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COVID-19: How viable is online education? – Down To Earth Magazine

Posted: September 26, 2020 at 9:54 am


Skill-development needs experiment and experience, which may not be feasible in online learning

The countrywide lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), entwined with health and safety concerns, has brutally disrupted Indias economy.

The economic consequences of the pandemic as well as local lockdowns have been well-discussed and have surfacedin the gross domestic product and industrial production numbers. But there is another side to the ramifications: The lack of skillful imparting ofeducationmay translate into an economic adversity over time.

Indias gross enrollment ratio in higher education was a mere 27.4 per cent for 2017-18, according to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE). This is not great news compared to other developing countries. The situation could befurther battered by the possible decline in enrollment due to limited access to online education.

There are a few important points that need to be addressed in such a scenario: Is online education viable? Will our future of the nation contribute to the human capital and participate in reviving the economy?

The internet and digital infrastructure with a significant penetration is a boon for education. The Pradhan Mantri e-Vidya Programme was launched in May to amplify the efforts for a better shift online.

The top 100 universities in the country were permitted to start online courses in May, without the need to seek approval from education regulators. States such as Karnataka announced their own policies to make online education accessible.

However, challenges remain. Online education has not only changed how students are learning, but has also significantly altered the methods deployed by teachers and parents.

A fundamental enabler is the digital infrastructure, which includes high-speed internet and supporting devices such as desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile phones.

These prerequisites have expanded the gap between upper- and middle-economic sections,as well as urban and rural populations of our country. The infrastructure challenges in online education have rendered unprivileged learners helpless.

Education and skill-development are dependent on each other. It is difficult to imagine students learning physics and chemistry only outside of laboratories. Similarly, an engineer cannot simply have the knowledge of combustion engine without the skill to design and operate it.

It is, therefore, important to differentiate between knowledge and skill. While knowledge can be delivered and learned, skill-development needs experiment and experience that may not be feasible online.

The industry-academia gap has existed in India for a very long time. A McKinsey report flagged the issue a decade ago: Only a quarter of engineers in India were truly employable.

Online education producing graduates without skills may aggravate the employability issue further. This may lead to a deteriorating human capital and underemployment in the economy.

This adulteration in the education system may have a long gestation period. A large pool of unskilled human capital will come out of the online pedagogy to join the future workforce and face employability challenges. This may also mean that they will take longer to gain the requisite skills.

We must acknowledge and address these challenges. The lack of digital infrastructure in rural and underdeveloped sections has posed implementation challenges on the ground, leading to social inequalities in the country. Students, teachers and parents are sailing through the operational challenges to cope with the new online regime.

Its high time that we start thinking about bridging the gap between rural and urban digital infrastructure for online education.

Views expressed are the authors own and dont necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth

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COVID-19: How viable is online education? - Down To Earth Magazine

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September 26th, 2020 at 9:54 am

Posted in Online Education

Online Education Technology Market 2020 Assessment and Trend Analysis After the Covid-19 lockdown: Impact And Recovery – DailyHover

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The report offersOnline Education TechnologyMarket 2020assessment and important market trend analysis. The research paper comprises of preceding and forecast market data, requirements, application regions, price policies, and geographical region business shares of the major firms. The Online Education Technology report, based on the type of implementation and region, splits the market size by quantity and value.

Overall, the report provides leading Online Education Technologymarket in-depth profile and data information anatomy. Below is a list of top players

Lynda.Com, Coursera, Tata Interactive Systems, TutorGroup, Docebo, Pearson Education, Blackboard, Edmodo, EdX, Blackboard, Aptara, McGraw-Hill Education, Knewton, Adobe Systems, 2U, PowerSchool Learning

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In brief, along with a clear and easy strategy, the Online Education Technology market report provides a nearest look at the Online Education Technology market after the Covid-19 lockdown situation. The present record depicts everything in a product and supplies statistics frame whether difficult or intelligible, product type, financial ups and downs, product importance, end customers, top players in the sector, regional development, and much more.

Based on application, the market can be categorized as follows:Students, Aldults

Based on Types, the market can be categorized as follows:Management, Arts, Technical, Commerce, Others

Online Education Technology market research report gives a comprehensive market estimate through full evaluation, high-quality insights, and genuine market size predictions. In the case of the prediction made accessible, it depends on tried and tested methods along with convictions. Thus, the thorough Online Education Technology market assessment serves as a reservoir of scrutiny and information for every aspect of the market, especially with regard to local markets, technology, categories, and usage. Moreover, we regarded the market from geographies such as Asia-Pacific, North America, South America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa in this study.

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Elements included in the Sections of the report are as follows :

Chapter 1,to describe Online Education Technology product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market driving force, and market risks

Chapter 2,to profile the top manufacturers of Online Education Technology, with price, sales, revenue, and global market share (2015 to 2020)

Chapter 3,the Online Education Technology competitive situation, sales, revenue, and global market share of top manufacturers are analyzed emphatically by landscape contrast

Chapter 4,the Online Education Technology market data breakdown are shown at the regional level, to show the sales, revenue, and growth by regions, (2015 to 2020)

Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9,to break the sales data at the country level, with sales, revenue, and market share for key countries in the world, (2015 to 2020)

Chapter 10 and 11,to segment the sales by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, (2015 to 2020)

Chapter 12,Online Education Technology market forecast, by regions, type, and application, with sales and revenue, (2020 to 2026)

Chapters 13, 14 and 15,to describe Online Education Technology market sales channel, distributors, customers, research findings and conclusion, appendix, and data source.

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In addition, the study shows well-known competitors working on the Online Education Technology market who have worked hard to meet customer requirements. The report seeks to explore the manufacturing approach, manufacturing cost, pricing strategy, value chain, maintenance cost, capacity utilization, raw material origins along with their geological footprint.

Ultimately, the main and primary purpose of this Online Education Technology study is to help the reader find out the industry about its definition, categorization, market capacity, trends influencing, and the obstacles the industry faces. While preparing the research paper, we did a perceptive and insightful study. Thus it provides an in-depth Online Education Technology market reference frame. The data and information disclosed in the report are drawn from genuine sources such as newspapers, websites, company annual reports. In addition, other results and referrals consist of industry expert-validated reviews.

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Online Education Technology Market 2020 Assessment and Trend Analysis After the Covid-19 lockdown: Impact And Recovery - DailyHover

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September 26th, 2020 at 9:54 am

Posted in Online Education

What Do Parents Think of Online Learning? – Education Week

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If it wasn't for online learning, many school districts might well be entirely dark this fall. But that doesn't mean parents don't have concerns about online learning.

That's according to new research released Monday by the Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit organization.

Parents are overall supportive of virtual schooling, with 76 percent saying they are likely to support more online education at home, even after the threat of COVID-19 has passed. But they have big questions about data privacy issues, with 68 percent saying they are worried about "unauthorized access of online activities or unauthorized communication" with their children online.

Another 64 percent say they have qualms about student data privacy, while another 64 percent say they are worried about not being able to monitor or limit what their child sees on the internet. And 61 percent have concerns about student information security.

Those concerns, though, are dwarfed by others not relating to technology. Seventy-six percent of parents say they are worried about the quality of education their child receives, while 71 percent say bullying is a big headache.

Most studentsabout 3 out of 4have access to reliable home internet. But that number is lower for African American children, only 68 percent of whom have such access. There's also a disparity in access to printers, with 48 percent of African American families having one at home, compared to 54 percent for the United States as a whole.

The vast majority90 percentof parents say they monitor their child's internet use. And more than half say they withhold or take away technology when rules are broken, have house rules on screen-time, and have access to their child's social media, email, and other applications.

The majority of parents52 percentconsider themselves and school administrators most responsible for keeping students' data private. Another 28 percent pin the responsibility on school districts, while 27 percent say teachers are most responsible.

The survey of 1,277 parents was conducted in late spring. African American and Hispanic parents were oversampled.

Image: Getty

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What Do Parents Think of Online Learning? - Education Week

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September 26th, 2020 at 9:54 am

Posted in Online Education

Online Education Market Growth Ratio Analysis with Top Players Major players operating in the Online Education market are PAR Technology Corp,…

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A comprehensive research study titled Online Education Market has been recently added by Absolute Markets Insights to its extensive repository. The statistical data has been compiled by means of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies which help to make informed business decisions. The report also sheds light on the several dynamics of the global business such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities. Additionally, it also offers analytical data of trading attributes like local consumption, global consumption, import, and exports. The base year considered for the study is 2019 and the forecast period for this publication is 2020-2027. The entire demand-supply chain has also been exclusively examined by researchers.

The report represents tables and several other graphical data elements, the Online Education market report makes for an insightful data repository that is a valuable source of direction and guidance for managers, decision makers, business strategists, and all those who are interested in the overall development of the global Online Education market.

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Top Key players: Some of the players operating in the online education market are 2U, Inc.,, Alef Education, Ambow Education, Bloc, Coursera Inc., edX Inc., General Assembly, Instructure, Inc., ITS Education Asia, iTutorGroup, iversity Learning Solutions GmbHu, LinkedIn Corporation, McGraw-Hill, Pearson, Udacity, Inc. amongst others.

Our new sample is updated which correspond in new report showing impact of COVID-19 on Industry

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Global Online Education Market Research Report 2020-2027 carries in-depth case studies on the various countries which are involved in the Online Education market. The report is segmented according to usage wherever applicable and the report offers all this information for all major countries and associations. It offers an analysis of the technical barriers, other issues, and cost-effectiveness affecting the market. Important contents analyzed and discussed in the report include market size, operation situation, and current & future development trends of the market, market segments, business development, and consumption tendencies. Moreover, the report includes the list of major companies/competitors and their competition data that helps the user to determine their current position in the market and take corrective measures to maintain or increase their share holds.

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The report claims to split the regional scope of the Online Education market into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America & Middle East and Africa. Which among these regions has been touted to amass the largest market share over the anticipated duration

How do the sales figures look at present How does the sales scenario look for the future

Considering the present scenario, how much revenue will each region attain by the end of the forecast period

How much is the market share that each of these regions has accumulated presently

How much is the growth rate that each topography will depict over the predicted timeline

A short overview of the Online Education market scope:

Global market remuneration

Overall projected growth rate

Industry trends

Competitive scope

Product range

Application landscape

Supplier analysis

Marketing channel trends Now and later

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Market Concentration Rate

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What will be the size of the global Online Education market in 2027? What is the current CAGR of the global Online Education market? What products have the highest growth rates? Which application is projected to gain a lions share of the global Online Education market? Which region is foretold to create the most number of opportunities in the global Online Education market? Which are the top players currently operating in the global Online Education market? How will the market situation change over the next few years? What are the common business tactics adopted by players? What is the growth outlook of the global Online Education market?

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From the in-depth analysis and segregation, we serve our clients to fulfill their immediate as well as ongoing research requirements. Minute analysis impact large decisions and thereby the source of Online Education (BI) plays an important role, which keeps us upgraded with current and upcoming market scenarios.

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Online Education Market Growth Ratio Analysis with Top Players Major players operating in the Online Education market are PAR Technology Corp,...

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September 26th, 2020 at 9:54 am

Posted in Online Education

Study finds increased university spending toward education technology – Daily Californian

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Brianna Luna/File

According to campus spokesperson Janet Gilmore, UC Berkeley has spent about $10 million on implementing and upgrading the technology needed to support online learning, $4 million of which was directed toward providing technology to lower-income students.

A report published by education technology company Rootstrap found that online learning companies revenue from universities increased by 559% on average from March through July this year compared to the same time frame in 2019.

Roostrap conducted a cross-industry study of online education companies and ultimately found that customer spending has increased on average by 335%, with universities making up the largest portion of customers, according to the study. Patrick Ward, Rootstrap director of marketing, said this study is a wake-up call for universities because charging students the same tuition while spending more for online services will cause many universities to struggle.

He hopes the trends highlighted by the study lead to the democratization of education by providing courses virtually that are affordable and of high quality.

The two big components of the value proposition that a university provides, namely the social network and the physical experience, now no longer can be delivered, Ward said. And so with that reduction, they need to find new ways.

According to campus spokesperson Janet Gilmore, UC Berkeley has spent about $10 million on implementing and upgrading the technology needed to support online learning. Of that amount, $4 million was spent to provide technology to lower-income students, while the rest was for online services such as Zoom licensing and virtual advising support.

The estimated overall fiscal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to June 2021 is about $340 million, according to Gilmore. Of that loss, $200 million is from decreased campus income from sources like athletics, housing and dining, and $65 million was put toward COVID-19 efforts including cleaning, testing and remote learning transition resources.

According to Aaron Rasmussen, founder and CEO of Outlier.org, a technology company offering online courses, spending more on education technology will improve online learning effectiveness, making students more attracted to it.

Ward recommends colleges listen to their students and integrate online courses into their curriculum beyond the pandemic.

Without the limit of physical campus boundaries, and with a plethora of offerings at their fingertips, students can sample a variety of experiences in their online education, Rasmussen said in an email. Its no longer about who has a planetarium on campus or the nicest library; the emphasis is on the content and instruction.

Universities including UC Berkeley have delved into this integration of online courses through services such as Emeritus that provide the technological infrastructure to deliver courses to a broader audience outside of campus students, according to Ward.

Ward said small- and medium-sized universities are gravely at risk from increased spending for online services during the pandemic because they are smaller brands, possess smaller footprints and have smaller endowments.

There is undoubtedly a forced push for technological innovation in higher education for the time being, but the lasting effects are yet to be seen, Rasmussen said in an email.

Dina Katgara is the lead business and economy reporter. Contact her at [emailprotected] and follow her on Twitter at @dinakatgara.

Correction(s): A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Outlier.org was involved in the study. In fact, it was not involved.

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Study finds increased university spending toward education technology - Daily Californian

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September 26th, 2020 at 9:54 am

Posted in Online Education

Global Online K-12 Education Market 2020 Estimated to Experience a Notable Growth in the Coming Years Know Share, Trends, Regional Analysis and…

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The Global Online K-12 Education Marketreport studies the market comprehensively and provides an all-encompassing analysis of the key growth factors, Online K-12 Education market share, and the newest developments. Also, the Online K-12 Education Industry Market report provides growth rate, market demand and supply, and market potential for each geographical region. The Online K-12 Education report gives information about the Online K-12 Education market trend and share, market size analysis by region, and analysis of the global market size. The market study analysis presents an analysis of market share and segments by region and growth rate.

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Top Key Players:

Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH & Co. K YINGDING Languagenut K12 Inc New Oriental Education & Technology Bettermarks Ifdoo Beness Holding, Inc White Hat Managemen AMBO Pearson YY Inc XUEDA CDEL XRS Scoyo

Regional breakdown includes an in detail study of the key geological regions to gain a better accepting of the market and provide an accurate analysis. The Online K-12 Education industry regional analysis coversNorth America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.

Global Online K-12 Education Market Report is an objective and in-depth study of the current state aimed at the major drivers, market strategies, and key players growth. The revision also involves the significant Achievements of the market, Research & Development, new product launch, product responses, and regional growth of the leading competitors operating in the market on a universal and local scale.

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Competitive Analysis:

The Online K-12 Education report provides a comprehensive analysis of global market size, regional and country-level market size, segmentation, share, viable background, sales breakdown, the impact of domestic and global market players. It includes advanced information associated with the global Online K-12 Education market status, trends analysis, segment, and forecasts from 2020-2026.

Based on Application, the report split into

Elementary education(Grades 1-5) Junior high education(Grades 6-8) Senior high education(Grades 9-12)

Based on the Type, the report split into:

Synchronous Education Asynchronous Education

The report provides an all-inclusive analysis of the companies operating in the Online K-12 Education market, along with their overview, business plans, strengths to provide significant analysis of the enlargement through the forecast period. The estimate provides a viable edge and understanding of their market position and strategies undertaken by them to gain a substantial market size in the global market.

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Additionally, the report is furnished by the higher analytical data from SWOT analysis, Porters Five Forces Analysis. The report also provides a comprehensive analysis of the mergers, consolidations, acquisitions, partnerships, and government deals. Along with this, an in detail analysis of up to date and rising trends, opportunities, threats, limitations, restraints and drivers, and estimated market growth throughout the forecast period are offered in the report.

Important Key Questions Answered In The Market Report:

Table of Content:

1 Scope of the Report

2 Executive Summary

3 Global Online K-12 Education by Company

4 Online K-12 Education by Regions

5 Americas

6 APAC

7 Europe

8 the Middle East & Africa

9 Market Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10 Marketing, Distributors and Customer

11 Global Online K-12 Education Market Forecast

12 Key Players Analysis

13 Research Findings and Conclusion

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Global Online K-12 Education Market 2020 Estimated to Experience a Notable Growth in the Coming Years Know Share, Trends, Regional Analysis and...

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September 26th, 2020 at 9:54 am

Posted in Online Education

Harm to the Public Will Only Worsen if We Don’t Increase School Openings – UT News | The University of Texas at Austin

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Sometimes it seems as if Democrats are so preoccupied with opposing reopening policies, many times viewed as Republican-oriented, that they fail to consider more nuanced responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is particularly harmful as the continuing closures of public schools, libraries and playgrounds exacerbate inequality and facilitate a relapse to American individualism.

Rather than merely opposing reopening policies, Democrats should promote creative alternatives that will enable safe and equal access to public services in the COVID-19 era. Otherwise, they will end up contributing to the already alarming inequality that prevails in the U.S.

Public services are not a luxury, and their closure comes at a high cost. As we debate the way forward, we must face the implications of the disappearance of the public in the COVID-19 era. When public schools, playgrounds, pools and libraries were closed in the spring, each of us was asked to seek private shelter. For many of us, however, there is no shelter.

Weve already witnessed how the requirement to find shelter at home during the shelter in place phase in New York City, for example, wasnt as effective in stopping the spread of the virus in lower social-economic neighborhoods. Research conducted by the NYU Furman Center found that for those living in small apartments and crowded neighborhoods who cant work remotely, the private shelter was not enough. Such disparities will persist and increase if public services, and especially public schools, remain closed.

The modern economy is grounded on the ability to rely on schools to enable parents to work a 40-hour week. Without public schools, millions of American working parents are left without access to the labor market. Millions of kids are left without an adequate education.

When public schools do not offer a safe in-person alternative, parents have to find solutions based on their differential resources: paying a tutor to facilitate homeschooling while they work from home, quitting a job, or relying on their existing social networks. Some families have opted to create small pods of children, alternating adult supervision between multiple households. For many other Americans, however, this is not an option. Already underpaid, millions of working parents are required to juggle household responsibilities and paid labor. Many of them have neither the flexibility nor the means needed for alternative arrangements.

Online-only instruction is not a viable solution for millions of kids and working mothers. With limited public-school services, childrens academic prospects depend largely on their parents unequal capacities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that online learning may be damaging to all kids but disproportionately harms low-income and minority children and those living with disabilities. These students are far less likely to have access to private instruction and care and far more likely to rely on key school-supported resources like food programs, special education services, counseling, and after-school programs to meet basic developmental needs.

Online-only instruction also heightens gender inequality. For example, data on the achievements of scientists during the pandemic indicates that even middle class educated mothers are vulnerable to their childrens transition to online education, as women with young children reported a significant decrease in time dedicated to research.

The lack of a nationwide concerted effort to contain the spread of the virus is frustrating. And in locations with more severe restrictions on social and commercial activity, the numbers of cases have decreased significantly. In other words, closures work. Yet as we move forward, Americans need to generate creative solutions for safe access to public services. It is not enough at this point to resign ourselves to continued closures.

Now is the time to invest strategically and significantly in the public. Instead of saying no to reopening, advocate within your district for what can make reopening imaginable: providing tutoring services, offering smaller classes, having an outside library and schools. Extend medical health coverage and increase public school funding. With these issues at the heart of a national strategy, the American public may be preserved when COVID-19 is behind us.

Inbal Leibovits is a doctoral student in communication studies at The University of Texas at Austin.

A version of this op-ed appeared in the San Antonio Express News.

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Harm to the Public Will Only Worsen if We Don't Increase School Openings - UT News | The University of Texas at Austin

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September 26th, 2020 at 9:54 am

Posted in Online Education

How ICCSD special education teachers and families have adapted to virtual learning – Iowa City Press-Citizen

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Cleo Krejci, Iowa City Press-Citizen Published 1:22 p.m. CT Sept. 23, 2020 | Updated 1:29 p.m. CT Sept. 23, 2020

COVID-19 widespread testing is crucial to fighting the pandemic, but is there enough testing? The answer is in the positivity rates. USA TODAY

Special education is inherentlyindividual.

That means when classes moved online due to the pandemic, educators, right along with their students, were challenged to meet students' individual needs while taking into account a new, online-only method of learning.

Of the more than 14,000 students in the Iowa City Community School District, about 1,500 have an IEP, or an individual education plan,as part of the district's special education program. Iowa City schools have adjusted along with the pandemic, ensuring eachIEPincludes a plan for remotelearning.

"Our students with IEPs are always general education students first," said Lisa Glenn, special education director for the district. "And so we've got to make sure and provide those accommodations and modifications so that students can access the general program. So, we have to think about those things virtually."

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About 44% of students with IEPs have opted-in to the online-only learning program,which closely tracks with the roughly 46% of overall students in the district who have done the same.

The rest of the students are in the standard enrollmentprogram, which still requires them to take some classes online when coronavirus cases are relatively low in Johnson County andthe district is in a "hybrid" learning model. Hybrid learning will begin this year on Sept. 28.

Earlier this month, the ICCSDelected to allow a small portionstudents in the special education program to receive services on-site, even if the rest of the district was in online-only mode.

"Even as we have become better and better at providing services virtually, we still have a few students for whom we have not found a good solution for and are still struggling withproviding an adequateeducation," Glenn said, notingthat the number of students impacted by the update will be small.

Education teams for those students are now able to discuss bringing them on-site for certain, targeted services, such as for studentswho use large equipment that can't be delivered to a home or who work with specialproviders.

"We would be talking about very complicated kinds of services that would just be really, really difficult to provide virtually," Glenn said.

This special education classroom at City High School in Iowa City, Iowa, is set up for in-person learning amid the coronavirus pandemic. Tables have been spaced out from one another for social distancing and are marked with tape on the floor. Students are also given individual bins with disinfected supplies.(Photo: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen)

Learning through experience can be very beneficial for some students in special education programs, said J.P. Claussen, a school board member and former special education teacher in the district.It's also difficult to simulate online.

"For some kids, what we do in special edis we're going to teach you skills in this certain environment, which is the classroom. And then we're going to work really hard to get you to generalize those skills in other environments, including home," Claussen said.

Generalizing those skills is the hardest part do to.

"If they haven't learned to generalize those skills, the fact that you're trying to teach those skills at home without a person present...they're not going to understand what's going on. Like, 'Why is school happening at home?'" Claussen said.

Some students' IEPs require they learnskills that will support their independence after high school,like riding the city bus or crossing the street safely, which is also difficult to recreate through a computer screen.

City High School in Iowa City, Iowa, has disinfectant supplies and face shields in classrooms to protect students and staff against COVID-19. ICCSD will go into a hybrid model of learning in-person and virtually Sept. 28.(Photo: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen)

The district also has a program that places special education students into community jobs for two hours a week. That program is on hold indefinitely due to the pandemic, although some studentsare working at in-school jobs.

The Best Buddies program, which pairs students in the special education program with students outside of it, is still in full swing this year although it's online.

School supplies: Iowa City-area groups look for community support in back-to-school drive

Stella Foster, a senior at City High, is the president of the program and has been paired with her "buddy" and friend,Kiriana, for three years.

"She is the most welcoming and friendly person," Foster says. "She makes me want to meet more people."

There arearound 40 pairs of students in the program, making 80 participants. Even more people join the activities,totaling around 300 people, Foster says. The group aims to hold all activitiespossible online.

Kiriana's mom, Nicole Horning, says her daughter has not found online classes easy. As an extremely social person, shelearns best with 1-1, in-person instruction.She also has trouble reading on screens and learns better with hands-on tools, like pencil and paper.

"Learning online is a huge challenge, because my daughter has always loved mirrors,and Zoomis kind of like a mirror. And so sometimes, it's distracting because she cansee herfriends and sayhi, and she hasn't seen themin person since spring."

Teachers have found ways to help, like:

As someone who isn't "tech savvy" himself, Tom Braverman, a special education teacher at City High,likes to use paper and pencil in the classroom and have kids read out of books, knowing those skills will be essential for life after high school.

"A lot of the students that we work with ... tend to find navigating the internet and technology cumbersome and kind of difficult,"Braverman said. "And for those students, it'shard to participate in a meaningful way. And so we'reburning the candle at both ends to try and meet their needs and make sure that they're having opportunitiesto grow and participate."

Online education also means that parents, guardians and siblings at home have had to take on the role of a special education teacher sometimes having to keep the student focused and make sure they continue with their online classes throughout the day.

"At City High, we have some pretty amazing teachers," Braverman says. "And, that being said, we also have some pretty darn amazing parents who are taking on something that they really weren't expecting to do."

Tom Braverman, a special education teacher at City High, sets up a Zoom video conference for his first period class amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, at City High School in Iowa City, Iowa.(Photo: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen)

Horning and her husband help switch off taking notes for Kiriana during the day, a job that under normal circumstances is filled by a paraprofessional in the classroom. She knows their family is lucky,because they are able to find the time to help with online learning during the week,which is not the case for all families.

Next week, Kiriana will go back to school in-personpart of the time as hybrid learning resumes. Horningfeels like she had to chooseher daughter's education over her health in deciding whether to keep her online only.

Horning recognizes that online learning is less than optimal, but commends the teachers who are doing all they can to help.

"I feel super fortunate that we live in Iowa City that the teachers and staff genuinely care about what they're doing, and their students. And everybody is really trying to make it work," she said.

Education: Iowa City teachers to receive additional training on implicit bias, microagressions, white supremacy

Cleo Krejci covers education for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. You can reach her at ckrejci@press-citizen.comor on Twitter via@_CleoKrejci.

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How ICCSD special education teachers and families have adapted to virtual learning - Iowa City Press-Citizen

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September 26th, 2020 at 9:54 am

Posted in Online Education

Zoom University is the same price – The Patriot Talon

Posted: at 9:54 am


Alyssa Luther

Staff Writer

The University of Texas at Tyler sparked a lot of conversation when it announced the majority of classes for the Fall 2020 semester were going to be online. In the days following the news, students, parents, faculty, and locals spoke out on their opinion of if tuition should be lowered.

Britney Jo Wallace is a full time student in her senior year at UT Tyler. Initially, she registered for one online class and three in-person classes for the Fall semester. As of last week, only two of them are in-person and the rest are online, but this is still subject to change.

Everything that I am doing in these [online] classes, I could do on my own, Wallace said. There are no lectures, so it feels to me that I am not actually being taught and only paying for a degree.

There tends to be a blurred line between virtual learning and online courses. The majority of faculty and students dont know the difference.

Virtual learning utilizes computer softwares to deliver instruction to students whereas online classes are solely constructed to be over the Internet without synchronous meetings or recorded lectures.

I do feel that tuition should be lowered, Wallace said. I believe I am paying the same tuition for online classes that I had been for in-person lectures. It doesnt seem that I am necessarily getting what I paid for.

So, why do we believe online courses should be cheaper than in-person classes?

In reality, there have been a handful of online education colleges that have advertised they have more affordable education options. This is possible because these colleges do not have extra costs for buildings, excess staff other than professors, or taxes from the state.

Freshman marketing major Cholie Devillier expressed that she is a hands-on learner. Devillier has only one hybrid course this semester, the rest of her classes are strictly online.

I like to ask questions and get an immediate response, Devillier said. I like to verbally collaborate with my peers when I dont understand a topic. I thrive off of in-person classes.

This has not been possible for Devillier this semester. She has had to try and adapt to the new way of learning by becoming best friends with her computer screen.

I feel like I will do poorly this semester due to this reason. I dont do well staring at a computer screen all day and reading chapter after chapter on e-textbook. Im trying my best to adapt to this new way of learning, but I definitely am not a fan of it, Devillier expressed.

Online courses can cost less per student, but if more students enroll, the cost of developing the course increases. In the end, online education can actually cost more than the traditional face-to-face equivalent, especially when it is a new territory.

I dont have a definitive answer of whether [tuition] should be lowered or not, but I believe it is definitely something that should be discussed, junior Elementary Education major Whitney Bacon said.

None of her professors are using Zoom for online lectures. Instead, they have made modules on Canvas for their students to follow.

Only one of her in-person classes offer the synchronous Zoom option for the students who cannot attend class physically.

I think it will be a very long time before things are back to normal, Bacon said. This is unchartered territory for students and professors alike, so I feel the best thing we can do is respond with grace.

Whether you agree that tuition should be lowered or not, we can agree that this semester has been out-of-the-norm. Both students and professors have had to step out of their comfort zone and try to adapt to this new way of learning.

Only time will tell if Zoom University will make its appearance again next semester.

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Zoom University is the same price - The Patriot Talon

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September 26th, 2020 at 9:54 am

Posted in Online Education

Baidu offers quantum computing from the cloud – VentureBeat

Posted: at 9:52 am


Following its developer conference last week, Baidu today detailed Quantum Leaf, a new cloud quantum computing platform designed for programming, simulating, and executing quantum workloads. Its aimed at providing a programming environment for quantum-infrastructure-as-a-service setups, Baidu says, and it complements the Paddle Quantum development toolkit the company released earlier this year.

Experts believe that quantum computing, which at a high level entails the use of quantum-mechanical phenomena like superposition and entanglement to perform computation, could one day accelerate AI workloads. Moreover, AI continues to play a role in cutting-edge quantum computing research.

Baidu says a key component of Quantum Leaf is QCompute, a Python-based open source development kit with a hybrid programming language and a high-performance simulator. Users can leverage prebuilt objects and modules in the quantum programming environment, passing parameters to build and execute quantum circuits on the simulator or cloud simulators and hardware. Essentially, QCompute provides services for creating and analyzing circuits and calling the backend.

Quantum Leaf dovetails with Quanlse, which Baidu also detailed today. The company describes Quanlse as a cloud-based quantum pulse computing service that bridges the gap between software and hardware by providing a service to design and implement pulse sequences as part of quantum tasks. (Pulse sequences are a means of reducing quantum error, which results from decoherence and other quantum noise.) Quanlse works with both superconducting circuits and nuclear magnetic resonance platforms and will extend to new form factors in the future, Baidu says.

The unveiling of Quantum Leaf and Quanlse follows the release of Amazon Braket and Googles TensorFlow Quantum, a machine learning framework that can construct quantum data sets, prototype hybrid quantum and classic machine learning models, support quantum circuit simulators, and train discriminative and generative quantum models. Facebooks PyTorch relies on Xanadus multi-contributor project for quantum computing PennyLane, a third-party library for quantum machine learning, automatic differentiation, and optimization of hybrid quantum-classical computations. And Microsoft offers several kits and libraries for quantum machine learning applications.

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Baidu offers quantum computing from the cloud - VentureBeat

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September 26th, 2020 at 9:52 am

Posted in Quantum Computer


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