by Katie Drossos
Together,
Blackboard and
NBC Learn celebrate education’s top influencers and their contributions with
Solutions in Action – an inspiring series of video interviews that highlight who is succeeding and how they’re doing it.
NBC News Chief Education Correspondent
Rehema Ellis sits down with education innovators who are using technology in new ways to create solutions that work:
- See how Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, President of UMBC, uses technology in new ways to change attitudes about math and science.
- Understand how Julie Young, President & CEO of Florida Virtual School uses technology to close the gap between how students live and how they learn.
- Marc Ecko, fashion designer and founder of Sweat Equity Education, scales education’s biggest challenges and uncovers ideas about how to build a better education experience through applied learning.
Watch the Videos
You’ll hear how these individuals are taking unique perspectives and leveraging technology in new ways to solve the challenges educators face every day.
Join us as we look through a different lens and uncover the ideas to build a better education experience.
by Amanda Greene
At the end of the summer, I had the opportunity to join a research trip in Misiones, Argentina with a group from
Stanford University and
Seeds of Empowerment. We were field testing a mobile learning solution designed for the most remote parts of the developing world. The solution combines
Blackboard Mobile Learn software with specialized hardware designed to be portable, durable, and able to operate off a car battery where needed.
Over the course of the 10-day trip, we worked with more than 250 kids in 10 different middle and high schools. It was great to see the power of mobile devices in education first hand. At Blackboard, we talk about the importance of making the education experience interactive and collaborative, but seeing it in action is incredibly powerful.
by Shannon Forte
On October 4, 2011 the following tweet from Mariette DiChristina (
@mdichristina), Editor in Chief of
Scientific American, appeared on my Twitter timeline. The message was simple:
After reading the short article
Calling All Scientists, I was inspired.
Scientific American magazine is calling all scientists who are willing to volunteer to advise on curricula, answer a classroom’s questions, or visit a school in their geographic area. Also, Nobel laureates at the Lindau, Germany meetings are extending a special invitation to its scientist attendees to be a part of
1,000 Scientists in 1,000 Days initiative to get scientists involved with schools. This comes at a wonderfully appropriate time.
by Jan Day
When our team of volunteers from Blackboard arrived at the
Capital Area Food Bank we knew we had a sweaty, dirty job ahead of us and we were excited about it. Before we rolled up our sleeves and snapped on our latex gloves we got an orientation to the mission and reach of this vital link in the welfare of the working poor in our nation’s capital.
Hunger and malnutrition in America is real. Some might find that statement oxymoronic, especially in light of the frequent studies about growing obesity in this country. Hunger and malnutrition isn’t always visible, it is all around us and rarely discussed. Hunger’s negative effects can be seen in schools, at work, and in homes. Children have a diminished capacity to learn; adults can’t work as effectively; and seniors are more prone to illness.
by Katie Drossos
Today’s digital natives – those who have had access to computers, cell phones, email, and other forms of technology since birth – expect their professors to integrate media into the curriculum to augment learning in the classroom.
In fact, students report that campus technology offerings are an important part of their school selection criteria: CDW highlights in its annual
21st Century Campus Report that 87% of current college students considered their institution’s technology offerings when selecting their college and that 92% of current high school students say that technology is an important consideration in their college selection process. These are amazing statistics and illustrate how important it is for institutions to consider a campus media platform that allows instructors and students to expand their educational experience and incorporate rich media into every part of the learning environment.