Educational Technology

By Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

Understanding the goal of how to best help students is one of several points to consider in developing an institutional mobile app. Researching best practices among peer institutions, gathering intel on price point and maintenance, and testing strategies are vital considerations before selecting a developer for an app creation and launch. Branding the app presents an ideal opportunity to dive into institutional photo repositories and to engage students in creating and designing the function and appeal of the app.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/considering-a-mobile-app-for-your-institution-keep-these-5-things-in-mind/422932/

by Microsoft

Small steps to big impact: Teaching in the 21st century classroom. As the world changes and is moving more rapidly, it can feel overwhelming to know what and how to incorporate new technology into your classroom. Hack the Classroom is an exciting online live event designed to inspire and enable you to incorporate new ideas and tools into your classroom so your students can achieve more. The key is to start with just a few small steps. By attending Hack the Classroom online event, you will:

Hear from inspiring speakers and thought leading educators

Learn from teachers by taking a glimpse into their classrooms to see how small changes, result in huge student impact

Engage, interact, and pose questions with speakers and other educators

Gain access to professional development resources and tools to get started

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/events/hack-the-classroom/default.aspx

by Skaitook Journal

In an effort to connect library customers with more digital options for education and entertainment, Tulsa City-County Library is unveiling three new services that are free to use with a library card. Beginning today, eBook readers, future musicians and gamers will have the opportunity to expand their use of library services with more resources for learning. Each new added service is in response to customers’ suggestions and will be of interest to all library customers.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/communities/skiatook/news/communitynews/tulsa-city-county-library-launches-three-new-services-for-expanded/article_4dce02c2-2a8c-5511-a8c3-859ae75009c8.html

by VINAY AGRAWAL, Your Story

Mobile, relevant, personalised and self-paced content coverage at point of need. These are the things learners want. Unfortunately, in traditional classroom courses, learning is often very different and tend to disappoint. The boom in digital revolution and mobile-phone sales has triggered dramatic changes in how we come across, view, ideate, propagate and share content. Naturally, the shift is also seen in learning. Whilst many want to learn at point of their need, many prefer learning at convenient timings or during weekends or on their daily commute to and from work.

http://yourstory.com/2016/07/e-learning-future-landscape/

By Joe Chapman, US News

Games can make online education more fun and allow students to apply what they learn to real-life situations. One of the primary benefits of game-based learning is that it offers custom learning experiences for students, which is important as every student learns differently. Throughout games, students can make mistakes, course correct and revisit concepts, allowing them to better understand course material and specific concepts they may struggle with. Another important benefit is that game-based learning is fun, and students enjoy learning.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/articles/2016-07-15/why-to-consider-game-based-online-learning

By KIRSTEN JOHNSON Hawaii Tribune-Herald

The Volcano School of Arts &Sciences, a kindergarten to eighth-grade state public charter school, is adding a “blended learning” pilot program next year. The term “blended learning” traditionally entails a mix of face-to-face instruction with online learning. Students enrolled in Volcano’s Kula ‘Amakihi Community-Based Education Program will receive a blend of home-based, experiential and online learning, coupled with weekly face-to-face time with a licensed teacher, school Education Director Kalima Cayir said. Volcano will cap the program at 30 students the first year, in grades one to eight. The school’s also hiring a teacher to oversee the program. Kula ‘Amakihi is open to any student currently enrolled at Volcano or not. But school officials hope it particularly appeals to nearby students who are currently homeschooled.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/noodleeducation/2015/05/28/more-than-half-of-college-faculty-are-adjuncts-should-you-care/#74faa6fe1d9b

By Sri Ravipati, THE Journal

In an effort to increase the number of women and other underrepresented groups in the computer science field, Facebook is pledging $15 million over the next five years to Code.org to enable the nonprofit to train teachers to teach computer science in urban public school districts and to expand learning opportunities for students. Facebook released a report on the diversity of its own employees earlier today, admitting the company has a long way to go before it has a diverse employee base, particularly for its technical departments and senior leadership. Only 17 percent of technical workers are women, while 3 percent are Hispanic and 1 percent is African American. For senior leadership, 27 percent are women, 3 percent are African American and 3 percent are Hispanic.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/07/14/facebook-commits-$15-million-to-code.org-to-diversify-coding-education.aspx

By Richard Chang, THE Journal

A girl who knows how to code can change the world. At least, that’s what Markie Wagner of Whittier, CA, thinks. She’s a soon-to-be senior at La Serna High School in Whittier, and she believes all girls should try their hand at computer science. Her efforts and enthusiasm have inspired her school to launch two new STEM classes in the fall — Intro to Engineering and Advanced Placement Computer Science. “That was very exciting to hear,” said Wagner, who recently finished a computer coding immersion program at UCLA. Last summer, she participated in an eight-week program offered by Girls Who Code, a nationally respected nonprofit organization that aims to close the gender gap in technology education and the industry.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/07/14/la-serna-high-student-inspires-launch-of-stem-classes.aspx

By Leila Meyer, Campus Technology

Michigan’s Oakland University is in the throes of its third major wireless network rollout in 10 years. Here’s how the institution is tackling user demand, the Internet of Things, signal management and more. For its third-generation network, the university wanted to provide pervasive high-density service, such as at a hotel conference center or football stadium, but throughout the entire campus. The IT team sent out a request for information (RFI), considered several vendors, conducted some prototypes and then settled on Aruba.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/07/14/getting-through-a-wireless-overhaul.aspx

By David Gewirtz, ZDNet Government

If you haven’t already been attacked, you will be. You will be a purposely-selected target of enemy attackers. Welcome to the 21st century. You are the battlespace. Back in World War II, Allied bombers flew mission after mission to destroy the Nazi ability to make war. The bombers attacked munitions factories, aircraft factories, communications junctions, fuel supplies — just about anything that could provide infrastructure and war materiel. The Allies also bombed bridges, including civilian ones, in order to hobble the enemy’s ability to move resources and weaponry. In other words, enterprises in Nazi Germany were just as much fair game as military bases. In cyberwar, everyone is fair game. Let’s take a quick moment to answer Steve’s question about whether cyberwar is too narrow a topic when the sphere of battle now encompasses multiple battlegrounds.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/welcome-to-the-harsh-new-it-reality-you-are-the-battlespace/

By Mary Jo Foley, ZDNet

Microsoft is launching the pilot of an online certification program, called the “Microsoft Professional Degree”, with a data-science-focused competency. The new degree program is in beta/pilot at this point, said officials on July 13. The first certifications, which Microsoft will award this September, will be in the data science area. According to a website for the program, Microsoft consulted data scientists and companies employing them to figure out what the core skills required are in that field. Microsoft then developed a curriculum to teach the skills via online courses and hands-on labs. Graduates will receive a Microsoft Professional Degree in data science.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsofts-new-online-certification-program-kicks-off-with-data-science-specialization/

by Kelly Sheridan, IT Life

A growing number of online learning platforms have begun to offer free courses in tech topics like programming, web development, enterprise security, data analysis, and machine learning. IT pros can use these resources to build on their current skills or develop new ones. Here, we spotlight eight platforms where you can find free online tech classes and suggest some courses in each site. Have you used any of these platforms? Would you consider it? Feel free to add your thoughts and suggestions in the comments.

http://www.informationweek.com/it-life/big-data-coding-security-8-sites-that-offer-free-online-courses/d/d-id/1326254

by Sue Gee, I Programmer

Many of the Computer Science courses that we feared had been assigned to the scrapheap have reappeared in Coursera’s catalog. This has been done unobtrusively and without any announcement and so might miss the attention it deserves. Based on information received by several course providers, many believed that in the move from the original to the new Coursera platform a large number of courses were likely to be lost. On request Coursera provided a list of 90 courses that have transitioned to the new platform since the old one shut on June 30th and it includes the following 25 Computer Science ones; they are listed at the link below.

http://www.i-programmer.info/news/150-training-a-education/9910-coursera-relaunches-classic-computer-science-courses.html

By Christopher Watkins, Udacity Blog

Today, Virtual Reality still offers opportunities to get in on the ground floor. The field is set to grow exponentially in the next few years, and if you join late, opportunities will be fewer, competition will be stiffer, and established experts will be tenacious about maintaining their positions. Betting on VR now by jumping in while it’s still comparatively early days is arguably a risk, but it’s only a bad bet if the field goes belly up, and no one believes that’s going to happen.

http://blog.udacity.com/2016/07/6-reasons-start-thinking-virtual-reality-career-now.html

by BocaNewsNow

We don’t mean to be mean, but Palm Beach County School District’s latest foray into online learning may need quick rebranding. “I-Ready” sounds like something spoken by kids in need of grammatical help. “Are you ready for lunch? I ready!” “Are you ready for a great day at school?” “Yes, I ready!” “Hey Cookie Monster, are you ready for a cookie snack?” “YES! I ready!” Superintendent Dr. Robert Avossa — who BocaNewsNow.com is a fan of — is announcing the new online math system early next week at Omni Middle School. To be clear: Dr. Avossa didn’t name the system, just approved, with the School Board, the $5.6 Million cost.

http://bocanewsnow.com/2016/07/15/palm-beach-schools-to-unveil-online-learning-with-unfortunate-name/

By: Amy Hankins, Faculty Focus

More and more students are flocking to the online classroom for the convenience of earning college credits from the comfort of their home. However, many of these students are ill-prepared for the dedication and discipline needed to be successful in the online environment. Oftentimes students have misconceptions concerning the rigor of online courses, and they often underestimate the amount of time and discipline necessary to complete assignments, discussions, quizzes, and projects. Therefore, it is important for the instructor to set the tone of the course to help students succeed. So how do you help your students succeed in the online classroom?

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/five-ways-help-students-succeed-online-classroom/

By Trevor Durham, ULoop

Hassan Shibly, chief executive director of Florida’s branch of CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), has begun his series of weekly courses on the life of the prophet Muhammad. Offered freely on Facebook, he hopes his series will inform people of Islam’s history- “what Islam is about, as opposed to what is not.” Shibly has been across the news lately, helping to mourn after the Orlando massacre, and to provide support to various Muslims in Florida, and nationally, who have been targeted in hate attacks. Just this week, Shibly and CAIR have been working with the Boca Raton mosque removed as a voting location. A licensed lawyer, Shibly spends a majority of his time giving lecture series on issues relating to Islam,

http://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/207499/Hassan-Shiblys-Free-Online-Course-on-Islam

By Christian de Looper, Digital Trends

Some say coding is the new literacy, which makes it pretty important for kids to start learning young — and for adults to learn the basics of coding if they want to be a part of our increasingly digital world. Luckily, there are plenty of great apps out there to help you and your kids learn how to code, whether it be to build an app or to learn how to command a robot. These apps are designed to make the task of learning to code easier, and there’s something out there for students of all ages and skill levels. Here are some of the best learn-to-code apps around.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/the-best-learn-to-code-apps/

by Edward F Beason and Laura Horton, EDUCAUSE Review

With the objective of improving both accessibility and student retention, the Office of Disability Services at Tennessee Tech developed a plan to improve both the undergraduate experience and retention rates. Students appreciate the one-on-one academic coaching, which provided academic and sometimes social coaching depending on the needs of each student. Appropriate technology aids completed the academic support program by giving students tools they can use to achieve academic success. For students with disabilities, technological resources can play a crucial role in whether basic information presented in a classroom or lab setting is accessible or usable.

http://er.educause.edu/articles/2016/7/improving-student-grades-using-dedicated-support

By Cynthia Williford, Opelika-Auburn Now

Students at Auburn City Schools will have increased access to online courses, following action by the Auburn City Schools Board of Education Tuesday evening. The board unanimously approved the addition of a Virtual Education Option Policy to the Auburn City Schools Policy Manual at their regular meeting. Cristen Herring, assistant superintendent of curriculum, said the policy ensures students have the opportunity to acquire all credits needed for graduation through online courses. The policy was formed after the Alabama Legislature passed a bill in 2015 requiring schools to develop a virtual school plan by the 2016-2017 school year. While Auburn City Schools has offered online courses in the past, the new policy expands the scope of classes available to students.

http://www.oanow.com/news/auburn/auburn-school-board-adds-online-learning-policy/article_32395cce-48a2-11e6-a6fa-c776eddd3e69.html

by Carlos Rivers and Judith Sebesta, EDUCAUSE Review

The competency-based program at Texas A&M University–Commerce has begun to analyze enrollment data to better understand their transfer student population and make predictions regarding future students. Transfer students entered the CBE program with an average 87 credits and graduated at rates that broke historically negative persistence patterns traditionally affecting part of the transfer student population. Adult learners outpace traditional-age students in pursuing degrees, and enrollment trends strongly suggest that post-traditional students will determine whether colleges reach enrollment targets and fulfill future workforce demands.

http://er.educause.edu/articles/2016/7/competency-based-education-and-predictive-analytics-learning-from-transfers