Why Wearables Are the New Gateways to Human Knowledge

By Toni Fuhrman, Campus Technology

The use of Google Glass and other wearable devices in higher education is still experimental, but the technology is opening up exciting new possibilities for teaching and learning. Ray Kurzweil, American author, scientist, inventor, futurist — and now director of engineering at Google — said, famously: “Mobile phones are misnamed. They should be called gateways to human knowledge.” It turns out that gateway is widening, especially on campus, where wearable technology is becoming the latest portal into human knowledge — and the future.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/10/16/why-wearables-are-the-new-gateways-to-human-knowledge.aspx

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Some Kentucky School Districts Can Now Use Online Courses as an Alternative on Snow Days

By DEVIN KATAYAMA, WFPL

Remember last winter, when schools around Kentucky closed because of the unusually harsh weather? The Kentucky Department of Education has now approved waivers for 13 school districts to teach through virtual or other means when school is canceled because of emergencies, like large snowfall. Last winter, Kentucky schools had a lot of snow days. Some areas were hit harder than others. But it prompted lawmakers to revise a law to say that any district could make up 10 days of missed school through nontraditional means as long as their plan to educate children has been approved by the state education commissioner. This will most likely include online learning.

http://wfpl.org/post/some-kentucky-school-districts-can-now-use-online-courses-alternative-snow-days

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Easy steps to OER creation

By Laura Devaney, Managing Editor, eSchool News

Creating and using OER isn’t as complicated as some educators might believe. OER-creationOpen educational resources (OER) offer educators a chance to align learning materials to students’ needs–and teachers can create their own OER through a surprisingly straightforward process, using materials they likely have in abundance in their classrooms. OER are commonly considered resources that are freely shared and able to be modified and redistributed. Educators can use OER in small bits to supplement textbooks or other learning resources, or they can use OER to replace traditional textbooks and revamp classroom instruction.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/10/16/easy-oer-creation-423/

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How will the Internet of Everything change education by 2018?

By Cisco, ZD Net

As we all know, technology is evolving rapidly. It has, and will continue to, profoundly change our lives in the years to come. What kind of positive changes can we expect to see rising out of the Internet of Everything (IoE) by 2018? For example, IoE is changing the ways in which students with disabilities are able to learn. Technology is being put to use in schools in Australia, with sensors changing the ways students learn sign language. Elsewhere sensors are being used to improve learning for students with ADHD by monitoring brain activity and providing rewards for improved learning. This process perfectly captures how a connection between the four pillars of IoE – people, process, data and things – is already influencing. Though currently, physical attendance is the norm; by 2018 we could expect to see tuition taking place through any device, anywhere. Through IoE, the linear knowledge-sharing dialogue between teacher and student can evolve into something entirely within the student’s control. They will be able to learn at their own pace, focusing more on what they perceive as relevant to them. This, in turn, could lower the price of education with students customising a course of learning that is specific to their needs, paying only for what they want rather than a ‘one size fits all model’.

http://www.zdnet.com/how-will-the-internet-of-everything-change-education-by-2018-7000034585/

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Study says college students addicted to technology

by WCSC

Researchers surveyed more than 150 college students, and 60 percent of them said they are addicted to their cell phones and spend on average eight to 10 hours a day on it. Rachael Anderson is a licensed professional counselor and a coordinator of Augustana Student Counseling Services. “It’s not anything formal according to psychology,” Anderson said. “You can’t get diagnosed with a cell phone addiction, but I can kind of get what they are saying; which is that this is something that I need and I feel really lost without it.” In addition to looking up from your phone during the day, Anderson suggests keeping it off of your night stand. “Studies have consistently shown that (cell phones) will completely wreck your sleep patterns,” Anderson said. “So you really need to find a time where you put down the cell phone before you go to bed.”

http://www.live5news.com/story/26763562/study-says-college-students-addicted-to-technology

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11 ed tech developments from Educause

By Roger Riddell, Education Dive

With over 260 exhibitors on the floor at Educause 2014, there was plenty for attendees to see. Education Dive was on hand to take it all in, and while we didn’t see everything, there was plenty that caught our attention. From the latest LMS to publishing developments to lecture capture, and in no particular order, we put together the following list of things to note at this year’s event.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/11-ed-tech-developments-from-educause/318727/

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Online learning program to be offered to elementary students

by Julie Greene, Herald Mail Media

Washington County Public Schools is adopting an online adaptive learning program that could be available to all county elementary schools by the end of this month, according to a school system official. Students will be able to access it from home and at school, with the program providing data to teachers to help them determine which skills students need more help with, said Matt Semler, director of elementary education and student services. The Washington County Board of Education voted 6-0 on Tuesday to approve its consent agenda, which included the $231,000 purchase of Stride Academy for one year from LTS Education Systems, of Birmingham, Ala. Board member Melissa Williams was absent from the meeting.

http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/local/online-learning-program-to-be-offered-to-elementary-students/article_55f7f516-5f27-586a-b71f-0fecd8a56a0f.html

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Using data to improve student success

by Paul Prinsloo, University World News

Digital technologies and online learning environments permitting harvesting, analysis and use of student data is nothing new in higher education. They open up a number of opportunities and equally a number of perils – creating the need for higher education institutions to find ways to protect the harvested data. As more and more faculty and students embrace the affordances of digital technologies and online learning environments, data’s velocity, scope, variety and resolution have increased exponentially.

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20141009100401434

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Switch launches 1st learn-to-code course search for online AND offline classes

by AGbeat

Switch launched earlier this year an aggregator to help anyone to determine which coding bootcamp is right for them, as the options begin to multiply. To reduce confusion, Switch created the TripAdvisor for people considering a career change by launching transparent reviews (read: it’s much more than just search). Now, Switch has launched the first ever aggregator for online and offline learn-to-code resources, seeking to help anyone from the DIY entrepreneur looking to brush up to the career veteran looking to learn a new programming language. By adding Online Courses, they are innovating in the space by helping bridge the gap between empty course seats and potential students of all types.

https://www.switchup.org/online

http://agbeat.com/tech-news/switch-launches-1st-learn-code-course-search-online-offline-classes/

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edX turns attention to high school MOOCs

By Ean Marshall, eSchool News

edX-MOOCHigh school students now have access to massive open online courses (MOOCs) through a new effort from MOOC platform edX, which says it intends the courses to help students prepare for college-level work. edX collaborated with institutions such as MIT and Georgetown to produce the 27 courses, which include Advanced Placement (AP) sciences, math, and history, as well as French and Spanish.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/10/06/high-school-moocs-839/

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The digital divide with online learning

by the News-Journal Editorial Board

It’s another lesson in the gap between what Tallahassee mandates for education and how school districts execute them. As The News-Journal’s Annie Martin recently reported, Volusia County school officials realized last spring that about 3,000 of their more than 4,000 rising seniors had yet to complete an online course as is now required by state regulations. In Flagler County, 453 seniors — only about half of the county’s total — have completed the requirement. They’re not alone. In Osceola County, only 38 percent of seniors have completed the requirement. In Orange County, 45 percent of seniors have yet to complete at least one online course. In Seminole County, about 1,000 students still need to meet the requirement. Those numbers are way too high for a mandate that has been in place three years.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20141006/opinion/141009741

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Online Students Step Out For History Lesson

By: John Doetkott, KAAL TV

Educators are always looking for new and unique ways to engage their students, but when their students are online it can be more difficult. On Friday, educators with Minnesota Connections Academy, the state’s online school, took their students out of the virtual classroom and into the real world. About 25 students and their parents gathered at Bancroft Bay Park in Albert Lea for the Big Island Rendezvous, an interactive festival of early American history. “This is an experience that we could never duplicate online,” said Melissa Gould, the school’s principal. “It’s really an opportunity for kids to get immersed into the past and hear about how life was before technology came to be.”

http://www.kaaltv.com/article/stories/S3579758.shtml

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The Online Experience

by Hilliard Schools

Walking through the ILC, one cannot help but to notice a number of quotes and inspirational sayings that cover the walls. These motivational pieces are in place to remind students and staff to constantly be mindful of our purpose, which is broadly outlined in our mission statement: “Revolutionary ideas and experiences that customize learning to meet the educational needs of our community.” A good portion of our student population is enrolled in online classes. An online course provided to a student in Hilliard City Schools is something that we take great pride in making a unique and beneficial experience. The experience is ever-changing as our program grows, but the constant remains that the online experience should not be one of isolation, boredom, and monotonous work.

http://www.hilliardschools.org/ilc/the-online-experience/

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Calif. law targets social media monitoring of students

By Kelly Corrigan, Glendale News-Press

California school leaders must tell parents they are monitoring students’ social media posts, and must delete this information when students leave the district, under a first-of-its-kind state law. The law aims to protect students’ online privacy. If California school officials collect information about students’ public posts on social media websites, they must discard this information within a year after a student leaves the district, and they must tell parents they are monitoring their children’s social media posts, under a new state law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown Sept. 29.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/10/02/social-media-monitoring-639/

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Guide to Creating Tech-Friendly Classroom Management Strategies

by Edudemic

One of your jobs as a modern-day teacher is to invite your students to the technology table. Since most kids get a lot of their at-home entertainment from computers, tablets, and smartphones, it’s not hard to entice them. The trick is to convince them that tech gadgets aren’t just for entertainment; they’re also for learning. But how do you convince a die-hard Zelda fan that algebra games are fun on the iPad? How do you persuade a Facebook addict that Edmodo can be just as fun when shared with friends? Your kids won’t reach their learning goals if you don’t lure them in. Also, once you hook them, there’s also a question of keeping them under your control. Any teacher with experience knows that classroom management is a delicate dance that often crumbles at the first misstep.

http://www.edudemic.com/guide-creating-tech-friendly-classroom-management-strategies/

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4 Radical Ideas for Reinventing College, Drawn From Stanford Research

by MARGARET RHODES, Wired

Technology and data are reshaping every aspect of our jobs, at an astonishing speed. Yet our higher education system still clings to a format created about 800 years ago: a teacher, in front of a classroom full of students, giving a lecture. This dichotomy is at the heart of a current national debate over the value and cost of higher education, and how that education gets delivered. At issue is how institutions long wedded to a rigid teacher-classroom format can better prepare students to become what Sarah Stein Greenberg of the Stanford University d.School calls “daring, creative, and resilient problem solvers.”

http://www.wired.com/2014/10/4-smart-proposals-reinventing-college-stanfords-design-school/

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Online School: Is It Homeschooling?

by Kate Patrick, Heartland

Homeschooling has been around for centuries, but online school is a comparatively recent innovation. In the last decade, all kinds of online education options have popped up, providing homeschooling parents with more options than there are curriculum stands at a homeschool convention. From Christian online academies to state online schools to post-secondary classes, the avenues for homeschooling seem infinite. The new question is: Do online classes “count” as homeschooling? Some parents whose kids take online classes consider themselves homeschoolers, but others do not.

http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2014/09/30/online-school-it-homeschooling

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Researching And Assessing QualityLow-Cost Online Colleges Dedicated To Student Success

by Affordable Colleges Online

The continued rise in tuition and fees has many students and parents carefully analyzing the cost of college. Does community college make sense for two years? Is the private school worth the extra cash? Finding low-cost opportunities can be the key to more students getting the higher education they deserve. However, every family preparing to take the post-secondary plunge should make sure all college options on the table, especially the most affordable ones, have the proper accreditation. No matter which type of college, accreditation indicates a school has passed certain peer-based assessments and maintains faculty, staff and curricula dedicated to high-quality education. The following page examines low-cost colleges — both traditional and online — and how accreditation ensures that even the least expensive colleges maintain certain quality standards.

http://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/cheap-online-colleges/

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K-12 students find success in virtual school

by the Democrat

With more school choices than ever and the evolution of technology, students are redefining their own pathway to a successful K-12 education. More families are building complete, harmonious educational experiences for their children by choosing schools that meet their needs at a point in time – whether the school is traditional brick and mortar, private or charter. Over the past decade, families have added fully online and blended schools to their list of options – making online learning one of the fastest growing forms of education in the U.S. today.

http://www.thedemocrat.com/71932/2368/onlinefeature/474656/education-pathways-k12-students-find-success-in-virtual-school

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Palmyra Area School District figuring out how to calculate GPA for online courses

by Monica Von Dobeneck, PennLive

High school Principal Benjamin Ruby brought the issue to the school board Thursday night. He said some students are taking extra courses because they want to graduate early or just because they want the extra challenge. But the online courses cost $400, and some parents might be unwilling to spend that money. If the extra courses are calculated into GPA, that could boost a student’s class rank and help get college scholarships. But that might not be fair to those students who can’t afford the extra classes, Ruby said. Sometimes the GPAs of top students are separated by thousandths of a point, but the best scholarships only go to the top one or two in a class. School board members were divided between wanting to encourage students who have extra drive and being fair to those who can’t afford it.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/09/palmyra_school_district_tackli.html

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