I hope this Friday finds everyone enjoying summer so far (and for our readers in Australia and New Zealand – your semester break). I recently had the chance to hit the beach and decompress, returning recharged and ready to delve into the latest higher education and ed tech happenings.
Of course the beach for me equates to rare, non-interrupted reading time so today’s blog will offer a highlight of some of the week’s top stories along with some recommended education technology reading for your own downtime (to be accomplished at your favorite summer reading spot).
The summer heat and campus breaks certainly haven’t slowed the torrent of interesting education news and posts popping across the Internet. Here’s a rundown of some of the top articles this week:
- Free Community College – President Obama’s Free Community College proposal (also known as America’s College Promise Act of 2015) made its introduction as an official bill before Congress on Wednesday.
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Video in Blended Learning – Discover why video is the core to successful blended learning along with tips for how to teach with video for an awesome blended learning experience.
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Active Learning Classroom Design – What are the best classroom configurations for maximum interaction and active learning? Read this post for 6 secrets to active learning classroom design.
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Big Data Buzz – Big data is the word du jour in higher education these days. But once you’ve collected the data, what do you even do with it? The Guardian offers strategies for leveraging data to drive institutional initiatives.
- Student Excuses – Every instructor has probably heard “The dog ate my homework” and other such gems during the course of their career. New research reveals how easy it is for students to make excuses in the academic environment and why they do it.
Now let’s get back to the topic of summer reading. Want to read up on the latest ed tech professional development trends at the beach or poolside? Check out this list of “must reads” from Emerging Ed Tech.
And if you haven’t taken the Five-Minute Lecture Capture Quiz, add this ebook to your reading list for keys to what to look for in a time-tested lecture capture solution.
Photo via @iStockphoto/haveseen