Top 100 Tools for Learning in 2014

By Katie Hurst, Business to Community

We are big fans of online tools here at OpenSesame. Websites and apps help us connect with others, keep up with current events, learn new skills, as well as can inspire us to think big. Online tools enable and empower us in ways never imagined, and thousands are being created every day. Last year we covered the top 100 tools for learning in 2013 to help you achieve your goals. This year, we’ve expanded on that list to include 100 new tools that have made us more effective, made a splash or made us think. As there are few repeats, we encourage you to take advantage of ALL the tools we’ve mentioned in your personal and professional pursuits for 2014.

http://www.business2community.com/human-resources/top-100-tools-learning-2014-0719766

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/2XdEAEr9-q0/

What Is Social Learning (And Does It Work)

By Jessica Leach, Edudemic

Distance learning, e-learning, mobile learning, blended learning. There are a slew of educational learning trends that have been happening for years now. And now, we’re adding social learning to the mix. The something-learning trend is continuing to move forward, this time putting popular social media to use. Social learning employs things like gamification, peer feedback and review, ranking, and awards to engage students in the material and learning process. The handy infographic below takes a look at the growing number of internet users worldwide, the proliferation of smartphone usage, and how leveraging these tools can benefit both students and teachers.

http://www.edudemic.com/social-learning/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/c5Txaw9iXPI/

Increasing accessibility to computer science education across the U.S.

by the National Science Foundation

Jan Cuny, NSF program manager for computer education and broadening participation says “The challenges of underproduction of degrees, lack of a presence in K-12, and underrepresentation for computer science are significant and interrelated. The computing community has an unprecedented opportunity to affect K-12 education with its enthusiasm and experience, together with its best ideas on curriculum, pedagogy, and ways to engage a broader, more diverse group of students.” Central to NSF’s efforts is the CS 10K Project, which focuses on making computer science accessible in high schools. CS 10K is a nationwide effort to get engaging, rigorous academic computer science courses into 10,000 schools taught by 10,000 well-prepared teachers. The project pays careful attention to the inclusion of women and minorities–groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in computing.

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=129882&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/PGvTkAyi9EA/

The Next Phase Of Online Education: 24/7 Digital Video Channels

by Ariel Schwartz, Fast Co-exist

Want a new skill? Now you can channel flip at any time of day, just like on TV. Walk into CreativeLive’s airy San Francisco studios and you could be forgiven for thinking you’re in just another snazzy software startup office. That is, until you open one of the closed doors and notice the cameras, producers, presenters, and live studio audience. Co-founded by photographer Chase Jarvis in 2010, CreativeLive offers free, live online workshops taught by experts. You won’t learn how to code in CreativeLive classes (online education startups like Udacity and EdX can help with that), but you could learn about photography, design, the music business, e-mail marketing, and other hands-on topics. Think of it more as a replacement for enrichment classes at a community college than high-level classes at a university.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/3023392/the-next-phase-of-online-education-24-7-digital-video-channels

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/o7sJAB0OJHo/

7 Excellent Free Blended Learning Resources – Understanding the Whys and Hows of Mixed Mode Instruction

by K. WALSH, Emerging EdTech

In this article, we offer a curated set of resources that can equip any educator to better understand how Blended Learning (a.k.a. “Hybrid Learning”, “Mix-Mode Instruction”, “Web-enhanced Instruction” and other terms) works and why it is increasingly understood to be an optimal approach to teaching and learning. Additionally, the tools and insights offered in these articles and videos can help the early adopter get up to speed and the experienced educator evolve their approach. Whether you are just beginning to learn about Blended Learning, or already ‘get it’ but want to learn more, you’ve come to the right place.

http://www.emergingedtech.com/2013/12/7-excellent-free-blended-learning-resources-understanding-the-whys-and-hows-of-mixed-mode-instruction/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/tMRDZvc2iiw/

U Colorado Boulder Tutorial Uses Video Games To Teach Coding

By Joshua Bolkan, THE Journal

A University of Colorado Boulder team has launched a tutorial to help students, teachers and others create a 3D video game in an effort to generate interest in computer programming. The “game-building program allows people with zero experience coding to design their own 3-D worlds by ‘inflating’ hand-drawn 2-D icons and then programming those objects to interact in defined ways,” according to a CU Boulder news release. “Programming should be easy and exciting,” said Alexander Repenning, CU Boulder computer science professor and lead on the project, in a prepared statement. “But that’s not where we are. The perception of the public is that it’s hard and boring. Our goal is to expose a much larger as well as broader audience to programming by reinventing computer science education in public schools.”

http://thejournal.com/articles/2013/12/11/u-colorado-boulder-tutorial-uses-video-games-to-teach-coding.aspx?admgarea=News1

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/cRw6v3MgOU0/

Do iPads Improve Learning and Raise Test Scores?

By dianeravitch

“The experiments are far-reaching. Currently, there are roughly 275,000 K-12 students from 31 states who are taking classes online. School administrators all over the nation are handing out iPads and asking teachers and students to come up with new ways to learn with them. Some schools are experimenting with flipped classrooms, in which kids read or watch videos of a lecture for homework and work through problems or questions with an instructor during class time. “Other schools, including a rapidly expanding chain of charter schools that serve low-income children, are employing what they call a “blended learning” model. It works like this: The classroom is broken down into small groups. Some kids work with a qualified, credentialed teacher, while others are shepherded to a computer room, where, under the watchful eye of a paid-by-the-hour supervisor, zoom ahead or redo a lesson using interactive, adaptive software.

http://dianeravitch.net/2013/12/08/do-ipads-improve-learning-and-raise-test-scores/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/il_Ek-TuR5U/

A Visual Guide To The Past, Present, And Future Of Education

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Education has been around for a long time. Many things have changed, and others have stayed remarkably similar over a number of years. As of late, there have been a lot of innovations and technological advancements that have really changed the educational landscape. In order to understand where education is heading, Boundless decided to take a look at where education has been in the past – to see how far it has come, or hasn’t in some cases. They’ve put together this handy infographic that shows some of education’s bigger historical milestones. From education in the ancient world to projecting what things will look like in 20 years, they’ve covered it all!

http://www.edudemic.com/past-present-future-education/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/g35yavO9oOg/

Why every student should learn computer science

by Katie Lepi, Edudemic

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, two of the fastest-growing occupations are in computer science and related fields ­­– expected to grow 53.4% by 2018. Nearly 90 percent of high school graduates say they’re not interested in a career or a college major involving science, technology, engineering or math, according to a survey of over one million students who take the ACT test. The number of students who want to pursue engineering or computer science jobs is actually falling, precipitously, at just the moment when the need for those workers is soaring. (Within five years, there will be 2.4 million STEM job openings.) This crisis has even caught the attention of the White House. In November, President Obama announced a new grant program to encourage more high schools to offer job-oriented STEM education.

http://www.edudemic.com/joy-code-video/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/9aprb6t4hGE/

The New Tools: What 21st Century Education Can Teach Us

By VOLANDES, KENNEDY AND DAVIS, the Health Care blog

Today, Khan Academy has provided over 240 million online lessons around the world in over 4000 topics. Stanford, MIT, and other universities now offer massive open online courses (MOOCs) by top professors to all comers. In fact, Harvard Business School no longer offers an introductory accounting class due to the availability of an exceptional online course from Brigham Young University. With high-quality content readily available online, the student-teacher dynamic is changing. Students are expecting excellent instruction and teachers are expecting students to be increasingly knowledgeable about subjects from online viewing. These reciprocal heightened expectations have the potential to create a more dynamic and interactive classroom experience. These innovations can also transform patient education by bringing patients into the circle of learning.

http://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/2013/12/11/the-new-tools-what-21st-century-education-can-teach-us/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/hqWRJ_3rfC4/

edX to Supplement High School Advanced Placement Curriculum

By AMNA H. HASHMI, Harvard Crimson

In its first explicit attempt to attract high school students, edX will collaborate with College Board and Davidson College professors to create online mini-courses in calculus, physics, and macroeconomics based on difficult topics in the Advanced Placement curriculum. Davidson professors will analyze data from College Board to create the courses. EdX, the virtual learning platform founded over a year ago by Harvard and MIT, will provide the technological tools to make these courses available to high school students, who constitute five to ten percent of its learners. “The College Board has a huge amount of data on AP scores, so Davidson scholars looked at the data and said where [students are] having the most difficulty on exams,” said edX President Anant Agarwal.

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2013/12/9/edX-supplement-high-school/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/FckCuyrrbmg/

‘Next wave in education will be students determining who will teach them and how’

by Malavika Velayanikal, Your Story

In the 21st century, where technology has opened up an array of opportunities for education startups, those operating in this space have to constantly think of “what can we do beyond what we had earlier”, Sachin Kelkar said. The startups have to think on the lines of continuous learning, emphasis on communication skills, critical thinking, collaboration, and digital literacy, he added. In his keynote address, he remarked that the pedagogy — the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept – itself has evolved. This, he said, demands that in order to succeed in this space, startups have to focus on new learning and education needs, inclusive business models, open platforms, think as disruptors and address the scale challenge.

http://yourstory.com/2013/12/education-edustars-finale/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/iwzDWEAUaY4/

Out of control online behavior calls for in-school digital citizenship campaign

by Linda Catoe, Guilfordian

In her October 6, 2010 article, “Schools Urged To Teach Youth Digital Citizenship,” Nancy Solomon addressed the need to get youth back on the digital ethics track on NPR’s “All Things Considered” program. Solomon cited John Palfrey, of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, who said, “We need education; we need mentoring; we need parenting …We need to have social workers figure out how to reach out in cyberspace, as well as in real space … It’s an all-hands-on-deck kind of issue.” Solomon offered solutions for a digital citizenship education campaign. Her article spotlighted Common Sense Media, a nonprofit source for kids’ movies, video games and technology information, who had gone as far as to write a digital citizenship curriculum to assist schools in teaching children “to think critically about the Internet and make ethical decisions about its use.”

http://www.guilfordian.com/features/2013/12/06/out-of-control-online-behavior-calls-for-in-school-digital-citizenship-campaign/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/MwUTL8RPAHQ/

8 Ways To Unlock The Power Of Your Interactive Whiteboard

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Interactive whiteboards are a great classroom tool. Many teachers use them to project and capture images – basically as a high tech, connected chalkboard. While definitely useful in these ways, the handy infographic below describes using your interactive white board that way as letting it go ‘underused’. So how do you ensure that this great piece of classroom technology isn’t underused? The graphic below outlines eight different ways to ‘exploit the pedagogical potential’ of this tool. Whether a whiteboard is a new tool to you or you’re looking to use yours in different ways, keep reading to find some new ideas!

http://www.edudemic.com/power-of-interactive-whiteboard/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/CXTQC8CSRrQ/

How To Build An Assistive Technology Plan For Middle School

by LearnWithOthers, Edudemic

One way to help differentiate learning for students is through the use of appropriate, assistive technology tools. The term “assistive” is often misunderstood as doing the job for the person. This is not the case. A basketball player that throws the ball to the person closer to the basket to make a shot is not the individual that scores the points. That does not diminish the role, but the work or score in this example is done by the person using the assist to make a basket. Much in the same way assistive technology tools do not do the work for the students. When used effectively, they offer the opportunity to help the students become more independent and successful with their academic tasks. An assistive technology tool can be something as simple as using a word processor to make the text and spacing bigger for a test.

http://www.edudemic.com/assistive-technology-plan-for-middle-school/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/B294Kqv7rvk/

Frequent quizzes could improve course scores, attendance in class

by Lara Hulcher, NCSU Technician

The somewhat-traditional teaching method of determining students’ grades based solely on a midterm and final exam was recently called into question by a psychology study. However, it’s unclear whether this new method will take wide effect at N.C. State. Psychologists at the University of Texas at Austin released findings from an experiment this month in which 901 students in a popular introduction-to-psychology course took their laptops to class and were quizzed online. The researchers found that frequent quizzing, as opposed to a few large tests and projects, increased both class attendance and overall performance. Scott Despain, an associate professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, teaches Spanish I and gives several small quizzes throughout the semester. Usually, his quizzes only take 30 seconds to a couple of minutes to complete and come directly from the homework, Despain said. “It facilitates students’ success,” Despain said. “I come from a background of learning by doing.”

http://www.technicianonline.com/news/article_50a41600-5b0f-11e3-9833-001a4bcf6878.html

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/qQtQYDzQbRA/

Are Online Classes on Your Educational Path?

by SchoolX

Are Online Classes on Your Educational Path?The quantity and quality of online classes is increasing. More than 50 percent of college presidents surveyed by Pew Research said that online courses provide the same value as do traditional classroom courses. With more people seeking alternative ways to learn, online classes are proving to be an effective solution. Online classes fill a variety of needs for people wanting to learn. For some, it’s a way to get back into education after a long absence. You may have postponed your education for years while volunteering overseas or while taking care of an ill family member. Online classes give you a way to see how studying feels again and can even help you decide how much of a course load you can manage.

http://blog.schoox.com/are-online-classes-on-your-educational-path/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/PuUe0QehJUc/

Why Online Learning Is the Future

by Sam Jones, Bubble News

Experts agree that online learning programs work very well. Many universities and schools are now turning to the online environment as a means to improve the richness of their training. Distance learning courses are springing up all over the world. No longer do we have to be sat in a classroom in order to learn the subject, or complete a course. There are lots of reasons why online learning works. Online courses tend to be very interactive. They provide the opportunity for lecturers to interact one-on-one and in groups with students. On the other hand, classroom-based, and lecture hall based, learning tends to be very passive. Students fall asleep in lectures and get very little from them.

http://www.bubblews.com/news/1674548-why-online-learning-is-the-future

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/VeEZjeWO0oU/

Foothill-De Anza district selected to lead Brown’s statewide Online Education Initiative

by Los Altos Town Crier Staff

The Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges recently awarded the partnership of the Foothill-De Anza and Butte-Glenn community college districts a $16.9 million competitive grant to launch Gov. Jerry Brown’s Online Education Initiative in California. Building on the existing California Virtual Campus, the launch team will develop a one-stop statewide online education portal where California community college students can apply, register and take online courses from participating colleges. The initiative’s goal is to increase the number of California students who earn associate degrees and transfer to four-year universities by dramatically boosting the number of online classes available and providing online students with support services to help them succeed.

http://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/schools/209-school-news/46194-

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/1o6dp_HY3Rc/

5 Online Classes To Pump Up IT Careers

by Kevin Case, Information Week

Strengthen your IT skill set on these in-demand topics. New online classes make it easier than ever to bolster your portfolio. That whole constant learning thing can be done, at least in part, without leaving your couch. An explosion in online learning opportunities, offered by prestigious universities and Internet startups alike, shrinks the list of available excuses for folks who swore they’d never again set foot in a classroom. Better still, many of these opportunities are offered free, eliminating another popular excuse. And if you’re lucky, you work for a smart boss at a company willing to invest in its internal IT skills. If that’s the case, you can likely make the case for taking online courses on company time.

http://www.informationweek.com/strategic-cio/team-building-and-staffing/5-online-classes-to-pump-up-it-careers/d/d-id/898915

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/4_AEsiImVJ0/