Spotlight on Digital Media And Learning

PLAYBACK: Profits Ahead of Quality in Online Charters?

Virtual schools face criticism on funding, quality and oversight; HASTAC’S Cathy Davidson offers advice to parents and students on how to make better decisions about what constitutes effective online learning; and much more, all in this week’s PLAYBACK…

Digital Media & Learning Competition Aims to Recognize and Reward Learning Outside the Classroom

This year’s Digital Media and Learning Competition aims to demonstrate how badges can revolutionize learning assessment—and demonstrate a learner’s skills, achievements and qualities to potential employers, educational organizations and communities.

Alternatives to Peer Review: How the Web is Changing Age-Old Scholarly Practices

Publish or perish is the dictate of academia. Getting published in an academic journal is what makes or breaks a career, yet researchers regularly must wait eight, even 10 months to hear a reply from the editors—often a rejection. The hang-up is the tried and true method of review: volunteer peer reviewers. Some have been wondering, can the web offer better way? Can journals apply a form of crowd-sourcing to peer review?

Back to School, Looking Forward: New Digital Ideas for the Classroom

August is a teacher’s time for Big Thinking. There’s still breathing space to imagine innovative approaches before September arrives - and with it the pressure of day-to-day classroom realities. This month, Spotlight will look at how educators are thinking about tapping into the power of digital literacy. First up: pairing expression styles with digital media tools, and an argument for setting the ePortfolio default to “social.”

Measuring Classroom Progress: 21st Century Assessment Project Wants Your Input

Guest authors Daniel Hickey and Brian Nelson argue that the opportunity to institute true reform in assessment practices is now, and the Race to the Top Assessment Initiative should think more broadly about how we measure progress in the classroom. They welcome comments on findings from the MacArthur 21st Century Assessment Project.