“Everyone is more stressed now,” with blended learning?
A recent article in NYT about a technology in classroom pilot in Kansas town;
For years, education experts have debated the merits of self-directed, online learning versus traditional teacher-led classrooms. Proponents argue that programs like Summit provide children, especially those in underserved towns, access to high-quality curriculums and teachers. Skeptics worry about screen time and argue that students miss out on important interpersonal lessons.
John Pane, a senior scientist at the RAND Corporation who has studied programs that use digital tools to customize learning, said the field remains in its infancy. “There has not been enough research,” he said.
Diane Tavenner, a former teacher and Summit’s chief executive, founded a series of public charter schools starting in 2003 called Summit Public Schools and began developing software to use in the classrooms so that students could “unlock the power within themselves.” The resulting program, Summit Learning, is spinning out into a new nonprofit called T.L.P. Education. Ms. Tavenner said the Kansas protests were largely about nostalgia.
“There’s people who don’t want change. They like the schools the way they are,” she said. “The same people who don’t like Summit have been the sort of vocal opposition to change throughout the process.”
— Silicon Valley Came to Kansas Schools. That Started a Rebellion.
For Discussion: Comment on the the right balance between the use of technology in the classroom and the traditional teaching methods in the school environment.
Related:
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
Zuckerberg announcement on supporting Summit;
The approach is called “personalized learning” — and it’s already driving positive outcomes for students. The idea is that teachers work with students to customize instruction to meet the student’s individual needs and interests. Technology in personalized learning enables teachers and students to create personal learning plans, track progress and find materials to help them learn best. When technology is tailored to students’ needs, it frees up time for teachers to do what they do best — mentor students.
Summit Public Schools has been a pioneer in personalized learning. When they wanted help building their technology so more students could become active participants in their education, we immediately said yes. We’re starting small but planning to grow this program to offer personalized learning technology for free to many more schools.
A Dark Consensus About Screens and Kids Begins to Emerge in Silicon Valley
Tim Cook, the C.E.O. of Apple, said earlier this year that he would not let his nephew join social networks. Bill Gates banned cellphones until his children were teenagers, and Melinda Gates wrote that she wished they had waited even longer. Steve Jobs would not let his young children near iPads.
But in the last year, a fleet of high-profile Silicon Valley defectors have been sounding alarms in increasingly dire terms about what these gadgets do to the human brain. Suddenly rank-and-file Silicon Valley workers are obsessed. No-tech homes are cropping up across the region. Nannies are being asked to sign no-phone contracts.