Educational Technology

By Angie White, School CIO

The role of technology in K-12 education has expanded to become an essential component in the learning environment. Consequently, it is critical that K-12 technology leaders have the requisite skills to lead effectively. Effective tech leadership is an amalgamation of individual management style, a collection of competencies and skills, and organizational structure. Tech leaders must possess the essential skills and competencies needed to achieve the ultimate goal of education—student learning and achievement. In this series of blogs I will examine the key practices of servant leadership from the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, the new success factors for organizational success as outlined in The Boundaryless Organization and the Framework of Essential Skills for the K-12 CTO from CoSN.

http://www.schoolcio.com/Default.aspx?tabid=136&EntryId=3915

by eSchool News

The Refreshabraille has a Braille keyboard that allows students to write as well as read. Kyle Beasley is a smart second-grader with an infectious grin. He’s also functionally blind. Until last fall, the 7-year-old used 8-by-11-inch Braille texts that teachers printed for him on a special machine. Each page cost about $1. He once had four lockers just to store his textbooks. Today, the student at Roosevelt Elementary School in Janesville, Wis., easily carries his own iPad and a special Braille translator that allow him to read all his textbooks, send eMails, access the internet, check the weather, and do just about anything anyone else can do with a computer. It’s new technology that is fundamentally changing how blind people interact with their world, but it appears the digital revolution is just getting started when it comes to improving the lives of people with all sorts of disabilities.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/02/27/digital-revolution-changing-lives-of-students-with-disabilities/

By Steve Largent eSchool News

Students can make their mobile devices personal, which means they have access to information and tools necessary to succeed in school when they need it the most. For some students, wireless means taking classes that aren’t offered at their schools through distance learning programs. Overall, this new educational experience, commonly referred to as mobile learning or mLearning, promotes critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and other life skills that will help students succeed in our highly competitive and global society. According to a National Education Association (NEA) policy brief, when technology is integrated in the curriculum, there’s a direct correlation in improving a child’s achievement, motivation and enthusiasm since students and teachers are more engaged. Anecdotally, I hear inspiring stories from parents, educators, administrators, and kids on how wireless technology is helping students learn.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/11/15/how-to-engage-students-with-wireless-tech/

By Jeffrey R. Young, Chronicle of Higher Ed

Brad Wheeler, chief information officer of Indiana University at Bloomington, has worked out a way to get publishers to lower their per-book costs. Apple is revered in business circles for its tough bargaining with suppliers to keep down production costs on its popular iPhones and computers. Colleges should emulate that aggressive stance when buying their technology, argues Bradley C. Wheeler, chief information officer at Indiana University at Bloomington. Mr. Wheeler has spent most of his career as a business professor, and he is applying the same lessons he teaches his executive-MBA students to managing the university’s technology.

http://chronicle.com/article/A-Business-Professor-Turned/130913/

by Quentin Casey, FP Entrepreneur

Matt MacInnis envisions a day when university and grade school classrooms are completely free of paper textbooks. His Silicon Valley-based company, Inkling, is working to bring that vision to fruition. Launched in 2009, Inkling publishes digital books for the iPad. Some of the company’s titles are simply electronic versions of the printed edition. Increasingly, though, Inkling is producing e-texts that incorporate audio, video and other tools that aid the learning process. Take, for example, an Inklingproduced biology text that generates 3D models of molecules and contains high-definition videos, or the undergraduate music appreciation text that weaves audio samples from live performances with descriptive text. “There are so many things we can do that simply aren’t possible with paper. That was the impetus. How do we take this one last bastion of the 20th century and drag it, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century?” says Mr. MacInnis, a Harvard engineering graduate who grew up in Port Hawkesbury, N.S.

http://business.financialpost.com/2012/02/27/economics-of-e-textbooks/

by Ashley Finden, SJ Daily Spartan

Students who have learned Desire2Learn, D2L, over the past three years may have to learn a new learning management systemnext fall. In the Academic Senate meeting on Feb. 13, Provost Ellen Junn announced that SJSU may be moving to a new system, called Moodle, after the spring semester. Learning management system’s (LMS’s) are online learning platforms used by faculty to help facilitate and organize classes and lectures. Since eCampus began almost 15 years ago, SJSU has used a total of five online systems, according to Mark Adams, lead instructional developer of SJSU’s eCampus.

http://spartandaily.com/66784/d2l-crossover

By Charlie Osborne, ZD Net

Summary: What technologies will become important in modern classrooms? According to the latest NMC Horizon Report released by the New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative, six technologies are heavyweight contenders to change the face of classroom learning — including game-based learning, gesture-based computing and network implementation. The 2012 NMC Horizon Report predicts that in light of the ever-increasing popularity of mobile gadgets and technology, advances in tablet computing and smartphone use have become integral to the catalyst which will permanently alter the fabric of traditional learning methods.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneration/what-technologies-will-shape-the-future-of-higher-ed/15272

by Technology and Learning Advisor

This is a collection of sites that I like to use in a one-hour session of professional development. I like to update it twice a year to keep things fresh and because the first two were such a huge success. The last volume received over 21,000 views on Slideshare alone. As with all my resources, feel free to use them any way you see fit and I hope you enjoy it. I’ve even seen this used as teaching tool for a blogging exercise at the college level. Stay tuned for volume four sometime this summer!

http://www.techlearning.com/Default.aspx?tabid=67&EntryId=3837

by David Kapuler, Technology and Learning

Charts and graphs are effective tools to convey information in a simple and visual way. They’re also a great way to track trends and help explain complex datasets. Following are my top favorite sites for creating a chart or graph.

http://www.techlearning.com/Default.aspx?tabid=67&EntryId=3794

By Kirk Wakefield, Faculty Focus

Nearly 85% of faculty have a Facebook account, two-thirds are on LinkedIn, and 50% are on Twitter according to research from Faculty Focus. But, professors’ use of social media shows we are behind the relationship curve when it comes to connecting with students. Only 32% have friended undergrad students and about half (55%) connect with some students after graduation. Some faculty may be hesitant to friend students on Facebook. To do so on an isolated basis can send the wrong signals, and I know some faculty prefer to keep a clear line between the role of teacher and student. So, why might instructors want to connect with current students on Facebook?

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/trends-in-higher-education/should-professors-use-facebook-to-communicate-with-students

By Jen LaMaster, CIO Advisor

Well, our Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) movement is certainly picking up pace! Our school was contacted by the second reporter in a month writing a white paper. The concept is on most Ed Tech Trends lists that have floated through my Twitter feed. I expect to see the idea in mainstream media by the end of the year. In all the conversations we’ve had lately a few themes keep rising to the surface… BYOT is about student learning. Developing young people who ASSESS their learning need, EVALUATE tools to meet the need and successfully USE the tool is our learning objective.

http://www.schoolcio.com/Default.aspx?tabid=136&EntryId=3729

by Jeffrey R. Young, Chronicle of Higher Ed

Mr. Khan has begun adding what amounts to a robot tutor to the site that can quiz visitors on their knowledge and point them to either remedial video lessons if they fail or more-advanced video lessons if they pass. The site issues badges and online “challenge patches” that students can put on their Web résumés. He guesses that the demand for his service was one inspiration for his alma mater, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to start MITx, its self-guided online courses that give students the option of taking automatically graded tests to earn a certificate. Mr. Khan also works the speaking circuit, calling on professors to move away from a straight lecture model by assigning prerecorded lectures as homework and using class time for more interactive exercises, or by having students use self-paced computer systems like Khan Academy during class while professors are available to answer questions. “It has made universities—and I can cite examples of this—say, Why should we be giving 300-person lectures anymore?” he said in a recent interview with The Chronicle.

http://chronicle.com/article/An-Outsider-Calls-for-a/130923/

By Jennifer Howard, Chronicle of Higher Ed

For students in South Africa, mobile phones aren’t just for texting. They’re often the surest route to the Internet, especially for the many who have little or no reliable computer access off campus. And, as in much of Africa, cellphones are ubiquitous. A 2007 study found that 98.5 percent of the country’s university students had one. Laura Czerniewicz thinks a lot about how students really use those phones in a higher-education setting. She’s an associate professor of education at the University of Cape Town and the founding director of the Centre for Educational Technology. Ms. Czerniewicz used to work in commercial publishing. She made the jump to higher education in part to figure out fresh ways to get content to people who need it. She now heads the OpenUCT Initiative, which makes Cape Town research and teaching and learning resources openly available online.

http://chronicle.com/article/Technology-Director-Turns/130937/

by Olive Keogh, Irish Times

iAMECO (pronounced I am eco) is an Irish-made desktop computer with a social conscience. Its carbon footprint is only 30 per cent that of a normal desktop PC; it is highly energy efficient, 98 per cent recyclable, virtually silent when operating and contains no mercury, lead, PVC, plastics or flame retardants. All of these green credentials add up to iameco becoming the first Class B computer (covers all integrated office and home computers) to be awarded the EU Eco Label. The company behind iameco is MicroPro, an eco-aware computer business employing 25 people in Dublin. Unhappy about the short lifespan of computers, coupled with the amount of waste they create when disposed of, the company set itself the task of designing a prototype PC with a reduced environmental impact and longer life that would meet both EU Eco-Label and Eco-Design criteria. iameco has a lifespan of around 10 years and is now on the market at €850 (plus VAT) with an additional cost for software of around €100. The product is manufactured in Galway and its wooden housing is made from sustainable forestry.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/innovation/2012/0224/1224312020430.html

By Trang Pham-Bui, WLOX

First, it was computers. Then came e-readers. Now, more high-tech gadgets are making their way into your child’s classroom. This year, the Ocean Springs School District went wireless, and every school has access to all sorts of mobile technology. The devices are changing the way students learn. The times have certainly changed at Pecan Park Elementary School. The second graders in one class are learning how to tell time by using a Mimio Board. Lessons from a computer are projected onto a background, turning an ordinary dry erase board into an interactive one. “It is like playing a video game,” the teacher told the students. Across the hall, the class is using Neo Boards. “They love them. They enjoy it. It’s like their own personal computer,” said second grade teacher Ashley French.

http://www.wlox.com/story/17006348/more-high-tech-gadgets-getting-into-hands-of-students

By Emily Chung, CBC News

The Raspberry Pi comes as 45-gram open board that fits in the palm of your hand. It is equipped with various ports so you can plug in critical components that don’t come with it, such as a monitor and keyboard. (Raspberry Pi Foundation) An ultra-cheap computer with made-in-Canada software is launching next week with the goal of rekindling children’s interest in computer programming. Two models of the Raspberry Pi, which will sell for $25 and $35 respectively, are expected to begin shipping next week, said Eben Upton, executive director of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, the U.K.-based charity developing the computer.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/02/23/technology-raspberry-pi-cheap-computer.html

by Chosen.com

Samsung Electronics will compete with Apple in the global online education market. Samsung is to reveal details of a learning platform dubbed “Learning Hub” at the Mobile World Congress 2012, a spokesman said. Learning Hub will provide educational content for tablet PCs, including video lectures. Last month, Apple also announced plans to launch a digital textbook business. Samsung has already secured about 6,000 free and paid learning units in collaboration with some 30 domestic and foreign education services companies. Users of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab tablet PC can download them through the Learning Hub app.

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/02/23/2012022301301.html

By Justin Marquis, Online Universities

If the notion of creating a video game is daunting, it probably should be. Making a good game requires not only a great idea, but also a host of planning, graphic design, computer programming, sound engineering, and animation skills, not to mention a fundamental understanding of what makes for good, engaging game play. Fortunately, as an online instructor and de facto instructional designer, you only need to master one of these areas to create effective online instruction which incorporates some of the most powerful elements of game design — game mechanics.

http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/02/utilizing-game-mechanics-in-online-learning/

by Bruce Johnson, Online College Courses

Would you continue to take classes and work on your degree if you found out the degree wouldn’t help you reach your academic and career goals? Doug Lederman, editor and co-founder of Inside Higher Ed, discussed issues related to the ability of American colleges to prepare students for the real world in his review of We’re Losing Our Minds. While this is a summary of higher education in general, I believe that online education should not be included because these degree programs have an ability to provide a different outcome, one that promotes development of authentic, relevant, and meaningful learning.

http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2012/02/24/online-education-promotes-strong-minds/

By Jennifer Howard, Chronicle of Higher Ed

For students in South Africa, mobile phones aren’t just for texting. They’re often the surest route to the Internet, especially for the many who have little or no reliable computer access off campus. And, as in much of Africa, cellphones are ubiquitous. A 2007 study found that 98.5 percent of the country’s university students had one. Laura Czerniewicz thinks a lot about how students really use those phones in a higher-education setting. She’s an associate professor of education at the University of Cape Town and the founding director of the Centre for Educational Technology. Ms. Czerniewicz used to work in commercial publishing. She made the jump to higher education in part to figure out fresh ways to get content to people who need it. She now heads the OpenUCT Initiative, which makes Cape Town research and teaching and learning resources openly available online.

http://chronicle.com/article/Technology-Director-Turns/130937/

By Nick DeSantis, Chronicle of Higher Ed

U. of Mary WashingtonLearning-management systems lure professors in with handy features, Jim Groom says, but in the end they limit the Web’s possibilities for teaching. Enlarge Image Jim Groom doesn’t hate learning-management software. But he’s certain it doesn’t make teaching any better. For Mr. Groom, an instructional-technology specialist, the features that attract professors in the first place—like grade books and quizzing tools—are traps that squash creativity and bury thorny issues like fair use. When professors try a learning-management system that promises to improve teaching, it “really encloses space, and it encloses the possibility of the Web,” he says. Mr. Groom charges so-called open-learning management tools with co-opting the spirit of EduPunk, a term he coined to express the do-it-yourself ethos he champions. These days he avoids the word because he fears people were preoccupied with the label rather than its goals. He uses a new creative outlet instead.

http://chronicle.com/article/Self-Described-EduPunk-Says/130917/