Blog
- John Watson
When a new technology arrives, people almost always make the same mistake: they use it to recreate whatever came before.
The first cars looked like carriages without horses. Early movies looked like filmed stage plays, with stationary cameras, painted scenery, and actors entering and exiting as though they were still onstage. Early television borrowed heavily from radio before people understood what television itself could become.
- John Watson
If you offered me a bar bet that a foundational American education law mentions "Satan" in its very first line, I’d bet against you. And I’d lose.
If you then bet me that this centuries-old law has something to teach us about modern education, I’d lose again. The law was real, and its lessons still resonate today.
- John Watson
A recent post from one of my favorite bloggers, discussing teens’ varied sleep patterns, included this line: “You do have to just pick a start time for public high schools, and someone will be harmed by whatever time you end up picking.”
Online Learning Still Has an Image Problem
Let’s start with a reminder that those of us in K-12 digital learning aren’t alone in our challenges and frustrations. Some of the same issues exist in post-secondary education as evidenced by Online Education Has Come a Long Way—So Why Do the Myths Persist? from WCET. Key quote:
- John Watson
The pace of interesting news and information has been high lately, so instead of choosing one to focus on this month I’m listing a few. Let me know if any in particular resonate!
Online Learning Still Has an Image Problem
Let’s start with a reminder that those of us in K-12 digital learning aren’t alone in our challenges and frustrations. Some of the same issues exist in post-secondary education as evidenced by Online Education Has Come a Long Way—So Why Do the Myths Persist? from WCET. Key quote:
- John Watson
At the DLAC Ignite conference in Sacramento in February I presented a session called “Seven digital learning trends that you should know.” I also took part in a session exploring what our attendees saw as key trends in their schools and states. This blog post presents my original seven trends, plus three trends from the discussion.
- John Watson
Critics of education technology are often correct, and those of us in online learning should say that plainly.
Critics are right that technology added to conventional classrooms has usually delivered less than promised. That has been true across decades and across different waves of technology: educational television, computers, the internet, tablets, gamification, virtual reality, and now, so far, AI. The basic pattern holds. Schools buy tools, implementation is uneven, and measurable academic gains are often small or hard to find at all.
- John Watson
I believe that I first heard this idea a few months ago from Michigan Virtual CEO Jamey Fitzpatrick. Then I saw it yesterday in the New York Times. I don’t know where it originated, but I love it as a framing for AI in education. Is school a gym or a warehouse? A fitness center or construction site? A practice track or a factory?
- John Watson
There’s a concept that shows up everywhere in education, is generally understood at a surface level, and yet is still deeply underappreciated when it comes to policy, accountability, and public narratives.
Selection effects.
- John Watson
Florida has long been the leading state in the US in terms of offering online learning options for K-12 students. Plenty of other states have excellent online and hybrid schools and courses available, but since the early days of Florida Virtual School (FLVS), the Sunshine State has often been at a different level in terms of scale and access.
- John Watson
Online schools and students face many challenges. Schools usually receive lower per-student funding than their physical counterparts. Students often have to travel to take state assessments, sometimes far from home. Students in some states still don’t have access to an online or hybrid school. And more.
- John Watson
Before I get into the details of this blog post, a quick thanks and shout out to all who wrote in to respond to my last post on AI, AGI, and education. There is so much to think about regarding how AI is going to impact all of education, and our DLAC community is at the forefront of tackling these issues. If you have ideas but haven’t had the chance to weigh in yet, please do!
This feels like a relatively recent development. Although many educators have accepted that AI is here, systemic efforts to help teachers adjust were slow to develop. But now we’re seeing significant activity among our DLAC members (Montana Digital Academy and Michigan Virtual are just two examples), as well as major efforts such as the teacher training being developed and delivered by Microsoft and the American Federation of Teachers.
- John Watson
AI is now recognized as a major issue in education, both in terms of opportunities, and challenges such as academic integrity, data privacy, and acceptable use policies.
This feels like a relatively recent development. Although many educators have accepted that AI is here, systemic efforts to help teachers adjust were slow to develop. But now we’re seeing significant activity among our DLAC members (Montana Digital Academy and Michigan Virtual are just two examples), as well as major efforts such as the teacher training being developed and delivered by Microsoft and the American Federation of Teachers.