Techno-News Blog

By Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

One of the biggest perks to including mobile devices in the classroom is also one of the most basic—conducting research with the touch of a finger. And outside of downloading Google’s search app, many apps cater intuitively to finding articles and annotation sources, which is helpful for any student, educator or librarian. From showing examples of how to cite multimedia sources to being able to annotate any kind of document on a mobile device, and from creating customized online searches of scholarly publications to being able to log into your computer files from your phone, these apps are a plus for anyone interested in conducting meaningful research.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/best-apps-research-337/

by Kristine Guerra, Indianapolis Star

The Internet is bringing an end to snow days for some Indiana schoolchildren. Northwestern Consolidated Schools in Shelby County is among 29 public school systems and eight private schools that have received approval from the Indiana Department of Education to use a virtual learning option on days when students have to stay home from school due to inclement weather. On those days, Northwestern students at Triton Central, Triton Middle and Triton Elementary schools will use their school-issued iPads and Chromebooks to do their homework, work through lessons and communicate with their teachers.

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2014/11/28/schools-avoid-snow-days-learning/19619607/

Massive open online courses, first envisioned as a way to democratize higher education, have made their way into high schools, but Washington is powerless to stop the flood of personal data about teenage students from flowing to private companies, thanks to loopholes in federal privacy laws. But when middle and high school students participate in classes with names like “Mars: The Next Frontier” or “The Road to Selective College Admissions,” they may be unwittingly transmitting into private hands a torrent of data about their academic strengths and weaknesses, their learning styles and thought processes — even the way they approach challenges. They may also be handing over birth dates, addresses and even drivers license information.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/online-education-run-amok-113208.html

by Dan Walters, DT San Diego

Were it just about money, it could be resolved easily, as are other budgetary issues. Those involved would work out a compromise. Occasionally, this perennial friction erupts into open conflict — basically over who’s really in charge — and this is one of those occasions. During his first governorship four decades ago, Brown suggested that college professors should be content with “psychic income” rather than pressing for higher salaries, which reverberated through academe. Brown 2.0 has been even tighter with a public buck and pressed both UC and the state university system to become more efficient by adopting new technology, such as online learning. “We are going to have to restrain this (UC) system in many, many of its elements,” Brown said in 2012, “and this will come with great resistance.”

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/nov/28/dan-walters-uc-brown-budget/

by Pete Cannell, the Scotsman

We are in the midst of a digital revolution. Anyone with a suitable device and access to the internet has a vast range of information at their fingertips. At the same time mobile technology has opened up new channels of communication, through social media. All this has happened in less than two decades. What does this mean for education, and in particular, for adult education and lifelong learning?

http://www.scotsman.com/news/digital-learning-revolution-underway-1-3617060

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Don’t be so sure that you pay sufficient attention to messages delivered by your computer warning you about unsafe surfing activities. An experiment at Brigham Young University in Provo found that users “routinely ignore security warnings.” One reason we do that is because we tend to get “habituated” to certain common messages on the screen and overlook them to our peril. Researchers Bonnie Anderson, Brock Kirwan and Anthony Vance conducted the project to explore how people deal with online security risks. While users declared that they “care” about keeping their computers secure, their behavior suggests otherwise.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/11/20/research-people-ignore-security-warnings-through-habit.aspx

By: Al-Monitor, US News

With the explosion of online programs in recent years, distance education is becoming an increasingly attractive proposition for many would-be undergraduates in the Arab region, especially those who have jobs or families to take care of. Broadly speaking, the Arab world offers three main types of online education. The first is the virtual model, where courses are taught entirely online. Such programs have taken off in recent years as instability has rocked many Arab countries. Online learning has also proven particularly attractive for women, especially in more conservative Arab nations, because it allows them to pursue their education while continuing to maintain the home. In Saudi Arabia, where women aren’t allowed to drive, online programs eliminate additional expenses, such as having to hire a car service to get to class.

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-arab-region-universities/articles/2014/11/25/online-programs-offer-new-opportunities-for-arab-students

By Keith Button, Education Dive

As the debate continues over the value and purpose of massive open online courses — and whether they will become as revolutionary as they were originally touted to be — colleges and universities are examining their own MOOC efforts. Several higher education institutions that recently launched MOOCs are reviewing their successes, failures, and costs. Many are either launching new rounds of free online courses or considering new MOOCs, largely for their perceived promotional benefit — and perhaps even for credit. Here’s a look at what 6 institutions have done with MOOCs, and what they are planning or considering for their next steps.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/how-6-higher-ed-institutions-are-continuing-to-approach-moocs/336895/

by ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)

• 70 per cent of business school respondents agree or strongly agree that “technological innovation will bring new entrants to the business education market”

• Just over 90 per cent said “technology will promote the growth of new business models for business education.”

• 90 per cent agree that “business schools will develop flexible degrees that allow students to mix study and work

• 75 per cent agree that business schools will develop new products to help younger and older workers who no or only limited experience of higher education.

• Only 50 per cent of employers are aware of MOOCs, but 70 per cent agree that “more training and development in our organization will be delivered online in the next five years.”

http://www.accaglobal.com/za/en/discover/news/2014/11/business-education.html

By Tom Daccord, eSchool News

Putting iPads in the service of learning, in our view, means putting technology in the service of preparing students to solve unstructured problems and communicate persuasively and with deep understanding. That’s our vision of what great schools do. As we approach the challenge of creating powerful learning environments with iPads, we use five bedrock principles to keep us grounded:

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/11/26/5-tips-ipads-023/