Educational Technology

August 31, 2015

Penn professors teach millions of students worldwide through Open Learning classes

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

By SYDNEY SCHAEDEL, Daily Pennsylvanian

While Penn professors teaching Open Learning classes have to dedicate a lot of their time and resources to millions of online learners, the opportunity to contribute to the future of education is incentive enough. “It’s been a great experience,” said Director of the Lauder Institute and Wharton Professor Mauro Guillen. “It’s wonderful to connect with so many people around the world…. The students are primarily aged 16 to 26,” said Guillen. “It’s a little surprising there are so few people over the age of 60, but that might be because they have to access it on the computer.” With their classes so widely viewed, Open Learning professors have become academia’s equivalent of celebrities. Guillen said that once when he visited New York City, someone stopped him on the street and said he recognized him from the course. “He said, ‘You’re the one from the videos!’”

http://www.thedp.com/article/2015/08/penn-professors-find-value-in-teaching-open-learning-classes

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Purdue offers free online course for high school students

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

by Austin Miller, WLFI

Purdue University is offering a free online class for high school students. Registration is available for the Purdue Department of Computer Science’s placement course. The eight-month program teaches students about various computer science topics. This is the second year the department has offered the course. Last year, nearly 200 high school students took part in the online program. K-12 Outreach coordinator Phil Sands said it’s a great way for students to get an idea of a typical college course.

http://wlfi.com/2015/08/25/purdue-offers-free-online-course-for-high-school-students/

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How High Schoolers Spent Their Summer: Online, Taking More Courses

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:28 am

By ELIZABETH A. HARRIS, New York Times

Massive open online courses, or MOOCs, were originally intended as college-level work that would be accessible to anyone with an Internet connection. But among the millions of people who have signed up for these classes, there are now an untold number of teenagers looking for courses their high schools do not offer and often, as a bonus, to nab one more exploit that might impress the college of their dreams. College admissions directors, as well as administrators of the Common Application used by many schools, say that such online classes — for which students are not likely ever to see credit — are popping up on college applications, adding to the list of extracurriculars, like internships and community service projects, that have helped turn summer vacation into a time of character and résumé building.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/26/nyregion/online-summer-courses-attracting-college-bound-high-schoolers.html?_r=0

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August 30, 2015

3 Ways Mobile Technology Is Transforming Learning Spaces

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

By Dennis Pierce, THE Journal

To support creativity and collaborative learning with digital tools, schools are creating flexible environments that give students ownership of the space and their learning. From the outside, Barrow Elementary School in Athens, GA, looks like any traditional school building built in the 1920s. Inside, it looks completely different. Instead of desks arranged in tidy rows, the classrooms have tables that can be reconfigured in seconds by the students themselves, depending on what an assignment calls for. There are spaces where students can work together in teams, and comfortable chairs for individual study. Nooks tucked off hallways enable teachers and students to gather in small groups, and wireless access points allow them to use portable digital devices anywhere in the building.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/08/25/3-ways-mobile-technology-is-transforming-learning-spaces.aspx

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MSU’s online graduate courses for science teachers open for fall registration

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

by MSU News Service

Montana State University’s online graduate courses for science teachers are now open for fall registration. The courses are all part of MSU Extended University’s National Teachers Enhancement Network (NTEN). Most courses start Sept. 14 or Sept. 28. Fall courses include 13 offerings in microbiology, biology, physics, earth science, land resources and environmental sciences (LRES) and education and curriculum and instruction (EDCI). The courses are open to all teachers and informal educators. Participants can take courses for professional development or start working toward an online graduate certificate or master’s degree.

http://www.montana.edu/news/15685/msu-39-s-online-graduate-courses-for-science-teachers-open-for-fall-registration

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8 Tips and Tools for Teaching Digital Citizenship

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

By Cory Hurst, THE Journal

Digital citizenship must be taught from a young age, and from many different angles. Teaching students every aspect of online behavior and etiquette can be daunting. To make this necessary process less intimidating, I have compiled a list of four tips and four tools that will allow every educator to create lessons and units that can help make all of your students better digital citizens. First, the tips.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/08/04/8-tips-and-tools-for-teaching-digital-citizenship.aspx

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August 29, 2015

5 ways to expand federal educational OER

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

By Laura Devaney, eSchool News

In a letter sent earlier this month, a group of ed-tech stakeholders urged the Obama administration to make federally-funded educational materials available as Open Educational Resources (OER). Creating OER, which are free to use, share, and edit, would help increase educators’ access to educational, training, and instructional materials, according to the more than 85 stakeholder organizations that signed the letter. The letter was a response to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s request for suggestions around how to strengthen the U.S. Open Government National Action Plan.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/08/24/open-educational-resources-095/

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A helpline for schools tackling cyberbullying

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

By Bridget McCrea, eSchool News

With a reported 55 percent of all teens on social media witnessing outright bullying via that medium, and with 95 percent of those youngsters who witnessed bullying on social media choosing to simply ignore the behavior, K-12 districts are growing increasingly concerned about the impact that such activities can have on their students. This concern is warranted according to the advocacy site NoBullying.com, which reports that just one of out of every six parents are even aware of the scope and intensity involved with cyber bullying and that the victims are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem and to consider suicide as a result.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/08/24/helpline-cyberbullying-485/

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Secure online learning for prisoners

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

by New Zealand Government

Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga today attended the launch of Secure Online Learning for prisoners at Rimutaka Prison. Secure Online Learning (SOL) will be implemented nationwide after a successful six-month pilot with young prisoners at Christchurch Men’s Prison. It allows carefully selected prisoners to securely access 12 educational websites. No other websites are available to them. SOL will replace paper based-assessment and learning processes which are prone to inaccuracies.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1508/S00213/secure-online-learning-for-prisoners.htm

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August 28, 2015

Get the most out of your education with online learning

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

by WOOD TV

Michigan has been recognized nationally as a leading force in online learning, and not just for higher education. The state is on the cutting edge of kindergarten through high school education. Among those leading the way is Michigan Virtual University. A request by the governor and legislation in 2000 led to the creation of Michigan Virtual University. It’s a wonderful option for students who cannot attend traditional school because of a health issue, scheduling conflict, or for other reasons. Students have a wider variety of courses available to them, taught by certified teachers from all over the state, including specialized classes and AP classes.

http://woodtv.com/2015/08/19/get-the-most-out-of-your-education-with-online-learning/

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Online learning: Hundreds of NC students head back to school virtually

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:38 am

by WNCN

Monday marked the first day back to school for many children around our region, but instead of raising their hand for roll call, about 1500 students just logged in online. WNCN’s Alyssa Corfont spoke with leaders of the groundbreaking new programs to find out more about how online academies work and answer some common questions parents might have. While the virtual schools may be nontraditional, they will follow the traditional school calendar. Like a bricks-and-mortar classroom, live lessons are led by teachers. But unlike a traditional classroom, kids are learning from their own homes, or anywhere they can get an internet connections.

http://wncn.com/2015/08/19/online-learning-hundreds-of-nc-students-head-back-to-school-virtually/

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Who hacked Rutgers? University spending up to $3M to stop next cyber attack

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

By Kelly Heyboer, NJ Advance

The identity of the hacker or hackers who crippled Rutgers University computer networks at least four times during the last school year is still a mystery. But Rutgers is spending big money to make sure cyber attackers don’t knock the school offline again. The state university has hired three cyber security firms to help protect the school against another attack, according to Rutgers officials and documents obtained through the state’s Open Public Records Act.

http://www.nj.com/education/2015/08/who_hacked_rutgers_university_spending_up_to_3m_to.html

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August 27, 2015

Should I tell my boss I’m getting an online MBA?

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

By: Sarah Collins, Crain’s Chicago Business Journal

Kate Drane, a senior director at Indiegogo, told her previous employer about her grad school plans in order to get partial tuition reimbursement. A few jobs ago, I found myself surrounded by people with an MBA. A digital strategist with a journalism background, I needed to learn some business buzzwords—and fast. Glomming onto a big name, I chose the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania’s series of MOOCs, or massive open online courses, targeted toward first-year business school students. The courses, which combine video lectures from the school’s professors with quizzes and message boards, were free unless I wanted to cough up roughly $100 for a completion certificate. Ultimately, experts say, telling your manager or not will hinge on your experiences with the company—and the manager. “For me, I was lucky that I had a really supportive company,” Drane says. “It was really clear that I had higher aspirations. So I just kept framing it as this is how it will relate to my work.”

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20150822/ISSUE01/308229999/help-should-i-tell-my-boss-im-getting-an-online-mba

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Redesign the Classroom to Enhance Learning

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

By Dustin Le, Edudemic

This article takes a look at how startups like Google, Facebook, and Airbnb have built amazing workspaces that improve employee happiness and thus (according to recent academic research) improve productivity. We then examine a few ways that schools can implement these lessons in their spaces to augment the educational experience.

http://www.edudemic.com/redesign-classroom-enhance-learning/

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Stanford PERTS Intros Mindset Kits for Educators

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:27 am

By Joshua Bolkan, Campus Technology

Stanford University’s Project for Education Research that Scales (PERTS) has launched a set of free online resources, dubbed the Mindset Kit, designed to help educators and parents understand how to help students develop learning mindsets. “When students have learning mindsets — for example, when they believe that intelligence is something they can develop and feel they belong and can succeed in the classroom — they are more motivated, engaged and resilient,” according to a Stanford news release. “Studies have also shown that certain messages can help students develop learning mindsets and, in turn, do better in school.”

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/08/20/stanford-perts-debuts-mindset-kits-for-educators.aspx

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August 26, 2015

U California System Promotes Digital Portfolio to Grads and Students

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

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

A company that helps users link their achievements documented in their digital portfolios with firms that may be seeking those kinds of skills has inked a deal with the University of California System to make it available to current students and graduates. Portfolium could draw on the system’s 239,000 current students as well as living alumni to document their work and make it visible to hiring managers. The agreement comes after a year-long pilot at the University of California San Diego. There, the alumni department made the online service available as a benefit to graduates. The program allows users to upload work samples and make them visible in online profiles in LinkedIn and Facebook. Portfolium created a widget that allowed people to confirm their university status and set up their profile.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/08/20/u-california-system-promotes-digital-portfolio-to-grads-and-students.aspx

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Making large lecture courses more interactive

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:37 am

by eCampus News

A new program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison aims to improve student experiences in large lecture halls. Large introductory lecture-based courses are a staple at most universities. But many of those classes at UW-Madison will be transformed into much more student-centered experiences over the next few years, thanks to a new project called REACH. The aim is to improve student learning by increasing students’ engagement in these courses. REACH is part of the broader campus Educational Innovation initiative, and connected with the university’s reaccreditation process. REACH will build on successful innovations across campus that strive to enhance the undergraduate experience through student-centered learning practices. It will not only reinforce the common goal among these efforts, but will extend their reach to encompass tens of thousands of first- and second-year students over the next five years.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/interactive-lecture-courses-893/

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Assessing competency-based education in terms of outcomes

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

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

Higher education has long been consumed with access rather than outcomes, but developing metrics for monitoring competency-based programs could provide an opportunity to change that. If nontraditional programs are going to get federal education dollars to operate, Michael B. Horn, the co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute and executive director of its education program, advises awarding dollars based on student outcomes. He also suggests in an op-ed for CompetencyWorks and reposted by eCampus News that policy makers move away from all-or-nothing access to such funding so programs are incentivized to do better rather than meet bare minimums.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/assessing-competency-based-education-in-terms-of-outcomes/404160/

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August 25, 2015

More Nevada students choose an online education

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

By Patranya Bhoolsuwan, Las Vegas Now

More Nevada parents are going the non-traditional route when it comes to the education of their children. Online classes are becoming more popular and virtual schools are expanding their programs to meet the needs of students. One online school that has seen significant growth in recent years is the Nevada Connections Academy. The school has been around since 2008 and has continually added programs.

http://www.lasvegasnow.com/news/more-nevada-students-choose-an-online-education

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Myths and Realities of Online Training

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

by Donald V. McCain, TD

Even after many years of online training in business, industry, and academia, there remain many myths concerning this method of delivery. Online training is impersonal. Online training can be made personal. The leader can post his profile, engage in discussions with the participants, and be available through video, chat, or email. Try using the coffee shop method by creating an informal virtual gathering place to share noncourse-related areas of interest….

https://www.td.org/Publications/Newsletters/Links/2015/08/Myths-and-Realities-of-Online-Training

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8 little-known video resources popular with teachers

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

By Laura Devaney, eSchool News

The use of video in education is growing by leaps and bounds. Videos are used in classrooms to support student learning, they play a critical role in flipped learning, and they also figure prominently in teacher professional development. One of the best parts about educational videos? Educators can usually find a free high-quality video to suit any number of needs. OpenEd, creator of an online library of free and open K-12 resources, recently analyzed the use of videos in its resource library. Eight video publishers appeared as lesser-known — that is to say, you’re probably not on a first-name basis with them — but still popular among teachers. The eight video publishers emerged as resources that teachers frequently assign. Those publishers include:

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/08/20/eight-video-resources-095/

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