Techno-News Blog

by Andrew Miller, Edutopia

Project-based learning (PBL) naturally lends itself to differentiated instruction. By design, it is student-centered, student-driven, and gives space for teachers to meet the needs of students in a variety of ways. PBL can allow for effective differentiation in assessment as well as daily management and instruction. PBL experts will tell you this, but I often hear teachers ask for real examples, specifics to help them contextualize what it “looks like” in the classroom. We all need to try out specific ideas and strategies to get our brains working in a different context. Here are some specific differentiation strategies to use during a PBL project.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-strategies-pbl-andrew-miller

by Oregon State University

Oregon State University is increasing its commitment to online education with a new research unit to focus on online teaching and learning at OSU and across the nation. The OSU Extended Campus Research Unit is designed to create an accessible and inclusive online learning environment for these types of programs. Last month it received its first national grant and named eight OSU faculty members as its inaugural research fellows. “At this stage in higher education, research about online education still has a lot of gaps,” said Extended Campus research director Katie Linder. “There are many questions remaining about different technologies and how they impact student learning. The goal of these new initiatives is to ignite some excitement among faculty in a more collaborative fashion and answer those questions.”

http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2016/jan/osu-opens-research-unit-online-teaching-learning

BY LAURA DEVANEY, eSchool News

Many educators turn to online and blended learning solutions to offer alternative solutions for at-risk students. The most important attribute of a successful online or blended learning program is a “rigorous and engaging curriculum,” according to participants in a recent study. The fourth annual Fuel Education (FuelEd) Benchmark Study, conducted by MDR’s EdNET Insight, also sheds light on why districts are turning to online and blended learning programs, their implementation best practices, and how they measure quality of an online program. Those surveyed also said successful online and blended programs need the following:

presence of student progress tracking and reporting tools

measurement of student progress with initial and ongoing assessments

instructors who are well-trained in delivering online courses

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2016/01/08/top-4-must-haves-for-online-blended-learning/

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

If the unbundling of higher education were like the unbundling of a cable package, most TV viewers would relinquish the Golf Channel and QVC, and so might just as many students give up ample office hours, support from IT, the library, athletics and on-campus social activities in return for a big reduction in tuition and fees. According to Ryan Craig, in his 2015 book, College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education, “Bundling transfers consumer surplus to producers.” Cable operators “inordinately” benefit from selling cable bundles to customers, whereas unbundling returns that surplus to the consumer — in the case of higher ed, the student. But the concept goes beyond basic economic considerations. Students may one day find they don’t need a bachelor’s degree to become employable. When that day comes, the traditional four-year college experience could be considered as “old-fashioned and elitist” as a debutante ball.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/01/06/will-unbundling-kill-higher-ed-as-we-know-it.aspx

by Jack Groves, Times Higher Education

Universities are set to pilot a global credit transfer system that will allow students to use courses taken online to count towards their degrees. Six universities from Australia, Europe, Canada and the US are seeking to establish a new alliance in which each organisation’s massive open online courses (Moocs) are formally accredited by partner institutions. The proposed system – involving Delft University of Technology; ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich; the Australian National University; the University of Queensland; the University of British Columbia; and Boston University – is believed to be the first international initiative relating to online courses.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/moocs-international-credit-transfer-system-edges-closer

By Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

Compilation of case studies that describe use of MOOCs as part of blended learning provides insights into new potential for massive online courses. The verdict may still be out on the effectiveness of MOOCs on their own to improve learning outcomes and bring value to an institution, but could MOOCs have a more definitive positive impact in a blended or hybrid model; specifically, as incorporated in traditional, face-to-face courses? To try and help answer this question, Maria Joseph Israel, School of Education, University of San Francisco, reviewed five recent college and university experiments that used MOOCs in a blended format in traditional classroom settings, and synthesized the findings into challenges and opportunities presented by this MOOC integration.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/blended-learning-moocs-145/

By Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

Researchers at Boise State University say these 17 reports on models and frameworks for mobile learning could help design even better mLearning experiences. As mobile learning gains popularity throughout education, it can be hard to sift through case studies and research on effective models and frameworks for designing mobile learning experiences. Recently, however, researchers decided to list and categorize the most relevant ones.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/design-mobile-learning-836/

By Lisa Malat, eCampus News

Survey finds digital natives “Gen Z” set to reshape higher ed landscape with focus on careers, dependence on technology. In a recent study by Barnes & Noble College, 1,300 middle-school and high school students ages 13-18 from 49 different states shared their attitudes, preferences and expectations regarding their educational and learning experiences. The findings from the study are clear: Gen Z is significantly different than previous generations, and these students will bring both challenges and opportunities for the future of higher education.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/gen-z-education-274/

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

Most schools providing online or blended learning programs rely on their own district budgets for funding. The main reason they turn to this form of instruction is to offer an alternative to those students who aren’t succeeding in traditional formats. They consider the highest measure for the quality of their programs not to rest with proving student progress but with providing “engaging and highly interactive” curriculum.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/01/07/struggling-students-motivate-districts-to-add-online-blended-learning.aspx

By Leila Meyer, THE Journal

The annual tech-fest known as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is taking place Jan. 6- 9 in Las Vegas, and companies new and old have already unveiled their latest bells and whistles. Here are 10 newly introduced products with the most potential for the classroom.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/01/07/10-products-from-ces-that-will-impact-the-classroom.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

“It has been shown that in typical physics classes, students’ beliefs about their own learning deteriorate or at best stay the same. I want to reverse that result,” explained Calvin Kalman, principal researcher and a professor in the Department of Physics at Concordia University, in a press release about the project. “This study shows that if you combine a meta-cognitive activity with an interactive activity, students can better hone their thinking abilities for that course.” In this case students who were part of the experimental group were expected to engage in reflective writing, a meta-cognitive activity, before class in order to express in their own words what various textbook concepts meant, how they connected to concepts in other chapters and how they pertained to personal experiences. A control group of students performed summary writing, simply recapping what the textbook covered. Then when both groups came to class, they did collaborative work with fellow students and instructors in the lab.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/01/05/flipped-learning-improves-how-students-perceive-ability-to-learn-physics.aspx

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

A review of five case studies that examined the use of MOOCs in blended courses identifies a host of challenges and opportunities faculty and MOOC developers should consider for the burgeoning format. According to eCampus News, the meta study found MOOCs to have “substantial promise” as learning resources for traditional classrooms and as a way to give students exposure to more diverse teaching methods. Challenges include a lack of cohesion if MOOCs are not fully integrated into blended course designs, intellectual property rights issues if MOOCs are restricted by their creators, and lower student satisfaction in online portions of courses because of less interaction with faculty.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/study-explores-the-power-of-moocs-in-blended-learning/411696/

By Roger Riddell, Education Dive

From the tangible experiences of students and faculty to a campus’ much less-noticed “backend,” simple tech tools and developments can have a major and lasting impact on a college or university. No one is more familiar with this than the people working in an institution’s tech trenches, so to speak. With a number of issues and hurdles, promising developments, and ongoing trends in play, what does 2016 have in store for higher ed tech? One week into the new year, with institutions bracing for the beginning of winter/spring semesters, we reached out to five CIOs to get their opinions on all things higher ed tech.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/higher-ed-cios-share-campus-tech-predictions-for-2016/411552/

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

Ryan Craig, author of “College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education,” expects traditional degree programs won’t survive in the long-term at all but the most elite institutions. Campus Technology reports the evidence that the higher education market is getting closer to Craig’s prediction includes the rise of coding bootcamps, nanodegrees, and companies’ removal of academic qualifications from their job criteria. Craig expects LinkedIn will become central to a competency marketplace of sorts, where employers can verify skills of prospective employees and adults can tailor their education plans to their career needs.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/is-unbundling-higher-eds-next-big-disruption/411694/

By Rachel King, ZD Net

Certainly, there are select trends dominating conversations at the annual International CES. But most of them, from self-driving cars to smart cities, aren’t possible without the Internet of Things. And the Internet of Things isn’t possible without robust, global networking infrastructures, either. Ralph De la Vega: What we’re seeing is a remarkable transformation in business enabled by the innovation provided through smartphones, high-speed mobile broadband and the cloud. The software advances, just like the ones you saw at our hackathon here — it’s amazing what can be done with software today if you have mobile devices, mobile broadband and the cloud.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/ces-2016-at-t-mobile-chief-sees-internet-of-things-as-next-industrial-revolution/

BY YIWEI SUN, Daily Bruin

To improve its effectiveness, the UC Cross-Campus Enrollment can enact three changes. Firstly, it could introduce more courses to increase the diversity of classes offered. Secondly, it could improve the evaluation system to better account for the existing course units to so that more classes can fulfill major or general education requirement. Last, the online registration portal could also be streamlined for greater convenience. The UC has the advantage of having a few top-notch public schools in the system, and improving on the UC Cross-Campus Enrollment can allow students to benefit from the courses offered elsewhere and maximize the gain from limited resources.

http://dailybruin.com/2016/01/05/yiwei-sun-uc-online-course-program-should-enhance-variety-integration/

by Deb Adair, Evolllution

Those leading the innovative work in higher education, those far out in front, could benefit from a good public relations campaign to bridge this gap between the innovators and those educators in the skeptical majority. In my view, higher education has become more sophisticated in what it expects from the use of technology. It’s not about technology for technology’s sake — the next shiny object. Isn’t not about the use of technology primarily as a tool for mass communicating — to improve access. Instead, leaders are looking to technology for solutions to move from an industrialized, factory-model version of education delivery to a customized, personalized one, scaling the gold standard of the faculty-student exchange where educators provide learners the benefits of their expertise.

http://evolllution.com/attracting-students/customer_service/personalization-and-quality-assurance-will-be-central-to-higher-eds-shifts-in-2016/

by Kelly Walsh, University Business

Most campus leaders surveyed by UB expect tech spending to increase or stay the same. Most campus leaders surveyed by UB expect tech spending to increase or stay the same. Today’s rapidly evolving technology has higher education on the move, literally and figuratively. Mobile devices are powering a shift to more learning on the go, driving increased video consumption and requiring IT to fund ongoing bandwidth and infrastructure expansion. Tech is enabling big changes in how colleges deliver academic programs and grant credentials. Increased automation allows differentiated instruction at a level never before possible. With professors and students taking advantage of these opportunities, technology budgets in support of academic initiatives should grow in 2016.

http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/outlook-technology-learning-shifts-infrastructure-lifts

by Josh Kim, Inside Higher Ed

Admit that the LMS is now a commodity. (Phil Hill calls the LMS the minivan of education). Focus Blackboard’s platform and services on enabling systems, schools, faculty, and students to utilize learning data to make actionable (and evidence-based) changes. What I’m suggesting is a fundamental re-conception of Blackboard from a Learning Management System (LMS) to a Learning Management Analytics System (LMAS). This means a commitment to stop chasing both market share and the full ecosystem of learning platforms, and to focus all the energy on the integration of the traditional platform with the expansion of user-facing analytics.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/advice-blackboard%E2%80%99s-new-ceo

by eSchool News

Because of the need to make sure every student has 24-hour internet access, buses may play a significant role in Decatur City Schools’ (Ala.) plan to change how it delivers education. DCS technology director Kathy Rains said two schools will continue this month to pilot a program that turns buses into moving Wi-Fi hubs. “We’re having to be creative in our approach to make sure all our students can access the internet,” she said.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2016/01/05/alabama-district-puts-wi-fi-on-buses/