Educational Technology

by Julie Halpert, Mashable

It’s not the technology alone that bolsters learning, says Michael B. Horn, executive director of the education practice at Innosight Institute, a non-profit think tank that focuses on education and innovation. Districts that see the most advantages use technology for active, not passive learning, giving students control over the pace of their learning. He says that’s proven to be an “exciting way to bolster student learning as it allows us to customize an education for each child according to his or her distinct learning needs.” Horn says blended learning is far more cost effective, since schools can use it to offer advanced courses online that otherwise would be unavailable, especially in core subjects like math and reading. Mary Beth Hertz, a technology integration specialist for Philadelphia schools and a blogger for Edutopia, says technology allows for better use of class time through a “flipped classroom,” where students can view online lectures at home.

http://mashable.com/2012/08/12/tech-in-the-classroom/

by Computerteach UK

The teaching of ICT in English and Welsh schools is 20 years out of date, according to a leading expert. Dr Mike Short, president of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), said the lack of an adequate curriculum has left an entire generation of young people unable to understand the technology that plays such a prominent role in their lives. “The current school ICT syllabus is not appropriate for the digital generation,” he claimed. He added that teaching computer science as a subject in its own right will be essential in order to ensure “our future workforce is equipped to design, build and maintain the next generation of infrastructure, systems and products”.

http://www.computeach.co.uk/IT-news/Education-Training-News/IT-industry-news-Computer-teaching-in-schools-is-20-years-behind/801426645

By Ted Adams, ASF

If the name Sal Khan doesn’t ring a bell, check out Time Magazine’s annual list of The 100 Most Influential People in the World. Or ask my ten-year-old to tell you about Mr. Khan’s video on the Revolutionary War and subtracting fractions. Salman Amin ‘Sal’ Khan is the founder of the Khan Academy, a free online education platform and nonprofit organization. From a small office in his home, Khan has produced over 3,000 videos elucidating a wide spectrum of academic subjects, mainly focusing on mathematics and the sciences. As of July 2012, the Khan Academy channel on YouTube has attracted more than 355,000 subscribers. …Wikipedia

http://philanthrofiles.org/2012/08/08/khan-academy-an-inspiration-for-philanthropy/

by 2014by SLBC

A programme has been launched to provide Laptop computers to all school children by the year 2014. This is in fulfillment of a pledge given in the Mahinda Chinthana for building a younger generation armed with e-technology. The programme is being launched on a concept of the parliamentarian Namal Rajapakse. Accordingly a computer manufacturing plant will be established in the Hambantota area. The programme will help children from Grade six to GCE Advanced Level to get a laptop computer for their educational purposes. Software relating to all text books and teachers handbooks will also be installed in these computers.

http://www.slbc.lk/index.php/component/content/article/1-latest-news/12049-laptop-computers-for-all-school-children-from-2014–

by the Willows-Journal

The National Federation of State High School Associations is offering a free online course, “Creating a Safe and Respectful Environment,” on hazing, bullying and inappropriate relationships. The course, designed to reach to more high school coaches, school administrators and the general public, is available at www.nfhslearn.com. The course provides examples of court cases involving these issues and suggests appropriate actions that coaches should take when these types of issues arise.

http://www.willows-journal.com/sports/course-8780-issues-school.html

by Terrence Chea, Associated Press

From Harvard to Stanford, a growing number of elite universities are throwing open their digital doors to the masses. They’re offering their most popular courses online for no charge, allowing anyone with an Internet connection to learn from world-renowned scholars and scientists. Many colleges have offered Web-based courses for years, but the participation of top-tier research universities marks a major milestone in the expansion of digital learning. The proliferation of so-called massive open online courses, or MOOCs, has the potential to transform higher education at a time when colleges and universities are grappling with shrinking budgets, rising costs and protests over soaring tuition and student debt. Supporters say these online courses can lower teaching costs, improve learning online and on campus, and significantly expand access to higher education, which could fuel technological innovation and economic growth.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/elite-colleges-transform-online-higher-education-16934298

By Elise Young, Inside Higher Ed

When Georgia’s need-based HOPE grant for technical college students stopped helping them pay for textbooks last year, administrators at South Georgia Technical College decided to take matters into their own hands.  The college announced three weeks ago that starting this fall, it will provide students with free textbooks for each of their courses — a program that President Sparky Reeves said he hopes will be paid for by tuition revenue brought in by additional students. Between 80 and 85 percent of the college’s students are eligible for the grant, which used to pay 100 percent of tuition and award students a $150 voucher for textbooks, Reeves said. But — as of last fall — the grant now pays about 90 percent of tuition, and it no longer awards book vouchers.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/08/06/georgia-college-give-students-free-textbooks

by Show-Me-Daily

In higher education, distance learning has been around for a very long time. In fact, the University of London began offering degrees through a correspondence program in 1858. Modern technology is allowing the spread of distance learning programs at a rapid pace. Universities across the country are developing programs to compete in the growing online learning market. In K-12, however, traditional public schools have been much slower to adopt distance learning programs or to use technology to transform how they deliver instruction. Rather than using technology and distance learning to change how schools operate, many programs targeted at K-12 students are used to supplement traditional learning that a student’s local school offers.

http://www.showmedaily.org/2012/08/online-learning-when-more-is-more.html

By: Nathan Eddy, eWeek

The OnForce survey also indicated the number of different devices employees are bringing to work is increasing. The bring-your-own-device trend is gathering steam but posing challenges to IT departments, which are trying to figure out how to secure the various smartphones and tablets employees are using to connect to corporate networks, according to findings in OnForce’s Q3 Confidence Index, a poll that reflects the opinion of more than 500 technology service professionals. More than half of technicians that do BYOD work reported a 25 percent or more increase in the number of requests for personal mobile device configuration and/or setup at businesses in the past six months. However, just 31 percent of those surveyed have seen an increase in requests for mobile device security during the same timeframe, suggesting businesses are putting themselves at risk of data breaches.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/BYOD-Initiatives-Grow-but-Security-Remains-a-Challenge-630915/?kc=rss

by Nathan Eddy, eWeek

Who needs real friends, anyway? In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the social networking giant Facebook admitted that 8.7 percent of its 955 million members worldwide could in fact be in violation of its policies, with duplicate accounts, accounts that users maintain in addition to their principal accounts, make up 4.8 percent of that figure. In addition, the filing reveals user-misclassified accounts may have represented approximately 2.4 percent of Facebook’s worldwide users, and undesirable accounts may have represented approximately 1.5 percent of their worldwide users. User-misclassified accounts are classified as personal profiles for a business, organization or nonhuman entity such as a pet. These types of entities are permitted on Facebook using a Page rather than a personal profile under the company’s terms of service.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Web-Services-Web-20-and-SOA/Facebook-Could-be-Filled-with-83-Million-Fake-Accounts-521121/?kc=rss

by Latino Voices, Huffington Post

It is not a secret that not only has the U.S. slipped in college graduation rates, but that the country is also facing a specific shortage in graduates with degrees in the very fields needed for the U.S. to remain highly competitive in the 21st Century, namely math, science, technology and engineering (STEM). For the Latino community, the challenge is magnified when we consider that the community continues to lag behind others in college graduation rates. As reported in USA Today, “Latinos had the lowest level of associate degrees or higher during 2011 with 21%, compared to Asians with 57%, whites with 44% and blacks with 30%.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/03/top-25-colleges-graduating-science-technology-engineering-math_n_1733086.html

by WAFB

Girl Scouts got the chance Friday to learn about technology. Girls from the ages of 10 to 14 learned how to build their own computer from scratch at McKinley Middle Magnet. Geek Squad Summer Camp shows girls shows girls how in hopes that it’s contagious. “We get kids from a young age interested in technology so that when they grow older, they grow to have an actual love of technology on their own,” said Norma Villa with Geek Squad. ”

http://www.wafb.com/story/19193683/girl-scouts-learn-to-build-computers

by TV NZ

Harry Simons is only six but he uses a classroom netbook every day, possibly rewiring his brain in a way his parents’ grey matter was not built for. Such exposure to technology from a young age could be changing the brains of “digital natives” and have far-reaching consequences for the way teachers educate future generations, according to New Zealand’s Prime Minister’s chief science adviser, Sir Peter Gluckman. Schools would require “a very different type of teacher” who can help pupils interpret information from sources beyond the teacher’s control. But if pupils’ brains were developing differently, even more fundamental changes in education might be required, Sir Peter has told a parliamentary inquiry into “21st century learning environments and digital literacy”.

http://tvnz.co.nz/technology-news/children-guinea-pigs-new-tech-world-5006147

BY: STEWART WOLPIN, Life Goes Strong

To strike the best balance of form and function for your pupil, I’d go with an iPad with a Bluetooth keyboard for classwork coupled with a desktop PC in the dorm room. A PC with a large screen monitor not only will serve your student better for composing long papers, it’ll double as a TV thanks to all the Web-based TV content available. For purely budgetary reasons, I agree with Jeff that a laptop is the overall better choice. But spring for a lighter ultrabook and pair it with e-textbooks from CourseSmart or eCampus or an e-book reader. If your prodigy also wants an iPad – well, that’s what part-time jobs are for.

So, that leaves one final question: which laptop?

http://tech.lifegoesstrong.com/article/back-school-laptop-or-ipad-lesson-2

by Jannelle Richards, NBC News

And that’s exactly what Girls Who Code aims to do: develop a passion for technology among girls who have not had much exposure to the field. The program was created by Reshma Saujani, a former deputy public advocate for New York City. “I think that this world would look like a very different place if we had more female developers and coders and engineers and entrepreneurs,” said Saujani. “Girls are so passionate about technology…it’s simply not the case that they aren’t interested and it’s not the case that they’re not good at it….it’s just that there’s a perception out there that they’re not interested, that they’re not as good as the boys and that’s exactly what we’re changing every single day.”

http://dailynightly.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/03/13104497-girls-who-code-inspires-teens-to-learn-about-tech

By HITEN SAMTANI, School Book

And the very thing that attracted so many states to adopt Common Core – the widespread standardization of learning goals, as well as the opportunity to do more creative teaching – can also turn it into a windfall for e-learning companies. Industry leaders said they expected an increased need for basic learning materials to free up teachers to focus on the deeper-level thinking associated with Common Core. At the same time, content experts and developers can focus more on creating courses that address those new goals. And with all the testing associated with Common Core, to gauge students’ progress and weaknesses, more tests will be necessary. But the learning materials and tests no longer need to be differentiated state by state, saving the companies money, industry members said. Because of that, Common Core will be “a complete game changer,” said Susan Patrick, the chief executive officer of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, a nonprofit that tracks the K-12 online industry.

http://www.nytimes.com/schoolbook/2012/08/03/common-core-standards-boon-to-e-learning-industry/

by Staff Link

Would you like to freshen up your programming skills but you are put off by high tuition fees? That excuse doesn’t work anymore. Some top universities are now offering free online technology courses. It happened to the music industry. It happened to the book industry. Now the Web is doing its inevitable shakedown with higher education. Pretigious universities like our own University of Toronto offer free online technology courses. In fact, if you demonstrate mastery in a course you can get a certificate from a course offered by Harvard, MIT or UC Berkeley right now for free!

http://blog.stafflink.ca/technology-trends/free-online-technology-courses

By Karen Baker, PSFK

The emergence of online platforms is bringing a wave of disruptive innovations to traditional education. From 40,000 person classes that you can take from anywhere to Twitter-moderated discussion forums with trending hashtags, technology is fundamentally changing the way we learn today. From the age of five until very recently, going to school involved sitting at a desk in a classroom of your peers and watching an instructor write on a blackboard. It meant raising our hands to be called on, completing homework assignments and filling in bubbles on multiple-choice exams. Despite small advances over the years, most students are presented with a standardized experience that fails to deliver on the promise of success. Consider that in the US, K-12 math and science test scores continue to slide despite the fact that the country has one of the highest per capita spends on education for each student.

http://www.psfk.com/2012/08/lowering-learning-barriers.html

by Rachel Metz, Technology Review

In the summer of 2009, Yelp quietly added a feature to its iPhone app that blurred the line between the real and the virtual. If you held your handset up and looked at the world through its screen, you’d see little floating tags containing the names, user ratings, and other details of businesses around you. Several years later, augmented reality is still mostly used by early tech adopters, but it’s starting to graze the mainstream, helped by the massive popularity of smartphones and tablets, and their constantly improving processors and sensors, along with the growth of high-speed wireless data networks. Apps featuring augmented reality are available for everything from gaming to driving to furniture arrangement. Slowly but surely, augmented reality is becoming less of a novelty and more of a utility.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/428654/augmented-reality-is-finally-getting-real/

by Imani Jackson, HBCU Digest

The HBCU community can benefit tremendously from this kind of technological expansion. I’m not saying that we need some majority university’s stamp of approval to verify a quality education. But, between personal experiences, and interviews and conversations with people entrenched in all things HBCU, we must step our technological game up. Whether students and professors choose to engage MOOCs, take more online classes in general or curate their own pedagogical content, moving toward digitization is a win across the board. Computers aren’t the heart of knowledge, but they are becoming ventricles.

http://www.hbcudigest.com/how-moocs-and-digital-engagement-can-improve-hbcu-experience/

by Seth Saavedra, Teach for America

If you’ve followed ed tech chatter these past few weeks, then you know that the buzz around Khan Academy, the popular online repository of educational videos voiced by the charismatic Sal Khan, has taken a rather negative tone ever since two teachers at Grand Valley State University created “Mystery Teacher Theater 2000”—in the style of Mystery Science Theater 3000—a scathing response to a Khan video lesson about negative numbers. Let’s keep the dialogue going without undermining our most promising new ideas. While there will— and should—be continued critical feedback for Khan Academy and its teaching methodologies, we can’t let perfect be the enemy of good. The future of education is sorting itself out as I type—Khan himself acknowledges his organization has a ways to go. In the end, face-to-face learning isn’t endangered by ideas like Khan Academy, it’s being enriched.

http://www.teachforamerica.org/blog/cut-sal-khan-and-khan-academy-some-slack