Apple

Reflections on ” Hour of Code” and other programming-related items

On 12/09/2014, in Apple, career development, computer science, Daniel S. Christian, programming, staying relevant, student-related, surviving, youth, by Daniel Christian

Hour of Code — also see #HourOfCode on Twitter

Programming for Students — Listly by Jon Samuelson
Here is a list of apps and sites to help kids get started programming, learning code, in elementary school and beyond.

First take: Apple’s Swift speeds programming — from gcn.com by Sean Kosanovich

Excerpt:

Over the summer, Apple introduced a new programming language for creating applications for iOS and OS X devices. As the first alternative to Objective-C, which has powered Apple application development since the mid-1990s, the debut of Swift is a noteworthy event. In a nutshell, Swift is designed to simplify development while enabling more responsive and robust applications.

The World’s Largest iOS 8 + Swift eLearning Bootcamp — from deals.cultofmac.com
Build 70+ apps throughout the 80 hours of content in 24 in-depth courses

From DSC:
There’s been a lot of conversation, debate, and questioning about whether all of our youth should learn to code. While a noble endeavor, I don’t see it working well given most of our current programming languages. Most of our programming languages use syntax/methods/constructs that many of us normally don’t think in terms of; that is, it’s a different way of thinking that doesn’t come naturally for many of us. One only needs to look at the salaries for software developers/web developers/programmers to see that they are paid pretty well. Why? Because it’s definitely not for everyone and the salaries encourage people to go down that path.

So if we are going to go down the path that says that all youth should learn how to code, then we will need much easier-to-work with tools and programming languages…easier to create something quickly…easier to understand. I don’t know enough about Apple’s Swift programming language, but it seems to be a step in the right direction. But again, my guess is that even Swift doesn’t go far enough for the majority of us to pick it up.

Finally, The World’s Largest iOS 8 + Swift eLearning Bootcamp item made me reflect upon the need for institutions of traditional higher education to keep their curricula up to date. We need to be responsive to market needs – otherwise, these types of alternatives can become a real threat. Though not an easy task, we need to ask: “Are we being responsive enough with our course offerings? Are such alternatives going to represent a significant way that many people obtain skills in a shorter amount of time?”

Addendum on 12/11/14:

Best Apps and Websites for Learning Programming and Coding
Computers intersect with every aspect of kids’ lives, but most kids don’t understand how they work. Using these picks, kids can unlock the logic of code and the basics of programming, turning computers into tools to make new things.
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The first 5 online resources to use when learning to code — from mashable.com
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4 Coding Resources From The Khan Academy — from teachthought.com

Addendums on 12/15/14:

New Collection of Powerful iPad Coding Apps for Students ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning — from educatorstechnology.com
RANKED: The 10 Best States For Computer Programming Jobs In The US — from businessinsider.com.au by Lisa Eadicicco
Books To Help You Teach Students To Code — Listly by Jon Samuelson

Explain Everything Lesson Ideas: One of the free eBooks created and provided for free by Apple

On 11/25/2014, in Apple, education technology, ideas, K-12 related, multimedia, new media literacies, pedagogy, teachers, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

Excellent activities and lesson ideas on using Explain Everything in class — from educatorstechnology.com

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

Explain Everything Lesson Ideas is a free eBook created and provided for free by Apple. This work is part of Apple’s” Apps in the Classroom*” project that aims at helping teachers make the best of educational apps in their instruction. Each of the guides included in this project centres around a popular educational app and provides examples and ideas on how teachers can use it with their students in class. Today’s guide is on the popular screencasting and whiteboard app Explain Everything.

Also see:

Create Killer Presentations with Explain Everything — from edudemic.com by Ann Elliott

* The Apps in the Classroom series was created by Apple to provide teachers with a few ideas on how to integrate apps into daily classroom instruction. Inspired by Apple Distinguished Educators, this book is a collection of activities that let students ages 5 to 14+ use Explain Everything to demonstrate their learning across a range of subjects.

11 things we just learned about how the Apple Watch works [Miller]

On 11/19/2014, in Apple, mobile technologies, programming, wearables, by Daniel Christian

11 things we just learned about how the Apple Watch works — from theverge.com by Ross Miller

Excerpt:

As of [11/18/14] , developers can now make apps for Apple Watch. Well, they’re not separate apps so much as they are extensions of pre-existing iPhone apps, and there isn’t a lot of flexibility in the WatchKit toolset — but it looks like that’ll change next year.

Reflections on “The University of Southern California, Condé Nast and WIRED launch Master of Integrated Design, Business and Technology”

On 11/18/2014, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, adult learning, Amazon, analytics, Apple, art, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business side of he, career development, changing business models, collaboration, competency-based learning/education, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, creativity, Daniel S. Christian, data related items, design, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, Google, higher education, IBM, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, MBA, Microsoft, new business models, pace of change, professional development, real-world assignments, reinvent, staying relevant, strategy, student-related, technology (general), workplace, by Daniel Christian

Following up on yesterday’s posting, History Channel bringing online courses to higher ed, I wanted to thank Mr. Rob Kingyens, President at Qubed Education, for alerting me to some related work that Qubed Education is doing. Below is an example of that work:

The University of Southern California, Condé Nast and WIRED launch Master of Integrated Design, Business and Technology — from qubededucation.com
New Learning Model Combines Network and Access of WIRED with Academic Strength and Vision of the USC Roski School of Art and Design

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

MARIN, Calif., October 1, 2014 – The University of Southern California, Condé Nast and WIRED today announced a partnership to create a new online Master’s degree in Integrated Design, Business and Technology. The partnership creates an unprecedented learning experience, combining the expertise of the editors, writers, and designers at WIRED with the academic rigor of USC, a leading research university known for its pioneering interdisciplinary programs. The aim of the 18-24 month degree is to educate creative thinkers and technologists to better equip them to transform the world of industry and enterprise. The first cohort is scheduled to begin in the 2015-2016 academic year.

…

“The pace of technology development requires higher education to continue to respond with programs that are flexible and adaptable, and that meet the needs of future cultural and business leaders,” said Dean Muhl.

“We’ve been thinking for years about what a university curriculum with WIRED would look like, and now we have a chance to build it with a terrific partner,” said Dadich. “Taking the best from USC and WIRED, we can teach discipline and disruption, business fundamentals, and the very latest innovation models from Silicon Valley. This is going to be thrilling.”

…

USC’s program development and build out will be powered by higher education partners Synergis Education and Qubed Education.

From Qubed’s website:

Qubed is the gateway for world-class, global brands to enter the education market with top tier universities.

From DSC:
I’ve long wondered if institutions of higher education will need to pool resources and/or form more partnerships and collaborations — either with other universities/colleges or with organizations outside of higher education. This reflection grows stronger for me when I:

Think that team-based content creation and delivery is pulling ahead of the pack
Hear about the financial situations of many institutions of higher education today (example1; example2)
See the momentum building up behind Competency Based Education (CBE)
Witness the growth of alternatives like Ideo Futures, Yieldr Academy, Lessons Go Where, ClassDo, Udemy, C-Suite TV.com and others
Hear about the potential advantages of learning analytics
See the pace of change accelerating — challenging higher education to keep up

For some institution(s) of higher education out there with deep pockets and a strong reputation, I could see them partnering up with an IBM (Watson), Google (Deepmind), Apple (Siri), Amazon (Echo), or Microsoft (Cortana) to create some next generation learning platforms. In fact, this is one of the areas I see occurring as lifelong learning/self-directed learning opportunities hit our living rooms. The underlying technologies these companies are working on could be powerful allies in the way people learn in the future — doing some heavy lifting to build the foundations in a variety of disciplines, and leaving the higher-order learning and the addressing of gaps to professors, teachers, trainers, and others.

The Hitchhikers Guide to iBeacon Hardware: A Comprehensive Report by Aislelabs

On 11/17/2014, in Apple, Daniel S. Christian, education technology, emerging technologies, ideas, innovation, interactivity, machine-to-machine communications, Near Field Communication (NFC), by Daniel Christian

The Hitchhikers Guide to iBeacon Hardware: A Comprehensive Report by Aislelabs

Excerpt:

In this report we examine 16 different iBeacon hardware vendors, including Estimote, Kontakt, and Gimbal. Over the past three months, we have stress tested the beacons under many conditions examining every aspect of them. This is the first and most comprehensive report of its kind.

Addendum on 11/19/14:

Delivering on the promise of beacons: a modular approach — from blog.estimote.com
Announcing the Estimote Platform and all-new fleet management software

Excerpt:

We’re really excited to unveil an enormous new set of software tools and services that make deploying and managing a beacon network easier than ever. A fallacy in the market right now is that all beacon hardware is created equal. It’s not. But although well-designed hardware is important, the real differentiation comes down to how tightly integrated that hardware is with software up the stack—from firmware to mobile SDKs to APIs to web services.Our flexible and extensible software allows remote configuration and management, enterprise-grade security, and rich analysis of data in real time for your entire beacon network.

Also, from the press release (emphasis DSC):

Signul, the World’s First Complete Consumer iBeacon Solution, Unveils IFTTT Integration
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwired – Oct. 28, 2014) – IoT Design Shop, the Internet of Things innovation centre at Finger Food Studios, today announced that it is actively developing an IFTTT Channel for Signul, the world’s first personal consumer iBeacon solution. IFTTT is an online service that allows users to create tasks that combine different Internet-based services from one platform.

Signul is a complete package of hardware and an easy-to-use App. By integrating with IFTTT, Signul users will be able to easily initiate automation in other IFTTT Channels. For example, Signul will turn on your lights as you pull into your garage or turn on your home’s air conditioner or heater when you leave work.

“Our goal is to help people simplify and automate their digital lives and integrating with IFTTT dramatically expands the potential of Signul. Based on the simple premise of ‘IF This Then That’, IFTTT is quickly becoming the leading web-based automation service. And with our own Channel, users can easily use Signul to connect with some of the most popular Internet of Things devices in the marketplace,” said Trent Shumay, CTO of Finger Food Studios.

From DSC:
This is the same concept that I was trying to get at my “What if we were to combine “If This Then That” with iBeacons/sensors?” blog posting. This concept has enormous potential for learning at all levels — K-12, higher ed, and in the corporate/business world. It gets at the intersection/blending of the physical world with the digital world. Where you are and what you are near will allow you to automatically bring up relevant resources.

One can see this concept being played out in things like campus tours, in setting up and running chemistry or physics experiments, in touring art galleries, and more. And if it’s implemented with a level of intrigue and digital storytelling baked into it, this could be a very powerful way to engage our students (as well as employees)! In fact, such a concept has implications for ubiquitous, lifelong learning.

DanielChristian-Combining-Digital-Physical-Worlds-Oct2014

iBeacons give visitors to the Palmer Museum of Art a customized experience [Jacobs]

On 10/27/2014, in Apple, art, creativity, Daniel S. Christian, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, interactivity, love of learning, machine-to-machine communications, Near Field Communication (NFC), personalized/customized learning, play, by Daniel Christian

iBeacons give visitors to the Palmer Museum of Art a customized experience — from news.psu.edu by Katie Jacobs

Excerpt:

Soon, there will be new, high-tech additions to the Palmer Museum’s galleries — small electronic devices that will be stuck to walls behind paintings, hidden under shelves or concealed in corners. You won’t be able to see them, but your mobile devices will.

The devices ares iBeacons, small transmitters created by Apple that communicate with nearby smartphones. If a visitor has the correct mobile app installed, content will be automatically sent to the phone with more information about the nearby artwork.

…

“Sometimes I’ll lead tours with visitors and focus on the works of art I think are particularly fascinating,” says Kletchka. “I thought it would be wonderful if everyone could have that experience here — they can learn more about the objects they are interested in on their own terms.”

DanielChristian-Combining-Digital-Physical-Worlds-Oct2014

What if we were to combine “If This Then That” with iBeacons/sensors?

On 10/08/2014, in 21st century, active learning, Apple, Augmented Reality (AR), Bring your own device (BYOD), convergence, corporate universities / corporate training, creativity, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, digital storytelling, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, intelligent tutoring, interaction design, interactivity, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, machine-to-machine communications, mobile learning, mobile technologies, multimedia, participation, project-based learning, second screen apps, smart classrooms, teaching & learning, technology (general), tools, training / L&D, transmedia, ubiquitous learning, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design, vendors, wearables, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
I’m thinking out loud again…

What if were were to be able to take the “If This Then That (IFTTT)” concept/capabilities and combine it with sensor-based technologies? It seems to me that we’re at the very embryonic stages of some very powerful learning scenarios, scenarios that are packed with learning potential, engagement, intrigue, interactivity, and opportunities for participation.

For example, what would happen if you went to one corner of the room, causing an app on your mobile device to launch and bring up a particular video to review? Then, after the viewing of the video, a brief quiz appears after that to check your understanding of the video’s main points. Then, once you’ve submitted the quiz — and it’s been received by system ABC — this triggers an unexpected learning event for you.

Combining the physical with the digital…

Establishing IFTTT-based learning playlists…

Building learning channels…learning triggers…learning actions…

Setting a schedule of things to do for a set of iBeacons over a period of time (and being able to save that schedule of events for “next time”).

Hmmm…there’s a lot of potential here!

Now throw augmented reality, wearables, and intelligent tutoring into the equation! Whew!

We need to be watching out for how machine-to-machine (M2M) communications can be leveraged in the classrooms and training programs across the globe.

One last thought here…
How are we changing our curricula to prepare students to leverage the power of the Internet of Things (IoT)?

How an interactive book, ‘Alice,’ is making $70K a week on iOS [Cheredar]

On 09/30/2014, in Apple, art, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, digital learning, digital storytelling, education technology, Google, interactivity, K-12 related, mobile learning, multi-touch, multimedia, participation, storytelling, user experience (UX), by Daniel Christian

.

Excerpt:

Alice is presented as a mobile app, but it’s technically a book that can be read on iPads and Android tablets. The story is based on the classic Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and it features beautiful illustrations you can interact with by touching the tablet screen, as well as an engaging narrator reading each page.

“Regular e-books have limitations, and I wanted to create a new level of engagement. I wanted to combine interactive experience along with film ‘feel,’” Paletz said in an interview. “The application is an art book, a conceptual book, and an educational book all in one, so it has something for everyone.”

From DSC: With a shout out to
Laura Devaney who posted this on Twitter.

iOS 8 now available; some articles describing its features/potential impact

On 09/18/2014, in Apple, machine-to-machine communications, mobile learning, mobile technologies, by Daniel Christian

What’s new in iOS 8? — from apple.com

Review: iOS 8 brings new features and high performance to Apple’s mobile devices — from geekwire.com by Blair Hanley Frank

20 iOS 8 New Features & Tips You Need To Know — from hongkiat.com

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New in iOS 8: Start Text-To-Speech Easily with Speak Screen — from bdmtech.blogspot.com / Assistive Technology Blog

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The exciting impacts of iOS8 on iBeacon — from blog.fosbury.co by Willem Spruijt

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Apple Adds Bundles And Previews To Give App Developers More Way — from techcrunch.com by Darrell Etherington

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Why We’re Excited About iOS 8 and How to Get the Most Out of It — from trueventures.com

Excerpt:

The features that excite me the most in iOS 8 are Metal, Interactive Notifications and App Extensions.

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Addendum on 9/19/14:

iOS8 Update related items — from list.ly by Lisa Johnson

Yesterday’s announcements from Apple – Apple Watch, Apple Pay, & iPhone 6

On 09/10/2014, in Apple, business, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, machine-to-machine communications, marketplaces, Near Field Communication (NFC), wearables, by Daniel Christian

Recording of yesterday’s event/keynote

Beyond the Major Apple Headlines, 11 Things You Need to Know — from blogs.wsj.com by Brian R. Fitzgerald

The Apple Watch: Everything You Need to Know — from businessweek.com by Joshua Brustein

Apple Watch: Here Are the Apps to Expect — from blogs.wsj.com by Nathan Olivarez-Giles

Apple in Focus After Debut of iPhone 6, Smart Watch, Apple Pay — from finance.yahoo.com by Zacks Research Staff

Tim Cook tells USA TODAY: ‘This is epic’ — from usatoday.com by Marco della Cava

Apple unveils smartwatch, bets on wearable devices — from finance.yahoo.com by Michael Liedtke and Anick Jesdanun

Apple Watch: Coming to a Classroom Near You? — from chronicle.com by Rebecca Koenig

iBeacons & Education: Bringing Beacons to the Classroom [Jody Baty]; item is relevant to corp world, K-12, higher ed

On 08/13/2014, in Apple, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, ideas, innovation, learning ecosystem, learning spaces, machine-to-machine communications, training / L&D, workplace, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
The title of this posting made me think it was for K-12 or Higher Ed, but the target audience is more likely corporate training/universities. Still, the concepts/ideas are valid in all of these spaces.

Excerpts of iBeacon and Education: Bringing Beacons to the Classroom

Adding iBeacons to the mLearning Mix
iBeacons have the potential to provide contextualized learning based on a user’s proximity. To demonstrate how this might work, we developed a simple concept app called Beacon Learn. Its purpose is to initiate a dialogue with clients as to how they might consider using iBeacons to support Training and Learning in their organization.

The Beacon Learn app demonstrates four Use Cases:

Context Sensitive Training – delivery of the right content, to the right user, at the right time.
Job Aids – step by step guides presented to the user with compliance tracked in a Learning Record Store using the xAPI.
Expert Locator – using their iPhones as a iBeacon, experts can make others aware of their presence and availability for mentoring.
Emergency – although not really a training function, the ability for users to alert others of an emergency on the shop floor is a very useful feature that can be provided using a combination of iBeacons, M7 motion coprocessor and indoor mapping (iOS 8).

Also see:

Storify.com/Jason_Smith/
Beekn.net
Getting Started with iBeacon — from apple.com
iBeacon for developers — from apple.com
The blog out at roamable.ca
Creating an iBeacon proximity feature for mLearning — from roamable.ca
The LabWerk Museum platform, mApp

Best of Beacons – August 1 Video Edition [Jason Smith]

On 08/05/2014, in Apple, blended learning, Bring your own device (BYOD), business, digital learning, education technology, educational games / serious games, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, face-to-face, hybrid learning, interactivity, machine-to-machine communications, marketing/social marketing, by Daniel Christian

Learning Ecosystems

11 things we just learned about how the Apple Watch works [Miller]

The Hitchhikers Guide to iBeacon Hardware: A Comprehensive Report by Aislelabs

This concept has HUGE implications for learning at all levels [K-12, HE, corporate world/training & dev]

iBeacons give visitors to the Palmer Museum of Art a customized experience [Jacobs]

iOS 8 now available; some articles describing its features/potential impact

Yesterday’s announcements from Apple – Apple Watch, Apple Pay, & iPhone 6

iBeacons & Education: Bringing Beacons to the Classroom [Jody Baty]; item is relevant to corp world, K-12, higher ed

Best of Beacons – August 1 Video Edition [Jason Smith]

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