Homework Hits the Small Screen at Purdue U. - Wired Campus
More and more students carry cellphones or laptops with video cameras built in, and many instructors are asking students to use them to turn in video homework assignments for courses covering highly visual material. New software developed at Purdue University seeks to make such experimental assignments easier to manage. The system, called DoubleTake, lets students and professors shoot, share, and critique videos using a smartphone or a computer. “There’s no way possible to do a written assignment in American sign language,” says Kyle D. It’s also being used in a criminal forensics course, where students capture themselves processing evidence as they would in a crime lab and then assess the performances as though they were defense attorneys. Users upload raw video to the program, which connects with DiaGrid, a cluster of computers housed at Purdue. Mr. The program also provides a key measure of security compared with commercial programs. Return to Top
Green Ideas, Environmental Education and Activities for Secondary School Students
5 Ways Higher Education Is Leveraging Mobile Tech
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. Mobile technology is on the minds of higher education professionals more than ever before. At the recent HighEdWeb conference in Austin, the itinerary included several ways schools can use social media, blogs and mobile technologies to better captivate its student body. And last week, hundreds of orientation professionals gathered in New Orleans for the National Orientation Directors Association annual conference, where they discussed how to engage with prospective students in modern and relevant ways — including mobile — to welcome the next freshman class. It’s no mystery why: The latest numbers show 40% of teens plan on buying an iPhone within the next three months. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Why the iPad Won't Transform Education -- Yet
Apple's announcement on Thursday that it would be introducing a new iPad textbook experience and iBooks authoring tool presents huge opportunities for technology in classrooms. The company is selling textbooks from McGraw-Hill, Pearson and Houghton Mifflin at a price comparable to print versions, and it's presented an unprecedented opportunity for teachers to compile their own materials. But Apple has a long way to go — and logistical hurdles to clear in tens of thousands of schools — before it dominates K-12 classrooms the way it has done the music industry. Instructional Technology Resource Teacher Jenny Grabiec recently purchased iPads for two of the ESL classrooms in her 160-school district using federal funds allocated for students with limited English proficiency. In order to download new apps, she needed to get the Apple volume purchase program approved as a vendor by the budget group. "Because nobody in our district had done it before, it took a long time," Grabiec says.
4 Ways Mobile Tech Is Improving Education
The Global Innovation Series is supported by BMW i, a new concept dedicated to providing mobility solutions for the urban environment. It delivers more than purpose-built electric vehicles — it delivers smart mobility services. Visit bmw-i.com or follow @BMWi on Twitter. Communication centers, computers, laptops, mobile phones and tablets have all been spoken about at one point or another as technologies with promising applications for education. But mobile phones stand apart in an important way. The United Nation’s International Telecommunication Union estimated that there were 5.3 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide at the end of 2010 — and that a full 90% of the world population now has access to a mobile network. Students around the world are increasingly bringing their own mini-computers (or some connected device) to class. 1. Abilene Christian University (ACU) began equipping its students with iPods and iPhones in 2008 (now students can also choose an iPad). 2. 3. 4.
Mobile learning: a handbook for ... - Agnes Kukulska-Hulme, John Traxler
Killer Apps: Distance Learning Students Dial in to Higher Education on Smartphones and Other Devices | DegreesOnline.net
Distance learning universities are using the latest technology to supplement their curricula. Newsfactor.com reports that more and more online institutions have opted to create mobile apps to enrich their online course offerings. These apps allow student to access course content, including online discussions, threads, assignments, and they can receive real-time alerts when grades are posted. Students can pursue their studies wherever and whenever they want. The universities leading the pack in the latest distance-learning technology are Western Governors University, Golden Gate University, and the University of Phoenix, which launched an app last month for the iPhone and iPod Touch that allows its 300,000 online students to access online discussions, threads, and assignments. These tools will become increasingly important as the Digital Age wears on. But critics state that such technology encourages a lack of focus.
From Toy to Tool: Cell Phones in Learning
20 Coolest Augmented Reality Experiments in Education So Far
Augmented reality is exactly what the name implies — a medium through which the known world fuses with current technology to create a uniquely blended interactive experience. While still more or less a nascent entity in the frequently Luddite education industry, more and more teachers, researchers, and developers contribute their ideas and inventions towards the cause of more interactive learning environments. Many of these result in some of the most creative, engaging experiences imaginable, and as adherence grows, so too will students of all ages. Second Life:Because it involves a Stephenson-esque reality where anything can happen, Second Life proved an incredibly valuable tool for educators hoping to reach a broad audience — or offering even more ways to learn for their own bands of students.
