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What skills do your current learning spaces develop in your students? How about these skills!

On 03/21/2017, in Australia, Daniel S. Christian, higher education, ideas, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, learning spaces, student-related, by Daniel Christian

At the recent Next Generation Learning Spaces Conference, during one of the workshops, the question was asked:

What skills do your current facilities promote/develop?

A minority of workshop attendees said multidisciplinary collaboration, engagement, and creativity. One university had purposely designed and built a new ecosystem of spaces such that students had different experiences when moving into a variety of setups/rooms.  Thus, they viewed this new facility as helping the students adapt to change – which was one of the characteristics and skills they wanted their learning spaces to facilitate in their students.

That said, most of the answers were along the lines of:

  • listening
  • note-taking
  • memorization
  • regurgitating knowledge from lectures

Then yesterday, I ran across a tweet from Zeina Chalich (from Sydney, Australia) — and I thought to myself, now THERE’s a great list of skills that our facilities should help develop!

 

 

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Upcoming webinars from EDUCAUSE: Topics involve video, the Horizon Report, Instructional Design; VR & AR, teaching & learning

On 03/21/2017, in adjunct faculty, Augmented Reality (AR), colleges, community colleges, digital video, education technology, future of higher education, ideas, instructional design, learning, learning ecosystem, pedagogy, teaching & learning, universities, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, by Daniel Christian

As teaching and learning spaces, technologies and applications continually evolve, it’s crucial to determine where we’re headed and what we hope to accomplish. EDUCAUSE, higher education’s largest technology association, is offering a variety of online webinars and sessions exploring key topics within the future of higher ed teaching and learning in the coming months:

 

* A primary goal of the Horizon Report is that this research will help to inform the choices institutions are making about technology to improve, support or extend teaching, learning and creative inquiry in higher education across the globe. There is no fee for participating in this webinar.

 

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The woman who thinks time has rendered Western education obsolete [unlimited.world]

On 03/20/2017, in Canada, education, education reform, Europe, future, generational differences, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, mathematics, motivation, pedagogy, real-world assignments, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, United States, by Daniel Christian

The woman who thinks time has rendered Western education obsolete — from unlimited.world with thanks to Maree Conway for her tweet on this

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

For years, Finland has loitered in the upper echelons of global literacy and numeracy tables, leading politicians from other Western nations to see its education system as a model of inspiration. Why, then, is the Finnish government submitting it to a radical overhaul?

Dr. Marjo Kyllonen is the Education Manager for Helsinki. Having devised the blueprint for the future of Finland’s school system, she is playing a pivotal role in driving these changes through. She is doing so because she sees the structure and aims of current education systems in the West as increasingly irrelevant and obsolete, relics of an Industrial Age that we started to leave behind a long time ago. She argues that we need to rethink our entire relationship to education to equip future generations with the tools they need to face the challenges to come –challenges such as climate collapse, automated workforces, urbanisation and social division. The key to her blueprint is an emphasis on collaborative, holistic, “phenomenon” teaching – a routine that is less beholden to traditional subject-based learning and instead teaches pupils to work together to deal with problems they will face in their everyday lives, including those they encounter online and in the digital world.

Other:

  • If schools were invented today, what would they be like?
  • Instead of studying different subjects in isolation, learning should be anchored to real-life phenomena, things that kids see around them, so they see the connection between what they’re learning and real life. The traditional way of teaching isolated subjects with a teacher as the sole oracle of knowledge is widening the gap between the lives kids are living today and what they do at school.
  • So we have to think, what skills will people need in 60 years? Life is not split into subjects, so why is learning? What is more crucial for future society is cross-disciplinary thinking; all the experts say that the big problems of tomorrow won’t be solved if you only have one approach.

 

From DSC:
Whether one agrees with Marjo or not, her assertions are very thought provoking.  I really enjoyed reading this piece.

 

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Romans 15:4 (NIV)

On 03/20/2017, in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, history, relationships, society, by Daniel Christian

Romans 15:4 New International Version (NIV)

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

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Expect voice, VR and AR to dominate UX design [Forbes Technology Council]

On 03/20/2017, in Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, Augmented Reality (AR), design, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, interactivity, interface design, user experience (UX), Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, by Daniel Christian

Expect voice, VR and AR to dominate UX design — from forbes.com by the Forbes Technology Council

Excerpt:

User interfaces have come a long way since the design of typewriters to prevent people from typing too quickly and then jamming the device. Current technology has users viewing monitors and wiggling mouse, or tapping on small touchscreens to activate commands or to interact with a virtual keyboard. But is this the best method of interaction?

Designers are asking themselves if it [is] better to talk to a mobile device to get information, or should a wearable vibrate and then feed information into an augmented reality display. Is having an artificial intelligence modify an interface on the fly, depending on how a user interacts, the best course of action for applications or websites? And how human should the AIs’ interaction be with users?

Eleven experts on the Forbes Technology Council offer their predictions on how UX design will be changing in the next few years. Here’s what they have to say…

 

 

 

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Galvanize will teach students how to use IBM Watson APIs with new machine learning course [Mannes]

On 03/20/2017, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, computer science, IBM, platforms, programming, by Daniel Christian

Galvanize will teach students how to use IBM Watson APIs with new machine learning course — from techcrunch.com by John Mannes

Excerpt:

As part of IBM’s annual InterConnect conference in Las Vegas, the company is announcing a new machine learning course in partnership with workspace and education provider Galvanize to familiarize students with IBM’s suite of Watson APIs. These APIs simplify the process of building tools that rely on language, speech and vision analysis.

Going by the admittedly clunky name IBM Cognitive Course, the class will spend four weeks teaching the basics of machine learning and Watson’s capabilities. Students will be able to take the class directly within IBM’s Bluemix cloud platform.

 

 

 

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Very well done! Can you imagine this as a VR or MR-based app?! Also, check out these ideas about what our lives — & world — might be like in the future!

On 03/17/2017, in Asia, Australia, Canada, change, creativity, Daniel S. Christian, design, digital learning, emerging technologies, Europe, future, game-changing environment, generational differences, geography / geology, global / globalization, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, interaction design, political science, trends, UK, United States, user experience (UX), user interface design, vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, visualizing information, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
Can you imagine this as a virtual reality or a mixed reality-based app!?! Very cool.

This resource is incredible on multiple levels:

  • For their interface/interaction design
  • For their insights and ideas
  • For their creativity
  • For their graphics
  • …and more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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VR, AR, & MR: A free PowerPoint from me to you [Christian]

On 03/17/2017, in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, attention, Augmented Reality (AR), Daniel S. Christian, design, education, education technology, educational games / serious games, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, future, game-changing environment, Google, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, immersion, innovation, interactivity, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, lifelong learning, Microsoft, Mixed Reality (MR), mobile technologies, multimedia, platforms, play, student-related, user experience (UX), vendors, videoconferencing, virtual field trips, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, visualizing information, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
As I was putting together a PowerPoint slideshow for our Teaching & Learning Digital Studio, I figured I might as well make it available for others to see and use as well. So here it is as a PowerPoint slideshow (.ppsx file).  Alternatively, if this works better for you on that end, here’s a PDF file of that information.

 

Daniel Christian: My PowerPoint slideshow (.ppsx file) on Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, & Mixed Reality

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Report: Overtime, Low Wages Causing Educator Stress [Ravipati]

On 03/16/2017, in adjunct faculty, career development, colleges, community colleges, education, faculty, higher education, K-12 related, teachers, teaching & learning, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Report: Overtime, Low Wages Causing Educator Stress — from thejournal.com by Sri Ravipati

 

Excerpt:

As the role of the educator continues to evolve, it is necessary to take a look at some of the challenges they face day-to-day: What contributes to educators’ stress? Have the recent changes in the federal government added to their stress at all? How can technology help? To find out the answers to these questions, online learning company Course Hero polled educators about their economic satisfaction, work-related stress, classroom technology and even how the new Trump administration impacts them.

The company recently released its inaugural “State of the Educator Survey” report, which includes findings from a 68-question survey conducted in January. Course Hero polled 412 higher ed professors and 117 high school Advanced Placement (AP) teachers who work full-time and part-time in a variety of disciplines. As it turns out, all of the aforementioned topics have contributed to increased stress felt by nearly half of the survey participants. In fact, five times as many educators reported increased rather than decreased stress, with 42 percent responding that their job became more stressful in the last year (compared to 8 percent who reported a decrease). Exactly half of respondents said their stress level stayed the same.

 

 

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A smorgasboard of ideas to put on your organization’s radar! [Christian]

On 03/15/2017, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, active learning, adult learning, Amazon, analytics, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, Augmented Reality (AR), Blockchain, bots, business side of he, career development, change, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, CMS/LMS, colleges, communications, community colleges, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, credentialing, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, disruption, education, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, global / globalization, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), IBM, ideas, immersion, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, interactivity, internet, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning spaces, lifelong learning, machine-to-machine communications, Microsoft, Mixed Reality (MR), MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Near Field Communication (NFC), New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, online learning, online tutoring, pace of change, personalized/customized learning, platforms, reinvent, robotics, RSS, social learning / networks, society, staying relevant, strategy, streams of content, student-related, surviving, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, technology (general), tools, trends, universities, user experience (UX), vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
At the Next Generation Learning Spaces Conference, held recently in San Diego, CA, I moderated a panel discussion re: AR, VR, and MR.  I started off our panel discussion with some introductory ideas and remarks — meant to make sure that numerous ideas were on the radars at attendees’ organizations. Then Vinay and Carrie did a super job of addressing several topics and questions (Mary was unable to make it that day, as she got stuck in the UK due to transportation-related issues).

That said, I didn’t get a chance to finish the second part of the presentation which I’ve listed below in both 4:3 and 16:9 formats.  So I made a recording of these ideas, and I’m relaying it to you in the hopes that it can help you and your organization.

 

Presentations/recordings:

 

Audio/video recording (187 MB MP4 file)

 

 

Again, I hope you find this information helpful.

Thanks,
Daniel

 

 

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SXSW Announces Winners for 2017 Accelerator Pitch Event [prnewswire.com]

On 03/14/2017, in data related items, entrepreneurship, global / globalization, health, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, technology (general), wearables, by Daniel Christian

SXSW Announces Winners for 2017 Accelerator Pitch Event — from prnewswire.com
Pitch competition showcased global startups featuring cutting-edge innovation in 10 technology categories

Excerpt:

The winners of the 2017 SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event are:

 

 

 

 

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The number of VR companies grew 40% in 2016 [Takahashi]

On 03/09/2017, in 21st century, Asia, human-computer interaction (HCI), tools, trends, United States, vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, by Daniel Christian

The number of VR companies grew 40% in 2016 — from venturebeat.com by Dean Takahashi

Excerpt:

The Venture Reality Fund reported that the landscape of companies it tracks in the virtual reality market grew more than 40 percent in 2016. The largest area of growth was in content companies that create apps for head-mounted VR displays, said Marco DeMiroz, cofounder of The Venture Reality Fund with Tipatat Chennavasin. The fund invests in VR and augmented reality startups. Gaming and entertainment nearly doubled in size, with major players as well as well-funded new companies in both the U.S. and Asia, he said.

 

Also see:

 

Also see:

 

 

Also see:

  • Millions pour into China’s virtual reality industry –from scmp.com by He Huifeng
    Excerpt:
    More than a dozen Chinese virtual-reality (VR) start-ups raised fresh funding of at least 10 million yuan each last month as venture capitalists continue to flock to this nascent market. The Nanfang Daily also reported on Monday that 60 listed domestic companies have entered the VR industry since July last year through investments in content developers and device makers. The VR consumer market will explode within a year in China, according to a white paper released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) last week. The market size of China’s VR industry will triple this year to 5.66 billion yuan from 1.54 billion yuan last year, according to the white paper. It also estimates the industry revenue is on track to cross 55 billion yuan by 2020.

 

 

From DSC:
Vinay Narayan, from HTC Vive, described 2016 as “ground zero” for VR (i.e., it’s just getting started).

So while there certainly is hype going on (and there often is when we’re talking about potentially-promising emerging technologies), so are the investment dollars. It may take a few years to get there, but I don’t see these new forms of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) going away (here’s another reason why).

 

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In the future, will Microsoft use #AI, #bigdata, & #blockchain to match employers with employees/freelancers? [Christian]

On 03/08/2017, in Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, Asia, Blockchain, business, business side of he, career development, change, competency-based learning/education, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, credentialing, Daniel S. Christian, data related items, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, Microsoft, United States, workplace, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
In the future, will Microsoft — via data supplied by LinkedIn and Lynda.com — use artificial intelligence, big data, and blockchain-related technologies to match employers with employees/freelancers?  If so, how would this impact higher education? Badging? Credentialing?

It’s something to put on our radars.

 

 

 

 

 

Excerpt:

A sneak peak on Recruitment in AI era
With global talent war at its peak, organisations are now looking at harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities, to use search optimisation tools, data analytics, and talent mapping to reach out to the right talent for crucial job roles. Technology has been revolutionising the way recruitment works with the entire process being now automated with ATS and other talent management softwares. This saves time and costs involved with recruiting for HR managers, whilst allowing them to do away with third-party service providers for talent sourcing such as employment bureaus and traditional recruitment agencies. With modern talent acquisition technology empowered by AI, the time taken for recruitment is halved and search narrowed to reach out to only the best talent that matches job requirements. There is no need for human intervention and manual personality matching to choose the best candidates for suitable job roles.
…
Talent mapping, with the help of big data, is definitely the next step in recruitment technology. With talent mapping, recruiters can determine their candidate needs well in advance and develop a strategic plan for hiring long-term. This includes filling any skill gaps, bolstering the team for sudden changes in the workplace, or just simply having suitable talent in mind for the future. All of these, when prepared ahead of time, can save companies the trouble and time in future. Recruiters who are able to understand how AI works, harness the technology to save on time and costs will be rewarded with improved quality of hires, enhanced efficiency, more productive workforce and less turnover.

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Brillant Representation of Our Solar System — by Justin Van Genderen

On 03/08/2017, in creativity, design, science, by Daniel Christian

Brillant Representation of Our Solar System — by Justin Van Genderen from fubiz.net

 

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2 Corinthians 1:3-4

On 03/08/2017, in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, society, by Daniel Christian

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 New International Version (NIV)

Praise to the God of All Comfort
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Full chapter >>

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