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6 Tips for Getting Started with Google Classroom

Join the Google Classroom revolution! It will completely change the way you deliver assignments, communicate and collaborate in your class, and give your students future-ready skills!Google Classroom is a free application designed by Google to help students and teachers communicate, collaborate, organize and manage assignments, go paperless, and much more! This application was developed by Google specifically for students and teachers, and they want it to be your go-to assignment manager for Google Drive and beyond.

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CIBERTEC

Cibertec is an educational institution that has more than 33 years of experience in the education and training of professionals in different areas of Information Technology, Management, Business, Design, Communications and Engineering. It was founded in 1983 and, since then, its main growth pillars are the permanent updating and innovation of its professional careers, programs and courses that are aligned with the technological advances that occur in the world; as well as Quality and Service excellence.

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Education Technology

The 8 Most Interesting EdTech Trends Of 2021

Article | July 27, 2022

Education technology has the opportunity to improve learning outcomes for hundreds of millions of children and adults worldwide. But what are the biggest trends in edtech for 2021? And what’s coming around the corner? Read on to find out. Tech-Enabled Immersive Learning Extended reality (XR) is an umbrella term for augmented reality, virtual reality, or the combination of related technology with the real environment. And it’s one of the biggest edtech trends happening right now. One big reason is cost. The price of a standalone VR headset is already lower than ever, and expected to drop further to $200 by 2023 (and even lower for mobile-based VR units). Cheaper units means that more schools can use them as a standard part of their curriculum. Separately, the total value of AR in education is expected to reach $5.3 billion by 2023. But how can these technologies be used to teach? One way is by enhancing the visual learning process. Using AR, students can see 3D depictions of dinosaurs, chemical elements, the human body and more. Products like Adobe Aero are making it easy for anyone to build AR objects. While a real expense for many schools, VR can actually be used to save money on physical equipment. For example, Danish startup Labster provides interactive VR laboratories that STEM students can run experiments with. No million-dollar lab needed. While Google Expeditions lets classes take virtual field trips to places like Mount Everest and the Louvre. And for adults, Interplay Learning lets tradespeople learn skills like HVAC repair and solar panel installation. VR is also assisting special needs students. Students with disabilities can use VR to see things they can't physically access. And autistic kids can rehearse scenarios they're likely to encounter in the outside world. Another type of immersive learning is "makerspaces". Unrelated to AR and VR, makerspaces are physical areas of a classroom, school, library, or community center that allow students to build things by hand. They can be used for any creative endeavor, like creating books or art. But makerspaces are often used for tech projects. For example, students are using littleBits kits to learn programming. Innovative K-12 Homeschooling Startups Interest in homeschooling in the US has been increasing for years. In fact, homeschoolers currently make up 3.4% of American school-aged children. And because of the coronavirus pandemic, homeschooling has been an even hotter topic over the past couple of years. But a lot of homeschooling is still conducted with old-school pen and paper, using workbooks that can be expensive or outdated. So it's no surprise that several edtech startups are stepping in to offer new, tech-enabled homeschooling solutions. One of these is Prisma. Offering a blend of in-person and live online learning experiences, Prisma separates the roles of instructor and facilitator/coach. And promises to unlock learners' potential in the process. Outschool is another interesting edtech startup in the homeschooling space. Outschool works by matching students with teachers for online learning in small groups, conducted live. A third example is Primer. This startup wants to build the "full-stack infrastructure" to help parents homeschool their kids, with the hope of bringing homeschooling into the mainstream. The platform includes a tool to help parents navigate local regulations, a learning management system, and a library of curated educational resources. ELearning In 2021, there’s probably no bigger education trend than eLearning. According to the Research Institute of America, eLearning increases retention rates by 25 to 60 percent. It's also extremely scalable, allowing the best educators to reach many students at the same time (or at different times, in the case of on-demand pre-recorded courses.) And at a much lower cost than traditional in-person classes. No wonder this industry is expected to exceed $1 trillion by 2027. The homeschooling startups we just covered are following the eLearning trend for K-12. But tools that aren't built for online learning are also being used en masse to teach courses live. An example of this is via Zoom. Additionally, a whole host of service providers have stepped in to serve different segments of this growing sub-industry. Some colleges have started offering 100% online bachelor’s degrees in recent years. And many others have offered online courses during the pandemic. So it's safe to assume a good portion of them will continue to offer online learning post-pandemic as well. While Coursera has partnered with scores of universities (including Stanford and Yale) to provide higher education courses and degrees online. And beyond college, Udemy offers online courses for professionals seeking to improve their skills. Other major players in the eLearning space include: MasterClass, a subscription service for on-demand courses taught by celebrities. Teachable and Thinkific, course-creation platforms for entrepreneurs. Lessonly, B2B training software. Italki, 1-on-1 language tutoring. DailyBurn, an app for exercise courses. In K-12 education, the eLearning trend is unlikely to slow down. But it's not without its challenges. According to a survey of IT leaders in the U.S. educational system, only 7% expect their school districts to return to pre-pandemic onsite teaching this fall. However, 87 percent named off-campus internet availability as an urgent issue to resolve to maximize distance learning possibilities. Accessible Education As of 2018, there were 258 million children worldwide not getting an education. Things are improving: that number is down from 378 million in 2000. But there's still a long way to go when it comes to accessibility. Even in Europe and North America, there are millions of out-of-school children. eLearning promises to help solve this problem. However, there are still barriers. For example, many schools have doled out Chromebooks to each student. But some of these homes lack internet access. In the US, 86.6% of households have broadband. But in rural areas, the number is much lower. Device availability is another challenge. Mobile-first learning may be able to help with both of the above. After all, mobile devices are cheaper than laptops. And rather than requiring wifi access, they can rely on mobile data service. But not everyone can afford a dedicated additional mobile device, or a data plan for it either. So in some cities, local PBS networks are broadcasting lessons on TV for pre-K to 8th graders. While some libraries have offered curbside book deliveries. At the same time, many edtech leaders are calling for the FCC to use its E-Rate program to help bring reliable internet access to homes. For homeschoolers and underserved communities, free educational resources are also helpful. Open Educational Resources (OER) and Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) offer no-cost use of materials and software for educational purposes, enabling students and educators access that would not otherwise be possible. AI-Enabled Adaptive Learning (And Admin) Adaptive learning is a high-tech form of personalized education. Thanks to AI, digital learning interfaces can adapt to students' needs in real time, providing the lessons and exercises that are needed to fill in knowledge gaps and reinforce concepts. All at the level of the individual student. Automated, intelligent tutoring systems have been on the rise for years. In fact, the first "teaching machine" was created in 1924. But it's only more recently that processing power (both in the cloud and on local devices) has become powerful enough to employ AI for this purpose. Unlocking near-unlimited possibilities for personalized learning. One example is the AI-powered math tutoring service Thinkster, which promises up to a 90% improvement in math scores for K-8th graders. And in April 2020, Thinkster acquired another AI-based adaptive learning service called SelectQ. SelectQ applies the technology for SAT test prep tutoring. Adaptive learning is also present in the ROYBI Robot, named one of Time Magazine's best inventions of 2019. The ROYBI Robot uses machine learning to tailor its educational content to the child who's interacting with it, taking the child's learning style and emotions into account. Artificial intelligence is also being used to grade essays in at least 21 U.S. states - though the results aren't always flawless. AI-enabled chatbots are becoming increasingly common as well. For example, the chatbot-like Duolingo uses adaptive learning to teach foreign languages. And chatbots like Ivy.ai and AdmitHub are being used as higher-ed administrative assistants, helping with anything from the college admissions process to student housing and financial aid. These automated tools can drastically reduce costs for colleges, as the average cost of a call center call is about $5. Gamification Gamification in education is nothing new. For ages, teachers have been offering students prizes for reading books, achieving good grades or otherwise being a good pupil. But in the digital era, game mechanics can be used in even more ways. In fact, many educational tools are simply games. Minecraft is probably the most common example. This "sandbox" style game has been used to create stage performances, write stories, and even teach students about DNA. And with over 100 million monthly players, gaming platform Roblox is now even bigger than Minecraft. It's being used around the world to teach programming and game design. On the other hand, game mechanics are being added to non-games as well. Socrative offers a "space race" feature that turns quizzes into a competitive game. Knowre brings gaming mechanics (and adaptive learning) to math lessons. And ClassDojo can add points-based gamification to almost any subject. Google Everything Google has planted roots in the education system. Thanks to their low cost and ease of use (and maintenance), Chromebooks have become the standard student-learning device. And there's no more natural pair to Chromebooks than G Suite for Education. This suite of tools includes favorites like Google Docs, Sheets, Gmail and Forms - each of which can be used by faculty or students. (And a free version is available.) Also included in G Suite for Education are Google Classroom and Google Assignments. Google Classroom offers a digital space for students and teachers to interact, assign and turn in homework, and more. While Google Assignments is a tool to help teachers create and grade coursework more quickly. Finally, Google also offers their Google Cloud Platform to schools and universities, offering cloud storage and computing power for research and other uses. Accelerating Investments In EdTech Global edtech venture capital investments totaled more than $10 billion in 2020, up from $500 million in 2010. Some estimate an additional $87 billion in investment over the next decade. According to EdSurge, from 2014 to 2018 the most well-funded education technology product category in the U.S. was post-secondary education products. With curriculum products fighting "other" products for second place. Among the well-funded post-secondary edtech companies are CommonBond (which has secured $1.6 billion in funding since 2011) and CampusLogic (which has secured $192.8 million). However, both are focused on student loans and financial aid services, making them arguably more fintech than edtech. Lambda School is another highly-watched education startup, which again blends edtech with finance. Rather than charging its students outright, it uses income-share agreements (ISAs) to make money based on a portion of its graduates' career earnings. These Western startups may be exciting, but for now, most of the largest edtech "unicorns" are in Asia. Will the U.S. and Europe pick up the pace? Or will American and European investors put more of their money into foreign ventures? It will be interesting to see which well-funded startups end up shaking up the education sector. Wrapping Up There you have it: eight of the most interesting education technology trends of 2021. From AI-powered learning to eLearning and more, for PreK-12 and adult learning. Many of these trends are poised to disrupt the field of education as we know it. Hopefully for the better.

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Education Technology

5 Ways to Help Women Achieve Educational Success

Article | July 15, 2022

While the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on our economy, women continue to be disproportionately impacted. Now is the time to look at the long game. What changes can society make in order to insure that when the next big crisis happens, women don’t bear the brunt of it. Education, of course, has always been on the front line of changing societal disparities. However, much of the time we don’t look at the root causes of why young women underperform in certain areas. Below are five ways we can position women for educational success, from girlhood to the moment they walk into their first job. If you are a teacher, give this list to the parents you work with. Help them set the tone now so our girls grow up ready to take on the world. DON’T TELL ME I’M PRETTY Little girls, from the time they are young, are praised for how beautiful they are.  We talk to girls about how they look and boys about what they do. This escalates when little girls hit puberty. This is when girls start deriving their social capital from their looks and their grades start to tank. Fight this trend by praising young women for what they do. Don’t say, “You’re so beautiful!” Instead say, “I love how curious you are about the solar system! You’re such an interesting person to talk to!”   DON’T TELL ME I’M SMART This sounds a little bit strange, but often little boys are praised for their hard work and girls are praised for their inherent intelligence. The problem with this is that when a little girl doesn’t do well she thinks it has to do with how smart she is rather than her work ethic. Her failures become a referendum on her intelligence.  Say, “Wow, you really worked hard” rather than, “Wow, you’re so smart!” You can always work harder, but you can’t change the brains you were born with!    DON’T BE TOO NICE TO ME When young women struggle in the sciences or STEM, often parents try to protect their feelings.  This can take the form of telling young women who are struggling that perhaps their major is just too hard --maybe they should do something that makes their life a little easier. Boys get the message not to give up - girls get the message to take the path of least resistance. Don’t coddle your girls. Hold them to the same tough standard you have with your boys.   DON’T SEE ME ONLY AS A GIRL OR A WOMAN Understand that if you are trying to support women you cannot do that in a White Woman vacuum. If a young woman you know is struggling, look at the other issues that might be intersecting. Does she have a disability? Is she a woman of color? Is she the first generation to go to college in her family? Audre Lorde famously said “there is no such thing as a single issue struggle because we do not live single issue lives.“ Make sure you are not treating every woman as if she is the same simply because of her gender. There could be all kinds of intersections that are also impacting her situation.   DO VALUE MY VOICE If you are an educator, pay attention to who you are listening to. Note how you value different voices. The patterns that impact girls and young women follow them throughout their education and into adulthood. Pay attention to who you’re calling on in class. Whose voice gets more weight? Watch for classroom dynamics that make certain people feel they have the right to speak and others feel they must remain silent. Be sure to encourage every student from kindergarten to PhD candidates to speak up and then make sure you’re listening. It’s wonderful how much weight we give to the voices of men and boys. Women should be afforded the same courtesy. Women’s success doesn’t just come from hiring women or making sure we are paid the same for doing the same work. It comes from making sure every woman, from the time she is a little girl, is given the message that she has worth, and that if she works hard enough, she can achieve her dreams. Let’s not tell our girls that they are pretty flowers who might crumble when life knocks them down. Let’s give them the message that life can be hard, but they can work harder, and if they do, success will be theirs. Eliza VanCort is an in-demand consultant, speaker, and writer on communications, career and workplace issues, and women’s empowerment. The founder of The Actor’s Workshop of Ithaca, she is also a Cook House Fellow at Cornell University, an advisory board member of the Performing Arts for Social Change, a Diversity Crew partner, and a member of Govern For America’s League of Innovators. Her first book, A Woman’s Guide to Claiming Space: Stand Tall. Raise Your Voice. Be Heard., publishes May 11, 2021.

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Online Education

Preparing Your High School Student for a Career

Article | July 19, 2022

During this important time in your high school student’s life, they’re just beginning to explore their interests and the possible career paths. Your support is vital to making that exploration comfortable and exciting. To aid you in your student’s journey, here are several ways you can prepare your high school student for the career of their dreams: As your student goes through high school, they will begin exploring career paths, joining clubs and organizations and participating in extracurricular activities.

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Education Technology

6 Technology Trends That Redefine Data Analytics in Higher Ed

Article | July 20, 2022

Data and analytics have become a prominent strategy across industries to promote informed decision-making. Riding this wave is the higher education industry. Recently, the higher education IT association inaugurated a data and analytics edition of the Horizon Report, a report that provides a deep analysis of technology trends and practices that impact higher ed institutions. The report confirms that data analytics is an emerging alternative for strategic decision-making and planning. According to the report, here are the six practices and technologies that will have the greatest impact: Data Management Data management and governance includes automating workflow, managing access, consent management, data privacy, and data integrity management. According to Educause, these data processes form an essential part of institutional success and security. Despite this, many institutions rely on multiple committees instead of a dedicated team for data management and governance. This gap is an opportunity for data and analytics solution providers to meet and improve data management in higher ed. Consolidating Data Sources Data silos are a common concern in higher ed institutions. The tremendous volumes of data that institutions have stored are never leveraged due to the divide between systems. Unifying these data sources will help higher education institutions build a seamless ecosystem that supports their administrative as well as remote instruction platforms. Data Architecture High-end analytics is incomplete without smart data architecture. The scalability and flexibility of the data architecture enables higher ed institutes to be agile and use data effectively to fuel decision-making. Establishing a modern data architecture will be at the top of the list for higher ed institutions. Data Literacy Equipping decision-makers and stakeholders with the necessary skills to interpret the insights generated by the data is crucial to the success of the organization. Stakeholders across the institutions in higher education, from management leaders to administrators and teachers, need data literacy training to leverage data efficiently. DEI-based Data and Analytics Data analytics professionals are putting more emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to drive how they retrieve, analyze, and process data. This will allow higher ed institutions to capitalize on data and analytics to promote their DEI policies, boost equity, and track progress to improve outcomes. Enhancing Institutions’ Data Analytics The growing demand for meaningful, and insight-driven data is pressing data professionals to enhance their capabilities and contribute to the institutional capabilities to use data effectively. Institutional leaders can start considering what purpose data analytics might play in the future if stronger procedures are in place. Collaboration between institutions will be more secure, useful, and advantageous. Analytics administrators can anticipate greater outcomes for students, instructors, and staff as data analytics procedures advance.

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Education Technology

5 Powerful and Free Virtual Reality Applications for Schools

Article | July 27, 2022

Education technology has the opportunity to improve learning outcomes for hundreds of millions of children and adults worldwide. But what are the biggest trends in edtech for 2021? And what’s coming around the corner? Read on to find out. Tech-Enabled Immersive Learning Extended reality (XR) is an umbrella term for augmented reality, virtual reality, or the combination of related technology with the real environment. And it’s one of the biggest edtech trends happening right now. One big reason is cost. The price of a standalone VR headset is already lower than ever, and expected to drop further to $200 by 2023 (and even lower for mobile-based VR units). Cheaper units means that more schools can use them as a standard part of their curriculum. Separately, the total value of AR in education is expected to reach $5.3 billion by 2023. But how can these technologies be used to teach? One way is by enhancing the visual learning process. Using AR, students can see 3D depictions of dinosaurs, chemical elements, the human body and more. Products like Adobe Aero are making it easy for anyone to build AR objects. While a real expense for many schools, VR can actually be used to save money on physical equipment. For example, Danish startup Labster provides interactive VR laboratories that STEM students can run experiments with. No million-dollar lab needed. While Google Expeditions lets classes take virtual field trips to places like Mount Everest and the Louvre. And for adults, Interplay Learning lets tradespeople learn skills like HVAC repair and solar panel installation. VR is also assisting special needs students. Students with disabilities can use VR to see things they can't physically access. And autistic kids can rehearse scenarios they're likely to encounter in the outside world. Another type of immersive learning is "makerspaces". Unrelated to AR and VR, makerspaces are physical areas of a classroom, school, library, or community center that allow students to build things by hand. They can be used for any creative endeavor, like creating books or art. But makerspaces are often used for tech projects. For example, students are using littleBits kits to learn programming. Innovative K-12 Homeschooling Startups Interest in homeschooling in the US has been increasing for years. In fact, homeschoolers currently make up 3.4% of American school-aged children. And because of the coronavirus pandemic, homeschooling has been an even hotter topic over the past couple of years. But a lot of homeschooling is still conducted with old-school pen and paper, using workbooks that can be expensive or outdated. So it's no surprise that several edtech startups are stepping in to offer new, tech-enabled homeschooling solutions. One of these is Prisma. Offering a blend of in-person and live online learning experiences, Prisma separates the roles of instructor and facilitator/coach. And promises to unlock learners' potential in the process. Outschool is another interesting edtech startup in the homeschooling space. Outschool works by matching students with teachers for online learning in small groups, conducted live. A third example is Primer. This startup wants to build the "full-stack infrastructure" to help parents homeschool their kids, with the hope of bringing homeschooling into the mainstream. The platform includes a tool to help parents navigate local regulations, a learning management system, and a library of curated educational resources. ELearning In 2021, there’s probably no bigger education trend than eLearning. According to the Research Institute of America, eLearning increases retention rates by 25 to 60 percent. It's also extremely scalable, allowing the best educators to reach many students at the same time (or at different times, in the case of on-demand pre-recorded courses.) And at a much lower cost than traditional in-person classes. No wonder this industry is expected to exceed $1 trillion by 2027. The homeschooling startups we just covered are following the eLearning trend for K-12. But tools that aren't built for online learning are also being used en masse to teach courses live. An example of this is via Zoom. Additionally, a whole host of service providers have stepped in to serve different segments of this growing sub-industry. Some colleges have started offering 100% online bachelor’s degrees in recent years. And many others have offered online courses during the pandemic. So it's safe to assume a good portion of them will continue to offer online learning post-pandemic as well. While Coursera has partnered with scores of universities (including Stanford and Yale) to provide higher education courses and degrees online. And beyond college, Udemy offers online courses for professionals seeking to improve their skills. Other major players in the eLearning space include: MasterClass, a subscription service for on-demand courses taught by celebrities. Teachable and Thinkific, course-creation platforms for entrepreneurs. Lessonly, B2B training software. Italki, 1-on-1 language tutoring. DailyBurn, an app for exercise courses. In K-12 education, the eLearning trend is unlikely to slow down. But it's not without its challenges. According to a survey of IT leaders in the U.S. educational system, only 7% expect their school districts to return to pre-pandemic onsite teaching this fall. However, 87 percent named off-campus internet availability as an urgent issue to resolve to maximize distance learning possibilities. Accessible Education As of 2018, there were 258 million children worldwide not getting an education. Things are improving: that number is down from 378 million in 2000. But there's still a long way to go when it comes to accessibility. Even in Europe and North America, there are millions of out-of-school children. eLearning promises to help solve this problem. However, there are still barriers. For example, many schools have doled out Chromebooks to each student. But some of these homes lack internet access. In the US, 86.6% of households have broadband. But in rural areas, the number is much lower. Device availability is another challenge. Mobile-first learning may be able to help with both of the above. After all, mobile devices are cheaper than laptops. And rather than requiring wifi access, they can rely on mobile data service. But not everyone can afford a dedicated additional mobile device, or a data plan for it either. So in some cities, local PBS networks are broadcasting lessons on TV for pre-K to 8th graders. While some libraries have offered curbside book deliveries. At the same time, many edtech leaders are calling for the FCC to use its E-Rate program to help bring reliable internet access to homes. For homeschoolers and underserved communities, free educational resources are also helpful. Open Educational Resources (OER) and Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) offer no-cost use of materials and software for educational purposes, enabling students and educators access that would not otherwise be possible. AI-Enabled Adaptive Learning (And Admin) Adaptive learning is a high-tech form of personalized education. Thanks to AI, digital learning interfaces can adapt to students' needs in real time, providing the lessons and exercises that are needed to fill in knowledge gaps and reinforce concepts. All at the level of the individual student. Automated, intelligent tutoring systems have been on the rise for years. In fact, the first "teaching machine" was created in 1924. But it's only more recently that processing power (both in the cloud and on local devices) has become powerful enough to employ AI for this purpose. Unlocking near-unlimited possibilities for personalized learning. One example is the AI-powered math tutoring service Thinkster, which promises up to a 90% improvement in math scores for K-8th graders. And in April 2020, Thinkster acquired another AI-based adaptive learning service called SelectQ. SelectQ applies the technology for SAT test prep tutoring. Adaptive learning is also present in the ROYBI Robot, named one of Time Magazine's best inventions of 2019. The ROYBI Robot uses machine learning to tailor its educational content to the child who's interacting with it, taking the child's learning style and emotions into account. Artificial intelligence is also being used to grade essays in at least 21 U.S. states - though the results aren't always flawless. AI-enabled chatbots are becoming increasingly common as well. For example, the chatbot-like Duolingo uses adaptive learning to teach foreign languages. And chatbots like Ivy.ai and AdmitHub are being used as higher-ed administrative assistants, helping with anything from the college admissions process to student housing and financial aid. These automated tools can drastically reduce costs for colleges, as the average cost of a call center call is about $5. Gamification Gamification in education is nothing new. For ages, teachers have been offering students prizes for reading books, achieving good grades or otherwise being a good pupil. But in the digital era, game mechanics can be used in even more ways. In fact, many educational tools are simply games. Minecraft is probably the most common example. This "sandbox" style game has been used to create stage performances, write stories, and even teach students about DNA. And with over 100 million monthly players, gaming platform Roblox is now even bigger than Minecraft. It's being used around the world to teach programming and game design. On the other hand, game mechanics are being added to non-games as well. Socrative offers a "space race" feature that turns quizzes into a competitive game. Knowre brings gaming mechanics (and adaptive learning) to math lessons. And ClassDojo can add points-based gamification to almost any subject. Google Everything Google has planted roots in the education system. Thanks to their low cost and ease of use (and maintenance), Chromebooks have become the standard student-learning device. And there's no more natural pair to Chromebooks than G Suite for Education. This suite of tools includes favorites like Google Docs, Sheets, Gmail and Forms - each of which can be used by faculty or students. (And a free version is available.) Also included in G Suite for Education are Google Classroom and Google Assignments. Google Classroom offers a digital space for students and teachers to interact, assign and turn in homework, and more. While Google Assignments is a tool to help teachers create and grade coursework more quickly. Finally, Google also offers their Google Cloud Platform to schools and universities, offering cloud storage and computing power for research and other uses. Accelerating Investments In EdTech Global edtech venture capital investments totaled more than $10 billion in 2020, up from $500 million in 2010. Some estimate an additional $87 billion in investment over the next decade. According to EdSurge, from 2014 to 2018 the most well-funded education technology product category in the U.S. was post-secondary education products. With curriculum products fighting "other" products for second place. Among the well-funded post-secondary edtech companies are CommonBond (which has secured $1.6 billion in funding since 2011) and CampusLogic (which has secured $192.8 million). However, both are focused on student loans and financial aid services, making them arguably more fintech than edtech. Lambda School is another highly-watched education startup, which again blends edtech with finance. Rather than charging its students outright, it uses income-share agreements (ISAs) to make money based on a portion of its graduates' career earnings. These Western startups may be exciting, but for now, most of the largest edtech "unicorns" are in Asia. Will the U.S. and Europe pick up the pace? Or will American and European investors put more of their money into foreign ventures? It will be interesting to see which well-funded startups end up shaking up the education sector. Wrapping Up There you have it: eight of the most interesting education technology trends of 2021. From AI-powered learning to eLearning and more, for PreK-12 and adult learning. Many of these trends are poised to disrupt the field of education as we know it. Hopefully for the better.

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Education Technology

3 Pillars of SEL that Every Educator Must Embody

Article | July 15, 2022

While the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on our economy, women continue to be disproportionately impacted. Now is the time to look at the long game. What changes can society make in order to insure that when the next big crisis happens, women don’t bear the brunt of it. Education, of course, has always been on the front line of changing societal disparities. However, much of the time we don’t look at the root causes of why young women underperform in certain areas. Below are five ways we can position women for educational success, from girlhood to the moment they walk into their first job. If you are a teacher, give this list to the parents you work with. Help them set the tone now so our girls grow up ready to take on the world. DON’T TELL ME I’M PRETTY Little girls, from the time they are young, are praised for how beautiful they are.  We talk to girls about how they look and boys about what they do. This escalates when little girls hit puberty. This is when girls start deriving their social capital from their looks and their grades start to tank. Fight this trend by praising young women for what they do. Don’t say, “You’re so beautiful!” Instead say, “I love how curious you are about the solar system! You’re such an interesting person to talk to!”   DON’T TELL ME I’M SMART This sounds a little bit strange, but often little boys are praised for their hard work and girls are praised for their inherent intelligence. The problem with this is that when a little girl doesn’t do well she thinks it has to do with how smart she is rather than her work ethic. Her failures become a referendum on her intelligence.  Say, “Wow, you really worked hard” rather than, “Wow, you’re so smart!” You can always work harder, but you can’t change the brains you were born with!    DON’T BE TOO NICE TO ME When young women struggle in the sciences or STEM, often parents try to protect their feelings.  This can take the form of telling young women who are struggling that perhaps their major is just too hard --maybe they should do something that makes their life a little easier. Boys get the message not to give up - girls get the message to take the path of least resistance. Don’t coddle your girls. Hold them to the same tough standard you have with your boys.   DON’T SEE ME ONLY AS A GIRL OR A WOMAN Understand that if you are trying to support women you cannot do that in a White Woman vacuum. If a young woman you know is struggling, look at the other issues that might be intersecting. Does she have a disability? Is she a woman of color? Is she the first generation to go to college in her family? Audre Lorde famously said “there is no such thing as a single issue struggle because we do not live single issue lives.“ Make sure you are not treating every woman as if she is the same simply because of her gender. There could be all kinds of intersections that are also impacting her situation.   DO VALUE MY VOICE If you are an educator, pay attention to who you are listening to. Note how you value different voices. The patterns that impact girls and young women follow them throughout their education and into adulthood. Pay attention to who you’re calling on in class. Whose voice gets more weight? Watch for classroom dynamics that make certain people feel they have the right to speak and others feel they must remain silent. Be sure to encourage every student from kindergarten to PhD candidates to speak up and then make sure you’re listening. It’s wonderful how much weight we give to the voices of men and boys. Women should be afforded the same courtesy. Women’s success doesn’t just come from hiring women or making sure we are paid the same for doing the same work. It comes from making sure every woman, from the time she is a little girl, is given the message that she has worth, and that if she works hard enough, she can achieve her dreams. Let’s not tell our girls that they are pretty flowers who might crumble when life knocks them down. Let’s give them the message that life can be hard, but they can work harder, and if they do, success will be theirs. Eliza VanCort is an in-demand consultant, speaker, and writer on communications, career and workplace issues, and women’s empowerment. The founder of The Actor’s Workshop of Ithaca, she is also a Cook House Fellow at Cornell University, an advisory board member of the Performing Arts for Social Change, a Diversity Crew partner, and a member of Govern For America’s League of Innovators. Her first book, A Woman’s Guide to Claiming Space: Stand Tall. Raise Your Voice. Be Heard., publishes May 11, 2021.

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Online Education

Creating SEL Awareness Among Parents

Article | July 19, 2022

During this important time in your high school student’s life, they’re just beginning to explore their interests and the possible career paths. Your support is vital to making that exploration comfortable and exciting. To aid you in your student’s journey, here are several ways you can prepare your high school student for the career of their dreams: As your student goes through high school, they will begin exploring career paths, joining clubs and organizations and participating in extracurricular activities.

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Education Technology

6 Technology Trends That Redefine Data Analytics in Higher Ed

Article | July 20, 2022

Data and analytics have become a prominent strategy across industries to promote informed decision-making. Riding this wave is the higher education industry. Recently, the higher education IT association inaugurated a data and analytics edition of the Horizon Report, a report that provides a deep analysis of technology trends and practices that impact higher ed institutions. The report confirms that data analytics is an emerging alternative for strategic decision-making and planning. According to the report, here are the six practices and technologies that will have the greatest impact: Data Management Data management and governance includes automating workflow, managing access, consent management, data privacy, and data integrity management. According to Educause, these data processes form an essential part of institutional success and security. Despite this, many institutions rely on multiple committees instead of a dedicated team for data management and governance. This gap is an opportunity for data and analytics solution providers to meet and improve data management in higher ed. Consolidating Data Sources Data silos are a common concern in higher ed institutions. The tremendous volumes of data that institutions have stored are never leveraged due to the divide between systems. Unifying these data sources will help higher education institutions build a seamless ecosystem that supports their administrative as well as remote instruction platforms. Data Architecture High-end analytics is incomplete without smart data architecture. The scalability and flexibility of the data architecture enables higher ed institutes to be agile and use data effectively to fuel decision-making. Establishing a modern data architecture will be at the top of the list for higher ed institutions. Data Literacy Equipping decision-makers and stakeholders with the necessary skills to interpret the insights generated by the data is crucial to the success of the organization. Stakeholders across the institutions in higher education, from management leaders to administrators and teachers, need data literacy training to leverage data efficiently. DEI-based Data and Analytics Data analytics professionals are putting more emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to drive how they retrieve, analyze, and process data. This will allow higher ed institutions to capitalize on data and analytics to promote their DEI policies, boost equity, and track progress to improve outcomes. Enhancing Institutions’ Data Analytics The growing demand for meaningful, and insight-driven data is pressing data professionals to enhance their capabilities and contribute to the institutional capabilities to use data effectively. Institutional leaders can start considering what purpose data analytics might play in the future if stronger procedures are in place. Collaboration between institutions will be more secure, useful, and advantageous. Analytics administrators can anticipate greater outcomes for students, instructors, and staff as data analytics procedures advance.

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CIBERTEC

Cibertec is an educational institution that has more than 33 years of experience in the education and training of professionals in different areas of Information Technology, Management, Business, Design, Communications and Engineering. It was founded in 1983 and, since then, its main growth pillars are the permanent updating and innovation of its professional careers, programs and courses that are aligned with the technological advances that occur in the world; as well as Quality and Service excellence.

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Lightspeed Systems Teams up With Google for Education Technology to Provide Distance Learning Resources

google | May 20, 2020

Lightspeed Systems has partnered with Google for Education as a technology resource for schools transitioning to distance learning. In an effort to help schools worldwide protect and manage distance learning programs, is offering its remote web filtering and classroom management platforms for free . Lightspeed Systems partners with schools to make learning safe, mobile and easily managed. Partnered with 6,500 districts in the United States. Education technology solutions provider Lightspeed Systems (“Lightspeed” or “the Company”) has partnered with Google for Education as a technology resource for schools transitioning to distance learning. Lightspeed joins the list of distance learning resources as a global, multi-language partner with its filtering and classroom monitoring solutions. As schools across the world deployed distance learning programs, there became a heightened need for remote safety and monitoring solutions on student devices to maintain instructional continuity.. . In an effort to help schools worldwide protect and manage distance learning programs, Lightspeed is offering its remote web filtering and classroom management platforms for free through the end of this school year. Lightspeed’s Relay Filter and Relay Classroom are cloud-based filtering and monitoring solutions that can be remotely deployed for easy over-the-air setup. With Relay Filter, schools can enable full filtering and activity reporting, including student safety protection, Safety Check, to monitor internet activity for signs of students in emotional distress. Learn more: GOOGLE LAUNCHED READ ALONG, AN AI ANDROID APP HELPING KIDS IMPROVE READING SKILLS . “We’re proud to work with our partners by providing Relay Filter and Relay Classroom as a resource to protect and engage students around the world while distance learning.” ~ Mike Durando, VP Strategic Alliances Lightspeed Relay Classroom provides students and teachers with a virtual classroom management experience, complete with live screen monitoring, custom web rules, link sharing, and simple messaging. 'We’re proud to work with our partners by providing Relay Filter and Relay Classroom as a resource to protect and engage students around the world while distance learning,” shares Mike Durando, VP of Strategic Alliances for Lightspeed Systems. Relay Filter and Relay Classroom are available as distance learning solutions to schools affected by COVID-19 at no cost through June 30, 2020. For more information, visit Chromebook App Hub’s Distance Learning Resources. “Partnered with 6,500 districts in the United States and 28,000 schools around the world, Lightspeed Systems offers integrated filtering, management, monitoring, and protection for schools through its groundbreaking platform .“ Lightspeed Systems partners with schools to make learning safe, mobile and easily managed. Partnered with 6,500 districts in the United States and 28,000 schools around the world, Lightspeed Systems offers integrated filtering, management, monitoring, and protection for schools through its groundbreaking platform, Relay. Headquartered in Austin, TX (with offices in Portland and the U.K.), Lightspeed serves over 15 million students in 35 countries. Relay covers every OS as well as BYOD, and IoT traffic—on the school network, at home, or anywhere. Relay helps you balance high-level oversight with tier-based management including access and data privacy controls. Smart features to keep kids safe on and off campus.With features like Safety Check and YouTube Smart Play, Relay helps kids safe from cyberbullying, self-harm, and inappropriate content. A student’s K-12 experience has a profound impact on their future. Google for Education shareable devices and collaborative tools help teachers prepare all students with new, more engaging ways to learn the skills they need to succeed. Google for Education gives teachers the freedom to spend more time personalizing the learning experience, and less time managing it. Students can learn 21st-century problem-solving and the skills they’ll use in their future careers, with accessibility features that help every student do their best work. Google for Education products are easy to deploy, use, and manage. With a few clicks, IT administrators can set up new devices and manage policies across an entire school or district. Automated, cloud-based management streamlines processes and ensures all users stay up to date. Learn more: PANDEMIC SHIFTS HIGHLIGHT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING TECHNOLOGY .

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Google launched Read Along, an AI android app helping kids improve reading skills

Google | May 08, 2020

Google today launched Read Along, an Android app that taps AI and machine learning to help children learn to read. It’s now available in over 180 countries and in nine languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese. Read Along comes preloaded with around 500 stories and interactive games within those stories, for which kids earn stars and badges as they learn. Google today launched Read Along, an Android app that taps AI and machine learning to help children learn to read by providing verbal and visual feedback. After first debuting in India, it’s now available in over 180 countries and in nine languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Preliminary research suggests that apps like Read Along could significantly improve children’s reading skills. A three-month pilot of Read Along’s predecessor — Bolo — in the Unnao district of India involving 1,500 children across 200 villages found that, compared with a control group, 39% of the app’s users reached the highest level of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) reading assessment test and 64% saw an increase in scores. Moreover, 92% of parents said they noticed some improvement in their child’s skills. Read Along comes preloaded with around 500 stories and interactive games within those stories, for which kids earn stars and badges as they learn, practice, and progress. An in-app assistant called Diya demonstrates how to pronounce words and sentences and uses natural language processing to detect whether a student is struggling or successfully reading a passage, and it gives them positive and reinforcing feedback along the way. Within Read Along, parents can create profiles for multiple readers, who tap on their photo to learn at their pace and to track their individual progress. Learn more: BEST VR APPS AND GAMES TO HELP YOUR KIDS LEARN IN 2020 . “Read Along is easy to start and doesn’t require sign in. Even the voice data is analyzed in real time on the device so that it works offline and is not sent to any Google servers,” ” ~ Hyder said. The app personalizes kids’ experiences by recommending the difficulty level of stories and games based on their reading level performance. Read Along engineering lead Zohair Hyder notes that the app has no ads or in-app purchases and that it works without Wi-Fi or data. Parents need only connect it to the internet to download additional stories. . “Google teamed up with Disney and Penguin Random House for a read-along app that paired the latter’s Little Golden Books series with music and ambient sounds.” Read Along will continue to improve as we receive feedback from families, expanding the selection of books and adding more features.” The launch of Read Along follows that of narrated children’s stories on Google Assistant. Last April, Google brought Tell Me a Story, a Google Home smart speaker feature that reads aloud stories from popular franchises like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Blaze and the Monster Machines, to Android and iOS devices in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and India. In a related development, in October 2018, Google teamed up with Disney and Penguin Random House for a read-along app that paired the latter’s Little Golden Books series with music and ambient sounds. With many students currently at home due to school closures, families around the globe are looking for ways to help children grow their reading skills. To support families, today we're sharing early access to Read Along by Google. It’s an Android app for children 5+ years old that helps them learn to read by giving verbal and visual feedback as they read stories out loud. Read Along was built with childrens' safety and privacy in mind, and has no ads or in-app purchases. And after the initial download of the app and stories, Read Along works offline without Wi-Fi or data—helping with worries about unsupervised access to the Internet. Learn more: GOOGLE LENS WORKING ON A STEP-BY-STEP MATH PROBLEM SOLVER .

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Lightspeed Systems Teams up With Google for Education Technology to Provide Distance Learning Resources

google | May 20, 2020

Lightspeed Systems has partnered with Google for Education as a technology resource for schools transitioning to distance learning. In an effort to help schools worldwide protect and manage distance learning programs, is offering its remote web filtering and classroom management platforms for free . Lightspeed Systems partners with schools to make learning safe, mobile and easily managed. Partnered with 6,500 districts in the United States. Education technology solutions provider Lightspeed Systems (“Lightspeed” or “the Company”) has partnered with Google for Education as a technology resource for schools transitioning to distance learning. Lightspeed joins the list of distance learning resources as a global, multi-language partner with its filtering and classroom monitoring solutions. As schools across the world deployed distance learning programs, there became a heightened need for remote safety and monitoring solutions on student devices to maintain instructional continuity.. . In an effort to help schools worldwide protect and manage distance learning programs, Lightspeed is offering its remote web filtering and classroom management platforms for free through the end of this school year. Lightspeed’s Relay Filter and Relay Classroom are cloud-based filtering and monitoring solutions that can be remotely deployed for easy over-the-air setup. With Relay Filter, schools can enable full filtering and activity reporting, including student safety protection, Safety Check, to monitor internet activity for signs of students in emotional distress. Learn more: GOOGLE LAUNCHED READ ALONG, AN AI ANDROID APP HELPING KIDS IMPROVE READING SKILLS . “We’re proud to work with our partners by providing Relay Filter and Relay Classroom as a resource to protect and engage students around the world while distance learning.” ~ Mike Durando, VP Strategic Alliances Lightspeed Relay Classroom provides students and teachers with a virtual classroom management experience, complete with live screen monitoring, custom web rules, link sharing, and simple messaging. 'We’re proud to work with our partners by providing Relay Filter and Relay Classroom as a resource to protect and engage students around the world while distance learning,” shares Mike Durando, VP of Strategic Alliances for Lightspeed Systems. Relay Filter and Relay Classroom are available as distance learning solutions to schools affected by COVID-19 at no cost through June 30, 2020. For more information, visit Chromebook App Hub’s Distance Learning Resources. “Partnered with 6,500 districts in the United States and 28,000 schools around the world, Lightspeed Systems offers integrated filtering, management, monitoring, and protection for schools through its groundbreaking platform .“ Lightspeed Systems partners with schools to make learning safe, mobile and easily managed. Partnered with 6,500 districts in the United States and 28,000 schools around the world, Lightspeed Systems offers integrated filtering, management, monitoring, and protection for schools through its groundbreaking platform, Relay. Headquartered in Austin, TX (with offices in Portland and the U.K.), Lightspeed serves over 15 million students in 35 countries. Relay covers every OS as well as BYOD, and IoT traffic—on the school network, at home, or anywhere. Relay helps you balance high-level oversight with tier-based management including access and data privacy controls. Smart features to keep kids safe on and off campus.With features like Safety Check and YouTube Smart Play, Relay helps kids safe from cyberbullying, self-harm, and inappropriate content. A student’s K-12 experience has a profound impact on their future. Google for Education shareable devices and collaborative tools help teachers prepare all students with new, more engaging ways to learn the skills they need to succeed. Google for Education gives teachers the freedom to spend more time personalizing the learning experience, and less time managing it. Students can learn 21st-century problem-solving and the skills they’ll use in their future careers, with accessibility features that help every student do their best work. Google for Education products are easy to deploy, use, and manage. With a few clicks, IT administrators can set up new devices and manage policies across an entire school or district. Automated, cloud-based management streamlines processes and ensures all users stay up to date. Learn more: PANDEMIC SHIFTS HIGHLIGHT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING TECHNOLOGY .

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Google launched Read Along, an AI android app helping kids improve reading skills

Google | May 08, 2020

Google today launched Read Along, an Android app that taps AI and machine learning to help children learn to read. It’s now available in over 180 countries and in nine languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese. Read Along comes preloaded with around 500 stories and interactive games within those stories, for which kids earn stars and badges as they learn. Google today launched Read Along, an Android app that taps AI and machine learning to help children learn to read by providing verbal and visual feedback. After first debuting in India, it’s now available in over 180 countries and in nine languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Preliminary research suggests that apps like Read Along could significantly improve children’s reading skills. A three-month pilot of Read Along’s predecessor — Bolo — in the Unnao district of India involving 1,500 children across 200 villages found that, compared with a control group, 39% of the app’s users reached the highest level of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) reading assessment test and 64% saw an increase in scores. Moreover, 92% of parents said they noticed some improvement in their child’s skills. Read Along comes preloaded with around 500 stories and interactive games within those stories, for which kids earn stars and badges as they learn, practice, and progress. An in-app assistant called Diya demonstrates how to pronounce words and sentences and uses natural language processing to detect whether a student is struggling or successfully reading a passage, and it gives them positive and reinforcing feedback along the way. Within Read Along, parents can create profiles for multiple readers, who tap on their photo to learn at their pace and to track their individual progress. Learn more: BEST VR APPS AND GAMES TO HELP YOUR KIDS LEARN IN 2020 . “Read Along is easy to start and doesn’t require sign in. Even the voice data is analyzed in real time on the device so that it works offline and is not sent to any Google servers,” ” ~ Hyder said. The app personalizes kids’ experiences by recommending the difficulty level of stories and games based on their reading level performance. Read Along engineering lead Zohair Hyder notes that the app has no ads or in-app purchases and that it works without Wi-Fi or data. Parents need only connect it to the internet to download additional stories. . “Google teamed up with Disney and Penguin Random House for a read-along app that paired the latter’s Little Golden Books series with music and ambient sounds.” Read Along will continue to improve as we receive feedback from families, expanding the selection of books and adding more features.” The launch of Read Along follows that of narrated children’s stories on Google Assistant. Last April, Google brought Tell Me a Story, a Google Home smart speaker feature that reads aloud stories from popular franchises like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Blaze and the Monster Machines, to Android and iOS devices in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and India. In a related development, in October 2018, Google teamed up with Disney and Penguin Random House for a read-along app that paired the latter’s Little Golden Books series with music and ambient sounds. With many students currently at home due to school closures, families around the globe are looking for ways to help children grow their reading skills. To support families, today we're sharing early access to Read Along by Google. It’s an Android app for children 5+ years old that helps them learn to read by giving verbal and visual feedback as they read stories out loud. Read Along was built with childrens' safety and privacy in mind, and has no ads or in-app purchases. And after the initial download of the app and stories, Read Along works offline without Wi-Fi or data—helping with worries about unsupervised access to the Internet. Learn more: GOOGLE LENS WORKING ON A STEP-BY-STEP MATH PROBLEM SOLVER .

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