Group items tagged

The publisher, Melville House, has recently come out with the "hybrid book". This product includes a book and a corresponding DVD, which provides background information and pictures pertaining to the story. Although I see the educational significance, I am skeptical as to whether or not the hybrid book will catch on. 

My Wife's friend is a principal in this district. I am still incredulous at the fact that schools can require students to use electronic textbooks without providing laptops or e-readers to each student. But then again, where would the money come from? On a related note, the federal government seems to be sinking an awful lot of money into solar energy, despite the fact that a lot of these companies are folding. Wouldn't education be a better investment?

Stephen, In my opinion, the government is not sinking enough money into renewable energy. I am sure we have 'sunk' much more money into education over the last few decades and continue to do so. I don't think it is an either/ or.

This article discusses ways to use mobile technology in a higher education setting, including uses to increase engagement among students and to provide safety and emergency information. The author fails to include any uses that actually involve learning or improved communication and transparency between students and teachers, which I believe is an oversight that many schools have when considering implementing mobile technology in their schools. 

Jeff Kirchick is Director of Universities at SCVNGR, the popular mobile game about going places, doing challenges and earning points. He presents regularly about the future of mobile and location-based services in education. You can follow Jeff on Twitter @JeffreyKirchick or e-mail him at jeff@scvngr.com.

More fears of publishers who hold the rights to intellectual property. Folks, you think health care is a big debate? Wait until our patent system changes - that will be a gladiator battle with everyone in the world (free and not free) participating... "As digital collections grow, Mr. Sargent said he feared a world in which "pretty soon you're not paying for anything." Partly because of such concerns, Macmillan does not allowits e-books to be offered in public libraries. Simon & Schuster, whose authors include Stephen King and Bob Woodward, has also refrained from distributing its e-books to public libraries. "We have not found a business model that works for us and our authors," said Adam Rothberg, a spokesman."

"The event is expected to focus on iTunes U and electronic textbooks/' iTunes U has been offering free educational videos and recorded lectures for years. I wonder what they'll unveil on Thursday the 19th re: e-textbooks

An article from The Economist about the impending technological revolution in education.

If you have not actually played with this developing technology, it is easy and impressive. The implications and applications for this simulation media in education (e-learning, adult, multiple intelligence assessments) are great.

Those of you who have read about the Netflix contest probably know it's fascinating, and this NYTimes blog presents a good summary. More interesting is the fact that this type of work on algorithms may have other applications, beyond telling you what other movies you might like (e.g. commercial, scientific, perhaps even educational?). Therefore, it is tangentially related with our discussion on AI :)

Free webinar on Sept 23 to discuss skills for on-line faciltators

"The digital teaching platform is an innovative approach to personalizing student learning in a group classroom setting," said Chris Dede, Ed.D., the Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies at Harvard's Graduate School of Education and a member of the Research Advisory Board.

In the US, 250000 students are enrolled in full-time public virtual schools in 30 states, according to Susan Patrick of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, a trade association. Although that's just a fraction of the country's 50 million students, it has grown 30% each year. Some schools in Michigan already shown the advantage of digital learning.

This is an interesting article. I am just concerned that it is not unbiased or driven by an agenda other than improving education. I found this information about the Mackinac Center online: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/mackinac-center-public-policy I am starting to realize that a lot of the technology in schools rhetoric is driven by corporate and political interests, and as the industry becomes ever more profitable, I'm worried that companies are going to jump in and try to influence policy, rushing through the movement toward the wrong kind of technology in schools- i.e. sacking half of the teaching staff and replacing them with cheap computers. I think one of our most important jobs as Harvard TIE students is to education the public about the right ways to adapt technology in the classroom, and the important role that teachers will continue to play in this movement.

Pros and cons of the Kindle in K-12 education. Necessity or "Whack-a-Mole"?

What about providing students iPads so that they purchase textbooks on these devices to save resources for both the students and the school? Can we assume that all students will be comfortable using an iPad, or might there be implications for students with learning differences? What about the socioeconomic gap for students who cannot afford a computer to LOAD the books onto their iPads (even if the iPads themselves were provided)?

"New technologies have transformed the way students interact with the world, with information, and knowledge," said Dean of Harvard College Evelynn M. Hammonds.

Harvard Recieved $40 million from Rita E. and Gustave Hauser to support excellence and innovation in teaching and learning.

Online textbooks containing multimedia that are easy to update. Appears to be a combination of an E-textbook and wikipedia. (Link contains example Flexbook.)

Comparing parent-child co-reading on print, basic, and enhanced e-book platforms...'Quick studies' by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center to address the problem of how fast technologies seem to be growing and the gap between their emergence and research to back up their effectiveness.

In Virginia and Pennsylvania, companies opened online, i.e., virstual schools. The schools get Kids don't have to ride yellow bus anymore - learning is solitary, lessons delivered online, and children progress at their own pace. However, while virtual schools continue to expand, their effectiveness is unclear

Five trends to watch in 2012: E-textbooks, open resources, online learning. mobile devices and cloud computing.