Group items tagged

For those who are interested - here is the site for the Next Generation of Science standards

Another article about MOOCs and some general criticisms. I haven't heard the "groupthink" argument before (if everyone took the same MOOC on economics, we would all have the same opinion of economics instead of generating healthy debates), so that was interesting to see.

For those interested in innovation in higher ed, NCIIA is hosting their annual conference in March in DC. Generally the theme is how to teach technology entrepreneurship, but some of the topics this year are a bit more general. Examples: -- Team-based Learning Pedagogy: Transforming classroom dialogue and learning --Learning space design for creativity and innovation --Simplifying / packaging creative engineering education

Program started by Microsoft engineer / Harvard Ed school graduate.

Following up on the discussion we had in class today, do you think we are focusing too much of our attention on teacher training? If students have the ability to not only understand a certain technology but can also use that technology to self train, isn't the role of the teacher in that respect, highly reduced? Perhaps its easier and would prove fruitful if we redirected our strengths to developing software and devices that are intuitive and help children learn rather than spending the resources on helping a different generation of learners (i.e., the teachers) understand this technology? Also, if you think about it, we are probably only one generation away from the teachers who see the value of technology in teaching. This ideal generation is of course the current students who are using technology and find it extremely helpful. They wouldn't need any convincing or training to use technology in their classroom

WSJ looks at teenagers' text messaging habits and whether texting will be accepted in the workplace, and whether technological multitasking will be beneficial to the next generation of workers.

I'm seeing a lot of this "today's kids are just different" rhetoric. Do you buy it?

Here are some resources for generating assessment rubrics in UDL fashion...

The Federal Trade Commission is working on updates to COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) with implications for how children's data can be collected online. Is this an opportunity for a new generation of ed tech to use student data in more comprehensive and smarter ways, or a threat to children's privacy?

"The unveiling of Samsung's GALAXY Note 10.1-with its advanced S-Pen and multitasking capabilities-signals a new generation of tablets that open even greater opportunities for empowering teachers and engaging students in the K-12 classroom." THE Journal

"The intuitive software platform for EV3 is based on National Instruments LabVIEW™ graphical programming software, and includes new data-logging capabilities that allow students to collect, graph, and calculate their data."

Related to our design exercise from section this week--check out what new blended learning models caught the eye of the Gates Foundation. "Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC), an initiative dedicated to improving college readiness and completion, today announced grants totaling $5.4 million for 13 new models of personalized, blended learning at the secondary and postsecondary levels."

Using technology developed at MIT to measure emotion and stress in children with Autism and in the general population.

I just started using this on my iPad - it shows you where all the stars and planets are as well as the ISS - basically a planetarium on your mobile device that you can use to find things in the sky in the day or night

"Gaming will probably progress to the point where the player's mind will control and communicate with the gaming station. Perhaps transmitters will communicate back and generate gaming experiences in the player's mind without requiring a screen."

Financial analysis of MOOCs and potential impact on lesser-known universities...though I think people are still trying to figure out where MOOCs play in the general higher education landscape.

Another piece on the transformative nature of iPads in classrooms. This one contains what might be my favorite quote so far: "Some say the iPad is the biggest technological innovation to hit schools since the overhead projector." It's also worth noting how many parents and administrators are quoted speaking in generalities. Kids will be able to "do this stuff;" it is the "beginning of the transformation of education as we know it;" and then there's the last line, which seems loaded with as much apprehension as optimism.

Professor Dede had pointed out that mobile phones may hold the key to improving access to educational technology. One of the bottlenecks seem to be access to power in remote areas. This invention seems to be promising in renewable 'human powered' energy. Granted that any new invention has to go a long way before it becomes commercially viable, but I was a bit disappointed at the flippant tone of the author towards the end of the article.