5 key steps in developing a system for digital credentials

BY LAURA ASCIONE, eCampus News

A new field guide for community college and university leaders outlines five key strategies to help institutions develop a system for digital credentials. The guide, “Partnering with Employers to Create Workforce-Relevant Credentials,” is intended to steer faculty and administrators through a collaborative design and implementation process for developing a workforce-relevant credentialing system. The five digital-credential strategies come from best practices of institutions profiled in the report.

5 key steps in developing a system for digital credentials

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=35869

California Importing More College Graduates, But Not Keeping Up With Workforce Demands

By Vanessa Rancano, KQED

One in three Californians say they are seriously considering leaving the state because of high housing costs. And, for the past decade or so, California has been exporting more residents to other states than it imports. But new census numbers show one group keeps coming: young college graduates. The Public Policy Institute of California crunched the numbers and found almost 140,000 college graduates moved to California from other states between 2011 and 2016. That’s about half as many college degrees as the entire University of California system produced over the same period.

https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2018/01/12/california-importing-more-college-graduates-but-not-keeping-up-with-workforce-demands/

 

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=35859

Why EdTech Firms Should Hire Educators

by Matthew Lynch, tech Edvocate

Edtech companies often focus on technology development, testing, and integration. However, a significant number of them are doing so without the input of education professionals. What do traditional educators have to offer edtech companies? In short, a lot. Here are the most significant reasons edtech companies need to employ teachers. Unless you come from a teaching background before starting your edtech company, you likely don’t have intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the education system. This lack of experience can make it hard to interact with potential buyers and sell your product. No matter what you offer, the rule is to know your customer.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/edtech-companies-hire-educators/

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Report: Wearable Devices Expected to Become Mainstream in Education in Next 4-5 Years

By Richard Chang, THE Journal

Virtual reality and robotics will become widely adopted in education in the next two to three years, while wearable devices are expected to become mainstream in the education space over the next four to five years, according to a recent report published by the New Media Consortium and the Consortium for School Networking. The “NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2016 K–12 Edition” examined emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in teaching, learning and creative inquiry in schools. The report, released at the end of 2016, looked at tech trends in the short term (one year or less), mid-term (two to three years) and long term (four to five years.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/01/06/report-wearable-devices-expected-to-become-mainstream-in-education-in-next-4-5-years.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=22597

Report: Librarians Say Info Literacy Is Important, They Don’t Have the Tools to Teach It

By Joshua Bolkan, Camus Technology

Nearly all librarians (97 percent) say information literacy contributes to workforce success and more than four in five (83 percent) say it affects college graduation rates, and yet 44 percent said their library does not support information literacy as much as it should, according to a new survey from ProQuest. The survey polled more than 200 librarians from university, community college, high school and public libraries. Other key findings include: Only 21 percent of librarians said their users recognize information literacy’s effect on lifelong success. Thirty-four percent said their users do not and 33 percent said they weren’t sure; 91 percent of those surveyed said they rely on one-on-one in-person consultations to reinforce literacy skills.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/01/05/report-librarians-say-info-literacy-is-important-they-dont-have-the-tools-to-teach-it.aspx

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Models, and the Equity of Information: A Q&A with George Siemens

By Mary Grush, Campus Technology

In the face of instant communication, continuous connectivity, and data analytics, the key research question at UT-Arlington’s LINK Research Lab is “What does it mean to be human in a digital age?” Here, LINK Lab Executive Director, PI/Researcher, and Professor George Siemens brings our attention to some key issues about our connectedness and how it is changing the way we interact, work, and learn in the digital age.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/01/09/data-centric-models-and-the-equity-of-information.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=22562

Tablets to See Slower-Than-Expected Resurgence

By David Nagel, Campus Technology

Tablet sales declined substantially in 2015, but they aren’t down for good, according to one market research firm. Nevertheless, their short-term growth will be slower than previously expected. Although the outlook for tablets has turned slightly grim of late — with sales in 2015 dropping to about $55 billion compared with $68 billion in 2014 — market research firm ABI Research is still calling for a compound annual growth rate of about 3 percent through 2020.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/01/19/tablets-to-see-slow-resurgence.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14853

Families encouraged to get learning online to boost self-confidence and increase employability

by the Dorset Echo

Families are switching onto learning in a new programme. Making robots on a 3D printer, blogging and creating animated videos are just some of the tools a new approach to digital inclusion in Dorset is using to boost self-confidence and increase employability. Digital Families Programme engages parents and children in fun ways of using technology together as a family that also supports learning and teaches basic digital skills. As many as 30 per cent of local families lack access to skills, equipment or funds they need to feel connected and engaged in their communities.

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/14212471.display/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14850

Tulia ISD looks to lead online learning effort

by Aaron Davis, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

“We were quite surprised, but really excited that we have the opportunity to learn about this,” said Daniel Keith, director of instructional design for Tulia ISD. “It was a big deal to be in the top 10.” Of the 10 finalists, five districts will be chosen in April to receive up to $500,000 to bring technology into their classrooms. Inspired by the book “Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools,” the Raise Your Hand Texas initiative is an effort to equip districts with technology in hopes of inspiring other Texas schools to use what the book calls “blended learning.”

http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2016-01-18/tulia-isd-looks-lead-online-learning-effort

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14847

Hands-on: Microsoft’s HoloLens is flat-out magical

by Peter Bright, Ars Technica

Microsoft claims this will replace the computer screen – and they may well be right. HoloLens is an engaging and effective augmented reality system. With HoloLens I saw virtual objects—Minecraft castles, Skype windows, even the surface of Mars—presented over, and spatially integrated with, the real world. It looked for every bit like the holographic projection we saw depicted in Star Wars and Total Recall. Except that’s shortchanging Microsoft’s work, because these virtual objects were in fact far more convincing than the washed out, translucent message R2D2 projected, and much better than Sharon Stone’s virtual tennis coach. The images were bright, saturated, and reasonably opaque, giving the virtual objects a real feeling of solidity.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/01/hands-on-with-hololens-making-the-virtual-real/1/

Imagine the education potential as you check out the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAKfdeOX3-o

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Looking back and looking forward at higher-ed CyberSecurity

By Bruce P. Burrell, eCampus News

What went very wrong in 2014; what are concerns for 2015? According to various reports, including those from BreachLevelIndex.com, PrivacyRights.org, and Secure Computing, there were at least 154 data breaches in the U.S., .edu realm in 2014, and another 36 in .edu-related healthcare facilities. It may not sound like a shocking number at first blush, but within those breaches, there were ultimately 2,608,038 known records exposed with the number of records compromised ranging from a single record to over 309,000. These records were compromised in a variety of ways; some were accidentally released, others the result of malicious insiders or outsiders.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/safety-and-security/2015-cybersecurity-data-288/

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5 ed-tech highlights from CES 2015

By Phillip Britt, eCampus News

From extremes like robot teachers to soon-to-be ubiquitous technologies like wearable devices, CES 2015 did not disappoint. The annual International Consumer Electronics Show is the showcase for newer technologies already in the marketplace and those soon to debut. “What is popular in the consumer market is becoming more of the backbone of education, because that’d what students bring in,” said Kerry Goldstein, producer of TransformingEDU, the show’s education track. “There’s no place better than CES to look at what is going on with technology.”

http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/ces-highlights-education-377/

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7 reasons why your school should teach robotics and game design

By Lynn Paul, eSchool News

My school didn’t know what to do with them so I decided to fix them up and make them useful. Then I started thinking, “What else can I do?” I read something about Arduino and soon I was tinkering with parts, building, and programming anything I could get my hands on. It became a hobby. When I moved to Plaquemine High School, near Baton Rouge, our principal had just written a big grant for the Dow Corp. to create a STEM program featuring elective classes in robotics and game design for 9-12th graders. When we got it, he asked me to design the curriculum, attend trainings, and teach the courses. It was a dream come true. Now I get to help students develop the creativity, logic, critical thinking, and career skills they need for the future. Here are seven reasons why every school should consider doing the same.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/01/13/robotics-stem-166/

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Feds Call on Universities for Ideas for ‘Experimental Sites,’ New Learning Technologies

By David Nagel, Campus Technology

The Obama administration is asking colleges and universities for new ideas related to college affordability and technologies to advance student learning at all levels. As part of the Education Datapalooza event held today, the United States Department of Education expanded on its call for ideas to create “experimental sites” “to test alternative approaches for the administration of the federal student financial assistance programs….” According to ED: “The Department is asking the public, the higher education community, and others to send their ideas for experimental sites that would support a better-educated workforce and citizenry.”

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/01/15/feds-call-on-universities-for-ideas-for-experimental-sites-new-learning-technologies.aspx

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How to Make the Most of the Flipped Classroom

By David Raths, Campus Technology

Last semester, the Vanderbilt University (TN) Center for Teaching’s two most popular workshops were “Flipping the Classroom” and “Leading Classroom Discussion.” “A few years ago if I had said flipped classroom to them, most faculty would have given me a blank stare,” said Derek Bruff, director of the center and a senior lecturer in mathematics. “Now they are coming to us wanting more detail. The speed of that change and the pervasiveness of the interest has surprised me.” Indeed, a November 2013 survey from the Center for Digital Education and Sonic Foundry found that half of university faculty members have flipped their classroom or plan to within the next year. Despite that enthusiasm for the model, though, the truth is that many faculty members struggle with making their lecture-free classroom time interactive and engaging.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/01/15/how-to-make-the-most-of-the-flipped-classroom.aspx

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3 Fun Web Tools That Let You Remix Web Pages

By Jeff Dunn, Edudemic

What if you could look behind the scenes of a web page? What if you could easily make a video mashup or a fun meme? There are a few web tools from Mozilla that are definitely worth trying out. They may be some of the most fun and interesting tools you’ll try today. In fact, I could see any of these options becoming a fun tool to bring into your classroom of eager students. Imagine assigning students with a project (project-based learning anyone?!) to create a mashup of videos that tells a story or explains a key concepts you’re working on.

http://www.edudemic.com/fun-web-tools/

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