Courtneys News

Volume 1 Technology in Schools 15 May 2013

Advancements in One Year or Less

loud Computing refers to on-demand services and tools that serve to the user through the Internet from a particular data center. It supports collaboration, file storage, virtualization, and access to computing cycles. Cloud computing also means grid computing. Clouds can be public, private, secure, or a hybrid of any or all of these. Google Apps, for example, has become a popular choice for education institutions. Many have moved their email accounts to Gmail and adopted Google Docs for document sharing. But these services dont have high security needs. Private Cloud computing solves these issues by providing solutions in secure environments. Almost everyone who uses the network relies on Cloud computing to access and share their information.

Mobile learning is being connected to the internet wherever you go.

The evolution of these devices has opened the door to many uses for education. Learning institutions all over the world are exploring ways to make their websites, educational materials, resources, and opportunities all available online and optimized for mobile devices. Mobile Apps are the most compelling aspect of mobile learning. Smartphones and tablets have redefined what we mean by mobile computing, and apps have become a hotbed for development. Apps enable users to learn and experience new concepts wherever they are.*

Mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, enable users to do just that through cellular networks and wireless power.

Benefits of Technology

ducation standards are beginning to include online learning and collaborative models. Students already spend much of their time on the internet, usually on social networks exchanging new information. Online learning can offer different affordances than physical campuses, like equipping students with stronger digital skills. Social media is changing the way people interact, present information, and communicate. More than one billion

people use Facebook regularly. Educators, students, and even general public use social media to share news about scientific and other developments. Researchers and scientists use social media to keep communities informed one new finding. Seeing how all these various groups use social media speaks to its effectiveness in engaging people. Social media has found significant traction in almost every education sector. It is becoming more common for students to bring their own mobile devices as the cost of technology drops and schools open up their access

policies. A number of schools are launching Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs allowing students to use their own devices in class. This is happening because BYOD impacts budgets, schools can spend less money on technology overall if students use their own but they also help fund students who cannot afford their own devices. BYOD programs can also be attributed to a shift in the attitude as schools are beginning to understand the capabilities of smart phones and other devices that still remain banned in most schools. *

Significant Challenges

here is immense pressure placed on teachers to incorporate emerging technologies and new media in their classrooms. Some schools mandate the use of specific technology but either fail to provide professional development or have a oneday workshop approach that leaves the teachers without skills to integrate the technology long-term. This results in the news tools being underutilized, not used at all, or in way that mimics an old process. Teachers need more time to learn the new technologies before being thrown in to teaching them. New models are also bringing competition to the traditional models of education. Institutions are looking for ways to provide a high quality of service and more learning opportunities. Simply capitalizing on new

technology is not enough; new models must engage students on a deeper level and help them learn. K-12 must address the increased blending of formal and informal learning. Traditional lectures and testing are still dominant learning vehicles in school. For students to get a wellrounded education with real world experience, they also must in engage in more informal in-class activities as well as learning to learn outside the classroom. Most schools are not encouraging students to take risks with their learning. Flipped classroom, is a new model that uses the abundance of educational materials on the internet to allow students to learn new concepts and material outside of school, leaving class time for discussions and experimentation. Designing

an effective learning model is key and using more informal approaches indicates that this trend is here to stay for some time. Another challenge is the demand for personalized learning. It is not supported by current technology or practices. The increasing demand for education that is customized to each students needs is driving the development of new technologies to provide more learner choice and control; it will allow for differentiated instruction but a gap still remains needed to achieve it. Only having one teaching method is not accepted or effective for todays diverse students. Technology can and should support individual choices.

Finally, we are not using digital media the way we should. Throughout the years we have seen a rise in the use of formative assessment. However, there is still a gap in how changes in the curriculum and skill demands are implemented in education. Schools do not always make necessary adjustments in the practices as a result to these changes. *

Top 10 Trends and Challenges

1. People expect to learn and use the internet whenever and wherever they can 2. Using new sources of data for personalizing the learning experience 3. As technology becomes more capable for processing information, colleges will focus on teaching students critical thinking 4. Education models are moving to include online and hybrid learning, as well as collaborative models 5. As the internet becomes easily accessible; teachers must remember their roles as educators 6. Openness to data, concepts, and information are becoming a value 7. Mobilization (mobile devise and apps) provides education to be on demand 8. Workface demands skills from informal learning experiences 9. Students want to use their own technology

10. Learning analytics and tacit intelligence continue to make a big impact on community colleges 1. Preparing for the number of new college students who are placing in developmental courses 2. Campus infrastructures are underresourced 3. Demand for personalized learning is not yet supported by our current technology 4. Educations own processes limit the uptake on new technology 5. Faculty training still does not acknowledge the importance of digital media 6. Most academics are not using new and compelling technology 7. Digital Divide 8. Global drive is becoming a pressure across the system 9. The impact of mobile devices in the workforce are increasing 10.New models of education are bringing competition to older models.