Educational Technology

by Eric Horowitz, Edsurge

Learning management systems are big business, with a market size estimated to approach $8 billion by 2018. Many popular systems, like Blackboard, Joomla and PowerSchool, offer case studies highlighting the remarkable improvements made by individual institutions. Yet the gusto of these pronouncements can’t cover up the fact that there is a lack of scientifically rigorous investigations into whether these systems are actually effective.

https://www.edsurge.com/n/2015-06-01-do-learning-management-systems-actually-improve-k-12-outcomes

By Chris Dettro, State Journal Register

Snow days — those short, unexpected respites from school that students always hope for — could be shoveled away if Gov. Bruce Rauner signs a bill the Illinois legislature passed in the waning days of its spring session. House Bill 2781 would create a three-year pilot program giving up to three school districts the option of eliminating snow days in favor of online learning. “This is something that has been enacted in a number of states, mostly in the north, including Minnesota and Ohio,” said Ray Schroeder, vice chancellor for online learning University of Illinois Springfield. “Many states looking at how they can avoid tacking on snow days at the end of the year.”

http://www.sj-r.com/article/20150531/NEWS/150539908

By STEPHANIE BUTTS, Waco Tribune

Waco Independent School District will begin online dual-credit classes in the fall in response to students’ requests to increase higher-level courses at both high schools. The online credit is part of a joint program between Waco ISD and McLennan Community College that will allow students to earn up to 18 college credit hours by the time they graduate high school, said Scott McClanahan, the district’s director of secondary advanced academics. Students who complete the necessary requirements in high school will automatically be enrolled at MCC the following summer to allow them to complete an associate’s degree within the following year, McClanahan said.

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/higher_education/waco-university-high-schools-to-offer-online-college-level-courses/article_7b4a78bb-940e-54e8-a53d-5aa4385b7512.html

By Michael Hart, THE Journal

The small computers that cost less than $50 a piece are the product of a United Kingdom-based nonprofit devoted to helping students understand and use computer science.By the end of the summer, hundreds of Illinois teachers should be prepared to use the Raspberry Pi in their classrooms. A new program sponsored by the Illinois IT Learning Exchange has already led a workshop for 80 teachers from 39 schools this spring to introduce them to the inexpensive, credit card-sized computer created by a United Kingdom-based nonprofit to help students understand and use computer science. The Illinois IT Learning Exchange is offering the workshops in conjunction with the Creating IT Futures Foundation, the philanthropic arm of CompTIA.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/05/28/illinois-teachers-learn-to-use-raspberry-pi-in-the-classroom.aspx

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

The University of Montana has revved up its research network with a new 100 Gbps fiber connection to the Internet2 Network. Clocking in at times faster than the school’s previous connection, the ultra-high-speed capability will advance UM’s research efforts as well as support education, research and healthcare institutions across the state. “The Internet2 Network connection provides great support to our researchers who collaborate with colleagues both nationally and internationally and, in particular, for those involved in big data initiatives and their entrepreneurial activities,” said Scott Whittenburg, vice president for research at UM, in a press release.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/05/28/u-montana-speeds-research-with-internet2-100-gbps-connection.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Network administrators running data centers where moving directly to 100 gigabit Ethernet (GbE) is too big a leap may have an easier time making the transition with 25 GbE, demonstrated by QLogic and Huawei. U.S.-based QLogic makes data, server and storage networking infrastructure products. Huawei is a networking and telecommunications equipment maker headquartered in China. Huawei servers were equipped with QLogic 25 GbE adapters and hooked up to Huawei 25 gigabit Ethernet switches. The demonstration was intended to show potential customers an approach for upgrading from 10 GbE to something considerably faster with largely the same infrastructure for cabling. According to the companies, 25 GbE “single-lane” technology provides a 250 percent increase in bandwidth with the same port density as 10 GbE.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/05/29/25-gigabit-ethernet-gaining-traction.aspx

by Sameer Bhatia, Chief Learning Officer

While e-learning best practices apply whether the course is scheduled or self-paced and moderated or not, the new tools and technologies used today require more thought to the learning environment and the user experience. Linked below are three essential things to consider when designing modern, self-paced and on-demand e-learning.

http://www.clomedia.com/articles/6288-things-to-remember-when-creating-on-demand-e-learning

by Daily Mail

The two sites, School Reviewer and School Guide, have been set up by parents frustrated by the lack of real information about the schools they were considering beyond often bland or impenetrable reports by education authorities. Critics warned they risked allowing parents with a grudge to damage the reputation of schools or their staff, but the sites said they were careful to vet comments. Edwin Chan, a 45-year-old financier who is behind the School Reviewer site, said it had grown out of his frustration with attempting to glean honest information on potential schools for his children.  He said: ‘Short of standing outside the school gates and canvassing opinions from parents, I had no other source of parental reviews or opinions on those schools via the internet.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3104115/Parents-slam-schools-Trip-Advisor-style-websites-Commenters-blast-teachers-class-sizes-online-rants.html

By MATT FRITZ, The News-Dispatch

By the time her junior year was nearly complete in the spring of 2014, South Central High School student Hanna Wleklinski was ready to quit. Since neither her mother, who worked as a hotel housekeeper, nor her siblings ever graduated, Hanna decided she wouldn’t either. But then, another option came along. Before her senior year began, South Central High School started offering a new program. Called the Satellite Virtual Learning Center, it allowed Hanna to take online classes in place of traditional ones. By the first week of April (in less than a school year), Hanna had earned the 19 credits she needed to graduate, and she became the first member of her family to do so. Now, when she walks with her class on June 7, she will be the first of her family to collect a diploma as well.

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/news/article_a76bf528-070e-11e5-bc1e-e36e85a6ee11.html

by Erica Dhawan, INC

This shift in training and development is critical for any company that wants to retain top talent. “The bottom line is that companies need to rethink their talent management and employee engagement strategies,” said Dan Schawbel, Founder of WorkplaceTrends.com. “Personalized employee career development programs, accessible tools and tracking systems and a focus on redefining and re-engaging leadership — at all levels — will help deliver on the innovation and growth that businesses require.”  We know that developing your employees is crucial for business growth; it’s time for companies falling short to use the resources we already have and focus on this area. So what does this look like and how can companies take advantage of these new trends? As an advisor on talent to Fortune 500 companies, here are my top 5 best practices.

http://www.inc.com/young-entrepreneur-council/how-to-create-better-and-cheaper-training-and-development-programs.html

By Hanna Shekhter, Edudemic

Blogs have the potential expand student creativity, not to mention their writing skills. Language Arts and Reading specialists will love that, right? But how do I convince them that their students are thirsty for the knowledge they want to share but not the same way that they themselves obtained it? These kids are 21st century students and are adapting to a digital world that they are eager to learn from. Fortunately for teachers, blogs are surprisingly easy to use. They require minimum technical knowledge and are quickly and easily created and maintained. Students will be able to pick up how to use blogging platforms with minimal technical assistance and teachers will enjoy the ease in the initial setup. Unlike many traditional Web sites, blogs are flexible in design and can be changed relatively easily.

http://www.edudemic.com/how-and-why-teachers-should-blog/

By Michelle Quinn, Mercury News

In researching online education opportunities for her children to keep their brains active this summer, columnist Michelle Quinn landed on these options. For more, the Alameda County Office of Education has a blog post with dozens of online educational options:.

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_28208732/online-education-options-school-aged-kids-this-summer

by Roger High, eSchool News

While mobile learning continues to work its way further into educational institutions, administrators and their team of educators are faced with a new set of issues. How will our teachers and students learn to use these devices? What happens when students break or lose their tablets? These issues and more are bound to arise as the education industry explores new ways to leverage mobile devices in the classroom. Linked below are three necessities to consider for running a successful mobile education plan and keeping devices in good working order.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/05/29/mobile-devices-209/

by Cameron Pipkin, EdSurge

Personalized learning is on the rise in the American classroom, but let’s be honest: much of the interest has been driven by hope, wishful thinking, and platitudes about the needs of “digital natives.” But now, with over half a decade of on-the-ground implementation to examine, the buzz around personalized learning is being justified by more than just hope. Hard data and peer-reviewed research are confirming the great potential of a well-implemented personalized learning model for creating rich, engaging learning environments that result in dramatic improvements in student achievement—and this research is informing everything that occurs in the personalized classroom.

https://www.edsurge.com/n/2015-05-27-the-power-of-personalized-learning-for-school-improvement

by Sheri Handel, EdSurge

The panel felt strongly about using technology to cut down on the amount of paper used. Hoping to move from packet-based resources, they want to complete assignments and submit homework assignments online. They stressed the need to keep track of their work and to have it easily accessible once the assignment had been reviewed and graded. In some cases, homework is posted online, but students still need to print it out and bring it into class. For the most part, textbooks are still used in these schools, including heavy Advanced Placement texts that need to be carried back and forth. In one school, teachers provide links to online versions of the texts, while in another, students pass links to online resources along to each other so that they can access the material from home. In one case, students get points toward detention if they do not bring the required textbook to school even without advanced notice that it will be used.

https://www.edsurge.com/n/2015-05-29-student-voice-in-the-edtech-conversation-more-measured-than-you-d-think

By KIT EATON, NY Times

Physics, chemistry, biology and lots of other sciences are behind almost every part of our technology-driven lives. But learning about those topics is often not easy, which is where tech steps in to help illuminate some of science’s fascinating secrets. One of my favorite science-based apps is The Elements in Action, which costs $4 on iOS. You will probably remember the periodic table, where all 118 known elements — like hydrogen and helium, and including weird radioactive elements like einsteinium — are set out in a grid. The elements are the basic building blocks of everything you see around you.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/28/technology/personaltech/video-feature-apps-that-bring-science-to-life.html

by Katia Savchuk, Forbes

More than 20% of America’s 50 wealthiest self-made women made their fortunes in the tech industry, both at old-school giants and newcomer startups. Interestingly, six of these 11 tech titans have done so not by founding companies but by building them. Being a hired hand – even a well-paid one – typically isn’t the route for making it big in Silicon Valley. But these executives got in early, jumping on board before a company exploded.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/katiasavchuk/2015/05/27/the-wealthiest-female-techies-in-america/

by eSchool News

A University of Texas at Arlington computer scientist and his students are using assistive robots to spur the interest of local middle- and high-school students toward STEM. Gian-Luca Mariottini, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, has launched the Technology Education Academy, a pilot 12-week, after-school program funded by the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation and in collaboration with the Arlington Public Library and Arlington school district. The Academy serves eighth- through 12th-graders from some AISD schools at “The Lab” at the East Arlington Branch Library.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/05/27/students-stem-robots-092/

By Mike Lawrence, eSchool News

How does lifelong learning relate to leadership in education, and the role of certification? Quite directly, I believe. There is an increasing movement toward alternative learning opportunities–education beyond advanced degrees. Certification just may be the sweet spot that bridges leadership, lifelong learning, and formal training. Here are some of the advantages and opportunities for today’s ed tech leader that certification offers:

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/05/27/reasons-certification-664/

By Pamela DeLoatch, Edudemic

Maybe you’re using Google for your personal email or to look someone up, but have you considered the many ways you can use this web search engine in the classroom? Since Google.com was first registered as a domain name in 1997, it has become a ubiquitous source of information. And that’s not all. Google also provides an ever-growing list of tools that can make your and your students’ day easier and more interesting. Far more than an email tool, or even a massive search engine, Google offers a plethora of tools that can bring information, collaboration and increased efficiency in the classroom.

http://www.edudemic.com/best-ways-to-use-google/

By Clarissa Ratcliff, eSchool News

Open resources can help design attractive, engaging lessons with a Common Core. In 2010, my state, Mississippi, joined the growing list of states adopting the Common Core State Standards for English language arts and math. This academic year has been especially pivotal, as we are now in full implementation. While the rigor of the Common Core will ultimately prepare our students for college and careers, implementation has its challenges. With more than 90 percent of the students in our school in Gulfport eligible for free or reduced lunch, we also have challenges in keeping them engaged and on track to meeting the new learning goals.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/05/26/open-resources-core-246/