Educational Technology

October 17, 2013

How e-books can enhance the learning experience

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:40 am

By Adriana Velez, Times-Herald

Reading books electronically may be novel for us adults, but for our digital-native kids, e-books are a foregone conclusion. Nearly half of all kids between the age of 6 and 17 have read at least one, according to a report from Scholastic. And half of kids 9 to 17 say they’d read for fun more often if they had more access to them. The advantages of e-books for kids are fairly obvious: They’re extremely portable, easy to keep track of and easy to travel with. All you need is your device and an app. Many kids’ e-books are simply an electronic version of their favorite titles, but many publishers are harnessing technology to expand the possibilities of storytelling.

http://www.timesheraldonline.com/lifestyle/ci_24287719/how-e-books-can-enhance-learning-experience

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Amazon buys e-learning company to boost Kindle business

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:36 am

By Jay Greene, Seattle Times

Amazon acquired online math instruction company, TenMarks, for an undisclosed amount Thursday, as the company moves to push its Kindle Fire tablets into schools. Burlingame, Calif., based TenMarks offers personalized math instruction for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Amazon said the company’s programs are used by “tens of thousands” of schools. “Together, Amazon and TenMarks intend to develop rich educational content and applications, across multiple platforms, that we think teachers, parents and students will love.” Dave Limp, Amazon Kindle vice president, said in a statement.

http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2022012887_amazontenmarksxml.html

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Online courses could give students a more affordable option

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:30 am

By Silas Allen, News OK

Although some questions remain about the details of the plan, higher education officials told Oklahoma lawmakers Thursday that a statewide initiative to create online college courses could give more students access to an affordable education. Blake Sonobe, the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education’s vice chancellor for academic affairs, told a Senate committee the agency hopes to use online courses as a tool to reach more students in underserved areas around the state. “If we can do that through an online format, that could be tremendously helpful to our students in Oklahoma,” Sonobe said.

http://newsok.com/online-courses-could-give-students-a-more-affordable-option/article/3892041

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October 16, 2013

MOOC Providers Expanding Abroad

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:40 am

by Inside Higher Ed

Massive open online course providers Coursera and edX will this fall launch new initiatives to expand their platforms abroad. Coursera on Tuesday announced it will partner with the Chinese Internet company NetEase to create Coursera Zone, a web portal that will make the MOOC provider’s content available to Chinese students. In France, edX’s open source code will power a national online learning platform that will be available to the country’s more than 100 universities. The platform, announced last week by the French Ministry of Higher Education, will feature 20 courses that will start in January 2014.

http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/10/08/mooc-providers-expanding-abroad

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5 Battery Saving Tips For Your Mobile Device

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:35 am

By Jeffrey Becker, Edudemic

School is back in session and along with backpacks and books, millions of students worldwide are carrying something new to class—mobile technology. According to a recent Pew Research Center study, 23% of American teens have tablets and 47% have smartphones. Students can now instantly access textbooks, encyclopedias and more in the palm of their hand. But even with all the benefits that these technologies bring to the classroom, insufficient battery life remains a challenge. To help students get the most out of their tablets and smartphones, here are some simple battery saving tips that will help ensure your devices keep working from the first bell to the last homework question.

http://www.edudemic.com/battery-saving-tips/

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Student Social Media Monitoring Stirs up Debate

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:30 am

By Tanya Roscorla, Center for Digital Education

Social media monitoring of students has sparked a debate among education leaders, policymakers and legal experts. And recent monitoring decisions have added fuel to the fire. On one hand, social media monitoring of students could help education institutions identify cyberbullying, suicidal posts and illegal behavior. It could also give them opportunities to teach students about responsible social media use that benefits both students and institutions. On the other hand, monitoring student social media takes time away from educators’ regular duties and can lead to more of a disciplinary mindset rather than an educational one. This monitoring could pose legal liabilities, put educators into a role they’re not trained for, and generally track what students are saying even though there is no reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/Student-Social-Media-Monitoring-Stirs-up-Debate.html

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October 15, 2013

With MOOC, a Lecture Hall That Fits 20,000

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:39 am

By Natasha Khan, the Hoya

Georgetown’s first massive open online course, “Globalization’s Winners and Losers: Challenges for Developed and Developing Countries,” launched on the edX platform last Tuesday to an audience of nearly 20,000 students from 155 countries. “The fact that so many thousands of students all over the world are taking a course from a Georgetown professor is amazing to me. It extends our reach and our presence in all kinds of places. It allows us to help educate people in all kinds of different places,” School of Foreign Service Dean Carol Lancaster said. “It really is a manifestation of global Georgetown and all the good things that Georgetown can offer.” The free class is taught by Theodore Moran, SFS professor and director of the Landegger Program in International Business Diplomacy, with help from a faculty support team including course manager Rosaelena O’Neil, four teaching assistants and various guest lecturers.

http://www.thehoya.com/news/with-mooc-a-lecture-hall-that-fits-20-000-1.3074609#.UlP589LYe2c

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The biggest lesson from the flipped classroom may not be about math

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:35 am

By Robert Talbert, Chronicle of Higher Ed

By far the biggest difficulty the students in the course have had so far has not been with mathematical content or even with the idea of flipped instruction – it’s with time and task management. Consider the basic Guided Practice assignment that is the backbone of how I do flipped classes. These involve reading and viewing in multiple locations (in the book and on YouTube), working out exercises, then typing up responses in a Google Form and submitting it by a certain date. I look at an assignment like that and go immediately into GTD mode – if I were in the students’ place, I’d go to Nozbe and create a project, put the individual tasks in it with contexts and deadlines, and put the final deadline on my Google calendar with a reminder.

http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/castingoutnines/2013/10/07/the-biggest-lesson-from-the-flipped-classroom-may-not-be-about-math/

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6 Innovative Ways Students Are Using Technology

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:30 am

By Jeff Dunn, Edudemic

They’re not just tweeting, snapchatting, and Facebooking. Okay, maybe that’s what they do most of the time. But modern students are doing some pretty innovative things with technology these days. From blending up all their online and offline courses to integrating iPads into activities outside the classroom, there’s a lot happening that you should know about. The following visual guide from Internet Innovation walks you through a half-dozen ways that you may not have expected education technology to be used. Personally, I like the ‘virtual labs’ idea the most. Students log in to virtual labs, discuss what they’re doing, and do experiments together.

http://www.edudemic.com/students-using-technology/

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October 14, 2013

Adult learners elevate careers with online courses

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:35 am

By Jake New, eCampus News

When adult professionals need more education to advance their careers, they have a few options. They could enroll in an expensive, and timely, four year program or at a two year community college. They could take a certified massive open online course (MOOC) related to their careers, like Coursera’s Signature Track courses. Then there’s another choice, one that rests somewhere between the other options – a choice that’s being increasingly backed by one of education’s most prominent publishers. Pearson Learning, over the past year, has announced its support of a handful of adult learning facilities, institutions designed around self-paced courses that would help adults prepare for post-secondary programs or acquire the knowledge to complete national certification exams.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/business-news/adult-learning-careers-004/2/

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Where’s the teacher? Online college debuts self-paced courses

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:28 am

by: MAURA LERNER, Star Tribune

Imagine a college program where there’s no required reading or weekly assignments. Where teachers no longer teach class or hand out grades. Welcome to FlexPath, a new twist in online education, which is making its debut in October at Capella University in Minneapolis. The program, one of the first of its kind in the country, is built entirely around the idea that people should be able to earn a degree by proving what they know, not by sitting in class. It’s part of a trend called “competency-based” education, which is putting a provocative new spin on what it means to go to college.

http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2013/oct/05/vc_online_courses_100613_221531/?features

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Facing the technology juggernaut

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:27 am

By GENE A. BUDIG and ALAN HEAPS, Post & Courier

In 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore predicted that computer processing power would double every two years. Almost fifty years later, his prediction, known as Moore’s Law, has proven to be incredibly accurate. Here are two examples of the startling rate of change. Today’s iPad is as fast as the Cray supercomputer of 25 years ago. In another 25 years, one expert predicts that our hand-held devices will “be able to store the entire human knowledge base.” It’s obvious to everyone that these advances have reshaped many parts of our world. But different sectors have moved at different speeds. Some, like communications and media, are virtually unrecognizable when compared to their recent pasts. But other sectors have been much slower to take advantage of these changes. A few have almost completely ignored the new technologies.

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20131006/PC1002/131009564/1021/facing-the-technology-juggernaut&source=RSS

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October 13, 2013

Will MOOCs help you open career doors?

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:40 am

By Scott Kirsner, Boston Globe

We’re living through an incredible moment in the history of learning. Suddenly, anyone with an Internet connection can take courses, for free, from some of the world’s top universities. On sites like Coursera, edX, and Khan Academy, you can learn how to run a clinical trial that will satisfy the Food and Drug Administration, study aircraft design, or dive into the basics of environmental law. But will taking these online courses at schools like Harvard and Stanford improve your prospects in the job market? Free MOOCs are a fantastic thing. But even if you’ve been a top student, sitting in the virtual front row, employers increasingly want to see what you can create.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/10/05/will-mooc-help-you-open-career-doors/pmjHbLCghsH0lEbulWC9VL/story.html

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Online Learning Expands at Wichita State University

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:35 am

By Tanya Roscorla, Center for Digital Education

Online degree programs are coming soon to Wichita State University in Kansas. The institution created a new Office of Online Learning this year, with a strategic plan to launch a number of fully online degree programs in the next three to five years. Wichita State already offers online classes that about 2,500 full time equivalent students are taking. According to university officials, since 2007, the number of online classes has doubled in size to 300, and they serve nearly 20 percent of the student body. By next fall, students will be able to take an RN to BSN program that will help registered nurses earn a bachelor’s degree. Mark Porcaro, interim director of online learning for Wichita State, felt with the support from university President John Bardo and faculty, the higher education institute is ready to broaden its online reach in the Midwest.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/Online-Learning-Expands-at-Wichita-State-University.html

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Penn State’s early MOOC faculty share lessons from their classes

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:34 am

by Penn State

Faculty who taught Penn State’s initial round of MOOCs, or massive online open courses, say their experiences will influence how they teach their regular classes.The five MOOCs offered by Penn State have attracted more than 300,000 enrollments so far. “I was overwhelmed by the level of engagement,” said Anthony Robinson, whose course Maps and the Geospatial Revolution drew more than 48,000 students. “I was blown away by the extent that people got into the details, went out and tried to help each other, and created these wonderful discussion threads.”

http://news.psu.edu/story/289952/2013/10/02/research/penn-state%E2%80%99s-early-mooc-faculty-share-lessons-their-classes

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October 12, 2013

A year later, Penn a ‘powerhouse’ in open learning

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:41 am

By Maria Zankey, Penn News

In June 2012, Penn opened its digital doors to students across the globe with the launch of the University’s Open Learning Initiative. A year later, there’s a lot to celebrate. “The response from the world to our initiative has been kind of incredible,” says Deirdre Woods, interim executive director of Penn’s Open Learning Initiative. “We’re really amazed and gratified that we have the Penn word out to such a broad audience.” As the Initiative celebrates its first year, the numbers support Woods’ enthusiasm. In the past year, approximately 1.4 million students from more than 162 countries have enrolled in Penn’s Open Learning courses. So far, 19 faculty members have taught courses online, and as many as 45 unique courses are in currently in the pipeline.

http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/current/2013-10-03/latest-news/year-later-penn-%E2%80%98powerhouse%E2%80%99-open-learning

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How To Use Leap Motion (Crazy Future Technology) In The Classroom

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:39 am

By Nikolaos Chatzopoulos, Edudemic

Leap Motion is a brand new and highly promising device. For those who never heard of the Leap Motion controller before, it’s a small piece of hardware, compatible with both, Macs and PC’s, that allows the user to control the device without touching the keyboard, the mouse, or the screen. The pedagogical potential persuaded me to spend the $80, a somewhat steep asking price, and try it in my classroom. In my trials I discovered that the petite device can make an excellent teaching companion, and can complement a teacher’s arsenal of teaching tools. Given the fact that Leap Motion is a newcomer to the filed of technology, the number of available applications, particularly education-oriented applications, is naturally, low at the moment. However, the few that are available, if used appropriately, can elevate any lesson to a highly enjoyable augmented reality experience, and as such, they can provide unique learning opportunities for all students, especially kinesthetic learners. Furthermore, it appears that the Leap Motion controller has a great potential in the field of special education. Special education students of all ages can benefit greatly from the advantages the small device offers.

http://www.edudemic.com/leap-motion-in-the-classroom/

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Opening up European education: it’s time to embrace the real (online) life of students

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:35 am

by Nuala Moran, Science Business

As ever, Europe is trailing in the implementation of an important technology, according to a communication from the European Commission last week, which sets out an agenda for stimulating novel approaches to teaching and learning, using new technologies and digital content to deliver high quality education. Digital technologies are not being exploited in education and training systems across Europe, says the communication, ‘Opening up Learning’. A recent study found that only 37 per cent of nine year-olds study at “highly digitally-equipped schools” and only 20 – 25 per cent are taught by “digitally confident” teachers, with most teachers using ICT to prepare, rather than as a means to work with students during lessons.

http://bulletin.sciencebusiness.net/news/76276/Opening-up-education-it%E2%80%99s-time-to-embrace-the-real-(online)-life-of-students

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October 11, 2013

Student athletes adapt to learning on the road

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:34 am

by Olivia Shawmeker, the Northerner

NKU student athletes now face more academic challenges as they are on the road more and traveling farther distances since the school’s move to Division I. Online classes can make it easier for athletes because they don’t have to attend classes in person. “When it comes to schoolwork on the road, I don’t have a problem with it because I have mostly online classes,” said Jalen Billups, sophomore communication major and center on the men’s basketball team. “It is tough though at times, just because you’re not in class and you miss certain things that could potentially hurt you.” The traveling is the biggest change for the athletic department according to Don Owen, the sports information director.

http://www.thenortherner.com/sports/2013/10/03/student-athletes-adapt-to-learning-on-the-road/

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Liverpool data point to online postgrad boom

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:28 am

BY ELIZABETH GIBNEY, London Times Higher Education

The number of people accessing online postgraduate programmes is booming, figures from Europe’s largest provider of such degrees suggest. Data from the University of Liverpool show that annual enrolment across the 23 programmes it runs more than quadrupled between 2007-08 and 2012-13. Among women the increase has been even more pronounced (more than five times higher). Alan Southern, Liverpool’s director of e-learning, said growth was apparent across all programmes. The typical student is in full-time work and sitting the courses part-time, the data show. The average age of the cohort is 38 and about 90 per cent of the students hail from outside the UK, Dr Southern added.

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/liverpool-data-point-to-online-postgrad-boom/2007848.article

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October 10, 2013

A Personalized Future for Education

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:40 am

by Students First

When it comes to the shape and style of our schools, not a lot has changed over the past 100 years. The average American school today looks almost identical to the average American school in the early 1900s – a single teacher delivers a lecture to 30 same-age students in a four-walled classroom; the students sit quietly and listen. The students who learn best by listening will likely comprehend the content, while others, who may learn best by doing, or perhaps at a different pace, will not. This is why the needs of today’s students cannot be met by a one-size-fits-all approach that prescribes the same type and pace of learning for every child. The future of education, and the future of America, depends on a willingness to bid farewell to the 20th century school and welcome, with open arms, the 21st century school, which can personalize learning for every child.

http://www.studentsfirst.org/policy/entry/a-personalized-future-for-education

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