US military reveals a device that increases learning by 40%

by SHIVALI BEST, Daily Mail

The idea of a headband you can wear to make you smarter may sound like a device from the latest science fiction blockbuster. But experts have revealed such a device in reality – and claim it could increase learning by 40 per cent. And it may not be long before you can get your hands on one, with the designers predicting its use will be common in just five to ten years. The device, which is described as ‘non-invasive transcranial direct current stimulation’ (tDCS) was designed by researchers from HRL Laboratories and McGill University in Montreal, with funding from the Defense Advance Research Project Agency (DARPA). The device applies a current to an area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex. This causes changes in connectivity between different brain areas, and increases learning.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5008179/Darpa-reveals-device-increases-learning-40.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=33111

Cyberlearning Research Report Peeks into Future of Ed Tech

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

People researching education technology and learning science — cyberlearning — populate the landscape. A new report from the Center for Innovative Research in Cyberlearning has undertaken the ambitious project of sifting through what those researchers are exploring to uncover the major trends and help us understand where education — pre-K-12 and post-secondary — may be headed over the next decade or two. According to “Cyberlearning Community Report: The State of Cyberlearning and the Future of Learning with Technology,” this work stretches beyond research on whether 1-to-1 programs work or if gaming can accelerate improved learning outcomes. Among the questions those hundreds of research projects are attempting to answer are these: How will students “use their bodies and minds to learn what will be important in the 21st century, such as collaboration, scientific argumentation, mathematical reasoning, computational thinking, creative expression, design thinking and civic engagement?”

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/10/23/cyberlearning-research-report-peeks-into-future-of-ed-tech.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=33101

3 Keys to Successful 1-to-1 (and BYOD) Implementations

By Greg Thompson, THE Journal
The bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and/or 1-to-1 culture is firmly in place across much of the American educational landscape, with many districts entering a third year of implementation. Such is the case at the Prince William County District in Northern Virginia, where students at Mary Williams Elementary school, Dumfries, VA, use iPads in kindergarten and first grade, and Lenovo Laptops in grades second through fifth. Every device is provided by the district on a 1-to-1 basis, and three years into the program the biggest challenges often involve elements that people can’t see. “There are a lot of hidden things that you must have in place,” said Lynmara Colon, principal at Mary Williams. “First is your internet connection. And usually it’s difficult to fund because people don’t see it as infrastructure.”

 

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/10/25/3-keys-to-successful-1to1-implementations.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=33081

Competency-Based Professional Learning Gets Test Drive

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

Two years after Teaching Matters shifted its focus to competency-based professional learning, this non-profit that works on initiatives to increase teacher effectiveness, especially in urban public schools, has issued a 17-page report that profiles use cases from its work in three teacher leadership training programs and four lessons it has learned from those experiences. The first lesson is that educators value micro-credentials. Second, teachers need “sufficient time” to complete the micro-credentialing process. Third, they’re more willing to invest in that process if they’re induced to do so, either in the form of pay or new leadership responsibilities. And fourth, coaching, feedback and support are important to help educators show competency and encourage their persistence in pursuing micro-credentials.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/10/19/competency-based-professional-learning-gets-test-drive.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19781

Teachers training: Workshop held on ‘Hybrid Course Design and Development’

by Express Tribune

There is a dire need to adopt modern and innovative teaching techniques in order to motivate students and polish their professional skills, said University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice-Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan. The workshop was organised by the UAF in collaboration with the US-Pakistan Centre of Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security University of Agriculture Faisalabad (USPCAS). “In the modern world it is imperative to adopt the technology for teaching in order to maintain the interest of students,” said Dr Iqrar, adding UAF has started several online courses and we also put lectures on the internet to help students. He said best practices in information design, presentation concepts and video production methods were imparted. Two professors from the University of California, James R Carey and Thomas L Rost, imparted the training to 50 teachers through lecture materials, demonstrations and exercises.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1205990/teachers-training-workshop-held-hybrid-course-design-development/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19769

Student outings enhance learning

BY SANDI KRASKOWSKI THE CHRONICLE-JOURNAL

Students at Westmount Public School are reaching higher in their education through a new learning academy program. The school is one of three pilot project learning academies that provides grades 7 and 8 students opportunities to learn in an experiential environment while meeting the requirements of the Ontario curriculum. Three academies, sports and recreation, fine arts, and global citizenship have been established at Westmount school, where students are required to choose two to study. Teacher Casey Charles spent the day with his class at the Boulder Bear Climbing Centre on Thursday teaching his students about climbing.

http://www.chroniclejournal.com/news/student-outings-enhance-learning/article_5fbba0b2-97a3-11e6-8cbe-27ee320e2983.html

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Up next for textbooks? The bionic book

by Penn State, eSchoolNews

Penn State develops new technology to create robot-written textbooks. A new technology developed at Penn State works with faculty to automatically build complete textbooks from open resources on the web. The texts are organized according to topics and keywords provided by a user. The system is helping to usher in a new genre of media: the bionic book. The tool, called BBookX, can be used to create a variety of media, ranging from study guides to textbooks. To begin, users fill in a digital table of contents — assigning each chapter a topic with text or as many related keywords or key phrases as they’d like. Using matching algorithms, BBookX then returns text, and users can keep the chapters as they are or mix with content of their own.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/textbooks-open-resources-984/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14171

12 Ways to Make Money on the Side as a Teacher

By Leah Levy, Edudemic

Despite what many who work outside of education are so fond of arguing, we educators know the sad truth about teacher salaries. Unlike teachers in other leading education systems the world over, American teachers are underpaid for their education, expertise, energy, and time. Given that reality, it is often desirable – and even necessary – for teachers to generate side income. There are many excellent ways to do this, some of which will result in a nice steady drip of income, others of which could lead to the accidental birth of a Fortune 500 company. Let’s take a look at some of the best approaches out there.

http://www.edudemic.com/make-money-side-teacher/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14168

5 gray areas of higher education’s reinvention

By Meris Stansbury, eCampusNews

New innovations in higher-ed technology and practice are popping up daily in higher education’s reinvention—but that doesn’t mean they have seals of approval. Textbook engagement analytics, cloud systems, career training programs, MOOCs, flipped learning, virtual worlds, game-based instruction…the list could continue for pages. And while institutions emphatically communicate that many of these technologies and practices part of higher education’s reinvention need further research, even some of the seemingly accepted innovations have yet to receive a clear green light. These “gray areas” on campuses across the country often occur due to technology-based changes in social practices; and though college and university staff often are eager to incorporate these practices in the classroom or within administration, conflicts over institutional mission, student satisfaction or learning quality can occur.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/higher-education-reinvention-829/

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Adaptive Math Learning Platform KnowRe Raises $6.8M

by Catherine Shu, Tech Crunch

KnowRe, an online math learning site for secondary students, has raised a new round of $6.8 million. The funding was led by returning investor SoftBank Ventures Korea, with participation from KTB Network Partners Fund, Partners Investment, and SparkLabs Global Ventures. In a statement, KnowRe co-founder and co-CEO David Joo said the company’s Series A “allows us to scale our distribution in the U.S. on the heels of strong demand from schools and districts at our launch and further our product development and offerings for the U.S., Korea, and broader Asian markets.” KnowRe was first profiled by TechCrunch in January 2013, when it raised $1.4 million from SoftBank Ventures Korea for its adaptive learning platform. The site’s technology personalizes lessons for each student depending on their progress. The platform is intended to be used by teachers as part of homework assignments or with tutors and educators during classes.

http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/22/knowre-seriesa/

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Blended Learning Provides Pathway to Success for High School Students

by Joseph Rapposelli, THE Journal

Many secondary schools are beginning to embrace the idea of distance learning possibilities for their students. Over the past few years, school districts around the country have implemented some type of blended learning into their curriculum. It is clear that an increasing number of school districts are making online and blended learning options available to their students. A 2013 report, “Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning,” commissioned by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) found that in 2013-14, more than 75 percent of school districts have some online or blended options. With this dramatic increase in online learning programs, school administrators struggle to determine if online learning is as productive as traditional face-to-face formatted classes. Research (Heterick and Twigg, 2003) suggests there is evidence that blended learning has the potential to be more effective and efficient when compared to a traditional classroom model.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/10/22/blended-learning-provides-pathway-to-success-for-high-school-students.aspx

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New online program will instruct teachers on developing, teaching online courses

Indiana University Northwest

Responding to the growing demand for online educators, Indiana University Northwest has announced it will offer a new K-12 Online Teaching Certificate beginning in January 2015. The certificate program, which will be taught fully online, is a 15-credit hour program that will instruct certified K-12 teachers on how to develop and teach online courses geared toward primary and secondary level students.

http://www.iun.edu/news/2014/k12-online-teaching-certificate.htm

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