This computer language is teaching kids to code

by Steven Levy, Backchannel

Last year, I went to Nigeria with Mark Zuckerberg. One of the first stops on the trip was a program that taught kids how to code. “What are you making?” he’d ask. And they would proudly say, “A game!” or whatever it was, and begin showing him how it works. Zuckerberg would stop them. “Show me the code!” he’d say, because, well, he’s Zuckerberg, and any occasion is ripe for an ad hoc programming review. And that’s when the kid would click on a menu that toggled from the game to the LEGO-like building blocks of a Scratch program. As we headed up the stairs to leave the building, Zuckerberg called out to me, “Scratch! Have you heard of this?” Scratch (developed just a couple of T stops away) is quickly becoming the world’s most popular computer language for kids taking their first bite of programming. Last year, over 120 million people came to its site.

http://www.businessinsider.com/this-computer-language-is-teaching-kids-to-code-2017-5

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=28234

Young ‘Geniuses’ keep computers running for Discovery Middle School

By Celeste Edenloff, Echo Press

With a tiny screwdriver in his hands, Dylan Nelson set out to put back together a Chromebook he was in the process of rebuilding. A couple of feet away, Shayna Steidl was in the process of ripping apart a Chromebook she had been given to try and fix. Nelson, an eighth-grader, and Steidl, a seventh-grader, share a love for computers. And just like most of their peers at Discovery Middle School in Alexandria, these two students use their computers for homework, as well as gaming and watching videos on YouTube. But for Nelson and Steidl, their interest in computers goes much deeper as these two students, along with six other middle school students, are part of the newly formed Genius Team.

http://www.echopress.com/news/4265039-young-geniuses-keep-computers-running-discovery-middle-school

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=28219

LSC-O offers hybrid classes

by the Orange Leader

In an effort to provide learning opportunities to the busiest people, Lamar State College – Orange (LSC-O) is reaching out to another category of non-traditional students. Starting in the Fall 2017 semester, students have the chance to complete an Associate’s degree program by attending hybrid classes only one day a week. Cleverly dubbed ‘One day a Week for a Two-Year Degree’, the courses are for anyone with a demanding schedule but still desires to enhance their skills and earn a degree.

http://www.orangeleader.com/2017/05/20/lsc-o-offers-hybrid-classes/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=28252

50 Online Learning Tools That Will Keep The Kids Sharp All Summer

by Sangeeta Motiani and DurgaPrasad Karnam, Huffington Post

While you should not leave your kids alone with devices for hours at a stretch, neither is it correct to assume that all technology use will “fry their brains” as some well-meaning parents seem to believe. With some involvement and intervention from you, you can use technology as a tool to not only engage your child but also nurture their curiosity and desire to learn. So forget overpriced summer-workshops and regimented schedules and unlock myriads of ways to learn with freedom. We’ve done some research for you and zeroed in on a list of 50 technology tools (all tried and tested by us) for your kids to explore this summer.

http://www.huffingtonpost.in/sangeeta-motiani-/50-online-learning-tools-_b_10304812.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=16000

Using Mind Mapping and Brainstorming Techniques for Study and Creativity

by Bob Smale & Julie Fowlie, Tomorrow’s Professor

When taking notes in lectures and seminars, you can try using a mind mapping technique for note taking, or you can use it to summarise your notes or handouts and other materials after the session. Doing this systematically will help you store ideas away in your brain for later use when writing up your work. Looking at your mind maps will help refresh your memory and you can always go back and add to them if there is more to say, perhaps from your reading around the subject. Mind mapping can also be used to enhance your powers of creativity. When writing up a formal report or essay, try to brainstorm all the main points first. Then order your points into a logical sequence and write around them. Your key words may become your subheadings. Similarly, you can use a mind map to structure the content for an oral presentation.

https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/1496

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15997

Virtual Reality Lets Med Students Experience What It’s Like To Be 74

by Elyse Wanshel, Huffington Post

Elder care is about to become much more empathetic. Embodied Labs has come up with a new virtual reality program called “We Are Alfred,” which allows young medical students to feel what it’s like to be an elderly individual experiencing audio and visual problems. “[Medical students] are usually in their early 20s and not experiencing those kinds of challenges yet, so we decided to create something that would give them the experience of what it might be like to go through the aging process,” Carrie Shaw, the program’s creator and master’s student in biomedical visualization told University of Illinois at Chicago, where she studies. This could be empathy 2.0 for the average med student, who is 24.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/we-are-alfred-embodied-labs-carrie-shaw-virtual-reality-medical-students-elderly-geriatric-care_us_57505bbce4b0c3752dccbeaa

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15994

U Montana Speeds Research with Internet2 100 Gbps Connection

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

The University of Montana has revved up its research network with a new 100 Gbps fiber connection to the Internet2 Network. Clocking in at times faster than the school’s previous connection, the ultra-high-speed capability will advance UM’s research efforts as well as support education, research and healthcare institutions across the state. “The Internet2 Network connection provides great support to our researchers who collaborate with colleagues both nationally and internationally and, in particular, for those involved in big data initiatives and their entrepreneurial activities,” said Scott Whittenburg, vice president for research at UM, in a press release.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/05/28/u-montana-speeds-research-with-internet2-100-gbps-connection.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/zyi5cQZlzjo/

25 Gigabit Ethernet Gaining Traction

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Network administrators running data centers where moving directly to 100 gigabit Ethernet (GbE) is too big a leap may have an easier time making the transition with 25 GbE, demonstrated by QLogic and Huawei. U.S.-based QLogic makes data, server and storage networking infrastructure products. Huawei is a networking and telecommunications equipment maker headquartered in China. Huawei servers were equipped with QLogic 25 GbE adapters and hooked up to Huawei 25 gigabit Ethernet switches. The demonstration was intended to show potential customers an approach for upgrading from 10 GbE to something considerably faster with largely the same infrastructure for cabling. According to the companies, 25 GbE “single-lane” technology provides a 250 percent increase in bandwidth with the same port density as 10 GbE.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/05/29/25-gigabit-ethernet-gaining-traction.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/38f460DqbI4/

3 Things To Remember When Creating On-Demand E-Learning

by Sameer Bhatia, Chief Learning Officer

While e-learning best practices apply whether the course is scheduled or self-paced and moderated or not, the new tools and technologies used today require more thought to the learning environment and the user experience. Linked below are three essential things to consider when designing modern, self-paced and on-demand e-learning.

http://www.clomedia.com/articles/6288-things-to-remember-when-creating-on-demand-e-learning

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/SPczjVbhQK4/

Why We Should Be Teaching Financial Literacy

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

These days, digital literacy is often cited as being “the fourth literacy”, but there are many other literacies out there that our students need if they’re going to be successful, functional adults in a connected, challenging, global world. The video linked below addresses the idea of financial literacy as a subject that should be taught in schools. It uses data from the Council for Economic Education’s 2014 Survey of the States. As a teacher, do you feel fit to teach students about personal finance? Do you think students should be required to learn/be evaluated on personal finance at either the secondary or post-secondary level?

http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2014/may/15/ten-reasons-we-should-ditch-university-lectures?CMP=twt_gu

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/aJUNN-m6Pe4/

3 Edtech Tools You Can Use To Gamify Your Classroom

By Nikolaos Chatzopoulos, Edudemic

There is an explosion of EdTech tools destined to gamify the classroom, most of which are web-based, while others come in the form of an app. Understandably, a teacher might wonder what is the best way to navigate through this sea of new, and subsequently, not thoroughly tested activities and tools. Throughout the school year I tried several game-based platforms with my students. Here are three game-based classroom solutions that helped me transform my fourth grade classroom into a dynamic learning environment. All three tools are completely free. Each platform is particularly strong in specific areas, therefore, depending on their needs, teachers can utilize one of the tools, or use a combination of two (or three), to maximize the impact on student learning.

http://www.edudemic.com/gamify-your-classroom-2/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/VROKhwfz-T4/

Popularity of Clark County online schools growing

by Vanessa Murphy, 8 News

Students are being educated without leaving the comfort of their homes as more families turn to online schools or what’s also known as “distance education.” Clark County school leaders say charter schools offering online classes were full during the last school year with around 11,000 students, both full-time and part-time, taking courses.

http://www.8newsnow.com/story/25655407/popularity-of-clark-county-online-schools-growing

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/IQqVPti5h5c/