Example snapshots from
Microsoft’s Productivity Future Vision
On 02/26/2015,
in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, active learning, adjunct faculty, adult learning, analytics, animation, attention, blended learning, changing business models, collaboration, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, computer science, copyright/ownership/NFTs, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, data related items, design, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, distance education, e-books, education reform, education technology, elearning, emerging technologies, expectations, experimentation, face-to-face, faculty/staff, future of higher education, game-changing environment, graphics, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), hybrid learning, ideas, innovation, instructional design, interaction design, interactivity, interface design, internet, learning, learning ecosystem, learning spaces, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, online learning, online media, programming, staying relevant, strategy, student-related, surviving, teaching & learning, traditional / tradition, trends, universities, user experience (UX), user interface design, using teams, web design and production, writing,
by Daniel Christian
My thanks to Mary Grush at Campus Technology for her continued work in bringing relevant topics and discussions to light — so that our institutions of higher education will continue delivering on their missions well into the future. By doing so, learners will be able to continue to partake of the benefits of attending such institutions. But in order to do so, we must adapt, be responsive, and be willing to experiment. Towards that end, this Q&A with Mary relays some of my thoughts on the need to move more towards a team-based approach.
When you think about it, we need teams whether we’re talking about online learning, hybrid learning or face-to-face learning. In fact, I just came back from an excellent Next Generation Learning Space Conference and it was never so evident to me that you need a team of specialists to design the Next Generation Learning Space and to design/implement pedagogies that take advantage of the new affordances being offered by active learning environments.
On 02/04/2015,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, analytics, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, career development, Daniel S. Christian, data related items, digital audio, digital video, ideas, innovation, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, lifelong learning, social learning / networks, social media, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
I ran across a few items that may tie in with my Learning from the Living [Class] Room vision:
A very interesting concept at Stackup.net (@ScoreReporting)
Score everything you read + learn online. Use the StackUp Report to prove to employers that your dedication and interest make you the ideal candidate.
From DSC:
This is big data — but this time, it’s being applied to the world of credentials. Is this part of how one will obtain employment in the future? Will it work along with services like Beansprock (see below)?
Then there was spreecast: An interactive video platform that connects people:
From DSC:
A related item to these concepts:
The Future of Lifelong Learning — from knewton.com
Created by Knewton and Knewton
AI software that could score you the perfect job — from wired.com by Davey Alba
Excerpt:
Today, little more than two years later, Levy and Smith are launching a website called Beansprock that uses natural language processing and machine learning techniques to match you with a suitable job. In other words, they’re applying artificial intelligence to the career hunt. “It’s all about helping the job hunter find the best job in the job universe,” Levy says.
.
On 01/19/2015,
in A/V -- audio/visual, attention, communications, creativity, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital video, education technology, elearning, engagement / engaging students, Google, multimedia, new media literacies, online learning, online media,
by Daniel Christian
Five Minute Film Festival: Video Boot Camp — from edutopia.org by Bill Selak
Excerpt:
The rapid adoption of devices in the classroom has fundamentally changed the way we can create video. Every part of the creation process — writing, recording, editing, and distributing — is possible on the devices that can fit in our pocket. Vision is the most dominant of the five senses. Research shows that concepts are better remembered if they are taught visually. This is called the pictorial superiority effect, and it’s why video is such a powerful learning tool.
A video is created three times: when you write it, when you shoot it, and when you edit it. There are several formats that can be used to write a script for the classroom: a Google Doc, a dedicated app (ex: Storyboards), a Google Form, or a production organization document. Whichever format is used, emphasis should be placed on how it will be used in the classroom, and what the goal of the video is. When recording, it is important to incorporate basic rules of composition, such as the rule of thirds, into your video. Being aware of the environment (basic concepts like lighting and room tone) makes it easier to edit.
Curating content is another significant way to incorporate video into your classroom. If you don’t have the time or software to make a fancy video, odds are someone has already made it and shared it on YouTube. This Film Festival is equal parts curation and creation.
From DSC:
This is a nice collection of resources and tips to help you and your students further develop your new media literacy.
On 12/09/2014,
in 21st century, Apple, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, emerging technologies, future, generational differences, Google, media/film, Microsoft, mirroring and/or multiple devices, mobile technologies, trends, TVs,
by Daniel Christian
Excerpts:
Some notes:
- Google is now bigger than all newspapers, magazines and dwarfs big media
- YouTube reaches more 18-34 year olds than any cable network
- YouTube is closing in on broadcast-network revenue
- TV now has to share attention with digital
- TV still massive, digital video still a blip
- Basically, Google is swallowing the world…
On 11/14/2014,
in accessibility / UDL, attention, digital audio, instructional design, learning spaces, open courseware and systems, pedagogy, teaching & learning,
by Daniel Christian
A collection of curated items:
Socratic questioning: 30 thought-provoking questions to ask your students — from opencolleges.edu.au by Saga Briggs
Open Educational Resources – from the Babson Survey Research Group by I. Elaine Allen, Ph.D. and Jeff Seaman, Ph.D.
Opening the Curriculum: Open Education Resources in U.S. Higher Education, 2014
This report, funded by a grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation with additional support from Pearson, examines the attitudes, opinions, and use of Open Educational Resources (OER) among teaching faculty in U.S. higher education. Some of the key findings:
Katie Novak: Universal Design for Learning, an introduction — from edtalks.org
Dr Katie Novak is a Reading curriculum coordinator and an independent ‘Universal Design for Learning’ (UDL) consultant. Universal Design for Learning is a framework that allows teachers to meet the needs of all learners in the classroom, and in this keynote speech at ULearn14 Katie outlines the background to UDL and demonstrates how UDL enables teachers to take rigorous curriculum and make it accessible to all students.
Related:
What is UDL?
UDL Guidelines
Five inspiring EdTekTalks — from iste.org by Diana Fingal
Harvard researchers spent six years studying innovative entrepreneurs to find out how their creative processes work. What they found was that the number one skill all innovators practice regularly is connecting across a variety of disciplines. In other words, innovators are people who cross-pollinate, or use ideas from other industries to spark their own creativity.
With that in mind, ISTE reached out to inspiring people from a range of fields and asked them to share their insights in mini-keynotes called EdTekTalks. This provocative series of five talks includes futurists, designers and entrepreneurs from beyond the world of ed tech.
Berklee College of Music Opens Major WSDG-Designed Audio Teaching Complex in 160 Mass. Ave. Tower — from aeccafe.com; via @eduwiretech
Excerpt:
BOSTON, MASS. Berklee College of Music opened the doors to its 160 Massachusetts Avenue,residence tower in January 2014. The building now features one of the largest, most progressive, and versatile professional audio teaching/production/performance complexes in the U.S. Over three years and $100 million have been invested in the development and construction of this cusp point educational compound. Situated over four dedicated floors in a striking, sixteen-story, 155,000 sq. ft. William Rawn Associates building, the ten-studio Walters-Storyk Design Group – designed, audio education component represents a pinnacle of contemporary studio planning.
7 Simple Ways You Can Help Students Pay Attention In A Traditional Classroom — from teachthought.com
- Use the 10:2 method (2 minutes of response for every 10 minutes of instruction.)
- Incorporate movement into your lessons
- Pick up the pace
- Provide frequent feedback
- Allow 5-7 seconds of “think time”
- Have students use the 3-2-1 method of summarizing
- Periodically pause mid-sentence
On 11/11/2014,
in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, Augmented Reality (AR), digital audio, digital storytelling, digital video, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, interactivity, interface design, media/film, transmedia, trends, user experience (UX), vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, wearables,
by Daniel Christian
Oculus Connect Videos and Presentations Online — from oculus.com
Excerpt:
All the keynotes, panels, and developer sessions from Connect are now available to watch online. The slides from each session are also available for download from the Connect site under the “Schedule” section. Complete list of the keynotes, panels, and developer sessions from Connect:
Keynotes:
- Brendan Iribe and Nate Mitchell — Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe and VP of Product Nate Mitchell officially open Connect with their Keynote discussing Oculus, the Gear VR, and the newest prototype: Crescent Bay.
- Michael Abrash — Oculus Chief Scientist Michael Abrash discusses perception in virtual reality, the future of VR, and what that means for developers.
- John Carmack — Oculus CTO John Carmack discusses the Gear VR and shares development stories at Oculus Connect.
.
Keynote Panel:
.
Developer Sessions:
- Introduction to Audio in VR – Video and Presentation
- Getting Started with Gear VR – Video and Presentation
- Mastering the Oculus SDK – Video and Presentation
- Integrating the Oculus Rift into Unreal Engine 4 – Video and Presentation
- Film and Storytelling in VR – Video and Presentation
- Learning from Lucky’s Tale – Video and Presentation
- The Human Visual System and the Rift – Video and Presentation
- The Value of VR for Professional Applications – Video and Presentation
- Developing VR Experiences with the Oculus Rift – Video and Presentation
- Elevating Your VR – Video and Presentation
- Building the First Rift Development Kit – Video and Presentation
- 360-degree Filmmaking in VR – Video and Presentation
Related items:
- The “Oculus Platform” Marketplace For Virtual Reality App Launches This Fall — from techcrunch.com by Josh Constine
- Oculus Reveals Its New “Crescent Bay” Prototype With 360-Degree Head Tracking And Headphones — from techcrunch.com by Josh Constine
On 11/04/2014,
in A/V -- audio/visual, collaboration, communications, creativity, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital video, education, education technology, educational games / serious games, higher education, immersion, innovation, interactivity, learning ecosystem, love of learning, media/film, Michigan, multimedia, online learning, participation, play, psychology, real-world assignments, relationships, religion, social learning / networks, social media, society, sociology, story, storytelling, student-related, surviving, teaching & learning, transmedia, universities, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design, using teams, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
Last week I attended the 20th Annual Online Learning Consortium International Conference. While there, I was inspired by an excellent presentation entitled, “A Disruptive Innovation: MSU’s Surviving the Coming Zombie Apocalypse – Are You Ready to Survive a New Way of Learning?“ The four team members from Michigan State University included:
- Glenn R. Stutzky | Course Instructor
- Keesa V. Muhammad | Instructional Designer
- Christopher Irvin | Instructional Designer
- Hailey Mooney | Course Librarian
Check out the intro clip on the website about the course:
From the description for the presentation:
This session highlights MSU’s award winning, groundbreaking online course that fuses social theory, filmmaking, social media, and viral marketing while students survive an apocalyptic event. http://zombie.msu.edu/
MSU created and used powerful digital storytelling and multimedia to overlay real, experiential, immersive learning. Important content was relayed, but in a way that drew upon your emotions, your ability to solve problems and navigate in a world where you didn’t have all of the information, your ability to work with others, and more.
“This innovative course integrates current research and science on catastrophes and human behavior together with the idea of a zombie apocalypse. In doing so, we actively engage with students as they think about the nature, scope, and impact of catastrophic events on individuals, families, societies, civilizations, and the Earth itself.”
“Our innovative approach to teaching and learning features: students as active participants, the instructor becomes the facilitator, storytelling replaces lectures, zombies become the catalyst of teaching, a “zombrarian” (librarian) drives research, and the students emerge as digital storytellers as a way of assessing their own learning.”
Others outside MUS have found out about the course and have requested access to it. As a result of this, they’ve opened it up to non-credit seeking participants and now various people from police forces, Centers for Disease Control, and others are able to take the course. To make this learning experience even more accessible, the cost has been greatly reduced: from $1600+ to just $500. (So this talented team is not only offering powerful pedagogies, but also significant monetary contributions to the university as well.)
For me, the key thing here is that this course represents what I believe is the direction that’s starting to really pull ahead of the pack and, if done well, will likely crush most of the other directions/approaches. And that is the use of teams to create, deliver, teach, and assess content – i.e., team-based learning approaches.
So many of the sessions involved professional development for professors and teachers – and much of this is appropriate. However, in the majority of cases, individual efforts aren’t enough anymore. Few people can bring to the table what a talented, experienced group of specialists are able to bring. Individual efforts aren’t able to compete with team-based content creation and delivery anymore — and this is especially true online, whereby multiple disciplines are immediately invoked once content hits the digital realm.
In this case, the team was composed of:
- The professor
- Two Instructional Designers
- and a librarian
The team:
- Developed websites
- Designed their own logo
- Marketed the course w/ a zombie walking around campus w/ brochures and a walking billboard
- Used a Twitter stream
- Used a tool called Pensu for their students’ individual journals
- Made extensive use of YouTube and digital storytelling
- Coined a new acronym called MOLIE – multimedia online learning immersive experience
- Used game-like features, such as the development of a code that was found which revealed key information (which was optional, but was very helpful to those who figured it out). The team made it so that the course ended differently for each group, depending upon what the teams’ decisions were through the weeks
- Used some 3D apps to make movies more realistic and to create new environments
- Continually presented new clues for students to investigate. Each team had a Team Leader that posted their team’s decisions on YouTube.
They encouraged us to:
THINK BIG! Get as creative as you can, and only pull back if the “suits” make you! Step outside the box! Take risks! “If an idea has life, water it. Others will check it out and get involved.”
In their case, the idea originated with an innovative, risk-taking professor willing to experiment – and who started the presentation with the following soliloquy:
Syllabi are EVIL
Syllabi are EVIL and they must die!
Listen to me closely and I’ll tell you why.
Just want students to know what is known?
See what’s been seen?
Go – where we’ve been going?
Then the Syllabus is your friend,
cuz you know exactly where you’ll end.
But if you want to go somewhere new,
see colors beyond Red, Green, and Blue.
Then take out your Syllabus and tear-it-in-half,
now uncertainty has become your path.
Be not afraid because you’ll find,
the most amazing things from Creative Minds,
who have been set free to FLY,
once untethered from the Syllabi.
Glenn Stutzky
Premiered at the 2014
Online Learning Consortium International Conference
October 29, 2014
“The number of infected in Michigan has reached critical mass.” CSM Quintero #sw290 pic.twitter.com/F6m8ZaoRyG
— MSU Zombie (@MSUZombies) June 19, 2014
They started with something that wasn’t polished, but it’s been an iterative approach over the semesters…and they continue to build on it.
I congratulated the team there — and do so again here. Excellent, wonderful work!
By the way, what would a creative movie-like trailer look like for your course?
On 10/13/2014,
in Augmented Reality (AR), convergence, digital audio, digital storytelling, digital video, interactivity, media/film, mobile technologies, multimedia, new media literacies, online media, platforms, second screen apps, story, storytelling, TVs, user experience (UX), visualizing information, wearables,
by Daniel Christian
The amazing ways new tech shapes storytelling — from stuff.tv by Stephen Graves
Excerpt:
From the moment some singer-poet livened up his verse performances with a musical instrument, technology has changed entertainment. The printing press, theatrical lighting, the cinema, radio, cinematic sound – they’ve all either impacted on existing storytelling forms, or created whole new ones.
In recent years, the arrival of digital formats and non-linear editing changed TV. Existing TV formats like drama benefited from the same level of technical polish as films; and at the same time, the ability to shoot and edit large amounts of footage quickly and cheaply created a whole new form of storytelling – reality TV.
…
Streaming media’s one thing – but the biggest tech leap in years is, of course, your smartphone. Texting during films may infuriate but whipping your phone out in the cinema may become an integral part of the story: the 2013 film App used a second-screen app to display extra layers of narrative, synced to the film’s soundtrack. There are books that use second-screen apps: last year’s Night Film lets you scan tags in the physical book to unlock extra content, including mocked-up websites and trailers.
Also see:
- Niantic Labs’ John Hanke: alternate reality games are the future of storytelling — from stuff.tv by Stephen Graves
The brains behind Google Earth and location-based game Ingress talks augmented reality, wearable tech and ARGs
On 08/26/2014,
in digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital video, elearning, graphics, human-computer interaction (HCI), instructional design, interface design, internet, media/film, television, training / L&D, TVs, user experience (UX), user interface design,
by Daniel Christian
Excerpt from A Brief Look at Texting and the Internet in Film — by Tony Zhou
Is there a better way of showing a text message in a film? How about the internet? Even though we’re well into the digital age, film is still ineffective at depicting the world we live in. Maybe the solution lies not in content, but in form.
From DSC:
With a shout out/thanks to Krista Spahr,
Senior Instructional Designer at Calvin College, for this resource
On 06/12/2014,
in creativity, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, education, education technology, educational games / serious games, engagement / engaging students, ideas, innovation, interactivity, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, story, storytelling, transmedia,
by Daniel Christian
Transmedia and education: How transmedia is changing the way we learn — from thedigitalshift.com by
From
Excerpt:
Transmedia, a broad descriptive word that literally translated means “across media” and encompasses many strategies that transverse industries, is generally regarded as the use of multiple media platforms to tell a story or story experience. Though the word “transmedia” is thought to have entertainment franchise origins, its adaptation for education purposes is both valuable and becoming more and more common. While teachers like Sansing are using coding and programming in their language arts instruction, others are taking advantage of increasingly sophisticated apps and interactive media for classroom use.
Also see:
- The Science of Storytelling [Infographic] The chemical and psychological makeup of our minds affects how we consume content: Our brains are wired to connect with compelling stories.
On 06/03/2014,
in art, collaboration, communications, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital video, engagement / engaging students, learning, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, library / librarians, maker movement, multimedia, new media literacies, passions, photography, reinvent, student-related,
by Daniel Christian
Reinventing libraries for ‘hanging out, messing around and geeking out’ — from CNN.com by Emanuella Grinberg
Excerpt:
The staff takes special pride in its mentor-led activities, offered in partnerships with various community organizations: a spoken word workshop, a video game program and a makerspace, or workshop, where teens create birdcages, duct tape wallets and other art projects.
It might be a library, but for 18-year-old Alexis Woodward, the atmosphere is more like a “family reunion,” she said.
“It’s always packed until it closes. Everybody goes to the library after school,” said Woodward, who began participating in the spoken word program when she was 14.
On 04/19/2014,
in cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, creativity, digital audio, digital learning, digital textbooks, digital video, education technology, innovation, interactivity, multimedia, reading, story, storytelling, tools, transmedia,
by Daniel Christian
New children’s book combines modern technology and storytelling — from iwantpop.com by
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
MONTREAL, April 15, 2014 /IWANTPOP.COM/ — Jonathan Belisle, a Montreal teacher, script writer and web entrepreneur, has developed the ultimate storytelling system. It’s a combination of old and new, traditional mythology and modern technology, a mixture of fantasy and reality.
Wuxia the Fox is a transmedia project that comes as an illustrated book paired with an iPad app. “The app reacts to what it hears and sees,” explained Belisle. “As you read the story, the app adds the music and sound effects, based on where you are in the story and the tone of your voice. It’s the future of children’s books.”
The iPad app triggers new scenes of content using image recognition, and transforms into a musical instrument when interacting with small wooden blocks provided with the book.
Also see:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jonathanbelisle/wuxia-the-fox-augmented-book-and-ipad-app
Also, another interesting item:
Predicting the future of cinema: No limits — and the web wins — from variety.com by David Cohen
Excerpt:
He said today’s tech already offers hints of what the future will bring: screens large and small that can duplicate nearly anything the eye can perceive; cameras that let filmmakers choose framing, depth of field, focus and brightness in post, rather than on the day of shooting; fast networks that permit “collaboration at the speed of thought” and allow people to work together regardless of how far apart they are.
On 04/12/2014,
in digital audio, digital learning, digital video, ideas, pedagogy, teaching & learning,
by Daniel Christian
Why you should try video feedback with students — from edudemic.com by bcotmedia; with thanks to Tim Pixley’s Scoop on this
Excerpt:
…the rationale being that the learners, so used to consuming information from a resource-rich moving image centred multimedia experience, are provided with more detailed, personalised, and engaging feedback that is in keeping with the way they choose to consume information in their free time.
Similarly, by asking learners to submit video responses themselves (on phones/ vine/ webcams) they too are encouraged to embrace the technology driven environment of industry, enhance their digital literacy, demonstrate ICT competency, and develop their own communication skills in a real differentiated option to achieve criteria beyond the traditionalist (written) assessment.
On 04/11/2014,
in 21st century, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, Apple, art, biology, Bring your own device (BYOD), chemistry, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, engagement / engaging students, engineering, Google, graphics, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, maker movement, mobile learning, multimedia, new media literacies, open courseware and systems, passions, physics, platforms, play, political science, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, programming, publishing, science, simulations, STEAM-related, storytelling, student-related, tablets, teachers, teaching & learning, writing, youth,
by Daniel Christian
From the About Us page (emphasis DSC):
App Ed Review is a free searchable database of educational app reviews designed to support classroom teachers finding and using apps effectively in their teaching practice. In its database, each app review includes:
- A brief, original description of the app;
- A classification of the app based on its purpose;
- Three or more ideas for how the app could be used in the classroom;
- A comprehensive app evaluation;
- The app’s target audience;
- Subject areas where the app can be used; and,
- The cost of the app.
Also see the Global Education Database:
It’s our belief that digital technologies will utterly change the way education is delivered and consumed over the next decade. We also reckon that this large-scale disruption doesn’t come with an instruction manual. And we’d like GEDB to be part of the answer to that.
It’s the pulling together of a number of different ways in which all those involved in education (teachers, parents, administrators, students) can make some sense of the huge changes going on around them. So there’s consumer reviews of technologies, a forum for advice, an aggregation of the most important EdTech news and online courses for users to equip themselves with digital skills. Backed by a growing community on social media (here, here and here for starters).
It’s a fast-track to digital literacy in the education industry.
GEDB has been pulled together by California residents Jeff Dunn, co-founder of Edudemic, and Katie Dunn, the other Edudemic co-founder, and, across the Atlantic in London, Jimmy Leach, a former habitue of digital government and media circles.
Addendum:
Favorite educational iPad apps that are also on Android — from the Learning in Hand blog by Tony Vincent