Educational Technology

by Marwa Eltagouri, Chicago Tribune

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announces an initiative April 16, 2016, aimed at raising $10 million over the next three years to improve opportunities for Chicagoans to receive digital and computer training. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and city officials Saturday unveiled Connect Chicago, an initiative aimed at raising $10 million over the next three years to create more opportunities for Chicagoans to receive digital and computer training. “If you are technically capable, the doors of tomorrow are open to you. If you are not, those doors are shut,” Emanuel said. “Now the question is, ‘Are we going to make sure every child and every family is conversant?'” Among Connect Chicago’s first efforts to bridge the digital divide is the expansion of the Chicago Public Library’s Cyber Navigator Program to 78 libraries from 49, and expanding the program to 11 community development centers.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-emanuel-touts-plan-to-expand-cyber-use-in-city-20160416-story.html

by the Abilene Reporter-News

The Cisco Independent School District will receive up to $500,000 in grant funding and support over three years to help implement its blended learning initiatives, the district said Wednesday. Cisco ISD is part of a group including four Texas school districts and one public charter school to receive a grant totaling about $3 million sponsored by Raise Your Hand Texas, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that seeks to inspire innovative leadership and advocacy for public education, according to the nonprofit’s website.

http://www.reporternews.com/news/education/grant-will-help-cisco-isd-offer-more-blended-learning-opportunities-306398fe-6ab1-3a43-e053-0100007f-375625781.html

by JENN SAVEDGE, Mother Nature Netork

The digital age is making them more important than ever. Libraries have much more to offer than simply books on a shelf — although this, in and of itself, is still powerful. But as the Pew survey also found, most Americans have no idea of the myriad educational and community-related services that the local library has to offer.

http://www.mnn.com/family/family-activities/blogs/are-libraries-still-relevant-yes-yes-they-are

BY LAURA DEVANEY, eSchool News

New teachers need support, research indicates, and these free online resources can help. It’s no secret that new teachers sometimes struggle to feel empowered in their positions as educators. In fact, a lack of support, experienced teacher mentors, and resources lead many new teachers to leave their profession within the first three years. While technology can be a great tool, finding the right technology or tool often proves challenging and time-consuming. During an edWeb webinar, Shannon Holden, assistant principal at Republic Middle School in Missouri and a longtime educator, offered a list of websites to help new teachers find online resources quickly and easily.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2016/04/14/20-educational-resources-for-new-teachers/

By Richard Chang, THE Journal

Education technology hardware spending increased worldwide by 7 percent in 2015, according to a new report issued by Futuresource Consulting. Spending on educational hardware, such as Chromebooks, classroom displays and mobile PCs, rose to $15 billion globally last year, said Colin Messenger, senior analyst at Futuresource Consulting, a U.K.-based ed tech research firm. Growth has been strong over the past several years, rising $4.5 billion since 2012, Messenger said in a statement released Thursday. The increase in spending has been primarily driven by the surge in the mobile PC market, which at $10.1 billion currently represents 67 percent of the total expenditures, compared to 63 percent last year.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/04/14/ed-tech-spending-on-the-rise.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

Microsoft is on track to deliver its Minecraft: Education Edition this summer with an “early access” program that will let any teacher download the open world game. However, those teachers will need to be running either Windows 10 or OS X El Capitan (at least in early days) and have an Office 365 Education account. The company acquired this education-specific version of the game earlier this year from TeacherGaming. The education edition, which will be available at this site, will include lesson plans and a Minecraft mentoring program to match up teachers new to the game with those who have experience in using it in a classroom setting

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/04/15/education-edition-of-minecraft-on-track-for-summer-release.aspx

by Leila Meyer, Campus Technology

After 20 years as a chief information officer (CIO), eight of those at Columbia College in Missouri, Kevin Palmer changed jobs to become the vice president of the enrollment and marketing division of the college in August 2014. For somebody who previously thought being a CIO was the greatest job he had ever had, Palmer has discovered that there is a life after being a C-level executive. Campus Technology asked Palmer how he was able to apply his technology skills and knowledge to an operational area, improving the business processes and potentially increasing the college’s enrollment numbers as a result.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/04/14/is-there-life-after-being-a-cio.aspx

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

The University of California, Irvine, was slow to upgrade its wireless availability in student housing, primarily because of budget constraints, but its recent upgrade means the school has powerful infrastructure that will remain relevant for several years. Campus Technology reports that students had started bringing their own wireless routers to their dorm rooms, but when the campus’ wireless network launched in December, 85% of residents logged in on day one and the network had no hiccups. The IT department is saving money because of the reduced tech support load and the obsolescence of prone-to-breaking wall jacks, and it planned ahead for long-term capabilities by choosing its system with the expection that students will continue bringing more Wi-Fi-enabled devices.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/uc-irvine-leaps-ahead-with-new-wi-fi-infrastructure/417361/

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

Schools with a greater reliance on adjuncts have lower graduation and retention rates. The number of part-time faculty on college campuses has increased by 70% over the last 40 years. In the same time period, the number of full-time tenured positions has dropped 26% and full-time positions on the tenure track have gone down by half, according to data from the American Association of University Professors. The composition of the faculty on college campuses in the United States has fundamentally changed, and it is affecting institutions, students, and faculty members themselves.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/tenure-is-disappearing-much-to-the-detriment-of-higher-ed/417296/

by Jordan Friedman, US News

In some programs, learners can earn several smaller credentials for an immediate career boost and build their way up to a degree. “Employers are showing trends of paying more attention to those levels of education and completion,” says Deborah Seymour, chief academic innovation officer at the American Council on Education​, an organization representing more than 1,700 college and university presidents, in reference to microcredentials. Seymour says the trend of stackable credentials is still in its early stages, especially in online education, but believes it will continue to catch on and remain an option for online learners in the future. The University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign, in collaboration with the MOOC provider Coursera, recently launched a stackable online MOOC-based Master of Computer Science in Data Science program. Students can, for instance, first earn a MOOC specialization ​certificate in data mining or cloud computing, and then choose whether to go on to finish the full master’s degree. Overall, the degree costs​ less than $20,000.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2016-04-12/stackable-credential-options-rise-in-online-education

By Jackson Richman, Red Alert Politics

Students at George Washington University filed a class action lawsuit last week over allegations of fraud involving one of its online master’s degree programs. U.S. Marshall Service consultant Brice Bradford told NBC4 that he enrolled in GW’s online masters program in “Security and Safety Leadership” because he didn’t have the time or means to take off from work and attend graduate school full time. He and other students have now accused the university of “fraudulent misrepresentation” after questioning whether or not the courses were taught by instructors. Rather than professional instruction, online courses were taught using PowerPoint slides taken from in-class courses. Suspicion among students rose after they attempted to contact professors and received no response. Bradford and other students complained and even sent a letter to the university president Steven Knapp.

http://redalertpolitics.com/2016/04/12/students-sue-gwu-fraudulent-online-masters-program/

by Olivia Vanni, BostInno

Of all the futuristic technologies being developed, advancements in the Internet of Things space might have the coolest impact on our day-to-day existences. IoT devices, like Nest and Fitbit, are automating and transforming nearly every aspect of our lives to look like something out of The Jetsons. And now, for the first time, you have the chance to learn how to get in on this technological trend from pioneering researchers in the space from MIT. MIT has added an online course on IoT called Internet of Things: Roadmap to the Connected World to its Professional Education offerings. The 6-week, $495 course will cover all of the major concepts in IoT – including Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), sensors and the cloud – and will be taught by experts in the field, ultimately letting students leave with the know-how to develop their own IoT technologies.

http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2016/04/11/iot-courses-online-mit-professional-education-program/

by Laurie Rees, Tribune Live

At North Hills High School, students are earning credits for playing video games. But first, they must create, design and program those games. It’s all part of the school’s new entertainment technology curriculum, which aims to equip students with skills and creativity for the global digital workplace. Gaming research firm Newzoo estimated that Americans spent $21.96 billion on video games in 2015. And the industry continues to surge, according to Drew Davidson, director of the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University. “The (video game) industry is spreading even more with mobile and digital distribution,” he said. “But getting into the field (of video game design) has gotten so much more competitive.”

http://triblive.com/news/neighborhoods/northhills/10250627-74/game-video-students

by Wang Fan, Ecns

China’s online education sector continues to grow rapidly. The industry recently came into the spotlight again because of a post on social media, where one teacher boasted about earning nearly 20,000 yuan per hour, to deliver a physics course online. The sky high salary shows the popularity and demand of the market. And the reaction of other users to the post also gives us an insight what society believes a teacher should earn. But what’s behind the explosion in internet tuition? And what’s the difference behind online teaching and the traditional way classroom method? A computer, a headset and a microphone is all Chen Song needs to switch his role online. When he is offline. he works as a theatre actor based in Shanghai. He performs with other great artists from different countries around the globe. This is how it feels to take part in his class.

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2016/04-11/206189.shtml

By: Inquirer Academy

It is often cited that the median age of Filipinos is 23. This means that for the foreseeable future, most of the new hires and young professionals will be in this growing age group. This fact presents new challenges and opportunities, among them ensuring the proper training and development of these so-called “millennials.” But choosing the most effective way to teach them has been more complicated than anticipated. What most educators have assumed would be the most natural fit for millennials, that is, online learning, has not always proven to be a hit with this age group. The more traditional “face to face” interaction is still popular, and even preferred. (I should also explain that this pertains only to the millennials’ preferred mode of learning; the best way to “sell” such courses is still through social media and online sites.)

http://business.inquirer.net/209383/millennials-and-learning-preferences

by Dave Frey, EdSurge

Change is imminent. How schools adapt to incoming change, however, remains to be seen. In the face of an extensive range of education-technology resources, what are the best ways to move forward? Decades-old research has pointed to the clear advantages of one-on-one learning, but only in recent years has technology become capable of providing everyone access to it. This change begs the question: Which edtech resources should educators focus on in order to produce the healthiest future of education, and where does one-on-one tutoring fit into that?

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-04-09-is-online-tutoring-the-future-of-personalized-learning

by Education Diary

Online Masters of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS), the much acclaimed online Master’s course from GeorgiaTech, has been launched in India. Dr Zvi Galil, Dean College of Computing, GeorgiaTech, on the sidelines of an event here in Delhi, said that discussions were underway for an association with Bennett University, wherein students undertaking online courses from Georgia Tech will receive on ground support from Bennett University. The Online Masters in Computer Science Program (OMS-CS) was started in the year 2013, in partnership with Udacity and AT&T. President Obama, at a recent event, held the programme as an example of the kind of innovation needed by their education system to address the rising costs of higher education.

http://indiaeducationdiary.in/Shownews.asp?newsid=38469

by Tim Dodd, Financial Review

Massive open online course provider Coursera has packaged new courses aimed at people wanting to move up in their careers. Coursera offers a group of four courses on leading people and teams from the University of Michigan. Starting on April 11, and including a capstone project, it costs $717. The four courses cover: inspiring and motivating people; managing talent; influencing people; and leading teams. It has also packaged together nine short courses, plus a capstone project, covering essential skills for the workplace. These cover project management; time management; finance; communication; business writing; negotiation; management; problem-solving and decision-making; and entrepreneurship. It costs $439 and comes from the University of California Irvine.

http://www.afr.com/technology/apps/education/new-online-courses-are-for-people-wanting-to-progress-their-careers-20160410-go2pz2

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

The University of Massachusetts’ online arm, UMassOnline, has announced a non-credit badge program in project risk management, bringing the university in line with an alternative credentialing trend sweeping the higher ed marketplace. According to eCampus News, the self-paced program is made up of three modules that teach risk management planning, risk identification, qualitative and quantitative risk analysis, risk response planning, and risk control. Students can progress as quickly as possible through the modules or take up to a year from the time of enrollment, and, once they pass the assessments, they receive a digital badge for display on resumes and social media profiles.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/umassonline-joins-the-ranks-of-alternative-credentialers/416742/

By Chandra Johnson, Deseret News

For millions of Americans with Internet access, technology has become more than a fun way to pass the time or keep in touch with friends and family; it can also open them up to a world of knowledge. But that’s only if they know how to access it. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that while most Americans (73 percent) consider themselves “lifelong learners,” few were aware of the many digital tools available to keep learning long after they finished school. Of the just over half of Americans who have a smartphone and a home broadband connection, 82 percent engaged in some “personal learning” activity in the past year, yet most Americans said they were “not too much” or “not at all” aware of how technology can help with education such as distance learning or massive open online courses from major companies and universities.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865651722/A-sampling-of-apps-websites-and-podcasts-to-satisfy-a-yearning-for-lifelong-learning.html

By Yizhu Wang, EdScoop

Blended learning experts shouldn’t be afraid to push other teachers into an online learning environment. That’s what Michele Eaton, virtual education specialist of Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township, suggested to school technology chiefs and administrators during CoSN’s annual conference in Washington, D.C. last week. Eaton helps to oversee the Achieve Virtual Education Academy at her district in Indiana. She created an online forum for teachers to share their experiences using text or video, and post questions.

http://edscoop.com/tips-for-designing-an-online-course-from-a-nextgen-leader