How to bring "digital" into K-12
Boards and superintendents, legislators and governors are about to feel the big push for "Digital Learning Now".
This will appeal. 'Digital' carries the potential to improve learning; personalizing work so that students who need more time get more time and so that those who can move faster do move faster. It carries the potential also to help deal with the economic unsustainability of the current concept of school -- in which the only worker is the teacher.
But . . .
Going digital will be a challenge. Personalization implies radical changes in teaching and in learning. Bringing 'digital' into mainstream school will disrupt the traditional model of course-and-class with its technology of teacher-instruction.
How can districts, policymakers, carry out so radical a change . . .
A change to what you see in the report cover photo?
This latest strategy paper from Education|Evolving says: by getting outside the concept of 'classroom' and by creating a user-driven system, with the school the 'user'.
Read a short summary
Download full report (10 pages, PDF)
February 7, 2011 - 8:10pm
Schools able to control their own curriculum and the speed at which they adopt innovative technology seem essential to realize any real growth of personalized digital instruction and assessment. Your observation that states will be the entity willing able to encourage school acceptance of this kind of innovation seems optimistic, especially for those of us in red states with conservative legislatures.
Is anyone working on a prototype 'black box' able to go well beyond what on-line instruction offers. It seems to be badly needed in order to demonstrate the specific benefits/advantages of digital personalized learning. The physical existence of a working 'learning station' able to keep a 2nd grader engaged and learning seems critical to gaining public/bureaucratic support.
What do you think?
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