The Imperative for Fostering Creativity in Students

By Joshua Bolkan, THE Journal

Peter and Paul Reynolds say that human beings are superheros and that our superpower is creativity. And the twin brothers know a thing or two about creativity. Peter is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator and co-founder of FableVision, an educational media company. Paul is also a co-founder of FableVision and runs the company as CEO. Peter and Paul recently gave a keynote address about creativity at the CUE 2018 conference in Palm Springs.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/03/28/the-imperative-for-fostering-creativity-in-students.aspx

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Online Ed Leaders Agree Top 2 Indicators of Program Quality Are Student Success Rates, Student Evaluations

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

The majority of online education leaders agree that most relied-upon metrics currently in use by online programs are student retention and graduation rates and student course/program evaluations, according to a recent survey from Quality Matters and Eduventures Research. While those two indicators topped the list by far, other quality measures, such as faculty training, summative student assessment, program reputation and external rankings, were less commonly cited by the survey respondents.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2018/04/02/online-ed-leaders-agree-top-2-indicators-of-program-quality.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=38614

Study: Lectures remain a steady, but ineffective, element of STEM education

by Jarrett Carter, Education Dive
Approximately 55% of college classrooms throughout the United States and Canada are using the traditional lecture model to teach science, mathematics and technology, according to a new study published in Science magazine. About 27% of classes had some levels of interactive instruction, such as technology-based question and answer modules, and 18% were described as “student-centered” in a survey of 2000 classrooms.  The study’s author says professors have to feel confident in knowing and utilizing new forms of teaching, which may be stunting the implementation of interactive models of instruction. “I think there is a growing awareness and recognition among the STEM professoriate of the benefits of active learning strategies on students’ learning and attitudes toward STEM,” said Marilyne Stains, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln

https://www.educationdive.com/news/study-lectures-remain-a-steady-but-ineffective-element-of-stem-education/520406/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=38604

Exploring the Benefits and Downsides of Online Courses

by Christina Laderoute, UMass Lowell Connector

According to Mary Barrett, the associate director of Student Services, some benefits of online courses include their extensive flexibility. If a student has access to a computer, they can take classes from anywhere. Online courses provide higher education access to a wider range of students. Julian Zamudio, a senior computer engineering major, says he took online classes during the summer of his junior year, as well as this semester. Zamudio says that the benefits of taking online classes is that “[you are] able to do work under your own time under the restricted timeframe that you have to do it within.” When asked if he would recommend online courses, Zamudio says “Only for winter and summer seasons, because you are away from the distractions of your fellow peers and school activities. Also, you have more control of your comfort setting over the summer and winter and you are only engaged in those [online] classes.

http://umlconnector.com/2017/04/exploring-the-benefits-and-downsides-of-online-courses/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=26346

13 epic stats and facts from The State of Social webinar

by Andrew Warren-Payne, ClickZ

On March 23, ClickZ Intelligence held the webinar ‘The State of Social 2017’ in association with Tracx. As part of the presentation, a huge number of stats and facts were shared about social media, both as a whole and in relation to individual networks. Practical tips given by National Geographic’s Mia Vallo and Shell’s Matt Owen helped demonstrate to viewers how they can apply these to their strategy. So what were the most interesting stats shared in the webinar? We’ve listed 13 of our favorites below.

https://www.clickz.com/13-epic-stats-and-facts-from-the-state-of-social-webinar/110510/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=26321

Using Google Cardboard to Simulate Virtual Learning Experiences

By Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

The reason that many teachers strive for a more virtual experience instead of the traditional talking points is that the interaction makes the lesson more memorable to the students. Google Cardboard is an interesting and very low-cost solution to creating a virtual experience. You can compare it to the Oculus Rift, but without the $600 price tag for each unit. As the name suggests, the product is from Google, and it is made entirely of cardboard. You construct the equipment (fold the cardboard) into the shape of goggles. Download the app you want to use in your virtual reality lesson, and place the phone within the frame, and you can start seeing the world from the app. It helps you feel like you are in the locations being displayed or are experiencing the events taking place.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/using-google-cardboard-simulate-virtual-learning-experiences/

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20 educational resources for new teachers

BY LAURA DEVANEY, eSchool News

New teachers need support, research indicates, and these free online resources can help. It’s no secret that new teachers sometimes struggle to feel empowered in their positions as educators. In fact, a lack of support, experienced teacher mentors, and resources lead many new teachers to leave their profession within the first three years. While technology can be a great tool, finding the right technology or tool often proves challenging and time-consuming. During an edWeb webinar, Shannon Holden, assistant principal at Republic Middle School in Missouri and a longtime educator, offered a list of websites to help new teachers find online resources quickly and easily.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2016/04/14/20-educational-resources-for-new-teachers/

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Ed Tech Spending Increases by 7 Percent

By Richard Chang, THE Journal

Education technology hardware spending increased worldwide by 7 percent in 2015, according to a new report issued by Futuresource Consulting. Spending on educational hardware, such as Chromebooks, classroom displays and mobile PCs, rose to $15 billion globally last year, said Colin Messenger, senior analyst at Futuresource Consulting, a U.K.-based ed tech research firm. Growth has been strong over the past several years, rising $4.5 billion since 2012, Messenger said in a statement released Thursday. The increase in spending has been primarily driven by the surge in the mobile PC market, which at $10.1 billion currently represents 67 percent of the total expenditures, compared to 63 percent last year.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/04/14/ed-tech-spending-on-the-rise.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15608

Education Edition of Minecraft on Track for Summer Release

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

Microsoft is on track to deliver its Minecraft: Education Edition this summer with an “early access” program that will let any teacher download the open world game. However, those teachers will need to be running either Windows 10 or OS X El Capitan (at least in early days) and have an Office 365 Education account. The company acquired this education-specific version of the game earlier this year from TeacherGaming. The education edition, which will be available at this site, will include lesson plans and a Minecraft mentoring program to match up teachers new to the game with those who have experience in using it in a classroom setting

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/04/15/education-edition-of-minecraft-on-track-for-summer-release.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15606

PC Shipments Continue Decline Despite Growth in Mobile PC Segment

By Joshua Bolkan, Campus Technology

The global decline of PC shipments continued in the first quarter of 2015, totaling 71 million units, according to a new report from Gartner. That total represents a 5.2 percent drop compared to the first quarter of 2014. “The PC industry received a boost in 2014 as many companies replaced their PCs due to the end of Windows XP support, but that replacement cycle faded in the first quarter of 2015,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner, in a prepared statement. “However, this decline is not necessarily a sign of sluggish overall PC sales long term. Mobile PCs, including notebooks, hybrid and Windows tablets, grew compared with a year ago. The first quarter results support our projection of a moderate decline of PC shipments in 2015, which will lead to a slow, consistent growth stage for the next five years.”

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/15/pc-market-continues-decline-despite-growth-in-mobile-pc-segment.aspx

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Online course materials to reduce costs for Alberta students

By Caley Ramsay, Global News Canada

The cost of post-secondary education can be overwhelming for many Alberta students, and the additional hundreds or thousands of dollars spent on textbooks can weigh heavily on their wallets. Now, the Alberta Government is launching a new initiative, offering more educational resources online. After fees for the semester have been paid and school supplies have been bought, there’s one cost to Canadian university students that can often weigh heavy on their wallets. Downloading textbooks thrifty but dubious. The Open Educational Resources Initiative has been in the works for a few years. Through the initiative, more educational resources such as textbooks, modules, lesson plans, and multi-media materials will be made available for students online.

http://globalnews.ca/news/1268281/online-course-materials-to-reduce-costs-for-alberta-students/

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High-tech teaching breaks down time and distance

by Ken Strmiska, Sheboygan Press

Alvin Toffler, futurist and author of “Future Shock” and “The Third Wave,” boldly predicted, “the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” Today, with human knowledge estimated to be doubling every one to two years, Toffler appears to be correct in his assumption that to thrive in a rapidly changing world will require continuous engagement in learning. For the past several hundred years, the medium between knowledge and learning at all levels has been a place-based educational institution.

http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20140413/SHE04/304130156/Voices-High-tech-teaching-breaks-down-time-distance?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1

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Say goodbye to snow days as classrooms go virtual

by Amanda Oglesby, Asbury Park Press

Public schools are not yet permitted under New Jersey regulations to hold virtual classes as official make-ups to snow days. However, St. John Vianney — because it is private — is one of a handful of schools leading the way in the new online learning initiative, where students can watch instruction, hand in homework, and engage in class discussion with their Holmdel-based high school teachers. But many public schools across the state are hoping to emulate the model in the future. As technology makes virtual classrooms possible, the state Department of Education is reconsidering the rule that defines instructional days as having students and teachers in the same room.

http://www.app.com/article/20140414/NJNEWS15/304140015/Say-goodbye-snow-days-classrooms-go-virtual?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1

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