Educational Technology

by Kevin M. Guthrie, Educause Review

Over the course of the last year, new models for online learning have captured the attention of the higher education community and the American public. In particular, “massively open online courses” (MOOCs) hold out the promise that tens of thousands of students can take courses online from elite universities for little or no charge. The implication in this proposition is that the online environment offers the possibility for a small number of faculty to teach thousands of students effectively. But up to now, that has not been the experience of postsecondary institutions delivering instruction online. Online learning in various forms has been deployed in U.S. higher education for more than a decade, but most of these online courses are delivered much as classes have been delivered traditionally—with e-mail, online videos, and videoconferencing substituting for face-to-face class time and without taking full advantage of the potential added value of online environments. In general, faculty-student ratios for online courses have been roughly the same as those for traditional courses, with some faculty saying that teaching online actually takes more time than teaching face-to-face. Clearly, if the promises of MOOCs are to be realized, the technologies supporting these courses will have to shoulder a greater part of the instructional burden.

http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/barriers-adoption-online-learning-systems

by Ken Schenck, Quadrilateral Thoughts

Mark Edmundson has written an Op-Ed in the New York Times on online education that, from where I sit, is strangely out of touch with the cutting edge of online education. Mind you, I don’t know many professors who would rather teach online than onsite, and I don’t know many students who would rather take classes online than onsite. Doesn’t matter. The overwhelming majority of the adult college market right now is online and will be for the rest of history as far as I can tell. The just out of high school crowd is a little different, since for them college is as much a social phenomenon as a learning one.

http://kenschenck.blogspot.com/2012/07/edmundson-on-online-education.html

by Poughkeepsie Journal

Here’s a program for students that will offer opportunities for interaction with their peers, community-based service organizations, institutions of higher education and professionals from local industry. The Chamber Foundation Inc., the nonprofit educational organization of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, has partnered with the Army ROTC at Marist College to provide a Youth Leadership program. The revised curriculum will train high school students on leadership principles through diverse experiences that will include online learning, lectures by leaders of local organizations, field trips, community service and practical experience including. Students also will be able to take online preparatory classes, college entrance exams and have the opportunity to earn college credit prior to graduating high school during the multi-year program.

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20120721/LIFE/307210006/Good-Stuff-Leadership-course-train-students

By Eric Lindquist Leader-Telegram

Some of the programs have arisen from UW-Extension surveys about the workforce needs of regional employers. Once those needs are identified, UW-Extension works with campuses to see if they have faculty expertise that could be tapped to create an online program to fill the gaps, said George Kroeninger, assistant dean with UW-Extension’s Continuing Education Division. “It’s a fairly new and efficient way to address high-need career areas,” Kroeninger said, adding that UW-Extension contributes money for course development, marketing and student support services. The alternative delivery method can be particularly attractive for the tens of thousands of Wisconsin adults who have earned college credits but don’t have a degree to show for it, said Phil Huelsbeck, outreach program manager for UW-Eau Claire Continuing Education. “The response to the online degree program has been overwhelmingly positive,” Huelsbeck said. “I think it’s inevitable that online programs like this will grow.”

http://www.leadertelegram.com/news/front_page/article_11a22dc6-d2e8-11e1-80d5-001a4bcf887a.html

by Virtual College (UK)

An e-learning programme has been launched by the Korean Tourism Organization. The online training platform is focused on people in European and American regions and should help them in promoting the attractiveness and safeness of South Korea. People who complete the virtual learning environment could become “Korea Specialists”, the organisation stated. These individuals must have completed a sufficiently high volume of sales with product developers and smaller travel agencies and will be rewarded with a variety of incentives. E-learning courses can be made in such a way as to enable members of the public to increase their knowledge with ease, the tourism body remarked.

http://www.virtual-college.co.uk/news/Korea-using-online-learning-courses-to-promote-tourism-newsitems-801412018.aspx

By Andrew Shain, Myrtle Beach Online

Gone are the days when the first time a doctor treats a wound or performs a tracheotomy is on a live patient.  Students at the University of South Carolina’s new medical school in Greenville, which is opening this month, will work on realistic human simulators that breathe, have heart beats and give birth. Computer programs and teachers rate the students’ performance on the artificial patients.  “This gives us an opportunity to train the next generation of doctors differently,” said Brenda Thames, vice president of academics at Greenville Hospital System, which has teamed with USC on the new medical school.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/07/21/2950982/new-class-of-future-doctors-will.html

by: Bianca Da Silva, College Classes

As many other institutions announced their partnership with Coursera, an online course management system founded by two Stanford professors, Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng, the University of Washington announced that they too would be participating, and this boosted the course offerings from 43 to 111. As of now, Coursera is the proud partner of 16 institutions that will be offering these online courses to interested parties around the world. The moment some of the most prestigious universities around the country announced that they were partnering with Coursera, a range of other institutions made the decision not to be left behind, and this has ensured that students have their pick in terms of the establishment through which they would like to study. The day that the University of Washington made the decision to announce their partnership, they had 2 courses listed as available, but by the end of that same day, over 2,500 students had already signed up for them. These two courses were; information security and risk management in context, by Barbara Endicott-Popovsky and Scientific Computing, by J. Nathan Kutz.

http://www.collegeclasses.com/university-of-washington-coursera-free-online-classes/

by Health Digest News

One of the best investments parents can make when it comes to equipping their kids for school is to give them tools that encourage success in math and science. Multiple studies predict that careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) will be among the fastest-growing, highest-quality jobs available when today’s students enter the workforce. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of careers in STEM is projected to grow 17 percent by 2018, compared to just 9.8 percent for non-STEM jobs. Integrating technology into science and math learning is a great way to engage today’s tech-savvy students and make learning fun and interactive, while improving student achievement in these subjects. Here are helpful tips for parents to consider when choosing math and science gear for their middle school and high school students.

http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Education_390/Gear_Up_For_School_With_Education_Technology.shtml

By Leigh Goessl, Digital Journal

A Pennsylvania mother was arrested for illegally entering a school computer system. Her alleged actions, for which she now faces six felony charges, include adjusting her kids’ grades. According to The Morning Call, authorities say the Weisenberg Township mother used her knowledge of the Northwestern Lehigh School District’s computer system to fudge her kids’ grades. Police say the woman is a former employee of the school district, having left to pursue another job opportunity in April 2011. It is said she had intimate knowledge of its systems, and was also privy to the superintendent’s password, both of which she is accused of using to access the school’s information systems.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/329085

By Stephen Chapman, Between the Lines

Typically, when you see or hear the words “open-source,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For many, “open-source” is synonymous with “free software,” but in reality, it’s so much more than that: it’s a movement; a chance to improve lives; a chance for success; a total lifestyle change. In this article, I hope to shed some light on what open-source really is — and more importantly — why everyone should care about it, or at least be aware of it.

http://www.zdnet.com/open-source-so-much-more-than-just-software-and-freebies-7000001261/

By Jason D. O’Grady, The Apple Core

The new Nexus 7 from Google is a lot of tablet for $200. Is it as good as the iPad 3? Well, not exactly, but it’s also half the price. I took delivery of a 16GB model today (which bumps the price up to $250) and I’m duly impressed with its specs, build quality and overall feel in my fist few hours of using it. Early reviews (CNet, Engadget, Verge) similarly sing its praises. It’s the first “pure Google” tab (hence the “Nexus” moniker), it’s the best $200 tab, its fast and responsive (courtesy of its quad-core Tegra 3 processor,) yadda. And all of it is true, especially the bit about it being pure Google — no one dislikes Android skins more than I do — plus the N7 enjoys the distinction of being the first tablet running Android 4.1 “Jellybean,” the smoothest and slickest build of Android yet.

http://www.zdnet.com/the-nexus-7-is-only-missing-one-thing-7000001182/

by Angela Bartels, Rackspace

You probably use application programming interfaces (APIs) multiple times a day and aren’t even aware of it. They make it easier to share photos with friends, access massive data stores and drive new app development. With the rise of APIs, including our own Open Cloud API, we’ve compiled an overview to help you understand how APIs work, how you’re already using them, and how businesses are finding big successes with APIs.

http://www.rackspace.com/blog/api-adoption-and-the-open-cloud-what-is-an-api-infographic/

By Toni Fuhrman, Campus Techology

From pre-kindergarten through higher education, mobile technology is changing the way we teach and learn. Change is never easy, however, and many educators are struggling to keep up with the latest advancements in mobile technology–and how to use these evolving devices in the classroom. The University of San Diego (CA) hopes to overcome all that. Its School of Leadership and Education Sciences recently announced the creation of a Mobile Technology Learning Center (MTLC) to provide research-based answers to many of the unknowns regarding mobile technology and learning. By collaborating with local school districts, as well as with institutions of higher learning and government agencies, MTLC wants to be a “living laboratory” for schools and educators, to test research findings, and to provide future teachers with unique teaching and research opportunities.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2012/07/12/new-tech-center-aims-to-further-understanding-of-mobile-learning.aspx

By David Nagel, Campus Technology

Moodle HQ is ending development of native My Moodle mobile apps for iOS and Android, according to a blog entry posted by Moodle founding developer Martin Dougiamas last night. “After much thought Moodle HQ is changing how we support mobile development for Moodle,” Dougiamas wrote. “Our current approach of native apps per platform was costing a lot while not moving very fast and not serving our community.” Instead of native versions of the apps, Moodle’s mobile components will move to HTML5, which will allow updates to be released across platforms simultaneously and will allow for modularity and greater participation from Moodle’s developer community. Dougiamas said the HTML5 version will lose a bit of speed but should also improve some areas of performance through the use of the REST architecture.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2012/07/12/moodle-to-drop-native-mobile-apps-move-to-html5.aspx

by MATT BRIAN, the Next Web

Reports that Apple is set to utilise in-cell display technologies in its next-generation iPhone have been given a significant boost following a report by the Wall Street Journal that suggests will incorporate displays made by LG, Japan Display and Sharp in the new device. In-cell displays do away with separate touch screen and LCD display panels, incorporating them into one panel to increase display quality and can potentially reduce the overall thickness of the device (by mere millimeters).

http://thenextweb.com/apple/2012/07/17/apple-to-ship-a-new-thinner-iphone-using-in-cell-display-technology-says-wsj/

by: Uri, Box Network Europe

New media changed more than the way we work, but also the way we share and consume knowledge. The context in which we work is changing faster and faster, especially the online field. Employees need to be kept up to speed with these changes to guarantee work quality. The investment of continuous education of the work force is high. Every educational challenge and every department is different. How can one cope with these challenges as an organization? The workforce of the 21st century has been called the ‘Multi-Generational Workforce’ because they consist of a mixture of baby boomers and generation Y. The latter differs from the first because they were brought up in the digital era. They are familiar with the internet and social media and easily swing a question into their online network. Research of Harvard shows that in 1986 when the first baby boomers started to work they had to rely for 75% on their own knowledge. The other 25% came from sources such as manuals. In 2009 people were relying on only 10% on their own knowledge and on 90% on information from third party sources such as social networks. New media did not merely change the way we work but primarily the way we share knowledge and learn. Therefore, companies need to make sure their workforce knows how to navigate the vast online environment.

http://www.boxnetworkeurope.com/blog/e-learning-in-the-multi-generational-workforce-4-useful-tips-2/

by North American Association for Environmental Education

The EECapacity project offers many free online resources and opportunities for learning, collaboration, networking and capacity building available to all environmental educators. Each resource described below includes a link to access it online. We invite you to explore these opportunities and to come back often as we update this section with new resources that become available over time. More than a searchable catalog of internet links about environmental education, EElinked is a global community of environmental educators. Here you can easily find and download EE materials, post your own content, ask questions, share lesson plans and resources, and find and collaborate with EE partners. Tell your story to environmental educators, share your successes, comment on EE resources, and build on each other’s program ideas.

http://www.eecapacity.net/online-learning.html

by IT News Online

An NHS mechanical hoist is one of the first pieces of medical machinery to have its traditional training manual converted into an immersive 3D smartphone training App. The change is part of an effort to improve the performance levels of staff by creating more engaging, mobile training games instead of textbooks. A mechanical hoist widely used throughout the NHS to help lift disabled children onto their beds is the latest piece of medical machinery to undergo a major training operation. Great Ormond Street Hospital Online Learning & Development (GOLD) commissioned award-winning serious game developer, Caspian Learning, to help with the innovative project. GOLD’s aim was to create a more engaging type of hoist operation training that could potentially replace existing textbook training. The new project has seen Caspian Learning successfully convert the contents of a Mechanical Hoist Operation Manual into an interactive 3D computer simulation. The simulation in its new form can be played anywhere in the world via the internet or downloaded as an app for smartphones. A free demo of the mechanical hoist safety simulation is available to download from the Google Play Marketplace.

http://www.itnewsonline.com/showprnstory.php?storyid=225178

by Online Learning Insights

Online education is neither simple nor sinister. John Thelin (July, 2012).  An astute [and amusing] observation by Professor Thelin in his essay Professors and Online Learning featured recently in Inside Higher Ed; more for his choice of the word ‘sinister’ in his description of online learning, which is how numerous faculty view online learning in higher education – bad, threatening, dark, even frightening. I am not exaggerating. The word ‘fear’ was used in the latest report on online learning,

http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/online-education-is-not-a-dirty-word/

by MIT News

In the end, almost 155,000 people registered for 6.002x. Of those, roughly 23,000 tried the first problem set, 9,000 passed the midterm, and 7,157 passed the course as a whole. While the rate of attrition may seem high, Anant Agarwal, the president of edX and a professor of computer science and engineering at MIT, points out, “if you look at the number in absolute terms, it’s as many students as might take the course in 40 years at MIT.” Agarwal also believes that the rate of completion will increase as more courses are added to the edX catalog. “In some sense, this course popped up out of nowhere,” he says. “It requires a background in physics, a background in calculus, a background in differential equations. Over time, edX will have courses on each of those three prerequisites, and we can point students to those courses if they don’t have the background.”

http://www.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/mitx-edx-first-course-recap-0716.htm

by Jeff Dunn, Edudemic

Mobile technologies which record and track lessons are already here and can be used for assessing the learners’ progress. Appropriately designed adaptive training software can be used to evaluate and track learners on mobile devices. Recording of learning success is opening up new and exciting ways with novel mobile learning technologies. Tracking and assessment of mobile learning is possible provided the courses are designed with that perspective. The courses designed for mobile learning can also built using tools such as Raptivity. This rapid interactivity building tool allows the instructional designers and course creators to create rich interactive materials which easily fit into the different phases of the learning processes.

http://edudemic.com/2012/07/tracking-mobile-learning/