Educational Technology

By Ariel Fox Johnson, THE Journal

Most of us are only vaguely aware of the shadowy data brokers, who buy, sell, and bundle our personal information — taking things like age, grocery purchases, education, address, magazine subscriptions, favorite apps and number of children (along with thousands of other data points, per an FTC report) to categorize us into segments like “Thrifty Elders,” “Resolute Renters” or “Metro Parents.” But even fewer people know that a marketplace for student information exists as well. And that this market may be fed by unwitting students, who turn over sensitive information that they believe they must provide in order to learn about educational opportunities and scholarships.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/07/02/student-data-brokers-shady-practices-put-private-student-data-on-the-open-market.aspx

By David Raths, Campus Technology
In 2015, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology (ICAT) launched the Cube, an adaptable space for research and experimentation housed in the campus’s Moss Arts Center. One of the first things ICAT did was to hire an immersive environment specialist to help faculty members who were incorporating the new space into their curricula.  “I remember Ben Knapp, ICAT’s director, used the term ‘concierge’ when he came up with the position,” recalled Zach Duer, who served in the job for a year and a half before becoming an assistant professor in the school of visual arts.  According to Duer, it’s a common problem that universities invest in new technologies such as immersive learning spaces but fail to create positions like his to help faculty learn how to use them.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/07/03/guiding-faculty-into-immersive-environments.aspx

by LINDSAY GELLMAN, the Atlantic

Coding schools are offering free classes in exchange for a percentage of future income. But at what cost?  The program would provide comprehensive web-engineering training, and would help with job placement. Once employed, graduates would be required to pay back a set portion of their salary under an arrangement called an income-share agreement, or ISA. The concept of ISAs has been around since at least the 1950s, when the economist Milton Friedman outlined them as a hypothetical model of repayment. Yet ISAs were rarely implemented until the past few years, as student-loan default spiked and schools sought to offer other ways to pay. In 2016, Purdue University launched an ISA tuition option aimed at families who might otherwise take out high-interest private loans or Direct PLUS loans for parents to fill the gap between federal student loans and the cost of tuition.

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/06/an-alternative-to-student-loan-debt/563093/

By Keith R. Krueger, THE Journal
In the last few months, there has been no shortage of new data surrounding education. Like the Twitter and news cycle, it’s hard to keep up and make sense of what statistics matter most to help address the needs of districts today. When it comes to advancing 21st-century learning settings, I’m going to catch you up and give you the statistics that you need to know. Earlier this spring, CoSN unveiled the new findings from our 2018 National K-12 IT Leadership Survey Report. Conducted in partnership with Dude Solutions and MDR, the annual survey provides the education community with insights from school system technology leaders on their challenges and priorities.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/06/28/key-facts-to-advance-ed-tech-in-america.aspx

By Dennis Pierce, THE Journal
Technology is changing how students’ brains are wired, setting expectations for faster, more interactive learning, said neuroscientist and best-selling author David Eagleman. And the most important thing that schools should be teaching students is “cognitive flexibility,” or the ability to be creative and put ideas together in new and innovative ways. Eagleman spoke to a packed audience of educators and school administrators during the opening general session of the 2018 ISTE conference in Chicago. As a neuroscientist, he has studied how the human brain is constantly rewiring itself, a concept known as brain plasticity. He said the brains of today’s students are changing because they are growing up in a digital world. Rather than resisting this change, educators need to embrace it and teach students as they are accustomed to learning outside of school.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/06/25/what-neuroscience-teaches-us-about-fostering-creativity.aspx

by Shazia K. Jan, ALT Journal
This article presents findings from a case study on a fully online bachelor’s level course at an Australian University. The study was undertaken to demonstrate the effectiveness of the integrated methodological framework (IMF) in structurally exploring and identifying online communities of inquiry (CoI). The IMF employs social network analysis (SNA) as the key methodology for exploring community-based learning in light of the communities of practice (CoP) and CoI frameworks. The case study was conducted on two offerings of the same online course with some variations in the design. In line with the intentions of the lecturer to engage students in a CoI, the course included guided, facilitated, and graded weekly discussion activities. On application of the IMF, network diagrams and SNA measures clearly showed the impact of the different learning designs on student online engagement within the discussion forums in each semester. Based on structural components of a CoI within the IMF, a comparative analysis of the networks obtained indicated the formation of an unidentified community in S2 and a CoI in S3. The article discusses findings in terms of effectiveness of the IMF, impact of learning design on community formation and learning analytics in online learning.

https://journal.alt.ac.uk/index.php/rlt/article/view/2064

By David Raths, Campus Technology
Smart campus efforts take advantage of the Internet of Things (IoT) to gain efficiencies from automation and analytics, often starting with building systems and energy usage. But as IoT efforts expand to other parts of the university, including student success, some universities are experiencing growing pains working across disciplines to gather and analyze so much data. For instance, a few years into a smart campus initiative called the Integrated Controls and Analytics Program, Stanford University (CA) is finding data quality and data management are raising unforeseen challenges. “Data management is the biggest obstacle we have right now,” said Gerry Hamilton, Stanford’s director of facilities energy management.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/06/28/grappling-with-iot-growth-on-campus.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology
College students are showing more confidence in their ability to get jobs in their career areas. More than four in 10 (41 percent) said they were “extremely” or “very” prepared, compared to about three in 10 (29 percent) last year. And far fewer students said they were “slightly” or “not at all” prepared this year than last year (17 percent compared to 31 percent). Men were far more likely to feel prepared than women: 50 percent compared to 36 percent. Also, non-traditional students, those who didn’t enter college within a year of completing high school, were more likely to feel prepared than traditional students (49 percent vs. 34 percent). Students in vocational and technology programs were far more likely to consider themselves extremely prepared for work than any other discipline; for example, while 40 percent of vocational students stated that, for social sciences, the next highest discipline, just 13 percent said the same. These results came from the latest McGraw-Hill Education Future Workforce Survey.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/06/28/students-feel-more-secure-about-getting-jobs-but-skills-gaps-persist.aspx

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

As education is becoming increasingly focused on teaching students STEM skills, we must remember that literacy skills are just as important. While science and math have traditionally separated from literature and humanities courses, today’s literature teachers are looking for ways to engage their students using STEM. Some people may balk at the idea of STEM activities in an English class, but as you will see, it is easier than ever before to combine STEM and Literature to bring characters and stories to life.

Using STEM to Bring Literature to Life

by Eli Zimmerman, EdTech
Campus IT teams need to get ahead of the coming bandwidth demand as growing trends in video use extend beyond entertainment and into the classroom. The streaming revolution is showing no sign of slowing down. Sixty-one percent of Americans between 18 and 29 years old use streaming services as their primary way to watch TV, according to a recent report from the Pew Research Center. New ventures, such as the recent purchase of MTV campus networks by streaming service Chedder, show companies are embracing the new wave of online viewership. Beyond entertainment, college students are finding videos to be an optimal way to learn. A student survey at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry found 97 percent of students felt videos of lectures helped them learn, and 98 percent watched these videos online. As online video viewing grows at an exponential rate each year, universities need to update their networks to stay ahead of the accelerating consumption in and out of the classroom.

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2018/06/universities-look-improve-bandwidth-streaming-demand-rises

by WRCB
Coursera is an online learning platform used by around 24 million people. It allows anyone to take classes, earn certificates and, in some cases, degrees.   If you’ve ever thought about changing careers you’ve likely hesitated because of the financial risk. Switching careers might require more education or even a second (or first) college degree. There’s never been a better time to go back to school than now thanks to apps and websites like Coursera. Coursera is an online learning platform used by around 24 million people. It allows anyone to take classes, earn certificates and, in some cases, degrees. Classes are taught by professors from some of the leading universities from around the world: Stanford, Michigan, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Yale to name a few.

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/38544040/what-the-tech-coursera-for-a-college-education

By Beth McMurtrie, Chronicle of Higher Ed

The value of faculty mentorship to young instructors and researchers has long been known. But it may not occur very often: According to one survey, only about one in four undergraduate-teaching faculty members mentor others “to a great extent.” Typically, mentors help their less experienced peers do things like learn how to navigate campus hierarchies, plan their careers, or map out research agendas.
But mentorship can also help improve teaching. As professors, including seasoned faculty members, explore new ways of teaching in online and active-learning classrooms, they too find that having a strong mentor is critical to their success. Instructional designers may be great at helping redesign a curriculum. And academic technologists are key to understanding new technologies. But for day-to-day teaching challenges, nothing beats an ally who has been there, done that.

https://www.chronicle.com/article/Want-to-Help-Professors-Become/243788

by Siobhán English, the Independent
Studying in Ireland full-time was never an option for John Morley as he commuted between his home in Mayo and his London office. Thankfully the introduction of the online Green Cert course by Westport College of Further Education has now enabled him to continue his career in property across the water, while also gaining a qualification that will be useful on the farm at home in years to come. “Only for the online course I would not have been able to get my Green Cert at all,” the 34-year-old says.

https://www.independent.ie/business/farming/rural-life/online-learning-means-distance-is-no-longer-an-obstacle-for-young-farmers-looking-to-complete-green-cert-37048127.html

by Sacramento CBS13

California students may need to take an online safety class in school. The Cyber Secure Youth Act would require school districts to teach students in grades K-6 and 7-12 “cyber hygiene.” That’s the term used to cover: online account maintenance, secure website recognition, source evaluation, content maintenance, safe online behavior, computer literacy, and community responsibility.  Students would need to be offered the class at least once during kindergarten through 6th grade and again during 7th through 12th grades. The goal would be to not only teach students how to protect themselves online, but also how to develop a healthy attitude about social media, communicating online, and storing personal information on various sites.

Cyber Security Classes May Be Required In California Schools

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Evocate

A video is a very flexible method for assessing student learning. A video report on a social studies topic, for example, can incorporate a thesis statement, research from a variety of primary and secondary sources, the development of a logical argument, and a conclusion. The project can be completed alone or in a group, creating a collaborative learning environment. Students will immediately see the results of their work and be encouraged to revise, deepening their learning and improving their performance on the assignment. In addition, they can watch other students’ videos on the assignment and see that a topic can be handled in more than one way and that different conclusions can be reached. Most important, making and watching videos is fun and student enthusiasm will show through in their effort on the task and in the quality of their work.

Creating Formative and/or Summative Assessments with Video

By James Paterson, Education Dive
A leading young entrepreneur says companies should be more interested in hiring employees who care about their work, want to make a difference and have the specific skills they need for the job rather than those who just possess a certain college degree. Stacey Ferreira, who helped found a successful tech company in high school, said in a video interview with Inc. that managers should hire people who have “passion” for work and the specific job even if they don’t necessarily have a college degree in the field — or a degree at all. Ferreira, who has become well known for her entrepreneurial talents and speeches concerning employment trends, also said companies should allow knowledge gained in college to “work alongside” the specific new skills needed in a job.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/better-alignment-needed-between-college-training-jobs/526403/

By James Paterson, Education Dive
A new report from the College Savings Foundation (CSF) finds that 81% of high school students in its survey seek skills training, and an increasing number are considering technical schools and community colleges. The survey showed the number of students intending to go to community college increased 9% from 2015 to 2018. About 53% plan to attend a traditional four-year college and 36% a community college or vocational school, the report said.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/high-school-grads-want-job-skills-next-survey-shows/526285/

Artificial Intelligence is transforming the world; it’s being integrated into various fields like healthcare, banking, transport, defense, education, etc. Today, we find AI everywhere – from search engines to digital assistants like Siri and Alexa, smart home-appliances, self-driving cars, etc. So, the need for people with knowledge about AI is on the rise. Here are 6 online courses to help you learn about AI.

https://www.newsbytesapp.com/timeline/India/26019/117612/6-popular-online-artificial-intelligence-courses

By Shalina Chatlani, Education Dive

The workplace of the future will be marked by unprecedentedly advanced technologies, as well as a focus on incorporating artificially intelligent algorithms of automation to drive higher levels of production with fewer resources. Employers and education stakeholders, noting the reality of this trend, question whether students will be workforce ready in the years to come. This has become a significant concern for higher education executives, finding that their business models could be disrupted as they fail to meet workforce demands. A 2018 Gallup and Northeastern University survey shows that of 3,297 U.S. citizens interviewed, only 22% of those with a bachelor’s degree said their education left them “well” or “very well prepared” to use AI in their jobs.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/is-ai-disrupting-higher-education/525130/

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

While the healthcare industry has hardly learned its lessons about security, many cybercriminals are turning their attention to other opportunities – namely, schools. In October 2017, the U.S. Department of Education warned that school districts would soon suffer an onslaught of attacks, and they were right. Here’s a brief history of the recent cyberthreats to schools and what schools can do to stay safe and secure.

Are Schools the Next Big Cyber-Targets?

Contact North has created this summary infographic on ten key facts about OER. Each fact links to additional readings and resources. This is a great ready reference on Open Educational Resources.

https://teachonline.ca/sites/default/files/tools-trends/downloads/ten_facts_aboutopen_educational_resources.pdf