As the technological revolution ensues, more and more college students rely on technology to thrive in school. In fact, nearly 75% of college students (from a sample of 500, research carried out by Pew Research Institute) say that they rely on technology to complete school work. These numbers are just from students enrolled in traditional classrooms, and where we find even more technology centered students are on e-learning campuses. As of currently, over 12 million students take one or more online classes, and in 2014, nearly 3.5 million students took entirely online classes. With the vast amount of millennials taking a shift towards technology education, we have to ask ourselves, what about technology is appealing for students? The answer is simple. Technology brings upon an entirely new set of tools that students are now able to utilize. Technology creates an incredible convenience for students as well as gaining them access to an entire world of information at their fingertips. Students are now able to excel in school more than ever before, now contributing to new discoveries and research, instead of just reading about it in textbooks. One popular technology source is the mobile application for smartphones. Mobile applications allow for […]
Traditional classrooms are based on a synchronous learning platform, in which students all learn the same material together, all at once. Traditional education has laid its grounds on this same foundation for centuries. For the most part, this style of education has worked for our young learning generation. However, as college becomes increasingly expensive and as students from all ages become busier with work, time restraints, and even children, this traditional classroom has proven to be inadequate. Instead, more and more college students have looked towards virtual classrooms for their higher education. However, being that online education platforms are for asynchronous learning, there are many questions as to how this very different style of learning works. According to several studies by Virtual Classroom, there are several proven advantages of a non-traditional classroom, and students have proven to be satisfied. Learning when convenient for you One of the obvious advantages of asynchronous learning is that the classroom is built around a student’s schedule. Students who have busy schedules, whether it be working full-time, or having to raise a family, have the ability to learn when it is convenient for them. Time conflictions are no longer a barrier for student’s learning. In […]
The new year brings on new goals for everyone, especially for college students balancing grades, money, and time. Often a new year means a chance to start over; and college students often try to fill their new year with more accomplishments, and more opportunities. Here are some new year’s resolutions for those college co-eds: Better Grades: Seems simple, right? College students almost always set this goal, but rarely know what works to make it happen. Communicate with Teachers: With big lectures, six-hundred students, and busy professors, this nearly seems impossible in the typical college settings. Perhaps, this is maybe why students struggle communicating with their own professors, and may find themselves falling behind in class. However, it has been proven time and time again that communication with teachers (ie. asking critical questions, clarifying material) escalates student learning and leads to high academic achievements. The solution? iQ Technologies offers what college students need to communicate effectively with teachers. With real-time technology, students can set up video conferencing with teachers, and send direct quick messages to professors, and gets answers within minutes. Find mentors/tutors: Sometimes students need that extra help to more comprehensively understand the teacher. But, students often find that tutors […]
America is known to be one of the primary users of education technology, yet new studies have shown that certain forms of e-learning has been on the rise on a global scale. According to “5 Top Trends in Education Technology 2015”, the GIA (Global Industry Analysis) says that the global e-learning industry will reach nearly 107 million dollars in 2015. Why the increase? According to GIA, companies seek to find education alternatives for their employees that can allow students to learn on their own time. However, these e-learning alternatives are specifically for corporate training. According to the article, many MOOCs haven’t adopted what making corporate e-learning so successful, which is student customization. E-learning tools have been designed to make the student the center of attention instead of the course. This unique customization, “allows employees in every industry and at any level to experience the power of customized training, 24/7, on any device. Unlike with classroom-based training, learners can train on their own time using customized formats. Everyone can move at their own pace, learning what they need to know and exploring their own interests.” Why, then, can’t undergraduates have access to a similar model for their college education? This e-learning […]
Hundreds of bands and solo artists across world have searched for a way to reach their fans more easily and efficiently. iQ technologies offers a platform that gives artists the capability to interact with their fan base. With more fan base interaction, the artist can gather feedback and apply that to their career. For musicians who wish to announce upcoming shows, iQ technologies offers several features to broadcast events. By creating an event, you can inform your followers of the date, time. and location of your occasion. Within seconds of posting your event, followers will instantly view the event from their live feed, allowing your post to reach the maximum amount of fans. iQ Event Management allows for these unique settings, and more: •Google Map integration •Invitation management (target specific connections & areas such as groups and networks) • Events publishing to activity streams • Share event on Facebook or Twitter • Support for recurring (repeating events) •Event custom fields management • Upcoming and past event management • RSVP management (attending, not attending, maybe, not responded) • Past event management user management (did attend, did not attend) • Event notification management • Assign other owners/admins to an event • Full […]
We are surrounded by hundreds of news feed sources, nearly all the time. What makes the press so special in today’s technology-driven world is that almost all news reports are digital. With the use of newspaper fading by the day, nearly all consumers rely on their mobile devices to catch up on the news. However, this leaves newsrooms with the reality that they have to compete with hundreds of sources for consumer attention. What can make your newsroom stand out? Real time news feed and the ability for consumers to be social. When consumers can read stories and discuss them all on the same easy-to-use mobile platform, your newsroom is the center of attention. With iQ Press, your newsroom can… • Easily evaluate data for analysis, segmentation, and targeted marketing • Review analytics to monitor user engagement from varied markets • Deploy targeted advertising and promotions based on reader interests • Introduce new products and services to your targets • Build revenue with sponsored pages and content • Enable readers to engage and connect on a deeper level • Provide a community for like-minded people Newsrooms around the world are faced with the reality that consumers today have multiple sources […]
One of the most critical components to a student’s success is engagement. It is found time and time again that students cannot properly attain material without their engagement with their teacher and other students. That said, student and teacher collaboration should be part of the class curriculum. Why is that? Students have questions. Questions that need to be answered. And when students feel as though they can easily have access to answering these questions, learning is a much simpler process. In addition, students have always been traditionally put into a classroom together for a reason. Students, from a young age, have been taught to form into groups to solve questions and learn from one another. In fact, it has been found that students who have practiced teaching the material to other students can much for effectively “master” the material. So, if human interaction is such a key part of the learning process, what are students of MOOCS (major open online courses) to do when their teacher could be hundreds of miles away? Most MOOCs have found this to be a problem. However, IQ has found a solution to this block in the system. IQ has designed an online course platform […]
The U.S. is flooded with an abundance of opportunities to further our education. Even more so, higher education degrees, such as a PhD, open up countless high paying jobs and can make a world of difference for those seeking a better future. Although the U.S. make offer these opportunities, for those living in underdeveloped countries, the pathway to obtaining any sort of higher education degree seems impossible. The European University Association’s Third Global Strategic Forum on Doctoral Education is looking for a way to change this. They have found that investments into research in developing countries have the potential to significantly improve the number of students graduation with doctorates. For example, Brazil had a 100% increase in PhD graduates between 2000 and 2009, and China had a 400% increase between 1998 and 2008. The Secretary General of the association, Lesley Wilson, claimed that what they are looking for a “move towards a more multi-polar research landscape”. Of course, investing into the education of multiple countries means there may be some barriers, both lingual and cultural. However, the association believes that through new knowledge and the presence of new technology, those barriers can be broken. Wilson continues, “the language of knowledge […]
The Rise of Social Media: Intelligent Social Learning Platforms The most relevant of mega trends today is the rise of social media, for both our younger and older generations. More than ever before, users from around the world are able to connect and collaborate through one base platform. Social platforms are utilized for social purposes, but these platforms have the potential to be even more practical. First, however, it is important to realize how much of an impact these social media sites have on our everyday lives. By learning more about these expanding platforms, we can grow in our ideas to enhance them. Here are just some of the latest findings on social media mega trends: Facebook is still dominant as a consumer social channel. Two new users join Facebook every second. The total number of worldwide social media accounts, including both consumer and enterprise accounts is projected to be $4.9B in 2016. Social networking accounts for 22 percent of all time spent online in the U.S. There is continued growth of image-powered or image-centric networks. Sharing only images (e.g., Instagram) with supported #hashtag commands for channels and filtering. Brands are quickly realizing that “words tell, but images sell.” • […]
With an ever-changing world, it is important to keep up-to-date with the latest trends in modern living. Some of these trends may be the key to success for many technology users of all ages. In fact, there are hundreds of trends in modern technology and education, anywhere from the latest models in Apple products, to the new education ideas from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. We have found that knowing the trends around us promote inventivity and allow us to create the best products possible for the everyday person. Knowing the tools we have access to is what makes iQ technologies unique. We have incorporated the world’s “mega trends” into our ideas for everyday users for the best education and business outcomes possible. Here are some of the mega trends that are relevant in today’s era of technology and communication: The rise of personal communications and user empowerment (BYOD, BYOA). With over 1 Billion Smartphones worldwide and on the way to 5 Billion, the app growth for smartphones will not slow down (“app internet”). In this explosive app market, mobile branding and messaging becomes more viable and important. • Mobile technology and behavior is at the center of the […]