Techno-News Blog

January 31, 2018

Schools around the world are now teaching kids to spot fake news

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by Siyi Chen, Quartz

Do students need to learn about fake news? And more generally, should they learn how news is created and how to evaluate its credibility? Thousands of schools all over the world believe the answer is yes. Over 3,300 educators from all 50 states in the US and 69 countries outside the US have adopted a curriculum to teach kids how to distinguish facts from fiction. The curriculum was developed by a US nonprofit called the News Literacy Project. It has 12 lessons which teachers can incorporate into their current classes and a virtual classroom with online courses and exercises.

https://qz.com/1175155/a-special-class-how-to-teach-kids-to-spot-fake-news/

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Education technology is a global opportunity

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by Emmanuel Nataf, Tech Crunch

$8.15 billion. That’s the amount global investors staked in edtech companies in the first 10 months of 2017. Education used to be simple: there was a blackboard, a teacher and desks in a classroom. Today, a student can practice English online, upload homework through a portal and learn chemistry through 3D immersion — such is the rise of educational technologies. And nowhere is the advent of edtech climbing more quickly than in Asia.

https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/19/education-technology-is-a-global-opportunity/

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Prediction: 2018 Will See More Blended Learning, Alternative Credentials and International Competition

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By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Over the next year, the higher education segment can expect to see a major shift to blended learning; an innovative education stack from an existing institution to “rival” the bachelor’s degree; and serious inroads to cross-border online learning. Those are the predictions for 2018 from Eduventures, a membership advisory service for colleges and universities. The company said it expects a “regionally accredited four-year institution” to put together “a creative combination of pedagogy, experience, assessment and delivery mode” that will offer an alternative to the traditional undergraduate degree — but in a shorter amount of time and for less money. “This year, we expect a credential newcomer that will really shake things up,” said Richard Garrett, Eduventures’ chief research officer.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/01/19/prediction-2018-will-see-more-blended-learning-alternative-credentials-and-international-competition.aspx

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January 30, 2018

Recent CSU Report Describes Benefits, Challenges, and Potential of Online Courses

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By Henry Kronk, eLearning Inside

One of the most glaring issues with the current state of online courses among CSUs is that very few students enroll in online courses at different campuses. To be exact, an average of just two full-time students per campus enrolled in another campuses’ course in the fall semester of 2015. To be clear: many CSU students enroll in online courses. At some campuses, it’s as many as 1 in 10. One possible explanation for this is that the online database of every CSU online class is not exactly easy to find or use. Another issue which has probably larger consequences is that many CSU campuses use different learning management systems, making it more difficult for students unused to the interface. In answer, Steenhausen recommends adopting a single CSU-wide LMS.

https://news.elearninginside.com/recent-csu-report-describes-benefits-challenges-potential-online-courses/

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Online Courses Are Harming the Students Who Need the Most Help

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By SUSAN DYNARSKI, NY Times

A single teacher can reach thousands of students in an online course, opening up a world of knowledge to anyone with an internet connection. This limitless reach also offers substantial benefits for school districts that need to save money, by reducing the number of teachers. But in high schools and colleges, there is mounting evidence that the growth of online education is hurting a critical group: the less proficient students who are precisely those most in need of skilled classroom teachers. Online courses can be broken down into several categories, and some are more effective than others.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/19/business/online-courses-are-harming-the-students-who-need-the-most-help.html

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8 Must have classroom presentation apps and tools

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by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

It’s important for teachers to master the art of presenting engaging lectures that keep kids interested in the material as the weeks wear on. However, it’s equally important for students to master the same trade. As kids progress through school, higher education and, eventually, their professional lives, they’ll need tools besides PowerPoint to effectively pitch ideas and communicate dense material to seminars of bored classmates. We’re breaking down 8 must-have presentation apps to help both teachers and students find their inner aesthetic and create drool-proof, prize-winning presentations.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/8-must-classroom-presentation-apps-tools/

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January 29, 2018

How does a peer-to-peer blockchain learning system operate?

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by the Merkle

Blockchain is changing the way people complete transactions. This technology is no longer associated only with cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Bitcoin as organizations look for new ways to improve people’s lives with blockchain technology. As blockchain becomes more widely used, it is changing the way industries operate and get things done. For example, significant technological advancements are occurring in the education industry. This process has long been touted as the next stage of evolution in education. So, what if blockchain became the basis for these advancements changing the future of online learning?

https://themerkle.com/how-does-a-peer-to-peer-blockchain-learning-system-operate/

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Google’s Self-Training AI Turns Coders into Machine-Learning Masters

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by Will Knight, MIT Technology Review

Automating the training of machine-learning systems could make AI much more accessible. Google just made it a lot easier to build your very own custom AI system. A new service, called Cloud AutoML, uses several machine-learning tricks to automatically build and train a deep-learning algorithm that can recognize things in images. The technology is limited for now, but it could be the start of something big. Building and optimizing a deep neural network algorithm normally requires a detailed understanding of the underlying math and code, as well as extensive practice tweaking the parameters of algorithms to get things just right. The difficulty of developing AI systems has created a race to recruit talent, and it means that only big companies with deep pockets can usually afford to build their own bespoke AI algorithms.

 

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/609996/googles-self-training-ai-turns-coders-into-machine-learning-masters/

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Cloud computing: Why a major cyber-attack could be as costly as a hurricane

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By Danny Palmer, ZD Net

The economic costs of a large cyber-attack could be as large as the impact of a major natural disaster.  “To compare the degree of economic cost, estimates now are that if attackers took down a major cloud provider, the damages could be $50bn to $120bn, so something in the range of a Sandy event to a Katrina event,” said John Drzik, president of global risk and digital at insurance broking and risk management company Marsh, speaking at the launch of the World Economic Forum.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/cloud-computing-why-a-major-cyber-attack-could-be-as-costly-as-a-hurricane/

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January 28, 2018

Pearson shares drop on gloomy outlook for US college textbook market

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by Alys Key, City AM

Publishing group Pearson was among the companies leading a fall in the FTSE 100 this morning, after it issued a trading statement. While the firm said its profits would reach the top end of guidance at as much as £606m, it revealed it was still grappling with the US textbook sector. Sales in the unit dropped three per cent in the nine months to the end of 2017. This contributed to a four per cent decline in North American and the overall two per cent drop in underlying revenues. The group only expects the US higher education market to get tougher, due to “lower college enrolments, increased use of Open Educational Resources and attrition from growth in the secondary market driven by print rental”.

http://www.cityam.com/278934/pearson-shares-drop-gloomy-outlook-us-college-textbook

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What does a future-ready educator look like?

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by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

As new technology emerges and most work is done online, it is more important than ever to teach students how to adapt in the ever-changing digital world they live. This is where “Future Ready” schools and “Future Ready” educators become essential.  The Alliance for Excellent Education describes, “Future Ready is a free, bold new effort to maximize digital learning opportunities and help school districts move quickly toward preparing students for success in college, a career, and citizenship.” As school districts invest in developing Future Ready schools, educators must also make sure they are preparing to embrace digital learning to be “future ready” educators. What does this look like?

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/future-ready-educator-look-like/

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Google Offers Online Course in Jobs Push Amid Concerns About AI

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By Mark Bergen, Bloomberg
Alphabet Inc.’s Google is launching a new online education program to certify people for work in information technology support, part of the internet giant’s philanthropic push around job training. Google has poured billions into artificial intelligence, a technology that many expect will render jobs across several fields obsolete. Last year, Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai introduced a companywide initiative focused on employment. He announced Google would give $1 billion over five years to nonprofits in the field. The new program, developed with online education firm Coursera Inc., is designed to help people without formal training or college degrees find IT jobs at large companies. “As technology advances change or replace more jobs, we must create more pathways for people to jump into the new, high-paying careers of the future,” Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera’s CEO, said in a statement.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-16/google-offers-online-course-in-jobs-push-amid-concerns-about-ai

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January 27, 2018

The power and promise of game-based learning

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by Matthew Lynch, tech Edvocate

From young learners to adults, games can be used to increase learning. Games have been used by teachers for centuries, and probably thousands of years as a way to engage students in learning. Who doesn’t like games? Perhaps a few people don’t like games. However, games are an excellent way to capture the attention of your students and encourage learning. Why are games beneficial in the learning process, and why do we love them?

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/power-promise-game-based-learning/

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Google and Coursera launch program to train more IT support specialists

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by Ingrid Lunden, Tech Crunch

After a big fundraise and subsequent reorganization last year at Coursera — which saw a change of CEO, as well as the departure of its COO, CFO, CMO and CPO (along with some 40 others) — the online education startup is today launching a new IT course with Google to underscore its message that the ship is still sailing as it passes 30 million users and 2,500 courses. Today, the pair announced a new program to train IT support professionals — a course written by Googlers for the Coursera platform to teach and then test across six fundamental areas of customer support: troubleshooting and customer service, networking, operating systems, system administration, automation, and security. No prior IT experience is necessary.

https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/16/google-and-coursera-launch-program-to-train-more-it-support-specialists/

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With winter in full force, Indiana’s e-learning days come in handy

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By Patience Wait, EdScoop

As the winter of 2017-18 continues to bring heavy snows and unusually cold weather, e-learning programs provide a way for schools to continue meeting their students’ educational needs. The state of Indiana, for example, currently has about 170 public and private school districts approved for e-learning days. “In the old days, school was just canceled,” said Holly Stachler, director of communications for the Indiana Department of Education. “But now, there may be no school on campus, but it’s [still] an e-learning day.” The option to provide internet-based instruction has been available to Hoosier schools for six years. Stachler said the formal program was initiated in the 2013-14 school year.

http://edscoop.com/with-winter-in-full-force-indianas-e-learning-days-come-in-handy

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January 26, 2018

7 Ed Tech Trends to Watch in 2018

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By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

Whenever we analyze the landscape of higher education technology, we find a range of trends in various stages of development. There are topics with real staying power, such as learning space design (which has factored into our trends list for several years). Others have evolved over time: Virtual reality made our list in 2016, then expanded to include augmented and mixed reality in 2017, and this year makes up part of a broader concept of immersive learning. And while some topics, like video, have been around for ages, new developments are putting them into a different light. To help make sense of it all, we asked a panel of four IT leaders from institutions across the country for their thoughts. Here’s what they told us.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/01/11/7-ed-tech-trends-to-watch-in-2018.aspx

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Some colleges see online programs as a way to stay afloat

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by Patti Zarling, Education Dive

Online courses tend to better meet the needs of working adults, who now make up 40 percent of college enrollments, and many colleges are adding or expanding digital programs to attract older students. That’s especially true for schools like Riverland Community College, a public two-year school with three campuses in Austin, Albert Lee and Owatonna, all in rural southeastern Minnesota, where administrators say they can’t rely on traditional students to stay afloat. For instance, Riverland’s Austin campus serves about 3,300 students in a town of 25,000 people.“You are at the mercy of demographics,” said J.C. Turner, who directs Riverland’s new online FlexPace program. “Over time, the population shifted and the number of younger students continued to drop. To stay viable as an institution, Riverland had to look to creating online courses. Now more than half of our full-time students are in some type of online program.”

https://www.educationdive.com/news/some-colleges-see-online-programs-as-a-way-to-stay-afloat/514754/

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How is education being disrupted by technology?

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by Krista Garcia, Rappler

In the past 10 years or so, we’ve witnessed a pace of disruption in education that’s unmatched in previous decades. Books, curriculums, and even teachers are rapidly being replaced or complemented by online resources and digital tools such as tablets and mobile phones. Technology has always played a role in equipping students with timely skills and up-to-the minute ideas and discoveries. But now, we see innovations challenging even the very existence of four-walled classrooms and teacher-student ratios. All of these benefit today and tomorrow’s students, as learning becomes cheaper, faster, and more accessible.

https://www.rappler.com/brandrap/futurereadyph/193447-philippines-education-then-now-slideshow

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January 25, 2018

Could an online postgraduate course be right for you?

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by Gavan Naven, the Guardian

Full-time, part-time, online, or a mix of all three – the variety of postgraduate study options can be bewildering. This wide choice, however, does give scope to suit prospective students’ differing circumstances and lifestyles. While traditional campus-based courses remain the most popular, there is an increasing interest in online study, with its flexibility and easy access. Edinburgh University’s head of submissions, Iain Sutherland, says that online courses are proving particularly attractive to those students who may have family and work commitments.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jan/12/online-postgraduate-course-right-for-you-university

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Look at Student Reviews of Online Courses Before Enrolling

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By Jan Holloway and Chris Foley, US News

Seek out student testimonials that address common concerns about online education, such as time management.  Testimonials are ubiquitous: on marketplaces like Amazon, on product pages and on social media. Writing testimonials is also big business, and fake testimonials abound on the internet. Yet, they can be a valuable source of information, especially when choosing an online degree program to meet your professional needs. Student reviews can answer questions about interaction with classmates, time management and required technology. When accessing student testimonials online, first make sure they refer to actual accredited online degree programs. To read examples, conduct an internet search for phrases such as “student testimonials online learning.”

https://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/articles/2018-01-12/look-at-student-reviews-of-online-courses-before-enrolling

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EdTech Should Change the Way Teachers Teach

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by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

For a long time, teaching was teacher-centered: the teacher dispensed information through lecture, handouts, or presentations; the students absorbed the information by listening and taking notes. It was repetitive, could become monotonous, and left little room for student exploration or creativity. It was also detrimental to students who couldn’t keep pace with the teacher’s lessons or students who learned in way different from the teacher’s presentation. The past ten years have seen a surge in student-centered learning, and the integration of technology into the classroom makes it increasingly easy to create engaging lessons that reach a variety of learners in a variety of ways. There are many ways that technology has changed and improved teaching methods, making education more meaningful and accessible to all students.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/edtech-change-way-teachers-teach/

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