Techno-News Blog

BY LAURA ASCIONE, eSchool News
Research shows the number of girls who want to pursue STEM careers continues to decline–here’s what can be done about it. A new survey shows that the number of girls interested in pursuing STEM careers is alarmingly small–and it continues to decline. The survey from Junior Achievement, conducted by the research group Engine, shows that only 9 percent of girls ages 13-17 express an interest in STEM careers, down from 11 percent in a similar 2018 survey.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2019/06/27/why-is-girls-interest-in-stem-careers-shockingly-low/

By Jessica Stewart, My Modern Met

For now, CC Search is providing quality over quantity. In fact, Creative Commons wants to make its search engine a leading tool for creators. “CC will prioritize and build for users who seek to not only discover free resources in the commons, but who seek to reuse these resources with greater ease and confidence, and for whom in particular the rights status of these works may be important,” the non-profit writes.

https://mymodernmet.com/free-photos-creative-commons-search-engine/

Blog Indeed

With AI becoming more deeply integrated into our professional and personal lives, the Indeed analytics team crunched platform data to learn more about AI jobs in 2019. What are the top positions? Which offer the highest salaries? Where are the best opportunities? Some of our findings may surprise you.

http://blog.indeed.com/2019/06/28/top-10-ai-jobs-salaries-cities/

Associations Now

The President and CEO of Community Brands, JP Guilbault suggests that big change can bring big rewards if we begin rethinking the way we educate ourselves. “There needs to be a big shift away from the classroom,” says Guilbault. “Yes, there are trade skills you can pick up from a class or online course, but the real learning comes through the doing of it in the workplace. Organizations need to embrace a ‘culture of trying’ because that’s where learning accelerates.” Throughout this piece, Guilbault breaks down the ways in which organizations can create a culture of learning in the workplace and receive the multitude of benefits which will naturally follow.

https://associationsnow.com/2019/06/future-education-building-culture-learning/

Larry KimCEO, Inc

Improving yourself and diversifying your skill set has never been easier thanks to online courses, webinars, video tutorials and guides that are readily available on the internet. Whether you’re building your own business or looking to get hired by your dream company, adding these skills to your resume will help you stand out like a unicorn in a sea of donkeys — and best of all, you can learn them online.

https://www.inc.com/larry-kim/14-in-demand-skills-you-can-learn-online-now.html

AZ BigMedia
Today’s college students bring a wide variety of needs and manage a constant juggle of responsibilities while pursuing a degree. According to the Department of Education, 74 percent of undergraduate students, described as the “new normal,” have at least one nontraditional characteristic such as being a first-generation student, having at least one dependent, or working either full or part-time. Further, nearly half of students enrolled today are age 25 or older and are working to complete an unfinished degree, returning to advance their career or re-skill for a new opportunity. As students are redefining their roles, higher education is reimagining pathways for today’s rapidly growing number of nontraditional students who are committed to earning a degree by offering more robust support programs, new technologies and flexible course schedules.

https://azbigmedia.com/business/education-news/how-colleges-are-adapting-for-todays-students/

Darrell Etherington, Tech Crunch
Soon, you might not need anything more specialized than a readily accessible touchscreen device and any existing data sets you have access to in order to build powerful prediction tools. A new experiment from MIT and Brown University researchers have added a capability to their ‘Northstar’ interactive data system that can “instantly generate machine-learning models” to use with their exiting data sets in order to generate useful predictions.

https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/27/mits-new-interactive-machine-learning-prediction-tool-could-give-everyone-ai-superpowers/

by Marisa DelBuono, Training Journal

Learning is a crucial component to every workplace. Be it initial onboarding and employee training, compliance, or continuous professional development, companies are increasingly looking for better ways to develop the skills and expertise of their workforce. In fact, 81% of executives say talent development is a top priority for their business. By investing in a customisable and streamlined learning program that meets the specific needs of your learners, you’re able to significantly increase employee retention and create a well-equipped, competent, and confident team that can drive business results.

https://www.trainingjournal.com/articles/features/creating-next-generation-learning-ecosystem-workplace

Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Neuroscience is changing the pedagogy of education, and it’s about time. Schools have long been ready to embrace scientific theory and research. Everything educators incorporate in their instruction today must first consider whether it aligns with the neuroscience of learning. What we bring into the classroom must be research-based, relevant and ready to support teachers.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/what-teachers-must-know-about-the-neuroscience-of-edtech-learning/

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

The thing is, educators are not entirely convinced about Edtech. On top of that, they are not being adequately consulted on it. This disconnect is one of the many reasons why we haven’t yet seen Edtech reach its full potential.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/so-much-money-is-being-invested-in-edtech-but-has-this-positively-affected-student-outcomes/

By Lillian C., VC Daily

The “virtual” part of the virtual classroom might be described as being shorthand for “virtually anything.” The power of digital communication, with its cloud computing, webcams, digital whiteboards, and multimedia streaming means that online learning spaces can take on whatever shape is best for the teachers and students in them. The challenge in virtual classroom management is to design the flow of information within that space to maximize learning. Communicating online is fundamentally different from what occurs within a shared real-world environment. While video conferencing can link anyone in the world with internet, the way we see and the way we speak online are contained within digital windows.

https://www.videoconferencingdaily.com/education/virtual-classroom-management-can-maximize-learning/

BY LYDIA DISHMAN, Fast Company

ZipRecruiter’s data scientists analyzed over 50 million job postings, surveyed hundreds of employers, and thousands of job seekers, and examined specific use cases in five transitioning industries. They found that AI created about three times as many jobs as it took away in 2018. What’s more, while employers are already using AI tools, 81% of those surveyed said they preferred to hire a human over putting in a completely autonomous system.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90369739/is-ai-killing-jobs-actually-it-added-3x-more-in-2018

By Jeffrey R. Young, EdSurge

Plenty of groups these days are trying to reinvent college, and that’s not surprising at a time when higher ed is under fire for ever-rising costs, ballooning student debt and even questions about the value of a degree. On one hand, entrepreneurs and foundations are rushing to offer higher education via new models and price points. Meanwhile, college researchers and innovators are diving into learning science and experimenting with new teaching methods. But those groups don’t always talk to each other, or even know what the others are working on.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-06-25-higher-ed-has-become-an-entrepreneurial-and-philanthropic-wild-west

Star Leader

The University of North Texas soon will offer non-credit, online courses in a variety of subjects through Coursera, giving more learners access to world-class educational content created and taught by UNT faculty.  “We plan to launch three to five MOOCs within the next year,” said Adam Fein, UNT vice president of digital strategy and innovation. “In support of our mission to provide access to education, our plan is to continue to explore options to give North Texas students and learners from around the globe flexible learning options and more ways to help them reach academic and career goals.”

https://starlocalmedia.com/theleader/news/university-of-north-texas-expands-access-to-online-learning/article_3d32f192-96a3-11e9-880c-5be64d7e8a71.html

BY SARAH MIN, Money Watch

Two-thirds of employees report regrets about their degrees, as Americans question the high cost of higher education. Student loan debt has ballooned to nearly $1.6 trillion nationwide in 2019, topping the list of regrets for employees.  Science, technology, engineering or math majors, who are more likely to enjoy higher salaries, were least likely to report regrets, while those in the humanities were most likely.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/two-thirds-of-american-employees-regret-their-college-degrees/

Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

Considering the plethora of lower-cost (in both dollars and time) alternatives to the traditional degree, it is no surprise that enrollment at the bachelor’s level in higher ed has dropped for the past half-dozen years. Sure, a robust economy has contributed to the decline, but applications to the University of California system and other major universities, as well as most midsized and smaller colleges, are down for 2019. Some very large employers are reassessing the need for the baccalaureate. Apple CEO Tim Cook says nearly half of Apple’s U.S. employment last year was made up of non-degree holders. He says most colleges don’t build the skills business leaders need most, such as coding. And, Siemens USA CEO Barbara Humpton says in the past the degree requirement merely helped hiring managers to identify a smaller qualified candidate group.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/considering-alternatives

By Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed

Ohio’s Eastern Gateway Community College draws scrutiny from lawmakers for working with an OPM to rapidly grow online enrollment of out-of-state students. Ohio’s Eastern Gateway Community College has grown its online programs rapidly in the last few years, with most of its roughly 20,000 students now enrolling online, and from out of the state of Ohio. The bulk of its enrollment growth — more than quadrupling in the three years before the spring of 2018 — has been driven by an online “free college” program Eastern Gateway created for members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a large trade union of public employees.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2019/06/26/ohio-community-college-raises-questions-enrolling-large-numbers

By Wayne D’Orio, Education Dive

Traditional colleges looking to fortify the liberal arts are adopting a practice from workforce-oriented institutions that aligns curriculum and job requirements. “We’re at another turning point,” said Andrea Backman, chief employability officer at Strategic Education. “Education is turning on its head to be skills based.” The Virginia-based educational services company serves adult learners through a handful of education programs, including Strayer University, a for-profit online college. Several trends are combining to push the skill-based movement at traditional schools, experts said. Employers are less inclined to train workers because recent graduates are seen as more likely to change jobs. And with U.S. student debt sitting at $1.6 trillion, students and their families are pushing colleges to give them something more than a degree in an often-broad major to prove their job qualifications. Schools, meanwhile, see this as a way to distinguish themselves from competitors and attract more students.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/with-skills-mapping-colleges-create-a-universal-language-to-explain-valu/557422/

BY STEVEN M. BAULE, eSchool News
There are four major areas educators can check to ensure digital materials include accessible content for all students. Today, most learning management systems (LMS) and software programs offer some level of accessibility compliance checking. However, they are not always thorough or error-free. ent is accessible for all students.  For instance, some PowerPoint templates show less-than-ideal contrast between text and background colors. Many YouTube videos include closed captioning, but the automatic captioning often leaves something to be desired. Taking the time to review accessibility of materials makes sense to ensure all students can experience success instead of frustration.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2019/06/24/ensuring-accessible-content-for-all-students/

BY LAURA ASCIONE, eSchool News
Here’s how education is using augmented reality apps to take academics and engagement to the next level. Augmented reality has been one of higher ed’s big buzzwords for a number of years, but it’s not until just fairly recently that institutions have used the technology in practical ways. Now, higher-ed augmented reality apps are having a moment that extends past the novelty of Pokemon Go–and K-12 could take some of those lessons into its own classrooms. Most augmented reality apps address a variety of things, such as bringing science concepts to life, improving student retention, and offering campus tours or glimpses of historical moments on campus.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2019/06/24/5-ways-augmented-reality-apps/

BY KEN UNDERHILL, eCampus News
In cybersecurity education, the line between teacher’s pet and tomorrow’s threat is far more nuanced–even invisible. Every field of study has its challenges, and cybersecurity education faces a big one: how can educators can share detailed curricula around things like malware and cyberattacks without serving up a potential recipe book for those with ill intent? Sensitive information shared with the wrong people in the classroom (physical or online) can fuel a malicious actor’s own educational learning curve. That’s obviously something to be avoided, but cybersecurity educators and their students still need to find a way to study concepts and use cases at the level of granularity sufficient for the real-world jobs they’re training for.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2019/06/21/transparency-cybersecurity-education/