Educational Technology

BY CLAIRE BYUN, the Sun News

School districts nationwide are sharpening their own PDL programs, and Ambrose said Horry County was among the first in the state to jump into digital learning. She said student reading skills scores have improved. “Talk to the students, talk to the teachers,” Ambrose said. “The students are engaged, we see a huge difference now.” Horry County schools rely on the Lexile Framework – a national measure to match reading skills to appropriate texts – to help determine student growth and performance. After using PDL programs for a semester, student’s Lexile scores in grades 6-12 improved nearly twice as much as the district anticipated, Ambrose said.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2015/02/07/4774631/school-officials-digital-learning.html

by CHRIS BERDIK, Hechinger Report

The digital badge buzz got started when U. S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan called them “a game-changing strategy” that could trigger “a quantum leap forward in education reform.” Badges? Yes, like the Boy and Girl Scouts — but online. A quantum leap forward? I know. But here’s the argument: In today’s world, learning can and should extend beyond school walls — in after-school programs, volunteering, clubs and online — and badges can make all of it count.

http://hechingerreport.org/what-can-we-learn-from-the-badging-movement/

by Michael Horn, Forbes

No, this isn’t another piece about how online learning can allow students to continue to learn even when school is canceled because of snow—although online learning could arguably help a select number of parents who can work from home solve the problem faced when this happens. Instead this is a piece about how important physical brick-and-mortar schools are in our communities and why, even as online learning grows, those schools likely won’t be going away. The insight is one reason why the future for most K–12 schools and students is in blended learning.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelhorn/2015/02/06/snow-days-show-why-schools-blended-learning-matter/

By Phillip Britt, eCampus News

What IT needs to know to stay one step ahead of cyber attacks and student data leaks. Security of college students is a growing concern for the students themselves; for their parents, relatives and friends; and for colleges and universities. The security concerns are two fold, both for the physical security of the students themselves and for the security of the student data on university systems. Both those seeking to cause physical harm and those seeking to attack data systems continue to advance their techniques, pushing college security experts to continue to evolve security strategies to stay ahead of the threats. To better help institutions keep one step ahead, here are the top five campus IT security trends for 2015.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/campus-it-security-390/

by Andrea Harmon, eSchool News

From getting started to managing the day-to-day business, try these 50 tips for setting up a successful online course for any grade level. As many K-12 U.S. public schools and districts are struggling to compete with 100 percent online cyber charter schools for essential student funding, many universities are struggling to understand the impact of MOOCs on future enrollment. Both of these scenarios point to the one thing that is abundantly clear, online education is having another growth spurt in the second decade of the 21st century and the race to create in-house online content is on. In-house online content is defined here as online course development created by practicing K-12 educators to avoid having to access sometimes cost-prohibitive, commercially-developed online courses.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/02/03/online-course-589/

By Valerie Strauss, Washington Post

It was only a matter of time. Online school classes for toddlers and preschoolers are here. VINCI Education is offering what it calls a “groundbreaking virtual school” for youngsters, which was featured by by Dr. Gadget®, the nationally recognized TV and radio personality, on CBS’s “The Talk” late last month. VINCI Education, according to its Web site,”is a pioneer in providing Blended Learning Curriculum, Assessment Tools and Data Analytics for the Early Childhood Education.” It operates preschools and day-care centers in Los Angeles, Ottawa and Beijing, which use technology and blended learning strategies to, the Web site says, “strengthen the main developmental areas of a child’s mind.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/02/02/and-now-online-preschool-classes-really/

By Joshua Bolkan, THE Journal

The Global Oneness Project, a curator of multicultural studies, has launched a multimedia initiative for K-12 and higher education that combines free digital stories and lesson plans. “The interdisciplinary stories — in the form of short documentary films, photo essays and articles — examine global themes with a humanistic lens,” according to a news release. “The lesson plans facilitate critical thinking, reflective writing and in-class activities designed for use in the arts, environmental sciences, English, history courses and more.”

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/02/05/global-oneness-project-launches-free-multimedia-resources-lesson-plans.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

Manteca Unified School District in California is in the next phase of its $30 million project to outfit its 23,000 students with computers. In response to earlier parental concerns regarding the program, the district posted information on its site addressing the most common questions and held two seminars specifically to educate families about software usage.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/02/03/california-district-deploys.aspx

By Richard Rose, Campus Technology

Social media can be a distraction for students — but used well, it can also invigorate teaching and learning with a relevant, immediate stream of communication. Here’s how to make sure it’s an asset, not a liability. The arrival of social media in today’s university classroom completes the trend. Students sit in class (if they attend class at all) with devices that permit instant two-way communication with anyone in the room or out of it. They often think of themselves primarily as “customers” and believe they owe the institution nothing but politeness and the reasonably timely payment of their semester bills. They reserve the right to evaluate, on a moment-to-moment basis, whether the words of the professor have sufficient entertainment value to justify their continuing attention.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/new-uw-madison-web-portal-to-help-adults-take-classes-online-b99436643z1-290942501.html

by Beth Holland, Edutopia

Recently, I wrote about the transformation of libraries from archives of resources to active learning commons that encourage exploration, creation, and collaboration. However, in that post, I profiled a number of locations that made significant financial investments in their redesign. Million-dollar learning spaces are often not a reality for most schools. However, that is no reason to abandon the concept of transformation. Here are four suggestions from librarians and educators who have transformed their learning spaces — even without a budget.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/tips-to-transform-learning-space-beth-holland

By Paul Schott, The Advocate

There is no “shushing” in the International School at Dundee’s library. Students can talk; they can even get a little noisy while tapping away at keyboards, peppering a guest speaker with questions, or giving a presentation to classmates. Head over to the Makerspace and you will hear the rumbling and beeping of 3D printers churning out their latest creations. This is the soundtrack of ISD’s new, transformed library. Here, students do not stop by just to check out and read books. They visit more often, come for a wider range of activities and stay longer. It’s not even called a library anymore. Or a media center. It is now the “learning commons,” a hub for students and teachers.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/02/04/school-libraries-changing-632/

by Casey Fabris, Chronicle of Higher Ed

Resisting the urge to pull out your phone in class is quite difficult for many students, apparently. There are texts to answer, emails to read, snapchats to send, and rude comments to post on Yik Yak. But two students at California State University at Chico have created something they hope will persuade students to keep their phones tucked firmly in their pockets: An app that rewards them with coupons for local businesses when they exhibit self-control and leave their phones untouched during class.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/app-gives-students-an-incentive-to-keep-their-phones-locked-in-class/55647

by Susan Grajek, EDUCAUSE

The technologies report provides a snapshot of the relatively new technological investments colleges and universities will be spending the most time implementing, planning, and tracking in 2015. The trends report (scheduled for publication in late February) will summarize the influence on institutional IT strategy of trends such as shared services, IT complexity, and agile approaches to change. Together the reports provide context and insight to guide higher education IT strategy. The interactive graphic enables you to filter the technologies list by institutional characteristics.

http://www.educause.edu/top-10-strategic-technologies-2015-resources

Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed

This year’s freshmen traded some of the hours they would normally have spent hanging out with friends or partying during their senior year in high school for time on social media, a survey of those students shows. Rather than conclude the freshmen entering college today are more introverted than past cohorts, the 2014 Freshman Survey, conducted by researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles’s Higher Education Research Institute, suggests the findings raise new questions about how students interact with their peers — and how they view those interactions themselves.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/02/05/face-face-socializing-down-social-media-use-among-freshmen

By Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

Are you skeptical about the role of technology in higher education? Our edtech establishment has done a poor job engaging in a meaningful dialogue with our critics. I find this lack of positive conversation disturbing, as I think that I share many of the same values as those most critical of the edtech profession that I love. Perhaps if we first enumerate the main objections to edtech, if we listen to our critics, we’d be in a better position to evolve and reform our own edtech discipline.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/6-objections-technology-higher-ed

By Joy Nelson, Edudemic

Social media is a powerful tool for keeping in touch with friends, getting coupons and deals from your favorite businesses, and seeing what your favorite celebrities are up to. It is also handy in your classroom; platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and others have the power to help you forge closer connections with students and parents and enhance the educational experience in your classroom. How can you make it happen? Let the following resources lead the way.

http://www.edudemic.com/16-best-social-media-resources-of-2015/

By Aiden Wolfe, Edudemic

Despite technology’s onward march, the fundamentals of teaching have remained relatively unchanged. Sure, phones are smarter and software is freakishly advanced, but the role of a well-informed, caring adult is more important than ever — someone who connects to the student on a human level, shepherding the often overwhelming path to subject comprehension. In light of this, the mere notion of altering tried-and-true methods of teaching is met with skepticism, even outright hostility by many lifelong educators. Be that as it may, turning a blind eye to the unprecedented needs of digital natives benefits no one. We are, after all, talking about children that learn to use mobile apps before tying their own shoelaces. Quality educational technology seeks to enhance, not obliterate, the role of teachers. Indeed, having an engaged classroom is half the battle, and the apps listed below assist brilliantly in accomplishing just that.

http://www.edudemic.com/5-apps-to-keep-your-students-engaged/

By Marketwatch

The next generation of Stanford’s Acclaimed K-7 Mathematics Course Launches. GiftedandTalented.com today launched Redbird Mathematics: Advanced Edition, a cutting-edge digital mathematics program based on Stanford University’s acclaimed Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY). The program combines ongoing Stanford research on K-12 accelerated learning with today’s most advanced adaptive learning technology, rich graphics and games, and real-world inspired digital learning projects.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-mathematics-program-developed-by-stanford-university-transforms-online-education-for-young-students-2015-02-03

BY AARON SKONNARD, Inc.

Pressure continues to increase on education budgets around the globe. Yet despite this fact, the education sector is continuing to increase its investment in technology related to learning. Ed tech funding jumped 55 percent in 2014 with no signs of slowing down, according to CB Insights. A report from Global Industry Analysts (GIA) predicts that the global e-learning market will reach $107 billion in 2015, propelled by technological advancements and demand for additional skills.

http://www.inc.com/aaron-skonnard/5-top-trends-in-education-technology-2015.html

By Tom Warren – the Verge

Microsoft is throwing its weight behind the newly announced Raspberry Pi 2. The Raspberry Pi Foundation’s low-cost computer was an instant hit when it first debuted in 2012, and the new Raspberry Pi 2 now includes a more powerful processor and twice as much RAM. While you’ve never been able to officially run copies of Windows on the Raspberry Pi without resorting to an old version or tricks and hacks, Microsoft says it’s “delivering a version of Windows 10 that supports Raspberry Pi 2.” It’s not clear exactly what version of Windows 10 will be available, but Microsoft is handing it out for free to the Maker community through its Windows Developer Program for IoT later this year. With the pricing of the Raspberry Pi 2 and Microsoft’s free copy of Windows 10, you could have a full PC for just $35 later this year.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/2/7962179/raspberry-pi-windows-10

by Chris Graham, Augusta Free Press

A majority of respondents in a new Virginia Commonwealth University Commonwealth Education Poll support online learning opportunities for high school credit. The poll, conducted annually by the Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, found almost two-thirds of respondents (63 percent) favored allowing students to earn high school credits online, while 33 percent opposed the practice. There were significant differences in support by age cohort, with younger respondents more in favor of online credits options. Fully 72 percent of those aged 18-34 supported the practice while only 47 percent of those aged 65 or older did the same.

http://augustafreepress.com/poll-finds-majority-virginians-favor-high-school-online-learning-opportunities/