These are my notes from the “Quality Content” breakout group at the April 20, 2012, Oklahoma Digital Learning Summit in Oklahoma City. MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. THESE ARE MY DAY 2 NOTES, PLEASE SEE DAY 1 NOTES TOO. SEE ALL MY POSTS TAGGED “DLsummit2012” AS WELL AS MY TWEETS TAGGED “DLsummit2012.”
Purchase or produce high quality digital content? Some see this as a dichotomy (I’d say we need to do both)
How do we marry research to practice in a very practical level
Info from Compass Learning slide deck:
– one third of fourth graders and one quarter of eight graders according to NAEP are functionally illiterate
– nearly one third of all students don’t earn a HS diploma
– last year 1.3 million US students failed to graduate from high school
– an average of 7200 statistic drop out of school
– $1 billion is spent yearly on college remediation
– Among top 30 industrialized countries, US high school students rank 21st in science and 25th in math
MY COMMENT: THIS IS A COMMON REFRAIN IN THESE DISCUSSIONS NOW, STATS MAKING THE POINT ‘OUR SCHOOLS SUCK’
– NO SOURCES CITED ON THE SLIDE WITH THESE STATISTICS, NO LINKS SHARED
Research by Sally Reis at Univ of CT examined fluency and comprehension in reading scores of 3391 students in five diverse elementary schools, including GT and talented magnet school
– ability range in grade 3: 9.2 grade levels
– ability range in grade 4: 11.3 grade levels
– ability range in grade 5: 11.6 grade levels
Managing and organizing for instruction becomes extraordinarily difficult without technology and its utility in helping meet these challenges
We have overhauled middle school math curriculum at least 3 times since I’ve been with Connections Academy
Important legal reading for all Oklahomans: Final adopted rules-Supplemental Online Course Procedures (PDF)
Senate Bill 6 in Texas addressed quality content issues
Silent Epidemic reference
Compass Learning (slide) suggests quality content should:
– pinpoint student skill gaps
– monitor student progress
– make instructional adjustments in real time
– provide rigorous / relevant / engaging curriculum that students want to use
– ensure scaffolded support and accelerated learning across a range of learners
– build knowledge and provide tools that help teachers ensure student success
– build teach/leader capacity through Professional Learning Communities
Virtual K-12 Learning Options Now in Oklahoma:
– Connections Academy (via Sperry Public Schools)
– Epic 1 to 1
– K.12 used to be white oak and Wynona, now a charter through Choctaw Nacoma Park
– e2020 different districts are contracting for them individuals
– Advanced Academics (but how do you enroll? not sure?)
– Apex Learning (another option – not sure who is offering or how you enroll?)
IF YOU KNOW OF MORE NOT ON THIS LIST, PLEASE SHARE THEM AS A COMMENT.
Do we need to change anything in policy to get to quality content
Epic 1 to 1 Charter got a ‘cease and desist’ notice from Oklahoma SDE for serving students in a church at one point?
– MY COMMENT: I’D LIKE TO READ AND OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS, THE HISTORY OF EPIC HAS DEFINITELY BEEN “COLORFUL” IN OUR STATE TO DATE.
History of changing state law language from ‘textbooks’ to ‘instructional materials’ in Texas is very important in this process
– anyone could submit materials to a ‘commissioners list’ of content
– in Texas once it was submitted, that digital content was locked down for 7 years
– now has 2 things: textbook list and instructional materials list
Last year with Senate Bill 6: School districts certify they have instructional materials in their district that meet state standards
– now there is almost no vetting for quality in Texas
– there are lists you can choose off off
Lots of discussion about autonomy of school districts now having complete autonomy to select “quality content” for virtual materials
Quality Matters is used by some colleges and universities for ongoing assessments during academic years
CEDA, Advanced Ed are accrediting bodies for quality…
MY THOUGHT: OUR LANDSCAPE CURRENTLY IN OKLAHOMA FOR VIRTUAL EDUCATION IS FAVORABLE IN SOME WAYS TO VENDORS. NOT FROM A FUNDING STANDPOINT, CERTAINLY, BECAUSE NO ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS PROVIDED CURRENTLY FOR ANY OF THIS. THIS IS ‘ON THE BACKS’ OF ALREADY FINANCIALLY STRAPPED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. WE NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT OTHER STATES HAVE DONE AND ARE DOING. MONTANA HAS RESTARTED 3 TIMES WITH VIRTUAL EDUCATION AND NOW HAS A FUNDED STATEWIDE ACADEMY WHICH HAS ENROLLMENTS THAT WORK THROUGH LOCAL DISTRICTS. JUST BECAUSE WE ARE LOOKING AT A VERY ‘WILD WEST’ AND DISORGANIZED MODEL TODAY FOR VIRTUAL EDUCATION OPTIONS IN OKLAHOMA, DOESN’T MEAN THIS NEEDS TO BE OUR ONLY FOCUS AND OPTION MOVING FORWARD. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, WE HAVE NOT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE STAKEHOLDERS PUBLICLY DISCUSS THE BENEFIT / VIABILITY OF A STATEWIDE VIRTUAL SCHOOL. OUR ELECTED LEADERS HAVE HANDED US THIS “ROADMAP FOR DIGITAL LEARNING” AND IT’S GOOD WE’RE HAVING THIS FORUM FOR DISCUSSION. THE OPTIONS AND ELEMENTS LISTED HERE SHOULD NOT LIMIT THE POSSIBILITIES WE CONSIDER, HOWEVER. WE NEED TO ALSO LOOK BEYOND OUR CURRENT POLITICAL / FINANCIAL REALITIES.
Pennsylvania pays $9000 per child for virtual education, every kid gets a laptop
COMMENT FROM A PARTICIPANT I WON’T CALL OUT: People in Oklahoma are not ready for open sharing / open licensing of comment
MY THOUGHT ON THIS: BOY THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE AND IT’S A BUMMER WE ONLY HAD ABOUT 2 MINUTES OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS IN THIS GROUP. SOMETHING ELSE EXPRESSED BY A CURRICULUM DIRECTOR WAS THIS: WE HAVE TEACHERS WHO ARE MAKING A LOT OF VIDEOS AND PLAN TO MONETIZE THOSE AFTER THEY RETIRE BY SELLING THEM. WE SHOULDN’T TELL THAT TEACHER TO OPENLY LICENSE THEIR MATERIALS.
I THINK AMPLIFYING GREAT EXAMPLES OF OPEN LICENSING AND SHARING OF CONTENT IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THING WE NEED TO DO. I’D LOVE TO HEAR MORE PEOPLE ANSWER THE QUESTION I POSTED TODAY, “WHAT’S WRONG WITH SHARING AND OPEN LICENSING?” THE PUSH BACK ON THIS IN OUR SESSION WAS SURPRISING TO ME, BUT IT WAS ALSO GREAT… WHERE ELSE ARE WE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH CURRENT K12 LEADERS ABOUT THE ISSUE OF OPEN SHARING.
WE HAVE (IN MY PERCEPTION) CURRICULUM DEPARTMENTS IN OUR STATE WHICH ARE LARGELY SILOED AND CLOSED. THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE. WE NEED, AS STATE AND LOCAL LEADERS, TO ADVOCATE FOR OPEN SHARING AND PUBLISHING OF CURRICULUM CONTENT AND MATERIALS. WE NEED TO ARTICULATE AND EXPLAIN THIS CASE. LOTS OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND CLASSROOM TEACHERS DON’T BUY THIS AND ARE FEARFUL. WE NEED TO CHANGE THE ‘NORM’ WHEN IT COMES TO DIGITAL SHARING. THE DEFAULT HAS BEEN PRIVATE. CERTAINLY I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT CONFIDENTIAL STUDENT INFORMATION, GRADES, ETC. I’M TALKING ABOUT DIGITAL CURRICULUM, DAILY LEARNING TASKS, ETC. SEE MY PRESENTATION “WE MUST SHARE” FOR MORE DETAILS. ALSO LOOK AT THE GREAT WAYS EDUCATORS IN YARMOUTH PS IN MAINE ARE OPENLY SHARING CURRICULUM / LEARNING TASKS FOR STUDENTS AS A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE.
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On this day..
- Why Connected Camps ROCKS for Minecraft After School – 2016
- Attend a Summer 2015 iPad Media Camp in June, July or August – 2015
- Oklahoma Digital Learning Summit 2012: In Tweets – 2012
- Closing Session Recommendations & Learning Points: 2012 Oklahoma Digital Learning Summit – 2012
- Conversations about Quality Content in Online / Blended Learning Contexts: 19 April 2012 – 2012
- Spectacular Scenes of Controlled Burning on the Kansas Prairie – 2011
- Super Digital Stories from Celebrate Texas Voices in Lubbock – 2011
- Mandatory Reading for School Reformers and Transformers: Alvin Toffler’s 2007 Interview in EduTopia – 2010
- Do District IT Staff Spout FUD at Macs, Linux, or BYOT Proposals? – 2010
- ODLA 2010 Spring Conference Program Available – 2010