2015 June

“2015 Guide to Social Media Image Sizes” plus “Digital, Social & Mobile in 2015”

On 06/09/2015, in Asia, Australia, Canada, career development, design, digital photography, Europe, global / globalization, graphics, professional development, social media, UK, United States, by Daniel Christian

2015 Guide to Social Media Image Sizes – Infographic — from setupablogtoday.com by Jamie Spencer

Excerpt:

Get your social media platforms optimized with the right image sizes and stand out from the crowd. From Twitter and Pinterest to Instagram and Facebook image sizes, we have the complete guide right here in one clear infographic!

Also see:

We Are Social’s comprehensive new report covers internet, social media and mobile usage statistics from all over the world. It contains more than 350 infographics, including global snapshots, regional overviews, and in-depth profiles of 30 of the world’s largest economies. For a more insightful analysis of these numbers, please visit http://wearesocial.sg/blog/2015/01/digital-social-mobile-2015/.

How do we prepare the students of today to be tomorrow’s digital leaders? [Google & The Economist Intelligence Unit]

On 06/09/2015, in 21st century, career development, education, education reform, future, pace of change, staying relevant, student-related, surviving, teachers, technology (general), workplace, by Daniel Christian

How do we prepare the students of today to be tomorrow’s digital leaders? — from Google and The Economist Intelligence Unit

Excerpt:

Editor’s note: To understand the extent to which the skills taught in education systems around the world are changing, and whether they meet the needs of employers and society more widely, Google commissioned research from The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The EIU surveyed senior business executives, teachers and students. The key findings of the survey and the main issues raised by educators and students were discussed by a diverse panel at the opening session of Education on Air, the free online conference from Google on May 8th. Read the full report here.

With rapidly evolving business needs, technological advances and new work structures, the skills that will be needed in the future are shifting. In response to these changes, policymakers, educators and experts around the world are rethinking their education systems.

During Education on Air a panel of education experts participated in a discussion aimed at understanding how to best adapt education systems to the skills needs of the future:

…

Problem solving, team working and communication are the skills that are currently most in demand in the workplace.

Institutions say this is the new priority in higher education — from ecampusnews.com by Ron Bethke; with a shout out to eduwire.com for their comments/posting on this
Survey reveals institutions, like UC Irvine, are putting greater effort into tracking graduates’ success and helping them continue learning through short-term programs.

Excerpt:

The days of warmly wishing graduates farewell and good luck after four years is not a sustaining strategy for colleges and universities, says a new report. Instead, offering online programs to keep graduates coming back to the institution for continuing career education is quickly becoming higher-ed’s newest must-offer.
…
Simply better understanding how graduates are doing isn’t the only way institutions are showing their commitment to lifelong career success. Though only 4 percent of respondents currently offer short-term alternative credentials such as digital badges and short-term certificates for graduates changing careers or looking to learn new skills, 50 percent of responding senior executives plan to add these customizable certificates to their portfolio in the next five years, with another 30 percent planning to offer digital badges in the same time frame.

“Universities and colleges want better ways to connect with alumni for years to come,” said EAB Practice Manager Carla Hickman. “This means offering not just surveys, but also new, intensive learning opportunities that support lifelong achievement and success of students.”

UC Irvine, for example, is currently working on setting up special communities for alumni taking various MOOCs on Coursera, in order to bring more graduates back to learn in more meaningful ways.
…
“[Millennials] are seeking short-format courses and credentials for ‘just-in-time’ and ‘just enough’ education.

From DSC:
Given the pace and far-reaching impact of today’s changes, lifelong learning is now a requirement. Learning new things, staying on top of trends, peering out into the future to see what’s coming down the pike — these are important actions that we all need to take to remain marketable. If we see robots, algorithms, and automation coming into the neighborhood of our particular jobs, then we had better be looking and preparing for something else. At that point, we’ll need to pivot…to adapt…to change.

Speaking of change, the article above reminds me of a potentially more utilized “distribution channel” — or model, if you will — that universities, colleges, and businesses could be moving towards in the future. And that is, that organizations could be moving towards providing streams of relevant, curated, dependable content to learning hubs around the globe. Hubs that feature blended learning where some of the content is beamed in from Subject Matter Experts (such as professors, teachers, trainers, and others) and some of the content is dealt with in a face-to-face manner. The beamed in content could be done synchronously and/or asynchronously. And as people often like to learn with others around a physical location, I could see this type of model taking off.

It would feature smaller, bite-sized chunks of content and investigations into a topic. But the model would have to allow for such a learning provider to be nimble and responsive — always up-to-date. That way they could provide such “just-in-time” and “just enough” learning.

Other words that come to my mind here — both as individuals and as institutions — are the following:

Reinvent
Staying relevant
Surviving
Being responsive

7 things parents and teachers should know about teens [Elias]

On 06/08/2015, in creativity, faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, parents/guardians, play, psychology, relationships, teachers, youth, by Daniel Christian

7 things parents and teachers should know about teens — from edutopia.org by Maurice Elias; with a shout out to Brian Bailey for his Tweet on this

Excerpt:

What Teens Think About
Generally speaking, Rachael believed we give adolescents far too little credit. The passages in their lives are moments when they ask themselves important questions, such as these:

How does my life have meaning and purpose?
What gifts do I have that the world wants and needs?
To what or whom do I feel most deeply connected?
How can I rise above my fears and doubts?
What or who awakens or touches the spirit within me?

…

What Can Parents and Educators Do?
While parents and educators may have a hard time addressing issues of soul and spirit with their teens, it can help to be aware of some ways into the hearts and minds of young people that can make a difference. Here is what Rachael Kessler suggests in her landmark book, The Soul of Education.

Positive Belonging
Silence and Solitude
Reflections on Life
Joy and Play
Creativity
Linking to the Large
Shape the Passages

From DSC:
Along these lines, please see:

…and also:

Everything you need to know from today’s Apple WWDC Keynote — from techcrunch.com by Greg Kumparak

Excerpts:

The Next Version Of OS X — Apple announced OS X 10.11, or “OS X El Capitan”.
iOS 9
Siri is getting smarter
Split Screen iPad Apps: Perhaps the biggest feature of all, and something that has been rumored for ages: the iPad is getting split screen apps. You’ll now be able to run two apps at once, side by side. (Split screen iPad apps are limited to the latest/most powerful iPad hardware: the iPad Air 2)
Picture in picture video
CarPlay goes wireless
Swift 2: Apple also announce Swift 2, the second iteration of their new programming language.
watchOS 2
Apple Music: As long rumored, Apple is launching a Spotify/Rdio competitor. It’s $9.99 per month, or $14.99 on a family plan (with support for up to 6 accounts)

The Apple Watch just got a lot more useful — from fastcompany.com by John Paul Titlow
Apple’s WatchOS 2 is here and it will let developers build native, much more capable apps.

Excerpt:

If you had your doubts about the Apple Watch, Cupertino just made it much more interesting. At the Worldwide Developers Conference this morning, Apple announced WatchOS 2, a new version of the watch’s operating system that lets developers build native apps for the device.

Watch OS 2 will also ship with a number of new features, like the ability to set photo watch faces, reply to email, take FaceTime audio calls, use Apple Pay’s new virtual loyalty cards, and get mass transit directions.

Apple introduces “News”: An old idea with big potential — from fastcompany.com by John Paul Titlow
WWDC 2015 Update: Apple just unveiled News, a Flipboard-Style news aggregation app that will ship with iOS 9.

Excerpt:

Apple is now a Flipboard competitor. When iOS 9 ships in the fall, it will include a new app called News, a newspaper, magazine, and blog aggregator that will feel very familiar to anyone who’s ever used Flipboard, Pulse, or one of the many other apps of this nature. The new app was unveiled by Apple’s vice president of Product Marketing, Susan Prescott, this afternoon at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

Apple Maps in iOS 9 adds public transit, local business search — from cio.com by Marco Tabini

Kevin shows some of the great things developers can do with the new version of WatchKit.

7 things you should know about developments in Instructional Design [educause]

On 06/08/2015, in adjunct faculty, colleges, community colleges, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, faculty, higher education, instructional design, multimedia, new media literacies, online learning, online media, teaching & learning, universities, using teams, by Daniel Christian

7 things you should know about developments in Instructional Design — from educause.edu

Excerpt:

What is it?

In recent years, instructional design has been undergoing significant changes resulting from developments in areas including pedagogy, learning science, and technology. Whereas instructional design had often been somewhat circumscribed, almost templatized, the complexity of the learning environment is turning instructional design into a more dynamic activity, responding to changing educational models and expectations. The science of learning is showing us how people learn, leading to new educational activities, such as active learning and peer learning. Flipped classrooms, makerspaces, and competency-based learning are changing how instructors work with students, how students work with course content, and how mastery is verified. Mobile computing, cloud computing, and data-rich repositories have altered ideas about where and how learning takes place. Now anyone with a mobile device can photograph a leaf, submit the image to a database for matching, and receive prompt plant identification. In this complex climate, instructional designers face unfamiliar challenges and explore new opportunities.

…

What are the implications for teaching and learning?
Developments in the role of the instructional designer in higher education have the potential to benefit both teachers and learners in important ways. By helping align educational activities with a growing understanding of the conditions, tools, and techniques that enable better learning, instructional designers can help higher education take full advantage of new and emerging models of education. Instructional designers bring a cross-disciplinary approach to their work, showing faculty how learning activities used in particular subject areas might be effective in others. In this way, instructional designers can cultivate a measure of consistency across courses and disciplines in how educational strategies and techniques are incorporated. Designers can also facilitate the creation of inclusive learning environments that offer choices to students with varying strengths and preferences. In these and other ways, instructional designers are becoming an important part of face-to-face as well as online and blended learning environments.

“More evidence that active learning trumps lecturing” [Weimer] plus other resources re: active learning

On 06/03/2015, in A/V -- audio/visual, active learning, engineering, higher education, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, mathematics, pedagogy, science, smart classrooms, smart/connected TV, STEAM-related, teaching & learning, technology (general), by Daniel Christian

Excerpt from More evidence that active learning trumps lecturing — from facultyfocus.com by Maryellen Weimer

The June-July issue of The Teaching Professor newsletter highlights a study you don’t want to miss. It’s a meta-analysis of 225 studies that compare STEM classes taught using various active learning approaches with classes taught via lecture. “The results indicate that average examination scores improved by about 6% in active learning sessions, and that students in classes with traditional lecturing were 1.5 times more likely to fail than were students in classes with active learning.” (p. 8410) Carl Wieman, a Nobel-winning physicist who now does research on teaching and learning, describes the work as a “massive effort” that provides “a much more extensive quantitative analysis of the research on active learning in college and university STEM courses than previously existed.” (p. 8319) And what does he make of these results? “The implications of these meta-analysis results for instruction are profound, assuming they are indicative of what could be obtained if active learning methods replaced the lecture instruction that dominates U.S. postsecondary STEM instruction.” (pp. 8319-8320) That’s a long way from the guarded language usually found in commentaries on scientific results.

Also see:

3 key trends in campus AV technology — from campustechnology.com by Dennis Pierce
With active learning environments on the rise, new AV systems support classroom collaboration.
.
Why blogging is key to the future of higher ed — from campustechnology.com by Michael Hart
A massive experiment at Virginia Commonwealth University involving 7,000 blogs could lead to a new view on how college students learn.
Excerpt:
Using these blogs and other forms of social media, students could communicate with one another and with their teachers, and do much of their coursework online. At the same time, faculty members began to participate in intensive face-to-face Online Learning Experience training sessions, followed by an additional online component that could introduce them to a broad range of connected learning ideas and tools.

An increasingly popular job perk: Online education [McIntire]

On 06/03/2015, in business, change, changing business models, competency-based learning/education, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, experimentation, higher education, innovation, lifelong learning, new business models, online learning, workplace, by Daniel Christian

An increasingly popular job perk: Online education — from chronicle.com by Mary Ellen McIntire

Excerpt:

Southern New Hampshire University has become the latest institution to team up with a major employer to make online courses a benefit of employment.

A partnership between Southern New Hampshire and Anthem Inc., a health-insurance company, will allow some 55,000 Anthem employees to earn associate or bachelor’s degrees through the university’s College for America, a competency-based assessment program.

The announcement is one of several recent deals between a college and a corporation that will expand higher-education opportunities for employees at no or reduced cost, following a high-profile deal, announced last year, between Starbucks and Arizona State University. On Monday, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced a similar arrangement with Strayer University.

Smart Workplace 2040: The rise of the workspace consumer [Johnson Controls]

On 06/02/2015, in 21st century, business, career development, corporate / business world, future, game-changing environment, generational differences, professional development, technologies for your home, technology (general), vendors, workplace, by Daniel Christian

New report lays out its 2040 vision of the workplace of the future — from workplaceinsight.net by Mark Eltringham; with thanks to Norma Owen for posting this

Excerpt:

By 2040 knowledge workers will decide where and how they want to work, according to a new report on the workplace of the future by Johnson Controls’ Global Workplace Solutions business. The Smart Workplace 2040 report claims that 25 years from now, work will be seen as something workers do, rather than a place to which they commute. According to the study, work patterns will be radically different as a new generation of what it terms ‘workspace consumers’ choose their time and place of work. Most workers will frequently work from home, and will choose when to visit work hubs to meet and network with others. There will be no set hours and the emphasis will be on getting work done, while workers’ wellness will take priority. Technology will bring together networks of individuals who operate in an entrepreneurial way, with collaboration the major driver of business performance.

Also see:
Smart Workplace 2040: The rise of the workspace consumer — from JohnsonControls.com

Executive Summary
Corporate organizations are still considering the workplace as delivering a strong identity and more than ever as a marketing weapon, creating and sustaining their corporate identity. The intensity of performance level improvements increased significantly over the past ten years, accelerating the pace of work through the combined power of technology and personalized, choice-based software solutions.

The presence of technology in every aspect of our life in 2040 is predominating our way of living. The workplace of 2040 is far more agile, the presence of technology is ultra predominant and human beings are highly reliant on it. Yet the technology is “shy”, not intrusive, transparent, and highly reliable – no failure is neither, not a possibility nor an option:

The home (the Hive) is a hyper connected and adaptive, responsive to the environment and its users, supporting multiple requirements simultaneously
Complex software applications will suggest to users what they should do to maximise performance, not miss any important deadlines, and make sure she allocates enough time for important tasks that are not necessarily urgent
End user services are autonomous, proactive and designed around enhancing the user experience
In an ubiquitously networked world, true offline time is both a luxury and a necessity. Being physically present is perceived as more authentic, a privilege
Adaptive white noise technology makes it possible to have a first rate telepresence session in an open environment
The whole DIY movement is experiencing a tremendous boost – people are literally building their own products, bought through their smartphones using mobile web applications, and printed on demand
Lower costs of energy and unmanned vehicles in combination with high costs of owning your own vehicle, plus high parking costs in densely populated megacities, benefits new sharing regimes.

In the context of the new world of work in 2040, we are contemplating a new world of work in an Eco Campus:

CHOICE: deciding where and how we want to work

ADAPTABILITY: adapting our working pattern to meet private needs and family constraints

WORK: entrepreneurship is the norm

LOCATION: deciding who we work with and how

WORKPLACE: access to “Trophy Workplaces” so going to the “office” is a luxury, a reward

SERVICES: offering real time services, catering to peak demands

WELLNESS: privileging wellness over work

NETWORK: reliance on an extremely wide network of experts to carry out our work

While Corporate Soldiers still remain major actors in organisations, we are seeing a significant rise of entrepreneurial behaviours, transforming employees into a new breed of workers focused on achieving great results through their work activities as well as achieving wellbeing in their private life. Going to “work” is therefore accessible through a complex model of locations, spread across an Eco Campus, accessible less than 20 miles away from home…

Honored to be on this year’s Ed Tech Dean’s List

On 06/02/2015, in blogs / blogging / vlogging, Daniel S. Christian, education technology, higher education, learning ecosystem, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
I’m honored to be on this year’s Ed Tech Dean’s List. I want to thank Ed Tech Magazine, D. Frank Smith, and Tara E. Buck, and readers of this blog for their/your support here. I also want to send a shout out to Jimmy Daly for his past support here as well.

The Internet of Things will give rise to the algorithm economy [Sondergaard @ Gartner]

On 06/02/2015, in 21st century, analytics, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, business, career development, computer science, data related items, emerging technologies, future, game-changing environment, internet, machine-to-machine communications, marketplaces, Near Field Communication (NFC), professional development, programming, strategy, by Daniel Christian

The Internet of Things will give rise to the algorithm economy — from blogs.gartner.com by Peter Sondergaard

Excerpt:

It’s hard to avoid. Almost every CEO’s conversation about how IT is driving innovation inevitably comes back to the potential of big data. But data is inherently dumb. It doesn’t actually do anything unless you know how to use it. And big data is even harder to monetize due to the sheer complexity of it.

Data alone is not going to be the catalyst for the next wave of IT-driven innovation. The next digital gold rush will be focused on how you do something with data, not just what you do with it. This is the promise of the algorithm economy.

…

Algorithms are already all around us. Consider the driver-less car. Google’s proprietary algorithm is the connective tissue that combines the software, data, sensors and physical asset together into a true leap forward in transportation. Consider high frequency trading. It’s a trader’s unique algorithm that drives each decision that generates higher return than their competitors, not the data that it accesses. And while we’re talking about Google, what makes it one of the most valuable brands in the world? It isn’t data; it’s their most closely guarded secret, their algorithms.

A brave new world of opportunities
Where does this ultimately lead? Software that thinks. Software that does. Cognitive software that drives autonomous machine-to-machine interactions. Dare I say artificial intelligence? I dare. I did.

From DSC:
Besides Training/L&D departments and those developing strategy & vision within the corporate world…Provosts Offices take note. Computer Science programs take note. Interested students take note. Those who want to take a right turn in their careers take note.

The classroom of the future: We went on a virtual field trip with Google Cardboard [Shanklin]

On 06/01/2015, in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, Augmented Reality (AR), education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, future, Google, virtual field trips, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, by Daniel Christian

The classroom of the future: We went on a virtual field trip with Google Cardboard — from gizmag.com by Will Shanklin

Excerpt:

Google’s Cardboard Expeditions is the company’s plan to get Cardboard VR headsets in the hands of teachers, for use in classrooms. While most companies start with AAA consumer products, and eventually find a way to get said products into the educational market, Google is jumping straight to that point – letting teachers use the cheap headsets to take students on virtual field trips.

I went on one of those field trips today, during a demo session at Google I/O. We may have been a group full of developers and other members of the press, but for a few minutes we played the roles of kids taking a field trip to the Natural History Museum. It was a fascinating glimpse into the classroom of the future.

This “trip” consisted of 360-degree photos of various points in the museum: T-Rex skeletons, Alaskan Moose and the like. Our “teacher” (in this case, a Googler) talked to us through our headphones, indicating points in our virtual environments that she was talking about – through circles and arrows that popped up to nudge us in the right direction.

@Jisc just featured you on my @RebelMouse http://t.co/H1PE6caX1j

— David Shindler (@David_Shindler) May 12, 2015

Also see:

Augmented and Virtual Reality get real: A look at media applications happening now — from digitalcontentnext.org by Michelle Manafy

Excerpt:

Here are some examples of the ways in which media outlets are leveraging AR:

National Geographic was early to experiment with AR—notably with its 2011 shopping mall experience that allowed shoppers to interact with dinosaurs. More recently, National Geographic has begun to leverage AR for educational experiences that enhance explorations of natural places.
Disney also offers an “edutainment” application of AR with its Disneynature Explore app, which offers kids a way to take adventures in their own backyards while learning more about nature along the way.
Conde Nast Traveler uses GPS data location and augmented reality in its iPhone Apps to allow travelers to find things and learn more simply by pointing their phone in a given direction.
Conde Nast is also among several media outlets—including Time Inc., The Wall Street Journal and Warner Brothers Interactive—that are working with Shazam, which can scan physical objects for augmented reality and other enhanced content.

Virtual reality headsets and content will be “the next mega tech theme” and a market worth more than $60 billion in a decade, according to investment bank, Piper Jaffray Cos. And as we increasingly see, mega tech themes quickly become mega media themes, as the two are intertwined in the minds—and devices—of consumers.

Revelation 21:2-4 (NIV)

On 06/01/2015, in faith, future, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, religion, by Daniel Christian

Revelation 21:2-4 (NIV)

²I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Math professors laud 3D printing’s classroom potential [Matisons]

On 06/01/2015, in 3D, adjunct faculty, faculty, ideas, innovation, mathematics, pedagogy, teachers, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

Math professors laud 3D printing’s classroom potential — from 3dprint.com by Michelle Matisons

Excerpt:

The explanations were quite varied but all mentioned the need for concrete application of abstract concepts (especially in calculus classrooms). Keith White, Associate Professor of Developmental Mathematics, Utah Valley University, explained his interest in 3D printing is helping students learn how to apply math in a real world environment with a tangible outcome. White reports that 3D printing motivates his students, piques their interests, and reinforces mathematical concepts as a major bonus.

“A lot of the math we teach is procedure and skill based. It doesn’t have a lot of application, and when it does the applications are usually contrived. Students know that. They see that. They get that, and anything that we can do to make it more real, and tie it to things that actually have meaning to them would be beneficial,” White said. “I am trying to figure out how 3D printing might give learning more meaning. I think students would find 3D printing interesting, but not necessarily meaningful. So I am exploring in order to see, in the context of a developmental math course or a general education math course, could you integrate 3D printing in a way that would reinforce mathematical concepts, while simultaneously increasing the motivation and interest level of students?”

From DSC:
I originally saw this at Helge Scherlund’s blog;
so thanks to Helge for posting this item.

Learning Ecosystems

7 things parents and teachers should know about teens [Elias]

Some of the announcements from Apple today

7 things you should know about developments in Instructional Design [educause]

An increasingly popular job perk: Online education [McIntire]

Smart Workplace 2040: The rise of the workspace consumer [Johnson Controls]

Honored to be on this year’s Ed Tech Dean’s List

The classroom of the future: We went on a virtual field trip with Google Cardboard [Shanklin]

Revelation 21:2-4 (NIV)

Math professors laud 3D printing’s classroom potential [Matisons]

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