Microsoft Takes a Bite Out of BrightBytes, Acquiring Its DataSense Platform and Team
Tony Wan Feb 5, 2019
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-02-04-microsoft-takes-a-bite-out-of-brightbytes-acquires-its-datasense-platform-and-team
From launching new tablets to virtual-reality curriculum, Microsoft has added plenty to its educational offerings
DataSense, a data management platform developed by Brightbytes.
DataSense is a set of professional services that work with K-12 districts to collect data from different data systems, translate them into unified formats and aggregate that information into a unified dashboard for reporting purposes.
DataSense traces its origins to Authentica Solutions, an education data management company founded in 2013.
A month later, BrightBytes acquired Authentica. The deal was hailed as a “major milestone in the industry” and appeared to be a complement to BrightBytes’ flagship offering, Clarity, a suite of data analytics tools that help educators understand the impact of technology spending and usage on student outcomes.
Of the “Big Five” technology giants, Microsoft has become the most acqui-hungry as of late in the learning and training space. In recent years it purchased several consumer brand names whose services reach into education, including LinkedIn (which owns Lynda.com, now a part of the LinkedIn Learning suite), Minecraft (which has been adapted for use in the classroom) and Github (which released an education bundle).
Last year, Microsoft also acquired a couple of smaller education tools, including Flipgrid, a video-discussion platform popular among teachers, and Chalkup, whose services have been rolled into Microsoft Teams, its competitor to Slack.
6 ways to use students’ smartphones for learning
By Kelsey Ehnle 12/26/2018 BYOD Mobile learning Tools
Smartphones also provide an easy way for teachers to “inspire students to positively contribute to and responsibly participate in the digital world,” as espoused by the
ISTE Standards for Educators.
research shows that when students are engaged in their learning — and they’re almost always engaged with their phones when given a choice — they are less likely to succumb to distractions.
1. Create short videos.
Videos can express any type of learning in any style, from music videos to interviews, book trailers, historical re-enactments, tutorials and stop animations.
Flipgrid is the one of the best educational video-creation sites
2. Access an online dictionary and thesaurus.
Find synonyms in many languages at Open Thesaurus!
Linguee.
PONS or LEO. Question about a verb conjugation? Go to LEO or Canoo (for German)
3. Collaborate and share with Padlet and Twitter.
4. Scan QR codes.
5. Listen to podcasts and read the news.
6. Compete against classmates!
Quizlet and Kahoot, Gimkit
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=kahoot
6. Use the apps, obviously.
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Gartner predicts that nearly 38 percent of companies will stop providing devices to workers by 2017 — but 20 percent of those BYOD programs will fail because of overly restrictive mobile device management measures. So how can IT pros devise a BYOD strategy that stays afloat? Here are six guidelines to accommodate legitimate IT concerns without sinking a policy’s odds of success:
Look to Existing Policies
Before creating a BYOD policy, take a look at existing HR and legal procedures. Many email, VPN, and remote access security policies can be applied to mobile devices, as well.
Provide Training and Education
Employees are using personal devices at work, whether the company realizes it or not. But that doesn’t mean they are using them correctly. Employees often use file-sharing and other tools of their choosing without IT’s knowledge, which could put sensitive corporate data at risk. Use a BYOD policy to trainemployees how to correctly use their applications
Specify Devices
BYOD isn’t limited to smartphones. According to Gartner, a “new norm” is emerging in which employees manage up to four or five devices at work.
Enforce Passwords and Encryption
passwords aren’t foolprool. Data encryption is an additional security measure
A smart BYOD policy doesn’t mean IT is off the hook. Rather, successful policies rely on IT and employees sharing security obligations.
Set Ownership Expectations
Employees often fail to realize that all data on their devices is discoverable, regardless of whether the device is personal or company-owned. The question of who owns what is still a legal gray area, though companies increasingly take the liberty to remote wipe employees’ personal devices once they leave their job. Avoid the guessing game with a clear exit strategy.
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more on BYOD in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=byod
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=mobile+learning
Virtual Reality Book Tours
https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2018/09/virtual-reality-book-tours.html
Google’s VR Tour Creator
Vocaroo provides an easy way to record and download spoken audio.
This video provides an overview of the basic steps needed to make a VR tour. To add audio to the tour, follow the steps outlined in this video. And watch this video to learn how to layer-in pictures
VR Book Tour With Patches. is a free online tool for creating virtual reality scenes.
CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS
Proposal Submission Deadline: February 12, 2019
Leveraging Technology for the Improvement of School Safety and Student Wellbeing
A book edited by Dr. Stephanie Huffman, Dr. Stacey Loyless, Dr. Shelly Allbritton, and Dr. Charlotte Green (University of Central Arkansas)
Introduction
Technology permeates all aspects of today’s school systems. An Internet search on technology in schools can generate millions of website results. The vast majority of these websites (well over 8,000,000 results for one simple search) focuses on advice, activities, and uses of technology in the classroom. Clearly teaching and learning with technology dominates the literature and conversations on how technology should or could be used in classroom settings. A search on school safety and technology can produce more than 3,000,000 results with many addressing technological tools such as video cameras, entry control devices, weapon detectors, and other such hardware. However, in recent times, cyberbullying appears to dominate the Internet conversations in references to school safety. With an increase in school violence in the past two decades, school safety is a fundamental concern in our nation’s schools. Policy makers, educators, parents, and students are seeking answers in how best to protect the physical, emotional, and social well-being of all children.
Objective of the Book
The proposed edited book covers the primary topic of P-12 school safety and the use of technology and technology used for fostering an environment in which all students can be academically successful and thrive as global citizens. School safety is defined as the physical, social, and emotional well-being of children. The book will comprise empirical, conceptual and case based (practical application) research that craft an overall understanding of the issues in creating a “safe” learning environment and the role technology can and should play; where a student’s well-being is valued and protected from external and internal entities, equitable access is treasured as a means for facilitating the growth of the whole student, and policy, practices, and procedures are implemented to build a foundation to transform the culture and climate of the school into an inclusive nurturing environment.
Target Audience
The target audience is leadership and education scholars, leadership practitioners, and technology coordinators. This book will be used as a collective body of work for the improvement of K-12 schools and as a tool for improving leadership and teacher preparation programs. School safety is a major concern for educators. Technology has played a role in creating unsafe environments for children; however it also is an avenue for addressing the challenges of school safety
Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
Section I – Digital Leadership
- Technology as a Climate and Cultural Transformation Tool
- School Leadership in the Digital Age: Building a Shared Vision for all Aspects of Learning and Teaching
- Ensuring Equity within a “One to One” Technology Framework
- Infrastructure within Communities
- Accessible WiFi for Low SES Students
- Developing Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
- Professional Development for School Leaders
Section II – Well Being
- Social Media and School Safety: Inputs and Outputs
- Tip lines: Crime, Bullying, Threats
- Communication and Transparency
- Platform for Social Justice
- Teaching Strategies to Promote Healthy Student Interactions in Cyberspace (Digital Citizenship?)
- Building Capacity and Efficacy, Platform to lower incidence of Cyber-Bullying, Boosting Instructional Engagement
- Literacy and Preparedness for the Influence and Consequence of Digital Media Marketing Campaigns directed toward Children, Adolescents, and Teens.
- Pioneering Innovative Technology Program in Curriculum: Fostering “Belonging” beyond Athletics & Arts.
Section III- Infrastructure Safety
- Campus/Facility Safety and Security
- Rural Schools vs. Urban Schools
- Digital A/V Systems
- Background Check – Visitor Registration (i.e. Raptor)
- Network Security Systems and Protocols
- User Filtering and Monitoring
- Firewalls
- Policy
- Appropriate use policies
- Digital Citizenship
- Web development policy
- Privacy
- Intellectual Property & Copyright
Section IV – Academic Success
- Professional Development for Classroom Teachers
- Pedagogical Integration of Technology
- Instructional Coaching for Student Engagement
- Increase Rigor with Technology
- Competence in the Blended/Hybrid/Flipped Classroom
- Technology to enhance learning for all
- Assistive Technology
- Accessibility issues
- Internet access for Low SES Students in the Blended/Hybrid/Flipped Classroom
- Personal Learning Design
- Differentiation for Student Efficacy
- Strategies for Increasing Depth of Knowledge
- Design Qualities for Enhanced Engagement
Submission Procedure
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before February 12, 2019, a chapter proposal of 1,000 to 2,000 words clearly explaining the purpose, methodology, and a brief summary findings of his or her proposed chapter. Authors will be notified by March 12, 2019 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by June 12, 2019, and all interested authors must consult the guidelines for manuscript submissions at http://www.igi-global.com/publish/contributor-resources/before-you-write/ prior to submission. See Edited Chapter Template. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.
Note: There are no submission or acceptance fees for manuscripts submitted to this book publication, Leveraging Technology for the Improvement of School Safety and Student Wellbeing. All manuscripts are accepted based on a double-blind peer review editorial process.
All proposals should be submitted through the eEditorial Discovery®TM online submission manager. USE THE FOLLOWING LINK TO SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL. https://www.igi-global.com/publish/call-for-papers/call-details/3709
Publisher
This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), an international academic publisher of the “Information Science Reference” (formerly Idea Group Reference), “Medical Information Science Reference,” “Business Science Reference,” and “Engineering Science Reference” imprints. IGI Global specializes in publishing reference books, scholarly journals, and electronic databases featuring academic research on a variety of innovative topic areas including, but not limited to, education, social science, medicine and healthcare, business and management, information science and technology, engineering, public administration, library and information science, media and communication studies, and environmental science. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit http://www.igi-global.com. This publication is anticipated to be released in 2020.
Important Dates
February 12, 2019: Proposal Submission Deadline
March 12, 2019: Notification of Acceptance
June 12, 2019: Full Chapter Submission
August 10, 2019: Review Results Returned
August 10, 2019: Final Acceptance Notification
September 7, 2019: Final Chapter Submission
Inquiries can be forwarded to
Dr. Stephanie Huffman
University of Central Arkansas
steph@uca.edu or 501-450-5430
Does Presence Equal Progress? Tracking Engagement in Online Schools
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-09-25-does-presence-equal-progress-tracking-engagement-in-online-schools
Embracing online school requires a new mindset, as well as new criteria for measuring academic success—measures that take into account the nature of teaching and learning online, the types of students online schools serve, and the unique ways in which those students learn.
Teachers interact with students during synchronous learning sessions, and they connect one-on-one through calls, online chats, texts, and interactive whiteboard sessions.
Accountability measures must adapt to and reflect a self-paced, competency-based learning environment. A traditional one-size-fits-all rubric does not translate cleanly with respect to online schools.
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more on online engagement in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=online+engagement
Digital Text is Changing How Kids Read—Just Not in the Way That You Think
Holly Korbey, Aug 21, 2018
According to San Jose State University researcher Ziming Lu, this is typical “screen-based reading behavior,” with more time spent browsing, scanning and skimming than in-depth reading. As reading experiences move online, experts have been exploring how reading from a screen may be changing our brains. Reading expert Maryanne Wolf, author of Proust and the Squid, has voiced concerns that digital reading will negatively affect the brain’s ability to read deeply for sophisticated understanding, something that Nicholas Carr also explored in his book, The Shallows. Teachers are trying to steer students toward digital reading strategies that practice deep reading, and nine out of ten parents say that having their children read paper books is important to them.
“Digital reading is good in some ways, and bad in others,” he said: in other words, it’s complicated.
According to Julie Coiro, a reading researcher at the University of Rhode Island, moving from digital to paper and back again is only a piece of the attention puzzle: the larger and more pressing issue is how reading online is taxing kids’ attention. Online reading, Coiro noticed, complicates the comprehension process “a million-fold.”
Each time a student reads online content, Coiro said, they are faced with almost limitless input and decisions, including images, video and multiple hyperlinks that lead to even more information. As kids navigate a website, they must constantly ask themselves: is this the information I’m looking for?
digital cleanse
Selecting the Right Tech Solutions for Your Classroom
Course Description:
Integrating technology into your teaching practice can be intimidating. Where do you start? What tools do you choose? What are the questions you need to ask?
In Selecting the Right Tech Solutions for Your Classroom, you’ll get the guidance you need to thrive with edtech, whether you’re just dipping your toe in or rethinking a districtwide approach. Throughout the course, you’ll engage in online content, develop materials specific to your context and receive feedback from experts. The course culminates with a capstone project that can be used to communicate with stakeholders about your selected technology, your rationale for choosing it and how you’ll implement it.
This is a 15-hour, instructor-led course.
Winter session: February 5 – March 29, 2019
Hello Rayan,
I am familiar with Badgr and Credly, but cannot speak to the ease (or difficulty) of implementation. Here are some resources that might be helpful.
Comparison tools and platform lists
Write-ups by other institutions or systems:
Lecturer Faculty, Department of Equity, Leadership Studies & Instructional Technologies
San Francisco State University
Email: kkelly@sfsu.edu
Phone: 415.794.5327
We are exploring the very same topic. We have been using Credly for the past year or so to give badges to faculty who complete courses in a 3 course series we developed for effective online teaching.
That said, we are a Canvas school and, as we explore our own pilot program, are looking at Badgr’s badging solution (which is free to use, at least for Canvas, maybe all though?) as well as their Pathway’s solution for stacking badges and providing a view of that badge path for participants.
It’s is all very early stage but those are the two platforms and vendors we have focused our time currently.
John Kinsella
Instructional Systems Consultant
ITS – STELAR: St. Thomas E-Learning and Research
(651) 962-7839
jrkinsella@stthomas.edu
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https://support.suitable.co/hc/en-us
https://support.suitable.co/hc/en-us/articles/115000780372-Achievements-Badges-
mostly working with undergrads.
the emphasis (strong side) is the streamlining of the different offices and activities on campus
levels of proficiency is very much geared toward undergrads
aspects of gamification, but no peer support credit/badge
U of Pittsburgh – OCC outside the class curriculum
Monclair U (NJ second largest):
U of Wyoming: after level 3, career coach does storytelling appointment.
pilot is $5K and institutional can vary between $10-15K
segmenting capabilities.
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more on Credly in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=credly
‘My reminders are not spam!’: Teachers and parents protest Verizon over new texting fees
https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/us/2019/01/15/remind-teachers-and-parents-protest-verizon-texting-fees-reversethefee/
Remind, emailed users late Monday to tell them that Verizon had decided to treat their messages as spam — a move that would make it impossible to continue distributing messages for free. The change would affect 7 million of the service’s 31 million users
Remind officials said the company had been trying to negotiate with Verizon since last summer, when the company first announced the rate increase. (They also said they are locked in a similar conflict with a telecommunications company in Canada.)
