Digital Learning Now! Highlights Element #5: Content

Alliance President Bob Wise and Open Education Solutions CEO Tom Vander Ark continue Digital Learning Now!'s (DLN) video series outlining the "10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning."

Today's video focuses on Element #5: "Content," which says that digital content, instructional materials, and online and blended learning courses must be high quality. In the video below, Wise and Vander Ark explain that the dynamic nature of digital content and its varied uses requires a fresh and innovative approach to ensuring high quality content. Like print content, digital content should be aligned to state academic standards or common core standards for what students are expected to learn.

Watch the entire video below.

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Digital Learning Now! Highlights Element #3: Personalized Learning

Alliance President Bob Wise and Open Education Solutions CEO Tom Vander Ark continue Digital Learning Now!'s (DLN) video series outlining the "10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning." Today's video focuses on Element #3: Personalized Learning," which says that all students can customize their education using digital content through an approved provider.

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Digital Learning Now! Kicks Off Video Series Highlighting "10 Elements"

Today, Digital Learning Now! (DNL) began a nine-week video series highlighting the "10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning." The first four weeks will focus on elements related to students, such as access and eligibility. The following four weeks will focus on elements related to providers and instruction. The series will close out by featuring government and infrastructure.

Below is the first video of the series: "Element #1: Student Eligibility." All videos were filmed in our digital studio and feature Alliance President and DLN Cochair Bob Wise and Digital Luminary Tom Vander Ark. The discussion between Mr. Vander Ark and Gov. Wise will provide context and greater understanding of the highlighted element and its application for U.S. schools and students.

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Seeing How High Tech Works with High Touch

I went to observe a learning technology platform in Orlando, but soon was caught up in the importance of blending high tech with high touch.

I had asked Cheryl Vedoe, the CEO of Apex Learning, to point me to one of the high schools where her company is involved. I ended up at a LifeSkills of Orange County in a section of Orlando that the Magic Kingdom has not reached. The campus is in a gritty shopping center where one story chiropractors and dentist offices have largely replaced retail stores.

This is a school for students that the traditional public schools could not reach.  Many had dropped out or were failing when they reached LifeSkills. One tattooed young man told me "I am a thug; well, I was a thug." Another young woman talked about how she has boosted her GPA from failing to exceeding a 3.0. She will graduate in June and then enroll at the local community college. A petite Haitian immigrant who had fled devastation of the recent hurricane spoke confidently about entering a career in medicine. A 22 year old proudly explains he is now ready to enter the military

The students credited the Apex learning system and its adaptive capability. "I am a visual learner," one student matter-of-factly explained, "Apex permitted me to move at my own pace."

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Bob Wise Applauds West Virginia Senate for Passing Digital Learning Legislation

Earlier this week, the West Virginia State Senate passed legislation to establish digital learning in the state’s public school system. Digital learning is any type of learning that effectively utilizes technology to support a high-quality education. It includes, but is not limited to, online classes and the use of technology in a traditional classroom to create a blended approach to teaching using smart boards, educational gaming, and internet devices. In response, Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia, made the following statement:

West Virginia is already a leader in using technology effectively in education. This new legislation builds on that success and would position West Virginia as one of the true digital leaders in education— an important message for economic and educational development.

Through the internet, today’s students are more connected to the outside world than during any other time in history. It is time we stop asking them to power down when they go to school and instead to power up and use their interest in technology and social networking as a new way to learn.

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Jeb Bush Discusses the Potential for Digital Learning to Transform Education

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Jay Mathews Interviews Bob Wise on Teaching with Technology

Washington Post education columnist Jay Mathews talks with Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia, on teaching with technology and about how to best implement technology in changing classrooms.

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Gov. Wise on C-SPAN's Washington Journal

This morning, Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia was on C-SPAN's Washington Journal to discuss the “Ten Elements of High Quality Digital Learning”, a roadmap of reform for local, state and federal officials to advance digital learning. During the segment, Gov. Wise discusses how digital learning can transform the current education system and takes questions from viewers over the phone. The video is posted here and the segment with Gov. Wise starts at 49 minutes and 50 seconds.

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Education Week Interview with Gov. Wise on Digital Learning

Education Week reporter Ian Quillen has posted a video interview with Gov. Wise on digital learning and the Digital Learning Council's "10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning". Check it out below. To read the accompanying story, visit here (subscription required).

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Highlight Video Available from Digital Learning Council Webinar

After the Alliance hosts an event we usually post the full event video on our Web site within a few days. Now we are also offering video highlights of our events so viewers can tune-in for a shorter video summary. These highlight videos also break the content up into easily viewable sections based on speaker and topic area.

This video highlight is six minutes total but broken down into a minute or so segments. It is from the December 2nd webinar on the "10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning", a roadmap of reform for local, state, and federal officials to advance digital learning.

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