4 best practices for education data

BY LAURA ASCIONE, eSchool News

Interpreting education data can be tricky–these industry best practices can help. Data can be immensely helpful to educators–but anyone who hopes to learn from data must know how to analyze and interpret it. Although the word “data” can raise red flags when it comes to protecting student privacy and sensitive information, it can help students, parents, teachers, and administrators learn from and adjust practices. The catch, though, is that these stakeholder groups need access to the education data and must be able understand what it means. “Collecting the right education data at the right time, if the right people have access to it, can be a very powerful tool to help improve teaching and learning,” said Doug Mesecar, vice president of strategic partnerships at IO Education, who also has extensive experience with education data and blended learning solutions.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/04/26/best-practices-education-data/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=26941

First-Year Teachers More Confident in Tech but Use It Less Than Experienced Teachers

By David Nagel, THE Journal

New data from a survey of more than 37,000 educators revealed that first-year teachers aren’t using tech in the classroom as much as their more experienced colleagues even though they have a higher opinion of their own technological abilities. The data, released by Project Tomorrow as part of its annual Speak Up survey, showed that compared with teachers who have been working 11 or more years in the field, first-year educators are less likely to such tech activities as listed below.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/04/26/first-year-teachers-more-confident-in-tech-but-use-it-less-than-experienced-teachers.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=26931

New Google Earth Has Exciting Features for Teachers

By Richard Chang, Campus Technology

Google has recently released a brand new version of Google Earth for both Chrome and Android. This new version has come with a slew of nifty features teachers can use for educational purposes with students in class. Linked below is a quick overview of the most fascinating features.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/04/25/new-google-earth-has-exciting-features-for-teachers.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=26916

Microsoft leaks Flow, its IFTTT-like tool for automating actions across apps

By Liam Tung, ZD Net

Microsoft accidentally announces Flow, a new tool for business users to automate messaging and data-sharing between Microsoft and third-party business apps. Microsoft appears to be close to launching Flow, a tool that allows users to automate actions from various web accounts such as Salesforce, Twitter and OneDrive. Microsoft has accidentally revealed what could be a nifty tool for non-programmers who want to automate actions between online accounts. The Flow tool’s announcement appeared briefly on the Microsoft.com site before being taken down. As MSPoweruser noted, Flow is similar to IFTTT, a popular tool that lets users create simple If-Then commands called recipes for various smart devices.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-leaks-flow-its-ifttt-like-tool-for-automating-actions-across-apps/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15736

Higher ed CIO says student devices shifting the digital landscape

By Tara García Mathewson, Education Dive

With the average student bringing as many as seven wired or wireless devices to campus, Dee Childs, CIO and associate provost at the University of Alabama Huntsville, sees a new era to which campuses have had to adapt. EdTech reports Childs sees massive implications for the shift, which is tied to student preferences for socializing, learning, collaborating, and communicating. This shift requires colleges to step up bandwidth management and consider widespread wifi coverage. While 2013 to 2015 marked a new trend in ResNet funding with a move away from student fees, Childs finds one of the biggest changes identified by the 2016 State of ResNet Report to be in funding models because now schools are going back to a hybrid model that relies on central and departmental funding along with student fees.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/higher-ed-cio-says-student-devices-shifting-the-digital-landscape/418364/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15733

Here’s how Facebook helps students to study online

by Times of India

In a study that compared MOOC student use of the course’s Facebook groups to use of the built-in course message boards and forums, researchers said students were more engaged on the Facebook groups and also admitted to the researchers that they preferred interacting more on the social media site than through the course tools. “In previous studies we found that the real challenge for MOOC developers and instructors is trying to keep students engaged and enrolled in the course,” said Saijing Zheng, a former doctoral student at Pennsylvania State University in US. “In this study, we are finding that social media tools may be one way to keep students engaged in a MOOC,” said Zheng, who is currently a research scientist at Microsoft.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/social/Heres-how-Facebook-helps-students-to-study-online/articleshow/52029192.cms

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15730

Alabama to Offer Online Courses to All High School Students

by EdSurge Newsletters

Starting in the 2016-2017 school year, all public high school students in Alabama will have the option to take courses online, if Gov. Robert Bentley signs a bill passed by the state legislature. Over 27,000 Alabama high school and middle school students currently take online courses through the ACCESS distance learning program, which uses live video feeds of teachers and web-based assignments. Schools will have the option to offer ACCESS programs or contract with outside vendors.

https://www.edsurge.com/n/2015-04-28-alabama-to-offer-online-courses-to-all-high-school-students

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/S9e-ycV6vJE/

Goldwater Institute calls for update to Arizona’s online learning laws

by  Sonoran News

A new report says online learning has the potential to give Arizona students access to world-class teachers and classes, but that the state laws governing online schools and classes are woefully out of date. “Online learning provides educational flexibility and customizes learning by giving families access to the best teachers and coursework available, regardless of where they live or the quality of public schools in their neighborhood,” said Jonathan Butcher, the education policy director at the Goldwater Institute. “This past session, lawmakers considered a number of reforms to the state’s education laws. A growing number of students aren’t attending a brick-and-mortar school at all, and next legislative session, more should be done to improve the governance of and access to online learning.”

http://www.sonorannews.com/archives/2015/150429/news-goldwater.html

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/VMV7duBmR3s/

Flipping learning around: Students watch lectures online at home, do hands-on work in class

By Julie Anderson, World-Herald

Before he began “flipping” his classroom several years ago, Contreras would have begun class by delivering a classroom lecture, then launching students on a lab activity, and, finally, sending them home with homework. Instead, the students this day quickly broke into small groups and rotated among microscopes trained on samples of different tissues, from bone to cartilage. Students consulted with one another about what they were viewing. Contreras worked the room. He pointed out that fat cells look clear because they resist stains used to make structures visible and praised a student who compared loose connective tissue, the hardest to identify, with a fishnet.

http://www.omaha.com/news/education/flipping-learning-around-students-watch-lectures-online-at-home-do/article_a40947e0-f7fa-5cd5-8307-c146e36a848a.html

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/s_h9Dp2WxMg/

6 Key Benefits Of Mind Mapping

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

When I talk to people about mind mapping, I usually find myself facing one of two reactions: The person I’m speaking with either LOVES mind maps, or pretty much has no idea what they are or what they could be used for. We’ve discussed mind maps occasionally in the past, but I recently stumbled on this great graphic from Daniel Tay(who creates a bunch of different mind maps on different topics). This particular graphic addresses the benefits of mind mapping, which can serve as a good primer for anyone who is unfamiliar with the concept.

http://www.edudemic.com/benefits-of-mind-mapping/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/4bTsHXJue1g/

How To Use Social Media In Education

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

The first step towards applying social media into education starts with empowering teachers by giving them freedom to use social media to engage with students and giving them the freedom to come-up with innovative ways of teaching using technology. On the contrary, let’s talk about few practical ways on how many educators apply social media to flip the conventional teaching model and make classroom & home work experience meaningful to for the students.

http://www.edudemic.com/social-media-in-education-series/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/vtP2inAYIdo/

Google Turns Off Ad Scanning in Apps for Education Permanently

By David Nagel, THE Journal

Google today revealed changes to its Apps for Education policies that include permanently disabling scanning in Gmail for its 30 million Apps for Education users and permanently disabling the ability to display ads. Prior to this move, ads in Google Apps for Education were disabled by default. Only an administrator could enable ads, and it’s unclear whether any school IT administrators had ever done so or why they would choose to do so. With the new policy, it will be impossible for them to do so.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/04/30/google-turns-off-ad-scanning-in-apps-for-education-permanently.aspx

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