Techno-News Blog

June 16, 2015

Adult learning in the computer age: Teaching makes transformation in the online world

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by MARTIN VAN DEN HEMEL, Richmond Review

For adult learners eager to rechart their career path, or simply wanting to bolster their resumes, the learning options are virtually endless. From the continuing education offerings by the Richmond School District, to the Third Age Learning program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University—where quizzes/grades/prerequisites are shunned in favour of discussion/humour/insight—the way people are accessing information and knowledge is different from even a decade ago. “For people interested in learning new things, there are more options than ever,” Michael Khoo, head of the Richmond School District’s continuing education program, said. The Richmond School District is gradually phasing out face-to-face teaching in its adult continuing education program, offering instead six-week online courses that begin every month and start at $119, and are monitored by an instructor who is available to answer questions and guide students along.

http://www.richmondreview.com/community/local-community/adult-learning-in-the-computer-age-1.1957979

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Smart Poor Kids Are Less Likely to Graduate From College Than Middling Rich Kids

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By Jordan Weissmann, Slate

In case you needed a reminder that the deck is stacked against poor kids in this country, University of Michigan professor Susan Dynarski has offered a simple and grim illustration of that fact at the New York Times. In 2002, the Department of Education began tracking a large, nationally representative group of high school sophomores, whom it tested for math and reading skills. Ten years later, the agency found a troubling, though not exactly surprising, pattern. At every level of academic ability, the low-income students were less likely to finish college than their wealthier peers. Yet more depressing: Exceptionally smart poor kids, whose math scores ranked them among the top quarter of the study’s participants, were no more likely to attain a bachelor’s degree than scholastically middling rich kids.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2015/06/02/college_graduation_rates_for_low_income_students_why_poor_kids_drop_out.html

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6 Telltale Signs of Disruptive Innovation

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by Rhea Kelly, CampusTechnology

In her keynote address at the CT Forum conference in April, Michelle Weise, senior research fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, offered an insightful analysis of disruptive innovation — perhaps one of the most-used and least-understood buzzwords in higher education today. Weise gave an overview of what the term means and how it has played out in higher ed and other industries, but at the core of her talk were six defining characteristics of disruptive innovations — telltale signs worth posting on the wall of every IT leader’s office

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/06/02/6-telltale-signs-of-disruptive-innovation.aspx

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June 15, 2015

Thrun sees nanodegrees as key to ed democratization

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By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

Udacity founder Sebastian Thrun sees his short, online “nanodegree” programs bringing higher education into the 21st century. The Next Web reports that nanodegrees are designed to take six to nine months to finish and cost a flat $200 per month, with coursework completable at any time and graded on demand. A new nanodegree announced last week in partnership with Google teaches advanced skills to Android developers, and Thrun told TNW that it will definitely leave students ready for hire.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/thrun-sees-nanodegrees-as-key-to-ed-democratization/400229/

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Students weigh benefits of online summer courses

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By Jessica Steeley, State News

Although MSU is more relaxed in the summer, there are still professors teaching on campus and students doing homework and going to class. “One of the biggest differences with the summer course is it’s only seven weeks, opposed to 15 weeks in the other semesters, so everything is rushed,” doctoral student Julie Bell said. Computer science junior Alex Lambert agrees accelerated summer classes are tough; even though he’s only taking six credits, it can seem like 12. He said he does better in fall and spring classes as opposed to summer classes. However, Lambert takes them because it will allow him to graduate in three-and-a-half years and give him an easier senior year. “I’d rather take classes now, and then have an easier senior year, than have 20 credits senior year,” Lambert said.

http://statenews.com/article/2015/06/students-weigh-benefits-of-online-summer-courses

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3 Key Trends in Campus AV Technology

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By Dennis Pierce, Campus Technology

In colleges and universities from coast to coast, classroom learning environments are becoming more active and collaborative. Students are contributing to discussions and presentations, and the days of the “sage on the stage” are waning. This development is having a profound effect on the deployment of audiovisual technology in education. “Classroom AV technology plays a big part in facilitating active learning environments,” said Mike Tomei, an independent audiovisual consultant who designs and installs AV systems for classrooms. Makers of AV equipment have responded in kind, developing new products that support more active and collaborative learning. Here are three key trends that illustrate this concept.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/06/03/3-key-trends-in-campus-av-technology.aspx

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June 14, 2015

Is your institution under Chinese cyberattack?

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By Andrew Barbour, eCampus News

A recent cyberattack at Penn State by Chinese hackers may be part of a much broader attempt to steal intellectual property at universities nationwide. In May, the College of Engineering at Penn State shut down its network for several days in response to a cyberattack, making it the latest in a long line of higher education institutions to suffer network breaches in recent years. But this particular attack may not be over. In fact, the Penn State incident is likely just the tip of an ongoing espionage effort to infiltrate similar schools nationwide, according to Ken Westin, senior security analyst at Tripwire, an Oregon-based cybersecurity company.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/cyberattack-education-penn-176/

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Could this overlooked component be the key to MOOC engagement?

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by Meris Stansbury, eCampus News
Researchers say formative assessment plays a critical role in student retention. Analyzing over 4,000 student comments and reviews of the 7 most active and highly-rated MOOCs, researchers say formative and peer assessment strategies in relation to MOOCs directly affect student engagement. According to researchers at the Open University of Catalonia (OUC), Spain, research on student engagement in MOOCs exists for non-didactic factors (profiles, demographics, institutional reputation) and didactic factors (course structure and content, workload and duration, type of exams and assessments), but little research has been conducted to determine whether different types of assessment (formative, non-formative, peer and self-assessment) or different student feedback approaches actually affect student engagement.
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A Case for Accessible, Usable and Universal Design for Learning

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by Romy Ruukel, Inside Higher Ed

Issues of learning technologies and accessibility are more of a hot topic in our field than usual these days. Universal design is not a substitute or synonym for ADA standards or ideas of barrier-free design. Rather, it is a broader concept for the design of products and environments so that they can be used by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialization. Sidewalks with curb cuts, ramps to buildings, and doors that automatically open when a person moves near them are examples of universally designed products in the physical environment. They benefit a variety of people. Usability further refers to learnability (ease with which users learn to operate a product and remember how to do so when returning to it at a later time); instructional consistency (such as clear and consistent labeling); and efficient effectiveness (the amount of effort it takes to complete a goal).

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-beta/case-accessible-usable-and-universal-design-learning

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June 13, 2015

From Accommodations to Accessibility: Creating Learning Environments That Work for All

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by Luis Perez, EDUCAUSE Review

In the next stage of the A3 model, Accessibility, the focus shifts from addressing the needs of a single student to creating a learning environment that works for all learners. One way to move an institution into this phase is to make sure that instructional design incorporates Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. UDL is a framework for inclusive education that places the burden for accessibility on the curriculum rather than on students. Although a full exploration of the UDL framework is beyond the scope of this article, a number of resources from the Center for Applied Special Education (CAST) are available for any faculty or staff members who want to learn more. UDL was inspired by the universal design movement in architecture, but in its current incarnation, it owes more to neuroscience insights about the nature of learning and learners. UDL is based on the idea that learners show a great deal of variability in what engages them in learning, in how they perceive and process information, and in how they are able to interact with the learning environment and demonstrate their learning.

http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/accommodations-accessibility-creating-learning-environments-work-all

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Benchmarking to Inform Planning: The EDUCAUSE Core Data Service

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by Leah Lang, EDUCAUSE Review

To run their institutions efficiently and effectively, leaders at today’s colleges and universities must have a clear understanding of their own financial, staffing, and operational status. This information is critical to making informed decisions and optimizing the impact of information technology. Leaders can enhance their decision making by evaluating their financial, staffing, and operational status against comparable information for peers, aspirant peers, or even their own institution. For example, a metric on total central IT spending per institutional FTE (students, faculty, and staff) can be used to estimate the amount of IT support that individuals at an institution receive. Benchmarking this metric against peer institutions or an institution’s past performance can help leaders make the case for additional resources.

http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/benchmarking-inform-planning-educause-core-data-service

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3 ways employers can engage millennials at work

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by Alan Todd, Carsten Sudhoff; Fortune

In order to keep up with this coming transformation in our world of work, companies can evolve their corporate learning programs in three ways to better engage and equip millennial employees. Employers need to provide ongoing, online learning that is engaging and valuable to this new workforce. Millennial employees are “screenagers,” born and raised online. These digital natives value meaningful online experiences—experiences that many Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) cannot offer through a filmed lecture. Instead, employers should be looking at how an online learning platform can facilitate expert-led, problem-specific learning rather than static, dry lectures or lessons. Technology matters in today’s world and workplace—millennials are 2.5 times more likely to be early adopters of technology than are older generations, and they also stand out when it comes to producing and uploading online content. Organizations must take note of this and embrace the opportunity.

http://fortune.com/2015/06/02/3-ways-employers-can-engage-millennials-at-work/

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June 12, 2015

The Linux Foundation Offers Course for SysAdmins on EdX

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by the Linux Foundation

This is the second course from The Linux Foundation on EdX.  The Linux Foundation partnership with edX platform is expanding, and users will now get the Essentials of Linux Systems Administration (LFS201) online course, which should help prepare the SysAdmins of tomorrow. These courses are provided in different ways, but now they are also available on EdX, which is a nonprofit online learning platform launched in 2012 by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The fact that you take these targeted Linux courses online makes all the difference in the world.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Linux-Foundation-Offers-Course-for-SysAdmins-on-EdX-483192.shtml

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6 Keys for Using Social Media—and Achieving Success With Formal Learning

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by ATD

social mediaThe simple creation of content and access to platforms will not ensure success with social media for learning. You will need to spend some time getting ready, linking the tools to other learning moments, and measuring your online success. When choosing a social media tool, those that are accessible and familiar to participants should take preference. If this is not the case, you must spend more time preparing for the learning process by selecting the ideal platform. Before you ask people to use the tools, you need to be sure they are working well. For smaller initiatives, you may be inclined to just see what happens, but failure will still lead to all-around demotivation. If tools and processes are new for learners, some education on their use may be required. Be sure to mention early any tools that will be used, describing expectations and the perceived benefits of the approach. In initial communications, include links that allow direct access without learners having to search for the tool themselves.

https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/Learning-Technologies-Blog/2015/06/6-Keys-for-Using-Social-Media

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An Increasingly Popular Job Perk: Online Education

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by Mary Ellen McIntire, Chronicle of Higher Ed

The announcement is one of several recent deals between a college and a corporation that will expand higher-education opportunities for employees at no or reduced cost, following a high-profile deal, announced last year, between Starbucks and Arizona State University. On Monday, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced a similar arrangement with Strayer University. Max Woolf, a senior analyst at Eduventures who has written about corporate partnerships in higher education, said that big-name partnerships announced in the past year had broken the ice for other companies to seek similar deals.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/an-increasingly-popular-job-perk-online-education/56771

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June 11, 2015

Do Learning Management Systems Actually Improve K-12 Outcomes?

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by Eric Horowitz, Edsurge

Learning management systems are big business, with a market size estimated to approach $8 billion by 2018. Many popular systems, like Blackboard, Joomla and PowerSchool, offer case studies highlighting the remarkable improvements made by individual institutions. Yet the gusto of these pronouncements can’t cover up the fact that there is a lack of scientifically rigorous investigations into whether these systems are actually effective.

https://www.edsurge.com/n/2015-06-01-do-learning-management-systems-actually-improve-k-12-outcomes

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U.S. Education Department To Fund $1.6 Million Study On Virtual Schooling Effectiveness

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by iSchool Guide

The U.S Department of Education is funding a study concerning the effectiveness of online courses in Florida, in response to a previous research that showed virtual schooling are not working at community colleges. The $1.6 million study will take place in a span of three years. The U.S Department of Education is investing $1.6 million in a three-year study that would determine the effectiveness of online courses in Florida. The decision comes after a previous study, presented at the annual American Educational Research Association conference in Chicago last month, which showed online classes are not working at community colleges in California.

http://www.ischoolguide.com/articles/13368/20150602/u-s-fund-1-6-million.htm

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Udemy Raises $65M in Quest to Grow Online Learning Marketplace Across the World

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by Tony Wan, Edsurge

The world is Udemy’s oyster, and the San Francisco, CA-based company is looking to grow its online learning marketplace across the globe, fueled by a $65 million Series D round. Two-thirds of Udemy’s seven million students come from outside the US. Yang says the first priority with the new funds is to continue expanding its international footprint: “We are looking to bring the marketplace model to local instructors around the world.” Earlier this March, Udemy partnered with one of Japan’s largest educational publishers, Bennese, to host over 100 Japanese-language courses. The percentage kept by instructors, however, is a determined by different variables, according to Yang. Instructors receive:

97% of the course fee if instructors bring a new student to Udemy

50% if the student is an existing Udemy user

25% if the student comes through Udemy’s affiliate program

https://www.edsurge.com/n/2015-06-02-udemy-raises-65m-in-quest-to-grow-online-learning-marketplace-across-the-world

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June 10, 2015

Online Learning: Bending the Cost Curve in Higher Education?

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by Gabriel Sanchez-Zinny, Huffington Post

Higher education is becoming a must to succeed in the 21st century labor market. Research has shown that not only do individuals with higher degrees – from community colleges, technical training programs, or traditional universities – make hundreds of thousands more in salary over their working lives, but also enjoy greater social mobility, longer life expectancy, and myriad other benefits. But despite this clear consensus, extended education is still scarce in emerging economies like those of Latin America. And in more developed countries the costs – and associated debt – are skyrocketing. As a new paper from a group of researchers led by Harvard’s Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz argues, “The earnings premium associated with additional education in the United States has risen markedly since 1980, suggesting that the supply of education labor has not kept pace with demand.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gabriel-sanchez-zinny/online-learning-bending-the-cost-curve-in-higher-education_b_7479224.html

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Illinois Teachers Learn To Use Raspberry Pi in the Classroom

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By Michael Hart, THE Journal

The small computers that cost less than $50 a piece are the product of a United Kingdom-based nonprofit devoted to helping students understand and use computer science.By the end of the summer, hundreds of Illinois teachers should be prepared to use the Raspberry Pi in their classrooms. A new program sponsored by the Illinois IT Learning Exchange has already led a workshop for 80 teachers from 39 schools this spring to introduce them to the inexpensive, credit card-sized computer created by a United Kingdom-based nonprofit to help students understand and use computer science. The Illinois IT Learning Exchange is offering the workshops in conjunction with the Creating IT Futures Foundation, the philanthropic arm of CompTIA.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/05/28/illinois-teachers-learn-to-use-raspberry-pi-in-the-classroom.aspx

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U Montana Speeds Research with Internet2 100 Gbps Connection

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By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

The University of Montana has revved up its research network with a new 100 Gbps fiber connection to the Internet2 Network. Clocking in at times faster than the school’s previous connection, the ultra-high-speed capability will advance UM’s research efforts as well as support education, research and healthcare institutions across the state. “The Internet2 Network connection provides great support to our researchers who collaborate with colleagues both nationally and internationally and, in particular, for those involved in big data initiatives and their entrepreneurial activities,” said Scott Whittenburg, vice president for research at UM, in a press release.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/05/28/u-montana-speeds-research-with-internet2-100-gbps-connection.aspx

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