Teaching and Technology Infrastructure Structures
Envision Schools is entering its 2rd year of blended learning and over the years we have learned a lot about infrastructure, hardware, costs and other blended learning related considerations. In our first pilot, the summer school Algebra I course in which students used Khan Academy, we were suddenly confronted with the limitations of our Internet infrastructure. Not so much the overall bandwidth,...
Read MoreSpring Project Season
This week I had the pleasure of visiting Metro, Impact and CAT. As a result, I got to spend time in our blended learning classrooms and immerse myself in the projects that our students are doing. While the 10th and 12th graders are focused on compiling, editing, and presenting their portfolios, others are focused on deeper learning challenges that engage their critical thinking, encourage them to...
Read MoreTechnology Tools Can Increase Student Advocacy
Over the past few months I have had a number of encounters that I can only categorize as magical. On several occasions, when working with either students or teachers, I have had the pleasure of sharing in moments that take my breath away. What unifies these moments is they are all instances of people advocating for themselves, their own interests, their own goals, their own vision. Let me tell...
Read MoreEmpowering Students to Own Their Own Learning: Some Things We May Need to Know
This week I had the pleasure of being in attendance at the annual conference for SITE. I was sponsored to attend by the Gates Foundation because I was asked to present on the development of our blended learning program. The presentation went well and I had a lot of positive feedback about our findings. Beyond having the opportunity to share with the larger academic community, I was able to see...
Read MorePersonal and Personalized Learning
Friday morning I had the pleasure of hosting Russ Altenburg from the Broad Foundation at Envision Academy in Oakland. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn more about our program by experiencing it through a new and different lens, Russ’s lense. It was also an amazing opportunity to hear about resources and programs that Envision can learn from and with. As part of the...
Read MoreImagine
Imagine K-12 is a small organization that works with budding edtech companies as they prepare for their initial introductions to the public. These companies go through startup boot camp, Imagine K-12 staff supporting and encouraging them along the way, and this culminates in a Friday afternoon pitch and Q & A to a room full of teachers. The idea is that the teachers will ultimately be the...
Read MoreWhat a Student’s Got to Say Got to Say ’bout It (Part 2)
[Read Part 1 of this blog series What a Student's Got to Say Got to Say 'bout It] Kiera’s Log – February 1st, 2013 Today I got to spend the day at Metropolitan Arts and Technology (fondly referred to as Metro). It is the first time I have seen the students since before winter break as well as their teacher, who was out on paternity leave – Congrats!! Here is what the...
Read MoreWhat a Student’s Got to Say Got to Say ’bout It (Part 1)
In the weeks leading up to the winter break I had the pleasure of spending time at our school in Hayward Impact Academy (fondly referred to as IA). These Algebra I students are in the unique situation of being co-enrolled in a second math class, a course we call Academic Numeracy or Ac-Num. The design of this course has been to support the learning in the Algebra I class by reviewing previously...
Read MoreShared Learning Collaborative – Bay Area Camp
A couple of weekends ago I had the pleasure of attending the Shared Learning Collaborative’s first every Bay Area Camp. I was very excited as I had never attended a codeathon before. The idea of spending a weekend with a bunch of educators and a bunch of programmers, all with the aim of solving educations biggest problems, was inspiring and exciting. So I dragged my tired teacher behind out of...
Read MoreThe Building Blocks of Change
Every organization is so different that I imagine the process of growth looks equally different. In order to try and foresee where and how the Blended Learning program at Envision Schools may grow, I find myself reflecting on the ways that we have already grown. Because Envision Schools is a relatively small organization I realize that change can occur pretty quickly. In the spring of 2011 Brian...
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