Kim's Blog

Boosting Student Achievement

Posted on February 3, 2010 at 01:23 PM

Now that we have officially rung in the new year, it is time for me to make some new predictions for 2010. And as I look back into my crystal ball, I have 10 predictions for what the coming year will look like—both for Education and content.

What is my fourth prediction for Education?

Curriculum for gifted students will expand, and states will allot money for programs and technology for them.

As a subcategory of Special Education, gifted programs are often put on the backburner in school districts. I know many parents who had to fight for their child to be tested and for courses to be designed for their gifted child. In fact, gifted programs were some of the first to be cut under No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The problem I have with NCLB is that it fails to recognize the potential of gifted students to raise standardized test scores—by giving them an opportunity to participate in programs that will really motivate and challenge them.

When my 11-year-old daughter was recommended for a gifted program (at age 6), we were told to go to the Center for Talent and Development at Northwestern University. Since our school did not have any programs to help her, and she was starting to display signs of boredom in the classroom, we decided to check it out.

The center aims to integrate rigorous coursework with fun learning activities to both interest and stimulate students—courses like Adventures & Fantasy, the Computer Gaming Academy, Robotics, and Poetry Slam. Many of these courses included collaborative learning methods, inquiry-based learning, and self-discovery.

These courses sound great, but we need to find a way to offer these types of classes in mainstream schools and to translate them to every student in some capacity. And unlike NCLB, Race to the Top seeks to boost student achievement through the implementation of more innovative and creative curriculum. With this in mind, and with technology and STEM in the forefront, we are truly poised to focus on children who may not have been left behind, but who were definitely forgotten.

To find out my next prediction for Education, check back next week.

Sleeper States to Step Up

Posted on January 25, 2010 at 02:58 PM

Now that we have officially rung in the new year, it is time for me to make some new predictions for 2010. And as I look back into my crystal ball, I have 10 predictions for what the coming year will look like—both for Education and content.

What is my third prediction for Education?

Race to the Top will boost states that have not been top performers.

Last week, the Department of Education announced that 40 states and the District of Columbia applied for a share of the Race to the Top fund. And with usual movers and shakers like Texas stepping out of the competition, Race to the Top promises to spark action among states that have not been performing well under NCLB, pushing them to the forefront of educational reform.

Ohio says that it plans to use RTT as a motivator for educators to move from the fifth-best school system in the nation to the first in four years. And according to a report by The New Teacher’s Project, other states to watch out for include Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. The winners of RTT awards will not be announced until April, but it looks to be an exciting time for Education.

To find out my next prediction for Education, check back next week. 

Authentic Assessment

Posted on January 18, 2010 at 03:07 PM

Now that we have officially rung in the new year, it is time for me to make some new predictions for 2010. And as I look back into my crystal ball, I have 10 predictions for what the coming year will look like—both for Education and content.

What is my second prediction for 2010?

Assessment will become a broader term.

As a result of Race to the Top, states will need to cultivate their creativity and originality to target the different ways that students learn. States will have to pay greater attention to Special Education subgroups like ELL, remedial, and gifted students and truly assess students beyond just standardized testing. Unlike traditional testing methods, authentic assessment moves away from rote learning techniques and instead aims to evaluate students in “real world” contexts. Children who learn differently will have an opportunity to demonstrate their skills and knowledge through a variety of tasks and projects.

To find out my next 2010 prediction for Education, check back next week.

Education in 2010: The Perfect Storm

Posted on January 14, 2010 at 02:32 PM

Now that we have officially rung in the new year, it is time for me to make some new predictions for 2010. And as I look back into my crystal ball, I have 10 predictions for what the coming year will look like—both for Education and content.

This week, I will begin to discuss the first of five predictions for Education. So, what is my first prediction for Education in 2010?

Education and innovation will be used in tandem.

The broken model in Education stems from the relationship between states and publishers. This has created the perfect storm for Education to really move forward. With the implementation of Race to the Top (RTT) at the federal level, states will have to channel their creativity and innovation in order to gain a share of the federal dollars they need. This competitive grant program rewards states that strive to achieve significant reforms in four specified areas of Education: enhancing standards and assessments; improving the collection and use of data; increasing teacher effectiveness and achieving equity in teacher distribution; and turning around struggling schools. We can only hope that this program will begin to turn our Education structure into a true 21st century system.

To find out my next 2010 prediction for Education, check back next week.

Junta42’s 100 Social Media and Content Marketing Predictions for 2010

Posted on January 6, 2010 at 02:31 PM

Last week, I finished reviewing my five predictions for 2009, and as we kick off the New Year, I will begin making some new predictions for 2010 (and hopefully, with a little more accuracy).

But first, I begin this week with a prediction I already made for Joe Pulizzi, founder of Junta42, for his blog on social media and content marketing. As an author, speaker and strategist for content marketing, Pulizzi wanted to know, “What is your prediction for how brand marketers will create and distribute their own content in 2010?”

More than 60 professionals in marketing, content marketing, custom publishing and social media offered their predictions. So, what was my answer? I predict that in 2010 there will be a clear division between quality customized content and content that is created in a factory-like fashion. To read the rest of my prediction—and to see what the other experts had to say--check me out on page 31 of the ebook created by Zmags. You can download it for free here. Or, check out the original blog post with the predictions here.

And don’t forget to check back next week to find out my other predictions for 2010.

Reviewing My Crystal Ball Part 5

Posted on December 28, 2009 at 09:40 AM

[This is the fifth and final in a series reviewing my predictions I made at the beginning of 2009.]

My final prediction for 2009? Supplemental publishers are poised to make a big jump into the publishing pool.

Valid prediction? No.

Well, they may have been poised, but they never took the plunge.

When I first made this prediction, we had been seeing more work from our supplemental publishing clients. Between that and the proposed budgets that called for more differentiated and pre-kindergarten materials, I was sure 2009 would see at least one of the supplemental publishers turn into a major player.

As with my third prediction (third quarter would see business loosening up), the stimulus budgets and proposed monies didn’t materialize in the way we thought—or hoped—they would, which prohibited supplemental publishers from taking the spotlight.

So how’d I do? Three out of five—60% was a failing grade when I was a teacher! But, I will say it was my first time as a professional forecaster, and I think few people could have predicted where this year was going to take us. Hopefully I can shoot for a better score with my 2010 predictions—so come back next year to check them out.

In the meantime, may you have a wonderful, healthy, and happy New Year!

Reviewing My Crystal Ball Part 4

Posted on December 21, 2009 at 03:05 PM

[This is the fourth in a series reviewing my predictions I made at the beginning of 2009.]

My fourth prediction for 2009? Repurposing content will be the key—but it’s not as cheap as most think.

Valid prediction? Yes.

This past year was the year of repurposing content! From workbooks to webinars, alignments to articles, many of the projects we worked on involved repurposing existing content into a new product.

But as I also originally noted in my prediction, it’s not as cheap as most people think it will be. It is certainly helpful to work off of existing content, but it still takes a lot of work and creativity to make it into something new. In some cases, it can even be more difficult than starting from scratch, say for example if the original research doesn’t fulfill the current goal, or the source material is out-of-date.

If you’re looking for a way to keep costs down, repurposing your existing content might be the answer—but it’s certainly not free! It still takes time, money, and effort. However, if you’re trying to put out a new product in an era when money and resources are tight, repurposing what you already have can help stretch your dollar farther. It’s certainly a tactic that many of our clients used!

Check back next week when I’ll review my final prediction—and then get ready for my predictions for 2010!