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Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eCampus News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Here’s how to reach every student brain

Expert gives educators tips on how to get every student brain to learn

brain-learning-neuroscienceBy now, most educators know that classroom practices such as differentiating instruction, critical thinking, and making the environment less stressful for students are critical to a 21st-century education. But…why does it work? One education and brain expert says it all comes down to chemicals and neurons.

Dr. Sarah Armstrong, the senior director for statewide K-12 professional development at the University of Virginia and a former elementary school principal and assistant superintendent of curriculum, said she became a “brain junkie” in the 1980s and never looked back.

Armstrong, author of Teaching Smarter With the Brain in Focus: Practical Ways to Apply the Latest Brain Research to Deepen Comprehension, Improve Memory, and Motivate Students to Achieve, discussed with educators how students learn at the chemical level, and why certain practices succeed when others fail.…Read More

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The next big tech: Bringing 3D printing to the classroom

Exploring curiosity through 3D printing has serious potential for faculty and students in the classroom

robox-3d-printing
The frame and motion systems of Robox 3D printer are designed to be extremely rigid and accurately positioned.

The rise in popularity for 3D printing in recent years could easily be considered the next Industrial Revolution.

In fact, the theme of the Inside 3D Printing Conference this year was “The Third Industrial Revolution,” which speaks to how 3D printing opens up the door to more product manufacturing at home.

We’ve already begun to see how 3D printing has made significant changes to how we live today – from small business to medical advancements – so it comes as no surprise that 3D printing and education have been gaining mainstream attention. Here’s why:…Read More

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5 practices you won’t see on campus anymore

Reminiscing about campus life, we wax poetic on practices long gone or on their way out

campus-practices-studentsLast year, we published a throw-back piece on technology in the K-12 classroom that was either on its way out or long gone—ranging from technology like floppy disks to The Oregon Trail. But higher education, though known to practice traditions longer, has also changed dramatically over the last few decades.

With ages ranging from early 60s to our interns who are literally still in college, eCampus News decided to compile a list of practices and traditions we either remembered when going to college that no longer exist or are quickly becoming extinct in its current form.

Have any practices or traditions you remember that aren’t on campus today? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Be sure to leave your comments in the section provided below, email me at mstansbury@ecampusnews.com, or find me @eSN_Meris on Twitter.…Read More

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5 critical tips for implementing mobile technology

Tips include those for educators, IT staff and admin

mobile-technology-students Long gone are the days when having a phone in class was cause for dismissal, with professors and students eager to implement mobile technology into the classroom. The problem is, not all implementation is effective.

From knowing why IT woes occur on your campus to learning why apps aren’t always the saviors they’re marketed to be, these 5 tips can help educators get the most out of mobile learning.

Have any tips you’d like to share? Do you think mobile learning in class is all it’s cracked up to be? Leave your comments in the section below, email me at mstansbury@ecampusnews.com, or find me @eSN_Meris on Twitter.…Read More

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Here’s why the campus still matters

Students create viral videos on the benefits of a college campus

campus-students-videosWith the advent of educational technology, a number of benefits have been touted for online learning and its independence from a physical campus. However, according to some college students, there are a number of benefits to being on campus that are still relevant for today’s savvy students.

Herman Miller Education, a furniture and interior design company, recently asked students from campuses across the U.S. ‘Why does your campus matter?’ Outside of the obvious business and marketing perks to hosting this competition, students created thoughtful videos on the topic, voicing their opinions on the relevance of a physical campus that, perhaps, general media and proponents of online education are quick to dismiss.

For example, first place winner Kevin Czarnik, a Kendall College of Art and Design student, described in his video, “A Space for Creativity,” that “campus informs and shapes my creative and academic endeavors.”…Read More

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A shocking difference between online and traditional students

New study reveals retention rates are all about how students perceive time

perspective-online-studentsThere are many ‘practical’ reasons why a student would pick an online course over an onsite course: money, time constraints, travel time, and supplementing education rather than obtaining a full degree. But a new study reveals that one of the major reasons for dropout rates in online learning has a lot to do with the psycho-social profile of the student.

It’s an intrapsychological factor called temporal perspective (TP) and it’s pretty much the glass half-full/half-empty scenario, mixed in with some other perceptions. And, say researchers Margarida Romero and Mireia Usart from ESADE, it’s a major reason why many online classes have low retention rates.

“Instead of looking to demographics to paint a portrait of the online student, we believe lecturers and administration need to look at the social psychology of online students to determine which students are more likely to succeed and how to address their needs,” they say.…Read More

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Tech-savvy doesn’t mean internet-savvy

A commitment to quality instruction on how to access, evaluate, and synthesize online information needs to be a top priority

tech-savvyMany people, pundits and educators alike, operate under the assumption that the current generation of students is the most technologically savvy in history.

While today’s young people certainly are surrounded by technology, and they use it in their everyday lives, this is not the same as mastering technology as a task-specific learning tool, especially for gathering online information for research reports, reviews, and syntheses.

While the vast majority of students may consult their smart phones dozens of times a day to view Facebook and Instagram or to send text messages, far fewer know how to access and evaluate quality information online to help them complete academic tasks and assignments.…Read More

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Personalizing 1.2 million communications with students? No sweat

With the right technology, colleges and universities can bolster recruitment efforts, become more efficient, and focus on personalizing communications.

communication-students-personalize

Almost any institution can send an eMail blast that reaches tens of thousands of perspective college students. It’s the schools that can put the pivotal personal touch on those electronic mailings that have a provably better chance at recruiting its recipient.

Personalizing such a massive number of messages seems somewhere between tedious and impossible, especially for colleges with small enrollment and recruitment staffers. How would one even begin to sift through the mass of potential students and add a small but critically important personal aspect to each eMail?…Read More

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Infographic: Impact of social media in education

College students love social media, but can also find it to be a distraction in the classroom

social-media-studentsSocial media has many uses in education.

It can be used for recruitment, attracting students to a specific campus through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Youtube. It can be used for safety, serving as network of warnings and alerts during emergencies. It can be used simply to better communicate with the student body.

But for all of social media’s benefits, some professors are still wary of the medium. According to the results of a survey of 8,000 faculty members conducted by Babson Survey Research Group and Pearson, more than half of faculty use social media in a professional context, a ten percent jump from last year’s 45 percent. Slightly more than 70 percent use social media for personal purposes.…Read More

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10 assistive technology Apple and Android apps

These apps can help special needs students thrive in a higher education setting

assistive-apps-technology
Copyright: 1000 Words/Shutterstock

As the higher education landscape changes to one more suited to serving the diverse needs of students, part of that responsibility is in helping find resources that can assist special needs students in navigating curriculum, course management and communication.

Some of the more common concerns students with special needs face, such as text-to-speech functionality, organization and scheduling, and communicating with faculty and admin their needs or questions, now have apps available for Apple products—and many times, Android—to help with those concerns. Many have been vetted specifically by educators or students with special needs.

For example, students who have difficulty writing due to disabilities can benefit from the free Dragon Dictation app; or if a visual disability makes using a calculator difficult, the Talking Calculator app could become an ideal solution.…Read More

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