Press Release: Online families take state to court over cuts

On Monday, February 13th, the Washington Families for Online Learning Coalition announced their lawsuit against the state of Washington to restore full basic education funding for online students. In the 2011 legislative session, legislators reduced the Basic Education Allocation (BEA) by 15 percent for...

iLearn on iTunes U. Do you?

700 million is a hefty number. That’s how many downloads Apple’s iTunes U had received as of last month, according to their press release published on Engadget.com. On January 19th, Apple released the new iTunes U app where visitors can access videos, lectures, books, and more free of charge. The content...

Digital Learning Day Success!

Yesterday was the first ever national Digital Learning Day. More than 10,000 teachers and 2 million students participated in raising awareness of the importance of digital learning. Among them was a dedicated band of online students from across Washington state.  The iLearn Project and the Washington...

Budget Cuts Threaten Online Learning and Won’t Save State Money

The proposed 2011-13 House budget, released on Monday, is quite a piece of work. It manages to actually increase state spending while making numerous cuts. Far be it from me to criticize the Legislature for making cuts. Cuts are necessary—painfully necessary. What’s important, however, is that we make...

KOMO News Features Online Learning

Today KOMO News featured a story about online learning providing an alternative to the sometimes violent and threatening traditional school atmosphere. They focused on a student currently enrolled in Insight School of Washington, a statewide public online school that has given thousands of students a second...

Listen to Yesterday’s Webinar!

For those of you who missed yesterday’s webinar on making a difference in Olympia, you can still catch the audio HERE! (We apologize for the technical difficulties that resulted in the abrupt ending). Listen to it,  pass it on, and get ready to tell legislators your story on March 22 at Online...

Hearing on Senate Bill 5603: “Regarding Online Education”

Sen. Rodney Tom (D-Medina) is advocating for better student access to online courses. This afternoon’s Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee Hearing heard testimony about SB 5603, which would expand access to online courses that are not offered in a student’s home district. I was unable to...

Sneak Peek at iLearn Study!

This week the iLearn Project released the “special preview edition” of Online Learning 101: A Guide to Virtual Public Education in Washington. This product has been many months in the making — in partnership with families, online teachers, administrators, and many state and national...

National Parent Network for Online Learning Petition

A great resource for families, the National Parent Network for Online Learning (NPNOL) was created in 2010 to “educate the public about the true nature and benefits of K-12 online learning.” Like the iLearn Project, they want to give families opportunities to tell their stories. Right now NPNOL...

eSchoolNews.com’s “10 biggest ed-tech stories for 2010″

Today eSchoolNews.com published the “10 biggest ed-tech stories for 2010.” From Google’s new Apps forEducation tothe release of the iPad and its deployment in schools, education technology made some big jumps in 2010. (Watch Apple’s video on how the iPad works in education) Stay tuned for a new...

“Learning Resources” page launches!

Budgets are tight. We all know this. But students’ learning needs don’t shrink in proportion to tightening belts. Fortunately, limitless funds and effective education aren’t mutually exclusive. Last summer I wrote how Necessity is the Mother of Invention … and Free Web Resources....

Digital Learning Now! announces “10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning”

Last week the Foundation for Excellence in Education hosted the 2010 Excellence in Action Summit. Movers and shakers in education came from all corners of the nation to hear speakers like former New York Chancellor of Education Joel Klein, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Harlem Success Academy founder Eva...