Aug 082011
 

Digital Classroom – Drivers

Digital Classroom: Posted in Linkedin, Ed Tech Start Ups, 08/08/11 

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Three drivers of the digital classroom intrinsicstrategy.com

Digital K-12 education is finally coming into its own. This simple statement may evoke disbelieving cries of “What – again?” Those of us who have been around the Lego block a few times recall similar statements during the boom-bust cycles of p

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  Thomas S. McDonald• An interesting article on the digital classroom, thanks for sharing it.

If our common goal is advanced individual learning, leading to individual retention and appropriate individual application (higher graduation rates, decreased drop out costs, and better prepared students)

I see the three digital classroom leaders being the following:

(1) Personal Learning Environments
(2) Adaptive Instruction (included in 1, above)
(3) Teacher Facilitated,  Blended Learning, (using 1 and 2 above)

Most of the other digital applications are supporting or delivery vehicles for the above.

It makes little sense to me to take a digital application, that is not yet proven, and try to make it fit because it’s the least uncomfortable option.

We’re far past the point of throwing money at unproven methods, hoping for the best.
(Do we want to hear after a year of use ‘that the technology has had little or no impact on learning, but we’re still optimistic’ –  Seriously?  Still optimistic after a full year of use? Are our individual learning expectations really that low?)

We need to invest in research proven, student proven, learning technologies, that advance individual learning that provide adaptive instruction.

Follow the proven research. Follow the student proven technology. Deliver this proven learning technology, if you have the budget, with new and exciting delivery systems.

If the methodology of instruction is ineffective (one-to-many), revise it with a teacher facilitated, personalized approach (one-to-one) – an approach that is known to  work.

We are far past the trial and error approaches, due to learning urgencies as well as budget constraints.

We need to stop jamming a square peg into a round hole, hoping in the end that it will be the perfect match and access teacher driven technology that is research proven and student proven.

We can no longer afford to invest in ‘learning approaches’ that will not add immediate value to our learning goals

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