While teachers may understand the need to collect the information, they resent inputting the same data over and over again in every learning management system, educational application, and state and federal accountability report. Furthermore, the members developed use cases for the new standards, such as student transfer information, personalized learning, and learning object repository. Teacher. Classroom facilitator. Database analyst? MORE

Questioning the quality of instructional materials isn’t new to the digital education era. But with the rise of OER, growing use of supplemental resources over core textbooks, and the increasing flexibility of state funding, more purchasing decisions have moved to the school and district level. Thus, there is the potential for more disparity in the quality of materials from school to school. In addition, there is a separate section on vetting OER. MORE

and I am merely a fan – not a fanboy – of open educational resources (OER).** Others surely see me as some sort of OER fanatic. After all, I’ve advocated for federal support for the development, use, and adaptation of OER (see, e.g. , the May 5 Education Week story by Sean Cavanagh, “ ‘Open Educational Resources’ Promoted in U.S. So, if these are the actions of someone who is an OER fan, what stops me short of claiming fanboy status? MORE

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Andy Marcinek , Chief Open Education Advisor at the US Department of Education (ED), to explore how schools can benefit from Open Educational Resources (OERs) and what is being done in this area nationwide. With support from ED, state leaders, and new platforms for curation and discovery, there has never been a more exciting time to rethink traditional, static instructional materials. MORE

In the edWebinar “ Students Leverage Technology Tools and Makerspaces to Personalize Learning,” Grace Borst, Innovation Specialist at St. Developing digital portfolios and personalized learning plans: Every student at St. Albans belongs to a learning community, which covers two grade bands, and works on a stewardship project for the whole school year. They had a bee robot that they learned to program to better understand bee behaviors. MORE

Always working to engage state leaders, affiliates members, private sector partners, and partner organizations-SETDA developed tools and resources to support national, state, district and school leaders in the implementation of the digital teaching and learning. Best Practices Digital Content Digital Learning ED EETT Equity of Access In the News instructional materials Interoperability Legislation OER Personalized Learning Policy Professional Learning MORE

Now education decision makers across America can see detailed reviews compiled in multiple states, to facilitate the evaluation and purchase of print and digital materials for students and teachers. A pilot program of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) has made 12 states’ reviews of secondary math and language arts materials available, with a wide range of K-12 resources from these and other states to follow. MORE

During a tour of updates to SETDA’s Digital Instructional Materials Acquisition Policies for States (DMAPS) , which showcases state policies in support of digital materials, Christine Fox, Deputy Executive Director for SETDA, discussed new features like professional development information. Keys to the OER shift: – Community buy-in: The community wasn’t satisfied with the achievement levels and graduation rates. MORE

Educators stress the importance of state leadership, transparency for purchasing digital instructional materials. A new report urges care when purchasing digital instructional materials, and notes that factors such as interoperability, accessibility, and device access should be considered during the process. When acquiring digital instructional materials, the cost associated with access to broadband and devices is a pivotal factor. MORE

Due to CEN’s services, schools have been able to host eSports events, offer distance learning, run Hour of Code events for the school and community, produce internet radio and video conferences, and many other activities that rely on stable internet access. She also facilitates the members’ professional learning opportunities including planning and implementing the content for SETDA’s virtual and in-person events and newsletters. MORE

According to Kathy Mickey, Senior Analyst of Simba Information, all of these could impact the instructional materials marker. In her recent presentation “ K-12 Instructional Materials: What’s New in 2019,” she previewed results from Simba’s Publishing for the PreK-12 Market, 2019-2020 , and talked about how digital is changing—and not changing—the landscape. In addition, the number of schools and districts using OER continues to rise. MORE

The professionals we spoke with described a process in which they began by collecting or gathering; moved to connecting content and resources for specific purposes and audiences; curated by adding value with context and commentary; and contributed by offering the community opportunities for collaboration, learning and growth. Along the way they experience collateral benefits of developing learning agility, building social capital and demonstrating creativity. Curating OER. MORE

SETDA’s latest research, Navigating the Digital Shift 2018: Broadening Student Learning Opportunities , highlights how state policies are supporting the transformation to digital learning. Many states provide guidance for the implementation of digital materials in districts to help ensure that they are available to all learners. According to the Brookings Institution there is strong evidence that the choice of instructional materials has large effects on student learning. MORE

Refocusing classrooms around up-and-coming digital materials requires more than just adding a new tech-based product or two as many processes for reviewing and purchasing instructional materials are still built around print textbooks. Now, though, some states are going back to the beginning and rethinking how they review instructional materials and allocate funds to ensure that they are focused on the realities of the 21st century classroom. MORE