In July, ExcelinEd published Leading in an Era of Change in collaboration with EducationCounsel. The whitepaper discusses the challenges facing Course Access programs, and offers recommendations to help states identify, assess, and monitor clear indicators of program effectiveness. The Fordham Institute has also been engaged in the encouraging Course Access, and published Expanding the Education Universe:…
21st Century Classroom Innovation Act
By: Neil Campbell We were excited to see that U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers from Washington introduced a bill just before Congress’ August recess, H.R. 5303, to promote high-quality blended learning schools across the country. Successful blended learning schools are created when teachers and school leaders design and implement new instructional models to personalize learning for…
14 Aug 2014
MOOCs: Questions Answered
This is the fourth post in a series on taking a MOOC. Read Parts One, Two, and Three. I am four weeks and four blogs into my first experience with a Massive Open Online Course, an offering from Cornell entitled: “Wiretaps to Big Data: Privacy and Surveillance in the Age of Interconnection”: I started this…
30 Jul 2014
Taking a MOOC: How Does it all Work?
This is the third post in a series on taking a MOOC. Parts One and Two can be found here and here, respectively. I’m three weeks into taking the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), “Wiretaps to Big Data: Privacy and Surveillance in the Age of Interconnection.” The basic format reminds me of my high school…
23 Jul 2014
Enrollment Opportunities with MOOCs
This is the second post in a series on taking a MOOC. Read the first post here. When I was first charged with finding and taking a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) this summer, my reaction went a little something like: That’s great I’d love to! Wait, where do I find a MOOC? While there…
16 Jul 2014
Course Access Statement of Principles
In association with the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, Digital Learning Now, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, and iNACOL. A student’s opportunity to learn too often depends on where he or she goes to school. Providing access to all of the courses and academic content necessary to meet each student’s needs, interests, and abilities…
16 Jul 2014
FCC Votes to Modernize E-Rate
By: John Bailey Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted on Chairman Wheeler’s proposal to modernize E-Rate. This is an important first step toward reforming and modernizing the E-Rate program and includes many common sense improvements such as simplifying the application process, stretching existing funds further, and expanding access to broadband and Wi-Fi. Going forward,…
11 Jul 2014
A First Exploration of a MOOC
“What is a mouk?” my mom typed into Google after I said that I was going to be entering the world of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). After having a good laugh about this error in translation, I explained I would be taking a course online this summer. After a few minutes on edX’s website,…
9 Jul 2014