Has a New York City charter school network discovered a new template for soccer development in America? Arch Rivals FC looks at an innovative, school-base

Langwitches, The Magic of Learning.
Modern learning that transforms education in the 21st century. Finding new forms and redefining learning for the challenges of the future .

I’m going to come right out and say it: few areas have been as hopeful and as disappointing as innovation in education. Education is probably the single most important function in our society today, yet it remains one of the least understood, despite incredible levels of investment from venture cap…

The emphasis of open pedagogy can't be on how we copyright, license, and share content. That can be one tiny piece, but it's a mostly metaphorical one, and an offshoot of the deeper and more necessary social justice work.

As automation disrupts the labor market and good middle-class jobs disappear, schools are struggling to equip students with future-proof skills.

There are many terms existing in the context of distance education, but what do they actually stand for? Read on and never be lost again.

ISTE chief Richard Culatta and N.Y. Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia address lingering concerns about edtech at SXSW EDU.

Want to know what will change in the education system during the next 20 years? Check 8 things that will shape the Future Of Education.

“Unfocus” enhances resilience, creativity, and decision making.

Digital learning is a type of learning that allow students to grasp concept more quickly to connect theory & application more adeptly to engage in learning.

Every time a new technology emerges, trainers wonder if learning would be more effective using that technology compared to traditional instructor-led training. In fact the first media comparison study was conducted in the 1940s by the US Army. They compared learning of a basic calibration procedure with lessons delivered by (1) a traditional instructor-led class, (2) a book, or (3) a film. All three lessons used basically the same words and visuals (except that the film and instructor presented an animated demonstration of the procedure). All participants were tested after completing their assigned lesson, and no significant differences in learning emerged. Because the key instructional methods (eg words and pictures) were basically the same, all three versions led to equivalent learning. Is Electronic Distance Learning Better?Fast forward 50 years. Naturally, the advent of computers gave rise to the same question: Is online learning better than instructor-led? The accumulation of many research studies that compared learning in an instructor-led class to some form of electronic distance learning was the basis for a 2004 meta-analysis report from Bernard and colleagues. The team prepared the histogram of effect sizes shown below based on 318 different media comparison research studies.An effect size of 0 means there was no difference in achievement between the instructor-led and the digital versions. An effect size over .5 means that one delivery mode was considerably more effective, and an effect size of .7 or more indicates quite a large advantage. As you can see from the histogram data, the majority of effect sizes were quite small, meaning that just as in the Army research, learning was equally effective from instructor-led and digital versions. However, we do see that in some cases, the instructor-led version was more effective than the digital version and vice-versa. No doubt in some experiments, the lessons were not equivalent. We have all attended poorly designed classroom sessions as well as e-learning courses that failed to use features of the technology that would best support learning. From these many experiments we have learned that it is not the technology per se that causes learning, but rather how that technology is used to support basic learning processes. A lengthy lecture without graphics or participant interaction is equally ineffective in a classroom or online. Online Versus Face-to-Face Versus BlendsIn 2010 the U.S. Department of Education reported an updated meta-analysis because technology had evolved considerably since 2004. You can access the full report here.The report summarizes experimental comparisons of learning among pure face-to-face instructor-led training, pure Internet-based online learning, and blends of both. The study concludes that, “In recent experimental and quasi-experimental studies contrasting blends of online and face-to-face instruction with conventional face-to-face classes, blended instruction has been more effective. When used by itself, online learning appears to be as effective as conventional classroom instruction, but not more so” (p. xviii). Why Are Blends Better?The main advantage of blended learning is the opportunity for instructors to make use of the features unique to each delivery environment that optimize learning. For example, in a class for new supervisors on hiring interviews, learners first complete an interactive online self-study self-paced lesson that presents guidelines and examples for constructing job-relevant and legal questions. A follow-on face-to-face class uses social presence by emphasizing role-play exercises on conducting the interviews and evaluating interviewee responses. In other words, using media blends lets you exploit the unique benefits of each.You probably have useful examples of effective ways you have used self-study online environments in combination with face-to-face training. Please comment with your own examples and lessons learned. ReferencesBernard, et al (2004). How does distance education compare with classroom instruction? A meta-analysis of the empirical literature. Review of Educational Research 74, 379-439.U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, Evaluation of evidence-based practices in online Learning: A Meta-analysis and review of online learning studies, Washington, D.C., 2010.

Much has been written about Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and how they will impact higher education. However, very little has been explored about how these curricula can be leveraged in a blended learning environment in corporate training. The “Blended Learning Continuum”—from face-to-face to virtual course delivery—provides a useful tool to demonstrate how trainers can effectively infuse technology tools, including MOOCs, into their classroom.

Grove Virtual Academy students will take classes online but meet as a cohort once a week.