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Here are a selection of recent 1:1 news stories we think will interest you!
We post the most up-to-date 1:1 news on our website. Check back frequently!
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CONTRIBUTING TO AALF
The AALF worldwide newsletter readership continues to grow. With this in mind, we would like to invite foundation members to contribute to the newsletter. We are currently looking for articles on the following themes:
Current Issues in 1:1
Student Voice
New Learning Spaces
Teaching Practices & 1:1
Learning Frameworks
Research on 1:1
Action Research on Innovative Practices (Teaching Practices, Professional Learning, Project-based Learning, etc.)
If you have something you would like to contribute, please send a brief (50 word) article summary, along with your contact information, including your organization and title, to Justina Spencer (jspencer@aalf.org). We look forward to hearing from you!
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 1:1 initiative.
For additional information regarding AALF coaching support, go to the Coaching and Mentoring Services page of our website, or contact Karen Ward at service@aalf.org
WE'RE LOOKING FOR YOU! We're currently looking for new 1:1 coaches to join the AALF team! If you're interested, please send a resume, describing any coaching and other relevant experience. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to write us by clicking here!
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SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE
Has your school or district switched from laptops to tablets or laptops to iPads? What have your experiences been?
Click here to share your expertise!
What type of evidence do experienced 1:1 schools rely upon to prove that 1:1 has helped their students?
If you have any experience or thoughts on this question, please click here and share it with the AALF community.
Thanks for sharing!
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The Foundation thanks all its partners for their ongoing support.
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Greetings!
Welcome to the February edition of the AALF newsletter!
Once again we're pleased to bring you another edition of the AALF newsletter, One-to-One.
This month, we have a new editorial by Bruce Dixon, President of AALF, who writes about the importance in education of taking risks and the value of failure. We are also revisiting an editorial by Susan Einhorn, Executive Director of AALF, who discusses changes big and small in schools, and whether or not there is a real desire for change. We also include information about the upcoming release of a revised and expanded version of one of our most popular resources, the 21 Steps to 21st Century Learning! And, in an article by Daniel Light and Elizabeth Pierson, we learn about the findings from a recent EDC study on 1:1 programs in Russia.
As always, you'll also find some of our regular features: Have Your Say and Share Your Expertise as well as a list of upcoming Events that may be of particular interest to 1:1 educators.
Click on the link at the end of each article to read it in its entirety on our website. Please share your thoughts or add your stories to any of these articles. We would love to hear from you!
Enjoy!
 Justina Spencer
AALF Communications
jspencer@aalf.org
Be sure to follow us on:
 
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FAILURE AND INNOVATION
 In this editorial, Bruce Dixon, President of the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation, discusses the importance of innovation in education, and specifically the learning opportunities that arise from failure. Click here to read more of Bruce's thoughts on failure in our contemporary learning cultures.
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DO WE REALLY WANT CHANGE?
 This month, we'd like to revisit an editorial by Susan Einhorn, Executive Director of the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation, concerning slow, incremental change in schools, and how when noticeable change is attempted, it is often met with criticism from the media and the community at large. This begs the question - do we really want change? Click here to read Susan's thoughts on changes big and small.
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
 Do you know of education programs or projects that highlight some of the opportunities for learning that ubiquitous technology makes possible? If so, please be in touch! We are currently compiling a list of constructivist, creative software tools for iPads and other tablets. What have you been using? Click here to share your recommendations! Please email us at service@aalf.org and let us know if you have a topic or story you'd like to share with the AALF community. The more we share, the more we'll learn!
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NEW EDITION OF 21 STEPS TO 21st CENTURY LEARNING® SOON TO BE RELEASED!
 AALF is pleased to announce that it will shortly be releasing a new version of one of its most popular resources, 21 Steps to 21st Century Learning. This new edition, developed with generous sponsorship support from Microsoft, will be accompanied by several new resources, including a series of videos highlighting how a number of outstanding 1:1 schools from around the world are addressing different aspects of the 21 Steps. Click here to learn more about this exciting news!
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EDC- CENTER FOR CHILDREN AND TECHNOLOGY: REPORT ON RUSSIA
 Education Development Center (EDC) has released the second of three research reports on 1:1 laptop programs in classrooms in three diverse countries: Argentina, Russia, and Korea. In our August newsletter, we detailed the findings of their first report on Argentina. In this article, Daniel Light, Senior Researcher at EDC, and Elizabeth Pierson share the findings from their second report, notably five impacts of the program in Russia. Click here to learn more about EDC and 1:1 in Russia.
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HAVE YOUR SAY
What web and social media tools do you use for learning in your classroom?
Let us know by responding to our 10-second poll!
We'll post the results in the upcoming newsletter! Thanks for participating!
SURVEYS SAYS RESULTS!
In our previous newsletter, we asked:
"What do you find most challenging in your role as a 1:1 educator?"
61.5 % Developing engaging curriculum that best utilizes the available technology
30.8% Monitoring student behavior online or peer-to-peer.
23.1% Seeking out and completing professional development courses
15.4% Student evaluation
15.4% Keeping current on the latest software and web resources
And...
"What are your essential conditions for change?"
81.3% A leader with a strong vision
62.5% The ability and support to try new ideas
62.5% Access to desired technology
56.3% In-school coach/technology integrationist
37.5% Having all staff on board with the school's vision
31.3% Support from the community and other outside stakeholders
25.0% Funding and support to take PD courses
Stay tuned for more results in our upcoming newsletter!
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UPCOMING E-COURSES WITH TAKING IT GLOBAL
 TakingITGlobal's graduate level, accredited e-courses attract educators from around the world. Identifying practical ways to implement pedagogies that reinforce the development of 21st century skills in students is the primary focus of these offerings. Each course is designed to support educators' unique needs and curriculum requirements. e-Courses feature five weekly classes facilitated online, in real time, by an experienced global educator; and engaging readings, assignments and projects. These competitively priced e-courses will each be offered three times between January and June, 2013. Click here for more information!
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COME JOIN US ON SCOOP.IT!
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CONVERSATION STARTING POINTS
 Get the conversation started with this month's quote from Richard Elmore, the Gregory R. Anrig Professor of Educational Leadership at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and is taken from "What Would Happen if We Let Them Go?"
"As I read the collected entries in the Futures of School Reform Blog, they seem bright, energetic, combative, and optimistic about the future of the enterprise of American public schooling. I wonder, as I read them, whether the writers are aware of what classrooms in American secondary schools actually look like--the dismal, glacial, adult-centered, congenially authoritarian, mindless soup in which our children spend the bulk of their days. I wonder whether people are aware of how robust the old "bargain" is in the face of so-called "high stakes accountability;" how little the monolithic beast of American secondary education has been affected by the bright, high-minded optimism of professional reformers; how little the exemplars that professional reformers use to justify their role in society have actually affected the lives of adolescents.
I wonder, finally, what would happen if we simply opened the doors and let the students go; if we let them walk out of the dim light of the overhead projector into the sunlight; if we let them decide how, or whether, to engage this monolith? Would it be so terrible? Could it be worse than what they are currently experiencing? Would adults look at young people differently if they had to confront their children on the street, rather than locking them away in institutions? Would it force us to say more explicitly what a humane and healthy learning environment might look like? Should discussions of the future of school reform be less about the pet ideas of professional reformers and more about what we're doing to young people in the institution called school?"
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What do you think?
Are American high schools so dismal? Is this only the case in American high schools, or is this a universal problem? Are professional reformers oblivious to the reality of schools? Are the conditions in high schools the best conditions for learning? We want to hear from you! Click
here to share your thoughts on Elmore's views.
Do you have any particularly inspiring education quotes to share? Email us and we'll spread the word!
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EVENTS 
Check Events on the AALF website regularly to keep up-to-date on other events of interest to the 1:1 community. March 14-16, 2013 2013 CUE Annual Conference Palm Springs, California The largest and oldest edtech conference in California, CUE brings together educators, technology coordinators, administrators and stakeholders looking for the latest tools and practices to support student achievement. March 14-16, 2013 Digital Media and Learning Conference 2013 Chicago, Illinois The Digital Media and Learning Conference, with support from the MacArthur Foundation, will explore the development and use of mobile technology in new, innovative learning environments across various disciplines. Promising an all-star cast of researchers, teachers, technologists, entrepreneurs, and investors, this year's conference will be organized around the theme "Democratic Futures: Mobilizing Voices and Remixing Youth Participation." April 8-10, 2013 Cincinnati Country Day School Tablet Conference Cincinnati, Ohio Tablet PCs are paradigm-shifting educational tools, that have allowed Cincinnati Country Day School to integrate technology as they had dreamed of doing when they first began their laptop program in 1996. Here they'll introduce you to these swiveling wonders that will give you the freedom and flexibility to reach beyond the machine and focus on your students' learning. April 10-12, 2013 EdTechTeacher iPad Summit 2013 Atlanta, Georgia Following its sold-out inaugural conference in Boston, EdTechTeacher is pleased to announce this second National iPad Summit. This provides an opportunity to bring together educators, researchers, tech directors, principals, school leaders, and industry partners for a three-day event full of presentations, workshops, hands-on sessions, and informal gatherings to identify emerging best practices and exciting new directions leveraging iPads to create dynamic learning environments. April 11-12, 2013 The Saylor Foundation Digital Education Conference 2013 Tysons Corner, Virginia
The Saylor Foundation proudly announces its first ever Digital Education Conference. The two-day program will focus around four tracks: technology, content, funding, and implementation. Distinguished speakers and thought leaders in the edtech and open-ed sectors will identify opportunities to collaborate.May 6-7, 2013
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Canada's first national K-12 and post-secondary learning and technology conference gathers in beautiful Niagara Falls, Ontario. Educators, admins, techies and all edu-stakeholders are invited to partake in a series of presentations, hands-on workshops, interactive seminars, and poster sessions while collaborating with other like-minded individuals who are passionate about using technology in the 21st century.
June 23-26, 2013 ISTE 2013 San Antonio, Texas With nearly 700 sessions, 150 additional workshops, and informal learning environments everywhere you turn, ISTE 2013 provides a multitude of professional development opportunities for the entire education team. There will be a number of 1:1 related workshops and events, including the SIG1:1 Annual Meeting on June 24th, and a SIG1:1 Computing Forum on Tuesday, June 25th. June 28, 2013 Summer iPad Technology Institute Minnetonka, Minnesota Attendees of the Summer iPad Institute on June 28 will learn how iPads are successfully used in a 1:1 environment by all 1,600 grade 9 & 10 students at Minnetonka High School. In-depth background information on everything from the planning, budget, and communication of the pilot program to the training, implementation, and findings will be shared. July 9-12, 2013 Constructing Modern Knowledge Conference Manchester, New Hampshire Constructing Modern Knowledge is committed to making connections between child-centered learning theories and the creative construction of knowledge with computers. July 14-17, 2013 Lausanne Learning Institute Memphis, Tennessee The Lausanne Learning Institute is an international think tank for schools. The Lausanne Learning Institute offers over 200 breakout sessions - from hands-on events to lectures, discussions and networking. Conference sessions meet the needs of educators, administrators, technology integrationists, technology support personnel and more. |
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