Educational Technology

April 30, 2015

10 free apps to build logic skills

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

By Stephen Noonoo, eSchool News

These days, logic games aren’t all crosswords and pairs matching, especially not on mobile devices. Dozens of challenging and engaging puzzles, games, and brain teasers are available, and a surprising number are free—either fully or via trial versions. The website APPitic.com, an app resource site with more than 6,000 apps in more than 300 subcategories, offers a number of apps pertaining to logic and gaming. Here, we’ve gathered a handful of those apps, and you can access more on the APPitic site.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/04/24/logic-apps-932/

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Teach students to learn by doing with Google school coding clubs

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

By Janice Mak, eSchool News

The support from Google CS First is tremendous. Upon request, they sent a loaner set of 30 headphones and peripheral materials for the students that included passports, sticker-badges for each day’s modules, detailed scripts, certificates of completion, and directions for exercises. All materials are also available for free download from the club site, with coding done in Scratch, a programming language that uses building blocks to form commands. All of these supporting materials make it seamless for anyone, be it a volunteer guru, teacher, or parent to come in and help out. A suggested script, as well as breakdown of time for each activity, is also included.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/04/23/google-cs-first-332/

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What Will Keep the CIO Pipeline Flowing?

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

By David Raths, Campus Technology

What skills and training will the next generation of CIOs require as technology becomes an essential part of teaching and learning? Where will those CIOs come from? Are they already working in university IT departments? Those are some of the questions that Wayne Brown, vice president and CIO at Excelsior College (NY), has sought to answer as founder of the Center for Higher Education Chief Information Officer Studies (CHECS). Since 2009, the nonprofit CHECS has been surveying CIOs and the technology leaders who work under them, as well as institutional leaders who hire CIOs, to provide insight into the career path of individuals in or aspiring to technology leadership positions in higher education.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/23/what-will-keep-the-cio-pipeline-flowing.aspx

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April 29, 2015

CC Students Face Uphill Climb in Succeeding with Online Courses

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

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

A recently presented study from the University of California Davis questions the effectiveness of allowing first-time students in community colleges to take online classes. The research examined the completion rates of 217,000 community college students between the school years of 2008-2009 and 2011-2012. The team’s work was led by Cassandra Hart, an assistant professor of education policy at UC Davis’ School of Education. “We found the same pattern of results across all course types,” she said in a statement. Students, on average, have poorer course completion outcomes in online courses. The results were even worse for students taking online courses outside the regular academic calendar and when enrolled in classes with “a relatively low” share of students enrolled through online sections.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/22/cc-students-face-uphill-climb-in-succeeding-with-online-courses.aspx?admgarea=news

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Teen seeks donations to take online classes at Duke University

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

by WSMV

A middle school student in Lawrenceburg is raising money to take online classes through Duke University. Taylor, 13, has received an award from President Barack Obama for excelling at her school work. She recently took the ACT and qualified to take college classes in most subjects. But she needs a little help. Her family has set up a GoFundMe account to raise $500 for a laptop. She’s already reached the mark, but the extra money will go towards her future tuition. Taylor said she hopes to take computer science classes through Duke University this summer.

http://www.wsmv.com/story/28864146/teen-seeks-donations-to-take-online-classes-at-duke-university

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Government to go: SHS will offer AP class online

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:31 am

By Ronnie Wachter, Chicago Tribune

The future of public education is coming to Stevenson High School, and it could someday blur the lines between who is a Patriot and who is not. The school’s first online class will be offered next year with no additional costs from its traditional counterpart. Advanced Placement teachers Dan Larsen and Andy Conneen, as well as Brad Smith, head of Stevenson’s social studies division, spoke with the board during its April 20 meeting about the version of AP American Government that they will offer digitally in the 2015-16 year, and what it could mean for the rest of the school if it succeeds. The class will be an experiment to see how well, and how many, high schoolers can handle study-at-home freedom, and whether SHS’ existing infrastructure can handle more offerings like it.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/vernon-hills/news/ct-lsr-online-classes-tl-0423-20150421-story.html

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April 28, 2015

Rural teachers, students seek AP classes

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

By Gene Lucht, Iowa Farmer Today

Nationally, 47.2 percent of rural school districts had no students enrolled in AP courses. The number fell to 5.4 percent for suburban districts and 2.6 percent for urban districts. The New Hampshire researchers found the size of the district wasn’t the only problem. The further the district was from an urbanized area also mattered. And, even where AP classes were offered, small and rural districts had lower levels of both participation and success. It is no secret that smaller districts have a more difficult time finding enough students and teachers to make offering an in-class AP course feasible, Mattingly explains. Rural schools are trying to deal with the problems of size and geography. In Iowa, the state has worked to deal with that problem by offering online AP classes through the Belin-Blank Center at the University of Iowa.

http://www.iowafarmertoday.com/news/regional/rural-teachers-students-seek-ap-classes/article_3f80d844-e903-11e4-9f0e-2bf826aca797.html

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UA to expand online presence

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

By Kethia Kong, Daily Wildcat

The launch of UA Online comes at a timely period in higher education. For years, online learning has seen an unprecedented growth. In addition to the rising popularity of online learning, there is a growing demand for bachelor’s degrees from employers. There are not enough job seekers with bachelor’s degrees, and, as a result, there is a significant credential gap in employment. According to Burning Glass, a database that tracks millions of online job postings and the credentials employers ask for, the credential gap is above 20 percent in management, office and administrative services, business and financial operations, and computer and mathematical jobs. “Both the economy and society are demanding an increase in [bachelor’s degrees],” Del Casino said. “We have to meet certain expectations and demands so that we continue to have active, engaged students who can move the state forward.”

http://www.wildcat.arizona.edu/article/2015/04/ua-to-expand-online-presence

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Tools That Limit Distraction May Raise Student Performance in Online Classes

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:31 am

by Casey Fabris, Chronicle of Higher Ed

For students taking courses online, the endless distractions of the Internet can be a hindrance to success. But using software to limit those diversions can make a big difference. That’s the takeaway from a new study, which found that limiting distractions can help students perform better and also improve course completion. A paper describing the study, “Can Behavioral Tools Improve Online Student Outcomes? Experimental Evidence From a Massive Open Online Course,” was published by the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute this month.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/tools-that-limit-distraction-may-raise-student-performance-in-online-classes/56413

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April 27, 2015

3 Reasons Chromebooks Are Shining in Education

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

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

For districts looking to get the most bang for their ed tech buck, devices that fall somewhere between tablets and traditional laptops can be just the right fit. The iPad buying frenzy may be over. The late 2013 introduction of the low-cost Chromebook has given school districts an affordable alternative that they’re gravitating to with gusto. Official numbers from market research firm IDC confirmed the news last December when the company announced that while Apple had shipped 702,000 iPads to educational buyers in the third quarter, Google partners had shipped 715,000 Chromebooks. While some observers might refer to this changing of the guard as a “return of the laptop” or the “tailing off of the tablet,” to those doing the buying, that’s not quite the case.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/04/14/3-reasons-chromebooks-are-shining-in-education.aspx

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25 Ways to Get the Most Out of Twitter

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

By Pamela DeLoatch, Edudemic

Imagine being able to connect with one hundred million people anytime you want. With that many people on Twitter each day (and that’s not counting the additional 184 million users who are on Twitter at least once each month), a great deal of knowledge, perspective, and news is accessible to you, just by clicking a few buttons. It’s no wonder educators are harnessing the power of Twitter to bring cutting edge ideas, trends, research, and best practices to use in their schools and classrooms. But just as Twitter can be a treasure trove of information, it can be overwhelming for new users to figure out how to use it effectively. We’ve compiled this list of the best ways to make Twitter a social media tool that works for you.

http://www.edudemic.com/25-ways-to-get-the-most-out-of-twitter/

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How Adaptive Learning Technology Can Help Transform U.S. STEM Education

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

By Nishikant Sonwalkar, Edudemic

Adaptive learning systems organize content based on individual learning preferences and can maximize learning performance through continuous intelligent feedback. Utilizing technology to customize content helps make various modes of learning available in a single classroom, meaning diverse students can learn in ways that best suit their strengths. One example of the promise of adaptive learning comes from Boston-based intellADAPT, which provides user-friendly technology that can be easily integrated into the classroom and into current curricula.

http://www.edudemic.com/adaptive-learning-technology-can-help-transform-u-s-stem-education/

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April 26, 2015

Edtech Companies Hail New Rival LinkedIn As Industry Catalyst

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

Bernadette Tansey, Xconomy

LinkedIn’s $1.5 billion purchase of Lynda.com, a 20-year-old company offering courses ranging from Web design to data analysis, puts it in the pole position to take over a sizeable share of the market for online education and professional training, Stifel analysts wrote after LinkedIn (NYSE: LNKD) announced the acquisition April 9. Lynda.com’s competitors in the online education industry, however, are thrilled with the LinkedIn deal, saying it affirms that there’s serious money to be made in selling online courses to adult workers who need to keep up with the rapidly changing pace of technology in all industries.

http://www.xconomy.com/san-francisco/2015/04/20/edtech-companies-hail-new-rival-linkedin-as-industry-catalyst/

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5 Tech Trends that Will Drive IT Decision-Making for the Next 5 Years

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

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Today’s IT organizations face a big data challenge: unstoppable growth. Global data center IP traffic equaled 255 Exabytes per month in 2013, according to the Cisco Global Cloud Index — and by 2018, traffic is predicted to nearly triple. Fortunately, not all of that traffic will land in the data center, but it does call for response from the information technology organization, said Gartner Research Vice President David Cappuccio in a recent webinar. “The real questions that IT centers need to ask themselves are, how much of that traffic is important, how does that data need to be acted upon and how do we do it?” IT has to rethink how it will address infrastructure and operations planning in three important areas, he noted: demand, technologies and the organization itself. Here’s how trends and technologies will impact IT over the next five years.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/20/5-tech-trends-that-will-drive-it-decision-making-for-the-next-5-years.aspx

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‘Flipped classrooms’ provide better approach for instruction of students

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

by David Lockett, Daily News Journal

Flipping a classroom means switching the activities that normally occur at home versus in the classroom. Thus, rather than listening to an instructor in the classroom, students now watch video lectures from home before coming to class. Then, instead of doing homework independently, students solve problems in the classroom, where the teacher can facilitate this critical step in learning. By taking the burden of presenting content off of teachers, a flipped classroom enables these teachers to focus their efforts on improving students’ learning skills and deeper understanding of concepts. Results are showing that students both like the flipped classroom and also tend to outperform students taught the same material in a traditional classroom.

http://www.dnj.com/story/opinion/2015/04/18/guest-column-flipped-classrooms-provide-better-approach-instruction-students/26010047/

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April 25, 2015

U.S. teacher sparks online movement with #IWishMyTeacherKnew class exercise

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

by Larissa Cahute, the Province

An elementary school teacher in Colorado has sparked an online movement encouraging teachers across the world to better understand and support their students. Kyle Schwartz, a third grade teacher in Denver, started a lesson plan called “I Wish My Teacher Knew,” in which she asks her students to write out something that they wish their teacher knew about them. According to ABC News, Shwartz first started this exercise in an attempt to build trust between her and her students, many of whom come from underprivileged homes. “Ninety-two percent of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch,” Schwartz told ABC News. “As a new teacher, I struggled to understand the reality of my students’ lives and how to best support them. I just felt like there was something I didn’t know about my students.”

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/04/17/u-s-teacher-sparks-online-movement-with-iwishmyteacherknew-class-exercise/

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Maker app turns 2D into 3D

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:33 am

by Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

MakerBot PrintShop app introduces new Shape Maker feature–turns 2D into 3D. MakerBot’s free iPad app MakerBot® PrintShop® version 1.5 is now available for update in the iTunes App Store and offers a brand new feature called MakerBot Shape Maker that takes drawings and sketches and instantaneously turns them into 3D printable files. MakerBot PrintShop Shape Maker aims to allow users to transform sketches, photos and screen captures into a 3D printable file, without any 3D design experience. Designed for beginners who want to get started quickly with 3D printing, MakerBot PrintShop with Shape Maker is what MakerBot believes to be an exiting new tool that will transform the way the industry moves from 2D to 3D.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/business-news/maker-app-turns-3d-188/

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Could high-speed Internet save Iowa’s schools?

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

by Jason Clayworth and Rodney White, DesMoines Register

Administrators of a rural school in far northern Iowa believe technology can temper the pain rising from Iowa’s lost schools crisis. And they took their message to the Capitol this month. “Everyone is mourning the loss of their schools when, instead, we should focus on the future of education and how to revolutionize education,” said John Carver, superintendent of Howard-Winneshiek schools. Carver and other employees from Howard-Winneshiek advocate that Iowa promote and invest in broadband so that every corner of the state has access to high-speed Internet. Many Iowa schools are already connected to the Iowa Communications Network, a high-speed fiber optic network run by the state. That’s a bright spot for Iowa.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/education/lost-schools/2015/04/18/lost-schools-technology-high-speed-internet/25936165/

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April 24, 2015

Set up your own digital media lab for next to nothing

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

By Donna DeLuca, eSchool News

With the advent of lightning-quick computers and gorgeous digital media tools, students are now dreaming up PowerPoint presentations, Prezis, websites, wikis, Photo Stories, and more—things limited only by their imaginations. Creating these types of digital projects has become second nature to them, and they have no concept of a time when these technologies were not available. In fact, creating digital media has become a very personal matter. Just look on Facebook, YouTube, Vine, Vimeo, Instagram, Twitter and you will see that our students are creating and sharing digital content on a daily basis. As educators, it behooves us to find ways to provide opportunities that allow our students to engage in learning activities relevant to their lives. As a library media specialist, I know there’s no better place to provide them with these opportunities than a school’s own library media center. If you think you would like to create a digital media lab in your school, here are some tips to get started.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/04/17/digital-media-lab-245/

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Teachers: Embrace Twitter for Professional Development

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

By Denise Scavitto, Edudemic

I created my first Twitter account in 2008. Four years later, I finally made the commitment to using Twitter during an edtech conference, where I found myself frantically tweeting, retweeting, and refreshing my feed as I tried to take it all in. Honestly, up until I used it at that conference, I thought Twitter was just another social media blackhole. But through essentially constant use for those few days, I began to see Twitter as an excellent resource for educators and an invaluable tool for professional development – one of the best out there. So, for you teachers wondering about all the hype…I promise, Twitter is worth it. (follow Ray at @rayschroeder)

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

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Colorado Springs high school taking online learning in a new, more individualized direction

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

By Debbie Kelley, Colorado Springs Gazette

An online high school in Academy School District 20 will shift its focus to what the program creator believes is the next generation of online learning. “Initially, the philosophy behind online education was location – the idea that the student could do school from anywhere – and we built systems around that,” said Nathan Gorsch, principal of Academy Online High School. Now, the online movement is turning toward personalized learning as its main strength, he said, and his school will pilot a program in that direction. “We are going to give it our best attempt at what we think education can become,” Gorsch said. “Instead of building a system and fitting kids in, we’re building our system around the kids.”

http://gazette.com/colorado-springs-high-school-taking-online-learning-in-a-new-more-individualized-direction/article/1549886?custom_click=rss

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