Exploring online options for K-12

by Angela Farmer, Digital Journal

In the complex world of K-12 education in the United States, one assertion is certain, much like the famous Bob Dylan song, “The Times They Are a-Changin’” has never been more true. Leading the change, evidenced daily, is the expanding development and utilization of online educational options for students and families. Just a simple search for online K-12 education options, immediately leads to a plethora of options for the consumer.

http://www.djournal.com/opinion/columnists/angela-farmer-exploring-online-options-for-k/article_3c1c7bd8-f7b5-5dfc-a90b-88c0b90bde0e.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=27909

How edtech start-ups are shaking up executive education

by: Jonathan Moules, Financial Times

Executive education has long been a lucrative market for business schools, but they now face competition from tech start-ups, which have seen an opportunity for market disruption. New York-based Grovo, for example, offers what it calls microlearning courses — lessons with a single learning objective delivered in bite-sized chunks on users’ smartphones. Grovo says research among its corporate customers — which include US oil group Chevron, advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi and Capital One bank — found that 97 per cent of the assignments started were completed by users and that the average user finished 50 per cent more course material than they had been assigned by their employer.

https://www.ft.com/content/8c8cf4b6-2c3a-11e7-bc4b-5528796fe35c

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=27894

Districts Need to Set-up WiFi in Public Housing

by Matthew Lynch, Edvocate

So what can school districts do to help students whose families can’t afford internet access? One solution is to provide Wi-Fi for these families, free of charge. This sounds ambitious and expensive, but it may be one of the best methods educators have to fight the cycle of poverty. We already know that there are millions of families with school-age children who don’t have internet access. Almost all of these families lack internet access because they can’t afford it. Additionally, we know that this creates problems for students in school. So why not eliminate these problems completely by simply providing internet access to needy families? An easy way to target the families who are most likely to be unable to afford internet access would be to give free Wi-Fi to students in public housing.

http://www.theedadvocate.org/districts-need-set-wi-fi-students-public-housing/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=27874

8 High-Quality OER Collections

By Dennis Pierce, THE Journal

Finding high-quality open educational resources used to be a challenge, but a number of curated OER collections have made the task much easier for educators. Here are eight sources that can help.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/05/19/8-high-quality-oer-collections.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15935

Tough Tech Choices: Laptops, Tablets, Chromebooks, BYOD? Practical Advice to Help You Find Your School’s Solution

By Jeff Mao, THE Journal

Use the SAMR model of technology integration developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura to help guide discussions about how the technology will be used — how it will change how teachers teach and students learn. You can use Common Sense Education’s quick video introduction to SAMR along with videos and blog posts written by Dr. Puentedura; also, the MLTI iTunes U page hosts an excellent podcast series by Dr. Puentedura himself. An additional benefit to using this or another model is it will provide a common vocabulary for your school community to discuss technology use. Broad terms such as “integrating technology” are better defined, and, as a result, discussions can be more meaningful and useful. With a model like SAMR in hand, you can define your educational vision and goals. This will help you better determine your device needs.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/05/24/tough-tech-choices-laptops-tablets-chromebooks-byod.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15933

Robotic Telepresence Device Allows Student to Attend School Virtually While Receiving Treatment

By Richard Chang, THE Journal

Brad Sandman and Tanya Jenkins both work at Suitable Technologies, based in Palo Alto. The company makes Beam, a mobile videoconferencing device that can be operated remotely with a computer or a phone. The Sandmans spoke with their company and convinced them to let Naya indefinitely lease the Beam+. Within a couple of weeks, Naya was virtually attending classes through Beam, even socializing with her friends, while she was lying in the hospital or at home in San Carlos, getting treatment or recovering. “I think it’s pretty cool,” she said. “I feel it’s more high tech. I feel really lucky to be in the Bay Area because of stuff like this.”

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/05/17/robotic-telepresence-device-allows-student-to-attend-school-virtually.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=15931

5 conditions that support great teaching

by eSchool News

Stakeholder group will develop report, advocate for conditions that are conducive to excellent teaching. The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future will lead a collaborative, action-oriented initiative to support great teaching. It will culminate in the release of an upcoming report that will include action steps, policy and practice recommendations, as well as a retrospective look at what has happened in the teaching profession since 1996 following the release of NCTAF’s flagship report What Matters Most: Teaching for America’s Future.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/05/22/nctaf-great-teaching-097/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/XEo90u_IIz0/

Robots teach coping and programming

By Debra Winters, The Record

One New Jersey school district here has a new member of its teaching staff: Nao, an interactive robot that works with students who have autism and those with language impairments. It has been with Wayne Public Schools about three months, and advanced computer science students at Wayne Hills High School have been busy programming and learning about it. The robot, which cost about $8,000 and was obtained with federal funds, was created by a company called Alderbran and was initially researched by Wayne’s Pines Lake Elementary School Principal Jose Celis.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/05/21/robot-programming-schools-985/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/SOEc_qT9crQ/

Tablet Competition Heats Up: Samsung, Apple Vie for Top Spot

By David Nagel, THE Journal

Apple and Samsung accounted for a full 71 percent of tablets shipped in the first quarter of 2014. Apple remained in the top spot for the quarter, though Android as a whole accounted for slightly more than half of all new tablets shipped through March, according to early results released by market research firm ABI Research. Of the top 3 vendors, only No. 2 Samsung showed positive growth in the quarter, which is typically the softest quarter for tablet sales. Samsung shipped 13 million units, up 10.8 percent from the same quarter in 2013.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/05/21/tablet-competition-heats-up-samsung-apple-vie-for-top-spot.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/hb35noUZ1b4/

Shifting Federal Priorities Mean More Funding for Ed Tech

By Geoffrey H. Fletcher, THE Journal

“Technology has changed; the needs of schools have changed; the E-rate program must reflect this change.” So said Tom Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in a talk to a group assembled by the Council of Chief State School Officers in mid-March. His talk was but the latest in a flurry of activity around the E-rate in particular and the federal role in educational technology in general.The positive flurry began in June 2013. In a speech at Mooresville Middle School (NC), President Obama announced his ConnectED initiative and directed the FCC “to begin a process that will connect 99 percent of America’s students to high-speed broadband Internet within five years.”

http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/05/22/shifting-federal-priorities-mean-more-funding-for-ed-tech.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/uoawc8SkaBg/

6 Shifts in Education Driven by Technology

By David Nagel, THE Journal

Six critical shifts are happening in education right now that are being driven, at least in part, by technology. According to preliminary findings from an upcoming report, these changes affect everything from the role of the teacher to a rethinking of how schools themselves work. The findings are part of a preliminary report introduced this week by the New Media Consortium and the Consortium for School Networking. Each year, NMC releases an annual Horizon Report, detailing new and impending developments affecting K-12 education in the United States — including emerging trends, technology drivers and barriers to adoption. The findings are the result of research in coordination with an expert panel of Horizon Project participants, ranging from representatives of individual schools to the World Bank.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/05/21/6-shifts-in-education-driven-by-technology.aspx

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