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Navigating The Digital Shift: Implementation Strategies For Blended And Online Learning
Our nation’s schools stand at an important “inflection point” in the history of education. Taken together, the implementation of common college and career standards, the shift to next generation assessments, the availability of affordable devices, and the growing number of high-quality digital instructional tools create an unprecedented opportunity to fundamentally shift the education system to personalize learning around the individual needs of every student.
Digital Learning Now! (DLN), a national initiative under the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd), in association with Getting Smart, brings “Navigating the Digital Shift: Implementation Strategies for Blended and Online Learning” to readers interested in exploring the implementation challenges at the intersection of these shifts. Co-authored by John Bailey, Carri Schneider, and Tom Vander Ark, “Navigating the Digital Shift” offers updated versions of the eight papers originally released in the “DLN Smart Series” including contributions from 11 additional co-authors representing leading organizations such as Public Impact, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) and The Learning Accelerator. Topics include: blended learning implementation, teaching conditions and careers, competency-based learning, student data, online learning myths, and student-based funding.
Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida from 1999-2007 and Chairman of ExcelinEd, contends that the book “provides policymakers and education leaders the tools they need to use digital learning as a catalyst for improved student achievement.” AASA 2013 Superintendent of the Year Dr. Mark Edwards believes the collection “provides meaningful, practical, and poignant advice as well as commentary regarding the move to college and career ready standards associated with the shift to personal online learning and digital resources.” Rhode Island’s Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Deborah Gist describes the book as an “invaluable resource that will help educators re-imagine what our schools can look like and what our students can accomplish.”
Digital Learning Now! (DLN), a national initiative under the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd), in association with Getting Smart, brings “Navigating the Digital Shift: Implementation Strategies for Blended and Online Learning” to readers interested in exploring the implementation challenges at the intersection of these shifts. Co-authored by John Bailey, Carri Schneider, and Tom Vander Ark, “Navigating the Digital Shift” offers updated versions of the eight papers originally released in the “DLN Smart Series” including contributions from 11 additional co-authors representing leading organizations such as Public Impact, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) and The Learning Accelerator. Topics include: blended learning implementation, teaching conditions and careers, competency-based learning, student data, online learning myths, and student-based funding.
Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida from 1999-2007 and Chairman of ExcelinEd, contends that the book “provides policymakers and education leaders the tools they need to use digital learning as a catalyst for improved student achievement.” AASA 2013 Superintendent of the Year Dr. Mark Edwards believes the collection “provides meaningful, practical, and poignant advice as well as commentary regarding the move to college and career ready standards associated with the shift to personal online learning and digital resources.” Rhode Island’s Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Deborah Gist describes the book as an “invaluable resource that will help educators re-imagine what our schools can look like and what our students can accomplish.”
- GenresEducation
356 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 6, 2013
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November 21, 2016
Navigating the Digital Shift: Implementation Strategies for Blended and Online Learning by John Bailey, Carri Schneider, and Tom Vander Ark was published in 2013 by Digital Learning Now! as a guide to implementing blended and online learning strategies in schools.
The book is broken into multiple sections that allow the user to navigate through the process step by step. It includes a comprehensive table of contents that identifies not only the major sections of the guide but each section within those as well. The major sections include Blended Learning Implementation Guide 2.0, Improving Conditions and Careers: How Blended Learning Can Improve The Teaching Profession, Data Backpacks: Portable Records & Learner Profiles, The Shift From Cohorts to Competency, Funding Students, Options, and Achievement, Online Learning: Myths, Reality Promise, and Conclusion: the Start of an Important Conversation. The authors not only discuss the how to implement but also cover the why to implement these strategies as well. They cover getting a policy in place to allow blended teaching, items to consider when investing in devices, training teachers, and using data provided to plan further educational decisions.
The overall push from the authors is to implement some form of blended learning to allow more individualized learning for every student. Along with this, the ability to create an individual learning profile of skills each student has obtained during their education is also desired. They cover how this can be done in individual classrooms by the use of learning management systems that allow adaptive curriculum, or at the school level where some online classes are taught along with traditional classes. Both are considered blended learning. It does point out that some decisions will have to be made at the school level, while others, such as device purchase, would be better at the district level to allow for more uniformity throughout the district. As they state in the guide ”Implementing blended learning is a complex project that changes roles, structures, schedules, staffing patterns, and budgets.” However, it is my opinion that this guide can make the transition in each area easier to complete.
The introduction gives a summary and overall explanation of each subsequent section that allows the reader to identify the areas they want to focus on and read the section related to that area. The authors did a good job of explaining multiple aspects to consider at each step of implementation and cover options that allow the reader to decide which options would work best for them. The philosophy behind each option is also discussed to give the reader the ability to make an informed decision or provide them with enough information to research on their own.
I would suggest this guide to any teacher, administrator, or group that is in the process of implementing blended learning in their educational institution. I feel it would be helpful even if the process of implementation has been started. It contains beneficial information in a format that allows the reader to locate what they need. I did enjoy this as it supported many beliefs I already had about the educational system and changes that need to take place to help students be college and career ready.
The book is broken into multiple sections that allow the user to navigate through the process step by step. It includes a comprehensive table of contents that identifies not only the major sections of the guide but each section within those as well. The major sections include Blended Learning Implementation Guide 2.0, Improving Conditions and Careers: How Blended Learning Can Improve The Teaching Profession, Data Backpacks: Portable Records & Learner Profiles, The Shift From Cohorts to Competency, Funding Students, Options, and Achievement, Online Learning: Myths, Reality Promise, and Conclusion: the Start of an Important Conversation. The authors not only discuss the how to implement but also cover the why to implement these strategies as well. They cover getting a policy in place to allow blended teaching, items to consider when investing in devices, training teachers, and using data provided to plan further educational decisions.
The overall push from the authors is to implement some form of blended learning to allow more individualized learning for every student. Along with this, the ability to create an individual learning profile of skills each student has obtained during their education is also desired. They cover how this can be done in individual classrooms by the use of learning management systems that allow adaptive curriculum, or at the school level where some online classes are taught along with traditional classes. Both are considered blended learning. It does point out that some decisions will have to be made at the school level, while others, such as device purchase, would be better at the district level to allow for more uniformity throughout the district. As they state in the guide ”Implementing blended learning is a complex project that changes roles, structures, schedules, staffing patterns, and budgets.” However, it is my opinion that this guide can make the transition in each area easier to complete.
The introduction gives a summary and overall explanation of each subsequent section that allows the reader to identify the areas they want to focus on and read the section related to that area. The authors did a good job of explaining multiple aspects to consider at each step of implementation and cover options that allow the reader to decide which options would work best for them. The philosophy behind each option is also discussed to give the reader the ability to make an informed decision or provide them with enough information to research on their own.
I would suggest this guide to any teacher, administrator, or group that is in the process of implementing blended learning in their educational institution. I feel it would be helpful even if the process of implementation has been started. It contains beneficial information in a format that allows the reader to locate what they need. I did enjoy this as it supported many beliefs I already had about the educational system and changes that need to take place to help students be college and career ready.
Displaying 1 of 1 review