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Jared Moore

China Is Ahead of the U.S. and Germany in Use of Technology in Learning, According to D... - 0 views

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    Results of an opinion poll commissioned by Dell comparing technology use in schools in the US, Germany, and China. There's a bit of we're-falling-behind-China hysteria here, I think, but it does highlight some opportunities. Also, Dell's Education Challenge is investing $30,000 in university student (graduate or undergraduate) projects to innovate learning in K-12 schools. Deadline is at the end of October. http://www.dellchallenge.org/k12
Jeffrey Siegel

Out of Print: Reimagining the K-12 Textbook in a Digital Age - 0 views

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    Recommendation 1: Complete the Shift from Print-Centric Textbook Adoption Practices to Digital Resources within Five Years Recommendation 2: Develop a Vision and Roadmap for Completing the Shift 2a: Eliminate Unnecessary Regulations and Enact Supportive Policies 2b: Invest in Infrastructure and Devices to Support the Shift 2c: Ensure Effective Implementation of Digital Policies. Recommendation 3: Ensure a Vibrant Marketplace for Digital and Open Content
Molly Wasser

Boy Genius of Ulan Bator - 1 views

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    Here's an example of one person who excelled in a MOOC. While everyone may not have the drive of this student, this is a good example of how an online technology facilitated a social learning group. Also - yet another example of how online resources can benefit people across the country who do not otherwise have access.
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    A friend just sent me this same article, Molly! However, my takeaway was much different. Whenever I read articles about young people doing extraordinary things with limited resources and technology, my first thought is always "how is this possible??" The article addresses my question directly: "The answer has to do with Battushig's extraordinary abilities, of course, but also with the ambitions of his high-school principal." The principal, also a graduate of MIT, was focused on developing more skilled engineers in Mongolia, and made it his mission to bring science and tech labs to his students; while MOOCs, the government's heavy investment in IT infrastructure, and the ubiquity of a 3G network made it possible to extend and enhance learning opportunities, the students may have never been exposed to engineering were it not for the encouragement of the principal. This human component, combined with technology, was what nurtured Battushig's drive and talent. This path will not work for just any student. If most homes in Mongolia have an Internet connection and even nomads cell phones, why have more people not found success with MOOCs? The author of the article summed it up best when she said, "Battushig's success also showed that schools could use MOOCs to find exceptional students all over the globe." Battushig is exceptional, just as elevated learning through MOOCs is still the "exception" and not the rule. MOOCs still lack a certain (perhaps human?) element that can move them from producing the anomaly of one "boy genius" to a more widespread level of learning.
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    Hi Laura - That's a good point about the principal. The principal and the student were both exceptional. While I do not think that MOOCs, as they are right now, can work for everyone, I do think that this example of educating an exceptional student is heartening. Maybe this exceptional student can learn a lot and then in turn, help others in his community. As undemocratic as it is, many advances in society are made by individuals or small groups of people. Overall though, I agree that MOOCs lack, as you said maybe a human element, to promote widespread education.
Harley Chang

The King of MOOCs Abdicates the Throne - 3 views

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    Sebastian Thrun, CEO of Udacity, has openly admitted that his company's MOOC courses are a lousy replacement for actual university class and instead will be taking his company to focus more on corporate training. I personally will reserve further judgement until after I finish the readings for next week.
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    I posted this article in G+ a day or two ago. Some of the better commentary surrounding this article below. Tressie McMillan Cottom: "Thrun says it wasn't a failure. It was a lesson. But for the students who invested time and tuition in an experiment foisted on them by the of stewards public highered trusts, failure is a lesson they didn't need." Rebecca Schuman: "Thrun blames neither the corporatization of the university nor the MOOC's use of unqualified "student mentors" in assessment. Instead, he blames the students themselves for being so poor." Stephen Downes: "I think that what amuses me most about the reaction to the Thrun story is the glowing descriptions of him have only intensified. "The King of MOOCs." "The Genius Godfather of MOOCs." Really now. As I and the many other people working toward the same end have pointed out repeatedly, the signal change in MOOCs is openess, not whatever it was (hubris? VC money?) that Thrun brought to the table. Rebecca Schuman claims this is a victory for "the tiny, for-credit, in-person seminar." It's not that, no more than the Titanic disaster was a victory for wind-powered passenger transportation."
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    Grif - where did the Stephen Downes quote come from ? I read the Rebecca Schuman article and don't really agree with her. To expand on the Schuman quote you posted - it's really interesting how she says the massive lecture format doesn't work but then provides two examples of massive technology that do work - texting and World of Warcraft. This relates directly to some of what we talked about earlier this semester. I don't think it's the 'massive,' as Schuman implies, that causes the failure of a MOOC. It's part of the design. Once the design is better and more engaging, then MOOCs may find that they have higher retention rates. Schuman: Successful education needs personal interaction and accountability, period. This is, in fact, the same reason students feel annoyed, alienated, and anonymous in large lecture halls and thus justified in sexting and playing World of Warcraft during class-and why the answer is not the MOOC, but the tiny, for-credit, in-person seminar that has neither a sexy acronym nor a potential for huge corporate partnerships.
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    The Downes quote was from OLDaily, which is a daily listserve of his that I subscribe too. I think the difference between texting/WoW and MOOCs is that, while both have many many users, the former two have means in which those groups are disaggregated into smaller units that are largely responsible for the UX/individual growth that goes on. I agree with you that massive is not necessarily the failure, in fact, I think it's the best thing they have going for them. However, until the design can leverage meaningful collaboration, like WoW and texting, the massive will remain a burden.
Yang Jiang

Internet plays integral role in decision-making: Study - 0 views

  • One of the most interesting findings that we got in the survey, is that although the Internet is by far the most important medium in the lives of consumers, companies continue to under-invest in their online marketing efforts.
  • Beyond the sheer size of this online population, Chinese Internet users are much heavier users of most Internet behaviors, such as researching, communicating or self-expression through using social media tools, than their counterparts in other countries. They also are much more advanced in their use of the Internet across a wide range of activities and behaviors, from researching to using mobile capabilities.
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    Internet is certaily playing an incredibly important role in our daily life, no matter in the United States, or China.
Garron Hillaire

Smarter Than You Think - Aiming to Learn as We Do, A Machine Teaches Itself - NYTimes.com - 0 views

  • “For all the advances in computer science, we still don’t have a computer that can learn as humans do, cumulatively, over the long term,”
  • The Never-Ending Language Learning system, or NELL, has made an impressive showing so far. NELL scans hundreds of millions of Web pages for text patterns
  • NELL is one project in a widening field of research and investment aimed at enabling computers to better understand the meaning of language.
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  • “What’s exciting and significant about it is the continuous learning, as if NELL is exercising curiosity on its own, with little human help,”
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    CMU working on an AI that is curious about language.
Chris Dede

Education Week's Digital Directions: Schools Test E-Reader Devices With Dyslexic Students - 0 views

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    Do e-readers aid dyslexic students? They actually could do much more, but the vendors are happy to make claims without building in those capabilities...
Chris Dede

Closing the Loop in Education Technology -- THE Journal - 0 views

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    New report on how to make education more effective through technology
James Glanville

Learning: Engage and Empower | U.S. Department of Education - 4 views

  • more flexible set of "educators," including teachers, parents, experts, and mentors outside the classroom.
    • Chris McEnroe
       
      This is an example of the promise of Tech in Teaching. It promotes the Psycho/Social pedogogical reality of the learner's sphere of influences into the vital center of our concept of school. To me, it transforms academic discourse into intentional design. Because school experience is so culturally endemic, this is a change in cultural self-concept.
  • The opportunity to harness this interest and access in the service of learning is huge.
    • Chris McEnroe
       
      This sentence makes me think of an explorer who has discovered a vast mineral deposit and is looking for capital investment. To persuade teachers, parents, and school boards the explorer will need to show tangible evidence that ". . . our education system [can leverage] technology to create learning experiences that mirror students' daily lives and the reality of their futures." The sixth grade teacher will need to be able to demonstrate to the parent of a student the tangible benefits of a technology infused paradigm.
  • The challenge for our education system is to leverage technology to create relevant learning experiences that mirror students' daily lives and the reality of their futures.
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  • large groups, small groups, and activities tailored to individual goals, needs, and interests.
  • What's worth knowing and being able to do?
  • English language arts, mathematics, sciences, social studies, history, art, or music, 21st-century competencies and expertise such as critical thinking, complex problem solving, collaboration, and multimedia communication should be woven into all content areas.
  • expert learners
  • "digital exclusion"
    • Chris McEnroe
       
      Isn't this just another iteration of the general disparity in all kinds of resource allocation? This could just as well be articulated by debilitating student/teacher rations, or text book availability, or the availability of paper, or breakfast, or heat in the he building?
  • School of One uses technology to develop a unique learning path for each student and to provide a significant portion of the instruction that is both individualized and differentiated
  • Advances in the learning sciences, including cognitive science, neuroscience, education, and social sciences, give us greater understanding of three connected types of human learning—factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and motivational engagement.
    • James Glanville
       
      I'm interested in how our current understanding of how learning works can inform best practices for teaching, curriculum design, and supports for learning afforded by technology.
    • Erin Sisk
       
      I found the neuroscience discussion to be the most interesting part of the Learning section. It seems to me that the 21st century learner needs more emphasis on the "learning how" and the "learning why" and less focus on the "learning that." I think teaching information literacy (as described in the Learning section) is one of the most important kinds of procedural knowledge (learning how) students should master so they can access facts as they need them, and worry less about memorizing them.
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    "School of One uses technology to develop a unique learning path for each student and to provide a significant portion of the instruction that is both individualized and differentiated." I liked the definitions of individualized (pacing), differentiated (learning preferences/methods), and personalized (pacing, preferences, and content/objectives).
Uche Amaechi

BYOD - Worst Idea of the 21st Century? : Stager-to-Go - 7 views

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    Uche, you keep posting stuff I have a problem with- OK I understand that BYOD policies may not be so great but I really believe that familes should shoulder some of the costs for hardware since degredation is such a problem. The schools can have agreements with vendors to provide certain laptops or tablets for a certain price point and they can design their systems to support these items. Parents are expected to purchase backpacks, binders, and school supplies. When parents can't provide these back-to-school supplies, schools cover it. The same should be for computers. Speaking as a middle class parent (refer to above article) I believe this is an important investment in our schools so that they can focus on hardware support and software implementation/ integration.
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    @Allison and Uche - I am torn. While I initially thought BYOD was a good idea so that schools would have to stop "blaming" their fiscal woes on their inability to integrate emerging technologies into the curriculum, I now have some appreciation with points from this article - especially around "false equivalences" and "enshrining inequities" in light of my own children's "bring your own electronic device" day that took place two weeks ago. As a school wide reward for meeting their Accelerated Reading goal, all students were told they could bring an electronic device to school to "play" with on Friday afternoon. This prompted my kids to call me (Skype) on Thursday night and ask me if I could buy them a DS or a SmartPhone that NIGHT so that they could bring either of those devices to school for the celebration. Now mind you, my kids have access to lap tops, iPad, Smart Phones, Wii games, GameBoy, iPods, Flip camera, digital camera, etc - albeit not their OWN - but still access to them for use (when Mom and Dad are not using them). But apparently, of the devices left that Mom and Dad weren't using, none of them were "cool" enough for this event. That got me wondering if BYOD might have the same effect on our learners making those who don't have the latest and greatest feel bad or less adequate then their friends or classmates who could bring something they deemed as "better?" Allison, your point seems to be that requiring parents to cover the expense of a digital device as a requirement for school is not a bad idea, but I think you are referring to expecting the SAME device to be purchased and used, not myriad devices with various capabilities, features and functions - am I understanding you correctly? And if we did try to mandate parental supply of digital devices, would we have a different kind of fight on our hands because, as consumers, parents might have their own biases around what they deem is the best device of all (not just PC vs MAC or iOS vs Android, but sma
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    I still believe that a system properly designed could mitigate some of your concerns. In reality, schools can not support any device that a student brings in. They are capable of supporting a certain number and if they build relationships with the vendors to sell those devices that the school is capable of supporting then families will be aware that the school will offer the best deal on the items that are compatible. Every year the school recommends items for back to school supplies. If the laptop could replace all of the binders it might be worth it. There are many factors to consider but the biggest obstacle is that schools maintain such old equipment because of their budget woes. Even when we can purchase the latest and greatest software, the computers can't run it.
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    What a great debate you guys are having! One point worth considering is that typically the parents are responsible for purchasing the supplies, while the school is responsible for providing the content (textbooks, workbooks, handouts, worksheets, videos, etc). In the near future these devices may also be the primary sources of content, replacing textbooks altogether. I would hope perhaps funding for textbooks could be transferred to funding for these devices. I would also hope that the price of these devices drops significantly (is the $35 tablet in our future?). Then of course the question of who pays is less important. In my job producing educational video for publishing companies, I spend way too much time dealing with various formats and compatibility problems with browsers, so I'd love to see a future where this becomes more standardized.
Uche Amaechi

Avichal's Blog - 1 views

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    This article is really informative. I guess I knew much of the article intuitively but I didn't have hard facts. My biggest question is his depiction of middle class Americans as viewing education as an expense as opposed to an investment. Our non- Univ of Pheonix college students mostly hail from middle class families who are worried if their child doesn't have a degree. His evidence for his viewpoint is that 50% of peope don't have a degree. However, what percent went to college and dropped out? I remember that in 1990's that 25% of Americans had college degrees. Sounds like there is some growth. Regardless, his views on the Asia market and servicing struggling districts is food for thought. Thank you.
Lindsay Bellino

AEP Government Relations - 0 views

  • , "Moving College Into the 21st Century," (October 1, 2009). "The president is proposing to invest $500 million over the next 10 years to create world-class online college and high school courses that will be available to all 24/7/365."
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    President and Secretary of Education support open source online courses for both higher education and high schools.
Niko Cunningham

Psychological Therapy 32 Times More Cost Effective at Increasing Happiness Than Money - 0 views

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    This is exciting news.. Education''s premise is that it will lead to an increase in desired economic returns to the time spent in school. Does the future "happiness" quotient have an impact on the time a student decides to invest in education?
Melinda Schindler

Can Technology Fix Education? - 4 views

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    This article mentions the US's investment of IT in primary and secondary schools: 1.6% of total spending.
Kasthuri Gopalaratnam

Education Week: Creating Education Success at Home - 0 views

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    "It should not surprise us that countries that provide equitable funding to their students, use high-quality instructional systems, and invest heavily in their teachers outperform those that do not."
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