From DSC: I love the parts about seeing instant language translations — including sign language! Very cool indeed! (With thanks to Ori Inbar out on Twitter for this resource.)
Johnson & Johnson will train Mexican students and doctors in the metaverse — from entrepreneur.com; with thanks to Dany DeGrave out on Twitter for this resource The company launches an Innovation Room with state-of-the-art technology that demonstrates the academic use that can be given to immersive viewers that serve to access the metaverse.
There has been a lot of buzz about “the metaverse” since its coinage in the ‘90s, but especially during the pandemic (given the surge in online activity), and even more so after Facebook changed its name to Meta.
Is this just a bit of opaque marketing-speak? What is a metaverse exactly? How does one define the term, and where does one draw a line between a metaverse and, say, just another virtual world? These are common questions that people ask about the metaverse, so we thought we’d outline how we see it and how the metaverse intersects with web3.
This post describes four aspects of classroom technology that are very important to address when developing a HyFlex approach that can be effective at scale.
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The classroom technology needs can be organized into four areas:
two-way audio stream (connection),
incoming video presentation of remote learners
outgoing video presentation of classroom and learners
interactive technology to support interaction, engagement, and formative assessment
Also re: hyflex teaching — where some students are physically present and some are coming into the class remotely– see:
HyFlex delivery may be new to many learners. Therefore, it is important to provide them with the supports they need to be successful. Regardless of the delivery mode, learners are motivated by success and by instructor presence. In part one of this topic post, we will write about how instructor support and feedback (a form of guidance) can motivate learners and build learner confidence.
In part 1 of this post, we focused on how feedback and support promote learner confidence. Learner confidence can lead to improved learner retention, progression, and success regardless of the class delivery mode. In part 2, we focus on feedback strategies.
From DSC: The posting below (out at vrscout.com) made me reflect that the idea of someone’s presence continues to get stronger and more realistic in the online/digital worlds. How might this impact our future learning ecosystems?
Every month I round up what you may have missed in Augmented Reality including the latest stats, funding news and launch announcements and more. Here is what happened in augmented reality between April 1-30, 2022.
“I think it is a wonderful way to preserve my family’s history for future generations,” said Jerry while speaking to Jam Press. “To see myself like that, is just mind-blowing — it feels like watching a movie. By not just reading the words as in my memoir but to actually get the chance to see and hear me recalling the stories is just magical.”
Previously available in Australia, the technology has been used to treat the effects of autism, from anxiety and stress to attention, memory, mobility/coordination, and frustration tolerance. XRHealth’s healthcare platform offers a variety of professional services. This includes one-on-one meet-ups with XRHealth therapists as well as virtual group sessions, all of which accessible remotely using modern VR headsets.
The Pros and Cons of Developing AI-Powered Corporate Training Videos with Synthesia — from blog.commlabindia.com by Saritha Esaboyuna Synthesia is a game-changing invention that uses AI (Artificial Intelligence) to generate videos from text inputs. It enables designers to not only natively localise content but also to create and update existing films.
Excerpt:
You don’t need an editing studio, expensive equipment, or a high-end video editing program to design a video. All you need is Synthesia. Actors, cameras, and microphones are no longer required! You can produce high quality AI-enabled videos in over 50 languages just by adding text with Synthesia.
Also see:
From DSC: Teachers and faculty members might want to try this out as well — especially if you have multiple languages being spoken in your classroom. And/or perhaps IT Departments and Help Desks could look at this as well.
With an eye toward the future, IT units can help institutions create inclusive, flexible spaces that support a variety of learning activities and modalities. Appropriate technology infrastructure, strategic support from institutional leaders, and financial resources are among the most essential elements for transforming learning spaces.
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Figure 1. Types of Learning Spaces Being Transformed
From DSC: Seeing the functionality inFreehand— it makes me once again think that we need to use more tools where faculty/staff/students can collaborate with each other REGARDLESS of where they’re coming in to partake in a learning experience (i.e., remotely or physically/locally). This is also true for trainers and employees, teachers and students, as well as in virtual tutoring types of situations. We need tools that offer functionalities that go beyond screen sharing in order to collaborate, design, present, discuss, and create things. (more…)
Short and Sweet: The Educational Benefits of Microlectures and Active Learning— from er.educause.edu by Hua Zheng; with thanks to the Learning Now TV Newsletter – April 2022 The combination of short videos and the techniques of active learning can create rich, engaging educational experiences to maximize learning.
Excerpt:
The goal of interspersing a microlecture with active learning approaches is to improve student engagement and learning performance when participating in online, hybrid, or face-to-face instruction. Empirical studies have shown that active learning approaches, such as combining pause points with interactive quizzes, tasks requiring written responses, or note taking, can improve student performance.
In this episode of the At the Edge podcast, McKinsey expert Richard Ward speaks with McKinsey’s Mina Alaghband.
Excerpts:
One of the things that we’ve learned during the pandemic is that if you put these metaverse design rooms up on the internet, your clients and other expert engineers can log in remotely, and the experience takes on the quality of Zoom in 3-D, which allows a new level of engineering to happen. The beauty of it is that people are able to do highly productive engineering design work without getting on an airplane. And that has a lot of rollover value for what we’re doing long term.
One of the great lessons we’ve had from the pandemic, as horrible as it’s been, is that things that people had said were impossible for decades are now possible. Like the idea that you can’t possibly have everybody not be in the office—it’s been proven wrong.
The Pandemic Transitioned the Legal Industry Into the Digital Age — from by Yuri Vanetik Covid-19 forced businesses and social interactions to rely on technology because of social distancing rules exacerbated by fear. The legal industry, being no exception, was forced to embrace technology, shedding unnecessary ritual and processes. The result became a more efficient industry, where client interests trump anachronistic conventions.
Excerpt:
Much has changed in the world of commerce since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The legal industry, a notorious stalwart, made a substantial leap, foregoing antiquated ritual-driven practices for technology-driven efficiency.
Technology and focus on the client, rather than wasteful processes, has become the new benchmark for lawyers who understand their business clients’ result-oriented expectations. The vast implementation of technology is the driving force in this pandemic paradigm. This modernization isn’t a mere facelift, but a restructuring of legal practice, including a major shift from a lawyer-centric to client-centric business dynamic.
Teaching with drones in education holds a number of possibilities that range from introducing piloting basics to helping students explore drone uses and careers as well as how coding ties in. Whether in a STEM program, a dedicated drone class, or in CTE courses, students can explore practical STEM concepts, gain hands-on experience, and more. When it comes to the best drones for education, however, knowing what you’re looking for is incredibly important. There are some big names, like the Parrot Mambo Fly and the Sky Viper line, but our team has certain requirements when it comes to our recommendations
