Happy Presidents Day!  Lots of schools using today as a make-up day with all the days missed due to weather. Well, of course we were up bright and early on Saturday to watch Team USA take on Russia. What a game! US wins on the 8th round of a shootout. Glad my 8-year-old got to see something thrilling like that.  Time for the latest in ed-tech news, so as Kasey Kasem would say, “and now, on with the countdown.”

Competency-based degrees: coming soon to a college campus near you (Chronicle of Higher Ed)

Any time, anywhere learning: teacher was stuck in an accident-clogged traffic jam on the highway, teaches class from her car.  Now, we aren’t supposed to use these devices while driving.  I don’t know what would have happened if the traffic in front of her had cleared or if she had been able to make it to the side of the road before the lecture.  Nonetheless, it’s a great example of what can be done with technology these days.  (NJ.com)

Blended learning coaches: in some schools this facilitator works with both teachers and students to guide them through a new learning environment.  Yes, it’s a press release from a vendor but it is a good read for those new to the genre. For those who think all this talk about blended is just an elaborate scheme to get rid of teachers, you’ll notice that every week, there seems to be a new job description or a new set of rules and roles for teachers that someone, somewhere in the ed-tech world is developing.  You may not like them, you may like some, you may have trouble deciding which terminology is better than others. Either way, teachers are still there. (Digital Journal)

STEM learning: out-of-school learning extends curriculum (Boston Globe)

iPads in the classroom: in a fairly remote area of Wisconsin, near The Dells, there is a school that is providing a great many devices to students at a very early age.  It does seem like some teachers are more into it than others, however.  (Wisconsin News) Related: student access varies in Central Minnesota (St. Cloud Times)

Blended learning: Here’s the latest report from EdWeek on blended learning. (EdWeek)

 BONUS LINK: you were expecting something else? (NBC Sports)