Study Finds Digital Exam Features Impact Scores for Younger Students

by Sri Ravipati, THE Journal

Can student scores on paper-and-pencil tests and computer-based tests be considered equivalent measures of knowledge? To find out, a recent study by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) looked at scores from 33,000 students in grades 4-12 who took two computer-based tests (CBT) and one traditional paper-and-pencil test (PPT). Overall, elementary and middle school students scored lower on the AAAS system — citing the fact that these digital exams didn’t allow students to revisit previous questions as a possible reason. Meanwhile, high school students performed similarly on all test formats.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/05/22/study-finds-digital-exam-features-impact-scores-for-younger-students.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=28490

8 Essentials for a Virtual School that Works

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

Many students choose a virtual school to replace their traditional school schedules partially or completely for a few reasons. In some ways, virtual school has completely replaced traditional homeschooling for the sake of easier curriculum access. At the same time, students who struggle in social settings or who do not find courses at their traditional schools challenging may find virtual school a blessing. Therefore, virtual schools are on the rise in popularity. However, virtual schools are not perfect. Here are eight essentials that act as focal points to make virtual schools work.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/8-essentials-virtual-school-works-2/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=28478

ED-Funded VR Game Simulates Chemistry Lab Experiences

By Sri Ravipati, THE Journal

Schell Games, a full-service game design and development company based in Pittsburgh, recently released a video trailer for its upcoming educational virtual reality (VR) game that seeks to better engage high school students in chemistry concepts. SuperChem VR is supported by Phase I and II funding from the Institution of Education Sciences (IES) within the United States Department of Education (ED) as part of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The game was developed for use on commercially available VR systems that include headsets with controllers, such as the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/05/26/ed-funded-vr-game-simulates-chemistry-lab-experiences.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=28472

Teaching Kids to Code and the Digital Divide

By Ryann Vargas, NBC Bay Area

Thousands of kids and teens are being taught coding skills at public schools and private academies across the Bay Area. Yet these skills are out of reach for a number of bay area kids, creating a digital divide. Reading, writing and arithmetic used to be the three basics of a solid education. But in this age, more kids are learning to code as well. Thousands of kids and teens are being taught coding skills at public schools and private academies across the Bay Area. “Coding is an essential, basic technique that teaches kids how to think and how to problem solve,” said Wayne Teng, co-founder of The Coder School. The school has three locations in Cupertino, Palo Alto and San Mateo. “We definitely think it’s a very essential and basic skill.”

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Coding-The-Digital-Divide-382410061.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=16059

The Top Benefits of Online Learning

by SWNS

In recent years, online learning has rapidly grown as an effective alternative to attending classes at a physical school, college or university. Thanks to advances in Internet technology such as cloud computing, it has become much easier for students to complete their courses solely online. In fact, as online learning has grown in popularity, more and more students agree that this alternative method of study is actually more effective and better than traditional methods. If you are considering furthering your career and want to take classes to gain extra qualifications, read on to learn more about why online learning could be the best choice for you.

http://swns.com/news/the-top-benefits-of-online-learning-73562/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=16056

When I Buy Edtech Products, Our Teachers Don’t Use Them… What Do I Do?

By Jin-Soo Huh, EdSurge

As the school year winds down, some educators have spent numerous hours finding the right online products for the 2016-2017 school year by taking demos from vendors, piloting programs, and soliciting feedback. Others went to a conference, saw something shiny, and bought it for their entire school or district. But, even with a significant dedication of time and funds, many of these product licenses will not come close to hitting their teacher or student usage goals. In a study of 49 schools, Lea(R)n Trials found that 37% of purchased online literacy and math program licenses were never even activated; an additional 28% of licenses were activated, but usage goals were never hit. In fact, only 5% of users “fully” hit all usage goals, as shown below.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-06-08-when-i-buy-edtech-products-our-teachers-don-t-use-them-what-do-i-do

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=16053

Top 10 Best Free Math Resources on the Web

By Kristen Hicks, Edudemic

For many students, the words “math” and “fun” don’t seem to have much overlap. Math is often thought of as a dry subject – equations don’t get most people excited – but math lovers have been working to show the more interesting side of math to students in a number of different formats. Students who find math boring now may just need to be given a new way of looking at it. Naturally, the internet has come to the rescue with a wide range of math resources designed to help students see how math can be fun and useful. Here are some of the best ones out there.

http://www.edudemic.com/top-10-free-math-resources-web/

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The 4 Cs of Tech Implementation

By Julie Davis, THE Journal

“The 4 Cs of Tech Implementation”: critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration. In other words, we will be looking at what can happen in the classroom when technology integration is implemented. I do not believe these things only happen in a tech-rich environment, I am just sharing firsthand with you what I have seen happen when technology is involved.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/06/04/the-4-cs-of-tech-implementation.aspx

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6 educator-picked apps for building math, science, and organization skills

By Stephen Noonoo, eSchool News

Each week, we feature a new App of the Week on our website and in our newsletters based on recommendations from Common Sense Learning’s Graphite service. These apps are for students or educators and offer a range of uses, and were highly-rated by the educator-reviewers at Graphite and then hand-selected by Graphite brass for eSchool News. But one thing is certain: educators and students are using apps now more than ever. Here’s a round-up of the apps we’ve featured in May and June.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/06/05/graphite-apps-023/

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Beyond the Worksheet: Playsheets, GBL, and Gamification

by Alice Keeler, Edutopia

Game-based learning (GBL) and gamification are hot topics in education. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they actually describe different phenomena. GBL is when students play games to learn content. Gamification is the application of game based elements to non-game situations. Playing games can give students context for what they are learning. When my students played Angry Birds in the classroom, none of them asked what the purpose of learning x intercepts was. Gamification applications do not necessarily provide a context for students, but they usually give students an indicator of their achievement and progress. There are different types of games that students can play on a device. Some truly fall under the category of GBL, such as CellCraft, which provides biology students with information about cells and then allows them to interact in an environment as if they were a cell. Other games provide reinforcement of concepts — these are playsheets.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/beyond-worksheet-playsheets-gbl-gamification-alice-keeler

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Four ways to extend the ‘fast’ blended learning student

By Peter West, eSchool News

There is often insufficient time in the fast paced world of blended learning to create these materials ‘on the fly’ blended-learningSelf-paced blended learning (and any type of blended learning that provides access for students to “future” learning materials) produces a wonderful “problem” – what should be done with those students who successfully complete the assigned learning quickly? There are a number of possibilities.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/06/04/fast-blended-learning-student-531/

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6 reasons mobile learning is booming

by Laura Devaney, eSchool News

Mobile technologies are increasingly gaining support among school administrators, who opt for one-to-one initiatives and BYOD programs to help deflect the costs of maintaining a mobile device initiative, and to let students use technologies they’re already using in their personal lives. Speak Up 2013, an annual survey lead by Project Tomorrow, focuses on digital learning and college- and career-ready skill development. Survey results reveal that educators, school and district leaders, and parents understand that mobile devices help students access more digital content and digital learning opportunities.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/06/04/speak-up-mobile-438/

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