Podcast

A team of researchers from the American Institutes for Research present their findings from recently published research examining the potential impact of on-site mentors or facilitators on student success in online courses for credit recovery. The studies conducted by AIR have received national attention from news outlets including NPR, and their findings help shape an ongoing conversation around how to improve the use of online learning in K-12 settings. Join us for this engaging webinar session to hear from the researchers themselves and contribute to the conversation!

This session will share findings of a case study on teachers at a full-time cyber charter school and their behaviors that most positively impact student engagement and learning: befriending, motivating, instructing and collaborating.

In this episode, we’re talking with David Cook, the Director of the Division of Innovation and Partner Engagement at the Kentucky Department of Education. David leads some exciting conversations around two very innovative programs that his division oversees: school districts of innovation and the nontraditional instruction program. Through these initiatives, Kentucky is reshaping the way we think about how to educate students. You can read more about these programs and the work of the Division of Innovation and Partner Engagement at their website, and keep up to date with the work of the state department by following their Twitter account at @KDeptofEd.

In this session, co-hosted with Michigan Virtual’s Mentors Matter initiative, our presenter discusses how emphasizing relationships with students in an online or blended setting can revolutionize the way we think about the educational process.

In this episode, we’re talking with John Watson, the founder and head of the Evergreen Education Group. John and his organization are well-known within the field for producing their annual Keeping Pace report, which examines trends in policy and practice in online and blended learning in all 50 states. John and I talk about how his report has changed and evolved over the years to reflect the constantly changing landscape in K-12 digital learning, and touch on some of the exciting changes in the report’s structure for future editions. You can find all of Evergreen’s research reports and their blog at http://www.kpk12.com/, and follow them on Twitter at @KeepingPacek12.

This session highlights findings from a study investigating the benefits of blended learning for reading skills of low socioeconomic students in grades 1 and 2.

In this episode, we are talking with Dr. Jim Rickabaugh, the Director of the Institute for Personalized Learning in Wisconsin. Jim brings a ton of experience and lots of insights to his current role, and his organization is taking on the ambitious goal of helping schools redesign their models to put learners at the center of the picture. Be sure to check out their work at their website, their honeycomb model, and the working paper observing their work by the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. Jim’s books can also be found here and here. You can find Jim on Twitter at @drrickabaugh and the Institute at @Institute4PL.

The quarterly Collaborative Meetings are designed for researchers in the field of K-12 online and blended learning to come together, get feedback on their work and share any collaboration opportunities on grants, research, publications, etc.

In this episode, we’re talking with Mary Ann Wolf, the Director of Digital Learning Programs at the Friday Institute at North Carolina State University. We talk about a number of exciting initiatives that Mary Ann oversees and contributes to, including the digital learning plan for the entire state of North Carolina, efforts to increase capacity around blended learning leadership and ways to rethink professional development approaches for digital learning implementation. Learn more about the Institute’s work on their website, check out their MOOC initiative, read up on North Carolina’s Digital Learning Plan, read their latest paper on micro-credentials. Also be sure to follow Mary Ann and the Institute on Twitter at @maryannwolfed and @FridayInstitute, respectively.

This session presents findings from a survey of Wisconsin Virtual School teachers about professional development timing and topics, top instructional challenges, and perceived needs for additional professional development.