3 ways the modern school is becoming more like the modern workplace

BY BLAKE ZALCBERG, eSchool News
As the office has evolved to allow a more creative and collaborative workplace, many educators have taken note, bringing those same features to classrooms. There was a time when American schools, like American offices, were drab and stuffy places. But things are changing.  As the office has evolved to allow a more creative and collaborative workplace, many educators have taken note, bringing those same features to classrooms, school libraries, lunchrooms and other common areas. Today’s schools, are now being equipped with outlets from the floors to the walls allowing students to easily plug in and charge laptop computers, phones and other devices wherever they work. They have furniture designed for the way students sit and stand. And they have collaborative spaces designed to allow them to work together in small groups and in teams.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/10/17/modern-school-like-workplace/

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Innovation is key at new workforce centers

BY ELLIE ASHFORD, CC Daily
The newly renovated Applied Technology and Trades Center at Aims Community College in Colorado integrates learning into the actual walls of the building.The architects created a cut-away design so wiring, plumbing and mechanical systems inside the walls are visible behind glass. Part of the ceiling is open, too. Signage throughout the building explains the various components. “We were looking to provide a space that acted as an instructional tool itself,” said Aims President Leah Bornstein, who also serves on the American Association of Community Colleges’ board of directors.

http://www.ccdaily.com/2017/10/innovation-key-new-workforce-centers/

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ISTE issues Digital Citizenship Week challenge

BY eSchool News
Use new ISTE resources to explore what it means to be a good citizen in a digital world.  The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) will leverage Digital Citizenship Week (Oct. 16-20) to raise awareness of the importance of teaching digital citizenship to students of all ages. ISTE challenges students, educators and parents to take time each day during Digital Citizenship Week to explore what it means to be good citizens in a digital world. “The need to teach digital citizenship skills has never been greater. These skills include concepts like how to use tech to organize around good causes, how to respectfully disagree online, and how to distinguish between true and false information. As our interactions with friends, community members and government leaders become increasingly mediated by technology, we must model and teach the behaviors we hope to see in our next generation of digital leaders,” said ISTE CEO Richard Culatta.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/10/16/iste-digital-citizenship-week/

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How can states improve data innovation in ed systems?

by Pat Donachie, Education Dive

States must support K-12 and higher ed initiatives to introduce students to the kinds of skills that will help them compete and fill jobs in the burgeoning data economy, and there also must be support for training opportunities for individuals in the workplace to garner new skills, according to the author of a recent report from the Center for Data Innovation that ranked the states which have been the best in data innovation, including creating available datasets, investing in new technologies and helping to develop “human and business capital.”

http://www.educationdive.com/news/how-can-states-improve-data-innovation-in-ed-systems/505884/

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Some North Okaloosa residents prefer virtual education

by RENEE BELL, News Bulletin

For some North Okaloosa County residents, attending school is as simple as sitting in their home office or cracking open a laptop. According to the most recent report by the Babson Survey Research Group, in 2014, 5.8 million U.S. students were enrolled in at least one online higher education course. That’s approximately one in every four students.

http://www.crestviewbulletin.com/news/20170919/some-north-okaloosa-residents-prefer-virtual-education

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Report: Higher Ed Must Factor In Growing Single Mother Student Population

by Catherine Morris, Diverse Education

Nearly 2.1 million students, or 11 percent of all undergraduates, are single mothers, the majority of whom are women of color. Close to half, or 44 percent, attend community college. Of those attending community college, 43 percent say that they are likely to drop out due to the struggle to balance caring for their family with school attendance. Coming in second behind community colleges are for-profit schools, which account for 30 percent of enrollments among single mothers. It should be noted that the IWPR report evaluates data from 1999 to 2012, meaning that the proportion of single mothers currently attending for-profits and community colleges may have shifted. Both sectors have seen declines in enrollment in recent years. The high number of single mothers enrolled in for-profits was no accident, according to Gault. “For-profits specifically recruit single mothers,” Gault said.

http://diverseeducation.com/article/101758/

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Report: AI, IoT, Security Threats Will Shape the Internet’s Future

By Rhea Kelly, THE Journal

Artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and cyber threats are among the biggest forces that will impact the internet over the next five to seven years, according to a new report from the Internet Society, a nonprofit focused on the open development, evolution and use of the internet. The organization’s 2017 Global Internet Report predicts a mix of promise and uncertainty as we move toward the digital future, and makes recommendations for safeguarding the internet for the next generation.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/09/20/report-ai-iot-cyber-threats-will-shape-the-internets-future.aspx

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What’s the Difference Between Cognitive Computing and AI?

By Joel Hans, RT Insights

Artificial intelligence agents decide which actions are the most appropriate to take, and when they should be taken. These agents most often take the form of machine learning algorithms, neural networks, statistical analysis and more.   Cognitive computing is often described as simply marketing jargon, so crafting a working definition is important, although it’s more fluid right now, and there isn’t one consensus that industry experts have settled on. Still, the foundation is that cognitive computing systems try to simulate human thought processes. This process uses many of the same fundamentals as AI, such as machine learning, neural networks, natural language processing, contextual awareness and sentiment analysis, to follow the problem-solving processes that humans do day in and day out. IBM defines the result of cognitive computing as “systems that learn at scale, reason with purpose and interact with humans naturally.”

https://www.rtinsights.com/whats-the-difference-between-cognitive-computing-and-ai/

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How College Campuses Can Lead in Fighting Climate Change

by Lara Ettenson, NRDC

 

As bastions of knowledge, progress, and innovation, it’s not surprising that colleges are often at the forefront of the battle against climate change, striving to implement energy efficiency, clean energy, and sustainability curricula and programs. When college campuses engage in the green movement, they not only reduce energy waste and increase utility bill savings, they also invest in the future by encouraging their students to become leaders and activists with a genuine interest and concern for the world. More than 90 colleges across the country have distinguished themselves as leaders against climate change, pledging to become carbon-neutral in three years.

https://www.nrdc.org/experts/lara-ettenson/how-college-campuses-can-lead-fighting-climate-change

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Smartwatches Overtake Fitness Trackers

By Joshua Bolkan, THE Journal

Shipments of wearable devices continued to improve in the second quarter of 2017, showing a 10.3 percent improvement over the same period last year, according to a new report from International Data Corp. (IDC). The quarter saw 26.3 million shipments and was also the first period in which basic wearables — those that do not run third-party apps — saw a decline with negative 0.9 percent growth year over year. Smartwatches, on the other hand, saw strong growth at 60.9 percent. “The transition towards more intelligent and feature-filled wearables is in full swing,” said Jitesh Ubrani senior research analyst for IDC Mobile Device Trackers, in a prepared statement.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/09/01/smartwatches-overtake-fitness-trackers.aspx

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Nearly a third of U.S. teenagers use technology to cheat

By SHARON NOGUCHI, Mercury News

U.S. teenagers think they are savvy about cybersecurity–so much that nearly one-third skirt school safeguards to access banned content and 29 percent admit to using tech devices to cheat in school–but more than twice that many say they know of classmates who have cheated with devices, a survey found. The findings of the survey by the computer security firm McAfee are in proportion with a 2009 survey by Common Sense Media–although the exact extent of cheating, and whether it’s changed over the years, is unknown.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/09/07/teenagers-use-electronics-cheat/

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What Personalized Learning Is Not

By Kenya Ransey, EdSurge

Attempts to clearly define personalized learning are commonplace in education now more than ever—and the more conversations we have, the more apparent it becomes that many of us (educators) are unsure of how to define the term, or recognize what it takes to bring it to life. The term is robust, because it has the potential to be different for every learner; so, instead of trying to define it, perhaps it would be more beneficial to take a look at some of the misconceptions running wild amongst the education community, and consider what personalized learning is NOT.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-09-01-what-personalized-learning-is-not

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Rural schools turn to high-tech teacher training solutions

by NICHOLE DOBO, Hechinger Report
In an isolated area deep in the Appalachian Mountains, finding enough teachers can be a challenge, to say the least. And once teachers arrive, schools have to contend with another problem. Educators must meet annual requirements that dictate how much time they spend improving their craft – even though teachers’ colleges aren’t often nestled in such remote locations. The courses are really focused on [teaching] real kids with real challenges. executive director of the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative
One collective of 22 school districts in southeast Kentucky is working on a solution. The group is taking the idea of online delivery of teacher training and amplifying it, turning it into something that can be custom-fit for individual teachers and leaders. The goal is to create not just a replacement for, but an improvement on, the typical courses teachers take to improve their work.

Rural schools turn to high-tech teacher training solutions

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VR is great, but here’s why hands-on learning can’t disappear

BY LADISLAS DE TOLDI, eSchool Nes
Physically engaging with tangible toys is the best way to take a lesson that is taught on a computer screen and apply it to everyday skills. With 80 percent of teachers reporting that they support the use of technology in the classroom, it is important to integrate tools that best fit with a child’s learning abilities, as well as school curriculum. Just this spring, a tech trend spun through the nation and it seemed as though almost every elementary school child was holding a fidget spinner. It was reported that the momentum of these small, ball-bearing devices provide a pleasing sensory experience, and therefore help hold the attention of those with ADHD or Autism.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/08/21/vr-tangible-physical-toys/

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Virtual Classrooms Are the Future of Teacher Education

 

by Matthew Lynch, tech Edvocate

The virtual classroom is a brand new technology that’s quickly spreading to teacher education programs across the nation. The concept is a bit like a flight simulator that a pilot might use before getting into a real plane. Teachers are placed in a virtual classroom full of virtual students and must teach as if they were really in the classroom.There are two main options for teacher education programs looking to implement the virtual classroom in their curriculum. A company called Mursion has developed a virtual classroom that is used by school districts and teacher education programs around the U.S. There’s also TeachLive, a virtual classroom program developed at the University of Central Florida. Both programs are fairly similar, offering some of the same benefits for teachers in training.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/virtual-classrooms-future-teacher-education/

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Stanford Launches Platform Lab for Centralized Control of Autonomous Cars, Drones

By Joshua Bolkan, Campus Technology

A team of faculty at Stanford University has launched the Platform Lab, a new initiative that aims to develop infrastructure to control swarms of devices, such as drones or autonomous vehicles. “We think all these self-driving cars and drones will be controlled not individually, but centrally, in a coordinated fashion,” said John Ousterhout, faculty director of the lab, according to information released by the university. “This has the potential to change how society functions on a daily basis.”

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/07/27/stanford-launches-platform-lab-for-centralized-control-of-autonomous-cars-drones.aspx

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Mira Debuts Augmented Reality Headset for iPhone, iPad at $99

By Sri Ravipati, Campus Technology

Mobile augmented reality (AR) startup Mira earlier this week unveiled an untethered AR headset for iOS. The new Prism headset — available for pre-order at $99 with an MSRP of $149 — aims to be an affordable option “to deliver premium and shareable AR experiences to the masses,” according to a company statement. It’s essentially a shell headset without any tech installed; similar to Google’s Daydream View headset for virtual reality, it only requires a smartphone or tablet to get started. Once an iPhone (6, 6s or 7) or iPad has been secured facing away from the user and Prism is paired with the Mira app, users can view objects rendered in stereoscopic 3D on the transparent visor. Prism also comes with a remote controller that enables users to interact with the AR objects via touchpad, trigger and two buttons.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/07/20/mira-debuts-augmented-reality-headset-for-iphone-ipad-at-$99.aspx

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MTSU is new national model for online student success advising course

by MTSU

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities is offering the six-lesson, self-paced course titled “A SMART Approach to Student Success: Strategic Management of Advising Reform and Technology” on its website, www.aplu.org. APLU gleaned content for the course from interviews and information from MTSU and four other institutions of higher learning: Austin Community College in Austin, Texas; Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado; Georgia State University in Atlanta; and Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Washington.

http://mtsunews.com/student-success-aplu-course/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=29181

​Artificial intelligence and privacy engineering: Why it matters NOW

By Michael Krigsman, ZD Net

As artificial intelligence proliferates, companies and governments are aggregating enormous data sets to feed their AI initiatives. Although privacy is not a new concept in computing, the growth of aggregated data magnifies privacy challenges and leads to extreme ethical risks such as unintentionally building biased AI systems, among many others. Privacy and artificial intelligence are both complex topics. There are no easy or simple answers because solutions lie at the shifting and conflicted intersection of technology, commercial profit, public policy, and even individual and cultural attitudes.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/artificial-intelligence-and-privacy-engineering-why-it-matters-now/

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The Future of Free Speech, Trolls, Anonymity and Fake News Online

BY LEE RAINIE, JANNA ANDERSON AND JONATHAN ALBRIGHT, Pew Research Center

Many experts fear uncivil and manipulative behaviors on the internet will persist – and may get worse. This will lead to a splintering of social media into AI-patrolled and regulated ‘safe spaces’ separated from free-for-all zones. Some worry this will hurt the open exchange of ideas and compromise privacy

http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/03/29/the-future-of-free-speech-trolls-anonymity-and-fake-news-online/

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