A/V — audio/visual

“20 awesome BYOD & mobile learning apps” plus 9 other items about ed tech-related apps and/or tools

On 04/06/2016, in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, assessment, blogs / blogging / vlogging, Bring your own device (BYOD), cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, CMS/LMS, collaboration, digital storytelling, e-books, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), e-readers, education technology, Google, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, mathematics, Microsoft, mobile learning, mobile technologies, music, open courseware and systems, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, story, storytelling, tablets, teachers, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, tools, vendors, web-based collaboration, writing, by Daniel Christian

20 awesome BYOD and mobile learning apps — from edutopia.org by Vicki Davis; updated 2/4/16

Excerpt:

We have now been Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) for three years, and boy, do the students bring it. They bring it all! We have iPads, Surface, iPhones, Droids, Chromebooks, Macs, and PC laptops. Here’s my current thinking.

7 best Google apps and tools — from interestingengineering.com

Google Keep
Google Scholar
Gmailify
Google Lego
Google Mars
Google Developers
Google Sky

Chrome Music Lab

Excerpt:

Music is for everyone. So this year for Music In Our Schools month, we wanted to make learning music a bit more accessible to everyone by using technology that’s open to everyone: the web. Chrome Music Lab is a collection of experiments that let anyone, at any age, explore how music works. They’re collaborations between musicians and coders, all built with the freely available Web Audio API. These experiments are just a start. Check out each experiment to find open-source code you can use to build your own.

My challenge to you – 8 things all teachers should learn about #edtech — from ictevangelist.com by Mark Anderson

Excerpt:

I love the School Report scheme that the BBC run via Newsround. We all remember the Newsrounds of our youth. For me it was John Craven who made me watch it whenever it was on. It was this report I saw recently on eight things teachers should learn, which got me thinking about eight things I thought teachers should learn about edtech.

My work sees me regularly helping teachers learn different things related to the use of technology and so in this post, I’m going to talk about the eight things I think teachers should learn with #edtech to help support their use of technology to enhance learning in the classroom.

Mark mentions: Google, Padlet, Kahoot, Socrative, Camera, Microphone, Twitter, Videoconferencing software

Quiz accommodations for students in Canvas and Moodle — from thejournal.com by Emmett Dulaney03/16/16

Excerpt:

As we move toward interacting more with students who have an individualized education program (IEP) indicating that they need additional time on tests and quizzes or just need to deal with life issues, it is imperative that the learning management system (LMS) depended upon by an instructor and student alike be properly configured for such accommodations. Canvas and Moodle are currently two of the most popular learning management systems, and both offer the ability to make adjustments to quiz functions within the course without compromising the overall structure of the course. In this article, we will examine how to do so and offer some tips on situations where they are relevant.

Use these Chrome apps to unleash students’ creativity — from educatorstechnology.com

Excerpt:

[The] Chrome web store is packed full of all kinds of educational apps and extensions some of which are also integrated with Google Drive. For those of you looking for a handy resource of Chrome apps to use with students in class, check out this comprehensive chart. In today’s post we are sharing with you a collection of some practical Chrome extensions to unleash learners creativity. Using these resources, students will be able to engage in a number of creative literacy activities that will allow them to multimodally communicate their thoughts, share their ideas and develop new learning skills.

Integrating technology and literacy — from edutopia.org by Frank Ward

Excerpt:

How do you work technology into the pedagogy, instead of just using something cool? That task can be especially daunting in language arts literacy classrooms where reading and writing skill development is the crux of daily lessons. However, as 1:1 technology initiatives roll out, integrating technology into the classroom is our reality.

With hundreds of sites, apps, Chrome extensions, and platforms available, choosing the right ones can seem overwhelming. As an eighth-grade language arts teacher, I’ve experienced this myself. Following are four tools that can help provide immediate formative assessment data as well as top-of-the-rotation feedback to help students develop personal learning goals.

If, like my school, you’re in a “Chromebook District,” these suggested tools will work well because all integrate perfectly when you sign in with your Google ID, limiting the need for multiple passwords. This saves a lot of student confusion, too.

Teachers are using theater and dance to teach math — and it’s working — from washingtonpost.com by Moriah Balingit

Excerpt:

This giggly play session actually was a serious math lesson about big and small and non-standard measurements. Dreamed up by Richardson and kindergarten teacher Carol Hunt, it aims to get the children to think of animal steps as units of measurement, using them to mark how many it takes each animal to get from a starting line to the target.

Teachers call such melding of art and traditional subjects “art integration,” and it’s a new and increasingly popular way of bringing the arts into the classroom. Instead of art as a stand-alone subject, teachers are using dance, drama and the visual arts to teach a variety of academic subjects in a more engaging way.

Some older items include:

Tech Tip: Using Nearpod for math instruction — from smartblogs.com

Storytelling app a hit; launches a new chapter in transmedia — from blogs.vancouversun.com

Excerpt:

Paul Pattison and Luke Minaker knew they were onto something when they got an email from the mother of a nine-year-old who read the first instalment of their interactive story, Weirdwood Manor.

“She wrote that she couldn’t get her son to pick up a book,” said Pattison, technical director of All Play No Work, producer of the iPad app. “She got the app for her son and he went through it in two nights. He finished both books.

“And then because we don’t have book 3 out yet, unprompted by her he went over to the bookshelf and pulled off a paperback and started reading chapter books again.”

.

Interesting use of AR: Combining AR into 3D printing makes “animated physical models” [Relentless Designs]

On 04/04/2016, in 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, Augmented Reality (AR), design, emerging technologies, experimentation, ideas, innovation, tools, trends, user experience (UX), vendors, by Daniel Christian

From Relentless Designs LLC

Description:

Combining Augmented Reality into 3D Printing makes it “Animated Physical Models.” Combining new technology to grab the attention people will change the whole business meeting world.

Highlights:

Use of 3D models vs. static drawings on paper
Use of augmented reality to show things that aren’t really there…yet

Also see:

Relentless Designs add fourth augmented reality dimension to 3D printed models

Kids learn from podcasts, so why aren’t adults making more for them? [Hayes]

On 04/02/2016, in A/V -- audio/visual, digital audio, digital learning, podcasting, youth, by Daniel Christian

Where are all the Kidcasts? — from theatlantic.com by Stephanie Hayes
Kids learn from podcasts, so why aren’t adults making more for them?

Excerpt:

The obvious follow-up question is why? Podcasts for kids seem like such a no-brainer. Podcasts could offer a solution to kids overdosing on dreaded “screentime,” a way to entertain and educate kids without fear of burning their retinas or letting their imaginations go to ruin. Plus, they could fit seamlessly into existing routines, filling long car trips or down-time before bed.

“One argument we’ve heard is that kids won’t sit through podcasts if they’re not being engaged visually,” said Molly Bloom, one of the producers of the children’s podcast Brains On!, echoing a sentiment I heard many times while researching this article. “But kids are used to hearing stories all the time.”

Microsoft Surface Hub is now shipping – – from avinteractive.com

Excerpt:

Surface Hub is… “a new category of device that will transform the way companies work by delivering a new kind of productivity experience made for group collaboration. It was designed from the ground up for ink and touch, and harnesses the best collaboration and security features of Windows 10, Skype for Business, Office, OneNote and Universal Windows apps.”

Microsoft Surface Hub finally starts shipping — from informationweek.com by Nathan Eddy
Microsoft’s Surface Hub promises to revolutionize the way companies collaborate and communicate, but are businesses ready to pay a hefty price to do so? The giant, Windows 10-based device starts at $9,000.

Also see:

You can choose between 55” HD and 84” 4K options.
Start meetings on time with a tap of the screen.
End your session with an option to save & send meeting content to the group for later use.

From DSC:
Though this hardware is targeted towards the corporate space, I can’t help but think of the applications to higher education as well. This is yet another tool that could facilitate active learning & stronger collaboration — whether that be in classrooms or in conference rooms. Note how these solutions are often able to bring in remote learners/employees into the discussions. In several of these kinds of solutions, the remote learners/employees can see and interact with the same content…such as in Bluescape.

4 items re: mixed reality and virtual reality

On 03/30/2016, in A/V -- audio/visual, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, Microsoft, Mixed Reality (MR), psychology, relationships, society, tools, vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, by Daniel Christian

Microsoft starts shipping HoloLens and announces a big Windows 10 update — from money.cnn.com by Heather Kelly
Microsoft’s take on virtual reality is one step closer to becoming a real product.

Excerpt:

The developer version of the HoloLens augmented reality headset starts shipping today, Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) announced at its developers’ conference in San Francisco.

The company also unveiled a Windows 10 update that includes new powers for virtual assistant Cortana, expanded security features, and new support for styluses.

11 incredible headsets that are making the virtual a reality — from digitaltrends.com by Simon Hill
The latest VR headsets offer more than a mere doorway into wire-frame worlds. We are finally about to lay our hands on the decent VR headset we’ve all be waiting for. Here are the top contenders, from Oculus to PlayStation VR, vying for the title.

Along these lines, also see:

“My name is Sidra”: how virtual reality could combat compassion fatigue — from newstatesman.com by
We look away from the suffering in humanitarian crises because it’s so vast. Virtual reality invites us to look at individuals’ experiences again.

Excerpt:

The aim of these films is to make us care about these crises on a deep, personal level. We know instinctively that it’s easier to emote with a single person than a faceless crowd of thousands, and this tactic takes that idea to its extreme: VR places you next to the person you could help with your donations, and allows you to directly engage by “walking” around the film yourself. The near-banality of Sidra’s film is its strength: the balance of dark and light in her life is easier to understand than a montage of outright misery, because it more closely mirrors our own.

UK cancer surgery to be live-streamed via virtual reality technology — from theguardian.com by Ben Quinn

Excerpt:

An operation on a British cancer patient is to be live-streamed around the world using virtual reality technology designed to make viewers feel as if they are in the operating theatre.

It will be performed by Shafi Ahmed, a London surgeon who has been at the forefront of pioneering virtual reality technology in surgery, and who described next month’s operation as a gamechanger for healthcare innovation and education.

Addendums:

Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality market expected to grow a staggering 2,500% by 2020 — from ir.net
.
This is the camera that will lead the VR revolution — from futurism.com

Microsoft’s Holoportation: When combined with mixed reality displays, you can see, hear, & interact with remote participants in 3D

On 03/28/2016, in 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, collaboration, communications, education technology, emerging technologies, Microsoft, Mixed Reality (MR), technologies for your home, telecommunications, Uncategorized, vendors, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

Description:

Holoportation is a new type of 3D capture technology that allows high-quality 3D models of people to be reconstructed, compressed and transmitted anywhere in the world in real time. When combined with mixed reality displays such as HoloLens, this technology allows users to see, hear, and interact with remote participants in 3D as if they are actually present in the same physical space. Communicating and interacting with remote users becomes as natural as face-to-face communication.

Team webpage:
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/groups/i3d/

Video:
http://youtu.be/7d59O6cfaM0

holoportation is a new type of 3D capture technology that allows high quality 3D models of people to be reconstructed, compressed, and transmitted anywhere in the world in real-time. When combined with mixed reality displays such as HoloLens, this technology allows users to see and interact with remote participants in 3D as if they are actually present in their physical space. Communicating and interacting with remote users becomes as natural as face to face communication.

Some other items on this:

Microsoft’s “holoportation” lets you augment someone else’s reality — from gizmag.com by Eric Mack
‘Holoportation’ demo makes live-video holograms look easy — from engadget.com by Timothy Seppala
Microsoft Research shows off how HoloLens can bring distant family members into your living room.
Microsoft HoloLens delivers ‘Star Wars’ holographic message we’ve been waiting for — from mashable.com by Adario Strange

Addendum:

Augmented Reality Startup Daqri Acquires Hologram Maker To Take On Microsoft HoloLens — from forbes.com by Aaron Tilley

Active Learning: In Need of Deeper Exploration — from facultyfocus.com by Maryellen Weimer

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

The one proposed by Bonwell and Eison in an early (and now classic) active learning monograph is widely referenced: involving “students in doing things and thinking about the things they are doing.” (p. 2)

Those are fine places to start, but as interest in active learning has grown—and with its value now firmly established empirically—what gets labeled as active learning continues to expand. Carr, Palmer, and Hagel recently wrote, “Active learning is a very broad concept that covers or is associated with a wide variety of learning strategies.” (p. 173) They list some strategies now considered to be active learning. I’ve added a few more: experiential learning; learning by doing (hands-on learning); applied learning; service learning; peer teaching (in various contexts); lab work; role plays; case-based learning; group work of various kinds; technology-based strategies such as simulations, games, clickers, and various smart phone applications; and classroom interaction, with participation and discussion probably being the most widely used of all active learning approaches. Beyond strategies are theories such as constructivism that have spun off collections of student-centered approaches that promote student autonomy, self-direction, and self-regulation of learning.

“It’s Not You, It’s the Room”— Are the High-Tech, Active Learning Classrooms Worth It? [2013] – from cvm.umn.edu by Sehoya Cotner, Jessica Loper, J. D. Walker, and D. Christopher Brooks

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

Several institutions have redesigned traditional learning spaces to better realize the potential of active, experiential learning. We compare student performance in traditional and active learning classrooms in a large, introductory biology course using the same syllabus, course goals, exams, and instructor. Using ACT scores as predictive, we found that students in the active learning classroom outperformed expectations, whereas those in the traditional classroom did not. By replicating initial work, our results provide empirical confirmation that new, technology-enhanced learning environments positively and independently affect student learning. Our data suggest that creating space for active learning can improve student performance in science courses. However, we recognize that such a commitment of resources is impractical for many institutions, and we offer recommendations for applying what we have learned to more traditional spaces.
…
We believe that the investment in ALCs at the University of Minnesota was worth it. Documented increases in student engagement and confirmed average gains of nearly 5 percentage points in final grades are improvements in the student academic experience that few educational interventions could aspire to. However, whether these improvements warrant the capital investment in ALCs is a judgment each educational institution must make for itself, drawing on local priorities and resources.

Instructors may need to think seriously and creatively about changing the manner in which they deliver their courses in spaces such as these —not only for the sake of navigating the challenges of teaching in a decentered space, but also to take advantage of the features of the room that allow us to better realize the benefits of active learning. The classroom architecture is bound to frustrate the efforts of faculty who don’t yield to the rooms’ novel demands. There is no well-identified “stage” from which to deliver a traditional lecture. Half of the students in the class may be facing away from the instructor at any given time. Teachers who view silence as engagement will need to adjust their perceptions, as one goal of decentralized classrooms is increased small-group interaction and this activity can be noisy and difficult to monitor. And, in the case of the ALCs at our institution, there is a learning curve with respect to the technological capabilities of the rooms.

Excerpt from the University of Minnesota’s Active Learning Classrooms web page:

What Is an Active Learning Classroom (ALC)?
ALC is the term often used to describe the student-centered, technology-rich learning environments at the University of Minnesota. U of M ALCs feature large round tables with places for nine students. Each table supports three laptops, with switching technology that connects them to a fixed flat-panel display projection system, and three microphones. There is a centered teaching station which allows the instructor to select and display table-specific information. Multiple white boards or glass-surface marker boards are distributed around the perimeter of the classrooms.

From DSC:

Problem/question:

If you wanted to, how do you make a digital version of 20+ feet worth of writings and drawings on 2+ chalkboards or whiteboards that are put together?

The applications that I’ve run across so far — whether they are meant for PCs, Macs, tablets, or smartphones — don’t do it, as they’re too limited on screen real estate.

Some have tried using lightboards and making recordings of their equations or other work….

…but those solutions seem to fall short, at least in my mind, if you need to reference something early on in the long equation…you know, on that first “board” of information that you completed and then erased. (I suppose if a student was watching a recording, you could tell them to go back to Marker 1 in the video…and they can go back and review that portion of the video…but that requires more time/editing/setup. Time that faculty members often don’t have.) So, again, lightboards seem somewhat limited in their real estate.

Then, a while back, I saw this 360-degree ring of display screens at Washington State University…

WSU-ActiveLearningClassroom-Nov2015

and it got me to thinking…hmmm…yes…if, as a faculty member was using an application that they could write on and the equation could appear on the screens overhead. Faculty could use something akin to a pen & touch display from Wacom in order to write the equations — but the software would need to allow them to scroll backwards and forwards throughout their long equations. They could use those tools to highlight or further annotate something that was previously covered.

In this type of physical/AV-related solution, it would seem that the students would be best situated on the inside of the circle, looking upwards to watch the equation build on itself. Having a huge amount of digital space to work with could mean that they could turn their Node Chairs around to see any portion of the equation. Faculty members could also, I suppose, use laser pointers to point to something up on the displays.

Again though, they would need to be able to scroll left to right, top to bottom, say on something like the 160 acres (vs 20+ feet of chalkboard/whiteboard) you get on a workspace in Bluescape…

…then you would have a lot of digital real estate to work with. So that was one approach I was wondering about.

But then, I saw some interesting items regarding Virtual Reality, and POW! There it is! An enormous amount of digital screen real estate where the users could go where they wanted to on it. That is, the vision here would be that each student could control where they want to go within the digital canvas.

Some related items to this:

See:
Virtual Desktop 1.0 Trailer

Obviously, I need to further think this through and investigate what’s possible as time goes by. But I wanted to get this out there in case some vendor can help us get there sooner rather than later.

A relevant link:

Playing games on a 19-foot TV, climbing mountains and shooting bows — from polygon.com by Brian Crecente
Excerpt:

But the one I found most compelling was the most mundane creation for Vive: The SteamVR Desktop Theater Mode. Slip on the black plastic headset and instead of dropping into a fantastical world of mouthy orbs, atop a mountain with a robot dog or inside a game, I found myself sitting in a chair in a fairly non-descript room facing a big television screen. To be specific, in this case big means about 19 feet.

Addendum of something that’s relevant here and that I just ran across today:

The Future of AV Displays — from thejournal.com by Dennis Pierce
Today, students are interacting with content on large touchscreen flat panels. Soon, they could be using immersive head-mounted displays.

App to the Future | Entering the Age of TV Apps [kaltura.com]

On 03/18/2016, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, Apple, Daniel S. Christian, emerging technologies, interactivity, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, second screen apps, user experience (UX), by Daniel Christian

App to the Future | Entering the Age of TV Apps — from blog.kaltura.com

Excerpt:

We’re just starting to see the potential for TV apps. Now that half of US internet homes own a connected TV device (an overall trend you can see worldwide), the potential is enormous.
…
TV Apps today are much like mobile apps 8 years ago. It shows promise, but the best is yet to come. At their core, TV apps are about a better user experience. The big screen offers a better way to browse through massive video libraries and to watch HD video.

From DSC:

TV Apps today are much like mobile apps 8 years ago.
It shows promise, but the best is yet to come.

I couldn’t agree more.

The Living [Class] Room -- by Daniel Christian -- July 2012 -- a second device used in conjunction with a Smart/Connected TV

What are the learning-related ramifications of technologies that provide virtual personal assistants? [Christian]

On 03/09/2016, in 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, collaboration, communications, computer science, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, cost of getting a degree, Daniel S. Christian, data related items, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, disruption, distance education, e-books, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), e-readers, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, game-changing environment, global / globalization, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, interactivity, internet, K-12 related, learner profiles, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, lifelong learning, machine-to-machine communications, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, online learning, online media, online tutoring, participation, passions, personalized/customized learning, platforms, play, professional development, reinvent, second screen apps, social learning / networks, staying relevant, streams of content, student-related, surviving, tablets, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, technology (general), telecommunications, telepresence, television, tools, training / L&D, transmedia, trends, TVs, user experience (UX), videoconferencing, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Everything Siri can do for you and your Apple TV — from imore.com by Lory Gill

Excerpt:

When you ask Siri what it can search for, it will respond, “I can search by title, people (actor, director, character name, guest star, producer, or writer), ratings (like PG or TV-G), reviews (such as best or worst), dates (like 2012 or the 80s), age (like kid-friendly or teen), seasons, episodes, and studio. And of course, I can search by genre.”

But, what else can Siri do?
…
Siri has a fairly robust search feature with multi-layer filtering.
…
While you are watching a movie or TV show, or listening to music, you can get a little extra help from Siri. It’s like having a buddy sitting next to you — but they don’t shush you when you ask a question.
…
You can search for content in the Music app on Apple TV by artist, album, or song title. With a little know-how, you can also turn Siri into your personal deejay.
…
While you may normally look to your smartphone for your weather predictions, Siri can be just as helpful about the conditions around the world as your local weatherman or app. All you have to do is ask.

From DSC:
Following this trajectory out a bit into the future — and in light of significant developments that continue to occur with artificial intelligence, the development and use of algorithms, the potential use of web-based learner profiles (think LinkedIn.com/Lynda.com, MOOCs, the use of nanodegrees), second screen-based apps, and the like — one has to wonder:

“What are the ramifications of this for learning-related applications?!”

Introducing first ever experiences for the Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition — from blogs.windows.com by Kudo Tsunoda

Excerpt:

I am super excited about today’s announcement that the Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition is available for pre-order. We set out on a mission to deliver the world’s first untethered holographic computer and it is amazing to finally be at this point in time where developers will be receiving the very first versions so they can start building their own holographic experiences.
…
With HoloLens, we are committed to providing the development community with the best experience possible. In order to help get developers started creating experiences for HoloLens, we’ve provided a number of great resources. First of all, there is a complete set of documentation provided to developers both by the people who have created the platform and by the people who have been building holographic experiences. We want to share all of our holographic knowledge with developers so they can start bringing their holographic dreams to reality as easily as possible. We have also provided a host of tutorial videos to help people along. All of the documentation and videos can be found at dev.windows.com/holographic.

Mobile World Congress 2016: Event Highlights

Excerpts:

Over 100,000 attendees came to Mobile World Congress 2016: nearly 101,000, in fact. Attendees from 204 countries and territories were present, and was covered by more than 3,600 members of the international press and media.
More than 2,200 companies participated
Everything from virtual reality, new handsets and ingenious app ideas, to 3D printing, privacy protection and backend solutions were on display.
5G & NFV, mobile apps, retail & digital commerce, mobile media, IoT and security
374 speakers from consumer brands, mobile organisations, mobile operators and industries touched by the mobile market — including advertising, banking, health, NGOs, entertainment and education.

Also see their blog.

Don’t rule out tvOS for some powerful learning experiences / new affordances [Christian]

On 02/26/2016, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, adult learning, Apple, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, career development, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, communities of practice, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, convergence, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, digital video, distance education, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, flipping -- inverted learning, global / globalization, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, interactivity, internet, IT in HE, K-12 related, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, lifelong learning, multimedia, online learning, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, programming, second screen apps, training / L&D, universities, usability, user experience (UX), using teams, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, webinars, workplace, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
Don’t rule out tvOS for some powerful learning experiences / new affordances. The convergence of the television, the telephone, and the computer continues…and is now coming into your home. Trainers, faculty members, teachers, developers, and others will want to keep an eye on this space. The opportunities are enormous, especially as second screen-based apps and new forms of human computer interfaces (HCI) unfold.

The following items come to my mind:

Online-based communities of practice. Virtual reality, virtual tutoring. Intelligent systems. Artificial intelligence. Global learning. 24×7, lifelong learning. Career development. Flipping the classroom. Homeschooling. Learning hubs. Online learning. Virtual schools. Webinars on steroids.

With the reach of these powerful technologies (that continue to develop), I would recommend trying to stay informed on what’s happening in the world of tvOS-based apps in the future. Towards that end, below are some items that might help.

Apple releases Apple TV Tech Talks video series for building better tvOS apps — by AppleInsider Staff

Excerpt:

Apple on Wednesday released to developers a series of videos focusing on Apple TV and its tvOS operating system, offering a detailed look at the underlying SDK, resources and best practices associated with coding for the platform.

Also see:

Apple publishes Apple TV Tech Talk videos for developers — from todaysiphone.com

Addendum on 2/26/16:

Apple Adds Multiple New App Categories to tvOS App Store — from macrumors.com by Juli Clover
Excerpt:
[On 2/25/16] Apple updated the tvOS App Store to add several new app categories to make it easier for Apple TV 4 owners to find content on their devices. As outlined by AfterPad, a site that showcases Apple TV apps, the new categories are rolling out to Apple TV users and may not be available to everyone just yet. Some users may only see the new categories under Purchased Apps until the rollout is complete.

Harvard’s new official tour app leverages augmented reality — from betaboston.com

New York Times showcases virtual reality technology — from browndailyherald.com by Harry August
Virtual reality, used to craft more immersive storytelling, risks providing less narrative context

Oculus preview event to highlight multiplayer games — from uploadvr.com

Woofbert are using VR to bring great art to everyone — from roadtovr.com by Kent Bye
Voices of VR Podcast – Episode #303

Woofbert VR

Microsoft developing video calling that projects people in front of yYou — from gadgets.ndtv.com by Robin Sinha

Facebook has created a new ‘Social VR’ team to explore how we’ll communicate in virtual reality — from businessinsider.com by Jillian D’Onfro

I planned out my last vacation in virtual reality — here’s what it was like — from Business Insider By Brandt Ranj

Augmented reality looks to future where screens vanish — from interaksyon.com by Glenn Chapman

VR And AR will be mobile’s demand driver, not its replacement — from techcrunch.com by Mike Hoefflinger

Excerpt:

Projections for the big players
If things go in this direction, here’s how it may play out for The Big Six:

Apple…
Google…
Facebook…
Samsung…
Sony…
Microsoft…

Addendum:

HTC Vive is launching, here’s what we know — from futurism.com
Leap Motion: Orion (video)
Reach into the future with Orion, Leap Motion’s new hand tracking software that’s built from the ground up for virtual reality.

5-minute film festival: Resources for filmmaking in the classroom [Borovoy]

On 02/22/2016, in A/V -- audio/visual, attention, collaboration, communications, creativity, design, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital video, education technology, engagement / engaging students, K-12 related, using teams, by Daniel Christian

5-minute film festival: Resources for filmmaking in the classroom — from edutopia.org by Amy Erin Borovoy

Excerpt:

I’ll admit I’m a bit biased here since I’m a filmmaker by trade, but I truly believe the process of planning and making videos can offer tremendous learning opportunities for students of almost any age. Not only is the idea of telling stories with video really engaging for many kids, filmmaking is ripe with opportunities to connect to almost every academic subject area. As the technology to shoot and edit films becomes more ubiquitous, where is a teacher with no experience in video production to begin? I’ve shared some resources below to help you and your students get started on making blockbusters of your own.

Learning Ecosystems

Interesting use of AR: Combining AR into 3D printing makes “animated physical models” [Relentless Designs]

Kids learn from podcasts, so why aren’t adults making more for them? [Hayes]

Microsoft Surface Hub is now shipping; in HE, could be used to facilitate active learning & stronger collaboration

4 items re: mixed reality and virtual reality

Microsoft’s Holoportation: When combined with mixed reality displays, you can see, hear, & interact with remote participants in 3D

“It’s Not You, It’s the Room” — Are the High-Tech, Active Learning Classrooms Worth It?” + other items re: active learning

Potential solutions when you need a digital version of 20+ feet worth of whiteboards to explain those long equations! Could be powerful. [Christian]

App to the Future | Entering the Age of TV Apps [kaltura.com]

100,000+ attendees and 2,200 companies came to Mobile World Congress 2016; see event highlights

10 new items re: AR and VR

Categories

Tags