Educational Technology

by Associated Press

Google says over the next five years it will spend $1 billion on nonprofit organizations helping to raise education levels around the world and commit its employees to a million hours of volunteer work doing the same. CEO Sundar Pichai announced the goal Thursday morning in Pittsburgh, the city where he arrived in the U.S. from India 24 years ago. Pichai also unveiled a program called “Grow with Google” aimed at training Americans how to get jobs or grow their businesses. The program aims to outfit people with computer and entrepreneurial skills.

https://www.inc.com/associated-press/google-sundar-pichai-1-billion-nonprofit-organizations-boost-education-grow-with-google.html

by Luke Stangel, San Jose Business Journal

Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak this week launched Woz U, an online, tech-focused education program owned by a private, for-profit school based in Texas. Woz U offers just two online programs today, an 8-month computer programming track and a 6-month computer support specialist track. The school promises to eventually add programs in data science, mobile app development and cybersecurity, and add physical campuses in 30 cities. Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Woz U is “inspired by Steve Wozniak,” according to the school’s website.

https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2017/10/13/apple-steve-wozniak-launches-woz-u-tech-school.html

BY ERIN WILKEY OH, eSchool News
Join Common Sense Education for Digital Citizenship Week 2017 and help empower the next generation to make safe, smart, and ethical decisions online.  Internet safety, online communication, digital footprint, strategic searching, copyright and fair use–these days, “tech skills” encompass so much more than simply learning to type and download files. Across all content areas and grade levels, teachers are now addressing the digital citizenship skills kids need to be safe and responsible online.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/10/16/digital-citizenship-week/

By Sydney Johnson, EdSurge

There are few key differences between MIT Professional Education’s new and existing online offerings. For starters, Digital Plus will not be “open enrollment,” meaning the courses will only be available to paying companies or organizations. Piloto says that’s meant to enable each course to be capped at 50 students—a sharp scale back from the more MOOC-like courses, which can enroll as many as 1,500 students at a time. Capping each class allows Digital Plus courses to provide a tighter, more focused learning experience, Piloto says. Digital Plus courses—which are taught by MIT lecturers—will focus on project- and team-based exercises, along with a combination of videos, reading materials, and group work. Those elements of the curriculum may take place online, in-person via video, physically on the MIT campus, or at a company site.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-10-13-mit-moves-beyond-the-mooc-to-court-companies-professional-learners

By Lynn Bonner and David Raynor, News Observer

Online charter schools came to North Carolina under a cloud that still lingers two years after they began enrolling students. K12, Inc. and Connections Academy were approved in 2015 as critics of online education pounded on reports of poor student performance in other states. The Tennessee education commissioner had tried to boot K12, Inc. out of his state. In 2014, a virtual school in Pennsylvania decided not to renew its management contract with the company. In North Carolina, the State Board of Education approved the schools reluctantly, and only after the state legislature passed a law requiring the state to allow four-year pilot programs for two companies.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article178438251.html

by Sandhya Lakhanpal, eLearning Industry

The concept of graphic organizers and thinking maps is all too familiar in the field of education. From outlining an expository text to storyboarding a narrative one, concept maps or mind maps are a commonly used tool in K-12. This tool is equally beneficial in the business world, especially in the arena of Instructional Design. This article gives a glimpse of the wealth that this magnificent tool brings to the field of Instructional Design. Before we delve into the uses, let’s construct a working definition. A mind map is a graphic representation of thoughts, ideas, concepts and notes. As the old adage goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. A mind map provides a visual structure depicting the linear, or non-linear, relationships among concepts or ideas.

https://elearningindustry.com/mind-mapping-in-business-4-useful-applications

by Nicci Fagan, Campus Technology
Nicci is the director of Central and Eastern U.S. higher education sales for CDW•G.
As students, faculty and staff settle into the routines of a new semester, it’s the perfect time for a refresher on cybersecurity. Perhaps this is why October is designated National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. CIOs and CISOs have an opportunity to educate users on the basics of good cyberhygiene before they develop bad habits. The Department of Homeland Security recently released its themes for October, from basic online safety to cybersecurity careers. Each week, DHS and its partners will release resources relating to each theme that IT staff can incorporate into cybersecurity education and training.

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2017/10/best-practices-cybersecurity-are-simple-and-keep-users-mind

BY CRAIG WEISS, Craig Weiss Blog

I believe that at some point e-learning will intersect with immersive learning. By 2020. My earlier statements of 85% of training and L&D (corporate) by 2020 being e-learning with the 15% being F2F needs an update. 85% online. 10% immersive. 5% Instructor F2F. Two entities for the future of learning. One is already in play, e-Learning. The other is on its way, I-Learning (Immersive learning). But whereas content/courses are commodities today in e-learning, it can’t be when it comes to immersive learning. Third party vendors and custom course/content shops will have to see this and commit to it. Consumers (buyers) will have to ensure it.

https://elearninfo247.com/2016/12/18/immersive-learning-vr-ar-mr/

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Tech Edvocate

As parents, we all have different approaches to technology. But whatever your personal attitude may be, there’s no escaping the reality that our children are immersed digital media. As with anything else, knowledge and monitoring of our children’s use of technology are critical. So, what are the habits of tech-savvy parents? Here are a few.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/10-habits-tech-savvy-parents/

By Barnes&Noble College

In repeated surveys, today’s generation of students claim that they value the college experience, the opportunity to learn and the social interaction — but they also regard their college years as an investment. The Value of College report, conducted last year by MONEY and Barnes & Noble College, revealed that 90 percent of students considered the role of “preparing for a fulfilling career” as a valuable benefit of a college education. That gap between high expectations and the hard reality of a student unprepared for the world of work has spurred the development of both institutional programs and public policies to increase college readiness and create a more highly skilled and qualified competitive workforce.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/faced-with-skills-gap-employers-partner-with-community-colleges/506482/

by Futurism

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerburg unveiled the Oculus Go today, at the Oculus Connect 4 keynote event. This low-cost, standalone VR headset will be available early next year, potentially introducing VR to a wider market. At the Oculus Connect 4 keynote, happening now in San Jose, Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerburg just unveiled a device that could make virtual reality (VR) technologies more accessible. Introducing the Oculus Go: a standalone VR headset that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. At only $199, Zuckerberg called it “the most accessible VR headset yet.”

https://futurism.com/facebook-is-offering-an-affordable-vr-experience-with-the-oculus-go/

By Joel Hans, RT Insights
The recent Strata Data Conference offered a look at the future of AI, big data, data science, machine learning, stream processing and more. The Strata Data Conference, held at the end of last month in New York, pledged to bring together the leading minds, and most promising new ideas, in big data. Between AI, big data, data science, machine learning (ML), stream processing, and more, it was a sophisticated, productive, and ultimately fascinating look at the future of this fast-growing industry. A few ideas and innovations percolated into the conversations held during and just after the event.

https://www.rtinsights.com/6-big-data-and-ml-takeaways-from-strata-2017/

BY ANDRÉ THOMAS, eSchool News
What can gaming components of mastery, motivation and merit teach educators about successful student learning? Remember the days of Oregon Trail? How about Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? While learning games have been around for decades, technological advancements are creating an entirely more modern gaming experience—one where quality mirrors the digital literacy expectations of today’s student, one that entices the student to play and play again, and one that aligns a game’s outcomes with the goals of the course. Every game teaches the player something, from the very basics of how to play the game to achieving the game’s objectives, whether it be killing zombies or winning races. As Eli Neiburger points out in the paper “The Deeper Game of Pokémon, or, How the World’s Biggest RPG Inadvertently Teaches 21st Century Kids Everything They Need to Know,” entertainment games are proven to teach very complex skills and knowledge.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/10/09/game-based-learning-achievement/

BY MERIS STANSBURY, eSchool News

A successful school makerspace needs an enthusiastic maker community, school-wide participation, and staff support. Challenge-based learning projects in the makerspace have many benefits for students, and can engage and get them excited about new projects. In “Challenge-Based Learning in the School Library Makerspace,” Diana Rendina, media specialist and writer for Tampa Preparatory School, Tampa, FL, presented tips for design challenges and shared experiences from working in the makerspace during her time at Stewart Middle Magnet School in Tampa, FL.

5 tips for better makerspaces

By Joshua Bolkan, THE Journal

Global shipments of augmented reality and virtual reality headsets will hit 13.7 million units this year as they ride a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 56.1 percent on their way to 81.2 million shipments in 2021, according to a new forecast from International Data Corp. (IDC). VR headsets will account for 90 percent of those sales, and AR will account for the rest until 2019, with AR headsets experiencing exponential growth in the final two years of the forecast to capture a quarter of the market in 2021.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/10/02/report-vr-and-ar-headsets-to-see-50-percent-growth-every-year-through-2021.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology
Ninety-three in 100 STEM-related occupations pay wages above the national average. And programming jobs, specifically, are growing 12 percent faster than the market average and paying $20,000 more than jobs that don’t require coding skills. Well, apparently, women in substantial numbers are making that choice. Women make up only a third of the world’s STEM graduates, and they hold just under a quarter of IT jobs. Plus, the pipeline isn’t looking very promising; less than 25 percent of the students who took the advanced computer science placement exam were women. Those were some statistics shared by Karen Quintos, chief customer office for Dell, during a forum hosted by the Atlantic Monthly titled, “Cracking the Code: The Next Generation of Women in STEM.” The event drew participation from youth, academia, non-profits and the corporate sector to examine questions around what it means “to raise and become a woman in STEM.”

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/10/02/7-ways-to-get-more-girls-and-women-into-stem.aspx

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, tech Edvocate

Learning by using technology can be fun, productive, educational, and can engage all types of learners, regardless of their ages! Younger students can be motivated to learn through active games, programs, and apps. Older students can be motivated through the use of interactive projects with groups or individually, or viewing media. iPads now being provided by many public schools have a wide variety of apps for student learning that include opportunities for STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) learning. Regardless of the age of the student, technology, if used correctly, can provide students the perfect supplement to traditional style classroom learning.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/using-edtech-get-learners-motivated-active/

By KIMBERLY HEFLING, Politico

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has touted online learning as a school-choice solution for rural America, saying that virtual charter schools provide educational options that wouldn’t otherwise exist. But in Pennsylvania, an early adopter where more than 30,000 kids log into virtual charter schools from home most days, the graduation rate is a dismal 48 percent. Not one virtual charter school meets the state’s “passing” benchmark. And the founder of one of the state’s largest virtual schools pleaded guilty to a tax crime last year.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/08/education-betsy-devos-online-charter-schools-poor-results-243556

By SARAH WHITES-KODITSCHEK , Arkansas Public Media

Marcella Dalla Rosa is the director of education for the division. She says staffing teachers is complicated because there are a small number of youth at each facility around the state. At Harrisburg, there are about 20. “In the past, like the math teacher might have geometry, algebra, in the seventh grade going on at the same time. And so that’s just a real challenge to be able to teach the kids with the different subjects during your period.” Arkansas isn’t alone in struggling to provide a basic education to kids in detention. In 2015, The Council of State Governments found most incarcerated kids don’t get schooling equal to their public school peers. And those kids in detention tend to need more. About one in three need special education services. Now youth in the lockups are studying a streamlined curriculum in Virtual Arkansas, the state’s online public school. After finishing their game, they will spend much of the rest of the day in front of computer screens being taught core subjects like algebra.

http://ualrpublicradio.org/post/locked-logged-its-online-learning-arkansass-juvenile-detention-wards

by Dom Galeon and Christianna Reedy, Futurism

The singularity is that point in time when all the advances in technology, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI), will lead to machines that are smarter than human beings. Kurzweil’s timetable for the singularity is consistent with other predictions,– notably those of Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, who predicts that the dawn of super-intelligent machines will happen by 2047. But for Kurzweil, the process towards this singularity has already begun. “That leads to computers having human intelligence, our putting them inside our brains, connecting them to the cloud, expanding who we are. Today, that’s not just a future scenario,” Kurzweil said. “It’s here, in part, and it’s going to accelerate.”

https://futurism.com/kurzweil-claims-that-the-singularity-will-happen-by-2045/

by Kyree Leary, Futurism

A report suggests people only have five years before automation and AI threaten jobs and force them to learn new skills for the workforce. The firm PwC surveyed 10,000 people from around the world, revealing people are concerned about automation, but they’re also willing to learn. The report, titled Workforce of the Future, surveyed 10,000 people across China, India, Germany, the UK, and the U.S. to “better understand the future of work.” Of those, nearly 37% think artificial intelligence and robotics will put their jobs at risk; in 2014, 33% had a similar concern.  Automation is happening more slowly than expected, but it’s a clear, impending challenge that needs to be prepared for. Whether the answer is a cash payment from governments, better job training, or other solutions, a decision needs to be made before we’re scrambling for short-term solutions.

https://futurism.com/reports-ai-robots-threaten-jobs-5-years/