Techno-News Blog

by Dave Doucette, EdTech Magazine

This notion — that “faculty resistance” is so pervasive that instructional designers would benefit from advice on how to overcome it — speaks volumes about this relationship. Faculty and technical staff have great potential for collaboration, but there’s a decent chance that friction may occur instead. Bridging this gap may require more than simply teaching faculty to use new tools. For some instructors, adopting significant changes to the teaching profession requires a deep shift in thinking and in culture. It’s worth understanding where faculty may be coming from. It’s also worth remembering that everyone on campus has the same objective: giving students the best education possible and preparing them for rewarding futures.

http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2017/03/embrace-unexpected-new-tools-transform-teaching-and-learning

By Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed

Smaller institutions report an increase in sophisticated attempts to gain access to financial and personal information. Hackers are taking the time to get to know smaller colleges. IT departments at smaller institutions are reporting that they are spending increasing amounts of time protecting against the kind of sophisticated, personalized attacks that once plagued mostly large research universities. Gone are the days of typo-ridden emails with questionable grammar addressed to “Dear Sir.” In their place are emails seemingly from legitimate senders — administrators and local businesses among them — that seek to gain access to financial and personal information. The fraudulent emails often asks recipients to double-check a payment, forward copies of tax paperwork or initiate a wire transfer. “You can’t just hide behind your small size,” said Nathan Phillips, chief information officer at Marylhurst University, a private liberal arts university just outside Portland, Ore. “What seems to have changed in the last year or two is that the attacks seem to be more directed. People are clearly doing research on who they’re targeting.”

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/03/08/smaller-institutions-report-increase-personalized-phishing-attempts

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

Despite all the headlines and conference coverage of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) for education over the last year, the technology is still gaining speed — residing at that sweet spot in the hype cycle where, when you place headsets on people and gently guide them to turn around to gain a full view, they tend to gasp and say, “Oh, wow.” So imagine how your students would respond if, in that next geography lesson, instead of handing them a flat map of Peru, you pass out pre-loaded smartphones to each table along with a $15 Google Cardboard and ask them to pull up a walking tour that places them in Machu Picchu. “Seeing is believing,” said Colin Messenger, a senior market analyst with a focus on education at FutureSource Consulting.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/03/06/immersive-education-ar-comes-of-age.aspx

By Nick Heath, Tech Republic

The world needs more software programmers and MooCs and coding bootcamps promise to deliver the needed skills. But as an on-ramp to becoming a developer, they have debatable value. No one can fault the ambition of the companies that run Massive Open Online Courses. One of the pioneers of these online learning hubs, Udacity founder and chairman Sebastian Thrun, recently summed up their mission as nothing less than democratizing education.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/the-truth-about-moocs-and-bootcamps-their-biggest-benefit-isnt-creating-more-coders/

by Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

Amazon is betting that college students will help them to discover new frontiers with its Alexa technology, and is using college fellowship programs to recruit the nation’s best and brightest engineering students to develop intellectual property for the company. The Alexa Fund Fellows program is currently in schools like Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Southern California and Waterloo University. It pairs students with professors to help develop innovation in voice recognition technology and is backed by a $100 million investment from the company’s foundation.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/amazon-extends-ai-development-race-to-college-classrooms/437540/

By Danny Palmer, ZD Net

As ransomware continues to evolve, it’s therefore crucial for your employees to understand the threat it poses, and for organisations to do everything possible to avoid infection, because ransomware can be crippling. Cybercriminals didn’t use to be so obvious. If hackers infiltrated your corporate network, they would do everything possible to avoid detection. It was in their best interests not to alert a victim that they’d fallen victim to cybercrime. But now, if you are attacked with file-encrypting ransomware, criminals will brazenly announce they’re holding your corporate data hostage until you pay a ransom in order to get it back. It might sound too simple, but it’s working: cybercriminals pocketed over $1bn from ransomware attacks during 2016 alone. Everything you need to know about ransomware is at the link below: how it started, why it’s booming, how to protect against it, and what to do if your PC’s infected.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/ransomware-an-executive-guide-to-one-of-the-biggest-menaces-on-the-web/

BY DAVE KNOCHE, eCampus News

The way we prepare students for the future is beginning to change because our economy is undergoing a makeover. The Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce published a report stating that by 2020, 65 percent of our economy’s jobs will require post-secondary education or training beyond high school. That means that students without these post-secondary milestones will only be applicable for 35 percent of jobs. Because of this, it is important to create programs that encourage students to pursue post-secondary education. However, a four-year degree may not be the right path for every student.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/alternative-pathways/ppec-high-school-college/

BY JESSICA CARRELL, eSchool News

During the past two years, I’ve visited Apple’s Genius Bar eight times. I’ve watched a student cry in front of her PC after she found a Word document she had worked on for days corrupted. I’ve witnessed someone spill coffee on my colleague’s MacBook, and then felt enraged when he had to spend almost half its price to make the thing work again. Now you may ask me: What’s going on with our computers? Well, there is nothing wrong with the computers. It’s us. It’s our bad habits that led to these tragedies. That’s what I’d like to share with you today: four good computer habits every teacher should have in the digital age. These habits may affect your productivity, data security, and health. Health…seriously? Yes: A survey claims that Americans spend two hours a week waiting on their slow computers, which are sources of immense frustration and constant stress.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/03/06/computer-habits-teachers/

BY BRIAN PEDDLE, eCampus News

Edtech investors and users could see significant growth in specific areas if the Trump administration sees its campaign rhetoric through.Though it’s too early to predict what impact the administration’s higher ed policies will have on the education technology sector, last year’s electoral campaign and executive actions in the early weeks of the administration may offer some insight into education priorities, pointing attention—and, potentially, funding—toward workforce development and institutional accountability. Neither area is a major departure from longstanding trends in higher education, but the administration’s emphasis will create opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors alike.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/trump-microsite/2-edtech-fields-potential-trump/

by NJ Today

A few years ago, a lot of high school graduates would move out of New Jersey to pursue the degree of their choice. The same can be said for professionals wanting to pursue a master’s degree in their fields. Today, however, that same pattern is becoming less and less obvious. The main reason behind this is the increasing popularity of online programs. Online education has changed a lot over the years. Today, even undergraduate students prefer to take online programs instead of the equivalent offline course. There are a number of reasons behind this new rise of online education.

http://njtoday.net/2017/03/03/rise-online-education-nj-students-opting-online-courses/

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Tech Edvocate

A study by the Josephson Institute of Ethics interviewed 23,000 high school students and asked them a variety of questions about academic ethics. Of the teens surveyed, 51 percent said that they had knowingly cheated at some point on an exam but that they had no qualms about the behavior. A Common Sense Media survey found that 35 percent of students had cheated via cell phone, though the parents surveyed in that particular study did not believe their kids had ever cheated. In many cases, students did not realize that tactics like looking up answers on a smartphone were actually cheating at all. In today’s K-12 classrooms, students who cheat are rarely caught. There are no formulas written on in the insides of hands or students looking across the aisle, or whispering answers to their classmates.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/cheating-and-technology-unethical-indifference/

By Ruth Reynard, Campus Technology

What are the latest technologies to impact the evolution of online learning? According to eLearningIndustry.com, there were “5 Amazing eLearning Trends in 2016”: Mobile Learning; Gamification; Video-Based Training; Competency-Based Learning; and Big Data. I would suggest that these were not trends specific to 2016, as they were emerging through the years along with the technology changes and developments I’ve briefly outlined. What has taken place more recently, however, is a clearer impact on learning and specifically the delivery, organization, presentation and engagement/interaction involved in the learning process. I would agree, though, that gamification and big data have emerged more strongly as critical aspects of full engagement with and application of learning — they are the product of new knowledge and information scope.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/03/01/technology-and-the-future-of-online-learning.aspx

By Sri Ravipati, Campus Technology

The ed tech market is restless. With vendors constantly acquiring and merging with other companies and startups popping up every other month, it can be difficult to keep track. Courseware, learning analytics platforms and constituent relationship management (CRM) platforms are the fussiest, with these market segments seeing the most consolidations. Cloud-based student information systems (SISs) are slowly being adopted, while adaptive learning and online program managers (OPMs) seeing the most growth at disproportionate levels.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/03/03/report-courseware-learning-analytics-see-most-acquisitions-in-ed-tech-market.aspx

By Jordan Friedman, US News

Among the greatest benefits of online learning for working adults, many students say, is the ability to pursue a new career or advance a current one as they work full time, and to apply what they learn in class to their job, and vice versa. That’s the case whether they’re returning to school to earn an online bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree. Here are stories from six past and current online students about how online education enabled them to change careers, and the advice they offer prospective students aiming to follow a similar route.

https://www.usnews.com/higher-education/online-education/articles/2017-03-02/infographic-6-career-change-stories-from-online-students

By Joe Chapman, US News

Prospective online students should ensure that video lectures can we viewed on all their devices. The ways that people today access information have become increasingly mobile. With that, universities are providing opportunities for students to learn on the go. Reports indicate that internet usage on smartphones in the U.S. will soon surpass desktop computers. Since many online students juggle time-consuming obligations at work and home while also working toward a college degree, having the option to learn through mobile devices like smartphones and tablets is important. When choosing an online degree program, make sure the technologies available for learning fit in with your daily life and will benefit, not hinder, your education experience.

https://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/articles/2017-03-03/embrace-mobile-technologies-as-an-online-student

By Sri Ravipati, Campus Technology

The ed tech market is restless. With vendors constantly acquiring and merging with other companies and startups popping up every other month, it can be difficult to keep track. Courseware, learning analytics platforms and constituent relationship management (CRM) platforms are the fussiest, with these market segments seeing the most consolidations. Cloud-based student information systems (SISs) are slowly being adopted, while adaptive learning and online program managers (OPMs) seeing the most growth at disproportionate levels. Those findings come from consulting and research firm Eduventures, which published its 2017 Higher Education Technology Landscape Report earlier this week.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/03/03/report-courseware-learning-analytics-see-most-acquisitions-in-ed-tech-market.aspx

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Tech Edvocate

Implementation of technology in the classroom goes beyond Google searches and reading apps. It stretches into every area of learning, including the sciences. Virtual laboratories are popping up in school districts and online learning curriculum across the country and making it easier and less expensive for students to do experiments remotely. Perhaps the most often cited benefit of any online learning is that it can be done at the student’s convenience and when he or she learns best. The same is true of virtual laboratories if the experiments are on the student’s own time. In some cases, a virtual lab may be used during regular class time which narrows this benefit but still allows flexibility for the teacher who is not limited by using resources within a strict timeframe.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/virtual-laboratories-all-good/

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Tech Edvocate

Technology in the classroom can be so much more and so much better than the stereotypical cell phone going off in the middle of class. Technology can actually be a major tool, both in terms of pedagogical resources and in terms of connecting with the younger generations. But how does this work? The top seven important concepts to understand when examining the use of technology for educational or instructional purposes are linked below.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/7-ways-technology-impacting-modern-education/

by PIE

Coursera, the US-based online training platform, has announced it is launching a new arm, Coursera for Governments & Nonprofits. Through the new division, the two groups of stakeholders will work directly with Coursera to develop study programmes for targeted groups of learners, such as their staff. “We have developed expertise in supporting blended learning models” They will then offer training on a subsidised basis. Some partners will subsidise the cost of learning completely, giving learners free access to courses, while others will cost-share with course participants or establish reimbursement schemes to incentivise learners to complete the course.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/micromasters-edx-careers/

by eCampus News

edX—the online education platform from Harvard and MIT —announced the launch of 16 new MicroMasters programs from top universities across the globe. EdX created MicroMasters programs to bridge the knowledge gap between higher education and the workplace. Through 12 prestigious university partners, edX is expanding these programs across in-demand fields like:

Business analytics

Digital product management

Cybersecurity

Data science

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/micromasters-edx-careers/

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

The Flipped Learning Global Initiative (FLGI), an international coalition of educators, researchers, technologists, professional development providers and education leaders, has declared a new era in flipped learning, designated “Flipped Learning 3.0.” The findings, which came out of a 12-month project analyzing the state of flipped learning around the globe, identify five factors that, according to the organization, signify a paradigm shift.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/03/02/researchers-point-to-paradigm-shift-in-flipped-learning.aspx