Posts Tagged ‘digital literacy edad’

EdTech and the world

What the World Can Teach the US About Education Technology

By Wade Tyler Millward     Mar 24, 2019

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-03-24-what-the-world-can-teach-the-us-about-education-technology

Omidyar Network’s report on what works in scaling education technology in different regions worldwide. Governments, educators, advocacy groups and companies large and small need to work better together. Long-term planning and investment in infrastructure for widespread and improved access to the internet and mobile devices is critical.

But what may surprise some readers of the report, released Monday, is what the United States can learn from developing nations when it comes to bringing together all parties interested in edtech.

Chief Privacy Officers

Chief Privacy Officers: The Unicorns of K-12 Education

By Emily Tate     Feb 25, 2019

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-02-25-chief-privacy-officers-the-unicorns-of-k-12-education

Last month, the nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) published a report arguing schools and districts should go the way of other industries and hire a Chief Privacy Officer to oversee their organization’s privacy policies and practices.

But the reality is that Chief Privacy Officers in K-12 education are about as common as unicorns.

Two years ago, Denver Public Schools created a new role, the Student Data Privacy Officer, after the Colorado legislature passed a law to promote student data privacy and transparency.

 

a technologically literate graduate

Profile of a technologically literate graduate

By Jorge Valenzuela 1/7/2019

https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=2329

When school leaders set out to create a profile of their ideal graduate, many trip up on defining technological literacy and subsequently struggle to select the right edtech to get students there.

digital equity and digital citizenship

use your divisionwide or statewide profile of a graduate.

STEP 1: Have a model and unpack it

In my state of Virginia (like many other states), we focus on these four:

  • Content knowledge
  • Workplace skills
  • Community engagement and civic responsibility
  • Career exploration

STEP 2: Tag team with colleagues to plan instruction

In step one we created our graduate profile by brainstorming and identifying both the personal and professional knowledge and skills that our future graduates need. Now it’s time to formulate plans to bring the profile to fruition. To ensure student success, implementation should take place in the classroom and tap the expertise of our colleagues.

Student  success is never due to one teacher, but a collaborative effort.

STEP 3: Identify and leverage the right industry partners

Technological literacy requires students to create authentic products using appropriate edtech, therefore developing technologically literate graduates should not be left entirely to teachers and schools.

Soliciting the help of our industry and business partners is so crucial to this process

Step 4: Create career pathways in schools

schools create systemic K-12 career pathways — or pipelines — for their students and give teachers ample time and space to plan and work together to maximize the learning aligned to well-developed graduate profiles.

educators and innovation

What Educators Really Think About Innovation (Infographic)

January 8, 2019

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/01/09/what-educators-really-think-about-innovation-infographic.html

In October 2018, the Education Week Research Center conducted a nationally representative online survey of nearly 500 K-12 teachers, principals, and district leaders to learn more about their views on innovation—a common buzzword that was defined in the survey as “the introduction and/or creation of new ideas or methods.”

educators and innovation

disrupting education with technology

Nancy Bailey: Disrupting Education with Technology is Unhealthy for Children

https://dianeravitch.net/2018/11/18/nancy-bailey-disrupting-education-with-technology-is-unhealthy-for-children/

Veteran teacher Nancy Bailey warns about the danger that technology poses to child development. 

Technology is a helpful tool, but it won’t provide that sense of stability. It’s a cold machine. School districts push technology over teachers. They don’t stop to think about what it will mean to children and their development.

the idea that instruction should be disrupted using technology is putting students and the country at risk. It destroys the public school curriculum that has managed to educate the masses for decades.

Early childhood teachers express concern that tech is invading preschool education. We know that free play is the heart of learning.

But programs, like Waterford Early Learning, advertise online instruction including assessment for K-2. Their Upstart program advertises, At-home, online kindergarten readiness program that gives 4- and 5-year-old children early reading, math, and science lessons.

++++++++++++++++++
more on technology in education in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=technology+education

more on Clay Christensen disruption theory in this IMS blog:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2016/12/19/clayton-christensen-disruption-theory/

Cybersecurity Risks in schools

FBI Warns Educators and Parents About Edtech’s Cybersecurity Risks

By Tina Nazerian     Sep 14, 2018

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-09-14-fbi-warns-educators-and-parents-about-edtech-s-cybersecurity-risks

The FBI has released a public service announcement warning educators and parents that edtech can create cybersecurity risks for students.

In April 2017, security researchers found a flaw in Schoolzilla’s data configuration settings. And in May 2017, a hacker reportedly stole 77 million user accounts from Edmodo.

Amelia Vance, the director of the Education Privacy Project at the Future of Privacy Forum, writes in an email to EdSurge that the FBI likely wanted to make sure that as the new school year starts, parents and schools are aware of potential security risks. And while she thinks it’s “great” that the FBI is bringing more attention to this issue, she wishes the public service announcement had also addressed another crucial challenge.

“Schools across the country lack funding to provide and maintain adequate security,” she writes. “Now that the FBI has focused attention on these concerns, policymakers must step up and fund impactful security programs.”

According to Vance, a better approach might involve encouraging parents to have conversations with their children’s’ school about how it keeps student data safe.

++++++++++
more on cybersecurity in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=cybersecurity

Trello and Slack for education

No Slacking Off! How Savvy Teachers Are Turning to Trello and Slack

By Tony Wan     Jul 28, 2015  https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-07-28-no-slacking-off-how-savvy-teachers-are-turning-to-trello-and-slack

My note: Email is for old people (https://www.chronicle.com/article/E-Mail-is-for-Old-People/4169) compare with Trello + Slack
“The idea behind us using Slack [last fall] was to kill internal email,” says Green. That’s a common refrain in pro-Slack headlines, with good reason. Users can drop links and files into any Slack conversation.

documented here how educators use Trello to manage project-based learning activities that involve group work and peer review.

Slack has been described as “ a private Twitter on steroids.” At first glance, the tool looks like a chat room—but it’s got more going on inside.

Like Twitter, Slack features hashtags that denote specific “channels” dedicated to topics, but each channel operates like its own chat room. Users can send messages to a channel or directly to one another (one-to-one), and also create private groups for focused discussions (one-to-few).

connected Trello to Slack so that he receives a notification whenever his students make edits on a Trello card. He turns to Slack to communicate directly with students and groups, often leaving feedback on assignments. “It hasn’t been effective as a way to broadcast information to the entire class,” Green admits. “But it’s become a very important tool for us to share resources for kids, and have 1-on-1 conversations with students.”

Other educators are exploring how to use Slack as a professional learning network.

SlackEDU group

+++++++++++++++++
more on Trello in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=trello

and Slack
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=slack

AI for Education

The Promise (and Pitfalls) of AI for Education

Artificial intelligence could have a profound impact on learning, but it also raises key questions.

By Dennis Pierce, Alice Hathaway 08/29/18

https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/08/29/the-promise-of-ai-for-education.aspx

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are no longer fantastical prospects seen only in science fiction. Products like Amazon Echo and Siri have brought AI into many homes,

Kelly Calhoun Williams, an education analyst for the technology research firm Gartner Inc., cautions there is a clear gap between the promise of AI and the reality of AI.

Artificial intelligence is a broad term used to describe any technology that emulates human intelligence, such as by understanding complex information, drawing its own conclusions and engaging in natural dialog with people.

Machine learning is a subset of AI in which the software can learn or adapt like a human can. Essentially, it analyzes huge amounts of data and looks for patterns in order to classify information or make predictions. The addition of a feedback loop allows the software to “learn” as it goes by modifying its approach based on whether the conclusions it draws are right or wrong.

AI can process far more information than a human can, and it can perform tasks much faster and with more accuracy. Some curriculum software developers have begun harnessing these capabilities to create programs that can adapt to each student’s unique circumstances.

For instance, a Seattle-based nonprofit company called Enlearn has developed an adaptive learning platform that uses machine learning technology to create highly individualized learning paths that can accelerate learning for every student. (My note: about learning and technology, Alfie Kohn in https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2018/09/11/educational-technology/

GoGuardian, a Los Angeles company, uses machine learning technology to improve the accuracy of its cloud-based Internet filtering and monitoring software for Chromebooks. (My note: that smells Big Brother).Instead of blocking students’ access to questionable material based on a website’s address or domain name, GoGuardian’s software uses AI to analyze the actual content of a page in real time to determine whether it’s appropriate for students. (my note: privacy)

serious privacy concerns. It requires an increased focus not only on data quality and accuracy, but also on the responsible stewardship of this information. “School leaders need to get ready for AI from a policy standpoint,” Calhoun Williams said. For instance: What steps will administrators take to secure student data and ensure the privacy of this information?

++++++++++++
more on AI in education in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=artifical+intelligence

Teachers on Instagram

Teachers Are Moonlighting As Instagram Influencers To Make Ends Meet

One teacher in Texas told BuzzFeed News she makes a $50,000 a year, but made over $200,000 in a year through Instagram.

++++++++++++
more on social media in education in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=social+media+education

1 2 3 4