Educational Technology

By Andrew Barbour, Campus Technology

A recent poll by CDW-G provides a glimpse into how tablets are being used by higher education professionals as part of their work. Tablet use has exploded among higher education professionals in the past year, according to a December poll of 153 tablet users conducted by CDW-G. Of those polled, fully 88 percent have been using their devices for one year or less. And, in an era of BYOD, it’s interesting to note that 56 percent of respondents are bringing their own tablets to work, compared with just 39 percent who say that their employers have provided them. The CDW-G poll provides a quick snapshot of tablet use on campus by college employees. Based on these results, it’s clear that tablets are unlikely to replace standard computers anytime soon. Nearly 75 percent of respondents still use a laptop for their work, and 71 percent are still tethered to a desktop computer.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2013/01/10/tablet-use-surges-among-campus-professionals.aspx?=CTMOB

By Toni Fuhrman, Campus Technology

Spurred by the BYOD trend, campuses are dealing with the need for enhanced mobile coverage–from basement classrooms to new construction. Three schools share their experiences establishing DAS networks. It’s an issue facing every IT administrator: how to anticipate and deal with the increasing demand for problem-free wireless connection on campus–both inside and outdoors. Whether in a dorm, a basement classroom, or a conference center, connectivity is critical. Students and faculty expect it; safety procedures necessitate it; and the emphasis on greater business efficiency makes it imperative. “We have moved from the wireless network being a network of convenience to its being the critical primary network,” said David Galassi, Yale University’s (CT) director of ITS Network Services. “This has caused us to move from the hot-spot model to coverage focus, and now to capacity and resiliency. This, in turn, is being driven by a fundamental change in new devices that are wireless only–an expectation of mobility and ubiquitous ‘always-on’ connectivity.”

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2013/01/10/how-to-improve-mobile-coverage-on-campus.aspx?=CTMOB

By Bridget McCrea, Campus Technology

Mobile devices have had a place on Western Kentucky University’s (WKU) campus as long as there have been mobile devices to use. Today, the Owensboro, KY-based school’s mobile user base ranges from the student who wants to have the latest and greatest “toy,” to the business-oriented user who relies on mobile technology to get his or her job done. “Regardless of whom the individual user is,” said Jeppie Sumpter, WKU’s lead network engineering, “everyone is using mobile devices for the flexibility, speed, and freedom that they provide.”

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2013/01/09/managing-a-mobile-campus.aspx?=CTMOB

by Adam Webster, Edudemic

It’s a simple reality that if you give someone a way to do something that they can relate to, engage with and enjoy, they will do the job you give them better. Students are vey workman-like when I give them laptops. They know what is ‘expected’ and they get on and do it. When I give them iPads, I don’t know what they’ll produce at the end of it and often neither do they. If that scares you as a teacher then iPads are probably not the right device for you. If this excites you, then try and get hold of just one. Hook it up to an Apple TV and see what you can do with a few apps and a newly revitalised class,

http://edudemic.com/2013/01/ipad-king-of-classroom/

By Tanya Roscorla, Center for Digital Ed

As the New Year rings in, higher education leaders reflect on IT challenges they face. Two university CIOs named seven top technology issues they have to tackle, including mobile support, decision-making and governance.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/7-Technology-Issues.html

by PBS News Hour

One of the hottest issues in higher education these days is the recent explosion of free online courses. Universities are grappling with their impact on teaching and on liberal arts education. The classes are called MOOCs, or massive open online courses, and they may be revolutionizing higher education. Online learning is nothing new. Colleges have been offering classes, usually for a fee, and for credit for years. More than six million Americans are taking some type of online courses. But MOOC courses are different. They’re much bigger. They use new technology. They often feature well-known professors, and they don’t cost anything. Hundreds of these college-level courses are currently being offered over the Internet. More than two million students have enrolled in Coursera classes, though the completion rate is low.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/jan-june13/online_01-08.html

by I. Elaine Allen and Jeff Seaman, Babson Survey Research Group and synthesized by Pearson

The tenth annual survey, a collaborative effort between the Babson Survey Research Group and the College Board, is the leading barometer of online learning in the United States. Based on responses from over 2,800 academic leaders, the complete survey report, “Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States” has been summarized in an infographic:

http://www.pearsonlearningsolutions.com/assets/downloads/reports/changing-course-survey.pdf

By Jeffrey R. Young, Chronicle of Higher Ed

Some producers of free e-textbooks have had trouble persuading professors to adopt them. So one backer of “open-source textbooks” has decided to sell its titles on Chegg, an online textbook retailer, for a small fee in hopes of reaching a wider audience. The group is called the Twenty Million Minds Foundation, and its goal is to save students money by creating e-textbooks for popular subjects and making them available free—or as close to free as possible. It has spent about $1.5-million developing a handful of textbooks written by high-profile scholars.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/free-textbook-group-will-sell-its-e-books-on-chegg-for-a-small-fee/41483

By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, ZDNet

The best selling laptop of the day? The Linux-based Chromebook. We all know now that Windows 8 sales have been…. disappointing. You can blame the hardware. You can blame Windows 8’s mixed-up interfaces. You can blame the rise of tablets and smartphones. Whatever. The bottom line is Windows 8 PC and laptop sales have been slow. So, what, according to Amazon, in this winter of Windows 8 discontent has been the best selling laptop? It’s Samsung’s ARM-powered, Linux-based Chromebook. Shocked? Amazed? Why? The Chromebook has several things going for it.

http://www.zdnet.com/amazons-top-selling-laptop-doesnt-run-windows-or-mac-os-it-runs-linux-7000009433/

By Nathan Eddy, eWeek

While the United States is still struggling to rein in elevated unemployment rates, the tech sector is faring far better than the rest of the economy, as numbers released by IT hiring specialist Dice suggest. In the company’s January report, there were 77,052 available technology jobs listed, including 47,742 full-time positions, 32,677 contract positions and 1,702 part-time jobs. The report also noted 526 telecommuting positions were available. The Dice report also provides a list of the top 10 metro areas for tech jobs, with New York City taking the No. 1 position as it continues its rise as a major rival to Silicon Valley. However, the report also noted a single job posting may reflect more than one skill, location or type of position, and therefore total figures for those attributes may be greater than the total number of jobs posted.

http://www.eweek.com/it-management/slideshows/new-york-silicon-valley-lead-nation-for-tech-jobs-dice/

By Michelle Maisto, eWeek

Apple is already testing iOS 7, according to reports. The timing is in sync with reports of an early summer, rather than fall, debut of the next iPhone. Apple is working on iOS 7, the next version of the software run by its iPhone, something that may shock few people. Devices running a pre-release build of iOS 7 visited AppleInsider on various days in December, the tech site reported Jan. 2. The day before, The Next Web blogged that it had been contacted by developers who said their logs showed visits from devices with new iPhone identifiers. The iPhone 5, for example, has iPhone5.1 and iPhone5.2 identifiers, depending on the Long Term Evolution (LTE) model of the device and which band it runs on.

http://www.eweek.com/mobile/apple-ios-7-tests-underway-suggesting-an-early-summer-iphone/

BY TONY BATES, Online Learning and Distance Education Resources

Before drawing up my outlook for 2013, I want to discuss the important topic of prediction in online learning, in particular how predictions are made, and what value they may have. Nate Silver’s excellent book (references are at the end of this article) looks at prediction in a number of fields: weather forecasting (excellent up to three days, useless after eight days), economic forecasting (hopeless by both media pundits and professional economists), baseball players’ performance (pretty good and improving), earthquakes (bad for major quakes, but promising for lesser quakes), poker and a number of other areas. He also has some interesting reflections on big data as well. Unfortunately though he doesn’t discuss prediction in online learning, so I’ll try and help out with this!

http://www.tonybates.ca/2013/01/04/why-predicting-online-learning-developments-is-risky-but-necessary/

By Catherine Candisky, The Columbus Dispatch

The Ohio Department of Education is teaming up with Massachusetts’ education agency to develop the online “instructional improvement system” as part of their federal Race to the Top grants, state officials announced yesterday. “It has never been more important for educators to use modern technology to give students customized learning options based upon real data about their needs,” said Michael Sawyers, acting superintendent of public instruction. “Creating a statewide instructional-improvement system is truly the beginning of a new era in Ohio education.” The system will help teachers fine-tune and individualize instruction by providing them with online access to: academic curriculum, standards and lesson plans; quick and easy-to-use tests to determine students’ progress and where they need help; data analysis; and a portfolio of all students’ work.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/01/05/online-aid-picks-lessons-best-suited-to-each-student.html

By Stephanie Barry, The Republican 

Gov. Deval L. Patrick has  signed a virtual schools bill expanding a controversial education model that has come under some fire in Greenfield, but has been lauded by state officials as a progressive alternative for both vulnerable and gifted students. The legislation provides for up to 10 online schools statewide by the year 2020, establishes guidelines for the approval and and operation of “Commonwealth virtual schools” and directs the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to draft comprehensive regulations governing the structure and oversight of the ventures.

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/01/gov_deval_patrick_passes_virtu.html

by MindShift

Just as we need to know about animal cells, it is vital to understand a little about computers. In today’s world, one may argue that this is more important than learning about rock formations. Basic concepts on operating systems like file management should be introduced in grade school. These young students will find a lesson on how computers work as fascinating as one on electricity. It will help them appreciate the magic behind the computers they use everyday. Maybe they should have a chance to know – ‘Is it Save or Save As’?

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/12/save-or-save-as-should-third-graders-know-how-computers-work/

by  Neil deMause, the Village Voice

If you haven’t heard of MOOCs yet, you will. In fact, if you haven’t already taken a MOOC, seriously, what’s wrong with you? MOOCs are taking the educational world by storm: The New York Times has already proclaimed 2012 the “Year of the MOOC”; Columbia University will offer its first MOOCs this spring, while the University of Virginia fired its president (temporarily, it turned out) for foot-dragging on MOOCs. Blogs and educational journals are awash with debates over whether MOOCs are the future, are overhyped, will save higher education or destroy it.

http://www.villagevoice.com/2013-01-02/news/free-online-education/

by Kayleigh McCullough, WHO TV

The Iowa Department of Education wants to continue to expand online learning opportunities for students, the only problem is they don’t have the money to do it. Director Jason Glass is asking lawmakers for $1.5 million in funding over the next three years. Glass says the money will allow them to expand the Iowa Learning Online program statewide.

http://whotv.com/2013/01/02/online-courses-dept-of-education-looks-to-expand/

by Meg Dickinson, the News-Gazette

One Friday in December, sixth-graders in Jessica Pitcher’s science tech class at Jefferson Middle School waited, antsy, while she took attendance and made announcements. By the time she said the word, most were heading to computer work stations to open software called EToys, which is actually an environment for computer programming. The students opened the postcards they’d been working on all week, trying to make sure they met the class requirement for the amount of text and moving objects. They’re learning about computer programming as part of a pilot project on the subject that the Champaign school district has started with the help of partners from the community and the University of Illinois.

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/education/2012-12-30/champaign-students-delve-computer-programming.html

by the Physics arXiv Blog

Nobody knows how much of the web has been archived for future generations. Museums and libraries have long attempted to preserve cultural artifacts for future generations. Given that the internet is a cultural phenomenon of extraordinary variety and influence, it’s no surprise that archivists are turning their attention to preserving it for future generations. That’s no easy task given the rate at which new pages, pictures, videos and audio recordings appear and disappear from the online world. So an interesting question is how much of the web they’ve so far managed to save. Today, Scott Ainsworth and a few pals from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, give us an answer of sorts. They say it depends on how and what you count because different online sources seem to be archived in wildly different ways.

http://www.technologyreview.com/view/509411/computer-scientists-measure-how-much-of-the-web-is-archived/

by scicurious, Neurotic Physiology

Basically, while I see the potential of the MOOC, right now it doesn’t seem all that much better to me than iTunes U (also free!) or getting a course on DVD from the library (also free!). Maybe there’s a more social aspect, but so far I haven’t seen it (though that could be because I haven’t really needed to get a study group). The idea to me right now seems somewhat unfocused, like they aren’t sure of audience, and are spreading the net as wide as possible to try and catch everyone. And as for the format, well I’m not sure how much I will learn or retain over, say, listening to an audiobook.

http://scientopia.org/blogs/scicurious/2013/01/02/on-the-matter-of-moocs/

by Online Learning Insights

This is part one of a three-part series for educators that describes how to create a rich, robust learning network and virtual space—a personal learning environment that supports professional and personal enrichment for lifelong learning. I plan to embrace 2013 with a new focus and direction, an emphasis that is different from a resolution. Resolutions don’t work, yet I still look forward to each New Year with a sense of anticipation, energy and a new plan. This year is no exception. I’ve spent much time considering carefully where I want to invest my time and energy, and it begins with a personal learning environment (PLE). A PLE is the hub of personal and professional development, and what better time than the New Year to commit to a renewed focus on one’s personal development.

http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/one-essential-resolution-for-educators-in-2013-a-personal-learning-environment/