Techno-News Blog

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Edvocate

Virtual reality has been on the radar since Morton Heilig’s Sensorama in the 1950s, and head mounted versions of the technology were even around in the 1960s. But it wasn’t until recently that its use has become less of a novelty and more of a commonality. Console games and smartphone adapters have brought the potential of virtual reality into the lives of everyday people. And soon, that technology will enter the classroom. Now, the big question is how these emerging technologies will transform education as we know it. While that question might not be fully answered for some time, it is easy to see the potential.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/why-virtual-reality-has-the-potential-to-transform-education-as-we-know-it/

by Helen Lock, the Guardian

Online study is booming and technical innovation in the field has allowed universities to offer more unusual and specialist courses than ever before. So, if you fancy delving into the mysterious world of art crime, becoming a skilled food technologist, or even becoming a space scientist, you can – without even leaving the house. Donna Yates, who teaches the University of Glasgow’s online postgraduate certificate in antiquities trafficking and art crime, which launched in 2016, has been pleased with the format so far. “Online courses attract some amazing, high-quality and diverse students – students who can’t travel all the way to Glasgow but are totally engaged with the topic,” she says.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/jan/20/online-courses-your-passport-to-a-new-career

BY IVO PASCUCCI, eCampus News

From LMS to Facebook, and from streaming in class to proliferating devices, universities are coming up with new ways to satisfy the Millennials’ digital age. The proliferation of connected devices (Gartner predicts that 20 billion devices will be connected to the internet by 2020) is coming with a generation of people who will leverage the internet in novel ways. Already, online courses and web-based resources are an everyday option on campuses all over the country thanks to Millennials’ web needs. To handle this new digital paradigm, universities are coming up with new ways to leverage students’ expanding use of technology and adapt their networks to meet new demands.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/it-newsletter/universities-millennials-web-needs/

by Lou Pugliese, EDUCAUSE Review

The effective implementation and use of adaptive learning systems requires a broad, more inclusive conversation among institutions, vendors, and other stakeholders to realize the benefits of next-generation personalized learning. Adaptive systems have the potential to shift education in the service of students by providing a student-centric design. The student-centered capabilities these systems aspire to provide are vastly unlike the current models for traditional classroom support—models deeply rooted in student administration. The underlying data systems and transaction timing (e.g., gradebook, end-of-course exams) are radically different from the real-time, learner-specific data that forms the foundation of student-centered learning.

http://er.educause.edu/articles/2016/10/adaptive-learning-systems-surviving-the-storm

by Cade Metz, Wired

Neural networks are the machine learning models that identify faces in the photos posted to your Facebook news feed. They also recognize the questions you ask your Android phone, and they help run the Google search engine. Modeled loosely on the network of neurons in the human brain, these sweeping mathematical models learn all these things by analyzing vast troves of digital data. Google trains these neural networks by feeding them massive collections of existing translations. Some of this training data is flawed, including lower quality translations from previous versions of the Google Translate app. But it also includes translations from human experts, and this buoys the quality of the training data as a whole. That ability to overcome imperfection is part of deep learning’s apparent magic: given enough data, even if some is flawed, it can train to a level well beyond those flaws.

https://www.wired.com/2016/12/2016-year-deep-learning-took-internet/

by Gordon Wishon and John Rome, EDUCAUSE Review

An advanced analytics platform helps prepare your institution for the volume, variety, and velocity of data coming your way. Tremendous opportunities exist from using nontraditional data sources to find new ways to advance student success and institutional performance. The ability to deliver analytic services in the public cloud will force the rethinking of current or future on-premises solutions because of the potential flexibility and innovation offered. While data scientist is the hot new job title, the rest of the institution’s analytics workforce must develop and strengthen their skills and technology tools to engage, evaluate, and leverage these new, impending, and inevitable analytics platforms.

http://er.educause.edu/articles/2016/12/institutional-analytics-and-the-data-tsunami

by Matthew Lynch, the Edvocate

Currently, there is a call for a more affordable college education, which makes sense. It comes on the heels of a recession that undercut the value of a college education. Even those with a college degree were not immune to the financial hit that the economy took and those still paying off their student loans were often left without the very job they had always assumed would pay off their educational debts. A study by the Urban Institute found that almost 300,000 Americans with master’s degrees were on public relief, along with 30,000 with doctorates. The average debt of a college graduate is $35,200 and that can take decades to pay off.

http://www.theedadvocate.org/the-cost-of-college-what-happens-when-college-costs-spin-out-of-control/

By Matthew Lynch, The Tech Edvocate

Some of the biggest problems in education occur in the classroom and consequently, are issues that need to be sorted out by teachers. These issues broadly fall into two categories: student problems and parental problems. Did you know that EdTech can help to resolve many common in-classroom problems? No matter what type of problems you are facing in the classroom; EdTech can assist in the following ways.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/how-to-solve-6-of-the-biggest-classroom-problems-with-edtech/

By David Raths, Campus Technology

Rather than rely on a single LMS to manage all aspects of teaching and learning on its 17 campuses, the University of North Carolina system created an app store that gives faculty a chance to experiment with cutting-edge tech. Matthew Rascoff has a name for the enterprise learning management system: a “Swiss Army Knife of mediocrity.” As vice president of learning technology and innovation at the University of North Carolina General Administration, which oversees 17 university campuses with almost 225,000 students, Rascoff has observed that the most innovative faculty members at his institution use the LMS the least. Many professors working on experimental efforts hate the LMS and have sidestepped it, he noted.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/12/21/building-an-app-store-for-learning-tools.aspx

by BW Online

Students signing up for this course will be required to spend just 3-4 hours a week for only 17 weeks under the supervision of Siraj Raval, who is known for his time competent skills. Focusing on the inception of foundation programs for students, Udacity, a pioneer in disruptive learning technologies has launched a Deep Learning Nanodegree Foundation Program. The online education startup has partnered with YouTube star Siraj Raval for the new deep learning nanodegree foundation program that will be co-taught with Udacity’s Mat Leonard. This is a new focus for us at Udacity, so you can expect us to launch more Nanodegree Foundation programs this year!”, said Shernaz Daver, chief marketing officer for Udacity.

http://bwdisrupt.businessworld.in/article/Udacity-Launches-Its-First-Deep-Learning-Nanodegree-Foundation-Program-/18-01-2017-111676/

by Forbes

Many students want to know how to utilize MOOCs to improve their profile and this brings us to the question of how value is being defined. Are you looking for a breadth of knowledge, a deeper understanding of a particular subject, or perhaps your focus is career advancement? If you have barriers in your way to traditional courses (through accessibility, financial hurdles, lack of public schools in your country, or the need to recreate yourself) I think people will look at your certificates in a different light. One of my fellow MOOC instructors has shared with me stories of students who have left their countries behind and used online courses as a way to quickly provide proof of competency, as well as create a new network of potential colleagues.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/12/23/why-moocs-can-add-more-value-to-a-students-profile-than-you-think/#6b3ef89f445c

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

It starts by attending and passing five massive, open, online courses (MOOCs) presented through MIT’s edX platform, MITx. Those online classes may be audited for free, like any other MITx course. Or for students interested in pursuing the master’s degree, they may pay course fees and pass proctored exams to be eligible to apply for admittance into the DEDP program. Each online course fee is between $100 and $1000, varying depending on the student’s ability to pay. Those who pay for course access receive additional support from MIT teaching assistants and other features unavailable to people auditing the course. Students who have already passed any of the MIT MOOC classes that make up the online portion of the program don’t have to repeat them; they simply have to pay the course fee and pass the exam.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/12/22/mit-intros-mooc-program-in-development-economics-with-blended-path-to-masters.aspx

BY LAURA ASCIONE DEVANEY,eCampus News

Women are sorely lacking in the IT industry, and universities are taking notice and taking action with an influx of trending partnership-based programs designed to help get women in STEM–and help them stay there. When it comes to STEM, many women report experiencing negative stereotypes in class, and many say they lack female role models. Two-thirds of women in a recent CDW-G survey said they struggled with confidence. The survey included 300 women who are current STEM college students, recent graduates, and those who chose to leave technology, science and math programs. Forty-eight percent of survey respondents said being a woman in STEM made their higher education experience harder, and 46 percent said they considered switching fields in college.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/stem/trend-women-university-stem/

by Business Wire

Programming, data science, machine learning, English, and learning fundamentals are among most sought after skills. Coursera, the global leader in online education, today announced the Most Popular Courses and Most Popular Specializations of 2016 based on enrollments from its 23 million registered learners. The annual lists reveal a distinct interest in building specific professional and personal skills – from coding to communications – to land some of today’s hottest jobs. “We see a strong preference for skills in the cutting edge technology professions like data science and computer programming. But we also see a desire for personal betterment reflected in the choice of topics such as modern psychology and learning fundamentals”

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161222005624/en/Coursera-Reveals-Popular-Online-Courses-2016

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Tech Edvocate

The truth is, it’s already happening. The system of education is becoming more and more gamified every day. Gamification is simply bringing components of gaming-scores, rewards, and levels to non-gaming settings. In the classroom, this is becoming more and more prevalent. For instance, in the Uncommon Schools system, a coalition of charter schools spread across the Northeast, a paycheck system is used to monitor student behavior. These “scholar dollars” are given or taken away based on good or poor behavior. This gamified system shows rewards and demerits based on how well the students can behave; or how well they “play the game.”

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/will-gamification-be-the-future-of-education/

by Megan Bogardez Cortez, EdTech

Here’s the lowdown on what was interesting and innovative at universities this year. 1. Understanding the Power of Data; 2. Protecting Colleges from Growing Cybersecurity Threats; 3. Seeing the Valuable Potential for Virtual Reality; 4. Creating Robust Networks for Even More Devices; 5. Increasing Utilization of Cloud Services.

http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2016/12/5-biggest-higher-education-tech-trends-2016

by University Business

Campus technology leaders report significant new investment to come this year in the area of academic tech tools such as lecture capture, AV equipment and active classroom initiatives. It’s the third year in a row academic technology led the list of top significant investments in a UB survey. But while investment in internet/Wi-Fi infrastructure has been the second largest spending area in past years, network/data security grabbed that slot for 2017. Nearly three in 10 respondents say their institution suffered a cyberattack in the past year. Cloud computing/storage tied for second in anticipated spending for 2017, followed by internet/Wi-Fi.

https://www.universitybusiness.com/article/academic-tools-will-top-tech-spending-again-2017

by Bob Turner, EdTech Magazine

Bob Turner is the CISO at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he leads the development and delivery of a comprehensive information security and privacy program. There’s an inherent dilemma in effectively managing cybersecurity: IT organizations must dedicate the time and focus required for long-term strategic planning while maintaining the agility to meet evolving threats and take advantage of emerging technologies. Add in the ongoing need to review and revise strategic plans to reflect those changing risk and technology landscapes, and the task can seem herculean. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is one year into a five-year cybersecurity strategy; we published our first plan update in July 2016. The practices that worked and the lessons learned in Madison can easily apply to other institutions to make this high-stakes endeavor easier.

http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2016/12/smart-cybersecurity-plans-balance-long-range-vision-and-short-term-agility

By Bob Violino, ZD Net

What does the future hold for robotics? It’s hard to say, given the rapid pace of change in the field as well as in associated areas such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. But one thing seems certain: Robots will play an increasingly important role in business and life in general. Research firm International Data Corp’s (IDC) Manufacturing Insights Worldwide Commercial Robotics program recently unveiled its top 10 predictions for worldwide robotics for 2017 and beyond. The list has some interesting forecasts, and if they come true, they will likely have a significant impact on business and society.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/the-future-of-robotics/

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Tech Edvocate

Why Should Schools Transition from STEM to STEAM? The answer is a ‘no brainer.’ Sure, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are basic academic subjects and are important aspects of many careers, but they are subjects that favor the left, or analytical, side of the brain. It is the brain’s right side that adds the ‘A,’ or Arts. to STEAM. This is the side of the brain that deals with spatial awareness, visual imagery, art, music, and creativity – all attributes that support and enhance the application of STEM in the real world. Allen McConnell, in an article in Psychology Today, contends that “creation of strong and effective neural networks is a product of more than just [left brain] focused … lessons.” We need both. A study released on October 4, 2013, for example, found Albert Einstein’s brilliance may be linked to the fact that his brain hemispheres were extremely well-connected. The ability to use right brain creativity and left brain logic simultaneously may have been what made Einstein a genius.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/stem-to-steam-more-than-just-a-good-idea/

By: Aditya Malik, Financial Express

Technology has virtually touched almost every aspect of our lives today, and education is no exception. Disruptive innovation in the form of online learning is a catalyst to bring about a more equitable approach to high-quality education. Today’s generation is on a constant lookout to acquire new skills. Students are undertaking courses that enhance their learning and development according to their immediate needs, while leaving a window open to change their calling with online courses. Conservation of hours and money enables them to learn with a purpose and instils a sense of self-belief in them, creating a tangible impact in their professional life. Working executives are keen on embracing change, by increasingly choosing online certificate courses and programmes that enable them to acquire new skills and competencies to enhance their vocation.

http://www.financialexpress.com/jobs/as-cost-of-higher-education-soars-online-learning-emerges-as-most-viable-solution/509326/