Online Learning Update

Michael Kan, PC Mag

“The FBI has received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language,” the agency issued in a notice on Monday. The coronavirus pandemic has helped make the video conferencing service one of the most popular apps in the country. Unfortunately, that same popularity has also turned Zoom into a target for racists and pranksters, which can be especially problematic for educators reliant on the service.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/fbi-watch-out-for-zoom-bombings-on-online-video-meeting-apps

Wayne D’Orio, Education Dive

“Ten years ago, students were digital natives,” Ryan Tuohy, senior vice president of business development at Starship Technologies, told Education Dive in an interview. “The students in college today are on-demand natives.” The San Francisco-based company makes the delivery robots, and it is deploying them at George Mason in partnership with the university’s foodservice provider, Sodexo.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/to-feed-todays-on-demand-students-colleges-turn-to-robots-and-mobile-ap/566944/

BY LAURA ASCIONE, eSchool News
Here’s how education is using augmented reality apps to take academics and engagement to the next level. Augmented reality 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. Now, higher-ed augmented reality apps are having a moment that extends past the novelty of Pokemon Go–and K-12 could take some of those lessons into its own classrooms. Most augmented reality 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.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2019/06/24/5-ways-augmented-reality-apps/

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology
A researcher in Germany has developed technology for automatically detecting the usability and user-friendliness of virtual environments. Previously, said Patrick Harms from the Institute of Computer Science at the University of Göttingen, the only way to check these aspects of virtual reality and the virtual world was through manual testing. Harms wrote about his results in the May 2019 issue of ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/05/29/new-tech-tests-usability-of-virtual-apps.aspx

Liam Tung, ZDNet
To lead Apple you could need a degree. But to sell apps on the App Store you certainly don’t, says Tim Cook. Computer-science graduates in the US can expect to pay over $100,000 to get an education and a piece of paper that says they’ve completed a bachelor’s degree. But can that paper say anything about their proficiency at coding? Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak didn’t have degrees when they launched what has become one of the most valuable companies in the world. And now Apple CEO Tim Cook is spreading the word that would-be programmers really don’t need the endorsement of a university to be able to create something of commercial value, such as an app for the Apple App Store.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-ceo-tim-cook-you-dont-need-a-degree-to-code-mobile-apps/

ALEXANDRA VILLARREAL, the Ladders

Brace yourself: The future of workplace training is coming, and it looks like there will be many mobile apps, social media tools and games involved. For its 2018 EdTrends Report for Businesses, game-based learning platform Kahoot! surveyed nearly 400 of its business users to see how trainers are prepping for an influx of millions of Generation-Z workers, most of whom grew up in front of a screen and are used to the digital space. But the report also shows how technology-friendly the general workforce is becoming, with one in four workers wanting to be trained via virtual or augmented reality and another quarter hoping to get training remotely via apps.

https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/are-virtual-reality-and-mobile-apps-the-future-of-job-training

By Cait Etherington, eLearning Inside

In the past, when you arrived on campus for college orientation, you may have been handed a map if you were lucky. Much of what happened next depended on being in the right place at the right time or simply following the crowd. By contrast, freshman orientation 2018 is all about apps, virtual tours, and online seminars. While incoming college kids can still get into a lot of trouble in person, the important parts of orientation week are increasingly being delivered online and tracked to ensure that no one misses anything critical.

Apps, Virtual Tours, and Online Seminars: Welcome to Freshman Orientation 2018

By Anna Krelovich, Online Learning Tips

Being a busy student can be tough. Work, school and family activities can feel overwhelming sometimes. However, smartphone study apps are a great help during hectic times. You can use your phone to get in five minutes of studying as you wait for a doctor’s appointment or do your assigned reading on the bus home. Here are seven study apps you can use for studying despite your busy schedule:

Seven Study Apps to Help You Successfully Manage Your Schoolwork

by Christina Battons, Know Techie

You’re a college student, or soon to be part of college life, so of course, you’ll want to make the most out of your experience. Thanks to the digital savvy world we live in, new technology is making it a whole lot easier to study smart with hundreds of apps available for student use, but which of them are the best and which aren’t worth your consideration? Here we’ve compiled a list of the seven best apps out there for college students that will leave you stress-free and studying at your best.

7 of the best study apps out there

by G-Cube

Augmented Reality (AR) in which virtual content is incorporated with real-world scenarios, is an emerging trend in the field of workplace learning and development. It is a way of bridging the gap between real and digital world by superimposing virtual images with the information of real world. With the use of smartphones, tablets and other personalized devices, an immense potential of AR has started to be explored.

http://www.elearninglearning.com/edition/weekly-corporate-learning-best-elearning-2018-03-10

by Shalina Chatlani, Education Dive
The appeal of online education parallels an industry trend of growth in nontraditional students seeking faster, more flexible credentialing options. But while online enrollment may be going up across the board, retaining students in programs is a different kind of challenge. Statistics from two Babson Survey Research Group reports, “Distance Education Enrollment Report 2017” and “Grade Increase: ​Tracking Distance Education in the United States,” show schools with some of the largest online programs — as well as institutions that are entirely online — have seen substantial drops in enrollment between 2015 and 2016. For instance, two for-profit institutions had significant drops in online student enrollment. The University of Phoenix saw a decline in about 30,000 online students, down from a total of 162,003 in 2015, while Kaplan saw a decline of about 8,000, down from 45,268 in 2015.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/are-mobile-apps-a-key-to-online-student-retention-success/515141/

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Is your teaching about to be disrupted? The answer is yes, it definitely is! But in a good way. The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) technology is transforming every aspect of education, from curriculum development all the way to assessment. Do you want to bring some of these cutting-edge advances to your own classroom, but you’re not sure how to do it? Linked below are eight AI tools and apps that are well worth the necessary learning curve.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/8-must-artificial-intelligence-apps-tools/

by Matthew Lynch, tech Edvocate

As STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) curriculum grows in popularity, more schools are adding engineering classes. Students in elementary school through high school are enjoying the benefits of being exposed to engineering in the classroom. As Teach Engineering explains, “Research around effective learning in K-12 classrooms demonstrates that an engineering approach to identifying and solving problems is valuable across all disciplines.” As you teach engineering, consider adding these seven must have engineering apps and tools to your professional toolbox.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/7-must-engineering-apps-tools/

BY MERIS STANSBURY, eCampus News

Online learning apps are broken down into specific categories to maximize production and streamline online communication. Technology and its potential to simplify life for its users can be a beautiful thing, which can be seen in the example of providing online learning for students. But, unless you have the right technology to streamline tasks and aid in learning, going online for education can also be a nightmare. According to U.S. News & World Report, the average online student often takes online courses due to an already hectic life. Luckily, “there is no shortage of mobile apps that can help online students stay productive.”

https://www.ecampusnews.com/curriculum/apps-include-online-learning/

BY SHARON CONWELL, eSchool News

In the past, dyslexia was rarely recognized, and when it was, very little was put in place for the student. It was assumed that students were being lazy, not paying attention, or being disruptive because they were badly behaved, not because they were infuriated. Nowadays, however, so much has changed, and students with dyslexia are able to thrive in the classroom. The following teaching tools and apps can make learning a lot more enjoyable for dyslexic students.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/03/20/tools-apps-dyslexic-students/

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Tech Edvocate

Technology is changing the way we teach and learn at a rapid speed. While it’s still as relevant as ever to step away from the screen and learn through hands-on experiences, there are things you can teach and learn using apps that will greatly enhance the experience. Here are 20 of the best teaching and learning apps for 2017.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/20-of-the-best-teaching-and-learning-apps/

BY MERIS STANSBURY, eCampus News

New list of recently added or dramatically updated higher education apps are geared to both campus staff and students and allow for functionalities needed next year and beyond. From apps that manage finances and credit scores to those that find scholarships for all education levels, and from apps that better organize collaborative projects to those that allow for unprecedented organization of scholarly articles, late 2016 saw a boom in higher education apps with major potential for 2017.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/mobile-and-handheld-technologies/higher-education-apps-2017/

By Brandon Vigliarolo, Tech Republic

There are always a few moments during the week spent staring at a smartphone to kill time. Why not learn something in those spare moments with these five Android apps? Whether you’re laid over at the airport, stuck on the subway, or eating lunch there’s no reason for those bits of idle time to be wasted. There are a bunch of smartphone apps on the market that can help you learn new skills and most lessons can be done in no time at all. If there’s a tech skills shortage, why are so many computer graduates unemployed? Here are five educational apps for Android that can help you make the most of your idle time by teaching you something new or strengthening the skills you already have.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/five-android-apps-that-will-teach-you-new-skills-in-your-spare-time/

BY LAURA DEVANEY, eSchool News

It’s fair to say that augmented reality has moved from a cool technology that might be neat for students to try to a credible teaching tool that fits just as easily in K-12 classrooms as it does in higher education. Advocates have long said augmented reality helps boost student engagement and also helps reach those with varying learning styles. Many educators see that augmented reality “takes what is real and enhances or overlays information to get more out of exploring our world,” said David Loveland and Jim Wasserman, teachers at The Parish Episcopal School in Dallas.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2016/09/01/5-apps-jump-start-augmented-reality-classroom/

By Rob Thubron, Tech Spot

If you’ve got an idea for a killer app that’s going to make millions but are held back by a total lack of coding knowledge, Google could have the answer. The search giant is teaming up with online learning platform Udacity to offer a course that teaches people with zero experience how to create Android apps. The Google Android Basics Nanodegree is aimed at that those who are new to programming looking to eventually become an Android developer. The course covers topics such as interactivity, layouts, object-oriented programming basics, data storage, and multi-screen apps.“We built this program with Google specifically to support aspiring Android Developers with no programming experience. Our goal is to ensure you get the real-world skills you need to actually start building Android apps,” Udacity says.

http://www.techspot.com/news/65318-google-online-nanodegree-course-teach-newcomers-how-write.html

By Melissa Burns, Stanford

All responsible students always try to stay on top of useful things for college and treat their studies very seriously. If you use iPhone or iPad you can choose from a large variety of useful applications which are sure to help you study harder, tackle necessary assignments, organize your time better than ever. So let us see what applications are the most appropriate for modern students and note a few ones which are worth using.

http://collegepuzzle.stanford.edu/?p=5006