K-12

The debate over the value of online learning has been going on for a while now – and has featured speculation from many critics who assume that there is no way that online education can fulfill the educational needs of today’s students, and vocal support from many who tout the importance of online learning platforms for education today. While there may be a few conversational tactics to address the doubters – the supporters of online education are getting a boost from a study released over the summer.

Daniel Willingham, a cognitive scientist recently contributed to The Washington Post’s “The Answer Sheet” blog, mentioning the possibility that students are more successful in school when they’re motivated by cash, prizes or other tangible goods, rather than by learning for learning’s sake.  Willingham points to a study by Freakonomic’s author Steven Levitt, which found that students did actually perform better with a payoff tied to good performance.

Summer is wrapping up. You’ve put away the inflatable pool, put the cover on the grill and you’re getting ready to retire your t-shirts and shorts: school is about to begin again.  Back-to-school season is the perfect time to prepare for new online students and take into consideration how to engage active learners.

We’ve put together our top three ways to prepare for online higher-education students, as they return to the digital classroom:

Let’s face it – it’s not just the students checking their Facebook accounts and watching videos on YouTube these days.  So why wouldn’t we transition these tools to education delivery?  Looks like these worlds are crossing more often than we think!

Technology can help your district succeed, or so you have heard. This begs the question: Does our digitally connected world full of computers, mobile phones, and digital lesson plans create success? Technology savvy schools are fun and exciting, but can technology really extend learning time, improve test scores, or increase graduation rates? Answers to these questions may vary, but if you are looking for ways to improve the way technology is being used at your school look no further than the blended learning approach, traditional brick and mortar learning plus online learning.