ASSIGNMENT 10: News Card Week 10

News Card Week 10

8 Excellent Tech Habits to Adopt Right Now

http://mashable.com/2013/01/08/good-tech-habits/

While technology is making our lives easier and more efficient, we can spend more time exploring and doing more than we used to. This article has suggested eight ways how we can make technology a part of our life in the best way possible. Our habits lead into actions and eventually becomes a big part of our life. This is the best time to start. The habits include keeping an eye on third party permissions we give out freely, checking our smart gadgets and clearing out clutter apps once in a while. It is also important to keep our passwords strong and unable to be penetrated from hackers. The next habit, is to remember to sit up straight and not ruin your health while making your life more efficient. The more we use technology, the more we take things for granted-so remember that backing up is still important and do it. We are sometimes victims of hard to throw away mail and therefore the next tip will be to tidy up your inbox and organize your photographs that are all over the place. The last habit this article advises is something we do in class and should carry on to our daily life to cope with this crazy advancement called technology-that is to learn something new whenever you can. Enjoy technology!

ASSIGNMENT 9: News Card Week 9

Costly hi-tech kit lies unused in schools, says study

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20348322

When I read this article I could instantly picture the environment and schools going through this transformation. No matter which country you are in, the emphasis of every Ministry is more or less the same. That is to equip schools and students with technology so that they know how to use it. Children in the first grade are given tablets and I believe it is not used to its potential. The article points out that teachers need to receive the right training and view technology as a tool. The emphasis has to be how do we use this technology to help children learn better. Often it is confused with learning the technology itself which is insufficient. Being in the digital era and equipping classrooms with technology but emphasizing everything in test scores are in itself a paradox. Schools and teachers should use technology that they are comfortable with and most importantly consider the reasons they need to use it. That is the only way they can take teaching and learning to the next level.

ASSIGNMENT 8: News Card Week 8

Samsung enriches learning with Smart School technology

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Samsung-enriches-learning-with-Smart-School-technology/-/1248928/1642548/-/eunyp0z/-/index.html

The Samsung smart school solution is an initiative started out in order to enhance personalized learning in the classroom through the use of digital technology. Gone are the days where children and teachers carry textbooks to school and participate in blackboard and chalk instruction like before. Learning is now through Samsung tablets with applications designed for each subject area. Children have access to activities, exercises and instructional materials to familiarize themselves. This project has been piloted in Nairobi with a group of 15 students who have access to state of the art classroom technology. Teachers can also store their lesson content on a platform known as Safaricom Cloud. Students and teachers from any part of the country then access this material online through the Safaricom Blackboard at a fee 

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ASSIGNMENT 7: News Card Week 7

5 Ways Technology Will Impact Higher Ed in 2013

http://www.forbes.com/sites/groupthink/2012/12/11/5-ways-technology-will-impact-higher-ed-in-2013/

The article briefly touches on the trends of technology in higher education in 2012 and the impacts from five different areas that could change the way we higher education is offered. The MOOC is a trend that has actually helped top tier universities to branch out and reach a wider audience, whereas pioneers like Phoenix University started closing some of its operations. The “flipping classroom” is going to become more innovative and classes would become much more hands on with a variety of ideas of how this type of classroom can work. Another aspect that is heavily speculated is the term “hybrid program”. This program is separated in to two different areas, one which they can access learning at their own pace but the other where they attend classes in person. The experience of learning will be challenged with innovative ideas and approaches that make them more suitable to all learners, therefore the race to discover new instructional models. Although, it is believed that with more access to a bigger group of students the cost of higher education may reduce to make it more accessible to more professional and students.

ASSIGNMENT 6: News Card Week 6

Reflections From Two Years of Khan Academy in the Classroom

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shantanu-sinha/khan-academy_b_1918342.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular,education-technology

Khan Academy started from humble beginnings of providing tutorial videos for students in specific areas of learning. Today they have partnered with several schools in order to enhance and enrich student learning experience. They base their reflections on aspects they believe are critical to the learning process. The model works because it is flexible enough to understand that every student is different and so is every classroom. The article also discusses the flipped classroom and how it brings about a more creative, engaged and interacting atmosphere of learning. It was believed that personalized learning tools would only be able to motivate the high achieving students, but that could not be further from the truth. Students were able to bring up their confidence and their understanding at their own pace and most importantly not fall behind on their curricula requirements. Finally, perhaps the most important reassurance is that teachers are now more valuable than they ever were. They finally get to spend time doing what they love best and become mentors to their students, an important element for student success.

ASSIGNMENT 5: News Card Week 5

News Card 5

South Korea Works to Stem Digital Addiction

http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2012/11/28/566709stecskoreadigitalddiction_ap.html

This article discusses how South Korea, a leader in digital technology, is able to foresee growing problems from rising internet and digital technology usage in the country. In a country where 98 percent of homes have access to broadband internet and smartphones, there are concerns which have to be addressed before it is too late. South Korea does provide support to online gaming addiction but an average elementary school child uses their smartphone for nearly 8 hours a day. The society is shifting towards a digital lifestyle but red flags are up everywhere. Teachers are concerned that if a child is not taught how to use technology positively the impact is dangerous. The children are unable to control their impulses because they have everything with them at the touch of their fingertips. South Korea's pride on being a technological leader will have to face and deal with this overwhelming response to how technology has affected their children.

ASSIGNMENT 4

News Card 4
Hybrid teaching and Flipped Classrooms
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Hybrid-teaching-and-Flipped-Classrooms-30194585.html


This article talks about an interesting concept that challenges teachers to rethink their idea of teaching and student learning. Traditional classrooms are all about students attending a class to study about a subject which is possibly taught through lecture or a presentation and then they are given an assignment to take home. In the flipped classroom students are given access to the material or subject that they will be discussing in the classroom through shared media. Through self-directed learning they will have to read up about the subject and try to understand it as much as they can before they come to class. In class they will no longer be listening to teachers' lectures, instead they will be doing hands-on projects and assignments. Teachers are no longer lecturers but rather facilitators, they are ready to answer questions and help with challenges students face concerning subject matter. An interesting concept that might work.