Educational Technology

by Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed
With its online master’s in computer science and its recent commitment to a lifetime of education for its students, Georgia Tech challenges MIT as most innovative university.  Georgia Tech’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, Rafael L. Bras, gave the charge to the Commission on Creating the Next in Education that put a focus on deliberate innovation and lifetime education. Part of the final report released last year is a universitywide commitment to lifetime education. Bras says, “Because of the Georgia Tech Commitment, future generations of learners will no longer say, ‘I got out,’ but instead will happily say, ‘I’m forever in.’” I encourage you to read the final report for inspiration.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/georgia-techs-bid-be-leader-university-innovation-opinion

BY LAURA ASCIONE, eCampus News

Although no state has comprehensive data about all types of non-degree credentials, including certificates, licenses, and industry certifications, states are improving their data-collection practices around non-degree credential attainment, according to Measuring Non-Degree Credential Attainment from the Workforce Data Quality Campaign. States are most likely to have data about public for-credit certificate programs, registered apprenticeship certificates, and licenses. Thirty-six states report having most or all individual-level data on for-credit certificates from public two-year institutions in their state. Twenty-seven states report having most or all data about registered apprenticeship certificates, and 22 states report having most or all licensing data.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2019/02/12/more-states-are-recognizing-the-importance-of-non-degree-credentials/

In this year’s annual letter, we’re highlighting nine more things that have surprised us along this journey. Some worry us. Others inspire us. All of them are prodding us to action. We hope they do the same for you, because that’s how the world gets better.

https://www.gatesnotes.com/2019-Annual-Letter

Bernard Marr, Forbes

Two of the most influential tech innovations that rocketed into our daily lives in the last several years are virtual digital assistants and online chatbots. These AI-driven tools are already impacting the way people live and how companies interact with their customers in just about every industry. It is expected that the market for digital assistants and chatbots will reach more than $7.7 billion by 2025 with 1 billion active users. After sharing a quick definition of virtual digital assistants and chatbots, we’ll review how this technology is used today.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2019/02/11/7-amazing-examples-of-online-chatbots-and-virtual-digital-assistants-in-practice/#55afc7f533ec

by Naveen KM, BW Education

Distance learning has been around for a long time, even before technology made it extremely accessible. Traditional schooling is now seeing an increased proliferation of virtual training materials and online courses. Even in a world of tried and tested schooling systems and curricula, the most successful schools are the ones who adapt to the changing times, as well as to the expectations of students, parents and the society. If online education is here to stay, then what are its implications for traditional learning? Instead of focusing on pros and cons, the conversation we should be having today is about leveraging online education to make our education systems more conducive to learning. Online courses call for a greater amount motivation and self-discipline than a classroom-based course.

http://bweducation.businessworld.in/article/Online-Learning-And-Impact-On-School-Education/11-02-2019-167068/

By Jeffrey R. Young, EdSurge

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-02-07-to-get-more-students-to-office-hours-colleges-rethink-the-faculty-office

Venture Beat

The amount of information that we have to pour through in order to identify threats and vulnerabilities and ongoing attacks is growing non-linearly, says Fernando Maymi, Ph.D., CISSP, a security practitioner with over 25 years’ experience in the field for both government and private sector organizations in the US and abroad. Maymi first became a passionate cybersecurity advocate decades ago, when as part of a government project looking at creating the next generation of wearable computing devices for soldiers, he realized there was no way to prevent an adversary from intercepting any communications. The project was ultimately cancelled till it was entirely reimagined some time later to manage for the risk.

https://venturebeat.com/2019/02/08/ai-is-giving-companies-a-fighting-chance-against-cyberattacks-vb-live/

Rockefeller University

After years of running on-campus workshops for New York City’s educational communities, the RockEDU Science Outreach team has accrued a rich portfolio of science education materials. With the launch of a new website, RockEDU Online, these resources are now available for learners, educators, and scientists everywhere. The site was created considering the challenges and limitations of participating in science education activities outside of traditional laboratory settings. RockEDU Online provides creative and well-designed resources that educators can incorporate to enhance their science education practice—including lab experiments, demonstrations, and discussion topics—as well as a Guide to Outreach where scientists can learn about effective tools and strategies for participating in science outreach.

https://www.rockefeller.edu/news/25138-new-online-resource-brings-science-outreach-to-a-broader-audience/

by Shannon Moudy, CBS2 Iowa

“Good morning kindergarteners!” begins a video on Seesaw, an app Ms. Manos uses to communicate with parents and the students use to work remotely. “Another snow day!” This is how the 11-year teaching veteran keeps her young students learning, even when classes are cancelled. “I post all my videos and activities I want the students to do via Seesaw,” she says. The school began using the app last year, but this use, posting at-home lessons during snow days, was created out of necessity as frigid and sometimes dangerous weather has kept many Iowa students home.

https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/online-app-allows-north-linn-students-to-learn-during-snow-days

Neil Sahota, COGNITIVE WORLD

What is the law but a series of algorithms? Codified instructions proscribing dos and don’ts—ifs and thens. Sounds a lot like computer programming, right? The legal system, on the other hand, is not as straightforward as coding. Just consider the complicated state of justice today, whether it be problems stemming from backlogged courts, overburdened public defenders, and swathes of defendants disproportionately accused of crimes. So, can artificial intelligence help? Very much so. Law firms are already using AI to more efficiently perform due diligence, conduct research and bill hours. But some expect the impact of AI to be much more transformational. It’s predicted AI will eliminate most paralegal and legal research positions within the next decade.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/02/09/will-a-i-put-lawyers-out-of-business/#2bc1715c31f0

By Terry Nguyen, Chronicle of Higher Ed
Heather Hiles will be the new chief executive of California’s fledgling virtual community college, the California Community Colleges system announced on Wednesday. The state’s ambitious first online community college hopes to test its first cohort of students in late 2019. The college, the brainchild of former Gov. Jerry Brown, seeks to reach nontraditional students left behind in the education system — those with some college but no four-year degree, or those who have never been to college at all. The virtual campus will serve primarily adult learners who want to take classes on their own schedules.

https://www.chronicle.com/article/New-Chief-of-California-s/245639

https://edscoop.com/classroom-technology-should-take-a-back-seat-to-learning-structure-experts-say/

Nicole Martin, Forbes

How do you know I am really a human writing this article and not a robot? Several major publications are picking up machine learning tools for content. So, what does artificial intelligence mean for the future of journalists? According to Matt Carlson, author of “The Robotic Reporter”, the algorithm converts data into narrative news text in real-time. Many of these being financially focused news stories since the data is calculated and released frequently. Which is why should be no surprise that Bloomberg news is one of the first adoptors of this automated content. Their program, Cyborg, churned out thousands of articles last year that took financial reports and turned them into news stories like a business reporter.  [ed note:  How will this apply to students writing research papers?]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolemartin1/2019/02/08/did-a-robot-write-this-how-ai-is-impacting-journalism/#6c6fa7207795

Gerald Fenech, Forbes

After years of research at MIT, Endor claims to have invented the “Google for predictive analytics*”, providing automated AI predictions for companies. Endor can process Encrypted Data, without ever decrypting it, on and off blockchain and it enables business users to ask predictive questions and get automated accurate predictions. No data science expertise is required. Endor is a spinoff of MIT. The company started four years ago and commercialized Social Physics building a product that can connect to data sets and allow the owners of these data sets to ask questions about their data automatically and accurately without disclosing anything about the data or the questions.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/geraldfenech/2019/02/03/transforming-big-data-processing-through-blockchain-and-ai/#907364350562

Emma Tomsich, Marquette Wire

With the goal of educating a greater and more diverse student body, Marquette University is working to expand its online learning programs, David Schejbal, vice president and chief of digital learning, said.  Schejbal said enhancing the online learning program and creating more opportunities for students can allow Marquette to become more technologically and socially advanced. Schejbal was hired in August after administration showed interest in developing the program, he said. “One of President Lovell’s interests and goals of the university’s Beyond Boundaries plan is to engage more with the greater Milwaukee community,” Schejbal said. “Marquette is very interested in developing its online presence and expanding its scope to attract a more diverse student body, which would include adult and nontraditional students both in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin.”

https://marquettewire.org/4006107/news/online-learning-advances-at-marquette/

Forbes Coaches Council
Many companies are leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning today, and the impact of these technologies is only expected to increase. While this is great for businesses looking to improve their performance, many employees worry that robots will take over their jobs within the next few years. While AI may certainly change certain types of jobs, they will never fully replace human workers—you just need to know how to maintain and sell your skills. Forbes Coaches Council members shared tips for “future proofing” yourself for an AI-driven working world.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/02/08/dont-fear-ai-16-ways-to-future-proof-yourself-as-a-professional/#5f2a02ae4cd3

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Many parents who look at the messages sent back and forth in their children’s smart phones wonder if schools are even teaching writing these days. After all, the conversations seem to be full of acronyms and emojis, hardly the stuff that made Mark Twain or Louisa May Alcott great writers and less likely to help their children write at all.   The language that kids use for informal chatting and messaging in their digital devices is only one type of writing. Are these digital devices the reason why kids can’t write? If you’re thinking about handwriting, maybe. Cursive handwriting has advantages over typing and IMing, but we’re talking about writing instruction that fosters communication skills and develops critical thinking – and whether or not digital devices help or hinder writing instruction.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/are-digital-devices-the-reason-why-kids-cant-write/

Purdue University

The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) and Chegg, Inc. (NYSE: CHGG), today announced an exclusive agreement to integrate Chegg’s Writing tools with Purdue University’s OWL content to support students on-demand whenever and wherever they need it. This partnership furthers both groups’ shared goal to help students worldwide become better writers. “This underscores the huge opportunity for traditional education institutions and technology innovators to work together to harness the power of subject matter expertise, premium content, intelligent software and the 24/7 access the internet provides,” said Nathan Schultz, President, Learning Services at Chegg.

https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2019/Q1/the-purdue-university-online-writing-lab-and-chegg-partner-to-make-world-class-writing-education-tools-more-accessible.html

By Natalie Schwartz , Education Dive
Colleges that offer online programs should grow their digital credential options in order to stay competitive, according to a new report from the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE). Credentials are an increasingly popular option for learners, prompting traditional colleges and alternative education providers to increase their offerings to claim a stake in the growing market. Colleges that don’t follow suit could lose out to “nontraditional and tech-savvy organizations” that are dipping into “universities’ traditional spheres of influence,” ICDE warns. Traditional transcripts don’t adequately convey a student’s skills, whereas credentials indicate if an applicant has the required competencies for a job, the working group argues. Credentials will eventually make transcripts irrelevant, they predict, and better align learning outcomes with workplace needs.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/report-colleges-must-offer-digital-credentials-to-stay-relevant/547858/

Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The snowy and cold weather events have school districts scrambling to figure out how to make up for lost time. That usually means either adding days onto the end of the year or making designated days off school days. But other options are also being considered, especially the concept of virtual learning days. At University School of Milwaukee in River Hills, virtual learning has been a reality for almost five years. The idea came about after weather-related school closings in the 2013-14 school year caused USM to extend its winter break by three days. Teachers and administrators wanted a way to continue teaching and keeping students engaged during unplanned off days.

https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/northshore/news/river-hills/2019/02/06/wisconsin-schools-consider-replacing-snow-days-virtual-learning/2768021002/

Natalie Schwartz, Education Dive

When a polar vortex swept through the Midwest last week and triggered wind chills as low as 66 degrees below zero, University of Michigan professor Perry Samson thought it was too good of a teaching opportunity to pass up. Samson, an atmospheric sciences professor, teaches a course called “extreme weather.” In it, he covers topics such as hurricanes, tornadoes and lightning, as well as how a changing climate can alter the frequency and intensity of such events. The week the polar vortex hit, he was scheduled to lecture about heat waves. Inaccurate student data can have major consequences for credit reporting for not only your organization, but also your students. Get up to speed on new standards and how to meet them with this playbook. Even if students were willing to chance frostbite in the record-breaking cold to get to his class, the university had made the rare call to close the campus. So instead, Samson took the class online. Other instructors at closed campuses across the Midwest kept their students on track through the deep freeze by bringing their classes online.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/midwest-instructors-move-classes-online-during-polar-vortex/547526/