On lists of the most important trends in education technology, you’ll often find “adaptive learning” and its promise that technologies will be able to “adapt” instruction and assessment to individual students. In this article, EML editor Audrey Watters offers an “explainer,” an introduction to adaptive learning, the research behind, the companies building it, and the […]
What Should School Leaders Know About Adaptive Learning? Read More »
Randolph-Macon College psychology professor Cedar Riener wrote one of the first (and most popular) articles here on Educating Modern Learners: “Should We Build a Brain-Based School?” He returns here to continue the discussion and to talk about the ways in which what we know about cognitive science might in turn shape our classroom pedagogies. (Or
The Science of the Mind in the Classroom of the Future Read More »
Much of the discussion about massive open online courses or MOOCs has focused on higher education and lifelong learning. But what lessons can K-12 learn from them? Calgary-based online educator Verena Roberts explores some of her experiences as a learner in MOOCs and talks about the ways in which she used these to design MOOCs
What Can K-12 Learn from MOOCs? Read More »
In this article, EML editor Audrey Watters offers a brief introduction to MOOCs, massive open online courses, one of the most hyped ed-tech developments in recent years. What are MOOCs? Where did they come from? How do they work pedagogically? And how do they work technically? Although they’ve been positioned as tool to address the
MOOCs: An Introduction Read More »
Late last year, the education giant Pearson announced that it would begin to focus on “efficacy,” measuring and enhancing the learning outcomes associated with its products and services. EML editor Audrey Watters looks at Pearson’s new framework and asks if “efficacy” is a good way for us to rethink teaching and learning in a digital
Rethinking Assessment: Pearson and “Efficacy” Read More »
Despite all the promises of the World Wide Web as a platform for online learning, there are still many questions about whether or not we are building learning tools and learning communities that welcome and support a diversity of ideas and people. How do stereotypes affect the ways in which technologies are developed and implemented?
Rethinking Assessment, Supporting Diversity Read More »
What does it look like when a Silicon Valley engineer decides to reinvent primary school education? Former Google exec Max Ventilla has just raised $33 million to build AltSchool, which he says will be an updated version of Montessori, but a version that relies more heavily on technology R&D. The funding — and the philosophy — prompted
As the “Maker Movement” grows in popularity and reach, we’re seeing more and more schools integrating “making” and “building” — a powerful return of project-based learning. But as Chad Sansing argues here, it isn’t simply a matter of adding “programming” or “engineering” to the curriculum. Makerspaces demand a different mindset, one where self-direction, spontaneity, creativity,
Makerspace as Mindset Read More »
There’s a push for teachers and students to draw on our knowledge from neuroscience to rethink how we teach and learn. This includes, for example, a variety of new “brain training” tools that promise to make us learn more efficiently. But what does neuroscience really say? Randolph-Macon College psychology professor Cedar Riener helps differentiate here
Should You Build a Brain-Based School? Read More »
Learning on our own has never been easier and potentially more powerful than it is today given our access to the people, information, and tools on the Internet. It begs the question, should the only learning that “counts” be that which occurs in a classroom? Will Richardson takes a look at new attempts to give
What Counts? How Informal Learning is Challenging Formal Education Read More »
