Parents Express Concern as More Toddlers Switch on Tablets

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Most parents have profound concerns about their children reading digital books on tablets. In a new survey of 1,500 parents of under-eights in the UK about their attitudes to children’s use of technology and digital books at home, we found that only 8% have no concerns about them using tablets to read. For using digital media in general, only 16% of parents had no concerns. By comparing the results with data from a similar survey conducted by the US-based Joan Ganz Cooney Center in 2014, the research also found that parents in the UK and US had different reasons for using or not using digital devices with their children. For example, more American than UK parents said that they use digital media together with their child to ensure they are not exposed to inappropriate content.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/tablet-computers/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=28039

The Blockchain Revolution and Higher Education

by Don Tapscott and Alex Tapscott, EDUCAUSE Review

The blockchain provides a rich, secure, and transparent platform on which to create a global network for higher learning. This Internet of value can help to reinvent higher education in a way the Internet of information alone could not.What will be the most important technology to change higher education? In our view, it’s not big data, the social web, MOOCs, virtual reality, or even artificial intelligence. We see these as components of something new, all enabled and transformed by an emerging technology called the blockchain. OK, it’s not the most sonorous word ever, sounding more like a college football strategy than a transformative technology. Yet, sonorous or not, the blockchain represents nothing less than the second generation of the Internet, and it holds the potential to disrupt money, business, government, and yes, higher education. The opportunities for innovators in higher education fall into four categories.

http://er.educause.edu/articles/2017/3/the-blockchain-revolution-and-higher-education

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=28024

OER Could Boost Colleges’ Revenues

By Jean Dimeo, Inside Higher Ed

Although tuition certainly matters to students, what matters more is “total cost of attendance.” That includes fees, books, transportation, and the opportunity cost of taking classes, among other things. (Reduced work hours to make time for classes leads to reduced income in the short term, which is a cost. Over time, if they graduate, they more than make it back, but in the here and now, it’s a cost.) Opportunity cost is lowest in recessions and highest during expansions, which is why our enrollments are counter-cyclical. So here’s the plan. If we get critical mass of sections using OER, and we can quantify the typical savings to students in some sort of credible way, I’d like to go to the Board with the following argument: If we raise tuition $5 a credit, a student taking 30 credits pays an extra $150 a year. But if we’re using OER in enough places that the student is saving $500 a year on books, she’s still coming out ahead.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/insights/2017/05/17/oer-could-boost-revenues

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=28009

Madison’s Filament Games has become a leader in the realm of learning-based video games

by ERIK LORENZSONN, The Capital Times

That weird dynamic between in-game and real-life identities, said Norton, is a huge reason that video games are actually valuable tools — not just for play, but for learning. Creating games that make use of that “merged identity” to impart skills and knowledge to children and adults alike is an art that Norton and the team at Filament have been working to perfect for the last 10 years. Consider “Do I Have a Right?” a 2010 game from Filament that strives to teach children about the Bill of Rights. Players take on the role of a lawyer running a law firm. They greet new clients, hear complaints, let people know whether or not their complaint reflects a breach of their constitutional rights, and refer them to attorneys who can best handle their case.

http://host.madison.com/ct/business/technology/madison-s-filament-games-has-become-a-leader-in-the/article_d711fa19-0e1d-5d2b-ae27-df53357ab7c7.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15957

IT security in education on the decline

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

Symantec’s 2016 Internet Security Threat Report found education tied with business for the second-most-breached subsector; 6.6% of all reported cybersecurity incidents in 2015 trace back to education institutions. Ed Tech reports the worsening ranking, up one place from the 2015 report, indicates IT leaders on campuses need to shift from avoidance to anticipation when it comes to threats. Holistic cybersecurity is a best practice that connects the work in the IT department with faculty, staff and student users to ensure the practices and technologies in place are not undermined by the people who use the networks.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/it-security-in-education-on-the-decline/420049/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15954

Cyberbullying: What Is Cyberbullying and How to Stop It

by Caller Smart

CyberbullyingCyberbullying affects countless teens and adolescents. A 2015 random sample study of 11-15 year olds in the Midwest found that over 34% reported being the victim of cyberbullying in their lifetime. Other studies have found that 1 in 4 teens have been cyberbullied. Victims of cyberbullying are much more likely to use alcohol and drugs, avoid school and have poor grades, experience depression and low self-esteem, and may even contemplate suicide.

https://www.callersmart.com/articles/49/What-Is-Cyberbullying-and-How-to-Stop-It

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15952

5 reasons certification is important for ed-tech leaders

By Mike Lawrence, eSchool News

How does lifelong learning relate to leadership in education, and the role of certification? Quite directly, I believe. There is an increasing movement toward alternative learning opportunities–education beyond advanced degrees. Certification just may be the sweet spot that bridges leadership, lifelong learning, and formal training. Here are some of the advantages and opportunities for today’s ed tech leader that certification offers:

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/05/27/reasons-certification-664/

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The Best Ways to Use Google In the Classroom

By Pamela DeLoatch, Edudemic

Maybe you’re using Google for your personal email or to look someone up, but have you considered the many ways you can use this web search engine in the classroom? Since Google.com was first registered as a domain name in 1997, it has become a ubiquitous source of information. And that’s not all. Google also provides an ever-growing list of tools that can make your and your students’ day easier and more interesting. Far more than an email tool, or even a massive search engine, Google offers a plethora of tools that can bring information, collaboration and increased efficiency in the classroom.

http://www.edudemic.com/best-ways-to-use-google/

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How open resources help infuse Common Core into lessons

By Clarissa Ratcliff, eSchool News

Open resources can help design attractive, engaging lessons with a Common Core. In 2010, my state, Mississippi, joined the growing list of states adopting the Common Core State Standards for English language arts and math. This academic year has been especially pivotal, as we are now in full implementation. While the rigor of the Common Core will ultimately prepare our students for college and careers, implementation has its challenges. With more than 90 percent of the students in our school in Gulfport eligible for free or reduced lunch, we also have challenges in keeping them engaged and on track to meeting the new learning goals.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/05/26/open-resources-core-246/

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Are Your Students Distracted by Screens? Here’s A Powerful Antidote

By Tom Daccord, Edudemic

Many teachers I encounter have decided that they need to crack down on — if not entirely eradicate — screen distractions in their classrooms. (A minority of teachers accept it as a form of 21st century doodling.) So, I regularly get questions from teachers asking if they can lock students into apps (yes, that’s possible) or watch student laptop screens remotely (yes, that’s possible, too). Yet, I rarely indulge in discussions of “Big Brother” tools and strategies. Instead, I ask teachers to consider the most important truism regarding screen distractions: The best classroom management tool is a good lesson. If the activity is engaging and challenging, there is an authentic audience, and prescribed time limits, students won’t mess around.

http://www.edudemic.com/distracted-by-screens/

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3 must-knows about teachers and copyright

By Meris Stansbury, eCampus News

Schools and districts are increasingly urging teachers to use digital content for instruction, with many teachers taking innovative steps by creating their own digital content. But when it comes to copyright, ownership, and sharing, that’s where it gets tricky. “In the era of digital publishing, which includes teacher-created, -refined, and –remixed materials, an important question has arisen: who owns this digital content?” asks a policy brief from the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), titled “Clarifying ownership of teacher-created digital content empowers educators to personalize education, address individual student needs.”

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/05/28/teachers-copyright-digital-951/

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Online: The only school they know

By Maureen Magee, UT San Diego

Online courses are popular with students who want to make up credits, take classes that aren’t available at their schools or take a break from regular classes. But more students are forgoing mainstream schools altogether as charters and school districts establish online options. The virtual offerings also appeal to traditional home-school families who increasingly rely on online courses. About 310,000 students in kindergarten through high school nationwide were enrolled in full-time online schools in the 2012-13 school year, a 24 percent increase from the previous year, according to the International Association for K-12 Online Learning.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/may/27/online-students-graduation-san-diego/

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