Estudio sobre la creatividad

Is the American education system stifling creativity? That's the attitude held by a majority of Americans, according to a new worldwide survey focused on attitudes toward creativity in schools, the workplace, and the home.

"The urge to create has never been stronger, and the ability to create is unprecedented, yet a new global study shows that most people feel they are not living up to their own creative potential," said Shantanu Narayen, president and CEO of Adobe, in a prepared statement. "We challenge the notion that creativity is reserved for an elite few, and believe that no matter what you do, everyone has the potential to be creative."
Globally, there's widespread agreement with that sentiment, according to the results of the research, published in a report.

It found that, worldwide, 73 percent of respondents agreed that, "as a country, we are not living up to our creative potential." That sentiment was a bit stronger in the United States in particular, at 82 percent. Similarly, worldwide, 59 percent of respondents said their educational systems are stifling creativity. In the United States, that figure was 62 percent.

"One of the myths of creativity is that very few people are really creative," said former education professor, author, and TED speaker Ken Robinson, in a statement released to coincide with the report. "The truth is that everyone has great capacities, but not everyone develops them. One of the problems is that too often our educational systems don't enable students to develop their natural creative powers. Instead, they promote uniformity and standardization. The result is that we're draining people of their creative possibilities and, as this study reveals, producing a workforce that's conditioned to prioritize conformity over creativity."
Other findings from the study include:

• 70 percent of Americans agreed that, "as a culture, we take creativity for granted" (versus 52 percent worldwide);
• 72 percent of Americans said that "creating online is part of our culture: (versus 61 percent worldwide);
• 72 percent of Americans also said they believe that there is increasing competition to have what they create get noticed, versus 63 percent worldwide;
• Only half of Americans said they're being increasingly asked to think creatively at work (versus 55 percent worldwide), while 80 percent said there is increasing pressure to be productive rather than creative in the workplace (versus 75 percent worldwide).

Para ver el estudio, oprima aquí.

9na Convención Anual de Aprendizaje Híbrido del Consorcio Sloan

La Oficina de la Rectoría de la Universidad de Puerto Rico en Río Piedras, el Proyecto Título V/PPOHA, adscrito al Decanato de Estudios Graduados e Investigación (DEGI), la Escuela Graduada de Ciencias y Tecnologías de la Información (EGCTI) y el Centro para la Excelencia Académica (CEA) le invitan cordialmente a la Retransmisión en vivo de la 9na Convención Anual de Aprendizaje Híbrido del Consorcio Sloan (Blended Learning Conference & Workshop) durante los días 23 y 24 de abril de 2012.  La actividad es libre de costo.

Si desea registrarse puede acceder a http://cea-uprrp.weebly.com/registro.  Si desea mayor información, puede llamar a la Red Graduada, al 787-764-0000, ext 5032.

El Sloan Consortium es una organización líder que promueve la integración de la educación en línea a la educación superior. Este consorcio guía y ayuda a las instituciones, y a educadores a nivel individual, a mejorar la calidad, el alcance y la amplitud de la educación virtual.

El tema de la conferencia este año es Perfeccionando la Mezcla, reflejando el énfasis sobre los mejores métodos para integrar los componentes presenciales y en línea de los cursos híbridos.

Forging partnerships and networking learners through the HETS Consortium

Abstract:
Forging partnerships and collaboration within the consortium has been a continuouslearning process for Hispanic Educational Telecommunications System (HETS) consortium. This paper will examine the accomplishments, and lessons learned throughout the planning, coordination,and development of this consortium. The paper addresses several challenges and successful solutionsthat have been part of the HETS development process. Major challenges included the integration of technologies to widen interconnection opportunities, the language and cultural diversity among themembers of the constituency, the organizational structure of the consortium, the planning andcoordination of program offerings, faculty training and collaboration, and building a virtual leadershipthrough a distributed team of institutional representatives.

Para una copia, oprima aquí.

Technology and Effective Teaching Report

This just out: a tidy, four-page report titled, "Technology and Effective Teaching," from the Gates Foundation. (PDF) Based on a survey of 400 teachers from across the U.S., the report found that 67% of teachers use technology in every class and 85% use it every day. Their goals are clear--to help their students learn--but they remain skeptical "because there is little, widely accepted proof that technology tools provide real value for student learning." Sixty-nine percent say the biggest barrier to using technology is access to computers, followed closely by those who say they aren't yet comfortable with the technology and that they lack time for planning. Most of those who are not using technology are making a strong statement: while only 20% of the teachers interviewed said they felt technology should not be used in the classroom, 15% "strongly agreed" with the statement. Loud message to edtech developers: teachers feel that developers should do a better job of "understanding and respecting the reality that teachers face."

Education factbook

Oprima aquí para verlo.

Policy Recommendations for open educational practice

The European Foundation for Quality in e-Learning (EFQUEL) has developed a guide for policy makers to explain open educational practice, and make recommendations for how this concept can be embraced by education systems. The publication draws on work carried out by the Open Educational Quality (OPAL) Initiative, in which ICDE was a partner.    

Para ver la guía, oprima aquí.              

Estudio sobre reglamentación de EaD

An ICDE funded study on the regulatory frameworks for distance education in the Southwest Pacific/ South East Asia Region is published. It presents the outcomes of case studies of nine higher education institutions, and analyses the key regulatory barriers and enablers for distance education for twenty-three countries in the study region.

Para ver el estudio, oprima aquí.

Virginia: otro estado que requiere cursos en línea

Virginia is added to the growing list of states that now require online courses as a prerequisite to high school graduation, thanks to a bill signed by Governor Robert F. McDonnell. This new requirement goes into effect for students starting ninth grade in 2013-14.

Para más información, oprima aquí.

Escogiendo material instruccional

El título de la publicación es: Choosing Blindly: Instructional Materials, Teacher Effectiveness, and the Common Core.

Evidence shows that instructional materials have large effects on student learning. However, little research exists on the effectiveness of most instructional materials, and very little systematic information has been collected on which materials are being used in which schools.

Para bajar la publicación, oprima aquí.