Techno-News Blog

by Meghan Bogardus Cortez, EdTech

A study finds that mobile devices, virtual reality and blending learning programs will spark innovation. With millions of students enrolling in at least one online course, it should be no surprise that a recent Technavio study found that the online education market is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 20 percent until 2021. As enrollment and investment in online education increases, the report claims that the industry owes a lot of this growth to mobile devices and increased desire for blended learning opportunities.

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2017/10/emerging-tech-boosts-online-education-growth-over-next-4-years

by Áine Cain, Business Insider

“I would ask this of any candidate — what did you learn this week?” Hann told Business Insider. “Even if it’s only Tuesday. What’s something new you learned this week and how did you apply it in what you do?” Major companies like EY and IBM encourage employees to keep gathering new skills through online learning programs for which graduates earn “digital badges” that certify they’ve completed the course. In fact, reported Business Insider’s Abby Jackson, certain IBM badges can be used toward Northeastern professional master’s degree programs.

http://www.businessinsider.com/paypal-job-interview-question-exec-2017-10

by Associated Press

Google says over the next five years it will spend $1 billion on nonprofit organizations helping to raise education levels around the world and commit its employees to a million hours of volunteer work doing the same. CEO Sundar Pichai announced the goal Thursday morning in Pittsburgh, the city where he arrived in the U.S. from India 24 years ago. Pichai also unveiled a program called “Grow with Google” aimed at training Americans how to get jobs or grow their businesses. The program aims to outfit people with computer and entrepreneurial skills.

https://www.inc.com/associated-press/google-sundar-pichai-1-billion-nonprofit-organizations-boost-education-grow-with-google.html

By Luke Stangel, San Jose Business Journal

Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak this week launched Woz U, an online, tech-focused education program owned by a private, for-profit school based in Texas. Woz U offers just two online programs today, an 8-month computer programming track and a 6-month computer support specialist track. The school promises to eventually add programs in data science, mobile app development and cybersecurity, and add physical campuses in 30 cities. Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Woz U is “inspired by Steve Wozniak,” according to the school’s website.

https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2017/10/13/apple-steve-wozniak-launches-woz-u-tech-school.html

by Scott Scrivens, Android Police

Grow with Google is the company’s educational initiative offering free training and tools to help kickstart the careers of budding developers across the United States. The platform has several partners with which Google works to create learning programs and provide support. One such partner is Udacity, which offers free and paid online courses for a range of different technical disciplines. Together, Google and Udacity are offering 50,000 new scholarships in the US. They will specifically target Android and mobile web developers with a view to training them up and getting them into work. The courses are intended to prepare students for Google’s Associate Android Developer and Mobile Web Specialist developer certifications.

http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/10/13/google-partners-udacity-offer-50000-new-scholarships-aspiring-developers/

By Sydney Johnson, EdSurge

There are few key differences between MIT Professional Education’s new and existing online offerings. For starters, Digital Plus will not be “open enrollment,” meaning the courses will only be available to paying companies or organizations. Piloto says that’s meant to enable each course to be capped at 50 students—a sharp scale back from the more MOOC-like courses, which can enroll as many as 1,500 students at a time. Capping each class allows Digital Plus courses to provide a tighter, more focused learning experience, Piloto says. Digital Plus courses—which are taught by MIT lecturers—will focus on project- and team-based exercises, along with a combination of videos, reading materials, and group work. Those elements of the curriculum may take place online, in-person via video, physically on the MIT campus, or at a company site.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-10-13-mit-moves-beyond-the-mooc-to-court-companies-professional-learners

By Alyssa Laffitte, Uloop
In this modern digital age, online courses are becoming more and more popular. If you haven’t yet taken one, you probably will soon. Online classes are similar to traditional classes in that they both involve communication and discussion among students and teachers. The method of discussion is different, though. Rather than sitting together in a class and speaking, communication in online classes is mainly held through email or through discussion boards, which requires a different set of skills. So how can you effectively communicate in an online class?

https://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/249754/Communication-to-Prepare-for-Your-Online-Classes

by Sandhya Lakhanpal, eLearning Industry

The concept of graphic organizers and thinking maps is all too familiar in the field of education. From outlining an expository text to storyboarding a narrative one, concept maps or mind maps are a commonly used tool in K-12. This tool is equally beneficial in the business world, especially in the arena of Instructional Design. This article gives a glimpse of the wealth that this magnificent tool brings to the field of Instructional Design. Before we delve into the uses, let’s construct a working definition. A mind map is a graphic representation of thoughts, ideas, concepts and notes. As the old adage goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. A mind map provides a visual structure depicting the linear, or non-linear, relationships among concepts or ideas.

https://elearningindustry.com/mind-mapping-in-business-4-useful-applications

BY CRAIG WEISS, Craig Weiss Blog

I believe that at some point e-learning will intersect with immersive learning. By 2020. My earlier statements of 85% of training and L&D (corporate) by 2020 being e-learning with the 15% being F2F needs an update. 85% online. 10% immersive. 5% Instructor F2F. Two entities for the future of learning. One is already in play, e-Learning. The other is on its way, I-Learning (Immersive learning). But whereas content/courses are commodities today in e-learning, it can’t be when it comes to immersive learning. Third party vendors and custom course/content shops will have to see this and commit to it. Consumers (buyers) will have to ensure it.

https://elearninfo247.com/2016/12/18/immersive-learning-vr-ar-mr/

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

These two institutions faced the same goal — convincing all their instructors to use the learning management system. Here’s what’s working.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/10/12/getting-100-percent-lms-buy-in-from-faculty.aspx

by Nicci Fagan, Campus Technology
Nicci is the director of Central and Eastern U.S. higher education sales for CDW•G.
As students, faculty and staff settle into the routines of a new semester, it’s the perfect time for a refresher on cybersecurity. Perhaps this is why October is designated National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. CIOs and CISOs have an opportunity to educate users on the basics of good cyberhygiene before they develop bad habits. The Department of Homeland Security recently released its themes for October, from basic online safety to cybersecurity careers. Each week, DHS and its partners will release resources relating to each theme that IT staff can incorporate into cybersecurity education and training.

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2017/10/best-practices-cybersecurity-are-simple-and-keep-users-mind

by Futurism

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerburg unveiled the Oculus Go today, at the Oculus Connect 4 keynote event. This low-cost, standalone VR headset will be available early next year, potentially introducing VR to a wider market. At the Oculus Connect 4 keynote, happening now in San Jose, Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerburg just unveiled a device that could make virtual reality (VR) technologies more accessible. Introducing the Oculus Go: a standalone VR headset that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. At only $199, Zuckerberg called it “the most accessible VR headset yet.”

https://futurism.com/facebook-is-offering-an-affordable-vr-experience-with-the-oculus-go/

by US Newswire
Hyperledger, an open source collaborative effort created to advance cross-industry blockchain technologies, announced today the availability of its first free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — Blockchain for Business: An Introduction to Hyperledger. The free, self-paced online course is offered through edX.org, the nonprofit online learning platform founded in 2012 by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The course provides an introduction to Hyperledger and its key business blockchain frameworks.  “Interest in blockchain technology is exploding; Software developers, product teams, and business managers are all desperately eager to figure out how this technology can solve real-world problems,” said Brian Behlendorf, Executive Director, Hyperledger. “This first introductory-level course is carefully designed for both nontechnical and technical audiences, to bring everyone further up the learning curve and get started with it on their own business needs.”

http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/Hyperledger-Launches-First-Free-Massive-Open-Online-Course-MOOC-on-edX-org-1002071877

By Joel Hans, RT Insights
The recent Strata Data Conference offered a look at the future of AI, big data, data science, machine learning, stream processing and more. The Strata Data Conference, held at the end of last month in New York, pledged to bring together the leading minds, and most promising new ideas, in big data. Between AI, big data, data science, machine learning (ML), stream processing, and more, it was a sophisticated, productive, and ultimately fascinating look at the future of this fast-growing industry. A few ideas and innovations percolated into the conversations held during and just after the event.

https://www.rtinsights.com/6-big-data-and-ml-takeaways-from-strata-2017/

by Katie Blot, Blackboard

…You’ll find several themes emerge over and over:
• Our current system is unsustainable and ill-suited for a globally connected world that is constantly changing.
• Colleges and universities will have to change their current business model to continue to thrive, boost revenue and drive enrollment.
• The “sage on the stage” and the “doc in the box” aren’t sustainable; new technologies
will allow faculty to shift their focus on the application of learning rather than the
acquisition of knowledge.
• Data and the ability to transform that data into action will be the new lifeblood of the institution.
• Finally, the heart and soul of any institution are its people. Adopting new technologies is only a small piece of the puzzle; institutions must also work with faculty and staff to change institutional culture.

http://www.blackboard.com/resources/pdf/future_forward_the_next_20_years_higher_ed_rev.pdf

By Joshua Bolkan, THE Journal

Global shipments of augmented reality and virtual reality headsets will hit 13.7 million units this year as they ride a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 56.1 percent on their way to 81.2 million shipments in 2021, according to a new forecast from International Data Corp. (IDC). VR headsets will account for 90 percent of those sales, and AR will account for the rest until 2019, with AR headsets experiencing exponential growth in the final two years of the forecast to capture a quarter of the market in 2021.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/10/02/report-vr-and-ar-headsets-to-see-50-percent-growth-every-year-through-2021.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology
Ninety-three in 100 STEM-related occupations pay wages above the national average. And programming jobs, specifically, are growing 12 percent faster than the market average and paying $20,000 more than jobs that don’t require coding skills. Well, apparently, women in substantial numbers are making that choice. Women make up only a third of the world’s STEM graduates, and they hold just under a quarter of IT jobs. Plus, the pipeline isn’t looking very promising; less than 25 percent of the students who took the advanced computer science placement exam were women. Those were some statistics shared by Karen Quintos, chief customer office for Dell, during a forum hosted by the Atlantic Monthly titled, “Cracking the Code: The Next Generation of Women in STEM.” The event drew participation from youth, academia, non-profits and the corporate sector to examine questions around what it means “to raise and become a woman in STEM.”

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/10/02/7-ways-to-get-more-girls-and-women-into-stem.aspx

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, tech Edvocate

Learning by using technology can be fun, productive, educational, and can engage all types of learners, regardless of their ages! Younger students can be motivated to learn through active games, programs, and apps. Older students can be motivated through the use of interactive projects with groups or individually, or viewing media. iPads now being provided by many public schools have a wide variety of apps for student learning that include opportunities for STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) learning. Regardless of the age of the student, technology, if used correctly, can provide students the perfect supplement to traditional style classroom learning.

Using EdTech To Get Your Learners Motivated and Active!

By Lindsay McKenzie, Inside Higher Ed

For years, big-time publishers have been skeptical of open educational resources, questioning their quality and durability. But one of those publishers, Cengage, is today announcing a new product line built around OER. Cengage predicts that the use of OER — free, adaptable educational course materials — could triple over the next five years. In a report published last year, Cengage said that education and technology companies were ready to “embrace the movement” — adding their own services and technology to create “value-added digital solutions that help institutions use OER to its best advantage.” With OpenNow, Cengage is sending its clearest signal yet that it is serious about OER

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/10/10/cengage-offers-new-oer-based-product-general-education-courses

by Corey Williams, Associated Press

Computers already are a big part of Marianna Campbell’s life. Now, the 17-year-old Detroit resident is looking forward to attending workshops, classes and discussions with other girls who want to learn about cyber technology. With a focus on programming and computer coding, the events are being offered by Oakland-based Black Girls CODE. The nonprofit introduces young black, Latino and Native American females to computer sciences. Black Girls CODE is starting a chapter in Detroit. Girls in the program also learn how to build websites and create mobile apps. For Marianna, who is black, it will be an opportunity to speak the same computer language while learning with girls who look like she does and who share similar cultural experiences.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/michigan/articles/2017-10-08/organization-to-teach-coding-to-girls-in-detroit-area

by Dom Galeon and Christianna Reedy, Futurism

The singularity is that point in time when all the advances in technology, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI), will lead to machines that are smarter than human beings. Kurzweil’s timetable for the singularity is consistent with other predictions,– notably those of Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, who predicts that the dawn of super-intelligent machines will happen by 2047. But for Kurzweil, the process towards this singularity has already begun. “That leads to computers having human intelligence, our putting them inside our brains, connecting them to the cloud, expanding who we are. Today, that’s not just a future scenario,” Kurzweil said. “It’s here, in part, and it’s going to accelerate.”

https://futurism.com/kurzweil-claims-that-the-singularity-will-happen-by-2045/