Techno-News Blog

By Colleen Lee, Edudemic

most-shared-tweetsSo you listened to all those people who go on and on about their personal learning network (PLN) and signed up for Twitter. You still aren’t sure ‘this is for you’ and so there you sit – with your ‘egg’ profile picture, following 5 or 6 people and you’re thinking “What’s the deal?” How do you make the leap from admittedly passive Twitter newbie to ‘active’ participant? This post deals with some things to keep in mind as you work to get better at Twitter and grow your PLN.

http://www.edudemic.com/get-better-at-twitter/

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

I was having a discussion recently with someone about trends in education, and the topic of augmented reality came up. Without re-hashing the entire conversation, it basically boiled down to this idea “Isn’t augmented reality mostly something in the movies”? Well, no, it isn’t. Augmented reality is more mainstream than many of us think. It does have the potential to sound like something that isn’t in our immediate future, but the future is now, apparently! The handy infographic below takes a look at some examples of augmented reality that many of us see in daily life. Many of these can have a variety of applications in the classroom, too. Keep reading to learn more! There are a lot of cool applications of augmented reality that you may already know about, and others that you don’t.

http://www.edudemic.com/guide-to-augmented-reality/

by LearnWithOthers, Edudemic

One way to help differentiate learning for students is through the use of appropriate, assistive technology tools. The term “assistive” is often misunderstood as doing the job for the person. This is not the case. A basketball player that throws the ball to the person closer to the basket to make a shot is not the individual that scores the points. That does not diminish the role, but the work or score in this example is done by the person using the assist to make a basket. Much in the same way assistive technology tools do not do the work for the students. When used effectively, they offer the opportunity to help the students become more independent and successful with their academic tasks. An assistive technology tool can be something as simple as using a word processor to make the text and spacing bigger for a test.

http://www.edudemic.com/assistive-technology-plan-for-middle-school/

by Sramana Mitra, Xconomy

The field of educational technologies is going through an exciting period. From massively open online courses (MOOCs) like MIT’s OCW or edX and Khan Academy to a range of tablet and smartphone applications, the field is rife with exciting innovations that have dramatically changed the face of education. There is a higher degree of self-learning and from a ‘sage on the stage’ model, education has evolved to a ‘guide on the side’ model. And in niche areas of education like special education where the ‘guide on the side’ models are the norm, there is a revolution happening, aided by the tablet and the various applications. FreeSpeech addresses a growing problem encountered by children with special needs. For every 88 children in the US, one child is diagnosed with autism.

http://www.xconomy.com/san-francisco/2013/12/05/tablet-app-invention-labs-helps-kids-speech-disabilities/

By Greg Thompson, THE Journal

Almost every teacher knows how it feels to slog through mandatory professional development. All too often, irrelevant workshops are an inevitable fact of life in the one-size-fits-all world of teacher training. As a former fourth-grade teacher, Julia Stiglitz has suffered through dull courses. And while she can’t cure the boredom of teachers who must endure subpar PD, she hopes to transform the voluntary side of PD through so-called massive open online courses (MOOCs). “Sitting through PD that is not related to something you need to work on can be very frustrating,” says Stiglitz, director of business development and strategic partnerships for Coursera. “One of the best aspects of online PD is the ability for teachers to get information that is relevant to them–and from really strong organizations that know their content and how to deliver it.”

http://thejournal.com/articles/2013/11/18/these-moocs-will-make-you-reconsider-everything-about-pd.aspx

by Lara Hulcher, NCSU Technician

The somewhat-traditional teaching method of determining students’ grades based solely on a midterm and final exam was recently called into question by a psychology study. However, it’s unclear whether this new method will take wide effect at N.C. State. Psychologists at the University of Texas at Austin released findings from an experiment this month in which 901 students in a popular introduction-to-psychology course took their laptops to class and were quizzed online. The researchers found that frequent quizzing, as opposed to a few large tests and projects, increased both class attendance and overall performance. Scott Despain, an associate professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, teaches Spanish I and gives several small quizzes throughout the semester. Usually, his quizzes only take 30 seconds to a couple of minutes to complete and come directly from the homework, Despain said. “It facilitates students’ success,” Despain said. “I come from a background of learning by doing.”

http://www.technicianonline.com/news/article_50a41600-5b0f-11e3-9833-001a4bcf6878.html

By Colleen Lee, Edudemic

Twitter, and its role in teacher professional learning, is one of the hottest trends in teaching today. As a connected educator I have written and presented many times about the amazing things that happen on Twitter for teachers who actively use it. The PLN has done more than give teachers access to an international cohort but has, myself included, helped rejuvenate teaching and challenged us to improve what we do.

http://www.edudemic.com/teachers-on-twitter/

by Cindi Brown, Inventor Spot

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” Here are five of the most innovative companies seeking to change the world by equalizing educational access. Visit the URL for profiles of Khan Academy, Coursera, StraighterLine, Lyrnsoft, and OpenStudy.

http://inventorspot.com/articles/5-innovative-companies-changing-education

by Jeff Barrett, Technorati

The physical classroom is quickly becoming replaced by online training. A recent eLearning study reports:

• Corporations save 50-70 percent when they replace instructor-based training with e-Learning.
• 72 percent of companies surveyed report that e-Learning keeps them on top of their industry changes.
• 85 cents of every dollar is tied up in the mere delivery of information (instructor time, travel, etc.).

http://technorati.com/technology/article/it-university-online-reports-success-in/

by the CBC

Alberta Education has reduced funding for a provincewide centre that offers online course. Teachers who instruct online and distance courses for Alberta students say their jobs are in jeopardy. Junior and senior high school students across the province can sign up for courses offered by the Alberta Distance Learning Centre if they live in rural areas that don’t offer them, or if they don’t go to a traditional school. But in September, Alberta Education cut the funding by about half to school boards that use the centre’s courses. Alberta Education had been covering the entire cost to the school boards plus 56 per cent of the distance learning centre’s expenses.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/distance-learning-cuts-put-centre-in-jeopardy-teachers-say-1.2445185

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Staying on top of the trends in the ever-evolving edtech world can turn into a full time job. One can easily get lost in the sea of acronyms, terminology, digi-speak, and new concepts. While we know that many of our fabulous Edudemic readers are the few staying ahead of the curve (or at least with it!), we also know that there are lots of readers who find us because they’re making their first steps into the edtech world. The handy infographic below takes a stroll through the alphabet to familiarize you with the A-Z of edtech terminology and online learning trends. Pick one that you’re not familiar with and do some research on it to keep yourself learning, or share it with your less tech-obsessed colleagues!

http://www.edudemic.com/top-online-learning-trends/

by Patrick R. Lowenthal, Instructional Technologist

Upcoming Educational-Technology-and-Education-Conferences (January to June 2014 and beyond)–including instructional design and technology and online learning conferences. The original list was prepared by Clayton R. Wright, November 13, 2013. I shortened it listing conferences that interest me (either due to the content and/or location).

http://patricklowenthal.com/2013/11/educational-technology-related-education-conferences/

By WALTER C. JONES, Online Athens

The University System of Georgia, which oversees the state’s public four-year colleges and graduate schools, has a similar mission to help the estimated 1 million Georgians who dropped out of college get their diploma. That is why it’s looking at the Coursera and D2L arrangement as a way to develop tuition-based classes for enrolled students rather than free MOOCs for anyone on the Web. The next evolution of traditional online courses may be less expensive, more convenient and better adapted to students returning to finish degrees, said Houston Davis, the system’s chief academic officer.

http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2013-11-28/georgia-colleges-explore-online-courses

Are Online Classes on Your Educational Path?by SchoolX
Are Online Classes on Your Educational Path?The quantity and quality of online classes is increasing. More than 50 percent of college presidents surveyed by Pew Research said that online courses provide the same value as do traditional classroom courses. With more people seeking alternative ways to learn, online classes are proving to be an effective solution. Online classes fill a variety of needs for people wanting to learn. For some, it’s a way to get back into education after a long absence. You may have postponed your education for years while volunteering overseas or while taking care of an ill family member. Online classes give you a way to see how studying feels again and can even help you decide how much of a course load you can manage.
http://blog.schoox.com/are-online-classes-on-your-educational-path/

by Frank Gray, The Journal Gazette

For an increasing number of students, their first foray into higher education doesn’t mean familiarizing themselves with a college campus or moving into a dorm room, but comfortably logging onto a website to take a class online. While leaving home and going to college requires a certain amount of adjustment, moving from an anything-goes world of Facebook and YouTube posts into the realm of academia can also take some adjustment. Just last week, an AP-NORC Center/MTV poll announced that 52 percent of people 14 to 24 years old say that it is never OK to use slurs, offensive language or be mean-spirited in online posts. That was a marked improvement from three years ago, the poll said, when only 44 percent said such behavior was inappropriate.

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20131129/LOCAL/311299956

By Antonio Regalado, Technology Review

Over the last few years, Google executives have had plenty to say about patents. According to Google, patents, particularly software patents, are mostly bogus, largely low-quality, and used in court by companies that can’t innovate to hurt consumers and stifle true innovators. But data from the U.S. Patent & Trademark office shows that Google has been working very, very hard to win more patents on its own ideas. It has accelerated its activity to such a degree that Google inventors—among them founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page—are now winning 10 patents every day the patent office is open, covering everything from automated cars to balloon-based data networks. For comparison, consider that in all of 2003, Google was awarded four patents.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/521946/googles-growing-patent-stockpile/

by Manuel C. F. Pontes and Nancy M. H. Pontes, OJDLA

This research investigates the relationship between students’ field of study and their preference for distance education. For this research, data were used from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study: Undergraduate, which uses a complex survey design to collect data from a nationally representative sample of undergraduate postsecondary students in the US. Results show that a student’s field of study is significantly related to enrollment in distance education classes, enrollment in a distance education program, and satisfaction with distance education. Full-time employment, presence of dependents, and a mobility-limiting disability are also significantly associated with distance education preference. Enrollment trends show significant growth in distance education enrollment over 2000 to 2008 among students in all fields of study.

http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/winter164/pontes_pontes164.html

By Jeff Dunn, Edudemic

The idea is simple. Just use Explain Everything, YouTube, Evernote, and Penultimate. Seriously. That’s all you need. Granted, you can download other apps and install them to your heart’s content. In fact, I’d recommend that. But as the basics of a one iPad classroom go, these four apps are going to be your most important download. Don’t believe me? Check out the awesome chart and visual guide from iPad 4 Schools below. It details how you can share videos and student folders using a single iPad. Personally, I’d say that Evernote is the keystone to this four app game plan. Make sure you’re familiar with it and know how to use all of the many features.

http://www.edudemic.com/4-apps-needed-run-one-ipad-classroom/

By Don Reisinger, eWeek

Although Chromecast is by no means the most popular device in Google’s growing hardware lineup, it’s one of the most interesting. Unlike nearly every other product Google sells, Chromecast is designed to work in the living room and extend video content from around the Web to just about any television out there. To achieve that, the thumb-drive-like device, which costs just $35, is plugged into a television and then provides access to Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movies, TV shows and other content. At first, Chromecast excited consumers so much that it immediately sold out, but now it’s readily available. That’s partly because Google has been able to get more supply. It’s also a result of early adopters getting out of the way and other consumers not quite understanding why they need a dongle that gives them access to Netflix. Google says that the value will come by way of supported apps, but so far, those are few and far between. Chromecast is in limbo, and unfortunately for Google, it is still having trouble getting the word out about the dongle. This slide show aims to clear up some misconceptions about Chromecast and tell consumers what they need to know about Google’s device.

http://www.eweek.com/cloud/slideshows/googles-chromecast-10-things-consumers-should-know-about-the-dongle.html

By Chris Preimesberger, eWeek

You’re in charge of rolling out a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) program for your company, and you have to figure out what actions to take. BYOD is an approach that allows employees, business partners and others to use personally selected and purchased client devices to execute enterprise applications and access data. It typically spans smartphones and tablets, but the strategy may also be used for PCs, including netbooks, notebooks or other portable connected devices. “BYOD strategies are the most radical change to the economics and the culture of client computing in business in decades,” said David Willis, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “The benefits of BYOD include creating new mobile workforce opportunities, increasing employee satisfaction, and reducing or avoiding costs.” This eWEEK slide show, with key information from Ali Din of cloud services provider dinCloud, presents a checklist to make sure your BYOD program works within the requirements of the enterprise.

http://www.eweek.com/mobile/slideshows/byod-programs-a-10-point-checklist-for-a-successful-strategy.html

by Jennifer Smola, USA TODAY

Could a quiz a day keep the bad grades away? A study by professors from the University of Texas-Austin published last week in PLOS ONE — a scientific journal run by the Public Library of Science — showed that giving brief online quizzes at every class meeting in an introductory psychology class boosted student performance.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/26/more-quizzes-blessing/3707307/