Daniel S. Christian

The Metaverse Will Radically Change Content Creation Forever [Fatemi]

On 03/09/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, 5G, A/V -- audio/visual, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, career development, change, content development, aggregation, repositories, convergence, Daniel S. Christian, future, health, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, interactivity, interface design, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, Metaverse, multimedia, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, platforms, play, technologies for your home, telemedicine / telehealth / virtual health, telepresence, tools, training / L&D, user experience (UX), vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, Web3, XR - extended reality, by Daniel Christian

The Metaverse Will Radically Change Content Creation Forever — from forbes.com by Falon Fatemi

Excerpt:

Although the metaverse promises to touch nearly every person in our society, there’s one demographic that will almost certainly see disproportionately strong disruption: creators. The metaverse has the potential to fundamentally disrupt the content creation process.

The metaverse is slated to help creators make more interactive and immersive content, thanks in large part to advances in VR and AR. The stakes will be raised as creators will be expected to build more immersive and interactive content than ever before.

Also related/see:

The Amazing Possibilities Of Healthcare In The Metaverse — from forbes.com by Bernard Marr

Excerpts:

What’s generally agreed on, however, is that it’s effectively the next version of the internet – one that will take advantage of artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and ever-increasing connectivity (for example, 5G networks) to create online environments that are more immersive, experiential and interactive than what we have today.

Metaverse involves the convergence of three major technological trends, which all have the potential to impact healthcare individually. Together, though, they could create entirely new channels for delivering care that have the potential to lower costs and vastly improve patient outcomes. These are telepresence (allowing people to be together virtually, even while we’re apart physically), digital twinning, and blockchain (and its ability to let us create a distributed internet).

From DSC:
That last paragraph could likely apply to our future learning ecosystems as well. Lower costs. A greater sense of presence. Getting paid for one’s teaching…then going to learn something new and paying someone else for that new training/education.

AI Could Power the Next Generation of Smart Glasses — from lifewire.com by Mayank Sharma. I’d like to thank Mayank for letting me contribute some thoughts to this article.
Making the bigger picture clearer

Key Takeaways

Biel Glasses has created a pair of smart glasses to enhance the mobility of users with low vision.
Experts believe smart glasses will soon outpace VR headsets in terms of adoption and use.
This new generation of smart glasses will infuse AI together with AR to give users a new and better perspective.

You Sleuth is a family-friendly outdoor game that requires a moderate amount of walking. You can play by yourself or with a group of friends or family. If you are looking for something new that will stimulate your mind while sneaking in a little exercise and fresh air then register today. Read the rest of the FAQ for more details about how You Sleuth works.

From DSC:
What might this look/work like for learning-related applications? Also, if you are studying to be an actor or actress, might there be some new opportunities for you here!? If you are a writer, might there be some new sorts of collaborations opening up here? As the next version of the internet is developed, what new affordances/opportunities might exist in this area?

From DSC:
After checking out the following two links, I created the graphic below:

Readability initiative > Better reading for all. — from Adobe.com
We’re working with educators, nonprofits, and technologists to help people of all ages and abilities read better by personalizing the reading experience on digital devices.
The Readability Consortium > About page

Also related/see:

Microsoft Education Unveils Expanded Literacy, Accessibility Tools for Students and Teachers — from thejournal.com by Kristal Kuykendall
Announcing an expanded literacy portfolio to reach every learner — from educationblog.microsoft.com by Paige Johnson
What Kids Are Reading — from renaissance.com

DC: Well, that’s good. Because I’ve got plenty of weakness to go around.

On 02/27/2022, in Daniel S. Christian, faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, by Daniel Christian

2 Corinthians 12:9 — from biblegateway.com

⁹But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

SLICK! –> AR object recognition can give you superpowers [Roettgers & Statt]

On 02/19/2022, in Augmented Reality (AR), Daniel S. Christian, emerging technologies, engineering, platforms, play, vision/possibilities, visualizing information, XR - extended reality, by Daniel Christian

AR object recognition can give you superpowers — from by Janko Roettgers and Nick Statt

Excerpt:

Making sense of AR, one Lego brick at a time
Singulos Research CEO and CTO Brad Quinton poured a bunch of Lego bricks onto his desk during a recent Zoom call. Then, he picked up an iPad, fired up a demo app and opened the app’s camera mode. Immediately, the app began to identify individual bricks, counting and cataloging them by shape and color, and then suggesting different animals he could build with those specific bricks.

The playful and fun demo was meant to show off the capabilities of the Perceptus Platform, an AR object-recognition technology Singulos has been building in stealth over the past three years. The platform could soon help developers build smarter AR apps and services. “It gives AR applications the visual context of what’s around them,” Quinton said, and that could be key to building AR glasses people will actually want to wear.

From DSC:
This is a great use of Augmented Reality (AR)! Very slick! It’s beneficial, practical, and likely an example of what is to come.

Perhaps Solomon should get more credit as one of the first wise investment advisors.

On 02/14/2022, in 21st century, budgets, business, Daniel S. Christian, economics, faith, global / globalization, parents/guardians, productivity / tips and tricks, society, by Daniel Christian

Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 and 6 — Invest in Many Ventures; as written by King Solomon

11 Ship your grain across the sea;
after many days you may receive a return.
²Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

…

⁶Sow your seed in the morning,
    and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
    whether this or that,
    or whether both will do equally well.

From DSC:
Perhaps Solomon should get more credit as one of the first wise investment advisors. If he lived today, he would likely support diversification and support the concepts behind using index funds!

Technology We Need: Documenting the complete Learner Record [McClennen & Midles]

On 02/12/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Blockchain, business, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, credentialing, Daniel S. Christian, education, education technology, emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, experimentation, future, higher education, ideas, innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, IT in HE, K-12 related, learner profiles, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, lifelong learning, personalized/customized learning, platforms, privacy, society, student-related, training / L&D, United States, universities, vendors, vision/possibilities, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Technology We Need: Documenting the complete Learner Record — from gettingsmart.com by Nate McClennen and Rebecca Midles

Key Points

Most innovative schools and a number of states have built Graduate Profiles/Learner Profiles and a handful have created K12 competency progressions that articulate pathways towards meeting the profile.
These learning organizations are using a learning management system (LMS) that does not accommodate comprehensive Learner Records, does not capture or report transparent growth to learners or their families and does not capture out-of-course learning experiences.
We issue a challenge to those building and creating solutions.

From DSC:
The above posting reminds me of the following graphic:

Will this be the straw that breaks the camel’s back? [Christian]

On 02/08/2022, in 21st century, Alternatives, colleges, cost of getting a degree, Daniel S. Christian, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

DC: Will this be the straw that breaks the camel’s back?#highereducation #future #alternatives #costofhighereducation https://t.co/3wm8j5gpIe

— Daniel Christian (he/him/his) (@dchristian5) February 7, 2022

Addendum on 2/12/22:

Tuition, fees continues to rise as pandemic inflation woes hit colleges — from nbcnews.com by Jon Marcus
Inflation is pushing up college tuition and fees while staff shortages are forcing wages and benefits higher. The squeeze comes at the worst possible time for higher education.

Nice to see this discussion from higher education leaders re: K-12 [Christian]

On 02/07/2022, in career development, collaboration, colleges, community colleges, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, curriculum, Daniel S. Christian, higher education, ideas, innovation, instructional design, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, skills, training / L&D, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Students first in K-12: A conversation with Paul LeBlanc — from michaelbhorn.com

Speakers:

Paul LeBlanc, President, Southern New Hampshire University and Author, Student First
Lisa Hite-McIntyre, Vice President, Learning Innovation (Moderator)
Michael Horn, Founder, Clayton Christensen Institute
Dennis Littky, Co-Founder, Big Picture Learning
Lisa Scruggs, Partner, Duane Morris LLC

From DSC:
I wish there were more collaborations and/or discussions like this — i.e., those that involve leaders/administrators, teachers/faculty, instructional designers, curriculum planners, etc. from both K-12 and higher education.

Then, on the other side of the fence, it would be good to have these same folks within K-12 and within higher education talk with leaders in the corporate and vocational worlds — as we need better alignment.

I’m still learning what Jesus meant by this [Christian]

On 02/05/2022, in Daniel S. Christian, Emotion, faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, by Daniel Christian

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) — from biblegateway.com

²⁸“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Rethinking the Faculty Role in Students’ Career Readiness — from insidehighered.com by Rachel Toor; with thanks to Ryan Craig for this solid, well-written resource
It’s time for all of us on campuses, not just the people in career services, to step up and help offer the competencies employers say they’re looking for, Rachel Toor writes.

Excerpts:

Career centers on campuses can offer students coaching, resources and connections. But, as Angle points out, they tend to be a just-in-time service. They are also, he says, “scary places for a lot of students.” Many young people don’t want to face the reality of life after graduation. Often, it’s a case of too little, too late.

Instead, they come to people they know—professors like me—for help with cover letters and résumés. And while I can comment on language, until recently I had no idea about how most résumés are read first by a version of R2-D2 and his little robot friends who make up automated tracking systems. If an applicant doesn’t include the right keywords in a résumé or cover letter, into the trash bin they go.

The truth is, I have not applied for a job in 15 years; for many of my colleagues it’s been even longer, and some of them have never worked outside academe. It’s not surprising that employers are seeing recent college grads—smart students, hard workers—who don’t know how to present themselves as potential employees.

From DSC:
I can relate to that part about R2-D2 reading the resumes first (i.e., trying to get by the Applicant Tracking Systems before one’s resume ever makes it in front of the eyes of a fellow human being). Many faculty/staff members and members of administrations haven’t been out interviewing in a long while. So it can be a rude awakening when they/we need to do that.

Also, I wanted to say that it’s not fair to assess the learners coming out of higher education using a different set of learning objectives:

That is, faculty members within higher ed have one set of learning objectives and their students work hard to learn and meet those learning objectives. Unfortunately, those students did what was asked of them, and then they…
…come to find out that the corporate/business/legal/etc. worlds have different ideas about what they should know and be able to do. That is, these other organizations and communities of practice are assessing them on different sets of learning objectives that these same students didn’t cover. Some (many?) of these graduates leave their interviews discouraged and think, “Well, it must be me.” Or they can leave frustrated and angry at their former institutions who didn’t prepare them for this new assessment.

As I’ve said on this blog before, this disconnect is not fair to the students/graduates. We need more mechanisms by which faculty and staff members within higher ed can work more collaboratively with those within the corporate world to better align the learning objectives and the curriculum being covered. If this doesn’t occur more frequently, the constant appearance and growth of new alternatives will likely continue to build further momentum (as they should, given the incredibly steep price of obtaining a degree these days!).

P.S. This disconnect of learning objectives can also be found in what happens with legal education — including having to pass today’s Bar Exams — and then these graduates get out into the real world to find employers who are frustrated that these graduates don’t have the “right”/necessary skills.

“The incentive structure is for law schools to teach students how to pass the bar exam, not necessarily to do the things that employers expect,” Gallini said.

A quote from this article, which I also
want to thank Ryan Craig for.

Unsung Campus: 5 Jobs Powering the Modern College

On 01/31/2022, in career development, colleges, community colleges, Daniel S. Christian, higher education, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

Unsung Campus: 5 Jobs Powering the Modern College

DC: And there are many more *staff* positions that could be included here.#highereducation
https://t.co/JA1L45u6hx

— Daniel Christian (he/him/his) (@dchristian5) January 31, 2022

From DSC:
How can we better get the word out to our learners regarding how they can maximize their Return On Investment (ROI) from their studying time and efforts?

Two ideas come to mind here:

Place learning-related tips directly into our banners within our CMS’s and LMS’s
and/or
Link our banners to some other web pages/resources that provide such best practices and tips for our learners

Along these lines, we should have 11″x17″ (or larger) posters like this plastered in every hallway of every learning space out there:

Some would also add:

Active learning
Flipping the classroom
Providing individualized feedback
Metacognition (which was referenced in the first graphic above in regards to identifying gaps in one’s knowledge)

How should law schools address emerging technologies? [Christian]

On 01/18/2022, in 21st century, Blockchain, business, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, Daniel S. Christian, emerging technologies, internet, law schools, legislatures / government / legal, platforms, policy, political science, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
I post the following item because I’ve often wondered how law schools should best handle/address the area of emerging technologies. It’s not just newly-minted lawyers that need to be aware of these technologies’ potential pros and cons — and the developing laws around them. It’s also judges, legislators, politicians, C-Suites, and others who need to keep a pulse check on these things.

Hermès Sues NFT Creator Over ‘MetaBirkin’ Sales — from by Robert Williams
The French leather goods giant alleges trademark infringement and dilutive use of its iconic Birkin name.

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

The complaint, which was first reported on The Fashion Law, raises questions about how trademark protections for real-world items will be enforced in the digital realm as commercial activity heats up in the metaverse. Brands including Balenciaga and Nike are experimenting with virtual fashion. Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs (unique digital assets authenticated using blockchain technology), depicting fashion items have sold for millions in recent months.

Learning Ecosystems

You Sleuth = The game of Clue + Augmented Reality (AR). DC: What might this look/work like for learning-related applications?