Techno-News Blog

by Lewis Wallace, Cult of Mac

Instead of dropping an iWatch or some other hardware bombshell at WWDC, Apple showcased the futuristic tools it will use to extend its rapidly growing empire. “Apple engineers platforms, devices and services together,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook as he wrapped up the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote Monday in San Francisco. “We do this so we can create a seamless experience for our users that is unparalleled in the industry. This is something only Apple can do.” Yet while there were was absolutely no talk of new hardware, Apple offered an exciting peek at where the world is headed next with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, both of which are available to developers now and will be released to the public this fall. “We’re always future-focused,” said Cook, who shared presenting duties with Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, and others. Here’s a look at the shiny, translucent, interconnected future Apple is focusing upon.

http://www.cultofmac.com/281926/10-things-wwdc-2014/

By KIT EATON, New York Times

Massive Open Online Courses — or MOOCs — are a snowballing revolution in education. Thousands of courses from some of the world’s finest institutions are available free online, covering everything from astrophysics to the arts. For each course, students, sometimes numbering in the thousands, take part from home — where they view video lectures, take tests and submit essays through a Web interface. It’s a digital classroom with no actual “room,” and where you can study more or less when you like. Nowadays of course, your smartphone means you can also study when you’re on the move. Coursera’s free iOS and Android app is perhaps the very best way to take part in a MOOC through a phone or tablet — maybe during your commute to work or your lunch break. The app gives you limited access to Coursera’s list of available courses as well as any you have already signed up for.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/05/technology/personaltech/Moocs-via-tablet-or-smartphone-are-gateway-to-free-education.html

By Agam Shah, IDG

Intel wants to completely eliminate wires from computers, and is working on a series of wireless technologies to make that a reality in the coming years. PCs are on the way to a “true no-wire” experience, and Intel is working on technologies to remove the clutter of power cords, display connectors and peripheral cables, said Kirk Skaugen, senior vice president, and general manager of the PC Client Group at Intel, during a speech at the Computex trade show in Taipei. Intel is working on new wireless charging, docking, display and data transfer technologies. Skaugen shared details of the new wireless technologies and provided demonstrations of how they would work during the keynote.

http://www.cio.com/article/753684/Intel_Wants_Your_Next_PC_to_have_No_Wires

By Joshua Bolkan, Campus Technology

“The traditional resume is on its way out and online tools that work for mid-career professionals don’t effectively show a college student’s skills and accomplishments or truly distinguish their talents,” said Jay Bhatt, CEO of Blackboard, in a prepared statement. “It just makes sense to leverage the environment students are in every day to house their educational information, to also showcase their skills and connect them to job opportunities.” The company has also announced a redesign of Portfolios. “While the Enhanced Cloud Profile allows for a high-level view of the educational identity of a student, Portfolios allows for a more in-depth look at specific project work and course assignments. Together, the features enhance the ability for students to illustrate their competencies and achievements through Blackboard Learn.”

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/06/02/blackboard-learn-adds-professional-profiles-for-students.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

When it comes to teaching with technology, or even teaching in general, most faculty could use a little support. To provide the resources, ideas and inspiration faculty need to become better instructors, higher education institutions typically create some form of Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), devoted to fostering teaching excellence across the board. But it’s not enough for these organizations to help individual instructors learn how to deliver their courses, engage students and manage their classrooms. These days, much of a CTL’s attention is directed to helping faculty evolve their instructional practices for a technology-laden learning environment — whether for online or hybrid courses; as part of active learning programs; or to better exploit the benefits of technical resources such as learning management systems. Here, three CTLs share best practices they’re perfecting to help faculty get up to speed with technology.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/06/04/3-ways-to-get-faculty-up-to-speed-with-technology.aspx

by Deborah Everhart, Frederick M. Hurst, and Ellen Wagner, EDUCAUSE Review

Extending low-cost, quality educational opportunities was the focus of the recent “Badges to Breakthroughs” panel session at EDUCAUSE 2013. Here, session participants offer individual summaries of their views on positioning MOOCs, exploring personalized learning, and examining how badges can provide value in the stakeholder ecosystem. Taken together, their perspectives illustrate the many breakthroughs occurring that both activate learner potential and validate alternative learning credentials.

http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/badges-breakthroughs-unleashing-learner-potential-through-competency-based-achievements

By Sean Coughlan, BBC News

A major US online university network says restrictions are to be partially lifted on providing online courses for students in Iran. Online university courses have been caught up in US trade sanctions against Iran, Cuba and Sudan, so that students in those countries were blocked from many free courses from US universities. Coursera says it has been “working closely with governing authorities to navigate licences and permissions” and, as a result, “Iranian learners will now regain access to the majority of Coursera’s courses”. The California-based Coursera has almost eight million registered students, making it one of the world’s biggest providers of so-called Moocs – massive open online courses.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-27637817

By Devon Haynie, US News

As the price of higher education continues to skyrocket, some universities believe they have found the key to keeping tuition costs down — online education. Recently, for example, Georgia Institute of Technology announced it would be offering an online master’s degree in computer science for $6,600 — about $35,000 less than its on-ground program. The University of the People, an accredited, online-only school, is now offering degrees with no tuition. And massive open online courses, or MOOCs, have been hailed as free educational resources that people could eventually use to complete a degree. Although these developments in online education may influence the overall price of college eventually, students might not see dramatic changes soon, experts say.

http://news.yahoo.com/why-online-education-may-drive-down-cost-degree-140000842.html

by Vala Afshar, Huffington Post

Google Glass is finding its way into almost every industry, with applications in healthcare, construction, gaming, tourism, and law enforcement. Gartner believes that smartglasses will save the field service industry $1 billion per year. One domain that is especially ripe for Google Glass innovation is education. I spoke with Brian A. Rellinger, CIO Ohio Wesleyan University about the ways Glass can be used on campus. The OWU Information Services Department purchased Google Glass in March, 2014 and started brainstorming about ways to use it with a cross section of campus groups. Since Glass is a new technology, the ideas continue to multiply as individuals gain hands-on experience. Even so, the faculty, staff, and students at OWU came up with a diverse list of initial ideas.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vala-afshar/14-google-glass-innovativ_b_5410893.html

By Max Nisen, Quartz

Late last year, Harvard’s prestigious business school announced that it was making a foray into online education. A nine-week set of three courses will cost $1,500. Clayton Christensen, arguably the institution’s best-known professor completely disagrees with the school’s strategy. He dismisses it as an extremely expensive system that could potentially be upended by a cheaper technology option. “What they’re doing is, in my language, a sustaining innovation,” Christensen said. Put baldly, Harvard is putting itself on track for irrelevance, more like Kodak or Blackberry than like Google, Christensen argues. The school is following a strategy closer to one espoused by the long-time professor Michael Porter who has argued Harvard should online courses, but in a way that uses its strengths without hurting its current business.

http://qz.com/215676/harvards-two-most-famous-business-professors-are-at-odds-over-online-mbas/

by the University of Pennsylvania

Data from a University of Pennsylvania study of massive open online courses offered by Penn’s Wharton School suggest that MOOCs aren’t a threat to traditional business programs, but rather an opportunity to expand to underserved markets. The findings were published today in the Harvard Business Review. The study is the first of its kind to focus on MOOC participants taking business classes. The researchers were Ezekiel Emanuel, Penn’s vice provost for global initiatives; Gayle Christensen, executive director of Penn Global; and Brandon Alcorn, Penn Global project manager. They surveyed more than 875,000 students enrolled in nine MOOCs offered by Wharton. They found that business MOOCs do not appear to be cannibalizing existing programs but are reaching at least three new student populations: those from outside the United States, especially those in developing countries; foreign-born Americans; and under-represented American minorities.

http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/news/penn-study-massive-open-online-courses-not-threat-traditional-business-schools

By Tanya Roscorla, Center for Digital Education

Blended learning and competency-based education make a good couple in New Hampshire. A look at 13 schools in New Hampshire reveals ways that blended- and competency-based learning can complement each other. In the second of two reports on New Hampshire schools, the Clayton Christensen Institute highlighted four ways that the combination of in-person and online learning can work together with competency-based learning, which emphasizes student mastery of a concept or skill.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/4-Ways-Blended-Learning-Can-Support-Competency-Based-Education-.html

By John Pulley, Campus Technology

Peering at the world through Google Glass, Robert Hernandez glimpsed the future of journalism. Soon after becoming one of the first people in the world to get Glass (the most recognizable device in the fast-emerging field of wearable technology), the professor of journalism at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism began organizing meetups and “nerding out” with like-minded digital explorers. They were intrigued by the device’s potential to change the creation, delivery and consumption of news. Hernandez’s interactive noodling led to the creation of “Journalism 499: Glass Journalism.” In the fall, he will lead a diverse group of students (Android developers, budding journalists, students in the cinematic arts and other disciplines) in what essentially will be a 15-week hackathon. “We’re not just going to talk about something; we’re going to build something,” he said.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/05/28/exploring-new-frontiers-with-google-glass.aspx

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Crowdfunding is a pretty cool concept. It can be a great way for folks to gain the funds they need to bring a project to completion, start a small business, or collect funds for social campaigns or nonprofit groups. There are a ton of different crowdfunding sites out there now, including ones specifically geared towards education (more on that another day), but the most popular and widely known is probably Kickstarter. From funky electronics, software, apps, and games to straight out funding, there are a lot of things on these sites that can be useful in your classroom or for you and your students whether they are designed specifically for education or not. Periodically, I scroll through some of these sites to see what is interesting and new, and I’ve put together a short list of some fun and innovative projects that are interesting and might prove useful in or out of the classroom.

http://www.edudemic.com/cool-kickstarter-projects/

BY MARSHA SILLS, the Advocate

The school system launched the virtual summer school program in 2012 after years without a summer academic option for students because of low enrollment in the past. As part of the program, students take online courses taught via lessons recorded by certified teachers. Students can pause and rewind the lessons as they need and move through the content at their own pace. The program began May 26, and during the first week, the students were required to report to the virtual learning center for their coursework. For the remainder of the program, only middle school students are required to report to the center, while high school students may complete their coursework at home or wherever they want to do their lessons, said Kellie LeBlanc, program supervisor. Students must return to the center to take tests, she said.

http://theadvocate.com/news/9317305-123/virtual-summer-school-lets-students

By Dennis Pierce, eSchool News

Student app development is on the rise, and ed-tech companies have tapped into this trend by launching programs that teach kids how to build their own apps. With mobile apps soaring in popularity, companies such as Crescerance and Treehouse have created programs that help teach kids how to build their own apps. Each month, tens of thousands of mobile apps are added to the app stores for Apple iOS, Google Android, and Microsoft Windows 8—and a growing number of these are from K-12 students.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/05/30/students-create-apps-521/

By Liam Tung, ZDNet

Google will spend north of $1bn to launch a fleet of 180 satellites to blanket unwired parts of earth with internet access, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Google project is said to be being led by Greg Wyler, the founder of satellite startup O3b Networks; Google participated in a $1.2bn funding round in the company back in 2010. O3b derives its name from the term “other 3 billion people” who lack broadband access either due to geography, political instability, or economics. With four satellites currently in orbit and four more set to launch in July, O3b currently provides backhaul to last-mile mobile network providers. According to the report, Google’s satellite plan could cost anywhere between $1bn and $3bn, with the project being led by Wyler with the support of up to 20 people, including O3b’s chief technology officer Brian Holz, who reportedly joined Google this week.

http://www.zdnet.com/google-to-launch-180-satellites-in-1bn-plan-to-cover-the-unwired-7000030095/

By Jason Hiner, ZDNet

At Apple’s WWDC 2014 event this week, most of the attention will be focused on new product updates. The real moves you should keep an eye on are three big ecosystem plays. As you follow the updates coming from WWDC 2014 this week, keep an eye out for developments in the following three ecosystems where Apple is poised to make a huge impact.

1. Digital Health
2. Smart Home
3. Retail Experience

http://www.zdnet.com/apples-next-big-move-capture-three-new-ecosystems-7000030074/

by Donald Clark, the Guardian

Students have just one chance to hear a lecture – and mostly it’s just someone reading their notes aloud. I would say that very intelligent academics and researchers leave their brains behind when defending what has become a lazy and damaging pedagogy – the face-to-face lecture. Imagine if a movie were shown only once. Or your local newspaper was read out just once a day in the local square. Or novelists read their books out once to an invited audience. That’s face-to-face lectures for you: it’s that stupid. What’s even worse is that, at many conferences I attend, someone reads out an entire lecture verbatim from their notes. Is there anything more pointless? It’s a throwback to a non-literate age. I can read. In fact, I can read faster than they can speak. The whole thing is an insult to the audience. Here are 10 reasons why face-to-face lectures just don’t work:

http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2014/may/15/ten-reasons-we-should-ditch-university-lectures?CMP=twt_gu

by Deutsche Welle

Under the title “Opening frontiers to the future,” an international E-learning conference has been held in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. This technology is already bringing noticeable benefits to Africa. More than 1,000 participants from 68 countries met in Uganda’s capital Kampala to discuss the opportunities and challenges of using electronic media together with information and communication technologies (ICT) – known for short as E-learning. Africa profits immensely from E-learning. That, in a nutshell, was the message from Harold Elletson, a British expert who presented the latest E-learning report at the Kampala conference, for which more than 1,400 specialists in Africa were consulted.

http://www.dw.de/e-learning-speeds-up-progress-in-africa/a-17673432

by Stacey Goodman, Edutopia

Online digital technology has empowered users in ways that were unimaginable twenty years ago. Social media sites have given us the ability to reach a global audience, and have increased the average user’s means to persuade and influence. We are no longer just consumers of media, but content creators and distributors, as well as editors, opinion makers, and journalists. How does media literacy fit into this new media landscape? How do we ensure that we are not perpetuating harmful ideas and messages through our online social network? Perhaps with an increase in our power to influence and persuade should come the critical frameworks that we can apply to the media we create, and not just the media we consume.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/social-media-five-key-concepts-stacey-goodman