Creating and Managing Successful Online Faculty Learning Communities, An Interview with Jennifer Goode

By: Jim and Beth Harger, Faculty Focus

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Goode to discuss the opportunities provided by Faculty Learning Communities (FLC’s), an established method of small-group faculty development. She addresses the challenges in managing them, including participation, commitment, follow-through, and the ability focus on goals—all of which are magnified if the faculty members are geographically separated. She also shares with us many of the positive outcomes and benefits from FLC’s and how they can be implemented at any institution. One of the interesting things about this is the competitive application process to take part in the FLC’s. A Faculty Learning Community (FLC) is a cross-disciplinary faculty group of five or more members (8 to 12 is the recommended size).

http://www.facultyfocus.com/podcasts/professional-adjunct/pa022-creating-managing-successful-online-faculty-learning-communities-interview-dr-jennifer-goode/

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Colleges turn to technology for counseling outreach

by Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

Inside Higher Ed profiles the growth of technology in campus mental health and counseling sectors allowing student contact through online chat and mobile app platforms, which in the last two years, has grown by more than 9%. As demand increases and more students grow comfortable with seeking mental health support, observers say technology is an ideal way to begin the process of outreach and determining appropriate treatment or guidance for students. Colorado State University has implemented a search engine platform which allows students to look up information about mental, physical health issues and to connect with campus resources for their specific needs.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/colleges-turn-to-technology-for-counseling-outreach/428702/

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POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS MUST DO MORE TO INTEGRATE E-LEARNING INTO PROGRAMS

by Betakit

A new study by The Conference Board of Canada’s Centre for Skills and Post-Secondary Education (SPSE) has found that while Canada’s tech industry is growing and post-secondary students are becoming more interested in the tech sector, post-secondary education (PSE) institutions aren’t providing support for e-learning, a learning approach that can prepare students for the next generation of jobs. The study Learning in the Digital Age explores the potential of e-learning and Canada and made recommendations to improve its adoption. One of its key findings was that there is considerable variation among Canadian institutions in the emphasis they place on e-learning.

http://betakit.com/report-post-secondary-institutions-must-do-more-to-integrate-e-learning-into-programs/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19620

Device Shipments to Fall for Second Consecutive Year

By Joshua Bolkan, Campus Technology

Global device shipments, including PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones, will drop by 3 percent this year, marking the second consecutive year of negative growth, according to a new report from market research firm Gartner. In 2015, the device market declined by .75 percent. The market will not return to even modest growth any time soon, according to the company, which projects device shipments to remain flat for the next five years.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/10/12/device-shipments-to-decline-for-second-consecutive-year.aspx

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Microsoft Unveils 5 MOOCs on K–12 Digital Pedagogy and Leadership

By Richard Chang, THE Journal

Microsoft’s education team is sponsoring five new online courses designed to help guide K–12 principals, headmasters, superintendents and school leaders through the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation. The courses have been developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan and the University of Queensland, offered in partnership with edX, the nonprofit online learning hub founded by Harvard and MIT. The massive open online courses (MOOCs) start in January.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/10/12/microsoft-unveils-5-moocs-on-k12-digital-pedagogy-and-leadership.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19494

Competency-based education programs are set to skyrocket

BY LAURA DEVANEY, eSchool News

New report forecasts that more than half a million students will be enrolled in competency-based education programs by 2020. The number of students enrolled in competency-based education programs is expected to reach more than 500,000 by 2020–meaning it will have more than doubled from the roughly 200,500 enrollments in 2015. By 2020, students age 25 and older will account for approximately 44 percent of the tertiary education student population, meaning the potential for the competency-based education market is huge, according to technology research and advisory company Technavio.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/alternative-pathways/competency-education-skyrocket/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19466

How Teachers Leverage Mobile Technology

By David Nagel, THE Journal

Despite widespread acknowledgment of the advantages of mobile computing, students in nearly one-third of classrooms do not have regular access to mobile devices in the classroom — this according to exclusive data released to THE Journal by the national education nonprofit Project Tomorrow. Project Tomorrow has been collecting data on the use of technology in American schools on a massive scale for more than a decade. Since 2003, the organization’s Speak Up Research Project has involved more than 4.5 million participants — teachers, parents, students, administrators and technology professionals — from more than 35,000 schools representing all 50 states.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/10/11/how-teachers-leverage-mobile-technology.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19440

Does the classroom of the future look more like a coffee shop?

BY SUZANNE PEREZ TOBIAS, THE WICHITA EAGLE

Peek inside Brittany Horning’s second-grade class at L’Ouverture Elementary School, and you’ll see kids sprawled on large ottomans, perched atop bouncy seats, lying back on gamer-style recliners and using footstools as makeshift desks. It looks more like a living room or a neighborhood coffee shop – minus the whirring espresso machine – than a traditional classroom with rows of desks. “The kids really enjoy being in this environment. It feels comfortable to them,” said Janelle Roland, who oversees the school’s teacher training and behavior plan.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2016/10/05/classroom-future-look-like-coffee-shop/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19372

How important is technology in education?

by Shalini Rajvanshi, Indian Express

Technology is slowly and steadily making a foray in education. Knowledge is no more limited to books and the use of platforms such as websites, apps, videos, live chats, etc., have taken it to another level. A lot of schools and colleges – mostly in tier 1 and tier 2 cities – have embraced technology to make learning fun and interactive. Interweaving technology with education seems to be helping students at all levels. Many educators in the city swear by instructional videos while parents are gradually opening up to the possibility of a platform which may help their wards learn something new in an innovative manner.

http://indianexpress.com/article/education/edtech-how-important-is-technology-in-education/

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UM’s Schlissel launches new initiative

by Kim Kozlowski, The Detroit News

University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel on Wednesday challenged faculty and staff to venture further into digital technology and innovation, hailing them as the university’s next frontier in educating traditional students and lifelong learners. Launching the Academic Innovation Initiative during the annual Leadership Breakfast, Schlissel harkened to UM’s legacy of leadership and encouraged university researchers, teachers and practitioners to evolve further with students, their studies and university partnerships and networks around the world. “Academic innovation is where creativity, comprehensive excellence and our aspirations for societal impact all come together at the University of Michigan,” Schlissel said.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/10/05/schlissel-initiative/91597788/

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NBC’s Timeless Is a History Class You’ll Want to Attend, Thanks to Time Travel

by LAUREN PIESTER, Enews

Malcolm Barrett explains Timeless is the one most easily described. The series follows three time travelers who chase an evil time machine thief around through different real-life historical events, complete with period costumes and recognizable historical figures. “Each and every episode is a completely different adventure in history,” Barrett continues in the video above. Since each episode takes place during an actual historical event, you can definitely expect to learn a few things that high school history might not have covered. Basically, Timeless is TV’s most interesting and most varied non-drunk history lesson, and it really is a lot of fun. It’s also very pretty, which always helps, so if you’re looking for a fun, pretty time travel show that comes with some cool trivia facts.

http://www.eonline.com/news/799230/nbc-s-timeless-is-a-history-class-you-ll-want-to-attend-thanks-to-time-travel

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19241

Newest NMC/CoSN Horizon K-12 Report Emphasizes Kids as Creators

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

Over the next year K-12 will be placing more emphasis on coding as a form of literacy and on students as creators. Schools that don’t already have makerspaces will want to get them and online learning will start to look like something that’s typical rather than out of the norm. Those are the “short-term” trends and technologies that surfaced in the 2016 K-12 Edition of the NMC/CoSN Horizon Report. The move to spur students as creators is an attempt to shift the gaze of students away from display screens as consumers and help them become creators. As the report noted, “Many educators believe that honing these kinds of creative skills in learners can lead to deeply engaging learning experiences in which students become the authorities on subjects through investigation, storytelling and production.”

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/09/15/newest-nmccosn-horizon-k12-report-emphasizes-kids-as-creators.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19209

How one district improved its personalized learning by failing forward

BY MICHELE EATON, eSchool News

After failing to create usable Individualized Learning Plans, teachers refined it until it worked. Isn’t that what we want from our students? In the MSD of Wayne Township, there are several blended and online opportunities available for students. Perhaps the same is true in your district, but how many of those same opportunities are available to teachers as well? Recently, the teachers in one particular program in the district inspired a personalized approach to professional development. The Ben Davis Extended Day (BDED) blended learning program is an extension of one of the district’s high schools, Ben Davis High School. The program operates in the evenings and serves students who, for one reason or another, are not able to attend during the day.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2016/09/27/how-one-district-improved-personalized-learning-by-failing-forward/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19165

Deep learning boosts Google Translate tool

by Davide Castelvecchi, Nature

Google’s online translation service, Google Translate, will soon be using a new algorithm that is entirely based on deep learning, the company announced on 27 September. The algorithm, which is also described in a paper posted to the preprint server arXiv1, is the first widely-available computer system for translating languages that relies on the increasingly popular AI technique. Compared to the firm’s existing service, the algorithm reduces errors by around 60%, Google computer scientists say. A Chinese-to-English service that uses the algorithm is now being used on the Google Translate mobile and web-based apps, and Google says that it will roll out other languages over the next few months.

http://www.nature.com/news/deep-learning-boosts-google-translate-tool-1.20696

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Curriculum and Instruction: Brewing a Better Vocabulary

By Jeff Mao, THE Journal

One of the challenges of the education profession is the lack of a standardized professional vocabulary. Doctors, lawyers, car mechanics, barbers and IT workers have them — if I say “mullet,” “French braid” or “flat top,” I bet you have pictures in your head that are the same as the next person. However, get a room full of educators and ask them about digital learning, blended learning, hybrid learning, personalized learning or individualized learning, and you’ll likely end up with more definitions than people in the room. This lack of a standard vocabulary is particularly noticeable, and particularly important, in the ongoing conversation about technology use. When and how is using technology in learning a good idea? If your district adopts a model that gives you a common vocabulary, that conversation is much easier.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/09/21/curriculum-and-instruction-brewing-a-better-vocabulary.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=18933

University Center struggling as students head online

by Megan Raposa, Argus Leader

The center’s reserve funds dried up in recent years as enrollment fell, and last year the center had to rely on its three main university partners — South Dakota State University, University of South Dakota and Dakota State University — to cover a $450,000 shortfall, said Craig Johnson, the center’s executive director. SDSU, USD and DSU continue to fund the center this year, with tuition revenue going directly back to those schools’ coffers. Mike Rush, executive director for the Board of Regents, which oversees the center, told the task force Monday that student tuition no longer covers the costs for classes offered. “We need to figure out how to modify that model,” Rush said Monday. “If we don’t have it figured out in five years we’re going to be in trouble.” Online classes don’t bring any revenue to the University Center, Johnson said. Students pay tuition directly to the universities.

http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/education/2016/09/22/university-center-struggling-students-head-online/90832978/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=18897

Education Sector Now Most Targeted with Ransomware

By David Nagel, THE Journal

Education has surpassed healthcare as the sector most targeted by ransomware, a variety of malware that makes data inaccessible to users until a ransom is paid. According to U.S. Department of Justice statistics, some 4,000 ransomware attacks occur every day in the United States this year alone. According to a new report from security analyst BitSight, the number of attacks against educational organizations now dwarfs attacks in all other sectors.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/09/22/education-sector-now-most-targeted-with-ransomware.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=18864

Online PD Supports Classroom Management, Ed Tech

by Samsung Insights

Nearly 60 percent of educators teaching preschool through 12th grade say they have taken some form of professional development (PD) course online, a new survey reveals — and their top three reasons for doing so were to learn how to use digital devices, learn how to use the educational software that runs on them and improve their classroom management skills. The survey of 589 educators was conducted by the Education Technology Industry Network (ETIN), a division of the Software & Information Industry Association. According to the survey, 75 percent of educators who say they’ve taken a professional development course online did so because they were personally interested in the topic and wanted to increase their knowledge in that area. Only 28 percent said it was for a job requirement, and 46 percent said they enrolled in an online PD course to receive continuing education credit.

https://insights.samsung.com/2016/09/19/online-pd-supports-classroom-management-ed-tech/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=18735

San Francisco 49ers First Pro Sports Organization To Partner With Khan Academy

by SportTechie

The San Francisco 49ers are the first professional sports organization to partner with Khan Academy, the world’s leading free online education platform. The online resources for students and teachers will help support the 49ers STEAM Education Program, which is in its third year of existence and provides learning opportunities across science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. “Khan Academy’s online learning platform is exceptional and we’re thrilled to work with them to take the next step in growing our STEAM Education Program,” 49ers Director of STEAM Education and the 49ers Museum Jesse Lovejoy said in a statement last week. “Khan Academy will enable our program to go beyond the walls of Levi’s Stadium and provide students who we couldn’t previously reach with unique, exciting content that combines STEAM with football.”

http://www.sporttechie.com/2016/09/18/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers-first-pro-sports-organization-to-partner-with-khan-academy/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=18699

Udacity Fuels Autonomous Vehicle Engineering Dreams

By Jack M. Germain, Linux Insider

Online education company Udacity on Tuesday introduced a new “nanodegree” program in self-driving auto engineering. President Sebastian Thrun made the announcement during an interview at TechCrunch Disrupt. The goal is to build a crowdsourced, open source self-driving car, he said. The program is the first of its kind, according to Thrun. Students will learn the skills and techniques used by self-driving car teams at the most innovative companies in the world, Udacity has promised. The course spans three 12-week terms and covers deep learning, computer vision, sensor fusion, localization and controllers. Each of the three terms will cost US$800. The first term begins in mid-October.

http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/83896.html?rss=1

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