Education 2.0 & 3.0

While these emerging technologies may offer many benefits for students and professors, institutions will need to address ethical and safety concerns.

Via Elizabeth E Charles

In March 2020, UK higher education embarked on a sudden shift to digital learning. In the vast majority of cases, it wasn’t a designed and fully realised transformation of teaching and learning.

 

It was an emergency response to an unprecedented situation that relied on upskilling staff rapidly enough to enable them to deliver the remainder of their courses, and assess them, in as effective and equitable way as possible. 

 

The extent of this digital shift, and the tools, techniques and platforms used, varied not only between universities but also within them, depending on the demands of different departments and the confidence and capabilities of the staff.

Via Elizabeth E Charles

"Edtech, or “educational tech,” is the utilization of apps and tech devices for the purpose of teaching and learning. Edtech can happen inside or outside of classrooms, at any time, and in any place. Most modern edtech involves the use of a wireless internet connection and an electronic device such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, or desktop computer. Edtech allows for one learner or five million to learn, anywhere on earth, and to take the same classes as each other."

Via EDTECH@UTRGV, Elizabeth E Charles

Looking for some tips on how to help you better integrate technology in your instruction? The visual below has you covered. It features 10 activities you can do in your class with the help of web technologies. These activities include how to: run a virtual field trip, quiet a noisy classroom, use videos for mini-lessons, coordinate live video, add multimedia elements to presentations, use digital exit tickets, study and critique web content, gather student feedback, launch a wiki page or blog for a collaborative assignment.

Via Elizabeth E Charles

As schools settle into more sustained use of online learning tools, attention needs to be paid to teachers’ development and resource needs as well as their students’, writes Patrick Roach

It now seems like a lifetime ago that the majority of children and young people’s learning took place at school. The speed and scale of the Coronavirus crisis meant that virtually overnight living rooms, kitchens, sheds and bedrooms have been repurposed as places of both learning and teaching.

For the majority of schools this has meant a sudden and abrupt shift to delivering the majority of learning online. For some schools this will have been easier than others.

Via Elizabeth E Charles

“How did you do that?” This is a question I have been asked a few times in my career when using an element of technology in my lessons.

The thing is, this is not a reaction to my students tackling some carefully crafted web quest or using iPads to create animated video clips (simply because I don’t usually do those kind of tasks but more on that later!) It is often a reaction to my class using an app like Padlet to collaborate or Kahoot to create their own quizzes.

“I didn’t do that,” is usually my answer. “I just set it up and my students did the rest.”

“But it seems so complicated,” they continue. “I could never do something like that.”

When a teacher is reluctant to use technology in class, there are two reasons they may offer – “I don’t know much about technology,” and/or “my students are much better with tech than me so how could I teach them anything with it?”

Via Elizabeth E Charles

The COVID-19 pandemic reminds us that in times of turmoil, decisions made for the greater good can have collateral impacts. It’s becoming evident that efforts to contain the virus and limit social distancing are increasing precarity for some people, especially those already in socio-economically disadvantaged positions. Universities are not immune to these collateral impacts, and last week’s decision by most Canadian universities to finish the current term by moving pedagogical components online is one of those times when a small segment of students will be neglected in a move meant to benefit all of them.

 

The decision is a show of resilience and solidarity by our higher education institutions. But the problem is the digital divide among students. Even in our great cosmopolitan country, not everyone has equal access to the web and all its resources. This digital divide was on the radar a few years ago, with a push to bring broadband to remote constituencies. But less attention has been devoted to the divide in urban settings, and especially within the hubs of knowledge that are universities.

Via Elizabeth E Charles

So it has happened – OER20 in London in April has been cancelled. This comes as no surprise but it’s still disappointing not to be meeting up with friends, hearing their ideas and, in my case, meet…

Via Elizabeth E Charles

Today, the classroom is much more dynamic and innovative than it used to be. While in years past, the classroom was seemingly immune to digitization, that’s no longer the case. Nearly every kid of every age has a smartphone and a digital-first mentality. 

Some teachers have fully embraced EdTech in their classrooms, while for others, it’s a work in progress. We’re here to help you along. In this in-depth guide, we explore everything from education’s evolution to tips for making the most of technology in the classroom to current tools you can use to save time and improve the learning experience.

Via Elizabeth E Charles

When and how much should students be using technology in class?
What is the best way to set up my classroom for device use?
How can I make sure I am protecting student privacy when using technology?
Which policies and procedures will help me get the most out of teaching with technology?
Are there benefits to allowing student phones in the classroom? If so, what are they?
How can I keep kids on task when they're using devices?
How can digital citizenship lessons help me get the most out of teaching with technology?
How can I use technology to support learning outside of school?

Via Elizabeth E Charles

This blog post is a reflection of two events I went to at the end of October at Keele University and at the UK Council of Graduate Education, both where I presented and spoke to some brilliant people, but it made me think of the well known English phrase ‘rhetoric and reality’. To

Via Elizabeth E Charles

Edtech has not delivered on its promise to transform education. In fact, schools seldom realize the full promise of education technology. Are we expecting too much from technology? A new OECD report, Students, Computers and Learning: Making the Connections, has found that investing heavily in ICT for education doesn’t lead to appreciable improvements in student achievement in reading, math or science.

It seems the use of computers, iPads and online teaching materials doesn’t translate into improved learning outcomes.

Via Elizabeth E Charles

As more and more teachers and educators resort to the services of the web to help with the delivery of their teaching, the question of how we can best use technology to serve our pedagogical practices become even more persistent. In this regard, SAMR model as conceptualized by Dr Ruben Puentedura (2006)  is a good analytic framework you should definitely consider.

As we have stated elsewhere, 'SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition) is a four-level conceptual framework developed by to help teachers make effective use of technology in their instruction

Via Elizabeth E Charles

Blended learning isn’t new to higher education, but the coronavirus pandemic has fueled a rapid expansion as colleges combine the flexibility of online instruction with the benefits of face-to-face interaction.

Increased reliance on blended learning highlights the need to optimize a delivery mode that’s unfamiliar to many instructors. 

The University of Central Florida, an early adopter of online education, was quick to recognize the benefits of a blended approach, says Kelvin Thompson, executive director of UCF’s Center for Distributed Learning. At UCF, hybrid courses consistently yield better outcomes than purely face-to-face or online courses, he says, including higher grades, fewer withdrawals and greater student satisfaction.

Via Elizabeth E Charles

Author: Isabel Drury, Partnership Manager According to UNESCO, more than 1.5 billion students and 63 million primary and secondary teachers have been ...

Via Elizabeth E Charles

"Many students look at online learning courses as a respite from the rigors of brick-and-mortar learning, but that’s only true if educators and administrators choose not to maximize the digital learning environment to challenge their student populace.  While digital learning has its limitations and flaws, it can also be used as a powerful tool to stimulate critical thinking in students. In fact, there are plenty of ways to induce such propensities for critical thought without a student even being aware of it!"

Via EDTECH@UTRGV, Elizabeth E Charles

Amid talk of pandemics and economics, it may seem like a comparatively minor discussion to have: the difference between remote learning and online learning. 

But, with COVID-19 forcing schools around the nation to move their classrooms online and more and more scrutiny leveled at the sustainability of doing so, it’s a conversation that education experts increasingly insist should happen. Making the distinction, some say, could shape the future of online learning for years to come. 

Via Elizabeth E Charles

A growing number of colleges and universities are announcing the cancellation of face-to-face teaching for what remains of the academic year, and continuing instead through online teaching. Given the technology available, this need not be especially problematic. But in practice, it is, and in many cases means the 2020 academic year is lost.

 

Things didn’t have to end like this: Learning online is not impossible, but will be difficult unless we start looking at things differently. Why is it a problem for teaching to continue through the internet? 

Via Elizabeth E Charles

Ana Christina Pratas - insights

Things to Consider as You Move Your Teaching Online

• Uneven resources always exist, but the move online makes this structural inequality more obvious.
• A variety of needs for privacy should always be accommodated in learning communities.
• An online class is not the same thing as a class with physical persons gathered to learn together in a brick and mortar classroom in real time and physical space.
• You don’t have a “flipped classroom.” You no longer have a classroom at all!
• Reject calls to highlight prestige, peer institutions, and imitation of star systems on other campuses and instead explore what is needed and best about where you work and then also foster connections across difference.
• Embrace DIY peer-to-peer improvised faculty and student connections, as did the first FemTechNet connected classes: https://femtechnet.org/docc/
• Reject the push and rush to “learn” the technology; do this in your own way; admit that you are learning as you go.
• The supposedly “born digital” generation needs just as much help as others.
• Your online course is not simply about imparting information in one direction.
• Consider what co-presence means in any learning situation and how we relate to each other newly through screens and with various technologies.
• Consider how international students can be supported in a time of widespread anti-Asian racism.
• Consider how to recognize and thank everyone who is participating in the class.
• Online experiences can be unsafe. Please see our resources at the Center for Solutions to Online Violence at http://femtechnet.org/csov/.
• Differences around race, class, nationality, gender, sexuality, and ability don’t disappear in online environments.  Online experience is as racist and sexist and homophobic as anywhere else.
• Feminists have been thinking about digital learning since its inception. Please see our white paper on Transforming Higher Education with Distributed Open Collaborative Courses (DOCCs): Feminist Pedagogies and Networked Learning http://femtechnet.org/about/white-paper/"

Via Ana Cristina Pratas, Elizabeth E Charles

A number of schools and universities may be required to close due to the coronavirus outbreak, but how can you quickly move your teaching online?

The sudden closure of universities and schools across the globe has created a demand in delivering educational content online. The Open University has long been a front-runner in distance learning, specifically online. Did you also know that we provide FREE content on OpenLearn, written by Open University academics? We offer a variety of FREE courses, interactives, academic insights and animations on a range of subjects.

Via Elizabeth E Charles

In this free course, Take your teaching online, you will gain  knowledge fundamental to delivering effective teaching online.

Via Elizabeth E Charles

Digital learning has limitless possibilities--get some inspiration from how these educators are using edtech tools in their classrooms.

Via Elizabeth E Charles