Hack Education

This post first appeared on aud.life "This is such an exciting new product!" gushes Edsurge writer Blake Montgomery, in an interview with the CEO of Nearpod, a startup that has just pivoted from making an app that lets a teacher control what lessons and messages appear on students' iOS devices...

“Is blockchain really a thing?” That’s probably the most common question I hear about a technology that, up until quite recently, was mostly and closely associated with the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. “Do I need to pay attention to blockchain?” many folks working in ed-tech are asking. “Do I really need to...

Education Politics “Education Department Letting For-Profit Schools Off Because They’re ‘Too Big To Fail,’ Report Says.” See also: “How the Department of Education Could Fix For-Profit Colleges” by Angus Johnston. Via The Chronicle of Higher Education: “Education Dept. Seeks to Clear a Path to Loan Forgiveness and Recover Lost Loans.”...

Kanye West tweeted yesterday about the high cost of textbooks yesterday. (Buzzfeed collected his rants into an article. Because journalism.) As Tressie McMillan Cottom later noted, he might have been right about the sticker price, but his analysis – particularly the part when he appealed to the tech sector for...

This post first appeared on aud.life (via "The Premium Model in EdTech: Aggregators" on Medium.com) The history offered in thie article -- one aimed at startup entrepreneurs and investors -- is incorrect. The University of Phoenix did not invent e-learning. CALCampus was not the first to offer an online curriculum....

Education Politics “President Obama’s 2017 Budget Seeks to Expand Educational Opportunity for All Students,” says The Department of Education. According to Education Week, “Obama Budget Would Prioritize Integration, Flat Fund Key Programs.” Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education look at the budget plans for higher ed (noting...

Late last week, President Obama announced a “Computer Science for All” initiative. He called for $4 billion in the upcoming budget to expand CS training for teachers, access to instructional materials, and “effective regional partnerships,” along with some $100 million in competitive grants (because nothing says “for all” like making...

Education Politics President Obama proposed a $4 billion “Computer Science for All” initiative late last week. No clear indication about what he means by “computer science.” But hey, the industry loves that “high tech worker shortage” narrative, doesn’t it. Gary Stager has thoughts. And via Education Week: “With Computer Science...

Education Politics “U.S. Education Department threatens to sanction states over test opt-outs,” according to The Washington Post. President Obama has released a plan that would ban solitary confinement for juvenile offenders in federal prison. The EFF asks why so many universities are opposing the Department of Education’s proposed OER policy...

This post first appeared on aud.life Last week, Coursera announced that it was going to start charging for certiicates for more of its classes, particularly those associated with "specializations." Students will still be able to sign up for free to watch videos; but they won't be able to have their assignments...