Research findings of this attempt were very supportive and thus the Greek LbD network expanded to include trials in different levels and universities concerning curriculum design and teachers’ training. Greek teachers and university students were very receptive of the new means in designing of dynamic learning environments. They gradually perceived themselves as being knowledge producers and workers in times of crisis. Educators redefined their teaching practices and collegial relationships both at regional and national levels whereas post graduate research projects emerged.

In this context the 1^st International Symposium on Early Childhood Pedagogy at the University of Ioannina, Greece, run by Associate Professor Maria Sakellariou in association with Learning by Design project Coordinator in Greece, Eugenia Arvanitis, will take place between 22-23May 2013. The symposium is devoted to Learning by Design and its application for the first time in Greece in undergraduate preschool education students’ Practicum, which evolved during the last year. It also came as a pre-conference event to the 20^th International Conference on Learning (http://thelearner.com/the-conference) to be held at the University of Aegean, Rhodes ( 11-13 July 2013). Thus, celebrating the active engagement of Greek academics, teachers and students to the newly formed learning community, which envisages to promote innovative pedagogical practices in Greece.

The 1^st International Symposium on Early Childhood Pedagogy will be a multimodal forum, which will present and reflect on Learning Elements designed at laboratory level and taught at schools by 250 undergraduate students as part of their compulsory Practicum exercises in kindergartens in the city of Ioannina. Students’ presentations will be supplemented by academic reflections and rigorous discussions in an attempt to draw up a synergy between theory and practice in the Greek context. Another aim is to generate a public dialogue amongst academics, teachers, students, educational personnel and administrators on best practices of teaching and training and, thus, promoting a bottom up change of school-based training culture in Greece.

Greece is in turmoil at the moment suggesting that it is time for visionary initiatives and hands on approaches. Greek educators and academics create a common ground for a change.      More information: http://earlychildhoodpedagogy.gr

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Description

When designing an educational app you often spend significant amounts of time developing the app’s instructional approach, but how much time do you spend thinking about curriculum?

This presentation unpacks the influence curriculum has on educational app designers. We begin with a brief history curriculum through the ages before describing the dominant, often implicit approaches to curriculum held today. Next we outline how curricular orientations and decisions, standardization, and the realities of the classroom have a cascade effect on the entire design process, from pedagogy and learning theory to educational context and technology. Finally, we describe our experience iteratively designing a web-based writing application while simultaneously implementing it within an elementary classroom.

Questions Answered

How are curriculum, learning theory, pedagogy, educational context, technology, and development related?
How does curriculum influence the others?
How can knowing this improve my educational application development process?

Nation’s Report Card: Writing test shows gender gap

by Donna Krache / CNN / 17 September 2012

When it comes to writing, girls are better than boys.

That’s a generalization, but it’s one that is supported by the latest writing test from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), better known as the Nation’s Report Card.

The test, taken by 24,100 eighth-graders and 28,100 students in the 12^th grade, was administered in early 2011. NAEP tests in different subjects have been given to students in the U.S. since 1969.  This year, however, marked the first time that the writing test was computer-based.  Students were able to take advantage of editing software and other writing tools, such as spell check and a thesaurus, as they crafted their writing samples.

Since this was the first large-scale writing assessment designed to be taken on a computer, the National Assessment Governing Board, which administers the NAEP, said that it could not make comparisons to previous “paper and pencil” writing tests.

To read more…

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Lackluster Results from School of One Pilot Scrutinized

by EdSurge / 12 September 2012

The New York Daily News featured a harsh critique at School of One (SO1), the blended learning math model hailed by former NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. The piece charges that two out of three pilot schools have dropped the program due to less-than stellar results from a study by the Research Alliance for New York Schools [link removed]. Expectations were high for the program, given all the publicity and the amount of dollars spent on it (an estimated $9 million over three years of privately raised funds, according to the Daily News). And so the Daily News gave Klein an “F” grade.

The study itself is more cautious. Its authors note that “with only one year of program operation and no consistent pattern of results in other grades, one should be extremely cautious about drawing inferences about the potential sources of this variation.” Rick Hess details this point in his EdWeek blog–that the data is too scant to “tell us anything definitive about the potential of a wholly new way to think about how schools go about their work.”

Hess also questions the whether these early results were directly responsible for the schools’ choice to drop the program, as the Daily News suggested. “I can just see the Daily News in 1902, stamping a big ‘F’ over a picture of Orville and Wilbur Wright and the headline, ‘Latest ‘Airplane’ Attempt Fails, Proves Air Travel Is a Dumb Idea,’)” writes Hess.

To read more…

Image Source: School of One website

Technology In Schools: Poll Finds K-12 Teachers And Parents Support Greater Digital Use In The Classroom

Huff Post Education / 11 September 2012

A recent poll by the Leading Education by Advancing Digital Commission has found that the vast majority of K-12 teachers and parents support greater use of technology in education, and believe that school systems should do more to improve access.

The poll, which surveyed 883 parents and 812 public K-12 teachers, determined that 96 percent of teachers and 91 percent of parents think that applying technology to teaching and learning is important to the education of American students today. More than half of both audiences also believe that technology will play a much bigger role in educating students during the next decade.

Responses also indicated that the country is somewhat or far behind the curve when it comes to American public schools’ use of technology in education, especially when compared to other parts of the economy.

To read more…

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by Richard Perez-Pena / New York Times / 7 September 2012

Large-scale cheating has been uncovered over the last year at some of the nation’s most competitive schools, like Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, the Air Force Academy and, most recently, Harvard.

Studies of student behavior and attitudes show that a majority of students violate standards of academic integrity to some degree, and that high achievers are just as likely to do it as others. Moreover, there is evidence that the problem has worsened over the last few decades.

Experts say the reasons are relatively simple: Cheating has become easier and more widely tolerated, and both schools and parents have failed to give students strong, repetitive messages about what is allowed and what is prohibited.

To read more…

Image Source: stock.xchng

source: Learning Analytics: Leveraging Education Data – infographic by Open Colleges

I started teaching in the early 1970’s, when one of the most important resources teachers had was the mimeo machine.  All worksheets and tests had to be handwritten and run through a hand cranked copier, which would turn your hands blue from the ink. There weren’t computers in every classroom, we didn’t use SMART Boards (just chalk) and students came to class carrying pencils and notebooks, not smartphones and tablets.

Yet, 40 years later, my computer, iPad, and trusty iPhone has revolutionized my life as a teacher. Today, there’s more information at my fingertips than ever before, literally. I can type up an assignment and email it to the whole class, or even have tests taken (and instantaneously graded) online.  Students can stay in touch with me, and I can communicate with parents 24/7 by email.  It’s a major change from the past, and has a lot of benefits for my students.

However, the biggest change for me occurred a few years ago when my daughter, Stacey Roshan, decided to follow in my footsteps and become a math teacher too. However, having grown up in a different generation, she became a different kind of teacher. While I continued to resist new technologies that were starting to be used in the classroom, these tools came easily and naturally to her. In 2009, Stacey attended the Building Learning Communities Conference and learned about Camtasia Studio, software that would allow her to literally flip her classroom. She began video recording her lectures, which students watched for homework, and during class she walked around the classroom and worked with students 1-on-1 when they needed help solving problems.

To read more…

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by Jeffrey R. Young / Chronicle Wired Campus Blog / 21 August 2012

Piazza del Duomo, Pisa, Italy

’s big talk these days about “big data” in education—looking for patterns of behavior as students click through online classrooms and using the insights to improve instruction. One start-up company that manages online discussion forums for thousands of courses recently performed its first major analysis of behavioral trends among students, and found what its leaders say amounts to advice for instructors.

The company, Piazza, shared the analysis with The Chronicle, without identifying any of the professors or students involved. The data set included online interactions among students and professors in 3,600 courses at 545 colleges and universities over a period of 18 months.

Professors may want to think carefully before giving formal grades for participation in online discussions, the data suggest. When professors required a set number of discussion posts, the number of submissions was higher than in courses where professors left participation up to students. But instructors reported the highest gains in student understanding when discussion was less strictly marked.

To read more…

Image Source: famouswonders.com