ACUMEN OZY POLL: ARE WE READY FOR ROBOT TEACHERS? – James Watkins, OZY

Technology is already invading the classroom, says Joy Harris, director of educational technology at the University of Tampa. She expects to soon see more “ed tech” that integrates more complex human gestures in user interfaces, as well as augmented and virtual realities. However, the distinction between tech that enhances human teachers and that which replaces them is a gray area. “We’re already seeing large-scale increases” in the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom, says Harris, even if that just means asking Siri the answer to a question. Further still, “AI has already been proven effective for teaching rudimentary skills such as colors and numbers, as well as additional languages,” Harris says, adding, “We’ll see that continue to grow rapidly.”

http://www.ozy.com/acumen/ozy-poll-are-we-ready-for-robot-teachers/80095

Share on Facebook

from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=31349

Professors must update outdated technology in online courses OPINIONS, Raisa Choudhury, GW Hatchet

Professors should be required by the University to improve the technology in their courses by using updated software and higher quality equipment. They should use better recording equipment, like a Blue Snowball microphone, and upload files as mp4s or avis, which are supported by most computers. Simply relying on PowerPoints with shoddy voice-overs and outdated files will decrease the quality of learning. Students pay approximately $1,250 per credit for summer online courses – the same amount per credit for traditional courses – and they should be getting the same quality of instruction. As of now, students can only grin and bear through the outdated software because there is no other alternative on such short notice. They can either be fortunate enough to find another way to view the material, or end up just dropping the class entirely.

https://www.gwhatchet.com/2017/08/28/professors-must-update-outdated-technology-in-online-courses/

Share on Facebook

from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=31324

How To Start Tutoring Online As A Side Business

by Vickie Law, Huffington Post

Online tutoring is one of the most lucrative areas of tutoring. It gives the tutor flexibility to teach students anytime, anywhere. While you need to have advance knowledge of a subject, you don’t need any specialized training to be an online tutor. You don’t have to quit your current job to teach online. It affords a flexibility that allows you to work at your convenience. If you’re prepared to start an online tutoring business for yourself, here are some of the steps that will guide you through the process.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-start-tutoring-online-as-a-side-business_us_599f176ae4b0a62d0987ad97

Share on Facebook

from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=31314

The Changing Role of the CTO

By Michael Hart, THE Journal

As technology has changed K–12 education, so has it changed the role of the chief technology officer, a job title that just barely existed 15 years ago. Today’s CTO is not your grandfather’s infrastructure manager! Technology is ubiquitous in today’s classroom, so we sometimes forget it was just a short while ago that not even teachers had their own computers, let alone their students, who now sometimes come to school with two or three electronic devices. THE Journal contributing writer Michael Hart spoke recently with four veteran chief technology officers who were present at almost the very introduction of technology to K–12 education and asked them how their jobs have changed over the last 15 to 20 years.

https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/08/25/the-changing-role-of-the-cto.aspx

Share on Facebook

from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=17811

3 Key Steps for Digital Transformation Initiatives

By Leila Meyer, Campus Technology

Digital transformation has the potential to revolutionize citizen services, but efforts to bring about that change are “often hindered by top-down hierarchies, cultural legacies and the lack of a compelling vision,” according to information from Gartner, an information technology research and advisory company. Gartner spoke with numerous public sector CIOs who have lead successful digital transformation initiatives. Based on those conversations, Gartner identified three key steps to effective organizational change. The first step is to promote a compelling new vision for the organization as a whole, including the role of IT in that transformation.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/08/29/3-key-steps-for-digital-transformation-initiatives.aspx

Share on Facebook

from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=17796

Penn State Athletics and EON Sports VR Launch Virtual Reality Channel

By Sri Ravipati, Campus Technology

With LionVision VR, as the channel is called, fans will be able to access access “behind-the-scenes views of practice, pre- and post-game locker room coaches’ talks and a wide array of iconic Penn State experiences, while immersed inside a customized virtual reality environment,” according to a news release. The channel is compatible with iOS (iPhone 6 or higher) and Android (Samsung S5 or equivalent) smartphone devices. “LionVision VR will allow Nittany Lion fans spread across the world to see, hear and feel what it’s like to be part of practice and game day in ways that were never previously possible,” said Michael Cross, assistant athletic director for new business development, in a statement. “This is the next best thing to being in State College. If you love Penn State, you can look forward to having regular experiences with LionVision VR.”

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/08/26/penn-state-athletics-and-eon-sports-vr-launch-virtual-reality-channel.aspx

Share on Facebook

from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=17786

3 tips for alternative credentialing

By Laura Devaney, eCampus News

3 tips for alternative credentialing3 tips for alternative credentialingBy Laura Devaney,To create a strategic framework to Eduventures is recommending that institutions focus on the following three priorities:

1. Define your alternative credentialing options, whether they are certificates, badges, formal statements of accomplishment, or endorsements of some kind.

2. Determine the aim of these credentials. Are they to validate mastery of a particular skill? Do they really only serve as a more structured pathway to degree attainment? Or are they simply to demonstrate commitment to lifelong learning?

3. Articulate ways which alternative credentials can augment traditional degrees or create a viable substitute to degree attainment.

When properly positioned to the market, this strategic framework can help define a value proposition that makes these programs a viable option for adult learners.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/alternative-credentialing-report-792/

Share on Facebook

from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=13717

The Top 10 TED Talks For eLearning Professionals

by Christopher Pappas, eLearning Industry

Exploring a learning topic from a whole new perspective is a rare opportunity. Fortunately, TED talks offer the chance to dive into the minds of other educators, subject matter experts, and eLearning professionals. TED talks are inspirational and innovative speeches that delve into the presenter’s topic of choice. Each video features stories, tips, and helpful insights that you won’t find elsewhere, all packed into an 18 minute time limit. Here are the top 10 TED talks that eLearning professionals won’t want to miss!

http://elearningindustry.com/top-10-ted-talks-for-elearning-professionals

Share on Facebook

from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=13714

Higher Education’s Faulty Economics: How We Got Here

by Tom Lindsay, Forbes

But while the proposals differ, their differences are less important than what they share. What they all have in common is a fundamental misunderstanding of what’s driving the crisis that all sides seek to solve. They fail to understand that the factors composing the dilemma we face—tuition hyperinflation, burdensome student-loan debt, and poor student learning—are to some extent branches of the same tree, whose roots are found in the well-intentioned but what has proved to be catastrophically naïve assumption that virtually all high school graduates should go to college. Higher-education reformers look at this bleak picture and wonder why all the ostensible solutions to the higher-education crisis serve only to double-down on the misguided premise that produced the crisis in the first place. Until and unless we jettison our utopian expectations, increasing numbers of students will continue to pay more and more and learn less and less.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomlindsay/2015/08/29/higher-educations-faulty-economics-how-we-got-here/

Share on Facebook

from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=13711

Rural Yukon schools going online in bid to improve learning

by CBC

Attendance ‘way up’ as Yukon school moves courses online. Students are Watson Lake Secondary School have the option of doing some coursework online at their own pace. Three more Yukon schools are changing the way they deliver courses, following a pilot project in Watson Lake. Yukon Education is investing in a program called blended learning. It allows students to pursue online courses offered through Moodle: an open-source website.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/rural-yukon-schools-going-online-in-bid-to-improve-learning-1.2749645

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/E4JqF9WZqHo/

The Red Hot Market for Learning Technology Platforms

by Josh Bersin, Forbes

We just released our newest research on the corporate Learning Management Systems market and the numbers are astounding. The market is well over $2.5 billion and grew by over 21% this year. These are big numbers, especially since the market grew by only 13% the prior year. Why all the growth? There are four big drivers

http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2014/08/28/the-red-hot-market-for-learning-technology-platforms/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/p2OCkN_4DIQ/

How important is informal learning?

By Laura Devaney, eSchoolNews

Learning is changing. It is moving from a primarily school-based, formal process to include more informal opportunities. Learning is just as likely to occur among a group of students at a coffee shop or at a museum as it is within a virtual group on a social network. Informal learning, then, is often characterized by its impromptu and unofficial nature, as a new infographic demonstrates. Today’s students must be independent workers, able to collaborate and solve problems, and informal learning supports these skills because it requires autonomy, flexibility, accessibility, and relevance. The 2013 New Media Consortium K-12 Horizon Report identified informal learning as a challenge, noting that K-12 education systems “must address the increased blending of formal and informal learning.”

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/08/28/informal-learning-trends-498/

Share on Facebook



from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/jRdkxB1bHLg/