On 12/14/2011,
in 21st century, accreditation, business side of he, change, changing business models, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, disruption, elearning, emerging technologies, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, internet, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, new business models, online learning, reinvent, staying relevant,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
The tidal wave of technological change swept over Blockbuster and the article below shows how it drowned Kodak as well. These players were once at THEE top of their games…now they are either bankrupt or soon to be bankrupt (if things don’t change fast).
This relates to higher education as well, but I don’t think that we’ve seen anything yet (though 2012 may change that). Higher ed may have a limited window of time left before the conversation moves completely out of academia and higher ed as we know it gets left behind. The word “reinvent” and the phrases “staying relevant” as well as “lowering the price” should be at the top of the agendas for boards at most academic institutions of higher education throughout America (and other nations as well). I use the word most here because some folks will likely continue to pay enormous prices to get the name brands that they’ve been paying $50,000+ per year for.
If companies eventually don’t care who accredited your degree but rather what you can DO for them, watch out. The barriers to entry will plummet.
You Press the Button. Kodak Used to Do the Rest. — from technologyreview.com
Kodak saw the shift from analog to digital photography coming. Here’s why it couldn’t win.
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Excerpt (emphasis from DSC):
But the industry landscape was completely different in the digital era. Barriers to entry were significantly lowered and the industry was flooded by entrants with a background in consumer electronics, such as Casio, Samsung, and Hewlett-Packard, not to mention Japanese camera manufacturers including Canon, Nikon, and Olympus. Large parts of Kodak’s competence base related to chemistry and film manufacturing were rendered obsolete. The vertical integration that had previously been a core asset to Kodak lost its value. Digital cameras became a commodity business with low margins. The problem facing Kodak wasn’t just that film profits had died but that those revenues could not be replaced.
Once images became digital, Kodak’s business model of “doing the rest” was effectively destroyed. Doing the rest used to entail a large and complex process that only a couple of companies in the world could master. Today, it is done by the click of a button.
Related graphic from DSC:
Also see:
- The Forthcoming Walmart of Education — from Daniel S. Christian
12/15/11 addendum re: the conversation moving away from higher ed:
- There’s a light at the End of the Tunnel #2 — from highereducationmanagement.wordpress.com by Peter Smith
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
No single blog can adequately capture or represent what was going on at Learning 2011. But if you are intrigued, I suggest you go to www.Learning2011and see what the agenda and the presentations looked like for yourself.
.What I sensed, and what I am trying to describe here, was an accelerating transition in workforce education from a higher education-centric model to a learner-workplace-centric model. In a world where higher education institutions have dominated, controlled, and driven the conversation about quality, content, access, and results; the balance of power is shifting away from that more monolithic tendency to a far more disaggregated power structure where good information, metrics, and results that can be validated against third party standards are the “coin of the realm”.
On 12/12/2011,
in cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, creativity, digital learning, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, engagement / engaging students, K-12 related, mobile learning, multimedia,
by Daniel Christian
On 12/12/2011,
in design, digital learning, educational games / serious games, elearning, engagement / engaging students, instructional design, online learning, usability, user experience (UX),
by Daniel Christian
The Inspiration Bookshelf — from Julie Dirksen
From DSC:
Here’s a solid list of resources re: books ID’s should read that seems to support the KISS principle (of which I’m a huge fan) as well as how to make learning fun and engaging.
Here’s a solid list of resources re: books ID’s should read that seems to support the KISS principle (of which I’m a huge fan) as well as how to make learning fun and engaging.
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Excerpt:
One of the things I had while writing the book was an inspiration bookshelf. These were books that not only inspired the content of Design for How People Learn, but also the style of it. None of these are instructional design books, but they are all books that instructional designers should read…
Also see:
On 12/08/2011,
in digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, education technology, emerging technologies, library / librarians, reading, social learning / networks, social media,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
I originally saw this at:
- Readmill goes public: is the future of books social? — from gigaom.com by Bobbie Johnson
On 12/07/2011,
in 21st century, change, convergence, digital learning, digital textbooks, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, online learning, technologies for your home, tools, trends, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
Educational content and learning experiences wirelessly delivered to home TV console — from marketwatch.com
Excerpt:
DALLAS, Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Don’t touch that dial. A new variety of interactive educational content for the youngsters in the household is headed to a TV near you.
AT&T* today announced an agreement with TVTextbook to provide mobile broadband connectivity to TVTextbook’s eLearning connected device portfolio. TVTextbook (TVT) delivers high-quality K-12 curriculum that is distributed through a learning console connected to the television. Only TVTextbook leverages basic television-a product found in virtually every U.S. household-to help school districts deliver a digital education to 100% of their students. AT&T’s connectivity will bring a seamless, wireless connection between school and home.
From DSC:
Do I think this will be excellent in 2012? No. Do I think it’s innovative? Yes. Do I think it will be potentially helpful to many? Yes…and so will many apps that are coming to our living rooms in the next 1-3 years.
Also see:
On 12/07/2011,
in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, convergence, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, emerging technologies, human-computer interaction (HCI), Learning from the Living [Class] Room, Microsoft, technologies for your home, television, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Below are some items concerning the continued convergence of the telephone, the television, and the computer — it involves the smart/connected TV as well as human-computer-interaction (HCI)-related items. But this time, I’m focusing on a recent announcement from Microsoft.
However, I have to disagree that, given this announcement, Microsoft will now rule the living room — or at least I surely hope not. Why do I say this? For several reasons.
1) How long has Microsoft Office been around? Years and years, right? If you think that Microsoft should control your living room, I ask you to show me how I can quickly and easily insert some audio-based feedback with one easy click of a record button within Microsoft Word. Go ahead and check…such a quick and easy method is not there….still…and it’s almost 2012. (BTW, here are some resources on this if you’re interested in seeing how this could be done, but you will quickly notice that this is not a streamlined process — and it should have been so years ago.)
- http://www.addictivetips.com/microsoft-office/insert-audio-file-in-microsoft-word-2010/ (for Word 2010)
- http://www.howtogeek.com/80016/insert-audio-into-word-2007-documents-2/ (Word 2007)
- http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/insert-a-sound-HP005257344.aspx or http://resources.marshalladulteducation.org/techtips/techtip52.htm (Word 2003)
2) Performance/not doing what it’s supposed to do. My Dell PC running Windows 7 still can’t even shut itself down half the time. It just sits there with wheels-a-spinnin’ at some point…but not powering down. I’m not sure why this is the case, but I never have had trouble with this simple task on my Macs.
3) Regarding troubleshooting Microsoft’s solutions, an entire support industry has been built on supporting Microsoft’s software — go to a local bookstore and see how to get MS certified on some particular package/application/service — none of the books are thin.
4) Security has never been Microsoft’s strong point.
Bottom line:
I think you get my point. Microsoft has a loooooonnnnngggg way to go in my mind before I want their products and services controlling my living room.
With that said, I do congratulate Microsoft on being more innovative and forward thinking with the Xbox announcements mentioned below. I just hope that items such as usability, user experience, security, and streamlined interfaces are high on the list of their priorities/deliverables.
Disclosure/note:
I do use PCs with Windows a significant amount of the time and they do a nice job with many items. But if I were to assign grades to Microsoft, usability, performance, and security are not items that I would give A’s to Microsoft on.
- Introducing Engaged TV: Xbox 360 Leads The Way To A New Video Product Experience — from Forrester Research by James McQuivey
- Microsoft’s Take on Interactive TV Could Finally Hit the Mark — from minyanville.com by Carol Kopp
A free app for the Xbox could change the face of television. - Microsoft’s non-disruptive disruption — from concurrentmedia.com
- Take that, Siri: Xbox upgrade uses voice to master entertainment hub — from m&c by Andy Goldberg
- Delays Force Microsoft to Roll Out Major Xbox Update in Phases — from allthingsd.com by Tricia Duryee
- Microsoft Brings Interactive TV Spots to Xbox — from digiday.com by Mike Shields
- Microsoft aims at digital living room — from The Daily Telegraphy by Andy Goldberg
Upgrade: The Xbox 360 Slim game console.
Also:
- Microsoft’s Kinect: A robot’s low-cost, secret weapon — from cnet.com
On 11/30/2011,
in A/V -- audio/visual, Apple, convergence, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, educational games / serious games, elearning, future, game-changing environment, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, online learning, social learning / networks, storytelling, technologies for your home, television, trends,
by Daniel Christian
Count on Apple iTV in 2012, analyst says — from technewsdaily.com by Leslie Meredith
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Excerpt:
- The rumors that Apple will launch an actual TV have hit the headlines again following comments made today (Nov. 30) by analyst Gene Munster at an industry conference. Munster went so far as to tell his audience at the Ignition: Future of Media conference in New York City to wait to buy a new TV, because Apple’s TV is “going to be awesome.”
Addendum on 12/2/11:
- Google Is Totally Revamping YouTube To Make It More Like TV — from businessinsider.com by Matt Rosoff
On 11/30/2011,
in A/V -- audio/visual, digital learning, learning spaces, smart classrooms,
by Daniel Christian
MultiTaction turns walls into giant touch screens — from cnet.com by Jacqueline Seng
.
A maximum of 24 MultiTouch cells can be stacked together to form a ginormous touch-screen display.
(Credit: MultiTouch)
Excerpt:
MultiTouch, a Finland-based company known for its interactive display systems, has launched the MultiTaction Cell 55″. The display is supposedly the “world’s largest integrated multiuser LCD multitouch display,” which means (way) more than one person can use it at a time.
On 11/28/2011,
in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, Augmented Reality (AR), change, convergence, digital learning, education technology, emerging technologies, geography / geology, mobile learning, mobile technologies, telecommunications, trends, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning,
by Daniel Christian
Excerpt:
A REVOLUTION IN PERCEPTION is in the air, a transformation decades in the making. It will require a radical shift in viewpoint, as the way we experience data and information revolves 90 degrees from our traditional bird’s-eye view of maps, paper and screens to a more natural cinematic vision of the real world, one overlaid with digital information virtually attached to specific places.
And while augmented reality may still be in its infancy – with smartphone viewfinders displaying floating objects that are only vaguely connected to real places – don’t let that fool you.
The changes could reach far beyond mobile broadband and potentially be as profound as the development of the World Wide Web, says Michael Liebhold of the Institute for the Future. Liebhold forecasts that within five to 10 years, “the unadorned world will be history,” and our reality will have become a mix of the real and the digital. Telecom companies need to be ready, he says, to meet the demands of networks in which we are connected right before our eyes.
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On 11/28/2011,
in 21st century, digital learning, learning spaces, smart classrooms,
by Daniel Christian
(re)Designing Learning Spaces for a Digital World — by Steve Wheeler
Also see:
- Rethinking classroom furniture — from NBC News
On 11/21/2011,
in cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, creativity, digital learning, digital storytelling, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), e-readers, education technology, innovation, K-12 related, reading, storytelling, writing,
by Daniel Christian
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Also see:
- uTales: Crowdsourcing Children’s Book Publishing — from wired.com by Daniel Donahoo
On 11/15/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, analytics, Augmented Reality (AR), career development, CMS/LMS, collaboration, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, digital learning, disruption, distance education, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), e-readers, economics, education, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, Europe, game-changing environment, online learning, pace of change, personalized/customized learning, web-based collaboration, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
