Monthly Archives: February 2020

Q & A: The Democratization of Education through Technology

Posted on by
Reply

In the Q & A below, Anant Agarwal (computer architecture researcher, founder and CEO of edX) offers some ideas of what education could look like in the future: modular learning (short-term course-taking instead of completing a degree), stackable learning (institutions offering degrees based upon credentials one has accumulated from various institutions), and a greater emphasis on problem solving, empathy, and communication rather regurgitating facts.

Anant Agarwal and the democratization of education through technology

Given that the author is chatting with a major figure of the massive online open course platform edX, it sometimes reads like an edX commercial, but it’s still interesting to read ideas on how technology and employee/employers needs might reshape education.

How Humans Learn – Interview

Posted on by
Reply

I recently had the opportunity to interview Josh Eyler, author of How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories Behind Effective College Teaching. We had a 4-part interview series, and interviews 1 and 2 can be found at the following links:

A Discussion on Curiosity and Authenticity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAhaBUzmsjg&feature=youtu.be

A Discussion on Sociality and Emotions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JePGkJzDhSY

Fighting Fake News in the Classroom

Posted on by
Reply

Have you wondered how to get your students to think critically about where they get their information? Whether its through social media or researching for a paper, U.S students often have difficulty distinguishing fact from opinion (or misinformation). The article below, while geared towards K-12 educators, includes some classroom experiences and resources to help students think critically about the information they encounter.
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-12-27-fighting-fake-news-in-the-classroom

Spotting Mobile Learning Opportunities

Posted on by
Reply

The article below encourages opportunities for students and workers to learn and work on their mobile devices. One reason is accessibility: students generally have a mobile device and can access it at any time. Another is for presenting and digesting content: learning retention can increase when the information is taken in bite-sized pieces compared to tackling a larger portion, and mobile devices allow for the small amounts of content to be consumed in the midst of daily activities.
https://www.thetechedvocate.org/spotting-mobile-learning-opportunities/

The article includes a link of suggestions for mobile learning. Bite-sized content would take 2 minutes or less to read and focuses on 1 or 2 learning objectives or key takeaways.
https://www.skillbuilderlms.com/top-benefits-challenges-mobile-learning/

Any ideas on how you might incorporate mobile learning into your courses?