Andrew Ng launches $175M AI incubator

By Luke Stangel, Silicon Valley Business Journal

Artificial intelligence frontrunner Andrew Ng has raised $175 million for a new incubator devoted to machine learning startups. The fund, backed by NEA, Sequoia Capital, Greylock Partners and SoftBank, won’t invest in outside startups, Ng said in a note this week. Rather, it will fund small strike teams of AI researchers working inside the fund, who will test ideas in stealth and launch the ones they think can be commercially viable.

https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2018/01/31/google-brain-andrew-ng-ai-incubator-investing.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=36519

4 ways technology can improve SEL skills

BY HOWARD VOGEL, SHELLEY MARGOW, ANDY PLEMMONS, AND JUDE MIQUELI, eSchool News

Here are some best practices for teaching the social-emotional skills students need to connect with their peers, their teachers, and the wider world. Today’s classrooms are full of immersive high-tech tools—but at the same time, schools and districts are being pushed to promote social-emotional learning (SEL) and improve school climate. Since spending too much time looking at various screens can hinder the direct connection between people, here are four real-world examples of tech helping students connect on a human level with their peers, their teachers, and the world around them.

4 ways technology can improve SEL skills

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=36509

Navigate an Online Course’s Learning Management System

By Jordan Friedman, US News

Online education typically isn’t any easier than learning on a physical campus. Rather, it’s a different type of experience. Instead of attending classes in person, students in online degree programs primarily complete coursework and communicate virtually through a platform referred to as a learning management system. Online students can generally access course materials, contact student services, track their progress in classes and submit assignments, among other things. “The learning management system for an online course is the student’s campus, to a certain extent, or their classroom,” says Karen Ferguson, vice provost at Colorado State University—Global Campus.

https://www.usnews.com/higher-education/online-education/articles/2018-01-29/navigate-an-online-course-learning-management-system-as-a-student

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=36499

Google Rolls Out New Chromebooks, Allows Access to Android, Adobe Apps

By Richard Chang, Campus Technology

Google is releasing two new Chromebooks for the education market that aim to be more versatile and practical for the everyday student. The new Chromebooks are scheduled to arrive in late spring, in time for back-to-school planning. Google did not offer a specific price, but the devices are designed to be affordable for the student market. Finally, Google has made updates to its popular Google Classroom learning management system, so that all new Chromebooks can take advantage of new features, such as differentiated instruction, specific management of student work, notifications and analytics.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/01/24/google-rolls-out-new-chromebooks-allows-access-to-android-adobe-apps.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=23497

Goshen Community Schools green-lights new online academy

By JOHN KLINE, Goshen News

School Board members took a major step toward the planned establishment of a new online academy for the school corporation during their meeting Monday evening. During the meeting, the board approved a request by Angela Piazza, assistant superintendent of secondary education for the corporation, to enter into a three-year, $44,400 contract with the Edmentum company to begin the process of establishing the corporation’s new Goshen Online Academy. The board has been considering establishment of such an online academy since early September 2016 when Piazza first brought the proposal up for discussion. “We haven’t yet designed what our program alternative would look like, but we would like approval to go ahead and purchase the curriculum so we can get training and start thinking about how we might utilize it,” Piazza said in making the request Monday. With the Edmentum curriculum, the class range would begin at fourth grade and continue through 12th grade, though the corporation’s main focus would be through 10th grade.

http://www.goshennews.com/news/local_news/goshen-community-schools-green-lights-new-online-academy/article_0bb04439-b80c-5ecb-9acd-bdae803bf610.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=23482

Students should be required to take an online class before they graduate

by Lizzy Partsch, Hawkeye

Today’s technology is rapidly growing and expanding. From iPhones to iWatchs to smart TVs, there is no doubt you can’t say technology has drastically changed in the last couple years. In fact, even former US president Bill Clinton states, “When I took office, only high energy physicists had ever heard of what is called the World Wide Web… Now even my cat has its own page,” showing how popular the internet and social networking has become over the last couple years. One of the most popular and important forms of technology is the expansion of online courses and classes offered in college and even in high school. Thousands of high school students will soon graduate, having the option to go to college or take online classes. But are students prepared for the technology and skills it takes to complete online college courses.

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=23477

Enrollment in online courses rises, but their importance to academic chiefs wanes

by JON MARCUS, the Hechinger Report

Rise in online learning shifts from private for-profit to private nonprofit schools. The number of students in online courses continues to rise, even as higher-education enrollment is declining—but enthusiasm for them appears to be waning slightly among some university leaders, according to an annual survey. Why It Matters: The number of online students increases, but fewer academic leaders consider online courses essential.

http://hechingerreport.org/enrollment-in-online-courses-rises-but-their-importance-to-academic-chiefs-wanes/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15034

Microsoft Donates $1 Billion in Cloud Services to Nonprofits, Universities

by the Center for Digital Education

In what seems a waterfall release of free services, Microsoft Philanthropies has revealed intentions to donate $1 billion in cloud tools to universities and nonprofits. The word comes from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who on Jan. 19 lauded the action as a new and vital resource for social and economic change. The resources are calculated to touch more than 70,000 organizations in a swift three-year span, with as much as $350 million donated in 2016. The reasoning, Nadella writes in a company blog post, is to confront an emerging digital divide, one rooted in the ecosystem of advanced technologies like predictive analytics and big data. Many nonprofits and research groups struggle to afford the tools, and Nadella said an intervention was the only foreseeable remedy.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/higher-ed/Microsoft-Donates-1-Billion-in-Cloud-Services-to-Nonprofits-Universities.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15031

NMC Horizon Report Reveals Top Tech, Trends, Troubles in Higher Ed

BY TANYA ROSCORLA, Center for Digital Education

An annual report provides a snapshot of what could be in store for higher education leaders in the next five years. Sevices that detect and respond to human emotion could be coming to higher education in the next four to five years. The NMC Horizon Report 2016 Higher Education Edition looks ahead at important technology developments like this one, along with challenges and trends to accelerate technology adoption. In a report released Thursday, Feb. 4, NMC and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative give higher education leaders a big picture look at what could happen with technology in their field so they can use it to help inform their strategic planning.

http://www.nmc.org/publication/nmc-horizon-report-2016-higher-education-edition/

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/higher-ed/NMC-Horizon-Report-Reveals-Top-Tech-Trends-Troubles-in-Higher-Ed.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15028

Why these 5 campus security concerns are high-priority

By Phillip Britt, eCampus News

What IT needs to know to stay one step ahead of cyber attacks and student data leaks. Security of college students is a growing concern for the students themselves; for their parents, relatives and friends; and for colleges and universities. The security concerns are two fold, both for the physical security of the students themselves and for the security of the student data on university systems. Both those seeking to cause physical harm and those seeking to attack data systems continue to advance their techniques, pushing college security experts to continue to evolve security strategies to stay ahead of the threats. To better help institutions keep one step ahead, here are the top five campus IT security trends for 2015.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/campus-it-security-390/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/dM5fDq2_-VQ/

50 tips to develop and run your online courses

by Andrea Harmon, eSchool News

From getting started to managing the day-to-day business, try these 50 tips for setting up a successful online course for any grade level. As many K-12 U.S. public schools and districts are struggling to compete with 100 percent online cyber charter schools for essential student funding, many universities are struggling to understand the impact of MOOCs on future enrollment. Both of these scenarios point to the one thing that is abundantly clear, online education is having another growth spurt in the second decade of the 21st century and the race to create in-house online content is on. In-house online content is defined here as online course development created by practicing K-12 educators to avoid having to access sometimes cost-prohibitive, commercially-developed online courses.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/02/03/online-course-589/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/GUOplGL8Xms/

And now, online preschool classes. Really.

By Valerie Strauss, Washington Post

It was only a matter of time. Online school classes for toddlers and preschoolers are here. VINCI Education is offering what it calls a “groundbreaking virtual school” for youngsters, which was featured by by Dr. Gadget®, the nationally recognized TV and radio personality, on CBS’s “The Talk” late last month. VINCI Education, according to its Web site,”is a pioneer in providing Blended Learning Curriculum, Assessment Tools and Data Analytics for the Early Childhood Education.” It operates preschools and day-care centers in Los Angeles, Ottawa and Beijing, which use technology and blended learning strategies to, the Web site says, “strengthen the main developmental areas of a child’s mind.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/02/02/and-now-online-preschool-classes-really/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/pje6ozK9hpM/

Why Should Teachers Use Infographics?

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

If you read Edudemic regularly, you know that we share a lot of infographics here. There are a number of reasons for that: they’re popular, easy to understand, and quick to read – all important qualities for teachers who don’t have a ton of time on their hands. The combination of text and graphics helps many readers remember the information more easily. The handy infographic linked below takes a look at infographics.

http://www.edudemic.com/educational-infographics/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/a7Uxmb0NHhA/

How Many Lines Of Code Is That?

by Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Understanding how to code is a great skill to have. In fact, it is growing to be an important part of a well-rounded education – slowly but surely. With so many careers of the future slated to be STEM based, knowing how to code can be a huge bonus in the job market. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, two of the fastest-growing occupations are in computer science and related fields – expected to grow 53.4% by 2018. There are so many different resources out there to help you learn how to code, and yet so many people still don’t know how, and don’t value the skill a whole lot. Luckily, there are big efforts being made to bring awareness to coding. The Hour Of Code is probably still the most well known at this point, but look out for more to come! The handy infographic linked below takes a look at how many lines of code it takes to create…stuff.

http://www.edudemic.com/how-many-lines-of-code-is-that/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/xdGzqbE21Qc/

How Can Busy Teachers Learn Next-Gen Skills?

By Amy Burkman, Edudemic

Most of today’s classroom teachers are digital immigrants, who need to not only learn the latest technologies but also help students learn skills for workplaces that don’t yet exist. This imperative, compounded by the advanced skills of their digital native students, creates a daunting task for the best of teachers. Most teachers work very hard to keep up with today’s technology and related jargon, with mixed success.

http://www.edudemic.com/next-gen-skills/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/6WMDWwK4lNs/