Educational Technology

by Robert Hacker, Sophisticated Finance

Hybrid learning usually invovles a combination of classroom and online instruction. A report by Ithaka S+R reveals the results of a recent study on hybrid learning in a university setting. Key findings were:

1. Student learning outcomes were not better in the hybrid environment
2. Students learned the material 25% faster in the hybrid environment than classroom students
3. Productivity gains from fewer teachers and smaller facilities were a significant economic benefit

http://sophisticatedfinance.typepad.com/sophisticated_finance/2012/07/report-on-benefits-of-hybrid-learning.html

By Laurel L. Scott, Go San Angelo

Hybrids are not just on the highway, they’re also in the classroom. Although “hybrid” in this sense is a term for classes that combine online lessons with teacher support. The hybrid education movement was a topic during a two-day faculty institute in May offered by Angelo State University’s Center for Innovation in Teaching and Research. “What we find is online learning has its place but has its problems in terms of retention, student persistence, success rate,” CITR Director John Wegner said. “Hybrid works better; it’s the best of both worlds.”

http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2012/jul/01/hybrid-concepts-boot-up-at-asu/

By Angela Chen, Chronicle of Higher Ed

An Internet-rights petition, called the Declaration of Internet Freedom, started on Monday and has already gathered more than 20,000 signatures. Supporters include Mozilla, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Reporters Without Borders. Individual signatories include Andrew McLaughlin, a former White House deputy chief  Technology officer, and Nick Grossman, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, as well as professors from Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society and Stanford University Law School’s Center for Internet and Society.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/?p=37637

by Technology-Digital

More students than ever before are choosing to get their education online. Studying online is practical and affordable. There are no boarding or meal fees and no transportation costs. Studying online also saves time. You don’t lose valuable studying time walking or riding to school. You can earn virtually any degree or certificate online. More students are studying online than ever before. Younger and younger students who grew up with their computers and iPods are finding more comfort with the online learning model. The UK’s Open University serves more than 263,000 students in 23 countries. Over a quarter of the university’s students are now under age 25. The university has broken records with its use of iTunes U’s digital library. Students have downloaded more than 31 million lectures and materials from Open University. More than 90 percent of these students are from outside the UK. Students are comfortable accessing lectures from the convenience and comfort of their iPods.

http://www.technology-digital.com/press_releases/more-students-looking-to-study-online

By Sarah Butrymowicz, Hechinger Report

Online teacher training involves much of the workload that traditional in-the-class instruction does: textbook lessons, classroom observations, student teaching. But the challenges of training successful teachers online were made clear to me during a recent online chat, when the professor in my “Foundations of Education” course slapped on heavy-duty headphones, peered into her computer screen and asked students what they liked or disliked about her internet course at National University.

http://hechingerreport.org/content/can-the-burgeoning-world-of-online-teacher-training-improve-public-education_8932/

by Udemy

The online learning platform Udemy.com has debuted a complete website redesign, enabling students to track their progress, interact more deeply with instructors and discover new courses relevant to them. People take courses on Udemy to learn new skills that help them nurture their passions, get raises or promotions and switch jobs or careers. The new features aim to encourage these moves, and include: Enhanced Course Taking Experience – enables students to take courses through a responsive full screen user interface that encourages course completion and engagement. Robust Student-Teacher Q&A – facilitates student-instructor and student-student interactions through a powerful Quora-style question & answer experience that’s tightly integrated with each course lecture.

http://www.sfgate.com/business/prweb/article/Udemy-Launches-Redesigned-Website-to-Help-3673287.php

by Silvia Tolisano – Langwitches

Without a doubt, educators using iPads in the classroom, are in new territory. The iPad made its first debut in April 2010 ( at the time of this writing, just a little over 2 years ago). There is no extended period of tried and tested roadmap….new apps are appearing daily… If you are using iPads in education, YOU are a pioneer. We are in need to chart a new course, not merely following in the footsteps of the ones who came before us and not simply adapt the tools at our disposal to the “old way of doing things”. More importantly, we are in dire need of educators who are willing to use their imagination, experiment, revise a course of action, innovate and share their best practice in regards to using iPads in education. I came upon the following rubrics (1) developed by Harry Walker and (2) based on Kathy Schrock and updated by Greg Alchin.

http://www.techlearning.com/Default.aspx?tabid=67&EntryId=4328

By Holly Aguirre, Tech&Learning

Streaming video and digital textbooks in the classroom. Stronger assessments through technology. Build your own curriculum and the globalization of education standards. These issues are no longer speculation but reality. These are the people that are making it happen. Ready or not, here they come.

http://www.techlearning.com/article/52564

by School CIO

The Val Verde Unified School District (VVUSD) in Southern California has outfitted more than 800 teachers with Splashtop Whiteboard. VVUSD is a winner of the National Blue Ribbon School award and multiple California Distinguished School awards. VVUSD teachers can now use an iPad to control and annotate any content on their PC. “As a teacher I can bring the lesson to an individual student to see what they are learning through their fingertips and the whole class can share in that experience,” noted Kevin Ho, Bethune Elementary School teacher. “They can solve a math problem or write a sentence and identify the parts of speech. With Splashtop Whiteboard and an iPad I can see learning through the eyes of a child, instead of a one-way teaching experience.”

http://www.schoolcio.com/article/ca-district-adopts-ipad-controlled-whiteboard-technology/52658

by SRI

SRI’s systematic review of rigorous research in the report Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies found that online learning can be an effective alternative to face-to-face instruction. Unfortunately, earlier research produced little rigorous evidence addressing the effectiveness of online learning environments specifically for secondary school students. SRI is filling this gap through a series of studies funded by the U.S. Department of Education that focus on high school students. The studies will provide policymakers and practitioners with valid, reliable data on the effectiveness of online learning for these students in their states and districts. SRI’s work will also examine how online learning can improve the cost-effectiveness of instruction. SRI’s research designs include experiments using random assignment, quasi-experiments using statistical techniques to control for preexisting group differences, and surveys and interviews of students, teachers, and administrators.

http://www.sri.com/work/projects/evidence-based-practices-online-learning

by Jean Graff, Learning for a Living

The phrase “think outside the box” means approaching problems in new, innovative ways. A “book” is a very old concept that is undergoing technology-driven change. The book is the focal point of a whole information ecosystem that includes the library science profession, the print publishing industry, and the higher education system. Computer analysts and project managers can learn some valuable lessons in information quality assurance from this ecosystem, but it must be adapted to current technology and business realities. The ecosystem is slowing evolving as publishers seek new business models, librarians migrate to knowledge management roles, and universities grapple with competition from online courses. I’m always looking for “out of the book” innovations that combine features in new ways and/or integrate existing parts of the ecosystem.

http://montagueinstitute.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/thinking-outside-the-book/

by How to Geek

Have you thought about expanding your knowledge by taking some courses? There are several colleges and other sites that offer free online courses, certificate programs, some degree programs, and education resources for teachers and professors.

http://www.howtogeek.com/117674/the-best-websites-for-free-online-courses-certificates-degrees-and-educational-resources/

by eSchool News

Share My Lesson is expected to be the largest online resource for teachers in the U.S. and comes at a time when cuts to education budgets have led many districts to slash professional development. Share My Lesson, an online portal that teachers will be able to access free of charge. It is expected to contain more than 100,000 user-generated materials.  

Share My Lesson is expected to be the largest online resource for teachers in the U.S. and comes at a time when cuts to education budgets have led many districts to slash professional development. AFT and TSL have pledged $10 million to develop and maintain the site, which should be ready for teachers by August. “We must support the incredibly complex work teachers do at every opportunity, including by sharing and promoting best practices through online resources and communities of practice,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan said. He said the program would benefit teachers everywhere.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/06/19/new-venture-connects-u-s-teachers-online/

by Jenn, Blackboard Blogs

How did you imagine the future of online learning in K-12 five years ago? Did you think entire school districts would adopt digital textbooks? Or that 52% of school administrators would endorse online learning? Welcome to 2012. Where the typical student interested in online courses is a middle school girl and where “Bring Your Own Device” is a controversial phenomenon. Also, “what’s your flavor”/personalized learning is the norm. Students no longer need to tie themselves down to technology that is only available to them in the classroom. Students wish to learn anywhere, anytime. In fact, nearly 50% of students from grades 9-12 reported interest in taking an online class.

http://blog.blackboard.com/company/featured/are-we-at-the-%E2%80%9Ctipping-point%E2%80%9D-in-k-12-education/

by Zack Gilbert, EdGamer

EdGamer 58 is back with another great guest! This week we welcome Crystle Martin from UW-Madison and the GLS Conference. Crystle joins us to chat about her recent dissertation defense and all of her exciting future plans!

http://edreach.us/2012/06/30/edgamer-58-crystle-martin-uwmadison/

by CHRISTINE ARMARIO, the AP

The bullying that bus monitor Karen Klein endured on a ride home from an upstate New York school was painful and egregious, but also shows how student harassment of teachers and administrators has become more spiteful and damaging in the online era. Much attention has been paid to students who bully students in class, after school and on the Internet. Less has been given to equally disturbing behavior by students who harass instructors, principals and other adults. It’s something that’s long existed; think ganging up on the substitute teacher. But it has become increasingly cruel and even dangerous as students get access to advanced technology at earlier ages.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47931496/ns/technology_and_science-security/

by How-to-Geek

Podcasts, or webcasts, are shows about many different topics that are broadcast over the web and broken up into parts, or episodes. You subscribe to podcasts and new episodes are automatically delivered to you as they are released. We’ve collected the best websites for finding many different types of webcasts and for finding resources to help you in creating and producing your own podcasts.

http://www.howtogeek.com/117297/the-best-websites-for-listening-to-podcasts-and-learning-how-to-create-your-own/

By Jeannette I. Andrade, Philippine Daily Inquirer

“We can teach you how to use Facebook even with your eyes shut.” It is not an empty boast but a proven skill for the students of a special school which has shown for the last 18 years that computer know-how need not require a 20/20 vision. Using a program that converts a keystroke or a mouse click into a vocal response, the Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired (Atriev) has introduced some 500 blind people to cyberspace. Officers and students of the Quezon City-based Atriev went on a mall tour yesterday in Manila to showcase the technology—and its own special class of computer geeks.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/217649/blind-using-facebook-it%E2%80%99s-not-complicated-thanks-to-school

By Karen Falgore, Business2Community

Online education is on the rise as more traditional institutions and online schools are adding new classes and incorporating the Internet in their programs. While traditional colleges and universities have seen a growth of enrollment of around 2 percent, online courses and classes have seen enrollment growth of roughly 21 percent. The statistical trend for more students who are looking for online classes or even completely online education will change the job outlook in the future. More employers are seeing students who obtained an online degree rather than a degree from a traditional college.

http://www.business2community.com/digital-education/is-online-education-in-your-future-0201476

by Joe Tarr, the Isthmus

Uncertainty about the program has led to a lot of confusion, Giroux admits. He says that some people believe incorrectly that the university will give credit for work experience. But if people can demonstrate, for instance, that they’ve learned a great deal about accounting after working in the field for years — and can prove that in a test — the UW could award them credit for it. This allows people to test out of certain modules of a course, and move onto areas they don’t know. “We’ll never give anyone college credit for what they’ve done,” says Giroux. “Our goal is to give credit for what they’ve learned.”

http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=37091

by Kent Brooks, Moving at the Speed of Creativity

Working as chair of the technology committee at Casper College makes my third go around as the chair of the technology committee at an institution of higher education. Working in the chair capacity and with technology committees at other institutions (K12 & higher ed) in the role of a observer/consultant I have seen large committee and small committees operate at differing levels of effectiveness. My experience in working effectively with a school/campus technology committee is it can be a positive experience and technology projects which have been most successful, are those which have been endorsed and driven by an institutional Technology Committee. I also believe the general ideas and concepts are effective at all levels of education if utilized.

http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2012/06/20/what-makes-an-effective-technology-committee-in-education-v-2/