Amid IT layoffs, edtech startups see soaring demand

Nilesh Christopher&Sanghamitra Kar, ETtech

Amid IT layoffs, edtech startups see soaring demandOnline learning platforms are seeing a double-digit spike in registrations by Indian IT professionals in the last three months, as companies and employees are starting to realize the importance of reskilling in a rapidly changing industry. “The growing realization among Indian workforce that reskilling is the only way to stay competitive led to a 37% increase in Indian registrations during the Feb-April period compared to last year,” said Raghav Gupta, India Country Director, Coursera. Online learning platform Simplilearn saw its growth double in the last quarter. “The spike in January has led to great demand for some courses such as AWS, Azure, Big Data, Data Science,” said Krishna Kumar, CEO, Simplilearn.

http://tech.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/internet/amid-it-layoffs-edtech-startups-see-soaring-demand/59225667

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=29221

5 Types of Online Classes to Check Out This Summer

By Lorena Roberts, ULoop

Are you behind in your classes? Have you changed your major and you’re going to be “taking a victory lap?” (Or two?) Maybe you just refuse to take 15 credit hours per semester and now you’re three years deep in a degree that you’ve barely scraped the surface of. Don’t fret; I have the solution: take classes over the summer… online. If that sentence makes you anxious because you’ve never taken an online course, stop it. It’s way easier than you think it’s going to be. You get to do all the work on your own time (or ahead of time) and you can creatively collaborate with all your classmates just like in a regular class through apps like GroupMe. Need some recommendations? I’ve got you covered.

https://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/240179/5-Types-of-Online-Classes-to-Check-Out-This-Summer

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=29209

Worried by IT layoffs? Open online courses can future-proof your career

by Vinay Umarji, Business Standard

After being laid-off by an information technology (IT) major in Chennai, Ashir Sharma (name changed) recently bagged a job at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), in Pune, after training himself in data analytics using the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL). Sharma is part of a rising number of professionals in the layoffs-marred IT industry who are turning to massive open online courses (MOOCs) platform NPTEL, which is run by seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), including IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, and IIT Roorkee, along with IISc Bangalore. In fact, on the back of rising enrolments from job seekers and professionals, the takers for MOOCs on NPTEL have grown from a cumulative one million in the past three years (2014, 2015, and 2016) to 500,000 in the first half of 2017 itself.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/worried-by-it-layoffs-open-online-courses-can-future-proof-your-career-117062000425_1.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=29197

Study Says More Than 90 Percent of Institutions Offer Alternative Credentials

By Sri Ravipati, Campus Technology

Millennial students seem to prefer badging and certificate programs to traditional bachelor’s degrees, according to a new study from University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), Pennsylvania State University and Pearson that explored the role that alternative credentials play in higher education. “Demographic Shifts in Educational Demand and the Rise of Alternative Credentials” reveals that programs offering alternative credentialing have become widespread in higher education, with 94 percent of the institutions reporting they offer alternative credentials. Alternative credentials can take the form of digital badges, certificates and micro-credentials. The study was conducted by Jim Fong, director of UPCEA’s Center for Research Marketing Strategy; Kyle Peck, director of the Center for Online Innovation in Learning and a professor at Penn State; and Peter Janzow, senior director of business development at Pearson’s Acclaim.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/06/29/study-says-more-than-90-percent-of-institutions-offer-alternative-credentials.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=16240

Illume Learning Launches Free Database of Teaching Materials

By Sri Ravipati, Campus Technology

Illume Learning is introducing a free course creation tool designed to help professors save time on looking for course resources. Illume provides end-to-end resources for professors to access materials, including:

25 million text, trade and scholarly books;

Tens of thousands of case studies;

Articles from 12,645 academic journals;

Millions of articles from 65 leading newspapers and 140 magazines;

Hundreds of thousands of syllabi, reading lists and lecture slide presentations; and

Tens of thousands of tutorials from Khan Academy, simulations, problem sets, videos and course notes.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/06/29/illume-learning-launches-free-database-of-teaching-materials.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=16237

Majority of Americans Feel K-12 Students, Families Should be Able to Choose Tuition-Free Online Learning

by Connections Education

Survey commissioned by Connections Education finds blended learning, online courses, online school options strongly supported; findings show Americans view online schools as potentially better able to personalize education. The majority of Americans, 76 percent, feel that K-12 public school students should be able to choose tuition-free online learning options to meet a student’s learning needs, according to findings from a new independent survey of U.S. households supported by Connections Education. Those with children in the household were even more likely to support online learning options (86 percent) compared to those with no children in the household (71 percent). “As the national conversation about online schools continues to be driven by policy-makers and industry groups, it is important to take a step back and listen to what the American public, particularly parents of school-age children, want for their children’s education,” said Steven Guttentag, president and co-founder of Connections Education.

http://www.pressreleaserocket.net/majority-of-americans-feel-k-12-students-families-should-be-able-to-choose-tuition-free-online-learning-options-to-meet-student-needs/464555/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=16234

Teachers learn gardening basics in UGA class

By LEE SHEARER, Online Athens

Thirty schoolteachers learned the basics of gardening on the University of Georgia campus Thursday, but they had more in mind than backyard tomatoes. Their students will be the beneficiaries, explained MaryLauren Schroeder and Laura Ward, teachers at Athens’ St. Joseph Catholic school and two of those who came out in the blistering heat at the university’s UGArden on South Milledge Avenue. Like others in the group, they’re planning a garden at their school next year — the one at St. Joseph will involve children from pre-K, where Schroeder teaches, all the way up to Ward at the eighth-grade level.

http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2015-06-26/teachers-learn-gardening-basics-uga-class

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U California, Irvine Extension Debuts Online Courses in Student-Centered Learning

By Joshua Bolkan, THE Journal

The University of California, Irvine (UCI) Extension is offering two new online courses designed to help teachers develop their skills in cognitive and student-centered learning. The courses, “Building Cognitive Curriculum” and “Motivation and Responsibility in the Student-Centered Classroom,” are currently open for registration and will run July 6-September 13. Both courses are requirements for a larger program, “Student-Centered Learning Specialized Studies,” launching in the fall and designed to offer educators insight into classroom practices that can be implemented immediately.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/06/25/u-california-irvine-extension-launches-online-courses-in-student-centered-learning.aspx

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Online summer classes beneficial to some Horry County Schools students

BY CLAIRE BYUN, the Sun News

For the past six years, Horry County Schools has offered supplemental online courses during the school year and summer to middle and high schoolers, all at no charge to the student. Course offerings include core classes such as Algebra and history, and electives such as journalism and computer programming. Students take the summer online courses to get ahead or make up after falling behind during the school year. Most summer enrollments are middle school students who want to finish their high school computer science credit early, said Edi Cox, executive director of online learning for the district. “Some students just want to get it out of the way so they have time to take other elective courses when they’re actually in high school,” Cox said.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/education/article25606441.html

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Online learning platform Udacity launches an Android app and four new Google-supported courses

by NICK SUMMERS, the Next Web

Udacity is expanding its online learning platform with a new Android app and four courses designed in collaboration with Google. After bringing some of its video lessons to the iPad and iPhone, Udacity is turning its attention to Google’s hugely successful mobile OS. The new Android app gives students the ability to stream lectures on the move and test their knowledge with quizzes. The company has also promised an offline mode at a later date, so users can download videos and watch them at any time. To coincide with the launch of Google’s I/O conference, Udacity is introducing four new courses created in partnership with the renowned technology company. The first is ‘Developing Android Apps: Android Fundamentals,’ instructed by Reto Meier, leader of Google’s Scalable Developer Advocacy team, as well as Google developer advocates Katherine Kuan and Dan Galpin.

http://thenextweb.com/apps/2014/06/25/online-learning-platform-udacity-launches-android-app-four-new-google-supported-courses/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/OviDCxcj5jI/

Education, Learning and Libraries at a Tipping Point

by OCLC

A new report suggests that the cumulative weight of changing consumer habits, enabling technologies like MOOCs and mobile, and the high cost of postsecondary education are resetting expectations and bringing permanent changes to education and lifelong learning. OCLC, the computer library service and research organization, today released At a Tipping Point: Education, Learning and Libraries, the latest in a series of OCLC Membership Reports designed to explore emerging trends that impact libraries and librarianship. The report is available to download from the OCLC website.

http://www.oclc.org/news/releases/2014/201422dublin.en.html

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/SR7VCSPrVXU/

5 Ways To Use Word Cloud Generators In The Classroom

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Word cloud generators have gone the route of Kleenex and Saran Wrap, wherein people often use the name of the product to refer to the thing. Most folks I talk to refer to all word clouds as ‘wordles’, even though Wordle is just one of many, many tools that one can use to create word clouds. Word clouds are fun. They speak to humans’ affinity for the visual. They can help you sort through important ideas and concepts quickly. They’re nice to look at. Why not use them in your classroom?

http://www.edudemic.com/5-ways-use-word-cloud-generators-classroom/

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