 The Cyberlearning Summit: Discussing Big ideas at the Intersection of Emerging Technology and Research on Learning
On January 18, researchers and policymakers gathered in Washington, DC, for the first Cyberlearning Summit.
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, The Cyberlearning Research Summit was a high-profile gathering in Washington, DC, featuring top-quality research-based speakers who shared visions for the future of learning with emerging technologies. Organized by CTL and the Lawrence Hall of Science, the day was filled with TED-like talks about what cyberlearning is, what it can become, and the transformative potential it has to shape learning and our future.
Go to cyberlearning.sri.com to learn more about the speakers, read abstracts of their talks, and participate in helping create definitions for each topical area on the wiki. We welcome and encourage new voices to join in the conversation.
 SRI Teams up to Improve Middle School Mathematics Education in Florida
Since 2009 the SunBay Digital Mathematics Project has been dramatically improving middle school mathematics education in Pinellas County, Florida. SunBay Math emphasizes the foundational big ideas that are critical to students’ deep conceptual understanding of mathematics and helps students at all skill levels bring these concepts to life by linking the dynamic representations to engaging stories as well as to other mathematical representations such as graphs, tables, and equations. SunBay provides teachers with intensive professional development to engage students in learning mathematics through the use of dynamic representations and corresponding research-tested learning modules.
The SunBay project is a collaboration between SRI International, the University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP), the Helios Education Foundation, the Pinellas Education Foundation, and the Pinellas County School District in Florida. Given SunBay Math's proven record of success, the program won a highly competitive Next Generation Learning Challenge (NGLC) award to increase its scope in Pinellas County. Read more at sunbay.sri.com and USFSP.
 Taking a LEAP: ITL Research Findings Lead to a School-Based PD Program
SRI released the report Innovative Teaching and Learning (ITL) Research 2011 Findings: Evolving Educational Ecosystems at the Microsoft Partners in Learning's Global Research Forum on November 2011 in Washington, DC. As the global lead for ITL Research, SRI collaborated with local partners to examine innovative teaching practices in 159 schools in Australia, England, Finland, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, and Senegal. The report describes factors that support innovative teaching and learning at multiple levels of the educational ecosystem, from school culture to national policy, and points to the central role of learning activity designs that give students opportunities to build 21st century skills.
Beginning in 2012, the project turns its methods and results into a new professional development program called LEAP21, offering teachers around the world a way to evaluate and strengthen the 21st century learning opportunities they offer students.
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New SRI Report funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Reveals Key Success Factors for Blended Learning Programs
As online learning programs become prevalent in U.S. schools, school and district leaders, teachers, and policymakers are looking for the best ways to use technology to enhance learning. A new SRI report, Implementing Online Learning Labs in Schools and Districts, provides such a guide for creating successful blended learning programs that can benefit many students.
CTL's Barbara Means Testifies Before Congress on Successful K-12 Education
On October 12, 2011, Barbara Means, Ph.D., CTL's director of evaluation, testified before the Congressional Subcommittee on Research and Science Education. In the hearing, "What Makes for Successful K-12 STEM Education: A Closer Look at Effective STEM Education Approaches," the subcommittee reviewed the report, Successful K-12 STEM Education Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Dr. Means is a member of the Committee on Highly Successful Schools or Programs for K-12 STEM Education, which wrote the report. View the webcast of the hearing.
Coming in Our June Research Update!
SRI is conducting research on the use of Khan Academy's online math resources in schools in five locations in California. The research, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is examining the ways the resources are being used with different student populations and in different instructional settings as well as the potential benefits of use to students' learning and attitudes toward math. Learn more about this exciting new project in our June newsletter.
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