MOOOve over online courses, MOOCs are the next big trend in higher education.

The term MOOC stands for a Massive Open Online Course. Essentially, they are fully-online courses designed around lectures, discussion, and some type of assessment- but with their own unique distinctions. Traditional online courses charge tuition, offer credit, and limit student enrollment to allow for more interaction with the instructors. The MOOC, on the other hand, is usually free, usually credit-less, and (as the name implies) massive.Read more...

Data visualization is driven by numbers and logic. On the one hand, its primary purpose is to communicate information clearly and effectively. Effective data visualization makes sense of statistics, providing structure and function to an otherwise seemingly random group of numbers. Data visualization also serves an important purpose, guiding the everyday decisions of policymakers as well as the habits of everyday people. And sometimes, data is just purely interesting (see – One Race, Every Medalist Ever – it’s really entertaining).Read more...

For the New Year, here’s a little food for thought regarding STEM education transformation and the use of ICT. We all understand that the products and services of the future will depend on engineers, scientists, and technology experts to create them. But how does ICT fit into this increasingly significant role of STEM education?Read more...

Even though I’ve been out of the classroom for a couple of years now, the fresh smell of new crayons and sharpened pencils always takes me back. There is something special about this time of year… for teachers, Fall is our own New Year’s Eve. Each Fall brings a fresh start. A new year. A chance to become a better, more organized, more impressive version of yourself.  And even though I won’t be meticulously printing each student’s name on a cheerful nametag this year, I still get excited for all the promise a new school year brings.Read more...

An educational trend that is gaining momentum among school districts across the United States is BYOT: Bring Your Own Technology. This type of program allows students to bring their own mobile devices to school- everything from iPads to iPhones. Instead of confiscating prohibited electronics, like the Nintendo 3DS, teachers are embracing the potential that these devices hold for students’ learning.Read more...

On March 17th, I was “lucky” enough to attend the Celebration of Teaching and Learning in New York City.  With the sounds of the rowdy St. Patrick’s Day parade crowd outside, we were busy celebrating teachers inside. It was refreshing and exciting to be among so many professionals gathered specifically for the sole purpose of inspiring teachers to continue the hard work that they do every day.  The conference was very diverse, with speakers from Henry Winkler to Henry Louis Gates. Here’s a few conference takeaways:Read more...

A funny thing happened to me yesterday. I was simultaneously writing resource files for Intel, answering an email, listening to a webinar, and responding to a text message when an article (in a magazine which I was also browsing) stopped me in my tracks. It was an article about multitasking. The irony was not lost on me. Clearly, this is an area where I have some personal experience to bring to the table!Read more...

What will e-learning look like in 2012?

If you are anything like me, you’re probably curious about what new technologies and trends are on the horizon.  Here’s what the experts are saying we should expect from e-learning in 2012.Read more...

A recent assignment sent me scouring the Internet for research related to the value of ICT investment in education.  What I found left me surprised, curious, and a little bit confounded. 

Don’t worry- there is research out there to support the use of ICT in educational settings.  Our jobs are safe.  But after reading through many research reports, I feel the need to insert an intriguing but debatable asterisk: *the value of strong pedagogy and motivated teachers may be more influential than the value of advanced technology tools.  Don’t get me wrong, nothing gets me more excited than a shiny new iPad with the promise of unlimited educational applications.  In fact, a recent news story on 60 Minutes had me convinced that every autistic child in America could be saved with this magic tablet.  But I also think it’s important to examine the implementation of ICT tools in the classroom and the effects, both qualitative and quantitative, that this has upon students’ learning outcomes.Read more...

Today’s Digital Age students expect large amounts of information at their fingertips.  They thrive on interaction with digital technologies that allow them to access information quickly and easily.  So how can teachers engage their students when textbooks just won’t cut it anymore? The University of Colorado has answered this need with PhET: fun, interactive, research-based science simulations that are offered online for free.Read more...