Techno-News Blog

By Hallie Busta , Education Dive
Ohio State University is launching an interdisciplinary gaming studies and esports program that will span five of its colleges — Engineering, Education and Human Ecology, Arts and Sciences, Business and Medicine — and include at least one undergraduate degree, according to the university. The program doesn’t yet have a launch date, though it is expected to be at least a year out. Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center already researches mental and physical behavior of elite esports athletes.  The initiative will also include an elective class in esports content production, a gaming speaker series and an online certification. The certification and online classes will be developed after the degree program is in place, a university representative told Education Dive in an email. A planned 4,000-square-foot, 80-plus-seat esports arena will serve the program and be home to a new university esports team.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/ohio-state-plans-esports-program-across-5-colleges/538928/

BY MATT PRUSIECKI, eSchool News

A superintendent shares three tools his district uses to prepare their students for life.  As we continue to embark through the Information Age, it’s crucial for educators to implement new strategies that will meet the needs of both students and industries. Thanks to recent technology and innovative solutions, students are gaining more and more access to education outside the classroom, thereby expanding their learning and career opportunities in a variety of ways. Technology and innovation are a growing priority in school districts nationwide, and the following three tactical tools are ways educators today can use technology to transform their classrooms.

3 ways technology & innovation are transforming classrooms

Lindsey Rae Downs, WCET Frontiers

The results have been consistent: adult students often cheat on exams. They search the web for answers. They use smart phones and mobile devices, so locking down browsers while taking a test has little, if any, effect on cheating. They use Google searches and specialized websites that provide answers to open-ended as well as closed-ended assessments. They perceive less opportunity to cheat when they are monitored by automated proctoring systems.

Research Dispels Myth that Adult Students Don’t Cheat in Online Classes

Parmy Olson, Forbes

If you keep hearing about artificial intelligence but aren’t quite sure what it means or how it works, you’re not alone. There’s been much confusion among the general public about the term, not helped by dramatic news stories about how “AI” will destroy jobs, or companies that overstate their abilities to “use AI.” A lot of that confusion comes from the misuse of terms like AI and machine learning. So here’s a short text-and-video guide to explain them:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2018/10/03/a-two-minute-guide-to-artificial-intelligence/

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

With teens reportedly spending one-third of their days online—and younger kids not far behind—it’s imperative that parents and teachers ensure the safety of school-aged kids on the Internet. Of course, the Internet is a big place, and it’s populated by hackers, bullies, and those who would take advantage of children and teens. So how can we truly monitor kids and keep them safe? Start by following the Internet safety tips below!

Internet Safety Tips for School-Aged Kids

BY DENNIS PIERCE, eCampus News
Georgia State University’s virtual assistant helps incoming freshmen navigate the student enrollment process, leading to a significant increase in enrollment. As recently as last year, nearly one in five students who committed to attending Georgia State University (GSU) never showed up for classes in the fall. This problem isn’t unique to GSU, and it’s commonly referred to as the “summer melt.” But GSU has taken an innovative approach to solving this challenge, using an artificially intelligent (AI) chatbot that has led to a significant increase in student enrollment. Summer melt most commonly affects low-income students, many of whom are the first in their family to be accepted into college. Navigating the complex student enrollment process can be intimidating for anyone, but especially these students—and many just give up before they complete the process.

Here’s how to boost enrollment with chatbots

By Ammara Rounaq, Tech Radar
Aiming to encourage children to be confident online explorers while avoiding potential cybersecurity pitfalls, Google has launched “Abtal Al Internet” (Internet Heroes) initiative in Arabic, a free online platform full of learning resources and interactive activities on online safety for kids, parents and educators. This move seems in line with Google’s Be Internet Awesome initiative launched last year.

https://www.techradar.com/news/google-launches-abtal-al-internet-initiative-to-teach-children-online-safety-habits

by Business World

Online learning is still saddled with disengaged learners, huge dropout rates, incomplete capstone projects and a nagging doubt about its efficacy and effectiveness. It is wise, therefore, to be skeptical about the claims; yet there are also reasons to believe that a profound shift is occurring and a need to pinpoint different strategies to fix the gaps can’t be undermined.  For online learning to become engaging, it needs to start with engaging content. A course should contain a variety of content formats – videos, text, audio, quizzes, games and more. Several educators have experimented with different video formats – slideshows, live instructors, light boards and animations. Interactive videos, which allow learners to interact with the video content in the form of in-video questions, have taken the engagement level a notch higher. Practice quizzes with instant feedback allow learners to test their knowledge. Games like crossword puzzles, treasure hunts etc. which concentrate on components of the subject matter make learning interesting.

http://www.businessworld.in/article/Increasing-Learner-Engagement-In-Online-Courses-/30-09-2018-161066/

By IBL News

Harvard University’s cutting-edge and free 100 courses on edX.org –covering topics from calculus and climate change to Shakespeare and Stravinsky– are a good tool to enrich a face-to-face classroom experience and enhance professional development-oriented skills.

Free Online Content from Harvard Faculty on edX to Enrich Classroom Experiences

Lisa Rice, Ohio University
Instructional design staff meet with a faculty member to review a sample figure on a large television screen.
Associate Educational Technologist Ross Tamburro (left) reviews a multimedia learning object with biomedical informatics instructor Kimerly Powell and Associate Instructional Designer Steven Nagel.
When Kimerly Powell, faculty in The Ohio State University’s College of Medicine (link is external), was tapped to design and lead an online course in biomedical informatics, she enlisted the help of Marjorie Kelley, a consultant with online teaching and course design experience. The two collaborated with staff from The Office of Distance Education and eLearning (ODEE), leveraging their own experience and the latest in online education standards. Together, they created an online course that engaged students in ways they’d never before envisioned.

https://odee.osu.edu/news/2018/09/25/better-together-creating-highly-engaging-online-class

By Hallie Busta James Paterson, Education Dive
More than 3 million cybersecurity jobs will be unfilled in 2021, a fact that is spurring college investment in education and training opportunities to help students take advantage of job opportunities in the growing field, EdTech reported. So far, relatively few colleges offer undergraduate or graduate cybersecurity degrees, but that could change. Colleges are partnering with the private sector to design new programs and curriculum that meets workforce needs and, in some cases, to help shoulder the cost of expensive training and simulation facilities such as cyber ranges. Colleges investing in cybersecurity programs include Augusta University, Montgomery College of Maryland, Regent University, Texas A&M University, the University of Michigan and Virginia Tech, among others.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/colleges-address-cybersecurity-training-gap-with-degrees-partnerships/533355/

By Hallie Busta, Education Dive

The director of the Esports Lab at the University of Nevada Las Vegas details strategies for teaching students the emerging business model and how other colleges can, too.  At 30,000-square-feet, it’s small stakes by Vegas standards, but the Esports Arena at the Luxor shows an industry on the rise. Visitors, many of whom are locals, pay to play at more than 100 PCs and consoles set in rows and clusters throughout the two-level space. They all frame the main event: a raised stage on which players will face off in any number of video games — including popular titles Fortnite, League of Legends and Overwatch — all while their characters’ movements and their own game faces are projected on the 50-foot LED video wall behind them.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/game-on-how-unlv-is-teaching-students-the-esports-business/533440/

PRAVIN VISAKAN , Daily Bruin

Bruins don’t have an easy time getting ahold of textbooks, with long lines in the Ackerman Student Union bookstore and per-quarter price tags. Textbooks take up money and time in terms of hunting for used book deals or waiting in lines. These issues are only getting worse. According to a 2014 report by The Economist, textbook prices are only getting higher, at three times the rate of inflation since 1970. Class sizes are also climbing, with an increase of enrolled undergraduates at UCLA of more than 4,000 students in the last eight years. The demand for textbooks will likely stay high, and physical distribution of textbooks will likely remain impacted. In other words, acquiring textbooks will only get more difficult. Luckily, you won’t have to fish your grandpa’s old textbook out of the attic. The university has an option that could ease students’ cost and accessibility woes: digital textbooks.

http://dailybruin.com/2018/09/27/ucla-must-support-students-by-providing-more-accessible-options-for-textbooks/

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Cheating has always been a cultural phenomenon, but today’s digital age makes it easier than ever. It can be tempting to find creative solutions to raise your grades without putting in the work. Papers can be written in minutes and the answers to the final exam are easily found online. Teachers and parents have to be aware of the methods students are using to improve their grades and raise their test scores. High-tech cheating has become more difficult to stop than ever before, but our schools must find a way to put an end to it. What steps can schools take to start preventing high-tech cheating before it even happens? Here are a few guidelines you may want to set in place for your classroom.

How to Prevent High-Tech Cheating

by Wendy McMahon, EdTech

As personalized learning continues to gain momentum across the U.S., more states, districts and schools are moving toward a competency-based education system that focuses on individualized learning and classroom equity. But what exactly is a competency-based education system, and what role does technology play in the design and support of this system? In a recent webinar from the International Association for K–12 Online Learning, titled “Designing for Equity: Leveraging Competency-Based Education to Ensure All Students Succeed,” education consultant Katherine Casey explains the key ways a competency-based system differs from a traditional system.

https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2018/09/use-personalized-learning-tools-boost-classroom-equity

By Jeffrey R. Young, EdSurge

In recent months, some colleges have made arrangements with the MOOC platforms they work with to let students and staff get free access to online certificates and microcredentials created by the universities. This year the University of Michigan launched Michigan Online, a portal that lists the dozens of MOOCs the university has developed, and offers links where current students, faculty members and alumni can get full access to the certificates for free. “We want students around campus to take those courses,” says James DeVaney, associate vice provost for academic innovation at the University of Michigan.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-09-27-moocs-find-a-new-audience-with-on-campus-students

by Packtpub
Blockchain is reshaping the world as we know it. And we are not talking metaphorically because the new technology is really influencing everything from online security and data management to governance and smart contracting. Statistical reports support these claims. According to the study, the blockchain universe grows by over 40% annually, while almost 70% of banks are already experimenting with this technology. IT experts at the Editing AussieWritings.com Services claim that the potential in this field is almost limitless: “Blockchain offers a myriad of practical possibilities, so you definitely want to get acquainted with it more thoroughly.”

9 recommended blockchain online courses

By Hallie Busta, Education Dive
Two senior U.S. Education Department officials told journalists Monday at an event in Las Vegas that the federal agency under Secretary Betsy DeVos wants to make more and better data available to students considering college, while continuing to prioritize the kind of deregulation that has characterized the current administration’s approach to higher ed governance.  “We do not think it’s the role of the federal government to make this decision [of whether a specific college is worth attending] on behalf of students,” said Diane Auer Jones, the department’s top higher ed official, adding that federal student aid, state authorizing bodies and accreditors will continue to be the primary sources of accountability for the industry. She said that in recent years, regulations “have driven [colleges] to a one-size-fits-all model” and that streamlining and clarifying the rules could give institutions that want to explore new learning models the space to do so.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/ed-department-officials-say-their-focus-is-on-better-college-data-less-reg/533153/

by Philipp Stauffer, Knowledge at Wharton

The open application ecosystems of the internet are dominated by a handful of tech giants today, but crypto technologies could level the foundations of the modern web to establish free and open access to information, connection and exchange, according to this opinion piece by Philipp Stauffer, co-founder and general partner of FYRFLY Venture Partners.

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/web-3-0-welcome-new-sober-internet/

JILLIAN KLEIN, Higher Learning Advocates

Whether it is in the news and television commercials or cropping up in proposed legislative and regulatory changes, “competency-based education” continues to dominate the conversation around innovation in higher education. And for good reason; there are hundreds of forward-thinking institutions that are offering CBE programs. Many of these programs are offered via the credit hour, while some are offered via direct assessment, which measures progress through the demonstration of competencies instead of the accumulation of credit hours. Either way, these programs are designed to be professionally-relevant, aligned to learning outcomes that employers expect, and often allow students to move at a personalized pace.

Giving Momentum to the Competency-Based Education Movement

AMY ELLIOTT BRAGG, Crains Business Detroit

Rumman Chowdhury wants us to stop thinking about “The Terminator” when we think about artificial intelligence. The technology is already here — we see it in our social media feeds, in the Alexas on our countertops, in the autonomous vehicles that are test-cruising our streets. And sometimes it reflects less than the best of our society, as when a program used to sentence criminals based on their likelihood of reoffending turned out to be racially discriminatory. Chowdhury is a senior principal at Accenture, where she consults on artificial intelligence solutions for businesses and leads the company’s strategic growth initiative on responsible artificial intelligence.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/technology/why-will-robots-take-our-jobs-wrong-question-ask-about-ai