The integration of information and communication technologies in education is unavoidable, as an increasing percentage of educators embrace modern technology, others are faced with the decision to reevaluate their own pedagogical practices or become obsolete. To meet the needs of students, one must first define what stipulates a successful K-12 student, the best practices of online classrooms, the warning signs for low-performing students, and how to engage web-based students. Optimizing K-12 Education through Online and Blended Learning addresses the models, support, cases, and delivery of K-12 online education. Seeking to further the conversation about the most effective ways to integrate ICT into the classroom, this publication presents theoretical frameworks to support educators and administrators. This book is an essential collection of research for teachers, administrators, students of education, IT professionals, developers, and policy makers.

Compared with STEM fields, foreign language (FL) education and second language acquisition have only slowly embraced open education and the new knowledge ecologies it produces. FL educators may have been hesitant to participate in the open education movement due to a lack of research which investigates the benefits and challenges of FL learning and teaching in open environments. This book contextualizes open education in FL learning and teaching via an historical overview of the movement, along with an in-depth exploration of how the open movement affects FL education beyond the classroom context; fills the research void by exploring aspects of open second language learning and teaching across a range of educational contexts; and illustrates new ways of creating, adapting and curating FL materials that are freely shared among FL educators and students. This book is open access under a CC BY ND licence.

A Framework for Teaching Music Online defines the current online learning landscape of music in higher education and then presents a cyclical teaching framework that describes how to practically develop an online music course. Each part of the framework takes the reader through the three main components of developing an online music course: communication, design, and assessment. Research-informed and practical, ideas and tools for faculty and students to implement into their current or future online teaching practice are explored. Johnson also considers future innovations, exploring knowledge sharing and professional learning networks.

* Provides models of curricular integration and assessment practices to inform the design of and research on computational tools and practices. * Addresses critical areas of computational thinking such as challenges in implementation and unsubstantiated claims for effectiveness. * Covers a diversity of perspectives including unplugged CT, CT as a vehicle for learning, and CT in and across subjects.

The integration of technology into educational environments has become more prominent over the years. The combination of technology and face-to-face interaction with instructors allows for a thorough, more valuable educational experience. Intelligent Web-Based English Instruction in Middle Schools addresses the concerns associated with the use of computer-based systems in teaching English as a foreign language, proving the effectiveness and efficiency of technological integration in modern classrooms. Highlighting cases based on current practices in four diverse schools, this book is a vital reference source for practitioners and researchers interested in the educational benefits of educational technologies in language acquisition.

Adapted from the book Indescribable, 100 Devotions About God & Science by Pastor Louie Giglio, these timeless lunchbox notes will encourage kids to discover the wonders of the universe with their creator.

All across the country, in traditional public, public charter, and private schools, entrepreneurial educators are experimenting with the school day and school week. Hybrid Homeschools have students attend traditional classes in a brick-and-mortar school for some part of the week and homeschool for the rest of the week. Some do two days at home and three days at school, others the inverse, and still others split between four days at home or school and one day at the other. This book dives deep into hybrid homeschooling. It describes the history of hybrid homeschooling, the different types of hybrid homeschools operating around the country, and the policies that can both promote and thwart it. At the heart of the book are the stories of hybrid homeschoolers themselves. Based on numerous in-depth interviews, the book tells the story of hybrid homeschooling from both the family and educator perspective.

Intelligent Tutoring Systems in E-Learning Environments: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation presents the e-learning community with innovative research concerning the background of intelligent tutoring systems in the new educational era. This scholarly reference provides researchers and e-system developers with a survey of the latest trends and practical experiences in student modeling.

All across the country, in traditional public, public charter, and private schools, entrepreneurial educators are experimenting with the school day and school week. Hybrid Homeschools have students attend traditional classes in a brick-and-mortar school for some part of the week and homeschool for the rest of the week. Some do two days at home and three days at school, others the inverse, and still others split between four days at home or school and one day at the other. This book dives deep into hybrid homeschooling. It describes the history of hybrid homeschooling, the different types of hybrid homeschools operating around the country, and the policies that can both promote and thwart it. At the heart of the book are the stories of hybrid homeschoolers themselves. Based on numerous in-depth interviews, the book tells the story of hybrid homeschooling from both the family and educator perspective.

Teachers' active online participation and engagement with students are critical factors to the success of online courses. Essentials of Online Teaching is a standards-based, straightforward guide to teaching online in higher education, high school and vocational training, or corporate learning environments. This brief but powerful book encourages immediate application of concepts with the help of real-world examples, technical insights, and professional advice. The guide includes: a practical approach informed by, but not about, relevant learning theories; clear models and examples from a wide variety of online courses; teachers' reflections about their online practice; a checklist of standards to help guide teaching decisions; and an accompanying website (www.essentialsofonlineteaching.com) with additional resources. Essentials of Online Teaching addresses key instructional challenges in online teaching and presents the reader with practical solutions for each phase of a course-preparation, beginning, middle, and end.

In this book, Brian Baugus examines home schooling as an education enterprise, arguing that successful home school families have the same characteristics and motivations as entrepreneurs. Baugus examines the history and economic theories behind home schooling to explain the rational decision-making that motivates home schooling endeavors, examining dissatisfaction with mainstream education, expectations of return on investment, and resistance from established providers.

Many books will be written about the latent effects COVID-19 and the response the pandemic will have on our community. Some of the impacts were immediate and obvious, like the forced move to distance learning, and the struggles, schools and families experienced. The most important factor is that school administrators must recognize that teachers and students need more than equipment and internet access. Fast Track to Online Learning describes, in detail, how schools and school districts must adopt a process for the development of advanced curriculum. Curriculum that focuses on critical thinking and leverages the technology to work in distance- and hybrid-learning models - what the author calls Tier 4 Curriculum (T4c).

Technology has dramatically changed the way in which knowledge is shared within and outside of traditional classroom settings. The application of fuzzy logic to new forms of technology-centered education has presented new opportunities for analyzing and modeling learner behavior. Fuzzy Logic-Based Modeling in Collaborative and Blended Learning explores the application of the fuzzy set theory to educational settings in order to analyze the learning process, gauge student feedback, and enable quality learning outcomes. Focusing on educational data analysis and modeling in collaborative and blended learning environments, this publication is an essential reference source for educators, researchers, educational administrators and designers, and IT specialists. This premier reference monograph presents key research on educational data analysis and modeling through the integration of research on advanced modeling techniques, educational technologies, fuzzy concept maps, hybrid modeling, neuro-fuzzy learning management systems, and quality of interaction.

This volume contains a collection of seminal articles and recent research which are important reading for anyone wanting to understand current theoretical developments within the field of language and literacy studies. The collection reflects a growing recognition over the past decade of the importance of social factors in language and literacy development. The focus has shifted from talking about skills and competences to investigating the relationships between language and literacy practices, personal identities and social and cultural processes. It provides an important resource of classic articles (some of which are not easily obtainable) and up-to-date research for teachers, students and researchers working in language studies, anthropology and education.

This volume provides foreign language educators and classroom researchers with an introduction to online intercultural exchange, the activity of engaging foreign language learners in collaborative project work with partners from other cultures through the use of online communication tools such as email, discussion boards and videoconferencing. The authors use their extensive experience in both the practice and research of online exchange to present a clear overview of the pedagogical theory behind online exchange and its contribution to different aspects of foreign language learning, including communicative competence, intercultural awareness and learner autonomy. The chapters look at different ways of organising such projects, such as the Tandem and Cultura models, and also provide clear discussions on practical aspects of the area including task design, the choice of communication tools and the role of the teacher.

When online learning began more than two decades ago, many universities envisioned the creation of international student markets, but this has only recently become a reality. The emergence of a global economy, advances in technology, increased market competition, reduced funding, and the growing desire for degrees from internationally recognized universities have created opportunities that promote transnational degrees. Transnational Distance Learning and Building New Markets for Universities presents the opportunities, methods, issues, and risks involved in extending university education across national borders. It is important to understand cultural, financial, and legal issues, as well as management approaches, academic delivery options, and business considerations needed to create quality programs that are marketable and cost effective in reaching emerging international markets. The purpose of the book is to review how to reach emerging international markets, increase access to education, and do so at a profit.

• The first book to cover the strategic implementation of personalized learning in workforce education and higher education settings. • A critical contribution to actionable literature on effective lifelong learning, training, and education programs. • Provides a design framework to address many of the challenges facing existing training programs.

Every generation faces challenges, but never before have young people been so aware of theirs. Whether due to school strikes for climate change, civil war, or pandemic lockdowns, almost every child in the world has experienced the interruption of their schooling by outside forces. When the world we have taken for granted proves so unstable, it gives rise to the question: what is schooling for? Thrive advocates a new purpose for education, in a rapidly changing world, and analyses the reasons why change is urgently needed in our education systems. The book identifies four levels of thriving: global - our place in the planet; societal - localities, communities, economies; interpersonal - our relationships; intrapersonal - the self. Chapters provide research-based theoretical evidence for each area, followed by practical international case studies showing how individual schools are addressing these considerable challenges. Humanity's challenges are shifting fast: schools need to be a part of the response.

Digital Learning in High-Needs Schools examines the challenges and affordances that arise when high-needs school communities integrate educational technologies into their unique settings. Although remote, blended, and networked learning are ubiquitous today, a number of cultural, economic, and political realities-from the digital divide and digital literacy to poverty and language barriers-affect our most vulnerable and under-resourced teachers and students. This book uses critical theory to compassionately scrutinize and unpack the systemic issues that impact high-needs schools' implementation of digital learning tools. Incisive sociocultural analyses across fifteen original chapters explore the intersection of society, technology, people, politics, and education in high-needs school contexts. Informed by real-world cases pertaining to technology infrastructure, formative feedback, Universal Design for Learning, and more, these chapters illuminate how best practices emerge from culturally responsive and context-specific foundations.