Hack Education

A version of this post can be found on NPR's ed-tech blog MindShift Want to learn about Egyptian archeology? Well, here's your chance to sit in on a class at Michigan State University, taught by Ethan Watrall. Professor Watrall has made his online class open access, meaning anyone can view...

Each week, I write a news round-up of the major education technology stories. I post one version on MindShift on Fridays and then on Saturday morning run an expanded version here (often with more colorful, snarky commentary -- because that's how I roll). This week there were the usual sorts...

When I talk to language-learning startups, I often ask them what their plans are for rolling out English-language versions. I see a lot of apps for learning to speak Spanish, French, Italian, and Chinese, but I think it's a missed opportunity to not create an app for learning to speak...

For a look at some of the announcements that came out of ISTE 2011, read my weekly roundup of news over at MindShift. Here's the rest of what happened in the ed-tech world this week: One of the best resources out there for educators, Edutecher launched an iPad and an...

Inside Higher Ed's Joshua Kim has published a speculative piece this week about the future of the learning management system giant Blackboard. "Blackboard in 2015," posits Kim, will no longer be Blackboard, as he predicts it will have been acquired. "Blackboard will be Microsoft Education Services, or Amazon Education Services,...

I've just wrapped up four days in Philadelphia at ISTE 2011, and my first reaction is "Oh damn, I have not written nearly enough." I do have at least half a dozen stories on the docket, and that's likely how I'll spend my Fourth of July holiday weekend: hammering those...

We are incredibly trusting with our data. For better or for worse, we have to be in order to search, shop, share and so forth online. It's important to ask, of course, what a company does with your data (is it shared with advertisers, for example). But it's also important...

PBS is launching a new repository of digital resources for educators today. PBS LearningMedia offers free access to thousands of pieces of digital content, including videos, interactive media, and support materials. That material comes not just from PBS, but from over 30 local member stations, as well as from other...

Crowdsourced translation site Universal Subtitles announced this week that Khan Academy had fully integrated its translation services with its videos, meaning that viewers can help translate the content into other languages. (I was under the impression that the $2 million from Google's 10^100 award was going to pay for translation...

I'm headed to ISTE 2011 this weekend, my eighth time at the conference but my first time attending as a journalist and not as ISTE or conference registration staff. No surprise then, I'm more excited about this trip than ever before. My schedule is already chock-a-block with exhibitor briefings, and...