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3a. some concerns

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Students' use of laptops in class lowers grades, new Canadian study says. The Canadian Press Published Wednesday, August 14, 2013 2:22PM EDT Last Updated Wednesday, August 14, 2013 5:48PM EDT TORONTO -- Laptops have replaced pen and paper for many post-secondary students but a Canadian study suggests using computers during lectures could be hurting their grades and lowering their classmates' marks. For the study, published earlier this year in the journal Computers & Education, research subjects in two experiments were asked to attend a university-level lecture and then complete a multiple-choice quiz based on what they learned.

In the first experiment, which was designed to gauge how multitasking affects learning, all the participants used laptops to take notes during a lecture on meteorology. But half were also asked to complete a series of unrelated tasks on their computers when they felt they could spare some time. Those tasks -- which included online searches for information -- were meant to mimic what distracted students might do during class.

Rebirth of the Teaching Machine through the Seduction of Data Analytics: This Time It's Personal (April 2013)  - Philip McRae, Ph.D. Engagement Infographic. Is Technology Producing A Decline In Critical Thinking And Analysis? As technology has played a bigger role in our lives, our skills in critical thinking and analysis have declined, while our visual skills have improved, according to research by Patricia Greenfield, UCLA distinguished professor of psychology and director of the Children's Digital Media Center, Los Angeles. Learners have changed as a result of their exposure to technology, says Greenfield, who analyzed more than 50 studies on learning and technology, including research on multi-tasking and the use of computers, the Internet and video games.

Her research was published this month in the journal Science. Reading for pleasure, which has declined among young people in recent decades, enhances thinking and engages the imagination in a way that visual media such as video games and television do not, Greenfield said. How much should schools use new media, versus older techniques such as reading and classroom discussion? "No one medium is good for everything," Greenfield said. The future of jobs in Canada - Business. Fernando Morales/The Globe and Mail/CP On a recent February evening, Karl Eve received an emergency call from a restaurant owner in Canmore, Alta.

The busy eatery had suddenly found itself with no hot water, even though the basement hot water tanks appeared to be working fine. A plumber with 10 years’ experience, Eve eventually traced the problem to a malfunctioning dishwasher and got the hot water flowing again—much to the owner’s relief. It’s the sort of detective work Eve says he loves about his job. Eve’s story is more rare than it should be in Canada. At the same time, the nature of work itself is changing as the country transitions to a so-called knowledge economy that relies on a well-trained and highly educated workforce to produce value-added products and services. Economists call it a skills “mismatch.” Hence, Canada not only needs to encourage more people to enter the workforce, but to ensure everyone will be productive once they get there.

Where are all the jobs? Cleaners 30% Dr. Mark Edwards Talk On Student Achievement Gains at Mooresville GSD. For a shining example of public education in the United States, watch the talk that Dr. Mark Edwards, Superintendent of Mooresville Graded School District in North Carolina, gave at the recent ISTE Conference in San Diego.

Yes, Mooresville is a Cisco customer, and yes, how they have used technology to improve student outcomes is big part of their success story (Dr. Edwards has the metrics to prove it). But the real key to their effectiveness as a high-performing public school is the holistic approach they take to educating “every child, every day”, their “can do” attitude, and “culture of caring” that Mark and his team have created at Mooresville. Watch the video of Dr. Most exciting to me is that so much of Mooresville’s approach is replicable. Tags: 1to1, byod, edreform, edtech, education. Wearable Technology | Lifestyle.