Educational Technology

October 31, 2012

Hands on with Microsoft’s Surface RT

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:40 am

by Ed Bott, ZDNet

After using a Surface RT for the past week, I can explain it in one sentence:

It’s more than an iPad, and less than a PC.

The Windows RT-powered Surface will not replace your desktop PC or your full-strength notebook. It is, instead, an ideal companion device for a Windows PC, with great mobility. It is powerful enough that it alone can handle most work and play duties, even on an extended business trip or vacation.

http://www.zdnet.com/hands-on-with-microsofts-surface-rt-can-it-hit-the-sweet-spot-7000006258/?s_cid=e539

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Can’t Make The Meeting? Send Your Robot Instead

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:35 am

by Antone Gonsalves, ReadWriteWeb

Remotely piloted telepresence robots could be the beginning of another tech revolution. Some observers are already predicting that they will be the first robots to go mainstream. But it won’t happen right away. Though the robots themselves are still rare and exotic, the telepresence concept is very simple: basically Apple’s FaceTime videconferencing feature on a mobile, self-propelled, motorized platform. The idea is to make them cheap and easy-to-use stand-ins for people in school, office and other settings.

http://readwrite.com/2012/10/24/cant-make-the-meeting-send-your-robot-instead

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Four Days Of Digital Detox: The Ultimate Tech Decelerator

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:30 am

by Jon Mitchell, ReadWriteWeb

What am I even doing back on the Internet? I just got back from The Digital Detox. It was the third four-day retreat run by founders Levi Felix and Brooke Dean encouraging tech-addled people to slow down. I knew I needed it. Blogging makes my brain hurt. But I was just expecting a nice break. I didn’t know the experience would change me, and the amazing group it brought together, hopefully forever. My mind is crystal clear, and I’m happier than I’ve been in months. Before you start sneering about hippies and yoga, let me set the record straight: This off-the-grid retreat was the highest-tech thing I’ve done in a long time.

http://readwrite.com/2012/10/24/four-days-of-digital-detox-the-ultimate-tech-decellerator

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October 30, 2012

10 EdTech Inventions You Probably Don’t Know Yet

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:41 am

by Edudemic

Educational technology has infiltrated the mainstream: To support teacher involvement in collaborative networking and online learning environments, the Department of Education launched Connected Educator Month in August 2012. The many possibilities of “EdTech” have also attracted entrepreneurs, startups and investors, invigorating this already exciting community. These EdTech inventions go beyond subject matter instruction, offering techniques for data monitoring and reporting, behavior management and real-time communication. Listed alphabetically by Online Schools, these 10 forward-thinking innovators are rebuilding education with tools like smartphones, games, Web-based lessons and analytics software.

http://edudemic.com/2012/10/10-edtech-inventions-you-probably-dont-know-yet/

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Blended Learning: We Are All New Teachers

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:36 am

by Edutopia

The challenges facing a new teacher are clear: how to write a strong lesson plan, how to master the fine art of lesson delivery and how to keep kids engaged in a positive classroom environment are all high on the list. Add to that list the addition of mastering the use of technology tools to support instruction with students, and many a new teacher might go running for the hills! In all seriousness, though, the need for a new teacher to be able to learn the fine art of incorporating Web 2.0 tools to support instruction with students is critical if we are to stay the course of 21st Century instructional reforms. Not only that, the research is clear that strategies that combine the use of traditional face-to-face classroom methods with computer-mediated activities are here to stay. Enter the blended learning model.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/blended-learning-getting-started-lisa-dabbs

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Blended Learning: Behind the Scenes

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:30 am

by Edutopia

It feels like we’re on the precipice of a more common, universal implementation for blended learning, but for a while still, blended learning is still dependent on teachers knowing what to teach and how to teach it. It still feels still like a grassroots movement from key teachers who are looking ahead to the future. We know that being able to function online is a 21st-century skill, but for some teachers, it’s still as futuristic as Logan’s Run. And while having to jump into using online strategies can be scary, it’s really all about our mission of preparing students for their future. It’s about having your ear to the ground about the skills these kids will need to know, and the determination to teach to those skills even if the world of education or your school site or your fear factor is not on board. While I am passionate about online integration in the traditional classroom, I do not know yet if blended learning is really for everyone. It isn’t just about the technology or the understanding of online interactions. It’s also simply a temperament thing.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/blended-learning-behind-scenes-heather-wolpert-gawron

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October 29, 2012

New Books Highlight Lessons Learned from K-12 Online and Blended Learning

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:39 am

by iNACOL

The books, “Lessons Learned in Teacher Mentoring: Supporting Educators in K-12 Online Learning Environments” and “Lessons Learned from Blended Programs: Experiences and Recommendations from the Field,” were made available at iNACOL’s annual conference, the Virtual School Symposium (VSS) October 21-24 in New Orleans, La. “This latest research covering online and blended learning methods highlights what is working and focuses on the central role of qualified, well-trained teachers in developing advanced methods in data-driven, technology-enabled, personalized instructional practices,” said Susan Patrick, President and CEO of iNACOL. “It’s our hope that the lessons learned and showcased in these books will encourage the growth of these high quality, new learning models and promote stronger teacher training for preparing educators’ seamless integration into emerging blended education programs.”

http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/10/22/4355949/new-books-highlight-lessons-learned.html

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Microsoft announces Office 365 University Edition, makes it affordable for students

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:35 am

by Ubergizmo

Microsoft has a plan and has since announced Microsoft Office 365 University Edition. Priced at $80, this edition of Microsoft Office 365 will last you the duration of the course (four years) and will include the essentials – Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access. On top of that Microsoft will also be bundling 20GB of free storage of SkyDrive and thanks to Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype, owners of the University Edition will also be given 60 Skype world minutes every month, letting students call their friends and family. Naturally this edition of Microsoft Office 365 will only be eligible to full- and/or part-time university or college students, faculty and staff in accredited institutions.

http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/10/microsoft-announces-office-365-university-edition-makes-it-affordable-for-students/

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Researchers launch innovative, hands-on online tool for science education

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:30 am

by UC San Diego

Computer scientists at the University of California, San Diego and at St. Petersburg Academic University in Russia, have developed a one-of-a-kind, hands-on online learning tool that weaves together for the first time science and programming education—and automatically grades homework too. “While modern biology is inundated with computation, biology students at U.S. universities are taught neither programming nor bioinformatics and as a result are unprepared for the challenges that await them in their own discipline,” said Pavel Pevzner, a computer science professor at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. “We provide a tool to fill that learning gap.” The new tool, called Rosalind, diverges from large-scale, online open education platforms such as Coursera and Udacity. Instead of listening to a lecture, students are required to complete increasingly difficult problems at their own pace. Researchers say it’s the only online tool using this method to teach science that they know of.

http://phys.org/news/2012-10-hands-on-online-tool-science.html

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October 28, 2012

Computer science teachers offered cash incentive in UK

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:40 am

By Judith Burns, BBC News

High-flying graduates are to be given a £20,000 golden handshake to train as computer science teachers. Ministers have asked Facebook, Microsoft and IBM to help design the training for the new teachers. Education Secretary Michael Gove said current information and communications technology (ICT) teacher training courses would be axed from next year. The move “could not be more welcome or more necessary”, said Prof Steve Furber of the Royal Society.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20003327#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Using Your School’s Computer Lab

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:36 am

by Engstrom Donald, TTSC Technology

With the elimination of building tech specialists, making full use of your school’s computer lab presents some new challenges. Here are a few recommendations to make your lab time successful.

https://sites.google.com/a/ttsd.k12.or.us/ttsd-school-tech/home/school-tech-blog/usingyourschoolscomputerlab

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Phone call translator app to be offered by NTT Docomo

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:30 am

By Leo Kelion, BBC

An app offering real-time translations is to allow people in Japan to speak to foreigners over the phone with both parties using their native tongue. NTT Docomo – the country’s biggest mobile network – will initially convert Japanese to English, Mandarin and Korean, with other languages to follow. It is the latest in a series of telephone conversation translators to launch in recent months. Lexifone and Vocre have developed other products. Alacatel-Lucent and Microsoft are among those working on other solutions. The products have the potential to let companies avoid having to use specially trained multilingual staff, helping them cut costs. They could also aid tourism. However, the software involved cannot offer perfect translations, limiting its use in some situations.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20004210#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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October 27, 2012

Future career opportunities abound for girls who study science

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:40 am

by Mary Beth Marklein, USA Today

“I come from a dysfunctional family, so I like to fix things,” Vazjier Rosario, 27, a Microsoft engineer and mother of three, told them. Sekela Rabb, 33, said that as a kid she “loved to press buttons … to see what was going to happen.” That curiosity has led her to pursue an associate’s degree in network engineering at a community college. And pink-haired Martine Stillman, 31, a mechanical engineer at Synapse, a local firm that develops cool stuff for Nike, Samsung and other companies, said a college professor inspired her. He said, “You’re never going to be an engineer.” To which she said, “You wanna bet?” Amid concern that the nation isn’t preparing enough students for the high-tech workforce of the future, accomplished tech-savvy women are emerging as a force aimed at unleashing the untapped potential of girls. The first step: disproving a stereotype that computing is a guy thing.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20121020/NJNEWS/310200058/Tech-savvy-women-encourage-girls-to-followin-their-footsteps

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Technology for new way of teaching is advancing

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:36 am

By: Bob Gibson, The Daily Progress

The brave new world of online courses is alive and well and growing at the University of Virginia, which has yet to determine how to turn a profit on these ventures. A supposed lack of sufficiently swift, solid movement into online instruction was the foremost false charge brought against President Teresa Sullivan four months ago when Rector Helen Dragas secretly dragooned members of the Board of Visitors in her ultimately ill-fated attempt to push the president into retirement. If the board hadn’t been operating quite so secretly in the Dragas push, members might have learned that their university is carefully and deliberately advancing the new field of teaching technology. Many thousands of students have signed up for non-credit online courses starting in January as part of an expansion into the field.

http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/2012/oct/21/technology-new-way-teaching-advancing-ar-2300368/

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Schools look to boost use of computers, other gadgets without breaking the budget

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:30 am

by Michelle Mitchell, Desert Sun

Inexpensive tablets, the rise of smart phones and the development of online textbooks and educational applications have combined to increase the feasibility of putting an Internet-connected device in front of every student. But an era of budget-tightening that has included teacher layoffs, increased class sizes and transportation cuts has led districts to seek out ways to provide this technology without draining education funds. Desert Sands and Palm Springs unified school districts are launching programs asking students to bring their own smart phones, tablets or computers to class. Coachella Valley Unified is asking voters to approve a bond that will buy an iPad for every student and pay for improvements to the district’s Internet-connection infrastructure.

http://www.mydesert.com/article/20121021/NEWS04/310210045/Schools-look-boost-tech-without-breaking-budget

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October 26, 2012

Cloud Computing Is Redefining Micro-Learning In Five Revolutionary Ways

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:40 am

by John, CloudTweaks

One of the great aspects of cloud computing is that it is quantifiable. It takes a challenge and accounts for it in hard figures. If it is software, one rents it and pays for the time he or she spends on it. If it is education, particularly, students come to know the time they spend in a remote learning environment will come back to them in the form of a certificate or degree. There are different ways in which the ubiquity and easy accessibility of otherwise expensive resources and data has affected micro-learning. Here are five such ways, beginning with the most quantifiable revolution.

http://www.cloudtweaks.com/2012/10/cloud-computing-is-redefining-micro-learning-in-five-revolutionary-ways/

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Yes, we Khan: pioneering education for anyone, anywhere

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:34 am

by Craig Savage, the Conversation

From preschool to PhD, education is afflicted by a malaise. Many students, teachers, parents and politicians, feel that with all the effort and money spent, we should be doing better. Salman Khan, founder of the Khan Academy, is a quiet revolutionary whose book The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined released last week, offers an inspiring vision for restructuring education. It’s an entertaining and provocative look at how one entrepreneur is changing the world, one lesson at a time.

http://theconversation.edu.au/yes-we-khan-pioneering-education-for-anyone-anywhere-10099

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William Bowen on MOOCs

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:30 am

by Ken Romeo, Hive Talkin’ (Stanford)

Perhaps it is too early to really hope for less hype in the area of instructional technology, especially since I have been one of those proselytizing about the coming revolution for so long. Hopefully we can all take advantage of this tsunami of publicity to move the field forward through new sources of funding, new opportunities for collaboration, and new experiments in our own classrooms. One thing that Prof Bowen kept coming back to that stuck in my mind was about leadership: “There is, then, much to be said for seeking leadership from a single entity that is well-respected and has a demonstrated capacity to execute.” His implication was that “the Stanfords of the world” should step up to make online education a reality for the rest of the world, but I think it is quite easy to generalize a bit, arguing that we have much to gain from collaborations between those with deep experience and those with broad optimism.

https://www.stanford.edu/group/ats/cgi-bin/hivetalkin/?p=2923

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October 25, 2012

Microsoft teases Metro version of Skype for Windows 8 release

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:40 am

by Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica

With just a day to go before Windows 8 and Windows RT hit retail availability, Microsoft has said surprisingly little about how Skype will work on the platforms. But with the launch of the new operating systems on Oct. 26, clues are surfacing that a touch-friendly version of the VoIP and messaging application is just about ready. Reporter Ed Bott of ZDNet noticed the clues. One is a picture of Microsoft’s Surface tablet running what could very well be a Metro version of Skype (seen at the top of this post). Another is a page describing Surface’s software that says “Snap two apps side-by-side onscreen and do more at once. Use Skype to chat with friends while blogging, or record seminars and workshops while taking notes in OneNote.” A cached version of the Surface page, since taken down, also mentions “Stereo speakers and dual microphones tuned for Skype,” Bott writes.

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/10/microsoft-teases-metro-version-of-skype-for-windows-8-release/

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Can College Students Have it All – Learn When, Where and How They Want?

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by Online Learning Insights

Apparently they can – at least at University of Central Florida where students can choose between different learning options: online, face-to-face, hybrid and more… The University of Central Florida (UCF) operates unconventionally in comparison to other public universities when it comes to student learning; UCF puts the students in charge by encouraging them to choose when, where and how they want to learn. Students select their learning path and customize it to their preferences and schedule. In keeping with this student focused approach, faculty training, pedagogy and selection of academic programs adapt and cater to the students, even to their demographic profiles (Hartman, Moskal & Dziuban, 2004).

http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/can-college-students-have-it-all-learn-when-where-and-how-they-want/

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The Teacher’s Quick Guide To Educational Twitter Hashtags

Filed under: Educational Technology — admin @ 12:30 am

by Edudemic

Twitter has become a massive hit in education and it’s too big to ignore. So that’s why we helped assemble the 2012 A-Z Guide To Twitter Hashtags. It’s been an invaluable resource for educators around the world. But that’s a very lengthy list. Lucky for you, our friends at Online College Courses repurposed our lengthy list and made it a whole lot less, well, difficult. The following visualization should be a handy resource for any teacher looking to make the dive into Twitter. Trust me, it’s a bit daunting but worth taking the plunge. Just don’t be surprised if you become an addict!

http://edudemic.com/2012/10/a-quick-guide-to-learning-management-systems/

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