<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-16LE"?> <?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" media="screen" href="/~d/styles/rss2full.xsl"?><?xml-stylesheet type="text/css" media="screen" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~d/styles/itemcontent.css"?><rss xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:feedburner="http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0" version="2.0"> <channel> <title>Learning Grids</title> <link>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Learning-Grids.aspx</link> <description>Smart-networked resource providers and learning agents create lightweight, modular learning infrastructures. These distributed, decentralized education systems can expand easily, adapt to emerging education needs, and foster communication and coordination. What results are smart education grids, in which learning flows efficiently and synergistically.&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Ways to Start Taking Action&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;Advocate reward structures that give teachers incentives for sharing and creating collective educational resources &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Advocate for agile and smart school technical infrastructure that enables connections among all devices and has capacity to link to other schools &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Establish educator-business partnerships to develop learning content &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Find opportunities to make use of the range of material or the instructional model offered by the UK's &lt;a href="http://www.open.ac.uk/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Open University&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Take a course from &lt;a href="http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;MIT OpenCourseWare&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Track South Africa's progress in its quest to create a nationwide &lt;a href="http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/South_African_Curriculum" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;open curriculum&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; </description> <name>Learning Grids</name> <atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/Learning-Grids" /><feedburner:info uri="learning-grids" /><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="hub" href="http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/" /><item> <title>Platforms for Resilience (Driver of Change)</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Creating flexibility and innovation amid system failures&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; System shocks and disruptions in the arenas of energy, finance, climate, and health care are key forces of destabilization in this century. Institutional strategies that focus on resisting disruption and maintaining the status quo will not offer sufficient responses. Platforms for resilience - enabling responsive flexibility, distributed collaboration, and transparency - will allow institutions to meet such challenges through innovation, adaptation, and openness. As key points of convergence for health, learning, and environment, school communities will need to develop strategies for building resilience into their systems and for creating lightweight, modular infrastructures that can support the health and wellbeing of learners, families, and learning agents.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;What kinds of partnerships, transparency, and networks will be critical for building resilient school communities?  &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;What kinds of shocks might the education system face in the next decade? &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;More on This Topic&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; System shocks and disruption in the arenas of energy, finance, climate and healthcare are key forces of destabilization in this century. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; In particular, &lt;strong&gt;the effects of climate change&lt;/strong&gt; (extreme record heat and cold temperatures, natural disasters such as floods and tsunamis) &lt;strong&gt;and peak oil&lt;/strong&gt; (a point we have reached in which global oil reserves grow at a decreasing rate and costs to refine it become unaffordable) will create major adjustments in behaviors and practices.  Some school districts report that they have already spent their yearly gas budget midway through the year. And transportation patterns in many U.S. and European cities have shifted as a result of the increased price of oil, with ridership of public transportation options having increased dramatically. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Over the next decade, &lt;strong&gt;severely constrained mobility will alter the shape of community life&lt;/strong&gt; as moving people and goods becomes too expensive.  Incidents of extreme weather will continue to test basic urban infrastructures around the world.  Combined with a volatile financial and credit industry, increasing chronic illness, and costly healthcare, &lt;strong&gt;communities globally will be tested for their ability to innovate ways to adapt to new conditions.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Institutional strategies focusing on resisting disruption and maintaining the status quo will not offer sufficient responses. This is as true for educational institutions and policies as it is for health, financial, transportation and other utility infrastructures. &lt;strong&gt;Autoimmune responses - &lt;/strong&gt;those that seem to be institutionally rational but which actually further weaken inflexible systems - will characterize brittle institutions.  Many argue that NCLB and severe constraints on social media (such as MySpace) in schools has only made things worse.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In contrast, platforms for resilience - enabling responsive flexibility, distributed collaboration, and transparency - will allow institutions to meet the system shocks of the next century through innovation, adaptation, and openness.  As key points of convergence for health, learning, and environment, school communities will need to develop &lt;strong&gt;strategies for building resilience into their systems and for creating lightweight, modular infrastructures&lt;/strong&gt; that can support the health and well-being of learners, families, and learning agents.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; A core trend moving communities toward resilience is the emergence of &lt;strong&gt;smart localism&lt;/strong&gt;.  The combination of smart networking, data transparency, and bottom-up monitoring by engaged citizens using participatory media is shifting knowledge, power, and agency to the community.  .  &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Super-empowered learning agents who embrace smart networking and new civic literacies will facilitate the growth of &lt;strong&gt; shadow systems&lt;/strong&gt; in education - provisional learning communities, networks, and structures that meet local educational needs.   &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Learning grids - &lt;/strong&gt;networked, modular learning infrastructures - will contribute to resilient educational platforms.  For example, the UK s Open University  offers degrees and credentialing in many fields through low-cost open learning.  India's Hole in the Wall provides residents with the opportunity to walk up to computer screens situated in a public wall, allowing anyone to explore computer tools, applications, and online environments.  And an explosion of learning platforms such as iTunes University  is expanding the possibilities for developing anytime, anywhere, ad hoc learning.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Implications for Learning&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;Schools are a critical nexus where these forces of destabilization will converge to produce major challenges for school-age populations, their families, and the broader community. They can be undermined by lack of trust, poor communication, and limited knowledge and capacity development, or they can become more resilient, networked communities that discover and share how to sustain learning and wellbeing. &lt;strong&gt;Supporting creative interventions at the school community level&lt;/strong&gt; promises to position schools as centers of resilience.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rapid prototyping of solutions, harnessing the collective intelligence of broad school community, and sharing successes and failures&lt;/strong&gt; will be critical for enabling stakeholders to respond appropriately to threats and create systems that serve the long-term learning goals of their community.  &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Community audits from organizations and community initiatives such as DC Voice and Transition Towns, are examples of components of resilience platforms that can help communities &lt;strong&gt;generate the new solutions and patterns&lt;/strong&gt; that will sustain them in the face of challenges. &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;School decision-makers, community members, and educators need to think collectively about what constitutes the critical components of &lt;strong&gt;a flexible, modular learning infrastructure&lt;/strong&gt; that serves all children.  &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Looking outside the formal system - &lt;/strong&gt;for example, in after-school programs, youth organizations, and community garden programs - might be a good place to start experimenting and prototyping resilience platforms.  &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Creative use of new learning platforms&lt;/strong&gt;, such as cell phones, iPods, and other mobile devices, can help to create learning infrastructures that are  off the grid . &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5 Ways to Start Taking Action&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;Establish educator-business partnerships to develop learning content &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Learn about &lt;a href="http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/dave_eggers_makes_his_ted_prize_wish_once_upon_a_school.html" target="_blank"&gt;826 Valencia&lt;/a&gt;, a tutoring center that started with 12 tutors and grew to 1400 in one community &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Track South Africa's progress in its quest to create a nationwide &lt;a href="http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/South_African_Curriculum" target="_blank"&gt;open curriculum&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Address structural barriers to hiring teachers with alternative certification &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Use data-driven decision-making to assess student learning as well as the effectiveness of learning agents in supporting them &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/zUCdOvr4EE4" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/zUCdOvr4EE4/Platforms-for-Resilience.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/driver/Platforms-for-Resilience.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Open Leadership and Sociability (Trend)</title> <description>Open collaborative platforms enable networked teams to self-organize and support ad hoc leaders. New connectivity tools support flexible, self-organizing networks. This new mode of collaboration sociability is best facilitated by building open platforms for leadership, which allow different team members to contribute when they deem most appropriate and effective. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Ways to Start Taking Action&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;Involve students in your professional learning community &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Join or form a professional learning community, such as &lt;a href="http://www.classroom20.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Classroom 2.0&lt;/a&gt;, to pursue ongoing professional development, support other educators, and organize with colleagues &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Follow colleagues' activites and locations at &lt;a href="http://plazes.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Plazes&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.jaiku.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Jaiku&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Contribute to or create a "citizen reporter" newspaper such as &lt;a href="http://english.ohmynews.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;OhMyNews&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Host an &lt;a href="https://www.collaborationjam.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Innovation Jam&lt;/a&gt; to engage students and teachers in developing new ideas for learning &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chuck House, executive director of Media X, Stanford University's membership research program on media and technology, talks about the new skills needed for 21st century jobs.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qSFuZDc-7yw&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp&amp;showinfo=0;rel=0&amp;amp;border=1" width="445" height="364" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" /&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/DqKiQ_2NMBs" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/DqKiQ_2NMBs/Open-Leadership-and-Sociability.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Open-Leadership-and-Sociability.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Beta Building (Trend)</title> <description>Transparency, collaboration, and rapid iteration create a beta culture displaying open critique and reflective practice. In a world of transparency and open contribution, collective creation and critique, and rapid iteration, &lt;i&gt;beta&lt;/i&gt; status (a stage of testing and refinement) is a norm. But in this world, &lt;i&gt;beta&lt;/i&gt; is fully functional, just open to improvement. &lt;i&gt;Beta&lt;/i&gt; building reflects both a mindset that any product or process can be improved, and the platforms that encourage input and enable revision. Organizations engaging in &lt;i&gt;beta&lt;/i&gt; building must be comfortable with open authorship making things transparent even when  incomplete  and participating in a community of contribution. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Ways to Start Taking Action&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;Focus on fostering imagination, creativity, thoughtfulness, and collaboration over providing training on specific technologies that will soon be outmoded &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Be a citizen journalist by contributing to &lt;a href="http://www.nowpublic.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;NowPublic&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Create an internal wiki to collaborate within your organization with one of the tools listed at &lt;a href="http://www.wikimatrix.org/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;WikiMatrix&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Announce real-time organizational updates to the public using &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Twitter&lt;/a&gt; or within your organization using &lt;a href="http://www.yammer.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Yammer&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Adopt &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iterative_design" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;iterative design&lt;/a&gt; principles throughout your organization &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in"&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class="watch-video-desc description"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Henry Lowood, Curator for History of Science &amp;amp; Technology Collections at Stanford, and Henrik Bennetsen from the Stanford Humanities Lab speak on how virtual worlds and sharing of information can have a dramatic impact on education.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in"&gt;&lt;a href="&lt;object width=" height="364"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2OHKi7_E7ok&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp&amp;showinfo=0;rel=0&amp;amp;border=1" width="445" height="364" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" /&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/a2j5k96_jm4" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/a2j5k96_jm4/Beta-Building.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Beta-Building.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Metaverse (Trend)</title> <description>Blended physical-digital worlds create new learning geographies.  Learning in the real world is complemented by the navigation of virtual worlds through avatars.  Google Earth and Second Life merge to become the 'Metaverse.'&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/9SoAvr-obTc" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/9SoAvr-obTc/Metaverse.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Metaverse.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Autoimmune Responses (Trend)</title> <description>Brittle hierarchies will continue to act in ways that seem institutionally rational but which further destabilize weak, inflexible systems. Faced with a score of bottom-up innovations, many traditional hierarchical education systems will adopt such autoimmune responses. These responses, usually acts of self-protection and risk-reduction, require immense resources and end up making the entire system less flexible. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Ways to Start Taking Action&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.openthefuture.com/2007/09/turning_the_body_against_itsel_1.html" target="_blank"&gt;Read Jamais Cascio's blog post &lt;/a&gt;and how "open source warfare" is affecting societies &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Analyze how No Child Left Behind might be an auto-immune response &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Start a discussion in your community about whether the banning of services such as &lt;a href="http://www.myspace.com/" target="_blank"&gt;MySpace&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Facebook&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/" target="_blank"&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_message_service" target="_blank"&gt;SMS Text Messaging &lt;/a&gt;from schools is helpful or harmful to students &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jamais Cascio, research affiliate at Institute for the Future and a blogger, talks about the responses we make to issues can often be more threatening than intended. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kIBMaoiboZ4&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp&amp;showinfo=0;rel=0&amp;amp;border=1" width="445" height="364" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" /&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/Bb_pjdVKOnU" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/Bb_pjdVKOnU/Autoimmune-Responses.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Autoimmune-Responses.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Smart Localism (Trend)</title> <description>Smart networking, data transparency, and bottom-up monitoring enable responsive, open decision-making. New local monitoring tools, information sharing platforms, and networking practices support smart intra-community coordination. Camera phones, wikis, meet-ups, map mash-ups all are enabling new strategies for dealing with complex challenges that play out at local levels. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Ways to Start Taking Action&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;Use data-driven decision-making to assess student learning as well as the effectiveness of learning agents in supporting them &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Form a group in your community to respond to the challenges of Peak Oil and Climate Change through &lt;a href="http://www.transitiontowns.org/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Transition Towns&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Learn about how the &lt;a href="http://www.dangerousground.org/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Dangerous Ground&lt;/a&gt; project tracks landmines &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Read this blog post on a &lt;a href="http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/12/06/the-personal-outsourcing-olympics-bangalore-butler-or-american-assistant/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;four hour workweek&lt;/a&gt; and outsource your personal chores &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Start a &lt;a href="http://www.thegroupery.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Groupery&lt;/a&gt; site for your local PTA, after-school club, or other group to get organized and raise money &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jessica Margolin, Director of Communities at The Groupery, speaks about efficient ways PTA's and other communities can organize and fundraise, and the impact these services have on education and getting the for-profit and non-profit sectors to work together.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hfFQxhC8cJM&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp&amp;showinfo=0;rel=0&amp;amp;border=1" width="445" height="364" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" /&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/Rgv_PlWNOro" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/Rgv_PlWNOro/Smart-Localism.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Smart-Localism.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Shadow "Schools" (Trend)</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;Super-empowered, networked learning agents leverage the growing learning economy to enable provisional learning systems. These informal education systems operate alongside the public institution. These  shadow schools offer learning environments that are highly responsive to local education needs but are independent of the formal system. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Ways to Start Taking Action&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;Advocate reward structures that give teachers incentives for sharing and creating collective educational resources&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Encourage teacher preparation institutions to move away from courses and toward issue- or project-based learning experiences that will help candidates prepare for future learning environments&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Find some budget figures and success for &lt;a href="http://www.afterschoolnetwork.org/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Afterschool Funding&lt;/a&gt; in California, and apply them to your city or region&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Read about the origins of the &lt;a href="http://www.hole-in-the-wall.com/Beginnings.html" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Hole-in-the-Wall&lt;/a&gt; project and how children learned to use a computer on their own&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Learn about &lt;a href="http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/dave_eggers_makes_his_ted_prize_wish_once_upon_a_school.html" target="_blank"&gt;826 Valencia&lt;/a&gt;, a tutoring center that started with 12 tutors and grew to 1400 in one community &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/jLlKwHkYvx8" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/jLlKwHkYvx8/Shadow-Schools.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Shadow-Schools.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Learning Commons (Trend)</title> <description>Educational stakeholders grow collective learning resources, creating an alternative to public and private education. Such commons are common-pool resources that benefit the entire community but are vulnerable to depletion e.g. land (recall the pivotal  tragedy of the commons argument). Various education stakeholders are framing learning resources  local community assets, schools, online curriculum databases  as education commons that need to be managed collectively (not privately or publicly) to maintain their long-term collective benefits. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Ways to Start Taking Action&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;Network with people in other professional learning communities to share ideas about encouraging collaboration and system change &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Advocate reward structures that give teachers incentives for sharing and creating collective educational resources &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Contribute to the &lt;a href="http://www.oercommons.org/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Open Educational Resource&lt;/a&gt; (OER) Commons, &lt;a href="http://www.curriki.org/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Curriki&lt;/a&gt; , or &lt;a href="http://www.wikieducator.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Wikieducator&lt;/a&gt; to exchange free teaching and learning content from with others around the world &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Explore how &lt;a href="http://www.dcvoice.org/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;DC Voice&lt;/a&gt; is stengthening public voice in education &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Join the parents of &lt;a href="http://www.letparentschoose.org/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Let Parents Choose&lt;/a&gt; in taking back more control of children's education &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;strong&gt; &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in"&gt;Lisa Petrides, President of the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education, speaks about OER commons and how to put the teaching and learning processes back into the hands of those who use it. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;/strong&gt; &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in"&gt;&lt;a href="&lt;object width=" height="364"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ge3HWnJkUn0&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp&amp;showinfo=0;rel=0&amp;amp;border=1" width="445" height="364" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" /&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/RD9YUrXV2jM" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/RD9YUrXV2jM/Learning-Commons.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Learning-Commons.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Diasporas as New Markets (Trend)</title> <description>Diverse movements of people create new identities and flows of learners. Global, domestic, and digital journeys will create a new cauldron of diasporic identities, as people find ways of communicating and connecting despite geographic separation. Physical and online communities will form, creating new affiliations around shared experiences, and opening new possibilities for learning opportunities. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Ways to Start Taking Action&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;Look for Hope in New Orleans, a 36 story comic book that centers around New Orleans&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Read about the educational services that &lt;a href="http://iss.edu/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;International School Services&lt;/a&gt; provides for children attending overseas schools&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/LIRjNOdec3Q" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/LIRjNOdec3Q/Diasporas-as-New-Markets.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Diasporas-as-New-Markets.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Lightweight Community-Based Manufacturing (Trend)</title> <description>Ad hoc factories and job shops enable flexible, fast, and customized production, unlike fabrication by assembly lines and dedicated factories. Physical goods can be made - or recycled and remade - on small, specific scales, ideal for personal or local projects. Anyone can become a player - buyer, producer, designer - in the manufacturing arena. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Ways to Start Taking Action&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;Reduce your manufacturing costs with &lt;a href="http://pchchinasolutions.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;PCH International&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Use a &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tool-lending_libraries" class="active_link" target="_blank"&gt;tool library&lt;/a&gt; near you to create your own learning project &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Find out if your community gives new life to old electronics, as does the &lt;a href="http://www.accrc.org/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Alameda County Computer Resource Center (ACCRC)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Donate or procure hands-on learning materials from &lt;a href="http://www.raft.net/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Resource Area for Teacher (RAFT)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Donate 3-D production tools from &lt;a href="http://www.zcorp.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Z Corporation&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href="http://www.shopbottools.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;ShopBot Tools&lt;/a&gt; to your local school, library, or community center &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Diane Demee-Benoit, previously with the George Lucas Foundation, notes how open-source programs and products are changing the economy, and by engaging the collective wisdom of others we have the opportunity to create new services for others.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CCclMnFNCLo&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp&amp;showinfo=0;rel=0&amp;amp;border=1" width="445" height="364" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" /&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/gyBT84FOHbs" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/gyBT84FOHbs/Lightweight-Community-Based-Manufacturing.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Lightweight-Community-Based-Manufacturing.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Global Partnership Schools (Signal)</title> <description>Global Partnership Schools is committed to working with those who have a stake in educating children to provide a pathway to academic excellence and the knowledge to take their place as productive global citizens. Working together, we are dedicated to assuring every student has the tools to excel by connecting classrooms with communities, engaging all students in learning, and raising the aspirations of all students by embracing them in a transformational learning environment.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/eHxHO8Baytg" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/eHxHO8Baytg/Global-Partnership-Schools.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Global-Partnership-Schools.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Your Assignment Is on Your Wrist (Signal)</title> <description>Instead of lugging home extra books and worksheets, students who miss a day of school may soon be wearing their make-up work on a small plastic bracelet that contains the day's lesson. Macedonia Middle School in rural South Carolina is one of the first schools to pilot test the product. The school has purchased 10 of the SMART Notebook SE bracelets for about $300 a piece. A teacher or student can download a lesson from an interactive whiteboard onto the bracelet. Students can then access the lesson from their home computers. The bracelet uses the same software as the electronic whiteboards and runs automatically from the bracelet. In addition to catching up on work they missed, students can use the bracelets for remedial work and extra academic practice.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/FATJHOTw9K0" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/FATJHOTw9K0/Your-Assignment-Is-on-Your-Wrist.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Your-Assignment-Is-on-Your-Wrist.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Learning Grids for Teacher Professional Development (Signal)</title> <description>Tapped In is a teacher professional development online network created by SRI for research purposes. It has been online since 1997 and has 20,000 members. Research about the educational value of such networks is starting to emerge on the Tapped In site. An interview with two researchers can be found at www.futureofeducation.com.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/DqOJNxbNJkc" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/DqOJNxbNJkc/Learning-Grids-for-Teacher-Professional-Development.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Learning-Grids-for-Teacher-Professional-Development.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Ohio First to Hit Million iTunes U Downloads (Signal)</title> <description>Ohio was the first state to launch an iTunes U site - a portal for content from 40 providers, including Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio State University, the Ohio Supreme Court, and the Five College Consortium (College of Wooster, Denison University, Kenyon College, Oberlin College and Ohio Wesleyan University).&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/zgaECrop1sc" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/zgaECrop1sc/Ohio-First-to-Hit-Million-iTunes-U-Downloads.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Ohio-First-to-Hit-Million-iTunes-U-Downloads.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Lightweight Learning Infrastructure for Swine Flu Victims (Signal)</title> <description>U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is advising schools to create online lessons and take-home packets to continue learning if they are absent from school due to H1N1 virus.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/ptbYxp2lv3g" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/ptbYxp2lv3g/Lightweight-Learning-Infrastructure-for-Swine-Flu-Victims.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Lightweight-Learning-Infrastructure-for-Swine-Flu-Victims.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Learning Resources for Swine Flu Victims (Signal)</title> <description>U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is advising schools to create online lessons and take-home packets to continue learning if they are absent from school due to H1N1 virus.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/owjeCKrKCbg" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/owjeCKrKCbg/Learning-Resources-for-Swine-Flu-Victims.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Learning-Resources-for-Swine-Flu-Victims.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>DVD from Online Provider (Signal)</title> <description>Order a free DVD of offerings by the largest online curriculum provider in the US.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/krCROyuypRk" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/krCROyuypRk/DVD-from-Online-Provider.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/DVD-from-Online-Provider.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Home Dissection Kits (Signal)</title> <description>Dissatisfied with virtual dissections conducted by clicking a mouse, science professors have found new ways for students to gain hands-on experience. Using home kits, students are dissecting pigs or evaluating caloric content, with their activities recorded for the professor by digital and Web cameras.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/APnKDneZTpQ" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/APnKDneZTpQ/Home-Dissection-Kits.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Home-Dissection-Kits.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Online Options for Credit Recovery (Signal)</title> <description>To raise graduation rates, many high schools turn to online courses for faltering students needing to retrieve credits for diplomas. As alternatives to remedial lessons, and summer school for struggling high school students, technology-based options for credit recovery were a huge area of growth in the last 3 years. Credit-recovery options offer targeted, individualized instruction, so students can earn the needed credits. Courses are offered by online-curriculum companies like Apex Learning Inc. and Plato Learning Inc., as well as nonprofit providers such as the Florida Virtual School and the Atlanta-based Georgia Virtual School.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/THlPlWvcYUY" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/THlPlWvcYUY/Online-Options-for-Credit-Recovery.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Online-Options-for-Credit-Recovery.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>LearningCentral.org (Signal)</title> <description>LearningCentral.org is  like a Facebook for educators. It has interesting implications for involving diverse learning agents from the broader geographic community into a learning community where their expertise and assets can be valued.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/Zw9QlFVxgdY" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/Zw9QlFVxgdY/LearningCentralorg.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/LearningCentralorg.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Lessons from Higher Education (Signal)</title> <description>Colleges and universities have jumped into using online learning resources. K-12 educators should heed the lessons learned in higher education: offer enough academic and technical support to students; announce specific hours of faculty availability; include teachers, students, tech specialists, and policymakers in discussions of using on-line learning; examine best practices from higher ed; support online educators.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/u0hnSXfZh_U" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/u0hnSXfZh_U/Lessons-from-Higher-Education.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Lessons-from-Higher-Education.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Online Study Waivers (Signal)</title> <description>In 2006, Michigan, a leader in the United States in online education, became the first state to require all high school students to enroll in an online learning experience in order to graduate.  Now, eleven of the state s school districts and one charter school have been granted waivers that allow students to take more, and sometimes all, of their courses online and off-campus.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/UdzkcUjJTns" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/UdzkcUjJTns/Online-Study-Waivers.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Online-Study-Waivers.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>TappedIn (Signal)</title> <description>TappedIn is an online community for educators to share  strategies, resources and support as part of their ongoing professional development.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/pQWdmDck2r4" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/pQWdmDck2r4/TappedIn.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/TappedIn.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>OpenUniversity (Signal)</title> <description>The UK s distance-learning, open-entry Open University leverages online media and local spaces to create dynamic learning experiences for people in the UK and around the world. OpenU generally innovates ahead of its peers in integrating new technologies into curriculum and methodology.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/ykItzivULMM" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/ykItzivULMM/OpenUniversity.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/OpenUniversity.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Community Intelligence Cartographer (Learning Agent)</title> <description>Community intelligence cartographers will tap the collective intelligence of their local communities. They will leverage social networking strategies to develop swarms and smart mobs in order to identify emerging learning opportunities in the community, organize community members, and locate community resources.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/-c-rsEzSIPI" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/-c-rsEzSIPI/Community-Intelligence-Cartographer.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/learningagent/Community-Intelligence-Cartographer.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Personal Education Advisor (Learning Agent)</title> <description>Assigned by certified local education agencies, such as schools, resource centers, and libraries, or selected and contracted by families, personal education advisors help families create, nurture, and maintain personal learning ecologies.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/TjwmU6wRGag" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/TjwmU6wRGag/Personal-Education-Advisor.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/learningagent/Personal-Education-Advisor.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Learning Journey Mentor (Learning Agent)</title> <description>Learning journey mentors will work with personal education advisors, learning fitness instructors, community intelligence cartographers, and assessment designers to co-create and navigate learning itineraries with small groups of students.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/U9yPN3LKs3Y" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/U9yPN3LKs3Y/Learning-Journey-Mentor.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/learningagent/Learning-Journey-Mentor.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Social Capital Platform Developer (Learning Agent)</title> <description>Social capital platform developers will link the social capital infrastructure to teaching and learning practices and outcomes. They will use tracking programs to provide an accounting of people s contributions to open education resources and collaborative processes.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/CzbA90bj7PQ" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/CzbA90bj7PQ/Social-Capital-Platform-Developer.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/learningagent/Social-Capital-Platform-Developer.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Edu-vator (Learning Agent)</title> <description>Edu-vators will build platform prototypes, experiment with new tools, evaluate new practices, and generally explore innovations in the learning sphere. They will team with learners, who will get credit for being in  edu-vation workshops. &lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/ogvkpRTb-RA" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/ogvkpRTb-RA/Edu-vator.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/learningagent/Edu-vator.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>NCTAF Policy Brief About Cross-Generational Learning Teams (Resource)</title> <description>This policy brief from the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future describes the collaborative potential of cross-generational learning teams, with examples of how some states are beginning to explore new structures for involving teams of adults with different backgrounds in learning.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/nl6DGutz7To" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/nl6DGutz7To/NCTAF-Policy-Brief-About-Cross-Generational-Learning-Teams.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/NCTAF-Policy-Brief-About-Cross-Generational-Learning-Teams.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Learning Without Limits: How The Rise Of Online Instruction Is Changing The Nature Of Schooling (Resource)</title> <description>This special report from E-school News uses the experience of one student at the Florida Virtual Academy to show how the experience of an on-line learner is not limited to solitary time in front of the screen. Group work, hands-on experiments, field trips, sports, and volunteer work connect these students with one another and with the community.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/E5q68uxGJPw" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/E5q68uxGJPw/Learning-Without-Limits-How-The-Rise-Of-Online-Instruction-Is-Changing-The-Nature-Of-Schooling.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Learning-Without-Limits-How-The-Rise-Of-Online-Instruction-Is-Changing-The-Nature-Of-Schooling.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Sloan C-View: Perspectives In Quality Online Education (Resource)</title> <description>The Sloan Consortium is a group of universities and online learning vendors. The group publishes a monthly newsletter about best practices in online learning.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/AEZ4QxmLsT8" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/AEZ4QxmLsT8/Sloan-C-View-Perspectives-In-Quality-Online-Education.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Sloan-C-View-Perspectives-In-Quality-Online-Education.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>End The University As We Know It (Resource)</title> <description>Mark C. Taylor, Chairman of the Religion Department at Columbia University, calls for a complete overhaul of the idea of a university. He advocates for a restructured curriculum replacing the division-of-labor model with "a curriculum structured like a web or complex adaptive network," problem-based programs, increased collaboration among institutions, transformation of the traditional dissertation, expansion of the range of professional options for graduate students, the introduction of mandatory retirement, and the abolition of tenure.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/iWNLWj7HuXE" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/iWNLWj7HuXE/End-The-University-As-We-Know-It.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/End-The-University-As-We-Know-It.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Carol Broos Interview: How the Obama Administration Is Looking at School Reform (Resource)</title> <description>Carol is one of twelve teachers who were invited to participate in a round table discussion concerning the direction of education with new Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Jan 21. Steve Hargadon spoke with her after the meeting as a part of the Future of Education Interview Series.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/eYdO36ZY-J0" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/eYdO36ZY-J0/Carol-Broos-Interview-How-the-Obama-Administration-Is-Looking-at-School-Reform.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Carol-Broos-Interview-How-the-Obama-Administration-Is-Looking-at-School-Reform.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Re-Imagining Teaching Careers (Resource)</title> <description>This paper explores participants perspectives from a convening hosted by KnowledgeWorks Foundation on the topic of "Re-Imagining Teaching Careers." In hosting this convening, KnowledgeWorks Foundation hoped to: 1) Probe critical issues of the future in order to consider what learning experiences might be relevant for students, 2) Explore how learning might be delivered in the future, 3) Begin imagining what types of roles might be constructed to deliver such learning, and 4) Examine how these roles might be supported within a larger system or profession.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/rr1KGzOl204" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/rr1KGzOl204/Re-Imagining-Teaching-Careers.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Re-Imagining-Teaching-Careers.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Preparing Highly Effective Teachers (Resource)</title> <description>This paper explores participants perspectives from a convening hosted by KnowledgeWorks Foundation, a Cincinnati, Ohio, based operating foundation whose mission is to solve national education problems innovatively and with others, on the topic of "Preparing Highly Effective Teachers." In hosting this convening, KnowledgeWorks Foundation hoped to develop a knowledge-era vision for preparing quality teachers. The foundation also hoped to identify the most essential elements of, and the barriers and steps in reaching, that vision.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/RwbcnrIiCos" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/RwbcnrIiCos/Preparing-Highly-Effective-Teachers.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Preparing-Highly-Effective-Teachers.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Stimulus Bill Bear Imprint of Technology (Resource)</title> <description>While much of the $800 billion stimulus bill consists of tax cuts and broad spending increases for existing programs, the biggest outlay on new initiatives is essentially a technology industry wish list: in the Senate version, about $7 billion for expanding high-speed Internet access, some $20 billion for building a so-called smart grid power network and $20 billion for digitizing health records.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/8XxRNNOKj7U" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/8XxRNNOKj7U/Stimulus-Bill-Bear-Imprint-of-Technology.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Stimulus-Bill-Bear-Imprint-of-Technology.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Jamais Cascio gives his views on autoimmune disorders in education (Resource)</title> <description>Jamais Cascio, research affiliate at Institute for the Future and a blogger, talks about the responses we make to issues can often be more threatening than intended.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/d2qjqV4L-mU" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/d2qjqV4L-mU/Jamais-Cascio-gives-his-views-on-autoimmune-disorders-in-education.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Jamais-Cascio-gives-his-views-on-autoimmune-disorders-in-education.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Jessica Margolin notes efficient ways groups can organize and its impact on education (Resource)</title> <description>Jessica, Director of Communities at The Groupery, speaks about efficient ways PTA's and other communities can organize and fundraise, and the impact these services have on education and getting the for-profit and non-profit sectors to work together.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/0aWVnhhdOXc" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/0aWVnhhdOXc/Jessica-Margolin-notes-efficient-ways-groups-can-organize-and-its-impact-on-education.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Jessica-Margolin-notes-efficient-ways-groups-can-organize-and-its-impact-on-education.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Future of Education Community (Resource)</title> <description>This community is devoted to providing an opportunity for those who care about education to share their voices and ideas with others. It's a place for thoughtful discussion on an incredibly important topic.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/WTx4ZblAkvw" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/WTx4ZblAkvw/Future-of-Education-Community.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Future-of-Education-Community.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Families and the Emerging Learning Economy: Crafting Personal Resource Ecologies to Support Learning (Resource)</title> <description>Read how sixteen families plan learning strategies for their children in the new learning economy, a learning system comprising a vast array of services, products and resources beyond the traditional classroom environment. See what choices they made, and discover new options you never knew about!&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/BUI0Ti1kcS8" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/BUI0Ti1kcS8/Families-and-the-Emerging-Learning-Economy-Crafting-Personal-Resource-Ecologies-to-Support-Learning.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Families-and-the-Emerging-Learning-Economy-Crafting-Personal-Resource-Ecologies-to-Support-Learning.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>The Future of Learning Agents and Disruptive Innovation (Resource)</title> <description>Teachers and administrators won't be the only educators in the new learning landscape. Discover new roles envisioned for learning agents in educating our children in the future, and examine ways in which we might prepare today's emerging educators for these roles.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/QLmDgTdZl6Q" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/QLmDgTdZl6Q/The-Future-of-Learning-Agents-and-Disruptive-Innovation.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/The-Future-of-Learning-Agents-and-Disruptive-Innovation.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>The Strength Of Weak Ties: A Network Theory Revisited (Resource)</title> <description>An excerpt from an article written by Mark Grannovetter in 1983 entitled From Mark Granovetter s  The Strength Of Weak Ties: A Network Theory Revisited [Sociological Theory, Volume 1 (1983), 201-233.] posted on Scott Granneman s blog.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/gafTtDaWRQ8" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/gafTtDaWRQ8/The-Strength-Of-Weak-Ties-A-Network-Theory-Revisited.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/The-Strength-Of-Weak-Ties-A-Network-Theory-Revisited.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Ubiquitous Computing (Resource)</title> <description>From Wikipedia. Ubiqitous computing is an aspect of lightweight infrastructure.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/vsSbypEiBUU" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/vsSbypEiBUU/Ubiquitous-Computing.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Ubiquitous-Computing.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Virginia High School Goes "Green" (Resource)</title> <description>T.C. Williams High School, in Alexandria, Virginia, was recently redesigned to become a 'green' school. Students have noted that the increase in natural light coming into the classrooms has changed the energy and feel of the school. They can't doze in class anymore because sunlight pours in from practically every angle. In the Washington region and elsewhere, local governments are spending big money on a new generation of schools designed to be sensitive to the environment. The campuses -- often equipped with the trappings of an upscale hotel, such as motion-sensing light systems -- stand in sharp contrast to schools with mold, chipped ceilings and more fluorescent light than natural light. At T.C. Williams, classroom ceilings are sloped to disperse light more efficiently, giving the space a futuristic feel. A rooftop garden over the cafeteria reduces the amount of heat the building absorbs. The number of schools nationwide built or designed under strict environmental guidelines has increased since 2000, according to the U.S. Green Building Council in Washington, which certifies new buildings of all types under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/G_dfcBdZnAE" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/G_dfcBdZnAE/Virginia-High-School-Goes-Green.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Virginia-High-School-Goes-Green.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Third World Laptops Headed for Alabama? (Resource)</title> <description>Birmingham, Ala., may become the first U.S. entity to buy $200 laptop computers from the One Laptop per Child Foundation. Mayor Langford pushed for bringing XOs to Birmingham, Ala., and said the machines will give many inner-city children their first access to a computer. 80% of the system's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, and the schools face declining enrollment and funding cuts. Birmingham's City Council approved using $3.5 million for schoolchildren with 15,000 computers from the nonprofit One Laptop Per Child Foundation though their user interface is built on the Linux operating system, not the more familiar Windows. Plus, the schools lack wireless networks to get the laptops online, and the system lacks enough technology workers to computer-train teachers and students.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/Pbsn5tK_ecU" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/Pbsn5tK_ecU/Third-World-Laptops-Headed-for-Alabama.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Third-World-Laptops-Headed-for-Alabama.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>The Field Trip is Not Dead (Resource)</title> <description>A Christian Home School mom offers some of her favorite field trip ideas for 3rd and 4th graders.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/Om1WvkAjYD8" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/Om1WvkAjYD8/The-Field-Trip-is-Not-Dead.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/The-Field-Trip-is-Not-Dead.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Lifelong Learning, Knowledge Exchange And Collaboration In The E-Learning City (Resource)</title> <description>By Katriina Schrey-Niemenmaa and Michael Duhaime. The city of Espoo, Finland, won the European Union prize for e-learning in 2006&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/fJxw9YFoKZk" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/fJxw9YFoKZk/Lifelong-Learning2c-Knowledge-Exchange-And-Collaboration-In-The-E-Learning-City.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Lifelong-Learning2c-Knowledge-Exchange-And-Collaboration-In-The-E-Learning-City.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>College Students Score Higher In Classes That Incorporate Instructional Technology Than In Traditional Classes (Resource)</title> <description>College students enrolled in classes that embed instructional technology into lectures scored, on average, a full letter grade higher than those who took the same class without the added technology, according to new research.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/KY3mVTkqrNM" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/KY3mVTkqrNM/College-Students-Score-Higher-In-Classes-That-Incorporate-Instructional-Technology-Than-In-Traditional-Classes.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/College-Students-Score-Higher-In-Classes-That-Incorporate-Instructional-Technology-Than-In-Traditional-Classes.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>"BioMobileLab" Offers Top-Notch Science Lessons (Resource)</title> <description>Schmahl Science brings together Silicon Valley's scientists, teachers and science professionals for student workshops in classrooms that spark interest in science and technology. The  BioMobileLab (traveling science laboratory) is designed to serve junior and senior high school students in San Jose, California's poorest neighborhoods. The BioMobileLab - which runs on bio-diesel - provides the equipment for advanced biology experiments, including powerful microscopes whose images can be projected on a flat video screen. The lab also has a DNA thermocycler which takes small amounts of DNA for analysis. It lets students conduct college-level scientific investigations in molecular biology, chromatography, cell culture and cancer biology, plant biology, microbiology and biochemistry.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/aBG6WXsgJao" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/aBG6WXsgJao/BioMobileLab-Offers-Top-Notch-Science-Lessons.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/BioMobileLab-Offers-Top-Notch-Science-Lessons.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>The Work of Education in the Age of E-College (Resource)</title> <description>This paper presents an overview of models of online education developed by commercial and academic institutions. It also raises concerns voiced by academics, administrators and business people about the impact and ramifications of the proliferation of online education.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/iKCvqPNUJLk" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/iKCvqPNUJLk/The-Work-of-Education-in-the-Age-of-E-College.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/The-Work-of-Education-in-the-Age-of-E-College.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Digital Divide to Digital Continuum (Resource)</title> <description>New research funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement and conducted by the Michael Cohen Group LLC, under the auspices of a grant to the Ready to Learn Partnership (RTLP), revealed that while television took nearly 3 decades to become universal, nearly 40% of low income families now have some forms of computers and almost 33% have obtained some degree of Internet access at home in the last 5 to 7 years. This research suggests that given the proliferation of media across the socio-economic spectrum, although significant differences do still exist by income level, a stark digital divide no longer captures the relationship between income and technology ownership and that technology is, at least to some degree, integrated into children's lives, regardless of their families' income.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/JPnuZPpuC78" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/JPnuZPpuC78/Digital-Divide-to-Digital-Continuum.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Digital-Divide-to-Digital-Continuum.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Personal Learning Coaching (Resource)</title> <description>This site explains the role, purpose, advantages, procedures, and career preparations for personal learning coaches. The site also offers a quiz to determine whether a person needs a personal learning coach.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/Hez4shiqL-U" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/Hez4shiqL-U/Personal-Learning-Coaching.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Personal-Learning-Coaching.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>In Study Abroad, Gifts and Money for Universities (Resource)</title> <description>As overseas study has become a prized credential of the under-graduate experience, a competitive, even cutthroat, industry has emerged, with an army of vendors vying for student money and universities moving to profit from the boom. At many campuses, study abroad programs are run by multiple companies and nonprofit institutes that offer colleges generous perks to sign up students: free and subsidized travel overseas for officials, back-office services to defray operating expenses, stipends to market the programs to students, unpaid membership on advisory councils and boards, and even cash bonuses and commissions on student-paid fees. This money generally goes directly to colleges, not always to the students who take the trips.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/ezpYL4aEzNc" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/ezpYL4aEzNc/In-Study-Abroad2c-Gifts-and-Money-for-Universities.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/In-Study-Abroad2c-Gifts-and-Money-for-Universities.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>I.B.M. Plan Ties Training and Accounts (Resource)</title> <description>Corporations search for efficient, low-cost sources of labor, and American workers seek to improve their skills with training and education. Training costs often go to employees and increase their sense of economic insecurity. I.B.M. is taking a step to address help workers, and it hopes other companies will follow to help encourage a change in tax policy. At a recent conference in Washington, I.B. M. announced that it will offer its U. S. employees specialized savings accounts for training and education. The  learning accounts will be modeled on 401(k) retirement accounts. Workers will put up to $1,000 a year into the accounts, and I.B.M. will contribute 50 cents for every dollar put in by the employee. The employee decides how and when to spend the money, held in an interest-bearing account. When employees leave I.B.M., they take their accounts with them. I.B.M. spends over $600 million a year on education programs, to upgrade workers skills for their next job in the company. Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a professor at the Harvard Business School said,  The significance is that it s controlled by the individual, as opposed to programs that are part of a career scheme that the company has in mind. &lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/n5ptVrw6feI" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/n5ptVrw6feI/IBM-Plan-Ties-Training-and-Accounts.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/IBM-Plan-Ties-Training-and-Accounts.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Earthquakes Bring Attention to Seismically Unsafe (Resource)</title> <description>In the wake of the disastrous collapse of over 7,000 "classrooms" and the death of 10,000 students (estimates are closely controlled by the Chinese government) in China after May 12's devastating earthquake, American seismologists are assessing the sturdiness of schools in the U.S., writes Andrew Revkin in the New York Times blog Dot Earth. The Pacific Northwest, seems most vulnerable. According to Yumei Wang, geohazards team leader for the state of Oregon, approximately 1,300 schools there have "a very high probability of collapse." Washington State is similarly vulnerable. Wang states that "what are sorely needed are long-term, institutionalized, government-funded programs to help school districts mitigate their high-occupancy, collapse-prone schools." Oregon is establishing a grant program to do this, but Wang cautions that the retrofitting of schools and other critical infrastructure will take decades and could cost up to $2 billion.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/CdrK30ruc2w" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/CdrK30ruc2w/Earthquakes-Bring-Attention-to-Seismically-Unsafe.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Earthquakes-Bring-Attention-to-Seismically-Unsafe.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Critical Issue: Promoting Technology Use in Schools (Resource)</title> <description>By Jan Gahala, at NCREL (now Learning Point Associates).&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/GB8yvZeT2qY" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/GB8yvZeT2qY/Critical-Issue-Promoting-Technology-Use-in-Schools.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Critical-Issue-Promoting-Technology-Use-in-Schools.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>The Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg (Resource)</title> <description>By Malcolm Gladwell. An illustration of the  strength of weak ties, a key concept in social networking theory.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/9ugz7nLhsTw" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/9ugz7nLhsTw/The-Six-Degrees-of-Lois-Weisberg.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/The-Six-Degrees-of-Lois-Weisberg.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>E-textbooks May Not Be Cheaper than Printed Ones (Resource)</title> <description>Critics of high-cost college textbooks have pointed to online digital textbooks, usually half the price of print editions, as an affordable alternative. However, a new report says commercial e-textbooks are no cheaper than hard-copy editions considering that students can sell print books back to the bookstore for half the cover price. And restrictions on printing and online access make commercial e-books unfeasible for many students.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/osbOa3fb4JI" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/osbOa3fb4JI/E-textbooks-May-Not-Be-Cheaper-than-Printed-Ones.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/E-textbooks-May-Not-Be-Cheaper-than-Printed-Ones.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Zanzibar, The African Partner of South Carolina State (Resource)</title> <description>In a program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, South Carolina State Univ. (SCSU), the historically black college in Orangeburg, recently transferred 684,000 textbooks to Zanzibar in Africa. The textbooks, by SCSU faculty, will be used in high school chemistry and mathematics classes. It is the first time in history that every high school student in Zanzibar will have a textbook. The government of Zanzibar will provide scholarships for students to study abroad and a faculty member will be sent to Orangeburg to teach the Kiswahili language. In the next phase of the project South Carolina State University will work to produce textbooks for students in lower grades.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/dLbDrQehAM4" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/dLbDrQehAM4/Zanzibar2c-The-African-Partner-of-South-Carolina-State.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Zanzibar2c-The-African-Partner-of-South-Carolina-State.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Institute for the Future Technology Horizons Program (Resource)</title> <description>Given concerns for security, flexibility, and health risks, centralized infrastructure will no longer be key to economic progress. New materials and technologies will make it possible to use more flexible infrastructures for transportation, people and information.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/dN6ydLNX_50" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/dN6ydLNX_50/Institute-for-the-Future-Technology-Horizons-Program.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Institute-for-the-Future-Technology-Horizons-Program.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Facebook, Meet Blackboard (Resource)</title> <description>Blackboard, the course management giant, wants to reach students through Facebook. The new application, Blackboard Sync"!, recently released, replicates the functionality of college and high school Blackboard sites, where students can log in, download course materials, post to message boards, upload assignments and check grades. Rather than add social networking functionality to the existing interface, Blackboard brings its services where the students already are and capitalizes on Facebook s popularity and collaboration abilities. Blackboard Sync"! delivers course information and updates from Blackboard to students when they are using Facebook.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/6ae0kveTo8U" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/6ae0kveTo8U/Facebook2c-Meet-Blackboard.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Facebook2c-Meet-Blackboard.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Learning at Home (Resource)</title> <description>Home schooling has steadily gained momentum in the black community and is expected to grow. General dissatisfaction with public schools and increased awareness about home schooling are two reasons. Some African-American parents want what they consider a safer learning environment or they want to teach their own values and beliefs. They also seek different teaching approaches and stronger family relationships. Yet, concerns about children missing associating with other students, along with the sacrifice of a spouse's income to conduct the home schooling, may keep many blacks interested in home schooling from using it. An estimated 220,000 black students were home schooled in 2007 compared to 84,000 in 1999. Studies show that home-schooled students do just as well or better than their public school peers. For example, they typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/plgd6qm9a2s" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/plgd6qm9a2s/Learning-at-Home.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Learning-at-Home.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Growing Stars Inc. (Resource)</title> <description>Article, TopNews October 22, 2005, Computers allow tutors to be outsourced overseas&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/RBXesCsCECg" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/RBXesCsCECg/Growing-Stars-Inc.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Growing-Stars-Inc.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Hewlett-Packard Awards $7 Million Through  Technology for Teaching Intitiative (Resource)</title> <description>Hewlett-Packard has announced cash and in-kind grants of more than $7 million to 172 schools across the United States and Puerto Rico as part of its HP Technology for Teaching initiative.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/O_kkhWp49Ik" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/O_kkhWp49Ik/Hewlett-Packard-Awards-247-Million-Through-e2809cTechnology-for-Teachinge2809d-Intitiative.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Hewlett-Packard-Awards-247-Million-Through-e2809cTechnology-for-Teachinge2809d-Intitiative.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Feral Cities - The New Strategic Environment (Resource)</title> <description>Richard Norton of the Naval War College lays out his vision of the feral city.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/SuIkw5w49hw" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/SuIkw5w49hw/Feral-Cities---The-New-Strategic-Environment.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Feral-Cities---The-New-Strategic-Environment.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Virtual Desktops: How Virtual Desktops Will Revolutionize Ed-Tech (Resource)</title> <description>Many schools are moving to personalized instruction, so students may learn at their own pace, in the classroom environment. To accomplish true personalized learning, we must move beyond textbooks, says Michael King, vice president of IBM s global education industry. Current PC models are not the answer. Between administering patches and software upgrades implementing security upgrades, manually installing new applications, and simply managing the upkeep of those computers, IT staff hours are excessive. In a recent eSchool News survey, nearly 3 out of 4 school leaders said their IT staff is insufficient to support needs effectively which results in the underutilization of computers. Software virtualization allows applications to be delivered from a central server without being installed at the client or end-user level. The computers desktop resides on a server. Students are simply working on the server through their keyboard-monitor- mouse configurations. Users can run applications on network-connected devices that are not part of their native operating system, so Window-based machines can support Apple software, and vice-versa. This eliminates software compatibility problems, and allows older, slower computers to run longer. The virtual servers of today are powerful and can support more users than ever before, making virtualization a scalable solution. Students and teachers appreciate the application stability of virtual desktops because applications can t be damaged and conflicts of applications have been eliminated. Also, from any computer in the school, students can readily access files containing their applications and data.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/2_8AFQmBDmc" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/2_8AFQmBDmc/Virtual-Desktops-How-Virtual-Desktops-Will-Revolutionize-Ed-Tech.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Virtual-Desktops-How-Virtual-Desktops-Will-Revolutionize-Ed-Tech.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Smithsonian Debuts "Virtual Museum" (Resource)</title> <description>Social networking technology may allow interactive web site visitors to chart the future of the Smithsonian Institution's newest museum, the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, set to open in 2015. Museum officials say interactive technology will allow individuals to share memories, photos, essays, and oral histories, bringing together anyone interested in the African-American experience and those who have "great stories to tell."&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/8ZSvyJwCzVs" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/8ZSvyJwCzVs/Smithsonian-Debuts-Virtual-Museum.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Smithsonian-Debuts-Virtual-Museum.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Schools Ride Emerging Trend: Bus-Based Connectivity (Resource)</title> <description>School buses and other vehicles are being equipped with wireless internet access in an emerging trend that has enormous implications for students. Proponents of the trend say wireless connectivity on buses could turn what is often a dull ride into another opportunity for learning. In one example, students will be able to download lessons from the internet via cell-phone towers. Billy Hudson, a Vanderbilt University professor of medicine and biochemistry is helping rural students with long commutes to school by turning their buses into mobile classrooms. Hudson said that children in his hometown of Grapevine, Ark., are so isolated that, for some, the bus ride between their homes and school lasts 90 minutes each way. Hudson plans to turn those long hours to the students' advantage by using technology to give them science and math instruction while they ride. Hudson returned to his hometown recently to launch a three-year pilot study of what he calls the  Aspirnaut Initiative .&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/3RucVWjAnrQ" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/3RucVWjAnrQ/Schools-Ride-Emerging-Trend-Bus-Based-Connectivity.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Schools-Ride-Emerging-Trend-Bus-Based-Connectivity.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Schools Respond to I-phone's Popularity (Resource)</title> <description>Many universities are rolling out initiatives to take advantage of the I-Phone s potential as a converged, mobile learning device. Apple Inc. moved to expand the use of its iPhone by unveiling software intended to allow third-party developers to build new iPhone applications. Vanderbilt Univ. has released a version of its web site s home page especially designed for the iPhone. In Texas, Abilene Christian Univ. (ACU) announced plans to give free iPhones or iPod touches to more than 900 incoming freshman this fall. The university will study the devices efficacy as a learning tool. The iPhone allows for full web surfing.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/-gHp9FLcupk" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/-gHp9FLcupk/Schools-Respond-to-I-phones-Popularity.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Schools-Respond-to-I-phones-Popularity.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Report urges U.S. to think "big" about broadband (Resource)</title> <description>Higher-ed group says it's time for nationwide, open access to high-speed internet service&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/_faFkML3e_Y" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/_faFkML3e_Y/Report-urges-US-to-think-big-about-broadband.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Report-urges-US-to-think-big-about-broadband.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Online-learning Patent Dispute Heats up (Resource)</title> <description>The patent dispute is intensifying between enterprise software makers Blackboard Inc. and Desire2Learn Inc. over patent rights that Blackboard was granted in January 2006 for its course-management software and other eLearning products.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/SnsHcQgdm3o" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/SnsHcQgdm3o/Online-learning-Patent-Dispute-Heats-up.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Online-learning-Patent-Dispute-Heats-up.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>New iPhone Apps Aim to Enhance Education (Resource)</title> <description>Several programs facilitating teaching and learning, such as flash-card programs, eBook reading software, and science and math simulations are among a dozen educational software programs developed for Apple's iPhone that appear in the new App Store. Flash My Brain Flashcards and StudyCards, $9.99 each, let users create their own flash cards. Users of Flash My Brain Flashcards can take photos or add songs to their cards and share them through the online library, which has more than 100,000 user-made flash cards to choose from. The StudyCards application also lets users share the cards they make or download from the web site, but StudyCards has 1,000 pre-installed cards and supports more than 650 languages. Lexicon, which can be downloaded, is an animated flash-card application designed to help users learn more than 70 languages. Users can quiz themselves and record and play back audio on their iPhone to hear their progress. The BookShelf application lets users download and read eBooks on their iPhones, with an auto-scroll feature that enables them to read "hands-free." The "Atom in a Box" application is a tool to help users visualize the hydrogenic, atomic orbitals, showing what the hydrogen atom looks like in three dimensions. Users can explore all aspects of the atom through animation and mathematical description. To help trigonometry students fully understand the basic trigonometric values, a "trigonometry cheat sheet" is available through the Trigger application. Trigger interprets the six standard trigonometry values as lengths of segments in one diagram. To date, the only free iPhone application is an interactive image of the Mandlebrot set. The program allows users to explore the mathematical set of points in a complex plane that forms a fractal.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/UNH4caTijYs" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/UNH4caTijYs/New-iPhone-Apps-Aim-to-Enhance-Education.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/New-iPhone-Apps-Aim-to-Enhance-Education.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Low-Cost Handheld Targets Elementary Students (Resource)</title> <description>Elementary schools in at least 7 cities are piloting an innovative handheld computer that costs only $50 and can be used to help teach reading and math. Chicago-based Innovations for Learning, calls it,  the world s most affordable solution for giving a computer to every student. The  teacher-mate handheld computer features a 2.5-inch color screen, 512 megabytes of internal memory, an SD slot for expandability, a built-in microphone and speaker, and a battery life of 4 hours. An innovative case that holds 30 of the devices can charge them all at the same time using one AC outlet and synchronize all of the student performance data to a teacher s personal computer using a single USB cable. The device includes reading and math software programs also developed by Innovations for Learning.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/yFgmf61PGVQ" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/yFgmf61PGVQ/Low-Cost-Handheld-Targets-Elementary-Students.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Low-Cost-Handheld-Targets-Elementary-Students.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning (Resource)</title> <description>42 states now have supplemental or full-time online learning programs. Of the 8 states with neither supplemental nor full-time online learning programs, several are in the planning stages to introduce online learning opportunities. There has been increased scrutiny of online programs. A key development has been the release of audits of full-time online programs by three states: Colorado, Idaho, and Kansas. Colorado s audit questioned the practices of several full-time online learning programs and the oversight capability of the Colorado Dept. of Ed. In response, the state board of education created a task force to make recommendations to lawmakers. Colorado legislators passed a bill that made many changes to the state s online education regulations. Among these are the creation of a division within the state education department to oversee online programs, the creation of standards to define the quality of online programs, and a requirement that all online programs report annually to the state.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/PwFc9Fa1GE0" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/PwFc9Fa1GE0/Keeping-Pace-with-K-12-Online-Learning.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Keeping-Pace-with-K-12-Online-Learning.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Internet2 Spotlights Student Creativity (Resource)</title> <description>The Open Student Television Network (OSTN) and Internet2 partnered to produce a 3-day student film festival ( Ingenuity Festival ) at Cleveland State University. Students directed and produced films, documentaries, and television videos, which were sent to educational institutions around the world.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/H9lR32_kjxE" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/H9lR32_kjxE/Internet2-Spotlights-Student-Creativity.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Internet2-Spotlights-Student-Creativity.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>HP s New Discovery Could Lead to Better Memory (Resource)</title> <description>A new discovery at Hewlett-Packard Co. has big implications. Scientists have speculated that basic electrical circuits have a natural ability to  remember things even if the power is turned off. Now HP researchers has a discovery they hope will lead to memory chips that store more data but consume less power than found in today's personal computers and other digital devices. The newly found circuit element--called a "memristor," (memory resistor) will enable cell phones to go for weeks without a charge, PCs to start up instantly, and laptops to retain session information long after battery death. That may help classroom computing where educators must squeeze lessons into 40- or 50-minute periods so saving computer boot-up time is crucial. The discovery may challenge flash memory, widely used in portable electronics for its ability to retain information when power is off. Chips incorporating the HP discovery would be faster, use less power, and take far less space than flash.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/YnTWQtAyxqE" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/YnTWQtAyxqE/HPe28099s-New-Discovery-Could-Lead-to-Better-Memory.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/HPe28099s-New-Discovery-Could-Lead-to-Better-Memory.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Gas Prices Fuel Rise in Virtual Field Trips (Resource)</title> <description>As schools grapple with budget cuts and rising fuel costs, many districts are finding it necessary to reduce or eliminate field trips, leaving students and teachers with a surprisingly attractive option--virtual field trips. Many classrooms just need a high-speed internet connection and video conferencing capability. Students enrolled in the Florida Virtual School (FLVS) have the opportunity to participate in numerous virtual field trips. They are able to take a virtual field trip on their own or in groups, using a computer and browser or a web conferencing tool (FLVS uses Elluminate) that allows students to be on separate computers but still be tied together. Virtual field trips also help students experience guest speakers who otherwise would not have been able to speak to their classes. Virtual field trips offer budget-friendly opportunities not only for schools, but also for students whose families might not be able to afford the sometimes costly expense associated with physical field trips.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/Ta3v5cYHEHI" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/Ta3v5cYHEHI/Gas-Prices-Fuel-Rise-in-Virtual-Field-Trips.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Gas-Prices-Fuel-Rise-in-Virtual-Field-Trips.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>[eSchoolNews] Florida Leads Growth in Virtual Schooling (Resource)</title> <description>The oldest and largest K-12 virtual school, FLVS is a model for online instruction, and Florida Virtual School, is still growing. Ed-tech advocates say the potential of FLVS, and other virtual schools, is unlimited, and can help struggling students become 21st century learners. There are now 25 statewide or state-led programs and more than 170 virtual charter schools across the nation, according to the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL). FLVS is a pioneer and a model for many of these other programs. FLVS, part of the Florida's public education system, is the leader among K-12 virtual schools in terms of innovation, depth of courses, rigor, and enrollment, said Bill Tucker, chief operating officer at Education Sector, a Washington, D.C., think tank. Founded 10 years ago, it offers more than 90 courses ranging from such basics as English and math, to specialties that include keyboarding, computer programming, web design, Chinese, marine science, Earth-space science, macroeconomics, and microeconomics.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/tkk4wBS-aNo" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/tkk4wBS-aNo/eSchoolNews-Florida-Leads-Growth-in-Virtual-Schooling.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/eSchoolNews-Florida-Leads-Growth-in-Virtual-Schooling.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>First "Hybrid" Courses; Now, a "Hybrid" School (Resource)</title> <description>Hybrid courses, offering a blend of online and face-to-face instruction, are popular in schools and colleges nationwide. A new high school in Hawaii has taken the concept and applied it to an entire school. The Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) SEED Academy is a new public "bricks and clicks" high school with a blended curriculum of core, Advanced Placement, and world language courses taken online, as well as hands-on electives in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) taught on-campus at Oahu's Kapolei High School. An innovative alternative to traditional school experiences, the academy is enrolling students tuition-free for the 2008-09 school year, starting Aug. 11. The combined online and face-to-face curriculum gives students the benefits of a flexible schedule and a high-quality education. Courses are taught by experienced teachers who give small-group instruction and individualized feedback to help students master course material. Students will have ongoing interaction with teachers and peers via both online and on-campus lessons and face-to-face lab and field activities. The school is a joint project of UHM, Kapolei High School, Ainoa Inc., and isisHawaii, a nonprofit offering resources and opportunities to foster student interest in STEM careers.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/IRhsyatIF4k" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/IRhsyatIF4k/First-Hybrid-Courses3b-Now2c-a-Hybrid-School.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/First-Hybrid-Courses3b-Now2c-a-Hybrid-School.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Classes via Cell Phone: Online University in Japan (Resource)</title> <description>In what could be a sign of things to come for colleges and universities worldwide, an online university in Japan has debuted a course that students can take through their cell phones. Cyber University, the nation s only university to offer all its classes on the internet, began offering a class via mobile phone Nov. 28 on the mysteries of the pyramids. For classes that students take via personal computers, the downloaded lectures play on the monitor with text and images in the middle, and a smaller video of the lecturer in the corner, complete with sound.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/OODKHZIjIeA" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/OODKHZIjIeA/Classes-via-Cell-Phone-Online-University-in-Japan.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Classes-via-Cell-Phone-Online-University-in-Japan.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Bill Would Boost Public TV's Learning Power (Resource)</title> <description>Schools across the U.S. may soon have online access to a vast amount of educational content from public television archives to raise student achievement, if a new bill called the  Ready to Compete Act (H.R. 6856) is enacted. Co-sponsored by Reps. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., and Ray LaHood, R-Ill., the bill may reauthorize Ready to Learn, to improve literacy by encouraging the creation of educational public TV programming, and Ready to Teach, to boost teacher quality through the use of public TV content for teacher professional development. Also, the bill would create 2 new programs: Ready to Achieve and Ready to Earn. Ready to Achieve to create a national, on-demand, online digital media service to let teachers access public television's extensive archives of educational content. Ready to Earn may let stations create new resources for adult learners in a changing economy. The intent is to prepare learners for the 21st century workforce by tapping into digital technologies to explore science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines, as well as history, literacy, etc. The Assoc. of Public Television Stations (APTS) seems best suited to help bridge in-school and out-of-school learning with services anytime, anywhere. APTS cites Cyberchase, a children's animated TV series that helps kids learn math and recently won a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Broadband Children's Program" with more than 1.7 billion page views. More than 1.5 million individuals have used public television's materials to prepare for and pass the GED exam; 70% are now in the workplace earning $9,152 more per year and paying an average of 28% in federal tax.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/VNQQdu5-g6U" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/VNQQdu5-g6U/Bill-Would-Boost-Public-TVs-Learning-Power.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Bill-Would-Boost-Public-TVs-Learning-Power.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>African Students And Educators To Connect (Resource)</title> <description>The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Council has partnered with ePals, Inc., the leading internet learning community. This collaboration will give African students and educators the ability to create cross-cultural pen pal and project sharing programs in a safe, protected context using ePals.com and its rich set of communication tools.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/EWClX9t4fr0" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/EWClX9t4fr0/African-Students-And-Educators-To-Connect.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/African-Students-And-Educators-To-Connect.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Online Education Cast as 'Disruptive Innovation' (Resource)</title> <description>Technology-based forces of "disruptive innovation" are gathering around public education and will overhaul the way K-12 students learn, according to a new book that draws parallels to disruptions in other industries. The book, Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, by Clayton M. Christensen, a Harvard University business professor, predicts that the growth in computer-based delivery of education will accelerate swiftly until, by 2019, half of all high school classes will be taught over the Internet.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/sxu43KkUF1U" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/sxu43KkUF1U/Online-Education-Cast-as-Disruptive-Innovation.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Online-Education-Cast-as-Disruptive-Innovation.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>New Orleans Offers Students Laptops (Resource)</title> <description>Nearly 4,000 New Orleans high school students this month received laptops as part of a $53 million technology initiative by the Recovery School District that aims to modernize some of the nation s most rundown classrooms and improve achievement in a city where most students struggle to meet basic academic standards. Mr. Vallas, a veteran urban schools chief, in charge of the state-run district since July, said the laptops are part of a broader effort to introduce academic reforms, improve instruction, and raise expectations for the roughly 13,000 students in the 33 schools that he directly oversees. For decades, many struggling schools in the city did not even issue students their own textbooks&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/rYG7wK1WrGg" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/rYG7wK1WrGg/New-Orleans-Offers-Students-Laptops.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/New-Orleans-Offers-Students-Laptops.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Edison Schools Buys into Virtual Market (Resource)</title> <description>The for-profit education provider Edison Schools, which has renamed itself EdisonLearning, has acquired a software company and plans to dive into the rapidly expanding online-learning market. "We are still very much in the school-management and charter-school-management business. But we need to be able to partner with all reform-minded educators," said the company's chief education officer, Joseph Wise. "To do that, we have to increase our offerings as well as our delivery system."&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/CE1oKObTrhs" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/CE1oKObTrhs/Edison-Schools-Buys-into-Virtual-Market.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Edison-Schools-Buys-into-Virtual-Market.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Comfortable Classrooms: Students Don't Have to Squeeze (Resource)</title> <description>Most public schools today are 20th century adaptations of the schools in the original American colonies. In the industrial version of schools, students became products to be passed from grade to grade until sufficiently educated to work in a factory. School buildings reflected this ultimate goal, with classroom after similar classroom aligned along each side of a corridor, and regimental rows of hard chairs symbolizing strict attention and serious purpose. Nothing about the industrial school model required comfort as a precondition for success. Even though no research or evidence supports this idea, a myth persists to this day that an uncomfortable school is probably good because it creates self-disciplined kids, not pampered softies. A considerable body of research about environmental design shows the positive effect comfort can have on learning, human productivity and creativity. In this Edutopia article, Prakash Nair and Randall Fielding argue for greater investments in softer seating, cleaner and fresher air, noise controls, adaptive and flexible learning spaces, access to healthy food, smaller learning communities, and creating environments where students can feel both secure and significant.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/h0u-cGd1wlI" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/h0u-cGd1wlI/Comfortable-Classrooms-Students-Dont-Have-to-Squeeze.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Comfortable-Classrooms-Students-Dont-Have-to-Squeeze.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Florida Leads Growth in Virtual Schooling (Resource)</title> <description>The oldest and largest K-12 virtual school, FLVS is a model for online instruction, and Florida Virtual School, is still growing. Ed-tech advocates say the potential of FLVS, and other virtual schools, is unlimited, and can help struggling students become 21st century learners. There are now 25 statewide or state-led programs and more than 170 virtual charter schools across the nation, according to the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL). FLVS is a pioneer and a model for many of these other programs. FLVS, part of the Florida's public education system, is the leader among K-12 virtual schools in terms of innovation, depth of courses, rigor, and enrollment, said Bill Tucker, chief operating officer at Education Sector, a Washington, D.C., think tank. Founded 10 years ago, it offers more than 90 courses ranging from such basics as English and math, to specialties that include keyboarding, computer programming, web design, Chinese, marine science, Earth-space science, macroeconomics, and microeconomics.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/50c-NKkZwX0" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/50c-NKkZwX0/Florida-Leads-Growth-in-Virtual-Schooling.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Florida-Leads-Growth-in-Virtual-Schooling.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Curriki: Comunity of educators, learners and educa (Resource)</title> <description>Curriki is more than your average Website; it s a community of educators, learners and committed education experts who are working together to create quality materials that will benefit teachers and students around the world. Curriki is an online environment created to support the development and free distribution of world-class educational materials to anyone who needs them. Its name is a play on the combination of 'curriculum' and 'wiki' which is the technology we're using to make education universally accessible.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/wWz1EBOy0pY" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/wWz1EBOy0pY/Curriki-Comunity-of-educators2c-learners-and-educa.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Curriki-Comunity-of-educators2c-learners-and-educa.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>The Future Wave of School Volunteerism: Be the Textbook (Resource)</title> <description>This blog describes how a teacher used Skype, a webcam, and a headset to connect a rural Georgia, USA classroom to Earl Boysen, a nanotechnology expert, for a class dicsussion. The article provides specific instructions about how to make such connections happen in the classroom.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/u30tCJs56EU" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/u30tCJs56EU/The-Future-Wave-of-School-Volunteerism-Be-the-Textbook.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/The-Future-Wave-of-School-Volunteerism-Be-the-Textbook.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Venture Fund Fueling Push for New Schools (Resource)</title> <description>Analysts suggest NewSchools biggest impact has been to help firmly establish charter-management organizations nonprofits that spawn and operate clusters of like-minded charter schools as part of the education marketplace...&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/7MHcMBaFZec" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/7MHcMBaFZec/Venture-Fund-Fueling-Push-for-New-Schools.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Venture-Fund-Fueling-Push-for-New-Schools.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Technology: Enabling Or Disabling Youth? (Resource)</title> <description>The article explores the benefits to technology on their education, and also looks at how it is negatively affecting their basic skills.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/DY50PhUcC88" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/DY50PhUcC88/Technology-Enabling-Or-Disabling-Youth.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Technology-Enabling-Or-Disabling-Youth.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Real Schools, Virtual Classes? (Resource)</title> <description>Students nationwide are enrolling in cyber programs to bolster or replace a brick-and-mortar education. Nationally, virtual classrooms -- cyber schools based on the Internet and run by public and private schools -- are beginning to augment traditional middle and high schools.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/6dEW3Q_QSzY" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/6dEW3Q_QSzY/Real-Schools2c-Virtual-Classes.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Real-Schools2c-Virtual-Classes.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Sanford Signs Virtual School Measure (Resource)</title> <description>Home-schoolers and students attending public, private or charter schools will be able to take online classes after May 18, 2007 when Governor Mark Sanford signed a new law creating the  South Carolina Virtual School Program . The law, which will be administered by the state department of education, will allow students a chance to enroll in online courses that might not otherwise be available to them, especially in rural areas. The law will allow students to earn credits in Advanced Placement, remedial and specialty classes online. It will also ease scheduling conflicts, provide individualized instruction, and help students meet graduation requirements&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/KB5xgrFHZWw" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/KB5xgrFHZWw/Sanford-Signs-Virtual-School-Measure.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Sanford-Signs-Virtual-School-Measure.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Home-schooling Numbers Increase (Resource)</title> <description>As Vermont public school pupils are back in school, so are many of the 2,215 home school students -- up from 92 in 1981. Home school students are free from the rules and course requirements that abound in public schools. But parents must enroll home study children with the Vermont Education Department and, in most cases, provide the department with an annual report demonstrating how the students will meet minimum course requirements.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/j-sshpKhBeU" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/j-sshpKhBeU/Home-schooling-Numbers-Increase.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Home-schooling-Numbers-Increase.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>State Launches Online High School (Resource)</title> <description>In New Hampshire, the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School, was initiated by the Exeter Region Cooperative School District. Funded through the Education Trust Fund, estimated at $3,600 per full-time student, tuition will be free for New Hampshire high school students. Students may start part-time study in Jan., 2008, and by Sept., 2008, they can take all their classes through the virtual academy. The school will offer college preparatory classes, AP courses, and special interest classes in biology, computer science, calculus, economics, English and Spanish. The online academy is an option for students to obtain credits needed for graduation. Sometimes a course doesn't fit into students schedules, or they might have health issues but want to keep up with their studies. It is an alternative for students with social issues too. Students will have a state certified teacher/adviser who maintains contact with them and parents. Three measures will be used to assess academic achievement for full-time students: the New England Common Assessment, testing and student projects assigned by the teachers, and students' digital portfolios.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/NOXvD1kSWmQ" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/NOXvD1kSWmQ/State-Launches-Online-High-School.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/State-Launches-Online-High-School.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Online Classes Take Sting Out of Summer School (Resource)</title> <description>With a growing number of schools letting students take classes and make up credits online, summer school's punitive reputation is slipping. Many teens are finding less of a need to spend their summers cooped up in a classroom. Submitting their assignments in e-mails, "talking" to teachers through instant messaging and interacting with other students in online discussion groups lets them learn at their own pace. They do the work when they find time for it, and some students and their parents say the system is making learning easier.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/zKQ4dVn7NOo" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/zKQ4dVn7NOo/Online-Classes-Take-Sting-Out-of-Summer-School.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Online-Classes-Take-Sting-Out-of-Summer-School.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>China's doors wide open for Mass. High Schoolers (Resource)</title> <description>For 6 weeks to 5 months, Massachusetts high school students are attending Chinese schools and living with Chinese host families. The students hope to gain an edge in careers. The cultural exchange project began in 1986 in one district, and several more are now copying the program as interest in the language and culture booms.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/VPQNWX1-F6M" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/VPQNWX1-F6M/Chinas-doors-wide-open-for-Mass-High-Schoolers.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Chinas-doors-wide-open-for-Mass-High-Schoolers.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Bilingual Teachers Wanted (Resource)</title> <description>Boston recruiters were looking for educators to teach English as a second language, as well as math, science and special education to help the city's fast-growing Latino student population. Their mission took them to several locations in Puerto Rico. Because the island is a commonwealth of the United States, Puerto Ricans are American citizens and therefore do not face immigration hurdles&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/ZjflKIjQCQQ" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/ZjflKIjQCQQ/Bilingual-Teachers-Wanted.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Bilingual-Teachers-Wanted.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>PCs for the Poor  As Good As Their Hype? (Resource)</title> <description>By Waleed Al-Shobakky. A review of the history and wisdom of the One Laptop Per Child Project&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/IwHl7BOROmU" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/IwHl7BOROmU/PCs-for-the-Poor-e28093-As-Good-As-Their-Hype.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/PCs-for-the-Poor-e28093-As-Good-As-Their-Hype.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>2 Million Minutes (Resource)</title> <description>This film takes a deeper look at how the three superpowers of the 21st Century China, India and the United States are preparing their students for the future. As we follow two students a boy and a girl from each of these countries, we compose a global snapshot of education, from the viewpoint of kids preparing for their future.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~4/JvuIRvjShnQ" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Learning-Grids/~3/JvuIRvjShnQ/2-Million-Minutes.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/2-Million-Minutes.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> </channel> </rss>