Educational Technology

By Mark Wilson, Beta News

Microsoft shares its view of which areas of technology are going to be of the greatest importance for businesses in 2015. Corporate Vice President, Enterprise and Partner Group, Susan Hauser believes that security will continue to be strengthened, the Internet of Things will grow, and predictive tools will be more heavily utilized. With the general focus on the cloud, the increased interest in the Internet of Things is hardly a surprise. Once regarded as something rather nebulous and ethereal, businesses and customers are now starting to see the potential for the IoT. Hauser predicts that what will help to accelerate growth here is increased cooperation between partners, as growing numbers of sensors provide access to “nearly unlimited amounts of data”.

http://betanews.com/2014/12/17/microsofts-view-of-2015-internet-of-things-security-and-machine-learning/

by Nick Morrison, Forbes

Technology has already transformed education, but there is an increasingly widespread belief that the process is only just getting started. In one scenario, we are heading towards a paradigm shift that will mean fewer teachers and more data in the schools of the future. According to a new report by two respected educationalists, we are on the verge of a historic change in the way schools operate. In this model, huge quantities of data will finally make personalized education a reality, while large numbers of teachers will be replaced by support staff.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorrison/2014/12/18/fewer-teachers-more-data-in-the-schools-of-the-future/

by Catherine Shu, TechCrunch

Creating lesson plans, learning about teaching methods, and finding new educational material are all part of a normal workday for teachers, but it can be difficult because most educators have extremely tight schedules. TeachPitch.com wants to help by bringing teachers around the world closer together so they can find and share the best resources on the web. The site, which launched officially in October, now has around 2,000 teachers from 55 countries on its platform, most from the U.S. and Asia. TeachPitch hopes to build traction in South American countries—including Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, and Peru—by partnering with local educational organizations like Fundación Fidal and launching a Spanish version of the site.

http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/17/teachpitch/

by Marianne Stenger, Edutopia

Instilling students with a strong desire to know or learn something is what every teacher lives for, and research has even shown that curiosity is just as important as intelligence in determining how well students do in school. But how much do we really know about its role in the learning process? Recently, researchers from the University of California, Davis conducted a series of experiments to discover what exactly goes on in the brain when our curiosity is aroused.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/why-curiosity-enhances-learning-marianne-stenger

by Lori Desautels, Edutopia

Our classrooms can become “holding environments” where children and adolescents begin to feel good about themselves through serving one another, increasing their sense of purpose and capability, which increases self-esteem and positive emotion. How do we establish bonds based on commonalities rather than differences in our schools and classrooms, places where feelings of mastery, autonomy, and purpose intimately impact the learning and instructional process? I suggest that we create classroom responsibilities, tangible roles, and cooperative tasks that position students and teachers for success.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/new-roles-building-environments-cooperation-lori-desautels

by Don Kilburn, Edudemic

There is no question that there are great education innovations on the horizon for 2015 and beyond, but it is also only realistic to recognize that these challenges will remain and new ones will emerge. However, as I visit schools around the country, one thing is crystal clear: the key to improving student outcomes—or, as Edudemic defines in its mission, “creating awesome students”—is great teachers. So while my first four predictions for 2015 may be right on target, the only way they will result in accelerated student learning is if No.5 is accurate as well. Here are my top five predictions for 2015 and beyond:

http://www.edudemic.com/predictions-for-k-12-education-in-2015/

By Zulma Whiteford, eSchool News

Just 15 percent of U.S. engineers are women. Here’s how to correct that statistic and get girls invested in STEM.  Engineering is empowering. It encompasses the ability to create whatever you can imagine and thereby change the world for the better. But in the United States, fewer than 15 percent of working engineers are women, despite comprising half of the population. There are a number of possible reasons for this inequality, but a variety of contributing factors take effect at an early age.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/differentiating-learning-terms-464/

By Meris Stansbury, eCampusNews

“Providing clarity for educators as they look for innovative new ways to connect with students and improve outcomes is critical,” said Cherron Hoppes, chief academic officer at Helix Education, which produced the white paper. “There is no doubt that CBE is gaining momentum in the industry, yet educators still have a lot of questions about how they can best plan for and execute on a successful strategy.” Based on what Helix Education notes is their own experience, as well as the expertise of academic insiders and industry coverage, here are the differences between—and tips for implementation of—personalized learning, adaptive learning, and CBE.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/differentiating-learning-terms-464/

By Ian Barker, Beta News

Higher education institutions with their rapid turnover of students’ devices each year present particular problems when it comes to protecting data. A new infographic from enterprise security and backup specialist SysCloud looks at the risks higher education bodies face and how they can improve their levels of protection. Amongst the findings are that there have been over 500 security breaches at more than 320 higher education institutions since 2005 — that’s around one a week. Also 35 percent of all breaches take place in higher education.

http://betanews.com/2014/12/17/35-percent-of-all-security-breaches-take-place-in-higher-education/

By Zach Tyler, The Anniston Star

With smartphones and tablet and laptop computers now as common as pencils and notebooks in many classrooms, schools and parents alike are having to figure out how to guide students’ use of technology. Access to the internet for students can mean access to a world of information, but it can just as easily get them to social media sites and apps. That can enhance their learning experience, educators say, but it does come with risks. Piedmont’s schools are in the fifth year of a program that issues laptop computers to all students in grades four through 12. Students in kindergarten to third grade also use mobile devices in the classroom.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/12/16/social-media-access-562/

By Laura Devaney, eSchool News

Some of the year’s top ed-tech tools include a free slideshow creator, a reading tool with embedded assessments, and an adaptive math practice game. How many of 2014’s top tools have you used? During an edWeb webinar, Ruth Okoye, a Common Sense Graphite Certified Educator, offered insight on five of the top ed-tech tools from Graphite, a free service from Common Sense Education that helps educators choose tools and resources for students. Okoye also is the Communications Chair for the ISTE Ed Tech Coaches Professional Learning Network and is a technology resource teacher for Portsmouth Public Schools in Virginia.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/12/16/tech-tools-2014-823/

by Wendy Drexler, eSchool News

Imagine what would happen if hospital leaders announced to surgeons late on a Friday afternoon that when they came to work on Monday they would no longer be doing surgery using the tools they have always used—such as scalpels, scissors and clamps—and all procedures would be done using new high-tech laser tools, with which they may or may not have familiarity. Of course, a change of this magnitude would never be implemented in such a haphazard way in medicine–lives are at stake! I would argue that lives are also at stake in education, and the scenario described above is analogous to the transition to mobile learning in schools. Oftentimes, school leaders announce that the school community is making the switch to mobile learning, pass out devices to everyone, and expect not only that will things continue as they have been, but that the learning environment will be transformed and student achievement will soar.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/12/16/tool-hand-pd-372/

by Brookings

Buzz about the potential of digital learning abounds. Despite the excitement, relatively little is known about how many students are actually taking advantage of digital learning opportunities. This is partly due to online learning tools having numerous forms, rendering them difficult to track. In addition, policies also vary greatly across states. A new report, Keeping Pace with K-12 Digital Learning, helps to shed light on the state of online learning in the United States.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/techtank/posts/2014/12/15-online-learning-update

by Christine Sobek, Daily Herald

In the last two decades, few things have changed our lives more than the Internet and mobile technology. Whether in classrooms, boardrooms or living rooms, the advent of our mobile and online existence has transformed how we work, how we learn and how we all interact with one another. As unimaginable as a life without telephones or televisions would have been to generations raised in the latter half of the 20th Century, so too life without constant connectivity is unfathomable to the new generation of students emerging from high schools and colleges across our country and our world.

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20141215/submitted/141218987/

by Stefanie Botelho, University Business

National concern about the high cost of higher education typically focuses on higher tuition costs. However, in a recent national survey of college students, Nebraska Book Company|Neebo, found that more students (55 percent) worry about textbook costs than worry about the cost of tuition (50 percent). While almost all students surveyed (95 percent) aim to find a way to save on textbook costs this Spring, with most (74 percent) saying they will buy used books and just over half (54 percent) planning to rent their textbooks, some students will turn to less honest methods of saving, with nearly half (47 percent) intending to look for pirated book copies online and many (25 percent) simply photocopying required texts themselves.

http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/survey-finds-students-worry-more-about-book-costs-tuition

BY WILLIAM AXFORD, Florida Keynoter and Reporter

Mike Michaud, coordinator of safety and security at the Monroe County School District, said online threats and instances of bullying prompt action by administrators. “If there’s anything on social media that causes a disruption, it’s going to be handled like it took place at school,” Michaud said. “We teach kids whatever you put on social media is going to be out there whether you delete it or not. Anybody can go out there and access it, such as former colleagues and employers.” But completely stopping such things as online threats — the Coral Shores student said her message was a joke — isn’t easy.

http://www.keysnet.com/2014/12/13/500227/keys-schools-try-to-keep-online.html?sp=/99/106/

BY TIM STEERE, Laramie Boomerang

The studio physics model is a hybridization of nearly the entire physics education process. In other words, the approach combines the traditional lecture, lab and discussion period into one comprehensive session. Most of the time, students work in small groups of three or four to solve conceptual problems or experiment with lab equipment. As a result, both Dale and Kobulnicky see improved attendance, material retention and fewer students seeking help outside class. “We’ve got some dramatic attendance numbers,” Kobulnicky said. “My attendance average is well over 90 percent and that’s remarkable for an introductory physics course at a state university. I had everybody there today. I would not want to go back to a traditional lecture where students are sitting there falling asleep. That’s no way to learn physics.”

http://www.laramieboomerang.com/articles/2014/12/14/news/doc548d204e44586192174651.txt

by Melanie Lawder, Daily Tribune

High school students who like the idea of taking an online course but don’t necessarily want to forgo the interaction with their teachers have a new option. Blended courses — classes where students split their time between between online instruction and face-to-face teaching — are increasingly becoming an alternative course in curricula at high schools and junior high schools. Unlike virtual programs, in which a teenager might do all his or her coursework on a computer, students in these blended courses often are enrolled in traditional classes on campus as well.

http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/story/news/local/2014/12/13/blended-courses-becoming-norm-central-wi-schools/20319901/

by Greg Thompson, THE Journal

It’s not written in stone, but educators agree that third grade represents a milestone in the race to establish literacy. As the saying goes, students are “learning to read” through third grade, and “reading to learn” after that. Realistically, the foundations of literacy are built well before children even enter the classroom. According to Rick Miller, superintendent of the Santa Ana Unified School District (CA), “Literacy probably starts from the womb. From the time my kids and grandkids were born, they had print awareness and heard adults reading aloud, all of which develops literacy skills and demonstrates that literacy is often connected to families.” Early-grade teachers acknowledge that it’s not easy to bridge the gap between students who have been exposed to lots of reading and those who haven’t, but the good news is that technology can help.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/11/19/3-tech-tools-that-boost-early-literacy.aspx

By Christopher Piehler, THE Journal

The Federal Communications Commission voted today to increase the E-rate fund by $1.5 billion annually. According to a release from the FCC, the decision will allow the United States to expand high-speed WiFi access to 43.5 million additional students, more than 101,000 additional schools and nearly 16,000 additional libraries. To pay for the increase in funding, the FCC expects that a consumer or business will see their telephone bills increase by about 16 cents a month or $1.90 a year. Before today’s vote, E-rate funding had been capped 16 years ago at $2.25 billion a year.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/12/11/ed-tech-leaders-applaud-fcc-decision-to-increase-funding-for-broadband.aspx

by Before It’s News

The program — called Project Engage — increases access to computer science classes in high school; increases college readiness of Texas high school students and tackles the hard problem of the shortage of computer science teachers. Project Engage is especially focused on reaching girls and underrepresented minority students. Project Engage offers the schools a computer science principles course called “Thriving in our Digital World,” which encourages students to actively learn by solving problems. This is in direct contrast to traditional, lecture-based classes that relegate students to the role of passive recipients of instruction. “Thriving in our Digital World” introduces students to the big ideas in computer science that exist across disciplinary boundaries.

http://beforeitsnews.com/science-and-technology/2014/12/educational-program-helps-students-thrive-in-a-digital-world-2737148.html