Example snapshots from
Microsoft’s Productivity Future Vision
On 02/16/2015,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, business, collaboration, communications, communities of practice, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, distance education, education technology, elearning, emerging technologies, future, game-changing environment, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), hybrid learning, ideas, innovation, interactivity, internet, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, mirroring and/or multiple devices, mobile learning, multi-touch, multimedia, online learning, online media, participation, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, project-based learning, second screen apps, smart classrooms, smart/connected TV, streams of content, teaching online, technologies for your home, telepresence, television, training / L&D, web-based collaboration, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Check out some of the functionality in these solutions. Then imagine if these solutions were in the size of an entire wall in a classroom or in a corporate L&D facility. Whew!
- Some serious opportunities for collaboration would arise for remote learners –as well as those located in the face-to-face setting
- What new affordances would be present for those teaching in K-12, higher ed, or trainers working within the training/learning and development fields? Conversations/discussions would be recorded — to be picked up at the next session. In the meantime, learners could review the discussions at their own pace.
- What if all of this were possible in your future Smart/Connected TV?
- I’m also talking here about a vendor that could offer solutions that K-12 systems and institutions of higher ed could afford; some of the solutions below have much of what I’m envisioning here, but are out of the price range. Or the product is multitouch and fairly large, but it doesn’t offer the collaborative features of some of the other products here.
Ideum’s touch walls come close to what I’m talking about in this posting. If they could add some functionality for seeing/bringing in/collaborating with remote learners — as found in Mezzanine — then that would be great!
Also see:
Also see bluescape — but these excellent, innovative solutions are out of the price range for most K-12 and higher ed institutions:
On 01/14/2015,
in change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, higher education, innovation, IT in HE, leadership, mobile learning, mobile technologies, pace of change, reinvent, staying relevant, strategy, surviving, teaching & learning,
by Daniel Christian
Top 10 IT Issues, 2015: Inflection Point — from educause.edu by Susan Grajek and the 2014–2015 EDUCAUSE IT Issues Panel
EDUCAUSE presents the top 10 IT issues facing higher education institutions this year. What is new about 2015? Nothing has changed. And everything has changed. Information technology has reached an inflection point. Visit the EDUCAUSE top 10 IT issues web page for additional resources.
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
Change continues to characterize the EDUCAUSE Top 10 IT Issues in 2015. The pace of change seems not to be slowing but, rather, is increasing and is happening on many fronts. There is reason to believe that higher education information technology has reached an inflection point—the point at which the trends that have dominated thought leadership and have motivated early adopters are now cascading into the mainstream. This inflection point is the biggest of three themes of change characterizing the 2015 EDUCAUSE Top 10 IT Issues.. A second dimension of change is the shifting focus of IT leaders and professionals from technical problems to business problems, along with the ensuing interdependence between the IT organization and business units. Underlying all this strategic change, the day-to-day work of the IT organization goes on. But change dominates even the day-to-day, where challenges are in some ways more complex than ever. This “new normal” is the third theme of change.
Andy Grove, Intel’s former CEO, described a strategic inflection point as “that which causes you to make a fundamental change in business strategy.”
On 01/12/2015,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Apple, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, education technology, emerging technologies, game-changing environment, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, interactivity, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, learning spaces, lifelong learning, machine-to-machine communications, mobile learning, Near Field Communication (NFC), smart classrooms, technology (general), UK, user experience (UX), vendors, wearables,
by Daniel Christian
On 01/07/2015,
in 21st century, Apple, art, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, blended learning, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, education technology, human-computer interaction (HCI), hybrid learning, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, interaction design, interactivity, interface design, IT in HE, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, learning spaces, machine-to-machine communications, mobile learning, mobile technologies, Near Field Communication (NFC), personalized/customized learning, productivity / tips and tricks, programming, smart classrooms, tablets, training / L&D, trends, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
We continue to see more articles and innovations that involve the Internet of Things (IoT) or the Internet of Everything (IoE). This trend has made me reflect upon what I think will be a future, required subset of needed expertise within the fields of Instructional Design, User Experience Design, User Interface Design, Product Development, Programming, Human Computer Interaction (HCI), and likely other fields such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality(VR) as well.
And that is, we will need people who can craft learning experiences from the presence of beacons/sensors and that integrate such concepts as found in “If This Then That” (ifttt.com) whereby one is putting the Internet and cloud/mobile-based applications to work for you. Certainly, those involved in retail are already busy working on these types of projects. But those of us involved with learning, human computer interaction (HCI), and interface design need to get involved as well.
For example, this potential scenario of a K-12 field trip might be fodder for such a learning experience.
So for those individuals who are involved with the aforementioned disciplines…we need to pulse check what new affordances are coming from the rollout and further development of the IoT/IoE.
On 01/07/2015,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Daniel S. Christian, education, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, lifelong learning, machine-to-machine communications, mobile learning, mobile technologies, Near Field Communication (NFC), real-world assignments, second screen apps, user experience (UX),
by Daniel Christian
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)
On 12/04/2014,
in cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, creativity, education technology, homeschooling/homeschoolers, interactivity, K-12 related, mathematics, mobile learning, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
Disney will launch its first Imagicademy Learning Apps — from techcrunch.com by Anthony Ha
Disney just unveiled its digital learning initiative Imagicademy, which will launch on December 11
Excerpt:
As outlined at a press event today in New York, it’s a suite of mobile learning apps for kids, along with an app where parents can follow along, give their kids a virtual high five, and see recommended physical activities that complement that in-app lessons.
…
With Imagicademy, on the other hand, there are plans for a suite of 30 similarly branded apps covering math, creative arts, science, language arts, and social skills. The first app to launch will be Mickey’s Magical Math World on iPad, as well as the companion app for parents.
Also see:
From DSC:
When you look at their About Imagicademy page, you’ll notice words like:
- Imagination
- Wonder
- Love of learning
- Curiosity
- Magical
- Discovery
- Creativity
- Dream
- Passion
- Build
- Design
- Create
Those seem like great words for any classroom.
Are their profit motive here? Sure there are. But these types of efforts could be important because they represent team-based approaches as well as some solid collaboration. Disney consulted with a number of education experts to create these games — while bringing their own strengths to the table as well.
On 12/01/2014,
in A/V -- audio/visual, adult learning, communications, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, digital storytelling, education technology, emerging technologies, future, game-changing environment, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, interactivity, internet, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, lifelong learning, media/film, mobile learning, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, online learning, online media, personalized/customized learning, platforms, professional development, second screen apps, smart/connected TV, social learning / networks, streams of content, tablets, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, telepresence, television, training / L&D, transmedia, UK, using teams, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
From their website: (emphasis DSC)
LEARNING NOW tv is a live-streamed internet tv channel bringing you inspirational interviews, debates and round tables, and advice and guidance on real world issues to keep you up-to date in the world of learning and development.
Membership to the channel is FREE. You will be able to interact with us on our social channel during the live stream as well as having a resource of the recorded programmes to refer to throughout the year.
Learning Now tv is run and produced by some of the L&D world’s leading experts who have many years’ experience of reporting the real-world issues for today’s learning and development professionals.
I originally saw this at Clive Sheperd’s posting:
TV very much alive for learning professionals
Also see:
This new service makes me think of some related graphics:
![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)
Addendum on 12/2/14 — from Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie – December 2, 2014 | #857
Idea – Courses in the Air:
There were representatives from airlines, Aviation Authorities and even Panasonic – which makes the interactive movie and TV systems on long distance airplanes. So, I rolled out one of my “aha ideas” that I would love to see invented sometime: Courses in the Air.
What if a passenger could choose to take a mini-course on a 4 to 14 hour flight. It would be a MOOC in the Sky – with video, reading and interactive elements – and someday might even include a real time video chat function as well. The learner could strive to earn a “badge” or roll them up into a certificate or degree program – that they pursued over several years of flights. It would be an intriguing element to add to international travel.
On 11/17/2014,
in collaboration, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, heutagogy, higher education, history, ideas, innovation, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, lifelong learning, mobile learning, more voice more choice more control, new business models, online learning, online media, United States, universities, user experience (UX), using teams,
by Daniel Christian
History Channel bringing online courses to higher ed –from edtechmagazine.com by D. Frank Smith
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
Television and higher education are being married through a new partnership between A&E Network’s History Channel and the University of Oklahoma.
The network has announced a 16-week, paid, online course focusing on U.S. history from 1865 to the present. The accredited course will involve video lectures produced by History Channel staff, quizzes, discussion groups and social interactions. The series is priced at $500 for college students, and $250 for lifelong learners.
Also from their press release (emphasis DSC):
History® Digital partners with the University of Oklahoma to offer the first TV network-branded online course for college credit — from historychannel.ou.edu
New York, NY (October 28, 2014) – A+E Network®’s HISTORY® Channel will partner with the University of Oklahoma to offer the very first TV Network-branded online course for transcripted college credit or for the lifelong learner. HISTORY® Channel’s United States, 1865 to the Present course enrollment will launch on October 28 at History.com/courses and will be taught by award winning teacher, OU professor, and renowned historian Steve Gillon. The announcement was made today by Dan Suratt, EVP, Digital Media, A+E Networks and University of Oklahoma President David L. Boren.
…
The groundbreaking 16-week interactive, immersive course, which will be offered during the Spring Semester, officially begins on January 12, 2015. Utilizing the strengths of both HISTORY® Channel and OU, “United States, 1865 to the Present” has been rigorously designed by an academic team from OU and will be taught by Professor Steve Gillon, the scholar-in-residence at HISTORY®Channel and professor at OU. Combining professionally-produced and engaging video lectures with quizzes, discussion groups and social interactions between student and professor, as well as selectively integrated multimedia assets from HISTORY® Channel, this course has been created to offer a singular and collaborative learning experience to a wide range of students.
From DSC:
Interesting partnership/collaboration effort here…again, this endeavor gets at the idea of using teams of specialists to create and deliver content. Also interesting here are the lower pricing structures and the idea of addressing lifelong learners.
On 11/10/2014,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, change, changing business models, competency-based learning/education, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, education technology, experimentation, higher education, innovation, mobile learning, new business models, personalized/customized learning, real-world assignments, reinvent, staying relevant, strategy, student-related, surviving, United States, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
The University of Texas System makes bold move into competency-based education — from utsystem.edu
Excerpt:
AUSTIN – The University of Texas System will be the first in the nation to launch a personalized, competency-based education program system-wide aimed at learners from high school through post-graduate studies.
What sets the UT System approach apart from other competency-based programs is a focus on offering personalized and adaptive degrees and certificates that are industry-aligned and – via technology developed by the UT System – can systematically improve success, access and completion rates in areas of high employment demand.
“Competency-based programs allow students to advance through courses, certifications and degrees based on their ability to master knowledge and skills rather than time spent in a classroom,” said Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D. “All students are held to clearly defined and rigorous expectations, but each follows a customized path to success that responds and adapts based on individual learning strengths, challenges and goals. And students can earn credit for prior learning and move at their own speed.”
…
To support and power its new competency-based educational pathway, the UT System is working with education technology innovators to create a state-of-the-art, “mobile-first” stack of technologies and services called TEx, which stands for Total Educational Experience.
.
From DSC:
First of all, I noted an interesting — and much needed within higher ed — title/position: The chief innovation officer for the Institute of Transformational Learning.
Let’s break that one down a second.
In 20102, The University of Texas’ Board of Regents had a vision that learning needs to be transformed and they created an institute for it — supplying $50 million to support some key mandates:
- To make a University of Texas-quality education more accessible and affordable.
- To improve student learning outcomes and dramatically increase the number of Texans with a college degree and other advanced educational credentials.
So not only did this board show vision, but also boldness — they put their $$ where they mouth was to support their vision. Innovation was key to this institute, so they created a CIO position, whereby the I stood for Innovation, not Information.
Surely, the level of willingness to experiment in the U of Texas system runs higher than at many other institutions of higher education. So I congratulate them on their culture to be willing to experiment…to adapt…to change. If successful, such programs should help more people obtain the degrees they need to make a living, make a life, make a contribution.*
* A great slogan from Davenport University
Also see:
- Need-to-Know-News: GradSkills Program, Competency-Based Education Gets its Own LMS, & College Rankings — from onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com by Debbie Morrison
Excerpt:
LMS for Competency Based Education
Readers may not be too interested in reading about Learning Management System news; often LMSs are considered a necessary evil to faculty and teachers of education institutions. However, news last week shared by Phil Hill over at e-literate is worthy of attention—the launch of a LMS platform geared to competency based education (CBE) programs. The new LMS launched by Helix has a different approach than traditional LMS providers. It’s not catering to an institution, but to a method of teaching and learning—CBE. Interesting.
Insight: There is, and continues to be an emphasis and support ($$$) for creation of CBE programs by the Department of Education (Fain, 2014). This new LMS approach by Helix is another indicator. I predict that we’ll be hearing a lot more about CBE in the next few months with more institutions offering CBE options for students. Why it’s significant, is because CBE is a radical departure from traditional education; it does not rely upon the credit-hour or ‘seat time’ as its often referred to, but upon mastery of units of instruction.
Several institutions are already basing their model on CBE, College for America, an offshoot of Southern New Hampshire University and Capella University for instance. Purdue University is planning on offering a competency-based degree in the near future. Other universities that incorporate CBE principles—Western Governors University and Kentucky Community and Technical College System for its 2-year degree program.
- Helix: View of a LMS designed for competency-based education, Phil Hill, e-literate
- Competency-Based learning or Personalized Learning, The Department of Education
- Daniels awards prize for competency-based degree to Purdue Polytechnic Institute, Purdue University
- Experimenting with Aid, Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed
On 10/23/2014,
in A/V -- audio/visual, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, education technology, elearning, emerging technologies, future, game-changing environment, human-computer interaction (HCI), learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, media/film, mobile learning, mobile technologies, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, online learning, second screen apps, smart/connected TV, technologies for your home, television, transmedia, trends,
by Daniel Christian
Millennials move TV content beyond the TV set — from statista.com by Felix Richter
Excerpt:
You will find more statistics at Statista
From DSC:
Why post this here?
Because as expectations around where people are going to get their entertainment-related content change, so will new doors open for where they will get their educationally-related content.
.
On 10/16/2014,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, blended learning, communications, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, digital storytelling, education technology, educational games / serious games, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, face-to-face, ideas, innovation, interactivity, internet, IT in HE, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, library / librarians, machine-to-machine communications, mobile learning, mobile technologies, Near Field Communication (NFC), participation, pedagogy, platforms, play, second screen apps, smart classrooms, tablets, teaching & learning, tools, training / L&D, trends, ubiquitous learning, universities, user experience (UX), wearables, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
iBeacons, sensors, & similar machine-to-machine (M2M) communications: Connecting the physical world with the digital world while opening up enormous possibilities for education & training-related applications.
On 10/08/2014,
in 21st century, active learning, Apple, Augmented Reality (AR), Bring your own device (BYOD), convergence, corporate universities / corporate training, creativity, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, digital storytelling, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, intelligent tutoring, interaction design, interactivity, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, machine-to-machine communications, mobile learning, mobile technologies, multimedia, participation, project-based learning, second screen apps, smart classrooms, teaching & learning, technology (general), tools, training / L&D, transmedia, ubiquitous learning, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design, vendors, wearables,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
I’m thinking out loud again…
What if were were to be able to take the “If This Then That (IFTTT)” concept/capabilities and combine it with sensor-based technologies? It seems to me that we’re at the very embryonic stages of some very powerful learning scenarios, scenarios that are packed with learning potential, engagement, intrigue, interactivity, and opportunities for participation.
For example, what would happen if you went to one corner of the room, causing an app on your mobile device to launch and bring up a particular video to review? Then, after the viewing of the video, a brief quiz appears after that to check your understanding of the video’s main points. Then, once you’ve submitted the quiz — and it’s been received by system ABC — this triggers an unexpected learning event for you.
Combining the physical with the digital…
Establishing IFTTT-based learning playlists…
Building learning channels…learning triggers…learning actions…
Setting a schedule of things to do for a set of iBeacons over a period of time (and being able to save that schedule of events for “next time”).
Hmmm…there’s a lot of potential here!
Now throw augmented reality, wearables, and intelligent tutoring into the equation! Whew!
We need to be watching out for how machine-to-machine (M2M) communications can be leveraged in the classrooms and training programs across the globe.
One last thought here…
How are we changing our curricula to prepare students to leverage the power of the Internet of Things (IoT)?
On 09/30/2014,
in Apple, art, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, digital learning, digital storytelling, education technology, Google, interactivity, K-12 related, mobile learning, multi-touch, multimedia, participation, storytelling, user experience (UX),
by Daniel Christian
.
Excerpt:
Alice is presented as a mobile app, but it’s technically a book that can be read on iPads and Android tablets. The story is based on the classic Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and it features beautiful illustrations you can interact with by touching the tablet screen, as well as an engaging narrator reading each page.
“Regular e-books have limitations, and I wanted to create a new level of engagement. I wanted to combine interactive experience along with film ‘feel,’” Paletz said in an interview. “The application is an art book, a conceptual book, and an educational book all in one, so it has something for everyone.”
From DSC: With a shout out to
Laura Devaney who posted this on Twitter.