A few weeks ago, I went with several of my Blackboard colleagues to see Davis Guggenheim’s new documentary, Waiting for Superman.  I think that it is important that I preface this post with an admission: I am an outsider.  Unlike many of my peers at Blackboard, I am new to education – I have never taught a class in my life nor have I ever attended a PTO or school board meeting.  I am, however, a product of the public school system, so I assumed that what I would see on the screen wouldn’t be a huge surprise.  I think that is why I was both shocked and touched by what I saw: children who really wanted to learn, with parents who genuinely took an interest in their futures, desperately fighting to succeed in the public education system. 

Education is in a time of transition and reform to the current system is a hot topic in the national news. In the first week of December, the Foundation for Excellence in Education hosted its annual two-day National Summit on Education Reform in Washington.  While education reform is by no means a finite topic, the way in which we educate our children came to the forefront of conversation.  At the conference, the Digital Learning Council (DLC), spearheaded by former Governors Jeb Bush and Bob Wise, released a report entitled “10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning.”  The report outlines the recommendations of more

November brings chilly fall days, delicious Thanksgiving feasts, and several new webinars and events for K-12 education leaders to take advantage of! Check out Blackboard K-12’s latest activities that will carry you through to the holiday season.

November 14-16, Glendale, AZ

iNACOL's Virtual School Symposium

I am always amazed by (and frankly a little jealous of) the new technologies that continue to emerge in K-12 education. If only I had been able to check and submit my homework from my home computer or cell phone instead of playing phone tag with a classmate to see whether she wrote it in her planner! If only I had been able to confidently post in an online forum discussion instead of shying away from raising my hand in class and stuttering in front of my peers!

In this digital age, it’s critical for schools to integrate into their curricula the kinds of technologies that students will eventually use in higher education and the working world. But how does a district identify which solutions are best for its schools? How does a district determine its readiness to develop or expand upon an online learning program?