6 Tips for Doing Adaptive Learning the Right Way

There’s quite a lot of evidence that adaptive learning is one of the best examples of technology improving learning outcomes. In recent years, it is one area that has attracted funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has vastly changed learning at the college level. At UC Santa Cruz, the results of their pilot adaptive learning program included an 84-percent improvement in math scores among newly admitted freshmen. Adaptive learning also has made a tremendous impact in K-12, particularly in helping struggling students achieve. It holds great promise for public schools, offering the technology to personalize course material…
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4 Emerging Models Pushing Tech Adoption in the Classroom

Two-thirds of American students end up leaving school unprepared for college or a career, according to the 2016 Nation’s Report Card.[1] With the rising pressure to improve student outcomes, K-12 educators are turning to a number of new instructional technologies and models to personalize and enrich classroom learning. Read about four key trends that are accelerating the integration of new technologies in the classroom. Online Learning There are many reasons for high schools and colleges to create ad hoc online courses and programs. In some cases, educators have chosen to experiment with this format simply to gather better analytics with…
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4 Big Ideas in Machine Learning That Are Changing Education

Machine learning is a hot topic in the current technology landscape, and in the coming years, it is expected to bring about new breakthroughs. Can machines do what humans can do? In the 1950s, Alan Turing published a paper on the idea of a thinking machine, and now machine learning has made a tremendous impact on  every imaginable industry. In the past five years, news stories talked about how computers lacked the ability to do complex tasks requiring seasoned judgment (e.g., driving a car) – only computers are getting faster than most predicted. Pedro Domingos, a computer science professor at…
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Columbus Saves $800k in Textbooks with New Teaching Framework

As K-12 school districts face stagnant and shrinking state budgets, there’s a greater need to find creative solutions to ensure the success of every student. Like many other districts, the Columbus Municipal School District (CMSD) have continued to employ traditional teaching models, relying on textbooks to drive learning. By partnering with Fishtree, CMSD was able to implement a new K-16 Instruction and Technology Integration Model that contributed to $800,000 in savings and increased the  district’s graduation rates by 20 percent. Their Innovative Approach Eliminating textbooks and integrating technology into the classroom doesn’t happen overnight. The K-16 Instruction and Technology Integration…
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A Surge in Diversity Puts More Pressure on Educators

Educators have been lamenting about the problem for decades: What more can they do to help every student succeed? And more to the point: What can be done to close the achievement gap for minority students? Ten years ago, it was estimated that more than 1.2 million students – most of them minorities – wouldn’t graduate from high school after four years (EPE Research Center). Now diversity has grown at such a rapid pace, requiring a serious reexamination of teaching strategies in order to meet the very different needs of their students. Understand and Embrace Diversity Trends in immigration and…
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Future Classrooms and the Power of Big Data and Little Data

Data has been growing on a massive scale, in everything from business, engineering, science, entertainment, and policy, transforming the way we think about the world. On the education front, many initially viewed data as a disruption, and not an ally, to the classroom. And as the American higher-ed system has faced a myriad of post-recession challenges, such as shrinking budgets and increased competition, educators have had to rethink and reimagine what they do – including embracing the potential of technological “trends” like data analytics in the era of the digital classroom. Check out four key facts behind the big data…
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Lessons in Success: Why Self-Assessment Matters

Every success story is different. Richard Branson was a dyslexic child who struggled in school whose net worth is now at 4.8 billion dollars. Steve Jobs was a free spirit and college drop-out who went on to revolutionize the computer industry. Oprah Winfrey went from the very depths of poverty and abuse to a multi award-winning talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. What do these stories have in common? Many would say perseverance, ambition, confidence… But without regular self-assessment and reflection, our stories, extraordinary or not, never reach their full potential. While important in every aspect of life and…
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How to Motivate Students to Become Self-Educators

“I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.” – Albert Einstein When Einstein first made this statement, many questioned his logic. With educators viewed simply as ‘teachers’, there to offload information and provide answers as they’re needed; teachers taught, students listened. But providing students with the answers and encouraging them to learn is no longer enough. With technology’s ever-growing influence, 21st century students now have every answer they need, when they need it. So what’s the role of the educator? Rather, as Einstein aptly points out, educators are not there to…
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How to Move the Conversation from Grades to Learning

“We need to shift the focus from grades to learning.” This is a big statement to make, full of complex notions and far-reaching ideals. We live in a world where test scores determine the end goal for most schools and universities, making it close to impossible for us to imagine an alternative, but despite our rigid system, the conversation is moving. There’s talk of skills, mastery, innovation, technology, collaboration, connectivity, personalization… So how do we stop talking and start doing? There are simple ways for educators and parents to teach students the real value of learning, away from the pressures…
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No Child Left Behind: From Standardization to Personalization

Facilitating a move away from grades and towards better learning is no easy feat. Educators are attempting to make the ambitious move through the use of technology, forming innovative movements that focus on accelerating student learning, and exposing the flaws of standardized testing. Rooted in the efforts of such teachers are the technology providers focused on personalizing the learning experience for every student. Adaptive systems like Fishtree are combining efforts with connected educators, focusing on a similar goal that foresees a shift from standardization to personalization. 1. From Regurgitation to Mastery High-stakes testing generally promotes memorization and regurgitation as an…
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