President's Message
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THE 'PRECIOUS' CURRICULUM
 In the July 2008 AALF Newsletter, Bruce Dixon, President of the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation, posed the question:
When we talk about transforming learning, what are
we trying to say? Nearly two years later, this question is arguably no less pertinent in debates and discussions surrounding
1-to-1 learning, and it is fitting to revisit what he sees
as the core dilemma at hand: curriculum. In this article, Bruce
carefully defines what he sees as basic principles behind curriculum; he urges us to re-think and re-shape what this term means in a 1-to-1 environment.
Click here to read more about Bruce's thoughts on the 'precious'
curriculum.
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AALF Leadership: Executive Director's News and Thoughts
| THE MOBILITY OF PARTICIPATION
Susan Einhorn, Executive Director of the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation, discusses how, in this age of wireless computing and Web 2.0, learning opportunities and the chance to participate in events around the world are at our fingers tips. Not only does technology and the internet allow us to connect with people we would have never met in normal day-to-day circumstances, but -- as the articles in this month's newsletter show -- we are also able to discover learning opportunities we would not have otherwise come across. Click here to read Susan's thoughts on mobility, learning and participation.
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1-to-1 Leadership and Learning
| THE FLAT CLASSROOM: MOBILE AND UBIQUITOUS
 Julie Lindsay and Vicky Davis, the co-founders of the Flat Classroom™ Project, a global
collaborative project that joins together middle and senior high school
students around the world, share how this project uses Web 2.0 tools to
make communication and interaction between students, teachers, expert advisers and other participants easier.
In this article they also detail the pedagogy behind this project, the outcomes of past conferences and plans for the upcoming 2011 conference in Beijing, China. Click here to read more about this fascinating endeavor!
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Conference Highlights
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ASB UN-PLUGGED 2010 --TRANSFORMING LEARNING AND TEACHING
In this ar ticle, Dr. Shabbi Luthra, Director of
Technology, American School of Bombay, and Dr. Paul Fochtman, Superintendent,
American School of Bombay, detail the outcomes of the ASB Un-Plugged Conference that took place from February 24- 27th in Mumbai. ASB Un-Plugged is a biennial international 1-to-1
Teaching/Learning Conference held at and sponsored by the American School of
Bombay where educators from all over the globe and with all levels of experience in
1-to-1 programs come to learn and share ideas about teaching and learning with
technology. Organized in collaboration with
with the Anytime
Anywhere Learning Foundation , the Near East/South Asia Center of Overseas Schools (NESA), and The Laptop Institute, there were
many highlights of the conference which featured: Student Showcases, Classroom Visits, Learning Institutes,
Workshops, Job-Alike Sessions, Flat Classroom Workshop, and a TEDxASB event.
Click here to read more about the exciting happenings at this event!
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Research and Resources
| 1-to-1 RESEARCH: NEW FINDINGS
 In the Research section of AALF's website, we have compiled a database of current and past studies on 1-to-1 pedagogy, implementation and curriculum. We'd like to draw your attention to several new studies added to this list thus far in 2010.
Curious to know what the term 'Techno Criticism' means, how it is affecting your 1-to-1 program, and what changes should be made to diminish it? If so, click here to read a study that responds to a generation of techno-criticism in education and offers a glimpse into what a school should look like in order to take advantage of laptop computers and other technology.
Are you looking for research on the impact of laptop programs in the fourth to fifth grade level? If so, please click here to read a study that investigates whether a 1-to-1 laptop program could help improve English language arts (ELA) test scores in grades four and five.
These are of course just a small sample of the thought-provoking research we have compiled on our website. Please be sure to peruse the Research section of our website and explore the studies that may benefit your school and its 1-to-1 program.
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Polls and Results
| SURVEY SAYS
What has been the most challenging aspect of your 1-to-1 initiative this year? Let us know by responding to a 10-second poll we have posted on our new site (scroll down the homepage).
We will share more survey and poll results in upcoming issues, so stay tuned!
Thank you for participating! |
1-to-1 Teaching and Learning
| TEACHING AUTONOMY
 Here at AALF we often get requests for a repeat view of an article written by Kelly Hammond published in our June 2008 newsletter. This article details the most notable changes that take place in a school after a 1-to-1 program is implemented. In revisiting this article, which is included in the 'Global Storybook' on AALF's website, we invite you to read through Kelly's experience, reflect upon the challenges specific to your school, and then share your thoughts by describing the top two changes that have taken place in your school after its 1-to-1 roll-out. Click here to read Kelly's thoughts and be sure to follow the link at the end to share your experiences with AALF!
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Questions from the Community
| SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE
 If you have any experience or thoughts on the question below, please respond by following the link to the discussion boards!
Have you had any success using Web 2.0 programs in the classroom? If so, what programs do you use?
Click here to share your expertise!
Are you implementing a 1-to-1 laptop program and struggling with a specific issue? Do you have questions about policies, communicating with parents or the community, AUPs, professional development, or any other issues that you are facing in implementing anytime, anywhere learning in your school or district? If your answer to that question is yes, let the AALF community help. Send your questions to AALF, and we'll post them both in our newsletter and on the AALF web site. Although we may not be able to post all your questions, we'll try to post as many as we can. |
| Coaches' Corner |
AALF COACHING
AALF coaches provide support for educators at all levels and, working either individually or in expert teams, coaches and consultants support educators and policy makers at every phase of their 1-to-1 initiative. This includes creating a vision, designing appropriate goals, translating plans into action, choosing the most effective technology tools and designing technology support, providing professional development opportunities, and using data to reflect on the effectiveness of their program.
Working with individual leaders and teams of educators, AALF coaches incorporate:
- Face-to-face and additional communication sessions
- Online learning opportunities
- The use of Web 2.0 online collaborative communication tools such as blogs and wikis
- Professional development support with AALF associates who are currently working in highly effective 1-to-1 schools.
For additional information regarding AALF coaching support, go to the Coaching and Mentoring Services page of our website, or contact Susan Einhorn at seinhorn@aalf.org
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Conferences, Institutes, Academies and Events |
UPCOMING EVENTS
Check Events on the AALF website regularly to learn of other events at which AALF leaders will be speaking or leading workshops. We look forward to seeing you there! JUNE 22-24, 2010The INKSTITUTE at Cincinnati Country Day School, Cincinnati, Ohio JUNE 27-30, 2010
June 28 is the SIG 1-to-1 forum: Supporting a 1-to-1 Environment Through the Content Areas JULY 12-15, 2010 JULY 18-20, 2010
Lausanne Laptop Institute, Memphis, Tennesse OCTOBER 29-31, 2010
European Laptop Institute, The Hague, Netherlands OCTOBER 18-20, 2010; FEBRUARY 7-9, 2011; APRIL 4-6, 2011
Tablet Conferences at Cincinnati Country Day School, Cincinnati, Ohio. DECEMBER 2-3, 2010
Great Lakes 1:1 Computing Conference, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Do you have an upcoming 1-to-1 event you would like to share with other newsletter readers? Contact Justina Spencer for information on posting these events.
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| AALF Worldwide Networking | CONTRIBUTING TO AALF
Our AALF worldwide newsletter readership continues to grow. In the past year our foundation enrollment and readers have grown to over 2,500 members. This is exciting news and certainly provides evidence about the relevance of 1-to-1 learning across continents! As our audience and support continues to grow, we are anxious to provide timely and relevant information regarding 1-to-1 learning and schools around the world. With this in mind, I would like to invite foundation members to get involved with the production of this monthly publication. There are several ways you can contribute to this important work:
- Volunteer your school to be a '1-to-1 Global Storybook Spotlight School'; this column provides an in depth look at 1-to-1 schools from the perspective of leaders, teachers, and students
- Volunteer to submit an article to an upcoming issue of the AALF newsletter.
- Volunteer your unique suggestions; suggest columns or ideas you think would benefit 1-to-1 educators around the world
Please contact Susan Einhorn (seinhorn@aalf.org or 425.223.3763) if you are interested in any of these opportunities. |
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