Educational Technology

by Rockel Mundy, Royal Gazette

Bermuda College is offering a convenient way to boost your professional skill set in the digital age by providing short online professional development certificates. The college has seen online cources become increasingly popular with locals. It has been offering the courses for about four years after conducting a survey involving local professionals. “The survey was asking people what they are looking for in regards to courses and most people said that they needed something short, precise and to the point,” said Tawana Flood, director, division of professional and career education. “We found that most people wanted basic office skills such as business writing, Instagram for businesses, PowerPoint and Excel courses,” she added.

http://www.royalgazette.com/business/article/20180816/college-sees-digital-age-learning-advancing

By James Paterson, Education Dive
Amazon is the latest big tech company to help graduate students with the skills that employers want, training some experts say private firms can most easily and effectively provide, according to the Los Angeles Times. Amazon Web Services is partnering with a group of community colleges in the Los Angeles region to offer a 15-credit certification in the broadening field of cloud computing program. Planners expect the program will be expanded to a two-year degree program soon. A pilot program was offered last year through a local high school and Santa Monica College, which helped write the curriculum. Amazon also has begun offering a cloud computing program at Northern Virginia Community College.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/amazon-to-train-community-college-students-in-cloud-computing/529995/

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Most educators who have attempted to infuse their instructional activities with edtech have learned the hard way that things do not always go according to plan. But wise educators will turn this into a learning opportunity: the inevitable challenges to getting technology to work properly can become a powerful lesson on adaptability and flexibility that will help students develop these soft skills. Another crucial soft skill is open-mindedness. Edtech tools that encourage students to think outside of the box can be very helpful in developing this key skill. There are many programs and platforms that make it easy for classrooms to be linked to other classrooms in other countries for collaborative projects, and this is exactly the kind of experience that will help students learn to think more broadly. In short, the need for soft skills isn’t going away—if anything, these skills will become more important in an increasingly-digital workspace.

Using Digital Tools to Teach Soft Skills

By Ryan Miller, Enid News&Eagle
School began this week for thousands of students across Oklahoma enrolled in Oklahoma Connections Academy, a tuition-free virtual public school. The academy is a virtual public school serving students from kindergarten to 12th grade, according to a recent press release. “We’re excited to celebrate our eighth year as a school option for families throughout Oklahoma,” said Tammy Shepherd, head of school at Oklahoma Connections Academy. “We can’t wait to see what outstanding accomplishments our students are going to achieve in the 2018-2019 school year and beyond.” More parents have enrolled their children in online schooling in recent years due to an increased emphasis on digital literacy and tailored academic programs, according to the academy.

https://www.enidnews.com/news/state/online-public-school-year-kicks-off-in-oklahoma/article_6e742940-e0a2-5f5d-8daf-6c824994c1c6.html

By Valerie Bolden-Barrett, Education Dive

Many people (62%) think apprenticeships and other on-the-job training programs make job seekers more employable than a college education, according to an American Staffing Association survey of more than 2,000 respondents. The ASA’s Workforce Monitor survey found that 68% of respondents said learning a trade would help someone land a job more than pursuing a bachelor’s degree, and 69% believe that a college degree isn’t as valuable as it once. The survey also reported that 71% of those polled do not think completing an apprenticeship would limit someone’s future employment options. A majority (60%) disagreed with the notion that earn-while-learning programs generally lead to lower salaries than jobs requiring a college degree. Nine out of 10 respondents said apprenticeships can lead to new careers, prepare people for a job, and allow them to learn an interesting trade.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/survey-adults-think-apprenticeships-not-degrees-will-raise-employability/530081/

By Abhishek Kumar Jha, Tech Worm

Progressive e-learning design revolves around users and their lives. Sylvia Vorhauser-Smith writes in a Forbes article that the future of e-learning platforms will be making learning “easier to find, more engaging to digest and accessible on-demand.” So how does progressive e-learning design fit into all of this? It’s long past time that students only had access to the family PC for lessons. Today, 70% of e-learners use their smartphones. And, as we’ll see, progressive design adapts content to suit the device, which is crucial for those who learn on their phones or tablets.

How to Join the Digital Disruption with Progressive E-Learning Design

By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Inside Higher Ed

If college students knew how much money they’d make after graduation — even if it’s less than they thought — would they still choose the same major? Probably, according to a new report. Michelle Van Noy, associate director of Rutgers University’s Education and Employment Research Center, along with Alex Ruder, a nonresident visiting scholar at the university’s Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, surveyed more than 4,900 undergraduates, a range of students from freshmen to graduating seniors, at the institution’s three campuses in New Brunswick, Camden and Newark, N.J.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/08/17/rutgers-study-pay-doesnt-affect-students-major-choice

By Utah Online School
With countless tests, homework assignments, extracurricular activities and looming college applications, high school can be a stressful time of life for students and parents alike. While some worry about a lack of stimulating challenges in the classroom, others wonder if graduation is even a possibility. How can you ensure that your high school student is getting the learning experience he or she needs most? In an effort to provide high-quality learning options to meet a variety of needs, the Utah State Board of Education established the Statewide Online Education Program to enable eligible students to earn high school graduation credit through the completion of publicly funded online courses.

https://www.ksl.com/article/46366444/5-reasons-all-utah-high-school-students-should-consider-free-online-classes

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

While there have likely been many factors contributing to the current state of affairs, an important one is that most edtech tools have not focused on deeper learning. The fact is that it is pretty simple to design edtech that tests students’ recall of material: pretty much anyone can create multiple choice questions on a digital platform. But rote memorization and spitting back facts are not the route to deep learning. Instead, the next generation of edtech needs to focus on deeper learning to be truly impactful. How can this be done? There are a variety of models for what constitutes deeper learning that edtech designers can consult. One classic source is Bloom’s taxonomy, especially the revised version. The tendency to emphasize the lowest levels of the pyramid needs to be avoided. While it is normally easier and cheaper to design digital tools that test students’ ability to remember information simply, this is not deep learning. Instead, edtech can focus on the top of the pyramid and promote instructional materials that encourage students to evaluate and create.

Deep Learning in a Digital World of Possibilities

By Greg Oliver, Pickens County Courier

Starting with the upcoming school year, Pickens County students will no longer have to see their academic year extended to make up for inclement weather. The school district formally announced Wednesday that it will pilot the eLearning program this year. As a result, students will be able to make up inclement weather days by completing assignments online. “This is a change that I think our parents and students will be excited about, and I’m very grateful to the (Education Oversight Committee) for working with us to make it happen,” School District of Pickens County superintendent Danny Merck said. “The uncertainty surrounding inclement weather days has always been an issue as parents make plans.

http://www.yourpickenscounty.com/online-learning-to-replace-sdpc-makeup-days/

by Ashley A. Smith, Inside Higher Ed

Bright Horizons Family Solutions announced last month that the company is launching a tuition assistance program for all full-time employees who want to pursue an associate or bachelor’s degree in early-childhood education. The program will also cover fees and textbooks. “We really see this as an investment in our people,” Bright Horizons chief executive officer Stephen Kramer said. “Our view is that we’re going to be driving higher quality to our programs.” The move by Bright Horizons follows the steps taken by other companies, such as Walmart, Starbucks, McDonald’s and Fiat Chrysler, to offer employees free or low-cost tuition to help improve their skills and knowledge base, while also reducing turnover and fostering company loyalty. It’s also an opportunity for employees to increase their wages.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/08/15/free-college-tuition-day-care-center-workers-strings-attached

by EDUCAUSE

For more than a decade, EDUCAUSE has partnered with the New Media Consortium (NMC) to publish the annual Horizon Report – Higher Education Edition. Earlier this year, EDUCAUSE acquired the rights to the NMC Horizon project, which identifies and describes the higher education trends, challenges, and developments in educational technology likely to have an impact on learning, teaching, and creative inquiry. EDUCAUSE is publishing this 15th edition to both honor and work actively with the NMC’s Horizon legacy.

Key Trends Accelerating Higher Education Technology Adoption

Short Term—Driving technology adoption in Higher Education for the next one to two years

• Growing Focus on Measuring Learning
• Redesigning Learning Spaces

Mid-Term—Driving technology adoption in Higher Education for the next three to five years

• Proliferation of Open Educational Resources
• The Rise of New Forms of Interdisciplinary Studies

https://library.educause.edu/resources/2018/8/2018-nmc-horizon-report

by Tereza Litsa, ClickZ

Microsoft, Google, and Apple seem to agree that AR will revolutionize the way we use technology and they are determined to beat the competition. Facebook is also interested in seizing the AR trend, which makes the AR scene even more exciting. We’ve already seen the power of AR through our phones and it’s only a matter of time until all these tech giants launch their own AR products. Microsoft has already presented HoloLens, the so-called “first self-contained, holographic computer” that enables you to interact with holograms and engage with digital content in real life. The first Magic Leap One reviews talk about a superior quality compared to Microsoft’s HoloLens, but not in an impressive way since Microsoft’s product had been launched two years ago. The biggest struggle for Magic Leap will be to catch up with all these tech giants in understanding the consumer demands and delivering the right product at the right time.

Magic Leap shakes the AR industry in 2018. What’s next?

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

According to authors Elaine Beirne from Ireland’s Dublin City University and Matthew Romanoski from the University of Arizona, there is “no universal profile” for an instructional designer, and the path to the job may come through teaching in higher ed, working in technology, holding an academic research role or having a graphic design background. Even with this variety, the goal of the job is consistent across the board: to improve student success. In this, collaboration with faculty is the “top challenge.” Oftentimes, instructional designers have to overcome the idea that online learning works “crock pot style” (set it up and “forget it”), or they face instructor concern that a given course will become more mechanized and lose its personal touch in the design process, leaving students adrift as little more than an ID number.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/08/13/despite-increase-in-instructional-designers-there-is-no-universal-profile-for-the-role.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal
The top learning priority in education for technology use is personalized learning. More than nine in 10 respondents to a survey on the topic reported that in the pursuit of encouraging personalized learning their districts 1) provide software or digital curriculum to classrooms (designated by 96 percent of participants); 2) provide computing devices to classrooms (94 percent); and 3) provide professional development in personalized learning practices (92 percent). Two-thirds of districts (65 percent) also assess teachers on their implementation of personalized learning practices. Those results come from a survey conducted by the Center for Digital Education (CDE), which does this particular study every year.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/08/13/personalized-learning-top-priority-for-tech-usage-in-k12.aspx

By JOSEPH GEHA, Bay Area News Group

This is the second year the Google Girl’s Robotics Workshop has run at the campus. The tech giant sponsors the event and collaborates with the Girl Powered initiative, comprised of members from the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation and VEX Robotics. The goal of the initiative is to get more girls involved in robotics and science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields, at an earlier age. “Girls, by and large, are underrepresented in robotics,” said Vicki Grisanti, the director of marketing for the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation.

‘Girl powered’ robotics workshop at Google builds skills, confidence

by Stephanie M. Gastauer, Ledger Independent

According to the Association for Talent Development’s chair, Tara Deakin, also head of talent and organization effectiveness at TD Bank Group, the three most critical competencies of 2030 will be learning agility, career dexterity and resilience, and digital and data fluency. Artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality is transforming the learning landscape into something only witnessed in futuristic Hollywood movies. Nearly 100% of employee roles will require some form of technology by the year 2030. Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun addresses just that in his book “Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” Aoun states that, “the existing model of higher education has yet to adapt to the seismic shifts […] in the global economy.” Likely, that is true for secondary education as well. School districts with coding, Career and Technical Education, and Project Lead the Way curriculum give students an advantage over their same aged peers in districts without those offerings.

Workforce needs of the future

By Cait Etherington, eLearning Inside

In early August, Chronicle of Higher Education released a new report on the future of learning. Few were surprised to find that educational technologies were a major focus of the 2018 report. If you think the future of higher education will look like a sci-fi film where students wander around wearing virtual reality (VR) glasses and immersing themselves in other worlds, however, think again. According to the Chronicle‘s most recent report, change is imminent in higher education but will likely be more directly driven by innovations in data than innovations in VR or augmented reality. Co-sponsored by Desire2Learn, the 55-page report, The Future of Learning: How Colleges Can Transform the Educational Experience, highlights three major shifts currently underway that are expected to radically disrupt higher education over the coming decade.

Chronicle of Higher Education Releases Report on the Future of Learning

by Autumn A. Arnett, Education Dive
Generation Z students are tech-savvy, entrepreneurial and socially aware — and though most contemporary language still refers to them students as millennials, it is actually Gen Z students who are coming to campus this fall. Recent research shows this group of students prefers to communicate in person rather than by email or phone. On social media and digital channels, they want to be personally engaged and recognized as individuals.These students thrive on communication and collaboration, which underscores the importance of ditching the traditional lecture in favor of a more interactive, collaborative classroom structure that educators at the University of Maryland call “the future of education.”

https://www.educationdive.com/news/3-things-to-know-about-the-students-arriving-on-campus-this-month/529723/

BY RANDY SIEMINSKI, eCampus News

Nearly a year ago, SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran was looking at ways to grow his athletic department. Statistics on student-athletes showed higher GPAs, higher retention rates, and higher graduation rates than the rest of the student body. Recruiting more of these academically successful students was a top priority, and President Szafran had come across an idea that was non-traditional but showed great promise. Within a few short months, SUNY Canton added three eSports teams and was competing at the varsity level with a number of other forward-thinking colleges and universities around the country. eSports is growing exponentially (the numbers are staggering), and university athletic departments and administrators are taking notice.

The explosive growth of collegiate eSports, part 1

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

The product looks good, the research behind it is sound, and you even got a chance to demo it for yourself. You are ready to pull the trigger and sign on the dotted line. But wait, when you demoed the product, did you do so from a student’s perspective? Odds are, you didn’t, as you were mainly concerned with how it functions from the vantage point of an educator. Ask to demo the product again, and this time demo it from a student’s perspective. Here’s what you should pay attention to.

Before Adopting New Tech, Try it From a Students Perspective First