Techno-News Blog

by Daniel Cohen, Matthew Sargeant, and Ken Somers; McKinsey Report

3-D printing, or additive manufacturing,1 has come a long way from its roots in the production of simple plastic prototypes. Today, 3-D printers can not only handle materials ranging from titanium to human cartilage but also produce fully functional components, including complex mechanisms, batteries, transistors, and LEDs. The capabilities of 3-D printing hardware are evolving rapidly, too. They can build larger components and achieve greater precision and finer resolution at higher speeds and lower costs. Together, these advances have brought the technology to a tipping point—it appears ready to emerge from its niche status and become a viable alternative to conventional manufacturing processes in an increasing number of applications.

http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/manufacturing/3-d_printing_takes_shape

by Brad Brown, David Court, and Tim McGuire; McKinsey Quarterly

At a unique gathering of data-analytics leaders, new solutions began emerging to vexing privacy, talent, organizational, and frontline-adoption challenges. This past October, eight executives from companies that are leaders in data analytics got together to share perspectives on their biggest challenges. All were the most senior executives with data-analytics responsibility in their companies, which included AIG, American Express, Samsung Mobile, Siemens Healthcare, TD Bank, and Wal-Mart Stores. Their backgrounds varied, with chief information officers, a chief data officer, a chief marketing officer, a chief risk officer, and a chief science officer all represented.1 We had seeded the discussion by asking each of them in advance about the burning issues they were facing.

http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/business_technology/views_from_the_front_lines_of_the_data_analytics_revolution

By Guy Pfeffermann, Financial Times

Demand for education is booming in Africa. Its people are striving for personal growth and material improvement. What they may lack in material resources, they make up in an enormous thirst for learning, hence the exponential growth in online education. Rebecca Stromeyer, founder of the annual eLearning Africa conference, says: “Over the past eight years, homegrown innovation and entrepreneurship have driven a boom in the sector”. In the case of business education, this may soon lead, counter-intuitively, to Africa becoming a global leader in mobile technological innovation.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/87e1484c-9979-11e3-b3a2-00144feab7de.html#axzz2vaOyCuSd

by EVAN SELINGER AND ANDREW PHELPS, Wired

The Golden Age of universities may be dead. And while much of the commentary around the online disruption of education ranges from cost-benefit analyses to assessing ideology of what drives MOOCs (massively open online courses), the real question becomes — what is the point of the university in this landscape? It’s clear that universities will have to figure out the balance between commercial relevance and basic research, as well as how to prove their value beyond being vehicles for delivering content. But lost in the shuffle of commentary here is something arguably more important than and yet containing all of these factors: culture. Online courses can be part of, and have, their own culture, but university culture cannot be replicated in an online environment (at least not easily). Once this cultural difference is acknowledged, we can revisit the cost-benefit analysis: Is cheaper tuition worth it if it pays for education that isn’t optimized for innovation? Will university culture further stratify the socioeconomic difference MOOCs may level?

http://www.wired.com/opinion/2014/03/universities-moocs-need-consider-culture/

By Gregory Karp, Chicago Tribune

Free entertainment online is nothing new, but what if you could access a form of entertainment and enrichment over the Internet that others pay thousands of dollars for and that keeps you occupied for weeks at a time? That’s one of the allures of MOOCs — massive open online classes. They’re college classes taught online, some by the world’s leading experts in their fields at famous universities. And they’re free, making them a fabulous form of entertainment and personal improvement for adults who don’t need the academic credit. Imagine taking an eight-week course on financial markets by last year’s Nobel Prize winner in economics, Robert Shiller at Yale University. Or a marketing course from professors at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140309/BIZ/403090317/-1/NEWSMAP

By Michael Corio and David Webber, DePaulia

Members of the Faculty Instructional Technology Services (FITS) department pose for a photo after winning the 2012 Sloan Consortium Award for Excellence in Faculty Development for Online Teaching. As universities face budget cuts and rising costs, they are looking for new ways to boost revenue and cut spending. One area that has caught the attention of many administrators and professors is online learning, which has experienced remarkable growth at DePaul over the past several years. By making more classes available online, some universities hope to create a ‘virtual campus’ which can reach beyond a particular community and generate additional income, all without the facility and activity costs associated with a traditional on-campus student. DePaul has expanded its online course offerings over the years, from 150 classes per quarter in 2006 to over 400 in 2012.

http://www.depauliaonline.com/news/online-classes-redefine-higher-education-at-depaul-1.3149279

By David Nagel, Campus Technology

High-speed mobile broadband is poised to explode within the next five years. According to a new forecast, by 2019, subscriptions to LTE and LTE-Advanced will reach into the billions. According to market research firm ABI Research, as of 2013, total LTE subscriptions had reached just 229.7 million worldwide. But that figure will grow at a compound rate of 43.6 percent each year through 2019, reaching about 2 billion total, driven in large part by the advent of LTE-Advanced. By 2019, more than one-third of those 2 billion subscribers — about 750 million — will have LTE-Advanced, which promises peak download speeds of 1 Gbps and typical download speeds of 100 Mbps to 300 Mbps and uploads of 10 Mbps to 70 Mbps. (Korea launched its first LTE-Advanced service last year and gained a total of 1 million subscribers.)

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/03/04/forecast-billions-will-have-high-speed-mobile-broadband-within-5-years.aspx

By David Nagel, Campus Technology

According to new research, Apple’s iPad line no longer holds a majority share of the tablet market. While the iPad is still the single most popular tablet in the world, its dominance dropped to a mere plurality by the end of last year, losing nearly 17 percentage points, according to market research firm Gartner. In 2012, the iPad line accounted for 52.8 percent of all tablets sold worldwide, with total shipments hitting 61.5 million units. In 2013, that market share dropped to 36 percent, with 70.4 million units shipped. Android tablets came into the mainstream. In 2012, Android tablets held 45.8 percent of the overall tablet market worldwide (53.3 million units). In 2013, that grew to 61.9 percent, with unit shipments more than doubling to 120.9 million.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/03/04/ipad-no-longer-the-tablet-of-the-majority.aspx

By David Nagel, THE Journal

The PC market tanked last year, but not quite as badly as expected. Overall PC shipments fell 9.8 percent in 2103, slightly better than the 10.1 percent decline previously forecast by market research firm IDC. The drop was the “most severe contraction on record,” IDC reported in its Quarterly PC Tracker, and it’s won’t be the last. IDC said long-term growth will be slightly below negative for the PC market, with a 6.1 percent decline expected this year and a 0.8 percent decline forecast for 2015. Worldwide PC shipments hit 315.1 million units in 2013. That’s expected to drop again to 295.9 million in 2014. By 2018, that figure will have slid further to 291.7 million, according to IDC’s latest forecast.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/03/05/pcs-see-most-severe-contraction-on-record.aspx

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Advances in education have always stemmed from innovation. From chalkboards, to pencils, to computers and online based activities, education has come a long way. The handy infographic below outlines a few of the technological innovations that have come to education over the years, and it highlights some current trends in education as well. And hidden down waaayyyy at the bottom are some suggestions for five ways on how to be more innovative. It can be an important reminder that innovation isn’t just for young people. Keep reading to learn more!

http://www.edudemic.com/education-innovation-evolution/

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Infographics are popular. They’re a fun way to present and read data, and many people believe that information that is presented visually is often retained better (at least for some learners). Many teachers today are using infographics, both in their classrooms and for their own professional development. There are so many tools out there to make your own infographics. In the education realm, most people I chat with say that they use Piktochart because it is free and very simple to use. One of the (newer) trends we’ve been noticing lately has been that more and more infographics are interactive. Visit the link below for more information.

http://www.edudemic.com/making-your-own-interactive-content/

By Devon Haynie, US News

For adults juggling jobs and family commitments, earning a degree can seem like a Herculean task. But it doesn’t have to be. By joining the millions of Americans pursuing online education, it’s possible to prepare for the next great job opportunity from the comfort of your couch. “Online learning can do two things: It can lead to advancement in an existing profession, or it can lead to a completely new profession,” says Leah K. Matthews, executive director of the Accrediting Commission of the nonprofit Distance Education and Training Council. “It spans almost every field now.”

http://news.yahoo.com/6-great-jobs-online-degree-172206609.html

By Sharon Florentine, CIO

E-learning is a cost-effective, accessible way to boost your job skills without the hassles of ‘traditional’ degree programs. If you want to keep your technical and business skills razor-sharp, education and ongoing training and development are critical, but continuing education doesn’t mean you have to go back to school. Over the last few years, e-learning and online skills development technology have broadened their appeal, sharpened their focus and become accessible to almost anyone with a laptop, smartphone or tablet. “We’ve seen phenomenal growth over the last four years or so from the market and from our corporate clients, too,” says Nate Kimmons, vice president of Enterprise Marketing at e-learning service provider Lynda.com.

http://www.cio.com/article/749379/How_to_Add_New_Job_Skills_Without_Going_Back_to_School

by Susan Meisenhelder, Huffington Post

The truth is simple: Access to higher education must involve more than merely an opportunity to enroll in a course. For access to be meaningful, students must have a real chance to succeed in getting a quality education. Research tells us that online courses work best for students who are academically and technologically prepared, mature and highly motivated. So the notion of expanding online remedial and introductory courses in community and state colleges and universities is not only misguided, it’s unfair. For most American students, who are increasingly diverse, low-income and unprepared for the rigors of collegiate study, a blind rush to “online everything” may, despite the promise, provide only access to failure.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-meisenhelder/rush-to-online-higher-education_b_4914762.html

By Sean Michael Kerner, eWeek

A Linux training course that once cost $2,500 is now free, as Linux Foundation ramps up its education efforts. The open-source Linux operating system is freely available to those who want to use it, but finding good sources of training for Linux has not always been as free. In a move to further enable more people to get Linux training, the Linux Foundation is now opening up its education efforts. The Linux Foundation is now working with edX to build a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for Linux training. EdX is a nonprofit online learning platform started by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2012.

http://www.eweek.com/pc-hardware/linux-intro-course-available-online-for-free.html

By Jeff Dunn, Edudemic

There are a lot of web tools out there. Many of which are free or, at the very least, freemium. In other words, you can do a free trial to see if you like it. With so many to choose from, it’s tough to figure out which ones work best, are popular, are well supported, etc. Thanks to the Global Education Database, we can easily see which web tools are being used in classrooms around the world. We can check out how to use each tool, pros and cons, and a lot more. Below are just a handful of some of the many resources in the GEDB. If you have a web tool, app, device, or other favorite product that you think should be included in this list and the database, you can add it here. It’s all free and simple enough to add your own products – add as many as you like!

http://www.edudemic.com/top-10-free-web-tools-chosen/

by Mary Jo Foley, ZDNet

Windows leaker WZor revealed last month that there was some kind of new Windows 8.1 with Bing SKU in the works. It is expected be added to the SKU line-up alongside the Windows 8.1 Update 1 release, which Microsoft just released to manufacturing earlier this week. Newly leaked Windows 8.1 documentation revealed that the new Windows 8.1 with Bing SKU is targeted at new low-cost Windows devices, Neowin reported on March 5. Windows SuperSite’s Paul Thurrott also is reporting that the Windows 8.1 with Bing SKU will be focused on low-end devices, and, as Neowin noted, will set Bing as the default search engine. Users who purchase the devices with this SKU will be able to switch the default search engine from Bing if they want. The SKU is Windows 8.1 Core (both 32-bit or 64-bit, Intel-only) with Bing set as the default search engine.

http://www.zdnet.com/microsofts-new-tack-for-cheap-tablets-windows-8-1-with-bing-7000027070/#ftag=RSS14dc6a9

by Steven Mintz, Inside Higher Ed

How will teaching and learning in the early 21st century differ from its 20th century predecessor? Some shifts are already well underway. These include the growing embrace of open educational resources and of courses collaboratively designed and developed by teams including content area specialists, educational technologists, and instructional designers. Peer mentoring and grading are becoming more common, as is a gradual shift toward learner-centered pedagogies and competency-based, outcomes-oriented approaches. Alongside these developments are five far-reaching developments.

http://www.insidehighered.com//blogs/higher-ed-beta/five-ways-21st-and-20th-century-learning-will-differ

By John Aziz, the Week

The country that literally invented the internet is now behind Estonia in terms of download speeds.  According to a recent study by Ookla Speedtest, the U.S. ranks a shocking 31st in the world in terms of average download speeds. The leaders in the world are Hong Kong at 72.49 Mbps and Singapore on 58.84 Mbps. And America? Averaging speeds of 20.77 Mbps, it falls behind countries like Estonia, Hungary, Slovakia, and Uruguay. Its upload speeds are even worse. Globally, the U.S. ranks 42nd with an average upload speed of 6.31 Mbps, behind Lesotho, Belarus, Slovenia, and other countries you only hear mentioned on Jeopardy. So how did America fall behind?

http://theweek.com/article/index/257404/why-is-american-internet-so-slow

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Online learning offers a host of conveniences that make it a popular option for students. Students don’t need to live near a physical university to take the classes, timing is often flexible, and it is generally a cheaper option than attending a brick and mortar school. Stepping up the efforts to maintain good contact with your students when you’re teaching online likely tops most online teachers’ must-do lists. The handy infographic linked below looks at some tips and best practices for online faculty, from the ever-wonderful Mia MacMeekin.

http://www.edudemic.com/encouraging-better-online-student-faculty-contact/

by Becky Butts, the News Record

Recent data breaches at some of America’s largest higher education institutions are highlighting the vulnerability of students’ and faculty’s private information — and the constant threat universities across the country face.

“Unfortunately, every organization in the world is vulnerable and is at a risk of being breached by a hacker or group of hackers,” said Bogdan Vykhovanyuk, associate director of UCIT information security. At the University of Cincinnati, private information — including students’ names, social security numbers, addresses, dates-of-birth, phone numbers and Bearcat Card information — are in danger of being illegally accessed on a daily basis. Everyday, UCIT security systems intercept 1.5 million threats from entering the university’s network, Vykhovanyuk said. He and four other specialists are tasked with preventing potential breaches.

http://www.newsrecord.org/for_the_record/science_and_technology_issue/hackers-turn-attention-to-american-universities/article_c2e57f96-a417-11e3-bc5f-001a4bcf6878.html