Educational Technology

by Todd Finley, Edutopia

After the school day has ended at J.H. Rose High School, Rob Puckett and his two sons, Calder and Ryan, watch a nozzle in a white box extrude resin. It’s a scene reminiscent of 1976, when neighbors would crowd around a family’s microwave and stare at a hotdog cooking in under a minute. But unlike a microwave, Puckett’s classroom 3D printer aligns with the printing and graphic arts instructor’s 21st century maker ethos. Sitting in the middle of a studio that is stacked shoulder-high with boxes, Apple computers, spools of cheap plastic filament, and a variety of unrecognizable objects is Puckett’s Ultimaker 3D Printer — a box with no top or front panel. As it works, ambient music emanates from the printer — the sound that R2-D2 and a cheerful dolphin might make if they sang a duet five feet underwater.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/jaw-dropping-classroom-3d-printer-todd-finley

By Aiden Wolfe, Edudemic

Not too long ago, tablets and smartphones were largely viewed as educational scourges — mere distractions responsible for dulling minds and derailing productivity. Now, instead of being shunned completely, these devices are embraced as invaluable tools for meeting the complex, often hard to define needs of digital natives. Undoubtedly, wearable technology is destined to follow suit. The 2015 Horizon Report agrees, predicting the widespread use of wearables throughout the entire spectrum of modern education. Still, considering our senses are already overloaded with 1s and 0s, reluctance to embrace yet another digital medium is understandable. However, as this piece will explain, the potential benefits are simply too tremendous to ignore.

http://www.edudemic.com/wearable-tech-mean-classroom/

By Dennis Pierce, eSchool News

At E.L. Haynes High School in Washington, D.C., 44 percent of students are English language learners, have special needs, or both. Yet all of the students in this urban charter school’s first graduating class have been accepted into college, said Principal Caroline Hill—and she attributed this success to a personalized, self-paced approach made possible by technology. E.L. Haynes has a one-to-one laptop program, and students also can bring their own devices to school. Using a flipped learning approach, teachers record their lessons and post them online, so students can watch the content over and over again until they understand—and class time is used to provide more personalized support.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/06/29/flipped-special-ed-618/

By Ron Bethke, eCampus News

A new coding platform has a mission to elevate the state of coding education in higher-ed classrooms around the world; and one way it’s doing this is through professor buy-in. Bloomberg’s CodeCon platform, which features new weekly challenges this summer, is a browser-based, e-learning platform that enables cloud-hosted programming contests and seeks to reshape the way people improve their coding skills. Contests are based largely on efficiency and problem solving. Participants are asked to write optimized code that solves problems with real-world applications within a specified amount of time and memory constraints while accounting for all possible test cases.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/codecon-coding-education-777/

by VICTOR JOHNSON, Immortal

Electrical engineers have made a major breakthrough in fiber optic communications which has the potential to lead to super-fast, cheap Internet. When sending data through fiber optic systems — such as those which serve as the backbone of the Internet, cable, wireless and landline networks — the distance data travels before it becomes indecipherable has proven to be a major setback when it comes to data transmission rates. But this hurdle has been overcome by photonics researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) who managed to send data a record-breaking 12,000 kilometers through fiber lines with standard amplifiers and no repeaters, Phys.org reported.

http://www.immortal.org/10582/fast-cheap-fiber-optic-internet/

By Leah Levy, Edudemic

Podcasts have been around for a long time now, but they have only just begun to surge into mainstream popularity. That’s all thanks to a little podcast called Serial, a true crime program that reopened investigation into the murder of a high school student committed in 1999. With tens of millions of downloads, this podcast is officially the most popular of all time. To those of us who are longtime podcast fans, the potential of the medium to both captivate and set minds whirring is no surprise. There are so many great podcasts out there, that we found we couldn’t narrow them all down into one article. Let’s take a look at some of the greatest podcasts to adapt for classroom and at-home learning within the fields of History and STEM, and we’ll follow up with other subjects in coming weeks.

http://www.edudemic.com/learning-history-stem-podcasts/

by Jacqueline Thomsen, Inside Higher Ed

One women’s college is making sure that all students who want a degree can earn one. Alverno College, an all-women’s institution in Wisconsin, is phasing out its once popular weekend courses in favor of a hybrid option for students, a move the college’s president said will allow the student body to better balance personal and professional demands while still pursuing a degree. President Mary Meehan said when the weekend program at Alverno began more than 40 years ago, the institution would see women travel from as far as Colorado to attend the courses. But over the years, students found working full-time during the week and giving up weekends to be too demanding. Enrollment numbers fell from about 1,000 a decade ago to roughly 100 now, and the college started exploring other options.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/06/29/one-womens-college-introduces-hybrid-degree-program-help-women-juggle-their

by Danny Crichton, Tech Crunch

With the rise of the internet, it seemed like education was on the cusp of a complete revolution. Today, though, you would be excused for not seeing much of a difference between the way we learn and how we did so twenty years ago. I have attempted to tease out these challenges in two previous essays on what the modern university still offers us and how we might learn in the future. One thesis that becomes more clearer over time is simply that we have ignored the more human aspects of education, replacing it instead with a “give ’em tablets and they will learn” mentality. The next wave of education innovation won’t come from dumping technology on the problem. Instead, it will come from deeply engaging with people and empowering them to make learning all their own.

http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/27/education-next-wave/

By LEE SHEARER, Online Athens

Thirty schoolteachers learned the basics of gardening on the University of Georgia campus Thursday, but they had more in mind than backyard tomatoes. Their students will be the beneficiaries, explained MaryLauren Schroeder and Laura Ward, teachers at Athens’ St. Joseph Catholic school and two of those who came out in the blistering heat at the university’s UGArden on South Milledge Avenue. Like others in the group, they’re planning a garden at their school next year — the one at St. Joseph will involve children from pre-K, where Schroeder teaches, all the way up to Ward at the eighth-grade level.

http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2015-06-26/teachers-learn-gardening-basics-uga-class

By Joshua Bolkan, THE Journal

The University of California, Irvine (UCI) Extension is offering two new online courses designed to help teachers develop their skills in cognitive and student-centered learning. The courses, “Building Cognitive Curriculum” and “Motivation and Responsibility in the Student-Centered Classroom,” are currently open for registration and will run July 6-September 13. Both courses are requirements for a larger program, “Student-Centered Learning Specialized Studies,” launching in the fall and designed to offer educators insight into classroom practices that can be implemented immediately.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/06/25/u-california-irvine-extension-launches-online-courses-in-student-centered-learning.aspx

BY CLAIRE BYUN, the Sun News

For the past six years, Horry County Schools has offered supplemental online courses during the school year and summer to middle and high schoolers, all at no charge to the student. Course offerings include core classes such as Algebra and history, and electives such as journalism and computer programming. Students take the summer online courses to get ahead or make up after falling behind during the school year. Most summer enrollments are middle school students who want to finish their high school computer science credit early, said Edi Cox, executive director of online learning for the district. “Some students just want to get it out of the way so they have time to take other elective courses when they’re actually in high school,” Cox said.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/education/article25606441.html

by L. Lamar Nisly, Sarah Cecire, Melissa Friesen, and Amanda Sensenig, Tomorrow’s Professor

Miller (2011) defined student engagement as “students’ willingness to actively participate in the learning process and to persist despite obstacles and challenges. Indicators of student engagement include class attendance and participation, submission of required work, involvement in the learning environment, and participation in the extra-curricular learning opportunities provided on their campus” (2). Each of the three case studies presented here details an example of course assignments that led to significant engagement by students.

http://cgi.stanford.edu/~dept-ctl/cgi-bin/tomprof/enewsletter.php?msgno=1424

by Tantri Sari Safitry, et al; iJet

The use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the classroom activities has become more famous to the teachers over the last decade. This study tries to investigate the teachers’ perspectives and practices toward the use of ICT in their classroom activities. A survey was conducted to collect the data of the research. Using a revised expectancy-value theory called the Technology Implementation Questionnaire (TIQ), a questionnaire was administered among 20 elementary teachers. The findings revealed that there are still teachers who have more than 10 years experiences in teaching but they never got any formal training on using ICT. The lack of proficiency in ICT such as in using software, lack of technical support from the school also make them feel stressed out even though they have positive perspectives in applying ICT in their classroom activities.

http://online-journals.org/index.php/i-jet/article/view/4356

by Larissa Garza, Phoenix Business Journal

The Apple Watch is being banned in universities and standardized testing centers worldwide to prevent cheating. The Apple Watch, along with other wearable technology, is forcing a number of universities and colleges to institute bans on the technology to curb potential cheating on exams and tests. While no university in Arizona has instituted such bans on wearable tech, the Chronicle for Higher Education reports that universities in Australia have recently placed restrictions on smart watches. The University of New South Wales also banned wristbands during exams.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2015/06/23/apple-watch-wearable-technology-raising-cheating.html

PR News Wire

Boston Public Schools (BPS) recently announced a historic milestone with the graduation rate at the highest level in recorded history. Data released by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) shows the 2014 four-year graduation rate stands at 66.7 percent, up from 65.9 percent in 2013 and continuing an upward trend since 2006 when that figure was 59 percent. The data also shows the district’s annual dropout rate has dipped to a record low at 3.8 percent. Director of Online and Blended Learning for BPS High Schools, Janice Manfredi, attributes the increase in achievement in part to the use of Apex Learning digital curriculum for the district’s credit recovery program, which targets students most at-risk of dropping out.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/digital-curriculum-results-in-greater-achievement-for-boston-public-schools-300103845.html

by Digital Journal

It’s free to access and free to teach. How did education get so simple? Launched in May with an innovative approach, Learnquiq.com combines social networking with online learning. Quite literally becoming an ‘information super highway’ the new platform already offers over 75 self-paced courses and an education-based newsfeed. Illuminating students on everything from self-improvement to technology one could ask, what’s in it for the teachers? Answer being, a commission-based payout structure and the satisfaction of working with students hungry to learn.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/2594775

by The Virginian-Pilot

Every Virginia student enrolling in high school this fall must take a course online, or part of a course, in order to fulfill state-mandated requirements for graduation. The move, approved three years ago by state lawmakers, was designed to familiarize students with technologies reshaping education, business and every other aspect of contemporary life. Online learning has grown exponentially in the past decade, particularly in higher education, where more and more colleges and universities have embraced the flexibility it allows. And Virtual Virginia, the commonwealth’s online high school program, is poised to recruit as many as 100 students to pilot the state’s first full-time online diploma program.

http://hamptonroads.com/2015/06/more-steps-toward-online-school

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

It isn’t easy to set up a production learning space on campus for the online learner. Even harder is setting up a classroom that can accommodate the remote learner while also handling presentations for face-to-face students. That was the challenge handed over to Phil Conrad, director of technical operations for the Engineering Professional Education program at Purdue University. The program delivers courses online and in person to working professionals who are pursuing a graduate degree in engineering via distance learning. In Spring 2015 it encompassed nearly three dozen classes and 10 different departments catering to about 610 students.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/06/24/designing-learning-spaces-for-both-online-and-on-campus-delivery.aspx

by Marina Arshavskiy, eLearning Industry

The concept of “Personalization” can easily be understood from taking a closer look at some of the existing digital technologies that all of us use. For instance, from the browser that you use to roam the Internet, to the email and messaging systems that you use to stay connected with friends and family, to the digital boxes you use to watch TV shows and movies online – they all offer personalization and customization options. However, when it comes to eLearning systems, “personalization” takes on a whole new meaning. Personalized eLearning is the act of customizing:

The learning environment (e.g. how the content appears to the learner – font sizes, colors, backgrounds, themes etc.)

The learning content itself (e.g. audio, video, textual, graphical etc.)

The interaction between facilitator, student and the learning content (e.g. mouse, stylus, tap/swipe, keyboard; e.g. using “Gaming”, Quizzes, Online discussions, Demonstrate-do-check-reinforce, Adaptive learning approaches, Tutorials)

http://elearningindustry.com/personalized-elearning-customized-approach-accelerated-elearning

by WGBH The Takeaway

Three years ago, Harvard University and MIT embarked on a unique experiment when they launched a nonprofit called edX. The start-up promised a free online education, with university-level classes for anyone living anywhere across the globe. The massive open online courses (MOOCs) offered by edX held the promise of potentially revolutionizing higher education and helping with the problem of skyrocketing college costs. The Takeaway talks with Drew Gilpin Faust, the president of Harvard, and Rafael Reif, the president of MIT, about the most important lessons they have learned from their pioneering venture.

http://blogs.wgbh.org/on-campus/2015/6/23/harvard-mit-presidents-share-lessons-online-learning-experiment/

By Joshua Bolkan, THE Journal

More than a third of all malware events in 2014 occurred within the education sector, according to NTT Com Security’s 2015 Global Threat Intelligence Report (GTIR). The report, which analyzed more than 6 billion attacks for trends, points to the rise of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) programs. “[C]onnecting large amounts of users to public networks through a variety of devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones), cyber criminals know to target this vulnerable audience segment, resulting in this sector having the most detected malware-related events,” according to a news release. “Students and staff use these vulnerable networks to check grades, schedule meetings, log into financial assets and more, opening up their personally identifiable information to criminals.”

http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/06/23/report-ed-sector-target-of-more-malware-events-than-any-other.aspx