More Chinese primary schools opt for digital learning

BY AMANDA YEAP, The Star

A fifth of the 1,298 Chinese vernacular primary schools in the country have remodeled themselves as digital schools to attract enrolment, says Deputy Education Minister Datuk Chong Sin Woon (pix). He said the growing trend of modernising Chinese school education was due to stiff competition faced by the schools. “Starting from 2013 onward, this trend is especially prevalent among schools in the rural areas because they strive to rise to the same performance level as schools in the city. “Many parents too feel more confident in enrolling their children into a school equipped with contemporary teaching and learning equipment,” Chong told a press conference on Monday.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/01/16/fifth-of-chinese-primary-schools-opted-for-digital-learning/

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7 e-learning trends for educational institutions in 2017

By Livia Mihai, IT Pro Portal

Here are seven e-learning trends that could shape the EdTech landscape in 2017. In an attempt to answer these questions, we could look around us, assess what has been working so far in terms of education technology, and take some educated guesses on what could be working in the near future. Without further ado, here are seven e-learning trends that could shape the EdTech landscape in 2017.

http://www.itproportal.com/features/7-e-learning-trends-for-educational-institutions-in-2017/

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How to Prepare for an Online Degree Program

By PC Tech Magazine

We’ve covered various subjects about pursuing an online degree before. Whether you’re thinking about getting an MBA or pursuing a masters in nursing online, there are plenty of programs to choose from. Online degrees are the future of education for several reasons. By taking your next degree online, you can enroll in the best universities in the world while living or working in Uganda. Online degrees are also very flexible. You can complete the course at your own pace and study at your own time. While the extra flexibility really helps, it also means you have to take some extra steps to prepare for the course. Here are the things you need to do to get ready for an online degree program.

http://pctechmag.com/2017/01/how-to-prepare-for-an-online-degree-program/

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How big is the edtech marketplace?

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Tech Edvocate

Now nearly every young student has access to a computer or smartphone in some capacity. According to an article by Education World, the U.S. EdTech was an estimated $8.38 Billion in 2014, with no end in slowing down in sight. This is an industry that is growing at an accelerated rate to parallel the rate at which technology is now advancing. With the rate at which the tech market is growing, educators have to ask whether or not these ESo instead of the EdTech Marketplace providing students with useful tools for students, it can turn into a futile attempt for technology to help students engage with content in a meaningful and productive way. In effect, the EdTech Marketplace stands to lose by not giving their audience the tools they need.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/how-big-is-the-edtech-marketplace/

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School district puts e-learning to test after break

By the Republic

Jennings County School Corp. instituted e-learning for the 2016-17 school year as an alternative to having students make up at least three snow days. Teachers provide students with online lessons, which can be downloaded at school in advance, so that students can do the lessons with or without wireless connections when school is closed. Previously, any missed days were made up in the classroom. Each snow day at the high school is considered a “red” day. Red days are another new addition to the schedule this year, as students attend all eight of their classes in one day.

http://www.therepublic.com/2017/01/15/school_district_puts_elearning_to_test_after_break/

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Drone schools look to woo younger pilots for commercial jobs

Dave Kolpack, Associated Press

Leaders in the unmanned aircraft industry are trying to persuade young people who think drones are cool to consider flying them for a living. Niemeier plans to take a course through SkySkopes, a Grand Forks company that employs unmanned aircraft pilots and is offering an online class for students beginning as early as eighth grade as well as a separate flight certification course. She decided to take the class after her father — a commercial photographer with no aviation experience — was recruited by SkySkopes to test the 20-week flight training course. Matt Dunlevy, SkySkopes president and CEO, said wants to show students “who catch the drone bug early” that there are companies like his that are hiring people. He expects the drone pilot shortage to get worse. Dunlevy’s SkySkopes Academy also is starting an internship program through the University of North Dakota, one of the top aviation schools in the country.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Drone-schools-look-to-woo-younger-pilots-for-10857797.php

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Harvard Release Entire Photography Course Online – with Retouching Lessons Too!

by Jack Alexander, Fstop

You may remember back in September 2016, a professor from Stanford released the contents of his University-level Digital Photography course on to the internet for free. Now, Harvard have followed suite by releasing their own Photography course, complete with lessons on software and how to retouch. Released through their online resource platform “Alison,” the course covers everything from the basics of digital photography to light, exposure, colour, and software. All that’s required is a simple sign-up. Everything is then available and totally accessible right now from the comfort of your own home.

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Online Tutoring Market to Grow 12.75% Between 2017-2021

By Sri Ravipati, THE Journal

The annual rate of students who will enroll in online tutoring services worldwide is expected to double over the next few years. The global K-12 online tutoring market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.75 percent from 2017-2021, up from a CAGR of about 6 percent from 2016-2020, according to a recent report from Technavio. The K–12 segment of the online tutoring market was valued at $63.57 billion in 2016 and is forecasted to be $120.67 billion by 2021. The London-based tech market research firm has identified the top three emerging marketing trends expected to impact the market between 2017 and 2021.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/01/12/online-tutoring-market-to-grow-12-percent-between-2017-2021.aspx

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A new report examines the ways state policies can buoy computer science education efforts

by eSchool News

Computer science skills are becoming a larger part of mainstream education with the emergence of Computer Science Education Week and efforts to introduce students to coding and programming. Part of those efforts focus on actions states can take to ensure that computer science education is a priority year-round. After all, many of the jobs today’s students will hold in the future will require computer science and IT knowledge. To keep the momentum behind computer science education moving, the Southern Regional Education Board, led by its 2015-16 chair, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, convened a group of state legislators, secondary and postsecondary education leaders to formulate policies and actions that positively support computer science.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/01/13/state-policies-computer-science/

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What’s Hot: 9 Major Ed Tech Trends for 2017

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

Education technologies are, by their nature, capricious. So it makes sense to consider what could drive innovation among classrooms for the new year. Our panel of K-12 experts weighs in. Figuring out just what will captivate educators from one year to the next is a fickle business. The thing everybody was trying one year is on the way out the next. Other movements seem to have the staying power of cork in a bulletin board — always there, always ready for some new take. So it goes for this year too. The use of gaming, flipped learning, banning cell phones and purchasing tablets appear to be waning, while some new movements are definitely waxing.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/01/12/whats-hot-9-major-ed-tech-trends-for-2017.aspx

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Schools to expand dual credit offerings

By Sarah Plummer, Montgomery Herald

With an eye on boosting course offerings and academic rigor, Fayette County Schools is expanding its dual credit offerings in hopes of having the advanced courses in all high schools by fall 2017. Anna Kincaid-Cline, director of curriculum, said some dual credit classes, which allow students to receive both high school and college credit, were piloted at Midland Trail High. Partnerships with area colleges are expanding, and spring courses are now offered at Meadow Bridge and Oak Hill high schools.

http://www.montgomery-herald.com/news/schools-to-expand-dual-credit-offerings/article_9651a220-d871-11e6-8854-571e24157dc9.html

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Blissfield schools add to online options

By Mark Haney, Daily Telegram

Want to take an honors science class? Need to retake classes you failed? Or just need to stay current in classes while recovering from an extensive illness? Those are just some of the uses of Blissfield Community School’s virtual course offerings. The school board voted Monday to approve using Pearson Gradpoint as the district’s source of online classes. The catalog the Baltimore, Maryland, firm offers is extensive. It includes everything from Algebra 1 to honors marine science, from consumer math to anthropology I and II, as well as an array of Advanced Placement and multi-level language classes.

http://www.lenconnect.com/news/20170113/blissfield-schools-add-to-online-options

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Twin Lakes offers “lovely balance” between online and classroom learning

By Andrew Philips, Orillia Packet

An Orillia high school is offering twin styles of learning. The innovative blended learning course at Twin Lakes Secondary School is a unique entry, featuring both online curriculum and face-to-face learning with a teacher in a computer lab. “This is a regular class that we have in a computer room,” explained Robyn LaChapelle, who teaches the Grade 10 civics and careers class. And while many teachers are already using various forms of online learning in their classes, this marks the first formal e-learning course offered at Twin Lakes. “We thought. ‘Why not have a trial run in Grade 10?’” LaChapelle said. “This provides more availability since every student learns differently.”

http://www.orilliapacket.com/2017/01/13/twin-lakes-offers-lovely-balance-between-online-and-classroom-learning

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Gamify your own personal learning experiences and watch what happens

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Edvocate

Gamification has gained a lot of attention in the areas of development and training within larger business environments. It has reshaped how corporate training programs are delivered by finding methods to increase interest, maintain engagement, and make the information more accessible. But do the benefits of gamification end with these large-scale implementations? Can the principles be used to change how we design our own personal learning experiences, and, if so, to what benefit? The answers are “no” and “yes,” respectively. And here’s how it works.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/gamify-your-own-personal-learning-experiences-and-watch-what-happens/

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Does our edtech obsession get in the way of teaching and learning?

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Edvocate

Walk into a classroom today, and you are going to see more gadgets than ever before. Gone are the days when a fancy calculator impressed you and having a computer in the room was a big deal. These days most students have an iPad, a Chromebook, or some other piece of technology at their fingertips. There are thousands and thousands of educational apps that attempt to make learning more engaging. Virtual classrooms are no longer something talked about in theory; they are now used all across the globe. But how much is too much? Do we have an EdTech problem, or is it a part of the solution to education?

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/does-our-edtech-obsession-get-in-the-way-of-teaching-and-learning/

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Robots Will Take Jobs, but Not as Fast as Some Fear, New Report Says

By STEVE LOHR, NY Times

The robots are coming, but the march of automation will displace jobs more gradually than some alarming forecasts suggest. A measured pace is likely because what is technically possible is only one factor in determining how quickly new technology is adopted, according to a new study by the McKinsey Global Institute. Other crucial ingredients include economics, labor markets, regulations and social attitudes. The report, which was released Thursday, breaks jobs down by work tasks — more than 2,000 activities across 800 occupations, from stock clerk to company boss. The institute, the research arm of the consulting firm McKinsey & Company, concludes that many tasks can be automated and that most jobs have activities ripe for automation. But the near-term impact, the report says, will be to transform work more than to eliminate jobs.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/12/technology/robots-will-take-jobs-but-not-as-fast-as-some-fear-new-report-says.html

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7 collaboration tools for the modern classroom

BY LAURA ASCIONE DEVANEY, eCampus News

Collaboration skills are essential–here are tools to help your students build them. Smartphones, tablets and other technology tools have tons of potential to help students learn–if they’re used properly. And when properly implemented, those tools can help students build the collaboration skills they need to reach success in school and the workforce. Most 21st-century learning models include collaboration as a necessary educational outcome. Collaboration skills are part of the Partnership for 21st Century Education’s 4Cs, a framework developed with educator input and designed to outline skills and knowledge students need in today’s global and connected society. And collaboration isn’t simply a necessary classroom skill. Teamwork and collaboration are important abilities employers say they want in their current and future employees.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/01/11/collaboration-tools-classroom/

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Training-to-work programs make way for competency based employee learning

by Tess Taylor, HR Dive

Traditional work training programs are quickly becoming obsolete, reports ECampus News. Today, organizations are getting better results from competency-based programs in hiring and training their workforces. Innovate+Educate, a national nonprofit, released their report Shift Happens: The Entrepreneurs, Wonks, and Investors Revolutionizing the Learning-to-Employment Landscape that details how employers can close the skills gaps by developing more competency based learning programs using new learning models. Workforce data shows that there are around 11 million adults in the USA without a 4-year degree, but they have professional certifications and licenses that make them eligible for employment. That is the market that competency-based employment programs can make the most difference within.

http://www.hrdive.com/news/training-to-work-programs-make-way-for-competency-based-employee-learning/433735/

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Examining the impact and ethics of tracking students

by Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

NPR interviewed University of Michigan Digital Innovation Greenhouse Director Timothy McKay about the prospects of using data and analytics to customize learning experiences for individual students. McKay says that traditional higher education delivers information to a sizable student body and determines the aptitude of each student based on ability to master coursework in a certain time, and within a prescribed way. Analytics, he says, help to leave a record of progress in learning beyond the traditional transcript, accounting for how different backgrounds may impact learning and extracting aptitude from preparation or exposure.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/examining-the-impact-and-ethics-of-tracking-students/433912/

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STEM Day Website Offers Masses of Classroom Activities

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

First, there was Hour of Code. Now there’s Siemens STEM Day. A makeover of the traditional Siemens Science Day, the new event is intended to encourage teachers to spark student interest in new forms of science, technology, engineering and math. The event, which doesn’t have a specific day assigned to it yet, comes with the chance to win a $10,000 “possibility” grant for use in creating a new fab lab or outfitting the classroom with gadgets. Promoted by Discovery Education and the Siemens Foundation, the STEM Day website offers 134 activities to be used in the class, which can be filtered by grade level, STEM category or career path (energy, healthcare, IT and manufacturing).

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/01/10/stem-day-website-offers-masses-of-classroom-activities.aspx

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Online Master of Science in Analytics Degree to be Offered for Less Than $10,000

by Georgia Tech

The Georgia Institute of Technology has announced a new online master of science degree that will be offered at a quarter of the cost of its on-campus program. The Institute’s top 10-ranked program in analytics will be delivered in collaboration with edX, the leading nonprofit MOOC provider. Tuition for Georgia Tech’s Online Master of Science in Analytics (OMS Analytics) degree will be available for less than $10,000 beginning in August. The residential program ranges from $36,000 for in-state students to $49,000 for out of state. OMS Analytics will accept 250 students for the first semester and will grow over time as the program scales to meet demand and student needs.

http://www.news.gatech.edu/2017/01/11/online-master-science-analytics-degree-be-offered-less-10000

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ORU opens Global Learning Center for students all over the world

by Amy Jenson, ABC Tulsa

Reading out of a textbook for school can be boring but imagine getting to interact with what you are reading about. You are sitting in class learning about space shuttles but all you can see is a picture of the shuttle in a textbook. Student, Shawn Madison is looking at it on his phone as if it were sitting on his own desk. “I have taken several medical classes and I have gotten to really understand different components,” Madison said. “Getting to be more hands on is really exciting to me.” The more than 50,000 square-foot remodel brought Oral Roberts University smart classrooms, virtual and augmented reality, robotics and global interaction.

http://ktul.com/news/local/oru-opens-global-learning-center-for-students-all-over-the-world

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Cool Learning: Gaming Studio Creates Unique Space for Students to Live and Learn at Duke University

By Stephanie Green, Campus Technology

Opened in the fall of 2015, the one-of-a-kind gaming space offers eight monitors, including a quad arrangement of four screens totaling over 100 inches and 10 gaming computers that can be used for competitive or group gaming. Additionally, there is an assortment of game consoles, including Wii U from Nintendo, Xbox One S and PlayStation 4. The Bolt has several nooks and alcoves that aim to serve individual gaming needs, while large couches and roomy seating encourage group gaming sessions that may not be possible in residence hall rooms. The Bolt is open to all students and serves as a connecting fabric between the Edens community and the rest of west campus. This accessibility creates a comfortable and naturally welcoming space.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/01/10/cool-learning-gaming-studio-creates-unique-space-for-students-to-live-and-learn-at-duke-university.aspx

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How Screens Turn Kids into “digital addicts”

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Edvocate

When it comes to kids and technology, even the most tech-savvy parents proceed with caution, some even going as far as to enroll their children in technology-free schools. Recent research has shown that smartphones, iPads, video games and other electronic devices can have a similar effect as a drug. Those same research studies show that these devices affect the frontal cortex, the part of the brain that controls execution and impulses, in the same way as cocaine does. Furthermore, staring at screens increases dopamine levels, which is why children become suddenly happy when handed an electronic device and then immediately upset when the device is taken away. Dr. Peter Whybrow, director of neuroscience and human behavior at UCLA, calls these devices “electronic cocaine,” and researchers from China refer to them as “digital heroin.”

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/how-screens-turn-kids-into-digital-addicts/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=22655

How to Gamify Your Classroom

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Edvocate

It’s no secret that people of all ages and backgrounds enjoy video games. In fact, over 3 billion hours a week are dedicated to playing video games worldwide. This widespread popularity makes it an ideal choice for integrating into the classroom, a process called gamification. But, just because people know that gamifying education has benefits, figure out exactly how to do so isn’t always as easy. To help teachers figure out how to bring the motivating principles of video games into the traditional learning experience here is some guidance on how to gamify your classroom.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/how-to-gamify-your-classroom/

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New Google Classroom features make it easier to learn, teach, manage and build

by Andrew Garrett, Google

Google Classroom is designed for everyone involved in a student’s education. More than 20 million educators and students use it to teach and learn together, as do administrators who oversee how this tool is used across classrooms, and developers who are building educational technology for the next generation. As everyone heads back to school to start the new semester, we’re releasing new Classroom updates designed specifically for each of these groups.

https://blog.google/topics/education/new-google-classroom-features-make-it-easier-learn-teach-manage-and-build/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=22642

How an App Helped Me Build a Classroom Community

By Laura Briggs, the Edvocate

Bloomz provides an easy way for me to communicate with parents, and also lets them communicate privately with me. They all have at least one connected device – whether a phone, computer or tablet, and using my own phone during school allows me to share photos or video, resources, and personal messages with all of my parents. I can send school flyers and announcements, as well as schedule school and classroom events using the calendar. I am completely paperless with my communication, while still keeping parents happy and knowledgeable about what is happening in our class. This additional communication has helped me build a classroom community where parents are engaged and interested in seeing the activities in which their child is participating at school.

http://www.theedadvocate.org/how-an-app-helped-me-build-a-classroom-community/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=22627

When Personalized Learning Is a Logical Fallacy

By Michael Feldstein, EdSurge

Personalized learning is not a product you can buy — it’s a set of strategies that teachers can implement, sometimes with the help of products that are designed to support those strategies. The distinction between adaptive learning and personalized learning, between a tool and a teaching technique, is necessary to the basic logic that enables us to understand how the various parts of any teaching intervention work together to make a difference. When we conflate product talk with learning-intervention talk, we lose our ability to distinguish the factors that are critical to achieving the learning outcomes we want. Until we make this distinction clearly and consistently, we can throw unlimited amounts of money at researching, developing, and promoting the spread of educational technology and still fail to make a difference in students’ lives.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-01-09-when-personalized-learning-is-a-logical-fallacy

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Report: Wearable Devices Expected to Become Mainstream in Education in Next 4-5 Years

By Richard Chang, THE Journal

Virtual reality and robotics will become widely adopted in education in the next two to three years, while wearable devices are expected to become mainstream in the education space over the next four to five years, according to a recent report published by the New Media Consortium and the Consortium for School Networking. The “NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2016 K–12 Edition” examined emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in teaching, learning and creative inquiry in schools. The report, released at the end of 2016, looked at tech trends in the short term (one year or less), mid-term (two to three years) and long term (four to five years.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/01/06/report-wearable-devices-expected-to-become-mainstream-in-education-in-next-4-5-years.aspx

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Report: Librarians Say Info Literacy Is Important, They Don’t Have the Tools to Teach It

By Joshua Bolkan, Camus Technology

Nearly all librarians (97 percent) say information literacy contributes to workforce success and more than four in five (83 percent) say it affects college graduation rates, and yet 44 percent said their library does not support information literacy as much as it should, according to a new survey from ProQuest. The survey polled more than 200 librarians from university, community college, high school and public libraries. Other key findings include: Only 21 percent of librarians said their users recognize information literacy’s effect on lifelong success. Thirty-four percent said their users do not and 33 percent said they weren’t sure; 91 percent of those surveyed said they rely on one-on-one in-person consultations to reinforce literacy skills.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/01/05/report-librarians-say-info-literacy-is-important-they-dont-have-the-tools-to-teach-it.aspx

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Models, and the Equity of Information: A Q&A with George Siemens

By Mary Grush, Campus Technology

In the face of instant communication, continuous connectivity, and data analytics, the key research question at UT-Arlington’s LINK Research Lab is “What does it mean to be human in a digital age?” Here, LINK Lab Executive Director, PI/Researcher, and Professor George Siemens brings our attention to some key issues about our connectedness and how it is changing the way we interact, work, and learn in the digital age.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/01/09/data-centric-models-and-the-equity-of-information.aspx

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5 WAYS TO CREATE VIRTUAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN YOUR CLASSROOM

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Tech Edvocate

The reason that many teachers strive for a more virtual experience instead of the traditional talking points is that the interaction makes the lesson more memorable to the students. Concepts and ideas that seem too complicated under time-honored instruction methods are easier to grasp when the students can experience the lessons. This does not mean that you need a VR machine to create a virtual experience either. There are a number of tools that can help you establish a virtual environment that makes lessons more entertaining while making the concepts easier to understand. One of the biggest problems with edtech is the price tag – it can be incredibly cost prohibitive. However, that does not mean that you and your students have to be relegated to using only the old learning methods. Regardless of your budget, there are several things you can do to create a virtual learning experience that will make lessons feel more relevant.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/5-ways-to-create-virtual-learning-experiences-in-your-classroom/

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Students: Dodging high textbook costs becoming art form

BY MERIS STANSBURY, eCampus News

At Bluefield College in Virginia, students can pay one flat, discounted fee that allows them to receive all their required textbooks before classes start. “It’s no wonder that colleges and students need to think outside the box when it comes to textbooks; they represent a staggering cost that just seems to get worse,” says Chris Manns, managing director of the price-comparison websites CheapestTextbooks.com and TextbookRentals.com. Both free services aim to help students locate the cheapest prices for millions of books. One study by the Student Public Interest Research Groups showed that the cost for college textbooks has risen 73 percent over the last decade – more than four times the inflation rate.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/featured/featured-on-ecampus-news/high-textbook-costs/

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Students Zap Their Brains For a Boost, For Better Or Worse

By Riley Beggin, WBUR

The neurotechnology is called transcranial direct current stimulation, or tDCS for short. At its simplest, the method involves a device that uses little more than a 9-volt battery and some electrodes to send a low-intensity electrical current to a targeted area of the brain, typically via a headset. More than a 1,000 studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals over the last decade suggesting benefits of the technique — maybe regulating mood, possibly improving language skills — but its effects, good or bad, are far from clear. Although researchers see possibilities for tDCS in treating diseases and boosting performance, it’s still an exploratory technology, says Mark George, editor-in-chief of Brain Stimulation, a leading journal on neuromodulation. And leading experts have warned against at-home use of such devices.

http://www.wbur.org/npr/507133313/students-zap-their-brains-for-a-boost-for-better-or-worse

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