Educational Technology

By John K. Waters, THE Journal

More than half of all low-income families in this country are not currently connected to the Internet, according to Julián Castro, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The ConnectHome initiative is building on the existing ConnectED project to change that statistic and ensure that the Internet “follows young people home.” It is widely understood among K-12 educators and administrators that students need high-speed broadband access to the Internet, both at school and at home, to take full advantage of the online learning resources that have become a fundamental part of the 21st century classroom. But it’s also dawning on a growing number of employers that broadband access in the home might be as essential as school access to the development of a tech-savvy workforce.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/01/28/huds-julian-castro-looks-to-tech-sector-to-connect-275000-low-income-homes-to-broadband.aspx

By Shawn Annarelli, Centre Daily Times

Penn State Law is tentatively scheduled to open the Intellectual Property Clinic in the fall of 2016. Students in the clinic will work with those in the Penn State Law Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic, which launched in the fall of 2015. The clinics, according to the university, are expected to play a large role in Invent Penn State, a $30-million economic development initiative aimed at turning ideas at Penn State into business ventures. The university sees clinics like the IPC as a key component of the initiative.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/business-news/psu-intellectual-property-528/

By Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

The Campus Computing Project reveals IT priorities and trends in technology adoption, faculty buy-in, resource allocation and staffing. Incorporating digital curricular resources for instruction, becoming ADA compliant, and hiring and retaining skilled IT staff are some of the top IT priorities for this year, and next, as listed by CIOs. These are just some of the findings from the 2015 Campus Computing Survey, conducted by the Campus Computing Project (CCP)—the largest continuing study of the role of computing, e-learning and IT planning and policy in American higher education.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/campus-computing-priorities-270/

Q&A with Trent Batson, Campus Technology

ePortfolio technology has evolved over the years — or maybe it’s more accurate to say that the understanding of eportfolio and its application, or eportfolio practice, is still evolving. How will eportfolio find its place and differentiate itself among education technologies? Trent Batson, president of AAEEBL, the eportfolio field’s professional association, comments on the current understanding of “eportfolio”.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/02/16/eportfolio-as-the-student-lms.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

Almost 500 new Chromebooks have been acquired by an Ohio district specifically for use by students in grades 3-5. The purchase by the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District aligns with a goal in the school system’s strategic plan to “enhance current educational practices” by supporting “teachers and staff in acquiring additional resources for their classrooms.” This isn’t the first round of Chromebook purchases. The district originally deployed several carts of Dell and Acer Chromebooks in its high school for evaluation. According to local media coverage, those devices have been passed “down” to elementary school students; the high schoolers and middle school students are now using Apple iPads and MacBooks.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/02/15/ohio-schools-increase-chromebook-count.aspx

By Leila Meyer, THE Journal

Two small Illinois school districts have joined a distance education consortium for dual credit college-level courses, bringing the total number of member districts to four, and a fifth district may soon join them. Wethersfield and Galva school districts started the distance learning lab three years ago in collaboration with Black Hawk College to expand the number of dual credit courses available to their students. Dual credit courses are college-level courses open to high school students, allowing those students to earn both high school credit and college credit for completing the course. The courses may be taught by either a qualified high school teacher or college instructor at a high school or college. Annawan Unit District and AlWood Community District have now joined the consortium, according to a story in the Star Courier, and Cambridge School District may also join at a later date.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/02/15/2-more-illinois-district-join-distance-ed-consortium.aspx

By Karen Farkas, cleveland.com

Middle and high school students who want to earn college credit for free must notify their school or the Ohio Department of Education by April 1. More than 32,000 students are taking college courses in the first year of Ohio’s College Credit Plus program, which allows students in grades 7-12 to earn college and high school credits at the same time by taking college courses at no charge from community colleges or universities. College Credit Plus will include a summer term this year.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/02/free_college_classes_available_to_students_in_grades_7-12_but_they_must_notify_school_by_april_1.html

by Greg Nichols, ZDNet

Part of the fun of robotics in 2016 is that it can serve as a relatively low-cost hobby, one that tests and enhances your hardware and coding chops. That’s largely due to the Raspberry Pi and other cheap micro controllers, to hundreds of components and shields available for custom hacks, and, of course, to an open source community that supports sharing information and advice. Introducing the $200 DIY smart drone. The project comes courtesy of Victor Mayoral Vilches, a roboticist from Spain, and edited versions of his instructions are included here with permission.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-build-a-200-smart-drone-with-the-pi-zero/

by Fife Today

The launch of SafetyNet, a new online internet safety module for people working with children and young people in Fife. A new new online internet safety course has been launched for people working with children and young people in Fife. The Safety Net, an e-learning online resources module, was unveiled at St Marie’s Primary, Kirkcaldy, as part of Internet Safety Day last week. The course aims to improve basic awareness of internet safety and give staff the confidence to discuss issues with young people and families. It covers social networking, chatting/messaging, parental controls, Illegal content and downloads and gaming.

http://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/local-headlines/new-course-provides-internet-safety-net-for-staff-1-4030674

BY LAURA DEVANEY, eSchool News

Deeper learning competencies serve as “North Star” for a new vision of teaching, according to a new report. Teachers must exchange their traditional instructor role for that of a “learning strategist” in order to achieve deeper learning outcomes, according to a new white paper from the nonprofit National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) and ConsultEd Strategists. The report’s authors also found that teachers who do achieve deeper learning with their students personalize learning experiences, apply real-world knowledge to learning, and use technology in a way that enhances and empowers student learning. Deeper learning refers to the competencies, knowledge, and skills that students must develop to be successful post-K-12. There are more than 500 schools across the country that incorporate various types of deeper learning methods.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2016/02/12/4-conditions-that-support-deeper-learning/

by eCampus News

Students can create a business model, infographic, Android app, or comic book in applied project-based courses.  In a Feb. 11 blog post, Coursera announced it is offering 12 new project-based courses in topics from persuasive writing to computer construction. The blog post references research showing that tackling real-life challenges is a powerful way to master new content, improve general problem-solving abilities, and prepare for increasingly difficult tasks. In a project-based course, students can master content efficiently by applying new concepts to a real-world project as they learn, the blog post explains. Students will receive guidance and suggestions from an instructor and a community of learners with similar goals, and when they complete the course, they’ll have a finished project to use and share.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/project-based-courses-476/

by Hometown Life

The Plymouth District Library joined thousands of educators, librarians and digital learning advocates around the country on Digital Learning Day, Feb. 17. From a grassroots effort in 2012, this day was designed to highlight the use and availability of electronic tools to enhance the public school learning experience in grades k-12. Since then it has grown to a great nationwide salute to the process of digital learning.

http://www.hometownlife.com/story/news/local/plymouth/2016/02/14/plymouth-library-celebrate-digital-day/80283082/

By OSWEGO LEDGER

Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) voted unanimously, 7-0 Feb. 10 to recommend the General Assembly approve School District 308’s waiver request to provide high school students in 11th and 12th grades with the opportunity to receive physical education through a blended online curriculum.

http://www.kendallcountynow.com/2016/02/12/state-board-backs-district-308-request-for-online-physical-ed-courses/asrc7rf/

By Donna Rovins, Times-Herald

Jobs in manufacturing are becoming more technology based — requiring more advanced skills for employees as well as an understanding of manufacturing processes. To help people who may be seeking first-time employment in manufacturing or who recently entered the industry, Montgomery County Community College’s Center for Workforce Development is offering scholarships for an online, non-credit Manufacturing Fundamentals course to help them gain a basic understanding of today’s manufacturing environment. The $100 scholarships, which are being provided through a gift from the Montgomery County Economic Development Corp., will cover the fee for the first 100 participants that register for the course.

http://www.timesherald.com/article/JR/20160212/BUSINESS/160219939

by Michael Zhang, Peta Pixel

The Museum of Modern Art in New York just launched its first free and massive online course for the general public. Titled “Seeing Through Photographs,” it’s a 6-session class on Coursera that’s designed to help you go beyond simply seeing photos and advance to truly understanding them. “Although taking, sharing, and viewing photographs has become second nature for many of us, our regular engagement with images does not necessarily make us visually literate,” the class description says. “This course aims to address the gap between seeing and truly understanding photographs by introducing a diversity of ideas, approaches, and technologies that inform their making.”

http://petapixel.com/2016/02/12/moma-launches-a-free-online-class-on-opening-your-eyes-to-photos/

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

A new Textbook Liberation Fund offers grants for “faculty members or departments who want to transition their courses away from high-priced textbooks.” The $500,000 fund was launched today by Skyepack, the digital publishing platform for open educational resources (OER), with the goal of saving college students $1 billion. “We believe students deserve cost-effective and simple alternatives to the textbook ecosystem most of us are familiar with,” said Skyepack Chief Executive Officer Brady Kalb in a press release. “Getting your books or course required reading shouldn’t necessitate a student loan.”

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/02/10/new-textbook-liberation-fund-will-help-faculty-ditch-high-priced-textbooks.aspx

By Dan Gordon, THE Journal

We’ve had technology for a while now — we’ve been 1-to-1 for a few years — and we’ve been trying to raise the bar, or we call it level-up, and to get the teachers to share with one another and collaborate more. That’s started to happen, and it’s become contagious. We’ve had teacher-led professional development where you have an open mic, they get up and give a little elevator pitch about something they’re doing, and then afterwards people can choose to approach them for more details. We also did something like “speed dating” where we played music, everyone rotated and talked to a teacher for four minutes and then rotated again, so that they all got to see what other classes were doing, and it was less intimidating talking to a smaller group for a short time. We have an Innovation Incubator, where it’s like the Shark Tank television show — you go before people with a pitch, and they choose to buy in or reject your proposal.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/02/11/leveling-up-technology-for-teaching.aspx

By Noah DMello, CIO India

Technology has disrupted almost all sectors, but it has stayed away from education, said Anant Agarwal, CEO, edX on the third day of NASSCOM 2016. “Education has remained in our classrooms and it hasn’t evolved from there. Technology has not touched this space,” he said. edX, which is a not-for-profit massive open online course (MOOC) provider and runs on open source software, is one of the few companies that has disrupted the way education is being dealt with, he said. He also said that futuristic technologies such as artificial intelligence are bringing disruption to education. “From customizing courses for students to grading essays, technology is redefining education,” he said.

http://www.cio.in/news/youngsters-have-changed-education-system-has-not-anant-agarwal-edx-ceo

By Eric Schulzke, Deseret News

Two new experiments seem to show that both college students and instructors carry biases when one rates the other. One study shows that better-looking female students have an advantage in the classroom, while another shows that male professors get better teaching evaluations than their female peers. In a large study at Metropolitan State University of Denver released in January, researchers found that attractive female students received measurably better grades than their less attractive peers — but only in traditional classrooms. That apppearance boost disappeared in online courses. The second study found that female instructors were consistently rated lower than male instructors.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865647235/Do-appearance-and-gender-really-matter-in-the-classroom.html

by Matt Durr, MLive

“A lot of times when you have emerging sectors, you have people in the field who have a degree, but they need training,” said Dr. Michelle Mueller, vice president of economic, community & college development. The idea for the program started when the U.S. Department of Transportation gave WCC a $10,000 grant to produce a prototype of what an online course could look like to train workers in the field. “They were looking for somebody to put a mini module together that had experience or access to resources that were from experts in connected vehicle technology,” Mueller said. Because of the college’s proximity to the University of Michigan, WCC tapped into the experience in the region that’s come from MCity and other autonomous vehicle projects in Southeast Michigan.

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2016/02/washtenaw_community_college_cr.html

by Forrest Sellers, Cincinnati.com

Students to offer feedback on Harvard-level online computer science course integrated into their classroom study. Cincinnati Country Day School students may have an impact on a new online computer course. Cincinnati Country Day is among more than 40 schools that will provide feedback on an online computer science course being developed by Harvard University. Cincinnati Country Day computer science and engineering teacher Marcus Twyford has integrated the online course with his traditional curriculum to create a new type of learning experience.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/indian-hill/2016/02/09/country-day-students-part-pilot-study/80061258/