The next few editions of PD Tips are going to cover the critical challenges schools face based on the 2011 K12 Horizon Report, released recently. These conclusions are drawn from a careful analysis of current events, papers, articles, and similar sources, as well as from the personal experience of the advisory board members in their roles as leaders in education and technology.
This week’s topic is focused on the challenge of economic pressures and new models of education are presenting unprecedented competition to traditional models of schools. Across the board, institutions are looking for ways to control costs while still providing a high quality of service. Schools are challenged by the need to support a steady — or growing — number of students with fewer resources and staff than before.
As a result, creative institutions are developing new models to serve students, such as providing:
· open content over the network
· social network learning
· cloud computing
· mobile learning
· game-based learning.
As the economic pressures continue, other models may emerge that diverge from traditional ones. Simply capitalizing on new technology, however, is not enough; the new models must use these tools and services to engage students on a deeper level. How are you adjusting your school’s model of education where technology is related? Try incorporating one of the above methods into your PD plan.
Resource: Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Haywood, K., (2011). The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.The NMC Horizon Project identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large impact on teaching, learning, research, or creative expression within education around the globe. The research behind The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 K-12 Edition is a collaboration between the New Media Consortium (www.nmc.org), theConsortium for School Networking (CoSN), and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
PD tips courtesy of Atomic Learning
