Educational Technology

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Summertime is a great time for teachers to recharge their batteries a bit. We’ve compiled a short list of some great MOOCs for teachers that can help you kickstart your own learning this summer (even if you’re pretty sure that your students are off at the beach/camp/sitting in front of the television or playing video games 24/7). These are all geared specifically towards educators and issues in education, and while some are specific, most can be applicable to teachers for a wide array of age groups and subjects.

http://www.edudemic.com/moocs-teachers-boost-pd-summer/

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Using polling tools in the classroom is probably old hat by now. There are a ton of different tools available to teachers – many of them free- and they’re being put to use in a variety of different ways. From simply polling your class to get information and opinions to taking quizzes and having your students poll for group work or projects, there are a lot of possibilities out there for these types of tools. Check out this awesome List.ly – its filled chock full of 45 tools to create quizzes or polls in your classroom. Do you have any favorites that aren’t included in the list?

http://www.edudemic.com/45-tools-create-quizzes-polls-classroom/

by Drew Hendricks, Forbes

After two decades of progress, and after at least eight years of ambitious educational technology (edtech) startups spending fortunes on R&D (and marketing), the sector has finally reached a modicum of maturity. Top edtech companies are getting the attention of large, traditional education companies as well as venture capital firms. Methods used by edtech are being found effective and are generating profit. Given all that, it’s a good time take to a step back and look at who’s currently at the vanguard of edtech.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/drewhendricks/2014/06/20/these-six-companies-are-leading-the-way-in-tech-education/

by Victor Luckerson, Time

Whether people are actually learning new languages effectively with Duolingo is still an open question. von Ahn is careful not to oversell the capabilities of the service. The idea that a piece of software could make a person fluent in a foreign language in mere hours is, in his words, “bull—t.” “If you really want to become perfectly fluent, probably what you need to do is move to that country,” he says. “Learning a language is something that takes years.” Still, he says completing all the lessons in a language course in Duolingo is about the equivalent of taking an intermediate-level language course in college. A study commissioned by the company found that people learned as much taking Duolingo lessons in Spanish for 34 hours as they would in a semester of an introductory college class.

http://time.com/2902109/duolingo-online-education-moocs/

By Erin Carson, TechRepublic

The MOOCs trend is bleeding into other segments of learning too. Saba Software is a learning and talent management provider that aids in compliance needs, as well as talent enrichment. According to Nag Chandrashekar, senior product director, when they ask customers what they want in terms of adding to the Saba framework, it’s MOOCs integration. “It’s the most interesting revelation for us in talking to our customers,” he said. Now, Saba hopes to build partnerships that would bring MOOC content into their system so customers can not only access it but keep track of things like certifications as the idea of continuous education gains ground. And apart from big name MOOC platforms, companies are taking the idea and often the structure of this next iteration of online learning, and creating their own MOOCs, both internal and external facing.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-moocs-are-flattening-corporate-training-and-education/

by the Spectrum

In summer, keeping kids busy means camp, pool time and outdoor games. But all that sun, fun and physical activity should also be well-balanced with mental exercise. With that in mind, here are several ways kids and parents can use the Internet to focus on education when class is not in session. Nothing beats one-on-one learning time to improve grades and build confidence and yet most kids learn in large groups all school year. Students can get that one-to-one time this summer with online tutoring. Available 24/7 with expert tutors in more than 40 subjects, Tutor.com is a great way to help students brush up on concepts and keep their skills sharp all in a secure online learning environment that is accessible from any computer or mobile device.

http://www.thespectrum.com/story/life/features/mesquite/2014/06/19/internet-can-keep-kids-excited-learning-summer/11006339/

By Devon Haynie, US News

Instructors can rattle off a number of reasons why online students should think twice about cheating: they learn less, they cheapen their credential and in some cases, they even get caught. Instructors use webcam proctoring, among other methods, to cut down on cheating in online classes. Still, the message falls on deaf ears. “A lot of people cheat a little,” says David Pritchard, a physics professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology who has studied academic dishonesty. “There’s also a few people who cheat a lot.”

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2014/06/17/think-twice-before-cheating-in-online-courses

By Erin Carson, Tech Republic

Luis von Ahn was bored. “The goal is to make Duolingo the de facto way to learn a language around the world,” he said. Users sign up and pick a language to learn. Whether on a browser, mobile phone, or tablet, they work through a tree of skills, like adjectives, or possessive pronouns, with exercises that include speaking, listening, and translating. A recent study by the City University of New York said that 34 hours spent on Duolingo equaled a semester of a language class. While Gina Gotthilf, head of marketing and international development at Duolingo says that Duolingo is not a substitute for the classroom, there are several reasons why Duolingo is proving effective. For one, Duolingo is managing to keep users engaged. Online learning has a notoriously high dropout rate. About 40-50% of their more than 25 million users are active in the course, which might be due to how game-like the Duolingo format is.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/duolingo-offers-free-language-while-helping-to-translate-the-web/

by Zacks Equity Research

Since the launch of the government initiative ConnectED that focuses on expanding online education, telecom service providers have been keen about lending support to this cause. One of the front runners, Sprint Corporation (S – Analyst Report) has already announced its plans in this regard. The company has launched the online ConnectED application and information portal to help educational institutions and school districts in applying and receiving the Sprint Spark high-speed wireless broadband connectivity for up to four years, to further off-campus digital learning opportunities. The initiative will benefit up to 50,000 students across the U.S.

http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/136999/sprint-supports-connected-boosts-e-learning-scope

by Claire Amos, Teaching and eLearning

Interestingly, when it comes to teachers not really adopting and embracing technology it often isn’t technical skill or lack thereof that is the problem, it is the teachers need to maintain power and control in the classroom. You hear the panic, the running joke that BYOD stands for Bring Your Own Distraction. Well I hate to break it to you, but if the students are distracted by the technology (particularly after the novelty of access to the Internet has worn off) the problem ain’t the technology – quite possibly your/their teaching and the students lack of ownership of their learning is. *lobs grenade and ducks for cover*

http://www.teachingandelearning.com/2014/06/hack-your-classroom-week-seven-handing.html

by Kristie Kellahan, Sydney Morning Herald

Dr Marilyn Dunn-Bernstein is helping students and teachers learn through online programs. Significant growth in the tertiary education field is occurring in the online arena, with increasing numbers of students expanding their skills without leaving their house. A recent survey of Open Colleges students found that two-thirds of students surveyed already had jobs while completing their online studies. A third of those surveyed said they were studying in order to make a career change. Online learning appealed because they could study anywhere, any time and at their own pace.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/education-my-career-the-digital-classroom-20140612-zs56v.html

By Laura Raines, AJC

Tanzania Adams saw few women in her classes while earning her engineering degree at the University of Alabama about 25 years ago. There weren’t many women co-workers at Southern Company either, but she’s seeing the numbers grow and doing what she can to support young women entering science, technology, engineering and math fields. Recently promoted to area manager of Statesboro for Georgia Power Co., Adams is one of the corporate advisory board members of the Women in Technology chapter at Gwinnett Technical College. The group launched last year as part of a pilot program to put WiT chapters at Gwinnett Tech, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University and Spelman College.

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/education/for-women-in-technology-a-little-support-goes-a-lo/ngG7J/

By mralbert, Edudemic

How often have we sat in a Staff Meeting or Professional Development day and listened to the talk turn into a complaint session with no real solutions being offered? I have one suggestion, join Twitter and start tweeting. This has been an invaluable tool for me. I started about a month ago professionally, meaning before that it was mostly sports, celebs, and leisure activities. I am not an expert, and I make mistakes. I have messed up hashtags and @ signs and have learned they are not the same or used for the same reason. I follow more than follow me. I have also learned more in the last month then ever before and have been exposed to so many fresh ideas. These ideas I bring right into the classroom, which means the students are being exposed to some of the newest and brightest ideas out there. Imagine going to a faculty meeting and hearing great ideas in 140 characters or less from everyone. If you can’t say it in 140 characters, chances are, it is not worth saying.

http://www.edudemic.com/twitter-best-professional-development-tool-teachers/

By Lisa Johnson, Edudemic

Rapidly approaching the dog days of summer (give or take a few days or weeks), I felt a need to share a power packed suitcase of tools that could be used to archive your summer highlights and memories. Many educators never really go on vacation. While they may appear to be leisurely sipping daiquiris on the beach, let’s be realistic… their brains are constantly running, reflecting, and mentally archiving away ideas for the next school year. To meet both the recreational and curricular needs of educators, I have concocted a special blend of FREE web tools and apps, highlighting both extracurricular as well as instructional integrations for each. Hopefully, these tools will exceed your souvenir quota and prove to be true digital treasures for the 2014-2015 school year as well.

http://www.edudemic.com/discover-9-digital-treasures/

by Athanasios Drigas, George Papanastasiou; International Journal of Online Engineering

Technologies within the domain of interactive, remote and on line science which are extensively adopted in education’s everyday life are interactive whiteboards and related applications. Interactive whiteboards indicate positive effects on students’ learning and instructors’ teaching, promoting whole class teaching. In this review-paper we cope with the studies that explore the integration of IWBs in preschool and primary education in the last decade (2004-2013). Research has shown that interactive whiteboards are able to keep students involved and foster their attention in every aspect of the curriculum, much easier than without it. This technology has proven its value added to students and teachers in different facets of teaching and learning, in literacy, in mathematics, in science, in physics, its impact on English Language Learners, on relations and learning, on the use of IWBs by kindergartners, professional development of teachers, pedagogical orchestration, classroom dialogue and pedagogic practice.

http://online-journals.org/index.php/i-joe/article/view/3754

by: John Orlando, Magna Publications

The first thing I look for when I visit a new website is a short video describing what the organization or person does. If I don’t see a video, I consider the site amateurish. Online teaching is no different from other forms of communication. The best communicators take advantage of their medium’s strengths to reach their audience. The Web is a fundamentally visual medium, and videos use this fact to capture our interest. Plus, a teacher must grab the student’s attention right away to motivate the learning, and nothing grabs interest as quickly and easily as animation. It may sound exotic, but new (and cheap) software has made animation simple to produce. In fact, those clever animated videos you see on company websites were created in-house with off-the-shelf programs, not by professionals in studios.

http://www.magnapubs.com/blog/teaching-and-learning/online-learning-20-easy-animation-for-teaching/

by Sunnie Toelle, Huffington Post

Our vision at Labster is to “empower the next-generation of scientists to save the world.” Whenever we talk with students and science teachers, we always hear about two things: On one hand, schools tell us how they are challenged by the high costs of science education. On other hand, students are often bored in science classes because they are stuck with old text books and the schools simply cannot afford to carry out real practical lab experiments. By creating Labster’s virtual laboratories, we’ve been able to solve these challenges; Labster reduces schools’ costs by up to 90 percent and creates fun and engaging science education by bringing learnings from the gaming industry into the education sector.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sunnie-toelle/empowering-the-next-online-education_b_5476575.html

By Hillary Gavan, Beloit Daily News

Beloit Turner students were able to improve their math and reading skills this year thanks to their participation in some unique online math classes offered through Northwestern University. Beloit Turner received a grant through the Department of Public Instruction to cover online math courses for fifth through eighth graders in the gifted and talented program for the 2013-2014 school year, said Sue Brandenburg, the program coordinator for the Literacy, Gifted and Talented programs. Beloit Turner along with Oregon and Horicon school districts partnered with the Wisconsin Center for Academically Talented Youth (WCATY) to apply for the grant. The three school districts received a total of $29,930. Beloit Turner received $10,625, which was used for students who wanted to take online math classes through Northwestern University’s WCATY program.

http://www.beloitdailynews.com/news/grant-funds-help-online-learning/article_8d94866e-f35b-11e3-8f37-001a4bcf887a.html

by Games and Learning

Although technology in the classroom is evolving from computers to tablets, a new survey from the Games and Learning Publishing Council highlights that the use of games in the classroom is becoming more common and teachers are increasingly valuing the ability games have to motivate low-performing students. The results are an initial look at a far larger analysis of the state of games in the classroom that will be released in late summer 2014.

http://www.gamesandlearning.org/2014/06/09/teachers-on-using-games-in-class/

By TOM MCTAGUE, Mail

Documents given to the Times Education Supplement reveal how Ark believes the new model will allow teachers’ roles to be ‘revised’. Other schools using the system have introduced new roles that include ‘master teachers’ responsible for ‘leading full-class or small group instruction’ while the computers take on more of the routine tasks. Teachers in the new computer schools could also be responsible for ‘leading small group instruction’ or the ‘supervision of online learning’. An ARK spokesman today said: ‘Our plans are at a very early stage, but it is worth reflecting that our blended learning pilot at King Solomon Academy did not mean fewer teachers or bigger classes, but ensuring that pupils have access to the latest in educational technology and techniques. ‘The school is rated outstanding by Ofsted and results have been improving every year, above national averages. High quality teaching is at the core of the ARK approach, and helps our schools to achieve excellent standards.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2657195/Computers-replace-teachers-classroom-2016-radical-plans-considered-new-free-school.html

By Mamie Jõeveer, Games and Learning

A set of concerned parents-turned-entrepreneurs decided to get in the rink with other educators worldwide who have been fighting to improve academic performance. Their entry into the rink came by way of the technology based educational program, TurtleDiary.com. It was a feeling of being unsatisfied by the quality of educational resources available online for children, and a desire to take action rather than sit on the sidelines, that led Neetu Saini and Permender Singh to put in the hours and launch TurtleDiary.

http://www.gamesandlearning.org/2014/06/13/when-concerned-parents-become-developers/