Educational Technology

June 30, 2018

Survey: Most Students Say Online Learning Is as Good or Better Than Face-to-Face

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:39 am

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

In a survey of 1,500 students who are seriously considering, currently enrolled in or recently graduated from a fully online program, most (86 percent) considered the value of their degree equal to or greater than the cost they paid to take it. Among those who have attended face-to-face and online courses, the majority (85 percent) said that online learning is as good as or better than attending courses on campus. In fact, two-thirds of online college students (67 percent) reported that they’d achieved the original goal that motivated them to enroll in their program; graduate students were more likely than undergraduates to feel that way (76 percent vs. 62 percent). The survey was conducted by Learning House, a company that manages online programs for colleges and universities, and Aslanian Market Research, a research arm of EducationDynamics, which performs student prospecting and enrollment management.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/06/18/most-students-say-online-learning-is-as-good-or-better-than-face-to-face.aspx

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Georgia State Uses A Chatbot To Attack ‘Summer Melt’

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:35 am

by MARTHA DALTON, WABE

A lot of students find themselves in similar situations in the summer, says Lindsay Page, an education professor at the University of Pittsburgh who has researched summer melt. She says it can be easy for upcoming freshmen to feel lost in the summertime. A lot of students find themselves in similar situations in the summer, says Lindsay Page, an education professor at the University of Pittsburgh who has researched summer melt. She says it can be easy for upcoming freshmen to feel lost in the summertime.  Page teamed up with GSU to develop the program that helped Birchell and other students. It’s a chatbot called “Pounce” that can text back and forth with students. “The Pounce system would ask students, ‘What questions do you have? What can we help with?’” Page says.

https://www.wabe.org/georgia-state-uses-a-chatbot-to-attack-summer-melt/

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Tech Giants Accused of Addicting Kids to Technology: Is it true?

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:30 am

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Some psychologists have in fact made the case that technology companies are intentionally perverting what we know about how the brain works to get people addicted to their platforms. It seems that some people are better at overcoming the allure of technology, but, for many people, the pull is just as real and just as powerful as any other substance to which one might become addicted. Since tech companies want to turn a profit, it would not be surprising to learn that they use the best tools available, including what we know about how the brain works, to make that happen. But that is not a universal opinion. Other scholars claim that, while technology can certainly be appealing, framing it as an addiction is not only scientifically inaccurate but likely to lead to a sense of panic that is not helpful in teaching children to moderate their behavior. They claim that scientific evidence simply does not back up the claim that technology is addictive in the same way that, for example, nicotine is.

Tech Giants Accused of Addicting Kids to Technology: Is It True?

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June 29, 2018

What does the future of online learning look like? – report

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:40 am

By Study International Staff
Every year an increasing number of students take to their computers and access education through online or distance learning programmes. However, this could be set to change according to Learning House’s annual report with Aslanian Market Research (AMR). The report found that increasing annual numbers of online students are set to slow by 2019. In 2017 alone online programmes saw an increase of 3 percent, totalling 3.85 million full or majority distance learning candidates worldwide, but this is likely to reduce in coming years according to Eduventures. The market is expected to peak at 4 million students in 2019 and 2020 before leveling off as the global economy improves and the number of high school graduates falls.  Competition is also getting fiercer among institutions that provide online learning as they strive to outdo each other and prove they can help students reach their goals, or risk losing out to other, more competent providers. The report revealed four key findings; courses must be mobile-friendly, online students need access to career services, online learning is good value for money, and online programs are becoming increasingly diverse.

 

What does the future of online learning look like? – report

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Table of the Day: Bachelor’s degrees for the Class of 2016 by field and gender. Oh, and the overall 25.6% degree gap for men!

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:37 am

by Mark J. Perry, AEI

The table above shows the number of bachelor’s degrees by major field of study and gender for the College Class of 2016, ranked by the female share of each field (based on recently released Department of Education data here). A few observations:

1. Overall, women earned 57.34% of all bachelor’s degrees in 2016, which means there were 134 women graduating from college that year for every 100 men. It also reflects a whopping 25.6% gender college degree gap for men, who earned only 816,912 bachelor’s degrees in 2016 compared to 1,098,173 degrees earned by women (816,912 / 1,098,173 = 0.744, or 74.4 degrees for men per every 100 for women = gender college degree gap of 25.6% for men).

Table of the Day: Bachelor’s degrees for the Class of 2016 by field and gender. Oh, and the overall 25.6% degree gap for men!

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Putting the Pieces in Place: Launching a Competency-Based Program

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:33 am

by Laurie Dodge, Evolllution

Demand for competency-based education is growing nationwide, as employers and students are looking for more concrete mechanisms to earn and display specific skills and capabilities. These programs are characterized by personalization, adaptability and are more focused on subject mastery than seat-time—which creates some challenges when trying to implement these programs within the structure of a traditional postsecondary institution. In this interview, Laurie Dodge reflects on the thinking behind launching competency-based education (CBE) at Brandman University, and shares some insights on what it took to launch the innovative offering.

Putting the Pieces in Place: Launching a Competency-Based Program

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June 28, 2018

VR Interface Lets Students Explore Civil Engineering

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:36 am

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal
An open immersive virtual reality interface for pre-university and first-year students allows them to explore engineering disciplines, such as structural or hydraulics, as part of engaging their interest in STEM careers. The VR program allows the user to navigate through a 3D model of a building and see the construction components that are “normally hidden” behind other layers, such as the plumbing, columns, slabs and beams. “Civil Virtual Reality Laboratory” is openly available online and can be tested using the HTC VIVE headset, the corresponding controller and a VR-ready computer.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/06/07/vr-interface-lets-students-explore-civil-engineering.aspx

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Minecraft EDU Takes Coding, STEAM Lessons Underwater

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:32 am

By David Nagel, THE Journal

A new update for Minecraft: Education Edition, called Update Aquatic, is adding underwater science to the educational version of the popular world-building game. Update Aquatic adds new features and curriculum support, including 17 standards-aligned lessons in science, math, language arts and history. The update also adds: Five template-based aquatic worlds: Shipwreck, Secret Reef, Lantern Shores, Monument Zone and Archipelago Town; and Underwater coding adventures using Code Builder, which include hands-on student activities.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/06/12/minecraft-edu-takes-coding-science-lessons-underwater.aspx

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Earning college credit in high school

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:30 am

By Bonnie Washuk, Sun Journal

Petaluma high school senior Madeline Eger’s path to graduation came through her computer, leading her to a fall 2018 acceptance at Fresno State University for forensic science. Eger, 18, went to Mary Collins School at Cherry Valley for elementary and middle school. As she neared completion, she found she was experiencing chronic migraines. “I chose to attend California Connections Academy @ North Bay (CalCAN) because I needed different structures. CalCAN gave me extra time to work at my own pace,” Eger said. CalCAN is a virtual, tuition-free public high school, with a North Bay administration and faculty offering instruction to TK-12 students in Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma and Yolo counties. The school offers a free computer for school for participating students.

http://www.sunjournal.com/earning-college-credit-in-high-school/

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June 27, 2018

Petaluma teen completes high school, online

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:42 am

by JESSICA ZIMMER, Sonoma News

Petaluma high school senior Madeline Eger’s path to graduation came through her computer, leading her to a fall 2018 acceptance at Fresno State University for forensic science. Eger, 18, went to Mary Collins School at Cherry Valley for elementary and middle school. As she neared completion, she found she was experiencing chronic migraines. “I chose to attend California Connections Academy @ North Bay (CalCAN) because I needed different structures. CalCAN gave me extra time to work at my own pace,” Eger said. CalCAN is a virtual, tuition-free public high school, with a North Bay administration and faculty offering instruction to TK-12 students in Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma and Yolo counties. The school offers a free computer for school for participating students.

http://www.sonomanews.com/news/8441364-181/petaluma-teen-completes-high-school

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Some see move toward more charter schools in online course bill

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:34 am

By Roger McKinney, Columbia Tribune

Some Boone County superintendents say a new law requiring districts to pay for online courses takes away local control and represents a march toward charter school expansion. Called the Missouri Course Access and Virtual School Program, the bill was signed June 1 by Gov. Eric Greitens and takes effect next summer. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Bryan Spencer, R-Wentzville. “The purpose is to be able to offer a lot more variety of classes to kids,” Spencer said. “In many small districts, they don’t have chemistry or calculus. They’re limited by the zip code to take the higher-level courses.”

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/20180616/some-see-move-toward-more-charter-schools-in-online-course-bill

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Southern New Hampshire U Issues Blockchain Credentials to College for America Grads

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:30 am

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology
This spring, graduates of Southern New Hampshire University’s College for America are receiving their bachelor’s and associate degrees as both paper diplomas and Blockcerts, digital credentials based on blockchain technology. SNHU partnered with Learning Machine for its digital diploma project; the software company co-developed Blockcerts with the MIT Media Lab in 2016. Because Blockcert credentials can be linked to any blockchain (such as Bitcoin or Ethereum), they can be read and verified anywhere in the world without the need to check with the original issuer.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/06/11/southern-new-hampshire-u-issues-blockchain-credentials-to-college-for-america-grads.aspx

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June 26, 2018

Connecting Cashiers to College Degrees

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:40 am

By Lindsay McKenzie, Inside Higher Ed

For a corporation routinely criticized for its low pay and anti-unionization efforts, announcing the new employee perk had the added benefit of making Walmart appear civic-minded by helping to educate a historically undereducated and low-skilled work force. Starting this fall, part-time and full-time employees who have worked at Walmart for at least 90 days will be eligible to study online and earn associate or bachelor’s degrees in business administration or supply chain management, with almost all learning costs covered by the company. The workers will be required to make a $365 annual contribution toward tuition, the equivalent of $1 per day. Walmart will pay for its employees to study at three nonprofit universities: Bellevue University, Brandman University and the University of Florida Online.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/06/12/guild-education-creates-business-broker-employer-financed-college-degrees

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5 Free Online Machine Learning Courses

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:36 am

by Jessica Davis, Information Week

“Data scientist roles have grown over 650 percent since 2012, but currently 35,000 people in the US have data science skills, while hundreds of companies are hiring for those roles – even those you may not expect in sectors like retail and finance – supply of candidates for these roles cannot keep up with demand,” the report said. What’s more, the report cites the growth rate for machine learning engineer jobs to be higher than that of any other job over the last 5 years. With that in mind, InformationWeek has put together a short list of 5 free online Machine Learning courses created by some of the top schools in the country. These courses are not entry level. Even the one course that is listed as introductory has some prerequisites. Prerequisites for these courses overall tend to include computer programming and advanced mathematics. But if you are a professional looking to transition to one of the highly paid, in high demand positions of machine learning engineer, here’s a selection of online courses that can help you get the skills you need to make the move.

https://www.informationweek.com/big-data/ai-machine-learning/5-free-online-machine-learning-courses/d/d-id/1331950

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10 Reasons to Try Coding in the Classroom

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:30 am

by Danny Summerell, the Tech Edvocate

When I talk about coding to other teachers, I always sense a fear that they too would have to one day do this in their classroom. The reason I have created this list is to help those teachers that are new to coding to relax a little and to just give it a go. Here are ten reasons I think everyone should give coding a go in their classroom:

10 Reasons to Try Coding in the Classroom

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June 25, 2018

2018 K–12 IT Salary & Job Satisfaction Survey

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:41 am

By David Nagel, THE Journal
With only three exceptions, salaries are up across the board for technology professionals in K–12 education in the last two years. The biggest gripe continues to be (not terribly surprisingly) budgets. For technology professionals, education has been a rewarding place to work over the last year. Salaries are up for the most part; job satisfaction is high; and the outlook for the future is positive — these according to the results of our third-annual K–12 IT Salary & Job Satisfaction Survey.  Overall, the average salary for technology professional in education (excluding classroom teachers) was $66,640 in 2017 — up about $3,000 from 2015.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/05/24/it-salary-job-satisfaction-survey.aspx

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8 Ways Machine Learning Will Improve Education

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:35 am

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Education is moving away from traditional rows of students looking at the same textbook while a teacher lectures from the front of the room. Today’s classrooms are not simply evolving to use more technology and digital resources; they are also investing in machine learning. What is machine learning? Machine learning is defined as “a field of computer science that uses statistical techniques to give computer systems the ability to “learn” (i.e., progressively improve performance on a specific task) with data, without being explicitly programmed.” For example, in education, we see machine learning in learning analytics and artificial intelligence.

8 Ways Machine Learning Will Improve Education

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Homeland Security launches new training course to counter online terrorist activities

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:30 am

by Dave Kovaleski, Homeland Preparedness News
The Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Task Force has launched an online training course designed to educate social media companies about how terrorists may seek to exploit their platforms. The training course, called “Countering Terrorists Exploitation of Social Media and the Internet,” was presented to members of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) this week.

Homeland Security launches new training course to counter online terrorist activities

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June 24, 2018

‘Virtual High School’ class, real scholarship for Wiscasset student – Vanessa Dunn, Wiscasset Newspaper

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:41 am

When answering to the question, “How did your VHS teacher or site coordinator impact your online learning experience,” Wiscasset Middle High School senior Corey Campbell responded so well, she landed a $1,000 scholarship. At the beginning of senior year, Campbell underwent open heart surgery, yet was able to maintain all of her school work on VHS. For her entry, Campbell composed a song about Pooler as her VHS site coordinator and the many ways she helped her through her surgery and VHS course.

http://www.wiscassetnewspaper.com/article/virtual-high-school-class-real-scholarship-wiscasset-student/103177

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300 free Ivy League university courses you can take online right now

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:35 am

By Kevin Downey, Komando.com

There is so much information out there that you can’t possibly know about it all. Which is why we want to make sure you know about FREE online classes that you can take from Ivy League universities — the eight extremely expensive universities that are among the best in the world, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia. The best part, besides being FREE, is that it’s easy to register for a class. You visit the site Coursera and sign up, either with your Facebook credentials or by inputting your name and email address.

300 free Ivy League university courses you can take online right now

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STEM: At the Crossroads of Traditional and Online Learning

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:32 am

By Donald E. Bossi0, THE Journal

In the age of online learning, educators, parents and students around the world — especially including from diverse and rural populations — have more access than ever before to educational resources. The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education community, where innovation and hands-on learning experiences are critical, often finds itself at the exciting crossroads of traditional and online learning. The role we play in classrooms and communities across the country has taught us an important lesson: As online learning continues to change the face of education, those of us at this intersection have a tremendous opportunity to embrace digital advancements and, ultimately, enhance traditional classroom environments and hands-on programs for our students. After all, what is online learning but an incredible STEM innovation?

https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/06/12/stem-at-the-crossroads-of-traditional-and-online-learning.aspx

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