Tell Diane Ravitch that bashing homeschooling & online learning is not a gift

Diane Ravitch has a gift this holiday season that I hope innovative educators and parents will reject.  

Here it is:

"This article is a Christmas gift from me to you.

Leon Wieseltier of The New Republic has written one of the most eloquent explanations of why we need teachers, schools, and universities.

At a time when we hear hosannas to online learning, home-schooling, inexperienced teachers, the business model of schooling, for-profit schools, and the commodification of education, this is bracing reading." 

The article that has the "eloquent explanation" Diane Ravitch's is praising calls homeschooling "the demented idea that children can be competently taught by people whose only qualifications for teaching them are love and a desire to keep them from the world—constitutes another insult to the great profession of pedagogy." 

While there are those that agree that the business model of schooling, for-profit schools, and the commodification of education are not the best for our children, lumping online learning and homeschooling into this bucket throws an unnecessarily divisive wedge as our society should be coming together to do what is best for children. Ignoring the research that says those who are home educated generally out-perform their public schooled peers undermines the credibility of both Ravitch and Wieseltier and will make knowledgeable parents and educators think twice before following their advice.  

When it comes to hearing those hosannas to online learning Ravitch should read up and learn about the amazing options that such learning brings to our children and take the time to find out why many students say they prefer it. People around the world now have free access to classes at places like MIT. Students who could not take classes in traditional schools now have the chance, and students who live in places were options were limited now have many more courses they can choose from.

Ravitch's ignorant and bold attack masked as a gift, has alienated a large segment of the population that knows better. The real gift Ravitch gave this holiday season was revealing her true colors for all to see.
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I invite you to comment with your thoughts below and join the conversation on Facebook where innovative educators have left more than 100 comments on this topic here.

Superstorm Sandy Blows innovation through NYC schools

Hurricane Katrina brought rise to charter schools in New Orleans and it looks like Superstorm Sandy is bringing rise to online learning in New York City.  

Celine Azoulay, Executive Director of iLearnNYC is thrilled to be able to support New York City’s secondary school children who have been displaced from their homes or reassigned with 21^st century learning opportunities. 

The iZone worked diligently to put a full plan in place to offer this to NYC students through iLearnNYC, an extension of the NYC Department of Education’s iZone.  Azoulay, who has been working on this online learning initiative since its inception in 2010, has worked with her team to put a full course load of offerings in place that includes core subject areas and electives including economics, calculus, and foreign language.  Teachers experienced in online learning will teach the courses.

No internet? No problem!

Open Education Resources (OER) Brings Free and Affordable College Options Closer to Reality

I’ve been critical of the "Generation Debt"-producing “College for All” mantra in pieces like The College Myth: Why College isn't Worth the Cost for Many Careers Today.  However, Online learning and OER  (Open Education Resources) have tremendous potential for  driving down college costs.

In particular I’ve featured colleges like Harvard and MIT who are placing their classes online and organizations like University of the People and School of Everything who are sharing a variety of online learning opportunities. All of these options are being offered at little or no cost.  

In many cases students are able to take the reins and move through the courses on their own.  In other cases they use study groups like  Peer 2 Peer University or tutors to support them especially in some of the more difficult subject areas like Algebra or Physics where they may want or need additional support.

Four Reasons to Consider a Non-Traditional College Program

College grads are having a hard time getting jobs these days.  Anthony Cody recently explained to us that the failure of schools is not that they are not teaching students to become skilled workers, but instead it is not giving them enough experience with doing things in the world. Employers don't want to hire people who learn the theory behind or are "trained" to do things. They want people that have actually done things.

Students are waking up and realizing that in many cases the traditional four year “college experience” doesn't set them apart from the rest and provides few guarantees for employment related to their degree upon graduation.  

A virtual classroom that’s more intimate than face to face

When the conversation of online learning comes up a big concern is the lack of face-to-face interaction. I recently read an article about a virtual classroom that is more intimate than many face-to-face, brick and mortar environments.  The reason...because the students faces are close up...sort of like Google Hangout.  Additionally, the instructor and students could capture and share one another’s screen.  

In this case, it meant that the instructor had planned for a way for all of the students contribute virtually face-to-face. It also meant that students were focused.  It was as though they were all in the front of the class.  The author who wrote about this experience explained that though it may be hard to believe, there was closer intimacy in this virtual classroom than many of those he’d experienced in the classroom. He attributes that to being the case possibly because of the close-up of each person’s face and he got a sense that each student knew they were expected to contribute which raised the bar for all.

Blended Learning! A new cartoon from Jeff Branzburg

Want to learn more? Read this introductory guide to online learning terms.

Required reading for online learning educators

The International Association for K-12 Online Learning puts out many publications.  Here is a list of some of their more recent publications that will be of interest to online learning educators.

• Authorizing Online Learning, Patrick and Vander Ark (2011)
• iNACOL Online Learning Definitions Project (October 2011)
• Authorizing Online Learning (VanderArk and Patrick, published by NACSA, August 2011)
• The rise of K-12 blended learning: Profiles of emerging models (Innosight Institute, 2011)
• Clearing the Path: Creating Innovation Space for Serving Over-Age, Under-Credited Students in Competency-Based Pathways (Chris Sturgis, Bob Rath, Ephraim Weisstein, and Susan Patrick, January 2011)
• Digital Learning Now Report: 10 Elements (December 2010)
• When Success is the Only Option: Designing Competency-Based Pathways for Next Generation Learning (Chris Sturgis and Susan Patrick, November 2010)
• Going Virtual! 2010: The Status of Professional Development and Unique Needs of K-12 Online Teachers (Lisa Dawley, Kerry Rice, Glori Hinck, November 2010)
• Lessons Learned from Virtual Schools: Experiences and Recommendations from the Field (Richard E. Ferdig and Cathy Cavanaugh, November 2010)
• A National Primer on K-12 Online Learning, Version 2 (Matthew Wicks, November 2010)
• Class Connections: High School Reform and the Role of Online Learning (Picciano and Seaman, August 2010)
• Virtual K-12 Public School Programs and Students with Disabilities: Issues and Recommendations (Eve Muller, July 2010)
• Professional learning in the learning profession: A status report on teacher development in the United States and abroad. Dallas, TX: National Staff Development Council (2009)
• iNACOL Research Committee Issues Brief: An Exploration of At-Risk Learners and Online Education (April 2010)
• Wichita Public Schools' Learning Centers, Innosight Institute (March 2010)
• The Online Learning Imperative: A Solution to Three Looming Crises in Education, by Governor Bob Wise, Alliance for Excellent Education (February 2010)

To see all publications visit this link.

Developing Online Learning Communities - Consider This!

Editor's note: This is part 2 in a look at effective online learning communities. Find out what it takes to be an effective community leader in part 1.


As more and more districts, give in and extend at least a little rope when it comes to the creation and participation of online learning communities (see the policy in NYC here), more and more educators will need to understand how to develop a successful online learning community. In her recent interview for the  USDOE-supported Connected Educators site, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach author of The Connected Educator explains how to develop effective online learning communities.  You can read the full interview here.  Here is her advice.

1. Ask essential questions for building community -Know your need. Why is this community necessary? What is the purpose? What is it that we’re trying to accomplish? “What do we want to avoid?”
2. Work to ensure you have the composition of a great team -Bring people together who have different ideologies, different geography, different purposes and challenges to enable them to each bring what they did well to the table and people could learn from that. For example in the field of education this could mean public, private, Catholic, and other kinds of schools; educators teaching well-to-do, middle-class, and poor kids; educators in different states and nations, at different grade levels, and in different content areas and roles.
3. Create an environment where relationships can be built -With the right pieces in place members can build significant relationships and spontaneous collaborations could come out of that where none had previously existed. For example, an independent school community developed which was unusual because, for the first time, instead of seeing each other as competitors (independent schools often compete for the same student “clients”), they began to see themselves as collaborators.

Traits of an effective online community leader

In her recent interview for the  USDOE-supported Connected Educators site, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach author of The Connected Educator explains, among other things, what it takes to be an effective online community leader.  You can read the full interview here.  


Here is her advice. 

1. Be a social artist - This person needs to be someone who is, in researcher Etienne Wenger’s words, a “social artist.” It needs to be somebody who really understands how to pull out and weave conversations, how to build relationships in virtual space, how to connect with people “behind the scenes” and use them as bonding agents inside the community.
2. Have a go-to core - Many times those people charged with growing a community don’t make the effort (and a considerable effort is required) to make sure you have a core group of members—really diverse members, not just a clique—who are the go-to people. These are the people a community leader can e-mail and say, “Hey, did you see Dana’s post on so-and-so? Nobody’s responded and that’s one of your areas of expertise. Will you go and ask some good questions and give her some useful feedback?” Having core members who really understand how this kind of responsiveness can grow and sustain a dynamic community is huge.
3. Be humble - Be a humble person—what Robert K. Greenleaf called “servant leadership”—someone who doesn’t have to be in the spotlight to find satisfaction. This is a person who understands that his or her job is to build the sense of belonging within the community—the sense that there is something so valuable here that I’m not only willing, but also eager, to give some time to this.

You can never replace the teacher. Or can you? 10 ways to learn without teachers.

I learned nothing in school that was meaningful to me or that I used for success in life. All that just-in-case stuff was a 12-year-sentence that was wasted on me. Instead of being introduced to subjects in which I might be interested, I was turned off from them and was left without the opportunity to discover, develop, or enjoy my passions. Not only that, although I was at the top of my class, I never learned anything I was tested on. After I was forced to memorize and regurgitate onto the paper, the uninteresting, disconnected facts, stayed on the test. 

It is an embarrassment that I graduated high school retaining nothing I learned from my classes in science, social studies, English, math, or having the ability to speak a foreign language. I don’t blame myself though. I did as I was told and I excelled in the game of school. I graduated high school with honors at age 16 and graduated college with honors at 19. I was left on the other side of my diploma and degree with little knowledge, completely unprepared for a successful career, and no idea what I was truly passionate about.  

What’s worse, it took years for me to re/discover the joy of reading (about topics "I" cared about), writing (for a "real" audience), public speaking (My teacher told me I sucked), sports (The coaches said I was too small) and getting in touch with my creativity (there'd be none of that in school). Anything that I learned that was meaningful, I did not learn via someone who was paid to teach me. Instead, I learned outside of school by watching others do it, doing it, reading about it, and connecting with my personal learning network. The reality for me is that I would have been much better off without the teachers in my life weighing me down and wasting my time.  

I’m not saying no one likes or learns well in traditional school.  Ed leadership professor and blogger Jon Becker loved it. My good friend Carla loved school too. She genuinely loved tests and couldn’t wait to get to school on testing days. She loved showing off her grades and couldn’t understand why others did poorly. She enjoys reading textbooks and is a trivia wiz (she holds a Cash Cab win to her list of accolades). This method of learning works for her. Ironically this school-loving superstar earns her living today as a supermodel.  

Unlike Jon and my friend though, many of us learn more effectively without teachers and there are more and more ways to do just that. If learning was customized to allow the Jons and Carlas of the world to learn in a traditional environment and gave students like me the freedom to learn in the way that works best for us, we could certainly better allocate resources for students. So how would we learn if there were no teachers? Here are some of the ways I’ve come across recently that students are, or could be, learning without school or teachers.

TEN WAYS TO LEARN WITHOUT TEACHERS

Kids Learn By Teaching Each Other with Upside Down Academy

Guest post by Jared Cosulich

I’d like my daughter to have the opportunity to spend as much time as possible doing projects and producing interesting work. Knowing that the opportunity to have such experiences was limited in the traditional school setting where students often simply consume information without any practical way to apply it, I considered homeschooling. Like many Dads, I would never have thought of homeschooling my daughter before, but with so many free and open educational resources available for students to learn whatever they want, it seemed like more of a possibility. The question was, is there an easier way to do project-based learning about any topic on demand in the same way that The Khan Academy makes learning feasible for anyone with internet access?

That’s when it hit me, I could simply have my daughter create lessons much the same way Sal Khan or Eric Marcos’s MathTrain.TV students create their math lessons. She could learn something new, pay attention to what she found confusing, and then try to create a lesson that would make it a little easier for the next person to learn the same material. Such a process could also help her develop a sense of empathy (how do I make it easier for someone else to learn this material) and would encourage both creativity and communication skills.

Five Things Students Want Their Teachers to Know about Online Learning

Kids love having the opportunity to learn online but it’s not merely the medium or the technology that students enjoy. At the recent iNacol Virtual Schools Symposium I listened to high school students who have experience learning this way as well as teachers who have experience with these students, share some advice for making this type of learning even better.


Here is their advice as well as suggestions for tools that teachers can use to heed this advice.


Advice for Online Learning Educators

1. Socialization is important!
Teenagers value the ability to socialize and they don’t want to lose that online. Provide opportunities for students to meet, get to know each other, work together, and connect deeply in your online classes.  Teens want you to make it fun for them. While they certainly enjoy the benefits of working independently, they appreciate opportunities to work in pairs, groups, and with other class members.  Help foster this by creating projects and online spaces for them to work this way.
Tools:

• Skype or Google Video: Great for projects where students work in pairs. 
• Google+ Hangout: Works well for students meeting and working in groups.  
• Facebook Page: Wonderful for whole class discussion and interaction in a space where other experts and students can participate.  
• Fieldtrips: Give students opportunties to learn together in the world. 

10 Online Ed Trends Coming to a High School Near You

More and more students are taking Internet-based courses. Many offer a wide variety of online options for students who have special needs, want to work ahead or are struggling to catch up. Even if you’re not aware of it, it’s likely that online education programs are coming to a high school near you. In fact, many in your area might already offer access to a variety of online educational resources.

Here, is a collection of some of the most common ways schools are pushing learning into the digital realm, with many employing more than one – or even all. As online education evolves, it’s likely that communities will see more and more students taking advantage of these programs, necessitating even more innovations and strategies.

Study Groups without Walls

At Peer 2 Peer University a study group gathers people who work together to learn a particular topic by completing tasks, assessing individual and group work, and providing constructive feedback.

The P2PU is a grassroots open education project that organizes learning outside of institutional walls and gives learners recognition for their achievements. P2PU  creates a model for lifelong learning alongside traditional formal higher education. Leveraging the internet and educational materials openly available online, P2PU enables high-quality, low-cost education opportunities. P2PU - learning for everyone, by everyone about almost anything.

Check out a course here

DIY U: Build a Personal Learning Plan

Check out the video about P2PU here.

Peer 2 Peer University 2010 from P2P University on Vimeo.

Tuition Free University-Level Studies at University of the People

Here on The Innovative Educator blog, I’ve been excited about the implications of online learning in general and OER  (Open Ed Resource) in particular.  I’ve also shared insights from folks like Bill Gates who Says Tech Is The Key to Driving Down College Costs. Additionally, I’ve been critical of the "Generation Debt"-producing “College for All” mantra spoken at K - 12 institutions as I’ve written about in pieces like The College Myth: Why College isn't Worth the Cost for Many Careers Today.  

I love Will Richardson’s vision of learning who explains why it’s okay if his kids don’t want to got to college this way.  

More and more, all I want from my kids’ school is to help me identify what they love, what their strengths are, and then help them create their own paths to mastery of their passions. Stop spending so much time focusing on subjects or courses that “they need for college” but don’t interest them in the least. Help them become learners who will be able to find and make good use of the knowledge that they need when they need it, whether that means finding an answer online or taking a college course to deepen their understanding. And finally, prepare them to create their own credentials that will powerfully display their capabilities, passions and potentials.

While the entire quote is powerful, one part that I’d love to see come to fruition is students creating their own credentials that display their capabilities, passions, and potentials, rather than this being determined by a pre-packaged, expensive college program. 

First Graders Go to School Online

When you think of online learning, thoughts of high school kids, like those who shared 10 Reasons Students Say They Prefer Learning Online, probably come to mind. Did you know that there are also elementary students who learn online too?  Yep.  The profile of such families might be that they live in a remote area where there just aren't a lot of kids at a certain age, or perhaps the child is being home educated and the parents want the extra help to which they're entitled, or perhaps, the parents prefer home education, but don't have careers or life circumstances that allow for this to be a reality, so they supplement their child's learning with learning online.  This allows for a consistent learning leader whether it's the mother home with the child, the father, a grandparent, family member, or nanny.

Even as an innovative educator, I was surprised to learn that online learning was occurring in elementary school.  It seemed to me, at least in part, an answer to those who were considering home education for their children, but wanted support in getting started.

I had the good fortune to hear from Christina M. Narayan from Branson School Online, a first grade teacher who was doing this work along with her principal Leanna Walker-Christians
at a the Virtual School Symposium.  The session was called, "CONNECTING...not just to the internet...but to your STUDENTS!

Here is what they addressed:

How do you "reach out and touch someone" when there's a computer in the way and your students and staff live miles apart? Branson School Online staff will share the C3 Model for engaging and motivating online students. Creativity, Community and Communication are essential for connecting to our learners. The 09 CO Elem Online Teacher of the Year and BSO Principal will give concrete strategies for easy application. You can still have bulletin boards, Buddy programs and even a class pet at your virtual school.

You can listen to the session here.
CONNECTING not just to the internet.mp3

You can view their presentation here.

Learn Anything at The School of Everything!

As technology becomes more ubiquitous the reality that people don’t have to go to places to learn has increasingly become clear and is gaining popularity.  I recently shared ideas for ways Educators Can Save Time When They Stop Reinventing the Wheel with Online Educational Resources and I also explained 10 Reasons Students Say They Prefer Learning Online.  I even shared resources that kids could use to design their own learning.  Unfortunately, traditional schools often don’t serve up many interesting offering that Help Students Discover and Develop Their Passions and in many cases keeping the learning real is not a focus at many schools.  Additionally, more and more parents are realizing their children’s race to the top has really become a race to nowhere.   As a result some parents are taking action toward fixing schools, while others are considering alternative models for schools where passion (not just data) drive learning. Others have taken an approach that some consider radical called unschooling where students have no school and no curriculum, but rather learn naturally through life. 

I recently came across another option for parents, students, and teachers who want to take learning into their own hands.

The School of Everything was set up because its founders think the way the current education system is organized is rubbish, rigid and out of date. It seems the School of Everything follows in the style of the recent educational unconferences I’ve been attending where participants show up, place a post-it on a board indicating what they’ll teach, then others come to their session to learn.  The founders were inspired by a group of people who in the 1960s set up the Free U in sunny California. They started with blank piece of paper pinned to a notice board asking what people could teach and once subjects were listed and there were enough people signed up to each they ran the courses. The UK-based founders took this concept and with the power of the internet they created what they call, “a new fangled website thingy” where students can design your own education however you please. 

School of Everything operates on a simple premise

The website is your portal to learning whatever, whenever and wherever you want. From Biology to Beekeeping, History to Hula hooping, they've got much more than you’d find on your traditional school or university campus. And you don't need to go to the end of the earth to learn what you want. The site was created to help connect students who want to learn stuff that teachers are passionate about sharing.  The end result is that students can make their brains bigger right at their own doorstep.


Teachers can Teach Stuff
The School of Everything is always looking for great teachers. What's your specialist subject? School of Everything is the place for you to share your knowledge with others for hard cash or just for the love of it. You can start advertising for free and find new students.


Students can Learn Stuff
What do you or your students/children want to learn? Whether it's hot new dance moves to impress your friends; brushing up on a foreign language before your holiday; extra help with your academic studies or you just want to try something completely new - School of Everything is for you. On the site you simply share where you are, choose the subjects you're interested in and they'll help you find relevant teachers and lessons.


Teacher Evaluation
No need for fancy data systems and outsiders to evaluate teachers.  Let the most important people at the table assess teachers.  At The School of Everything, teachers are reviewed by their students. Reviews from students who pay through the School of Everything Marketplace are worth loads because who better to get a teacher recommendation from than another student!


"School of Everything has potential to become something like the Craigslist of education, where people can easily find each other for specific topics and everyone can benefit. The site is free and easy-to-use ... so there's not a lot holding it back from success except for a user base big enough to make it worthwhile."
- Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica (September 2008)

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You may also want to check out P2Pu.org. A similar organization described as, "Learning for everyone, by everyone, about almost anything...for free!"

New York City comes together to bridge the digital divide with online home learning

In an effort to bridge the digital divide and bring equity and access to children across New York City, a partnership has been forged between the city agencies including NYC Department of Education, the Mayor’s office, the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT), with operational partners including Computers for Youth, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Teaching Matters, AUSSIE, City University of New York, MOUSE and Common Sense Media. Corporate sponsors include Microsoft and Intel.

These partners have come together to provide more than 18,000 students and their families with free computers and discounted broadband access as part of the NYC Connected Learning Initiative which is funded by a $22 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act award from the US Department of Commerce. With an additional $5.9 million from the City and a range of generous partners, the program will provide comprehensive training, curriculum and classroom technology support to all participating schools, helping teachers and school leaders to facilitate on-line learning at home and in school.

With the goals of improving student achievement and boosting broadband adoption among low-income New Yorkers, NYC Connected Learning aims to fundamentally improve the educational experience of middle school students across the city by providing access to on-line educational resources at home and in school, offering digital literacy training, and in turn strengthening the connection between school and home-based learning.

What the research says.
Research supports the NYC Connected Learning program model. Educational studies have shown that the home learning environment and increased parental involvement improves student achievement. Additionally, a recent US Department of Education study has shown that on-line learning and blended instruction – a combination of in-classroom and on-line – teaching can be more effective than face-to-face instruction. A 2006-7 City study showed that low-income NYC residents lag far behind their middle- and higher-income counterparts in home broadband adoption rates, due to multiple factors, including affordability of service and/or computer equipment, lack of digital literacy skills, and the perception that broadband adoption is not valuable. NYC Connected Learning is a holistic solution that confronts all these obstacles to broadband adoption simultaneously, increasing digital inclusion in the communities that need it the most.

Here’s a little about each of the program partners:
• The National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the US Department of Commerce is the primary funder through a $22 million Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant
•The NYC DOE Division of Instructional and Information Technology (DIIT) of the DOE and DoITT are leading program oversight and management.
•Computers for Youth (CFY) is the lead partner in extending learning to home. CFY is working closely with partner schools to offer all their sixth grade families free desktop computers pre-loaded with CFY-approved educational software; bilingual family learning workshops to enhance the confidence of parents as learning partners and to inform them about the deeply broadband discounts; and a help desk available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
•Teaching Matters and AUSSIE are leading the teacher training program for participating schools with CFY providing initial teacher training.
• MOUSE and City University of New York (CUNY) will provide resources and training to establish student-led tech support help desks, providing essential technical support and a powerful 21st century learning experience for students.
•Common Sense Media is providing curriculum, training and support around a digital citizenship curriculum to use the Internet and social networking tools safely and appropriately.
• Microsoft and Intel are corporate sponsors of the NYC Connected Learning program.
•Time Warner Cable and Cablevision are the exclusive broadband partners in the NYC Connected Learning program.

Here’s what some of the program partners are saying about this program.
“NYC Connected Learning puts the power of technology – the single best tool for thriving in an increasingly competitive world – in the hands of New Yorkers who need it most,” said DoITT Commissioner Carole Post. “Today’s announcement represents a milestone in the City’s comprehensive efforts to increase public access to broadband technologies through public computer centers, school programs, and expansion of WiFi in public places.”

“In today’s economy, if you don’t have access to a computer and high-speed Internet you are cut off from many educational and job opportunities,” said Anna M. Gomez, Deputy Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. “By investing in this project, we are helping both students and their parents gain the skills and tools needed to fully participate in the digital economy.”

“This initiative establishes New York City as one of the few U.S. cities targeting students’ total learning environment,” said Elisabeth Stock, CEO and Co-Founder of Computers for Youth. “What is so clever about this program is that it supports the adults who are most vital to student success – parents and teachers – while at the same time bolstering students in their ability to be self-directed learners, a key component of college readiness.”

“For Time Warner Cable, providing at-risk students with free or discounted broadband service represents a fresh approach to bridging the digital divide and brings New York City’s disenfranchised young people an even playing field to prepare for their futures. From the beginning of this process, we have been passionate about being a partner with the NYC Department of Education and Computers for Youth and understand that having home access to the Internet along with the proper equipment and resources will have a long lasting and positive impact on thousands of young adults,” said Harriet Novet of Time Warner Cable’s East Region/NYC.

“Cablevision is pleased to support this important initiative with NYC Connected Learning by helping to make access to broadband more affordable for New York City students and their families,” said Trent Anderson, Cablevision's Vice President of Education. “To ensure that the computers received by these families deliver as much value as possible, Cablevision is proud to provide the same award-winning Optimum Online high-speed Internet service used by millions of residential and business customers across our service area to these families at a significantly discounted rate.”

Lynette Guastaferro, Executive Director of Teaching Matters, a nonprofit focused on innovation in the classroom, added that the NYC Connected Learning initiative is an ideal way to ensure student success in the digital age. “The project engages students more fully in their educational progress and joins teachers with parents as active partners in their children’s learning. We are proud to be contributing our professional development expertise to help schools provide 21st century learning environments for New York City students now and well into the future.”

“We are honored to work in partnership with NYC on the Connected Learning program,” says Dr. Victor Aluise, President of AUSSIE Digital School Solutions, an Editure Company. “AUSSIE consultants are working side-by-side school leaders and teachers to help students become true 21st century learners by best utilizing technology in school and at home. Having high speed access at home – linked to a home learning computer – enables students to ‘power up’ at home and continue their class work, as they become global creators of real-world digital projects.”

“For the last decade we have worked to support the information technology needs of city agencies by helping agencies find quality interns from among CUNY’s computing majors. Through these internships, CUNY students are afforded the chance to apply and further develop their IT skills and gain real-world experience upon which to build their professional careers while simultaneously serving New York City. CUNY is honored to be able to support the schools and families involved in the NYC Connected Learning Program,” said Ted Brown, Executive Director, CUNY Institute for Software Design and Development.

“MOUSE firmly believes in the use of technology to empower students with life and learning skills essential for success in their education and careers,” stated Carole Wacey, Executive Director, MOUSE. “We are thrilled to have our MOUSE Squad students play a valued technical support role in the innovative NYC Connected Learning Program, in which partners support educational opportunities for students and their families – in the classroom and at home.”

“Common Sense Media is excited to be a part of the NYC Connected Learning Initiative and to work with the New York City Department of Education to equip students to behave thoughtfully, respectfully, and safely in their digital lives,” said Linda Burch, the Chief Education and Strategy Officer of Common Sense Media. “Giving young people the access, knowledge and technical skills to harness the power of new media is paramount, but so is teaching them to think critically and behave responsibly in this fast-paced digital world. A quality digital literacy and citizenship education for all kids is an essential foundation of a 21st century workforce and society, and New York students and families will have a strong foundation because of NYC Connected Learning.”

“Microsoft is excited to partner with the New York City DOE and its schools to put technology in the hands of underprivileged students and their families, ensuring they have access to learning resources anytime and anywhere,” said Sig Behrens, General Manager, U.S. Education, Microsoft Corp. “We believe access to technology is a critical enabler that should be made available to all children and their families in order to obtain a top quality education. By partnering with the NYC DOE and providing the software, we hope to inspire lifelong learning and help prepare today’s students for the skills they will need tomorrow to be successful in college and their careers.”

“Access to technology is a critical element in getting students college and career-ready. We applaud the innovative effort by the NYC DOE and their partners to increase access and extend the learning experience from the classroom to the home,” said Dr. Eileen Lento, Manager of Intel’s Education Sector.

At this school, when it comes to class, there's no teacher required

Recently I participated in a conversation on an unschooling discussion board and learned from one of the members that her son takes MIT's online courses. I believe he began taking these classes when he was of the age of a middle school student. I was curious and asked if it was a problem that there was no teacher. She shared there was not. In fact her son also watched Yale lectures and many of the Anneberg media videos when studying areas of interest. She explained, to learn, what was necessary was not a teacher, but rather a desire to learn. (Note: I hope to have more insights from her in a future post)

With this in mind, and with my recent post about where I shared that Bill Gates Says Tech Is The Key to Driving Down College Costs, I was not all that surprised to learn that this year, in Florida, there were virtual classrooms with no teacher. In these classes there were computers and a facilitator who basically is in the room to troubleshoot any technical issues. I don't believe this person needs to be a certified teacher. This begs the question, why are we making the students all come to a particular space to learn if it's not place-based, but that's a topic for another post.

Many of the students were not expecting to encounter such a set up and they and their parents did not view this as a pleasant surprise. So now the question becomes, if students have a desire to learn the content, do they really need a teacher? If they don't have a desire to learn the content, would it matter if they did?

Bill Gates Says Tech Is The Key to Driving Down College Costs

Bill Gates says tech is the key to bring college costs down as it lessens the importance of “place-based” learning. He shares that “Five years from now, on the Web for free, you’ll be able to find the best lectures in the world. It will be better than any single university.” I don't think we have to wait five years. A lot of the content already exists as I shared in my post Stop Reinventing the Wheel with OER.