6 fascinating ideas that are about to change our world — from businessinsider.com by Barbara Tasch which also eventually points to a posting entitled Future technology: 22 ideas about to change our world — from sciencefocus.com

Excerpt:

  1. Hydrogen-powered cars and refueling stations
  2. Nearly supersonic trains
  3. Internet for everyone
  4. Self-driving semitrailers
  5. Fight fire with sound
  6. Portable water-treatment systems

 

The Rise of Cognitive Business — from ibm.com by John Kelly

Excerpt:

When the original Watson won on the TV quiz showJeopardy! in 2011, it was one computer tucked away in a room at IBM Research. Now it’s in our cloud, available anywhere. Back then, Watson consisted of a single software application powered by five core technologies. Today, it includes 28 cognitive services. Each represents a different mode of thinking–visual recognition, personality insights, relationship extraction and tradeoff analytics, to name a few. And more are on the way.

That’s a lot of technological progress in five years, underpinned by IBM’s deep technology capabilities in areas like data analytics, open standards, cloud services and security, and our deep knowledge of industries and professions. But just as important is the progress that we and our partners are making in applying cognitive technologies to real-world problems and opportunities.

Because of that progress, IBM is embarking today on a company-wide initiative aimed at accelerating the delivery of cognitive computing to businesses, government, and society. It’s similar to our launch of System/360 in 1964–a move that revolutionized computing and, over time, transformed the way business was done.

 

We believe that the world has entered a new era in the history of computing, which we call the cognitive era. IBM is committed to advancing cognitive technologies and a new way of solving problems to help transform companies, industries and professions, and to improve the day-to-day lives of individuals everywhere.

 

 

New innovation brings 3D virtual organs to the operating theater — from adigaskell.org

Excerpt:

Recently I wrote about a novel new tool to telementor surgeons as they operate on patients.  The system allows the surgeon performing the operation to receive help and guidance from a more experienced peer using telecommunications equipment.

The technology, called the System for Telementoring with Augmented Reality (STAR), was documented in a recent study and harnesses a range of technologies to provide surgeons with a transparent display, and several sensors to improve the communication between mentor and mentee.

Preparing for surgery
This approach is pretty cool, yet it nonetheless only provides help and support during the surgery itself.  A new health tech startup called EchoPixel is hoping to change that by providing an accurate and realistic representation of the organ being operated on prior to the surgery taking place.

The company wanted to improve the existing methods of preparing for surgery, which usually revolve around 2 dimensional images produced by CT and MRI scanners of the relevant organs.

 

 

What Will the Future of Collaboration Look Like? — from corporatetechdecisions.com by Jonathan Blackwood
Collaboration is a term whose very definition is in flux. So what will collaboration look like in the near future?

Excerpt:

The implementation of unified communication technologies has allowed for multiple offices to communicate, and placed less of a burden on employees being in office, resulting in part-time or full-time employees working from home. As a result, collaboration has centered around allowing employees to work together across distances.

“The out-of-room experience has been where all the focus has been. I think what happened, and the reason that we and Barco and Crestron have devoted so much time and money to the in-room experience is because that was really lacking,” says Rob Balgley, CEO of Mersive. “I think what you’re going to see next is the in-room experience that we’ve created, that others have created, is going to be married with the out-of-room experience, and that’s going to be the next big thing.”

From DSC:
These advancements should help us connect remote learners
with those learners meeting within a face-to-face setting.

 

Thingiverse helps make 3D printing easy for student beginners — from edtechmagazine.com by D. Frank Smith
A new startup guide to 3D printing takes students by the hand in their first foray into the magic of makerspaces.

Excerpt:

3D printing is becoming more common at schools across the world, but there’s still a skills gap in using this new technology.

To help overcome that gap, Thingiverse, an online repository of 3D printing designs hosted by the 3D printer manufacturer MakerBot, recently launched JumpStart — an online resource for newcomers to the 3D design discipline. JumpStart is geared specifically with early learners in mind, says Laura Taalman, MakerBot’s senior product manager for education.

 

Also see:

JumpStart-Oct2015

 

Campus Technology 2015 Readers’ Choice Awards

CampusTechReadersChoiceAwardsSept2015

Excerpt:

In this first-ever higher education “gear of the year” guide, Campus Technology has turned to hundreds of education professionals to tell us which products in 29 categories are truly the best. We cover the gamut of technology from 3D printers to wireless access points. In almost every category you’ll find the Platinum, Gold and Silver picks to help you short-list your shopping, fuel your decision-making or perhaps start a friendly debate on campus.

  1. Learning Management and E-learning
  2. E-Portfolios
  3. Other Instructional Tools
  4. Student Information Systems and Data Management
  5. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
  6. Constituent Relationship Management (CRM)
  7. Student Success/Retention
  8. Student Response Systems and Classroom Clickers
  9. Lecture Capture
  10. Document Cameras
  11. Projectors
  12. Interactive Whiteboards
  13. Videoconferencing and Web Conferencing
  14. Virtual Classroom and Meeting
  15. Classroom Audio Distribution/Sound Enhancement
  16. Captioning
  17. Office/Productivity Suites
  18. Classroom Presentation
  19. Multimedia Authoring Suites and Creative Software
  20. E-Learning Authoring
  21. Media Tablets
  22. Chromebook
  23. Windows Tablet
  24. Convertible and 2-in-1 Notebooks
  25. Notebooks
  26. Virtual Desktops and Thin Clients
  27. Wireless Access Points and Hotspots
  28. 3D Printers
  29. Emergency Notifications

 

 

 

The NMC Horizon Report > 2015 K-12 Edition is now out.

 NMCReport-K12-2015

 

Description:

What is on the five-year horizon for K-12 schools worldwide? Which trends and technologies will drive educational change? What are the challenges that we consider as solvable or difficult to overcome, and how can we strategize effective solutions? These questions and similar inquiries regarding technology adoption and transforming teaching and learning steered the collaborative research and discussions of a body of 56 experts to produce the NMC Horizon Report > 2015 K-12 Edition, in partnership with the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN). The NMC also gratefully acknowledges ISTE as a dissemination partner. The three key sections of this report — key trends, significant challenges, and important developments in educational technology — constitute a reference and straightforward technology planning guide for educators, school leaders, administrators, policymakers, and technologists. It is our hope that this research will help to inform the choices that institutions are making about technology to improve, support, or extend teaching, learning, and creative inquiry in K-12 education across the globe. View the wiki where the work was produced.

> Download the NMC Horizon Report > 2015 K-12 Edition (PDF)
> Download the report preview (PDF)
> Download the interim results (PDF)

 

New Media Consortium (NMC) 2015 Idea Lab Winners


 

Bring It On – A Formula for Successful BYOD Programming in Museums
Scott Sayre (Corning Museum of Glass)

 

Dickinson Makes – Connecting Campus Makerspaces
Brenda Landis (Dickinson College) | Andrew Petrus (Dickinson College)

 

Don’t Just Upload Your Videos, Annotate Them!
Sharon Hu (University of British Columbia) | Thomas Dang (University of British Columbia)

 

Exploring Visualization: Creating A Cross-Disciplinary Collaborative Course Enhanced By Technology
Dolores Fidishun (Pennsylvania State University) | William Cromar (Penn State Abington)
Jacob Benfield (Pennsylvania State University)

 

Leveraging 3D Technologies For Learning
Kirsten Butcher (University of Utah) | Madlyn Runburg (University of Utah)

 

Making Real from Real: Three “Tangible” Experiments from the Special Collection of the Kelvin Smith Library at Case Western Reserve University
Jared Bendis (Case Western Reserve University) | Melissa Hubbard (Case Western Reserve University)

 

Modding Games: Creating Historical Scenarios in Civilization V
Todd Bryant (Dickinson College)

 

 

 

MakerBot launches hands-on learning guide for 3D printing in the classroom — from teachthought.com
New MakerBot handbook helps educators and students get started with lesson plans and hands-on 3D design projects

 

MakerBotInTheClassroom-June2015

Excerpt:

BROOKLYN, N.Y., –Thousands of educators throughout the U.S. are embracing 3D printing as a new way to teach 21st century skills and prepare students for the jobs of the future. Taking the first steps to introduce students to 3D printing, however, can be challenging. MakerBot, a global leader in the desktop 3D printing industry, conducted in-depth research this spring to better understand how to help educators incorporate 3D printing in classrooms. The research shows that acquiring 3D design skills is a major hurdle for educators and there is no single resource to address this need.

To fill that gap, MakerBot today published a handbook designed to provide educators with a wide variety of ideas, activities and projects to get started with 3D printing. Titled MakerBot in the Classroom: An Introduction to 3D Printing and Design, the handbook includes an introduction to 3D printing and a range of hands-on 3D design lesson plans. MakerBot in the Classroom is available as a free digital download for registered MakerBot customers and a sample project chapter is available free to anyone who registers on MakerBot.com. Additionally, MakerBot launched a new MakerBot Education Resource Center with further ideas and resources to support the integration of 3D printing in the classroom, such as real-world MakerBot stories, videos, challenges for teachers and students, and more.

 

 

These 3-D printers are going to autonomously build a bridge in Amsterdam — from forbes.com by Amit Chowdhry

 

Image Credit: MX3D

Image Credit: MX3D

 

 

It’s not just hype – 3D printing is the bridge to the future — from theconversation.com

‘Here I am, the most intelligent robot in the galaxy, welding a bridge.’ Heijmans

 

 

Also see:

 

make1

 

———–

 

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.

 

GoPro goes 360-degrees with new VR array — from zdnet.com by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
Summary: Think that having one GoPro camera attached to your car, helmet or skateboard is cool. How about an array of 16 GoPros that can capture 3D video?

001.jpg

 

 

StereoLabs announces huge hardware breakthrough: Human vision — from zdnet.com by Greg Nichols
Summary: Earlier this month, a Bay Area startup called ?StereoLabs quietly introduced the first affordable high definition stereo camera. This is a big deal, and autonomous machines will never be the same. Here’s why.

 

zed-3d-scanner-in-hands.jpg

 

 

Expeditions – Google Offers Immersive Learning — from digitalbodies.net

Excerpt:

Immersive learning is about to get a lot more real this fall with Expeditions – the new Google tool which will allow teachers to take students on virtual trips using the Google Cardboard viewer. Google reported that over 1 million devices are already in the hands of users from all ages. According to the announcement:

From the Expeditions app on their tablet, a teacher is able to send synchronized three-dimensional 360° panoramas to each student’s Cardboard viewer, pointing out areas of interest in real time and instantly pausing the trip when needed.

Expeditions will work to combine three things: a software platform, immersive virtual reality content and Android and iOS devices.

 

 

World 1st Holographic Patient-Based Augmented Reality Surgical Navigation — from youtube.com as posted by Maki Sugimoto

.

 

HolographicSurgery-Spring2015

 

 

 

MIT’s Humanoid Robot Goes to Robo Boot Camp — from wired.com

 

 

Top Emerging Technologies – The Internet Of DNA Or Human Beings — from wtvox.com

 

 

New ‘deep learning’ technique enables robot mastery of skills via trial and error — from newscenter.berkeley.edu by Sarah Yang

Excerpt:

BERKELEY — UC Berkeley researchers have developed algorithms that enable robots to learn motor tasks through trial and error using a process that more closely approximates the way humans learn, marking a major milestone in the field of artificial intelligence. They demonstrated their technique, a type of reinforcement learning, by having a robot complete various tasks — putting a clothes hanger on a rack, assembling a toy plane, screwing a cap on a water bottle, and more — without pre-programmed details about its surroundings.

 

 

And for some upcoming innovations:

 

 

 

Addendum on 6/1/15:

 

Work time pie chart with TouchJet touchscreen

 

What’s next? GM predicts jobs of the future — from media.gm.com; with thanks to Norma Owen for the resource
Top 10 jobs of the future that will drive exciting technologies

Excerpt:

  • Electrical engineers
  • Analytics expert
  • Interaction designers
  • Web programmer
  • Autonomous driving engineer
  • Customer care experts
  • Sustainability integration expert
  • Industrial engineer
  • 3D Printing engineer
  • Alternative propulsion engineer

 

 

 

What work will look like in 2025 — from fastcompany.com by Gwen Moran
The experts weigh in on the future of work a decade from now.

Excerpt (emphasis):

Seismic Shift In Jobs
The jobs picture either delivers on technology’s promise or plunges us into a dystopian future. The same interconnected technology that will change how goods and services are delivered will “hollow out” a number of skilled jobs, Brynjolfsson says. Clerical work, bookkeeping, basic paralegal work, and even some types of reporting will be increasingly automated, contracting the number of jobs available and causing a drop in wages. And while more technology might create new and different types of jobs, so far we’ve seen more job loss than creation in these areas, he says.

Who wins? Specialists, the creative class, and people who have jobs that require emotional intelligence like salespeople, coaches, customer-service specialists, and people who create everything from writing and art to new products, platforms and services, Brynjolfsson says. Jobs in health care, personal services, and other areas that are tough to automate will also remain in demand, as will trade skills and science, technology and mathematics (STEM) skills, says Mark J. Schmit, PhD, executive director of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) Foundation in Alexandria, Virginia.

However, this winner/loser scenario predicts a widening wealth gap, Schmit says. Workers will need to engage in lifelong education to remain on top of how job and career trends are shifting to remain viable in an ever-changing workplace, he says.

 

 

 

 

From DSC:
First of all, I saw the following article:

Globe Theatre launch new augmented reality app — from standard.co.uk by Anna Davis
Take a look at Shakespeare’s theatre wherever you are

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

A new “augmented reality” app will allow children from across the world to stand inside Shakespeare’s Globe theatre in Southwark.

The free app, released to mark the Bard’s 451st birthday, lets users create a 3D version of the theatre in the palm of their hands and explore inside.

It is one of the first uses of the latest augmented reality technology for schools and the first app of its kind created by a theatre.

 

GlobeTheatre-AR-App-April2015

 

From DSC:
The article got me to thinking…it made me wonder about taking things a step further with the application of augmented reality (AR) as it pertains to the theatre. 

Pretend that you are at a play or an opera. You could turn your mobile device towards the stage and zoom in on various objects, people, places.  Image/object/facial recognition software could allow you to get more information about who is on stage at any given time (I’m not a fan of facial recognition, but this might be an exception for me). 

Perhaps such an app could even provide language translation for you. Listening to an aria in Italian but want to know what the words are?  Who is that villain over there in the corner of the stage and what’s his role in this story? What village or town is this act in? What’s the year?

Or perhaps one could find “Easter Eggs” within the app that might unlock further meaning for the story.

Hmm….very interesting indeed.

 

 

 

 

Madcap and Metaio team up for augmented reality documentation — from blog.metaio.com by Jack Dashwood

Excerpt:

Documentation is a huge industry and with humanity’s continuing pursuit of technology, it’s not slowing down. Instead, documentation methods are growing and diversifying into mediums beyond the traditional paper manual.

Madcap’s newest update, Madcap Flare 11, has taken documentation even further. By leveraging Metaio’s Augmented Reality technology, Flare is now able to export documentation with Augmented Reality content. In a world of increasingly complex and abstract concepts, Augmented Reality provides much needed simplicity, with intuitive 3D models, live video, and dynamic linking between static printed content and digital information.

 

MadcapMetaio-March2015

 

 A video of Audi’s Augmented Reality Manual, back from August 2013:

 

 

From DSC:
Also…what affordances might this present for educators, instructional designers, and the like?

 

 

 

Technology predictions for the second half of the decade — from techcrunch.com by Lance Smith

Excerpts:

  • Big Data and IoT evolve into automated information sharing
  • Self-driving vehicles become mainstream
  • The appearance of artificial intelligent assistants
  • Real-time agility through data virtualization

 

 

EdTech trends for the coming years — from edtechreview.in

Excerpts:

EdTech is about to explode. The coming technology and the new trends on the rise can’t but forecast an extensive technology adoption in schools all around the globe.

Specific apps, systems, codable gadgets and the adaptation of general use elements to the school environment are engaging teachers and opening up the way to new pedagogical approaches. And while we are scratching the surface of some of them, others have just started to buzz persistently.

  • Wearables + Nano/Micro Technology + the Internet of Things
  • 3D + 4D printing
  • Big Data + Data Mining
  • Mobile Learning
  • Coding
  • Artificial Intelligence + Deep Learning
    • Adaptative learning: based on a student’s behaviour and results, an intelligent assistant can predict and readapt the learning path to those necessities. Combined with biometrics and the ubiquitous persona (explained below) a student could have the best experience ever.
    • Automatic courses on the fly, with contents collected by intelligent searching systems (data mining).
    • Virtual tutors.
  • The Ubiquitous Persona + Gamification + Social Media Learning
  • Specialised Staff in Schools

 

 

Phones and wearables will spur tenfold growth in wireless data by 2019 — from recode.net

Excerpts:

Persistent growth in the use of smartphones, plus the adoption of wireless wearable devices, will cause the total amount of global wireless data traffic to rise by 10 times its current levels by 2019, according to a forecast by networking giant Cisco Systems out [on 2/3/15].

The forecast, which Cisco calls its Visual Networking Index, is based in part on the growth of wireless traffic during 2014, which Cisco says reached 30 exabytes, the equivalent of 30 billion gigabytes. If growth patterns remain consistent, Cisco’s analysts reckon, the wireless portion of traffic crossing the global Internet will reach 292 exabytes by the close of the decade.

 

 

9 ed tech trends to watch in 2015 — from the Jan/Feb edition of Campus Technology Magazine

  1. Learning spaces
  2. Badges
  3. Gamification
  4. Analytics
  5. 3D Printing
  6. Openness
  7. Digital
  8. Consumerization
  9. Adaptive & Personalized Learning

 

 

 

Even though I’ve mentioned it before, I’ll mention it again here because it fits the theme of this posting:

NMC Horizon Report > 2015 Higher Education Edition — from nmc.org

Excerpt:

What is on the five-year horizon for higher education institutions? Which trends and technologies will drive educational change? What are the challenges that we consider as solvable or difficult to overcome, and how can we strategize effective solutions? These questions and similar inquiries regarding technology adoption and educational change steered the collaborative research and discussions of a body of 56 experts to produce the NMC Horizon Report: 2015 Higher Education Edition, in partnership with the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI). The NMC Horizon Report series charts the five-year horizon for the impact of emerging technologies in learning communities across the globe. With more than 13 years of research and publications, it can be regarded as the world’s longest-running exploration of emerging technology trends and uptake in education.

 

 



From DSC:
Speaking of trends…although this item isn’t necessarily technology related, I’m going to include it here anyway:

Career trends students should be watching in 2015 — from hackcollege.com by

Excerpt:

Students Need to Pay Attention to Broader Trends, and Get Ready.
For better or worse, the post-college world is changing.

According to a variety of analysis sites, including Forbes, Time, and Bing Predicts, more and more of the workforce will be impacted by increased entrepreneurship, freelancing, work-from-home trends, and non-traditional career paths.

These experts are saying that hiring practices will shift, meaning that students need to prepare LinkedIn profiles, online portfolio, work at internships, and to network to build relationships with potential future employers.

———-

 

Addendum on 3/6/15:
Self-driving car technology could end up in robots — from pcworld.com by Fred O’Connor

Excerpt:

The development of self-driving cars could spur advancements in robotics and cause other ripple effects, potentially benefitting society in a variety of ways.

Autonomous cars as well as robots rely on artificial intelligence, image recognition, GPS and processors, among other technologies, notes a report from consulting firm McKinsey. Some of the hardware used in self-driving cars could find its way into robots, lowering production costs and the price for consumers.

Self-driving cars could also help people grow accustomed to other machines, like robots, that can complete tasks without the need for human intervention.

Addendum on 3/6/15:

  • Top 5 Emerging Technologies In 2015 — from wtvox.com
    Excerpt:
    1) Robotics 2.0
    2) Neuromorphic Engineering
    3) Intelligent Nanobots – Drones
    4) 3D Printing
    5) Precision Medicine
 

MicrosoftProductivityVision2015

 

Example snapshots from
Microsoft’s Productivity Future Vision

 

 

MicrosoftProductivityVision2-2015

 

MicrosoftProductivityVision3-2015

 

MicrosoftProductivityVision5-2015

 

MicrosoftProductivityVision6-2015

 

MicrosoftProductivityVision7-2015

 

MicrosoftProductivityVision8-2015

 

MicrosoftProductivityVision4-2015

 

 

 

MITTechReview-10Breakthroughs-2015

 

 

Excerpt:

Not all breakthroughs are created equal. Some arrive more or less as usable things; others mainly set the stage for innovations that emerge later, and we have to estimate when that will be. But we’d bet that every one of the milestones on this list will be worth following in the coming years.

 

 

MITTechReview-2015-magic-leap

 

 

 

Rome 320 AD – Interactive App — from indianajen.com by Jennifer Carey

Excerpt:

The app follows the lives of four Romans as they travel through the city on a summer day in 320 CE. You can explore 3D, interactive models of the city in high resolution and detail.

 

ROME-320AD

 

ROME-320AD-image

 

Also see:

 

 
© 2024 | Daniel Christian