Educational Technology

Jennifer Auh, Fox 10 Phoenix

Arizona State University is currently phasing out the traditional classroom setting, at least for its math and science courses.  This new way of teaching is about providing a more interactive learning experience for students, and the new system has been so successful that it has been adopted by about 30 other universities across the country. Instead of going to class to listen to lectures, students in Professor Susan Holechak’s class do that online. Then, they go to class to work on problem-solving in small groups. “I feel the students are more engaged, because in a setting like this, they work in groups and able to go table by table, group by group. I can interact with them,” said Holechak, an instructor at ASU’s School of Life Sciences.

http://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-news/asu-phasing-out-traditional-classrooms-in-favor-of-new-approach-to-teaching

By Helen Lammers-Helps, Country Guide
We’re told there has never been a time in all of human history when things have changed at such a rapid pace. And this is especially true for agriculture. Nor are farmers just letting it happen. Instead, they’re embracing lifelong learning to prepare and to adapt, whether it’s learning new software programs, farm business management skills or any of a thousand different things. Fortunately, the internet has made it easier for those in rural and remote areas to access a wide array of new information from anywhere in the world, provided of course that you can put up with interruptions due to bandwidth and program speed.

https://www.country-guide.ca/guide-life/do-you-know-what-learning-styles-work-best-for-you-and-your-team/

Tomorrow’s Professor

Graduates of the revised course attest to the value of its active-learning approach. Karl Wessendorf, BS ’16, who was in the first cohort of the new ChemEng 185, went to work in the biotech industry, where he came to appreciate how the course taught him to learn from failed experiments. “I had a much easier time transitioning from being a student to a working professional because I’d already made this leap,” Wessendorf said. Encouraged by student reactions, Sattely and Hwang have submitted a proposal to the university’s long-range planning process to create a “Catalyst of Teaching” at Stanford. “We’d like to spark a conversation about collaborative teaching,” Sattely said.

https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/1707

BY LAURA ASCIONE, eSchool News
Getting girls in STEM careers will take more than encouragement–it will take female representation in the STEM workforce. Representation matters everywhere, and nowhere is it more important than in the workforce. As the U.S. faces a shortage of STEM workers, female STEM workers are particularly underrepresented. But to get girls in STEM, they have to see themselves in the field. No representation means fewer girls in STEM–women make up almost 50 percent of the workforce, but hold less than 25 percent of STEM jobs. It’s time for us to help girls see themselves in STEM careers.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2019/04/04/career-connections-girls-in-stem/

Michael Staton, Clemson College of Education
The Clemson University College of Education honors teachers every year during Extra Yard for Teachers. Its new SC Teacher Incentive Program is one of many ways it will say “Thank you” to dedicated South Carolina educators all year long.  South Carolina teachers pursuing graduate education programs in Clemson University’s College of Education will receive a 10 percent tuition reduction thanks to the college’s new SC Teacher Incentive Program beginning in the 2019-20 academic year. The program will apply to four of the college’s online master’s programs: its Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Teaching and Learning, M.Ed. in Literacy and both the M.Ed. and Ed.S. in Administration and Supervision. The discount will apply to any South Carolina teacher currently employed in a K-12 classroom.

http://newsstand.clemson.edu/mediarelations/clemson-college-of-education-to-discount-online-degree-programs-for-s-c-educators/

By Jeffrey R. Young, EdSurge

A growing number of colleges are turning to for-profit companies to help them run their online programs, and to help finance them. These companies are known as online program managers, or OPMs. The relationships can mean a clash of cultures. One college official recalled a meeting where the head of a popular OPM showed up wearing a gold chain and talking about the “cost of acquisition” of students. That focus on sales can be uncomfortable for traditional colleges, who prefer to talk about their nonprofit missions of preparing students to be good citizens.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-04-04-when-colleges-consider-outsourcing-online-programs-calculations-can-get-complicated

BY VALERIE CHERNEK, eSchool News
It’s time to find new approaches to personalize learning for students who learn differently. Low reading ability is a major contributor to learning inequality in our schools. An estimated 26 million students have learning differences, including tens of thousands of students with dyslexia, a neurological condition that affects reading and related language-based processing skills. Unless educators can find new approaches to deliver reading instruction and personalize learning environments for these frustrated learners, many will fail.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2019/04/04/audiobooks-great-equalizer-learning-differences/

Marianne C. Bickle, Ryan D. Rucker, Katherine Annette Burnsed; OJDLA

The purposes of this study were to examine students’ satisfaction with online learning and identify attributes that contribute to humanizing the online classroom. A total of 228 students participated in the study, which attempted to determine whether students perceived a social presence in the online course as a result of a variety of communication tools used in group participation assignments. Findings revealed students’ perceptions of a high-quality course were dependent upon continual communication with the instructor, a predetermined method of connecting students with one another and students’ ability to express their opinions. Different group activities and the use of technology allowed online learners to make humanistic connections with other students and the instructor.

https://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring221/bickle_rucker_burnsed221.html

WMTW
A proposal at the state house would allow Maine school departments to make up snow days in new ways. According to “An Act To Give Maine Schools Additional Options To Make Up Missed School Days,” the bill would add language to the state law to allow schools make up snow days with packets of homework or develop plans to make up days under state guidance. The homework that is meant to cover a snow day is sometimes referred to as a blizzard bag. According to the Department of Education, current law allows schools to make up missed school days by rescheduling the day, postponing the end of the school year, holding weekend classes and adding hours to the school day.

https://www.wmtw.com/article/blizzard-bags-online-learning-could-make-up-for-missed-school-days-in-maine/27040767

MIT Technology Review

Intel and others are investing $13 million in Untether AI, a startup that’s working on a novel type of chip for artificial intelligence that promises to perform neural-network calculations at warp speed. Untether, based in Toronto, Canada, has already developed a prototype device that transfers data between different parts of the chip 1,000 times more quickly than a conventional AI chip. That’s an impressive achievement, but it should be treated cautiously since the prototype is far larger than an actual chip—and because other factors will contribute to the overall performance of the finished device.

https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/613258/intel-buys-into-an-ai-chip-that-can-transfer-data-1000-times-faster/

Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed
A growing number of colleges and employers are working together to better use labor-market data in postsecondary training. Two experts discuss what’s possible and what’s needed. The tight labor market is helping prod employers and colleges to cooperate more closely to ensure that credentials pay off in the work force. And solid data on the labor market and student outcomes are key to this collaboration.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/04/04/experts-discuss-uses-labor-market-data-postsecondary-training

By Jeffrey R. Young, EdSurge

When Carnegie Mellon University officials announced last week that they will open up the source code on their digital tools for improving college teaching, they admitted that the tough part will be getting professors and learning centers at other colleges to actually use and improve upon them.  Today, officials shared more details on how they hope to build a culture around developing and adopting the software tools. The university is working with a group called the Empirical Educator Project, run by the popular education blog e-Literate, which today announced it will run a series of hackathons over the next year at colleges that are part of its group.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-04-03-hackathon-series-aims-to-build-support-for-learning-engineering-tools

Louis Arias, InMotion Daytona State College

New technologies like AI, machine learning, and educational software are sending rigid bell schedules, credit requirements, age-based grade levels and physical specifications to Wikipedia’s “History of Higher Education” page.  With the opening of the high-tech  Gale Lemerand Student Center, DSC President Dr. Thomas LoBasso was asked if the new building was designed with Adaptive Learning in mind. His response was, “This building has just three classrooms, but their design is totally new. The seating can be moved around, they have the latest AV technology and full wall whiteboards. The building also has numerous study rooms designed for collaborative activities. Before we designed it, we brought a student panel together to make sure we were building what students need, not necessarily what we wanted. ”

https://www.daytonastateinmotion.com/ed-techs-tsunami-on-higher-education/

the 74

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announced Monday it is providing more than $1.6 million over two years to the Jefferson Education Exchange, a nonprofit that helps educators nationwide make informed decisions about education technology. The grant will enable the Jefferson Education Exchange to create a system for measuring how various ed tech tools work in different school contexts. Based at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education and Human Development, the Jefferson Education Exchange studies how teachers use education technology to help districts and other educators figure out which ones will be best for their classrooms.

https://www.the74million.org/article/chan-zuckerberg-initiative-will-give-1-6-million-to-study-educators-experiences-with-ed-tech/

by Betsy Reinitz, EDUCAUSE

Digital transformation is bringing a shift in how enterprise IT systems and services are managed and delivered. Enterprise IT leaders are in a position to play an important role in their institution’s Dx work, and it starts with the development of a clear connection between the institution’s Dx goals and the work of the IT department. An effective IT governance process can help institutional leaders draw the connections between the two, as well as engage stakeholders in the Dx efforts. This evolution in enterprise IT thinking can be seen as an opportunity for the IT organization to act as a strategic partner in the institution, going beyond the delivery of technologies and services to the integration of technology throughout all aspects of the institution’s mission, adding value in a direct relationship with the institution’s goals.

https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2019/3/digital-transformation-and-enterprise-it-the-role-of-it-governance

By Sara Friedman, THE Journal
While the technology is still in the nascent stages, blockchain-based education systems have the potential to revolutionize how school districts manage student data. At the fundamental level, blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology that allows parties to share information with each other through a controlled system that manages transactions. Universities started exploring this space over the last few years in academic credentialing. Transcripts, grades, test scores and digital diplomas could be stored in a student’s digital wallet, where the student has control over how the information could be shared. Blockcerts, developed by MIT’s Integrated Learning Initiative and Learning Machine, is one initiative that is helping universities and students take ownership of their data when it comes to digital diplomas. Southern New Hampshire University and Central New Mexico Community College have also taken steps to offer digital diplomas to their graduates.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2019/03/28/blockchains-potential-for-education.aspx

By Sara Friedman, THE Journal
See also: Blockchain’s Potential for Education
When it comes to using blockchain technology, there are several use cases across all sectors that institutions are interested in. However, some considerations need to be taken into account before jumping into the technology in full force. New America’s Blockchain Trust Accelerator has released a checklist for deploying a blockchain-powered solution in the blockchain sector:

https://thejournal.com/articles/2019/03/28/blockchain-deployment-checklist.aspx

BY FRED SMITh, eSchool News

Have you read the latest newsflash? School district data breaches are on the rise, and your school district’s student information system (SIS) data could be a prime target for hackers. The SIS contains records of minors, representing an unexploited, potential victim. Identity thieves are sharpening their digital knives for the feast. Let’s explore this topic from a cyber liability insurance perspective.
Keep these questions in mind as we step through this relevant topic.

What is cyber liability insurance and how does it work?
Are there any laws about the management of student and employee records?
How susceptible is my school district to a data breach?
How can my district mitigate the risks of a data breach?

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2019/04/03/understanding-cyber-liability-insurance/

BY LAURA ASCIONE, eCampus News

Augmented reality (AR) has been one of higher ed’s big buzzwords for a number of years, but it’s not until just fairly recently that institutions have used the technology in practical ways. Most higher-ed AR apps address a variety of things, such as bringing science concepts to life, improving student retention, and offering campus tours or glimpses of historical moments on campus. Here’s how five institutions have harnessed augmented reality apps to address campus needs and take learning to the next level.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2019/04/02/augmented-reality-apps-changing-game-college-campuses/

By David Raths, Campus Technology
Most instructional designers will tell you their work begins with getting a foot in the door with faculty and building rapport from there. Here are three ways to make that relationship a success. With the growth in hybrid and online courses and the introduction of open educational resources, active learning concepts and new learning spaces, it is an exciting time to be an instructional designer in higher education. More faculty members need help rethinking course activities, materials and assessments. Yet like campus librarians, instructional designers still struggle at times to raise awareness about the variety of services they can offer and to form meaningful partnerships with other stakeholders on campus — in part because some faculty members see them as IT support staff.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/04/03/3-keys-to-engaging-faculty-in-instructional-design.aspx

Lumina Foundation

At the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility near Ypsilanti, in southeastern Michigan, 205 Edovo tablets are available for the 2,100 women incarcerated there. Nearly 900 of the women have registered accounts on Edovo tablets, said Tony Costello, assistant education manager for the Michigan Department of Corrections. The prison’s tablet users have racked up 140,000 hours of “productive” time — time spent on education or personal development, not just listening to music or watching movies or playing games. That’s an average of 159 hours per account holder since the tablets were introduced in mid-2017.

https://focus.luminafoundation.org/using-technology-to-unlock-prisoners-potential/