Global EdTech Funding 2021 – Half Year Update — from holoniq.com
A record half year in EdTech funding with 568 rounds raising $10B of investment as, ready or not, the world turns to technology to support learning and education delivery.
On 05/31/2021,
in art, Asia, creativity, digital storytelling, distance education, education, education technology, engagement / engaging students, geography / geology, ideas, India, interactivity, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, love of learning, marketplaces, mathematics, Microsoft, multimedia, online tutoring, participation, passions, pedagogy, platforms, play, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, real-world assignments, remote teaching and learning, storytelling, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, tools, UK, United States, visualizing information, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
Leveraging EdTech: brilliant tools for student voice — from global-edtech.com by Cecilia Astolfi
Cecilia Astolfi provides three very useful tips for any teachers wishing to promote student voice in the classroom
There are three tools I recommend in order to enhance the ability of students to express their views in a constructive and valuable manner.
Best Microsoft PowerPoint Tips and Tricks for Teachers — from by Luke Edwards
You may be amazed to see how much you can get out of Microsoft PowerPoint as a teacher
Excerpt:
5. Create Instagram Stories in PowerPoint
Another social media app that has great traction with students is Instagram, specifically the Stories feature that allows you to share images or videos from the day, which are wiped for a fresh set each day.
Imagine doing this in class? Perhaps the students could carry on a story you were studying in class. Maybe they could tell the tale of a comet as it travels through space. The options are huge and it’s easy to do using this PowerPoint template as a starting point.
6 kids games that make math learning engaging and entertaining — from educatorstechnology.com
Excerpt:
BBC School Radio Maths is an excellent educational resource we learned from MakeUseOf‘ s list of 10 Cool Math Games for Kids. School Radio Maths offers a wide variety of educational games to help kids develop their math skills. Kids will get to grapple with various numeracy challenges that involves a higher degree of mental skills. The games are entertaining enough to keep pupils motivated and focused on the learning task at hand.
6 strategies to help you improve your math skills — from educatorstechnology.com
Excerpt:
As a child, did you love math back in the elementary? Now that you are an adult, do you feel awkward with your Mathematic’s skills? Let’s admit it – not everyone is great at Math. Some find it fun, brilliant, stimulating others find it too difficult to comprehend.
However, the stigma associated with math learning is not always true especially knowing that Math is omnipresent and is being used in almost every facet of our life. The purpose of this post is to share with you some of the ways to help you strengthen your Math skills.
This map lets you fly along the path of a drop of water from any place in the U.S. — from fastcompany.com by Adele Peters
Click on any spot or enter an address, and it will show where the water is likely to flow. Good for both learning how pollution and plastic spreads, but also for an aerial visual ride of the country’s waterways.
Also see: river-runner.samlearner.com/
Hands-On with the Lego Snapchat Augmented Reality Experience That Lets You Build With Friends Remotely — from next.reality.news by Adario Strange
Excerpt:
The world of Lego is timeless primarily because everyone, regardless of age or background, can build a wide variety of amazing things with the simple component blocks from the classic toymaker.
But now that Snapchat has brought that dynamic to augmented reality via the Rebuild the World Snapchat Lens the possibilities are truly endless.
Snap Spectacles Early Prototype, Volkswagen Drives into AR, Inside Lego Snapchat, & Instagram Updates AR — from next.reality.news by Tommy Palladino
Best Apps To Learn The Korean Language — from edtechreview.in by Saniya Khan
Excerpt:
Korean, one of the popular Asian languages for non-native speakers, is the official language of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).
This is an increasingly important language globally considering South Korea’s powerful economy, geopolitical importance, and growing presence in Asian pop culture; perhaps one reason for garnering a surprising amount of interest in people worldwide to learn the Korean language.
5 Places to Sell Your Artwork Online — from hongkiat.com
Excerpt:
Selling art online is making a comeback. Artists have been selling their work on the Internet but as of late, there’s an increase in online art sales. You can of course build your own website to share your art, run your own marketing and promotional exercise via social media and other channels but you will probably gain more exposure with the following websites . Time to get your beautiful art out there.
12 good edtech tools to use in your distance education — from educatorstechnology.com
Excerpt:
Looking for some educational websites to help you with the management of your online (and also face-to-face) classroom teaching? The list below has you covered. It features a collection of some popular web tools you can use to perform a wide variety of educational tasks. These include: creating interactive video lessons, collect formative assessments and provide real-time feedback to students, enhance students learning through the use of digital games and flashcards, create online classes and share assignments and learning resources with students, organize students into appropriate learning groups and many more. Links to these websites are under the visual.
On 05/15/2021,
in Asia, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), culture, distance education, engagement / engaging students, Europe, experimentation, ideas, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, online learning, society,
by Daniel Christian
Reimagining Online Culture: Project-Based Learning, Inclusion, and Reach in Online Education — from er.educause.edu by Christian Schneider
The pandemic created a unique opportunity for educators to rethink their approach to online learning and explore how this educational environment can expand access while increasing and building on diversity.
Excerpt:
The move to online education during the pandemic has been one of the greatest experiments ever conducted. It was initially met with reluctance and fatigue, but once we moved beyond the attempts to replicate what we do in real life, it brought to light important innovations.
We cut out constraints, categorizations, and biases while concentrating on our faces, voices, and work, and we extended the reach of geographical, cultural, and social access.
During the pandemic, however, when most students were in their home countries, they seemed to be more comfortable as their authentic selves, working on projects that related to their local environments.
…
Teaching online can not only make education available to more people around the globe but also open a space where students can share “a piece of themselves,” where different perspectives can interact, where we can learn from each other and our local environments and opportunities. This creates an enormous opportunity for equity and inclusion.
On 05/07/2021,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Africa, Alternatives, Asia, Australia, business, business side of he, Canada, career development, change, changing business models, collaboration, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Europe, experimentation, game-changing environment, global / globalization, higher education, India, learning ecosystem, new business models, online learning, programming, real-world assignments, reinvent, technology (general), training / L&D, trends, UK, United States, universities, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
109 New University Partnerships with OPMs, Bootcamps and Pathways in Q1 2021 — from holoniq.com
Universities around the world are accelerating their adoption of Academic Public-Private Partnerships.
Excerpt:
Based on the rate of partnership growth in Q1, 2021 may deliver over 400 new academic partnerships if growth continues at the same rate.
Other key points:
- The US led the development and growth of the OPM model, now we are seeing an acceleration in adoption of OPM partnerships in international markets across Australia, Asia and Europe
- Bootcamp Partnerships are powering Universities with immersive, short-format programs in technology and new domains in business. Expert curriculum, deep industry relationships and hiring pathways are driving very fast growth in campus-based and online programs.
- We expect the Global OPX Market to grow at 19% CAGR, reaching $13.3B by 2025.
On 05/06/2021,
in A/V -- audio/visual, Africa, Asia, Daniel S. Christian, Europe, ideas, innovation, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, society, the downsides of how people use tech, UK, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
A couple of items from the May 2021 Inavate edition:
A very sharp learning space right here!
DC: While I think this is really sharp for large events that are held every so often (like large concerts or 4th of July events in the U.S.), I don’t want to walk out my front door to see that the skies have become billboards.https://t.co/zv80dO6F5T pic.twitter.com/wVFb7nK2F3
— Daniel Christian (he/him/his) (@dchristian5) May 5, 2021
On 04/19/2021,
in 21st century, Africa, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, Australia, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), Canada, Daniel S. Christian, emerging technologies, ethics, Europe, future, game-changing environment, generational differences, human-computer interaction (HCI), India, intelligent systems, law schools, legislatures / government / legal, Michigan, morals/values, parents/guardians, platforms, policy, robotics, science, society, sociology, the downsides of how people use tech, UK, United States,
by Daniel Christian
Artificial intelligence and the future of national security — from news.asu.edu
Excerpt:
Artificial intelligence is a “world-altering” technology that represents “the most powerful tools in generations for expanding knowledge, increasing prosperity and enriching the human experience” and will be a source of enormous power for the companies and countries that harness them, according to the recently released Final Report of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.
This is not hyperbole or a fantastical version of AI’s potential impact. This is the assessment of a group of leading technologists and national security professionals charged with offering recommendations to Congress on how to ensure American leadership in AI for national security and defense. Concerningly, the group concluded that the U.S. is not currently prepared to defend American interests or compete in the era of AI.
Also see:
EU Set to Ban Surveillance, Start Fines Under New AI Rules — from bloomberg.com by Natalia Drozdiak
Excerpt:
The European Union is poised to ban artificial intelligence systems used for mass surveillance or for ranking social behavior, while companies developing AI could face fines as high as 4% of global revenue if they fail to comply with new rules governing the software applications.
Also see:
Wrongfully arrested man sues Detroit police over false facial recognition match — from washingtonpost.com by Drew Harwell
The case could fuel criticism of police investigators’ use of a controversial technology that has been shown to perform worse on people of color
Excerpts:
A Michigan man has sued Detroit police after he was wrongfully arrested and falsely identified as a shoplifting suspect by the department’s facial recognition software in one of the first lawsuits of its kind to call into question the controversial technology’s risk of throwing innocent people in jail.
Robert Williams, a 43-year-old father in the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills, was arrested last year on charges he’d taken watches from a Shinola store after police investigators used a facial recognition search of the store’s surveillance-camera footage that identified him as the thief.
Prosecutors dropped the case less than two weeks later, arguing that officers had relied on insufficient evidence. Police Chief James Craig later apologized for what he called “shoddy” investigative work. Williams, who said he had been driving home from work when the 2018 theft had occurred, was interrogated by detectives and held in custody for 30 hours before his release.
Williams’s attorneys did not make him available for comment Tuesday. But Williams wrote in The Washington Post last year that the episode had left him deeply shaken, in part because his young daughters had watched him get handcuffed in his driveway and put into a police car after returning home from work.
“How does one explain to two little girls that a computer got it wrong, but the police listened to it anyway?” he wrote. “As any other black man would be, I had to consider what could happen if I asked too many questions or displayed my anger openly — even though I knew I had done nothing wrong.”
Addendum on 4/20/21:
- Aiming for truth, fairness, and equity in your company’s use of AI — from ftc.gov by Elisa Jillson
On 04/04/2021,
in Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, faith, future, hearts -- matters of the heart, India, Michigan, religion, student-related, UK, United States, youth,
by Daniel Christian
On 03/22/2021,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Africa, Amazon, Apple, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, communities of practice, computer science, corporate / business world, data related items, emerging technologies, Europe, experimentation, Facebook / Meta Platforms, future, Google, health, Microsoft, Natural Language Processing (NLP), platforms, programming, United States, vision/possibilities, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces,
by Daniel Christian
14th Annual Edition | 2021 Tech Trends Report — from the Future Today Institute
Our 2021 Tech Trends Report is designed to help you confront deep uncertainty, adapt and thrive. For this year’s edition, the magnitude of new signals required us to create 12 separate volumes, and each report focuses on a cluster of related trends. In total, we’ve analyzed nearly 500 technology and science trends across multiple industry sectors. In each volume, we discuss the disruptive forces, opportunities and strategies that will drive your organization in the near future.
Now, more than ever, your organization should examine the potential near and long-term impact of tech trends. You must factor the trends in this report into your strategic thinking for the coming year, and adjust your planning, operations and business models accordingly. But we hope you will make time for creative exploration. From chaos, a new world will come.
Some example items noted in this report:
- Natural language processing is an area experiencing high interest, investment, and growth.
- + No-code or low-code systems are unlocking new use cases for businesses.
- Amazon Web Services, Azure, and Google Cloud’s low-code and no-code offerings will trickle down to everyday people, allowing them to create their own artificial intelligence applications and deploy them as easily as they could a website.
- The race is on to capture AI cloudshare—and to become the most trusted provider of AI on remote servers.
- COVID-19 accelerated the use of AI in drug discovery last year. The first trial of an AI-discovered drug is underway in Japan.
On 03/12/2021,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Africa, Alternatives, Asia, Australia, business side of he, Canada, career development, change, changing business models, collaboration, colleges, community colleges, credentialing, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, India, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new business models, UK, United States, universities, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
Coursera’s IPO Filing Shows Growing Revenue and Loss During a Pandemic — from edsurge.com by Tony Wan
Excerpt:
Coursera reported $293.5 million in revenue in 2020, marking a 59 percent increase from the previous year. That comes from over 77 million registered learners, along with more than 2,000 businesses (including 25 percent of Fortune 500 companies) and 100 government agencies that paid for its enterprise offerings. More than half (51 percent) of its revenue came from outside the U.S.
…
Despite recording a revenue jump in 2020, Coursera posted a net loss of $66.8 million, up 43 percent from the previous year.
“We have experienced a significant increase in our operating costs associated with our services, primarily driven by our freemium offerings and marketing efforts” during the pandemic, the filing stated.
On 03/06/2021,
in analytics, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, bots, career development, change, changing business models, computer science, data related items, engineering, entrepreneurship, Europe, future, health, India, leadership, lifelong learning, programming, society, strategy, UK, United States, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
The future of work after COVID-19 — from mckinsey.com
Excerpts:
This report on the future of work after COVID-19 is the first of three MGI reports that examine aspects of the postpandemic economy. The others look at the pandemic’s long-term influence on consumption and the potential for a broad recovery led by enhanced productivity and innovation. Here, we assess the lasting impact of the pandemic on labor demand, the mix of occupations, and the workforce skills required in eight countries with diverse economic and labor market models: China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Together, these eight countries account for almost half the global population and 62 percent of GDP.
On 03/02/2021,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, career development, change, changing business models, collaboration, colleges, community colleges, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, cost of getting a degree, credentialing, culture, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, distance education, education, education reform, education technology, engagement / engaging students, Europe, experimentation, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, global / globalization, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, ideas, India, innovation, leadership, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, legislatures / government / legal, lifelong learning, more voice more choice more control, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new business models, online learning, organizational change, pace of change, personalized/customized learning, platforms, reinvent, social learning / networks, society, staying relevant, streams of content, surviving, training / L&D, trends, UK, United States, universities, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
This is what we’re up against –> Reskilling 1 billion people by 2030” — from saffroninteractive.com by Jessica Anderson
Excerpts:
According to the World Economic Forum, this statistic is a critical economic imperative.
Does this shock or scare you? Perhaps you’re completely unflappable? Whatever your reaction, this situation will undoubtedly impact your organisation and the way you tackle skills development.
…
What are the roadblocks?
So, we’ve laid down the gauntlet; an adaptable, agile, multi-skilled workforce. What stands in the way of achieving this? A recent survey of the top 5 challenges facing learning leaders sheds some light:
1. Building a learning culture
2. Learning in the flow of work
3. Digital transformation
4. Learner engagement and ownership
5. Keeping informed of best practices
From DSC:
The article mentions that nations could lose billions in potential GDP growth. And while that is likely very true, I think a far bigger concern is the very peace and fabric of our societies — the way of living that billions of people will either enjoy or have to endure. Civil unrest, increased inequality, warfare, mass incarcerations, etc. are huge concerns.
The need for a next-gen learning platform is now! The time for innovation and real change is now. It can’t come too soon. The private and public sectors need to collaborate to create “an Internet for learning” (in the sense that everyone can contribute items to the platform and that the platform is standards based). Governments, corporations, individuals, etc. need to come together. We’re all in the same boat here. It benefits everyone to come together.
On 02/15/2021,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, active learning, Africa, animation, Asia, Australia, Bring your own device (BYOD), Canada, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, colleges, communications, communities of practice, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, cost of getting a degree, creativity, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, design, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, education, education technology, engagement / engaging students, Europe, experimentation, future, game-changing environment, global / globalization, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, India, informal learning, innovation, instructional design, interaction design, interactivity, interface design, IT in HE, K-12 related, languages and translation, learner profiles, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, liberal arts, lifelong learning, love of learning, maker movement, marketplaces, media/film, microlearning, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new business models, new media literacies, online learning, online media, passions, photography, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, reinvent, remote teaching and learning, second screen apps, simulations, smart/connected TV, social learning / networks, social media, STEAM-related, streams of content, tablets, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, tools, training / L&D, transmedia, UK, United States, universities, user experience (UX), user interface design, vendors, vision/possibilities, visualizing information, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Talk about streams of content! Whew!
I received an email from Adobe that was entitled, “This week on Adobe Live: Graphic Design.” (I subscribe to their Adobe Creative Cloud.) Inside the email, I saw and clicked on the following:
Below are some of the screenshots I took of this incredible service! Wow!
From DSC:
So Abobe — via Behance — is already doing several pieces of the “Learning from the Living [Class] Room” vision. I knew of Behance…but I didn’t realize the magnitude of what they’ve been working on and what they’re currently delivering. Very sharp indeed!
Churches are doing this as well — one device has the presenter/preacher on it (such as a larger “TV”), while a second device is used to communicate with each other in real-time.
On 02/14/2021,
in adjunct faculty, Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, colleges, communications, community colleges, creativity, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, drama/theater, education technology, engagement / engaging students, entrepreneurship, Europe, experimentation, future, geography / geology, global / globalization, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, India, innovation, K-12 related, languages and translation, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, media/film, Michigan, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, music, online media, open courseware and systems, passions, platforms, play, smart/connected TV, society, streams of content, technologies for your home, telecommunications, UK, United States, universities, vendors, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
Radio.Garden — with thanks to David Pogue for this resource
This is the COOLEST. A Google Earth-type representation of the planet. Every green dot is a radio station. Click any dot to listen in. It’s like cultural teleportation. You could spend hours with this thing… https://t.co/rdEHUUfgvk pic.twitter.com/VJgyzVClJD
— David Pogue (@Pogue) February 14, 2021
From DSC:
This is amazing! Some screenshots:
Several questions/reflections come to my mind:
- What could those teachers and professors who are trying to teach someone a language do with this?!
- If this can be done with radio stations, what can be done with learning-related streams of content?!
- Talk about “More Choice. More Control.” Man o’ man!
Addendum on 2/28/21:
Could this type of interface be used to navigate the world of work? Where instead of nations, you would have arenas of work?