<?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>Personal Learning Ecologies</title> <link>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Personal-Learning-Ecologies.aspx</link> <description>Families look outside the traditional  system to create ecologies of learning experiences. Families will leverage the emerging learning economy to cultivate their own ecologies of learning resources. School will be part of this ecology, but it will play different roles for different families, and it won t be the only player in the wider learning ecosystem. &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;Provide coaches to help students select appropriate learning experiences &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Create a network in your community like the &lt;a href="http://parents.berkeley.edu/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Berkeley Parents Network&lt;/a&gt; and read this &lt;a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/07/24/CMGGJDDL2D1.DTL&amp;amp;type=printable" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; about it &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Learn more about homeschooling options: &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Jon s Homeschool Resources - &lt;a href="http://www.midnightbeach.com/hs/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;www.midnightbeach.com/hs/&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;The Homeschool Mom - &lt;a href="http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;www.thehomeschoolmom.com/&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Homeschool Central - &lt;a href="http://www.homeschoolcentral.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;www.homeschoolcentral.com/&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Homeschool Resource Center - &lt;a href="http://www.hsrc.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;www.hsrc.com/&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Muslim Homeschool Network - &lt;a href="http://www.muslimhomeschool.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;www.muslimhomeschool.com/&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Let parents and students know about the summer camp directory at &lt;a href="http://mysummercamps.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;mysummercamps.com&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Explore how &lt;a href="http://www.educationalconsulting.org/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Independent Educational Consultants&lt;/a&gt; can help families find the right opportunity for children in college, grad school, or special programs &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tom Munneke, who turned a shed in his backyard into a science laboratory for kids, says that one way to add excitement and enthusiasm to education is to have adults and peers do more teaching. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;a href="&lt;object width=" height="364"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="&lt;object width=" height="364"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cfXCsl2NbFE&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; </description> <name>Personal Learning Ecologies</name> <atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/Personal-Learning-Ecologies" /><feedburner:info uri="personal-learning-ecologies" /><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="hub" href="http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/" /><item> <title>A New Civic Discourse (Driver of Change)</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rearticulating identity and community in a global society&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The convergence of participatory media culture, diverse diasporic movements (the formation of dispersed populations that share common roots and identity), and frameworks for creating new commons (bottom-up means of managing shared resources) set the stage for re-articulating identity and community in a global society. Education will find itself a contested resource in the crossroads of these forces of change. It will become part of the civic discourse in multiple new kinds of public forums and spaces as  educitizens make visible the status of schools and of educational decision-making, resources, and activities in their communities. School administrators, district level staff, and teachers will need to learn how to communicate and interact in a bottom-up world of engaged educitizens.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;What kinds of roles can educators and schools play in an increasingly transparent world with more bottomup monitoring of learning?  &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;What kinds of public, visible dialogues should educators be catalyzing? &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;More on This Topic&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; The convergence of participatory media culture, diverse diasporic movements (the formation of dispersed populations that share common roots and identity), and frameworks for creating new commons (bottom-up means of managing shared resources) set the stage for&lt;strong&gt; a re-articulation of identity and community in the global society&lt;/strong&gt;.  Education will find itself a contested resource, right and experience, in the crossroads of these forces of change.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="/trend/Diasporas-as-New-Markets.aspx"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Diasporic flows of learners&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; will bring new layers of complexity to defining rights and responsibilities around education and learning.  Climate refugees (such as those who experienced Katrina), families of global corporate employees, global immigrants, growing numbers of homeschoolers and online learners, and religious communities comprise new groups of learners with distinct learning values, conceptual frames of education, and a sense of rights as learners.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; These diverse values and conceptions of education and learning will be reflected in their &lt;a href="/trend/Personal-Learning-Ecologies.aspx"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;personal learning ecologies&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; - networks of resources, tools, and learning assets that families stitch together to support their children s education and development. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Educitizens - &lt;/strong&gt;equipped with camera phones, mobile blogging, and social media (such as Twitter, Facebook, web logs) - will &lt;a href="/trend/New-Civic-Literacies.aspx"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;leverage participative media and new civic literacies&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/a&gt;(digitally mediated collective processes of creation, debate, expression, and organization) to surface tensions and articulate perceived rights to education and learning.  They will act to &lt;a href="/trend/Learning-Commons.aspx"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;build learning commons&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, as in Washington DC where DC Voice works with citizen volunteers to audit their public schools for readiness in a publish results for the community.  They treat their schools as a new commons - a shared resource that benefits the entire community.  And recall that the first image of the Virgina Tech shooting that the world witnessed was a camera phone image taken by a student witness on campus and sent to CNN. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; As communities develop increasing levels of transparency through citizen generated data and exchange, local schools and the robustness of a community s learning landscape will come under the spotlight, exposing &lt;strong&gt;learning deserts&lt;/strong&gt; (those area barren of resources and experiences that support healthy development and learning) and &lt;strong&gt;learning oases&lt;/strong&gt; (robust geographies with ample opportunities that support community learning and regeneration.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Implications for Learning&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;Education will increasingly become part of the civic discourse as educitizens bring transparency to the status of schools, educational decision-making, learning and health resources, and activities in their communities.  &lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;School administrators, district level staff, and teachers will need to learn how to communicate and interact in &lt;strong&gt;a bottom-up world of engaged educitizens&lt;/strong&gt;.  &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Social media tools and the explosion of citizen-based mapping create new opportunities to &lt;strong&gt;make public the relationships among issues&lt;/strong&gt; such as economic success, health, and education.  &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Such public exposure of critical issues can help rally shared the interests of the broader, enabling &lt;strong&gt;a collective commons for learning and a new form of public legacy&lt;/strong&gt;. &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;Network with people in other professional learning communities to share ideas about encouraging collaboration and system change &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Check up on politicians or legislation with one of the projects run by the &lt;a href="http://www.sunlightfoundation.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Sunlight Foundation &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Search the &lt;a href="http://www.greenspace.info/twitter/stream/en/index.html" target="_blank"&gt;twitterstream &lt;/a&gt;for conversations about current events &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Join the parents of &lt;a href="http://www.letparentschoose.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Let Parents Choose &lt;/a&gt; in taking back more control of children's education &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Contribute to the &lt;a href="http://www.oercommons.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Open Educational Resource (OER) Commons&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome" 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;/ol&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/bHL76Lcgjns" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/bHL76Lcgjns/A-New-Civic-Discourse.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/driver/A-New-Civic-Discourse.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Transliteracy (Trend)</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;Effective communication depends on the ability to read, write, and interact across multiple media and social platforms. (provided by &lt;a href="http://www.transliteracy.com" target="_blank"&gt;www.transliteracy.com&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Podcasts &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Digital video &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Virtual Worlds &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Microblogs &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Wikis &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Social Networking &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Tagging &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;In the emerging decade, ideas will migrate across multiple social media platforms: podcasts, digital video, virtual worlds, microblogs, wikis, social networking, tagging, etc. The amplified, transliterate organization will have the capacity to communicate across these platforms.&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;View or post a video around your lesson plan or around an educational component on &lt;a href="http://www.teachertube.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;TeacherTube&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Try e-learning for your own professional development &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Learn how &lt;a href="http://transliteracies.english.ucsb.edu/category/research-project/definition-of-online-reading" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;The Transliteracies Project&lt;/a&gt; is designing technology to improve the experience of reading for people of all backgrounds &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Explore how archaeology and media can be used in your next class at &lt;a href="http://metamedia.stanford.edu/" class="jive-link-external-small"&gt;MetaMedia&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Download courses from &lt;a href="http://itunes.stanford.edu/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Stanford University on iTunes&lt;/a&gt;, &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;, or another open access sites for use in your classrorom &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p&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;a href="&lt;object width=" height="364"&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&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;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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/2vJl88KMLsU" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/2vJl88KMLsU/Transliteracy.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Transliteracy.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/DqKiQ_2NMBs" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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>Personal Metrics (Trend)</title> <description>Personal data trails about preferences, attributes, and performance shape an evidence-based culture. A multitude of sensors will generate and aggregate massive amounts of data about the self. These data trails will drive a deeply quantitative understanding of our selves  and new strategies for using complex quantitative data for modifying behavior. The wide array of data types will inspire people to navigate their own paths, focusing on data they deem personally relevant. &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;Find out what impacts your actions and food intake have on your body using &lt;a href="http://www.bodybugg.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;BodyBugg&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Track and understand your baby's patterns using &lt;a href="http://www.trixietracker.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Trixie Tracker&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Share travel plans with colleagues and friends using &lt;a href="http://www.dopplr.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Dopplr&lt;/a&gt; and meet up when you're in the same place &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/jBwJuTCIuFc" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/jBwJuTCIuFc/Personal-Metrics.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Personal-Metrics.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/jLlKwHkYvx8" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/jLlKwHkYvx8/Shadow-Schools.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Shadow-Schools.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Enabled Innovation (Trend)</title> <description>Neurodiversity, physical enhancements, and disability communities converge, turning marginalized populations into mainstream innovators. People with disabilities are quickly becoming lead users and innovators of sophisticated physical and cognitive enhancements, ones that will make people  better than normal. Neurodiversity, which considers a-typical neural behavior such as autism not as a disability but as a natural human difference, is empowering many marginalized populations to embrace and explore their unique cognitive functioning not &lt;i&gt;dis&lt;/i&gt;abled, but &lt;i&gt;en&lt;/i&gt;abled. Many of these developments will be rapidly adopted back into mainstream use, meanwhile challenging our notions of performance,  normal, and what it means to be human. &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;Learn why some think a double-leg amputee like &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Pistorius" class="active_link" target="_blank"&gt;Oscar Pistorius&lt;/a&gt; has an unfair advantage in racing&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;View the parody site &lt;a href="http://isnt.autistics.org/archived.html" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Institute for the Neurologically Typical&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;See how the Asperger's Syndrome community is banding together at &lt;a href="http://www.wrongplanet.net/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;WrongPlanet.net&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/UOAqDroUIc8" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/UOAqDroUIc8/Enabled-Innovation.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Enabled-Innovation.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/RD9YUrXV2jM" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/RD9YUrXV2jM/Learning-Commons.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Learning-Commons.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Educitizens (Trend)</title> <description>Students and families affiliate around educational needs and claim rights as learners. As families assume more responsibility for education, people identify around specific educational needs, values, and strategies. This array of affiliations is fostering different senses of rights and responsibilities as learners, and many are acting in the civic sphere not just the political to create quality learning experiences. &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;Read and subscribe to the &lt;a href="http://students2oh.org/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Students 2.0&lt;/a&gt; blog&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Run for public office or communicate with public officials about the purpose and meaning of public education&lt;/li&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;Read Chapter 8 of &lt;a href="http://www.herecomeseverybody.org/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Here Comes Everybody&lt;/a&gt; by Clay Shirky&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Host a &lt;a href="http://nyra.meetup.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Meetup for Youth Rights&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/iYVsMJEQV2I" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/iYVsMJEQV2I/Educitizens.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Educitizens.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>New Civic Literacies (Trend)</title> <description>Participatory media and digital natives bring transparency and collective action to the civic sphere. People who are accustomed to the world of participatory media, user-generated content, and smart networking bring a powerful voice to the civic sphere. Using new tools, people will act collectively, whether joining in  netroot (i.e. Internet enabled grassroots) political campaigns, working together to solve social issues, or forcing transparency into civic processes. &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;Learn from &lt;a href="http://www.futuremelbourne.com.au/wiki/view/FMPlan" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;FutureMelbourne&lt;/a&gt; and how citizens there are preparing their city for the future &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Check up on politicians or legislation with one of the projects run by the &lt;a href="http://www.sunlightfoundation.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Sunlight Foundation&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Explore how &lt;a href="http://www.microsociety.org/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;MicroSociety&lt;/a&gt; brings real life to learning &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Search the &lt;a href="http://search.twitter.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;twitterstream&lt;/a&gt; for conversations about a current events &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;strong&gt; &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in"&gt;David Nordfors, who runs the innovation journalism program at Stanford, stays studens are moving towards a journalisatic method of learning - finding knowledge, assesing it, and then connecting the dots to build a story.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/strong&gt; &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in"&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uoE-tCurDNY&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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/6n6zuZUfW9c" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/6n6zuZUfW9c/New-Civic-Literacies.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/New-Civic-Literacies.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/LIRjNOdec3Q" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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>Citizen R&amp;D (Trend)</title> <description>Makers reach out to their markets and communities to ideate, iterate, and solicit feedback. Research and development is no longer relegated to a lab where only  experts are welcome. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Ways to Start Taking Action&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;Explore the love of a father for his daughter on &lt;a href="http://mydaughtersdna.org/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;My Daughter s DNA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Use courses and protocols in biology and engineering for your next lesson plan from &lt;a href="http://openwetware.org/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank"&gt;Open Wetware &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Contribute to the body of global climate data through the NASA &lt;a href="http://www.globe.gov/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;GLOBE&lt;/a&gt; project&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Earn money for research on various projects at &lt;a href="http://www.innocentive.com/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;Innocentive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Donate your idle time on your computer to science through the &lt;a href="http://folding.stanford.edu/" target="_blank"&gt;Folding@home &lt;/a&gt;project or the &lt;a href="http://boinc.berkeley.edu/" class="jive-link-external-small" target="_blank"&gt;BOINC&lt;/a&gt; project&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in"&gt;&lt;b&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;br /&gt; &lt;a href="&lt;object width=" height="364"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CCclMnFNCLo&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/fdSnZgBG7JY" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/fdSnZgBG7JY/Citizen-RD.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Citizen-RD.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Speak Up (Signal)</title> <description>Speak Up is a national research project conducted by Project Tomorrow, a national education non-profit group.  Project Tomorrow s vision is  to insure that today s students are well prepared to be tomorrow s innovators, leaders and engaged citizens of the world. &lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/BBRlcrDDtpE" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/BBRlcrDDtpE/Speak-Up.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Speak-Up.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Why Web Censorship Won t Work in China (Signal)</title> <description>Governing the largest group of internet users in the world, 253 million people, the Chinese Government has blacklisted internet sites such as Google and YouTube in the name of morality. But if Chinese people can't share ideas and search for information on such sites, they'll take their search for answers and their opinions elsewhere. And if history tells us anything, they might just take them to the streets.  &lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/oOWcHF9s7M8" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/oOWcHF9s7M8/Why-Web-Censorship-Wone28099t-Work-in-China.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Why-Web-Censorship-Wone28099t-Work-in-China.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/UdzkcUjJTns" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/UdzkcUjJTns/Online-Study-Waivers.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Online-Study-Waivers.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Disney Youth Group Programs (Signal)</title> <description>Walt Disney World and other Disney resorts offer educational programs for youth groups and homeschoolers, as well as performance opportunities and a performing arts workshop for students.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/7W-u0bK_AFM" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/7W-u0bK_AFM/Disney-Youth-Group-Programs.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Disney-Youth-Group-Programs.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>The Beehive (Signal)</title> <description>The Beehive is a website created by the One Economy Corporation, a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C. The corporation also works on affordable housing and access to computers and the Internet. The site offers help with education, as well as with money, health, work, and housing. So far, the education area of the site includes help with college applications, getting a GED, homework, and learning disabilities.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/tf9Y60Dh3wA" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/tf9Y60Dh3wA/The-Beehive.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/The-Beehive.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Sylvan Learning (Signal)</title> <description>Sylvan Learning offers tutoring in math, reading, writing, SAT/ACT test prep, state test prep, study skills and homework help online, at home, and at 12,000 franchised centers in all 50 United States, throughout Canada, and in Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates. Help is available from pre-K through high school.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/xcmELlCVQhE" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/xcmELlCVQhE/Sylvan-Learning.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Sylvan-Learning.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Ecotravel.com (Signal)</title> <description>This site offers a directory and a magazine for those interested in travel experiences where sound ecological practices are followed  that do not harm the environment and that respect local culture.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/VtYwOIRufeI" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/VtYwOIRufeI/Ecotravelcom.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Ecotravelcom.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Baby Einstein (Signal)</title> <description>Baby Einstein sells products for parents and babies to discover and interact together. The company has been in business for 10 years. It sells books, toys, CD s and DVD s for parents to use with newborns through 18-month-olds.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/eh--QZmJeNo" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/eh--QZmJeNo/Baby-Einstein-.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Baby-Einstein-.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Bay Area Discovery Museum (Signal)</title> <description>The Bay Area Discovery Museum is a children s museum located in the national park in Sausalito, California, at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. Its exhibits aim to develop creativity in children aged six months to eight years.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/PboYzUZtITA" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/PboYzUZtITA/Bay-Area-Discovery-Museum.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Bay-Area-Discovery-Museum.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Independent Educational Consultants Association (Signal)</title> <description>This professional association reviews credentials and provides training for education placement advisors. These advisors help families to find and gain admission for students to private day and boarding schools, schools or programs for students with learning or behavioral needs, international placements, summer opportunities, colleges, and graduate and professional schools. The site includes a tool for finding an educational consultant to meet a family s specific needs.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/V3vyjdxXHl8" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/V3vyjdxXHl8/Independent-Educational-Consultants-Association.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Independent-Educational-Consultants-Association.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Summer Camp Resources (Signal)</title> <description>This is a summer camp directory for children and teen-agers. There are many such resources available to help families find the summer camp that meets a student s particular learning and recreation needs.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/uVtH18C7rvI" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/uVtH18C7rvI/Summer-Camp-Resources.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Summer-Camp-Resources.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Berkeley Parents Network (Signal)</title> <description>This email newsletter, coordinated by volunteer parents, is sent out to over 21,000 families in the Berkeley California area since 1993. BPN is a go to source for advice and information about education, parenting, and family issues. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; A San Francisco Gate news article describes BPN &lt;a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/07/24/CMGGJDDL2D1.DTL&amp;amp;type=printable" target="_blank"&gt;http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/07/24/CMGGJDDL2D1.DTL&amp;amp;type=printable&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/VfKIIUfNrt8" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/VfKIIUfNrt8/Berkeley-Parents-Network--.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/signal/Berkeley-Parents-Network--.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/TjwmU6wRGag" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/TjwmU6wRGag/Personal-Education-Advisor.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/learningagent/Personal-Education-Advisor.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Learning Fitness Instructor (Learning Agent)</title> <description>Learning fitness instructors will help learners build and strengthen the basic cognitive, emotional, and social abilities essential to learning by using simulations, biofeedback, and hands-on activities to reduce stress, hone mental capabilities, and learn brain-friendly nutrition.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/2QFvzPiVC9A" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/2QFvzPiVC9A/Learning-Fitness-Instructor.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/learningagent/Learning-Fitness-Instructor.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/U9yPN3LKs3Y" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/U9yPN3LKs3Y/Learning-Journey-Mentor.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/learningagent/Learning-Journey-Mentor.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Assessment Designer (Learning Agent)</title> <description>Using social networks and insights into cognitive functioning, assessment designers will create appropriate methods for evaluating media literacy, learning discovery journeys, and other innovative forms of instruction.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/ciqSEOHCyio" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/ciqSEOHCyio/Assessment-Designer.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/learningagent/Assessment-Designer.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Lisa Petrides talks about how education can work in a commons (Resource)</title> <description>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;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/uzs9o744_XA" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/uzs9o744_XA/Lisa-Petrides-talks-about-how-education-can-work-in-a-commons.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Lisa-Petrides-talks-about-how-education-can-work-in-a-commons.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>David Nordfors notes how access has now changed who owns the knowledge in a classroom (Resource)</title> <description>David, who runs the innovation journalism program at Stanford, stays studens are moving towards a journalisatic method of learning - finding knowledge, assesing it, and then connecting the dots to build a story.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/XDeBNCKdqqs" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/XDeBNCKdqqs/David-Nordfors-notes-how-access-has-now-changed-who-owns-the-knowledge-in-a-classroom.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/David-Nordfors-notes-how-access-has-now-changed-who-owns-the-knowledge-in-a-classroom.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Tom Munneke says kids can teach each other (Resource)</title> <description>Tom Munneke, who turned a shed in his backyard into a science laboratory for kids, says that one way to add excitement and enthusiasm to education is to have adults and peers do more teaching.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/OwOgePZeWrc" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/OwOgePZeWrc/Tom-Munneke-says-kids-can-teach-each-other.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Tom-Munneke-says-kids-can-teach-each-other.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/WTx4ZblAkvw" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/BUI0Ti1kcS8" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/QLmDgTdZl6Q" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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>Teen Cell Phone Usage Soars in Summer (Resource)</title> <description>Hey parents, be sure to keep a close eye on your cell phone bills this summer.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/zj3glbLGOmA" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/zj3glbLGOmA/Teen-Cell-Phone-Usage-Soars-in-Summer.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Teen-Cell-Phone-Usage-Soars-in-Summer.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Celebrity Commencement Speeches (Resource)</title> <description>Many of this year's college commencement speeches featured themes of saving the world and the power of grassroots activism.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/X5x33IKUG9M" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/X5x33IKUG9M/Celebrity-Commencement-Speeches.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Celebrity-Commencement-Speeches.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Military Educates High School Dropouts (Resource)</title> <description>A new Army program has in two years helped more than 13,000 recruits earn GEDs so they can remain eligible for the military even if they drop out of high school. The three-week GED course includes physical training, nine hours of classes and evening study halls. Straining to fill its ranks with the Iraq war in its fifth year, the military is taking on an ever-bigger role providing basic education to new recruits. It's a strategy that is potentially risky for the military as it strives to maintain the quality of its force, but one that's clearly giving dropouts a second chance.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/JJth1U89Uro" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/JJth1U89Uro/Military-Educates-High-School-Dropouts.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Military-Educates-High-School-Dropouts.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>For Consideration in Reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act (Resource)</title> <description>The UCLA Department of Psychology cites facts. In low performing schools, few students appear ready and able to learn the daily lessons. Many have become disengaged and alienated from classroom learning. Some are misdaiagnosed with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders. School improvement guidelines must consider matters other than the instrucitonal component of schooling. Student learning supports have been marginalized and fragmented. Learning Supports encompass many resources, strategies, and practices to address barriers to learning and teaching. There is a clear need to link with other organizations and agencies as needed, and to integrate school and community resources as a comprehensive, multi-faceted cohesive component at every school.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/LK0iBSnGsY8" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/LK0iBSnGsY8/For-Consideration-in-Reauthorizing-the-No-Child-Left-Behind-Act.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/For-Consideration-in-Reauthorizing-the-No-Child-Left-Behind-Act.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Home-Schooled Students Rise In Supply And Demand (Resource)</title> <description>Home-schooled students are applying to college in droves, forcing admissions officers to devise new policies. Home-schooling guides now offer advice on compiling transcripts and highlighting home-schooling s advantages in application essays. Wendy J. Bush, an independent counselor and home-school advocate, advises about 90 home-schooled seniors per year, organizes college fairs and financial-aid workshops, and furnishes students with transcripts and letters of recommendation. The Home School Legal Defense Assoc. publishes a ranking of colleges with "home-school-friendly" admissions policies. In online discussion groups like  homeschool2college , parents learn to navigate the admissions process. Many colleges once treated home-schoolers with suspicion but now reach out to them as desirable applicants.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/6UTXgTTcLBQ" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/6UTXgTTcLBQ/Home-Schooled-Students-Rise-In-Supply-And-Demand.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Home-Schooled-Students-Rise-In-Supply-And-Demand.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/Om1WvkAjYD8" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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>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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/iKCvqPNUJLk" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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>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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/Hez4shiqL-U" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/Hez4shiqL-U/Personal-Learning-Coaching.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Personal-Learning-Coaching.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>At Starbucks, Songs of Instant Gratification (Resource)</title> <description>New technology allows coffee patrons to download the music playing in Starbucks stores to their iPhones or laptops. This begins a wave of options for impulse purchases. More capable gadgets, coupled with mobile payment mechanisms, allow people to buy not just media, (music, videos and ring tones), but also hard goods, on the go. This evolution follows the popularity of debit, gift and refill cards, which allow buyers to fill accounts and make cashless payments. Payments made with those cards exceed the payments made by cash and check, according to the Nilson Report, a credit industry newsletter, which used Commerce Department data.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/dfSPUzIgwM0" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/dfSPUzIgwM0/At-Starbucks2c-Songs-of-Instant-Gratification.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/At-Starbucks2c-Songs-of-Instant-Gratification.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>3 Teachers Travel 7,000 Miles to Teach Mandarin in (Resource)</title> <description>3 teachers will spend the current school year in Saginaw, Michigan, teaching Mandarin Chinese to students at Arthur Eddy Academy, Handley Elementary School, and Zilwaukee School. Saginaw is among several school districts the Michigan Department of Education is providing with Chinese teachers as part of a pilot program. The initiative could extend beyond the 2008-09 school year, school district spokeswoman Safiya Mosley said. "It's a wonderful way to introduce our students to a new culture," Mosley said. "We're in an increasingly smaller global society. We want to prepare our students for the future. This is a great start." The U.S. State Department classifies Mandarin Chinese as a Level III language, which means it is "exceptionally difficult" for English speakers. Mandarin is the most spoken language on Earth. English is spoken by an estimated half-billion fewer people.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/TbdYpGqFrYY" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/TbdYpGqFrYY/3-Teachers-Travel-72c000-Miles-to-Teach-Mandarin-in.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/3-Teachers-Travel-72c000-Miles-to-Teach-Mandarin-in.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>I-Open Education Leadership Development: Skills Training in Collaborative Leadership (Resource)</title> <description>Enhance leadership skills to strengthen a community and region by building collaboration for economic and workforce development. Gain insights, roadmaps and tools to develop ideas and put them into action. Strategic  doing is a new approach to building the civic networks a community and region need to prosper. Focus on emergence of networks as an organizing principle for economic development. Topics: strategic systems define prosperity for communities &amp; regions, social network analysis, 4 step strategic  doing process, strategy maps for economic development, civic process mapping, and civic forums to build civic networks and accelerate "open innovation."&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/nuJnJez6qkY" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/nuJnJez6qkY/I-Open-Education-Leadership-Development-Skills-Training-in-Collaborative-Leadership.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/I-Open-Education-Leadership-Development-Skills-Training-in-Collaborative-Leadership.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Note to helicopters: (Resource)</title> <description>Quit hovering, helicopter parents...&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/7OynijS6E_M" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/7OynijS6E_M/Note-to-helicopters.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Note-to-helicopters.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/plgd6qm9a2s" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/plgd6qm9a2s/Learning-at-Home.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Learning-at-Home.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Unequal America Causes and Consequences of the Wide  and Growing  Gap Between Rich and Poor (Resource)</title> <description>The U.S. no longer boasts of having anywhere near the world s longest life expectancy. It doesn t even make the top 40. In this and many other ways, the richest nation on earth is not the healthiest. Scholars find further cause for concern in the pattern of health disparities. Poor health is not distributed evenly across the population, but concentrated among the disadvantaged. Disparities in health tend to fall along income lines everywhere: but in the U.S., the gap between the rich and the poor is far wider than in most other developed democracies, and it is getting wider. The U.S. also does less than most other rich democracies to redistribute income from the rich to the poor. American attitudes focus on equality of opportunity, while Europeans tend to see fairness in equal outcomes. Among Americans, differences of opinion about inequality result in disputes over whether poor people deserve help and sympathy or should pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Research indicates that high inequality reverberates through societies on multiple levels, correlating with, if not causing, more crime, less happiness, poorer mental and physical health, less racial harmony, and less civic and political participation. Tax policy and social-welfare programs take on importance far beyond determining how much income people hold onto. The recent U.S. increase in economic inequality reflects a migration of money upward as salaries have ballooned at the top.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/2xZlhUp5hf0" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/2xZlhUp5hf0/Unequal-America-Causes-and-Consequences-of-the-Wide-e28093-and-Growing-e28093-Gap-Between-Rich-and-Poor.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Unequal-America-Causes-and-Consequences-of-the-Wide-e28093-and-Growing-e28093-Gap-Between-Rich-and-Poor.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Toy Story: Educational Products Paying Off (Resource)</title> <description>Harvard Business School graduates share their experiences at LEGO, Cranium, and Neurosmith, where they work with the toy industry s educational market.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/PBCNQpOKh5s" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/PBCNQpOKh5s/Toy-Story-Educational-Products-Paying-Off.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Toy-Story-Educational-Products-Paying-Off.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/2_8AFQmBDmc" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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>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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/SnsHcQgdm3o" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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>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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/PwFc9Fa1GE0" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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>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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/IRhsyatIF4k" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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>Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)Conference (Resource)</title> <description>At the 12th annual conference of CoSN, Chairwoman, Katie Lovett, said technology's greatest potential for education is its ability to personalize instruction; then conference presenters described various approaches to personalize instruction with technology. One such approach was Notschool.net, a United Kingdom-based international virtual learning community. The school's URL is www.notschool.net. Although work can be set, produced and assessed online, the idea is that it is not at all like school: learners are called 'researchers' and teachers are 'mentors'. Notschool.net offers an alternative for students who, for a variety of reasons, can't cope with typical schools. "We're the absolute antithesis of what school is," said Jean Johnson, project director. Notschool allows students to take ownership of the curriculum and shape their own education. They choose their areas of study, and because instruction is asynchronous and online, they can choose when they'll participate. "Teenagers don't want to learn at 8 o'clock in the morning," she said--but, given a choice over the direction of their education, they do want to learn.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/DFQLLxHino8" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/DFQLLxHino8/Consortium-for-School-Networking-(CoSN)Conference.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Consortium-for-School-Networking-(CoSN)Conference.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>4-day Week on the Rise in Education (Resource)</title> <description>School districts and universities are instituting 4-day weeks, a trend becoming the norm as gas prices and energy costs continue to rise. The trend is particularly popular in some of the most remote school districts (Minnesota, Kentucky, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah) where buses travel hundreds of miles for student pickups, drop offs, and sporting events. At some colleges, administrators are authorizing alternative schedules as an employee-friendly policy designed to abate increasingly costly daily commutes.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/g7RooSrSn7o" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/g7RooSrSn7o/4-day-Week-on-the-Rise-in-Education.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/4-day-Week-on-the-Rise-in-Education.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/sxu43KkUF1U" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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>Online Options for 'Credit Recovery' Widen (Resource)</title> <description>Many school districts use commercial providers and virtual schools to help students graduate. As alternatives to remedial lessons, summer school, and other traditional ways to get struggling high school students on track, technology-based options for credit recovery, the North American Council for Online Learning, an association for online schools, will publish a white paper on  promising practices in credit recovery. Most credit-recovery options are online programs offered by virtual schools and commercial curriculum providers offering individualized instruction.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/0ztDIr0jbjw" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/0ztDIr0jbjw/Online-Options-for-Credit-Recovery-Widen.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Online-Options-for-Credit-Recovery-Widen.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>In Buffalo, Opening Doors for the Overlooked (Resource)</title> <description>A program offers talented minority students from disadvantaged backgrounds scholarships and academic support. Housed at the University of Buffalo, the program known as  Buffalo Prep identifies disadvantaged but talented minority children, places them in academic-enrichment classes, and then finds them spots at private schools and a more selective public high school in the area to complete their pre-collegiate careers. In addition to the accelerated courses, the program ingrains a strong academic ethic and offers a supportive atmosphere where students are embraced by a community of staff members, teachers, and alumni.  We do a lot of hand-holding, working through teen issues and school environments. We make sure that they take the kinds of classes they need to be taking, said Marcia O Neil-White, the program s executive director. A big ingredient of Buffalo Prep s winning formula is the 15  partner high schools, all of them private. They offer a combined $350,000 in annual scholarships. Some students have also been admitted to City Honors School, a highly selective public magnet school.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/GhkEX4PXCmU" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/GhkEX4PXCmU/In-Buffalo2c-Opening-Doors-for-the-Overlooked.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/In-Buffalo2c-Opening-Doors-for-the-Overlooked.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Hands-On Learning (Resource)</title> <description>The Univ. of Chicago operates 4 independent public schools and invests resources in faculty-time, expertise, office support, and fundraising. Other universities owning charter schools include Stanford Univ., Univ. of Calif.-San Diego, and the Univ. of New Orleans. Other universities serve as authorizers granting charters and holding schools accountable to meet their terms. University leaders say the enterprise aligns its research agenda, its desire to help disadvantaged students in neighboring communities, and its lessons to share with other urban schools.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/mDexzV-UaDM" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/mDexzV-UaDM/Hands-On-Learning.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Hands-On-Learning.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/CE1oKObTrhs" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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>Virtual Field Trips (Resource)</title> <description>Edutopia compiles and reviews virtual field trips&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/2xBiNkkA7kc" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/2xBiNkkA7kc/Virtual-Field-Trips.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Virtual-Field-Trips.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Balancing the Risks and Benefits of Social Network (Resource)</title> <description>This article from the California Schools Boards Association discusses the risks and benefits of social networking web sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, for high school students. Although risks include online pedophiles and cyber-bullying, these sites can also be used to enhance learning through discussion blogs and opportunities to write for real audiences.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/6jqMJkt1szQ" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/6jqMJkt1szQ/Balancing-the-Risks-and-Benefits-of-Social-Network.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Balancing-the-Risks-and-Benefits-of-Social-Network.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/wWz1EBOy0pY" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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>Demographics for the Gen Y Population (Resource)</title> <description>This website presents fascinating demographics about the culture and tastes of Generation Y and offers links to a variety of resources.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/yA7cq4quDbw" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/yA7cq4quDbw/Demographics-for-the-Gen-Y-Population.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Demographics-for-the-Gen-Y-Population.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/u30tCJs56EU" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/7MHcMBaFZec" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/DY50PhUcC88" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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>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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/KB5xgrFHZWw" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/j-sshpKhBeU" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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>Experience the World with Brown Faculty and Alumni (Resource)</title> <description>Brown offers alumni the unique opportunity to explore the world with the expertise and perspective of Brown faculty.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/S8U4--IipPc" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/S8U4--IipPc/Experience-the-World-with-Brown-Faculty-and-Alumni.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Experience-the-World-with-Brown-Faculty-and-Alumni.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/NOXvD1kSWmQ" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/zKQ4dVn7NOo" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/VPQNWX1-F6M" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/ZjflKIjQCQQ" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/ZjflKIjQCQQ/Bilingual-Teachers-Wanted.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Bilingual-Teachers-Wanted.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Kansas High School Bars Woman from Overseeing Boys (Resource)</title> <description>A private high school in Kansas will not allow a woman to be put in a position of authority over its class of boys...&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/Tnnrewk5R9A" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/Tnnrewk5R9A/Kansas-High-School-Bars-Woman-from-Overseeing-Boys.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Kansas-High-School-Bars-Woman-from-Overseeing-Boys.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>To Give Children an Edge, Au Pairs From China (Resource)</title> <description>More parents have a desire for their children to be exposed and to learn from non-Americans as they realize the growth in global economics.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/eKJ4ZHCLL84" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/eKJ4ZHCLL84/To-Give-Children-an-Edge2c-Au-Pairs-From-China.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/To-Give-Children-an-Edge2c-Au-Pairs-From-China.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Retired Justice's New Focus on Civic Education (Resource)</title> <description>Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor says that No Child Left Behind mandates are squeezing some subjects out of the curriculum, and she is working on a project that has a goal of restoring one of them: civics education. The  Our Courts project will develop online with problem-based civics learning tools for the digital generation.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/OBdbM_gh_8U" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/OBdbM_gh_8U/Retired-Justices-New-Focus-on-Civic-Education.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Retired-Justices-New-Focus-on-Civic-Education.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/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/JvuIRvjShnQ" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/JvuIRvjShnQ/2-Million-Minutes.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/2-Million-Minutes.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> <item> <title>Making Thinking Visible (Resource)</title> <description>Cognitive apprenticeship is a model of instruction that works to make thinking visible. This article presents some of the features of traditional apprenticeship and discusses how it can be adapted to the teaching and learning of cognitive skills. The article presents three successful examples -- cases in which teachers and researchers have used apprenticeship methods to teach reading, writing, and mathematics.&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~4/neBkcyLU2zs" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description> <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Personal-Learning-Ecologies/~3/neBkcyLU2zs/Making-Thinking-Visible.aspx</link> <feedburner:origLink>http://www.futureofed.org/resource/Making-Thinking-Visible.aspx</feedburner:origLink></item> </channel> </rss>