, in its current state, is unsustainable. It is unsustainable because of the stress related to the challenges and demands of individualized learning and diverse needs among students, the implementation of new standards, the reality of decreasing school budgets, and the lack of time and (read) Cyber Academy of South Carolina (CASC) Opens Statewide Enrollment for Students Entering Grades K Through 9 Press Release Cyber Academy of South Carolina (CASC), a new full-time, tuition-free online public school option, announced that they are now enrolling students entering grades K through 9 for the 2013-2014 school year, with plans to add an additional three grade levels over the next three years. The Cyber Academy of (read) Time to ride the tsunami Clayton Christensen Institute Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion on HuffPost Live. The topic was massive open online courses (MOOCs), prompted specifically by Amherst College’s most recent decision to decline entering into a partnership with edX. President of Amherst, Carolyn “Biddy” Martin, was on (read) Something missing? Send news items and other information of interest to joglesby@inacol.org… Do you know someone who should be reading Plugged In?  Please share the following link and ask them to subscribe: http://www.inacol.org/news/plugged-in/ - Thank you! Find out more about iNACOL and our mission on: Stay connected:

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Pam Moran, Mobile Learning, Data & Learning, Webinar Management, Horizon Report, Dropout Prevention, School Communities, AFEE/Macarthur/NWP

From yesterday’s inbox…

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This week’s update on the U.S. Department of Education’s Connected Educators initiative:

Connected Educator Profile: Dr. Pam Moran
We inaugurate our new Connected Educator profile series with an interview of Dr. Pam Moran, superintendent of Albemarle County (VA) Schools.  Dr. Moran shares how she became a connected educator, how she fits connectivity into her day, what she sees on the road ahead, and more…

http://bit.ly/pam_moran

Grunwald, Learning First, AT&T: Mobile Learning
Grunwald Associates LLC, the Learning First Alliance, and AT&T have released a new study on kids and mobile learning (scroll down within the link to see/get free report and infographic), based on a nationally representative online survey of more than 2,000 parents of kids ages 3-18.  Topics covered include devices used, mobile use in schools, attitudes towards mobile learning, what devices are being used for, and more…

http://bit.ly/ga_mobile_learn   (report is just below the fold)

SETDA, US Dept of ED: New Report on Data and Learning
On Monday, May 21, 10:00-11:30 AM, the State Education Technology Directors Association will be releasing a new report, Transforming Data to Information in Service of Learning, with a blended press conference at the National Press Club.  You can reserve a seat at the event or register to watch it live.  Confirmed speakers include Douglas Levin, Executive Director of SETDA, and Richard Culatta, Acting Director of the Office of Educational Technology, US Department of Education…

http://bit.ly/datatoinfo_watchlive

CoSN, NMC: Horizon Report 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 1-2 PM ET.  The Consortium for School Networking and the New Media Consortium Group will be unveiling the 2013 K-12 Horizon Report, detailing the six emerging technologies they’ve determined will have the biggest impact on K-12 education in the next three years, in an online event featuring NMC CEO Dr. Larry Johnson.  More information and registration at the link below (registration is free for CoSN institutional and corporate members)…

http://bit.ly/2013_horizon

edWeb, ETLO: Webinar Management
Tuesday, May 21, 3-4 PM ET. edWeb and EdTech Leaders Online get meta–in a good way–for a “webinar on webinars,” sharing tips and advice for webinar planning and management. Registration below…

http://bit.ly/webinar_mgmt

US Dept of Ed, AIR: Dropout Recovery–Getting Creative
Thursday, June 6, 12-1 PM ET.  The US Department of Education and the American Institutes of Research announce the first public event offered by the members of the Dropout Prevention and Recovery online community of practice, a webinar featuring three teams sharing their experiences implementing creative and innovative ways to find and re-engage the toughest to reach students who have dropped out of school…

http://bit.ly/dropout_creative

Future of Education: Engaging School Communities
Wednesday, May 22, 2 PM ET. Steve Hargadon’s Future of Education series continues with a discussion of how school communities that include teachers, parents, and students can help raise the achievement levels of low-performing schools, featuring Ernie Turner, President of Leadership in International Management, and communications consultant Simona David.  You can learn more about this event, and others upcoming, via the Future of Education home page…

http://bit.ly/future_ofed (scroll down for calendar)

Alliance for Excellent Education, MacArthur, NWP: Connected Learning
Wednesday, May 29, 2-3 PM ET.  Join Dr. Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, Director of National Programs for the National Writing Project, Dr. Mimi Ito, Chair of Digital Media and Learning at the MacArthur Foundation, Martens Roc, Policy & Advocacy Associate for the Alliance for Excellent Education, Katie Salen, Executive Director of the Institute of Play, and Dr. Craig Watkins of the University of Texas, for a wide-ranging “Dive Into Connected Learning.” Sign up below…

http://bit.ly/afee_connectedlearning

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The Connected Educators initiative is funded by the U.S. Department of Education under contract (ED-PEP-10-C-0059) with the American Institutes for Research in partnership with five organizations, including the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), Forum One Communications, the Friday Institute for Education Innovation, Grunwald Associates LLC, and the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA).

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Fee Schedule Updates FY14/QM Awards Nominations

From Thursday’s inbox…

Hi, just a reminder that you’re receiving this email because you have expressed an interest in Quality Matters. Don’t forget to add info@qualitymatters.org to your address book so we’ll be sure to land in your inbox!

In This Issue FY14 Update Get Recognized: QM Award Nominations Close May 31 Register Now for the 5th Annual Conference 2013 Key Dates K-12 Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) June 4 July 9 August 6 K-12 Reviewer Course June 5 July 10 August 7 Visit the K-12 Program Web site.   QM Features Teaching Online Workshop   Explore the basic components of online course delivery with your colleagues in Teaching Online, an interactive, small-sized, workshop with concrete takeaways. The workshop is $200 for subscribers and $300 for non-subscribers. Register: May 23 June 6 July 11 July 25 Learn More Connect with QM Fee Updates for FY14 In July, we are implementing a fee change for the Higher Education Peer Review Course and for some QM course reviews. In an effort to increase efficiencies for subscribers, we are offering new payment options for the independently delivered APPQMR workshops. For FY14, we are freezing subscription fees as well as fees for most of our services at FY 2012-2013 levels. QM will begin implementing new subscription benefit models and contracts in FY14 as subscriptions come up for renewal; however, the subscription fees will remain the same for existing subscribers at their current benefits level. If your organization has individuals interested in becoming QM peer reviewers or is planning its QM implementation budget, now is the time to register or pre-pay for this course. Under this license, QM has provided course review oversight, the QM certification mark and registration at no additional charge. These costs will not increase in FY14 for those already subscribing at this level. As of July 1, 2013, QM will apply an administrative fee of $100 per subscriber-managed course review for any new subscriber or those subscribers adding these licenses to their basic subscriptions. Fee Schedule Update for FY14The subscriber fee schedule for FY14 runs from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014. FY14 changes are described below. Please note that the cost of a basic subscription in FY14 will remain the same as in FY12. A QM subscription includes access to the QM Rubric, the course review management system (CRMS), personalized data portals and customizable institutional activity reports. The subscription also includes discounts for professional development workshops and courses, course reviews and QM conferences and events. QM will begin implementing new subscription benefit models and contracts in FY14 as subscriptions come up for renewal; however, the subscription fees will remain the same for existing subscribers and their current benefits level. Higher Education Peer Review Course (PRC) Fee Changes    The Higher Education Peer Reviewer Course is $150 for subscribers and $300 for non-subscribers. This pricing is in effect until June 30, 2013. Beginning July 1, 2013, the Higher Education PRC will increase to $200 for subscribers and $350 for non-subscribers. There are still several weeks in which to register for the course at the current fee. If your organization has individuals interested in becoming QM peer reviewers or is an institution planning their QM implementation budget, now is the time to register or pre-pay for this course. Independent APPQMR Online Pre-Payment Option    QM now offers a pre-payment option for technology fees associated with independently delivered APPQMR workshops. The $25.00 technology fee will remain the same. No further discounts will be applied. Pre-payments alleviate stress on purchasing departments that can come from paying out small invoices over the year. We understand this can be problematic. Institutions paying their fees with their subscriptions may find this option more convenient. Pre-payment levels include: $1000= 40 x $25 $1250= 50 x $25 $2500= 100 x $25 $5000= 200 x $25 The same standard applies for groups of more than 200 participants. Those declining to pre-pay for seats will continue to be invoiced at $25.00 per enrollment at the conclusion of the session. If you are a subscriber with license to deliver the APPQMR workshop to your faculty and staff, this new option begins July 1, 2013. QM Course Reviews Subscriber-Managed Course Reviews Higher education subscription packages that provide licenses to conduct the APPQMR workshop and subscriber-managed course reviews are currently $3300 ($1650 for the licenses and the basic subscription fee of $1650.) Under this license, QM has provided oversight, the QM certification mark and registration at no additional charge. These costs will not increase in FY14 for those already subscribing at this level. As of July 1, 2013, QM will apply an administrative fee of $100 for any new subscriber or those subscribers adding these licenses to their basic subscriptions. Beginning in FY15, this fee will be applied to all subscriber-managed course reviews for current and new subscribers. K-12 Course Reviews K-12 course reviews are currently at our introductory rates of $750 for subscribers and $1000 for non-subscribers. Beginning July 1, 2013, K-12 course reviews will be $1000 for subscribers and $1400 for non-subscribers. If your organization wishes to conduct course reviews at the FY13 rate, now is the time to submit your course for review. Read more. Publisher Course Reviews for Higher Education and K-12 Publisher course reviews are now available as full reviews, template reviews and content reviews. The subscriber fee for full reviews, currently $1000, will increase to $1200 on July 1, 2013. This increase will allow QM to increase the reviewer stipends for these longer reviews. If you wish to conduct course reviews at the FY13 rate, now is the time to submit your course for review. Read more. Subscriber Rates Full: $1200 Template: $2000 Content: $1000 Non-Subscriber Rates Full: $1600 Template: $ 2800 Content: $1400   Get Recognized: QM Award Nominations Close May 31 2012 QM Award Winner Indiana Wesleyan University (from left) Cathy Church, Amanda Fletcher, Kim Mierau, QM’s Brenda Boyd  The “Making a Difference for Students” awards - given each year to people or institutions working hard to promote and improve the quality of online education - recognize those whose work aligns with QM’s mission to improve quality assurance in online education. See the 2012 award winners. The nomination submission deadline is Friday, May 31, just three weeks away! Submit a nomination. Registration Open For 5th Annual Conference Registration for the 5th Annual Conference on Quality Assurance in Online Learning is open! This year’s conference theme is ”Celebrating 10 Years of Making Quality Matter – Taking Stock and Looking Ahead.” Join the QM community October 1-4 at the Sheraton Music City in Nashville, Tennessee. We look forward to seeing you there!    Questions? E-mail Quality Matters

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iNACOL Webinar 5/17: How State Education Leaders Are Advancing Competency Education

Note this neo-liberal webinar later today…

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CompetencyWorks and iNACOL Webinar Explores How State Education Leaders Are Advancing Competency Education The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) and CompetencyWorks will present a webinar on innovative state education leaders advancing competency education policy and practice on Friday, May 17, 2013 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET. Leading the discussion will be Susan Patrick, President and CEO of iNACOL; Jason Glass, Director of the Iowa Department of Education; and Don Siviski, Superintendent of Instruction for the Maine Department of Education. iNACOL President Susan Patrick said, “More and more states are advancing a transformed education system based not on time, but on mastery, to ensure students are prepared for today’s demands of high levels of knowledge, skills and competencies to be successful in a global society. Competency-based education ensures students will become proficient each step of the way along their educational journey. Iowa and Maine represent true leaders in this move toward competency-based education programs and are driving a profound change in the way we prepare our children for the goals of college, career and citizenship.” This webinar highlights findings from iNACOL’s new report through the CompetencyWorks initiative, Necessary for Success: A State Policymakers Guide to Competency Education,  and will allow participants to hear directly from two state education leaders about their experiences and insights in advancing competency education where students advance upon mastery. We’ll hear about the theory of action driving Maine and Iowa’s efforts, how state leaders are building shared vision and creating innovation space. This webinar is free, but please register at http://bit.ly/cworks051713 to receive confirmation details and login information. Speakers: Susan Patrick, President and CEO of iNACOL Jason Glass, Director of the Iowa Department of Education Don Siviski, Superintendent of Instruction for the Maine Department of Education You can find more information about this and other iNACOL webinars HERE. To ensure that you receive login instructions on the morning of the webinar, please add (info@inacol.org) to your safe sender list.   Sincerely,   Rob Darrow, Ed.D. Director of Member Services International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL)

This email was sent to: mkbarbour@gmail.com   This email was sent by: North American Council for Online Learning dba International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) 1934 Old Gallows Road, Suite 350, Vienna, VA, 22182-4040, United States   We respect your right to privacy – view our policy

New Brief Explores 21st Century Skills

From Tuesday’s inbox…

Contact: William J. Mathis, (802) 383-0058, wmathis@sover.net Dan Quinn, (517) 203-2940, dquinn@greatlakescenter.orgNew Brief Explores 21st Century Skills How do we promote a more responsive, integrated model to meet twenty-first century learning requirements? EAST LANSING, Mich. (May 14, 2013) –”Teaching twenty-first-century skills” is a catchy slogan, but its meaning is often interpreted in two different ways. Those appealing to international economic competitiveness typically embrace common cognitive-based curriculums and testing. Those looking toward workforce skills place greater emphasis on softer skills such as problem solving, creativity, and working with others. The eighth in a series of two- and three-page briefs summarizing current relevant findings in education policy research explores the idea of “21st Century skills.” The brief explains the sometimes-conflicting values and proposals for making schools relevant to meeting the needs of the 21st Century. William Mathis, managing director of the National Education Policy Center (NEPC), prepared the brief, Research-Based Options for Education Policymaking – Twenty-first-Century Skills and Implications for Education. Previous sections of Research-Based Options have included: teacher evaluations, common core standards, early childhood education, choice funding, dropout strategies, effective school expenditures, and parental involvement for ELL. To summarize the complicated debate over these skills, Dr. Mathis had this to say, “In broad brush strokes, the debate about twenty-first century skills is represented by these two perspectives; soft skills with constructivist learning versus test-based, set-piece, top-down cognate.” However, he cautions, “In reality, few would embrace such a stark contrast.” Seeking to bridge the gap, Mathis reviews current research over “multiple pathways” or “linked learning,” which seeks to blend the two perspectives. Linked learning is an approach that combines academic and technical learning, providing context for real-life situations. Regarding linked learning, Mathis had this to say, “Rather than the traditional one-size-fits-all, classroom-based approach to education, a rich variety of options are open to students, including higher education, workforce internships, career academies, magnet schools, small learning groups and technical careers.” Mathis makes several recommendations for policymakers seeking to promote a more integrated model emphasizing “21st Century skills.” Here are a few: Accountability systems must allow for the demonstration of student proficiencies through a broad array of assessment methods (beyond test-bases systems tied to a system of test-based sanctions). Work-based learning opportunities must be defined and adopted as legitimate parts of the school curriculum. Cooperation between secondary and higher education must be expanded. Greater flexibility in school schedules, day and year. The recommendations also explain the importance of investing time, energy, and resources needed to expand the skills of teachers who would be teaching in a linked learning setting. Find the brief on the Great Lakes Center website: http://greatlakescenter.org/research_based_options.php Twenty-first-Century Skills is part of Research-Based Options for Education Policymaking, a multipart brief that takes up a number of important policy issues and identifies policies supported by research. Each section focuses on a different issue, and its recommendations to policymakers are based on the latest scholarship. The National Education Policy Center (NEPC) produced this brief with funding from the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice. This brief is also found on the NEPC website: http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/options - ### -

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