Libraries Find New Ways to Flourish in the Digital Age

by Dave Doucette, EdTech
Modern learners seek flexible spaces and guidance on digital literacy.  In higher education, 21st-century librarians are seeing a redefinition of their roles, moving from stewards of physical information to educators on digital literacy. Institutions are also taking a new look at library buildings, which are becoming less about offering a refuge for quiet, independent study and more about creating opportunities for creativity and collaboration. But whether their purpose is to host a makerspace or old-fashioned book stacks, one thing is clear: University libraries are here to stay.

 

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2018/01/libraries-find-new-ways-flourish-digital-age

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=35734

Gwinnett Schools Use ‘Digital Learning Day’ As Make-Up Day

by TASNIM SHAMMA, WABE
Many students in metro Atlanta had the day off Monday because of a winter weather advisory. But in Gwinnett County, that didn’t mean no school. Public school students there had to go online for what officials called their first “Digital Learning Day.”

https://www.wabe.org/gwinnett-schools-use-digital-learning-day-makeup-day/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=35724

EdTech is a key part of school construction plans

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Construction needs to move away from the notion of “computer rooms” and realize that every space could be a computer room. Study pods and other quiet spaces need to be integrated into classrooms as students are being encouraged to work together but also to work alone. Edtech allows for this flexibility, but the current classroom set out does not. Blended learning is important, and if students are to feel that they are in control of their learning, they need to feel that classroom offers opportunities to do so. Some other additions to the classroom of the future should cover some of the following points.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/making-edtech-key-part-school-construction-plan/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=35744

How Virtual Reality Is Changing Education

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Tech Edvocate

VR allows for high-impact learning experiences and as this new age of affordable VR tech presents itself, the opportunities for improving education abound. Educators are well aware of the positive impact out of classroom experiences have on learning. From K-12 classrooms, to college internships, to undergrad research and studying abroad, high-impact experiences provide increased learning and retention. Unfortunately, these types of programs have traditionally involved a good deal of time, money and personnel. With both the availability and affordability of VR, students nationwide will have access to high-impact educational experiences. From taking a guided tour of the Great Wall of China, to examining world-renowned art in a museum halfway around the globe, these micro experiences are able to shape student learning far more than an in-class lecture. Imagine biology students exploring the Great Barrier Reef firsthand or students in a history class having that ability to observe an ancient Mongolian tribe.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/how-virtual-reality-is-changing-education/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=22460

Why Makerspaces Are Perfect for School and Public Libraries

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Tech Edvocate

Makerspaces have become one of the latest trends for libraries as they continue to adapt to the changing needs of users. Like other library services, makerspaces have developed as the needs of library users have expanded from print resources and traditional services to include a variety of digital formats and services. As a result, both public and school libraries have moved towards providing access to materials and resources that promote literacy in digital information and technology. Makerspaces can provide librarians and educators with an ideal method for allowing students to develop many of the digital information and technological skills they will need to be successful in society. Makerspaces are collaborative learning spaces, and according to Koh and Abbas in their article Competencies for Information Professionals in Learning Labs and Makerspaces, users can, “explore traditional and digital media, interact with mentors and peers, and engage in creative projects.”

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/why-makerspaces-are-perfect-for-school-and-public-libraries/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=22452

Why Learning to Code is So Important for Children

BY MATTHEW LYNCH, Tech Edvocate

Knowing how to code can secure well-paid jobs in the future, and that means more freedom to choose and say “no” to mediocre positions. So, when children learn to code, they are not only gaining higher-order thinking skills but a chance to choose exciting and more challenging jobs in the future. When children learn how to code, a whole world full of possibilities opens; they can create new solutions in their way. You might think it is hard for kids to learn to code, but in reality, it is quite easy. Learning coding at a young age makes kids better thinkers and communicators. This leads to more innovations, which is certainly beneficial throughout life. Even if later they decide that they want to be musicians, artists or something else, thinking logically can be helpful in the long run. Critical thinking and problem solving are skills that are important way outside computer science.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/why-learning-to-code-is-so-important-for-children/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=22440

2016 Salary & Job Satisfaction Survey

By David Nagel, Dian Schaffhauser; THE Journal

The numbers are in for our first annual K-12 IT salary survey. While budgeting frustrations hamper much of IT’s work, there’s also a sense that the work they’re undertaking is important. $63,776. That’s the average annual pay for an IT professional of any rank, type of school or district or years of experience in this salary survey. Whether that sounds low to you or high, keep reading. As we’ve learned from hundreds of K-12 IT people who have shared details of their jobs, there’s more to your work than a single number.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/01/13/2016-salary-job-satisfaction-survey.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14821

What does the future hold for K-12 ed tech?

By Roger Riddell, Education Dive

Technology is increasingly integrated in the fabric of K-12 education, but not all deployments are created equally. One-to-one rollouts of tablets or Chromebooks, for example, have shown great promise when handled with care, but for every success, critics are quick to point out a Los Angeles-style iPad nightmare. And don’t even get the U.S. Department of Education’s Richard Culatta started on smartboards. In an industry still waiting to see what a rewrite of its largest set of federal regulations holds for the future, what the coming years hold for tech in the classroom is often even more murky. What’s working for schools and districts right now? What are their concerns in the coming years? Are faculty, let alone Internet connections, ready to handle the digital workload? That’s what Education Dive set out to learn this summer from our survey of over 150 district officials, principals, and teachers.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/what-does-the-future-hold-for-k-12-ed-tech/408804/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14818

What’s most pressing for K-12 tech leaders in 2016?

By Roger Riddell, Education Dive

Two tech leaders weigh in on the issues, developments, and trends confronting administrators. As cliché as it may sound, it’s an exciting time for K-12 education. On top of a year that saw a record $1.85 billion invested in educational technology, Congress finally passed a rewrite of the much-maligned No Child Left Behind in the form of the Every Student Succeeds Act. With the latest iteration of the nation’s top educational law set to take effect in the fall and money likely to continue flowing into ed tech, there’s sure to be plenty in store for schools and districts in 2016. With educators and students getting back into the grind for the latter half of the 2015-16 school year, we reached out to two tech leaders for their thoughts on the biggest ed tech issues, developments, and trends administrators will have to face this year.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/whats-most-pressing-for-k-12-tech-leaders-in-2016/411633/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14816

San Jose State, Cisco High-Tech Deal Ran Into Problem at Outset

By Katy Murphy, The Oakland Tribune

San Jose State got a steep discount on Cisco products for a $28 million technology upgrade it launched in 2012, but there was a catch: The deal was good for only six months. In the first four weeks alone — for a project expected to span five years — San Jose State ordered more than $16 million worth of products and services from Cisco reseller Nexus IS and later stashed the gear in storage areas across the campus. An investigation by this newspaper reveals how that acquisition spree set the stage for what happened next: a theft that cost the campus roughly $800,000.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/San-Jose-State-Cisco-Problem.html

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/tT4NlZ-eWdc/

Identity and the Itinerant Online Learner

by Marguerite Koole, IRRODL

This paper outlines a preliminary study of the kinds of strategies that master students draw upon for interpreting and enacting their identities in online learning environments. Based primarily on the seminal works of Goffman (1959) and Foucault (1988), the Web of Identity Model (Koole, 2009; Koole and Parchoma, 2012) is used as an underlying theoretical framework for this research study. The WoI model suggests that there are five major categories of “dramaturgical” strategies: technical, political, structural, cultural, and personal-agential. In the data collection, five online master of education students participated in semi-structured, online interviews. Phenomenography guided the data collection and analysis resulting in an outcome space for each strategy of the WoI model. The study results indicate that online learners actively employ a variety of strategies in interpreting and enacting their identities. The outcome spaces provide insights into ways in which online learners can manage their identity performances and strategies for ontological re-alignment (reconceptualization of oneself). Further study has the potential to elucidate how learning designers and online instructors might facilitate such identity-work in order to shape productive online environments.

http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1748

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/741SDza9yl0/

Where the Internet of Things Could Take Society by 2025

By Tanya Roscorla, Center for Digital Education

Picture this: A world flooded with a sea of data from every connected device on the planet — devices found in and on human bodies, in homes, around communities, in products, and in the natural environment. And these devices on the Internet of Things are sharing information constantly with the promise of making people’s lives better. But the government, corporations and criminals can all tap into these data streams and use what they find for evil, if they so choose. And that tension comes through loud and clear in a report on the Internet of Things that includes opinions from more than 1,600 experts.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/Where-the-Internet-of-Things-Could-Take-Society-by-2025-.html

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/8pPzzXrXUcc/

What Teachers (And Students) Must Know About Cyberbullying

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

School isn’t just about learning and books, as teachers are already well aware. For students, going to school also teaches them about a slew of life lessons – and interacting with others is at the top of that list. We all know (having been young ourselves) that kids can sometimes be really mean. Bullying is serious business, and as bullys move online, there are a lot of resources popping up to help out parents, teachers, and students to understand bullying and what to do about it. The handy infographic below looks at some statistics regarding cyber bullying, demographics, and the effects it can have on a student.

http://www.edudemic.com/cyberbullying/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/g2wMFGHcAhc/

8 Great iPad Apps for ESL Students

By AlishaEllis, Edudemic

When you’re talking about learning a language in the U.S., you’re generally talking about ESL which refers to “English as a second language” or the study or use of English by speakers with different native languages. Learning a new language seems quite tough but lucky for the students of today as technology has made it a lot simpler and easier. Many schools are now making plans to increase the availability and use of technology in classrooms in order to engage students in learning English language digitally.

http://www.edudemic.com/top-9-fantastic-ipad-apps-esl-students/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/dvu4-3HMGWM/

The 5 Best Places to Get a Free Education

By Patrick Morris, Motley Fool

Getting a top-tier education just got a whole lot easier and a lot less expensive. There is no denying that college has gotten monumentally expensive, and as shown in the chart below, in constant dollars over the last 40 years, the price of college is more than 3 times higher at public schools, and almost that much at private schools. This equates to a roughly 3% rise in prices each year, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you consider that personal income in the United States has only doubled over the same time period (or grown by less than 1.7% each year), you can see that college is becoming less and less affordable for millions of Americans. Yet while the costs of college are seemingly spiraling out of control, thankfully there are five wonderful free resources that allow people to enhance their existing educations, and may one day even supplement college altogether.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/01/12/the-5-best-places-to-get-a-free-education.aspx

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