Learning Solutions

Here are the top ten ed-tech stories of 2009, as reported by eSchoolNews:

10 - Internet safety becomes an integral part of the K-12 school curriculum (link)

 9 - “Sexting” becomes a huge problem for educators and parents  (link)

 8 -  Microsoft vs. Google: Two technology heavyweights square off in a battle for student loyalty (link)

 7 - Google’s ambitious book-scanning project draws antitrust concerns  (link)

 6 - Online learning becomes a true “disruptive innovation” … (link)

 5 - …while also preventing the disruption of class during the swine-flu scare  (link)

 4 - Billions of dollars in federal stimulus funding helps rescue ed-tech budgets–but schools are still hurting, despite the increase  (link)

 3 - Federal officials seek a national strategy for getting broadband to every American  (link)

 2 - Technology is a key part of the Obama administration’s school-reform efforts  (link)

 1 - Digital textbooks open a new chapter in the history of U.S. education  (link)

Purdue is piloting their home-grown tool, Hotseat, which:

“creates a collaborative classroom, allowing students to provide near real-time feedback during class and enabling professors to adjust the course content and improve the learning experience. Students can post messages to Hotseat using their Facebook or Twitter accounts, sending text messages, or logging in to the Hotseat Web site.”

It is built so that it can accommodate the latest social tool students use. Expected full campus rollout next year.

http://www.itap.purdue.edu/tlt/hotseat/

I like this approach, since it is not being marketed as a “facebook killer”, but a way to harness the power of these type of sites for the classroom.

Contacting them to see if this will be available to other schools.

From Higher Ed Morning:

Not so long ago, students relied on crib sheets and word of mouth to cheat. And while some of those methods live on, cheating today has taken a new twist.

Here’s Education-Portal.com’s list of the eight most popular ways students are cheating (in no particular order):

• Copying — Whether it’s eyes roving during a test or a so-called “study group,” it’s still copying.
• Buying papers online — It doesn’t get much easier than this. Papers on just about any topic you can think of are available — and most can be downloaded instantly.
• Cheat sheets — This perennially popular form of cheating is made even easier with today’s electronic devices.
• Take a picture — If a professor leaves a test on his desk, all it takes is the click of a student’s cell phone camera to steal it.
• “Can I go to the bathroom?” — Once there, a student can call or text friends for answers during a test.
• MP3 players — Students can put anything on their iPods — including lecture notes. And with many professors letting students listen to their MP3s during tests in order to focus and relax …
• Cell phones — Is there a better — or easier — way to store data?
• When is a candy bar more than a candy bar? — Believe it or not, some students have peeled off the wrapper, scanned it, edited the nutritional info into test answers and rewrapped the candy bar — where it sits on the student’s desk during an exam.

As long as teachers continue to rely on basic levels of assessment, then cheating will occur.  If a student can pass your class by cheating, then you are doing a disservice to that student.

Education is not about how well one does on a multiple choice test. Can the student apply the knowledge gained to the world around them?

Teachers need to get away from the objectiveness of learning, and assess at a higher level, thus eliminating the term cheat from their vocabulary.

How do you cheat in a open discussion forum? How do you cheat on a group project, with an oral presentation? Am I able to cheat at my workplace?

In the past 5 years, I have not been assessed with a multiple choice test, I am assessed on my multiple decision-making skills.

When will this stop being an issue?

From THE Journal:

More than 2 million preK-12 students take some form of schooling online right now–whether attending a virtual school for all their classes or just taking one or more courses via the Internet. But while the vast majority of students will continue to take all of their courses in physical classrooms over the next five years, the number of students taking courses online will jump to more than 10 million by 2014, according to data released recently by research firm Ambient Insight.

Across all segments, the market for electronic learning products and services, at present, is $16.7 billion. According to the report, this will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.4 percent over the next five years to $23.8 billion in 2014.

The healthcare industry will see the most growth, followed by PK-12 and higher education.

Impact for learning solutions is to flexible in providing content face to face and online.  Instructors will need to understand the pedagogy behind distance education.

I discovered this site at my kid’s open house at Wall High School.

Brightstorm is a learning solution providing video content for students.  Subjects covered include: SAT and ACT prep, Algebra, Geometry, Trig and Precalculus.

As stated on the website:

For students, they’re given the choice of teachers and the opportunity to learn from some of the best teachers. With an on-demand format, students can go at their own pace, choose their own order, and easily jump to any section in the video to parallel their own class to tailor to their own learning needs. Each course includes interactive quizzes, facts as well as bonus materials like practice problems and study guides that they use with the videos to gain a deeper understanding of the subject.

Brightstorm is sponsored by Korea’s KTB Ventures, and as reported by TechCrunch, has quite a few competitors:

But there are plenty of startups trying. Here in the U.S., there is PrepMe, ePrep, Teach The People, and Grockit. In Asia, there is iKnow in Japan and perhaps the biggest success to date is Korea’s Megastudy.

Originally offering paid courses, they have now launched the free math help.  from their press release:

Brightstorm’s mission is to bring great teaching to the world. The company recruits the best teachers in the country, and then works with them to create high-quality, video-based learning solutions. Brightstorm’s free math help offering includes over 1,800 videos of great teachers explaining every topic contained in Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 and Precalculus. The videos are short, averaging about 5 minutes each, to correspond to the attention span of the online generation. For each math topic, the teacher has a short video explaining the concept and then a few short videos walking through sample problems.

The whole purpose of this is for that student who goes home, is working on their homework assignment, and for some reason they’re just not getting it

Brightstorm’s free math help is a major step toward achieving our vision of a world in which millions of students learn through technology

In today’s networked world, there is no reason why a student should struggle with their math homework. Students should be able to have easy access to great teachers explaining the concepts they’re struggling with. That’s what Brightstorm’s free math help solution is all about.

Before this program was started, it would have been hard to find a site that was reasonably priced on which you could find everything that you needed. Now, with Brightstorm’s math help, students can find something good

Brightstorm math help really covers everything from Algebra to Precalculus

If you’re in the high school math curriculum, you can find what you’re looking for.

Creating great math videos is only half the battle

Content is only good if the learner can find it quickly, so user-friendly search and browse have been a major focus for Brightstorm math help.

It’s kind of like your back-pocket math teacher, who can explain those difficult concepts to you.

You can review the video, and watch it over and over–from your home.

Learning with our great teacher videos is only the beginning

Ultimately, Brightstorm’s free math help will serve as a foundation from which millions of learners can connect and learn together.

“The whole purpose of this is for that student who goes home, is working on their homework assignment, and for some reason they’re just not getting it,” says Brian McCall, Brightstorm’s Geometry teacher. “They have to get their homework done, but they don’t have that teacher right next them. Now, with Brightstorm, every student can have a great teacher at their side.”

“Brightstorm’s free math help is a major step toward achieving our vision of a world in which millions of students learn through technology,” says Brightstorm CEO Jeff Marshall. “In today’s networked world, there is no reason why a student should struggle with their math homework. Students should be able to have easy access to great teachers explaining the concepts they’re struggling with. That’s what Brightstorm’s free math help solution is all about.”

Brightstorm continues to look for more teachers to provide lessons.  The next Teaching Idol?!?

I featured Aviary a while back, when the company released its FREE photo editing suite.  Aviary is back with an audio editor to rival Audacity of GarageBand, named Myna.  Myna gives you the tools necessary to create audio tracks for all of your needs.  A large library of pre-recorded tracks are included to get you up and going in no time.

The user interface is logical, with Aviary’s signature cursor controls to easily tweak the tracks.

Give it a try!

Inside Higher Ed reports about a new competitor for Blackboard’s Learning Management Monopoly:

New Player in Course Management Software

Some think of digital signage as just eye candy, little more than glorified billboards with some video and sound.  Scala, Troades, and House of Media Experience has taken this to the next level with their immersive experience that combines audio, video, AROMA, and interactive technologies.

“We wanted the visitor to have a 360-degree experience. Digital signage is not only about sound and vision, but is enhanced by adding other human sense triggers. Their recollection of their experience and of Miele will be individual to them and as long as the experience was meaningful, helpful, timely and relevant. I’m convinced that this will build brand loyalty and that over time, that recollection and loyalty will be evidenced through referrals and purchases,” said Luc Heijnen of concept design, Multisensory Experience at Troades.

The customer experience is designed to be as personalised as possible. Customers are requested to register prior to or on arrival to provide Miele with basic visitor/shopper information including gender, demographics, lifestyle, historic Miele purchase information, etc.

Visitors are provided with an Apple iPod Touch which contains the visitor’s name, preferences and profile. The iPod Touch can be used to retrieve information on the store (such as a floor plan), provide detailed information on Miele products and services, and enable customers to request advice and recommendations from the iPod Touch system.

The response of the system is based on the user’s unique preferences and profile. Additional information can be printed out in-store or emailed to a customer’s email address direct from the iPod Touch.

The store is equipped with indoor GPS technology which links to each iPod Touch each of which is equipped with its own GPS transmitter. This means Miele know which iPod Touch (and therefore which customer) is in which area of the store to the precision of 50 centiments the size of each square floor tile, each of which also has its own unique GPS address. This technology enables Miele to plot customer progress through the store and map shopping routes, hotspots and dwell times to help develop the digital experience.

Implications for educational institutions are endless…

Read more about it…

Florida Educational Technology Conference (FETC), has posted the following for their upcoming online conference:

FETC Fall ’09 Virtual Conference & Expo is coming to you live on Thursday, October 22, 2009. This FREE 100% online educational event gives you the opportunity to participate in highly informative virtual sessions from the convenience of your office, visit the Virtual Expo Hall and chat with real live exhibitors, and preview and evaluate the latest hardware and software available today.

This extraordinary online educational event delivers valuable presentations and unlimited networking opportunities straight to your desktop — all at NO CHARGE!

Attend this 100% online event to enjoy:

• A dynamic exchange of best practices and tips for success
• Expert speakers sharing their views in an effective, interactive way
• A virtual networking lounge to reconnect with colleagues and make new contacts
• Real-time access to other participants through instant messaging
• Technology product and service demonstrations in our virtual exhibit hall
• Free content downloads and presentations to go
• And much more!

Attend as many sessions as you like, visit the virtual exhibit hall at any time and network when it’s convenient for you.

More information and registration

As reported in eSchool News:

A free online learning program from Microsoft is helping middle and high school students think about careers they might like to pursue and the skills necessary to attain those careers. Called CareerForward, the course has students examine their skills and interests as they investigate potential career paths and other aspects to independent living, such as financial management skills. Its four components address specific aspects of 21st-century careers. Throughout the course, students are asked frequently to reflect on what they¹re learning, to write their thoughts down as a continual refinement of their thinking, and to discuss their thoughts with other students, either in person or online.

Access this learning solution at:

http://nroc.careerforward.org/careerforward/