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Borderless Education With Unlimited VR Students: A Vision

When designing education programs for adults, you cannot avoid the fact that you need to design experiences for them. What other education forms could be better than storytelling, gamification, task orientation, and instant rewards, which could be offered by VR gaming? Imagine if all existing flat-lecture videos were converted into a 3D interactive gaming environment. Let's say, for example, on Massive Open Online Courses platforms, such as Coursera and edX, they start offering VR classrooms. When you connect to the classroom, you would be able to see other students around you and chat with them in natural languages and hear them in the natural languages; as a plus, there could be a prompt translator to support cross-cultural communication.

Spotlight

Clark Atlanta University

Clark Atlanta University (CAU) is a comprehensive, private, urban, coeducational institution of higher education with a predominantly African-American heritage. It offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees as well as certificate programs to students of diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Clark Atlanta was established in 1988 by the consolidation of Atlanta University (1865), the nation's first graduate school for African Americans, and Clark College (1869), the nation's first four-year liberal arts institution to serve a predominantly African-American undergraduate student population.

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Education Technology

6 Technology Trends That Redefine Data Analytics in Higher Ed

Article | July 27, 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.

Read More
Online Education

Smart Classroom Management Can Boost Student Engagement: Here's How

Article | July 19, 2022

2020-21 proved pivotal for online learning technologies. The sudden shift to remote classrooms pressed educators and parents to emphasize environments conducive to anywhere learning, creating anywhere classrooms everywhere. Classroom management has become integral to these new settings where learning has to be an extension of the physical classroom. Virtual classrooms may still be in their nascent stage, but this is the time to test better ways and establish smart classrooms that are flexible, advanced, and encourage knowledge retention. What Makes a Classroom Smart? A smart classroom will make extensive use of technology to engage and immerse learners. The tools will be designed to generate interactions between educators, learners, and parents through multiple media. For instance, laptops and tablets will complement or even replace books, and a significant portion of the curriculum will require online tools to implement the study plan. According to TeachThought experts, there are eight components to a smart classroom technology stack: Integration of the digital and physical space in learning Live feedback from teachers Diverse technology usage, like smartphone apps and Wi-Fi Workflows that are not linear Customized learning paths and environments Transitioning lessons with no beginning or end A new approach to delivering learning Availability of an immense amount of data Managing a Smart Classroom Traditional classroom management thrives on the ability of educators and students to create a robust learning environment that promotes an exchange of ideas and the creation of a learning ecosystem that is conducive to creativity and productivity. Managing a smart classroom with or without technology is about keeping learners engaged and focused on the learning outcomes. A technologically-driven smart classroom only aids learners to develop self-initiative and act independently when it comes to presenting ideas and projects. Smart classroom management will focus on three things, namely: lesson and group organization; instructional approach, and optimization of technology and time. Passive learning isn’t something every student will prefer, so digital smart classrooms offer them the avenue to initiate learning, actively learning and get involved in class forums. Smart classroom management also comprises addressing technology-based hurdles for accessibility and technicalities. For instance, issues like cyberbullying, data security, ransomware, and a breakdown in internet access can hamper lessons and cause interruptions. What Are the Best Practices to Follow? In traditional classroom management, the emphasis on student-teacher association is paramount. The point is to establish relationships, define boundaries and help identify the students’ strong and weak points in order to help them thrive. Educators and school administrators can follow a range of best practices to get the most out of smart classroom technologies. Here are some best practices to follow: Do a thorough check of whether all technology is working as it should Set a contingency plan for when something goes wrong Determine protocols for providing students with the help and point of contact they need when something isn’t working Set collaboration guidelines to avoid unnecessary back and forth Provide teachers and students with an avenue to engage offline as well Take regular screen breaks What’s Next? Today, technology is a playground of the youth and even the youngest school students are well versed with the use of technology. It is only a matter of leveraging this familiarity and affinity and ensuring that learners are making the most of these skills. Embracing a smart classroom fully will take tome but the possibility to create a springboard for richer learning experience using it is immense.

Read More
Education Technology

A Guide to Teaching English for Beginners

Article | August 4, 2022

If you’ve been thinking about teaching English in the classroom or online, you’ve come to the right place. To succeed in it, you’ll need some basic knowledge of the ESL essentials, teaching skills, and how to compose yourself while juggling everything in between. We want to make sure you’re set up for success and ready to teach young learners. This Teaching Essentials Blog Series looks at some tools-of-the-trade for online ESL instruction. In it, we explore a few key concepts and dive into what makes them indispensable to our teachers.

Read More
Education Technology

How to Counter Teacher Burnout in Education?

Article | July 12, 2022

Teacher burnout has become a massive challenge for many educational institutions. According to the National Education Association, 55% of the teachers surveyed are considering quitting their profession much earlier than planned. Over 600,000 teachers have already quit in the span of 2020 and 2021. Educational institutions must prepare to identify burnout and ensure teachers successfully create an inclusive, engaging learning experience. Recognizing the Signs of Teacher Burnout Laurie Santos, a professor at Yale University and a cognitive scientist, says that burnout has three major symptoms. Being Emotionally Exhausted Emotional exhaustion is when a person feels exhausted and burned out even after a full night’s sleep. Depersonalizing Santos equates depersonalizing with feeling high levels of cynicism towards others. Individuals who are depersonalizing often feel annoyed at people requesting them to doing something that is part of their regular role. This frustration signals burnout. Reduced Personal Efficacy When an individual feels like she isn’t making a difference or she isn’t doing her job well, a sort of disenchantment sets in. To the individual, it may feel like they aren’t being effective at their work, and this is a sign of burnout. How Teachers Can Reduce Burnout Teacher burnout must be treated as a serious issue. Educational institutions and teachers should team up to ensure they don’t undergo burnout. Here are some ways to do that: Don’t Ignore It Organizations must have a system in place so teachers can seek the help they need to treat their burnout symptoms. A lot of teachers tend to ignore negative emotions in order to keep working, but this is the wrong approach. Just as screen time must be regulated for children, teachers need to regulate their workloads. Instead of sweeping it under the rug, acknowledge it and treat it so you can bounce back higher. Don’t Attach Your Identity to Your Job Santos says that burnout is sometimes a result of being unable to separate your identity from your job. This is something that happens a lot with educators. A way to treat it is to spend off time with friends, engage in hobbies unrelated to your profession, or invest more energy in other life roles, like being a parent. To Conclude In the age of remote learning, teachers and educators must be careful not to let their love of teaching hurt their physical and mental health. As a profession, teaching tends to take its toll. When you combine that with teacher shortages and cases of overwork, education becomes a high risk, high turnover industry.

Read More
Education Technology

5 Powerful and Free Virtual Reality Applications for Schools

Article | July 27, 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.

Read More
Online Education

Creating SEL Awareness Among Parents

Article | July 19, 2022

2020-21 proved pivotal for online learning technologies. The sudden shift to remote classrooms pressed educators and parents to emphasize environments conducive to anywhere learning, creating anywhere classrooms everywhere. Classroom management has become integral to these new settings where learning has to be an extension of the physical classroom. Virtual classrooms may still be in their nascent stage, but this is the time to test better ways and establish smart classrooms that are flexible, advanced, and encourage knowledge retention. What Makes a Classroom Smart? A smart classroom will make extensive use of technology to engage and immerse learners. The tools will be designed to generate interactions between educators, learners, and parents through multiple media. For instance, laptops and tablets will complement or even replace books, and a significant portion of the curriculum will require online tools to implement the study plan. According to TeachThought experts, there are eight components to a smart classroom technology stack: Integration of the digital and physical space in learning Live feedback from teachers Diverse technology usage, like smartphone apps and Wi-Fi Workflows that are not linear Customized learning paths and environments Transitioning lessons with no beginning or end A new approach to delivering learning Availability of an immense amount of data Managing a Smart Classroom Traditional classroom management thrives on the ability of educators and students to create a robust learning environment that promotes an exchange of ideas and the creation of a learning ecosystem that is conducive to creativity and productivity. Managing a smart classroom with or without technology is about keeping learners engaged and focused on the learning outcomes. A technologically-driven smart classroom only aids learners to develop self-initiative and act independently when it comes to presenting ideas and projects. Smart classroom management will focus on three things, namely: lesson and group organization; instructional approach, and optimization of technology and time. Passive learning isn’t something every student will prefer, so digital smart classrooms offer them the avenue to initiate learning, actively learning and get involved in class forums. Smart classroom management also comprises addressing technology-based hurdles for accessibility and technicalities. For instance, issues like cyberbullying, data security, ransomware, and a breakdown in internet access can hamper lessons and cause interruptions. What Are the Best Practices to Follow? In traditional classroom management, the emphasis on student-teacher association is paramount. The point is to establish relationships, define boundaries and help identify the students’ strong and weak points in order to help them thrive. Educators and school administrators can follow a range of best practices to get the most out of smart classroom technologies. Here are some best practices to follow: Do a thorough check of whether all technology is working as it should Set a contingency plan for when something goes wrong Determine protocols for providing students with the help and point of contact they need when something isn’t working Set collaboration guidelines to avoid unnecessary back and forth Provide teachers and students with an avenue to engage offline as well Take regular screen breaks What’s Next? Today, technology is a playground of the youth and even the youngest school students are well versed with the use of technology. It is only a matter of leveraging this familiarity and affinity and ensuring that learners are making the most of these skills. Embracing a smart classroom fully will take tome but the possibility to create a springboard for richer learning experience using it is immense.

Read More
Education Technology

Smart Classroom Management Can Boost Student Engagement: Here's How

Article | August 4, 2022

If you’ve been thinking about teaching English in the classroom or online, you’ve come to the right place. To succeed in it, you’ll need some basic knowledge of the ESL essentials, teaching skills, and how to compose yourself while juggling everything in between. We want to make sure you’re set up for success and ready to teach young learners. This Teaching Essentials Blog Series looks at some tools-of-the-trade for online ESL instruction. In it, we explore a few key concepts and dive into what makes them indispensable to our teachers.

Read More
Education Technology

How to Counter Teacher Burnout in Education?

Article | July 12, 2022

Teacher burnout has become a massive challenge for many educational institutions. According to the National Education Association, 55% of the teachers surveyed are considering quitting their profession much earlier than planned. Over 600,000 teachers have already quit in the span of 2020 and 2021. Educational institutions must prepare to identify burnout and ensure teachers successfully create an inclusive, engaging learning experience. Recognizing the Signs of Teacher Burnout Laurie Santos, a professor at Yale University and a cognitive scientist, says that burnout has three major symptoms. Being Emotionally Exhausted Emotional exhaustion is when a person feels exhausted and burned out even after a full night’s sleep. Depersonalizing Santos equates depersonalizing with feeling high levels of cynicism towards others. Individuals who are depersonalizing often feel annoyed at people requesting them to doing something that is part of their regular role. This frustration signals burnout. Reduced Personal Efficacy When an individual feels like she isn’t making a difference or she isn’t doing her job well, a sort of disenchantment sets in. To the individual, it may feel like they aren’t being effective at their work, and this is a sign of burnout. How Teachers Can Reduce Burnout Teacher burnout must be treated as a serious issue. Educational institutions and teachers should team up to ensure they don’t undergo burnout. Here are some ways to do that: Don’t Ignore It Organizations must have a system in place so teachers can seek the help they need to treat their burnout symptoms. A lot of teachers tend to ignore negative emotions in order to keep working, but this is the wrong approach. Just as screen time must be regulated for children, teachers need to regulate their workloads. Instead of sweeping it under the rug, acknowledge it and treat it so you can bounce back higher. Don’t Attach Your Identity to Your Job Santos says that burnout is sometimes a result of being unable to separate your identity from your job. This is something that happens a lot with educators. A way to treat it is to spend off time with friends, engage in hobbies unrelated to your profession, or invest more energy in other life roles, like being a parent. To Conclude In the age of remote learning, teachers and educators must be careful not to let their love of teaching hurt their physical and mental health. As a profession, teaching tends to take its toll. When you combine that with teacher shortages and cases of overwork, education becomes a high risk, high turnover industry.

Read More
MORE ARTICLES

Spotlight

Clark Atlanta University

Clark Atlanta University (CAU) is a comprehensive, private, urban, coeducational institution of higher education with a predominantly African-American heritage. It offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees as well as certificate programs to students of diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Clark Atlanta was established in 1988 by the consolidation of Atlanta University (1865), the nation's first graduate school for African Americans, and Clark College (1869), the nation's first four-year liberal arts institution to serve a predominantly African-American undergraduate student population.

Related News

VR Education 's ENGAGE platform builds momentum

IBM | June 19, 2020

VR Education is focused on the benefits virtual reality can bring to education, with immersion and the remote connection opportunities as key drivers. The online student market especially will be perfectly suited to the immersion and remote aspects of VR, says CEO Dave Whelan. Even before its integration into the Oculus Go headset, VR Education’s Apollo 11 experience had already been downloaded more than 120,000 times and generated over €1mln in revenue for the group. Raid on the Ruhr, for example, allows users to experience the famous 1943 mission first-hand as they fly the Lancaster bomber from the UK to the Ruhr Valley.

Read More

Lenovo is Aiding the Emergence of VR In Education

Lenovo | June 08, 2020

The teacher focus makes it the one tool that addresses what has been reported as the biggest problem for teachers in this post-COVID world; they don’t feel like they are teaching. This service covers 12 million users across 75 countries in 14 languages; this solution has been impressively successful. But toward the end of the presentation, they showcased the hardware they were supplying, and that hardware included a laptop and their high-performance VR Headset. That headset reminded me that one of the big problems concerning teaching kids while remote is the distractions.

Read More

Investing in Rewarding Moments: Prodege acquires popular education-savings rewards business Upromise

prnewswire | June 02, 2020

Prodege, a leading online consumer-rewards platform, announced today that it has acquired Upromise, Inc., a leading college education-savings rewards business, from SLM Corporation (Sallie Mae). This acquisition furthers Prodege's mission to "Create Rewarding Moments" for its over 120 million registered members worldwide. Upromise provides unique opportunities for consumers to earn cash-back rewards for spending, shopping, dining out, and other activities, and then automatically deposit those rewards as contributions to any linked 529 Plan education savings account. Those contributions can be invested and will grow tax-free over the years, and then can be withdrawn tax-free for qualified education expenses, including tuition, fees, books and room, and board.

Read More

VR Education 's ENGAGE platform builds momentum

IBM | June 19, 2020

VR Education is focused on the benefits virtual reality can bring to education, with immersion and the remote connection opportunities as key drivers. The online student market especially will be perfectly suited to the immersion and remote aspects of VR, says CEO Dave Whelan. Even before its integration into the Oculus Go headset, VR Education’s Apollo 11 experience had already been downloaded more than 120,000 times and generated over €1mln in revenue for the group. Raid on the Ruhr, for example, allows users to experience the famous 1943 mission first-hand as they fly the Lancaster bomber from the UK to the Ruhr Valley.

Read More

Lenovo is Aiding the Emergence of VR In Education

Lenovo | June 08, 2020

The teacher focus makes it the one tool that addresses what has been reported as the biggest problem for teachers in this post-COVID world; they don’t feel like they are teaching. This service covers 12 million users across 75 countries in 14 languages; this solution has been impressively successful. But toward the end of the presentation, they showcased the hardware they were supplying, and that hardware included a laptop and their high-performance VR Headset. That headset reminded me that one of the big problems concerning teaching kids while remote is the distractions.

Read More

Investing in Rewarding Moments: Prodege acquires popular education-savings rewards business Upromise

prnewswire | June 02, 2020

Prodege, a leading online consumer-rewards platform, announced today that it has acquired Upromise, Inc., a leading college education-savings rewards business, from SLM Corporation (Sallie Mae). This acquisition furthers Prodege's mission to "Create Rewarding Moments" for its over 120 million registered members worldwide. Upromise provides unique opportunities for consumers to earn cash-back rewards for spending, shopping, dining out, and other activities, and then automatically deposit those rewards as contributions to any linked 529 Plan education savings account. Those contributions can be invested and will grow tax-free over the years, and then can be withdrawn tax-free for qualified education expenses, including tuition, fees, books and room, and board.

Read More

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