Research? Most people cannot understand it – FT.com #yam

English: University of Texas at Austin wordmark.
English: University of Texas at Austin wordmark. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Should business school students be made to foot the bill for academic research that no one reads? Not any more, says Larry Zicklin, a former chairman of Wall Street investment firm Neuberger Berman, a clinical professor at New York University’s Stern School and a lecturer on ethics at the Wharton school at the University of Pennsylvania.

With academic journals under increasing attack from several quarters, Mr Zicklin has upset some colleagues in urging schools to cut tuition fees by making faculty members focus more on teaching and less on publishing research in journals. He points to research that uses the University of Texas at Austin as a case study and says that fees could be halved if 80 per cent of faculty with the lowest teaching loads were to teach only half as much as the 20 per cent with the highest teaching loads. He predicts that the rise of massive open online courses, or Moocs, and other market forces will conspire against schools that fail to act.

via Research? Most people cannot understand it – FT.com.

How to Stick with It When You’re Learning Something New On Your Own #yam

English: My Learning Ltd - Secondary Learning ...
English: My Learning Ltd – Secondary Learning Platform Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Most of us have a passion to learn something new—whether it’s advancing our skillset, picking up a new hobby, or just taking on an entire new learning experience—but unless you’re incredibly dedicated to it, learning something new is surprisingly hard to stick with. Here are a few ways to make your new habit stick.

We’ve talked about plenty of different resources for learning on your own. The problem isn’t that the data and classes aren’t out there and freely available, it’s coming up with the dedication and structure when you don’t have a bill from a college hanging over your head. A recent Open Culture survey shows a number of the most common reasons people don’t complete online courses, ranging from the time required to complete a class to simple old learning fatigue. Most of these problems are easy to deal with.

While you might show an interest in something that doesn’t mean you’ll always stick to it. So, I spoke with Kio Stark, author of the recently released book, Don’t Go Back to School the book should be available on Amazon this week as well about how to come up with a self-education plan you’ll actually stick to.

via How to Stick with It When You’re Learning Something New On Your Own.

‘CodeSpells’ wizard game teaches you how to program in Java (Wired UK) #yam

English: Reserved words of the Java programmin...
English: Reserved words of the Java programming language Dansk: Nøgleord i programmeringssproget Java. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A team of computer scientists has developed a videogame called CodeSpells that teaches people how to code in Java.

The game was tested on a group of 10- to 12-year-old girls who had never done any programming before. After an hour of gameplay, the girls had mastered some of the basic components of Java. The team that developed the game — from UC San Diego — plans to release the game for free and make it available to educational institutions and code clubs.

Computer scientist William Griswold, who headed up the project, said he developed the game because there is a lack of qualified instructors to teaching computer science below college level in a way that is accessible. Griswold and his graduate students decided to design a videogame that “completely immerses programming into the gameplay”. The aim was to keep children engaged while they are learning programming, which can be frustrating.

via ‘CodeSpells’ wizard game teaches you how to program in Java (Wired UK).

Learning STEM Skills by Designing Video Games | Edutopia

US Navy 100727-N-4304M-001 A student at a scie...
US Navy 100727-N-4304M-001 A student at a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) summer camp at Ryken High School in Leonardtown, Md (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Texas 10-year-old Rhys uses Gamestar Mechanic to program and create worlds to play in, learning valuable skills in science, technology, engineering, and math along the way.

via Learning STEM Skills by Designing Video Games | Edutopia.

Free Technology for Teachers: A Short Guide to Mobile Blogging Apps for Students and Teachers

Image representing Blogger as depicted in Crun...
Image via CrunchBase

One of the blogging activities that I often suggest in my workshops is having students record and share on-the-spot observations during field trips. To do this your students should have a mobile blogging application on their iOS and Android devices. If your students dont have iOS or Android devices if they have a mobile device that has a web browser or email client they can post via email to Blogger. Heres a short run-down of mobile blogging options on the blog platforms that I usually recommend to teachers.

via Free Technology for Teachers: A Short Guide to Mobile Blogging Apps for Students and Teachers.

Dan Ariely’s MOOC, “A Beginner’s Guide to Irrational Behavior,” Starts Monday | Open Culture

Dan Ariely speaking at TED
Dan Ariely speaking at TED (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Back in November we gave you a heads up on A Beginner’s Guide to Irrational Behavior, a MOOC being created by Dan Ariely. If you’re a frequent visitor to our site, you know that Ariely is a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, who has previously explained by why well-intentioned people lie, and why CEOs repeatedly get outsized bonuses that have no basis in rationality. Ariely’s six-week course finally begins tomorrow (Monday the 25th), so, before you miss the boat, reserve your free seat today.

A Beginner’s Guide to Irrational Behavior now appears on our  list of 300 Free MOOCs from Great Universities.

via Dan Ariely’s MOOC, “A Beginner’s Guide to Irrational Behavior,” Starts Monday | Open Culture.

Dan Ariely is one of the best scientists writing today. This would be a great course to sign up to.

‘Our School Would Be Better Off Without iPads.’ | Edudemic

English: iPads can be a distraction to learning
English: iPads can be a distraction to learning (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We go on and on about iPads, tablets, phablets, and just about every other piece of technology out there. But the discussion is slowly changing. It’s becoming less and less about how to deploy as much technology as possible. Instead, the discussion is shifting (luckily) back over to effectively connecting with students. Check out the recent post by George Couros to see what I’m talking about. It’s easy to see that there is a slow pivot happening in education right now where we’re becoming a little less enamored by shiny new iGadgets and other tech tools. Instead, we want to figure out how to effectively use what we have in order to actually connect with students.

So that’s why it was interesting to see a comment pop up on a recent post here on Edudemic about iPads. In that post, someone who wrote as ‘student 21′ pointed out the problem of deploying iPads in school. They’re not always effectively used. This goes for iPads as much as any other learning resource (electronic or not). It’s all in how the device is used.

via ‘Our School Would Be Better Off Without iPads.’ | Edudemic.

Read the original article for the details.

6 Reasons to Invest in Better STEM Education [#INFOGRAPHIC] | EdTech Magazine

US Navy 100727-N-4304M-001 A student at a scie...
US Navy 100727-N-4304M-001 A student at a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) summer camp at Ryken High School in Leonardtown, Md (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There’s no escaping the urgency for better science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instruction in the nation’s K–12 schools. If you don’t know by now that U.S. students have struggled to keep pace with their international counterparts in important core subjects, such as math and science, we’ll assume that you’ve spent the last several years teaching under a rock.

But just how bad is the problem—and what can U.S. schools do to better prepare students for the demands of an increasingly technical, STEM-intensive future?

We recently came across this interesting infographic from nonprofit Edutopia, which illustrates how a firm math and technology-based education can improve students’ long-term job and career prospects.

via 6 Reasons to Invest in Better STEM Education [#INFOGRAPHIC] | EdTech Magazine.

This infographic is for the USA but the Scottish picture is similar.

Educators Share Tech Struggles: From Tablets To Twitter – Education –

Image representing Twitter as depicted in Crun...
Image via CrunchBase

Should teachers use social media? What are the best practices for flipped classrooms? How are educators in other countries using computers and networks?

These were but a few of the 400 session topics at the 68th annual meeting of the ASCD this past weekend in Chicago, where technology‘s impact on teachers, students and institutions dominated much of the discussion. This year, the nonprofit’s three-day conference and exhibit drew more than 10,000 educators and administrators, as well as hundreds of vendors.

But technology isn’t a panacea, said ASCD speakers and attendees.

“We must think through how to help students use technology as a tool rather than having that tool rule our lives,” Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, declared during his keynote in the first general session Saturday. Rather than focus on tech skills per se, Hrabowski said, “the key skill every student should have coming to college, other than reading, is the ability to ask good questions.”

via Educators Share Tech Struggles: From Tablets To Twitter – Education –.

TeachThought | 30 Incredible Ways Technology Will Change Education By 2028

Technology Map - Tutornet
Technology Map – Tutornet (Photo credit: steven w)

Technology is changing at a rapid pace, so much so that it’s challenging to grasp.

While there is little uniformity in technology, there are some trends worth noting that have spurred tangent innovation, including speed (a shift from dial-up top broad band), size (from huge computers to small handheld devices), and connectivity (through always-on apps and social media).

In fact, we have some to expect nearly instant obsolescence—smartphone contracts that last a mere 24 months seem like ages. Whether this is a matter of trend or function is a matter of perspective, but it’s true that technology is changing—and not just as a matter of power, but tone.

In 2013, technology has become not just a tool, but a standard and matter of credibility. While learning by no means requires technology, to design learning without technology is an exercise in spite—proving a point at the cost of potential. And it’s difficult to forget how new this is.

Fifteen years ago, a current high school sophomore was born.

So was Google.

via TeachThought | 30 Incredible Ways Technology Will Change Education By 2028.