August 16, 2012
Fox News contributor Juan Williams highlighted digital learning in both a Wall Street Journal column and in a television special Fox News Reporting: Fixing Our Schools.
In his column, Williams highlighted the Foundation for Excellence in Education’s board member Joel Klein:
Some 600 miles north of Moorseville, New York City’s “School of One” in Brooklyn has had similar success with a digital-learning program. The mathematics-centered middle school has reported significant gains in the test scores of its students since it was founded in 2009. Joel Klein, the former chancellor of the New York City public schools, helped initiate the program and is now one of the leading proponents for digital learning. (Mr. Klein is CEO of Amplify, News Corp.’s educational division. News Corp. owns The Wall Street Journal.)
“Think about how different the world is today in terms of the media, in terms of medicine, in terms of the way people really experience their lives, and education is stuck in a 19th-century model,” Mr. Klein explains. “So I’m convinced that we can [use computers to] change the way we educate our kids.” He adds that the computers don’t remove the need for good teachers but help “teachers do their work in a much more effective way.”
As well the work of Gov. Bush in advancing digital learning:
In Florida, former Gov. Jeb Bush pioneered large-scale digital learning as part of his education-reform efforts. “If you want to take an [advanced placement] class, you can do this online, and people flock to that opportunity. So, it has improved learning and they don’t get paid unless the course is complete,” Mr. Bush says. “Imagine if the public schools accepted that idea. You would have a lot more children gaining the power of knowledge.”
Preview here of a look at the Florida Virtual School:
And blended learning pioneer Carpe Diem: