Blended. Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools

The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller-now in a new, updated paperback edition Today's online influencers are Web natives who trade in trust, reputation, and relationships, using social media to accrue the influence that builds up or brings down businesses online. In Trust Agents, two social media veterans show you how to tap into the power of social networks to build your brand's influence, reputation, and, of course, profits. In this revised paperback version, learn how businesses are using the latest online social tools to build networks of influence and how you can use those networks to positively impact your business. Combining high-level theory and practical actions, this guide delivers actionable steps and case studies that show how social media can positively impact your business. New edition features specific first moves for entering social media for small businesses, educators, travel and hospitality enterprises, nonprofit organizations, and corporations Authors both have a major presence on the social Web as well as years of online marketing and new media experience If you want your business to succeed, don't sit on the sidelines while new markets and channels grow. Instead, use the Web to build trust with your consumers using Trust Agents.

Craft a blended learning program tailor-made for your students Go Blended! is a practical implementation guide for educators interested in getting blended learning off the ground. Author Liz Arney is a seasoned developer of blended learning programs at Aspire Public Schools, and she also closely collaborates with district and charter leaders from across the country on this work. Go Blended! offers boots-on-the-ground support for laying the foundation for a blended learning program in our schools and classrooms. Throughout the book teachers with blended learning experience share helpful tips and lesson plans to help educators make purposeful choices in using technology to fulfill students' needs without becoming an end in itself. This useful guide also offers key documents and timelines to support a blended learning implementation and provides step-by-step practical advice for avoiding mistakes. Readers will gain expert insight into both the broad and narrow of blended transition, from sweeping concepts like program goals to nitty-gritty details like teaching routines around technology use. Technology is rapidly changing the landscape of education; teacher effectiveness and student achievement are both tied to the ability to adapt to new technology, and blended learning has become a hot topic in schools across the nation. Go Blended! helps school leaders and teachers take their first steps toward blended learning, putting them in a better position to continuously adapt as the world changes. You'll learn how to: Investigate leadership and staff readiness to «go blended.» Learn how to evaluate and purchase the right educational software. Keep the program's goals in mind throughout the development process. Teach lessons that set students up for success when using classroom technology. Tailor the program to the students, not the other way around. Aspire's impressive track record of high performance, along with a growing body of evidence from blended schools across the nation, testifies to the reality that incorporating technology into the classroom can improve student outcomes. But improved student outcomes will only occur when teachers and administrators intentionally tailor technology and curricula to meet their goals. With Go Blended!, you can be confident that you're focused on the ultimate goal of blended learning: increasing student achievement.

Convert the promise of big data into real world results There is so much buzz around big data. We all need to know what it is and how it works – that much is obvious. But is a basic understanding of the theory enough to hold your own in strategy meetings? Probably. But what will set you apart from the rest is actually knowing how to USE big data to get solid, real-world business results – and putting that in place to improve performance. Big Data will give you a clear understanding, blueprint, and step-by-step approach to building your own big data strategy. This is a well-needed practical introduction to actually putting the topic into practice. Illustrated with numerous real-world examples from a cross section of companies and organisations, Big Data will take you through the five steps of the SMART model: Start with Strategy, Measure Metrics and Data, Apply Analytics, Report Results, Transform. Discusses how companies need to clearly define what it is they need to know Outlines how companies can collect relevant data and measure the metrics that will help them answer their most important business questions Addresses how the results of big data analytics can be visualised and communicated to ensure key decisions-makers understand them Includes many high-profile case studies from the author's work with some of the world's best known brands

The only language you need to know to change your results. Inside each of us is a vision of how things could be. Yet most people remain frustrated by a lack of impact, unable to connect and inspire the people they care about the most. Why? There’s a language we understand, but rarely use. A language that’s sincere. Powerful. Compelling. A language of words—and actions—that can’t be denied. Leadership Language will help you to peel back the ineffective “business speak”, so you can change the conversation. And change your results. Imagine what could happen when you replace frustration with an irresistible vision—for yourself, your team and your organization. Today’s leaders face so many challenges—employee retention, operational efficiency, culture, collaboration, leading across generations, and more—but communication is at the heart of every one of those issues. A clear message with a powerful delivery gets you halfway home. Honing in on your next conversation can drive more impact, better relationships, and greater overall effectiveness. For yourself. Your career. Your company. They say there’s nothing that can stop an idea whose time has come. So, take the lead. It’s time for you to create what’s missing. And Leadership Language will show you how. Get clear on your vision, get aligned with your story, and get others engaged with your message Connect with the people that matter most, in a way that invites innovation and new outcomes Find the courage to move forward, conquer change, and create powerful impact—while you help others do the same From student leaders to the C-suite, there is only one way for a leader to make an impact: communication. Leadership Language is your personal guide to mastering critical skills and unveiling your authentic potential.

An educational innovator who worked at Sesame Workshop and The George Lucas Educational Foundation offers a new vision for learning As a result of constant innovation, learning is no longer limited by traditional confines and we're moving beyond students tied to their chairs, desks, and textbooks-and teachers locked away in classrooms. In Education Nation author Milton Chen draws from extensive experience in media-from his work on Sesame Street in its nascent years to his role as executive director of the George Lucas Educational Foundation-to support a vision for a new world of learning. This book, in six chapters, explores the «edges» in education—the places where K-12 learning has already seen revolutionary changes through innovative reform and the use of technology. Examines ways in which learning can be revolutionized through innovative reform and the use of technology Explores the ever-expanding world of technology for breakthroughs in teaching and learning Includes many wonderful resources to support innovation in schools across the nation This important book offers a clear vision for tomorrow's classrooms that will enhance learning opportunities for all children.

Yes I Can! is for anyone who ever said, “I wish I could be like that person.” Deep down we know that we all have the potential to be “that person”, but achieving it seems impossible in practice. Well it’s not impossible – you have the power to dramatically change your life. You can become more confident and motivated and find greater focus and direction in your life. You can become a better leader or manager and fill yourself with positive energy. You can lead the fulfilling life you have always dreamed of, and much more. See yourself as successful. Be successful. You have the power to change your life in ways that you may not even realize. As long as you can see where you want to be, or what you want to achieve, then you can make it happen. All you need to do is set aside a few minutes a day to visualize what you want to change or improve, and you’ll find the focus and direction to get what you want. Using the power of creative visualization and other well-understood psychological techniques, you’ll find this book is packed with practical, real world examples of changes that you can achieve in your life, using tried and tested techniques that have been demonstrated to be highly effective in numerous controlled studies. Yes I Can! contains simple, easy-to-follow, five–minute exercises developed by motivation expert Robin Nixon, which have worked wonders for thousands of others – now it’s time to make them work for you. How this book will change your life By following the exercises in this book, you'll learn how to achieve all the following, and much more: Learn to love yourself, life and others more – and be loved too Achieve any goal on which you set your heart Attain a level of self-confidence to match your abilities Quickly recover from failure to try again Motivate yourself when there's a task to do Increase your stamina, concentration and commitment Diminish negative energy Learn to relax and become fulfilled From now on, your answer to every question that life throws at you will be, ‘Yes I can!’

How Understanding Flocks, Schools and Colonies Can Make Us Better at Communicating, Decision Making and Getting Things Done.The modern world may be obsessed with speed and productivity, but twenty-first century humans actually have much to learn from the ancient instincts of swarms. A fascinating new take on the concept of collective intelligence and its colourful manifestations in some of our most complex problems, Smart Swarm introduces a compelling new understanding of the real experts on solving our own complex problems relating to such topics as business, politics, and technology.Based on extensive globe-trotting research, this lively tour from National Geographic reporter Peter Miller introduces thriving throngs of ant colonies, which have inspired computer programs for streamlining factory processes, telephone networks, and truck routes; termites, used in recent studies for climate-control solutions; schools of fish, on which the U.S. military modelled a team of robots; and many other examples of the wisdom to be gleaned about the behaviour of crowds-among critters and corporations alike.In the tradition of James Surowiecki's The Wisdom of Crowds and the innovative works of Malcolm Gladwell, Smart Swarm is an entertaining yet enlightening look at small-scale phenomena with big implications for us all.