In this publication I will collect and list some recent articles on higher education issues, online learning best practices, deliver some tools/app suggestions and links to interesting news/videos on the web published in the past month. Planned release schedule is between the last week of the past month and the first full week of the current month.

1. The Guzman Monthly
May 2016 | Volume 3, Issue 5

2. Index
• Welcome
• About the author
• News (3 slides)
• Apps & Tools (4 slides)
• Online Learning (4 slides)
• Administration Issues (3 slides)
• Faculty Development (5 slides)
• Student Learning (1 slide)
• New Ways of Learning (3 slides)
• Upcoming Movie & TV Trailers

3. Welcome to the next issue of “The Guzman Monthly”.
In this publication I will collect and list some recent
articles on higher education issues, online learning best
practices, deliver some tools/app suggestions and links to
interesting news/videos on the web published in the past
month. Planned release schedule is between the last
week of the past month and the first full week of the
current month.
To view previous newsletters please visit my slideshare
page: http://www.slideshare.net/TJtheTiger

4. My name is Tony Guzman and I serve as the Director of Online
Programs at the University at Buffalo (UB) School of Social
Work (SSW).
I also oversee the UB SSW Podcast series: inSocialWork®, and
the Technology in Social Work Resource Center. Feel free to
listen to some of our podcasts and review our resources.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tguzman/
Scoop.it!: http://www.scoop.it/t/the-future-of-higher-
education-by-tony-guzman-1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/professor_tg

5. News
Time to Act: Making Data Work for All Students report indicates that
personalizing learning will help more students.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/04/26/report-we-have-the-
data-now-we-need-to-personalize-learning.aspx
A new conference this Fall on Leadership in Higher Education has placed a Call
for Proposals for anyone interested in presenting at this inaugural conference.
Deadline for proposals is soon, so check this article out quick if interested.
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/academic-leadership/call-proposals-
leadership-higher-education-conference/
With data security breaches on the rise in higher education institutions, the
struggle between privacy and security is all the more prevalent today.
http://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2016/04/privacy-vs-security-
debate-alive-and-well-higher-ed

6. News (cont.)
This article shares some interesting results from a recent survey of
instructional design staff in higher education.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/09/survey-
instructional-designers-pivotal-in-tech-adoption.aspx
Ranking of higher education institutions based on their Facebook and
Twitter use. Any surprises?
http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/social-media-colleges/
Students from eight universities will help train IBM’s Watson on
cybersecurity.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/10/universities-to-
help-train-watson-on-cybersecurity.aspx

7. News (cont.)
There is a lack of cybersecurity courses being taught in computer science
degrees.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/12/the-shocking-data-
security-gap-in-computer-science-education.aspx
Results from an NSF funded crowdsource project that had computer
algorithms take heavy load at the front end allowing the humans to finalize
decision making choices at the back end. Interested to see next steps for
projects like this.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/10/research-project-mixes-
humans-and-machines-for-better-crowdsourcing.aspx
Moodle launches features that tie to competency-based education.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/23/moodle-intros-full-
support-for-competency-based-ed.aspx

8. Apps & Tools
As virtual reality becomes more mainstream, it will be a disruptive
innovation within higher education.
http://www.upcea.edu/content.asp?contentid=397#80
Pearson partners with General Assembly to deliver online, skills-
focused courses.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/04/27/pearson-general-
assembly-partner-on-online-courses-for-job-skills.aspx
Here are a few video applications and tools that can help any
instructor make their video lectures more engaging and interactive.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/04/10-tools-for-
more-interactive-videos.aspx

9. Apps & Tools (cont.)
This article will help you understand what Creative Commons is and why you
and your students should leverage it within your teaching and learning.
https://www.graphite.org/blog/what-is-creative-commons-and-why-does-it-
matter#
While many of us still use 802.11g or 802.11n, this is the future of WiFi as we
know it.
http://fossbytes.com/802-11-ah-wifi-can-penetrate-walls-using-less-power/
New online resource from Digital Promise houses educational research for
public consumption.
http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/05/11/digital-promise-puts-education-
research-all-in-one-place/

10. Apps & Tools (cont.)
As many educators start to enjoy their summer break and then prepare for
the upcoming academic year, here is a tool that provides many free
audiobooks to consider adding to your digital library and courses.
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2016/05/tons-of-free-audiobooks-for-
teachers.html
Dropbox launches an Education arm that provides cloud solutions for higher
education institutions to consider.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/11/dropbox-launches-low-
cost-service-for-higher-ed-users.aspx
This is another potential disruptive innovation within higher education. Not
sure how I feel about using bitcoin type technology in this arena, time will
tell.
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-05-12-what-blockchain-means-for-
higher-education

11. Apps & Tools (cont.)
An interview with one of my colleagues, Lisa Stephens​. Learn
more about FLEXspace.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/17/flexspace
-sharing-the-best-of-learning-space-design.aspx
An update on Microsoft’s delve into virtual reality.
http://www.amongelite.com/tech/microsoft-holographic-
software-forges-a-new-path-in-technology/
Google launches Spaces, easy online spaces for small group
collaboration.
https://get.google.com/spaces/

12. Online Learning
Learn more about the history of online education.
https://unbound.upcea.edu/online-2/online-education/online-
unbound/
University of Colorado wants to provide online access to their degree
programs and have launched a grant process to help their faculty and
staff launch degrees in Fall 2018.
http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/university-3-online/
Recent research shows that Facebook can help keep students engaged
in MOOC courses.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/04/28/research-
facebook-may-keep-students-in-moocs.aspx

13. Online Learning (cont.)
University of Michigan continues strong in the MOOC online course
and program offerings.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/03/u-michigan-
launches-3-online-certificate-programs-via-edx.aspx
Steps faculty can follow to help their students succeed in their online
courses.
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/ensuring-
student-success-online-courses/
Penn State has graduated their first online doctor of nursing practice
(DNP) students.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/09/penn-state-
graduates-first-online-doctoral-students.aspx

14. Online Learning (cont.)
Some excellent tips to keep in mind when designing an online course.
http://elearningindustry.com/7-tips-create-perfect-elearning-
conditions
Learn what “pocket data analytics” are and how they can help online
faculty improve the student learning in their courses.
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/using-student-
analytics-online-course-improvement/
This article shares how stackable credentials are being used within
MOOCs at some higher education institutions.
http://www.upcea.edu/content.asp?contentid=397#81

15. Online Learning (cont.)
Certainly online learning is not for everyone, and this article helps you
figure out if that is the case for you or not.
https://elearningindustry.com/pros-cons-online-degree-offline-one
This op-ed shares some of the efforts to help make sure students can
succeed in college without potentially going into debt if they are not
ready yet.
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-05-27-how-to-set-up-students-
to-succeed-in-online-learning
A handful of different ideas on how to enhance your online courses
with YouTube.
https://elearningindustry.com/5-ways-youtube-can-transform-your-
elearning-course

16. Administration Issues
This article reminds us of the importance to properly analyze data as to help
our students become stronger and better learners.
http://www.impatientoptimists.org/Posts/2016/04/Know-Your-Numbers
This interview and podcast share the thoughts of the US Under Secretary of
Education, Ted Mitchell, with regards to higher education innovation.
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-05-03-ted-mitchell-wants-equity-to-
drive-higher-ed-innovation
Credly and Learning Machine join forces to help provide digital credentials to
prospective students as they submit their college applications. Is your
institution already accepting these type of digital credentials?
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/03/learning-machine-
credly-partner-on-competency-based-admissions.aspx

17. Administration Issues (cont.)
Should future ed-tech leaders attend a new program or should some
veteran ideas/models be revamped?
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/05/16/train-future-ed-
tech-leaders-higher-ed-needs-new-discipline-some-say
Technology is both transforming and disrupting universities around the
world. How do you strike a balance?
http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2016/05/higher-
education-technology-paradox
For anyone working on a technology strategic plan, these are some
good pointers to keep in mind.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/26/3-keys-to-
creating-an-it-strategic-plan.aspx

18. Administration Issues (cont.)
This blog entry and video interview pose an interesting question: why do we
send students to school? To what end? A question well worth considering
regardless of the student's age. Thoughts?
https://medium.com/learning-re-imagined/the-future-of-learning-
e2a17c3a5cbb#.bxe33r750
I rarely have seen this approach done in higher education but it certainly
seems to be valuable information to help improve graduation rates moving
forward.
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/05/28/479208574/how-to-fix-a-
graduation-rate-of-1-in-10-ask-the-dropouts
Institutions across the Americas now have better Internet connectivity thanks
to a NSF grant and other participants.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/24/new-high-speed-
network-link-ties-institutions-in-americas.aspx

19. Faculty Development
This article and infographic list conferences educators should consider on an
annual basis.
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-04-29-higher-ed-edtech-conferences-
you-need-to-know
Excellent tips on getting students focused at the start of your class.
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/blended-flipped-learning/three-
focusing-activities-engage-students-first-five-minutes-class/
This recent ProfHacker entry shares how two recent conferences “challenged”
their own titles/themes to ensure they were being “open” and/or
“innovative”. Thoughts from anyone who attended these conferences?
http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/challenging-openness-innovation-
takeaways-from-oer16-olcinnovate/62072

20. Faculty Development (cont.)
While some of the results from this research study on communication
between faculty and students may be “common sense”, what is shared will
help improve your communication skillset.
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/untangling-web-
student-teacher-communication/
This idea truly should be something every institution implements to help
further develop their faculty to be better digital citizens in their classrooms
and their students to be digitally literate as well.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/05/northwestern-u-
develops-new-digital-learning-website.aspx
What myths exist out there regarding classroom technology?
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-05-07-five-myths-about-classroom-
technology-and-what-to-do-instead

21. Faculty Development (cont.)
Is teaching like composting? Read ahead to see if you agree.
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-
blog/teaching-like-composting/
Thought provoking commentary article, worth the time of any
educator.
http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2016/05/12/477687350/resisting-
the-corporate-university-what-it-means-to-be-a-slow-professor
I am a firm believer in the backward design model for course
development and this article helps us see the usual advantages of this
method and even some you may not have thought of.
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/backward-
design-forward-progress/

22. Faculty Development (cont.)
Great ideas on how to integrate social media in your STEM courses.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/18/4-ways-to-use-
social-media-for-learning.aspx
Over a dozen ideas that help faculty be more innovative in the
classroom.
http://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/trends-
shifts/becoming-innovative-15-new-ideas-every-teacher-should-try/
Do you provide incentives for your students to complete their
evaluations at the end of the term? Should you?
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/course-
evaluations-can-improve-response-rates/

23. Faculty Development (cont.)
Strategies on how to make the most out of
attending a conference.
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/faculty-
development/get-professional-conference/
Taking some time to look at the importance of the
syllabus in the classroom.
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-
professor-blog/syllabus-indicator-instructional-
intentions/

24. Student Learning
To help your students learn from the feedback, consider
adding a “draft” sometime in the middle of your time
period allowing for constructive feedback to inform the
project rather than helping for only future assignments.
http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/why
-feedback-should-come-in-the-middle-not-at-the-end/
This article asks us to think of which space(s) did we learn
the most in while in college.
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-05-20-if-credits-
don-t-reflect-what-i-learn-what-does

25. New Ways of Learning
Virtual Reality will be one of the next disruptive innovations in higher
education and this article shares some of the key trends to keep an eye on.
http://collegewebeditor.com/blog/index.php/archives/2016/05/05/top-5-
virtual-reality-trends-to-watch-for-highered/
This article shares results from a tablet pilot program launched at California
State University, Fresno.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/10/transforming-teaching-
at-fresno-state-with-tablets.aspx
Results from major workforce organizations that are helping mold today’s
digital competency-based education.
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/05/11/taking-competency-
based-credentials-seriously-in-the-workforce.aspx

26. New Ways of Learning (cont.)
This is an interesting option to consider for any student who may not
flourish in the online environment but cannot relocate to the college
of their choice.
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/05/bringing-
college-to-students-who-cant-leave-home/482517/
Are you a social learner? What is social learning?
http://www.talentlms.com/blog/social-learning-in-elearning/
This op-ed shares from the perspectives and experiences of various
teachers regards to blended learning.
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/
2016/05/response_blended_learning_is_the_next_generation_of_edu
cation.html

27. New Ways of Learning (cont.)
Great article to read if you are considering gamifying your course.
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-
strategies/playing-games-can-yield-serious-learning/
This infographic helps explain what microlearning is and how it can
benefit students and workforce training.
http://elearninginfographics.com/5-benefits-microlearning-based-
training-learners-infographic/
What is the main point of game-based learning?
http://www.educationdive.com/news/is-game-based-learning-key-to-
reengaging-bored-students/419752/

28. Upcoming Movie & TV Trailers
Warcraft, Release Date: 06/10/2016
https://youtu.be/65AjY_nRdqE
Uncle Buck (Season 1), Premiere Date: 06/14/2016
https://youtu.be/evqliJzKxqY
Full Favorite Movie Trailers playlist on my YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp4nJo9D2kEs3McWG18x5U
mIcSsVhNjq0
Full Favorite TV Trailers playlist on my YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp4nJo9D2kEtMvp3l9Jx5Hem
MXMxIocwR

29. Thanks for checking this monthly newsletter out
and hope to see around again next time!