For years, YouTube has been a major platform for educational experiences around the world. Many teachers and professors upload their lectures to the platform. Edtech companies use it to show off their latest products. And more importantly, people with unique knowledge routinely use it to educate learners on specific subjects. It’s no surprise, therefore, that many are using it to learn about learning. There are numerous edtech- and eLearning-focused YouTube channels. The following mark a few of our favorites. 

Edtech YouTube Channels

ISTE

When it comes to edtech-focused YouTube channels, the International Society for Technology in Education is a good place to start. ISTE functions as a premier membership organization, produces the most widely recognized document for standards of technological education, and hosts one of the most popular edtech annual conferences. 

They’ve been YouTubing since 2010, and their videos run the edtech gamut. Their library includes many short videos made by edtech experts on some of the most cogent edtech topics of the day, like OER, mobile devices in the classroom, AI, and personalized learning. They also upload keynote speeches from their annual event, videos supporting their standards, and much more. 

The Edtech Podcast

After launching in February of 2016, The Edtech Podcast is currently on episode #133 and counting. If podcasts are not part of your daily routine, their YouTube channel uploads every episode in video form and also includes footage of the various live shows they record. 

Created and hosted by the U.K.-based Sophie Bailey, the podcast frequently features discussions of emerging edtech and classroom implementation with guests ranging from CEOs to experienced teachers. Before launching the podcast, Bailey worked as head of content at Bett, the annual U.K. trade show and conference.

Ed on Edtech

For most people, education is a specifically local affair. While we have access to educators and learners from around the world, we still go online from the same computer in the same environment with the same technology and data infrastructure day in and day out. 

Dr. Edward Tse, therefore, decided that he would go and check out how edtech is deployed in classrooms and other environments around the world. 

You can also download YouTube videos with the Airy app.

Mr. Tompkins Ed Tech

The creator known simply as ‘Mr. Tompkins’ has worked in the past as a math and computer science teacher in the U.K. He know focuses his energy on ICT Strategic Development at the university level. A tech agnostic, he is both a Microsoft Certified Educator, a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, and an Apple Teacher. 

Mr. Tompkins’ videos are primarily math-related how-tos incorporating the various tools his various tech company certifiers have developed.

E-Learning Uncovered

The product of Artisan E-Learning, this channel is intended primarily for eLearning developers and edtech instructional designers. That said, you don’t need to be writing software from scratch to benefit from these videos. Many, such as ‘Tips for creating Great Sounding Audio in Audacity,’ or ‘Photoshop for Learning: Taking the First Steps,’ target a more general audience and everyday teachers who might be looking to add some flare or polish to their lessons. 

GeoGebra

One of the most powerful and popular math tools on the planet, GeoGebra’s YouTube channel is dedicated almost exclusively to videos explaining the various uses of their software and apps. If you haven’t heard of GeoGebra before, be sure to check out their new AR math simulator along with the 3 part interview we conducted with COO and CFO Stephen Jull earlier this year. 

eLearning Brothers

eLearning Brothers is a company based out of Utah that creates custom eLearning modules, templates, and conducts training as well. Their YouTube channel is fairly wide-ranging and includes short videos by eLearning experts on specific topics, webinars, how-tos, and more. Occasionally they also run series of instructional videos on their own products as well, and often feature work created using their own library of templates.

Texas Instruments Education

When most people hear eLearning or edtech, they don’t immediately think about calculators. Texas Instruments’ YouTube channel, however, has a huge library detailing the advanced math that is possible on their machines. The channel also contains several other videos, such as AP and SAT math test prep, videos from their annual conference, broad discussions of STEM education, webinars, and even a how-to on grant writing. While some might consider calculators a hold over from the 20th century, T.I.’s YouTube channel is decidedly current.

AdobeELearning

Any creative person using digital technology has likely used or considered using some of the software created by Adobe. Many schools provide access to their Creative Suite. This YouTube channel, however, provides a home for educators and instructional designers using their Captivate software and eLearning Suite. These products allow users to author their own eLearning modules and lessons without the hard coding. 

Their videos are almost entirely focused on these Adobe products, but they’re also highly engaging and occasionally hilarious. 

TED-Ed

While TED talks, and especially their franchised TEDx analogues, have devolved in the past several years from amazing perspectives from niche experts around the world to frequent instances of humble bragging, oversimplification, and advertorial-style self-promotion, the TED-Ed YouTube channel is relatively free of these negative qualities. 

These well-produced animated videos can both teach learners about tech or also act as course supplements and good introductory material. Some, like ‘What’s a smartphone made of?’ or ‘How exactly does binary code work?’ could fall into both categories. No videos contain any instances of Bono (literally) pretending to be Jesus. 

Edtech Conferences

In addition to the channels listed above, many annual edtech, eLearning, and education-focused conferences also regularly update their own channels, often uploading videos of full keynote speeches, workshops, and more. We’ve listed a few of our favorites below. 

SXSW EDU

Possibly the premiere North American edtech conference, SXSW EDU throws up most of their typically hour-long talks. While the conference goes far beyond education technology, there’s a good amount of tech in the mix as well. 

ASU + GSV

Arizona State University and the self-described ‘modern merchant bank’ that is Global Silicon Valley might sound like strange bedfellows. Their annual conference goes even further beyond edtech than SXSW EDU, but they also bring together some of the most interesting and innovative education-focused technologists and venture capitalists in the world. 

NY EDTECH WEEK

While the 2018 NY Edtech Week got bumped to June of 2019, the conference notably uploads the pitches startups make to investors, which make for interesting watches/listens. They also upload most talks delivered over the course of the event. 

EdTech Israel

Now in its fourth year, EdTech Israel brings together Israeli edtech startups and companies for a two-day event. 

Many more excellent edtech conferences put up a couple videos, but don’t create their own channels. Many others don’t (but should) upload any content from their events. (We’re looking at you ICELW). 

Featured Image: Hello I’m Nik, Unsplash.

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Authors: William G. Tierney, Zoë B. Corwin and Amanda Ochsner (Eds)

Coding as a Playground: Programming and Computational Thinking in the Early Childhood Classroom

Author: Marina Umaschi Bers
Press: Routledge
Year: 2017

With the rise of coding bootcamps over the past decade, it seems like everyone is talking about the potential of coding and how it can be taught, but Coding as a Playground is the first book to focus exclusively on how young children (ages 7 and under) can also learn about computational thinking and be taught to code. Readers of Coding as a Playground will discover how and why to teach coding at a young age is beneficial and how it can influence child development.

The Art of Game Design

Authors: Jesse Schell

Press: CRC Press

Year: 2008

Over the past decade, The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses has become a must-read book for anyone interested in gamification. In the book, Jesse Schell, the founder and CEO of Schell Games, offers insight into now the basic principles of psychology that work for board games, card games, and athletic games also are key elements of making top-quality videogames. In short, he shows how great game design happens when designers offer different perspectives or lenses. While no longer a new book, The Art of Game Design is still highly recommended to anyone interested in “serious play.”

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Everyday Schooling in a Digital Age by Neil Selwyn, Selena Nemorin, Scott Bulfin, and Nicola K. Johnson was published by Routledge in November 2017. Based on a major ethnographic study, the book investigates the leadership and management of technology in schools and teachers’ evolving work. From case studies on personalized learning apps and social media to 3D printers, Everyday Schooling in the Digital Age is at once both a practical guide and investigative dive into the changing nature of secondary education in a digital age. Specific chapters tackle issues ranging from leadership to the realities of managing one-on-one technology provision to the complex ways in which teachers’ work has been and will continue to be transformed by new technologies.

AI Injected e-Learning: The Future of Online Education

In October 2017, Springer published Matthew Montebello’s AI Injected e-Learning. This is a book explores how AI is transforming elearning in three key ways: crowdsourcing via social networks; user profiling; and personalized learning. Although the book is primarily intended for education technologists and researchers, it is still introductory enough to be accessible to anyone interested in learning more about AI-based eLearning technique such as machine learning.

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The Digital Turn in Higher Education: International Perspectives on Learning and Teaching in a Changing World

David Kergel and Birte Heidkamp’s new edited collection from Springer, The Digital Turn in Higher Education, investigates the changing landscape of edtech in the postsecondary space. From best practices to theoretical reflections and methodological investigations, The Digital Turn in Higher Education will no doubt find a broadranging audience among educators, administrators, researchers, and educational technologists. The book is also very international in scope. Unlike many edtech books, it is not just offering North American and European views but offers insights on edtech from around the globe. 

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Transactional Distance and Adaptive Learning: Planning for the Future of Higher Education

While Transactional Distance and Adaptive Learning may sound like a highly esoteric work, this new book by Farhad Saba and Rick L. Shearer actually tackles an increasingly important issue in education and training: the shift from one-size-fits-all models of learning to learner-centered forms of education. In essence, the theory of transactional distance (TTD) offers a unique foundation. Whether you’re an administrator exploring new technologies to transform your institution or an educator, Transactional Distance and Adaptive Learning offers a thorough overview of these pressing issues.

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I am skeptical about learning to code through an online course. So I’ve decided to enroll in one and will report weekly on how it goes.

In writing about eLearning, online education, and EdTech, one invariably comes across a message over and over again. “Learn to code” echoes unceasingly throughout the Internet. Industry leaders discuss the coming skills gap with the same concern that atmospheric scientists display toward climate change. I personally place significantly more trust in the group that follows the scientific method, but regardless, enough people have repeated their predictions for the future that a reasonable person might consider taking them seriously.

But I also have several reasons to take their words with a grain of salt.

In the world of EdTech, one invariably hears the same or similar industry leaders over-promise, misspeak, inflate the truth, or simply mislead the public with their characteristically lofty jargon. And it isn’t just about learning to code. For an example, I’ll quote Raj Kapoor, the chief strategy officer at Lyft. Earlier this Fall, Lyft partnered with Udacity to offer an AI course focusing on self-driving cars. Lyft sponsored a scholarship for the course. In the words of Kapoor, “At Lyft, our mission is to improve lives through the world’s best transportation but we can’t do that unless the best and brightest from all perspectives are given the opportunity to contribute. We have long admired Udacity’s commitment to the democratization of education and are thrilled to offer scholarships for this new self-driving program to communities that are underrepresented in technology.”

This statement says a lot. Lyft’s mission is to improve lives. They seek the smartest people from all perspectives. Udacity is committed to democratizing education. I get a sense of the meaning from each of these statements, but I don’t really know what they mean.

While the first two statements sound vaguely nice, I conclusively know the last one to be misleading. Udacity was formed in part by former Stanford Professor Sebastian Thrun, who taught one of the first three MOOCs back in 2012. At this time, MOOCs were truly massive and open. Anyone could sign up for free. When Thrun then formed Udacity to provide MOOCs on a larger scale, he understandably struggled to make money. So, the company pivoted. They began to charge for their courses and partnered with businesses to develop educational content. Many of their popular courses would prepare learners for specific jobs at specific companies. Companies liked this idea. It allowed them to be able to select “the best and the brightest” from a given class to join their team. It also allowed them to pay their workers less. Udacity graduates don’t have computer science degrees and they don’t have experience in the field. I wrote about this at much greater length, but the TL;DR is that Udacity isn’t committed to democratizing education; they want to capitalize it.

(Ben Tarnoff of The Guardian also has an interesting perspective on industry leaders urging young people to code.)

To be clear: I don’t think this is a bad thing.

I think online courses and learning to code are wonderful solutions for anybody who doesn’t want to pay university tuition that has doubled or tripled in the past thirty years or can’t afford to leave their family or job. But I’m also skeptical. If a company’s upper management is willing to use inflated or misleading language to advertise their product, maybe their product isn’t as good as they say. I’m very wary of spending money, time, and energy on a digital service that won’t really benefit me in the short or long term.

My skepticism also has a well-established precedent. For-profit education in the U.S. is a notoriously predatory industry. Businesses like ITT Technical Institute, Corinthian Colleges, DeVry University, the University of Phoenix, and Trump University have had to collectively pay billions of dollars in settlements to their former students and the federal government for committing fraud and other crimes. The Department of Education under the Obama Administration found that, while students at for-profits made up only 13% of college students, they made up nearly half of those who had defaulted on their federal loans.

It’s true, online educators such as Udacity, Coursera, Springboard, LinkedIn Learning, and most online coding bootcamps mark a new generation of for-profit educators. But there is little to indicate they are better than the giants who came before them.

Some indicators point in the other direction. Last fall, The Flatiron School, a coding bootcamp, was fined by the state of New York for misleading their learners about job success rates of their graduates (just like most of the guilty for-profits above) and operating without a license. The news came as a huge surprise because the company had long prided itself on its faithful advertising. If these guys were committing fraud, then what have the other companies been doing?

I repeat: I am skeptical of online for-profit educators.

But I also think that learning to code is probably a beneficial and perhaps necessary activity. So, I have decided to enroll in Codeacademy’s intensive 10-week web development course intended to teach learners how to “Build Websites from Scratch.” I intend to be 100% transparent throughout this process and report back weekly from beginning to beyond (hopeful) completion. Codeacademy does not know I’m doing this, and they haven’t given me any perks in exchange for promotion. Today, January 16^th, is the first class. Check back in one week, and I’ll let you know why I chose Codeacademy, more about my background as a learner, and how it’s going.

The post I Am Learning to Code: Week 0 appeared first on eLearningInside News.

Although eLearning has rapidly expanded since the mid 1990s, its origins stretch back to the early days of computing. PLATO or Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations originated in 1959. Now, tech entrepreneur Brian Dear has written a book recounting PLATO’s fascinating yet still under-appreciated history and contribution to eLearning. For anyone interested in the history of technology and especially for anyone interested in the evolution of eLearning, Dear’s book, The Friendly Orange Glow: The Untold History of the PLATO System and the Dawn of Cyberculture, is bound to be a must read.

The History of PLATO

The first known experiment in eLearning was based at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 1959, Daniel Alpert and Don Bitzer created Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations as part of a Computer-based Education Research Laboratory project. Without personal computers nor anything resembling the Internet, eLearning, in its earliest form, still required users to visit a computer lab on campus.

Following PLATO’s inception in 1959, developers set about turning their idea into an online educational system. By 1969, the computer, once combined to the University of Illinois camps, had reached students at nearby Springfield High School in Springfield, Illinois. In The Computer in the School, a 1975 book by Justin C. Baker, PLATO’s  goals are summarized as follows: “By far the most extensive computer-based system in this country, the PLATO goal is to connect 4,096 student terminals by means of telephone lines to the large central Control Data Corporation 6000 series computer system. In March of 1974, there were 450 terminals in the PLATO network.”

By 1980, Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations had already exceeded its early developers’ expectations: It offered 7,000 hours of instructional material covering more than 150 subject areas with 7000 thousand terminals offering courses in countries around the globe, including Australia, Belgium, France, Israel, Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Canada, and South Africa.

Dear’s book, however, not only delves into the history of PLATO but the excitement that accompanied its development: “As the system grew and evolved, it became, pretty much by accident, the first major online community, in the current sense of the term. In the early 1970s, people lucky enough to be exposed to the system discovered it offered a radically new way of understanding what computers could be used for: computers weren’t just about number-crunching (and delivering individualized instruction), they were about people connecting with people. For many PLATO people who came across PLATO in the 1970s, this was a mind-blowing concept.” In other words, PLATO wasn’t just integral to the rise of eLearning but perhaps more importantly to the rise of online communities and cyberculture.

Praise for The Friendly Orange Glow

Advance praise for The Friendly Orange Glow published in Publishers Weekly describes Dear’s history as “exuberant,” and offers the following summary: “Dear’s sprawling re-creation conveys the excitement of technological innovation and the freewheeling eccentricity of this vibrant scene—along with the tediousness of IT procedural nitty gritty.”

A recent of the book in Kirkus is also positive: “The author calls his book the ‘biography of a vision,’ and he’s quite right to do so.” The reviewer adds that this is “A readable tech history, but it helps to have a background in computers to get the most out of Dear’s account. As good an account of PLATO as we’re likely to get—or to need.”

One of the most fascinating things about Dear’s history of PLATO is the span of time over which it was written (about twenty years) and the depth of research (as detailed on Dear’s website, over one hundred people with connections to PLATO and early eLearning initiatives were interviewed for the book). While PLATO shut down just as many eLearning initiatives were taking off, there is no question that PLATO played a critical role in the development of eLearning over time, and its history is critical to understanding the current landscape of online learning.

The Friendly Orange Glow will be published by Pantheon in November 2017.

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eLearning professionals in the digital era of the 21^st century have their work cut out for them. With the ever-increasing power of digital technologies, the pressure is on for eLearning professionals to deliver effective, engaging eLearning content while at the same time proving their efforts have a positive impact on the company’s bottom line. While these pressures can leave eLearning professional feeling frustrated and overwhelmed, the good news is that they also have an amazing array of tools available that can make their job easier and increase their effectiveness. Below is a sampling of 13 apps eLearning professionals use for content creation, productivity, and research.

Content Creation Apps eLearning Professionals Use

The core activity of many eLearning professionals is the creation of engaging, compelling content for learners. Here are the apps eLearning professionals use to get the job done:

Articulate Storyline. The appeal of this content authoring app is how similar it feels to PowerPoint, which can be reassuring for team members who are new to the eLearning environment and its tools. Importing content from PowerPoint is especially easy, and then the content can be enhanced with all kinds of great features to make it more engaging and compelling for learners, thereby increasing retention.

YouTube. Video content in eLearning is the dominant trend, in part because it’s such a great way to make eLearning more engaging and effective, particularly for complex topics where text and static images simply won’t get the job done. Well-crafted searches in YouTube will yield surprising amounts of relevant video content you can use to create “playlists” on nearly any topic.

Camtasia. Whether the need is to make training and learning videos quickly and easily for company eLearning programs, instruct eLearning peers and colleagues in using the various tools employed in the department, or to show off the company’s LMS features to prospective customers, Camtasia is quickly becoming the go-to app to make it happen. It’s a screen recording and editing package that captures whatever is happening on your screen. When editing videos, any element or area can be turned into a clickable “hotspot” to give easy access to related materials outside the app.

Elucidat. There are many content authoring apps out there, but if a primary focus needs to be responsive online content creation or content for the mobile eLearning environment, Elucidat is the app increasing numbers of eLearning professionals are utilizing. Part of its appeal is compatibility with HTML5, as well as being a cloud-based tool that brings together remote eLearning teams for collaboration. Flash has been in decline, eclipsed by the rising star of HTML5, and eLearning professionals would do well to stay ahead of the curve on this trend. Content created with Elucidat loads quickly and functions on a huge range of devices and browsers.

Tableau. eLearning professionals use the free public version of this app to create high-impact data visualizations. When an eLearning department has to produce reports about eLearning data, running them through Tableau results in visual presentations that are not only clear but also beautiful. Every eLearning professional has wished they could do something more interesting and engaging with data that must be included in eLearning content, and Tableau does exactly that with ease, creating visualizations that help make the content stick.

Storify. Sometimes you want to be able to quickly curate content that appears in various places such as social media platforms and RSS feeds. When you want to tie bits and pieces from a variety of sources into a compelling story, Storify makes it happen in a very visual way. And it can also help capture discussions generated at conferences and other events. The content is chosen and placed on a storyboard to which notes, commentary, and summaries in various styles can be added.

There are dozens of other apps that could be mentioned here, including obviously popular choices such as Adobe Captivate and newer tools such as iSpring Pro, but apps mention above provide a very solid starting point for eLearning professionals to up their content creation game.

Productivity Apps eLearning Professionals Use

Just about everyone feels like they need to be accomplishing more in less time. Here are the apps eLearning professionals use to give a turbo-boost to their productivity:

Trello. There are enough project management apps out there to make your head spin, but how many of them offer a stellar mix of effectiveness while being easy to use? Trello is one that an increasing number of eLearning professionals use. The fact that it’s grounded in the Kanban Technique has a lot to do with its effectiveness. Kanban is especially helpful in keeping the flow of process going without it getting backed up or bottlenecked. Given the often huge range of stakeholders that need to provide input into the development and distribution of eLearning programs, Trello’s cards, lists, and boards provide an easy way to track progress at multiple levels. Users added to specific cards will only get notifications for those cards rather than all project notifications.

Google Drive. When it comes to easy, secure cloud storage that allows people to access whatever files they need when they need them, Google Drive has become the app of choice for many eLearning professionals. The range of stakeholders involved in eLearning projects means having people all over the world, colleagues who travel a lot, co-workers who participate remotely, and so on. Keeping the files in Google Drive avoids the confusion of emailing files around, and helps make sure everyone is accessing the most up-to-date versions of all files.

Momentum. Most people maintain a daily to-do list to keep track of everything they need to get done in a day, and eLearning professionals are no exception. Momentum is an extremely effective to-do list that operates as an extension for people who use Google Chrome for their web browser. After installing the extension, every time a new tab is opened in Chrome, what appears there first is your to-do list for the day. It’s extremely easy to use, and eLearning professionals also appreciate the beautiful background images and inspiring quotes that are incorporated. When eLearning professionals need an effective online to-do list, many claim you can’t beat the combination of form and function obtained with Momentum.

Google Calendar. There are any number of online calendars you can use to keep tracking of what’s happening from day to day, but it’s hard to beat Google Calendar. Besides the usual functionality you expect from a calendar, it includes robust features including adding notes as well as sending automatic (and recurring) reminders and notifications. And frankly, so many people are now using it that there is no need to worry about access or compatibility.

Research Apps eLearning Professionals Use

Whether it’s staying on top of industry trends or determining the effectiveness of learning and training programs, eLearning professionals need to conduct research. Here are some of the research apps eLearning professionals use:

SurveyMonkey. When eLearning professionals need to collect online feedback from learners, creating a survey with this app can literally happen in minutes, and the results are tabulated and displayed in a way that makes them easy to understand. This feedback is critical in terms of evaluating the effectiveness of eLearning courses, as well as point out areas for improvement in a course.

Quora. When an eLearning professional has a burning question, where can they ask it? Quora is an online forum created for that purpose, used by more than 1.5 million people each month. Answers are voted up or down by users, meaning the best answers naturally bubble to the top. Users can also follow particular topics, such as Learning Management Systems or Training and receive notifications when new questions appear.

Reddit. All kinds of useful content breaks on Reddit, and gets voted up or down by users. The forums are called subreddits, and eLearning professionals will find several that relate to their work, such as r/elearning, r/InstructionalDesign, and r/Training. Creating an account and subscribing to these forums is a great way to stay updated on eLearning trends.

The world of eLearning is a constantly changing and evolving landscape of tools and trends. Although the pace of change often feels overwhelming, knowing the kinds of apps fellow eLearning professionals use for content creation, productivity, and research can help ease the pressure while at the same time increasing performance and effectiveness.

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Many of us are already accustomed to asking Alexa routine questions, but an announcement earlier this week suggests that come this fall, Alexa will serve a new and more important role: Alexa appears to be pursuing a future in education. But what does Alexa, your next teacher, have to offer?

On July 27, Canvas by Instructure announced that it is teaming up with Amazon Alexa to help students, teachers, advisors, and parents ask questions, carry out quick tasks, and get information from Canvas on Alexa-enabled devices. The new feature was announced by InstructureCon and marks an ongoing effort scale up Canvas’s voice-activated applications.

“Even when it is short, the time we spend just clicking through technology can be extraneous to teaching and learning,” said Jared Stein, who serves as Vice President of Canvas higher education product and strategy at Instructure. “We’re excited to be collaborating with Amazon Alexa because it makes basic tasks more natural and instantaneous. This not only keeps people connected, it saves time and energy for the work that matters most.” Amazon is also enthusiastic about the potential of the Canvas-Alexa partnership. As Rob Pulciani, Director of Amazon Alexa, said, “Canvas and Amazon are two brands that believe in leveraging technology to make customers’ lives easier. With the new Canvas skill for Alexa, customers can stay organized by asking Alexa for information and details on their courses.”

How Alexa Will Support the Canvas’s Learning Platform

To date, Canvas, like most learning management systems, can be accessed via a computer, mobile phone or tablet. With the Alexa addition, Canvas can now be accessed by voice and not simply via a keyboard. This means that students will be able to ask Alexa key questions (e.g., What were the main points made in today’s class?), and Alexa will be able to offer a summary.  Students will also be able to ask Alexa to quiz them on key concepts in preparation for an upcoming quiz or test. Of course, students will also be able to ask other pressing questions, including “What is the homework for tomorrow? Do I have any readings? Where are the readings…are they posted on the website?”  If an instructor has posted any videos online, students will now also have the option of watching them on their television rather than on their computer, smart mobile phone, or tablet. For instructors, the new feature will also enable them to carry out routine tasks, including providing student feedback, without spending hours hunched over a keyboard typing.

Making Education More Accessible

Although not explicitly part of this week’s announcement, there is no question that Canvas’s decision to scale up its voice-activated options with Alexa holds the potential to make education more accessible. This is evidently good news for students with visual impairments and reading or writing disabilities. This new Alexa feature will enable such students to ask questions, access required course information, and even create posts without relying on a visual mode of communication. As a hands-free way to engage with Canvas course materials, this new feature may also hold other unintended benefits. For example, an adult learner who has returned to school but has limited time to complete their homework due to family and work commitments may now be able to engage with their course materials while carrying out routine chores around the home.

The Alexa-Canvas Connection Raises Privacy Concerns

Like everything else connected to home voice-activated devices, this new Alexa skill for Canvas will likely raise at least some privacy concerns. In short, as Canvas data is streamed through Alexa, one has to accept the fact that their educational information (or child’s educational information) will become part of larger data sets, including those owned by Amazon. On the flip side, Canvas also has the potential to start collecting even more data about how learners ask questions and interact with online course materials, and as we already know, this data can offer valuable insights into how people learn and be harnessed to create more robust and effective approaches to teaching and course delivery.

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Many of us remember the hype and fast fall of Google Glass. For a brief moment in tech history, people imagined that in the near future, we’d all have apps in our eyes and no longer need to fumble for our iPhones at awkward moments. This dream was quickly squashed as consumers rejected Google Glass as a flawed and gimmicky blip in tech history. While many people assumed that Google Glass was relegated to the junk yard (or worse yet, sent to a secret burial ground in the dessert, which is where other tech disasters, including the ill-fated Apple Lisa, allegedly have ended up), today’s announcement confirms that Google Glass lives on. In the end, however, factory workers not hipsters appear to be Google Glass’s ultimate target market.

Google Announces the Glass Enterprise Edition

Although Google Glass was officially abandoned in 2015, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, continued to explore Glass’s future. Rather than focus on developing a product with widespread consumer appeal, however, they focused on building a version of Glass with specific applications for the workplace and not just any workplace. So far, Glass Enterprise Edition (Glass EE) appears to be specifically targeting workers in the manufacturing sector. Indeed, the new version of Glass is being billed as “a hands-free device, for hands-on workers.”

There are already signs that Glass EE is gaining top marks from professionals in the manufacturing sector. Peggy Gullick, the business process improvement director at AGCO, which manufactures Massey Ferguson tractors, has seen firsthand just how impactful Glass EE has been on AGCO’s shop floor. Gullick describes the arrival of Glass EE as “a total game changer.” General Electric, Samsung, and Volkswagen are also among the dozens of companies already using Glass EE in their workplaces.

Glass EE’s Workplace Training Impact

Over the past decade, there has been a growing effort to bring virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) based training to the workplace. While there has been some success in specific professions, including medicine and aviation, with Glass EE, there now appears to be a real possibility that VR and AR will start to have a notable impact on training and assessment in other sectors, including manufacturing.

As stated on the Glass’s website, with Glass EE you can, “Access training videos, images annotated with instructions, or quality assurance checklists that help you get the job done, safely, quickly and to a higher standard. And Glass stays out of your way when you don’t need it.” But Glass EE doesn’t simply offer workers the ability to reference training materials while staying hands on. One can also use Glass EE to bring supervisors into their work environment to offer real-time assistance. As stated on Glass EE’s website, with this never version of Glass, “You can connect you with coworkers in an instant, bringing expertise to right where you are. Invite others to ‘see what you see’ through a live video stream so you can collaborate and troubleshoot in real-time.”

How Glass EE will Impact Mobile Training

Glass EE’s impact on workplace training and mobile training is potentially huge. Moving forward the division between training and work will continue to collapse as more workers bring their training on to the shop floor and into other contexts. Apprentice chefs, electricians, and bricklayers will increasingly receive part of their training via guided instructions delivered via Glass EE (and similar devices, which are bound to soon begin emerging). Similarly, as Glass EE becomes more discrete, we will likely see more new retail associates wearing them too.  Of course, offering real-time training to new employees will only be part of Glass EE’s function.

With Glass EE, there is now a viable way for employers to collect data about their trainees and permanent employees and this includes data that may have previously been unobtainable, including information about their level of attention, movements, and interactions with clients. This data can in turn be used to carry out more accurate employee assessments, fine-tune training (and retraining) needs to respond to each employee’s specific deficits, and address serious safety and compliance concerns on the job. Of course, this also means that not all employees and worker unions will likely welcome Glass EE. Indeed, just as Google Glass raised privacy concerns, it seems likely that as Glass EE finds traction in more workplaces, privacy concerns and concerns about workers’ rights will arise. Despite the potential for resistance, however, early signs suggest that Google Glass’s comeback will likely be far more successful than its original launch and have a notable impact on workplace training, specifically mobile learning.

The post Google Glass 2 is Transforming Workplace Training appeared first on eLearningInside News.

Imagine completing an entire degree online and doing so at no cost? In the age of online learning, this is now possible, but as MOOC offerings continue to proliferate, crafting a degree and selecting courses can be a challenge. In eLearningInside News’s “Top MOOCs” series, we offer tips on how to craft the very highest quality degrees across subject areas and levels. Our first installment, Top MOOCs: BA in English, offers suggestions on how to craft the very best bachelor’s degree in English using available MOOCs from seveval of the world’s most prestigious universities.

Establish a Program of Study

Every bachelor’s degree in English has somewhat different guidelines but by and large, departments of English require candidates to acquire what is most often described as “coverage.” In other words, in order to complete a bachelor’s degree in English, candidates must acquire a demonstrated knowledge of English-language literature across different historical periods and national literary traditions. This means that anyone who thinks they can simply take courses on contemporary American literature or only read Shakespearean plays is out of luck. While such specializations are typically required as one’s studies progress (e.g., at the doctoral level), the bachelor’s degree aims to offer a broad-based knowledge of the field.

At Yale University, which is home to one of the top-ranked English departments in the United States, undergraduates must typically complete 12 courses and a “senior requirement.” Core requirements include 3 foundational courses; at least one advanced course in medieval, renaissance, 18th or 19th century, and 20th to 21st century literature; and up to 2 creative writing courses. Additional guidelines advise that students take more senior- than junior-level courses. Finally, for the senior requirement, either 2 senior seminars or 1 senior seminar and a thesis is required. Using the Yale guidelines as a template, our proposed Top MOOC BA in English includes the following range of courses:

• English Poetry I (foundation level)
• English Poetry II (foundation level)
• American Literature (foundation level)
• British Literature (any level)
• World Anglophone Literature (any level)
• Medieval (advanced)
• Renaissance (advanced)
• Single Author Course 1 (e.g., Chaucer or Shakespeare)
• Literary Criticism (advanced)
• Creative Writing (any level)
• 18th Century/19th Century (advanced)
• 20th/21st Century (advanced)
• Senior Seminar 1 (any 4000-level course)
• Senior Seminar 2 (any 4000-level course)

Explore Recommended Courses

The best thing about completing a MOOC-based degree is that you can choose where and with whom you will study. eLearningInside News‘s staff writers and researchers consulted with English professors nationwide to develop the following list of recommended MOOCs. Notably, while offerings in English pale in comparison to the vast offerings now available in the applied sciences, it is still possible to build a robust program with coverage across all of English literature’s major fields of concentration. Our list includes courses taught by top literary scholars and book historians from Harvard, Yale, and Berkeley, as well as several highly recognized institutions outside the United States.

• English Fiction (foundation level): Start with English Literature & Composition Part 1: Stories (edX Berkeley).
• English Poetry  (foundation level): Also complete English Literature & Composition Part 2: Poetry (edX Berkeley).
• American Literature (foundation level): Just a two top recommendations include Professor Cary Nelson’s Modern American Poetry class (Coursera) and a co-taught Dartmouth College course, The American Renaissance (edX).
• British Literature (any level): We recommend Yale Professor John Rogers’ course on Milton (Open Yale).
• World Literature (any level): Look no further than Masterpieces of World Literature with David Damrosch and Martin Puchner of Harvard University (edX).
• Medieval (advanced): Before the printing press, every book was also a unique work of art. In The Book: Making and Meaning in Medieval Manuscripts (edX Harvard), you’ll learn how to read medieval works as they were intended to be read. Professor John Cain’s Medieval Women Writers (MIT Open Courseware) is another recommended course in this category.
• Renaissance (advanced): Professor Stephen Greenblatt is among the most established literary critics in the world and one of the world’s leading experts on Renaissance literature. If you want to study the period with a top expert, enroll in Shylock’s Bond (edX Harvard). While focused on a single character from a single Shakespearean play, like his books, Greenblatt’s courses always offer a deep dive into literary and intellectual history.
• Single Author Course 1 (e.g., Chaucer or Shakespeare): We recommend Professor Jonathan Bates’s Shakespeare and his World (FutureLearn).
• Literary Criticism (advanced): Yale University’s English department has long been a leader in literary theory. On this basis, we recommend Professor Paul H. Fry’s Introduction to Theory of Literature through Open Yale.
• Creative Writing (any level): For creative writing, we recommended taking advantage of the University of East Anglia’s offering An Introduction to Screenwriting (FutureLearn) or the University of British Columbia’s How to Write a Novel (edX). Both the University of East Anglia in England and the University of British Columbia in Canada are known for their established creative writing programs, so be certain to explore their other available creative writing MOOCs to find one that meets your specific needs.
• 18th Century/19th Century (advanced): To fill this category, try Professor Noel Jackson’s Eighteenth Century Literature (MIT Open Courseware).
• 20th/21st Century (advanced):  We recommend Professor Langdon Hammer’s Modern Poetry course, which is offered through Open Yale.
• Senior Seminar 1 (any 4000-level course): Harvard Professor and book historian Leah Price offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of 19th-century reading practices in Book Sleuthing (edX Harvard). This book will deepen your knowledge of 19th-century literature while helping you hone your research skills.
• Senior Seminar 2 (any 4000-level course): Professor Mary Fuller’s advanced special topics course on Milton’s “Paradise Lost” (MIT Open Courseware) is the ideal way to cap off your MOOC-based bachelor’s degree in English.

Start Your Program and Persevere

Not everyone who starts a MOOC or a MOOC-based degree finishes. Sticking to your program of study will require discipline and stamina but the rewards are well worth it. For inspiration, read our interview with David Venturi who crafted his own master’s degree in data science and then landed a job with an established MOOC developer.

Are you currently completing a MOOC-based BA in English? Are you trying out our recommended program of study? Send us your recommendations for courses or just drop us a line to share your experience. We welcome your reviews and reflections.

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When you make mistakes in business the cost is often extremely high. Uber, a company that has made a series of bad business decisions over the past twelve months on issues concerning everything from workplace sexual harassment to the handling of local law enforcement authorities, reported a $708 million loss in the first three months of the fiscal year. While Uber claims to not be concerned, the message is clear: There can be a big price to pay for making bad business decisions. This is also precisely the message that Advantexe Learning Solutions is hoping to convey through its new online game, The Drivers of Business Performance.

Simulation-Centric Training for Business

In recent years, Advantexe Learning Solutions has gained a solid reputation in the eLearning industry for producing business simulation-centric training.While simulation-based training is often associated with other sectors, especially the airline industry (where simulations are used to train pilots) and medicine (where simulations have long been used to train doctors to perform risky procedures), Advantexe insists there is also a place for simulation and gamification in business training.  The company has also found that the need for more robust business solutions is pressing. In one recent survey of 250 employees, they discovered that only only 24% felt comfortable holding a business dialogue, only 27%  understood how their company made money, and only 19% know and fully understand their company’s strategy.

Drivers of Business Performance

The Drivers of Business Performance is the company’s latest offering, and it is already gaining attention. A recent winner of a coveted Stevie Award, Advantexe‘s electronic board game business simulation focuses on the fundamentals of business and targets new hires and business professionals who may not yet appreciate how even small decisions can impact a company’s bottom line. As one of the Stevie Award judges remarked, “This learning product is very innovative and allows for interactive learning in complex and interdependent scenarios that play out in the market place.”

As described on Avantexe’s site, in the game, players take on the role of interim CEO of Orium, Inc. a multi-billion dollar global SaaS-based technology company. Stepping into the role of CEO, learners are responsible for boasting sales numbers, improving profitability, and setting the company up success over time.  The board of directors has given the CEO a strict budget, so learners must also learn to manage a budget and lean on key members of their team to make smart decisions. Specifically, The Drivers of Business Performance highlights the cause and effect of different business decisions and enables players to track cash flow.

As Robert Brodo, co-founder of Advantexe, observes, “Changing the mindset and building the skills needed to make decisions that impact the business is why I am very excited to launch the new Drivers of Business Performance simulation.” Brodo adds, “This online business simulation was created to help introduce learners to the essential systems of business. We designed the simulation to take the complexity and mystery out of business and to help employees at all levels to build their business confidence and to better understand the language of business.”

Modes of Delivery

Every business is unique, and this means that different decisions impact different businesses on different levels. For this reason, Advantexe also offers subscribers ways to modify The Drivers of Business Performance simulation to better reflect their specific organizations structure and needs. In addition, the game ca be delivered both online or as par to a live business learning seminar.  Whatever the mode of delivery, however, the game is already gaining attention from employers looking for ways to ensure that all their employees have a sharp understanding of how organizations work and how their decisions on the job, including their interactions with customers and decisions about security and compliance issues, impact the bottom line. Advantexe’s latest entry demonstrates how gamification and simulations can play a key role in meeting the complex training needs of businesses.

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