Technological Tools for School Reform
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this course on how modern technology might reshape the school reform debate. The first part surveys the current state of that debate, reviewing progressive school reform ideas and using a new public charter school in Cambridge as a case study. The second part turns to critical study of research projects meant to inspire multidisciplinary curriculum and activities for progressive charter schools. The course closes by weighing the challenges of scaling successful innovations beyond their original context to new schools and districts. Materials come from MIT's Media Arts and Sciences program and include readings and case studies rather than recorded lectures. Suited to students interested in education policy, technology in the classroom, and the practical obstacles that stand between a promising pilot program and system-wide reform.