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EDU 807 Spring 2018 - Week 6 - Education Technology: Revolutionizing Personalized Learning & Student Assessment Group 2


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While the video is lengthy -- and I recognize that sections can become a bit tedious -- I have tried to mark segments that I think are particularly useful for discussion. Please try to listen to the entire session, and attend closely to the segments that are marked.

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Jan 30
Dr. Troy Hicks Dr. Troy Hicks (Jan 30 2017 1:09PM) : First Question from Moderator more

What are private companies doing to encourage innovation in the education area, and what are you finding works best, in terms of personalizing learning and assessing students?

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Jun 4
Ryan Cahill Ryan Cahill (Jun 04 2018 1:26PM) : Questions I more

Private companies have been able to gain a competitive advantage by diversifying their staffing to incorporate a broad range of skill sets. The first speaker describes his organization which is able to staff seasoned teachers, administrators, entrepreneurs, etc. This wide array of talents serves as a catalyst for creativity. Furthermore, once innovative ideas emerge, private businesses hold the capital and expertise to manage an effective scaling process. I believe the key to personalizing learning is administering frequent assessments with customized interventions. This provides students with the flexibility to learn at their own pace, but ensures the instructor is staying attune to the students’ progress and can administer the necessary interventions to properly facilitate the learning process.

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Jun 7
Michelle Claypool Michelle Claypool (Jun 07 2018 6:56PM) : Scalability more

Ryan,
I agree that once private businesses have those innovative ideas, they are going to be able to effectively scale them. They have a better sense for that than schools and administrators. They are in the business of creating business, schools are in the business of educating students. Private companies are going to have a better sense for what works and is going to work for them.

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Jun 10
Ryan Cahill Ryan Cahill (Jun 10 2018 2:06PM) : Re: Michelle - Scalability more

Hi Michelle,

I agree with your statement. In the education field, I have found that administrators and faculty oftentimes have a bad habit of clinging to old methods or solutions because “that is what we have always done.” In the business world this is not as common as new ideas that drive revenue, outcomes, or efficiency, speak to the fundamental purpose of a business – to make money. This mindset positions business to be more agile than traditional schools and poised to respond quicker and more effectively to the needs of customers (students).

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Jun 10
Mr. John Golden Mr. John Golden (Jun 10 2018 9:08PM) : Ryan, very well said. From my understanding, private companies are establishing public-private partnerships with the government and industry. Two other key words are information sharing and knowledge transfer. more

I believe these are the methods and ways by which industry is making an impact in terms of learning and assessing students.

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Jun 6
Michelle Claypool Michelle Claypool (Jun 06 2018 10:00AM) : First question more

I think private companies have the opportunity to trial and error learning innovations much easier than schools. They have the luxury of assessing new material or creating new tools for learning, testing it to ensure that it works and then offering it up for schools to enhance learning.
As far as individualizing learning, I agree with the video when he explains about asynchronous learning and working at their own pace. The students are not bound by their peers on how fast they move through a subject or bound by the teacher, they can move at their own pace. I think that this helps motivate them. For instance, when my daughter was in third grade they had a reading program that was at their own pace. This program had them take quizzes after they read a book and they would get points based on what level the book was it and how long it was. After each month, they could get prizes for the points they earned or they could save them up for bigger prizes at the end. They would have an assembly after each quarter and the students would get acknowledgement for the level they were at. So if the student cared about getting prizes or being acknowledged, they were going to work hard and read more books. Moving at their own pace allows them the opportunity to be where they are comfortable.

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Jun 10
Mr. John Golden Mr. John Golden (Jun 10 2018 9:16PM) : Michelle, I do agree that private companies have the luxury to be creative, innovative, and exploratory. I also believe that private companies hire the best and brightest in the country. more

For instance, whenever the government invests in enterprise architectures, it leans on industry to build the systems and to also train the users on how to use the system. Moreover, the government leans on industry for life cycle support and operations and maintenance. In other words, industry trains us and we learn from industry.

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Jun 7
Rebekah Redmer Rebekah Redmer (Jun 07 2018 4:14PM) : Intentions more

Private companies do possess the capital, as stated by the VP of K12 Inc., but it comes down to how they use this to benefit students and learning. I personally have contracted services with K12 Inc. for over 8 years now and could write a book on how poorly this company is managed. A for-profit mindset is maintained at the expense of enrolling students who are ill prepared for a full-time online school. It was a difficult segment to view as personalizing a leanring environment can be done, but not in a quality way at K12 Inc, with teachers having 400-500 students on their caseloads. At times 3-4 different teachers turn over in a semester…making it so difficult for students, parents and school personnel to communicate with the newest teacher assigned to a course. The intentions of the private company is the essential component; is their drive to make money greater than service to students?

What works best in my experience (online setting) for personalizing a learning pathway for students is getting a baseline on their core abilities. The content then can be prescribed for each student and the teacher facilitating and progress monitoring. Assessment benchmarking at various times in the year helps to monitor growth, and allow for adjustments in the content for each student.

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Jun 7
Michelle Claypool Michelle Claypool (Jun 07 2018 7:29PM) : It's all about the money more

Becky,
My main concern with private companies is that they are in it for the money. Do they really care about the students? Or just turning a profit? I did not realize they have the turn over that you describe. That makes it very unfortunate and puts the students and families in very difficult situations with practically no options. Even though private companies do not have to jump through all the hoops that schools and administrators do, I am concerned with their motives.

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Jan 30
Dr. Troy Hicks Dr. Troy Hicks (Jan 30 2017 1:16PM) : Pause and summarize... more

… how would you describe Mr. Hughes’ description of “personalized learning?”

What are the values and assumptions embedded in his description of personalized learning?

Think about Coiro’s argument… in this case, is “personalized” learning the same as or different from “personal” learning?

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Jun 7
Michelle Claypool Michelle Claypool (Jun 07 2018 12:01PM) : Personalized vs personal more

I really like Hughes’ definition of personalized learning. The personalized learning that he describes allows the learner to go at their own pace. It gives the teachers the opportunities to assess the students to ensure that they are moving along as to how they should be. Giving the students the opportunity to improve on their own can be very motivating for them. It allows students to take control of their own learning. Also, I think that it allows the students that are not performing up to grade level to improve at the pace that they can. They still are seeing improvement personally so it is still motivating for them, as well.
The type of learning that Hughes describes is personalized learning. I think his definition feeds off of Coiro’s definition that it is a top-down approach, the teacher is still controlling the learning by performing assessments but the student is moving through at their own pace. After they demonstrate understanding, the teacher will give them a new set of assignments to move through.

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Jun 7
Ryan Cahill Ryan Cahill (Jun 07 2018 12:42PM) : Personalized vs. Personal Learning more

Mr. Hughes describes personalized learning as a process that allows students to progress at their own pace while providing teachers the opportunity to engage individual students where they are at. This definition highlights personalized in both pace and the student-teacher interaction. This can be very motivating to students who quickly grasp the material and provide a high level of personal accomplishment. It also allows instructors to better delegate their resources and serve the students who are most in need of assistance. I feel this differs from personal learning due to the collaborative nature of the learning process. Personal learning indicates a scenario where an individual sets out individually to master content. Similarly, personalized learning allows for a high level of autonomy, but is ultimately facilitate by an instructor. I believe it is these customized interactions which are crucial to the personalized learning process.

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Jun 10
Mr. John Golden Mr. John Golden (Jun 10 2018 9:20PM) : Ryan, I agree in that personalized learning allows the instructor to spend more time with those who are in need specialized attention in critical subjects.
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Jun 10
Rebekah Redmer Rebekah Redmer (Jun 10 2018 11:51AM) : motivating more

I like your statement regarding “opportunity to improve on their own” as a motivating factor. Providing students with prescriptive content is very powerful!

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Jun 10
Rebekah Redmer Rebekah Redmer (Jun 10 2018 11:47AM) : Personalized vs. Personal more

Mr. Hughs identifies the efforts his company as one of personalizing learning for students. Working at their own pace, but monitored by a teacher. The short and frequent assessments provided to monitor mastery of content is good in theory, but must include varying depth of knowledge levels and not simply a 5 question multiple choice assessment. Personal learning allows for independent and interest driven motivation.

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Jun 10
Ryan Cahill Ryan Cahill (Jun 10 2018 1:41PM) : Re: Rebekah - Personalized vs. Personal more

Hi Rebekah,

I agree personalized learning is a great strategy to provide students with enhanced relevance and allow for self-pace. My mentioned a very key point in your reference to assessment. In order for assessments to be effective in this scenario, they cannot be brief multiple choice questions. Instructors must be able to effectively evaluate a student’s progress in order to customize an effective learning intervention. Just because the content is self-paced, does not mean the student is learning alone.

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Jun 10
Rebekah Redmer Rebekah Redmer (Jun 10 2018 6:16PM) : Personalized assessments more

Agreed :)

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Jan 30
Dr. Troy Hicks Dr. Troy Hicks (Jan 30 2017 1:23PM) : Second Question from Moderator more

What is the Department of Education doing to expand the adoption of technology and education, and how can the Federal Government encourage new models of personalized learning and student assessment?

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Jun 7
Michelle Claypool Michelle Claypool (Jun 07 2018 12:11PM) : Dept of Education more

The Department of Education is figuring out how to change and adapt. They recognize that what they are doing is not working. The government is trying to think about the best way to institute a federal improvement system that takes the place of what has not been working in the past. Trying to institute a new form of assessments for students that starts at the national level and works its way through the states is something that the department is trying to get underway.
Now that they require all of the grant recipients to make their information public, it allows other schools, administrators and faculty to view what is happening around the country. It will only empower others to make better choices and changes regarding student learning.

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Jun 7
Ryan Cahill Ryan Cahill (Jun 07 2018 1:08PM) : US Department of Education more

The US Department of Education admits that what they are doing is not working. Student outcomes have been suffering and this is not an issue specific to a unique demographics or populations – it is nationwide. Unfortunately, most policies that address these types of issues are state policies are not federal level policies. This creates a problematic scenario for creating quick and wide spread adoption. At the national level the US Department of Education can use their platform of influence to highlight and showcase success stories nationwide. This positions them to serves as a soapbox to disseminate ideas quickly, effectively, and start a national dialog. The US Department of Education can also leverage resources to address the issue. The speaker stressed that the US Department of Education should be using funding sources to change the institution’s mindset from compliance to innovation.

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Jun 10
Rebekah Redmer Rebekah Redmer (Jun 10 2018 12:23PM) : federal to state more

I agree with you Ryan, the federal policies are snail speed compared with the state ed departments. At the state level, it seems like every politician wants to highlight a specific issue/concern within education. This leaves us scrambling constantly in public education (ex. homeschool partnerships, 3rd grade reading law, etc), they literally happens during the school year sometimes :) The federal guidelines must be met, but I always default to the Michigan School Code first. MDE is under-resources when it comes to their technology department…funding could help from the federal level.

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Jun 10
Ryan Cahill Ryan Cahill (Jun 10 2018 1:48PM) : Re: Rebekah - Federal to State more

Hi Rebekah,

While from a political standpoint (not relevant here), I typically prefer power delegated to the state level on issues such as this, this specific situation sounds like an absolute nightmare. While it can serve to diversity ideas and yield creative approaches, I do not see how nationwide we are going to see any significant progress if each state is pulling in their own direction. At the K12 level do you tend to see state standards converging or diverging from nationalized standards?

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Jun 10
Rebekah Redmer Rebekah Redmer (Jun 10 2018 6:26PM) : Depends on the content more

It really depends on the content. MI has not officially adopted the Common Core, yet presents as if it has. The Smarter Balanced assessment is an option for MI districts, and the M-Step assessments (grades 3-11) has elements of Common Core within it. With science, many states are using the Next Generation Science Standards, including MI. As for technology and online learning K-12, MI has been a bit more progressive. The Evergreen Group publishes a K-12 online learning report each year called Keeping Pace which includes information and of all 50 states. They compare policy within each and highlight some key programs for others to view. So the answer, both :)

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Jun 10
Rebekah Redmer Rebekah Redmer (Jun 10 2018 12:18PM) : U.S. Dept. of Ed. more

It sounds like there is an urgency at the federal level to transform into more of an “engine of innovation” rather than oversight and compliancy. Things do tend to move much faster at the state level and the education departments roll out new initiatives and changes throughout each year. I think it is a great approach to highlight small examples and “shine the light” on schools that are innovating with technology. They can continue sharing and bringing together state departments when good things are happening for students. As for grants, the grant writing process can be tedious with no guarantee of the monitory gift, but there are several offered and technology is infused across departments. In order to encourage new models, moving more quickly in decision making with funding and resources available, at least keeping up with the technology, is difficult, but necessary.

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Jan 30
Dr. Troy Hicks Dr. Troy Hicks (Jan 30 2017 1:34PM) : Third Question from Moderator more

What do you see as the opportunities for scalability, and then also, what are the risks and
barriers to scaling up innovative local projects?

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Jun 7
Michelle Claypool Michelle Claypool (Jun 07 2018 12:23PM) : Scalability more

I like how Zoran mentioned that students gravitate towards games. At every level, a student is going to be pulled towards the game environment. The ability to have a game that can be distributed nationally, then collect data on that from around the world, is quite amazing.
A barrier would be that all schools would have to be prepared to participate in this type of learning. They would need high-speed internet and the tools, like computers or whatever they have to have to be involved in the game. A risk would be that all students that are not able to participate would sway the research in a different direction.

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Jun 10
Rebekah Redmer Rebekah Redmer (Jun 10 2018 6:28PM) : Particpation more

I agree with you Michelle, participation is an element that would impact research. Accessibility to technology for students continues to be a barrier.

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Jun 9
Ryan Cahill Ryan Cahill (Jun 09 2018 11:42AM) : Gamified Elements & Scaling more

As the Director of the Center for Gaming Science, it is not surprising that Zoran gravitated towards gamified elements in education. I am personally fascinated by gamified elements’ ability to create engagement and motivation in a learning environment.

Scaling local innovations projects can be problematic if the risks to generalization are not properly explored. Often times these unique scenarios’ successes are either directly or indirectly depended on a unique variable that may be difficult to duplicate. Rarely is there a silver bullet that can work in every educational environment. A model and its original environment should be scrutinized before adoption decisions are made. Additionally, local programs that have grassroots beginnings are often the result of high levels of user buy-in. This is a process that often best occurs naturally and can be difficult to drive in a new environment.

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Jun 10
Rebekah Redmer Rebekah Redmer (Jun 10 2018 5:14PM) : Why games? more

Zoran’s initial statement of looking at education as a data-driven science is difficult to do with the complexity that is involved. He makes a good case of “why games”, listing several key items that should be taken into consideration, such as the natural engagement for students, time involved/dedicated, and the platform for large-scale randomized studies. These are valid points and the potential to have adaptive release of content through gaming education is a terrific example of personalized learning. To reach the sale Zoran talks about, there must be accessibility beyond the school day for students. This may be a large barrier, depending on funding and support required. Teachers would need PD and support as well, in order to facilitate and monitor student achievement. This all takes time.

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Jan 30
Dr. Troy Hicks Dr. Troy Hicks (Jan 30 2017 1:32PM) : Pause and summarize... more

… Ms. Weiss describes a number of initiatives that the DoE is engaged in to help lessen the effects of the digital divide. here, unpack the words that she uses and share your thinking on what she means by: access, equity, innovation, partnerships, or other key terms you heard in her description.

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Jun 9
Ryan Cahill Ryan Cahill (Jun 09 2018 11:59AM) : Ms. Weiss's Key Terms more

Ms. Weiss uses these key terms to express the intention of creating an environment where all learners have equitable access to personalized learning options. She claims that the journey to making this happen will not only require new ways of thinking and broad adoption, but rely heavily on innovations and collaboration.

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Jun 10
Rebekah Redmer Rebekah Redmer (Jun 10 2018 5:26PM) : Effort more

What Ms. Weiss describes will take a great deal of effort. Transforming a system can be challenging, especially at the federal level. I like her mention of public/private partnerships, they do work well, but dependent on the region or state in which the private company selects the educational entity.

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Jan 30
Dr. Troy Hicks Dr. Troy Hicks (Jan 30 2017 1:39PM) : Pause and summarize... more

Given Mr. Popovic’s contention that we could look at “education as a data-driven science” and that games hold the potential for a “self-adaptive way of
game discovering,” what ideas and assumptions are evident in his description?

What does this approach assume about teachers and teaching? About students and learning?

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Jun 7
Michelle Claypool Michelle Claypool (Jun 07 2018 1:10PM) : Data robots more

I think that his description that “education is a data-driven science” is not really accurate. In one sense I guess it could be true. How many kids are graduating, What are they doing after graduating, Where are they going to college?, that is some data that can be taken from the education field. Education is much more than that on a daily basis though. It’s students making friends, learning how to navigate their peer network, getting encouragement, working in teams, learning how to self-motivate, those are just a few examples. He makes it sound like it is very robotic and there is only one thing to gain from education and that is the data that is coming out of it.
I think this assumes that teachers treat their teaching like it is mechanical. The teachers are only worried about the data that is coming from what they are doing on a daily basis, not that they are worried about the students. And that students are only learning what they are presented with and nothing more.

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Jan 30
Dr. Troy Hicks Dr. Troy Hicks (Jan 30 2017 1:40PM) : Fourth Question from Moderator more

what are the key elements of a digital learning environment that fosters personalized learning?

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Jun 7
Michelle Claypool Michelle Claypool (Jun 07 2018 1:31PM) : Elements more

Two of the key elements of a digital learning environment are that they are collaborative and purposeful. Ensuring that they are both collaborative and purposeful will ensure that they are successful. Collaboration among individuals is going to help with communication and enable individuals to understand what is the purpose, what should individuals be getting out of the learning environment. If the learning environment does not have a purpose, then it just might as well be a game for students.

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Jun 10
Ryan Cahill Ryan Cahill (Jun 10 2018 1:53PM) : Re: Michelle - Elements more

Hi Michelle,

I am very excited to hear such a strong emphasis on driving collaboration in the learning process. I think this has been a point of weakness in our educational system for a long time. With such a strong reliance on standardized tests and with funding oftentimes tied directly to these outcomes, institutions are forced to teach to a test. I believe this process significantly stifles creativity and collaboration. Personalized learning provides an avenue for students to enhance these skills. Skills that will certainly better serve them in the workforce as opposed to being a quality test taker.

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Jun 10
Rebekah Redmer Rebekah Redmer (Jun 10 2018 5:42PM) : Key elements more

Zolt describes the key elements of the Common Core curriculum. Many states have adopted this, and some have not. Engagement is a continued term heard throughout the panel. She also mentions project-based, authentic and integrated learning. I really liked her description of the book club, matching up students with an adult learning partner. This is difficult to do as many adults are very willing to mentor students, yet with the safety measures schools must monitor and uphold, it can shy away adults willing to get involved as there is a level of liability that is taken on.

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Jan 30
Dr. Troy Hicks Dr. Troy Hicks (Jan 30 2017 1:43PM) : Pause and summarize... more

Given Ms. Zolt’s ideas on “personalized learning and
assessment” what are her core values and assumptions? How does her perspective align with/differ from the other speakers, especially Hughes and Popovic?

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Jun 7
Michelle Claypool Michelle Claypool (Jun 07 2018 2:52PM) : Zolts ideas more

It is interesting that Zolt puts an emphasis on writing, whereas Hughes put an emphasis on Math and Popovic put an emphasis on Science. Students and teachers, through writing, are allowing themselves to be more creative and express themselves. Students read in all subjects, and different forms of writing allows them to create their own pieces and express their individuality. I like that she says that students can produce their own writing, collaborate with their peers or with their teachers, and to understand technology to further their own learning. There are so many ways to use technology and writing and to be able to assess students understanding of writing that through the use of technology teachers will be able to further students’ knowledge and enable them to further their own.

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Jun 10
Ryan Cahill Ryan Cahill (Jun 10 2018 2:00PM) : Re: Michelle - Zolt's Ideas more

Hi Michelle,

While I personally gravitate more towards math and the sciences, I can appreciate Zolt’s emphasis on writing. Mastery of other subject matter is meaningless unless an individual has the ability to express the content or apply it. In either situation writing ability, as well as verbal expression, are critical to the process. Without basic writing competency, a student is going to be extremely limited in demonstrating their competency is mastering current material or progressing to more advanced material.

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Jun 10
Rebekah Redmer Rebekah Redmer (Jun 10 2018 5:47PM) : Zolt more

She referenced Common Core and the key elements early on, stating reading, thinking and communication create the foundation. Her emphasis seemed to also be on literacy, reading and writing, which is what her company is about.

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Jan 30
Dr. Troy Hicks Dr. Troy Hicks (Jan 30 2017 1:45PM) : Question to all the panelists from the moderator... more

What are the policy barriers that you currently see, either at the state or the Federal level? And then, what are the policy recommendations that you think would help enable some of the innovations that’s we’re talking about?

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Jun 7
Michelle Claypool Michelle Claypool (Jun 07 2018 3:41PM) : Barriers more

The policy barriers that Hughes points out are spot on, I think. The system is setup is for learning that happened a long time ago. They need to be updated and set for the digital age of learning. Bringing innovation into schools is a great topic. There are so many barriers that need to be broken down in order to be able to do that. Weiss points out that technology-enhanced education is going to be a way to break down those barriers. I think that she is right and education technology is the way to the future, it just needs to be brought into curriculum properly. Popovic points out the policy changes that need to take place. The adaptation that needs to happen throughout the educational process. Finally, Zolt discusses school districts unwillingness to change. There are plenty of rural schools or even urban schools that are finding it difficult to jump on the technology band wagon either because of monetary reasons or because of staff or administrators that do not want to evolve.
Breaking the barriers is going to be a difficult process. There are so many barriers and individuals to get past in order to fix the process.

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Jun 10
Ryan Cahill Ryan Cahill (Jun 10 2018 2:22PM) : Adoption Barriers more

Zolt’s comments regarding school districts unwillingness to change strongly resonated with I have experienced in higher education. When trying to diffuse new ideas or innovations across an institution, adoption is needed at multiple levels and this can be hard to drive. Unfortunately, I have seen great ideas begin at the top levels of administration and fail because there were forced downward upon employees in a heavy handed manor. I have also see great grass-roots initiatives be proposed and shot down, because administrators are out of touch with needs in the trenches. Being the kinds of changes the panelists are speaking of affects personal across all staffing layers, a strategic and prudent approach is needed to drive adoption.

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Jun 10
Rebekah Redmer Rebekah Redmer (Jun 10 2018 6:33PM) : Approach more

You make excellent points Ryan. A teacher vs. admin initiative can each result in the same outcome of time and energy spent with no change made. How does change occur? How do we as educators help move those new ideas to innovate? If you find the answer, let me know…I’ll help you write a book and go on speaking tours (:

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Jun 10
Rebekah Redmer Rebekah Redmer (Jun 10 2018 6:07PM) : Barriers more

Many exist and this panel did a good job highlighting from their experiences. Seat time is a good one, our school calendar is dependent on the number of days and hours of instruction required by the state. MI did have seat-time waivers available in previous years, with districts applying for specific criteria, along with a fully detailed plan of how students would learn. Most schools used the waiver for alternative education, yielding low passing rates and eventually the waivers were no longer offered. MI did shift into a new model with what is called 21f legislation, and individual districts must comply with set requirements to provide online learning.

I like how Weiss simply states she does not have the answers. I agree with her, there are many misconceptions and finding a way to write policy that allows for innovation is difficult. Popovic states this as well, providing a really interesting way of drafting policy, using the term cascading. Finally, Zolt makes mention of the need to stop viewing technology as an enemy, as well as limitations for access; she then circles back around to encouraging more writing. This too she notes there are barriers when doing so (hard to test/score, takes time).

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Jan 30
Dr. Troy Hicks Dr. Troy Hicks (Jan 30 2017 1:47PM) : Pause and summarize... more

… one last time…

Based on the policy ideas each panelist shared — and the language that they used to describe those policies (24/7, personalized, etc), what is your current thinking about assessment and educational technology?

Who do you agree with the most? The least? Why?

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Jun 7
Michelle Claypool Michelle Claypool (Jun 07 2018 6:52PM) : Education more

I think personalized education is an amazing idea. I think that it lets kids self-regulate themselves and puts them in charge of their own education. I think that allows teachers and students both the freedom to not feel bogged down by curriculum, even though they would still be following a curriculum. I like that it lets kids advance at their own pace, so students aren’t being pushed through too fast or too slow. Also, I think it takes away the embarrassment factor that comes along for students that do not understand content. I really like this idea for education!

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Jun 10
Ryan Cahill Ryan Cahill (Jun 10 2018 2:15PM) : Pause and Summarize more

I agree with many of the points made by the panelists and am excited about the concept of personalized education. However, while I believe this has a place in the future of education, I do not think it is necessarily a one-size fits all approach. Without looking at any hard evidence, I would wager that there are a lot of young learners who would benefits from a more structured curriculum. Alleviating student embarrassment was mentioned a few times as a benefit to this approach. However, this embarrassment may serve as an extrinsic motivator that keeps many students engaged and drives academic outcomes. Additionally, in implementing this approach at a young age I could see significant gaps of disparity between student progress emerging over time. From an academic administration standpoint, I could see this being hard to manage after a few years’ time.

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Jun 10
Rebekah Redmer Rebekah Redmer (Jun 10 2018 6:15PM) : Summarize more

This is very real to me in my current position; I navigate policy regularly as it is difficult to fit an online and blended school into traditional practice and accountability reporting. Assessments that are competency-based provide individual student information that goes beyond a test they took one day (or 2) during the school year. Providing schools with computers, but having to dedicate those machines to 3 months of state testing does defeat the purpose. Personalized learning is possible, but does required more resources to be effective.

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Jan 30
Dr. Troy Hicks Dr. Troy Hicks (Jan 30 2017 1:52PM) : Q/A from audience more

At this point, I encourage you to keep listening, but you do not have to write any additional responses to the video… unless, of course, one or more of the questions strike you as particularly relevant and interesting.

There is one particularly interesting comment from Ms. Weiss about technology use in Finland, which will likely be of interest to those of you who are K-12 educators.

DMU Timestamp: January 27, 2017 00:44

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