Using the ‘virtual’ to change the ‘reality’ of education

BY CAMERON PROBERT, TRI-CITY HERALD

Jonah Firestone, a Washington State University assistant professor of science education, wants to use the equipment to explore ways that virtual reality can help students, teachers and the education process. “The lab is designed to look at the melding of virtual and augmented reality into education,” he said. The Virtual Integrated Technology for Assessment Learning laboratory opened recently with the help of a $50,000 grant from the WSU Tri-Cities chancellor’s office. Firestone, who spent 20 years teaching in public and private schools, said he became more interested in the role of technological advances in the classroom during his career. Virtual reality is just the latest form of computer technology to make its way into classrooms.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/04/07/virtual-reality-change-education/

Share on Facebook

from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=26206

School innovator incorporates blended learning in teacher training

By Corinne Lestch, EdScoop

Yorktown Community Schools has a culture of “embracing what’s next.” Those are words from the district’s director of eLearning and Curricular Innovation, Holly Stachle. “All of our stakeholders, including students, parents and the administration, are accepting of a 21st century learning environments.” Stachler was named a NextGen Leader by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and EdScoop in a national program to recognize rising leaders in K-12 education technology. She will be recognized along with her fellow finalists at the annual CoSN conference this month in Chicago. Stachler plays a key role in development curriculum and policy, and she has to some extent filled the capacity of technology director. She also does all the professional development for teachers on new tools and devices.

http://edscoop.com/school-innovator-incorporates-blended-learning-in-teacher-training-at-indiana-district

Share on Facebook

from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=26191

5 Differences Between MOOCs, Online Degree Programs

By Olena Reid, US News

Massive open online courses, or MOOCs, offer a great opportunity for prospective students to learn more about almost any topic imaginable. MOOCs are generally accessible to anyone for free unless you pay for a certificate of completion, and are often created by companies such as edX and Coursera in collaboration with universities. These courses are also an excellent way to test the waters of online learning before diving into a full online program. If you have tried MOOCs and are considering pursuing an online degree, here are some differences between the two you should consider.

https://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/articles/2017-04-07/5-differences-between-moocs-online-degree-programs

Share on Facebook

from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=26176

Student interest skills demands prompt game course additions at North Hills High

by Laurie Rees, Tribune Live

At North Hills High School, students are earning credits for playing video games. But first, they must create, design and program those games. It’s all part of the school’s new entertainment technology curriculum, which aims to equip students with skills and creativity for the global digital workplace. Gaming research firm Newzoo estimated that Americans spent $21.96 billion on video games in 2015. And the industry continues to surge, according to Drew Davidson, director of the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University. “The (video game) industry is spreading even more with mobile and digital distribution,” he said. “But getting into the field (of video game design) has gotten so much more competitive.”

http://triblive.com/news/neighborhoods/northhills/10250627-74/game-video-students

Share on Facebook //

from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15582

Market of online education predicted to surge in 2016

by Wang Fan, Ecns

China’s online education sector continues to grow rapidly. The industry recently came into the spotlight again because of a post on social media, where one teacher boasted about earning nearly 20,000 yuan per hour, to deliver a physics course online. The sky high salary shows the popularity and demand of the market. And the reaction of other users to the post also gives us an insight what society believes a teacher should earn. But what’s behind the explosion in internet tuition? And what’s the difference behind online teaching and the traditional way classroom method? A computer, a headset and a microphone is all Chen Song needs to switch his role online. When he is offline. he works as a theatre actor based in Shanghai. He performs with other great artists from different countries around the globe. This is how it feels to take part in his class.

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2016/04-11/206189.shtml

Share on Facebook //

from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15579

Millennials and learning preferences

By: Inquirer Academy

It is often cited that the median age of Filipinos is 23. This means that for the foreseeable future, most of the new hires and young professionals will be in this growing age group. This fact presents new challenges and opportunities, among them ensuring the proper training and development of these so-called “millennials.” But choosing the most effective way to teach them has been more complicated than anticipated. What most educators have assumed would be the most natural fit for millennials, that is, online learning, has not always proven to be a hit with this age group. The more traditional “face to face” interaction is still popular, and even preferred. (I should also explain that this pertains only to the millennials’ preferred mode of learning; the best way to “sell” such courses is still through social media and online sites.)

http://business.inquirer.net/209383/millennials-and-learning-preferences

Share on Facebook //

from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15576

Embracing Failure to Spur Success: A New Collaborative Innovation Model

by Kim Wilcox and Edward J. Ray, EDCUAUSE Review

On college and university campuses across the United States, we’re surrounded by a resource that leads to discovery, innovation, and growth—yet we don’t embrace it at the leadership level. That resource? Failure. Failure is happening every day in our labs and classrooms and is essential to the learning and discovery process in both settings. As our research scientists attempt to make breakthrough discoveries, they run through repeated trials that fail to deliver the hoped-for results, but each failure provides another clue pointing in the direction of a solution. In classrooms, we encourage students in every discipline to question and analyze the information we put before them. Have we ever criticized them for being “wrong”? Not at all. We congratulate them on having the courage to ask new questions, and we encourage them to keep going.

http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/embracing-failure-spur-success-new-collaborative-innovation-model

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/srO-qMG9jAU/

5 Lecture Capture Hacks for More Engaging Videos

By Leila Meyer, Campus Technology

As more and more instructors flip their classrooms or teach online courses, it’s become increasingly important to create videos that can hold students’ attention. Some instructors have experimented with new ways to make videos more interactive and engaging; for instance, including themselves in the picture along with their teaching materials. “Putting our face on the presentation allows us to offer nuances and to communicate with more richness and immediacy,” said John Lammers, professor of communication and director of the Health Communication program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Here are five ways to take lecture videos up a notch and better engage students.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/08/5-lecture-capture-hacks-for-more-engaging-videos.aspx?admgarea=News

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/7Hp0DbJWlHg/

New tool aids game-based learning integration

by eSchoolNews

Digital learning system helps schools integrate game-based learning applications. RGS, a business unit of Avnet, Inc., has introduced the RGS Classroom Game Server (CGS), a new high-performance digital learning system designed to enable school districts to affordably integrate game-based learning (GBL) applications into their digital lesson plans for grades K-12. The unit is optimized for MinecraftEdu from TeacherGaming LLC. Each unit can support up to 35 players concurrently, in a variety of network environments including existing Ethernet or Wi-Fi LAN. For classrooms with no network access, the server can broadcast its own LAN, reducing the load on the school network infrastructure. In addition, offline mode allows for play without any Internet connection.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/04/13/game-based-integration-094/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/W3EpO-LVYGQ/

Love Video Games? Then It’s Time To Love Math

By MathNook

This isn’t your average “how gaming can be used to teach and reinforce math” article. I think and hope by now that it is common knowledge that gaming and math go hand in hand. This article specifically addresses the amount of math that is used in a simple computer game and helps answer the big “why do I need math” question that I hear so often.

http://www.edudemic.com/love-video-games-time-love-math/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/gYpCtvMNvGc/

Sports for the Mind: From PlayStation to Active Learning

by Junaid Khan, Edutopia

My class, which is called Sports for the Mind (SFTM), is a learning space built into Quest schools in which students engage with project-based learning assignments that are focused on design thinking and systems thinking. Students are exposed to a variety of different digital media tools and use their skills to express themselves within the parameters of a given project. Using LBP2 in our SFTM curriculum was a no-brainer. The culminating learning experience and performance assessment for my sixth grade class is a digital storytelling project. After analyzing stories and their various structures, brainstorming story ideas and storyboarding a narrative, students were tasked with bringing a classic fable, fairy tale or myth to life within the world of LBP2.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/design-thinking-little-big-planet-junaid-khan

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/kDl6kn-6_u8/

Building a Blended School

By Dan Gordon, THE Journal

Rich Kiker is the director of online learning at Palisade School District (PA). In the video linked below he talks about how he helped build an online learning environment that offers expanded choice for students and plenty of professional development and support for teachers. All of this isn’t about changing education; it’s about improving it. We should never leave behind the face-to-face instructional strategies that have been wonderful for the last 50 years. If you have a great diorama project in your fourth-grade classroom, don’t stop doing that. But now we can add to these pieces. First we provide the access and bandwidth for on-site devices, then we give students autonomy in how they become proficient with the material — navigating and building supports for the classroom, but letting the inquiry and discovery happen. When you put those things together, you’re creating the space for students to build amazing things and find what’s awesome.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/04/09/innovator-rich-kiker.aspx

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/FZ3IPqVtrkI/