It’s so important the reason we teach! It’s not just about filling their heads for the test! pic.twitter.com/kaPhWwjHET
— carl jarvis (@carljarvis_eos) November 22, 2015
On 11/18/2015,
in active learning, collaboration, experimentation, higher education, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, learning spaces, maker movement,
by Daniel Christian
How to create a makerspace — from campustechnology.com by Leila Meyer
“Making” experts share the basics of building spaces for collaboration, innovation and hands-on learning
Excerpt:
Makerspaces, where students, faculty and staff from diverse fields can come together to create, learn and work, are popping up on college and university campuses across the country. Here’s how to build a “maker” facility to support multi-disciplinary collaboration, hands-on learning and experimentation at your institution.
For K-12, also see:
- The work of Laura Fleming — including her book, Worlds of Making: Best Practices for Establishing a Makerspace for Your School
On 11/12/2015,
in blended learning, competency-based learning/education, hybrid learning, innovation, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, learning spaces, smart classrooms,
by Daniel Christian
66 secondary schools worth visiting — from gettingsmart.com by Getting Smart Staff; with thanks to WWSU Curriculum’s “ED Scoop” postings
Excerpt:
School visits are a great way to learn and are key to developing an innovation mindset. Based on a couple thousand school visits and with help from colleagues and readers, we’ve compiled a list of 66 U.S. secondary schools worth visits. The list includes schools that achieve extraordinary results for underserved communities, create powerful learning experiences, and/or are innovative blended and competency-based models.
On 11/06/2015,
in accessibility / UDL, health, ideas, K-12 related, neurodivergent/special needs, psychology, robotics, telecommunications, telepresence, vendors, videoconferencing,
by Daniel Christian
Telepresence robots to beam psychologists into schools — from zdnet.com by Greg Nichols
Researchers in Utah are experimenting with robots to solve a pressing problem: There aren’t enough pediatric psychologists to go around.
Excerpt:
Researchers in Utah are using an inexpensive robotic platform to help teachers in rural areas implement programs for children with special needs.
It’s another example of the early adoption of telepresence robots by educators and service providers, which I’ve written about here before. While offices are coming around to telepresence solutions for remote workers, teachers and school administrators seem to be readily embracing the technology, which they see as a way to maximize limited resources while bringing needed services to students.
On 11/03/2015,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, active learning, adult learning, analytics, Apple, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, communications, communities of practice, community colleges, competency-based learning/education, content development, aggregation, repositories, convergence, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, data related items, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, distance education, education, education technology, educational games / serious games, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, global / globalization, heutagogy, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, intelligent systems, interactivity, internet, K-12 related, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, lifelong learning, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, online learning, online tutoring, using teams, vendors, videoconferencing, virtual tutoring, web-based collaboration, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
Introducing Coursera for Apple TV: Bringing Online Learning to Your Living Room — from blog.coursera.org
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
We’re thrilled to announce that Coursera content will now be available on Apple TV.
Since our beginning, one of our primary goals has been to make learning more accessible for everyone. Our mobile platform brought an on-demand learning experience to people’s busy, on-the-go lifestyles, and now, we’re extending availability to your home. Regardless of where in the world you are located, you’ll now be able to learn from top university professors and renowned experts without the expense of travel or tuition.
TV availability isn’t only a first for Coursera—it marks Apple TV’s first ever introduction of online learning to its platform. Everything you can do online at Coursera, you’ll now be able to do from the comfort of your own living room: browse our entire catalogue of courses, peruse new topics, and watch videos from some of the top academic and industry experts.
From DSC:
Coursera takes us one step closed to a very powerful learning platform — one that in the future will provide a great deal of intelligence behind the scenes. It’s likely that we will be using personalized, adaptable, digital learning playlists while enjoying some serious levels of interactivity…while also making use of web-based learner profiles (the data from which will either be hosted at places like LinkedIn.com or will be fed into employers’ and universities’ competency-based databases). The application development for tvOS should pick up greatly, especially if the collaboration capabilities are there.
For example, can you imagine marrying the functionalities that Bluescape provides with the reach, flexibility, convenience, and affordances that are unfolding with the new Apple TV?
Truly, some mind-blowing possibilities are developing. In the not too distant future, lifelong learning won’t ever be the same again (not to mention project-related work).
This is why I’m big on the development and use of
team of specialists — as an organization may have
a harder time competing in the future without one.
![The Living [Class] Room -- by Daniel Christian -- July 2012 -- a second device used in conjunction with a Smart/Connected TV](http://danielschristian.com/learning-ecosystems/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/The-Living-Class-Room-Daniel-S-Christian-July-2012.jpg)
On 10/30/2015,
in blended learning, business, change, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, education, education technology, elearning, engagement / engaging students, expectations, Google, higher education, hybrid learning, ideas, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, lifelong learning, student-related, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
Next Generation K-12: 10 Implications for HigherEd — from gettingsmart.com by Tom Vander Ark and Guest Author
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
There are a growing number of next generation models in K-12 as a result of new thinking about learning design and deeper understandings of college and career readiness, enabled by cheap devices, better tools, and foundation support. They personalize learning in blended and competency-based environments. These models revolve around students and learning, rather than teachers and direct instruction as the primary pedagogy.
We’ve chronicled the development of next-gen schools (here and here) and see hundreds of districts and networks adopting next-gen strategies. We’re optimistic that broader adoption of these strategies will produce better student outcomes. Following are 10 examples of next-gen learning in K-12.
…
These examples are not single course innovations, they are engineered solutions. The first half are districts or networks; the other half are schoolwide models. There are hundreds of examples and they have big implications for HigherEd.
We see 10 implications for HigherEd; some directly as a result of next-gen models, some resulting from next-gen policies, some from EdTech and consumer variables impacting both K-12 and HigherEd.
From DSC:
I post this valuable item from Tom Vander Ark because I’m constantly shouting “Heads up!” “Heads-up!” I shout it to those of us working within higher education, and I shout it to those working within the corporate world.
Why?
Because those of us working within higher education operate in a continuum — and so do you working within the corporate world (especially those of you working within corporate training and corporate universities, as well as those of you producing elearning-based materials).
What happens in the prior stages of a student’s/employee’s life directly impacts us/you. Expectations are at play here; which impacts engagement; which impacts learning.
Why there isn’t greater collaboration between these spheres is troublesome to me. So I want to lift up those people — like Tom Vander Ark — who are trying to do something about it.
————
Addendum on 11/5/15 that nicely illustrates my point:
2 things you should know about Google ed evangelist’s vision [Educause 2015] — from educationdive.com by Roger Riddell
Jaime Casap says schools aren’t broken, but they do need to adapt
Excerpt:
While that topic was certainly touched on during Casap’s keynote at Educause, the issue at hand on Thursday was a much more generational one. The discussion was, after all, titled “The Digitally Native Generation Z Is Going to College: Are You Ready?”
“There’s a generation of students coming to college that are a little bit different from the ones that they’re used to, and they’re learning in a different way,” Casap said, adding that a lot of the innovation in education is occurring in K-12 and will likely have some impact on higher ed.
On 10/22/2015,
in 21st century, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, adult learning, Apple, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Bring your own device (BYOD), change, collaboration, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, convergence, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, cost of getting a degree, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, disruption, distance education, e-books, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, entrepreneurship, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, global / globalization, heutagogy, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), hybrid learning, ideas, informal learning, innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, internet, journalism, K-12 related, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, more voice more choice more control, multi-touch, multimedia, online learning, online media, online tutoring, participation, passions, personalized/customized learning, platforms, play, second screen apps, simulations, social learning / networks, story, storytelling, streams of content, student-related, tablets, technologies for your home, telecommunications, telepresence, television, training / L&D, transmedia, trends, TVs, user experience (UX), videoconferencing, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, webinars,
by Daniel Christian
Apple puts out call for Apple TV apps — from bizjournals.com by Gina Hall
Excerpt:
The company put out the call for app submissions on Wednesday for tvOS. The Apple TV App Store will debut as Apple TV units are shipped out next week.
…
The main attraction of Apple TV is a remote with a glass touch surface and a Siri button that allows users to search by voice. Apple tvOS is capable of running apps ranging from Airbnb to Zillow and games like Crossy Road. Another major perk of Apple TV will be universal search, which allows users to scan for movies and television shows and see results from multiple sources, instead of having to conduct the same search within multiple apps.
Apple CEO Tim Cook hopes the device will simplify how viewers consume content.
From DSC:
The days of developing for a “TV”-based OS are now upon us: tvOS is here. I put “TV” in quotes because what we know of the television in the year 2015 may look entirely different 5-10 years from now.
Once developed, things like lifelong learning, web-based learner profiles, badges and/or certifications, communities of practice, learning hubs, smart classrooms, virtual tutoring, virtual field trips, AI-based digital learning playlists, and more will never be the same again.
Also see:
- tvOS for Developers – Apple Developer
- An Introduction to tvOS Development — from code.tutsplus.com by
Addendum on 10/26/15:
The article below discusses one piece of the bundle of technologies that I’m trying to get at via my Learning from the Living [Class] Room Vision:
- No More Pencils, No More Books — from by Will Oremus
Artificially intelligent software is replacing the textbook—and reshaping American education.
Excerpt:
ALEKS starts everyone at the same point. But from the moment students begin to answer the practice questions that it automatically generates for them, ALEKS’ machine-learning algorithms are analyzing their responses to figure out which concepts they understand and which they don’t. A few wrong answers to a given type of question, and the program may prompt them to read some background materials, watch a short video lecture, or view some hints on what they might be doing wrong. But if they’re breezing through a set of questions on, say, linear inequalities, it may whisk them on to polynomials and factoring. Master that, and ALEKS will ask if they’re ready to take a test. Pass, and they’re on to exponents—unless they’d prefer to take a detour into a different topic, like data analysis and probability. So long as they’ve mastered the prerequisites, which topic comes next is up to them.
On 10/16/2015,
in corporate / business world, higher education, history, instructional design, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, more voice more choice more control, pedagogy, personalized/customized learning, UK, United States,
by Daniel Christian
UDL: A Systematic Approach to Supporting Diverse Learners — from facultyfocus.com by
Excerpt:
However, simply recognizing learner diversity is one thing; navigating this challenge in the classroom is quite another. How can we possibly hope to present content, structure learning experiences, and devise assessments that will be appropriate and effective for students with different learning strengths and challenges? Fortunately, researchers have developed a framework based in neuroscience that can help.
Universal Design for Learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) offers a functional framework to understand and address this variability in our courses. The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) outlines three principles that when systematically applied in the classroom help support diverse learners.
multiple means of representing content.
multiple means of action and expression.
multiple means of engagement in learning.
7 Golden Rules Of Learning — from theelearningcoach.com by Connie Malamed
A List to Help Subject Matter Experts with Instructional Design
Socratic Questions In eLearning — from elearningindustry.com
Excerpt:
6 Types of Socratic Questions
Clarification.
Probing assumptions.
Probing reasons and evidence.
Analyzing perspectives.
Probing consequences.
Questioning the question.
5 Tips To Use Socratic Questions in eLearning
…
Understanding Dyslexia and the Reading Brain in Kids — from ww2.kqed.org / MindShift by Holly Korbey
Excerpt:
At a recent talk for special education teachers at the Los Angeles Unified School District, child development professor Maryanne Wolf urged educators to say the word dyslexia out loud.
“Don’t ever succumb to the idea that it’s going to develop out of something, or that it’s a disease,” she recalled telling teachers. “Dyslexia is a different brain organization that needs different teaching methods. It is never the fault of the child, but rather the responsibility of us who teach to find methods that work for that child.”
Wolf, who has a dyslexic son, is on a mission to spread the idea of “cerebrodiversity,” the idea that our brains are not uniform and we each learn differently. Yet when it comes to school, students with different brains can often have lives filled with frustration and anguish as they, and everyone around them, struggle to figure out what is wrong with them.
6 Strategies to Truly Personalize PBL — from edutopia.org by Andrew Miller
Excerpt:
Teachers have always had students pursue their own research projects on their own questions. Students around the globe are engaged in genius hour activities about their passions and are given voice and choice in how they show their learning. These are just some aspects of personalized PBL, and we can improve the model further still when we adopt more tenets of personalization into the already-existing PBL framework. In addition, many teachers are claiming that they’re personalizing learning for students when in fact they are not. However, PBL and personalized learning make an excellent match that creates engagement for students through authentic, personal work on content and skills that they want and need. Here are six strategies that you can try.
Teaching History with 100 Objects — from teachinghistory100.org
One hundred objects from museums across the UK with resources, information and teaching ideas to inspire your students’ interest in history.
On 10/15/2015,
in creativity, education, engagement / engaging students, engineering, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, maker movement, student-related,
by Daniel Christian
Putting Away the Books to Learn — from medium.com by Jackie Ashton; with thanks to Angela Maiers for this resource
The “maker” movement has swept across schools in California and beyond. Can it fundamentally change K-12 education?
Excerpt:
The room, which more closely resembles a fabrication studio than middle school classroom, boasts tools like a drill press, torch, welder, laser cutter, forge, and 3D-printer. Books with titles like Fabrication: Essays on Making Things & Making Meaning and The Geometry of Sheet Metal Work rest on a shelf. Safety goggles and a collection of posters around the room remind students to “respect” the tools and keep in mind “what they can do to you if not used with thought and care.”
East Bay School for Boys (EBSB) is one of many schools across the country?—?and in the Bay Area in particular?—?that sees great value in offering its students DIY (do-it-yourself) learning experiences, as opposed to traditional learning via rote memorization or teacher-led lesson plans. It’s part of the “maker” movement?—?that is, the trend of encouraging people to build new devices from scratch?—?which has exploded in recent years, from elementary school classrooms to Silicon Valley board rooms.
In the education world, public, private, and charter schools alike are empowering kids to roll up their sleeves and jump on the experiential bandwagon. Teachers encourage students to tinker with materials like e-textiles, conductive thread, 3D printed objects, and Makey Makey, a simple invention kit that anyone can use.
Also see:
- The work of Laura Fleming — including her book, Worlds of Making: Best Practices for Establishing a Makerspace for Your School
- as well as some slides from a recent presentation by Laura:
- Maker Month: A series about the merits and challenges of project-based learning — also from medium.com
- Five Key Principles to Makerspace Success — by Trevor Shaw, Director of Technology, Dwight-Englewood School
- An Ecosystem of Making for Student Engineers — from makerbot.com
- A Librarian’s Guide to Makerspaces: 16 Resources — from oedb.org
On 09/29/2015,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, active learning, adult learning, analytics, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, blended learning, Bring your own device (BYOD), cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, communications, communities of practice, convergence, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, disruption, distance education, e-books, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), education, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, flipping -- inverted learning, future, global / globalization, heutagogy, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), hybrid learning, ideas, informal learning, innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, internet, K-12 related, languages and translation, learner profiles, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, library / librarians, lifelong learning, media/film, mirroring and/or multiple devices, mobile learning, mobile technologies, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, new media literacies, online learning, online media, online tutoring, participation, personalized/customized learning, platforms, play, podcasting, reinvent, smart classrooms, social learning / networks, staying relevant, storytelling, streams of content, student-related, technologies for your home, telecommunications, telepresence, television, training / L&D, transmedia, TVs, ubiquitous learning, videoconferencing, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Imagine what learning could look like w/ the same concepts found in the Skreens kickstarter campaign? Where you can use your mobile device to direct what you are seeing and interacting with on the larger screen? Hmmm… very interesting indeed! With applications not only in the home (and on the road), but also in the active classroom, the boardroom, and the training room.
See
Skreens.com
&
Learning from the Living [Class] Room
From DSC:
Some of the phrases and concepts that come to my mind:
- tvOS-based apps
- Virtual field trips while chatting or videoconferencing with fellow learners about that experience
- Virtual tutoring
- Global learning for K-12, higher ed, the corporate world
- Web-based collaborations and communications
- Ubiquitous learning
- Transmedia
- Analytics / data mining / web-based learner profiles
- Communities of practice
- Lifelong learning
- 24×7 access
- Reinvent
- Staying relevant
- More choice. More control.
- Participation.
- MOOCs — or what they will continue to morph into
- Second screens
- Mobile learning — and the ability to quickly tie into your learning networks
- Ability to contact teachers, professors, trainers, specialists, librarians, tutors and more
- Language translation
- Informal and formal learning, blended learning, active learning, self-directed learning
- The continued convergence of the telephone, the television, and the computer
- Cloud-based apps for learning
- Flipping the classroom
- Homeschooling
- Streams of content
- …and more!
Addendum:
Check out this picture from Meet the winners of #RobotLaunch2015
Packed house at WilmerHale for the Robot Launch 2015 judging – although 2/3rds of the participants were attending and pitching remotely via video and web conferencing.
On 09/23/2015,
in attention, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, future, higher education, history, human-computer interaction (HCI), immersion, innovation, interactivity, K-12 related, technologies for your home, virtual field trips, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning,
by Daniel Christian
Discovr Labs brings Virtual Reality to the classroom, lets teachers see what students see — from techcrunch.com by Greg Kumparak
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
As consumers, we tend to focus on how virtual reality will work in our homes — the new types of games it allows, the insane 360-degree cinematic experiences, etc. Some of VR’s greatest potential, though, lays not at home, but in the classroom.
…
Discovr Labs has built an interface and technology to help teachers use VR as a teaching tool. After the student straps on their headset, Discovr allows the teacher to select which module the student is interacting with, and to see exactly what the student sees; everything from the headset is beamed, wirelessly, to an all-seeing interface.
For now, Discovr is focusing on a local experience, with all of the students being in the same room as the teacher. Moving forward, they envision remote experiences where students and their teachers can come together in VR experiences regardless of their physical location.
Also see:
We’re talking about virtual reality as the new reality at #TCDisrupt pic.twitter.com/hGnhTgDB0i
— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) September 21, 2015
A somewhat related addendum on 9/24/15:
Virtual Zeno Robot – The Future of Augmented Reality in Education — from virtual-strategy.com
Excerpt:
Digital Elite developed a new line of low-cost head mounted augmented reality paper viewers specifically for the education market. A number of novel applications in the field of robotics, virtual physics and a unique book for autism is already readily supported by the viewer. More Apps in the pipeline are being developed to support other immersive and virtual experiences.
In a scientific study the new viewers have compared favorably against expensive VR headsets, such as the Samsung/Oculus Gear VR and Zeiss VR One. The viewers were also tested in a number of real-life education scenarios and Apps. One example is a virtual robot teaching physics and geography deployed in an Augmented Reality (AR) application to break down the final frontier between physical robots and their virtual counterparts. Results are being published in conferences in Hong Kong today and Korea later this month.
Addendum on 9/25/15:
- Five emerging trends for innovative tech in education — from jisc.ac.uk by Matt Ramirez
No longer simply future-gazing, technologies like augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) are becoming firmly accepted by the education sector for adding value to learning experiences.