N.J. university chosen for pilot program studying online courses

by Kevin Shea, NJ.com

Thomas Edison State University has been chosen as one of eight universities nationwide for an experimental federal pilot program seeking to connect students using non-traditional training with federal financial aid. Thomas Edison’s role in the program will study how to use financial aid to cover the cost of alternative credit courses through Study.com, and ultimately help students complete their degrees. The pilot program is called Educational Quality through Innovation Partnerships, or, EQUIP and the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and university unveiled it Tuesday.

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2016/08/nj_university_chosen_for_pilot_program_studying_on.html

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Colorado startup seeks to track online learning

by Caitlin Hendee, Colorado Business Journal

When Nicholas Garvin applied for a position at electric-car maker Tesla Motors in 2012, he felt there was really no good way to represent all the knowledge he had in the auto industry. ” We invented the Stackup tool to categorize and score everything you read online,” Garvin said. Stackup is a web application and smart browser extension that currently works with Google Chrome that can be used to track users’ engagement on any given website. Engagement is then scored to provide insight into the time people spend learning on the web. The app is currently gaining steam in the education industry. Several teachers in both the Aurora Public Schools and Denver Public Schools are using it in their classrooms to create assignments asking students to spend time learning on the web.

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/broadway_17th/2016/06/colorado-startup-seeks-to-create-a-credit-score.html

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Augmented and Virtual Reality: Where Is the Educational Value?

By David Raths, THE Journal

K-12 schools are beginning to see the educational value of virtual and augmented reality and are investing in these technologies even though price points are still aimed at higher-end markets. In the Methacton School District in a Philadelphia suburb, a high school oceanography class recently visited the Great Barrier Reef, while a Spanish class traveled to cities in Spain and Mexico. Chris Lloyd and Layla Lyons, teachers who work as technology integration specialists in the district, said the expeditions were a nice complement to topics that certain classes were working on and the technology itself was fairly straightforward to deploy. “The teachers were excited once we introduced the concept to them at a faculty meeting,” Lyons said. “When it came time to schedule it, everyone wanted to do it.”

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/06/15/augmented-and-virtual-reality-where-is-the-educational-value.aspx

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Grad says online learning better prepared her for college

By Wes Beckstead, Mail Tribune

For many high school seniors, this time of year can create mixed emotions of excitement and apprehension — as they close one chapter of their lives and open another. That’s why it’s nice to hear that our online public school, Oregon Connections Academy (ORCA), has given many of our students the tools they need to succeed in life. The other day we heard from Taylor Ambrosio Wood, formerly of Ashland and a member of the ORCA graduating class of 2011. She was able to graduate from our school a year early at age 17 because she was able to work at her own pace and move ahead of her peers in required credits. When it came to education and music, Taylor followed her own beat. At 9 years old, she started playing a Zimbabwean marimba and her musical interests grew from there. Last year, she received her bachelor’s degree in music from the Boston Conservatory and next month, at 22 years old, Taylor hopes to finish her master’s degree in Spain. Research shows graduates who’ve experienced online education are often better prepared for college.

http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20160612/OPINION/160619919

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Is Your District Future Ready?

By Jeff Mao, THE Journal

In November of 2014, President Obama challenged district superintendents to sign the Future Ready Pledge. By signing it, they committed to working with teachers, families and community members to transition their districts to “personalized, digital learning.” Since then, over 2,000 superintendents representing roughly three out of 10 students in America have signed. A coalition led by the Alliance for Excellent Education, the U.S. Department of Education and the LEAD Commission held 13 Future Ready regional summits across the nation to provide support for those districts and build a network of leaders. This led to the release of the newest National Education Technology Plan: Future Ready Learning: Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/04/19/future-ready.aspx

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Georgia Tech brings its Online Masters in Computer Science to India

by Education Diary

Online Masters of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS), the much acclaimed online Master’s course from GeorgiaTech, has been launched in India. Dr Zvi Galil, Dean College of Computing, GeorgiaTech, on the sidelines of an event here in Delhi, said that discussions were underway for an association with Bennett University, wherein students undertaking online courses from Georgia Tech will receive on ground support from Bennett University. The Online Masters in Computer Science Program (OMS-CS) was started in the year 2013, in partnership with Udacity and AT&T. President Obama, at a recent event, held the programme as an example of the kind of innovation needed by their education system to address the rising costs of higher education.

http://indiaeducationdiary.in/Shownews.asp?newsid=38469

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Google wants to make your landline phone useful again

by Marguerite Reardon, CNet

Google is taking on traditional providers with its $10-a-month Fiber Phone service. Customers can make and answer calls from any connected device anywhere Internet is available. Google is adding home phone service to a bundle of services that also includes ultra fast broadband. Fiber Phone includes a Fiber Phone box that works with the phones you already own. Handset not included. Fiber Phone, is a service will be sold alongside its 1Gbps broadband service and its video offering in cities where Google has deployed its all-fiber network. The service comes at a time when Google faces competition from traditional broadband providers, like AT&T and Comcast, which are also delivering ultra high-speed services. As of 2013, about 40 percent of adults in the US said they used a cell phone exclusively for voice communications, according to survey data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

http://www.cnet.com/news/google-fiber-phone-broadband-service-bundle-home-phone-landline/

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ASU to develop online science course with $10M from NASA

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

Arizona State University will get $10.18 million over the next five years from NASA to create a science course that focuses on exploration over simple memorization. Campus Technology reports the courseware will incorporate simulations, virtual field trips, and adaptive learning in a program first designed for independent learners and eventually expected to be applied to a K-12 curriculum. Researchers in ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration will develop a range of learning experiences focused on astrobiology, using content from NASA to bring the course to life.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/asu-to-develop-online-science-course-with-10m-from-nasa/416439/

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Sought-after Duo Craig Chee and Sarah Maisel Are Now Offering Online Courses on the Ukulele, Exclusively Through ArtistWorks

by Business Wire

Renowned duo Craig Chee and Sarah Maisel have partnered with ArtistWorks exclusively to launch online Video Exchange® ukulele lessons for the first time. Known for their ability to make the ukulele accessible to players of all interest levels, and for their combined experiences teaching, Chee and Maisel offer lessons geared towards all levels and abilities, beginning today on ArtistWorks.com. When they’re not teaching, the couple can be found performing around the globe, and headlining some of the largest ukulele festivals in the world.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160324006043/en/Sought-after-Duo-Craig-Chee-Sarah-Maisel-Offering

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