6 Emerging Trends in Education and Mobile Learning Steve Vosloo At the UNESCO Mobile Learning Week 2014 I sat on a panel titled Emerging Trends and New Technology – considered in the context of mobile learning. Below are the notes of the key points that I made. Note: The issue of Emerging Trends and New Technology begs the question: for who? Overlapping of education trends and mobile-enabled opportunities The brief for the panel stated: We keep being told that technology is going to transform centuries-old teaching paradigms, but traditional approaches seem to have real resilience and staying-power. I don’t believe that technology is the single driver of education transformation, although it is certainly a key influencing factor. The think piece highlights that with the increase in access to information, and production of knowledge (both underpinned by technology), there is a questioning of the very notions of the authority of traditional bodies of knowledge controlled by legitimate educational institutions. Pearson Labs explain that
Is Google Making Us Stupid? Illustration by Guy Billout "Dave, stop. Stop, will you? Stop, Dave. Will you stop, Dave?” So the supercomputer HAL pleads with the implacable astronaut Dave Bowman in a famous and weirdly poignant scene toward the end of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. I can feel it, too. I think I know what’s going on. For me, as for others, the Net is becoming a universal medium, the conduit for most of the information that flows through my eyes and ears and into my mind. I’m not the only one. Bruce Friedman, who blogs regularly about the use of computers in medicine, also has described how the Internet has altered his mental habits. Anecdotes alone don’t prove much. It is clear that users are not reading online in the traditional sense; indeed there are signs that new forms of “reading” are emerging as users “power browse” horizontally through titles, contents pages and abstracts going for quick wins. Reading, explains Wolf, is not an instinctive skill for human beings. Also see:
Technology Trends for Teachers to Try in 2014 - High School Notes New 3-D printers are just one tech tool teachers should try in the new year. Students learn best when they're invested in the material, but getting teens to that point isn't easy. "The student comes in, puts their head down and goes to sleep or just ignores what's going on in the class. How do we stop that?" One way: technology. Tools such as tablets, videos and 3-D printing can make otherwise flat lessons come to life, says Lamb, who previously taught science at high schools in Virginia and North Carolina. Essentially, technology hooks students, he says. "Once you can get the student hooked, then they're open to being taught," Lamb says. There is no shortage of tools to help teachers engage students. 1. 3-D printing: Once considered a far-fetched technology, 3-D printers are about to go mainstream. "I've seen them used in elementary schools all the way up to high schools," says Lamb, who researches educational technology. [Read more about technology in the classroom.] 2. 3.
9 Ideas Education Is Having Trouble Responding To 9 Ideas Education Is Having Trouble Responding To by Terry Heick Ed note: This post has been updated from a post we published this summer. As education changes, it depends primarily on internal catalysts for that change. That is, the “things” that change it are on the “inside” of that system itself, most notably data, assessment, PLCs, and running a distant fourth, technology. It’s interesting that technology is among the least impacting “agents of change” in the classroom. At some point, this will change. 1. Or rather usurping it in terms of sheer credibility. Businesses, education institutes, groups, organizations, people—everyone wants visibility and access. What do I know, and what should I do with what I know? How can I use those things I am connected to and with to live the kind of life I want to live? Knowledge will always matter, but in an economic sense of supply and demand, information is boundless. 2. 3. 4. Think about YouTube. 5. 6. “Mobile” isn’t a buzzword, it’s the future.
9 Characteristics Of 21st Century Learning The label of “21st Century learning” is vague, and is an idea that we here at TeachThought like to take a swing at as often as possible, including: –weighing the magic of technology with its incredible cost and complexity –underscoring the potential for well thought-out instructional design –considering the considerable potential of social media platforms against its apparent divergence from academic learning Some educators seek out the ideal of a 21st century learning environment constantly, while others prefer that we lose the phrase altogether, insisting that learning hasn’t changed, and good learning looks the same whether it’s the 12th or 21st century. At TeachThought, we tend towards the tech-infused model, but do spend time exploring the limits and challenges of technology, the impact of rapid technology change, and carefully considering important questions before diving in head-first. The size of the circles on the map are intended to convey priority. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Does Not Compute | Change the Equation The High Cost of Low Technology Skills in the U.S.--and What We Can Do About It Although American millennials are the first generation of "digital natives"--that is, people who grew up with computers and the internet--they are not very tech savvy. That fact would probably come as a shock to most Americans--especially to millennials themselves. Change the Equation's new analysis of results from the 2012 Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) reveales sobering new data on millennials' skills and attitudes. Download the brief (PDF) Read our methodology Download our infographic Tweet this infographic Infographic data sources Download and share individual data points from the infographic: Digital native does not mean tech savvy: Jpeg The U.S. ranks dead last: jpeg Tech savvy is an engine of opportunity: Jpeg What we don't know will hurt us: Jpeg Our children deserve better: Jpeg
How to Be More Open to Learning New Technology: 8 Steps Edit Article Sometimes it can be hard to accept that you're behind the times. But it can become frustrating to maintain a stubbornness in the face of changing technology, as you'll soon be left at the mercy of those who do know. Whether you've stopped keeping current or you've just never been particularly interested in technology until now, if you've decided that the time has come to embrace the constant upgrades pay your bills online bill and keep up with friends living afar by internet, then you'll be glad to know it's always possible to learn new technology. All it takes is openness to the experience and willingness to spend a little time learning. Ad Steps <img alt="Be More Open to Learning New Technology Step 1.jpg" src=" width="670" height="503">1Think about the perks of learning more about new technology. internet sleuthing Origami Tips
3 ways to involve students in your ed-tech PD If you’re not including your students in teachers’ PD, you’re missing a key opportunity Whenever I’m invited to a school or district to talk with teachers about using technology, I’ll ask the principal or superintendent if I can meet with a group of students to prepare first. Often, my request is met with a puzzled reply: “You realize that we want you to come talk to our teachers, right? Showing teachers how to use the technology itself—what buttons to push, what features to use—isn’t the real challenge in ed-tech professional development. Involving your students in ed-tech PD can be very powerful. Have teachers observe others as they teach with technology One of the techniques I like to use is to have teachers watch as I teach a class. Sometimes, what I don’t do is just as important as what I do. The interaction between teachers and students can be very rich, giving observers a better understanding of the issues they’re likely to face in their own classrooms.
Class Tech Tips: Standards Planner: Summer Time-Saver for Your Lesson Plans This year I’ve shared Standards Planner, an online tool that lets teachers create and organize their lessons quickly and easily. As you wrap up classes for summer and get ready for next year, Standards Planner will definitely come in handy. They are offering a free account for teachers with extra support, setup, and resources. This includes Khan Academy videos, CK12 resources, and all of the national and state standards including the Common Core, Next Gen Science, and ISTE standards. One new option that has just been released is the click and create feature right on your customized teaching schedule. Learn more by visiting their website! Monica Burns is a fifth grade teacher in a 1:1 iPad classroom.
Top 10 Tips To Create Effective eLearning Presentations and Slideshows In this article I'll share the top 10 tips that will help you to effectively create eLearning presentations and slideshows. The following simple and straightforward tips will offer you advice on how to take your eLearning presentations and slideshows to the next level, even if you haven't had much experience working with eLearning presentations in the past. Each eLearning deliverable, regardless of the learning objective, in order to be effective has to be as interactive, immersive, and engaging as possible. Fortunately, there are now a variety of presentation and slideshow creation tools that can help you to produce amazing and effective eLearning presentations and slideshows for your learners. Map out your strategy in advance. Finding the slideshow and presentation creation tool that is just right for you and your instructional design needs is key.
10 Favorite Educational YouTube Channels YouTube is a powerful resource for teaching and learning – if you know where to look. This list of must-watch educational YouTube channels are perfect for finding video clips to share with students in class or in a flipped learning environment. As opposed to an individual video, channels are created by individuals and organizations and are full of related content. You’ll also find resources for educators to help boost content knowledge and introduce teaching strategies. TED-Ed What I love most about TED-Ed videos are how they address questions from our everyday lives. Topics include “Does grammar matter?” Smithsonian Education With videos for teachers and students this channel has lots to choose from. Crash Course This YouTube channel includes videos that provide an introduction to different topics. Discovery Channel I recently featured some fantastic virtual reality videos from Discovery but their YouTube channel is equally awesome. A couple more to check out: Author: Monica
Amazon launches AWS Educate to promote cloud learning Amazon has announced AWS Educate in order to accelerate cloud technology learning in the classroom. Announced on Thursday, the program is designed for teachers and students involved or interested in the cloud technology field. Cloud computing is rapidly transforming the modern business landscape. Cloud computing can be used for data storage, disaster recovery, information analytics and as a means to outsource IT services and functions or utilize infrastructure as a service (IaaS), which can help corporations keep the cost of IT down. In addition, cloud computing is becoming an essential component in research and development, and is now a hot area for application development. However, a field can only progress if it has skilled staff behind it -- and Amazon plans to be involved in training the next generation of cloud developers. Following Amazon's approval of applications to use the software, AWS Educate is free for educational institutions. Dr. Read on: In the world of ed-tech
The Future of Education Isn’t Free. It’s Open. Listening to the political debates about education in the United States, you might get the mistaken impression that nothing is changing other than costs going up and performance going down. Things are better than you may realize, especially in one area: instructional resources. We are on the threshold of sweeping change that will make it easier for teachers to teach and students to learn faster and more effectively. Advances in learning science are powering a new generation of technologies that, when used by dedicated teachers, improve student performance and extend learning beyond the confines of the classroom. Digital adaptive learning coupled with an explosion of relatively low-cost learning applications has the potential to dramatically lift the performance of all of our students. The bad news, the thing that frustrates so many students, parents and teachers, is that many of these technologies simply do not work well together. The need to support technology standards