Educational Technology

by the BBC

More than 300,000 people around the world have signed up for online courses run by Edinburgh University. The number signing up to the courses has risen 50% in less than two months. For each of the 30,000 students on campus, another 10 are virtual students taking part in the free Massive Open Online Courses called MOOCs. No entry requirements are necessary for the part-time taster courses covering subjects such as philosophy, equine nutrition and astrobiology. The courses are offered as part of the wider Coursera consortium, set up by US academics to provide web-based undergraduate-level courses to anyone who wants to do them. Edinburgh, which joined the consortium last summer, is offering six courses across the humanities, engineering and science.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-21304118

by Wallace Boston, APUS

It seems that the jury is still out on MOOCs but some schools are exploring their possibilities. “Changing Course” notes that more than half (55.4%) of the colleges and universities responding to the survey are “undecided” about MOOCs while about a third (32.7%) have no plans to attempt a MOOC. A very small percentage (2.6%) of respondents have a MOOC currently and another 9.4% are actively planning a MOOC. The majority of respondents indicated a concern about credentialing and others question how sustainable the MOOC model is. Interestingly, a large number of academic officers see MOOCs as an opportunity to enhance the pedagogy of online learning. This corroborates the increasing popularity of online learning in higher education. Though many may continue to express concern about MOOCs, the number of academic leaders who see online education as a critical part of their education strategy continues to increase.

http://wallyboston.com/2013/02/01/changing-course-ten-years-of-tracking-online-education-in-the-united-states/

By Kelly Brooks

Over the past several years, “gaming” has entered the fitness arena, with new technology allowing participants to move and become active while playing games. With the growing obesity epidemic and the billion-dollar weight-loss industry as motivation, video game companies have marketed their technology to parents who are worried about children becoming obese (while they play video games) and to a generation of “gamers” who will have the ability to exercise while in their comfort zone in front of their game system.

http://onlinelearningtips.com/2013/02/01/an-evaluation-of-the-value-of-virtual-games-in-fitness/

by Clive Shepherd, Onlignment

The Internet will transform learning above all because of its scalability. Sites such as the Khan Academy, providing video tuition in maths and science, have already reached more than 100 million learners. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are making it possible to deliver higher education to tens of thousands of students at a time, at a tiny fraction of the cost of an on-campus education. Online learning will soon become the default option, at least for adults, but that does not mean it can or should be universal. We have already discussed the special benefits that can be attributed to learning face-to-face. And, until ultra-fast broadband is universally available on all devices, we will still need to carry some of our learning materials around with us.

http://onlignment.com/2013/02/4923/

by The Editorial Board, Binghamton University Pipe Dream

Distance learning, as the name implies, is technology that allows classes to be taught not in physical lecture halls with students physically populating its seats, but online instead, with professors recording videos of their lectures, then posting them to a class website. The advantage of widespread distance learning is not hard to see: Rather than having to drag themselves out of bed in 10-degree weather for 8 a.m. classes, students could watch the lectures at leisure and, more than that, could rewatch the parts they missed — not an unlikely occurrence at 8 a.m. The convenience factor, then, is perhaps the most obvious aspect added by distance learning. Professors, too, could benefit from distance learning. Not only could they teach from the luxury of their own homes, but they would no longer have to deal with the perpetual disturbances that plague the classroom — latecomers to class, cell phones going off, the two students invariably talking and giggling throughout class.

http://www.bupipedream.com/opinion/16930/distance-learning-problems/

by Kristy Bolsinger, Search Engine People

If there’s one thing Internet marketing does is move and change. Quickly. It’s a challenge for even those whose full time jobs it is to keep up with it all – let alone SMB owners or marketers whose time is divided across 100 or so other hats. Not to mention our constant drive to develop ourselves professionally and satiate our innate curiosity. Learning could easily be a full time job and a half, am I right? While we are starting to come to terms with the fact that college education just doesn’t pay off as well as it used to. Tuition costs are rising RAPIDLY and the payoff just doesn’t seem all that great.

http://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/lean-learning-a-guide-to-online-learning-on-the-cheap.html

by Tom Snyder, Huffington Post

I strongly believe that the future of higher education lies with online learning. Increasingly, colleges and university students now find themselves with other obligations beyond that of getting a degree. Jobs and family commitments make equal demands on their time. Having the option of taking online classes and studying on their own time is critically important. At the same time, many state institutions are unable to accommodate all those who want to take classes on campus, escalating the demand for online learning. Finally, lifelong learning must now be a part of everyone’s career plans. In today’s job market, taking online courses help workers remain competitive and they don’t need to take time off from their jobs to do this.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-snyder/the-benefits-of-online-le_b_2573991.html

by Sumi Das, CNET news.com

So you’ve graduated from high school and been accepted at a four-year college. But when you arrive on campus you find out that you can’t pass college entry-level courses, so it’s back to remedial classes. That’s the fate of half of all freshman at San Jose State University, according to Provost Ellen Junn. Add to those woes decreases in funding for higher education across California, higher tuition fees, and greater competition for college admission. Those are just some of the reasons the university has partnered with Silicon Valley startup Udacity to offer San Jose State Plus, online courses for academic credit. These types of classes are called MOOCs (massive open online courses), and San Jose State administrators say this new program marks the first time a MOOC is being offered purely online for credit.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57566552-93/udacity-san-jose-state-university-offer-online-classes-for-credit/

by Jake New, Chronicle of Higher Ed

The IBM supercomputer known as Watson already has an impressive résumé, having beaten two of Jeopardy’s most famous champions. But it is lacking in college experience. Now the artificial-intelligence computing system is becoming a student of sorts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, IBM announced on Tuesday. The New York institution is the first university to be provided with a Watson system. At RPI, the Watson system will give professors and students an opportunity to find new uses for the technology, allowing students to gain experience with big data analytics and, in turn, deepen the system’s abilities, said Michael Henesey, vice president for business development at IBM, formally the International Business Machines Corporation. RPI was chosen to receive a Watson system based on the company’s long relationship with the university; several RPI graduates are members of the project’s team.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/artificial-intelligence-computer-system-watson-goes-to-college/42093

by Natalie Houston, Chronicle of Higher Ed

The CamScanner app, which is available for both Android and IOS mobile devices, allows you to use your phone to scan items directly to PDF. Some of the features I have found especially helpful include:

batch scanning

editing of the scanned image, including cropping and rotation

creation of user-defined tags for documents

easy uploading to Dropbox or sharing via email, social networks, etc.

There is a free version of the app, which limits the number of documents you can create and adds a watermark with the app name to them. Upgrade to the full version is handled from within the app. Of particular interest to ProfHacker readers: A free upgrade to the full version of the app is available to anyone who registers it with a .edu email address.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/turn-your-phone-into-a-scanner/45757

by NATASHA LOMAS, Tech Crunch

Google’s philanthropic arm, Google Giving, has awarded a grant to the U.K.’s Raspberry Pi Foundation to fund 15,000 U.K. schoolchildren to get their very own Raspberry Pi micro computer to learn to code. The size of the Google Giving grant has not been disclosed by Google but the Foundation describes it as “generous”, and the Model B Pi, which the kids will be getting, retails for $35 — so taken at face retail value the grant is worth $525,000 for the hardware alone. Add in additional teaching materials, support and resources and it’s likely to be worth considerably more than half a million dollars. Update: TechCrunch understands the total grant is worth $1 million — which covers the cost of the devices plus support and teaching materials to ensure the kids get the most out of their free Pi.

http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/29/google-giving-grant-worth-525000-to-fund-free-raspberry-pi-for-15000-u-k-schoolkids/

by Dan Rowinski, Read Write

Apple announced a new version of its fourth-generation iPad today. Apple’s newest will be a 128 GB version starting at $799 with cellular connectivity at $929 and hits stores on February 5th. With the tablet industry trending towards smaller, cheaper versions, why would Apple buck the trend and release one of the most expensive tablets on the market? The answer has little to do with Google, Amazon or the Android Army. For Apple, the 128 GB iPad is all about business and enterprise. What company controls the enterprise software market and is releasing its own expensive tablet? Yeah, that would be Microsoft.

http://readwrite.com/2013/01/29/apple-sets-out-to-kill-microsofts-enterprise-business-with-128-gb-ipad

By Tracey McManus, Augusta Chronicle

Interest in virtual education is rising across Georgia for families who want an alternative to traditional public schools, causing a significant increase in enrollment at the major online providers this academic year. Proponents say the schools offer an individualized learning environment and a flexible schedule for students who are involved in sports or other hobbies. With the passage of The Digital Learning Act in 2012, which will require all students entering high school during the 2013-14 year to complete one online course before graduation, educators expect Web-based learning to grow.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/life/people/2013-01-26/georgias-virtual-schools-see-enrollment-increasing

By CHRISTINA HOAG, Associated Press

When Timmy Nguyen comes to his pre-calculus class, he’s already learned the day’s lesson—he watched it on a short online video prepared by his teacher for homework. So without a lecture to listen to, he and his classmates at Segerstrom Fundamental High School spend class time doing practice problems in small groups, taking quizzes, explaining the concept to other students, reciting equation formulas in a loud chorus, and making their own videos while teacher Crystal Kirch buzzes from desk to desk to help pupils who are having trouble. It’s a technology-driven teaching method known as “flipped learning” because it flips the time-honored model of classroom lecture and exercises for homework—the lecture becomes homework and class time is for practice.

http://www.times-standard.com/statenews/ci_22461724/teachers-flip-flipped-learning-class-model

By Jeffrey R. Young, Chronicle of Higher Ed

Textbook publishers argue that their newest digital products shouldn’t even be called “textbooks.” They’re really software programs built to deliver a mix of text, videos, and homework assignments. But delivering them is just the beginning. No old-school textbook was able to be customized for each student in the classroom. The books never graded the homework. And while they contain sample exam questions, they couldn’t administer the test themselves. One publisher calls its products “personalized learning experiences,” another “courseware,” and one insists on using its own brand name, “MindTap.” For now, this new product could be called “the object formerly known as the textbook.”

http://chronicle.com/article/Dont-Call-Them-Textbooks/136835/

by Don Lajoie, Windsor Star

Call it the “evolution” that may, nonetheless, revolutionize Ontario’s education system. Matt Bauer’s mixed Grade 10 and 11 business class at F.J. Brennan Catholic high school sits at computers that rim the room, each student facing a screen and the wall behind it, instead of a blackboard at the front of the class, while their teacher visits each one to talk about the digital lessons assigned that day. “I highly recommend this to any teacher,” said Bauer, shortly after class was dismissed and the students filed out — none toting course binders, notebooks or texts. “Not just for business classes but right across the curriculum, kindergarten to Grade 12.”

http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2013/01/22/the-blended-learning-revolution/

by UK Virtual College

Education leaders at universities can improve the quality of their teaching with the use of technology, online platforms and social media. This is according to writer Russ Thorne, who claimed in an article for the Independent that making learning materials more effective could start with making adjustments to the way institutions use the internet. He said it may be useful for individuals to create a custom homepage on their website that will allow students to see regular updates from relevant blogs, news channels or other faculties and automatically filter results on to a single page for convenience. Another good idea is to roll out a virtual learning environment that includes a forum and other necessary resources, which could detail the contents of lectures and seminars and help out students who miss classes due to a clashing timetable.

http://www.virtual-college.co.uk/news/Elearning-crucial-to-effective-studying-newsitems-801526418.aspx

by Alyson Gaharan, LSU Reveille

Alternatives to traditional higher education that emphasize technology have caught the eye of the Transition Advisory Team and University administrators who say efficiency is the guiding principle of the LSU System reorganization. “There’s no doubt that technology’s going to play a huge role,” said Interim System President and Chancellor William “Bill” Jenkins. “How we teach is changing, and how you’re going to go to class is changing. Jeff Selingo, author of “College (Un)Bound: The Future of Higher Education and What It Means for Students,” addressed the Transition Advisory Team via Skype at its kickoff meeting to inform the team about alternatives like hybrid classes and online courses that are necessary for some universities struggling with decreasing state appropriations.

http://www.lsureveille.com/news/administration/article_79b3638e-6501-11e2-9553-001a4bcf6878.html

By Ed Bott, The Ed Bott Report

Congratulations, Oracle. Oracle’s Java plugin for browsers is a notoriously insecure product. Over the past 18 months, the company has released 11 updates, six of them containing critical security fixes. With each update, Java actively tries to install unwanted software. Here’s what it does, and why it has to stop. Java is the new king of foistware, displacing Adobe and Skype from the top of the heap. And it earned that place with a combination of software update practices that are among the most user-hostile and cynical in the industry.

http://www.zdnet.com/a-close-look-at-how-oracle-installs-deceptive-software-with-java-updates-7000010038/

by Ken Hess, ZDNet

The real problem with personal cloud services is security. And I’m not necessarily referring to hackers breaking into accounts or attacking personal cloud provider’s sites. I’m strictly speaking of security concerning corporate data. If there are, let’s say, twenty different personal cloud services available to consumers in addition to the corporate cloud storage options, you’re looking at the beginnings of cloud sprawl. Everyone has his own preference of service. Dropbox might work very well for John in Marketing but for Betty in Accounting, Box is her choice. And Bill in IT prefers SkyDrive, while Martina, the CFO, only uses Google Drive. I think you’re getting the picture of the problem of cloud sprawl. You have too many disparate sources and too many places where your company’s data is stored. And, the data owners–the company owners–may have no idea that this kind of thing is happening.

http://www.zdnet.com/uk/just-when-you-thought-it-was-safe-to-byoc-now-theres-cloud-sprawl-7000010083/

By Michael Lee, ZDNet

A student at a Montreal university has been expelled and had his grades zeroed after he discovered and reported a flaw in the software that is responsible for holding students’ personal information. Ahmed Al-Khabaz, who was studying computer science at the Dawson College, discovered that the student software managing their college accounts had a significant flaw that could allow any user to retrieve students’ personal information, according to the National Post.

http://www.zdnet.com/student-expelled-for-helping-find-security-flaws-at-university-7000010108/?s_cid=e539