Education IT News For VARs — January 22, 2015
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
This week, an infographic highlights campus tech and IT issues, and an article highlights Ed-Tech trends from CES 2015. Also, MIT is leveraging mobile tech, kids, and seniors in its adult learning tool, and Duolingo makes a play for the school market.
Infographic Highlights Tech And IT Issues Facing Campuses
In this infographic, Educause highlights the top 10 strategic tech and IT issues facing campuses today. Among the IT issues are developing enterprise IT architecture, optimizing technology in teaching and learning, demonstrating IT’s business value, providing user support in mobile, online education, cloud, and BYOD (bring your own device) environments, and developing mobile cloud and digital security policies. Meanwhile, among the top strategic technologies are business intelligence/reporting dashboards, mobile apps for enterprise applications, incorporation of mobile devices in teaching and learning, mobile data protection, and unified communications and collaboration.
5 Ed-Tech Highlights From CES 2015
This article from eSchool News examines some of the education technologies showcased at this year’s International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), including robotic educators, the rise of wearable technologies like smart backpacks, more and better 3D printers, the rise of adaptive learning, and developments in augmented reality.
MIT’s New Adult Learning Tool Leverages Mobile Devices
This article from EdSurge tells how MIT is envisioning adult learning tools for the future that leverage mobile devices. The solutions are designed to improve literacy, provide learning tools while commuting, facilitate learning as a family, and connect adult learners with senior citizen tutors.
Education IT Talking Points
Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, and White House Science Advisor John Holdren announced last week that a $25 million grant is being made available over the next five years to further cybersecurity education. The money will be used to create a new cybersecurity consortium of 13 historically black colleges and universities, two national labs, and the Charleston County School District. The goal will be to create “a sustainable pipeline of students focused on cybersecurity issues.”
Duolingo, an award-winning, gamified language-instruction app and software package designed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University has been introduced to schools, according to Education Week. According to Luis von Ahn, co-founder of the company, there were 10,000 teacher accounts and 25,000 affiliated student users who registered in less than a week. U.S. K-12 classrooms are also a prime target for the company.