Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Digital Learning Now

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
This is a manifesto published by two former U.S. governors, Jeb Bush (Florida, 1999-2007) and Bob Wise (West Virginia, 2001-2005). It consists on ten major points, as follows:
1. Student Eligibility: All students are digital learners.
2. Student Access: All students have access to high quality digital content and online courses.
3. Personalized Learning: All students can customize their education using digital content through an approved provider.
4. Advancement: Students progress based on demonstrated competency.
5. Content: Digital content, instructional materials, and online and blended learning courses are high quality.
6. Instruction: Digital instruction and teachers are high quality.
7. Providers: All students have access to multiple high quality providers.
8. Assessment and Accountability: Student learning is the metric for evaluating the quality of content and instruction.
9. Funding: Funding creates incentives for performance, options and innovation.
10. Delivery: Infrastructure supports digital learning.
It begins somewhat reasonably, and I can support the first four points with only minor qualifications. The emphasis on "quality" through the remaining six is challenging to refute (because, after all, who wants to champion "crappy" learning resources?) but creates an infrastructure of dubious merit (eg., "student learning is the metric for evaluating...") and questionable psychology (eg., "Funding creates incentives for performance..."). Still, the effort is welcome, as it focuses people's sights on what is possible in online learning, especially with regard to access and equity. More here.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Dec 25, 2024 08:29 a.m.

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