Techno-News Blog

by Annie Chang, WSBT

For the Springman family in Osceola, Mom is the teacher today. The classroom is the kitchen table. And the teaching assistant is a very vocal terrier. Cora Springman and her children, first-grader Riley and kindergartener Nick, are tackling the coursework assigned for eLearning Snow Day 1. Cora says Riley got 17 pages of homework, Nick got 11. “Just looking at it, it seems like quite a bit of work,” Cora says. “Knowing what they bring home in a day, paper work, this does seem a full day of school work to me.” The eLearning is meant to take up at least five hours for K-5, six hours for 6-12 graders. Cora works full time, but took the day off so she could help the kids get the homework done right away.

http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/phm-replaces-snow-day-with-elearning-how-did-it-go/30620262

by Nelson Garcia, KUSA

One of the people at the 109th annual National Western Stock Show is a Denver student who does not always spend a lot of time in Denver. “I was working on a ranch at the time that school started and I didn’t want to go back to public school,” Jacob Leyba, 16 years old, said. Leyba did enroll in public school. He signed up for Denver Online High School to take classes on his own schedule and location. He was working on a ranch near Steamboat Springs. “The flexibility is what makes ranchers successful,” Leyba said.

http://www.9news.com/story/news/education/2015/01/10/rancher-takes-advantage-online-school/21582635/

By Eleanor Goldberg, Huffington Post

After realizing the overwhelming need at schools — and how costly and ineffective book drives are — Tanyella Evans and Rebecca McDonald founded Library for All, a digital literacy platform. Established in 2012, the New York-based group stocks struggling schools with cloud-based digital libraries that are suitable for grades K-12. The organization raised more than $100,000 through a Kickstarter campaign in 2013 to build and pilot the program in Haiti where only 49 percent of the population is literate and less than 15 percent of schools have libraries. Library for All debuted its program at Respire Haiti, a Port-au-Prince school that services 530 students. A majority of them are former child slaves.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/06/library-for-all_n_6418388.html

by John Robertson, Christian Today

A retired high school principal and former business owner have spoken of their lucrative new lives as e-book writers. The former has found her niche in the romance genre, while Sydney resident, Angela Vassallo, is riding the success of a book based on her personal experiences with marriage and parenthood. Annie Seaton told the Brisbane Times on Friday that prior to her retirement from the education sector she had always wanted to pen a romance novel. Although she received a rejection letter for her first effort, she was concurrently placed on Amazon’s best-selling e-books chart. Her first book, “Winter of the Passion Flower”, led to offers from five e-publishing outlets.

http://www.christiantoday.com.au/article/australians.learning.the.financial.powe

by Shelly Palmer Blog

I loved CES this year. Everything about it was interesting, awesome and inspiring, except… the traffic, the shuttle queues and the cab lines. Here’s a quick, very short list of things that got my undivided attention this year.

http://www.shellypalmer.com/spb/2015/1/11/ces-2015-wrap-up

by Dara Kerr, CNet

The Menlo Park, Calif.-based e-learning site offers more than 10,000 curated short-form, interactive videos taught by 1,000 teachers on a variety of esoteric topics, ranging from macrame to triathlon training to calculus to the martial arts. That approach puts Curious.com in the middle of the online-learning spectrum: between YouTube — with its ocean of video tutorials that may (or may not) teach something useful — and more formal, classroomlike sites such as Lynda.com and Coursera that focus on academic or professional topics. The so-called e-learning market is experiencing a boom as people find new ways to cram learning into their already full days. Worldwide revenues in the field are forecast to hit $51.5 billion by 2016, according to a March 2014 study by Docebo (PDF), which builds e-learning management systems for businesses.

http://www.cnet.com/news/curious-much-this-e-learning-site-may-have-the-answer/

by Michael Scharnoff, eCampus News

East coast and Midwest public universities dominate in best online bachelor programs rankings. Online education is appealing for its approach to teaching, flexibility, and cost. This phenomenon can be expected to grow. In 2013, the number of students taking at least one online course increased by over 411,000 to a new total of 7.1 million, according to a study by Babson Survey Research Group. Interested in capitalizing on all the benefits online learning has to offer, but unsure which program is best? You’re in luck, because U.S. News & World Report has released the Best Online Program Rankings in 2015. These rankings, accessible on both USNews.com and USNewsUniversityDirectory.com, includes more than 1,000 programs–an increase of more than 20 percent from last year, according to a USNewsUniversityDirectory.com press release.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/online-program-rankings-245/

by Andrew Marcinek, Edutopia

Once you’ve started sketching out your instructional design, you can begin seeking out resources for content. Since I first started writing about open educational resources a few years ago, there has been a flood of new sources that educators can seek out for content. But more doesn’t always mean quality. I have never been one to suggest 300 apps for the iPad, or 378 Chromebook extensions for the classroom. Rather, find one or two apps or resources that work best for you, become an expert with them, and focus on student learning rather than app harvesting. Below you will find two sources that I have used personally and recommended over the past four years. Both iTunesU and OER Commons are well-respected OER sites, and both offer a wealth of vetted, credible information that can be integrated into your instruction.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/open-educational-resources-instructional-design-andrew-marcinek

By Edudemic

After testing the app for three weeks and weighing online feedback from other educators, I can recommend Subtext as the best collaborative digital reading app for iPads. Relative to its competitors, Subtext has a more expansive in-app library and offers the widest array of features for teachers and students. With Subtext, educators can leverage technology to encourage students to read closely and critically and to engage with literature at a deep level. Because of its myriad built-in tools to enhance digital content, Subtext stands out from the competition. Read on to learn more about the app’s capabilities and what makes it the preferred e-reading educational tool

http://www.edudemic.com/subtext-for-sharpening-and-expanding-language-arts-skills/

by Jack McNeel, Indian Country

Washington State University is now offering an online program in American Indian Studies that leads to certification. This will provide an opportunity for those living away from campus to expand their education and enhance their opportunities for future employment. Michael Holloman, Colville/Coeur d’Alene, heads up the American Indian Studies program at WSU. He talked of the advantages in having an online certification program, not only for Native people but also for others who work with reservations and tribes in a variety of ways.

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/01/09/wsu-brings-classroom-students-online-certification-american-indian-studies-158617

By MIKE BUNDRANT, NLP

In a recent voluntary survey on willpower, 85% of participants reported an increase in willpower through a free, 5-day online willpower boot camp conducted via email. As of this writing, 121 people have participated in the online willpower course. Updates may be posted at intervals as more data is acquired from future participants. Participants registered for the course on a voluntary basis and paid no fee. For five consecutive days, participants received an email that asked them to report their results. A final survey delivered the results show below.

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/nlp/2015/01/increase-in-willpower-survey-results/

BY KATHLEEN J. SULLIVAN, Stanford

After a team of Stanford writing instructors created storyboards for an online class to teach writing skills to high school and college students, they turned to a team of Stanford undergraduates to bring their stories to life as a graphic novel. Adventures in Writing, a non-credit course, was made available to the public starting Jan. 12 through Stanford Online. The course is aimed primarily at 16- and 17-year olds through age 20.

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/january/writing-adventures-illustrated-010815.html

By: Lauren Coffey, University of Iowa

College officials are discussing how far online courses can go after a few football players at Mt. San Antonio community college were found to be taking an online math course that was known to be an easy way to boost their GPAs. “I love online classes, I don’t think there’s any problem with them when they’re done correctly,” Matthew Judd says, dean of natural sciences at San Antonio College. “…the biggest issue students have is the perception that these classes are easier. There’s the issue of student preparedness. When students aren’t studying there becomes a potential issue of academic fraud.”

http://college.usatoday.com/2015/01/08/online-courses-are-here-to-stay/

by Devon Haynie, US News

Asynchronous learning, or self-paced learning, can also be great for students who may feel more comfortable using the written word than speaking in class, says Vickie S. Cook, director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois—Springfield. “It gives you a more level playing field – even the thoughtful, introverted student can really take time to think about a response,” she says. In addition, she says, asynchronous learning gives struggling students the chance to review information or move at a slower pace, while also allowing advanced students to zip through the material. While asynchronous learning has its benefits, some believe live, online sessions provide the best education.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2015/01/09/decide-between-live-self-paced-online-classes

by Shelly Palmer

Technological advancements always empower people to behave differently – what makes today different is that the rate of technological advancement is accelerating beyond our capacity, perhaps even our ability, to react – and this… is new. On demand is not new… ask anyone who has ever cared for an infant. What is new is the speed with which the technological infrastructure to deliver almost everything you could ask for on demand is evolving – albeit heterogeneously. The white space is obvious and the trend is clear: What’s next?….. (ed note: “on demand learning!)

http://www.shellypalmer.com/spb/2015/1/1/2015-the-year-of-on-demand

by Shelly Palmer

You won’t find a journalist alive who covers the annual Consumer Electronics Show and doesn’t find it a miserable experience. You’re basically trapped in the bowels of Las Vegas casinos, staring at 200 identical TVs and trying to distinguish the difference. But it’s all almost worth it. Because every year, a few standout products pave the way for an entire industry of innovation. These are nine artifacts, seemingly sent back from the future to show us what’s coming next.

http://www.shellypalmer.com/2014/2015/1/8/the-9-best-ideas-from-ces-2015

by Harvard Gazette

If your New Year’s resolution involves learning more about Einstein or the history of the blues, you’re in luck! Harvard’s Online Learning gateway houses all of the University’s open online learning opportunities under one roof for the first time, and anyone can access the breadth and depth of Harvard’s learning content. Featuring both free courses and courses for credit, the platform also offers museum collections, lectures, podcasts, and popular programs such as “CopyrightX” and Michael Sandel’s “Justice.”  “With the site, we have created a path for Harvard faculty to showcase their incredible teaching, for schools to highlight a single course or a full degree program, and for learners, in particular alumni, to dive deep into any subject imaginable,” said Peter Bol, vice provost for advances in learning and Charles H. Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations.

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/01/a-breadth-of-learning/

By Leila Meyer, THE Journal

The school implemented computer-assisted learning for the Learning Lab several years ago, and last year the school’s graduation rate increased 11 percentage points. “The reason for the increase is because this class from last year was the first year that we had the Learning Lab all four years,” said Sills. But despite the success of the Learning Lab, Sills and Lavallee were no longer satisfied with the software they were using for computer-assisted learning. “At the time they were good, four or five years ago, but as anything evolves, they did not evolve in the way that we needed it to,” said Lavallee. In particular, the school’s curriculum supervisors said they weren’t satisfied with the academic rigor of the program.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/01/07/using-online-learning-to-support-at-risk-students.aspx

By Leila Meyer, Campus Technology

Stanford University has wrapped its inaugural session of Literature and Social Online Learning, a new, interdisciplinary class that brings together students from computer science and the humanities to collaborate on literature technology projects. Students in the course work individually and in interdisciplinary teams to “study, develop and test new digital methods, games, apps, interactive social media uses to innovate how the humanities can engage and educate students and the public today,” according to the course description on Stanford’s site. The course aims to help students learn to communicate across disciplines, rethink literature education and develop new ideas for using technology in the classroom. The course also introduces project-based learning — where students work to solve a problem or build a product — to the humanities. While project-based learning is common in computer science classes, it’s unusual in the humanities, but “students found the model motivating and exciting,” according to a news release from Stanford.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/01/07/stanford-launches-literature-and-social-online-learning-class.aspx

BY IAN P. BEACOCK, Stanford

Students from computer science and the humanities join forces to create literary websites and mobile apps, combining their strengths to launch literature into the 21st century. Although inspired by Stanford’s new CS+X initiative – which allows students to study computer science in parallel with the humanities for a joint major degree – this course goes one step further, asking students from the two disciplines to collaborate on projects that unite technology and literature. The class looks and feels a lot like a start-up incubator in overdrive. In the space of only 10 weeks, students have gone from brainstorming to beta testing and publicly releasing their creations.

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/january/humanities-cs-class-010515.html

by Knowledge@Wharton

Just two years ago, massive open online courses (MOOCs) were all the rage. They were garnering lots of media attention and The New York Times called 2012 “the year of the MOOC.” Today, though the hype has died down, the world’s largest provider of MOOCs – Coursera – keeps on innovating and developing its online platform to serve millions of learners. Coursera co-founder Daphne Koller, whom Knowledge@Wharton interviewed in November 2012, returned to campus recently to speak about her progress since launching her company 2.5 years ago, and she gives her predictions for what the MOOC landscape will look like in the future. In her interview, Koller also provides an update on how Coursera is staying afloat even though the vast majority of students don’t pay a penny for their education.

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/moocs-making-progress-hype-died/