February 14, 2018
by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate
Technology permeates every aspect of our lives today. So it’s not surprising that these advances are now revolutionizing our educational system, too. The results are more far-reaching than anyone could have predicted. Here are some of the ways in which edtech is levelling the playing field, making quality educational experiences available to all.
http://www.thetechedvocate.org/5-ways-edtech-democratizing-education/
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by Shalina Chatlani, Education Dive
Lou Pugliese, senior innovation fellow and managing director for the Technology Innovation Action Lab at Arizona State University, and Kate Smith, vice president of academic affairs at Rio Salado College, spoke during a panel discussion at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. They revealed four conclusions of an extensive research project. Smith and Pugliese offered insight into the online learning models of their institutions to discuss some of the key aspects of the ASU report that focuses on three main components, including defining what return on investment in digital learning formats really means and developing common shared metrics for the industry to create benchmarks of comparison.
https://www.educationdive.com/news/how-to-effectively-scale-a-digital-learning-model/515936/
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BY SHANE VANDER HART, Caffeinated Thoughts
A bill, SSB 3030, allowing families that homeschool under competent private instruction or independent private instruction to utilize the Iowa Learning Online Initiative cleared another hurdle this week when it passed through the Iowa Senate Education Committee by voice vote on Monday. A subcommittee consisting of State Senators Larry Edler (R-State Center), Thomas Greene (R-Burlington), and Herman Quirmbach (D-Ames) recommended passage of the bill last Thursday. Iowa Learning Online, according to its website, is “an Iowa Department of Education initiative designed to help local Iowa school districts expand learning opportunities for their high school students through high quality, rigorous courses delivered online.”
https://caffeinatedthoughts.com/2018/01/bill-allowing-homeschoolers-iowa-learning-online-initiative-advances/
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February 13, 2018
By Luke Stangel, Silicon Valley Business Journal
Artificial intelligence frontrunner Andrew Ng has raised $175 million for a new incubator devoted to machine learning startups. The fund, backed by NEA, Sequoia Capital, Greylock Partners and SoftBank, won’t invest in outside startups, Ng said in a note this week. Rather, it will fund small strike teams of AI researchers working inside the fund, who will test ideas in stealth and launch the ones they think can be commercially viable.
https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2018/01/31/google-brain-andrew-ng-ai-incubator-investing.html
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BY HOWARD VOGEL, SHELLEY MARGOW, ANDY PLEMMONS, AND JUDE MIQUELI, eSchool News
Here are some best practices for teaching the social-emotional skills students need to connect with their peers, their teachers, and the wider world. Today’s classrooms are full of immersive high-tech tools—but at the same time, schools and districts are being pushed to promote social-emotional learning (SEL) and improve school climate. Since spending too much time looking at various screens can hinder the direct connection between people, here are four real-world examples of tech helping students connect on a human level with their peers, their teachers, and the world around them.
4 ways technology can improve SEL skills
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By Jordan Friedman, US News
Online education typically isn’t any easier than learning on a physical campus. Rather, it’s a different type of experience. Instead of attending classes in person, students in online degree programs primarily complete coursework and communicate virtually through a platform referred to as a learning management system. Online students can generally access course materials, contact student services, track their progress in classes and submit assignments, among other things. “The learning management system for an online course is the student’s campus, to a certain extent, or their classroom,” says Karen Ferguson, vice provost at Colorado State University—Global Campus.
https://www.usnews.com/higher-education/online-education/articles/2018-01-29/navigate-an-online-course-learning-management-system-as-a-student
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February 12, 2018
BY NATE DAVIS, eSchool News
In order to effectively battle increasing dropout rates, educators need to first research statistics and identify specific indicators that lead to high school students falling behind. The STEP program identifies these indicators by reviewing each student’s academic performance and attendance. This allows educators to distinguish which students are “at risk” and need additional support and encouragement on their path to graduation. Ahead of the next school year or semester, our district invited the identified at-risk students to participate in a pilot year of the data-driven STEP program. The program gives these students the opportunity to focus on literacy and math skills and core academic courses while receiving social and emotional support.
https://www.eschoolnews.com/2018/01/31/student-success-rates/
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by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate
As an industry that generates $3 billion annually, Edtech is a cornerstone of modern education. With that kind of prominence in classrooms, edtech also has an enormous responsibility to students. This responsibility consists of four areas. A host of regulations and protections surrounding student privacy and edtech has a responsibility to uphold these requirements when providing online educational services. By following a model framework, edtech providers can protect student rights.
http://www.thetechedvocate.org/examining-edtechs-responsibility-students/
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by Mattha Busby, the Guardian
The speculation around cryptocurrencies has obscured the fact that blockchain, the decentralised, open-source ledger that drives bitcoin, could radically change how ownership is verified. While the value of the main cryptocurrencies fluctuates, “blockchain” remains a lucrative buzzword that companies have found is a magnet for funding. But cutting through the hype, could blockchain technology really revolutionise the way anything from banking to education is run? The blockchain allows people to create digital property independently of third parties and belief-based methods of recording ownership. Time-stamped data entries are append-only and always accessible, partly because the database is stored across a network of computers rather than a central server.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/30/blockchain-buzzword-hype-open-source-ledger-bitcoin
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February 11, 2018
BY DIANNE PAPPAFOTOPOULOS, eSchool News
As we look at future jobs and technological advancements, having creativity is essential in the workplace. Robots and AI will be able to handle many tasks, even replacing some types of jobs, but we will still need creative thinkers and designers to move ahead globally. As educators, how do we ensure that students learn this skill in our curriculums? Can creativity be taught? Why are some people more creative than others? If you tell students to be creative, do they even know what it means or where to begin?
Can creativity be taught?
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BY MIREYA DUNN, eSchool News
Reading is essential in today’s world, from reading instructions on a test or a job application, to reading legal documents and safety information. Dyslexia can make reading even the simplest document incredibly frustrating for students. Without proper interventions, these students may struggle to read their whole lives, making it more likely they will end up in poverty or the criminal justice system. Here are 3 tools that can help students with reading challenges take ownership of their learning
“My Tech Essentials” for students with dyslexia
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by Patrick Caughill, Futurism
Google is poised to introduce Article, an AR interface that will allow AR integration into browsers. The new tech could help to promote new applications for AR. Google looks like it is trying to extend its cross-platform edge to the world of augmented reality (AR) with a new product, tentatively called Article, which will integrate AR into the company’s Chrome browser. In a blog post, Google said, “To help bring (AR) to as many users as possible, we’ve been exploring how to bring augmented reality to the web platform, so someday anyone with a browser can access this new technology.” The Google blog post explained: “The unique power of AR is to blend digital content with the real world. So we can, for example, surf the web, find a model, place it in our room to see just how large it truly is, and physically walk around it.” Those capabilities limited to devices like smartphones will now be available on desktops.
Google Is Bringing Augmented Reality Functionality to Chrome
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February 10, 2018
BY LAURA ASCIONE, eCampus News
The Post-traditional Learners Manifesto Revisited: Aligning Postsecondary Education with Real Life for Adult Student Success, from the American Council on Education (ACE), notes that more than 1 million Americans could get out of poverty if everyone in the U.S. 25 years or older, with some college but no degree, earned an associate degree.
“Helping more non-traditional learners earn a degree would have lasting and transformative effects on our society, economy, and higher education,” said Louis Soares, lead author of Revisited and ACE’s vice president for strategy, research, and advancement. “Of the 23 million undergraduates, more than 13 million are nontraditional learners. Some start a degree but don’t finish it, racking up debt and adding to their financial burdens.”
3 ways to actually support nontraditional learners
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By The ASSOCIATED PRESS
A pilot program is giving students in rural Illinois high schools better access to Advanced Placement courses to prepare for college Seventy-five students at 10 high schools in rural areas of the state are taking online AP classes as part of a new initiative of the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, the Herald-Whig reported. “It is all on your own. We’ve got to try to keep up with time management to stay on pace with everything,” Quincy High School student Ashley Zimmerman said. “It really is like an introduction to college. This is what it’s like.”
http://www.nwherald.com/2018/01/28/rural-schools-in-illinois-implementing-online-ap-courses/ayl9fl0/
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by Matthew Lynch, tech Edvocate
Whether you teach entirely online or have a physical space, your digital classroom needs to facilitate successful learning. There is no one right way to arrange or present education to your students. However, there are markers and go to ideas for a healthy digital learning environment. A successful digital presence will invite exploration while supporting the organization, routines, and procedures necessary for student growth. The best online classes are integrated seamlessly into your curriculum and physical set up. For optimal presentation, design your digital plan before school begins.
http://www.thetechedvocate.org/set-digital-classroom-success/
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February 9, 2018
By Bonnie Washuk, Sun-Journal
Things changed in seventh grade. Her closest friends had moved away, and she was being bullied. “She went from an extrovert to an introvert,” Sands said. “There was a certain group of girls who just hated me,” Burns said. “One day, me and my friends were walking down the hall. A whole group was lined up across the hall so we couldn’t get past. We tried going to the left. They slammed me against the locker. It felt horrible.” After trying home-schooling, Burns enrolled in October at the public charter school Maine Virtual Academy, where students take classes online. So far, it is working well, her mother said.
http://www.sunjournal.com/student-15-follows-different-path-toward-learning-happiness/
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By Bryan Alexander, Campus Technology
Humans have been imagining our future for millennia, using techniques as varied as science fiction, betting and divination, but the futures field as we know it today dates only to the mid/late 20th century. That’s when several visionaries working in business and the military, such as Herman Kahn and Pierre Wack, began codifying forecasting as a set of methods. Those methods have since been honed, extensively studied by scholars, supported by professional associations and deployed internationally.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/01/25/how-to-be-an-ed-tech-futurist.aspx
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by Emma Martinho-Truswell, HBR
Automatic computer grading, learning from previous answers and getting better as it goes — and it is already being used in some universities and for large online courses (MOOCs). It could grade bundles of student papers quickly, perhaps flagging those with unusual elements that need a bit of human oversight. Teachers would get time back to plan new lessons, give extra tutorials to students who are struggling, do extra reading, or simply get their holiday time back. Machine learning program may be better, cheaper, faster, or more accurate than humans at tasks that involve lots of data, complicated calculations, or repetitive tasks with clear rules.
https://hbr.org/2018/01/how-ai-could-help-the-public-sector
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By Mattew Lynch, Tech Edvocate
Ever since they first came on the scene during the twentieth century, virtual schools have taken the nation and the world by storm. Policy makers and reformers have pointed out their potential for lower cost and personalized learning. Students are enamored of the convenience and quick gratification. A few years ago, many were predicting that bricks-and-mortar universities as we know them might even become obsolete. Is that really happening? Are virtual schools really as great as they seem? What are the benefits? And what are the obstacles to a successful virtual school experience now in the 21st century?
http://www.thetechedvocate.org/virtual-schools-headed/
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February 8, 2018
by Brad Auerbach, Forbes
Musicians today face an almost bewildering array of choices when it comes to honing their craft. As in all other areas, the internet has changed the lives of musicians in drastic ways. Much has been written in this column and elsewhere about the tsunami waves that have crashed through the music business because of the internet. This installment will discuss the means by which Berklee Online has used the internet to open its doors for students globally to earn a master’s degree program in two degrees: Music Production and Music Business. Berklee Online is the world’s largest online music school and teaches over 10,000 students a year.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradauerbach/2018/01/26/berklee-online-proves-you-do-not-need-to-live-in-boston-to-earn-a-masters-degree-from-berklee/#3e0551d38cae
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By Ashley Paskill, ULoop
As college students, it is important to learn the most that we can while we have the opportunity. However, with high tuition costs, it can be difficult to take classes that are not within our majors. Fortunately, there are alternatives that allow students and non-students alike to learn new things online for free or for a modest price while earning course certificates.
https://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/258328/Websites-for-Learning-New-Things
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