education technology

“The world’s first full in VR semester course” — from VR First & Axon Park

On 06/28/2019, in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, collaboration, computer science, education technology, elearning, emerging technologies, experimentation, future, global / globalization, graphics, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, immersion, innovation, instructional design, internet, IT in HE, law schools, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, lifelong learning, multimedia, online learning, platforms, programming, society, student-related, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, tools, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design, using teams, vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, XR - extended reality, by Daniel Christian

The World’s First Full in VR Semester Course Taught by Survios CTO — from medium.com by Rahel Demant

Excerpt:

VR First is excited to announce its strategic partnership with Axon Park?—?the world’s first educational campus in VR. To kick things off, they are running a full semester course taught in VR. Launching this fall, the course will teach expert-level Unreal Engine VR development, taught remotely by Survios CTO and Co-Founder Alex Silkin with support from the Unreal Engine team.

To enable Axon Park’s commitment to diversity and inclusion through immersive education, VR First has signed a strategic partnership with Axon Park, an organization which maintains the largest network of VR lab enabled universities and science parks internationally. Together, Axon Park and VR First are announcing a needs-based scholarship program that will provide students with low cost or free access to VR hardware and resources through their partner network of 850 universities. With their expertise in VR/AR workforce education and regional tech cluster facilities, VR First is the international distribution partner for Axon Park training solutions to universities, businesses and governments.

Also see:

Microsoft’s new AI wants to help you crush your next presentation [Leary]

On 06/27/2019, in A/V -- audio/visual, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, assistive technologies, communications, digital audio, education technology, Microsoft, Natural Language Processing (NLP), personalized/customized learning, platforms, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, tools, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, by Daniel Christian

Microsoft’s new AI wants to help you crush your next presentation — from pcmag.com by Jake Leary
PowerPoint is receiving a slew of updates, including one that aims to help you improve your public speaking.

Excerpt:

Microsoft [on 6/18/19] announced several PowerPoint upgrades, the most notable of which is an artificial intelligence tool that aims to help you overcome pre-presentation jitters.

The Presenter Coach AI listens to you practice and offers real-time feedback on your pace, word choice, and more. It will, for instance, warn you if you’re using filler words like “umm” and “ahh,” profanities, non-inclusive language, or reading directly from your slides. At the end of your rehearsal, it provides a report with tips for future attempts. Presenter Coach arrives later this summer.

Amy Peck (EndeavorVR) on enterprises’ slow adoption of AR & the promise in education

On 06/26/2019, in Augmented Reality (AR), Blockchain, business, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, education, education technology, emerging technologies, future, health, human-computer interaction (HCI), mobile technologies, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, workplace, XR - extended reality, youth, by Daniel Christian

Amy Peck (EndeavorVR) on enterprises’ slow adoption of AR and the promise in education — from thearshow.com by Jason McDowall

Description:

In this conversation, Amy and [Jason McDowall] discuss the viability of the location-based VR market and the potential for AR & VR in childhood education.

We get into the current opportunities and challenges in bringing spatial computing to the enterprise. One of these challenges is the difficulty in explaining a technology that needs to be directly experienced, so much so that Amy now insists C-level executives put on a headset as a first step in the consulting process.

We also talk about VR & AR in healthcare, and the potential impact of blockchain technology.

Fast forward to 29:15 or so for the piece
of this podcast that relates to education.

Also see:

Reality Check: The marvel of computer vision technology in today’s camera-based AR systems — from arvrjourney.com by Alex Chuang
How does mobile AR work today and how will it work tomorrow

Excerpt:

AR experiences can seem magical but what exactly is happening behind the curtain? To answer this, we must look at the three basic foundations of a camera-based AR system like our smartphone.

How do computers know where it is in the world? (Localization + Mapping)
How do computers understand what the world looks like? (Geometry)
How do computers understand the world as we do? (Semantics)

Research Posters Are a Staple of Academic Conferences. Could a New Design Speed Discovery? — from edsurge.com by Jeff Young

Excerpts:

Scholars around the world share their latest research findings with a decidedly low-tech ritual: printing a 48-inch by 36-inch poster densely packed with charts, graphs and blocks of text describing their research hypothesis, methods and findings. Then they stand with the poster in an exhibit hall for an hour, surrounded by rows of other researchers presenting similar posters, while hundreds of colleagues from around the world walk by trying to skim the displays.
…
Not only does the exercise deflate the morale of the scholars sharing posters, the ritual is incredibly inefficient at communicating science, Morrison argues.
…
Morrison says he has a solution: A better design for those posters, plus a dash of tech.

To make up for all the nuance and detail lost in this approach, the template includes a QR code that viewers can scan to get to the full research paper.

From DSC:
Wouldn’t this be great if more journal articles would do the same thing? That is, give us the key findings, conclusions (with some backbone to them), and recommendations right away! Abstracts don’t go far enough, and often scholars/specialists are talking amongst themselves…not to the world. They could have a far greater reach/impact with this kind of approach.

(The QR code doesn’t make as much sense if one is already reading the full journal article…but the other items make a great deal of sense!)

Recommended tech tools to make retrieval practice quick and easy [Agarwal]

On 06/19/2019, in digital learning, education, education technology, ideas, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, memory, productivity / tips and tricks, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

Recommended tech tools to make retrieval practice quick and easy — from retrievalpractice.org by Pooja Agarwal

Excerpt:

Here’s a roundup of tech tools that harness retrieval practice and provide features in line with the science of learning. Each tech tool has free options, can be used during and outside of class, and includes instant feedback.

Web-based collaboration: Some resources from BlueScape

On 06/15/2019, in art, business, collaboration, communications, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, creativity, design, digital learning, education technology, graphics, innovation, vendors, web-based collaboration, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Resources from Bluescape Brings Creatives Together to Ideate and Collaborate in New Ways at Cannes Lions 2019

Design with Greater Ease Using Bluescape on Wacom video <– From DSC: Very sharp!
Bluescape for Creatives – War Rooms video
Bluescape for Creatives – Review and Approve video
Bluescape for Creatives – Presentations and Storytelling video
Bluescape for Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe XD page
Bluescape Speeds up UX/UI Design Cycle with XD Plugin video

10 important Google Drive tips for teachers and educators [educatorstechnology.com]

On 06/15/2019, in collaboration, digital learning, education technology, Google, ideas, K-12 related, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

10 important Google Drive tips for teachers and educators — from educatorstechnology.com

Excerpt:

As the creator and owner of a folder, you have different sharing settings at your hand. You can share your folders with specific people via email and allow them to either view the folder or view and edit it. Drive also enables you to prevent collaborators from changing access and adding new people by simply checking the box next to ‘prevent editors from changing access and adding new people’. Here is how to access sharing options of your folders…

Best USB Microphone for Mac in 2019 — from imore.com by Luke Filipowicz

Best Overall: Blue Yeti

Blue Yeti

Blockchain: The move from freedom to the rigid, dominant system in learning — from oeb.global by Inge de Waard
In this post Inge de Waard gives an overview of current Blockchain options from industry and looks at its impact on universities as well as philosophises on its future.

Excerpt:

I mentioned a couple of Blockchain certification options already, but an even more advanced blockchain in learning example has entered on my radar too. It is a Russian implementation called Disciplina. This platform combines education (including vocational training), recruiting (comparable with what LinkedIn is doing with its economic graph) and careers for professionals. All of this is combined into a blockchain solution that keeps track of all the learners’ journey. The platform includes not only online courses as we know it but also coaching. After each training, you get a certificate.

TeachMePlease, which is a partner of Disciplina, enables teachers and students to find each other for specific professional training as well as curriculum-related children’s schooling. Admittedly, these initiatives are still being rolled out in terms of courses, but it clearly shows where the next learning will be located: in an umbrella above all the universities and professional academies. At present, the university courses are being embedded into course offerings by corporations that roll out a layer post-university, or post-vocational schooling.

Europe embraces blockchain, as can be seen with their EU Blockchain observatory and forum. And in a more national action, Malta is storing their certifications in a blockchain nationwide as well. We cannot deny that blockchain is getting picked up by both companies and governments. Universities have been piloting several blockchain certification options, and they also harbour some of the leading voices in the debate on blockchain certification.

Also see:

7 blockchain mistakes and how to avoid them — from computerworld.com by Lucas Mearian
The blockchain industry is still something of a wild west, with many cloud service offerings and a large universe of platforms that can vary greatly in their capabilities. So enterprises should beware jumping to conclusions about the technology.

Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2019 Report

On 06/12/2019, in analytics, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, Australia, Canada, career development, cost of getting a degree, Cost of legal services - including access, Daniel S. Christian, data related items, education, education technology, emerging technologies, Europe, future of higher education, game-changing environment, health, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), India, innovation, intelligent systems, internet, IT in HE, law schools, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, marketing/social marketing, MBA, Microsoft, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, new business models, online learning, pace of change, platforms, social learning / networks, social media, society, storytelling, student-related, technologies for your home, technology (general), tools, trends, UK, Uncategorized, United States, vendors, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, web-based collaboration, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Excerpts:

From DSC:
That last one reminded me of why I think the Living from the Living [Class] Room vision is so powerful…

Some resources re: the flipped classroom

On 06/12/2019, in blended learning, digital learning, education, education technology, engagement / engaging students, flipping -- inverted learning, higher education, ideas, innovation, K-12 related, pedagogy, personalized/customized learning, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, universities, by Daniel Christian

The definition of a flipped classroom, according to the Flipped Classroom Global Initiative:

Flipped Learning is a framework that enables educators to reach every student. The Flipped approach inverts the traditional classroom model by introducing course concepts before class, allowing educators to use class time to guide each student through active, practical, innovative applications of the course principles.

Some resources regarding the flipped classroom:

The Flipped Learning Global Initiative
College students’ cognitive learning outcomes in flipped classroom instruction: a meta-analysis of the empirical literature
Robert Talbert, a professor at GVSU — his blog and his Twitter account
- Example posting: How much research has been done on flipped learning? Update for 2019

Are we there yet? Impactful technologies and the power to influence change — from campustechnology.com by Mary Grush and Ellen Wagner

Excerpt:

Learning analytics, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and other new and emerging technologies seem poised to change the business of higher education — yet, we often hear comments like “We’re just not there yet…” or “This is a technology that is just too slow to adoption…” or other observations that make it clear that many people — including those with a high level of expertise in education technology — are thinking that the promise is not yet fulfilled. Here, CT talks with veteran education technology leader Ellen Wagner, to ask for her perspectives on the adoption of impactful technologies — in particular the factors in our leadership and development communities that have the power to influence change.

9 amazing uses for VR and AR in college classrooms [Schaffhauser]

On 06/07/2019, in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, adjunct faculty, attention, Augmented Reality (AR), colleges, community colleges, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, digital learning, education technology, engagement / engaging students, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, IT in HE, learning, learning ecosystem, mobile learning, mobile technologies, participation, student-related, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, tools, United States, universities, user experience (UX), vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, XR - extended reality, by Daniel Christian

9 amazing uses for VR and AR in college classrooms — from campustechnology.com by Dian Schaffhauser
Immersive technologies can help students understand theoretical concepts more easily, prepare them for careers through simulated experiences and keep them engaged in learning.

Excerpt:

Immersive reality is bumping us into the deep end, virtually speaking. Colleges and universities large and small are launching new labs and centers dedicated to research on the topics of augmented reality, virtual reality and 360-degree imaging. The first academic conference held completely in virtual reality recently returned for its second year, hosted on Twitch by Lethbridge College in Alberta and Centennial College in Toronto. Majors in VR and AR have begun popping up in higher education across the United States, including programs at the Savannah School of Design (GA), Shenandoah University (VA) and Drexel University Westphal (PA). Educause experts have most recently positioned the timing for broad adoption of these technologies in education at the two-year to three-year horizon. And Gartner has predicted that by the year 2021, 60 percent of higher education institutions in the United States will “intentionally” be using VR to create simulations and put students into immersive environments.

If you haven’t already acquired your own headset or applied for a grant from your institution to test out AR or VR for instruction, it’s time. We’ve done a scan of some of the most interesting projects currently taking place in American classrooms to help you imagine the virtual possibilities.

From DSC:
I’m wondering to what extent artificial intelligence will be used to write code in the future…and/or to review/tweak/correct code…? Along these lines, see: “Introducing AI-Assisted Development to Elevate Low-Code Platforms to the Next Level.”

Excerpt:

Mendix was founded on the belief that software development could only be significantly improved if we introduced a paradigm shift. And that’s what we did. We fundamentally changed how software is created. With the current generation of the Mendix Platform, business applications can be created 10 times faster in close collaboration or even owned by the business, with IT being in control. Today we announce the next innovation, the introduction of AI-assisted development, which gives everyone the equivalent of a world-class coach looking over their shoulder.

Flipped Learning 3.0 [flr.flglobal.org]

On 05/15/2019, in blended learning, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, creativity, digital learning, education technology, face-to-face, flipping -- inverted learning, higher education, hybrid learning, K-12 related, law schools, pedagogy, teachers, teaching & learning, universities, by Daniel Christian

Learning Ecosystems

Amy Peck (EndeavorVR) on enterprises’ slow adoption of AR & the promise in education

I wish journal articles would leverage some of the ideas from this new, straightforward, efficient science poster template!!! [Christian]

Web-based collaboration: Some resources from BlueScape

Blockchain and AI in learning and in education [de Waard]

Are we there yet? Impactful technologies and the power to influence change [Grush & Wagner]

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