Phishing Attack Scams Canadian University for $11.8 Million

By Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

Canada’s MacEwan University is working to recover $11.8 million CAD (the equivalent of about $9.5 million USD) after a phishing attack led to a transfer of the funds to a fraudulent account. A series of e-mails appearing to be from one of the institution’s vendors convinced administrators to change its electronic banking information, the university reported in a statement today. So far, more than $11.4 million CAD has been traced to accounts in Canada and Hong Kong; the funds have been frozen and the university is pursuing legal action to recover the money, the statement said.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/08/31/phishing-attack-scams-canadian-university-for-11-8-million.aspx

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=31536

What Personalized Learning Is Not

By Kenya Ransey, EdSurge

Attempts to clearly define personalized learning are commonplace in education now more than ever—and the more conversations we have, the more apparent it becomes that many of us (educators) are unsure of how to define the term, or recognize what it takes to bring it to life. The term is robust, because it has the potential to be different for every learner; so, instead of trying to define it, perhaps it would be more beneficial to take a look at some of the misconceptions running wild amongst the education community, and consider what personalized learning is NOT.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-09-01-what-personalized-learning-is-not

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=31526

Online physical education: It’s a real thing in South Carolina and it’s reinventing gym class

By Paul Bowers, Post and Courier

With more than 2,000 South Carolina students enrolled in the 2015-16 school year, physical education has become one of the most popular courses offered through VirtualSC since the online program began in 2006. Students clamored for the course this summer, and some ended up on a waiting list as the S.C. Department of Education employed two full-time teachers and eight adjuncts to teach the class. Some local school districts, including in Horry and Greenville counties, have begun offering their own online PE courses to meet the growing demand.

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/online-physical-education-it-s-a-real-thing-in-south/article_9c7ecb94-867e-11e7-8779-d753e712ebe0.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=31516

Smaller classes, innovations to greet students in ‘reformed’ Buffalo schools

by Deidre Williams, Buffalo News

In Kriner Cash’s second year as Buffalo superintendent, he says these are just some of the changes he is implementing in his reform agenda. “We’re going to provide (students) with the opportunity to do more,” Cash said. “We’re going to have our schools open longer. We’re going to bring all the services and supports to” students and their families. Here are some of the other innovations students and parents can expect to see when the 2016-17 school year starts Tuesday: iPads for all students in pre-K through second grade and access to tablets and laptop computers for students beginning in second grade; Six new translators for the top foreign languages spoken in the district, as multilingual education reform continues. “We’re going allow you to get online and go as far as you want to go as quickly as you want to go through our online course menu and our virtual schools and our other technology upgrades that we’re bringing in from pre-K through grade 12,” Cash said.

http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/buffalo-public-schools/smaller-classes-innovations-to-greet-students-in-reformed-buffalo-schools-20160904

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=18066

Teaching and Learning Theories

by Ann Gravells and Susan Simpson in Stanford University Tomorrow’s Teaching and Learning

There are many different theories regarding the way people learn. This section will very briefly explore some of them (in alphabetical order), which you might like to research further and try out with your own learners. However, don’t get too concerned thinking you must teach in a certain way because a theorist says so. What works with one group or individual learner might not work with another. You might find at first you are teaching the way you were taught at school, college or university. It might have suited you at the time, or it might have had a detrimental effect. Don’t be afraid to try something different and step out of your comfort zone. You will need to find out through experience what works and what doesn’t work with your learners.

https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/1505

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=18051

Massachusetts school district says laptops for students is a ‘social justice’ issue

by DAVE HUBER, the College Fix

In a move that will cost $20 million, students in third through twelfth grade in the Springfield Public Schools (Massachusetts) will be given their own laptop to use during the school day. Superintendent Daniel Warwick tells MassLive that this is a “social justice” matter, an effort to bridge the so-called “digital divide” if you will: “This is an urban environment where many of our students are in high poverty rate situations, and with this technology they should be able to compete with any other student. We are providing technology to bring them into the 21st century and make them college and career ready.”

http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/28663/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=18036

LinkedIn Open-Sources FeatureFu, A Toolkit For Building Machine Learning Models

by Frederic Lardinois, TechCrunch

LinkedIn today announced that it is open-sourcing an internal tool called FeatureFu. The FeatureFu toolkit is meant to make it easier for developers to build their machine learning models around statistical modeling and decision engines. The idea here is to take LinkedIn’s knowledge around “feature engineering” and make it accessible to developers outside of the company. In machine learning, feature engineering is basically using your detailed knowledge of the phenomenon you are looking at and then using that to build machine learning models. LinkedIn argues that most large-scale recommendation systems (think LinkedIn’s own tools for suggesting connections on its site) are managed by at least two teams: one that handles the offline modeling and one that takes care of the online feature-serving/model-scoring part of the system.

http://techcrunch.com/2015/09/04/linkedin-open-sources-featurefu-a-toolkit-for-building-machine-learning-models/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=13765

7 Things You Must Know About Lifetime Learning

By Miriam Cross, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

It’s never too late to go back to school, for a degree or for pleasure. You have plenty of options. Older adults may enroll in a degree program, sit in on regular college courses, attend classes with peers or take courses online. Many colleges and universities allow older adults to audit or take classes for credit, as well as host lifelong learning programs for adults 50 and over.

http://www.kiplinger.com/article/college/T042-C000-S002-what-you-must-know-about-lifetime-learning.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=13762

@ISSUE: Online learning requires educators

by JOAN FICKE, Courier – Post

Online learning (or distance learning as it is sometimes called) is here to stay. The conveniences of technology, the exciting changes in instructional approaches and the ever-increasing professional needs for career development will be the essential movers for expanding online opportunities. That said, online learning is not a panacea as is sometimes advocated, and it should be provided by committed and trained educators who understand both its advantages as a learning tool, and its disadvantages when not properly handled.

http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/opinion/columnists/2015/09/04/issue-online-learning-requires-educators/71723128/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=13759

6 ways texting can improve school communications

By Barbara Palmer, eSchool News

A written note home can get lost, “eaten by the dog,” or sit on the kitchen counter to be used as a coaster for weeks on end. eMails get sent to spam, accidentally deleted, or aren’t read in a timely manner. And, honestly, how often do people pick up the phone anymore? Students touch their cell phones 43 times a day and send about 60 texts, showing that mobile technology is the best way to reach them. And with 91 percent of adults owning cell phones, texting is actually the most efficient means of communication with parents, too—especially for schools. Here are six ways that SMS texting can help improve your school’s communication with both parents and students.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/09/03/texting-school-communications-392/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/P8Bxvr1lQ3A/

Mobile learning’s major impact

By Laura Devaney, eSchool News

As mobile learning cements its place in U.S. education, its impact continues to expand throughout school districts across the nation. Last year, Apple’s education sales broke $1 billion for the first time ever, and iPads continue to hold the market share among education tablets. Mobile learning leverages the power of the internet to expand students’ learning opportunities. In fact, 92 percent of teachers said they have greater access to educational content, resources, and material due to the internet.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/09/03/mobile-learning-impact-309/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/e9czqmue16w/

5 education grants you don’t want to miss

By Laura Devaney, eSchool News

School funding difficulties show no sign of abating, and school budgets are stretched to the limit. Many educators and administrators rely on school grants to fund important projects and opportunities for students. Each month, eSchool News compiles a list of the most current education grants expiring soon—from a focus on STEM learning to funding for financial education programs. You don’t want to miss out on these school funding opportunities for teachers, students, parents, and administrators.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/09/05/september-education-grants-032/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/VX6VCrHNLJ4/