Educational Technology

October 24, 2015

Is there a link between dropout rates and how students thrive?

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

by eCampus News

Although 75 percent of students are consistently accepted into their first-choice university, only one-in-two college freshman ultimately graduate, according to vibeffect’s College Optimizer Index and research conducted when compiling the index. This discrepancy is the subject of a white paper released by vibeffect, developer of a family-centered college-decision framework that helps students identify campuses where they’re most likely to thrive. Numerous misconceptions about student success in higher education contribute to middle-low-to-low thriving among college students. Common enduring myths including low income students being unable to complete college, most students unable afford tuition, or the perceived difficulty of getting into a “good” college are often cited in discussions as the cause of the higher education dropout rate. vibeffect’s findings aim to dispel such rumors and suggest re-focusing the conversation on treating the college as an ecosystem and utilizing science to define thriving for the individual student.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/college-students-thrive-835/

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Study asks: Can math teachers teach coding?

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

by eCampus News

An NSF study will examine how computer science shortages can best be addressed. How do students and teachers learn math and computer science, and how can we ease the coming shortage of computer science teachers? Worcester Polytechnic Institute will partner with Brown University and Bootstrap to examine those questions. A team of computing education experts will study how students—and teachers—learn mathematics and computer science, and how those ways of learning can influence each other.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/teach-computer-science-742/

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Shmoop Debuts Dozens of Online Courses

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

By Joshua Bolkan, THE Journal

Shmoop, a digital publisher of online courses and test prep resources, has launched dozens of new courses, including a year-long program on modern world history and a new math course. “Starting with the rise of democracy and ending with…today,” according to a news release, the new history course features “intros, readings and a wide array of projects, quizzes and activities” so that “students will be able to identify major turning points in history, analyze the impact of modern wars and sniff out the roots of current world issues.” The new math course, Mathematics I, is the company’s first in a trilogy of integrated math courses, with Mathematics II and Mathematics III scheduled for later release.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2015/10/15/shmoop-debuts-dozens-of-online-courses.aspx

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October 23, 2015

Tanque Verde district finds online grade discrepancies

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

By Yoohyun Jung, Tucson.com

Tanque Verde schools officials have found discrepancies in the grades of some high school students enrolled in the district’s digital learning program. Seventy-nine Tanque Verde High School students’ final course grades did not match the grades and supporting documents of the online course provider, said Claire Place, the district’s spokeswoman. Those students were enrolled in online courses between summer 2013 and spring 2015 and are currently enrolled at the school. The district is not reviewing the records of students who have graduated or are not enrolled in the district. “They have their diplomas,” she said. “We don’t feel that it would be of benefit to them to go back.” A teacher associated with the discrepancies has been identified, she said. The teacher resigned at the beginning of the school year, and a report was filed last week with the state Board of Education.

http://tucson.com/news/local/education/tanque-verde-district-finds-grade-discrepancies-for-online-classes/article_3b2506fc-8663-5b10-9550-2654a17eccfc.html

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U Texas System debuts free online classes, plans more to come

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

by Dylan Baddour, Houston Chronicle

The University of Texas system became the largest public university system to offer free college-quality courses for open enrollment online, designed for high school students to get a head start on college. In October, UT wrapped up five massive open online courses (MOOCs), collectively with nearly 100,000 enrollees, which system officials said they hope will help buck the trend of soaring tuition and ballooning student debt that’s moved a university education out of reach of many Americans in recent decades. The average price for a degree in Texas has more than doubled since 2003, when state lawmakers voted to deregulate tuition, mirroring a national trend. During that time, real wages have dropped in the U.S. when adjusted for inflation.

http://www.chron.com/news/education/article/UT-System-debuts-free-online-classes-plans-more-6572184.php

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Virtual courses are the future of education in Dothan City Schools

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

By Jessalyn Adams, Donthan First

“Education, as we knew it, is long gone and it’s changing every minute,” says Teresa Davis with Dothan City Schools. The Alabama State Legislature recently passed a bill that will require all school systems to offer online learning. Dothan City Schools has been using virtual technology in the traditional classroom setting for years, and with this new mandate, they are looking to expand the online programs and seek out the endless opportunities. “We have to provide virtual school, virtual opportunities, virtual learning opportunities,” says Davis.

http://www.dothanfirst.com/news/virtual-courses-are-the-future-of-education-in-dothan-city-schools

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October 22, 2015

4 Reasons to Use Blended Learning In Your Leadership Development

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

by Darleen DeRosa, B2C

Employees today often have schedules that leave little time for training. Between meetings and tight deadlines, many do not have enough hours in their workday to squeeze in classroom time. Yet if they don’t devote ample time to developing their skills, they’ll never progress into the well-rounded leaders you need to support your company’s future growth. Fortunately, technology has propelled training to the next level through blended learning programs, which combine in-person courses with instructor-led online leadership training and self-paced methods such as e-learning.

http://www.business2community.com/leadership/4-reasons-to-use-blended-learning-in-your-leadership-development-01348545

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Online summer economics course sees 97% completion rate

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

by SCOTT McCAFFREY,Inside NOVA

Efforts to provide support services to high-schoolers taking a summer economics and personal-finance course online appear to have paid dividends, with the 2015 effort seeing a 97-percent completion rate among Arlington participants. Students are required to pass such a course to graduate, and for the past three summers, Arlington Public Schools has offered it online. This past summer, 149 students signed up. It is “a very rigorous course,” said School Board member Abby Raphael, who should know: One of her daughters took the online summer course two years ago.

http://www.insidenova.com/news/arlington/online-summer-economics-course-sees-completion-rate/article_d19f51ce-727e-11e5-88fd-537bdf9afca9.html

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Schools debate about whether devices improve exam scores, learning

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

by Abby Armbruster, Daily Journal

Within the past two years, four school districts in Johnson County have invested millions of dollars in laptops or iPads for their students. The goal: Options. School administrators said having the Internet at their students’ fingertips provides them with the tools they need to succeed in the future, either through learning how to create an application from scratch, figuring out how to repair parts of a computer or allowing them to take classes that were never offered in the past. Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson, Edinburgh, Center Grove and Franklin schools all supply electronic devices to at least some of their students. Greenwood and Clark-Pleasant schools have not decided to go all-in on providing each high school student with their own device, but continue to consider the idea.

http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/local_story/Schools-debate-about-whether-d_1445046063

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October 21, 2015

Stanford invites faculty to customize new course evaluations

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

by Kathleen J. Sullivan, Stanford

The university has created a new course evaluation form that faculty members can customize by identifying the learning goals of the course and adding questions of their own. The deadline for faculty to customize course evaluations for autumn quarter is Nov. 13. The new course evaluations represent a significant change for Stanford because the questions – both standard and customized – are designed to elicit responses about the success of the course in promoting student learning. Previous course evaluation forms focused almost exclusively on the performance of the instructor.

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/october/new-course-evaluations-101615.html

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3 Academic Advantages of Online Programs

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:34 am

By Lila Romero, US News

Online students can enjoy enhanced classroom discussions and acquire digital communication skills. Some people believe that online education provides a sub-par learning experience. But I think that’s hardly the case. As an online student earning a master’s degree in communication from Purdue University, I have come to know that some of my most memorable and enriching learning experiences happen within the virtual classroom. In my mind, there are three unique academic advantages of an online program.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/2015/10/16/3-academic-advantages-of-online-programs

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Microsoft offers online course: Learn C# programming

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

by India Today

Microsoft has come up with a new course that allows candidates to enroll themselves for an online course on “Programming with C#”. This course is not for beginners or those new to programming. The candidates must have prior programming experience in an object-oriented programming language as there are concepts that are mentioned in the course that are assumed to be prior knowledge and are not explained in detail. Learning C# provides a solid foundation in object-oriented programming knowledge, paves the way for learning other programming languages, and positions those who complete this course for a wide variety of in-demand computer programming jobs.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/microsoft/1/500987.html

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October 20, 2015

A new bill could make college textbooks more affordable

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

By Allison Pohle, Boston.com

Getting college students to do their readings isn’t only a struggle because of the subject matter — some students don’t do the readings because they can’t afford their textbooks. About 65 percent of college students skipped buying a textbook because it was too expensive, according to a 2014 survey from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. It’s no wonder why. The average college student spends about $1,200 on textbooks each year, but a new bill, titled the Affordable College Textbook Act, might change that. Introduced last week in the U.S. Senate, the bill would establish a grant program for universities to create textbooks that anyone could access online for free. The legislation “will help pressure the traditional college textbook market to come up with cheaper alternatives and innovations,” Dick Durbin, a U.S. senator from Illinois who is sponsoring the bill, said in a statement.

http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/new-bill-could-make-college-textbooks-more-affordable

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District adding online classes

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

By Abby Armbruster, Daily Journal:

Another local school plans to offer online courses, so students can take classes that aren’t typically offered or they don’t have room for in their schedule.But Indian Creek High School’s program will differ from others because local teachers will build the curriculum for the courses, such as finite mathematics and marine biology. Online classes are becoming the norm for local school districts, including Franklin’s GrizLab credit recovery program, Center Grove’s Global Campus and Greenwood’s Indiana Online Academy program. Now, six Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson teachers are taking a year to put together their own online program by creating the curriculum from scratch.

http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/local_story/District-adding-online-classes_1444780612

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An online education provides many benefits, but it’s not for everyone

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

By: Argonaut (U Idaho) Editorial Board

Technology is a defining characteristic of the 21st century. It is now so intertwined with every day life, it’s no surprise that educational institutions are trying to integrate increasing amounts technology into education. The University of Idaho has stressed the importance of this combination by working on a distance education plan in hopes of being able to provide more students, both undergraduate and graduate, with the opportunity to receive online degrees. It’s an opportunity for expansion that the UI simply can’t miss. This could be a tremendous opportunity for individuals who are interested in earning a degree but are unable to relocate to a university campus. The university offers more than 20 online degree options for graduate students, but undergraduates are currently unable to acquire a degree online. Expanding the university’s online degree program would not only help students who are unable to get to campus, but also increase UI’s educational outreach and influence.

http://www.uiargonaut.com/2015/10/12/accessing-online-education/

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October 19, 2015

Tech Trends: Rise of the Robots

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

By Joshua Bolkan, Campus Technology

Gartner has released its top 10 strategic predictions for 2016 through the end of the decade. This year’s list highlights “smart” technologies, such as artificial intelligence, and the relationships of humans to machines. “The ‘robo’ trend, the emerging practicality of artificial intelligence, and the fact that enterprises and consumers are now embracing the advancement of these technologies is driving change,” said Daryl Plummer, vice president, distinguished analyst and Gartner fellow, in a prepared statement. “Gartner’s Top Predictions begin to separate us from the mere notion of technology adoption and to draw us more deeply into issues surrounding what it means to be human in a digital world.”

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/10/07/tech-trends-the-robots-are-coming.aspx

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U Michigan Library Adds Video Streaming Service

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:34 am

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

The University of Michigan is one of the newest institutions to adopt a service that delivers streaming video to colleges and universities. Kanopy said it has added 377 new higher ed customers for the 2015-2016 academic year. Other new customers include the University of California, San Diego; Howard University; and Dartmouth College. U Michigan’s library introduced Kanopy to its community in August. Although the service boasts 26,000 documentaries, training films and theatrical releases in its collection, U Michigan focused its announcement on 600 videos in the area of the arts. Users are able to browse videos by subject or title. They can also create playlists and video clips. Streaming can be done on a PC with Flash, a Mac, iPads, iPhones and other mobile devices. The movies can be projected in classrooms, embedded into authenticated Web pages, including learning management system courses, and watched by any number of simultaneous viewers.

https://campustechnology.com/Articles/2015/09/14/U-Michigan-Library-Adds-Video-Streaming-Service.aspx

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Virtual Reality Space Lets Students Experience Big Data

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:29 am

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

A new facility at Virginia Tech uses large-scale visuals and sound to immerse users in vast amounts of data. Imagine walking through a black room four stories high, 50 feet wide and 40 feet deep, populated with speakers. As you move through the space wearing a head-mounted display (no mouse, keyboard or joystick needed), you’re immersed in vast amounts of data — both visually and aurally — collected from an actual storm that took place a little more than two years ago. As the recorded data shows the formation of some kind of supercell, your ears detect something distinct from every other sound that permeates the space — akin to hearing your name being spoken across the room during a lively cocktail party. You turn and move toward the sound to explore it further. Before your eyes a gigantic tornado forms. Your experience — and the exploration sparked by it — could result in a better understanding of how to interpret the data generated by tornados such as the one that hit Moore, OK, in May 2013, killing two dozen people and injuring hundreds.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/10/07/virtual-reality-space-lets-students-experience-big-data.aspx

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October 18, 2015

Utah tries offering preschool online

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

By Emma Brown, The Washington Post

Can 4-year-olds learn what they need to know for kindergarten by sitting in front of a computer for 15 minutes a day? Utah is betting they can. This year, more than 6,600 children across the state are learning by logging onto laptops at home in a taxpayer-funded online preschool program that’s unlike any other. This is preschool without circle time on the carpet, free play with friends and real, live teachers. In online preschool, children navigate through a series of lessons, games and songs with the help of a computer mouse and two animated raccoons named Rusty and Rosy. The Obama administration last year awarded an $11.5 million grant to expand the online program into rural communities to study how well it prepares children for kindergarten. Schools in South Carolina are testing it out, and Idaho lawmakers are considering a pilot program. It’s a sign of the growing interest among educators in using technology to customize learning, even for the youngest children.

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/education/utah-tries-offering-preschool-online/article_63cdb669-4d80-59b1-bd34-091997be008b.html

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More Indiana school districts joining online learning trend

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

by the Associated Press

A growing number of Indiana schools are introducing their students to online learning technologies intended to keep youngsters engaged even if inclement winter weather maroons them at home. Tipton Community School Corp. is the latest school district to ensure students don’t miss crucial instructional time ahead of next spring’s ISTEP standardized exam testing period. The district that’s about 40 miles north of Indianapolis has been holding “eLearning” days this fall to familiarize students and staff with the technology-dependent learning format before winter arrives. The last two Indiana winters have been harsh, and many districts extended their school years to make up for days lost to ice, snow or frigid temperatures.

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2015/10/11/indiana-school-districts-joining-online-learning-trend/73797974/

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Can Campus Networks Ever Be Secure?

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:29 am

by JOSEPHINE WOLFF, the Atlantic

Universities are struggling to find balance between academic openness and the need for computer security across their networks. The Internet was built on university campuses. It was built by academics for academics, and without any notion of the new kinds of commerce, crime, and espionage it would enable. As the Internet spread beyond purely academic circles and became a valuable tool for corporations and governments, as well as a target for criminals and terrorists, a vast—and growing—security industry sprang up to develop new controls and defenses that would protect us against threats. But the academic world, from which the Internet originally came, has not wholeheartedly embraced this growing market of new security tools and tactics.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/10/can-campus-networks-ever-be-secure/409813/

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