Educational Technology

by James Paterson, Education Dive
The use of big data or cloud computing and the expansive and unpredictable inroads made by online learning were among the most important changes in higher education brought on by technology, according to a review of trends by Educause as it celebrated its 20-year anniversary.  According to a report from EdTech, Educause asked IT experts about “the most significant moments of the past, the most promising trends of the future and everything in between.” The experts said data analytics were being used in very different ways at institutions, and that it had become critical in many aspects of college operations, including recruitment, measuring student success and fundraising. Cloud computing has also dramatically changed how colleges operate, they said, and willingness to make IT a key part of operations has had a significant impact.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/what-are-the-top-trends-in-ed-tech/528449/

by Marvin Krislov, Forbes

In the academic world, we have run into a statistical dead end in assessing how our students are performing. I want to propose a way of breaking through the issue so that our colleges and universities are able to keep pace with, and measure, the deep changes impacting our economy and society and the role higher education must play. The main storehouse of data on college performance is the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, called IPEDS. IPEDS produces an “overall graduation rate” for every college in the country, and that statistic is a key factor in college rankings, from U.S. News & World Report to the College Scorecard to the newly prominent Google college search results.   Under the IPEDS definition, John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama, both of whom transferred colleges, and Mitt Romney, who both transferred and took time off for his Mormon mission, would be considered nongraduates. An alternative metric to the federal graduation rate is the Student Achievement Measure, or SAM. Developed by a consortium of higher-education associations with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation, SAM is designed to provide a more accurate picture of student progress and success. It includes transfer students and part-time students alongside full-time students, and it tracks progress at public and private colleges and universities and two- and four-year institutions.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marvinkrislov/2018/07/23/why-we-need-to-rethink-graduation-rates-as-a-measure-of-colleges-success

by Kristi DePaul, EDUCAUSE Review

Philosophers across the ages have debated what constitutes reality. While today’s technological advances don’t completely reshape such arguments, they are bringing to life a wholly different kind of encounter, one in which humans can experience bygone eras, meet people who no longer exist, or travel to faraway places. It should come as no surprise that many colleges and universities are experimenting with XR, or cross reality, which combines digital and biological experiences. After all, higher education is as much a laboratory as it is an institution. Those who continue to embrace technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) will undoubtedly play a role in reshaping the educational environment; some will even redefine it.

https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2018/5/vr-and-ar-pioneering-technologies-for-21st-century-learning

By Henry Kronk, eLearning Inside

Quizzing is a fundamental aspect of any course, unit, or learning module. Numerous studies confirm that quizzes help in the learning process and improve long-term retention, especially if the assessment includes feedback. But not every online quiz aid is created equally. One main difference is testing for recognition vs. recall, or in other words, multiple choice vs. fill-in-the-blank, respectively. While a good deal of studies show that recall requires more work and leads to more effective learning outcomes, these studies typically produce results in a lab setting, and not in a classroom. For this reason, researchers Piers Howe (University of Melbourne, Jason Lodge (University of Queensland), and Meredith McKague (University of Melbourne) recently carried out a study on online quiz aids to see which would actually improve student performance. The paper was published this month in Frontiers in Education and draws some surprising conclusions.

What’s Better for an Online Quiz Aid–Multiple Choice or Fill in the Blank? This Study Says it Doesn’t Matter

by MARK GOLDIN, Venture Beat

AI is rapidly changing the face of work as we know it. No one wants to train employees on a technology that will be out-of-date or done better by AI in a matter of months. But it’s difficult to predict which tech skills will become most vital next. To stay ahead of the evolving skill requirements and tech advances, CTOs and tech leaders must implement a culture of continuous, on-the-job learning.

Why your team needs a constant-learning initiative

Scott Fulton III, ZdNet
It is a capital improvement project the size of the entire planet, replacing one wireless architecture created this century with another one that aims to lower energy consumption and maintenance costs. Sure, you’ll download movies faster on your phone, but that’s not the real reason 5G’s arrival is being accelerated.  It is the fourth time in history that the world’s telecommunications providers (the telcos) have acknowledged the need for a complete overhaul of their wireless infrastructure. This is why the ever-increasing array of technologies, listed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) as “Release 15” and “Release 16” of their standards for wireless telecom, is called 5G. It is an effort to create a sustainable industry around the wireless consumption of data for all the world’s telcos. One key goal of 5G is to dramatically improve quality of service, and extend that quality over a broader geographic area, in order for the wireless industry to remain competitive against the onset of gigabit fiber service coupled with Wi-Fi.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-5g-everything-you-need-to-know/

by Dian Schiffhauser, Campus Technology

Active learning is a great way to increase student excitement and participation, facilitate different kinds of learning activities, help people develop skills in small group work, promote discussion, boost attendance and give an outlet for technology usage that stays on track. It also requires remaking classrooms to enable that hands-on, collaborative student work — and that can often mean a six-figure price tag. But at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH, a $12,000 experiment proved successful enough that the institution now sports two permanent active learning classrooms as well as a brand-new active learning lab. Here are the 10 steps this school with just under 2,000 students followed on its road to active learning victory.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/07/18/10-steps-to-achieving-active-learning-on-a-budget.aspx

by Ryan Eudy, Training and Development ej4

A learning ecosystem is a system of people, content, technology, culture, and strategy, existing both within and outside of an organization, all of which has an impact on both the formal and informal learning that goes on in that organization. The word “ecosystem” is worth paying attention to here. It’s not just there to make the term sound fancy or scientific. A learning ecosystem is the L&D equivalent of an ecosystem out in the wild. Just as a living ecosystem has many interacting species, environments, and the complex relationships among them, a learning ecosystem has many people and pieces of content, in different roles and learning contexts, and complex relationships.

https://www.ej4.com/blog/what-is-a-learning-ecosystem

By Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

The old business adage is that you have to spend money to make money – and that should be the mentality when looking at struggling schools or districts that need, sometimes costly, digital devices and products. By smartly investing the money, even just in a few key areas, schools will see a return on that edtech investment in the way of more successful, higher achieving students. And really – edtech does not need to cost a fortune to make a difference. In truth, many digital learning efforts are cost-effective and can be implemented by resourceful educators. When there is a lack of money, edtech tool acquisition is contingent upon the faith and commitment level of the faculty and staff. Money should not be wasted on model products and unsubstantiated trends. Digital leadership groups will have to work diligently and efficiently to implement the chosen digital learning efforts properly and effectively.

Digital Learning on a Budget: How to Stretch Your Edtech Dollars

By Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

In this age of technology and innovation, the K-12 learning is continually evolving in order to adapt to the times. It’s important that teachers keep up-to-date with the latest helpful technology for their students and that parents understand the ramifications of that technology, too. Here are five major classroom trends that are impacting the K-12 digital learning process:

5 Trends That Are Improving K-12 Digital Learning Experiences

by James Paterson, Education Dive

The University of Iowa College of Education is collaborating with K-12 schools in a new program to encourage gifted students in rural areas to take rigorous STEM classes and pursue careers in those fields. The program benefits the schools and students and improves the connection for them to the Iowa campus. Through its Belin-Blank Center, the college is using funding from the National Science Foundation and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to create the STEM Excellence and Leadership Program, which works with 10 schools throughout the state. The schools receive extra funds to provide special tutorial time for the students, purchase science and technology equipment and bring their students to the UI campus for a tour.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/university-building-pathway-to-college-for-rural-k-12-students/528254/

by the Music (Australia)

There’s nothing more frustrating for aspiring musicians than sitting down with a guitar for the first time and not knowing where to start. Fretting chords can feel awkward and trying to play along to your favourite songs seems like a pipedream, but with Fender’s revolutionary new guitar-learning platform, Fender Play, you’ll be able to kickstart your dream in minutes. The first-of-its-kind service offers easy to follow, instructor-led video lessons, a progress tracker, the opportunity to play along to your favourite songs while you learn and so much more.

http://themusic.com.au/news/all/2018/07/20/fender%E2%80%99s-online-guitar-learning-platform-will-have-you-shredding-in-no-time/

by Matthew Lynch, tech Edvocate

If you have been studying the field of education closely, then you know that it is undergoing a metamorphosis. Students of today no longer respond to the school configurations and instructional strategies that our ancestors did. No, they grew up in a world that is dominated by and integrated with technology. To educate today’s students, schools have to adapt to this and provide a modern education, that is infused with technology. To be successful, schools need to change how they do business, and their teachers have to add new skill sets to their repertoire. In this article, we will discuss 8 attributes of successful schools in the digital age.

8 Attributes of Successful Schools in the Digital Age

by BRENDA IASEVOLI, Hechinger Report

Girls-only trade classes like Carlevatti’s are gaining traction, and the timing is right. A shortage of skilled workers is driving up wages in the trades, especially in traditionally male-dominated professions such as auto repair, construction and welding. (Nationwide, only 2 percent of auto mechanics, 3 percent of construction workers and 4.5 percent of welders are women, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.) High schools like Myers Park have found that when they offer female-only trade courses, the girls sign up. The trouble is, such courses could run afoul of Title IX regulations regarding single-sex education. The law prohibits separation of genders in vocational training. Still, advocates see plenty of reason to forge ahead, and the labor shortage is just one factor. They argue that all-girls trade classes embolden girls to push against gender stereotypes that threaten to hold them back, whether they want to swing a hammer or break into the boardroom. Shop class, it seems, is a new path to female empowerment.

Girls-only trade classes are spreading — and upending stereotypes

by James Paterson, Education Dive

The University of Iowa College of Education is collaborating with K-12 schools in a new program to encourage gifted students in rural areas to take rigorous STEM classes and pursue careers in those fields. The program benefits the schools and students and improves the connection for them to the Iowa campus. Through its Belin-Blank Center, the college is using funding from the National Science Foundation and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to create the STEM Excellence and Leadership Program, which works with 10 schools throughout the state. The schools receive extra funds to provide special tutorial time for the students, purchase science and technology equipment and bring their students to the UI campus for a tour.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/university-building-pathway-to-college-for-rural-k-12-students/528254/

by MATTHEW LYNCH, tech Edvocate

Increased attention at both the local and national levels on improving student learning has resulted in a growing expectation in some states and districts for principals to be effective digital leaders. Consider these statistics: nearly 7,000 students drop out of U.S. high schools every day and, every year approximately 1.2 million teenagers leave the public school system without a diploma or an adequate education. There are 2,000 high schools in America in which less than 60% of students graduate within four years after entering ninth grade. The situation is not much brighter for students who do earn a high school diploma, and enter a two –year or four-year institutions. In community colleges, approximately 40% of freshmen (and approximately 20% in public, four-year institutions) are in need of basic instruction in reading, writing, or mathematics before they can perform in college-level courses. It is vital that principals advocate for these students and provide digital leadership to reverse this appalling educational outcome.

Education Leaders Role in Improving Digital Learning

9 Time-Saving Apps and Tools for Teachers

by Rachel E. Bryan, Diverse Education

Native Americans have the lowest educational attainment of any race. In 1990, only 9 percent of Native Americans under the age of 25 had a bachelor’s degree, compared to 21 percent of all U.S. citizens. Fortunately, with the preparation of a two-year tribal college or university (TCU), Native American students are four times more likely to earn their bachelor’s degree than those who entered a mainstream four-year institution out of high school, and 86 percent of students who attend TCUs earn a degree. Why is this gap in educational attainment so vast? One of the ways in which mainstream institutions are failing their Native American students is that they are simply not addressing the values of Native American students. For example, family is such an important value in Native American culture that it can “take priority over their personal academic progress.” Additionally, Native American families struggle with high rates of poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse and domestic violence, which can affect students and even result in them dropping out of college.

http://diverseeducation.com/article/120277/

by Matthew Lynch, tech Edvocate

Looking for apps and tools that integrate with Google Classroom? Don’t worry, we have you covered.  Click below for more info on Alma, Classcraft, BrainPop, Tynker, and Khan Academy.

5 Apps and Tools That Integrate With Google Clasroom

by Knowledge@Wharton

The recent indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers by the Justice Department for interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election underscores the severity and immense reach of cyber attacks, like no other in history. To influence the election’s outcome, authorities said these agents hacked into the computer networks of the Democratic Party to get information, and strategically released it on the internet. In the private sector, companies have to step up their game against cyber attacks that are becoming all too common. Against that backdrop, fighting cyber threats has never been more important. It is the “greatest terror on the economy, bar none,” but policy makers’ response to it has been moving at a snail’s pace, according to high-ranking cyber-security and risk management experts who spoke at a panel discussion on cyber risks at the Penn Wharton Budget Model’s first Spring Policy Forum, which was held last month in Washington. Experts called for greater awareness of cyber threats at all levels, an inclusive approach to protect all parties affected, and steps to “harden our defenses to make the cost too high for the payoff to carry out these cyber attacks.”

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/creating-tougher-defenses-cyber-attacks/

By Neetish Basne, Dallas Business Journal
Google is collaborating with a North Texas community college to bring its professional certificate course to students, in an attempt to develop a qualified IT labor pool. When the Silicon Valley tech company found it challenging to find and hire qualified IT support specialists, it started training workers on the job, on the Google campus. The training program proved successful, so Google started offering the training program as an online course earlier this year. Now, it has announced that about 25 community colleges across the country also will provide the eight-month course. Among the schools, Collin County Community College will offer Google’s IT Support Professional Certificate this fall.

https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2018/07/16/google-cant-find-enough-workers-so-its-partnering.html