FutureDigitalLearningDede-Adobe-April2015

 

From DSC:
Chris uses ecoMOBILE and ecoMUVE to highlight the powerful partnerships that can exist between tools and teachers — to the benefits of the students, who can enjoy personalized learning that they can interact with.  Pedagogical approaches such as active learning are discussed and methods of implementing active learning are touched upon.

Chris pointed out the National Research Council’s book from 2012 entitled, “Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge & Skills in the 21st Century” as he spoke about the need for all of us to be engaged in lifelong learning (Chris uses the term “life-wide” learning).

Also, as Chris mentioned, we often teach as we were taught…so we need communities that are able to UNlearn as well as to learn.

 

 

ecomobile-april2015

 

Also see:

 

AdobeCreate-YouTubeChannel

 

 

From DSC:
The articles below illustrate the continued convergence of multiple technologies and means of communication. For example, what we consider “TV” is changing rapidly. As this space changes, I’m looking for new opportunities and affordances that would open up exciting new approaches and avenues for educationally-related learning experiences.


 

Hootsuite and Tagboard team up to power social TV workflow — from adweek.com by Kimberlee Morrison

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

More and more TV viewers are engaging with second screen devices while they watch broadcasts. A new partnership between Hootsuite and Tagboard hopes to bridge the gap between television and second screen social experiences.

Tagboard is a social media aggregation and curation platform that allows users to manage incoming social media posts for display, either on television broadcasts, or on screens at live events, and Hootsuite is a social media campaign management program. Their partnership enables integration for mutual users for real-time engagement.

 

 

Capture social content on display and TV with Hootsuite and Tagboard — from blog.hootsuite.com

Excerpt:

Adding social content to live TV broadcasts and sports games is a proven way to capture and keep your audience’s attention.

But the process isn’t that easy. For one, digital teams need to ensure that they review each piece of content (to keep it safe for the big screen), and this can create complicated and slow social media workflows.

To help streamline this process, Hootsuite has integrated with Tagboard, an innovative social media display tool, to provide an easy way to capture social content and incorporate it into on-air broadcasts, live event screens, or on digital platforms.

With the Tagboard app for Hootsuite, your team can put relevant and timely social content on air within seconds—when it matters most to the viewer.

KUSA Weather Touchscreen 2 women anchors.png

 

Introducing the Tagboard App for Hootsuite — from blog.tagboard.com
Social TV is easier than ever with Tagboard’s new app for Hootsuite

 

 

 

 

The Living [Class] Room -- by Daniel Christian -- July 2012 -- a second device used in conjunction with a Smart/Connected TV

 

NHL-VirtualReality-WatchFromAnySeat-3-14-15

Excerpt:

AUSTIN, TX – Virtual reality is featured prominently at South By Southwest Sports this year, from using it to better train athletes with Oculus Rift to how it could transform the fan experience watching basketball, football and hockey at home.

The NHL had its first successful test of a 360-degree virtual reality experience at its Stadium Series game between the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings last month, mounting cameras around the glass that filmed HD images in the round.

 

 

NBA-VirtualReality-WatchFromAnySeat-3-14-15

Excerpt:

When basketball lovers aren’t able to trek to stadiums near and far to follow their favorite teams, it’s possible that watching games on a bar’s widescreen TV from behind bowls of wings is the next best thing. This may no longer be true, however, as a wave of court-side, 3D virtual game experiences is becoming available to superfans with Oculus gear.

Earlier this month, NextVR showed off its new enhanced spectator experiences at the 2015 NBA All-Star Technology Summit with virtual reality (VR) footage of an October 2014 Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers match-up in Rio de Janeiro. The NBA also already announced plans to record VR sessions of the NBA All-Star Game, the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, and the Sprite Slam Dunk event and practice.

 

NEXTVR-March2015

 

 

OculusRift-InSportsSXSW-2015

 

 

 

From DSC:
In the future, will you be able to “pull up a seat” at any lecture — throughout the globe — that you want to?

 

 



 

Alternatively, another experiment might relate to second screening lectures — i.e., listening to the lecture on the main/large screen — in your home or office — and employing social-based learning/networking going on via a mobile device.

Consider this article:

TV-friendly social network Twitter is testing a new Social TV service on iPhones which provides users with content and interaction about only one TV show at a time.

The aim is to give users significantly better engagement with their favourite shows than they presently experience when they follow a live broadcast via a Twitter hashtag.

This radical innovation in Social TV design effectively curates just relevant content (screening out irrelevant tweets that use a show’s hashtag) and presents it in an easy-to-use interface.

If successful, the TV Timeline feature will better position Twitter as it competes with Facebook to partner with the television industry and tap advertising revenue related to TV programming.

 

Cognitoy-ElementalPath-March2015
CognitoyFramed-March2015

 

 

From DSC:
Given the above…what are the ramifications of that in our/your work?

 

 

Also see:

 

 

A related addendum on 3/11/15
Look at the different expectations of the generations found in this article:

 

A related addendum on 3/17/15:

Excerpt:
The overall goal for DragonBot (which, as far as I can tell, is a common platform used for many different projects) is to develop “personalized learning companions” for children. In other words, MIT is finding ways in which robots like DragonBot can effectively help kids learn.

DragonBot isn’t intended to work like that IBM Watson-based dinosaur robot; it’s not a primary source of knowledge, and it’s not actively teaching a whole bunch of new facts to kids who use it. Rather, DragonBot is intended to help with the process of learning itself, encouraging kids to be interactively engaged in whatever they happen to be learning about.

 

 

MicrosoftProductivityVision2015

 

Example snapshots from
Microsoft’s Productivity Future Vision

 

 

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MicrosoftProductivityVision6-2015

 

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MicrosoftProductivityVision4-2015

 

 

 

Resources that private music teachers love — from musicteachershelper.com
305 music teachers shared their favorite music games and apps, method books, where they buy sheet music, and more!

 

 

New ‘Illuminating Piano’ works with iPad or Windows to light the way for aspiring pianists — from geekwire.com

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New-Illuminating-Piano--Feb2015

 

 

Making Music Fun

MakingMusicFun-Feb2015

 

 

A different way to visualize rhythm – from ed.ted.com by John Varney

 

 

Music across the curriculum

Music-Across-Curriculum--2012

 

iPad helps boy with muscle atrophy disease stay in the high school band — from ipadinsight.com by Patrick Jordan

 

 

3 tips to turn students into music theory rockstars —  from musicmattersblog.com by Kristin Jensen

 

 

Engaging learners with music — from hacklearningseries.com by Mark Barnes

 

 

NoteStars – A fun challenge for learning music notes on the piano! —  from musicmattersblog.com

 

 

Addendums:

2/20/15:

  • Kurt Nemes’ Classical Music Almanac — from musicalalmanac.wordpress.com
    ( A love affair with music)
    Beethoven
    Bach
    Ravel
    Mozart
    Rossini
    Brahms
    Debussy
    Stravinsky
    Tchaikovsky
    Rachmaninov

 

2/26/15

 

LouisvilleZepline

 

2/27/15:

 

Internet access as vital as devices to boosting the learning experience — from thejournal.com by Dian Schaffhauser

Excerpt:

The project reported five key findings:

  • Access to a computing device and the Internet resulted in “greater student engagement in learning.” Eighty percent of the students said having the tablet “made learning more fun and interesting”; 72 percent reported they “were more engaged in their lessons.”
  • Sixty percent of students said they did more reading and writing during the school year because of having a tablet. In fact, teachers assigned more reading and writing homework because they knew home Internet access was available. “This resulted in increased reading and writing fluency, which is especially important for English Language Learners,” the report noted.
  • Internet access shot up. Nearly 80 percent of students reported accessing the Internet on a daily basis in fifth grade, up from 4 percent in fourth grade.
  • Students became more independent learners. Almost all said they “used their tablet regularly to look up information on the Internet when they had a question about something.”
  • With professional development, teachers changed their instructional practices. According to the report, this was evident “by the level of integration of the tablets into everyday instruction” and by “the new project based learning orientation within the classes.”

But the greatest difference overall, the researchers stated, occurred because students could access online information anytime, anywhere. That access “transformed the classroom environment by allowing both students and teachers to bring additional resources into the learning process, at just the right moment to have the greatest impact on learning.”

 

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.

 

 

 

 

DanielChristian-Beacons-n-educ-2015

A potential scenario

A teacher takes a group of students on a field trip to their city’s recycling center.

The city has installed sensors/beacons next to their bins. They’ve also made Wi-Fi available (but only during normal hours of operation).

Upon arriving, the city’s beacons sense that mobile devices are in its proximity — including one that’s been pre-registered as a K-12 teacher — and thus take the following steps:

  • A request for permission to display content is received by each mobile device
  • If approved, a video of the city’s mayor is sent to each of the students’ mobile devices, explaining what the city is trying to achieve with their recycling operations
  • This video is followed up with a graphic that relays how many tons of recycling are processed each week/month/year — as well as other relevant information
  • After that, a brief quiz hits the students’ devices, asking them a series of questions about what was hopefully learned from the trip
  • Upon submission of the quiz, the National Audubon Society has arranged with the city to transmit gift certificates worth $5.00 to each device — with an option to accept the certificate or not — and sends an interesting item to the devices from one of their sites

Meanwhile, upon returning to school:

  • Another quiz is sent to each student’s device, using the concept of spaced practice/repetition to again assess whether the learning objectives were reached re: that days’ field trip
  • Once the student clicks on the submit button for the quiz:
    • their score is registered in the system and an answer key appears
    • simultaneously, a notification is sent to the child’s parent/guardian that says that Billy has completed the field trip to XYZ recycling center, and encouraging the parent/guardian to ask Billy some open ended questions (in fact, 2-3 are provided to help with the conversation later on). That email could also let the parents know when the center is open and if they have any special programs going on (like Christmas tree disposal and recycling for Christmas tree lights)

 

 

 

YouTube’s Chief, Hitting a New ‘Play’ Button — from nytimes.com by Jonathan Mahler

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

At one point, the moderator asked Ms. Wojcicki if she thought cable television would still be around in 10 years. She paused for a moment before answering, with a bit of a sly smile, “Maybe.” The crowd laughed, even though just about everyone in the packed auditorium knew she was only half-joking.

If cable TV is gone in a decade, Ms. Wojcicki and the global digital video empire over which she presides will be one of the main causes. YouTube, founded in 2005 as a do-it-yourself platform for video hobbyists — its original motto was “Broadcast Yourself” — now produces more hit programming than any Hollywood studio.

Smosh, a pair of 20-something lip-syncing comedians, have roughly 30 million subscribers to their various YouTube channels. PewDiePie, a 24-year-old Swede who provides humorous commentary while he plays video games, has a following of similar size. The list goes on and on. For the sake of perspective, successful network television shows like “NCIS: New Orleans” or “The Big Bang Theory” average a little more than half that in weekly viewership. The 46-year-old Ms. Wojcicki — who will soon give birth to her fifth child — has quietly become one of the most powerful media executives in the world.

 

The Living [Class] Room -- by Daniel Christian -- July 2012 -- a second device used in conjunction with a Smart/Connected TV

 

 

 

 

 

Also see:

  • Smart TV Alliance serves 58 million TV sets — from broadbandtvnews.com by The Smart TV Alliance development platform is now compatible with one-third of the global smart TV market. App developers who use the Alliance’s common developer portal can reach 58 million smart TVs in a single, integrated process. The brands served include LG Electronics, Panasonic, TP Vision and Toshiba
  • Roku-Connected Televisions And The Future Of The Smart TV Wars — from fastcompany.com by Chris Gayomali
    At CES, Roku announced new partnerships that will cram its platform inside more televisions. Built-in is the new box.
    .
  • Netflix Launches Smart TV Seal of Approval Program — from variety.com by Todd Spangler
    Sony, LG, Sharp, Vizo and makers of Roku TVs are expected to be first certified under ‘Netflix Recommended TV’ program
    Excerpt:
    Netflix — in a smart bid to get its brand affixed onto smart TVs — has announced the “Netflix Recommended TV” certification program under which it will give the thumbs up to Internet-connected television sets that deliver the best possible video-streaming experience for its service.

 

From DSC:
As you can see, BBBBBIIIIIGGGGG players are getting into this game.  And there will be BBBBBIIIIIGGGGG opportunities that open up via what occurs in our living rooms. Such affordances won’t be limited to the future of entertainment only.

 

Excerpt from Lynda Weinman’s 12/29/14 email:

We published over 1,000 courses this year, and I would never be one to pick favorites, but I did personally oversee the creation of two documentaries that share my passion and support for in-person, project-based learning. If you have a moment, learn about an innovative STEAM high-school program that’s teaching engineering to girls and boys in a way that makes it so fun, the students don’t want to go home at night. Then discover what happens when young minds are encouraged to observe and reflect on school subjects—rather than merely listen and regurgitate facts.

————————

In 2002, a school district in Goleta, California, attempted an experiment. They introduced DPEA, the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy, a program designed to teach twenty-first-century skills via project-based learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Once “art” was added to the program (STEAM) they attracted 50% more girls, and got better adoption from parents, mentors, the outside community, and students. The Academy has now been running for over ten years and is recognized as a pioneer in education reform, prizing independent thought and modern skills over standardized testing and book-based lectures. Here the students, teachers, and administrators tell us why it works. Learn about their cutting-edge robotics program, multidisciplinary approach, and the unique collaborations that happen between students, teachers, and parents.

 

Watch the Online Video Course Visual Thinking Strategies
What if teachers taught with questions rather than lectures? What if students were asked to reflect instead of regurgitate? Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) challenges the standard model of teaching by encouraging a reflection-and-response style of learning. Designed by art educator Philip Yenawine and developmental psychologist Abigail Housen, VTS relies on children’s natural ability to observe, using imagery as the starting point for learning. The teacher asks open-ended questions; students reflect and respond. The process has been proven to strengthen critical thinking skills, language development, confidence, and collaboration. Watch VTS at work in three Louisiana schools and find out what alternative teaching methods like these might have in store for America’s classrooms.
 

Transmedia Literacy: Expanding the Media Literacy Frontier — from div46amplifier.com by Pamela Rutledge, PhD, MBA; Director, Media Psychology Research Center Adjunct Faculty, Fielding Graduate University

Excerpt:

Media literacy is an increasingly pressing issue for media psychologists and educators who strive to prepare people of all ages to function well in a media-rich, globally connected world.   The ever-expanding integration of media technologies in our daily lives, from social media platforms to mobile apps, have challenged our understanding of just what it means to be literate in the 21st century (Hobbs & Jensen, 2009).  The emerging trend of transmedia storytelling will continue to push the envelope even farther.  Transmedia storytelling goes beyond the need to segment such skills as search and collaboration.  It demands the ability to recognize, understand, and interact with narrative threads across multiple modalities, not just within them.

Transmedia storytelling is the design and distribution of a story that is coordinated across multiple media channels.  Each channel offers unique content, using the strengths of each medium to its best advantage to build a larger, richer story.  Transmedia storytelling is intentionally designed for participation, drawing the audience in as co-creators to expand and develop the narratives.

Transmedia storytelling may not seem particularly different or profound until you consider that all information is translated into narrative in our meaning-making brains.  We embody the stories we tell.  Stories are how we assign causality, consciously process sensory input and imagery, and create associations so we can commit experience to memory.  Stories are how we make sense of our selves, our lives, and our futures in the world around us (Polkinghorne, 1988).

 

Educators and trainers take note!
Take a moment to check out “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Word Crimes” video.  Then take a moment to reflect about the elements that “Weird Al” and Jarrett Heather used in this piece…what comes to your mind?

 

WierdAls-WordCrimes-2014

 

For me — and regardless what you think of his music here — “Weird Al” and Jarrett have come up with a solid piece of pedagogy here.  In fact, this could be a fun intro piece to several classes out there!

I say this because it’s a clever, fun way to introduce and discuss grammar. It illustrates some examples of the sorts of mistakes we make in our use of language and words, but it does so via the creative use of animation, music, video, social media, text, graphics and more!  Folks (of all ages!) will find themselves learning while they’re having some fun.  This playful use of multimedia gets your attention.  In fact, for me, the elements in this piece provide a recipe for maximum engagement.

 

 

 

4 ways technology can make your music lessons sing — from thejournal.com by David Raths
New tech tools that give students control over their music also inspire them to create and innovate.

Excerpt:

Russell can send students audio recordings that they can play along with as they practice. His students can use a music-writing app such as Notion to make their own practice tracks and compose their own songs. “That is a complete redefinition of what you do with students,” he said. “It was inconceivable before they had these devices.”

Russell said he is also excited about a relatively new app called NotateMe, which allows him to write musical notation and convert it to digital notation. The app also allows you to take a picture of a score and convert it to digital music.

But now with tools such as NoteFlight, second- and third-graders can create wonderful melodic compositions and play them on their recorder,” she said.

Pirzer now uses her Epson BrightLink interactive projector in conjunction with Smart Notebook collaborative learning software and apps such as TonalEnergy Tuner, which lets users understand and improve every aspect of their sound.

 

 

How to find free music for videos — from mccoyproductions.net by Jason McCoy <– Jason’s posting includes 31 Amazing Sites With Free Creative Commons Music

Excerpt:

If you’re embarking on a video project, perhaps an explainer video, podcast, school project or video presentation, using the right production music can be the key to successfully drawing your viewers in; but finding the perfect song can seem a daunting task.

Of course you could commission a track to be composed especially for you, but that can run into tens of thousands of dollars.

Luckily, there are plenty of places available for you to find free music for your video project, but where can you get it from and how do you know if you have the legal right to use it for your project?

 

 

Music Notation on the iPad – NotateMe Rules! — from ipadmusiced.wordpress.com by

Excerpt:

I’ve just got to mention the fact that the NotateMe app combined with the PhotoScore plug-in is an absolutely astounding tool!

THE SCENARIO –
I’ve got a contra-alto clarinet player and I really want her to play lower notes then what is written on the Baritone Sax part.

 

 

Automatic Music Generator Jukedeck Wins Le Web Startup Competition — from techcrunch.com by Mike Butcher

Excerpt:

London-based JukeDeck has received a small seed funding round for its platform which literally composes original music based on a user’s settings, giving video creators, games developers and other users a simple way of sourcing music. This might be based on the actions inside a video or a game, without any human intervention. The idea is that it’s “responsive music software”. It doesn’t use loops, but writes the music note by note, as a composer would.

This means it can, say its makers, create an unlimited amount of unique, copyright-free music, and users can choose the music’s style and what should happen in the music at various points. The first market will be for user-generated videos. The idea here is not to compete with human composers but to produce machine-made music that is listenable and eventually malleable by real musicians.

 

 

 

From DSC:
Then there’s an idea I had about being able to hear whichever parts you want to hear as you practice a piece of music. Don’t have a piano? No problem. You can’t play the piano even if you do have access to one? No problem. Want to hear just the tenor and alto parts?  No problem.  Want to hear just your bass part?  No problem.  Want to hear all parts together?  No problem.  Jump to measure 121?  No problem.  Publishers of music could provide music recorded in parts and let you select which part(s) you want to play and hear.

 

ChoirPracticeByDanielSChristian

 

 

 

Addendum on 12/15/14:

 

Financial planning gets virtual reality — from by Michael Liedtke

 

 

Also see:

This teacher taught his class a powerful lesson about privilege — from buzzfeed.com by Nathan Pyle
With a recycling bin and some scrap paper.

 

He concluded by saying, "The closer you were to the recycling bin, the better your odds. This is what privilege looks like. Did you notice how the only ones who complained about fairness were in the back of the room?"

Nathan W. Pyle / Via buzzfeed.com

From DSC:
This teacher taught an important lesson using materials already in the room; a great idea/approach/illustration here.

Looking at the recent piece entitled, “The Faces of American Debt,” such financial training would be very helpful — for individuals in their financial planning, and for us in higher ed to see the very real implications of the high cost of college. 

 

 
© 2025 | Daniel Christian