This is a immersive educational experience but it’s not at all like a classroom, is it? Not at all.

When students arrive they will receive guides explaining the game. The program was designed by the same “Imagineers” who created some of the Disney parks’ most famous rides.

As students enter the U.S.S. Ambition, they’re assigned a team and begin playing a massive, interactive, multi-part game.

Mark Rhodes worked for Disney for around 25 years and also developed attractions for Universal Studios. He wrote scripts for famous rides like Splash Mountain, Spiderman, and Harry Potter.

But the National Flight Academy presented a unique challenge.

“I was just looking to create a fun story and that was about it, and the more I started working with the teachers and seeing the educational side to this and how they were laying this I knew these guys were so brilliant and I needed to step my game up,” he said.

The whole experience is designed to teach math, science, and geography to middle and high school students.

Rhodes created a super carrier setting where students test a new kind of aircraft. “It will fly like a jet, it will hover like a helicopter, and it will land and drive like an all terrain vehicle and what they’ve got to do is sort of shake it down.”

Unlike the theme park adventures he’s designed before this game constantly changes throwing obstacles at the players to keep them thinking.

“Suddenly small rain storms turn into tropical storms or suddenly become hurricanes. What might be a smooth easy flight might be interrupted by a group of seagulls smashing into your plane,” he said.

Rhodes didn’t just write the script. He helped transform the building into a ship by focusing on small details that make the whole experience seem real. “Those of us from the theme park world said wait a second. We’re going to have the kids walking by that. Once we go into play this ship has left port, how come I can look through that door and see what’s out there?”

The U.S.S Ambition will officially open on June 3, but the commissioning ceremony is this Friday at 8:30 a.m. Astronauts Mark Kelly and Neil Armstrong will speak at the event.

With growing technologies, the methods of acquiring education are also growing. It is always better to opt for something that is advanced because if a teacher is departing knowledge then there is a possibility of human error but that is not the case with technology.

With changing time, the method of acquiring and providing knowledge is changing. During olden days, students use to go to the classroom and knowledge sharing use to take place in place in classrooms only but these days advanced learning has become popular. During olden days, the only way available for gaining knowledge was books but now, new methods like that of Elearning LMS and usage of other advanced technologies has started.

Methods using for learning and teaching in 21st century

There are many methods that have being introduced at regular intervals so that the students can learn many things and at a faster rate and at the same time, the teacher’s work is also reduced to a larger extent. Few of the popular methods that are being used are as follows: -

1. Elearning LMS – Elearning LMS has become a popular thing because of the ease and comfort with which it can be used. With the help of Elearning LMS, the students get involved in what is being taught.
2. Online learning – There are many online learning classrooms where the lectures are conducted virtually. The user can get access to wide range of knowledge by way of this mode of learning and the quality of education that student from all over the world receives remains same.
3. Digital learning – Digital learning means carry the study notes in a digital equipment like that of laptop, mobile or e-book reader so that the person can study anywhere as per their convenience.

Advantages of learning and teaching methods used in 21st century

There are many advantages of using advanced technologies to depart knowledge rather the classroom teaching.

1. If a person prepares an elearning LMS then that can be used by various people and it can be used for longer period of time. Same is the case with Online learning as well, once the course material is prepared, it can used at any point of time as per the users requirement.
2. If a person is too busy and hence, he doesn’t have the time to attend classes but he is eager to learn then he can take up some online learning courses where he can listen to the course content at any point of time as per his convenience.
3. Another advantage that is offered by digital learning is access to knowledge anywhere and everywhere because it is merely impossible to carry fat books with oneself at all point of time. Digital learning has reduced the physical efforts of carrying books.

About emPower

emPower  is a leading provider of comprehensive Healthcare Compliance Solutions through Learning Management System (LMS). Its mission is to provide innovative security solutions to enable compliance with applicable laws and regulations and maximize business performance. empower provides range of courses to manage compliance required by regulatory bodies such as OSHA, HIPAA, Joint commission and Red Flag Rule etc. Apart from this emPower also offers custom demos and tutorials for your website, business process management and software implementation.

Its Learning Management system (LMS) allows students to retrieve all the courses 24/7/365 by accessing the portal. emPower e-learning training program is an interactive mode of learning that guides students to progress at their own pace.

For additional information, please visit http://www.empowerbpo.com.

Media Contact (emPower)
Jason Gaya
marketing@empowerbpo.com

emPower
12806 Townepark Way
Louisville, KY 40243-2311
Ph: 502 -400-9374
http://www.empowerbpo.com
http://www.empowerlms.com

In February, Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, revealed the Digital eLearning Playbook, which calls for the implementation of digital textbooks and content in schools, Stateline.org reported Monday.

“It we want American students to be the best prepared to compete in the 21st century economy,” Genachowski said, “we can’t allow a majority of our students to miss out on the opportunities of digital textbooks.”

So far, just Florida and Alabama have taken legislative action when it comes to introducing digital textbooks into the classroom.

In Alabama, legislation was introduced this year that would provide digital textbooks and tablet devices to all high school students. The $100 million project, to be paid for in bonds, was approved in the House Education Policy committee at the end of February, but has yet to be seen by the House.

Last year, Florida passed a measure that requires all schools to spend at least 50 percent of their annual instructional materials budget on digital content by the 2015-16 school year.

Other states have been going in other directions when it comes to digital integration in classrooms, the report said.

In Maine, all middle school students are issued a laptop by the state, with a goal of expanding to high school students as well by 2013.

Washington and Utah have started using online open resource material, utilizing free content already available, as well as creating their own.

In January, Utah said it will begin using “FlexBooks,” an open resource program by the CK-12 Foundation that allows teachers to digitally edit and customize learning materials.

“As a local control state that’s very important to us,” said Tiffany Hall, the state’s K-12 literacy coordinator. “The [open] textbook is actually supporting what we do.”

The presence of technology in classrooms makes the student an active learner instead of a passive one. The education system becomes more student-centric. The student can choose, manipulate and generate what he wants to study and how. The student himself creates the learning environment and the mode of obtaining lessons. E-learning has made the education system more convenient and flexible. The student can learn through his own choice of platform. The role of the teacher also changes as he is no more the sole source of knowledge. He transforms into a mentor and is responsible for providing guidelines and resources to the students.

This system increases the self esteem and motivation levels of a student as he becomes an active participator in the whole learning process. It is known that a student learns more by hearing and visualizing than merely reading. The use of activity based audio visuals in the classrooms generates more interest in the lesson being taught. E-learning portals make education available to those students who did not have access to it before. Different courses and methods are being accessed by students of all age groups at their own choice of time and place. It makes the whole education system more dynamic and learner friendly.

One of the challenges the system is facing is that its standard testing model is not adaptive to children’s varied speed and ways of learning. Some students respond to the audio visual faster while for others the response time is comparatively slow. However, the challenge can be transformed into an opportunity by the teachers. The teachers can use the traditional ways of teaching for regular teaching. The K-12 e-classroom methods can be brought into use simultaneously, depending on the different learning capacity of the students for example, to improve the performance of the weaker students.

The use of technology in classroom encourages creative and out of the box thinking in students, as it presents the monotonous lessons in a very interesting and innovative manner. The process intrigues and stimulates the students. Activity and project based learning is appreciated and encouraged. American Universities were once considered the best in the world but are now striving to catch up on cost effectiveness with their global peers while delivering through the K-12 system.

The concept of smart class and elearning is a revolution in itself, making the education system of the country dynamic, efficient, student-centric and flexible. There are certain challenges, which are being dealt with and would soon be overcome with the introduction of newer technology, techniques and processes.

About emPower

emPower  is a leading provider of comprehensive Healthcare Compliance Solutions through Learning Management System (LMS). Its mission is to provide innovative security solutions to enable compliance with applicable laws and regulations and maximize business performance. empower provides range of courses to manage compliance required by regulatory bodies such as OSHA, HIPAA, Joint commission and Red Flag Rule etc. Apart from this emPower also offers custom demos and tutorials for your website, business process management and software implementation.

Its Learning Management system (LMS) allows students to retrieve all the courses 24/7/365 by accessing the portal. emPower e-learning training program is an interactive mode of learning that guides students to progress at their own pace.

For additional information, please visit http://www.empowerbpo.com.

Media Contact (emPower)
Jason Gaya
marketing@empowerbpo.com

emPower
12806 Townepark Way
Louisville, KY 40243-2311
Ph: 502 -400-9374
http://www.empowerbpo.com
http://www.empowerlms.com

Dr. Tom Nielsen, right, and registered nurse Mindy Pecher review a patient’s chart March 14 in the Emergency Department of Aspirus Wausau Hospital in Wausau. / Xai Kha/Wausau Daily Herald

Part two of my review of the NAACE ICT Mark and ITEM looks at the Self-review framework (SRF), which provides a structured method to review your school’s use of ICT and its impact on school improvement. The SRF is free to use and is linked to national standards for ICT and will help you to:

1. Understand what “good” use of ICT looks like
2. Benchmark your progress against other schools
3. Identify your strengths
4. Create an action plan for improvement

You can sign into the BECTA SRF site at: https://selfreview.becta.org.uk/

The SRF is divided into six elements, which are designed to both support and challenge your school, and you can work through each element at your own pace (* provided courtesy of BECTA).

1. Leadership and management

• Develop and communicate a shared vision for ICT
• Plan a sustainable ICT strategy
• Develop an effective information management strategy

2. Planning

• Plan for the development of pupils’ ICT capability
• Plan the use of ICT to support the curriculum and respond to new technologies
• Ensure pupils’ ICT experiences are progressive, coherent, balanced and consistent
• Identify and evaluate the impact of ICT on learning and teaching

3. Learning

• Plan the use of ICT to enhance elearning and teaching
• Meet pupils’ expectations for the use of ICT
• Consider the impact of ICT on learning

4. Assessment of ICT capability

• Assess ICT capability of pupils’ to support their learning
• Use assessment evidence and data in planning learning and teaching across the whole curriculum
• Assess the learning in specific subjects when ICT has been used

5. Professional development

• Identify and address the ICT training needs of your school and individual staff
• Provide quality support and training activities for all staff in the use of ICT sharing effective practice
• Review, monitor and evaluate professional development as an integral part of the development of your school

6. Resources

• Ensure learning and teaching environments use ICT effectively and in line with strategic needs
• Purchase, deploy and review appropriate ICT resources that reflect your school improvement strategy
• Manage technical support effectively for the benefit of pupils and staff

Once your school has reached a certain level on the SRF you can then move forward and apply for the ICT Mark/ITEM.

This article was originally posted at http://digitallearningworld.com/naace-ict-mark-and-item-part-two

Teachers and administrators from other public and private schools in Palm Beach County and surrounding counties are invited to participate. In addition, educators from local colleges and universities are also invited to attend.

To register and for more information regarding the an innovative learning experience, visit the conference website, techconf.palmbeachschools.org

The keynote speaker will be internationally renowned Rushton Hurley, founder and executive director of the educational nonprofit Next Vista for Learning. Hurley has worked and studied on three continents as a Japanese language teacher, principal of an online high school, teacher trainer, educational technology researcher and school reform consultant.

The closing speaker is Travis Allen, a young visionary for digital learning in the classroom. A few years ago, while still in high school, Travis created a viral YouTube video on revolutionizing education in America through mobile learning. Today, Travis is a junior at Kennesaw State University, where he operates his growing non-profit organization, The iSchool Initiative.

Other featured speakers include Mark Benno, Apple area development manager and curriculum evangelist; John Couch, Apple vice president of education; Hall Davidson, senior director of Global Learning Initiatives for Discovery Education; Lance Rougeux, director of Discovery Educator Network; and Dean Shareski, digital learning consultant for Prairie South School Division in Moose Jaw, SK and contributor to Tech for Learning and Huffington Post.

As in the past, in addition to a variety of other nationally known speakers, the conference will feature a large offering of breakout sessions, a leadership track, and an extensive vendor hall.

This year, an Innovative Educator Contest is being held in which teachers were asked to demonstrate how they use technology in the classroom to enhance learning outcomes while increasing student engagement and success. Numerous teachers submitted project examples demonstrating innovative uses of technology. The winners will be honored at the conference Opening Session.

For more information contact Lee Kolbert at 561-714-8180 or 561-434-8497 or via e-mail at lee.kolbert@palmbeachschools.org

A report from the Texas Public Policy Foundation suggests that virtual education and blended learning both present the opportunity for cost savings and academic gain in Texas.

“At the K-12 level, the potential of virtual education is enormous,” said the report’s author, James Golsan. “Through the use of technology, students in rural districts would have access to the same educational resources as students in more populated areas. Familiarization with technology could prepare students for the work force more quickly.”

While there is some concern about the ability of existing traditional institutions to convert to blended learning facilities, it’s a popular model for new start ups. Virtual education is already a success story in Florida and the TPPF wants Texas to follow Florida’s lead.

“Florida has one of the longest standing and most successful virtual education programs in the country,” Golsan said. “As Texas seeks to improve its own digital learning environment, an examination of the Florida model provides the state with an example by which to fashion, at the very least, its public virtual education after.

Several benefits to a virtual education model are highlighted in the report, such as increased course availability and access to quality instructors. Although virtual education institutions have come under fire in the past for high dropout rates, the report believes that dropout recovery could be best served in the virtual arena.

Another highlighted benefit to Texas expanding its digital education offerings is the potential for huge cost savings. Not only does the report claim that educating students online is cheaper than traditional in-person methods, but that cost efficiencies of scale accrue more under a digital learning platform.

“Currently, Texas funds its students at a rate of around $11,000 per pupil,” Golsan said. “Research suggests that full-time virtual students can be educated for between $1,500 and $3,000 less per student than those in traditional brick-and-mortar settings.”

The perceived benefits of online education have recently come under scrutiny from Great Lakes Centre for Education Research and Practice, but the TPPF remains enthusiastic.

The report also recommends the easing of the course approval process for digital coursework, the promotion of private provider participation in digital learning, the creation of a scholarship program for digital learners, and the opening of the Texas Virtual School Network to private and home-schooled students.

This article was originally posted at http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/new-report-urges-online-learning-expansion-in-texas/

It’s midmorning and the faces of the students in Tim Wesmiller’s religious studies class are bathed in the baby-blue glow of their iPad screens.

Instead of sitting in rigid rows of desks staring at a blackboard, as they would in a typical classroom, kids huddle in groups to brainstorm and blog about Indian culture. Lessons flash from tablets to digitalized white board and back. The “lecture” is a blend of YouTube videos and interactive maps. There’s very little paper and no sign of chalk.

Faculty and students in this two-year iPad pilot project at Archbishop Mitty High School say this is the future of education.

“We still use paper and pencils sometimes,” says Jeremy Pedro, a soft-spoken junior. “But our homework is mostly digital. Paper homework is a thing of the past.”

So are one-dimensional science lessons, teachers glued to the front of the classroom, and backpacks stuffed to the gills with backbreaking textbooks.

“The richness and potential here is much greater than just e-books,” Principal Tim Brosnan says. “The students have embraced the idea that learning happens not just in class but at home and anywhere else they can go online. The iPad’s not some magic pill, but seeing students collaborate on them seems to add more life to the elearning process.”

For the past two school years, Mitty’s pilot project has put Apple’s popular tablets in the hands of 250 students in 14 classes. Next fall the school will rent an iPad

for all 1,680 students and 104 teachers, putting Mitty at the vanguard of a quickening trend toward digitalized education.

“What’s coming this fall is huge, and I think you’ll see it happening in every school across the country in the next five years,” Brosnan says. “It’s almost as if the iPad was the device we were all waiting for.”

John Couch, Apple’s vice president of education marketing, says the iPad’s lightweight, tech prowess and versatile user-interface make it a valuable learning tool for “a generation of kids who grew up in a digital world.”

“They want to express themselves in class through the same media-rich environment they observe around them outside of school. I see the iPad as a classroom without walls,” says Couch, adding that the tablet’s just the latest in a long line of Apple’s efforts on the education front. “We’ve built this ecosystem with a lot of content like iBooks that’s not just digital but truly transformational, with interactivity and other features that traditional textbooks don’t have.”

While Apple’s dominance in e-learning is certainly not guaranteed, considering how many hardware companies and content providers have already jumped into the space, the Cupertino tech giant certainly has a solid toehold. And it owes a lot of that success to the iPad’s seductive lure.

Earlier this month, Apple said it would offer interactive digital textbooks and tools for teachers to create their own books using iAuthor. This was a longtime dream of Apple’s late CEO Steve Jobs, who once predicted the iPad would make print textbooks obsolete.

That’s already coming true in Wesmiller’s classroom, where students are following an online textbook their teacher personally crafted as a dynamic mashup of content from the Library of Commerce, YouTube and Google (GOOG) maps.

Valerie Wuerz, 17, peers into her iPad, where an app called 7 Billion breaks down the global impact of overpopulation in text, slides, video and forums where students can share ideas and develop projects. She calls the iPad “a great resource, because textbooks are expensive and heavy to lug around.”

But the costs of going digital have raised concerns that struggling public districts will never be able to afford tablets for every student, widening a digital divide between public and private schools. Mitty bought the first 250 iPads at about $500 each, but will rent the ones next fall and charge each student an as-yet-undetermined monthly fee folded into their tuition. Even with those fees, Brosnan says parents will save money over time because an $80 print textbook, for example, will be replaced by a $14 iBook version.

Down the hall, science teacher Kate Slevin’s class focuses on the subject of momentum.

“OK, guys,” she says. “Open your iPads.” They use a note-taking, audio-recording app called Notability that lets users write notes with their fingers over text on the screen. They can import a syllabus or a book chapter, create bullet outlines, and record the lecture in case they miss something. And they can email their marked-up document to the teacher, which is what Zak Hovey, 14, just did.

“I love the iPad,” he says, “because everything you need is in your hands and all in one place.”

Fellow student Jennifer Canfield, 14, uses the tablet in her Spanish class, “and it makes working on pronunciation and looking up words much easier than using a printed book.”

Asked if she’s tempted to wander the Web instead of focusing on class work, a concern some educators have raised about digital learning, Canfield replies: “I’m not that kind of student.”

This article was originally posted at http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_20094793