Techno-News Blog

March 24, 2014

Working adults plug into online education

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by BPT, LA Times

Many working adults begin using technology from the moment their alarm clocks go off. From checking emails on a tablet over morning coffee, to sending out social media posts from a smartphone before they get into the office, technology allows people to be efficient and stay connected anytime, anyplace. This same technology is now playing an important role for individuals seeking alternative learning environments to continue their educations or grow their careers. According to a national survey from University of Phoenix, 87 percent of working adults say there are benefits to online learning. Another survey reveals that 54 percent indicate they’ll go back to school in the future and 48 percent are interested in taking an online class. So it is no surprise that universities are adjusting their online classroom offerings to cater to the technology working adults are currently using.

http://www.latimes.com/features/aranet/living/ara-8075450606-20140310,0,426245.adstory

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15 Tips For Facilitating Online Discussion

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 12:18 am

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Facilitating discussions between students is one of those things that is infinitely easier when you’re teaching in a physical classroom rather than online. When the students are all in one room, discussions happen more naturally. Facilitating the same type of productive, useful discussion when teaching online is more of a challenge. The handy infographic below from Mia MacMeekin takes a look at some tips and best practices for facilitating discussions when you’re teaching online. If you teach online and have any favorite tips and tricks, leave us a message in the comments!

http://www.edudemic.com/online-discussion-tips/

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Technology to change role of teachers worldwide

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By Elly Wamari, Daily Nation (Kenya)

Demonstrations and announcements made at the Microsoft in Education Global Forum in Barcelona, Spain, from March 11 to 14, suggest that teachers around the world have to ultimately brace themselves for drastic shifts in the way they play their role. Inevitably, technology is rapidly penetrating classrooms, with teachers in the more developed learning institutions taking to innovative use of ICT to facilitate learning. Many are adopting new applications that software makers are specifically developing for the learning environment. According to school leaders, educators, and Microsoft Corporation officials and techies attending the conference, the reason this drive is considered inevitable is the reality that it is more demand driven than propelled by supply.

http://www.nation.co.ke/business/Tech/Technology-to-change-role-of-teachers-worldwide/-/1017288/2242592/-/j8599az/-/index.html

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March 23, 2014

States Show Improvement on Digital Learning Report Card

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By Joshua Bolkan, THE Journal

Digital Learning Now has released the 2013 Digital Learning Report Card, which grades K-12 education policy in each of the 50 states against the group’s 10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning. This year only two states, Utah and Florida, received As, while 14 states received Fs and another 13 received Ds. “In 2013, more than 450 digital learning bills were debated and 132 were ultimately signed into law, bringing the total of enacted legislation since 2011 to more than 360,” according to a news release from Digital Learning Now. “More than 20 states advanced an entire overall letter grade as measured by the Report Card.”

http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/03/13/states-show-improvement-on-digital-learning-report-card.aspx

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Croatian island children connect with online learning

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by Lajla Veselica, Phys.org

For Croatia, making sure the five children on the tiny island of Susak get good schooling is not only a civic responsibility, it’s a way of ensuring the viability of its sparsely populated Adriatic islands. “Schools give life to small islands,” said Olivela Franko, the elementary school principal on the larger Losinj island who coordinates an “e-learning” network that links island schools in the area. “There are not that many children but we will not allow them to disappear. We try everything so they don’t feel like they are living at the end of the world,” she said.

http://phys.org/news/2014-03-croatian-island-children-online.html

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Linux Intro Course Available Online for Free

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By Sean Michael Kerner, eWeek

A Linux training course that once cost $2,500 is now free, as Linux Foundation ramps up its education efforts. The open-source Linux operating system is freely available to those who want to use it, but finding good sources of training for Linux has not always been as free. In a move to further enable more people to get Linux training, the Linux Foundation is now opening up its education efforts. The Linux Foundation is now working with edX to build a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for Linux training. EdX is a nonprofit online learning platform started by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2012. Amanda McPherson, vice president of marketing and developer programs at the Linux Foundation, told eWEEK that edX was a natural choice for her organization.

http://www.eweek.com/pc-hardware/linux-intro-course-available-online-for-free.html

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March 22, 2014

Learning in an era of online connectivity

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 12:25 am

By Ernie Smith, Associations Now

Khan Academy’s “flipped learning” educational model drew new attention last week after the nonprofit sealed an exclusive deal with the College Board. It reminds us that there’s still a ton of room for originality in online education. Last week was a massive win for the Khan Academy—and a sign of how the seas are changing for the education process. The well-regarded nonprofit startup, which offers video lessons in a variety of academic disciplines, earned a validation of its model from none other than the College Board. The Khan Academy plans to offer free testing materials to students taking the SAT, leveling the playing field on a testing model that had long favored higher-income students who could pay for expensive prep classes.

http://associationsnow.com/2014/03/homework-comes-first-learning-era-online-connectivity/

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Microsoft takes a stand on student privacy with best-in-class education solutions

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by the Wall Street Journal

Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday opened its annual Microsoft in Education Global Forum by emphasizing the importance of student privacy and reaffirming its commitment to helping ensure that student data is never mined for advertising and marketing purposes. The opening keynote speech, which took place in front of an audience of 1,100, including innovative educators, school leaders and government officials from nearly 100 countries, also saw Microsoft highlight its end-to-end, best-in-class solutions with student success and career and college readiness at the forefront. “Privacy concerns are holding educators back from making the most of modern technology and preparing students to succeed in today’s workplace. At the same time, many solutions being used in the classroom are unintentionally putting student data at risk,” said Anthony Salcito, vice president, Worldwide Education, Microsoft.

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140312-903572.html

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Who Needs to Know How to Code

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by Angela Chen, The Wall Street Journal

Like many 10-year-olds, Nick Wald takes private lessons. His once-a-week tutor isn’t helping him with piano scales or Spanish conjugations, but teaching him how to code. Nick, a fifth-grader in New York, went in with no experience and has since learned enough HTML, JavaScript and CSS to build a simple website. He is now working in Apple’s  XCode environment to finish an app named “Clockie” that can be used to set alarms and reminders. He plans to offer it in the iOS App Store for free. “I always liked to get apps from the app store, and I always wanted to figure out how they worked and how I could develop it like that,” Nick says.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304709904579411354120634252

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March 21, 2014

4 of the Hottest Online Learning Tools for Entrepreneurs

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by Amber Mac, Fast Company

The online learning space is at full boil. Whether you want to spruce up your knitting skills or learn how to take perfect wedding photos, there is an e-course built just for you. When it comes to entrepreneurial lessons, there are also a growing number of offerings to suit how you learn best. From tuning into a quick one-hour live video to diving deep into an eight-week course, today’s digital learning ecosystem offers something for every business owner.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3027491/dialed/4-of-the-hottest-online-learning-tools-created-just-for-entrepreneurs

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A Big List of 875 Free Courses From Top Universities: 27,000 Hours of Audio/Video Lectures

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by Open Culture

In recent months, we’ve enhanced what’s now a list of 875 Free Online Courses from top universities. Here’s the lowdown: Our big list of free courses lets you download audio & video lectures from schools like Stanford, Yale, MIT, Oxford, Harvard and UC Berkeley. Generally, the courses can be accessed via YouTube, iTunes or university web sites.

http://www.openculture.com/2014/03/a-big-list-of-875-free-courses-from-top-universities-27000-hours-of-audiovideo-lectures.html

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Education Update: Coursera Releases iPad App with 600+ Free Courses

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By Sam, Pad Gadget

Proving that they are still the leader in offering massive open online courses (MOOCs), Coursera has released a beautiful native iPad app that provides access for learners on the move. The internet continues to change education and freely available MOOCs are just one example of a thriving open community. Coursera is not alone but is the best funded and most the popular company in this field. They reportedly have raised over $80 million from a variety of business and education partners. It’s never enough to have money, but certainly it helps support a visionary team and fund an iOS app which is elegant and very functional.

http://www.padgadget.com/2014/03/11/education-update-coursera-releases-ipad-app-with-600-free-courses/

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March 20, 2014

Stanford, Cal leaders explore perspectives on online learning

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BY KATHLEEN J. SULLIVAN, Stanford

Higher education is in a “period of great experimentation” in the field of online learning, President Hennessy told an audience in Berkeley last week, adding that he is confident its successes and failures will lead to new approaches to teaching that will benefit students. “We’re going to invent the future,” Hennessy said, speaking during the opening Q&A of an online summit held March 7-8 at the University of California, Berkeley, “How Technology Impacts the Pedagogy and Economics of Residential Higher Education.”

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/march/online-stanford-cal-031114.html

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4 Key Benefits To Using Open Source In Education

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 12:19 am

By Jared Whitehead, Edudemic

In 2012, most of the pedagogical and technological community were taken by storm from a report by One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) that laptops dropped off in rural Ethiopia had been learned from in ways the contributors never imagined. Not only did the children who received the laptops, many of whom were pre-literate and had no prior exposure to digital technology, make use of the programs the developers uploaded, they began to hack the Android-based operating system that the laptops used, reenabling the webcam and modifying the laptop desktops—an application that was previously blocked by the developers working on the specialized laptops. I think a key step towards promoting renewed efforts at government revitalization is to introduce students to the open source community as quickly as possible. This community is a valuable, productive environment for inculcating in a new generation a commitment to collaboration. The following are just four reasons why open source is the right choice for our children.

http://www.edudemic.com/open-source-in-education/

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Welcome To World Science U, Where Anyone Can Learn Einstein Online

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 12:15 am

by ARIEL SCHWARTZ, Co.exist

At a time when companies and universities that run massive open online courses are struggling to prove their value, Columbia University professor and physicist Brian Greene thinks he has a new and potentially more effective way to teach students online: World Science U, a science education platform that offers everything from two-minute educational videos to full-fledged university-level classes. Greene knows a little something about creating science content that’s understandable to the masses. In addition to his teaching at Columbia, he is the co-founder of the annual World Science Festival, a host of Nova science documentaries, and author of a number of popular books that explain abstract physics theories to average readers.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/3026723/welcome-to-world-science-u-where-anyone-can-learn-einstein-online

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March 19, 2014

Working adults plug into online education

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 12:25 am

By BPT, Journal Sentinal

Many working adults begin using technology from the moment their alarm clocks go off. From checking emails on a tablet over morning coffee, to sending out social media posts from a smartphone before they get into the office, technology allows people to be efficient and stay connected anytime, anyplace. This same technology is now playing an important role for individuals seeking alternative learning environments to continue their educations or grow their careers. According to a national survey from University of Phoenix, 87 percent of working adults say there are benefits to online learning. Another survey reveals that 54 percent indicate they’ll go back to school in the future and 48 percent are interested in taking an online class. So it is no surprise that universities are adjusting their online classroom offerings to cater to the technology working adults are currently using.

http://www.jsonline.com/sponsoredarticles/education/working-adults-plug-into-online-education8075450606-249298591.html

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Khan Academy’s Free SAT Classes Show How Online Education Could Be Awesome

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By Jordan Weissmann, Slate

Last week’s big news about the new SAT redesign included a very important footnote: In the name of fairness to students who can’t afford $999 Princeton Review classes, the College Board now plans to partner with online learning platform Khan Academy to offer free test-prep materials for the exam. Better yet, they might be really good test prep materials.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/03/10/khan_academy_s_free_sat_classes_a_sign_that_online_education_could_be_awesome.html

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Online Learning: Is NASBA Listening?

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by Amber Setter, Accounting Web

As an adjunct faculty member, I’ve taught several courses within a master’s in organizational leadership program, and now I’m starting a new endeavor: leading my first online course for a university. With this new understanding of how universities have created online learning communities, which can be just as effective as a live classroom setting, I can clearly see the accounting profession has a lot to learn about online education – CPE in particular. And we better learn these lessons quickly because online learning has become the norm rather than the exception.

http://www.accountingweb.com/article/online-learning-nasba-listening/223130

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March 18, 2014

4 Powerful Tools For Making Your Own Interactive Content

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By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Infographics are popular. They’re a fun way to present and read data, and many people believe that information that is presented visually is often retained better (at least for some learners). Many teachers today are using infographics, both in their classrooms and for their own professional development. There are so many tools out there to make your own infographics. In the education realm, most people I chat with say that they use Piktochart because it is free and very simple to use. One of the (newer) trends we’ve been noticing lately has been that more and more infographics are interactive.

http://www.edudemic.com/making-your-own-interactive-content/

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Obama Proposes $670 Million for STEM, Technology Training

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 12:17 am

By Center for Digital Education

President Barack Obama’s budget proposal for 2015 includes efforts to reorganize STEM education and bring ed tech training to schools. The budget that he announced on Tuesday, March 4, includes $670 million for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and ConnectED, a federal broadband project designed to reach 99 percent of schools. While STEM appeared in his budget last year, broadband did not. This next fiscal year, Obama wants to spend $170 million on STEM, a drop of $244.70 million from last year’s proposal.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/Obama-Proposes-670-Million-for-STEM-Technology-Training.html

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Google Wants To Give You EdTech For Doodling

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By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Want to bring cutting edge to your classroom AND have your work seen by millions at the same time? Check out the Doodle4Google contest that’s ending soon. Basically, students get a scholarship, internet fame, and your school gets a sweet education technology grant in exchange for a winning doodle. If you don’t know what a GoogleDoodle is, you can read more here. Google has opened up contests in the past for students to design the Doodle. This year is no different – they’re once again running their Doodle4Google contest, hoping to inspire young people to doodle the biggest and best things their imaginations can dream up. As of today, there are 12 days left to submit a doodle! The last date for entries is Thursday, March 20th.

http://www.edudemic.com/google-wants-give-edtech-doodling/

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