Techno-News Blog

September 30, 2013

Is Google Glass Worth the Risk in Education?

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by Center for Digital Education

Google Glass gives users a hands-free way to take pictures, record videos and share on social media. But will this eyewear really work in education? “So people are really critical of Glass, and I think that’s fabulous ’cause we’re saying,’What is this, why do we have it, and what are we going to do with it?’ And that’s what needs to happen in our schools too,” said Andrew Vanden Heuvel, a science teacher at Michigan Virtual School. “We don’t all need iPads. We need to think, “What do I need?” because what am I trying to get my kids to do. And that’s what the conversation needs to be about.”

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/video/Is-Google-Glass-Worth-the-Risk-in-Education.html

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Femgineer Launches New Ruby on Rails Online Course – For Everyone

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BY ANN JOHNSTON, ExitEvent

Don’t let the name fool you – Femgineer serves both men and women.  Femgineer, a company that provides continuing education to the technology sector, just launched a new Ruby on Rails course. It’s not for tech newbies. The 9-week live online course addresses the need for continuing technology education – a need that has increased with the rate of change in the industry. The company’s curriculum includes technology and entrepreneurship, largely targeting startup technical leads and co-founders.

http://exitevent.com/femgineer-launches-new-ruby-on-rails-course—for-everyone-13923.asp

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Six laws for tech adoption

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By Gary Shattuck, CIO Advisor

Obviously, there are districts, schools, and many classrooms in which technology has had a major impact on student learning; however, I contended that a more thorough reorganization of our purposes when it comes to technology in education is needed. We need to change the teachers’ paradigm as it concerns teaching and learning. In order to achieve that reorganization I am proposing Six Laws for the Adoption of Technology in Education.

http://www.schoolcio.com/Default.aspx?tabid=136&entryid=6459

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September 29, 2013

University Uses iPads To Customize Learning

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by Imperial Valley News

Learning has gone mobile, and the students at Jackson State University (JSU) are reaping the benefits. Through the iPad Technology Advantage Scholarship Initiative (TASI), incoming full-time freshmen at JSU are each provided with the latest-generation iPad. And what do the students do with these iPads? Some pretty amazing things. In addition to having 24/7 access to textbooks online in the form of eBooks or iBooks, students have dozens of apps that enable them to take class notes, collaborate on content, communicate via Skype, tap into resources like math reference formulas or periodic tables, learn a foreign language online, access world maps at a touch, read or listen to thousands of other books or audiobooks, use their iPad as a graphing calculator and much more. ESE Apps are also included, with references for American Sign Language and text to speech conversion.

http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/latest-news/5386-university-uses-ipads-to-customize-learning.html

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Course using virtual online internships tries to hook prospective engineers

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by Karen Herzog, Journal Sentinel

At a time when educators worry about a critical shortage of engineers in the United States — and especially female engineers — this course developed at UW-Madison is believed to be the first of its kind in the country. It aims to improve engineering student retention by hooking and reeling in prospective engineers their first semester of college. The virtual internships unfold over the semester in a video game simulation complete with bosses, conflicting priorities, hard-to-please clients and pressing deadlines. The course is one of seven introductory engineering options offered to freshmen.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/course-using-virtual-internships-tries-to-hook-prospective-engineers-b99101487z1-224732752.html

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List of the top free online Linux courses

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by CIOL Bureau

Free online Linux courses, whether affiliated with universities or not, are generally intended for self-study and aren’t offered for academic credit. Some material is offered through the schools’ OpenCourseWare (OCW) projects. Most Linux course materials include PDF, video and screenshots. Though content is usually directed toward first time users of Linux systems, the IBM and the University of California at Davis’ offerings cater to intermediate users. Students may need to have access to their own computers running Linux in order to complete some lessons.

http://www.ciol.com/ciol/news/196230/sites-offering-free-linux-courses-online

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September 28, 2013

Purdue NExT online learning program set to debut

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by Purdue

Registration is opening this fall for Purdue NExT, an online program that emphasizes interactive learning for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate-level courses. The five-week, non-degree courses taught by Purdue faculty are currently being offered to undergraduate and graduate students, and will be marketed to professionals, businesses looking to improve skill levels of employees and higher education institutions that wish to supplement their degree programs and curricula. “Purdue NExT will enable students to gain exclusive access to courses taught by world-class faculty that focus on applied professional development across several areas of Purdue expertise,” said Timothy Sands, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at Purdue.

http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/purdue-next-online-learning-program-set-to-debut.html

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Cultural Imperialism? MOOCs make waves in higher education worldwide

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by Karen MacGregor, University World News

The development of MOOCs – massive open online courses – outside the ‘Anglo-centric hothouse’ of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia is “characterised by strong involvement with professional needs, wide experimentation and enthusiastic engagement in all significant geographies”, according to a British government review.  An annex to the main report published last week, The Maturing of the MOOC – Literature review of massive open online courses and other forms of online distance learning, finds that opinions on the role of MOOCs in development have polarised. While many identify MOOCs as providing direct access to global high quality education, others “detect a new form of cultural imperialism”.

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20130920142318192

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We need to stop masking passwords

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By Matt Baxter-Reynolds, ZD Net

Masking passwords doesn’t defend against any likely threat, causes user frustration, and drives them to pick poor passwords. Windows 8 has a little “reveal” button on password fields to help you type in passwords correctly.
Truth be known, I’m a little bit nervous about this article. I’m going to suggest something that a lot of people won’t like. And it’s this: Passwords should not be masked by default. Now, I know what you’re going to say. It will be something like, “but someone will steal my password if they can see it! Won’t somebody think of the children!” Before you jump to the comments section, let’s see whether we can get on the same page on this…

http://www.zdnet.com/we-need-to-stop-masking-passwords-7000020894/

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September 27, 2013

Please, let Windows XP die with dignity

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By Ed Bott, ZD Net

Yesterday my colleague David Gewirtz delivered a fire-and-brimstone sermon on the coming XPocalypse, the date early next year when Microsoft stops supporting Windows XP. Here’s Pastor Gewirtz, in a passage replete with Biblical references:

If you don’t think that cybercriminals have marked April 8, 2014 on their calendars with a big star, you’re crazy. If you don’t think they’re holding back on launching some of their bigger exploits until after the patching ends, you’re naive. For cybercriminals intent on skinning our 500 million sheep, April 8, 2014 is D-Day.

By abandoning XP on April 8, 2014, Microsoft will cease being a good shepherd of its most loyal customers. Microsoft is just leaving them out there, exposed, and unprotected. On April 8, 2014, those millions of remaining XP users will be like lambs being led to the slaughter. To paraphrase Jeremiah 11:19, they do not know that plots have been devised against them.

http://www.zdnet.com/please-let-windows-xp-die-with-dignity-7000020923/

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Apple iOS 7 flaws, oddities and mistakes

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By Charlie Osborne, ZDNet

iOS 7 is considered a robust update with a number of positive points, including edge-to-edge design, the automatic update of apps, improved Mail, better security and the inclusion of AirDrop for iOS. The new update also fixes 80 security vulnerabilities that presumably remain in iOS 6, including the prevention of malicious code execution, determination of passcodes through applications, and the ability to intercept data protected with IPSec Hybrid Auth. However, a number of flaws and problems have been reported, including lagging response times, app confusion with gesture control, inconsistent design and garish colour schemes.

http://www.zdnet.com/uk/apple-ios-7-flaws-oddities-and-mistakes-7000020940/?s_cid=e539&ttag=e539

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The iTunes of Higher Education

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By Gabriel Kahn, Slate

It’s nearly impossible to get into MIT, very expensive to enroll there, and exceedingly hard to graduate, which are some of the reasons why MIT degrees are so coveted. But very soon you’ll be able to take a series of online courses in computer science and earn an official certificate from one of the most prestigious engineering schools in the world, all for only a few hundred dollars—and without having to meet any admissions requirements. MIT will be launching these XSeries Certificate programs in the next few months, including one in “supply chain management.” MIT, in a press release, says the new programs are part of its effort to “reimagine the building blocks” of education as universities begin to deliver more of their content digitally.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/education/2013/09/edx_mit_and_online_certificates_how_non_degree_certificates_are_disrupting.html

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September 26, 2013

With 1M Users Now On Board, Learnist Brings “Pinterest For Learning” To Android

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by Rip Empson, Tech Crunch

Backed by a fresh $20 million from Discovery, Summit, Atlas, Benchmark and others, Learnist is eager to ride the growing adoption of mobile learning tools both in and outside of the classroom and bring its network to a wider audience. Learnist was initially developed for K-12 teachers and students, allowing users to create “learn boards” for everything from reading assignments to Common Core-supported Math lessons, but the founders have since expanded that scope in an effort to attract a wider set of life-long and casual learners. In much the same vein as Coursera, Learnist is looking to create a network that applies to both formal and continuing education and can be used alongside classroom tools like Schoology and Edmodo to create a more holistic classroom learning experience, for example, while giving casual learners a place to store and view their various learning projects.

http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/18/with-1m-users-now-on-board-learnist-brings-its-pinterest-for-learning-to-android-as-it-looks-to-go-big-abroad/

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Open textbook publishing

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by Global Education Network

Thanks to inexpensive or free publishing tools and the ubiquitous nature of the web, the faculty can assume the traditional responsibilities of publishers. Faculty members can build massive, global communities around their pedagogical works by licensing them under an open-culture copyright license and by employing peer-review processes to vet publications. When it comes to choosing the most appropriate open-culture license, faculty members have to consider whether they wish to choose a totally open license—one that permits remixing and repurposing of their works—or a more restrictive license that limits derivative works or commercial applications. The development of Writing Commons, an open-education resource, illustrates some of the issues faculty members will face when embracing their power as content creators and publishers.

http://world.edu/open-textbook-publishing/

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Open Access Publishing Moving Forward at an Indiana University

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By Center for Digital Ed
Scholars at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) are now able to publish their articles in open access journals – without paying a fee out of their own pockets. IUPUI has started a pilot open access fund that will cover publication fees that some open access, peer-reviewed journals charge, according to the university. Over the next two years, faculty will have $47,000 for publication of their work, which will be made available to the public in academic journals and IUPUI’s own repository.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/Open-Access-Publishing-Fund.html

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September 25, 2013

Google Glass Prompts Experiments in Journalism Schools

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By Tanya Roscorla, Center for Digital Ed

Professors are experimenting with Google Glass to see how it works in journalism.  California State University, Chico, is one of the latest journalism and public relations programs to buy the wearable technology, which allows users to shoot video, share tweets and show the latest news, among other things. The developer version of Google Glass costs around $1,500 and is currently only available to explorers that Google selected through a contest.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/Google-Glass-Prompts-Experiments-in-Journalism-Schools.html

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Do Your Social Media Policies Run Afoul of the First Amendment?

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By Tanya Roscorla, Center for Digital Education

Social media policies that target student athletes are popping up around the country this year. From California to Connecticut, these policies are stirring up controversy, and they could end up costing schools and universities millions of dollars in civil litigation. But parents and students are upset that these policies target student athletes and say their First Amendment rights are being violated. Lawyers and the American Civil Liberties Union warn that education institutions are crossing legal boundaries. Some legislators also disagree with how schools are trying to control students’ free speech.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/Social-Media-Policies-First-Amendment.html

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MITx introduces “XSeries” course sequence certificates on edX

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by MIT

MITx, the massive open online course effort at MIT, has announced new certificates for completing sequences of related modules or courses on the edX platform. The sequences, called “XSeries” sequences, represent a new approach to MOOC instruction and certification across integrated offerings more expansive than the individual courses that have thus far defined the MOOC landscape. The two initial XSeries sequences are Foundations of Computer Science and Supply Chain and Logistics Management. Curriculum for each XSeries is developed by MIT faculty members and overseen by their academic departments. “These sequences are an opportunity for MIT to both explore how subjects can be addressed in depth through the MOOC format and to better understand student interest in various types of certification,” remarked MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department Head Anantha Chandrakasan in discussing the announcement. “XSeries sequences allow our departments to reimagine the building blocks that structure teaching in our disciplines for the digital environment.” Each XSeries will cover content equivalent to two to four traditional residential courses and take between six months and two years to complete. In a break from previous MITx offerings, the Foundations of Computer Science and Supply Chain and Logistics Management XSeries sequences are composed of shorter, more targeted modules without one-to-one residential course equivalents.

http://www.itnewsonline.com/showprnstory.php?storyid=288290

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September 24, 2013

3 Ways Colleges Are Adapting to Online Learning

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By SUZANNE SATALINE, US News

Flipped classrooms are among the ways schools are using technology to diversify the student learning experience. From putting lectures online to offering math homework in 3-D and creating massive open online courses accessible to anyone for free, colleges and universities are marshaling new technology and the Internet to educate students in novel ways. Anyone headed to campus these days should get set for “a blended experience,” says David Leebron, president of Rice University and an advocate of online learning. While some college students will probably still have an entirely brick-and-mortar experience, Leebron says, other folks “may get their education entirely online.” Most will find themselves mixing traditional and virtual learning.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2013/09/18/3-ways-colleges-are-adapting-to-online-learning

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MOOCs Move Closer to Degree Programs

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By TAMAR LEWIN, NY Times

Coursera and edX, the two largest providers of massive open online courses, or MOOCs, are inching closer to offering degree programs, although the courses so far carry no academic credit. Coursera is now offering courses from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, covering most of its MBA program’s first year curriculum. And Edx is starting two “sequences,” linked courses in a particular discipline. Both are from MIT: Foundations of Computer Science, a set of undergraduate courses that will begin this fall, and Supply Chain and Logistics Management, a set of graduate level courses that will begin in fall 2014.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/18/education/online-classes-move-closer-to-degree-programs.html?_r=0

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3 Reasons Why the EdX / Google Partnership Is Big News

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by Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

Like many of you, I’ve been trying to get my head around the announcement that edX and Google are entering into a partnership. How big a deal is this partnership for higher ed? I had the opportunity to chat with edX’s marketing and communications team, and I think that I have some idea why the edX / Google partnership is important news.

http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/3-reasons-why-edx-google-partnership-big-news

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