In China, online classes for kids gaining in popularity

by China Daily

On a weekend morning in Beijing, Youyou, 7, clicked an app on her iPad, greeted her teacher in the United States, and started her one-on-one online English lesson at home. Having two lessons a week－each lasting about 20 minutes－the first-grade primary school student had been studying this way for almost three months. Her mother, Amy Chang, who had sat with Youyou during all her the lessons, was particularly happy with her performance this time. “She’s getting more used to the teaching approach, mastering the knowledge faster and interacting better with the teacher from afar,” said Chang, who pays about 200 yuan ($30) per online lesson.

https://technology.inquirer.net/68567/china-online-classes-kids-gaining-popularity

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=33257

Online homework tutors replace in-person help

by Nation Now
All jokes about “new math” aside — have you tried to help your kids with their homework lately? A growing number of online, on-demand tutoring services might just be your saving grace. The K–12 online tutoring market will grow to nearly $121 billion by 2021 from around $64 billion in 2016, according to market researcher Technavio. One of the biggest reasons? The on-demand aspect tackles an immediate need, in a way that resonates with today’s tech-savvy students.  While the “old-fashioned” practice of hiring a tutor to come to your house, or going to a tutoring center, still works just fine for some people, technology makes it easier and more efficient than ever to have an entire tutoring session over video chat or via direct message.

http://www.wbir.com/article/news/nation-now/homework-help-skip-the-in-person-tutor-with-online-courses-which-we-rate/465-195a2aa1-0a09-4b25-acf5-503c6154bfbf

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=33247

10 CLASSROOM USES FOR MINECRAFT

by Matthew Lynch, tech Edvocate

Long before the release of its Education Edition, educators were using Minecraft in the classroom. For some time now, teachers have been playing with the various ways it can be used for learning. Certainly, digital game-based learning is not a new concept; games like Reader Rabbit have been used in the classroom since the 1980s. However, Minecraft doesn’t really fit the traditional model of a computer-based learning game. It’s much more immersive and simulates real-life experiences. We have explored some classroom uses for Minecraft in our list below.

 http://www.thetechedvocate.org/10-classroom-uses-minecraft/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=33237

The Paradox of Digital Learning Innovation

by Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

Why is it that after decades of sustained investment and excitement in educational technology that we have trouble locating the benefits? Immediately you will object to this statement. You will point to all the advances in online learning (traditional and open), in digital curricular materials, in flipped classes, and in mobile learning. You will talk about adaptive learning platforms and predictive analytics. And everything you say will be correct. But none of our work in digital learning seems to have been able to accomplish the basic goals of bending the postsecondary cost curve, of increasing access to degrees (if not educational content), or of reducing student debt.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/paradox-digital-learning-innovation

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19937

Udemy Study Discovers That Lack of Learning Opportunities Leaves Half of U.S. Workers Bored or Disengaged on the Job

by Udemy

The survey of 1,000 U.S. full-time employees found that boredom isn’t simply a matter of having nothing to do but rather a lack of new learning opportunities and professional growth. Respondents cited limited opportunities to learn new skills (46%), as well as unchallenging work that doesn’t use their education or background (44%), as top reasons they were bored in their current roles and looking for a change. “Companies spend a lot of time and money on retention programs, but they’re missing a key reason why employees pursue new opportunities: they’re bored at work. The majority of those bored employees indicate that the opportunity to learn new skills at their jobs would increase their interest and engagement.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161026005574/en/Udemy-Study-Discovers-Lack-Learning-Opportunities-Leaves

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19925

The evolution of online learning in policy and the classroom

BY NATALIE BURG, West Michigan

“We found some students who were interested in Mandarin Chinese online, and I served as their mentor because I wanted to learn as much about the process as I could,” Bush says. By around 2010, those few students taking a variety of online courses, evolved into about 40 per semester. At that point, Bush designated a staff member to the program. “In the first couple of years we almost had to find things for him to do to justify his full-time position,” recalls Bush, who is now the superintendent of Coloma Community Schools. “But by the time I left Coopersville in 2014, there were nearly 300 students each semester taking online courses.”

http://www.rapidgrowthmedia.com/features/102716-evolution-of-online-learning-in-West-Michigan.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19913

Flipping Lifts Learning Outcomes in Science Course

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

A five-year experiment among students taking an upper-level undergraduate science course found that the flipped and active model improved student outcomes, particularly among females and students with lower grade point averages. The research at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Yale University suggested that the better outcomes were a result “in part [of] students interacting with course material in a more timely and accurate manner.” The results were reported in the December 21, 2015 issue of CBE Life Sciences Education.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/10/26/flipping-lifts-learning-outcomes-in-science-course.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14208

No More Pencils, No More Books

By Will Oremus, Slate

The students in Whelan’s class are all using the same program, called ALEKS. But peek over their shoulders and you’ll see that each student is working on a different sort of problem. A young woman near the corner of the room is plugging her way through a basic linear equation. The young man to her left is trying to wrap his mind around a story problem involving fractions. Nearby, a more advanced student is simplifying equations that involve both variables and fractions. At first glance, each student appears to be at a different point in the course. And that’s true, in one sense. But it’s more accurate to say that the course is literally different for each student. Just a third of the way through the semester, a few of the most advanced students are nearly ready for the final exam. Others lag far behind. They’re all responsible for mastering the same concepts and skills. But the order in which they tackle them, and the pace at which they do so, is up to the artificially intelligent software that’s guiding them through the material and assessing their performance at every turn.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2015/10/adaptive_learning_software_is_replacing_textbooks_and_upending_american.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14205

Managing Macs & PCs in Online Courses

by Anastasia Salters

As universities often think of online course delivery as entirely web-based, the requirements to take an online class are often minimal and list Windows and Mac OS as equivalent choices. This will continue to present challenges for any project-based class that takes advantage of the computer as a tool, and not just a web browser. The web browser has served as a great cross-platform equalizer for the delivery of many types of content, and in-browser production tools (such as the Twine 2.x) are growing in sophistication. However, downloadable software still provides levels of interface and capabilities not yet easily replicated on the web. I believe bringing project-based learning to online courses is an essential part of making them meaningful for students who are engaging in a technologically-mediated educational environment. However, until true cross-platform support for software becomes standard, we must take into account these different platforms and knowledge levels when designing any such content.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/managing-macs-pcs-in-online-courses/61219

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14202

Creative Commons from a Student’s Perspective

By Dylan Schreiner, Edudemic

As a student, I’d have to say that one of the most annoying tasks when writing an assignment, whether a blog, a report or an essay would have to be citing sources. It’s not like I don’t feel that authors deserve credit for their work or that I’m too lazy to cite something. It’s the fact that teachers request that information be cited in a certain way. Sadly however, the “way” continually changes and differs. Within this article, I hope to describe my challenges with citing my sources and also develop my thoughts, as a student and blogger, on not only the new “Creative Commons” style of citing images, but also where I believe citations need improvement.

http://www.edudemic.com/creative-commons-from-a-students-perspective/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/8rnN4uPKDfw/

Education pathways: K-12 students find success in virtual school

by the Democrat

According to the national report, “Keeping Pace with K-12 Online & Blended Learning,” in the 2012-13 school year, roughly 310,000 American students in kindergarten through 12th grades attended fully online public schools. Blending elements of brick and mortar schools, distance learning and homeschooling, online public schools deliver public education directly to students in their home via the Internet. Students work with certified teachers online while a parent oversees progress in the home – they even go on field trips and take part in after-school clubs and activities. Curriculum is aligned to state standards and students take required assessment tests. And as a public school, it’s free.

http://www.thedemocrat.com/71932/2368/onlinefeature/513462/education-pathways-k12-students-find-success-in-virtual-school

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Tips to help online degree-seekers balance family, fun and education during the holidays

by NWTN Today

For anyone juggling parental duties, work and online learning, relaxing and enjoying the holidays can be a challenge. For working parents pursing an online education, constant motivation is a great first step in achieving your career goals. Here are some other best practices to keep in mind that will allow you to balance schoolwork, family and holiday preparations while still enjoying the most festive time of the year.

http://www.nwtntoday.com/47811/2220/onlinefeature/514564/tips-to-help-online-degreeseekers-balance-family-fun-and-education-during-the-holidays

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Indiana students benefitting from online schooling

By CARMEN McCOLLUM, The Times

Neither Breanna Prater, 12, nor Seth Shirey, 17, are surrounded by other students when they study — no brick or mortar. They have no teacher in front of the classroom nor library down the hall. But both students believe they have found the ideal learning situation in cyberspace. Breanna, of Gary, is a seventh-grader, and Seth, of Kouts, is a high school senior. They live on opposite sides of Northwest Indiana, and both are enrolled at Indiana Cyber Charter School.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Indiana-students-benefitting-from-online-schooling-4930610.php

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/Q7xhDlyaQCg/

Class 2.0: when lectures go online

By: Kanta Dihal, the Ubyssey

When I attended my first UBC lecture this April, I was 7,715.3 kilometres away from the UBC campus. I had never been to Canada, but I had just been accepted as an incoming exchange student for September 2013 and wanted to get a sense of what would be expected of me as a UBC student. UBC could offer me this experience entirely for free in the form of an online genetics course, taught by zoology professor Rosie Redfield. “You’re actually the first student I met in person,” Redfield told me when I sat down to interview her on campus this fall.

http://ubyssey.ca/features/lectures-go-online235/

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The classes are virtual, but the fitness is real

By MARY BETH SCHWEIGERT, Lancaster Online

Kathy Allison stays fit with group fitness classes. But sometimes she wants to take a class that doesn’t quite fit her schedule. Now she has another option. Local gyms and fitness centers are offering virtual or on-demand classes to help members stay fit on their own schedules — sometimes even in their own living rooms. Earlier this month, Allison’s gym, Universal Athletic Club, 2323 Oregon Pike, added a variety of virtual classes, delivered to the gym’s group fitness studios by a company called “Fitness on Demand 247.”

http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/910346_The-classes-are-virtual–but-the-fitness-is-real.html

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