Educational Technology

By Sevil Omer, msnbc.com

Two professors from California want to teach the world for free. Now, five of the nation’s top universities have backed the pair’s project, dubbed Coursera, and will next year offer dozens of online courses to students worldwide and at no cost. Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, creators behind the online learning platform, announced on Wednesday their partnership with Stanford, Princeton, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/18/11270140-top-universities-to-offer-online-courses-for-free

By Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Pioneer Press

Like many K-12 school administrators pondering how to modernize their classroom technology, Peter Iles considered iPads as way to outfit his students and replenish an aging PC lab. “We considered the iPad,” said Iles, the principal and technology coordinator at Grace Lutheran School in Oshkosh, Wis. “But we did not consider it for long.” Instead, Iles went with the Google Chromebook, a Web-focused new kind of computer that, like the iPad, is being touted as a revolutionary educational device.

http://www.twincities.com/technology/ci_20203851/googles-chromebook-challenges-ipad-classroom

by Prof Hacker, Chronicle of Higher Ed

In this interview, I speak with the Stanford HighWire Press, which functions as one of the new “printing presses” for scholarly work. Established in 1995, Highwire offers hosting space and a publishing platform for publishers and scholarly societies. HighWire provides the publishing platform for about 150 scholarly publishers and over 1600 journals in all disciplines, including humanities content from Duke University Press and the University of Wisconsin Press. They are not involved in the curation and editing of research, but concentrate more on providing web hosting services and platforms for managing digital content. Our conversation touched upon issues such as how Highwire makes a distinction between itself and university presses, the open access debate to changes in the definition of “scholarly impact,” and what sorts of electronic data journals may be able to provide to individual authors.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/the-printing-press-of-the-digital-environment-a-conversation-with-stanfords-highwire-press/39520

by Janet Steffenhagen, Vancouver Sun

Thousands of academics from around the world gathered in Vancouver for a five-day conference that will feature the latest education discoveries on topics ranging from online learning and charter schools to bullying, racism and student activism. The annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), which is the largest gathering of education researchers in the world, opened with a plenary by Linda Smith of the University of Waikato in New Zealand. Her presentation speaks to the theme of the conference and the association’s two-fold mission, which is to encourage scholarly inquiry and promote the use of that research to improve education.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Bullying+online+learning+under+microscope+conference/6446139/story.html

by Michael B. Horn, eSchool News

Online learning is a disruptive innovation—an innovation that transforms a sector by making it simpler, more convenient, and affordable. As online learning has grown rapidly in K-12 education, news stories have captured several angles about the phenomenon. Instead of focusing on whether online learning is good or bad, stakeholders should consider the policy structures that shape its outcomes. Some have chronicled great online learning experiences that illustrate its potential to remake the public education system into one that can personalize for different student needs. Others have portrayed seemingly bad examples of online learning and called into question its broader potential. Still others have just reported on its rapid—and sometimes viral—growth and left it there.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/04/11/online-learning-disruptive-innovation-in-progress/

by John Miley, Kiplinger

“In a nutshell, hiring professionals don’t care about them,” says Kim Lamoureux, a senior director at human resources research firm Bersin & Associates. Employers worry about verifying the content and learning experience of unaccredited courses. As online learning becomes more popular — especially as employers partner with online educators to save on costs for tuition reimbursement — hiring managers may become more accepting of the merits of free education. For now, though, consider the education its own reward.

http://community.nasdaq.com/News/2012-04/what-to-expect-from-free-online-classes.aspx?storyid=133307

By Glenn Fleishman, The Seattle Times

The Flashback malware has likely infected more than 500,000 Macintoshes, or at least 1 percent of current Macs, representing one of the broadest penetrations of a computer platform by a malicious program. Most Mac writers I know (and yours truly) have expected for years an event of this magnitude. Those who denied the possibility were using magical thinking. Mac OS X is cleverly designed, but not impregnable.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017984027_ptmacc14.html

by Edudemic

Before you read the rest of this, let me say a few words. I am by no means an expert in Twitter (@edudemic) and do not claim to be. Twitter, like every other social media tool, is just another piece to connecting you with online resources. Whether you’re a new user of Twitter or a seasoned expert, the following tips are meant to act as a refresher for anyone feeling like Twitter hasn’t been doing as much for them as they’d hoped.

http://edudemic.com/2012/04/my-5-biggest-twitter-tips/

by Edudemic

Facebook is moving back to its roots in education with this morning’s big announcement of custom groups for schools called, not surprisingly Groups for Schools. While I’m dubious about how, if, and why individual teachers may want to use the service… it’ll be great for entire schools who don’t have the budget or resources to build their very own online community. So here’s the deal: Facebook will let you have an area of the site where anyone with your school’s or district’s .edu email address can get in and participate. It’s basically the same model that Mark Zuckerberg used to launch the site many moons ago.

http://edudemic.com/2012/04/the-ultimate-guide-to-facebooks-new-groups-for-schools/

by Abby Brownback, Maryland Gazette

Maryland students soon will likely be required to stay in school until age 18. The challenge is making them want to be there. Bolstering career and technical education programs — ranging from computer science to cabinetmaking — could be a big part of the solution, some school officials and education experts say. “One of the things that keeps students in school and learning is student engagement,” said Stephen DeWitt, senior director of public policy for the Association of Career and Technical Education. “Career and technical education classes offer that.”

http://www.gazette.net/article/20120413/NEWS/704139688/1124/dropout-legislation-could-turn-spotlight-on-technical-education&template=gazette

by WPXI

Teachers in a South Hills school said they are noticing results from a new technology being used in the classroom. St. Louise de Marillac School is using the student response system called “Turning Point” that allows students to submit responses to interactive questions. “I think it’s cool because you just click a button and answer and it goes on the screen,” fifth-grade student Elli Davis said.“I think kids will want to learn more because they think it’s like a video game,” fifth-grade student Griffin Gillespie said.

http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/teachers-noticing-results-using-new-interactive-te/nMXy9/

by Ben Friedlander, Oklahoma Daily

The compositions utilized different sounds and effects to recreate the composers’ memories of exotic destinations and add a new dimension to more traditional forms of music. For instance, “Gathering Light” mixed the sounds of several strings and woodwind instruments with recordings of bird songs and flowing waters to reflect Broening’s experiences in Estonia. Karathanasis’ “Trittico Mediterraneo” utilized sheep and goat bells with recordings from the town square to recreate the summer that he spent in Greece. Adding another dimension to the concert were three, live instrumental soloists. Music graduate students Marat Gabdullin on the violin and Andreas Levisianos on the piano joined School of Music instructor Christina Giacona on the clarinet. While each artist showcased their talents by accompanying a different movement, the electronic music in turn distorted and amplified the effects of their instruments to create an entirely original sound.

http://www.oudaily.com/news/2012/apr/13/school-music-explores-classical-music-through-mode/

By James Pouliot, Tufts Daily

A group of Tufts Computer Science students tonight are hosting Tufts’ first-ever Hackathon, a 24 hour marathon of programming and design during which they will work on project ideas and meet with technology leaders. Juniors Marshall Moutenot, Alden Keefe Sampson, Russell Stern and Adrienne Dreyfus organized the event. The Hackathon, presented by Evernote, a privately held company based in California that specializes in note-taking technology, is sponsored by Microsoft, Crashlytics, GitHub, Thoughtbot and New England Venture Capital Association. The team of up to three students that best uses Evernote’s note-taking technology in their project will win the grand prize — a trip to Silicon Valley to attend the Evernote Trunk Conference this summer, where they will be able to network with developers.

http://www.tuftsdaily.com/tufts-computer-science-students-to-host-university-s-first-hackathon-1.2729202#.T4iWpKu419E

by Gizmodo

A surprising number of the gadgets and technologies we have today are on the verge of extinction. Laptop Mag’s Avram Piltch walks us through more than a dozen, knowing that his newborn son will be about as familiar with them as today’s teens are with Betamax. And some of this batch might surprise you.

http://gizmodo.com/5901576/15-current-technologies-my-newborn-son-wont-use

by Your Degree

Online school offers incredible flexibility, but not everyone is suited to the more independent environment of online courses. Online courses present incredible benefits for those students who need more flexibility and have a lot of self-motivation. However, even some online classes are not the best to take online. There are also some personality types that just don’t do well with online school. If you have never tried to take an online class before, you really have to manage your time wisely and plan when you are going to study, because even if you don’t have time to get to a traditional classroom, you still have to make time for your online lectures, discussions and turning in homework.

http://www.yourdegree.com/learning-center/online-learning/three-people-who-should-avoid-online-classes

By Marlene Cimons, National Science Foundation

The Engineering Research Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering is part of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Engineering Research Centers program. The program, begun in 1985, aims to promote technological breakthroughs for new products and services, and prepare U.S. engineering graduates for jobs in the global economy. NSF is providing the center with $18.5 million during the next five years. The center is based at the University of Washington, with research partners at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, San Diego State University, and historically minority serving institutions, Morehouse College and Spelman College, both in Atlanta, and Southwestern College, in Chula Vista. Other collaborators include researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Tokyo, and such nonacademic research institutions as the Allen Institute for Brain Science, the La Jolla Bioengineering Institute, and hospitals in Seattle and San Diego.

http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2012/04/10/advancing-health-and-robotics

by the University of Waterloo Record

The University of Waterloo is among seven Ontario universities that will be working with tech giant IBM in computer research, accessing a virtual “cloud” computing centre from all seven schools. The $210-million public-private partnership will allow professors and graduate students to share research and collaborate, said Tim Jackson, vice-president, external relations, at the University of Waterloo. “Bright people working with bright people create great ideas,” said Jackson. The project will create a virtual IBM Canada Research and Development Centre and 145 jobs in Ontario.

http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/702769–university-of-waterloo-among-seven-schools-partnering-with-ibm-in-cloud-computing-centre

By Josh T. Reynolds, USA TODAY

It started with the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds. Then came geek chic. Now, “brogrammers” — computer programmers with frat house sensibilities — are hitting the scene. And the stars of The Big Bang Theory, one of TV’s most popular sitcoms, are cast as brilliant but nerdy physicists. The stereotype of the geeky techie that persists in pop culture is fading in real life, thanks to the legacy of industry giants such as Apple founder Steve Jobs and the increasing dependence of more Americans on the skills of those who know how to make their gadgets work. The emerging portrait: Geeks are cool.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-04-10/techie-geeks-cool/54160750/1

by Randy Moomaw, Ashland City Times

Students at two Cheatham County elementary schools and one middle school are taking part in a pilot program designed to not only help improve their reading skills, but also radically change textbook distribution. The myON reader from Capstone Digital engages students at all reading levels by providing a personalized reader-friendly environment that includes a list of over 2,000 enhanced digital books. “It is wonderful to see these children so excited over learning,” said Dianne Williams, the district’s chief academic officer.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120411/ASHLANDCITY04/304110049/Kindles-fire-up-students-desire-for-learning

By MARK PAYNE, Daily Titan

Cal State Fullerton will be offering a new five-week professional development course this summer. The course is geared toward providing educators with new and effective tools to address bullying – including cyberbullying in K-12 schools. The one-credit online course, “Understanding and Addressing Bullying,” starts July 16 and will be offered through the university’s Extended Education program in collaboration with faculty members from women and gender studies, psychology and education, and other experts who will provide video lectures.

http://www.dailytitan.com/2012/04/new-course-aims-to-fight-bullying/

by Virtual College (UK)

Foreign languages teachers could bolster the education of their pupils by using social media tools to create virtual learning environments. Writing in the Guardian, Transcription Global UK online marketing manager Ryan Gibson pointed out Facebook can be utilised by tutors, who could set up a page for their class to ‘like’, before updating it in languages other than English. Students could then use the networking site’s in-built translating tools and utilise their own knowledge to gauge the accuracy of the translation, he suggested. Online learning of languages might also be supported by blogs or Tumblr accounts, the specialist declared.

http://www.virtual-college.co.uk/news/Online-learning-with-social-media-could-help-foreign-language-students-newsitems-801336281.aspx