Download the A4L Quarterly Newsletter, September 2020 >>
The New ‘Normal’… Let’s Hope Not!
Foreword by Larry Fruth II PhD, CEO/Exec Director, A4L Community
Being a non-profit organization made up of hundreds of volunteers – both end users and marketplace providers – the “let’s get back to school” focus has provided some interesting informal research data points: We look at educational technology differently, We look at teachers differently, We look at marketplace providers differently, We look at learning differently.
Being a non-profit organization made up of hundreds of volunteers – both end users and marketplace providers – the “let’s get back to school” focus has provided some interesting informal research data points:
We look at educational technology differently,
No longer are we talking about ed technology as an “add on” but now an expected set of tools needed to support learning. It was about time that we would get past talking about its use – like we never talked about chalkboard use – and move toward what it can do for practitioners and learners.
We look at teachers differently,
The conversations about learning and the role teachers play have become a hot topic in café’s, sporting events, social media and even in town hall meetings. It seems to have been beneficial for parents and communities to “walk in a teacher’s shoes” for a bit even though it is probably been with only one or two and not a class of 30!
We look at marketplace providers differently,
The quick shift last spring to almost all schools becoming virtual placed new demands on marketplace providers while needing to maintain support for their existing schools and individual learners. As much as schools and communities have been heads down with school re-opening, providers also have been running fast to deliver. While there are many new players in the space it is still true that the most productive provider-customer relations are when both set common expectations and look at it as a partnership and not just a contract obligation.
We look at learning differently.
Education practitioners have talked about differentiated, personalized, individualized learning for years. The shift to allowing for different delivery mechanisms (face to face, hybrid or virtual) has increased teacher, parent and even student awareness of how they learn “best”. If we can assure access, technology can be the great “non-equalizer” which is a good thing in this sense where all kids do not learn in the same way.
I hope you read through the newsletter to see how the Community is stepping up to allow for these changes to take place and make sure “it just works”. Our new mantra is A4L/SDPC is a Community “connecting and securing effective learning ecosystems” and we hope you see that in all the updates coming your way.
Be safe and let us keep moving together!
Global Community News:
OpenAPI & A4L: Global Cooperation Pays Off Big; Welcome new members; Quality Assurance: We Need Your Input; By-Laws 2020; Privacy on the Wire – come join the fun!
AU Community News:
SIF Implementation Specification (Australia) 3.4.7 now available
NA Community News:
Unity Specification Mappings Release published; Unity EDFacts Mapping; CEDS IDS Adaptor – Developers Wanted; xPress Roster Mapping and Beyond
Partner Update
Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC) News:
SDPC National Data Privacy Agreement (DPA) published
WEBINARS:
Connecting & Securing Effective Ecosystems – A virtual Annual Meeting that actually works with your schedule!