K-12

Just because something is getting a sudden burst of attention, does not mean it’s a passing fad. And that’s what we’ve tried to prove about social learning over the past few weeks. (Ex: Myth 1 – Social learning isn’t new!)

So, what gives social learning this broad appeal and staying power? Multiple studies and stories confirm students’ increased immersion in technology gives them the experiences, relationships, and stimulation that helps them stay better engaged in their learning experience, plus these technologies are something they are increasingly unable to live without.

Social learning is not going away, and in fact, it will continue to be bolstered by technology and students’ adoption of it.

Our fourth and final myth busted here: Social Learning Doesn’t Have Broad Appeal

For years, students have been classified according to their learning style:  visual, tactile, linguistic, and so on. Educators can then focus on those strengths so that the educational experience is optimized for that learning style.   And we often talk about how to best accommodate the learning styles of today’s Active Learner.

But truthfully, the characteristics of active learners are still more idealistic than realistic for many educators.  Access to devices is still an issue in some areas, comfort-ability and familiarity with tools and technologies are lacking, and responsible use policies are not in place to enable learners to take charge of their education. Ultimately, these skills and opportunities will benefit active learner’s always-on always-connected mindset now and as they prepare for their careers, but why and how?

Guest blog post by John Watson. John is the founder of the Evergreen Education Group. He started consulting in 2000 after serving as director of business development and consultant for eCollege, where he helped educational organizations launch their online programs and was instrumental in developing the company’s K-12 strategy. John and Evergreen’s work has been cited in the New York Times, Education Week, and eSchool News, he has appeared on NBC Nightly News, and he has presented numerous times at the Virtual School Symposium of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, Technology and Leadership Conference of the National School Boards Association, and other conferences. Prior to online learning, John worked in environmental consulting, environmental education, and a variety of other education, environmental, and travel-related fields. John holds a BA from Middlebury College and an MS and MBA from the University of Michigan.

On behalf of our 14 terrific sponsors, Evergreen Education Group is thrilled to announce the release of Keeping Pace with Online and Blended Learning: A Guide to Policy and Practice 2012 in conjunction with iNACOL’s Virtual School Symposium, being held this week in New Orleans.

Keeping Pace strives to be a resource for K-12 online and blended learning practitioners and policy makers around the country. We work with programs, districts, LEAs, state agencies, and other online organizations in every state to bring you the most up-to-date information possible. Highlights from this year’s report include:

The Virtual School Symposium (VSS) is right around the corner, and I look forward to joining the hundreds of K-12 education leaders from across the country and beyond to discuss the challenges, successes and innovations around online and blended learning.

In the midst of preparing for VSS, I stopped for a moment to reflect on this year’s conference theme, “Inventing the Future of Learning.” I couldn’t help but smile and think of Blackboard’s own vision, “Let’s Build a Better Education Experience.”  Both themes are forward looking. Both acknowledge that previous methods and tools for learning need to adapt to the needs and expectations of today’s active learners.

Playgrounds and roller coasters are just for fun. Social Learning is fun too, but it serves multiple educational purposes and has tangible benefits for both the students and the institutions involved. In today’s classrooms, the idea of social learning is taking hold in a variety of ways. Educators are seeing that social learning may include external elements that could be regarded as ‘just for fun,’ like Facebook, Twitter and blogging, but that really these are beneficial to the learning experience.  Experiencing it firsthand demonstrates how the interconnected, interactive nature of social learning amplifies the rate at which content can be shared and digested.

Take a look and see how social learning plays a significant role in the serious endeavor of educating today’s students for Duke University professor, Cathy Davidson.  Are her techniques just ‘fun’ or important enhancements to the educational experience?

We’re myth-busting. Click here to read on: Social Learning Is Just for Fun