Techno-News Blog

March 31, 2018

This Professor Uses Virtual Labs to Teach Real-World IT Skills That Employers Want

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By Wendy McMahon, EdSurge

Steph YoungGonzaga credits online learning with enriching her education and helping establish herself as an IT thought leader.  YoungGonzaga recently returned to her roots. She pivoted her career in order to focus on supporting students who, just as she did, are pursuing their education online.  As Assistant Professor and Program Chair at the Forbes School of Business and Technology at Ashford University—a fully online university—she developed the new Master of Information Systems Management degree program. Today, she’s focused on giving students the hands-on experience and peer connections they need to become the the next wave of IT leaders. A key part of her arsenal? Virtual labs.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-03-12-this-professor-uses-virtual-labs-to-teach-real-world-it-skills-that-employers-want

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Online Courses Turn Profs From ‘Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side’

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By Eleanor Bent, Cornell Sun

Cornell has made 12 MOOCs ranging a variety of subjects. Some of the most successful have been in the sciences, notably “Sharks! Global Biodiversity, Biology, and Conservation” conducted by Prof. William E. Bemis, ecology and evolutionary biology. His four-week-long course, which uses a combination of brief informational videos and interactive exercises to apply new concepts, aims to give participants an introduction to shark biology and conservation. The course has attracted “more than 25,000 learners to date from more than 180 countries,” according to Bemis and has an extremely high completion rate, something many MOOCs have failed to achieve.

http://cornellsun.com/2018/03/12/online-courses-turn-profs-from-sage-on-the-stage-to-guide-on-the-side/

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Why Do We Need Blockchain Technologies in Education?

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by NewsBTC

There is a real buzz around new EdTech companies such as NTOK.io at the moment. They are creating a future vision of global learning and tuition that uses blockchain technology at its core. Although EdTech is in its early stages, it’s likely that education will be disrupted in the same way that FinTech has changed the financial world. Cryptocurrency transactions are made secure by blockchain technology allowing for significant decentralization of finances. In other words, the big banks and governments no longer have power over finances. The blockchain makes all data transactions untraceable, including financial ones. If we extend this idea of secured blockchain currency and data transactions to EdTech, it’s clear to see that this will transform education into something far more democratic.

Why Do We Need Blockchain Technologies in Education?

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March 30, 2018

States Issue Privacy Ultimatums to Education Technology Vendors

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By Stephen Noonoo, EdSurge

The Connecticut law outlines terms around the way identifiable student information can be used by vendors—anyone from yearbook publishers to niche apps to Google. Privacy advocates and parent groups applaud the new measure for protecting students from targeted advertising and requiring notification when data breaches occur. But some education leaders say the law is difficult to comply with and does not take into account the many different kinds of student data.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-03-12-states-issue-privacy-ultimatums-to-education-technology-vendors

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IBM’s latest computer is a blockchain-ready CPU smaller than a grain of salt

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by Jayce Wagner, Digital Trends

IBM kicked off its Think 2018 conference today with a bombshell announcement: It has made the world’s smallest computer, and it’s designed from the ground up to work with the blockchain. The computer itself is smaller than a single grain of salt, coming in at 1 millimeter by 1 millimeter and reportedly has about the same computing power as a 1990s era CPU. “The world’s smallest computer is an IBM-designed edge device architecture and computing platform that is smaller than a grain of salt will cost less than ten cents to manufacture, and can monitor, analyze, communicate, and even act on data,” IBM claims. “It packs several hundred thousand transistors into a footprint barely visible to the human eye and can help verify that a product has been handled properly throughout its long journey.”

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/ibm-blockchain-computer-salt/

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Will your job survive when the machines come?

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By Networks Asia
Almost half (48%) of Singapore business leaders believe they’ll have more job satisfaction in the future by offloading the tasks they don’t want to do to machines, while 52% disagree, finds research conducted by Vanson Bourne. Findings pointed towards how a truly mutually beneficial partnership is on the cards – if businesses prepare accordingly.  Machines will assume work functions in finance, inventory, logistics, administration, customer service, marketing, HR, medical care and more to alter the course of education. Society will enter a new phase that will be characterized by “in the moment” learning as the pace of change will be so rapid that new industries will be created and new skills will be required to survive.  A majority (97%) believe that technology will change the way we learn by 2030, globally.

https://www.networksasia.net/article/will-your-job-survive-when-machines-come.1521371527

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March 29, 2018

Kids miss college because their parents won’t apply for financial aid

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by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, SCPR

A significant minority of high school seniors who wouldn’t be able to afford college without financial help can’t get their parents to sign the FAFSA. Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, estimates about 5 percent of seniors who want to go to college fall into this category. The FAFSA requires students and their parents to reveal their immigration status, the state of their finances and any public benefits they may have used. The U.S. Department of Education collects the information but doesn’t share it with immigration authorities. A lot of people don’t know that, and their fears are heightened by the Trump administration’s tough anti-immigrant policies.

https://www.scpr.org/news/2018/03/19/81709/kids-miss-college-because-their-parents-won-t-appl/

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What Is BitDegree Cryptocurrency?

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by Robert Leyland, Merkle
Of all the industries that blockchain technology has the potential to disrupt, education seems like one of the least obvious. However, current education systems are not keeping pace with technological developments, leaving students out in the cold.  BitDegree’s concept is simple. Technology is outpacing the development of educational courses in traditional educational institutions. Therefore, the company seeks to provide the highest quality courses available to bridge an identified gap between employers’ needs and the current offerings of universities and higher education institutions. BitDegree likes to think of their platform as a merged version of Coursera and HackerRank.

What Is BitDegree Cryptocurrency?

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Augmented Reality In Social Media, Marketing, Mobile Apps and More

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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

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March 28, 2018

On Change and Relevance for Higher Education

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A Q&A with Phil Long

Higher ed institutions are facing some serious challenges to stay relevant in a world that is diversifying and changing rapidly. They want to make sure that the experiences they have designed for students will carry the next generation forward to be productive citizens and workers. But institutions’ abilities to keep up in our changing environment have begun to lag to a sufficient degree, such that alternatives to the traditional university are being considered, both by the institutions themselves and by their constituents and colleagues throughout the education sector.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/03/12/on-change-and-relevance-for-higher-education.aspx

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5 Key Points for Journalism Educators Who Want to Teach Online

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by Kate Ames, Media Shift

If you’re transitioning to teaching students online, then you’re possibly in one of two camps: you’re resistant because you believe face-to-face teaching is better, or you’re resigned because you know it is a matter of when, not if. Finding a truly passionate distance educator in a field where much of the learning has to be practical (how to write, use a camera, record sound) has, in my experience, been difficult. Most people design curriculum with the on-campus student in mind, and then make amendments for the distance student. “Designing authentic learning tasks that facilitate connections requires you to be innovative, particularly in the ways you provide feedback and support to students without overwhelming yourself.” However, journalism education by distance seems a natural fit. Journalists routinely have to work remotely, receiving briefs from editors thousands of miles away. They create and file stories using a diverse range of technologies, and need to be mobile, adaptable, social and able to negotiate complexity when conducting research.

http://mediashift.org/2018/03/5-key-points-new-distance-journalism-educators/

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New Study Finds Discrimination and Bias in Online Course Forums

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By Henry Kronk, e-Learning Inside

In the new report, “Bias in Online Classes: Evidence from a Field Experiment,” researchers looked into whether or not students and instructors displayed racial or gender biases in online courses. In 124 different MOOCs, the authors “tested for the presence of racial and gender biases in these settings by creating fictional student identities with racial- and gender-connotative names, having these fictional students place randomly assigned comments in the discussion forums, and observing the engagement of other students and instructors with these comments.”

New Study Finds Discrimination and Bias in Online Course Forums

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March 27, 2018

Personalized learning is for online courses, too

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By Autumn A. Arnett, Education Dive
eCornell CEO Paul Krause said his organization, which started as an entrepreneurial unit of Cornell University’s main campus and now provides much of the institution’s online infrastructure and marketing, has laid out a model for massive open online course (MOOCs) providers to look to as an example for monetization.  Personalization is important, said Krause during a conversation in Austin last week. Even in an online or blended space, he said, offering relevant, engaging experiences is the best way to get the desired outcomes for the average students. To achieve the needed level of personalization, Krause said instructors and course designers should find ways to embed high levels of peer-to-peer interaction, even within online modules, and incorporate course examples that are timely and relevant to students.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/personalized-learning-is-for-online-courses-too/

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7 popular online courses in STEM and gaming that are taught by female leaders in their fields

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by Connie Chen, Business Insider

Since men hold more jobs in these fields, it’s not surprising that when you browse online learning sites, there tends to be more male teachers in those subjects as well. However, for a woman looking to approach something like STEM or gaming, the impact of seeing a teacher who looks like her cannot be understated. Similar to how representation in media affects how groups of people perceive themselves and are perceived in the world, representation in STEM and gaming plays an important role in motivating women to overcome and fight back against gender-related barriers in their own career journeys.

http://www.businessinsider.com/online-stem-gaming-python-courses-taught-by-women-2018-3

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Best Practices for Gamification in Schools

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by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

In education, “gamification” refers to using elements of game play (such as rules, competition, and point scoring) as a teaching tool that increases student engagement and motivation. Gamification can include badges, leaderboards, and any type of educational competition or game. While the concept of gamification isn’t new, the digital tools available to today’s teachers make gamification more innovative and engaging than ever before. Research indicates that gamification helps students develop more positive attitudes toward learning, increases cognitive and social growth, improves attention spans, and more. To ensure your students benefit as much as possible from gamification, try following these best practices for gamification in schools.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/best-practices-for-gamification-in-schools/

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March 26, 2018

5 Ways to Use Digital Badges in the Classroom

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by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Similarly, digital badges award students for their achievements, skills, or other positive qualities. It might seem like a digital image of a badge won’t make much difference. But believe it or not, digital badges have the power to transform the way your students view learning and assessment.  How?  Here are five ways to use digital badges in your classroom:

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/5-ways-to-use-digital-badges-in-the-classroom/

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In the Future, Artificial Intelligence and Education Will Go Hand-in-Hand

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by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Artificial intelligence is becoming a part of our daily reality, so we should anticipate it making changes in the realm of education. We are already becoming invested in our personal AI assistants, such as Siri and Alexa, and we are eagerly awaiting self-driving vehicles. What was once only considered a future possibility is here – and it is here to stay. According to research, the compound annual growth rate of artificial intelligence in education is expected to be “47.50% during the period 2017-2021.” That’s a huge leap! As our lives become more intertwined with technology and AI, it will also follow students into the classroom. And, it just may be what the US Education system needs.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/in-the-future-artificial-intelligence-and-education-will-go-hand-in-hand/

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Two UMD courses will have free online textbook access in the fall

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by Christine Condon, DBK News

Two University of Maryland biology courses will be among many in the University System of Maryland to offer students free online textbook access next year with the help of a system grant program. BSCI201 and 202, introductory courses in human anatomy and physiology, will use a free, open-source textbook from OpenStax beginning in the fall, said biology professor Sara Lombardi. To make the switch, university lecturers for the courses received a $1,500 grant from the Maryland Open Source Textbook initiative, which offers grants to encourage faculty to utilize open educational resources. The grants were announced March 6.

http://www.dbknews.com/2018/03/14/umd-textbooks-free-open-source/

 

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March 25, 2018

Educators Tend to Forget That Most Online Students Still Live Near Campus

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By Henry Kronk, eLearning Inside

The majority of online students live within 100 miles of the university in which they are enrolled. According to a report updated in 2017 by College Atlas, the figure stands at 80%. Only 1 in 5 online students live far away from their campus. What’s more, the proportion of online students who live near their university has only grown in recent years. A 2016 survey of online college students by Learning House and Aslanian Market Research found that, among undergraduates, 57% lived less than 50 miles away, while 17% were between 50-100 miles out. Four years earlier, in 2012, those figures stood at 47% and 16%, respectively. The growth was even greater for graduate students.

Educators Tend to Forget That Most Online Students Still Live Near Campus

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MERLOT Updated for Mobile OER Hunting

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By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

MERLOT, the granddaddy of open educational resources developed by the California State University system, has entered its third decade of operation with a new facelift. The project, as always, provides a gateway to OER. But with its newest release, search functionality has been expanded and coding has been done using responsive web design to make it mobile device-friendly.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/03/15/merlot-updated-for-mobile-oer-hunting.aspx

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Why You Should Teach Online Courses

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By Henry Kronk, eLearning Inside

This week, an English professor at Loyola University New Orleans penned an article for Inside Higher Ed titled “Why I Won’t Teach Online.” Professor Christopher Schaberg acknowledged that he used the internet for many things, and that there were several benefits of online courses.   At Loyola College New Orleans, tuition alone is nearly $40,000 per year. In many other institutions it’s even higher.  It’s a cliché to say that many professors are out of touch with current technology that could aid them in the lecture hall. But as Professor Schaberg demonstrates, his colleagues are actually more out of touch with the socioeconomic realities of college-going learners in the U.S. He is by no means alone. A study released by Inside Higher Ed and Gallup in the fall of 2017 found that one third of university professors oppose teaching their courses online, while another third remain ambivalent on the subject.

Why You Should Teach Online Courses

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