Monthly Archives: February, 2013
e-Mail to FL Education Commissioner Tony Bennett
Source: Mark Lee’s e-mail, Feb 2013 Hi Commissioner Bennett: Glad that we had a chance to chat at the Florida Education Summit! The Carpe Diem charter school system you referenced looks like a useful tech-intensive blended learning model for the charter school that I am planning. State of Florida Initiative As mentioned during our …
Carpe Diem’s Blended Learning
Source: Deseret News website, Jan 2013 Carpe Diem is perhaps one of the best examples in America of a new teaching phenomenon that could change the face of public education, especially at the K-12 level. It’s called “blended learning,” which combines face-to-face time with teachers with online instruction. Students in online learning environments perform modestly …
Better Science Education
Source: UC Santa Barbara website, Feb 2013 … conventional, teacher-centered methods of teaching science and engineering have been found to be less effective than newer, more interactive and collaborative methods, according to Wieman’s research. The one-way transmission of information from teacher to student has been found lacking when compared to methods that include peer learning, …
FL Pending Legislation: Micro-credits
Source: FL Senate website, Feb 2013 the term “micro-credit” means a fraction of a traditional course credit hour which is earned through activities or experiences that culminate in educational gain comparable to the amount that would be achieved in a traditional classroom setting. Such activities include, but are not limited to, self-directed study, reading, attending …
WSJ: The Entrepreneur’s DNA
Source: WSJ, Feb 2013 On fostering entrepreneurship: The data would say about one-third of our creative capacity is DNA. The other two-thirds is the world we grow up in and work in. So there are things I can do to foster it in children. One of the biggest gifts we can give our children is …
WSJ: Public Policies to Encourage Innovation
Source: WSJ, Feb 2013 2 ON MESSAGE Create an innovative national culture with top public officials sending the message that innovation is vital and failure acceptable. Establish the position of an innovation minister to champion these messages. 3 REWARD RESEARCH Promote scientific research and establish channels for linking it with business. Stimulate people to innovate …
FL Education Summit
Source: Florida Chamber of Commerce, Feb 2013 Click on the image for the agenda
Blended Learning is Better than F2F Instruction
Source: US Department of Education meta-analysis, Sep 2010 Analysts examined 13 online learning practices as potential sources of variation in the effectiveness of online learning compared with face-to-face instruction. Of those variables, the two mentioned above (i.e., the use of a blended rather than a purely online approach and instructor-directed or collaborative rather than independent, self-directed instruction) were the …
5 Lessons from STEM experts
Source: Lisa Nielsen blog, Feb 2013 1) Less common requirements/more specialty paths. As the common core standards come to schools there is a danger of requiring students to demonstrate competency in the same bloated, one-size-fits-all curriculum rather than giving students a choice of areas on which to concentrate. 2) Less school/more real-world opportunities. … If …
Alternate Perspective about Schooling
Source: Lore website, date indeterminate Everyday, millions of innocent children are unwillingly part of a terrible dictatorship. The government takes them away from their families and brings them to cramped, crowded buildings where they are treated as slaves in terrible conditions. For seven hours a day, they are indoctrinated to love their current conditions and …
Be G.R.E.A.T. Academy 