Educational Technology

by Ennis Daily News

New Way Leadership Academy just announced the end of their classroom approach in Ennis while offering only online courses to their students. Parents were notified of the change in a letter sent by email. While the notice did not specifically state the school would no longer have classrooms and teachers available, the headline made it clear they were “restructuring” to become NWLA Online Private School for grades 3-12 as well as offering an adult high school program online. The letter informing families of the change in format also didn’t cite a reason that led to the end of the young school’s previous format. NWLA classes and offices had been located downtown at 104 NE Main St., where regular operations have ceased. The facility is now empty and external signage removed.

NWLA closes, offers online courses only

by Future Learn
The first two in a series of twelve new free online courses to assist refugees affected by conflict in the Middle East start on June 18th. The courses are designed for tens of thousands of young people whose education has been interrupted by wars such as that in Syria, helping to prevent a ‘lost generation’ in the region. King’s College London has produced two new free online courses, Basic English 1: Elementary and Basic English 2: Pre-Intermediate so refugees and displaced people in Jordan and Lebanon can learn basic English for everyday situations in order to gain transferable skills and/or help proceed into higher education.

https://www.fenews.co.uk/press-releases/17525-new-free-online-courses-launched-to-help-syrian-refugees-continue-their-education

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Many educators have been unaware of the need to teach their students about digital citizenship. After all, it is not unusual for students to be more aware of and more comfortable with technology than their teachers are. But that doesn’t translate into students automatically intuiting what they need to know and do in order to be good digital citizens. A solid digital citizenship curriculum will cover such topics as reputation management, civility, data privacy, copyright compliance, security, personal safety, appropriate communication, and information literacy. But, like any curriculum, its success or failure will depend almost entirely on how much students engage in the process. Even the best curriculum won’t have the desired outcome if students aren’t motivated to learn from it.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/amplifying-student-voice-while-teaching-digital-citizenship/

by Ed Ernstes, WSBT 22

Middlebury Community Schools will soon be taking a new approach when it comes to snow days.  Starting next fall, students will use E-Learning. They’ll do assignments online when school is called off. Starting with the new school year, 4,600 students in grades K through 12 will have a new way to make up school work when classes are canceled because of bad weather.  It’s known as E-Learning. Middlebury students can go online to make up assignments and course work assigned by their teacher.

http://wsbt.com/news/local/school-board-members-approve-d-learning-plan-for-middlebury-students

By Dian Schaffhauser, Camapus Technology
A startup based in Israel has raised $11 million to expand the growth of its solution for doing artificial-intelligence-powered transcription. Verbit technology, according to the company, will be helpful to schools in addressing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulation. The transcription process for videos and audio recordings typically relies on a combination of approaches: fully automated transcription, which tends to produce partially accurate results, and/or manual transcriptions, which require a much longer turnaround. Verbit has developed Verbatizer, a transcription system that uses a combination of AI technologies for automatic speech recognition algorithms and human-augmented refinement. The corrections made by human transcribers are fed into the Verbit algorithms through machine learning technologies to continuously improve the formulas.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/06/04/startup-uses-ai-and-human-augmentation-for-video-audio-transcription.aspx

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology
Research suggests that blended learning is more effective than both face-to-face and online education, according to a new e-book released by the Online Learning Consortium and academic publisher Routledge. Online & Blended Learning: Selections from the Field brings together advice and best practices from a number of scholarly publications related to online and blended learning; topics covered include the basics of the blended model, differences between online and on-campus learning, strategies for teaching with technology, data analysis techniques, policy issues and more.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/05/23/6-reasons-blended-learning-works.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology
During this week’s preview of the latest Apple Watch, Apple announced that watchOS 5 will include the ability to act as a student ID card, enabling users to gain access to dorms, meals in dining halls, gym activities and library services. According to the company, students will be able to “pay for snacks, laundry and dinners around campus” by adding their ID cards to Wallet on the Apple Watch. (The same functionality will be available for the iPhone too.)

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/06/06/newest-apple-watch-to-serve-as-student-id.aspx

by Douglas Elliot, the Star

They are called The Smartphone Generation. They’re the first to grow up with the latest techs and gadgets but while they are more digitally literate than us, a question looms over their future: Can they survive in an era of disruptive technology and economic uncertainty? With that question in mind, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia (HWUM) is once again organising the Youth Transformation Programme (YTP) to help school leavers discover their true talent and equip them with the knowledge of the future as they try to make sense of the world. Following the success of its first session, which attracted 160 participants, the second installment of YTP will commence on July 9-20.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/education/2018/06/04/making-ready-for-the-disruptive-future/

by Thomas Nugent, Business Because

Career advancement comes under a number of banners. For Candy Lee La Balle, founder of LaBalle Admissions consulting firm, it forms the basis for all the questions you should ask yourself before embarking on an online MBA program.  Self-motivation. Autonomy. Strict discipline. These are all things that have to be ingrained within you before you enroll on an online MBA program. “You must make the time and effort to get the best out of the program,” Candy concludes. “For someone who wants the academic aspects of the program; for someone who is limited by geography or mobility; for someone who is autonomous and self-motivated; then yes, I would recommend an online MBA.”

https://www.businessbecause.com/news/mba-distance-learning/5287/should-study-online-mba-admissions-experts

by IGD
We know that developing talent, skills and capabilities are major strategic priorities for many food and grocery businesses, but the way people learn has changed. On-the-job experience and peer to peer networks are more widely recognised, and new technology enables different kinds of learning. People now access content in bite-sized chunks, blending online and classroom training to suit their needs. That’s why last September we launched a pilot to test the impact blended learning can have on those new to the food and grocery industry. The pilot comprised a live webinar, online learning modules and an evening networking and career panel event. It was specifically aimed at providing a solid foundation upon which to build a successful career in food and grocery.

https://www.igd.com/articles/article-viewer/t/building-the-future-of-the-food-industry-through-blending-learning/i/19046

By Varissara Charassangsomboon, Gov Insider

EdTech is gaining prominence as schools make space for digital tools in the classroom. Massive open online courses, coding workshops and social skills robots are changing how students of all ages are learning and interacting with educators. However, it has so far been challenging to personalise learning in a traditional classroom, particularly in emerging countries. Teachers may recognise that different students learn differently, but there is little they can do as there is only one of them to a classroom full of students. Today’s new technologies could help make personalised learning for every student a reality. GovInsider explores four initiatives in Asia and Africa to see how technology can be used as a tool to tailor education to individual needs, allowing students to learn at their own unique pace.

Four lessons for personalised learning

By Ronald Wellman, US News

Working in admissions for several years has given me some insight into how students can avoid dropping out of an online degree program. Here are some tips to keep in mind that can help you stay on track to graduation. Manage your time. First, review your time management skills. You can get a realistic assessment by taking a time management quiz. Use your weaknesses as an opportunity to build in padding for extra time. Do you prefer an electronic or traditional paper calendar to keep track of your important dates? Organization is the key to reduce stress and be effective.

https://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/articles/2018-06-01/how-to-avoid-dropping-out-of-an-online-college

By Ann Marie Barron, SILive
Trying to choose a college major that’ll pay off down the road? Computer science, communications and political science top the list, according to the most recent study by the Princeton Review. Research conducted by the college admission services company resulted in a list of the top 10 college majors based on a few different things, including job prospects, alumni salaries and popularity. And while those three topped the list, other majors on it also offer myriad benefits and opportunities, researchers said.

https://www.silive.com/news/2018/06/college_majors_here_are_the_to.html

Chronicle of Higher Ed

“Making Digital Learning Work: Success Strategies From Six Leading Universities and Community Colleges” wades into those waters with a study of three community colleges and three public research universities, all of which have at least 20,000 students, and enroll significant percentages of Pell-eligible students and students who take online classes. The authors crunched a lot of data to determine how digital technologies affect access, student outcomes, and return on investment. First, the good news. Researchers from Arizona State University and the Boston Consulting Group found that online education can boost retention and graduation rates, while saving students time and money. But — and this is a big one — to be successful, colleges need to develop a variety of delivery models to match students’ needs, and make significant investments in things like instructional design and student support services. In other words, don’t expect a series of videotaped lectures to get the job done.

https://www.chronicle.com/article/What-6-Colleges-Learned-About/243540

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

There are not many teachers complaining that they simply don’t have enough material to cover in their classes. Rather, the opposite is normally the case. So the call to add yet more material—this time, in the form of digital literacy and media literacy—is unlikely to be welcomed wholeheartedly by America’s teachers. And yet these topics are so essential to society at large as well as to each individual student that they demand attention.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/how-digital-and-media-literacy-impacts-todays-classroom/

by Corinne Lestche, edScoop

Students in Missouri’s public schools will be able to take online courses for free, thanks to legislation signed by scandal-plagued Gov. Eric Greitens on Friday, just hours before he resigned from office. The Missouri Course Access and Virtual School Program will significantly expand online education for kids in K-12, while students’ district or charter schools pick up the tab. This will allow students in small, rural or underfunded schools that don’t have adequate teaching staff to take classes in advanced subjects such as Chinese or creative writing.

https://edscoop.com/virtual-schools-bill-missouri-eric-greitens-resigns-scandal

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

The digital writing workspace is convenient for several reasons. A single laptop or tablet can hold all the books and materials a student needs. It can also contain tools for research, entertainment activities, and curated music. The tech devices make learning more accessible. With the push of a button or a tap on a screen, students can activate engaging learning experiences, or they can record lectures. Convenience, however, doesn’t trump old-fashioned writing by hand when it comes to learning. Writing by hand has benefits that technology has not been able to reproduce – yet.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/how-important-is-writing-by-hand-in-this-digital-age/

by Menafn

As a software engineer, if you are beginning your career, or thinking of a change, web technology is the space to be in. Jobs here have increased sharply in recent times. And why not? The world today is functioning on computers. But if you don’t have much knowledge about this field, don’t worry. The following courses are enough to start you on your journey. The most in demand are React JS and Angular .

http://menafn.com/1096944857/6-technologies-you-must-know-for-a-job-in-ITsector

The Amgen Foundation and Harvard University today announced plans to launch a free online science education platform uniquely designed to level the playing field for aspiring scientists. The LabXchange platform, which will launch with a focus in biology, will offer digital instruction and virtual lab experiences to high school and college students, enabling them to gain meaningful exposure to the scientific process. It will also include online networking focused on collaboration and mentoring.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/amgen-foundation-and-harvard-team-up-to-offer-free-online-science-education-platform-300656825.html

by Ridge Crest California

Most of the coursework is done in a virtual classroom environment via the Internet. As an online public school, it’s a tuition-free program, with all required texts and instructional material provided at no cost. The expenses students and families might face are related to field trips (which are optional) and school supplies like notepads, pens and pencils. Rowe said that past available options were chaotic and sometimes not well-managed and didn’t foster a positive environment. David said it isn’t a struggle to reach out to the teachers in order to get help. “Sometimes the teachers are just a phone number away or a click of a button,” David said. “You don’t have to wait until the next day to talk with your teachers.”

http://www.ridgecrestca.com/news/20180530/learning-in-virtual-environment

by Associated Press

New legislation passed in Missouri means as early as next year public school students in kindergarten through 12th grade could have the option to take free online courses. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the Missouri House and Senate approved this month what’s been dubbed the Missouri Course Access and Virtual School Program. If Gov. Eric Greitens signs it, the law could go into effect next summer.

http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/2018/05/29/missouri-students-may-soon-get-option-of-free-online-courses/