8 key recommendations for Common Core online assessments

By Meris Stansbury, eSchool News

Common Core online assessments are scheduled to begin in districts across the country in the spring of 2014 through 2015. However, many districts still struggle to implement these online assessments, thanks to inadequate bandwidth and lack of technology infrastructure. National consortia and multiple school districts have offered eight key recommendations to help districts in their implementation efforts.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/02/24/core-online-assessments-788/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/qS4XOFljry8/

How learning repositories enable personalized instruction

By Laura Devaney, eSchool News

The emergence of open educational resources, coupled with students’ desire for more personalized learning, has fueled a need for content repositories that enable teachers, students, and parents to locate effective learning resources and educational content quickly. Now, the state of Illinois is developing efforts to help teachers and students leverage tagged educational content to make learning more customized, and effective, for students. The Illinois Shared Learning Environment (ISLE) will help educators use data and other tools to connect students with the learning resources and instructional content best suited to their needs.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/02/24/learning-repositories-personalize-927/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/bPInRvJd12M/

Shmoop Uses Humor to Make Learning, Test-Prep Fun

By ALAN FARNHAM, GOOD MORNING AMERICA

There’s a reason why nearly 10 million kids a month come to Shmoop to get help with test-prep and studying: The site is funny — funny in an adolescent way — their way. Why the yuks? Because Shmoop surveyed students and found that what they disliked most about conventional test-prep and online learning was that it’s boring. So, Shmoop adds jokes, word-play, sarcasm and whimsy. Its philosophy is best summed up by a quip from its introduction to SAT-prep: “Why learn about geometry without ninjas when you can learn about it with ninjas?” The company is on track to offer some 2,200 educational videos by year’s end on topics ranging from Victorian fiction to the periodic table of elements. Its learning guides cover math, science, social science, literature, the arts and music. It offers test prep for the ACT, the SAT, AP exams and more. The one thing tying together this multiplicity of offerings is Shmoop’s irreverent, sophomoric sensibility.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/shmoop-humor-makes-test-prep-learning-fun/story?id=22607323

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/ZwbDj16Js1o/

The Same Old Story with a New Cover: Growing Controversy over Online Learning Leadership

By Jay Halfond, the Evolllution

In just a few years, digital learning has emerged front-and-center as the critical component of the future of higher education, and schools are scurrying to figure out their strategy for entering this sphere. This visibility and prominence has led to clashes over who will lead these now-important efforts, what direction should be taken and how this will impact the traditional mainstream order. Despite its newness, this controversy resurrects century-old unresolved conflicts within the academy. The online factor is simply the current nuance for otherwise perpetual dilemmas. Should online education be run professionally or professorially? Should it run through a centralized structure or remain respectful of a more decentralized model? What should be the incentives and priorities for faculty? How should scarce resources be distributed? What is the proper division of labor for new online initiatives?

http://www.evolllution.com/media_resources/story-cover-growing-controversy-online-learning-leadership/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/cBMqrq9dCr4/

Google Fiber Shortlist Cities Eyeing Free Gigabit Internet for Schools

By Leila Meyer, THE Journal

Google has announced a shortlist of 34 cities in nine metropolitan areas that could be next to receive Google Fiber, and the company may also provide free gigabit Internet service to some schools in those cities. Google Fiber is the company’s fiber optic Internet infrastructure being implemented in select cities throughout the United States. According to information on the company’s site, it provides connection speeds of up to 1 Gbps, also known as gigabit Internet, which is “100 times faster than today’s basic broadband.” Homes in the neighborhoods served by Google Fiber can subscribe to the company’s gigabit Internet and TV services. The company also provides free basic Internet service of 5 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload speed to anybody in the areas served by Google Fiber.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/02/21/google-fiber-shortlist-cities-eyeing-free-gigabit-internet-for-schools.aspx

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

NASA Links Science Education with Sports in its STEM-in-Sports Online Series

By D ROBERT CURRY NewsStar

Reaching out to get kids excited about learning by connecting sports with science education, NASA may have hit a home-run of its own with its innovative online educational program. Dubbed the “NASA STEM Mania”, this online distance-learning educational program allows teachers and students to learn, among other things, the science behind scoring a touchdown, making a slam-dunk or a hitting a homerun.

http://newstaar.com/nasa-links-science-education-with-sports-in-its-stem-in-sports-online-series/3510007/

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10 Awesome Tech Tricks From David Pogue

By Katie Lepi, Edudemic

Short, watchable snippets of useful information, thought provoking questions, personal stories, inspiration, and learning. While I always take something away from every TED talk that I watch, some stick with me more than others. That said, most don’t come with a specific list of takeaways meant to help you with your everyday life. This talk, from David Pogue, offers 10 time saving tech tips. Most are for technologies that we use every day. They’re simple, easy-to-do, they’ll save you time, and make you feel like a suave tech person who can (seemingly) make their technology do whatever they need it to do with little effort. The video is embedded in the link below, but we’ve typed out the handy list also at the link below for you to reference later.

http://www.edudemic.com/tech-tricks-david-pogue/

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