Athletes, other students find flexibility with online education

By Brant Wilkerson, Winston-Salem Journal

In the eyes of the NCAA, there’s no difference between traditional, online or home-school classes – so long as they receive approval from the NCAA’s Eligibility Center. “High school students in general – not just student-athletes – complete more online and/or blended courses than before,” NCAA spokesperson Michelle Hosick said. College basketball player Marvin Bagley III has done that, completing four online classes during the summer to reclassify to enter Duke as a freshman in August instead of going through a senior year at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, Calif.

http://www.journalnow.com/sports/colleges/basketball/athletes-other-students-find-flexibility-with-online-education/article_8be18118-19eb-57bd-a4f8-34c10af7b359.html

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VR and AR: Learners as Creators and World Builders of Our Immersive Future

by Emory Craig and Maya Georgieva, EDUCAUSE Review

In working with faculty, staff, and administrators in higher education, we’re often asked, How do you get started with VR? What will be the impact of immersive computing on education? What are the real benefits for students beyond the novelty factor of a new technology? Thinking through these important questions, it is helpful to reflect on the work of the New Media Consortium’s Horizon Report. One of the major developments across the educational spectrum is the idea of students as creators; we see this as one of the most exciting areas in the use of virtual and augmented reality. Students today aspire to do more with technology than simply be passive consumers of a new media form. The compelling nature of immersive technologies inspires them to become creators and active explorers in the making of a new medium. For this post, we’d like to explore some of the early and exciting student projects in this area.

https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2017/12/vr-and-ar-learners-as-creators-and-world-builders-of-our-immersive-future

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Three Things to Think About Now that Net Neutrality Rules Are Reversed

by Susan Gentz, Converge

As expected, the Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday on a party line vote 3-2 to reverse the 2015 net neutrality rules. Now that things will be changing a bit when it comes to what Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can and can’t do, it’s important for school districts to keep them accountable, and perhaps begin negotiations. Here are three important things for district leaders to consider.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/blog/Three-Things-to-Think-About-Now-that-Net-Neutrality-Rules-Are-Reversed.html

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IDC Predicts Jump in Internet of Things Spending in 2018

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

Worldwide spending on the Internet of Things (IoT) will increase 14.6 percent in 2018, reaching $772.5 billion, according to the latest report from International Data Corp. The market research company’s Worldwide Semiannual Internet of Things Spending Guide forecasts sustained growth for the category, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.4 percent all the way through 2021 — ultimately reaching $1.1 trillion. IoT hardware, such as modules, sensors, infrastructure and security, is expected to account for the largest portion of spending, hitting $239 billion in 2018. Services will come in second, followed by software and connectivity, the IDC report said. Software and services will be the fastest growing segments, at five-year CAGRs of 16.1 percent and 15.1 percent, respectively.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/12/11/idc-predicts-jump-in-internet-of-things-spending-in-2018.aspx

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Five philosophical questions to ask about Star Wars: The Last Jedi

by the BBC

Lecturer and child-of-the-80s Star Wars fan John Donaldson is responsible for turning the films into philosophy studies. He started a classroom-based course last Star Wars Day (May the fourth) and was surprised at who was interested. “We wanted to make philosophy more accessible and get people interested by focussing on pop culture,” he said. “We have had a 12-year-old, retirees, some students, and a lot of professionals. “Lots of people from around the world were interested, so we created an online course.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42338816

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What the net neutrality vote could mean for schools, students

By Emily Younker, the Joplin Globe

Many worry that his proposal will leave ordinary people and nonprofit organizations that exist to be places of knowledge, such as schools and libraries, more at the mercy of cable and wireless companies. The FCC proposal would mean that, if companies like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon decide to block a particular app, throttle data speeds for a rival service or offer faster speeds to companies who pay for it, they merely need to disclose their policies for doing so.  “I think some people may say this will impact students because they may not be able to stream Netflix videos, but it is much more serious and broad than that,” said Randy Roberts, dean of library services for Pittsburg (Kansas) State University.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/12/13/net-neutrality-vote-schools/

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How to Create a Productive Space to Take an Online Course

By Victoria Robertson, ULoop
Online courses can be misleadingly challenging, and often require an environment that’s conducive for such a course. For this reason, it’s essential that, as a college student, you are preparing for this challenge and creating a productive space for yourself in order to be successful. While this may all appear to be common sense on the surface, online courses are often misjudged as “easy” or “blow-offs” when in fact, they are just the opposite. So with that specific challenge in mind, here are six ways for you to create a productive space to take online courses.

https://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/254911/How-to-Create-a-Productive-Space-to-Take-an-Online-Course

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The biggest lessons librarians learned in 2017

BY ROBIN GLUGATCH AND ANDY PLEMMONS, eSchool News

Librarians reflect on what they learned in 2017 and share their thoughts on the emerging trends of 2018. For the sake of our students, we must embrace the changing role of the school librarian. 2017 was a year filled with makerspaces, student engagement, personalized learning, and more. Here, two seasoned librarians shed light on their biggest lessons learned in 2017 and look forward to the up-and-coming trends for the new year.

The biggest lessons librarians learned in 2017

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Principals list 6 school technology priorities moving into 2018

BY LAURA ASCIONE,  eSchool News
A new report reveals how school principals manage tech initiatives and purchasing. Although 90 percent of principals said they believe technology is critical for student learning, only two-thirds would rate their school technology as strong, according to a new report from MDR EdNET Insight. The report, “School Trends: Principals’ Perspectives on Instructional Initiatives and Purchasing Decisions,” includes data broken down by school level, size, location, and Title I status.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/12/08/principals-school-tech-priorities/

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Online gym offers alternatives to busy students

by Zoe Chinander-McFaul, South High Southerner

It’s been over a decade since the first online gym class began and now it’s name is echoed around the halls. If you can’t imagine having to change clothes in school, there’s online gym. If you would rather not run laps at the YWCA when you could be making sculptures in ceramics; it’s ok, there’s online gym. But is gym really that easy to get out of? The course has been around in Minneapolis Public Schools since 2005. Online gym instructor Jim Carr stated in an email that the class first started “…as a way to give IB students an option to fulfill their requirements.” Now many take it as a way to free up their schedule for other classes: “I’m doing engineering and choir full time so I wouldn’t be able to fit [gym] into my schedule,” said junior Cali Juberian-McGuire, who is currently taking online gym.

https://www.shsoutherner.net/sports/2017/12/08/online-gym-offers-alternatives-to-busy-students/

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How Stony Brook U. launched a successful mobile app for student engagement

By Patti Zarling, Education Dive
More than 60 percent of freshmen walking the Stony Brook University campus in New York this fall downloaded the new Guide app onto their smartphones — a type of personal college advisor in their pockets. But Stony Brook isn’t the first institution to take up this trend.  Actually, it’s one of 50 schools throughout the U.S. to be an early adopter of Guide, which helps students choose the right major, navigate requirements from financial aid to course registration, make advising appointments and stay on top of important dates and deadlines. About 5,100 Stony Brook students — half of which were new and the other continuing students or upperclassmen — downloaded the free app.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/how-stony-brook-u-launched-a-successful-mobile-app-for-student-engagement/512335/

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Virtual and Augmented Reality to Nearly Double Each Year Through 2021

By Joshua Bolkan, Campus Technology
Spending on augmented and virtual reality will nearly double in 2018, according to a new forecast from International Data Corp. (IDC), growing from $9.1 billion in 2017 to $17.8 billion next year. The market research company predicts that aggressive growth will continue throughout its forecast period, achieving an average 98.8 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2017 to 2021. Consumer spending will be the single largest source of spending on AR and VR in the near term, accounting for $6.8 billion in 2018, with about three quarters of that spending going toward virtual reality hardware and software. The majority of spending on augmented reality in 2018 will go toward software. Spending by consumers will grow more modestly than the market overall, increasing at an average CAGR of 45.2 percent to reach $20 billion in 2021. Gaming will be the leading consumer use case for VR and AR throughout the forecast period.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/12/04/virtual-and-augmented-reality-to-nearly-double-each-year-through-2021.aspx

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Wary of Online Degrees? There’s Probably a Residency Program in Your Field

By Henry Kronk, eLearning Inside

The benefits of online education and remote degrees has been proven. It may not be able to replace all in-person, traditional instruction in every field, but it can come pretty close. In some cases, it can even exceed a traditional college course. But online programs also come with their challenges. A singular obstacle is that, by their nature, they can be isolating. “In the 1990s,” wrote Professor Wen-Li Chyr in a recent study, “it was found that students felt physically isolated when they participated in online courses, especially when the instructor could not immediately provide feedback to learners … These issues are still present today.”

Wary of Online Degrees? There’s Probably a Residency Program in Your Field

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The top 5 cybersecurity threats for schools

BY EARL D. LAING, eSchoolNews

If your school hasn’t thought about cybersecurity as a growing concern, it’s time to learn what the threats are and what you should be doing to keep your school, and its data, protected. You’d be hard-pressed today to find a school that doesn’t consider safety a high priority. We go to great lengths to keep those inside school walls safe, running drills and spreading awareness in case of threat. There’s one kind of threat schools often overlook when it comes to safety, however, and that’s cyber attack.

 

The top 5 cybersecurity threats for schools

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This is the smartest robotics company in the world (and soon to be one of the most important)

by Greg Nichols, ZDNet

Sarcos Robotics, a Salt Lake City-based robotics company, has three new products at market or debuting soon. One is a small robotic snake, useful for industrial tasks such as pipeline inspection or for first responders conducting search & rescue or tactical response operations. Another is a hulking two-armed tele-operated robot that can be used for heavy construction or in nuclear power plants. The third is an exoskeleton suit that allows workers to nimbly perform the functions of a forklift. The technology is cool and worthy of the recent spate of coverage. But the really impressive thing about Sarcos is that its executive team seems to have figured out something that’s eluded countless other robotics developers: A bomb-proof go-to-market strategy.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/this-is-the-smartest-robotics-company-in-the-world-and-soon-to-be-one-of-the-most-important/

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Creating a Space for Digital Media Innovation

by Meg Lloyd, Campus Technology

Rochester Institute of Technology’s MAGIC Spell Studios explores the intersection of digital media, film, games and entrepreneurship. The facility breaks down silos between traditional fields such as arts, engineering and computing, and provides a commercial studio for all students, faculty and staff.  Project lead Christopher Egert, MAGIC Spell Studios CTO and an associate professor at RIT’s School of Interactive Games & Media, explained, “The studio serves as a way to help students, faculty, industry partners and the community at large move ideas from prototype through commercial production, while at the same time working to support the educational goals, creativity and entrepreneurial potential of each student.”

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/11/28/creating-a-space-for-digital-media-innovation.aspx

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9 must-have apps and tools for kids who hate math

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Have a child or student that hates math? You’re not alone. In fact, one of the phrases educators hear most is, “I hate math”, according to Education Consultant Kelly Trotter King.  Don’t fret.  There are many ways that parents and teachers can help a child to start to enjoy math. One way to do this is to make math fun by turning it into a game and/or using apps. Studies have shown that kids improve faster and are more engaged when using apps compared to traditional math worksheets. In no specific order, the 9 must-have apps and tools for kids who hate math are linked below:

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/9-must-apps-tools-kids-hate-math/

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Illinois Lt. Governor looks to expand online classrooms in rural schools

By: Lindsey Harrison, Central Illinois Proud

Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti is looking to expand the virtual classroom to more rural schools around the state. Sanguinetti stopped by Heyworth High School Monday afternoon to talk to a few students about their experiences in a virtual classroom. Junior Garrett Houston is taking calculus. He says he just couldn’t make calculus fit into his schedule when the school offered it, so he’s taking it online. “I’ve always been ahead in math and now I’m getting to the point where they don’t really have a math course for me after calculus,” Houston explained. But his course options are expanded through the online classes. Houston says he’s also taken Mandarin through the virtual classroom.

http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-news/illinois-lt-governor-looks-to-expand-online-classrooms-in-rural-schools/861201553

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ND rural schools expand class offerings through online courses

By Blair Emerson, Bismarck Tribune

Step into a classroom during sixth period at Wolford Public School and there are 11 students taking nine courses online. About six years ago, the small rural district — with an enrollment of 42 students — lacked course offerings, and Wolford Superintendent Larry Zavada said he longed for more academic rigor and accountability. The district was limited due to finances, and good teachers were hard to come by, according to Zavada. So, he tried something new: online classes.

http://www.westfargopioneer.com/news/4361841-nd-rural-schools-expand-class-offerings-through-online-courses

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LiveEdu ICO – Bringing a Reform In Global Online Education With Blockchain

BY BHUSHAN AKOLKAR, Coinspeaker

LiveEDU is developing a completely decentralized online-learning platform on the blockchain network that imparts real-life project-based learning. LiveEDU ICO will go live next week from Nov 21st. With the huge increase in global connectivity in the past decade, the online-education-industry has witnessed a reformative transformation. Cheap and easily available internet connectivity has made it possible that information is available to anyone and everyone on the planet. LiveEDU.tv, which offers live video streaming services for learning, is planning to launch a completely decentralized online-learning platform on the blockchain network.

https://www.coinspeaker.com/2017/11/17/liveedu-ico-bringing-reform-global-online-education-blockchain-smart-contracts/

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