Educational Technology

By Betsy Corcoran, EdSurge

Sebastian Thrun: That first Stanford class was a pivotal moment. We all realized that there were great people out there, all around the world, who deserved a chance at places like Stanford. Ever since, our mission at Udacity has been to democratize education…. When we decided to partner not with a university but with a company [namely, AT&T and later others including Google] we made this clear that we were really thinking about not just getting people into college but getting them into jobs. One of the key outcomes of education is to give them leverage to find work, and to personally benefit, to earn income. College was being criticized for being really, really expensive. And then, after you paid all that money, it still took you more than a year to find a job. So we created a program that gives people back their tuition if they don’t find a job in six months. I think that’s something everyone should do.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-04-25-what-sebastian-thrun-has-learned-at-udacity

By Anita V, University Herald

With many online courses offering various subjects, a California-based student does not have to fly to London to learn arts. Online learning has become prevalent and changed the way education does its course. It may be a completely different learning compared to attending a class in a room. However, students can get the benefits of learning in an online program that would help them succeed at work.

http://www.universityherald.com/articles/29372/20160426/4-ways-online-course-teaches-you-about-being-professional.htm

By Jeff Mao, THE Journal

In November of 2014, President Obama challenged district superintendents to sign the Future Ready Pledge. By signing it, they committed to working with teachers, families and community members to transition their districts to “personalized, digital learning.” Since then, over 2,000 superintendents representing roughly three out of 10 students in America have signed. A coalition led by the Alliance for Excellent Education, the U.S. Department of Education and the LEAD Commission held 13 Future Ready regional summits across the nation to provide support for those districts and build a network of leaders. This led to the release of the newest National Education Technology Plan: Future Ready Learning: Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/04/19/future-ready.aspx

by Courtney Day, Mansfield News Journal

In a move designed to bring students enrolled in online charter schools back to Mansfield City Schools, the district is contracting with an outside company to offer online courses starting next year. The district board of education approved a contract with Online Education Ventures under which the district will pay OEV to provide curriculum, administrative and technical support as well as products and services necessary for the online program. Students in all grades living both inside and outside the district will be able enroll in one one or more OEV courses at no cost to the student.

http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/story/news/local/2016/04/19/city-schools-add-online-school-reinstate-positions/83234790/

By Jay Panandiker, the Lantern

How many people can take a calculus class? The limit does not exist. Calculus is a class that people take as a prerequisite for dozens of majors around campus and at colleges across the country. One course, titled Calculus One or Mooculus, functions as an introduction to calculus both for those who are new to the subject and those who just want to review concepts. So far, hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in the course on Coursera, an online-education website that partners with universities around the country, and more than 250,000 have participated through the OSU website, said Jim Fowler, an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics. The YouTube channel also just recently surpassed 1 million views.

http://thelantern.com/2016/04/online-calculus-class-attracts-big-numbers/

y GW Hatchet Editorial

There’s a change in tide for higher education. The way students learn isn’t always in conventional, face-to-face classrooms anymore: More students are taking classes online, especially graduate students. Online learning will probably expand more at GW in a few short years. This fall, GW will reach 99.8 percent of its enrollment capacity. Because this capacity – 16,553 full-time students on campus – was determined as a part of the University’s 20-year agreement with D.C., the school can’t just build another residence hall. To continue enrolling more students and making more money from tuition, the University will need to move more of its programs online.

http://www.gwhatchet.com/2016/04/24/staff-editorialits-time-gw-finds-its-footing-in-online-learning/

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

Researchers at Stanford are encouraging teachers to embrace more visual approaches to math, like letting students use their fingers while learning, to support greater math achievement in the long-term. According to eCampus News, new brain research finds people naturally visualize math problems when working on them, and helping students develop skills to improve that visualization can improve learning. These findings challenge modern math instruction that focuses on memorization and abstract thinking, discouraging students from using their fingers to count.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/stanford-research-backs-visual-math-lessons/417781/