Can the Performing Arts Boost Student Outcomes in STEM Disciplines?

By Adam Stone, Campus Technology

Can participation in the arts really bolster scientific learning? Can dance, in particular, spark STEM success? A recent paper from North Carolina State University suggests this might just be the case. The authors conducted interviews and focus groups with students who took part in on-campus dance companies as undergraduates. Fifteen of the 25 subjects were STEM majors, studying in field such as applied mathematics, engineering and chemistry.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/10/17/can-the-performing-arts-boost-student-outcomes-in-stem-disciplines.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=32881

3 ways the modern school is becoming more like the modern workplace

BY BLAKE ZALCBERG, eSchool News
As the office has evolved to allow a more creative and collaborative workplace, many educators have taken note, bringing those same features to classrooms. There was a time when American schools, like American offices, were drab and stuffy places. But things are changing.  As the office has evolved to allow a more creative and collaborative workplace, many educators have taken note, bringing those same features to classrooms, school libraries, lunchrooms and other common areas. Today’s schools, are now being equipped with outlets from the floors to the walls allowing students to easily plug in and charge laptop computers, phones and other devices wherever they work. They have furniture designed for the way students sit and stand. And they have collaborative spaces designed to allow them to work together in small groups and in teams.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/10/17/modern-school-like-workplace/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=32871

Digital textbooks equal cost savings for Auburn students

by Kara Coleman, Opelika-Auburn News

Auburn University says it has saved students nearly $1 million since 2014, crediting a focus on going digital textbooks. “We’ve actually saved students $941,000, just in three years,” said Russell Weldon, assistant director in charge of course materials at the university’s bookstore. “On average so far, we’ve saved students 45 percent overall, for everything they’re buying through the All Access program. So we’re literally cutting the cost of materials in half.” Three years ago, Auburn began implementing All Access as a trial in its freshman orientation course. All Access is a program that works with textbook companies to make course materials available digitally to students at roughly half the cost of a hard copy of a textbook. The program also helps the university save money, as it is a big cost to the school when the textbooks stocked at the campus bookstore don’t sell, Weldon said.

http://www.oanow.com/news/auburn/digital-textbooks-equal-cost-savings-for-auburn-students/article_1e5ea449-63be-55ac-b937-6d6be6e37263.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=32861

Device Shipments to Fall for Second Consecutive Year

By Joshua Bolkan, Campus Technology

Global device shipments, including PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones, will drop by 3 percent this year, marking the second consecutive year of negative growth, according to a new report from market research firm Gartner. In 2015, the device market declined by .75 percent. The market will not return to even modest growth any time soon, according to the company, which projects device shipments to remain flat for the next five years.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/10/12/device-shipments-to-decline-for-second-consecutive-year.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19558

The Rise of Virtual Internships: Universities, Students and Companies Can Benefit From This New Form of Engagement

by Beth Golden, University Herald

Teleconferencing, chat messaging and emails transformed the way we do business a long time ago, in recent years, technology has also changed the way we learn with massive open online courses or MOOCs. It’s only natural for internships to be done virtually and remotely since most of our current working and learning environments are already online. Also, most companies are outsourcing some of their work to contact centers in China, India or Southeast Asia because it is most economical. Overlooking a great talent market in here that just need to be tapped to find the next best intern – junior and senior college students, those in the graduate programs and non-traditional learners, invested in learning and willing to undergo an internship, for free. It doesn’t get any cheaper than that.

http://www.universityherald.com/articles/44344/20161015/rise-virtual-internships-universities-students-companies-benefit-new-form-engagement.htm

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19546

Technology and Teaching: 5 tips from Bethpage Union Free School District

by David Schneider, Google Blog

About four years ago we set an ambitious goal to enable each individual student to create an individualized learning pathway, and we determined the best way to meet that goal was through providing the right technology to our students and teachers. We selected Chromebooks and G Suite for Education (formerly Google Apps for Education) primarily because of their simplicity and collaborative capabilities. In order for the rollout to be a success, we knew we needed the support of students, teachers and parents. We had to teach everyone in the district how to get the most out of the new technology. Based on our experiences here are my tips to successfully introduce new technology in the classroom.

https://blog.google/topics/education/setting-teachers-students-and-parents-success-technology-5-tips-bethpage-union-free-school-district/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19538

Tanque Verde district finds online grade discrepancies

By Yoohyun Jung, Tucson.com

Tanque Verde schools officials have found discrepancies in the grades of some high school students enrolled in the district’s digital learning program. Seventy-nine Tanque Verde High School students’ final course grades did not match the grades and supporting documents of the online course provider, said Claire Place, the district’s spokeswoman. Those students were enrolled in online courses between summer 2013 and spring 2015 and are currently enrolled at the school. The district is not reviewing the records of students who have graduated or are not enrolled in the district. “They have their diplomas,” she said. “We don’t feel that it would be of benefit to them to go back.” A teacher associated with the discrepancies has been identified, she said. The teacher resigned at the beginning of the school year, and a report was filed last week with the state Board of Education.

http://tucson.com/news/local/education/tanque-verde-district-finds-grade-discrepancies-for-online-classes/article_3b2506fc-8663-5b10-9550-2654a17eccfc.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14113

U Texas System debuts free online classes, plans more to come

by Dylan Baddour, Houston Chronicle

The University of Texas system became the largest public university system to offer free college-quality courses for open enrollment online, designed for high school students to get a head start on college. In October, UT wrapped up five massive open online courses (MOOCs), collectively with nearly 100,000 enrollees, which system officials said they hope will help buck the trend of soaring tuition and ballooning student debt that’s moved a university education out of reach of many Americans in recent decades. The average price for a degree in Texas has more than doubled since 2003, when state lawmakers voted to deregulate tuition, mirroring a national trend. During that time, real wages have dropped in the U.S. when adjusted for inflation.

http://www.chron.com/news/education/article/UT-System-debuts-free-online-classes-plans-more-6572184.php

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14110

Virtual courses are the future of education in Dothan City Schools

By Jessalyn Adams, Donthan First

“Education, as we knew it, is long gone and it’s changing every minute,” says Teresa Davis with Dothan City Schools. The Alabama State Legislature recently passed a bill that will require all school systems to offer online learning. Dothan City Schools has been using virtual technology in the traditional classroom setting for years, and with this new mandate, they are looking to expand the online programs and seek out the endless opportunities. “We have to provide virtual school, virtual opportunities, virtual learning opportunities,” says Davis.

http://www.dothanfirst.com/news/virtual-courses-are-the-future-of-education-in-dothan-city-schools

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14107

Using Multimedia Technology for Teaching Social and Life Skills

by Maurice Ellias, Edutopia

Take a good story, make it into an illustrated book, develop a curriculum, shoot videos of kids in action, add a website, create an app, ground it all in rigorous research and this may be the formula for the next wave of social and life-skills-related instruction.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/using-multimedia-technology-teaching-social-and-life-skills-maurice-elias

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Some Kentucky School Districts Can Now Use Online Courses as an Alternative on Snow Days

By DEVIN KATAYAMA, WFPL

Remember last winter, when schools around Kentucky closed because of the unusually harsh weather? The Kentucky Department of Education has now approved waivers for 13 school districts to teach through virtual or other means when school is canceled because of emergencies, like large snowfall. Last winter, Kentucky schools had a lot of snow days. Some areas were hit harder than others. But it prompted lawmakers to revise a law to say that any district could make up 10 days of missed school through nontraditional means as long as their plan to educate children has been approved by the state education commissioner. This will most likely include online learning.

http://wfpl.org/post/some-kentucky-school-districts-can-now-use-online-courses-alternative-snow-days

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