Looking to learn more about what’s trending in education?!? Here’s a recap of this week’s news. Let us know what you think about this week’s news in the comments below.
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How to Use Virtual Field Trips (STEMJobs.com)
By Dorothy Crouch
Expand upon STEM lessons and take students beyond the classroom with virtual field trips.
Taking a field trip has always been one of the most enjoyable aspects of school for students. Gone are the days when teachers had to consider the most affordable options or schedule a school bus and wait for permission slips. Through different technology options, teachers can now take students on virtual field trips.
What a Decade of Education Research Tells Us About Technology in the Hands of Underserved Students (EdSurge)
By Molly B. Zielezinski
Despite all the celebratory rhetoric around our nation’s declining dropout rates, during a given year, nearly 20% of students expected to graduate do not. Furthermore, according to John Hopkins and Civic Enterprises, “unacceptably low levels of minority, low-income, English Language Learners, and special education students are graduating from high school.” This is true for 29% of African American students, 25% of Hispanic students, 39% of students who have limited English proficiency, and 27% of low income students (as shown on Ed.gov).
Hardware can’t fill this digital divide—especially when K-12 schools in low-income neighborhoods are only using it for remediation purposes. In the last three years, U.S. schools have begun seeing an unprecedented level of new hardware and software in their classrooms. But how can we use this massive influx of technology to support our nations’ underserved students?
Obama wants to hear what children have to say about science education (Washington Post)
By Moriah Balingit
Jacob Leggette said he believes it is important that children have a say in their science education. That’s why the 9-year-old budding engineer from Baltimore fearlessly approached President Obama at the White House Science Fair and asked: “Do you have a child science adviser?”
Obama does not have a child science adviser, but in a speech at the fair last month, he indicated that he was taking Jacob’s idea to heart.
Career And Technical Education: Boom Or Bust? (NPR)
By Claudio Sanchez
Career and technical education in high schools has gotten lots of attention and lip service in recent years. Business and industry see it as a long overdue focus on preparing students for the world of work. Educators say CTE — once called vocational education — is an alternative path for high school graduates who don’t plan to go to college, at least not right away.
It has also come under scrutiny from researchers who say it’s just not working as well as it should. It’s poorly funded and often viewed as a “second rate” education.
‘Personalized Learning:’ More Than Technology (Education Week)
By Catherine Gewertz
What do you mean when you say “personalized learning?”
That’s one of the questions prompted by a new report that aims to provide guidance for states as they use new flexiblity, provided by the Every Student Succeeds Act, to do deeper work to shape learning around students’ needs. The report, by the organization iNACOL, offers examples of promising practice in this area. And in doing so, it serves as a strong reminder of what personalized learning is not: It’s not just about technology.