Techno-News Blog

by David Price, MindShift

The new landscape presents a significant upheaval. Inventors and researchers are increasingly working independently outside academia, finding collegial collaboration in the Global Learning Commons. Learners also find themselves in the driving seat because formal education is no longer the only game in town for those eager to learn. How colleges and universities adapt to the customization and personalization of education will largely determine their survival. Let me explain.

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/12/whats-our-vision-for-the-future-of-learning/

by (UK) Virtual College

In our previous blog we looked at Michael Allen’s 4 Ms and the importance of developing measurable e-learning materials.. In this blog we are going to look at another very topical m….that is mobile eLearning often called “m-learning”. M-learning is still in its infancy with interest being driven by the exceptional growth in popularity of Smartphones and tablets. I am sure we will deliver m-learning to over a million learners in a few short years, just as we have delivered e-learning to a million learners already. As such m-learning presents a whole new set of challenges, but the change in medium doesn’t affect the key design principles we discussed last week. Indeed such is the complexity and transformational opportunity of m-learning good design is even more important than before.

http://www.virtual-college.co.uk/news/Great-Learning-design-is-the-key-to-success-in-mobile-learning–newsitems-132.aspx

by Stephan Spencer, Huffington Post

Currently, there are 10 “eSchool360” schools in rural Zambia. They were built and are being run by a NYC-based non-profit called Impact Network. The teachers are given tablets and projectors to deliver e-Learning lessons. The schools are outfitted with solar panels to power these electronics. The eLearning curriculum, created by a Zambian organization called iSchool, was designed to move the country’s educational system away from rote memorization. Teachers are also provided weekly professional development focused on helping them use the technology and enhance their pedagogical skills. Management staff travel to schools by motorbike through areas where formal roads don’t exist.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephan-spencer/an-elearning-revolution-a_b_4413030.html

by Jeffrey Gedmin, Harvard Business Review

We all think about the future, but my first conclusion from this London gathering was that some people are better equipped than others to see it. Reflecting on the discussion, my own conclusion is that, if you want to become more prescient, you should do four things:

1. Enhance Your Power of Observation.

2. Appreciate the Value of Being (a Little) Asocial.

3. Study History.

4. Learn to Deal with Ambiguity.

http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/12/four-keys-to-thinking-about-the-future/

By Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times

UC Riverside senior Matthew Emeterio was worried that he might be short of degree credits and have to delay graduation past next spring. But thanks to a soon-to-debut online program linking far-flung UC campuses, he expects to finish on time. Starting next month, the political science major will be enrolled in a UC Davis course on climate change that he will be able to take via his computer mainly at night and on weekends, in addition to a full daytime load of traditional in-person courses at UC Riverside. He will be among the pioneers in an effort encouraging UC students to tap into faculty brainpower and curricula across the UC system while also exploring emerging online education.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-me-uc-online-20131222,0,6798231.story

by Elearning Info Graphics

As technology becomes increasingly advanced and prevalent in today’s society, access to these resources is becoming essential to learning. As digital technologies are becoming essential to the classroom, a gap in access to the Internet is forming between high-income and low-income students and school districts. These disparities, starting in middle and high school, may lead to students being poorly prepared for higher education and beyond. The Internet Access Gap in Education Infographic cites research reports of the impact the lack of Internet access is having on the education of low-income students.

http://elearninginfographics.com/the-internet-access-gap-in-education-infographic/

by Dhawal Shah, EdSurge

These courses are known as “MOOCs” (Massive Open Online Courses), a term that has now become a part of our everyday vocabulary. (It was recently added to the Oxford Dictionary.) Over the past two years, MOOCs have been embroiled in controversy with regards to their efficacy and role in relation to traditional in-person university classes. And it’s still not clear whether they have a sustainable business model. However, while the debate rages on, teachers have been busy offering MOOCs and students have been signing up in droves–we estimate at least 10 million people have registered for MOOCs. The number of courses offered has grown from about 100 MOOCs in 2012 to almost 700 starting in 2013, with an average of nearly two new MOOCs starting every day. More than 1200 courses have been announced so far.

https://www.edsurge.com/n/2013-12-22-moocs-in-2013-breaking-down-the-numbers

By Mary Grush, Campus Technology

Southern New Hampshire University’s competency-based program, College for America, is opening up new options for the assessment of student learning. It’s also turning the notion of the traditional credit hour, and all it supports, on its ear. Paul LeBlanc: Competency-based education is a hot topic right now, but in reality it’s been around for a long time — some would argue 30 or even 40 years. A whole host of institutions have worked in this space: important institutions like Excelsior, Charter Oak State College, and more recently, Western Governors University. They have really moved the dial on how we think about education and measuring outcomes and competencies. What’s different now, though, is that we’ve crossed a line and moved into a new generation of competency-based programs — and here I would include our program, College for America — that are actually fully untethered from the credit hour.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2013/12/18/competency-based-education-at-snhu.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

For young people seeking innovation in the organizations where they work, education as a sector may not be the most conducive environment. “Millennials,” who make up a quarter of the current workforce, consider educational institutions the least innovative, at least when compared to retail, technology, healthcare and advertising, marketing and PR. This segment of the population, also known as Generation Y, were born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, putting them somewhere in their early 30s and younger. Nearly half of this group — 46 percent — indicated that the school districts, colleges, and universities where they’re employed have outdated collaboration practices. More than half said they believe their employers make it tough for ideas to be shared or taken to the next level. Sixty-one percent disagree or strongly disagree that their organizations have a “simple process” for converting good ideas from brainstorming sessions into a “productive outcome.”

http://thejournal.com/articles/2013/12/10/millennials-view-education-as-least-satisfying-segment-for-empowerment-workplace-collaboration.aspx

by Raechelle Clemmons, Green Bay Press Gazette

Is it really necessary to have each and every university in the country teach a version of American History 101, for example, or could some of that content be delivered via an “approved” MOOC? Under this model, students could potentially spend classroom time focused on deeper discussion and inquiry about the subject rather than spending it learning the basic content. Alternately, this model may be used to reduce the amount of time it takes to earn a college education, with students taking some courses in-person and some through self-paced MOOCs. Consider places that do not have good education systems, or individuals who may not be entitled to an education where they live because of their class, race, gender or other attribute. MOOCs have the potential to be the great equalizer — providing access to a quality education to anyone who can access the Internet from their home, a coffee shop, or elsewhere. In a world that increasingly needs an educated populace, this may be the greatest value of all.

http://www.correctionsone.com/2014-in-review/articles/8032950-The-rise-of-the-online-training-instructor/

By Edudemic

When it comes to crafting individualized instruction for your students, ExitTicket tops the class. Tested against other apps in its category, this app emerged as the fullest-featured piece of exit ticket software I’ve seen. Although indispensable for offering individualized instruction, it also offers the additional advantages of being aligned with national Common Core and Science Standards initiatives. After using it over the course of a week for lesson-planning and student assessment, I found that Exitticket’s features and continuity with educational standards create a seamless experience.

http://www.edudemic.com/exitticket-creating-individualized-instruction/

By David Johnson, Edudemic

So does technology help or hinder learners? The answer to this question is; it all depends how you use it. Handled poorly, its impact to education can be disastrous! But if handled well, it can facilitate learning. Just as we have found out, technology can be a powerful learning tool, and it can also be a powerful tool for cheating. It can gallantly open new doors and learning possibilities, while at the same time open some that are better off left closed; because some topics are not appropriate for some age groups. It can also be used to inform, and also to distort. If not utilized properly, the positive effects of technology become negative which continue to hinder student’s success.

http://www.edudemic.com/technology-education-help/

by Kyle Russell, TechCrunch

If you’ve got more time than money and have a startup idea that you think you have the skills to build, a new partnership between Amazon Web Services and online education portal edX will hook you up with $1,000 in credit for completing one of two courses on entrepreneurship. Unless you’ve already taken some classes on building a startup, you’re not going to be able to completely BS your way through MITx’s Entrepreneurship 101 or 102 on edX. You actually have to pass the course, so expect to put at least tens of hours into the class. But once you make your way through the coursework, you automatically receive $1,000 in credit to spend on processor time and/or storage in Amazon’s cloud.

http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/23/amazon-web-services-will-give-you-1000-in-credit-for-completing-these-edx-courses/