Educational Technology

By Louis Piconi, EdSurge

Estimates now suggest that up to 47 percent of U.S. jobs may disappear in the coming decades due the rise of automation. But at the same time, “spillover” effects will fuel the creation of entirely new industries and job categories. These statistics reflect one of the greatest challenges—and opportunities—for teachers in our seemingly paradoxical modern economy. How can we prepare a generation of students to adapt and evolve, learn (and un-learn), in an era where technological advances are transforming the world of work, traditional educational pathways are under fire—and the half-life of skills hovers around five years?

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-12-14-when-the-robots-come-for-our-jobs-they-ll-spare-the-teachers

BY JOHN LENCKOS, eSchool News

Cyber-attacks have been making headlines after massive data breaches at Fortune 500 companies. According to a recent report by the Business Continuity Institute[1] and the British Standards Institution, nearly nine in 10 businesses worldwide are worried about the threat of cyber-attacks. Recently, the panic has spread to educational institutions. Unfortunately, schools, colleges and universities are perfect targets, often possessing out-of-date security systems and a wealth of sensitive, monetizable student data.  Experts warn these attacks are likely to increase, and educational institutions are increasingly prioritizing investment in technology and systems to prevent cybersecurity breaches.

Block and tackle: How to mitigate a cyberattack on your school

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

History tells us it takes time for an EdTech product to adapted and used in the classroom. This is because, in addition to the product itself, you must deal with school districts that require time to make financial decisions, as well as convince the buyer(s) that the product is worth the time it will take to learn and the overall cost According to Single Grain, “There’s the long sales cycle that lasts 9-18 months, which can be frustrating if your business model hinges on selling to school districts or other massive entities that take a long time to make a decision.” Therefore, those interested in the EdTech market should plan to invest a great amount of time and energy to make their product a success.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/takes-time-create-successful-edtech-product/

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

Worldwide spending on the Internet of Things (IoT) will increase 14.6 percent in 2018, reaching $772.5 billion, according to the latest report from International Data Corp. The market research company’s Worldwide Semiannual Internet of Things Spending Guide forecasts sustained growth for the category, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.4 percent all the way through 2021 — ultimately reaching $1.1 trillion. IoT hardware, such as modules, sensors, infrastructure and security, is expected to account for the largest portion of spending, hitting $239 billion in 2018. Services will come in second, followed by software and connectivity, the IDC report said. Software and services will be the fastest growing segments, at five-year CAGRs of 16.1 percent and 15.1 percent, respectively.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/12/11/idc-predicts-jump-in-internet-of-things-spending-in-2018.aspx

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

When it comes to new EdTech products, figuring out whether a product is successful or not can be difficult for schools. There are many different ways schools might measure the success of EdTech products, some more valuable than others.  Before a school even starts using an EdTech product, they should be thinking about how they can evaluate the success of that product. Administrators should develop a list of goals or targets that they hope to meet with the help of the EdTech product.  For example, imagine your school has a new EdTech product that allows students to learn and practice math. What might you want to get from this product? The answer is probably increased math test scores.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/schools-measure-success-edtech-products/

by Lucas Mearian, Computerworld

An uptick in job openings for technologists with blockchain development skills continued through the last quarter of 2017. Blockchain developers rank second among the top 20 fastest-growing job skills, and job postings for workers with those skills have more than doubled this year. Next in the list of fastest-growing job skills is another blockchain-related topic: Bitcoin cryptocurrency developers. Taking second fiddle only to robotics specialists, blockchain technologists are advertising their services for as much as $150 per hour, according to Upwork, an employment site that specializes in freelance workers.

https://www.computerworld.com/article/3235972/it-careers/blockchain-jobs-continue-to-explode-offer-salary-premiums.html

BY JOHN D. BUTLER, e-School News

In spite of these challenging demographics, the data supports a disruptive school model that is working. In its first four years of existence, VGV has posted the highest gains of any of the state’s high schools in the assessed content areas of ELA, math, and science and consistently outperformed its sending urban school districts. VGV has a 97 percent graduation rate and a 100 percent college acceptance rate to schools including: Johns Hopkins, MIT, Xavier, Spelman, Sarah Lawrence, Wheaton and Savannah College of Art and Design. VGV is the “come-to-fruition” vision of Founder and Superintendent Dr. Robert Pilkington who was asked by RIDE in 2011 to create a “brick and mortar” charter high school with a fully virtualized curriculum using Edgenuity e-courseware.

Why this school is thriving after implementing a 100% blended learning model

by  By Michael Sano, EdSurge

“There is an entire network of amazing educators and leaders willing to share their insights.” -Brad Washington, Assistant Provost for Online Programs, Notre Dame de Namur University.  Small is strong. That’s one hypothesis about why Loop works so well. We have two hyper-focused cohorts. One is specifically for instructional designers and the other is for deans, directors and provosts leading digital learning initiatives around the country. The cohort model provides an organic value to the discussions, much like seminars among graduate cohorts.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-12-15-loop-learnings-a-year-of-insights-from-digital-learning-leaders

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

As technology continues to become an essential part of education in the high school classroom, it is important for educators and parents to choose the most appropriate apps and tools to benefit student learning. The best apps teach students and prepare them for success in high school and beyond. When searching for apps for high school students, it is important to find apps that are educational, functional, and fun. The following list of apps includes tools for studying, writing, solving math problems, preparing for standardized tests, managing time, and increasing knowledge.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/8-must-high-school-apps-tools/

by Mishra, Sanjaya; Singh, Alka

The premise of this study is that teachers’ conceptions of the quality of Open Educational Resources (OER) and their attitudes and motivations towards using OER will influence whether and how they use and/or contribute open resources. Understanding teachers’ attitudes, motivations and barriers to OER use and comparing data across institutions may help to identify the issues that influence OER uptake in India. This chapter attempts to answer the following four research questions: How are teachers’ attitudes towards OER situated in the context of teaching and learning? What are teachers’ motivations for using OER and sharing their work as OER? How do teachers perceive the quality of OER? What barriers to using OER do teachers perceive?

https://zenodo.org/record/1094858#.WjR5ENKnHox

By Christina Hendricks, Inside Higher Ed

Through creating and spreading open educational resources, students learn more and make an impact on the world, writes Christina Hendricks. When I first started learning about open education and open educational resources about five years ago, I knew OERs were different than other educational resources in that they have an open license, but I thought of them as similar in the sense of being created by instructors in educational institutions. But it’s clear to me now that students also have a valuable role to play in creating and revising OERs, as well as in promoting open education more widely.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/views/2017/12/13/students-have-vital-role-creating-and-spreading-oer

by Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

A decade ago the incumbent media conglomerates – the studios and the networks – would have never believed that Netflix or Amazon or YouTube would be a threat to their business model. Today, the large media companies are scrambling to get even bigger in order to control enough of the platforms and content to fend off these born-digital media upstarts. Is there a chance that there will emerge the born-digital postsecondary player that will do to legacy universities what Netflix might do old line studios and networks? Will universities beyond those run by charismatic presidents such as Michael Crow and Paul LeBlanc make really big bets on unproven and digital-first programs, initiatives, and degrees? Might Disney spending $52.4 billion for 21st Century Fox ignite any relevant strategic conversations within our industry of higher education?

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/disneys-524-billion-21st-century-fox-deal-and-our-higher-ed-futures

by the BBC

Lecturer and child-of-the-80s Star Wars fan John Donaldson is responsible for turning the films into philosophy studies. He started a classroom-based course last Star Wars Day (May the fourth) and was surprised at who was interested. “We wanted to make philosophy more accessible and get people interested by focussing on pop culture,” he said. “We have had a 12-year-old, retirees, some students, and a lot of professionals. “Lots of people from around the world were interested, so we created an online course.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42338816

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

Information technology professionals across the country report on their compensation, experience, outlook on the future, top challenges and more.  As a whole, the information technology industry in higher education seems to be holding steady. Salaries are mostly flat or growing, outlook is positive and people are generally satisfied with their work. All good signs, considering the economic and political upheaval we’ve seen over the last year. Of course, every IT group has its challenges. So to better understand the nuances of the field, we polled Campus Technology readers working in IT at colleges and universities across the country about their salaries, experience, benefits, complaints, views of the future, etc. Here’s what they told us.

https://campustechnology.com/Articles/2017/12/14/2017-IT-Salary-Job-Satisfaction-Survey-Results.aspx

by Meghan Bogardus Cortez, EdTech
Artificial intelligence is hitting universities, but it doesn’t mean professors are being replaced by computers. “So when we talk about AI, we imagine robots, we imagine science fiction, we imagine Skynet overthrowing the world. These are the things that we imagine, but the reality is that it’s not nearly that sexy,” said Kyle Bowen, the educational technology services director at Penn State, during EdSurge Live’s town hall on AI. “The reality is that some of the really interesting applications of this are people and computers working together to think about or to explore different problems or ideas,” Bowen added. Much like Microsoft’s Anthony Salcito, Bowen and other higher education influencers touted AI’s ability to make data analytics and student success initiatives even easier by drawing out the most actionable data.

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2017/12/what-higher-education-thought-leaders-want-you-understand-about-ai

by Dave Doucette, EdTech
From targeted recruiting to more effective fundraising, higher education institutions find more uses for business intelligence solutions. Dave Doucette is director of West Coast higher education sales for CDW•G. In the past few years, data analytics in higher education has emerged not only as a business tool but also as a means to facilitate student success. For universities across the country, tools like Microsoft Power BI and Splunk Enterprise 6.5.1 help educators make sure that students are staying on track. With access to huge data sets and the software capable of processing them, higher education institutions can now identify at-risk students before they fail. By providing just-in-time interventions to these students, universities are also increasing their retention rates and, ultimately, their bottom line.

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2017/12/4-ways-data-empowers-universities-beyond-retention

by Melissa Burns, Business2Community
The e-learning is on its rise. In the USA about 77% of companies offer online courses to help train their employees with 81% of learners partaking in the online study for personal development. Today it is possible to get a quality business knowledge from the leading professionals without going to college or even leaving your room. Online courses probably will not guarantee the same effect as attending top business schools and will not necessarily give you a high paid job right away. However, e-learning can give you important skills that students usually gain from top business schools. Whether it is a company that wants to incorporate an online education program or a student who wants to get an MBA, the advantages of e-learning compete with those of offline education. Having become the biggest revolution in modern education, e-learning has made a big change in the economy and opened a lot of opportunities for people from around the world.

https://www.business2community.com/tech-gadgets/online-education-business-tool-boost-economy-01972787

by Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal
A full 85 percent of school districts now meet the Federal Communications Commission’s short-term goal for broadband connectivity of 100 Mbps per 1,000 students. And almost half of school systems (47 percent) have at least some schools that meet the long-term broadband goal of 1 Gbps per 1,000 students; 16 percent are achieving the long-term goal in every one of their schools. Funding, referenced by 61 percent of districts, continued to be the biggest barrier for districts in their efforts to increase connectivity, with a particular nod to monthly recurring costs. Those findings surfaced in CoSN’s annual infrastructure survey report.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/11/27/long-term-broadband-goals-still-on-far-horizon-for-most-districts.aspx

By Emily Younker, the Joplin Globe

Many worry that his proposal will leave ordinary people and nonprofit organizations that exist to be places of knowledge, such as schools and libraries, more at the mercy of cable and wireless companies. The FCC proposal would mean that, if companies like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon decide to block a particular app, throttle data speeds for a rival service or offer faster speeds to companies who pay for it, they merely need to disclose their policies for doing so.  “I think some people may say this will impact students because they may not be able to stream Netflix videos, but it is much more serious and broad than that,” said Randy Roberts, dean of library services for Pittsburg (Kansas) State University.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/12/13/net-neutrality-vote-schools/

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Public libraries and school libraries are crucial for teaching digital literacy. Libraries offer much more than books. Today’s libraries are technology hubs where anyone can access and use technology daily. As more technology emerges and the amount of online content grows, libraries are at the forefront of teaching library patron’s digital literacy. Digital literacy extends beyond the classroom walls. Public libraries are essential for teaching digital literacy to the public. For example, American Library Association (ALA) explains, “Pew research […] shows the connection between library support of digital literacy skills and employment. Contributing to the economic health of the community, and the economic success of individuals, are major reasons that teaching digital literacy skills is important.”

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/libraries-key-teaching-digital-literacy/

By Henry Kronk, eLearning Inside

Codeacademy—the world’s largest online ‘learn to code’ institution—just released a survey conducted with some of the over 45 million learners who have passed through their digital halls. Some of their results confirm suspicions; others are more surprising.  To begin, 40% of respondents said they wanted to switch career paths and become a programmer/software developer. One quarter of respondents cited the potential of working remotely as a major draw to learning to code. Women were about 25% more likely to seek out an educating in coding for the same reason. Urban users, furthermore, were also more likely to pursue coding for remote work compared to their suburban counterparts.

https://news.elearninginside.com/codeacademy-report-provides-glimpse-demographics-people-learning-code/