communications

How to survive as the only remote person in the hybrid room [Stevens]

On 11/09/2022, in A/V -- audio/visual, accessibility / UDL, collaboration, communications, corporate / business world, distance education, expectations, face-to-face, ideas, IT in HE, remote teaching and learning, tools, using teams, vendors, videoconferencing, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

How to survive as the only remote person in the hybrid room — from protocol.com by Tim Stevens
Experts weigh in on how remote tech workers can be seen and heard when everyone in a meeting is in the office.

Excerpt:

The hybrid approach to remote work can meet the needs of diverse teams of people, but too often those who sign in from afar can feel left out, absent from impromptu hallway discussions or outright ignored on Zoom calls.

When you’re on the outside it’s tempting to just stay quiet and hope things will improve, but if your team isn’t aware of your struggles, things will only get worse. I spoke with three experts in remote work and here are their pro tips on how to survive and even thrive.

Addendum on 11/14/22:

84% of meetings have at least one remote participant — from inavateonthenet.net

Excerpt:

A report commissioned by Crestron has found that 84% of employees regularly have at least one remote participant in their meetings.

The report, titled Tackling the Modern Workplace by the Numbers, explores employee behaviors and preferences in a hybrid workplace, the technology tools they need and lack, and what employers are (and could be) doing to enable more consistently productive collaboration remotely and in-office.

“The findings of this report reveal that for the first time in years, we have a reliable sense of what to expect from the enterprise workplace in terms of where work is done and how meetings have to be held,” said Brad Hintze, exec VP, global marketing, Crestron. “If every meeting isn’t equipped to be hybrid, the data unequivocally shows teams will experience challenges in staying connected to each other, to leadership, and to the company culture, no matter where they’re working.”

When It Comes to Picking Edtech, Are Schools Listening to Teachers? [Tamez-Robledo]

On 11/08/2022, in collaboration, communications, education technology, innovation, instructional design, K-12 related, languages and translation, leadership, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, more voice more choice more control, strategy, teachers, tools, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

When It Comes to Picking Edtech, Are Schools Listening to Teachers? — from edsurge.com by Nadia Tamez-Robledo

Excerpt:

But where in the conversation are the people implementing those tools: the teachers? And how much say do they—or should they—have in edtech decisions?

For both questions, as it turns out, it depends on who you ask.

In a survey released earlier this year, the edtech company Clever found that 85 percent of administrators say teachers are involved in choosing tools. When the company asked teachers, more than 60 percent said they were hardly ever—or never—involved in those choices.

As we started asking educators, administrators and experts about the issue as part of an investigation into how teachers inform the development of edtech products, everyone agreed: teacher voice should be part of edtech decisions.

So what explains the disconnect?

Addendum on 11/9/22:

Lessons from Treadmills and Owls: The Most Important Feature in Educational Technology Products — from opencontent.org by David Wiley; with thanks to Mr. Stephen Downes for this resource

Excerpt:

The primary point, of course, is this: unused features in exercise technologies and educational technologies can improve neither fitness nor learning. From this perspective, one might argue:

The most important feature in educational technology products is the nudge – the feature that persuades you to actually use the features that will improve learning.

Duolingo is a great example here. On its surface, the language learning app may appear rather straightforward. But there are some pretty sophisticated things happening behind the scenes that make your language learning more effective.

25 Transferable Skills Employers Look For in 2022 [Dale]

On 11/05/2022, in analytics, career development, communications, leadership, reinvent, skills, staying relevant, UK, vocational / trades, workplace, by Daniel Christian

25 Transferable Skills Employers Look For in 2022 — from wikijob.co.uk by Nikki Dalea; with thanks to Ryan Mein for this resource

Excerpt:

Transferable skills combine competencies, knowledge and skills that you have gained from the workplace during your career path, from school, internships or elsewhere and take with you to your next employment or career change.

General skills that can be used in different employment roles come under the transferable skills banner; they can be used in various industries and in roles at other seniority levels.

These can be hard skills – technical knowledge like using specific software – and soft skills, the competencies and abilities that are harder to be taught, like active listening and communication.

Communication, problem solving and teamwork are all examples of transferable job skills because they can be used in any employed role, your education or vocational training.

“Using Virtual Reality for Career Training” + “AI interviews in VR prepare students for real jobseeking”

On 11/03/2022, in 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, animation, Canada, career development, communications, education, education technology, Europe, human-computer interaction (HCI), immersion, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, interaction design, interactivity, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, multimedia, participation, pedagogy, platforms, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, real-world assignments, simulations, skills, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, tools, United States, user experience (UX), vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, vocational / trades, workplace, XR - extended reality, youth, by Daniel Christian

Using Virtual Reality for Career Training — from techlearning.com by Erik Ofgang
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Indiana have had success using virtual reality simulations to teach students about career opportunities.

a Woman with a virtual reality set on occupies one half of the screen. The other shows virtual tools that she is controlling.

Excerpts:

Virtual reality can help boost CTE programs and teach students about potential careers in fields they may know nothing about, says Lana Taylor from the Indiana Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
…
One of those other resources has been a partnership with Transfer VR to provide students access to headsets to participate in career simulations that can give them a tactile sense of what working in certain careers might be like.

“Not all kids are meant to go to college, not all kids want to do it,” Taylor says. “So it’s important to give them some exposure to different careers and workforce paths that maybe they hadn’t thought of before.”

AI interviews in VR prepare students for real jobseeking — from inavateonthenet.net

A Brilliant MIT Professor Shared 10 Simple Rules That Will Teach You How to Give a Great Speech [Bariso]

On 11/02/2022, in adjunct faculty, attention, communications, engagement / engaging students, faculty/staff, ideas, passions, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, story, storytelling, teachers, teaching & learning, workplace, by Daniel Christian

A Brilliant MIT Professor Shared 10 Simple Rules That Will Teach You How to Give a Great Speech — from inc.com by Justin Bariso

Excerpts:

How much would your life change if people valued all of your ideas?

In a recorded lecture that’s been viewed over 13 million times, MIT professor Patrick Winston takes a deep dive into how to be a better speaker. He explains that your success in life depends on your ability to speak, your ability to write, and the quality of your ideas — in that order.

His point? No matter how amazing your ideas are, no one cares unless you can convey them in a clear, compelling manner — and with emotional intelligence.

Use an empowerment promise to explain to your listeners exactly what you can teach them, how they will benefit, and why it’s important.

Reflections on Hebrews 4:12

On 10/30/2022, in communications, Daniel S. Christian, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, by Daniel Christian

¹²For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

From DSC:
I’ve found this to be true, although sometimes I wish it weren’t the case. There are times when I read scripture that I wish it were a bit “lighter.” The Word can cut deeply. Though I suppose that’s also helped me many times in convicting me or helping me see blindspots and/or guiding my thinking/behaviors. I have it that if we can’t communicate with God, we can’t have a relationship with Him. Trust = faith. We can’t build trust with someone who we can’t communicate with.

“The HundrED Global Collection 2023” + 7 other items re: the K-12 learning ecosystem

On 10/26/2022, in 21st century, Africa, architecture, art, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, assessment, Australia, blended learning, Canada, collaboration, communications, communities of practice, creativity, design, Design Thinking, digital audio, digital storytelling, digital video, drama/theater, education, education technology, educational games / serious games, engagement / engaging students, entrepreneurship, ethics, Europe, experimentation, global / globalization, health, India, innovation, K-12 related, languages and translation, leadership, learning ecosystem, marketing/social marketing, mathematics, morals/values, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, music, online learning, personalized/customized learning, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, programming, project-based learning, reading, real-world assignments, robotics, social media, society, storytelling, strategy, student-related, teachers, tools, UK, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

HundrED Global Collection 2023 — from hundred.org
Meet the 100 most impactful innovations that are changing the face of education in a post-COVID world.

Excerpt:

The year 2022 has been a year to look to the future, as the global education conversation moves again toward themes of education transformation and the futures of education. The 100 innovations selected for this year’s global collection are impacting the lives of over 95 million students worldwide. The collection highlights the important role of teachers in education innovation; the continued need for students to develop 21st century skills, including social and emotional learning; an increasing focus on student wellbeing and mental health; and equity in education.

For more information, download the full Global Collection 2023 report.
You can also browse the innovation pages of the selected innovators here.
.

From DSC:
Here’s an excerpt of the email I received today from EducationHQ out of Australia — though I think it applies here in the United States as well:

.

Amplify and value teachers’ voice in education policymaking: researchers — from educationhq.com
Amplify and value teachers’ voice in education policymaking: researchers

Excerpt:

Monash University’s Teachers’ Perceptions of their Work Survey has revealed teachers’ waning satisfaction in their role and highlighted their…

Also from educationhq.com

Teachers changed my life: Trauma-informed education shows kids they matter — from educationhq.com by Beck Thompson
.

Nonprofit Bringing Businesses to Life in the Classroom — to the Tune of $400,000 — from the74million.org by Tim Newcomb
Making candles out of crayons, building birdhouses, fashioning furniture: Real World Scholars has helped 50,000 students become entrepreneurs

Not much entices a second grader to skip out on recess to get back to schoolwork. But excitement around a classroom-run business can do just that, especially when it means creating candles out of crayons and selling them in the local community.

Students design their ideal urban home in My ArchiSchool exhibition — from dezeen.com

Excerpt:

Promotion: fifty-two students presented digital designs and architectural models of their ideal home as part of Hong Kong-based education institute My ArchiSchool’s latest exhibition. As part of the exhibition, My ArchiSchool students were asked to design their ideal home within an urban environment. The exhibition, which took place on 2 October 2022 at the Sky100 on the 100th floor of the International Commerce Centre in Hong Kong, showcased photomontages of digital designs presented alongside physical models.

5 Resources that help students become digital citizens — from rdene915.com by Rachelle Dene Poth

Excerpt:

We need to create opportunities for students to become more digitally aware and literate, and to be responsible when using technology. There are many ways to do this, depending on our content area and grade level. We can model best practices for our students, bring in a specific digital citizenship curriculum to guide them through their learning, or use digital tools and resources available to have students explore and create.

Helping students learn to safely navigate what has become a highly digital world is something that we are all responsible for. Students need to be aware of the impact of their posts online, how to create and manage social accounts and protect their information, and how to properly access and use resources they obtain through technology.

3 Reasons School and District Leaders Should Get on Social Media — from edweek.org by Marina Whiteleather

Excerpt:

School and district leaders can—and should—be using social media in their work.

That’s the message shared by Stephanie McConnell, a superintendent in the Hawkins Independent School District in Texas, and Salome Thomas-El, a K-8 principal in Delaware, during an Education Week K-12 Essentials forum on Oct. 13.

At the event, McConnell and Thomas-El provided insights and advice for school leaders who are hesitant to post on certain social platforms or unsure how to use them.

Graphic Design Trends 2023 Are Shaping the New Reality [Pavlova]

On 10/18/2022, in communications, creativity, design, graphics, web design and production, by Daniel Christian

Graphic Design Trends 2023 Are Shaping the New Reality — from graphicmama.com by Iveta Pavlova

Excerpt:

Dive into the hottest current graphic design trends in 2023! Read a thorough review of what awaits on the stage of graphic design – well-known or completely revolutionary approaches that are about to shape our new reality.

Remember the times when the world was all about flat, subtle design? “The plainer, the better” was the norm. Well, things have changed. The reign in the graphic design world was slowly but very firmly taken over by big voluminous shapes in screaming colors that offer an alternative reality to the viewer – more vivid than ever!

The newest graphic design trends in 2023 offer us a ride to the future and invite us to observe a world of new depths, colors, and shapes that push the limits.

To-Tem / Pop from My Name is Wendy on Vimeo.

How to Cope With Presentation Anxiety [Lang]

On 10/18/2022, in adjunct faculty, colleges, communications, community colleges, face-to-face, faculty/staff, higher education, ideas, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, teaching & learning, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

How to Cope With Presentation Anxiety — from chronicle.com by James M. Lang
Here’s how a professor and experienced public speaker has learned to deal with the academic version of stage fright.

Excerpts:

Build a pause into the initial minutes of a presentation, so that you can stop and catch your breath. I don’t mean the kind of brief pause you might make between two sentences. I mean a substantive pause in which you are able to stop speaking — for at least 30 seconds — because you have given your audience something to view, think about, or discuss.
…
The remedy: Don’t envision yourself speaking for 45 minutes. Instead, soothe your brain and nervous system by persuading them that you only have to get through the next five minutes.

Your audience wants to learn from you. But real learning requires active thought from the learner. So use those early moments of your talk to start them thinking and take some of the pressure off you.

Basically, kids can take pictures of anything they encounter, like a dog, and make that still image look like it’s talking using the ChatterPix software, which is great for classroom multimedia projects and ideal for kids who enjoy creating content. #STEAM https://t.co/NhEWi8BcWK

— Eduporium (@Eduporium) October 12, 2022

Assistive Technology for Kids with Multiple Disabilities — from equalentry.com

Lego Owner to Acquire Education-Technology Firm Brainpop — from nytimes.com by Trefor Moss
Kirkbi, the family-run company behind the world’s largest toy maker, plans to establish an education business

Excerpt:

Lego owner Kirkbi A/S is buying U.S. video-learning firm Brainpop for $875 million, according to the companies, as the family behind the world’s largest toy maker expands into the education business.

The Danish company said the purchase of Brainpop, which produces short animations used in schools to help children learn everything from math to music, was part of a plan to build a new business pillar. The deal—through which Kirkbi is acquiring Brainpop’s owner FWD Media Inc.—is expected to close Tuesday, the companies said.

“We are definitely on the path to establishing the Lego idea of learning through play in the formal education space,” said Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, executive chairman of the Lego Brand Group, the Kirkbi entity that oversees the toy brand.

What might the ramifications be for text-to-everything? [Christian]

On 10/11/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, art, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, assistive technologies, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, CMS/LMS, colleges, communications, communities of practice, community colleges, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, creativity, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, distance education, drama/theater, e-books, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), education, education technology, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, face-to-face, faculty/staff, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, IT in HE, K-12 related, languages and translation, law schools, learner profiles, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, legal technologies, media/film, Metaverse, microlearning, Mixed Reality (MR), more voice more choice more control, multimedia, Natural Language Processing (NLP), neurodivergent/special needs, online learning, online media, online tutoring, platforms, podcasting, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, publishing, smart classrooms, story, storytelling, streams of content, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, technology (general), telecommunications, telelegal, telemedicine / telehealth / virtual health, telepresence, television, tools, training / L&D, transmedia, trends, TVs, United States, universities, usability, user experience (UX), vendors, videoconferencing, Virtual courts and law firms, vision/possibilities, visualizing information, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, wearables, web-based collaboration, Web3, webinars, workplace, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:

We can now type in text to get graphics and artwork.
We can now type in text to get videos.
There are several tools to give us transcripts of what was said during a presentation.
We can search videos for spoken words and/or for words listed within slides within a presentation.

Allie Miller’s posting on LinkedIn (see below) pointed these things out as well — along with several other things.

This raises some ideas/questions for me:

What might the ramifications be in our learning ecosystems for these types of functionalities? What affordances are forthcoming? For example, a teacher, professor, or trainer could quickly produce several types of media from the same presentation.
What’s said in a videoconference or a webinar can already be captured, translated, and transcribed.
Or what’s said in a virtual courtroom, or in a telehealth-based appointment. Or perhaps, what we currently think of as a smart/connected TV will give us these functionalities as well.
How might this type of thing impact storytelling?
Will this help someone who prefers to soak in information via the spoken word, or via a podcast, or via a video?
What does this mean for Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and/or Virtual Reality (VR) types of devices?
Will this kind of thing be standard in the next version of the Internet (Web3)?
Will this help people with special needs — and way beyond accessibility-related needs?
Will data be next (instead of typing in text)?

Hmmm….interesting times ahead.

21st-Century Skills That Every Learner Needs [studycorgi.com]

On 10/04/2022, in 21st century, Blockchain, bots, collaboration, communications, copyright/ownership/NFTs, creativity, innovation, leadership, learning, learning ecosystem, new media literacies, pace of change, skills, technology (general), by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
The Ultimate List of 21-Century Skills – 2022 that’s on that page lists fifty skills. Whew! That’s a lot of skills. I doubt anyone will have them all. But the posting/infographic has a lot of fodder for further reflection and growth.

Inclusive Education For Students With Hearing Impairment [Gupta]

On 10/04/2022, in A/V -- audio/visual, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), communications, digital audio, India, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, learning spaces, motivation, neurodivergent/special needs, parents/guardians, participation, smart classrooms, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, tools, writing, by Daniel Christian

Inclusive Education For Students With Hearing Impairment — from edtechreview.in by Priyanka Gupta

Excerpt:

The following may be difficult for a student with a hearing impairment:

The subjects of spelling, grammar, and vocabulary
Making notes while listening to lectures
Participate, engage or understand classroom discussions
Understand educational videos
Present oral reports

Lessons Learned from Six Years of Podcasting — from derekbruff.org by Derek Bruff

Excerpt:

Last month on Twitter, I shared some of the many, many things I’ve learned from podcast guests over the last six years. I encourage you to check out that thread and listen to a few of my favorite episodes. Here on the blog, I’d like to share a few more general reflections about what I learned through producing Leading Lines.

Finally, one lesson that the podcast reinforced for me is that faculty and other instructors want to hear stories. Sure, a peer-reviewed journal article on the impact of some teaching practice is useful, but some of those can focus too much on assessment and not enough on the practice itself. Hearing a colleague talk about their teaching, the choices they’ve made, why they made those choices, what effects those choices have had on student learning… that can be both inspirational and intensely practical for those seeking to improve their teaching. A big part of Leading Lines was finding instructors with compelling stories and then letting them shine during our interviews.

Speaking of digital audio, also relevant/see:

With Audiobooks Launching in the U.S. Today, Spotify Is the Home for All the Audio You Love — from newsroom.spotify.com by

Excerpt:

Adding an entirely new content format to our service is no small feat. But we’ve done it before with podcasts, and we’re excited to now do the same with audiobooks.
…
Just as we did with podcasting, this will introduce a new format to an audience that has never before consumed it, unlocking a whole new segment of potential listeners. This also helps us support even more kinds of creators and connect them with fans that will love their art—which makes this even more exciting.

Addendum on 9/30/22:

8 TIME-SAVING TIPS FOR TEACHING WITH PODCASTS – EASY EDTECH PODCAST 182 — from classtechtips.com by Dr. Monica Burns

Video games dreamed up other worlds. Now they’re coming for real architecture [Berg]

On 09/27/2022, in 3D, architecture, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, communications, graphics, NVIDIA, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Video games dreamed up other worlds. Now they’re coming for real architecture — from fastcompany.com by Nate Berg
A marriage between Epic Games and Autodesk could help communities see exactly what’s coming their way with new construction.

Excerpt:

Video games and architectural models are about to form a long overdue union. Epic Games and design software maker Autodesk are joining forces to help turn the utilitarian digital building models used by architects and designers from blocky representations into immersive spaces in which viewers can get a sense of a room’s dimensions and see how the light changes throughout the day. For both designers and the clients they’re designing for, this could help make architecture more nimble and understandable.

The AutoCAD model (top) and Twinmotion render (bottom) [Images: courtesy Autodesk]

Integrating Twinmotion software into Revit essentially shortens the time-sucking process of rendering models into high-resolution images, animations, and virtual-reality walkthroughs from hours to seconds. “If you want to see your design in VR, in Twinmotion you push the VR button,” says Epic Games VP Marc Petit. “You want to share a walkthrough on the cloud, you can do that.”

From DSC:
An interesting collaboration! Perhaps this will be useful for those designing/implementing learning spaces as well.

Learning Ecosystems

How to survive as the only remote person in the hybrid room [Stevens]

25 Transferable Skills Employers Look For in 2022 [Dale]

A Brilliant MIT Professor Shared 10 Simple Rules That Will Teach You How to Give a Great Speech [Bariso]

Reflections on Hebrews 4:12

Graphic Design Trends 2023 Are Shaping the New Reality [Pavlova]

How to Cope With Presentation Anxiety [Lang]

21st-Century Skills That Every Learner Needs [studycorgi.com]

Video games dreamed up other worlds. Now they’re coming for real architecture [Berg]

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