2013: The Year of Educational Data and Learning Analytics?

According to the 2012 Horizon Report, "learning analytics" refers to:

the interpretation of a wide range of data produced by and gathered on behalf of students in order to assess academic progress, predict future performance, and spot potential issues.

Data are collected from explicit student actions, such as completing assignments and taking exams, and from tacit actions, including online social interactions, extracurricular activities, posts on discussion forums, and other activities that are not directly assessed as part of the student’s educational progress.

The goal of learning analytics is to enable teachers and schools to tailor educational opportunities to each student’s level of need and ability. Learning analytics promises to harness the power of advances in data mining, interpretation, and modeling to improve understandings of teaching and learning, and to tailor education to individual students more effectively. Still in its early stages, learning analytics responds to calls for accountability on campuses and leverages the vast amount of data produced by students in academic activities.

So basically, what counts as "Education Data? What about the political aspects of the data and the business of the data and learning analytics? Who really owns the data?

Audrey Watters tries to answer those questions in the Hack Education post entitled, "Top Ed-Tech Trends of 2012: Education Data and Learning Analytics." Again, we aren't endorsing Watter's opinions, but we hope her post will spark a discussion as there are a lot of decisions to be made concerning educational data and it's predictive benefit and value.

SREB's Worthy of Note: A Great Resource for Educational Technology and Digital Learning



Worthy of Note

SREB's Educational Technology Cooperative started a great resource a few years ago (and archived since June of 2012) and I have been sharing it with friends and colleagues ever since. I have also posted several of the individual resources with you since its origin, but I have decided that I've been selfish and I should share this wonderful resource with you.

So exactly what is "Worthy of Note?"

Worthy of Note brings to your inbox a free monthly digest of notable news on education technology, digital learning, webinars and other timely topics. June Weis, a consultant for SREB, prepares the bi-monthly eNewsletter and it is chocked full of timely and relevant information.

Subscribe via one of these two lists:

eINFO e-mail list, for information on technical, instructional, and management topics as well as upcoming webinars of interest and Worthy of Note enews. Subscribe to eINFO>

Online Teachers e-mail list, for information and "cool tools" for effective use of technology in teaching and learning, plus notice of upcoming webinars and online professional development for K-12 and postsecondary educators and Worthy of Note enews. Subscribe to Online Teachers>

I hope you will subscribe to this resource as June really does a great job of researching information to share with you and I'm still holding out hope that she will share some of her "research tips" with us in the future.

Please read the following posts for additional resources from SREB:
SREB ShortTakes: Online Teachers Share Web 2.0 Strategies
Recognizing Academic Achievement in Career/Technical Education
A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute
The People We Meet
New Study Reveals Professors Use Social Media
5 Ways We're Diminishing Learning by Assuming Face-to-Face Instruction Is Best

Surviving and Thriving: Preparing High School Students for Adulthood

Surviving and Thriving by CIMC

I want to share a new curriculum product from CIMC:

Surviving and Thriving prepares high school students for adulthood by giving them the skills and knowledge they need to transition into college, other job training, or a career.

The full-color student edition includes “Knowledge Check,” “Career Spotlight,” and “Living Green” features in each unit. The teacher edition is done in a wrap-around format with plenty of suggested activities, including FCCLA integration.

A teacher resource CD, purchased separately, includes Powerpoints, all consumable pages, written tests in Word and RTF format, vocabulary crossword puzzles, and writing assignment prompts.

Units include:

• Communication Skills
• Understanding Self
• Making Decisions
• Leisure Activities
• Etiquette
• Personal Safety
• Understanding Grief and Loss of Life
• Choosing Food for Good Health
• Preparing Food

CIMC is offering unit 3, "Making Decisions," as a free sample to download:
Making Decisions sample - student
Making Decisions sample - teacher

Contact the Customer Service Division online or at 800.654.4502 to place your order!

Project Gutenberg: Offering Over 42,000 Free E-Books

The Every-Day Life of Abraham Lincoln
by Francis Fisher Browne

I wanted to share a free site with you that has been around since 1971. According to the site:

Project Gutenberg offers over 42,000 free ebooks (no fee or registration is required): choose among free epub books, free kindle books, download them or read them online. All of the ebooks were previously published by bona fide publishers and were digitized and diligently proofread with the help of thousands of Project Gutenberg volunteers.

The ebooks are free in the United States because their copyright has expired, however they may not be free of copyright in other countries. Readers outside of the United States must check the copyright laws of their respective countries before downloading or redistributing the ebooks. Project Gutenberg also has a number of copyrighted titles, for which the copyright holder has given permission for unlimited non-commercial worldwide use.

Leap Motion: Changing the Way We Interact with Computers?

I wanted to share a new gesture-controlled system that I read about called Leap Motion.

I believe the creators have designed something that could change our interaction with computers on many educational and occupational levels. Here are a few statements from their website:

• For the first time, you can control your computer in three dimensions using just your hand and finger movements and Leap Motion enabled software.
• The possibilities are endless, really. Art. Healthcare. Engineering. Gaming.
• Set down that stylus. The Leap Motion controller lets you create onscreen artwork, including 3D images, without any other devices.
• Interacting with 3D modeling software has never been easier or more intuitive.
• Whether you're on a Mac or PC, now you can click, grab, scroll and pinch, using only your hands.
• Sign on the dotted line without ink or paper. Just point your pen and sign your name in the air.
• Gaming addiction? With the Leap Motion controller, now you can crush the enemy with your bare hands.
• Surgeons, leave your gloves on. The Leap Motion controller lets you control 3D medical data onscreen with a wave of your hand.
• The Leap Motion works on Windows Vista/7/8 and Mac OS X, with Linux being on the agenda.

I also believe that Leap Motion can have a significant impact on any student or individual that needs assistance with the development of fine motor skills.

Please watch the video below to find out more about Leap Motion or click HERE: