Techno-News Blog

January 31, 2019

Sometimes the Best Tech is No Tech

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by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

The story is told that, in the early days of space exploration, NASA spent millions to develop a pen that could write in zero gravity. Until they achieved this impressive feat, they used a simple pencil. That story might or might not be apocryphal, but it illustrates an important point: sometimes the best tech for the job is no tech. Most educational stakeholders are old enough to remember the days when every single software program and platform that they used had to be purchased at top dollar. In light of this memory, free apps and websites can seem like an unimaginable resource. And they can be. But they aren’t always. After all, the resource itself might be free, but every resource requires professional development time, instructional time, and an opportunity cost, not to mention time spent choosing, implementing, and evaluating the resource. This means that the price tag is still quite high, even if the resource itself is free. This price tag—even for free edtech—means that if instructional needs are currently being met, there is no need to change things for that area in the face of the anticipated costs.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/sometimes-the-best-tech-is-no-tech/

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How Colleges Can Support Faculty New to Teaching Online #DLNchat

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By Michael Sano, EdSurge

“Online teaching is the joy, fun, and magic of bringing teaching and learning into the online environment,” Karen Costa tweeted last Tuesday, January 8, kicking off the #DLNchat. Many may agree with Costa, but for faculty who have spent their academic careers teaching face-to-face, the shift to online instruction can be daunting. So last week, the #DLNchat community shared ideas about how to best support instructors making the transition to the online classroom.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-01-15-how-colleges-can-support-faculty-new-to-teaching-online-dlnchat

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How to Use Tech to Develop Lifelong Learners

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by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Students may not be aware of the kinds of resources that are available to them online—and for free–that they can use to continue to learn beyond the walls of their classroom. They may also be unaware of the best practices for selecting, vetting, and completing learning experiences that are mediated by edtech. When teachers give them opportunities to practice these important skills, students will gain valuable practice in the skills that they will need in order to become lifelong learners. For example, teachers can have students select and complete a project related to the curriculum from a website such as Instructables. This way, students will be familiar with the process and more comfortable using it on their own.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/how-to-use-tech-to-develop-lifelong-learners/

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January 30, 2019

Online Education Rules Under the Microscope

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Lindsay McKenzie and Mark Lieberman, Inside Higher Ed
Definitions of innovative teaching models and expectations for accreditors of new programs are on the agenda as the Department of Education considers changing standards. As the Trump administration this week convenes a panel of experts to consider rewriting federal policies around digital learning and innovation, the eternal tension between fostering experimentation and protecting educational quality will be on prominent display. The process, known as negotiated rule making — or “neg reg,” for those in a rush — began Tuesday with a wide-ranging session on the role of accreditors in policing innovation.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2019/01/16/department-education-rule-making-process-puts-online-education

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Verizon Promises to #ReverseTheFee on Remind After Educators’ Outcry

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By Emily Tate, EdSurge

After an outcry from educators on social media, along with countless phone calls to Verizon customer service, the telecommunications company says it will not enforce the 11-fold fee increase that was slated to hit Remind, a messaging service used widely by teachers and parents in the U.S., come February. On Monday, Remind notified its users, 7 million of whom are Verizon Wireless customers, that with the new fee hike, it would no longer be able to absorb the cost of its users sending text messages on its platform. Remind users weren’t going down without a fight. Thousands of them posted on Twitter with the hashtags #ReverseTheFee and #NotSpam. The latter refers to Verizon’s justification for these fees as a way to help the telecommunications company curb spam messages, which Remind inadvertently got clumped into.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-01-16-verizon-promises-to-reversethefee-on-remind-after-educators-outcry

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Massive Online Courses Find A New Audience With Continuing Medical Education

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By Sydney Johnson, EdSurge
Applications are surging for New York University’s School of Medicine after the university announced last year that its medical program would be tuition-free for all students. But NYU isn’t the only school trying to offer free medical training. Dozens of colleges and universities are taking courses in healthcare and medicine online—and making them free or low-cost—with massive online course platforms. Coursera, a company that hosts massive online courses and degrees, is the latest entrant among a growing number of online education providers that are entering the medical space.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-01-17-massive-online-courses-find-a-new-audience-with-continuing-medical-education

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January 29, 2019

Learning Engineering: Making Education More “Professional”

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A Q&A with Ellen Wagner by Mary Grush, Campus Technology
Learning engineering has taken many forms since the term was coined by Herbert Simon back in the 1960s. Ellen Wagner, who chairs IEEE’s ICICLE SIG on Learning Engineering Among the Professions offers some perspective — from Simon’s original insight to LE’s application and potential today. “The evolution of ed tech has always demonstrated that as tech platforms get more complex, product teams turn to other disciplines to get the expertise they need.”

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/01/14/learning-engineering-making-education-more-professional.aspx

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Survey: Online, Blended Dominate Today’s Learning Environments

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By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology
In our latest Teaching with Technology Survey, the vast majority of faculty members said they teach in either a fully online or blended format.  In a recent survey, nearly nine in 10 faculty members (87 percent) at colleges and universities across the country said they are using either fully online or a mix of online and face-to-face instruction in their courses. That leaves just 13 percent who are still teaching exclusively face-to-face. These findings come out of Campus Technology’s 2018 Teaching with Technology Survey, which asked higher education faculty about their work with online and blended courses and their plans for exploring those modes in the future. The blended model was the most common among our respondents, at 76 percent, up from 73 percent in 2017.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/01/16/survey-online-blended-dominate-todays-learning-environments.aspx

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Experts Debate Merits of AI in Education

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By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Will artificial intelligence make most people better off over the next decade, or will it redefine what free will means or what a human being is? A new report by the Pew Research Center has weighed in on the topic by conferring with some 979 experts, who have, in summary, predicted that networked AI “will amplify human effectiveness but also threaten human autonomy, agency and capabilities.” the experts were asked whether AI and related technology will by the year 2030 enhance human capacities or allow them to deteriorate, the majority (63 percent) said most people will be better off.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/12/20/experts-debate-merits-of-ai-in-education.aspx

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January 28, 2019

A country’s ambitious plan to teach anyone the basics of AI

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Karen Hao – MIT Technology Review
In the era of AI superpowers, Finland is no match for the US and China. So the Scandinavian country is taking a different tack. It has embarked on an ambitious challenge to teach the basics of AI to 1% of its population, or 55,000 people. Once it reaches that goal, it plans to go further, increasing the share of the population with AI know-how. The scheme is all part of a greater effort to establish Finland as a leader in applying and using the technology. Citizens take an online course that is specifically designed for non–technology experts with no programming experience. The government is now rolling it out nationally. As of mid-December, more than 10,500 people, including at least 4,000 outside of Finland’s borders, had graduated from the course. More than 250 companies have also pledged to train part or all of their workforce.

https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/612762/a-countrys-ambitious-plan-to-teach-anyone-the-basics-of-ai/

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Comparing and Contrasting Competency-Based Programs

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By Mark Lieberman, Inside Higher Ed
Three online or hybrid CBE programs reflect the diversity of approaches to offering instruction on a flexible timetable, and with a focus on acquiring skills. Competency-based education (CBE) has become an increasingly prevalent topic of conversation in higher ed circles in recent years — and 2019 could lead to more activity. New rules proposed by the U.S. Education Department last week appear designed to spur more growth in innovative CBE programs by easing the burden on accreditors to secure federal approval. But how does CBE work, exactly? We’ve picked three examples from different types of institutions in different parts of the country to offer a sense of the landscape’s diversity.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2019/01/16/competency-based-programs-offer-flexible-learning-variety-models

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Survey: Employers Want ‘Soft Skills’ From Graduates

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By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Inside Higher Ed
Employers want college graduates who have “soft skills,” such as being a good listener or thinking critically, but they have difficulty finding such candidates, according to a new report. The survey was conducted online in September by Morning Consult for Cengage, an educational technology and services company, among more than 500 hiring managers and 150 more human resources professionals. More than 1,500 current and former college students from two- and four-year institutions were also surveyed. The companies found that the most in-demand talent among employers was listening skills — 74 percent of employers indicated this was a skill they valued. This was followed by attention to detail (70 percent) and effective communication (69 percent).

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/01/17/survey-employers-want-soft-skills-graduates

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January 27, 2019

Seven Things to Consider Before Developing Your Online Course

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By: Brian Udermann, Faculty Focus

As the number of online courses and degree programs in higher education continues to increase, more faculty are being asked to design and develop online courses. Sometimes this course design and development process is done somewhat reflexively, in a short time period, and with limited planning and preparation. This is not ideal as it can lead to a more stressful course development process for instructors and negatively impact the quality of online offerings. This article will explore seven things that instructors should consider prior to developing an online course

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/seven-things-to-consider-before-developing-your-online-course/

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Pacific University Press’ Latest Publications Highlight Growing OER Movement

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Joe Lang Pacific U

Pacific University Press is quietly fostering the open educational resources movement (OER), one that could very well reshape higher education. Consistent with the university’s mission to advance scholarship and discovery, the Press recently published an open-access textbook available for free download and use by instructors and students everywhere, as well as a primer for academic librarians who wish to promote the use of OER on their campuses. In October, the press published the first textbook in its three-year history, An Introduction to Technical Theatre, by Pacific professor and award-winning set designer Tal Sanders. Published under the Press’ Tualatin Books imprint, the book draws on Sanders’ extensive experience and is appropriate for both high school and college-level theatre courses.

https://www.pacificu.edu/about/media/pacific-university-press%E2%80%99-latest-publications-highlight-growing-oer-movement

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As OER Grows Up, Advocates Stress More Than Just Low Cost

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By Jeffrey R. Young and Sydney Johnson, EdSurge

Open educational resources hit a turning point in 2018. For the first time ever, the federal government put forward funds to support initiatives around open educational resources, and recent studies show that faculty attitudes towards using and adapting these openly-licensed learning materials are steadily improving. But fans of OER are increasingly facing a problem. While OER started off as free online textbooks, it still costs money to produce these materials, and professors often need guidance finding which ones are high quality.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-01-15-as-oer-grows-up-advocates-stress-more-than-just-low-cost

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January 26, 2019

How the Blockchain Ushers in a New Form of Trust

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Kevin Werbach, Knowledge@Wharton

Blockchain is one of the biggest buzzwords in technology today. But confusion exists about what it is exactly: The blockchain is often mentioned in the same breath as bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, but it encompasses far more than that. Kevin Werbach, Wharton professor of legal studies and business ethics and a blockchain expert, has written a book that explains this technology with great depth and precision. Because really, blockchain is a fusion of law, business, technology, economics — all these different areas where I have some expertise, and where I think there are really potentially huge opportunities to create new kinds of organizations and new kinds of [businesses].

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/werbach-blockchain/

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BM’s AI Machine Makes A Convincing Case That It’s Mastering The Human Art Of Persuasion

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Carmine Gallo, Forbes
Project Debater is the latest AI technology in IBM’s series of grand challenges. The AI-generated speeches are remarkably convincing. IBM Research has built an AI system that can analyze 300 million articles, papers or records on a given topic and construct a persuasive speech about it. It would take a human—reading twenty-four hours a day—about 2,000 years to get through the same material. IBM Project Debater does it in 10 minutes.  Rest easy. It won’t replace humans for reasons I’ll explain below. It will, however, have profound implications for how we make decisions to solve complex challenges.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2019/01/13/ibms-ai-machine-makes-a-convincing-case-that-its-mastering-the-human-art-of-persuasion/#316da0e62a48

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5 Important Augmented And Virtual Reality Trends For 2019 Everyone Should Read

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Bernard Marr, Forbes

Alongside AI and automation, virtual reality (VR) and its closely related cousin augmented reality (AR) have been touted for several years now as technologies likely to have a profoundly transformative effect on the way we live and work.  Over the next year, both VR and AR applications will become increasingly sophisticated, as devices get more powerful and capable of creating higher quality visuals. Our understanding of how humans can usefully navigate and interact within virtual or augmented environments will also evolve, leading to the creation of more “natural” methods of interacting and exploring virtual space.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2019/01/14/5-important-augmented-and-virtual-reality-trends-for-2019-everyone-should-read/#1534e16522e7

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January 25, 2019

5 Trends in Online Teaching for 2019

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Teodora Kosturska, Vedamo

E-learning is one of the fastest growing forms of education and it creates endless opportunities for people to improve their skills, knowledge, and qualifications. A few months ago we shared our predictions about the top trends in e-learning for 2019 that will turn online education into a unique and rewarding experience for both students and tutors. In short, the latest trends in online teaching and distance learning in a virtual environment are focused on assuring a more personalized and interactive experience for students.

https://www.vedamo.com/knowledge/5-trends-online-teaching-2019/

 

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How to Improve Cyberstrategy by Learning NFL Defensive Tactics

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Dan Lohrmann, Government Technology

At a summary level, what is Nick’s case? As the NFL playoffs rolled into divisional round games this weekend, more and more cybersecurity experts are seeing similarities between football strategies and cyberdefense strategies. Indeed, the lessons learned go much deeper than executive level analogies and fun tips.  After all the effort we put into improving our technology, why does everything seem so awful in cybersecurity? Here are some of Nick’s main points in the video presentation:

https://securityboulevard.com/2019/01/how-to-improve-cyber-strategy-by-learning-nfl-defensive-tactics/

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Fiber’ Is a Wakeup Call to our Digital Learning Community

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Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

What is our role in pushing universal fiber internet? Fiber: The Coming Tech Revolution—and Why America Might Miss It by Susan Crawford. Published in December of 2018. Our digital learning community needs a cause. Some fight that strikes an optimal balance between self-interest and doing the right thing. Reading Susan Crawford’s deeply reported and passionately argued Fiber, I think the battle for universal fiber broadband might be the fight we need.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/fiber-wakeup-call-our-digital-learning-community

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