Techno-News Blog

October 31, 2017

Where will STEM education be in 5 years?

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BY JOACHIM HORN, eSchool News

Worryingly, only 16 percent of students graduating high school are proficient in STEM and also interested in a STEM career. The natural response to such a low percentage would be to prioritize improving STEM education efforts in the classroom. However, this is unfortunately easier said than done. The economic climate in the US has seen both budget cuts and increasingly diverse opinions among educators and administrators about where to spend the money made available to them. We must work to find ways of blending STEM education into all elements of the classroom, inspiring student interest at a young age.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/10/24/will-stem-education-5-years/

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Chromebooks are at the head of the class in Canada’s K-12 schools

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by Bram Bout, Google for Education
Around the world, education has undergone a technological revolution. Cloud-connected devices and learning applications are shaping new ways of teaching and learning. Across Canada, school districts are using Chromebooks and G Suite for Education to expand learning opportunities for students from diverse communities and backgrounds. And now, Futuresource has reported that Chromebooks are the number-one-selling educational device for Canadian K12 schools. With this news, Canada joins the U.S., Sweden, and New Zealand, where Chromebooks are also the top devices used in classrooms.

https://www.blog.google/topics/education/chromebooks-are-head-class-canadas-k-12-schools/

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Report: 2 in 5 Kids 8 and Under Have Their Own Tablets

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By Joshua Bolkan, THE Journal
Nearly half — 42 percent — of children eight years old or younger have their own tablet, according to a new report from Common Sense. That number is up from just 1 percent in 2011. Dubbed the Common Sense Census: Media Use by Kids Age Zero to Eight, the report is based on a survey of 1,454 parents and is the third in a series, the first two installments of which were published in 2011 and 2013.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/10/23/report-2-in-5-kids-8-and-under-have-their-own-tablets.aspx

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October 30, 2017

Institutions embracing social media’s potential

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by Autumn A. Arnett, Education Dive

Communications and outreach offices are beginning to see the value of “paying to play” in the digital landscape, a recent analysis by University Business says. Many offices have been embracing paid search optimization for awhile, but now officials are realizing there’s value in paying for social media ads as well; a recent survey found 47% of high school seniors, 55% of juniors and 61% of sophomores and 33% of parents of high schoolers clicked on a search, display or social media ad for a college. The best investment, the article says, is to re-target those who have already self-identified as prospective students, since they are most likely to click the ads.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/institutions-embracing-social-medias-potential/508007/

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Digital Learning: Education and Skills in the Digital Age

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by the Rand Corporation

The report gives an overview of an expert consultation on the role and future of education and skills in the digital world. It looks at which skills are important and necessary to undertake the different types of jobs available, and what skills we need to be thinking of developing now and in the future. It explores how we ensure that people are not left out of the digital age and have access to education on digital skills. It looks at how we think about formal education and how our thinking needs to evolve with the increasing adoption of digital tools and technologies, particularly among the younger generation. The report proposes a preliminary framework to ensure an inclusive education in an increasingly digital world and suggests roles for different stakeholders to ensure that this becomes a reality.

https://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/CF369.html

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5G: The next great media disruption

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by Luke Richards, ClickZ

The advent of 5G has the potential to be massive for marketers. When it does hit, mobile download speeds are expected to average 100mbps, and latency will drop to near zero. Consumers in dense urban environments will suffer fewer problems with overloading networks, and those in remote regions will experience new levels of connectivity. 5G is an opportunity for brands and marketers to reach more consumers, to be even more innovative with how they engage people, and to strive to be more responsible as customers give over more of their private space to a swathe of newly connected devices.

https://www.clickz.com/5g-the-next-great-media-disruption/113675/

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October 29, 2017

What the future holds for AR and VR

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by Mike O’Brien, ClickZ

There are still have some obstacles facing VR and AR before they achieve critical mass, such as the bulkiness of the hardware and the expense, both for the people creating content and consuming it. There are also some misconceptions about the technology that marketers need to keep in mind. “Some people thought it would become a daily habit of all users to put on a headset every day. But they overlooked what you’re actually asking somebody to do: Tune out the entire rest of the world and give their undivided attention to the VR experience,” says Alex Krawitz, SVP of Content Development at Firstborn, a digital agency which has created immersive VR experiences for brands like Mountain Dew and Patrón. “Compare that to mobile or any other screen, where it’s pretty easy to multitask.”  “My sense is that next year, we’re going to start seeing a really slow ramp-up and then it’s going to be a hockey stick,” she says. “Mark Zuckerberg wants to get a billion people in VR. That Facebook is so committed to make this happen gives me a lot of hope.”

https://www.clickz.com/what-the-future-holds-for-ar-and-vr/113716/

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What Parents Need to Know about Blended Learning

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By Cait Etherington, eLearning Inside

While virtual K-12 schools may not be widespread yet and may never become the norm, blended learning is already widespread and likely here to stay. However, as blended learning, which includes the use of online learning systems and virtual strategies (e.g., the flipped classroom), expands, parents now face new challenges on the homework front. So, how can parents support their children as the classroom increasingly merges with the family home?

https://news.elearninginside.com/what-parents-need-to-know-about-blended-learning/

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Cost & availability of quality content to hamper VR growth

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by Aritra Sarkhel | ETtech
The technology has not been adopted beyond few gaming and entertainment platforms and remains a case of hype in many industries apart from few odd use cases in medical and education space. Cost & availability of quality content to hamper VR growthAlthough the global virtual reality (VR) market is expected to reach USD 48.5 billion by 2025, according to a report by Grand View Research and will grow at a CAGR of 48.89% during the period 2017-2021, the technology has not been adopted beyond few gaming and entertainment platforms and remains a case of hype in many industries apart from few odd use cases in medical and education space.

https://tech.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/technology/cost-availability-of-quality-content-might-hamper-vr-growth/61153568

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October 28, 2017

MIT Pilots Digital Diplomas Based on Bitcoin’s Blockchain

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By Joshua Bolkan, Campus Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has begun offering some students the option to receive digital diplomas through an app, in addition to a traditional paper degree. Based on Bitcoin’s blockchain technology and integrated with the school’s identity provider, the new diplomas are the result of a partnership between MIT and Learning Machine, a local software company. The electronic credentials were rolled out over the summer and offered to 111 students as part of a pilot program. Dubbed Blockcerts Wallet, the app allows students to share a tamper-proof diploma with employers, schools, friends or family.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/10/19/mit-pilots-digital-diplomas-based-on-bitcoins-blockchain.aspx

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8 WAYS TO IMPROVE THE EDTECH INDUSTRY

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By Matthew Lynch
Edtech users seem to have a love-hate relationship with the edtech industry. They love what edtech can do but hate that the industry has not lived up to expectations as quickly as had been hoped. There are many reasons for this. The possibility of viral edtech success may lure potential developers into a field for which they have little interest and less passion. Creating edtech isn’t the same thing as creating partnerships. In all fairness, edtech users haven’t provided the edtech industry with long-range objectives, either.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/8-ways-improve-edtech-industry/

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Who is keeping student data safe in the era of digital learning?

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by TARA GARCÍA MATHEWSON, Hechinger Report
As students spend more time on digital devices in school, data security becomes increasingly important. Baltimore County has become a leader in student data privacy and security, and is one of only 13 districts in the nation to earn a Trusted Learning Environment seal from CoSN, the membership group representing the nation’s K-12 school technology leaders. The seal identifies Baltimore County as going above and beyond mere compliance with laws that require schools to protect the privacy of student records. Among the extra steps the district has taken to foster trust is posting online a complete list of all third-party vendors that receive student data and exactly what type of data they get. Parents can also read the student data privacy agreement, a strict set of expectations with which vendors must comply to do business with the district.

http://hechingerreport.org/keeping-student-data-safe-era-digital-learning/

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October 27, 2017

Move over, Bitcoin: Ethereum is the next big thing in cryptocurrency

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by Mashable

While both Bitcoin and Ethereum are public blockchain networks, Bitcoin only offers one use of the blockchain technology: a digital monetary system that can be used for online Bitcoin payments. The Ethereum blockchain, on the other hand, uses a more advanced scripting language that allows it to run the programming code of virtually any decentralized app, from title registries to electronic voting systems. What’s more, Ethereum’s cryptocurrency (called the ether) runs on “smart contracts,” a type of blockchain technology that uses an “if:then” system — meaning it can only be traded if certain conditions are met. It’s easy to see why Ethereum has quickly become the second most valuable cryptocurrency on the market just two years after its launch. With the help of The Complete Ethereum Blockchain Mastery Bundle, a collection of four online courses taught by Certified Bitcoin Professional Ravinder Deol, you can become an early adopter of this valuable new cryptocurrency and reap the resultant rewards for less than $30.

http://mashable.com/2017/10/17/ethereum-cryptocurrency-online-course/#TRl8WJiCWqqH

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Quiet Power

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by Karen Costa, Inside Higher Ed

I completed course work for my most recent graduate degree almost entirely online. I’m confident in saying that I was one of the most active participants in my courses. One of the things that I noticed as an online student is the importance of the time I was allowed to reflect on ideas due to the asynchronous nature of my courses. When I took traditional 55-minute land-based courses, I often thought of an answer to my professor’s questions four hours after class ended. I always felt like I was two steps behind everyone else, because introverts need time to process and consider internally. Like Joe, land-based courses made me feel like a fish out of water. As an online student, I could finally swim. Very little has been written about whether introverts are more successful in online courses, but Rick Harrington and Donald Loffredo did consider the question in their 2009 article “MBTI Personality Type and Other Factors That Relate to Preference for Online Versus Face-to-Face Instruction.” In their admittedly small study, they found that introverts were more likely to prefer online courses while extroverts were more likely to prefer face-to-face.

https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2017/10/17/how-online-education-benefits-introverted-students-essay

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Duke’s digital education administrator talks co-curricular learning, online classes

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By Sarah Kerman, Duke Chronicle

I think the culture is really innovative here. I think there’s a reputation that we got where we are now by being more willing to change and more forward looking in our outlook relative to our peer institutions. There’s a certain nimbleness and creativity and willingness to experiment in the culture here that is distinctive. In the digital sphere, you saw this in the iPad in the classroom project. You also saw it in the digital humanities, which Duke is a leader in, and obviously in our online success—we’re one of the top institutions in online learning today. We have 4.7 million learners and that is a huge credit to Duke and its leadership.

http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2017/10/dukes-digital-education-administrator-talks-co-curricular-learning-online-classes

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October 26, 2017

Is blockchain the answer to higher ed’s cybersecurity problems?

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BY ALAN HEPPENSTALL, eCampus News

The implications for the industry are huge: using blockchain means we can now offer credentials that are unhackable and unfakeable. It also means that we can help remove the stigma for employers when interviewing candidates with certifications from lesser-known or non-traditional institutions. Not everyone can graduate from an Ivy-League school (or a traditional college or university, for that matter), and rarely does anyone take the same road to educational and professional achievement. With blockchain verification, we can help the world place their trust in a sound technology, rather than relying on preconceived notions on how or when something should be learned. Businesses constantly weigh risk: financial, reputational, economic or competitor-related. In an age where reputation and trust mean everything, verifying an individual’s educational attainment is both consequential for the legitimacy of online learning, and the future of the workforce.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/ed-tech-leadership/blockchain-cybersecurity-problems/

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Deep learning is a new chapter for every sector: Andrew Ng, Coursera

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By J Vignesh, Economic Times

The very first Coursera course was on machine-learning (ML)… it was six years ago. I helped a lot of people get into ML, more than 1.8 million enrolments over the last six years. I hope we can now bring an equally large number of people into deep-learning. Deep-learning will transform every single industry. Healthcare and transportation will be transformed by deep-learning. I want to live in an AI-powered society.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/security-tech/technology/deep-learning-is-a-new-chapter-for-every-sector-andrew-ng-coursera/articleshow/61148845.cms

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How AI can help you stay ahead of cybersecurity threats

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By Maria Korolov, CSO

Barclays Africa is beginning to use AI and machine learning to both detect cybersecurity threats and respond to them. “There are powerful tools available, but one must know how to incorporate them into the broader cybersecurity strategy,” says Kirsten Davies, group CSO at Barclays Africa.  For example, the technology is used to look for indicators of compromise across the firm’s network, both on premises and in the cloud. “We’re talking about enormous amounts of data,” she says. “As the global threat landscape is advancing quite quickly, both in ability and collaboration on the attacker side, we really must use advanced tools and technologies to get ahead of the threat themselves.” AI and machine learning also lets her deploy her people for the most valuable human-led tasks. “There is an enormous shortage of the critical skills that we need globally,” she says. “We’ve been aware of that coming for quite some time, and boy, is it ever upon us right now. We cannot continue to do things in a manual way.”

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3233951/machine-learning/how-ai-can-help-you-stay-ahead-of-cybersecurity-threats.html

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7 MUST-HAVE APPS, TOOLS, AND RESOURCES FOR MAXIMUM STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

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by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

These days, it can seem more difficult than ever before to keep kids excited about learning. With tablets, online games and text messages, students seem so easily distracted. But the good news is that this technology does not have to be the bane of your existence. You can use those devices in the classroom to make learning fun with these trustworthy, user-friendly apps and tools.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/7-must-apps-tools-resources-maximum-student-engagement/

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Google’s machine learning AI has been able to replicate itself for the first time

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by Harry Pettit, Daily Mail

Google’s machine learning artificial intelligence software has learned to replicate itself for the first time. The firm first revealed its AutoML project in May – an AI designed to help the firm create other AIs. Now, AutoML has outdone human engineers by building machine-learning software that’s more efficient and powerful than the top human-designed systems.
The achievement marks the next big step for the AI industry, in which development is automated as the software becomes too complex for humans to understand.
The breakthrough could one day lead to machines that can learn without human input.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4993416/Google-s-machine-learning-AI-learns-replicate-itself.html

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October 25, 2017

Where will UK online education be in five years?

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by Geoff Webster, Times Higher Education

Given the uncertainties around Brexit, and idiosyncratic US leadership, it is brave to envisage what the sector will look like in five years’ time. However, of the 120 mainstream universities in the UK, we expect more than half to have committed strategically to online learning. Institutions will deliver a wide range of purely online and blended degrees, short courses, and other accredited activities to a broad range of domestic and global students. Some will be expansive, offering the broadest range of subjects and competing in multiple markets; others will seek to differentiate by specialising in their traditional niches. Online pedagogy and technology will, in turn, improve the on-campus experience of traditional students.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/where-will-online-education-be-five-years

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