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Culture
Why Kids Won't Quit Technology (The Atlantic)
Smartphones, iPads, TVs, computers, videogames. Technology is omnipresent, especially for young students. They just can�t get enough; one 2013 study found that college students check their digital devices for non-class purposes 11 times per day on average, and 80 percent of them admitted that the technology was distracting them from class. This has some educators and scientists concerned: Are students distracted because their brains are hard-wired for it after a lifetime of screens? Is there a cultural or behavioral element to the fixation that has infiltrated the classroom? As scientists work to answer these questions, educators are finding ways to adapt to students� changes�whatever their cause�and use the technology to their advantage, especially in courses focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Professors Grow Weary of Idea That Technology Can Save Higher Ed (US News)
After a full day of teaching at Boston College, Karen Arnold had to find time to read her students� contributions to an online discussion board. Each was required to write at least one post, and, as usual, they seemed to have waited to do it until the night before the deadline. �They would just blather something,� said Arnold, who teaches higher education and educational administration. �They didn�t have a conversation. It was more like a hoop-jumping exercise.� That was around 2008, and Arnold has avoided assigning online discussions ever since. Like other faculty nationwide with memories of failed experiments such as these, she�s pushing back against the widespread notion that technology can necessarily improve teaching and cut costs.
Higher Ed
Khan Academy founder has two big ideas for overhauling higher education in the sciences (Venture Beat)
Soft-spoken education revolutionary Sal Khan has a few ideas for how to radically overhaul higher education. First, create a universal degree that�s comparable to a Stanford degree, and second, transform the college transcript into a portfolio of things that students have actually created. Khan is the founder, executive director, and faculty member at the Khan Academy, an online education provider. Speaking at the Atlantic�s Navigate tech conference, Khan said that the online education providers and independent technology �boot camp� schools will end up playing an important role in pressuring legacy universities to change their outdated ways. �I feel like society is ripe for challenging the model of school� he told The Atlantic�s editor, James Bennett, earlier this week.
Hiring Outlook in Higher Education IT (CampusTechnology.com)
With cloud computing, mobile technology and big data analytics on the rise, a lot of change is coming to campus IT departments. And along with all that change comes the need for many colleges and universities to ramp up their IT hiring in 2015. That is both good news and bad news. It's great for job seekers, of course, when organizations increase head count. But for higher education institutions � not known for their top IT salaries � competition with the corporate sector should be tough. Smaller schools will have the hardest time of it, potentially losing desired candidates to larger schools in their area. How well a school can compete will depend a lot on school mission; employees' access to cutting-edge technology; and creative benefit offerings.
Industry
Common Core Assessment Products Now Make Up Largest Sector of K�12 Tech Market (EdTech Magazine)
The shift to Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in K�12 schools across the country has raised the software assessment industry to new heights. Common Core has been adopted by 43 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, according to the program�s website. These voluntary K�12 benchmarks are designed to keep U.S. schools globally competitive; a key tenet is mandatory online assessments. Moving assessments online can reduce costs and streamline result acquisition for school administrators, but it requires the right software package. That�s how testing and assessment products became the biggest category in educational technology sales, according to a Nov. 25 report from the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), titled Behind the Data: Testing and Assessment�A PreK-12 U.S. Education Technology Market Report.
7 essential MOOCs for budding social entrepreneurs (Mashable)
Starting a business to make the world a better place is a worthy and even fashionable idea. But what does creating a social enterprise really entail, and what skills should you have under your belt before you jump in? Aspiring social entrepreneurs can find comfort and knowledge in MOOCs, or massive open online courses. Platforms such as Coursera, Udacity and Udemy feature a number of low-cost classes taught by expert faculty in socent and related fields. From using social media for social good to HTML programming geared specifically toward entrepreneurs, here are seven MOOCs you should look into before launching a socially conscious company.
Industry
Google Brings Museums To Mobile Users, Armchair Travelers With New Technology Platform (Tech Crunch)
Google announced today it�s making a platform available to museums that enables them to build mobile applications that take advantage of Google technology, including Street View and YouTube, to bring their exhibits to anyone with a smartphone. Through partnerships between museums worldwide and the Google Cultural Institute, there are now 11 museums and cultural institutions that have participated in this pilot project to date; their apps are live now on Google Play. The early adopters of this new software platform include museums and institutions in Italy, France, the Netherlands and Nigeria, such as the Museum of Arts et M�tiers, MAO, GAM, Palazzo Madama, Musee Curie, Museum of Le Havre, Monnaie de Paris, MAGA, Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, and the Pan-Atlantic University app, to name a few.
Utah
Rep. Draxler wants to increase income taxes to pay for education technology (Cache Valley Daily)
Not only does State Representative Jack Draxler, R-District 3, want to increase funding for education during the coming legislative session, he wants to make sure the increased funding is spent in a way that will help improve education the most. After serving for two years on the Utah Legislature's Education Task Force, the Republican lawmaker has proposed a bill calling for a one percent increase in state income taxes to help improve education. On KVNU's For the People program Monday he said seven percent would go for increased pay for teachers and 75 percent for technology in the classroom. Draxler said there is a right way and a wrong way to do both those of those. For example, he said the wrong way to give performance-pay increases to teachers is through test scores.
Maryland
Baltimore school wins $10K technology award (WBAL)
A Baltimore City school is receiving a $10,000 award in technology hardware for computer science education. Friendship Academy of Engineering and Technology is the only school in Maryland to receive an award from Code.org as part of National Computer Science Education Week, which started Monday. One of 50 state award winners out of about 40,000 nationwide schools participating in the Code.org "Hour of Code" campaign, Friendship Academy will be recognized for engaging students in technology-based learning, integrating new curriculum themes in support of career exploration in fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and promoting computer coding as an inclusive, accessible instructional tool for all students.
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Verizon Champions Innovative STEM Programs in 5 Underserved New York City Schools
 Five New York City schools have been awarded a total of $100,000 to improve student achievement in science, technology, engineering and math through the Verizon Innovate Learning Grants program. They are among 80 schools across the country selected to each receive a $20,000 grant as part of Verizon's investment to stimulate student interest and achievement in STEM. The New York City grant recipients are: Concourse Village Elementary School in the Bronx; P.S/I.S. 30 Mary White Ovington School in Brooklyn; The Esperanza Preparatory Academy and The Renaissance Charter High School, both in Manhattan; and Energy Tech High School in Long Island City, Queens. Eligible to apply for a Verizon Innovate Learning Grant were elementary, middle and high schools in all 50 states (plus the U.S. territories) in which at least 70 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Casio Receives Prestigious Education Technology Award For Its Ultra Short Throw Projector
 Casio America, Inc. is proud to announce that its Ultra Short Throw Projector, the XJ-UT310WN, has received a 2014 Award of Excellence from Tech & Learning magazine (a NewBay Media publication). The awards program recognizes software, hardware, network and web products that feature innovative applications that break new ground as well as those that added significant enhancements to proven education tools. All entries are given a rigorous test-driving by qualified educators in several rounds of judging. Products are also carefully screened by the publication's editorial team. Winners are showcased in the December 2014 issue of the magazine. "It's a proud moment when Casio is recognized by the very community we aim to serve for having a high-quality product that meets educators' needs and enables them to more efficiently teach the leaders of tomorrow," said Matt Mustachio, General Manager of Casio's Business Projector Division. "After launching earlier this year, the Ultra Short Throw Projector has been extremely well-received among the education community and simply illustrates the importance of providing products that are forward-thinking and deliver quality technology results for the classroom."
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