Techno-News Blog

By Leah Holoiday, Metro

Move over Computer Coding 101 — there’s a new brand of online computer design classes designed by youth, for youth. Intro to Coding, the latest course from the University of Alberta’s series of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), offers straightforward concepts for coding, designed for anyone above the Grade 3 level. One of course presenters and developers, 14-year-old Deanna, said she was inspired to bring coding to a larger audience after her experience with U of A’s Girls Coding Club.

http://metronews.ca/news/edmonton/1183150/edmonton-youth-design-online-coding-course-for-latest-university-of-alberta-mooc/

By David Raths, Campus Technology

Kerri Bedrosian, director of eLearning project management for SNHU’s College of Online and Continuing Education characterizes SNHU’s course development model as “one-to-many.” “We have an internal team that designs the course, from the outcome to the critical path for summative assessment, all the formative assessment around it, choosing the learning resource, text or e-text, discussions and lectures or overviews,” she said. “All that is designed in-house and built by our production team into Blackboard, our LMS. That becomes our one course model — our master course — and we then copy that out depending on how many sections are needed for that term. The instructor receives a fully completed course. It is great for us because we can ensure a lot of consistency across our sections.”

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/10/15/how-southern-new-hampshire-u-develops-650-online-courses-per-year.aspx

By Conor Skelding, Capital New York

Columbia University’s Office of the Provost has issued a request for proposals to faculty to redesign courses “using innovative, technology-rich pedagogy and learning strategies.” Provost John Coatsworth announced the R.F.P. on Thursday in a university-wide email which publicized the report of the Provost’s Faculty Advisory Committee on Online Learning. The R.F.P. is a “response to the Committee’s recommendation that the University provide support for faculty in this area,” he wrote. Full- and part-time faculty are eligible to apply for grants of between $5,000 and $20,000, as well as “access to the resources and support of the Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning.”

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2014/10/8554732/columbia-issues-online-course-rfp-faculty

By Laura Devaney, Managing Editor, eSchool News

Creating and using OER isn’t as complicated as some educators might believe. OER-creationOpen educational resources (OER) offer educators a chance to align learning materials to students’ needs–and teachers can create their own OER through a surprisingly straightforward process, using materials they likely have in abundance in their classrooms. OER are commonly considered resources that are freely shared and able to be modified and redistributed. Educators can use OER in small bits to supplement textbooks or other learning resources, or they can use OER to replace traditional textbooks and revamp classroom instruction.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/10/16/easy-oer-creation-423/

by Mara Hancock, EDUCAUSE Review Online

The media is buzzing about the “Internet of Everything.” The term ubiquitous computing became old-school before it even became reality, replaced by the Internet of Everything (IoE), aka the Internet of Things (IoT). This new conceptual framework—which essentially refers to the interconnectivity of devices, data, and people to one another and to the Internet—offers a rapidly evolving foundation on which to conjecture about the impact this connected technology will have on the future of society, learning, and education. Since 2008, the number of physical items connected to the Internet has exceeded the number of people on earth.¹ Sensors are embedded in the phones in our pockets and also in common consumer devices such as refrigerators and cars; in addition, stand-alone sensors can be placed throughout our environment and set to communicate to our phones, clothes, watches, or jewelry. Campuses are now dealing not only with bring your own device (BYOD) but also with bring your own sensor (BYOS)!

http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/ubiquitous-everything-and-then-some

by Jeff D. Borden, EDUCAUSE Review Online

The proven efficacy of games in helping students learn has yet to fully surmount skeptical attitudes among educators, but the motivational aspects of games are enticing, as are the futuristic apps and cross-cultural connections that new devices make possible.  Anyone who has read Carol Dweck’s Mindset would tell you that learning via intrinsic motivation trumps external motivation — always. Well-constructed games seem to provide just that. And what about a safe place to fail? What is the penalty for failure in school? How many chances do students typically receive? How many faculty members still see failure as a “weeding out” of the weak or unmotivated? Games can offer many lessons for educators.

http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/gamification-touch-interfaces-designing-21st-century-learners

By Arun Nigavekar, My Digital Financial Chronicle

The Indian education system needs to accept the use of technology as an integral part of teaching and learning process. Teachers must be willing to decipher the online aspects of curriculum that go beyond just black board lessons. They must explore the internet and make full use of the widely available expert opinions and commentary in respective fields — along with its application — to be used in face to face lectures. In doing so, students would be all the more engaged, encouraged and excited to see the practical shift from learning to real life application. Mobile learning too, is an advanced and more defined version of what teachers have achieved via classroom teaching till date. Thus, teachers could certainly become great knowledge partners of today’s youths, if they are determined to bring about a positive change in the system.

http://www.mydigitalfc.com/op-ed/how-crucial-e-learning-india-741

By Cisco, ZD Net

As we all know, technology is evolving rapidly. It has, and will continue to, profoundly change our lives in the years to come. What kind of positive changes can we expect to see rising out of the Internet of Everything (IoE) by 2018? For example, IoE is changing the ways in which students with disabilities are able to learn. Technology is being put to use in schools in Australia, with sensors changing the ways students learn sign language. Elsewhere sensors are being used to improve learning for students with ADHD by monitoring brain activity and providing rewards for improved learning. This process perfectly captures how a connection between the four pillars of IoE – people, process, data and things – is already influencing. Though currently, physical attendance is the norm; by 2018 we could expect to see tuition taking place through any device, anywhere. Through IoE, the linear knowledge-sharing dialogue between teacher and student can evolve into something entirely within the student’s control. They will be able to learn at their own pace, focusing more on what they perceive as relevant to them. This, in turn, could lower the price of education with students customising a course of learning that is specific to their needs, paying only for what they want rather than a ‘one size fits all model’.

http://www.zdnet.com/how-will-the-internet-of-everything-change-education-by-2018-7000034585/

By Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

Survey provides a national snapshot of campus IT spending, cloud tech, and outlook for the future. Almost one in every five dollars spent on campus IT investments are made outside of centralized IT; in other words, almost $4 billion is spent in non-managed, non-measured, and redundant IT spending each year on campus technology. This is just one of many illuminating findings of a recent MeriTalk survey—sponsored by VMware and Carahsoft—of over 150 IT professionals at public and private institutions across the U.S.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/campus-it-trends-096/

by Rebecca Koenig, Chronicle of Higher Ed

Pixar movies, interactive video games, smartphone applications—all are forms of computational media, the marriage of computer science to the arts and humanities. Signaling a deeper investment in that fast-growing if slippery field, the University of California at Santa Cruz announced the creation on Monday of what it called the first computational-media department ever.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/a-new-department-marks-the-rise-of-a-discipline-computational-media/54883

by WCSC

Researchers surveyed more than 150 college students, and 60 percent of them said they are addicted to their cell phones and spend on average eight to 10 hours a day on it. Rachael Anderson is a licensed professional counselor and a coordinator of Augustana Student Counseling Services. “It’s not anything formal according to psychology,” Anderson said. “You can’t get diagnosed with a cell phone addiction, but I can kind of get what they are saying; which is that this is something that I need and I feel really lost without it.” In addition to looking up from your phone during the day, Anderson suggests keeping it off of your night stand. “Studies have consistently shown that (cell phones) will completely wreck your sleep patterns,” Anderson said. “So you really need to find a time where you put down the cell phone before you go to bed.”

http://www.live5news.com/story/26763562/study-says-college-students-addicted-to-technology

By David Nagel, THE Journal

The installed base of mobile devices is expected to hit 8 billion worldwide by 2019, according to a new forecast. But can the technologies that power these devices keep pace with this growth? According to ABI Research, which produces market reports and forecasts for the technology sector, there are, at present, about 10 “untethered,” rechargeable (i.e., mobile) devices per house in “advanced markets.” And this figure is only going to increase. Despite that, both power storage and charging technologies aren’t keeping pace at all. “The opportunity is enormous…. The growth in wearables driven by the likes of Samsung and now Apple will increase this number further, along with the Internet of Things, and even electric cars.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/10/09/8-billion-mobile-devices-by-2019-but-can-batteries-and-chargers-keep-pace.aspx

by eCampus News

Ed-tech consultant Mitch Weisburgh of Academic Business Advisors said he likes the company’s move. “I think that this could bode really well for the two entities and also for schools and [colleges],” he said. “Printers and PCs are a commodity business. HP Inc. can concentrate on driving down costs and increasing value, which should result in lower-cost devices.” At the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference in Atlanta in June, HP showed its new EliteBook line of devices, running Windows 8.1—including the EliteBook Revolve, a notebook computer that converts to a tablet, and the EliteBook 840, which reportedly features up to 33 hours of battery life thanks to an accessory battery stored under the device. HP has positioned these devices as more versatile options for schools looking for the convenience of a tablet combined with the productivity of a laptop.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/hp-breakup-ed-536/

By Caroline Levander, Houston Chronicle

Like many of its peers in Texas and elsewhere, Rice has developed a portfolio of MOOCs – now numbering more than 40 – for hundreds of thousands of learners, and we show no signs of slowing down. The costs of this endeavor have been substantial, and the return on investment – at least in dollars – thus far has been negligible, to say the least. So one might well ask, particularly at a university that prides itself on its smarts, why? Why do this expensive and difficult thing? What’s the value proposition for having award-winning faculty creating digital education assets for the masses? And even more pointedly, aren’t you eroding your own business model by “giving away for free” what students and their families are spending hard-earned money to acquire? The answer is as simple as the question: It’s all about the assets.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Levander-In-Texas-higher-education-massive-open-5816611.php

By Roger Riddell, Education Dive

With over 260 exhibitors on the floor at Educause 2014, there was plenty for attendees to see. Education Dive was on hand to take it all in, and while we didn’t see everything, there was plenty that caught our attention. From the latest LMS to publishing developments to lecture capture, and in no particular order, we put together the following list of things to note at this year’s event.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/11-ed-tech-developments-from-educause/318727/

by Tony Dreier, Streaming Media

Video in education has moved beyond simply capturing classes and letting students review online. Video is truly changing the way institutions are delivering education. Progressive institutions are delivering “Global Classrooms” where students—and even multiple professors—are located in classrooms around the globe. At the other extreme, institutions are delivering education to mass audiences through online video. Multiple business models are being developed, including charging for classes, providing them for free, and even offering Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Hear about the challenges and successes from those who are experimenting with these new business models.

http://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/Editorial/Featured-Articles/U-of-Chicago-3-Challenges-Creating-Massive-Open-Online-Courses-99848.aspx

by Med McConahey, Press Democrat

College students who are more comfortable browsing the web than stacks of books can now research the artworks on display in Santa Rosa Junior College’s Doyle Library simply by pointing their phones at them. The new Art Talk uses smart phone technology to make fine art accessible to a new generation of what writer Marc Prensky dubbed “digital natives,” students who never knew a world without home computers and the Internet. SRJC librarians Alicia Virtue and Loretta Esparza created the online gallery to better engage students with the library’s extensive collection of fine art, all done by current or former faculty members.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/lifestyle/2919598-181/learning-about-art-via-smartphone

by Julie Greene, Herald Mail Media

Washington County Public Schools is adopting an online adaptive learning program that could be available to all county elementary schools by the end of this month, according to a school system official. Students will be able to access it from home and at school, with the program providing data to teachers to help them determine which skills students need more help with, said Matt Semler, director of elementary education and student services. The Washington County Board of Education voted 6-0 on Tuesday to approve its consent agenda, which included the $231,000 purchase of Stride Academy for one year from LTS Education Systems, of Birmingham, Ala. Board member Melissa Williams was absent from the meeting.

http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/local/online-learning-program-to-be-offered-to-elementary-students/article_55f7f516-5f27-586a-b71f-0fecd8a56a0f.html

by Lauren Landry, Bostinno

Massive open online course platform edX launched a class last Wednesday, called “Design and Development of Educational Technology.” Three members of MIT’s Education Arcade are spearheading the course, including Eric Klopfer, Scot Osterwell and Judy Perry, director, creative director and a research member, respectively. Together, the trio will help lifelong learners discover how other students learn, so they can better understand what it takes to create effective educational technologies. MIT’s Education Arcade is focused on developing novel technologies that bridge the gap between learning and fun, like using online gaming to teach science and math. The lab is only one of several moves MIT has made, however, to highlight its dedication to the future of education.

http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2014/10/09/edx-ed-tech-course-design-and-development-of-educational-technology-on-edx/

by Paul Prinsloo, University World News

Digital technologies and online learning environments permitting harvesting, analysis and use of student data is nothing new in higher education. They open up a number of opportunities and equally a number of perils – creating the need for higher education institutions to find ways to protect the harvested data. As more and more faculty and students embrace the affordances of digital technologies and online learning environments, data’s velocity, scope, variety and resolution have increased exponentially.

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20141009100401434

By Laura Devaney, eSchool News

Introducing coding to kindergarten students helps them reflect on their own learning as they develop 21st-century skills such as problem solving and creativity, experts say. Coding has emerged as one of the most popular learning trends in recent years, and when it comes to programming, young students are proving just as capable as older students. Studies suggest that engaging students in STEM and computer-based learning at an early age will help students retain their interest as those subjects become more challenging in high school and college, and it is this line of thinking that has prompted such early introductions to coding concepts. Teaching coding in kindergarten helps young students learn important creativity and problem-solving skills that will position them for success as they move through school, said Amanda Strawhacker, DevTech Research Group lab manager and research scientist on the ScratchJr Project at Tufts University, during an edWeb webinar on kindergarten coding.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/10/10/coding-in-kindergarten-653/