Guide

Overview

This website was designed and written to be a precise look at the evolution of K-12 education and to be a helpful reference and resource for curriculum developers, publishers, educational game designers, school administrators, teachers, parents and students. As a definitive work this website contains a wealth of information about the K-12 education industry as well as helpful links to other source material and educational organizations (see Resources).Compas Logo #3

Excluding the Home Page the site is divided into five sections. On the Home Page can be found links to how to Contact Us and Who We Are; Industry Resources like Related eLearning Services; Educational Media, Related Educational Organizations and Education Foundations; category Articles, which are third party articles related to the subject matter and are contained alphabetically by category in the Article section the titles of which are interspersed and linked throughout the other sections; Educational industry Education Forum is an interactive dialog post which encourages comments and opinion regarding education industry topic; and the i-pel Blog which is written by the i-pel staff and contributors on education subjects that matter to them and us.

 

i-pel Service

The first section consists of i.pel services. The Our Services section explains in detail what i-pel does or will be doing and how we do it. All i-pel services are conducted through the scaffolding of the education philosophy Innovationism which guides the development of K-12 applications by looking at the integrated balance of the intrinsic/extrinsic and objective/subjective elements found in all education phenomenon. All services begin and stop with the question –

“Is this function of the education system MOTIVATIONAL and ENGAGING not only for the students but also the teachers, administrators, parents, support staff and vendors – if not, why not?”

 

Innovative Education and Learning

These sections contain many of the preliminary tools necessary to guide the implementation of a K-12 innovation education and learning program including the next generation curriculum and assessment techniques. Some of innovative education’s characteristics include the concepts of personalized learning, authentic learning and life-long learning through student agency. If we are to facilitate creative thinking, we must teach content in ways that support, rather than threaten, habits and mind-sets that allow creative ideas to blossom. Any subject can be the basis for creative thinking, if we provide students with opportunities to learn information, methods, and strategies and then teach how to use them in new ways. Some of the education elements found in the section include: Innovation Education and Learning; How We Learn and Think; Memory; Learning Theories; Academic Behavior; Achievement Motivation and Engagement; Innovative Learning Environments; Pedagogical Methodology Models; Classroom Praxis Management; Physical Classroom Management.

 

eLearning

The second section of this website is a look at eLearning – what now exists and where it’s going. Because of the number of categories in this section it is divided into two parts, eLearning I and eLearning II. Included in this section is the History of eLearning, a look at contemporary eLearning and the available eLearning services that are currently available in the K-12 education industry. A look at the most promising innovations in eLearning, such as Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning which includes Screencasting, Interactive eBooks, The Pedagogical Approach to eLearning and Digital Storytelling, can also be found in this section.

The question How Effective is eLearning? evolves into Early Childhood eLearning and Online Child Protection. Open Education Resources (OER), the backbone of eLearning, is examined in this section. The progressive new teaching and learning elements of Blended-based Learning are explained and discussed. One of the reasons i-pel was formed, Entertainment-based eLearning, is examined from a historical and contemporary perspective. As a follow-up to the section on Entertainment Education, “Educational Video Games” and how “Graphic Novels” can help kids love to read and write are examined. This section ends with a look at the classroom in eLearning Technology in the ClassroomeLearning Hardware and the future of Digital Libraries.

 

K-12 Education

The third section is an in-depth historical and contemporary look at the United States K-12 education. Because of the number of categories in this section it is divided into two parts: K-12 Education I and K-12 Education II. Included an overview of K-12 education and how K-12 curriculum is developed and is now being impacted by the new Common Core Standards. The “Study Guide” section in K-12 Curriculum is an overview look at i-pel’s philosophy on how to develop healthy study habits. K-12 Education Restructuring and K-12 Learning and Teaching Platforms are a look at the current progressive movements meant to keep education relevant with today’s students. From there we look at the $9 billion K-12 textbook market and who controls it; how schools chose curriculum and when and how text books are bought; and how and when K-12 schools are going to transition to integrated digital curriculum.

In the K-12 Testing and Assessment Standards we take a look at the evolution of K-12 testing and assessments. We trace the evolution of K-12 testing from the original 1914 “bubble test” to the pending Common Core Testing Standards. From there we discuss K-12 Teaching, including Teacher Professional Development, K-12 Administration and take a look at the history of K-12 Federal Education Programs and what’s coming next. With the never ending debate over who should control K-12 education we look at K-12 State Education Programs as well as K-12 State eLearning Education Programs. This section ends with the evolution of the K-12 For Profit Online Schools and how they could change the way K-12 students are educated in America.

 

i-pel Projects

The project section (i-pel Projects) is a brief description of our current projects which include a research project on the place of entertainment in K-12 education; a teacher professional development course in on technology and motivational supplements in the classroom; A computer tech course for middle schoolers that includes the basics of coding; and to help combat bullying, a basic psychology course for middle schoolers. In Donate you can donate to our on-going pursuit of making K-12 education relevant to the student through original, creative, compelling, motivational and engaging curriculum and supplements.

 

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