K-12 related

The Flexible Learning Environments eXchange – FLEXspace – is a robust, open access repository populated with examples of learning spaces. It contains high resolution images and related information that describes detailed attributes of these spaces from institutions across the globe. The incentive for participation is to showcase innovative design solutions open to peer review ranking and comments. As more contributions are received, the repository will emerge into a very useful planning resource for education and supporting entities at multiple levels.

From DSC:
You can browse images, video, and documents.

You can get some new ideas, sources of inspiration…and get the creative juices going. The site covers a variety of learning spaces — from large lecture halls to library lounges to active learning spaces.

Introducing first ever experiences for the Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition — from blogs.windows.com by Kudo Tsunoda

Excerpt:

I am super excited about today’s announcement that the Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition is available for pre-order. We set out on a mission to deliver the world’s first untethered holographic computer and it is amazing to finally be at this point in time where developers will be receiving the very first versions so they can start building their own holographic experiences.
…
With HoloLens, we are committed to providing the development community with the best experience possible. In order to help get developers started creating experiences for HoloLens, we’ve provided a number of great resources. First of all, there is a complete set of documentation provided to developers both by the people who have created the platform and by the people who have been building holographic experiences. We want to share all of our holographic knowledge with developers so they can start bringing their holographic dreams to reality as easily as possible. We have also provided a host of tutorial videos to help people along. All of the documentation and videos can be found at dev.windows.com/holographic.

See balefirelabs.com for 5000+ expert, science-based reviews of instructional quality & usability

On 03/05/2016, in cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, education, education technology, instructional design, K-12 related, pedagogy, personalized/customized learning, tools, usability, user experience (UX), vendors, youth, by Daniel Christian

balefirelabs.com — with thanks to Rene Grimes for this resource.

Per Rene:

I’d like to recommend you check out Balefire Labs, an app review service, because they have very solid objective metrics for determining the learning elements within content apps. We know not all edtech is actually educational (talking specifically about instructional apps). Content apps have their place, to be sure; but I have decided to only use adaptive, mastery based apps because these individualize instruction. Not all apps that use the word “adaptive” mean they adapt to learners levels of mastery. Check out their metrics and see what you think. http://www.balefirelabs.com

For example, see:

New Top-Rated Kids’ Learning Apps & Games of March 2016
Every month we look for the best of the best learning apps and games for kids and every month we find some new and very cool apps to recommend. Here are this month’s top eight apps and games we found for your kids…all of these top rated apps earned a letter grade of A or B, according to our research-based review criteria, putting them in the top 12% of the more than 5,000 apps we’ve reviewed. Enjoy!

The tide is turning: High school is coming back [Cronin]

On 02/26/2016, in 21st century, colleges, higher education, K-12 related, parents/guardians, student-related, youth, by Daniel Christian

The tide is turning: High school is coming back — from reallearningct.com by Ann Cronin; with thanks to Mr. Rob Bobeldyk, Assistant Director Teaching & Learning, Calvin Information Technology, for this resource

Excerpt:

The report points out that the college application process itself sends the message to young people that their individual success, rather than concern for others and the common good, is paramount. The report calls for specific changes that will improve the emotional and psychological health of adolescents, increase opportunities for a broader range of students, and contribute to shaping a national culture different from the one we now have. The new application will redefine the roles of AP courses, extracurricular activities, standardized tests, and community service in admission decisions.
…

Turning the Tide doesn’t use the term “party” but endorses that concept. The new application process will state clearly that “a large number of AP or IB courses per year are often not as valuable as sustained achievement in a limited number of areas”. The report recommends that the college application process identify students who are passionate about an area of study, students who find intellectual engagement in that area, not the ones who “game the system” with a long list of AP courses.

According to Turning the Tide, students similarly try to “game the system” with a long list of extra-curricular activities. Admissions officers are dismissive of the “brag lists” of a large number of activities in which they suspect students may have minimal commitment and surface involvement.

…

Thank you, Harvard. Thank you, Yale. Thank you, University of North Carolina. Thank you, M.I.T.. Thank you, Holy Cross. Thank you, Connecticut College. Thank you, Trinity. Thanks to all the other 44 colleges and universities who have endorsed these changes in the college application process.

Don’t rule out tvOS for some powerful learning experiences / new affordances [Christian]

On 02/26/2016, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, adult learning, Apple, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, career development, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, communities of practice, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, convergence, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, digital video, distance education, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, flipping -- inverted learning, global / globalization, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, interactivity, internet, IT in HE, K-12 related, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, lifelong learning, multimedia, online learning, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, programming, second screen apps, training / L&D, universities, usability, user experience (UX), using teams, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, webinars, workplace, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
Don’t rule out tvOS for some powerful learning experiences / new affordances. The convergence of the television, the telephone, and the computer continues…and is now coming into your home. Trainers, faculty members, teachers, developers, and others will want to keep an eye on this space. The opportunities are enormous, especially as second screen-based apps and new forms of human computer interfaces (HCI) unfold.

The following items come to my mind:

Online-based communities of practice. Virtual reality, virtual tutoring. Intelligent systems. Artificial intelligence. Global learning. 24×7, lifelong learning. Career development. Flipping the classroom. Homeschooling. Learning hubs. Online learning. Virtual schools. Webinars on steroids.

With the reach of these powerful technologies (that continue to develop), I would recommend trying to stay informed on what’s happening in the world of tvOS-based apps in the future. Towards that end, below are some items that might help.

Apple releases Apple TV Tech Talks video series for building better tvOS apps — by AppleInsider Staff

Excerpt:

Apple on Wednesday released to developers a series of videos focusing on Apple TV and its tvOS operating system, offering a detailed look at the underlying SDK, resources and best practices associated with coding for the platform.

Also see:

Apple publishes Apple TV Tech Talk videos for developers — from todaysiphone.com

Addendum on 2/26/16:

Apple Adds Multiple New App Categories to tvOS App Store — from macrumors.com by Juli Clover
Excerpt:
[On 2/25/16] Apple updated the tvOS App Store to add several new app categories to make it easier for Apple TV 4 owners to find content on their devices. As outlined by AfterPad, a site that showcases Apple TV apps, the new categories are rolling out to Apple TV users and may not be available to everyone just yet. Some users may only see the new categories under Purchased Apps until the rollout is complete.

5-minute film festival: Resources for filmmaking in the classroom [Borovoy]

On 02/22/2016, in A/V -- audio/visual, attention, collaboration, communications, creativity, design, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital video, education technology, engagement / engaging students, K-12 related, using teams, by Daniel Christian

5-minute film festival: Resources for filmmaking in the classroom — from edutopia.org by Amy Erin Borovoy

Excerpt:

I’ll admit I’m a bit biased here since I’m a filmmaker by trade, but I truly believe the process of planning and making videos can offer tremendous learning opportunities for students of almost any age. Not only is the idea of telling stories with video really engaging for many kids, filmmaking is ripe with opportunities to connect to almost every academic subject area. As the technology to shoot and edit films becomes more ubiquitous, where is a teacher with no experience in video production to begin? I’ve shared some resources below to help you and your students get started on making blockbusters of your own.

From DSC:
Though the jigsaw technique has been around for decades, it came to my mind the other day as we recently built a highly-collaborative, experimental learning space at our college — some would call it an active learning-based classroom. There are 7 large displays throughout the space, with each display being backed up by Crestron-related hardware and software that allows the faculty member to control what’s appearing on each display. For example, the professor can take what is on Group #1’s display and send the content from that display throughout the classroom. Or they can display something from a document camera or something from their own laptop, iPad, or smartphone. Students can plug in their devices (BYOD) and connect to the displays via HDMI cables (Phase I) and wirelessly (Phase II).

I like this type of setup because it allows for students to quickly and efficiently contribute their own content and the results of their own research to a discussion. Groups can present their content throughout the space.

With that in mind, here are some resources re: the jigsaw classroom/technique.

From Wikipedia:

The jigsaw technique is a method of organizing classroom activity that makes students dependent on each other to succeed. It breaks classes into groups and breaks assignments into pieces that the group assembles to complete the (jigsaw) puzzle. It was designed by social psychologist Elliot Aronson to help weaken racial cliques in forcibly integrated schools.

The technique splits classes into mixed groups to work on small problems that the group collates into a final outcome. For example, an in-class assignment is divided into topics. Students are then split into groups with one member assigned to each topic. Working individually, each student learns about his or her topic and presents it to their group. Next, students gather into groups divided by topic. Each member presents again to the topic group. In same-topic groups, students reconcile points of view and synthesize information. They create a final report. Finally, the original groups reconvene and listen to presentations from each member. The final presentations provide all group members with an understanding of their own material, as well as the findings that have emerged from topic-specific group discussion.

From jigsaw.org

“#Trending: VR and AR Classrooms” plus other resources related to VR and AR

On 02/12/2016, in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, attention, Augmented Reality (AR), education technology, educational games / serious games, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, ideas, immersion, innovation, K-12 related, participation, trends, virtual field trips, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, by Daniel Christian

Virtual Reality Learns How to Get Into the Classroom — from wsj.com by Georgia Wells

Excerpt:

Nearpod Inc., a startup that makes education software used in 10,000 schools across the U.S., is launching virtual-reality lessons on [2/11/16]. Here’s their pitch: instead of requiring schools to invest heavily in headsets and other hardware, Nearpod’s approach relies on students using their own devices or district-supplied electronics.
…
Students already use tablets and netbooks in the classroom, to share text, record and watch videos, and conduct research. Virtual reality – the technology that lets people experience immersive, 360-degree images – would take technology in the classroom to the next level. Google parent Alphabet Inc.experimented with virtual reality in the classroom last September, a temporary project using its cardboard viewer.

Virtual-reality proponents argue students engage more with a lesson when it is interactive, such as virtual “field trips” to far places.

#Trending: VR and AR Classrooms — from wareable.com

Excerpt:

When today’s kids grow up, they will no doubt mock our penchant for pocket screens. VR and AR could be the new normal.

In this week’s Trending we’re looking at the wave of new schemes bringing virtual reality and augmented reality into the classroom as a tool for students. Oculus and Jaunt just started working with universities to offer classes on VR filmmaking. Google has been extremely vocal about bringing VR into the classroom, while Microsofts HoloLens has shown off augmented reality demos for college anatomy classes.

The educational benefits of both VR and AR are immense. VR allows students to explore other worlds or relive moments in history through virtual field trips, whereas AR can provide instructions with overlays, maps and more.

Here’s the ideas tearing up tech classrooms as well as who needs to go back to the chalkboard.

Use virtual reality to overcome your fear of public speaking — from 3dvrcentral.com

Excerpt:

Got a presentation coming up? Between keeping your thoughts straight, sticking to the time limit and braving an audience, public speaking gigs can be daunting.

A new Android app for Google Cardboard aims to help you get over your fears by putting you in front of a virtual audience.

Public Speaking for Cardboard lets you choose between two locations — a small conference room and a large auditorium — with animated audience members and ambient noise to simulate the experience of speaking on stage.

Also see:

Oculus Rift’ Release Date, Specs: Rift Ready PC Bundles Available For Pre-Order, Price Ranges From $900 To $2000 — from breathecast.com

6 outstanding augmented reality apps for science teachers — from educatorstechnology.com

Excerpt:

Augmented Reality (AR) technologies are making some huge leaps into the educational landscape transforming the way teaching and learning are taking place. Educators and teachers are increasingly adopting AR technologies in their classrooms. As extensions of the physical world, AR technologies amplify its dimensions and bring life to its static constituents. There are a variety of ways you can use AR in your class. For instance, you can use them to take your students into virtual field trips, visit world museums, animate and enrich textbook content and many more.
…
Today we are sharing with you some interesting AR apps specifically curated for science teachers. These apps can make science learning more fun, engaging and challenging. Enjoy!

7 of the best iPad augmented reality apps for teachers — from educatorstechnology.com

Excerpt:

The use of augmented reality (AR) technology in education is on the raise. Some speculate that the year 2016 will be an AR year par excellence. The basic premise behind augmented reality is the extension of the physical world to include components of the virtual world. The potential of augmented reality in teaching and learning is huge. Our AR section here in EdTech and mLearning features a number of key resources to help you better understand how to include AR technologies in your class. We are also adding this handy collection of what we think are some of the best iPad AR apps to use with your students. Check them out below and as always share with us your feedback. Enjoy!

Jeremy Bailenson Peers Into the Future of Virtual Reality — from wsj.com by
Strivr Labs co-founder says VR has the potential to change the way users feel—and behave

Excerpt:

Virtual reality is getting a lot better at simulating the real world. Just how good is it going to get, and how fast? And what’s the best way to deploy the technology for consumers and businesses alike? The Wall Street Journal’s Geoffrey A. Fowler spoke to Jeremy Bailenson, co-founder of Strivr Labs and director of the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford University. Here are edited excerpts of their discussion.

As a white male, I would be transformed into a woman of color. I would then experience prejudice firsthand, meaning another avatar would walk in the room and would say horrible things to me about my race and about my gender. For about 12 years now, we’ve been running study after study showing that feeling discrimination firsthand while walking a mile in someone else’s shoes is a better way to change attitudes and behavior.

A smorgasboard of resources re: “clickers” / student response systems [Christian]

On 02/08/2016, in adjunct faculty, assessment, attention, communications, education technology, engagement / engaging students, faculty, higher education, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, participation, pedagogy, teachers, teaching & learning, tools, by Daniel Christian

Personal Response Systems and Student Engagement — from er.educause.edu by Stephanie Blackmon

Key Takeaways (the professor used Poll Everywhere)

A professor who wanted a mechanism for students to share their learning experiences, particularly a tool with the potential for anonymized feedback, implemented a mobile personal response system to accomplish that goal.
This article explains how the Poll Everywhere system helped the professor gauge students’ experiences in her course and consequently adjust aspects of the course based on students’ learning needs.
Practical uses for a mobile personal response system in a face-to-face course can spur further ideas for their effective use in synchronous and asynchronous online courses and other online environments.

…
Practical Online-Course Uses
Specific practical uses for a mobile personal response system in synchronous and asynchronous online courses can spur other ideas for their effective use. Some immediately practical uses include:

Poll students at the end of a lesson to assess student learning and adjust the remainder of the class time based on their responses (synchronous courses)
Use polls to quiz students on course material (synchronous and asynchronous courses)
Use polls for early course activities to get to know students and allow them to get to know each other (synchronous and asynchronous courses)
Imbed polls in course presentations to get just-in-time responses from students about course material during the presentation (synchronous courses)

From DSC:
A polling/student response system can be a solid tool in your toolbox, especially if you are teaching in an active learning environment.

Stephanie Blackmon, in the article above, mentioned that she was using Poll Everywhere:

Professor Derek Bruff also uses Poll Everywhere and has some solid thoughts re: clickers out at his website:

In fact, Derek was presenting last year at Vanderbilt University, during a Next Generation Learning Spaces Conference. He effectively used Poll Everywhere’s clickable image question type in the session that I attended:

While not an exhaustive list, below are some other tools to consider in this space:

Turning Technologies

iclicker

Top Hat

Mentimeter.com

Socrative

Via Response

Microsoft Pulse

Survey Monkey

From Campus Technology 2015 Readers’ Choice Awards (09/30/15):

Student Response Systems and Classroom Clickers
Faculty members want to know whether their students are paying attention in class, and student response systems provide a simple way to know whether that’s happening. i>clicker, grabbing first place, introduced REEF Polling in April 2015, a free app for instructors that can be set up in two minutes, according to the company, and can allow dynamic polling sessions with any presentation application without having to import content first. Students subscribe to a paid version of REEF Polling to use with their smart devices to answer questions and show the instructor whether lessons have stuck or not. Runner-up Turning Technologies sells software and response devices for polling in the classroom (TurningPoint) and remote locations (RemotePoll). Third-place finisher Poll Everywhere’s higher ed plan offers an app that’s free for up to 40 responses per poll.

Platinum: i>clicker

Gold: Turning Technologies

Silver: Poll Everywhere

Addendum on 2/9/16:

The i>clicker: A decade later — from dailyillini.com/

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
Nelson said there are many ways of effectively utilizing the i>clicker in classes: to facilitate discussion; to test preexisting knowledge; to ask anonymous questions; or to quiz students on the material taught, where instructors can give points to correct answers or simply to student participation.

Cognii launches virtual learning assistant for the education market [edtechreview.in]

On 02/01/2016, in 21st century, analytics, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, assessment, data related items, education, education technology, India, innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, K-12 related, learner profiles, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, by Daniel Christian

Cognii launches virtual learning assistant for the education market — from edtechreview.in

Excerpt:

BOSTON, MA, January 27, 2016
Cognii, a leading provider of educational assessment technologies, today announces the launch of Virtual Learning Assistant (VLA), a next generation personalized adaptive learning platform for the Education and Training market. Cognii’s VLA uses Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing technologies to engage students in realtime adaptive tutoring conversations and provides instant formative assessment on their constructed response (short essay) answers with guidance towards conceptual mastery. It also provides rich learning analytics to the teachers based on students’ conceptual understanding or difficulties, for better instructional support.

From the Cognii website:

At Cognii, we’re developing leading edge assessment technology to evaluate essay-type answers for online learning platforms. Our exclusive natural language processing technology can also give customized feedback, not just a score, to engage students in an active learning process and improving their knowledge retention. We’re offering Cognii’s solution through an API for all online learning platforms, including LMS (Learning Management System), MOOCs (Massive Online Open Course), and more.

Addendum / a somewhat related posting:

IBM Helping to Build an AI-Powered Academic Adviser — from edtechmagazine.com by by D. Frank Smith
A powerful computing system at University of Michigan would be fed human interactions to enhance its conversational skills.

50 of the best teaching & learning apps for 2016 — from teachthought.com

Excerpt:

What are the best teaching and learning apps for 2016? That’s a good question this post looks to answer.

Every year, we put together a collection of what we believe are the best teaching and learning apps for that year. (Here, for example, is our 2015 version of the list below, where you will notice about half the apps are the same, and half have changed. That’s not bad for progress, is it?

This year, we were asked by the good folks at Easelly (the infographic and visual data platform) to create a collection of resources that while including their apps, would curate a lot of good stuff teachers would benefit from in 2016. Since we were preparing to release our TeachThought Editor’s Choice: 2016 Best Teaching and Learning Apps–and have used Easelly for years ourselves–we combined the two projects to give you something you can use to guide your #edtech integration this year.

6 ed tech tools to try in 2016 — from cultofpedagogy.com by Jennifer Gonzalez

Excerpt:

About a year ago, I published an e-book called the Teacher’s Guide to Tech. Over the last month, I have been updating it for 2016, adding over 30 new tools and refreshing the information I had about the original ones. I have to say, the 2015 version was excellent, but now it’s SO MUCH BETTER. (To take a peek at the guide, scroll to the bottom of this post.)

In the process, I discovered some tools that I absolutely fell in love with, and I wanted to share them with you here. Each of these tools can make your teaching more efficient and effective, and your students’ learning deeper and more engaging.

Let’s take a look.

Visit Shakespeare’s London at FIU’s new virtual reality facility — from cec.fiu.edu

Excerpt:

It’s 1598, and you’re on your way to the Globe Theater to watch one of Shakespeare’s plays. You walk along the dirt roads and the green fields of London and you realize you can see the London Bridge in the distance. A vagabond asks you for a coin, and you find the village houses and the town market bustling with customers. Once you arrive at the theater, you watch the first few minutes of the opening monologue of “Henry V.”

This is a virtual world created by a multidisciplinary team of FIU students – and you can immerse yourself in this time-travel journey starting Jan. 29 when the I-CAVE opens at Modesto A. Maidique Campus.

.

Google brings commenting to sheets and slides on mobile— from techcrunch.com by Frederic Lardinois

Excerpt:

Google announced [on 1/28/16] a couple of updates to the commenting features in its Google Apps productivity suite.

These include the launch of mobile commenting in the iOS and Android apps for Slides and Sheets. Thanks to this, the commenting experience in Google’s apps is now (almost) the same across all of its apps — whether on the web or on mobile. I’m not sure why Google didn’t already offer this before, but better late than never, right?

10 very good tools for student researchers — from educatorstechnology.com

Excerpt:

One of the onerous parts in essay and academic writing is the bibliography section. Managing, organizing and citing references can sometimes be a real challenge especially if you don’t keep track of what and who you cite. The last thing you want after a strenuous writing task is a messy bibliography with one reference missing a page number, the other needs publication date or, worse of all, having to go back to your sources to check for the source of that quotation you included in your conclusion. If you find yourself constantly grappling with problems such as these, the web tools below are absolutely something you might need to consider. These are some of the best applications for organizing, managing, and publishing bibliographies, citations and references. Some of these softwares are integrated with Google Scholar.

Fresco News app brings crowdsourced journalism to Apple TV — from imore.com by Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Excerpt:

Fresco News, an app that crowdsources news footage by allowing citizen journalists to upload and share their photos videos of current events around the globe, has officially launched an Apple TV app. With the app, users can check out first-hand accounts of events around the world on the big screen through their Apple TV.

5 Apple TV fitness apps to get in shape on a budget — from macworld.com by Caitlin McGarry
There are tons of streaming TV apps, but I’m on the hunt for a streaming workout app that won’t cost a fortune.

Excerpt:

The fourth-generation Apple TV now has more than 3,600 tvOS apps, Apple revealed in its first-quarter earnings call Tuesday. Most of those are games or streaming video apps, and there are tons of great options in both categories. When it comes to fitness, which seems to me a natural fit for the TV, the selection is sparse. But still, I was sure at least one Apple TV app would have what I was looking for: a cheap way to stay in shape. But it wasn’t that easy.

Codespark.org

Codemonkey

Best iPhone 6 and 6s tripods for stablizing and mounting — from imore.com by Brent Zaniewski
A dependable tripod can enhance your iPhone photography skills and help you get an otherwise impossible shot.

Livestream unveils new device for affordable multi-camera productions — from bizbash.com by Mitra Sorrells
The tiny Movi camera links with an iOS app for real-time recording, editing, and streaming from events.

Excerpt:

Planners interested in creating multi-camera video productions at their events will soon have a new, inexpensive option. Livestream, the company behind live online events for brands such as Tesla, Salesforce.com, the N.B.A., and more, has created a 2.5-inch device that lets users record and edit in real time between nine virtual high-definition cameras. Movi is available for preorder for delivery in April, currently at a price of $299.

This lens can widen your view into a classroom for only $10 — from blog.edthena.com

How Five EdTech Start-Ups Are Using Big Data To Boost Business Education — from by Seb Murray
MOOC platforms explore analytics with b-school partners

Excerpt:

Education tech companies including Coursera, edX, Udacity and their b-school and university partners are delving deeper into big data analytics to improve teaching and student learning.

Simon Nelson, CEO of online learning company FutureLearn, says: “The potential is incredible — and we are just scratching the surface.”

A report to be published in January by the UK’s Higher Education Commission (HEC) envisages that big data will help identify risk of failure; give students instant feedback; and benchmark their performance against peers.

Addendum on 2/1/16:

Free Audio Sound Effects for E-Learning — from blogs.articulate.com

Addendum on 2/2/16:

The 25 Best Free iPhone Apps For Business — from fastcompany.com by Doug Aamoth
Make meetings actually useful. Brainstorm like a champ. Take the boredom out of busywork. And much more.
.
Apps that will revolutionize how you work from home — from chicagotribune.com by Sheila Marikar

[Re: micro-learning] Could this same concept be used inside of schools, colleges, U’s, and/or businesses? Instant Communities of Practice. [Christian]

On 01/25/2016, in business, collaboration, communications, communities of practice, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, higher education, ideas, K-12 related, microlearning, Personal Learning Networks (PLNs), platforms, social learning / networks, tools, training / L&D, vendors, workplace, by Daniel Christian

From their website:

For Events & Conferences
Much more than a conference app, E-180 works with your team to transform your event into a peer-learning community, using both our matchmaking technology and the onsite presence of our professional matchmakers. Nothing is left to chance, ensuring that your attendees meet and share knowledge with the right people.

Blogging in the classroom: How to get started [Banner]

On 01/20/2016, in blogs / blogging / vlogging, collaboration, communications, digital learning, education technology, ideas, K-12 related, pedagogy, student-related, teachers, by Daniel Christian

Blogging in the classroom: How to get started — from onblastblog.com by Matt Banner

Excerpt:

Here’s what we’ll discuss today:

Ways to bring blogging into your classroom and daily lesson plans
The litany of benefits blogging brings to education
Deciding the purpose and goals of your blog
Setting up your classroom’s blog
Easy ways to promote and grow your classroom blog

…
Blogging about a subject turns novices into experts.
There’s no other choice. When you write thousands upon thousands of words about something, doing research all the while, you become an expert in that subject. It’s unavoidable, and possibly the best way to learn in my opinion. Instead of having the information fed to them, students are taking it and putting it down on paper in their own words.

They live the information instead of simply seeing it. This is huge in terms of learning something for the long-term. Hands-on experience will always leave more of a lasting impression than something that is simply boiled down to a few questions on a test.

Michelle Lampinen, a high school English teacher in New Jersey wrote a great article on this here.

Also see:
How blogging is being used in the classroom today: Research results — from emergingtech.com by Mike Wallagher

Excerpt:

The 2015 survey has yet to be reported on, but 2014 research findings have something to say about the state of blogging in the classroom today.

Benefits of Blogging in the Classroom
Blogging in the classroom can have numerous benefits depending on how you use your blog. Just some include that:

Instructors can create a blog about class happenings so parents can stay up-to-date and students can access announcements from anywhere
Teachers can use their blogs to store lessons online or provide supplemental learning materials to students
Instructors can use blogs to organize assignments, such as posting them online for absent students or listing due dates so all students have access to the course materials from anywhere
Teachers can post previous students’ work as examples or publish current students’ work so they can show parents and family who live far away
Educators can open the comment sections on blog posts to get feedback from parents and the community as well as to create discussion between students
Student blogs teach children about writing techniques, online publishing, and proper Internet etiquette, which most students will use in future careers

How Blogs Are Being Used
“Blogging in the classroom” may bring up this idea that there’s one way to present blogging to your students, but there are a myriad of ways educators can use blogs. Just some options include:

Personal blogs for teachers
Student blogs
ePortfolios
Platforms for assignments, homework, and announcements
Classroom blogs for collaboration and discussion

From DSC:
Whether your school, university, or college has a web hosting service or whether you need to go out and find a web hosting service yourself — or use a free service/solution — blogging is a great way to create streams of content and to “think out loud.” It offers benefits for students, teachers, professors, staff, and administrators.

Report from Davos: 5 million jobs to be lost by 2020 because of tech advances — from siliconbeat.com by Levi Sumagaysay

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

A new report predicts a loss of 5 million jobs in the next five years because of technological advances, but don’t blame it all on the robots.

The other culprits: artificial intelligence, 3-D printers and advances in genetics, biotech and more.

The World Economic Forum, which is holding its annual meeting in Davos this week, in its report details the effects of modern technology on the labor market, for better or for worse. It says “the fourth industrial revolution” will be “more comprehensive and all-encompassing than anything we have ever seen.”

The report actually estimates a loss of 7 million jobs in 15 economies that today have 1.86 billion workers, or about 65 percent of the world’s workforce, but it also expects 2 million new jobs to be created.

From DSC:
If this turns out to be true, how should this affect our curricula? What should we be emphasizing and seeking to build within our students?

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