"edX will become the world leader in website accessibility for learners with disabilities", said Tena Herlihy, edX General Counsel, after the educational portal voluntarily entered into an agreement with the US Department of Justice. After this agreement, edX will conform its website, platform and mobile applications, to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level AA (WCAG 2.00 AA), published by the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C’s) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). "Our vision—quality education for everyone, everywhere—can only be achieved when our site is accessible to all users, including people with disabilities". The edX and Open edX platform already incorporates synchronized transcripts, video replay at different speeds, keyboard-accessible controls, support for screen reader users and tools to enable the creation of accessible content. Shortly, edX will release Student Notes, the first accessible text annotation tool.
edX.org is the number one free online resource that can make entrepreneurs more successful, according to Business Insider. Business Insider has compiled a list of the top free online learning sites: EdX. Alison. MIT OpenCourseware. Coursera. Microsoft Virtual Academy. Code Academy. Moz. HubSpot Academy. iTunesU. Doulingo.
The second Open edX meetup in the U.S. will take place in New York's McKinsey Academy headquarters on April 9th. The title of the event is "Open edX in the Spotlight: The Future of Online Education". Prominent leaders from George Washington University, edX, McKinsey and PepperPD will be speaking. The registration is free and the event will be live streamed and recorded by IBL Studios Education. Beer on top and pizza will be served. McKinsey, WeWork and IBL sponsor the meetup. This is the line-up of panelists: –– First Presentation edTech Learning: 2 years in Michael Keany – McKinsey Academy General Manager –– Second Presentation Building a Sustainable University Strategy for Online Education Paul Schiff Berman – The George Washington University Vice Provost of Online Education and Academic Innovation –– Third Presentation Building Opportunities Around Open edX Beth Porter – edX Vice President of Product –– Fourth Presentation Building a National Professional Learning Center With Open edX Dr. Jack McLaughlin  – PepperPD.com / Public Consulting Group Founder [Open edX.org Community Portal: Open edX in th Spotlight: The Future of Online Education] [The third Open edX meetup will take place in Spain, on April 20th in the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid's campus]
The Smithsonian, the world's largest museum and research complex, founded in 1846, will offer three interesting MOOCs on edX.org. All courses, developed with the National Museum of American History, are currently open for enrollment. Objects That Define America. This course, co-produced in partnership with the The Great Courses, looks at the History of America through the lens of key historic objects, artifacts, and exhibits in the Smithsonian collections –from the Statute of Liberty to the Model T. Rise of Superheroes and Their Impact on Pop Culture. Iconic creator Stan Lee will participate in this course. Learners who sign up and earn a verified certificate will receive a credential featuring original artwork with both Stan Lee's and Michael Uslan's signatures. Teaching Historical Inquiry with Objects. This course, geared to middle and high school social studies and history teachers, will offer new teaching techniques designed to engage students in the process of historical inquiry. "The launch of SmithsonianX on edX is one way that the Smithsonian is sharing its collections and scholarships with a global audience," said Jacqueline Moen, Vice President of SmithsonianX. "This initial portfolio of courses with Smithsonian's National Museum of American History will offer new perspectives on understanding the American experience."
Instructors can now embed Google Drive files and Calendars into courseware on edX and Open edX. This improvement was added to the Open edX platform on the March 5 release. The Google Drive files – Docs, Drawings, Forms or Surveys, Slides, Sheets – and Calendars appear in the body of the course just like any other content. An additional possibility for the students is to add the Google Course Calendar to their own personal calendars. The course information will appear along with the students' information. [edX Guide for Students: Embedded Files and Calendars] [edX Guide for Instructors: Google Calendar Tool, Google Drive Files Tool and XBlock]
