2020 July

Check out Adobe for Education on Youtube for some great resources to learn everything from podcasting to making impactful social media videos — from jeadigitalmedia.org by Aaron Manfull

Excerpt:

We’ve got a list of Adobe tutorials from the web we’ve been curating here and we’ve long advocated for using Lynda/Linkedin Learning for students and advisers to learn programs. Let’s add one more great resource into the mix and that’s Adobe’s “Adobe for Education” channel on Youtube.

One example:

20 formative assessment examples to use in your online classroom [tophat.com]

On 07/18/2020, in assessment, education, K-12 related, learning, online learning, pedagogy, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, by Daniel Christian

20 formative assessment examples to use in your online classroom — from tophat.com
Informal assessments are an easy way to stay connected with your students and understand their progress in your course

Excerpt:

As learning environments evolve to incorporate online and remote learning, so too has the need for different approaches that provide flexibility in assessing students in-class, online or in blended learning environments. The following examples of formative assessment techniques can not only help you share more regular, reliable and useful feedback on student progress, they can also help you get started in thinking of other formative assessment strategies to incorporate into your lesson plans.

Zooming in on Gen Z [McKinney]

On 07/18/2020, in business, career development, change, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, generational differences, learner profiles, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, society, student-related, training / L&D, United States, videoconferencing, youth, by Daniel Christian

Zooming in on Gen Z — from trainingmag.com by Scott McKinney
How L&D can cater to this rising generation’s intuitive worldview and desires.

Excerpt:

As the 60-plus million members of Generation Z enter the workplace, adapting training programs to connect with them is mission-critical.

Gen Zers—born in the mid-1990s and raised in the 2000s—will account for more than 20 percent of working adults by the end of 2020, according to a report from software-based learning management system provider Docebo. Their preferences are more in line with Gen Xers than the Millennials, despite their technology fluency. They’re the first generation raised entirely in the Digital Age but—surprisingly—prefer face-to-face communication with their peers.

Here’s a look at how L&D departments can zoom in on this rising generation’s intuitive worldview and desires in a constantly changing and COVID-19-challenged world.

Here’s how to make bold, italics, & strikethrough text in the comments of a Google Doc [Vincent]

On 07/17/2020, in education technology, Google, productivity / tips and tricks, reading, teachers, teaching online, vendors, web-based collaboration, writing, by Daniel Christian

?? You do NOT have to use ALL CAPS to emphasize words in a Google document’s comments. Here’s how to make bold, italics, and strikethrough text… pic.twitter.com/5eirjmmfnB

— Tony Vincent (@tonyvincent) May 22, 2020

From DSC:
Thanks Tony for this item. I was trying to think of how to do this just the other day…so I’m a bit late in posting this, but better late than never, heh?

“If you haven’t been the victim of racism, imagine stepping into someone else’s shoes and experiencing it first hand.” [Vander Ark]

On 07/17/2020, in education technology, engagement / engaging students, ideas, immersion, innovation, participation, society, sociology, United States, vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

Startup tackling systemic racism with virtual reality training — from gettingsmart.com by Tom Vander Ark

Excerpt:

If you haven’t been the victim of racism, imagine stepping into someone else’s shoes and experiencing it first hand. Imagine being transported into the realities of harassment.

Morgan Mercer combined insights from these immersive experiences into a venture-backed startup, Vantage Point. As a female founder, fundraising was a challenge but the Los Angeles venture launched in 2017 with a few clients and a beta product.

Participants have independent and collective experiences with facilitation to move conversations forward. After an immersion, participants respond to tough questions like, “Do you have privilege in that situation that a person of color might not?”

2020 trends in online student demographics [bestcolleges.com]

On 07/17/2020, in colleges, community colleges, higher education, motivation, online learning, student-related, teaching online, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

2020 trends in online student demographics — from bestcolleges.com, with thanks to Lisa Marquez for this resource

A Note from BestColleges on Coronavirus and the Transition to Online Education
The data reported here was collected shortly before the coronavirus outbreak. The students who participated in this study had already chosen or were planning to take online courses. Their insights into the challenges of becoming successful online students, including lessons learned along the way, help to inform the development of future online programs.

[Higher ed] Reflections on “Stay apart or stay home” [Anderson]

On 07/17/2020, in adjunct faculty, business side of he, change, colleges, community colleges, face-to-face, faculty, future, game-changing environment, health, higher education, law schools, leadership, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning spaces, student-related, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

Stay apart or stay home — from insidehighered.com by Greta Anderson
Colleges are implementing social contracts or making addenda to code of conduct policies requiring students to abide by social distancing guidelines this fall. Some institutions have said they will remove students from campus for noncompliance.

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

As college leaders move ahead on plans to reopen their campuses this fall, it is becoming more clear that they lack confidence in their ability to control student behavior that can spread the coronavirus.

In addition to plans to regularly test students for COVID-19, college administrators are putting faith in conduct codes and written pledges that mandate students refrain from large gatherings, follow social distance guidelines and wear face masks. The administrators are setting up clear expectations for how students must conduct themselves and getting the message out through campus health campaigns and online training modules. What is less clear is how far colleges can go beyond their gates to enforce healthy behavior, which some students have already proven they are not willing to engage in.

She said it will also be important for campuses to come up with enforcement measures for noncompliance. A feasible university response to students who violate expectations is to remove or ban them from campus, she said.

From DSC:
Do we really think college-age students will wear masks all the time and practice social distancing? I agree with Professor Scott Galloway’s recent comments at the Remote Conference — i.e., that we are either delusional in thinking this will occur or worse, we are being dishonest.

I’m not saying this type of thing is an easy decision and I don’t envy those folks having to make such difficult decisions. But there will likely be some colleges and universities who go ahead and make the decision to bring their students back to campus — and they do so in order to keep their doors open and/or to meet their goals for their forecasted budgets. That is, they will be sure to get the students’ tuition $$, room and board, books, fees, etc., and then after a few weeks on campus, tell everyone to go back home and finish out the term online.

These organizations better think twice before following that strategy. That strategy is short-sided. It may work for one year — or maybe not even that. Perhaps only for one semester or only for one quarter. But the bottom line is that you will get ONE shot at doing the right thing. You may not be getting those students back, as their trust in your organization will have been shattered.

Even if that isn’t your organization’s strategy, it could turn out to be a trust/PR nightmare if such a situation develops at your campus. Your organization may be unfairly compared to or lumped with other organizations who followed this strategy.

Had this Coronavirus situation happened 30-40 years ago, it would have been a different situation I think — at least trust wise. But even prior to the Coronavirus hitting us, there has been a growing backlash against higher education, especially in the last 2 decades. These days, are colleges/universities really confident that when they enforce things (and play the “heavy”), there isn’t going to be an even bigger backlash? As we’re in the process of multiplying many of the changes that we are going through by 10 years, are we ready for a 10-year leap in the backlash against higher education?

I’m grateful that the law school where I currently work — the WMU-Cooley Law School — decided early on to keep all of our courses in a 100% online-based format for this fall. It was/is the right call I think, given the current circumstances and highly uncertain future. It does the best job of protecting the students, faculty, staff, and members of administration.

But all that said, I realize this is a tough situation; there are likely many issues no matter which route(s) we take. I just encourage people and organizations to be as transparent and honest as possible here. Trust in higher education as one of our key institutions is at stake.

Tips for managing remote culture fatigue [Deal]

On 07/17/2020, in attention, collaboration, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, engagement / engaging students, motivation, parents/guardians, participation, platforms, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, telepresence, tools, training / L&D, United States, web-based collaboration, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Tips for managing remote culture fatigue — from trainingmag.com by Jo Deal, Chief Human Resources Officer, LogMeIn
Making sure employees know which virtual meetings/social gatherings are mandatory, giving them the freedom to prioritize other tasks, and learning from those who already have experience working remotely are all important lessons for finding the right cultural fit.

Excerpts:

1. Be clear about what is and isn’t mandatory.
2. Reinforce a healthy work/life balance.
3. Overhaul your meetings.
4. Learn from remote employees with experience.

Teachers at high risk for COVID-19 face a terrible choice: Your job or your health [Noonoo]

On 07/17/2020, in education, face-to-face, health, K-12 related, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, teachers, traditional / tradition, United States, youth, by Daniel Christian

Teachers at high risk for COVID-19 face a terrible choice: Your job or your health — from edsurge.com by Stephen Noonoo

Excerpt:

Yet a majority of teachers aren’t sold, due to poor guidance from state and district administrators and few realistic ways to achieve social distancing on school buses and in crowded classrooms that were overspilling with students even before schools closed in March. On social media and in interviews, they cite health concerns and age—about 30 percent of teachers are over age 50—as well as the disastrous school reopenings in Israel that reportedly contributed to a surge of new cases.

Here’s how colleges should help close the digital divide in the COVID-Era [Brownlee]

On 07/17/2020, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Bring your own device (BYOD), colleges, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, cost of getting a degree, digital learning, distance education, economics, education, education reform, education technology, future, higher education, ideas, internet, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, liberal arts, online learning, online media, online tutoring, participation, reinvent, remote teaching and learning, social learning / networks, society, sociology, student-related, surviving, teaching online, technologies for your home, telecommunications, tools, trends, United States, universities, vendors, vision/possibilities, youth, by Daniel Christian

Here’s how colleges should help close the digital divide in the COVID-Era — from edsurge.com by Dr. Mordecai I. Brownlee

Excerpt:

One key problem prevalent in many low-socioeconomic communities around the nation—like San Antonio, which now has the highest poverty rate of the country’s 25 largest metro areas—is the digital divide. Digital divide is a term used to describe the gap present in society between those who have access to the internet and technology and those who don’t.

It speaks directly to a primary challenge facing our education system in this COVID-era: Some students and families have the means to succeed in a remote learning environment, and others do not.

Macro.io — another example of the forthcoming innovation in online-based meetings & learning

On 07/16/2020, in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, analytics, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, communications, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, distance education, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, Google, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, interactivity, IT in HE, K-12 related, law schools, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, multimedia, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, online learning, platforms, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, remote teaching and learning, streams of content, student-related, teaching online, technologies for your home, tools, United States, universities, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design, vendors, videoconferencing, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, visualizing information, web-based collaboration, webinars, by Daniel Christian

DC: Individuals or teams can use this tool that works on top of Zoom (i.e., doesn’t require the network effect to make a diff). How might such functionality impact online-based learning?#onlinelearning #inclusion #videoconferencing https://t.co/b2IFvHpsVO

— Daniel Christian (@dchristian5) July 15, 2020

“Existing meeting interfaces had been designed with a singular goal, to simply enable virtual conversations. How could we build a meeting interface from the ground-up that intentionally facilitates engaging, productive, and inclusive conversations?”

Online learning critical to the ‘reskilling’ of America [Maggioncalda]

On 07/15/2020, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, career development, change, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, cost of getting a degree, curriculum, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, disruption, distance education, education, education technology, future, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, internet, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, lifelong learning, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, more voice more choice more control, new business models, online learning, online media, online tutoring, Personal Learning Networks (PLNs), platforms, reinvent, society, staying relevant, strategy, surviving, technologies for your home, United States, vendors, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

Online learning critical to the ‘reskilling’ of America — from thehill.com by Jeff Maggioncalda
[From DSC: As Jeff is the CEO of Coursera, a worldwide online learning platform, it causes this to be an opinion piece for sure; but his points are nevertheless, very valid in my opinion as well.]

Excerpts:

America is facing the worst unemployment crisis since the Great Depression. One in four American workers has filed for unemployment insurance since March. In less than four months, over 44 million American workers have watched their jobs be put on hold or disappear entirely — and that number is expected to grow in the coming months.
…
Policymakers should use this opportunity to launch a large-scale effort to help Americans develop the skills to do the jobs of the future.
…
Amidst this pandemic, Americans require a solution that meets them where they are, offering a safe learning environment during social distancing while preparing them for in-demand jobs now and post-COVID.
…
Online learning helps workers develop skills at an unparalleled speed and scale, as seen with the recent experience of training tens of thousands of contact tracers in a matter of weeks.

How might increased competition amongst accreditors impact innovation within higher education? Is that’s what’s been missing? [Christian]

On 07/15/2020, in accreditation, business side of he, change, changing business models, colleges, community colleges, credentialing, higher education, innovation, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

DC: Now there’s a thought/question…

How might increased competition amongst #accreditors impact #innovation within #HigherEducation?!

Is that’s what’s been missing? Hmmm…could easily be an incredible time of change these next few years. https://t.co/5R8Ov8EjiU

— Daniel Christian (@dchristian5) July 15, 2020

Which links to this article:

Another regional accreditor drops geographic limits — from educationdive.com by Hallie Busta

Dive Brief:

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) announced Monday that it will accept applications for accreditation from institutions located outside its historical territory, which is primarily the mid-Atlantic states.
It will also begin taking applications from international institutions seeking accreditation.
MSCHE is the second of the country’s seven historically regional accreditors to make such a move, the result of new federal regulations removing their geographic boundaries.

We will consider the ways that the Commission engages in its work and whether an alternative structure may be necessary to support the changing nature of accreditation, and its more modern demands. Believe it or not, our requirements and standards are also scheduled for evaluation. We will need to begin to have conversations about the ways we can improve the language of our requirements and standards or our accreditation processes. — source

‘No college degree required’: Google expands certificate program for in-demand job skills [Dishman]

On 07/15/2020, in accreditation, analytics, career development, change, computer science, data related items, Google, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, lifelong learning, professional development, staying relevant, training / L&D, United States, user experience (UX), vendors, by Daniel Christian

‘No college degree required’: Google expands certificate program for in-demand job skills — from fastcompany.com by Lydia Dishman

Excerpt:

Google just announced that it is expanding its skills certification program to help more people land high-paying tech jobs without a college degree.

The Grow with Google Career Certificates will be available soon for in-demand jobs including Data Analyst, Project Manager, and UX designer. These jobs pay between $60,000 and $90,000, on average.

From DSC:
Does this get at what Professor Scott Galloway was talking about yesterday at the Remote Conference? That is, that Big Tech is coming for healthcare and education. Could be.

Also see:

Google to launch 3 more tech certificates on Coursera — from educationdive.com by Natalie Schwartz
Excerpt:
The certificates — which will be in data analytics, project management and user experience design — will cost $49 a month and take three to six months to complete. Google will fund 100,000 need-based scholarships for those who take them.

Learning Ecosystems

Here’s how to make bold, italics, & strikethrough text in the comments of a Google Doc [Vincent]

“If you haven’t been the victim of racism, imagine stepping into someone else’s shoes and experiencing it first hand.” [Vander Ark]

Tips for managing remote culture fatigue [Deal]

Online learning critical to the ‘reskilling’ of America [Maggioncalda]

How might increased competition amongst accreditors impact innovation within higher education? Is that’s what’s been missing? [Christian]

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