What We're Reading

This Education Week article of October 15, 2012 (online) reports on the increasing demand for increasing Internet connectivity. Highlights:

  • State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) recommendations: school connectivity needs will see exponential, not linear, increase

  • Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) survey: educators are requesting more robustness for school on-site capability

  • Implementation of Common Core State Standards that encourages use of online assessments and digital resources is adding to demand

  • Estimates of bandwidth need are difficult to arrive at 

  • Existing bandwidth infrastructure is not currently adequate

  • Competition for federal E-rate funding that assists schools and libraries in Internet-related needs, is accelerating

The Chronicle of Higher Ed reports on a recent ruling by a federal judge in favor of HathiTrust Digital Library's practices, in a copyright infringement lawsuit case brought by the Authors Guild, and others. 

Tony Bates' blog (of Contact North) on Online Learning and Distance Education Resources: Daniel's comprehensive review of MOOC developments makes available and comments on  John Daniel's (2012) recent paper: Making sense of MOOCs: Musings in a maze of myth, paradox, and possibility

 

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports on the University of California's experience with implementing UC Online: " UC Online Strives to Compete in an Era of Free Courses"

Nutshell: 

  • fundraising struggles
  • competition with no cost, no-credit offerings
  • attracting non-UC students
  • limited offerings

UC Online website

Education Week offers a commentary on a recent survey conducted by the National Science Teachers Association about early outcomes of Common Core Math and English Language Arts (ELA) standards implementation: Common Core Reachers Into Science Classes, Survey Finds...