Google is hoping its new certificates will pave a path for those without a college degree

Google is hoping its new certificates will pave a path for those without a college degree

This morning, Google is announcing the next steps in its plan to disrupt the world of education, including the launch of new certificate programs that are designed to help people bridge any skills gap and get qualifications in high-paying, high-growth job fields–with one noteworthy feature:  No college degree necessary. Source: How Google’s New Career Certificates Could Disrupt the College Degree…

Apple launches podcasts for kids

Apple launches podcasts for kids

Apple has partnered with Common Sense Media to curate collections of podcasts for kids in the US. The shows are picked by Common Sense Media, an organization whose editors have a long history of helping parents and educators find age-appropriate media for children. Source: Apple Launches Kid-Friendly Podcast Collections – MacStories The collections are only visible in iTunes, and…

What happens when you put 5 year olds on screens?

What happens when you put 5 year olds on screens?

 Increased screen time has multiple risks for children’s psychosocial well-being. These risk factors seem to be significant in the long term, and are related to problems in children’s socio-emotional development later on. Health professionals and pediatricians have an important role as communicators of the current research results on the safe usage time of e-media for…

10 years of Chromebooks

10 years of Chromebooks

Google is celebrating 10 years of Chromebooks this month. This year marks the 10th year of the life of Chromebooks, and what a journey it’s been. Although the Google CR-48 was released before 2011, it wasn’t until 2011 Acer and Samsung shipped the first models. Most people were not sold on the idea of a…

Cricut wants to start charging a subscription

Cricut wants to start charging a subscription

Cricut dropped a major change into a feature update announcement last Friday: Any Cricut device owner who does not subscribe to the Cricut Access cloud platform will be limited to no more than 20 uploads/imports per month to Design Space. (Designs made using elements Cricut sells through Design Space do not count against the limit.) The change applies not…

Assessing beyond an Escape Room

Assessing beyond an Escape Room

One San Jose private school has come up with a unique solution: The Harker School, self-described as “one of the nation’s top college prep schools,” is putting teams of sixth grade applicants through a virtual escape room. Over a Zoom call, the 11-year-olds work together to solve a series of Harker-themed puzzles, and admissions officers observe their…

The advantages of pre-recorded video in the classroom

The advantages of pre-recorded video in the classroom

Findings showed that using video instead of other teaching methods resulted in small improvements in student learning, whereas using video in addition to other teaching methods resulted in larger improvements. Source: Study: Pre-Recorded Videos Prove More Effective for Student Learning Than In-Person Instruction – Higher Education The article discusses the various advantages to using pre-recorded…