Curriki and Big Trends in Education

Janet Pinto

By Janet Pinto, Chief Academic Officer, Curriki

A recent blog at gettingsmart.com suggested 25 trends that are shaping education today, and noted “the inherent disruptive potential of recent and current education initiatives or technological advancements”. Here is the list presented in the article:

1. The Internet
2. New Learning Models
3. Khan Academy
4. BYOD/Smartphone Integration
5. MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses)
6. Service-Based Learning/Place-Based Learning
7. Growth of “Home-schooling”
8. Flipped Classroom
9. Project-Based Learning
10. iTunesU
11. Learni.st/MentorMob
12. TED-Ed
13. 1:1 iPads
14. MITx/EdX
15. Social Media Integration
16. 1:1 Laptop programs
17. MIT OpenCourseWare
18. Non 1:1 laptop-iPad programs
19. Apple Textbook Initiative
20. Professional Learning Communities
21. Teach for America
22. Charter Schools
23. Gender-Specific Classes
24. Race to the Top
25. Common Core Adoption (i.e., one set of national standards)

While the list is perhaps a bit of a grab bag, and my list might be a little different (and so would yours) it’s still a rather reasonable list of major trends. I was struck by how relevant Curriki’s open educational resources are to so many of the trends on this list.

Beginning at the top of the list, our delivery method is exclusively over the Internet, and Curriki content is especially relevant to new learning models. Khan Academy resources are available on Curriki. Devices are often the clients for accessing the resources in and out of the classroom. Curriki resources are used around the world in home schooling environments, providing otherwise hard to find curricula and content. Resources on Curriki are very appropriate for use in the “flipped classroom” context and in project-based learning more generally.

One-to-one laptops and tablets (iPads) are learning clients that Curriki is well suited to support. Curriki uses social media integration to build communities of educators. And many of the resources on Curriki are developed in line with individual state standards, and now, increasingly Common Core State Standards, such as our newly introduced Curriki Algebra 1 course.

So that’s Curriki being relevant to at least 10 of the items on this list. Accessing free, open resources on Curriki is one excellent way to align with many of the major trends  in education today.