Bill Tucker's take on Creating Sound Policy for Digital Learning

Bill Tucker / November 16, 2011

Guest blogger Bill Tucker, managing director of Education Sector, examines the latest installments in Fordham’s Creating Sound Policy for Digital Learning series in this post, which originally appeared on The Quick and the Ed.

Teachers in the Age of Digital Instruction and School Finance in the Digital-Learning Era, two new working papers in the Fordham Institute’s series on digital learning, are welcome additions to the often narrow debates around online learning.

“Teachers,” written by Public Impact’s Bryan and Emily Hassel, opens with an important and refreshing perspective: “that digital education needs excellent teachers and that the teaching profession needs digital education.” Rather than replacing teachers, the authors see digital learning as transforming teaching — both by offering tools for traditional classroom teachers and by enabling entirely new ways of teaching. Often missing from conversations around technology, the paper outlines the varied roles that teachers play, including helping with motivation, social and emotional support, and stretching critical thinking and analytical skills. It concludes that the future is a much more differentiated field, with a smaller number of higher-paid, more empowered teachers acting in teams with a variety of specialized and lower-paid support personnel. (School of One offers one glimpse of this future.)

Some of the paper’s most interesting discussions touch on

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Bill Tucker's take on Creating Sound Policy for Digital Learning

Quotable & notable

Guest Blogger / October 19, 2011

?The server ate my homework.'' *

? student excuse in Munster, IN

Out With Textbooks, in With Laptops for an Indiana School District New York Times

22 Percent

Percentage increase in the proportion of new, experienced teachers hired for hard-to-staff schools between 2007 and 2009.

Pay-for-performance program pays off for Denver Public Schools Denver Top News Examiner

* This quote does not necessarily represent the views of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

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Quotable & notable

Amber changes her name to Waterfall

The Education Gadfly / October 6, 2011

Janie and Daniela go two-for-two. This week they unpack Duncan's teacher-prep plan, quality control in digital learning, and the parallels between football and education. Amber boots out ineffective teachers and Chris calls out of turn.

[powerpress]

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Amber changes her name to Waterfall

Podcast: Go Bloo!

The Education Gadfly / September 22, 2011

Mike and Rick raise the bar this week, discussing high achievers, Duncan's digital promise, and the textbook-company oligarchy. (Oh, and Rick confesses he has a reform-crush on L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa). Amber tackles minority-teacher retention and Chris dives head first into an NCAA lawsuit.

[powerpress]

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Podcast: Go Bloo!