mobile technologies

Future expertise to be required from those working in ID, UX Design, UI Design, HCI, Product Dev, Programming and more

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, 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.

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)

The future of digital [BI Intelligence]

On 12/09/2014, in 21st century, Apple, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, emerging technologies, future, generational differences, Google, media/film, Microsoft, mobile technologies, trends, TVs, by Daniel Christian

Excerpts:

Some notes:

Google is now bigger than all newspapers, magazines and dwarfs big media
YouTube reaches more 18-34 year olds than any cable network
YouTube is closing in on broadcast-network revenue
TV now has to share attention with digital
TV still massive, digital video still a blip
Basically, Google is swallowing the world…

11 things we just learned about how the Apple Watch works [Miller]

On 11/19/2014, in Apple, mobile technologies, programming, wearables, by Daniel Christian

11 things we just learned about how the Apple Watch works — from theverge.com by Ross Miller

Excerpt:

As of [11/18/14] , developers can now make apps for Apple Watch. Well, they’re not separate apps so much as they are extensions of pre-existing iPhone apps, and there isn’t a lot of flexibility in the WatchKit toolset — but it looks like that’ll change next year.

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.

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

iBeacons, sensors, & similar M2M communications: Connecting the physical world with the digital world

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, 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.

DanielChristian-Combining-Digital-Physical-Worlds-Oct2014

The amazing ways new tech shapes storytelling — from stuff.tv by Stephen Graves

Excerpt:

From the moment some singer-poet livened up his verse performances with a musical instrument, technology has changed entertainment. The printing press, theatrical lighting, the cinema, radio, cinematic sound – they’ve all either impacted on existing storytelling forms, or created whole new ones.

In recent years, the arrival of digital formats and non-linear editing changed TV. Existing TV formats like drama benefited from the same level of technical polish as films; and at the same time, the ability to shoot and edit large amounts of footage quickly and cheaply created a whole new form of storytelling – reality TV.

…

Streaming media’s one thing – but the biggest tech leap in years is, of course, your smartphone. Texting during films may infuriate but whipping your phone out in the cinema may become an integral part of the story: the 2013 film App used a second-screen app to display extra layers of narrative, synced to the film’s soundtrack. There are books that use second-screen apps: last year’s Night Film lets you scan tags in the physical book to unlock extra content, including mocked-up websites and trailers.

Also see:

Niantic Labs’ John Hanke: alternate reality games are the future of storytelling — from stuff.tv by Stephen Graves
The brains behind Google Earth and location-based game Ingress talks augmented reality, wearable tech and ARGs

What if we were to combine “If This Then That” with iBeacons/sensors?

On 10/08/2014, in 21st century, active learning, Apple, Augmented Reality (AR), 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, 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)?

iBeacons in the classroom and on campus

On 09/29/2014, in 21st century, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, K-12 related, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, machine-to-machine communications, mobile learning, mobile technologies, Near Field Communication (NFC), tools, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
The bridging of the physical world with the digital world presents many powerful scenarios for learning. Via the use of iBeacons (or similar devices), one could imagine students going to different places within a learning space and having a variety of relevant items and applications automatically open on their mobile devices.

Examples:

In a chemistry lab, students could go to the supplies area and see a video or a PDF listing of what they need for that day’s experiment — also taking in any warnings of the use of the equipment (hazardous materials, use of fire, etc.); then they could go to the hands-on lab area, and if they’ve struggled to do the experiment for _______ minutes, they could watch the first __ steps (or the experiment in its entirety); finally, the last area would initiate a webpage, video, or blog that summarizes what they should have learned and experienced if the lab was properly done
.
In an art gallery, the iBeacons could initiate a video from the artist on a particular piece, explaining what they were trying to achieve, what materials they used, how long it took them to create/design, and any inspirational messages that they want to relay to budding artists
.
On campus tours, iBeacons could control what takes place on a school’s Virtual Tour app
.

This video by Paul Hamilton captures a bit of what I’m trying to get at w/ the use of iBeacons in the classroom:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S04viOYnSg4&feature=youtu.be&app=desktop

Also see:

Building Applications with iBeacon
http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920033813.do

Other resources to check out:

Getting Started with iBeacon — from apple.com
Introduction to iBeacon
iBeacon for developers — from apple.com
http://www.fosbury.co/beacon-comparison
Beacons at the museum: Pacific Science Center to roll out location-based Mixby app next month — from geekwire.com by Todd Bishop
Aerohive Networks Delivers World’s First iBeacon™ and AltBeacon™ – Enabled Enterprise Wi-Fi Access Points
Building Proximity Applications with iBeacon — from shop.oreilly.com ß does this look like something you all could do/want to do?
http://blog.fosbury.co/the-exciting-impacts-of-ios8-on-ibeacon
iBeacon and Education: Bringing Beacons to the Classroom
storify.com/Jason_Smith/
beekn.net
The blog out at roamable.ca
Creating an iBeacon proximity feature for mLearning — from roamable.ca
The Future of iBeacon: Trends for the Year Ahead – from beekn.net guest post by Stefan Wolpers

iOS 8 now available; some articles describing its features/potential impact

On 09/18/2014, in Apple, machine-to-machine communications, mobile learning, mobile technologies, by Daniel Christian

What’s new in iOS 8? — from apple.com

Review: iOS 8 brings new features and high performance to Apple’s mobile devices — from geekwire.com by Blair Hanley Frank

20 iOS 8 New Features & Tips You Need To Know — from hongkiat.com

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New in iOS 8: Start Text-To-Speech Easily with Speak Screen — from bdmtech.blogspot.com / Assistive Technology Blog

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The exciting impacts of iOS8 on iBeacon — from blog.fosbury.co by Willem Spruijt

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Apple Adds Bundles And Previews To Give App Developers More Way — from techcrunch.com by Darrell Etherington

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Why We’re Excited About iOS 8 and How to Get the Most Out of It — from trueventures.com

Excerpt:

The features that excite me the most in iOS 8 are Metal, Interactive Notifications and App Extensions.

.

Addendum on 9/19/14:

iOS8 Update related items — from list.ly by Lisa Johnson

IBM and Apple form partnership to bring big data & analytics capabilities to your iPhone/iPad

On 07/17/2014, in analytics, Apple, business, computer science, corporate / business world, data related items, IBM, innovation, mobile technologies, programming, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Apple joins with IBM on business software — from nytimes.com by Brian Chen and Steve Lohrjuly

Excerpt:

In a deal that could deepen Apple’s sales to corporations and strengthen IBM’s position in business software, the two companies announced a wide-ranging partnership intended to spread advanced mobile and data analysis technology in the corporate world.

IBM and Apple have been working together on the venture for several months, and they are jointly working on more than 100 business software programs developed exclusively for Apple’s iOS operating system and for use on iPhones and iPads. The applications will be tailored for use in industries including retail, health care, transportation, banking, insurance and telecommunications.

Apple and IBM forge global partnership to transform enterprise mobility — from apple.com

Excerpt:

CUPERTINO, California and ARMONK, New York—July 15, 2014—Apple® and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced an exclusive partnership that teams the market-leading strengths of each company to transform enterprise mobility through a new class of business apps—bringing IBM’s big data and analytics capabilities to iPhone® and iPad®.

The landmark partnership aims to redefine the way work will get done, address key industry mobility challenges and spark true mobile-led business change—grounded in four core capabilities…

The next level of enterprise mobility: where data meets engagement — from IBM.com

Breaking down the Apple – IBM Announcement for our Ecosystem and Developers! — from socialbusinesssandy.com by Sandy Carter

Excerpt:

What did we announce? An exclusive partnership that teams the market-leading strengths of each company to transform enterprise mobility through a new class of business apps—bringing IBM’s big data and analytics capabilities to iPhone® and iPad®.

Apple-IBM: Infographic of announcements! — from socialbusinesssandy.com by Sandy Carter

Why the Apple-IBM deal matters more to banking than you might think — from by JJ Hornblass

Apple teams up with IBM for huge, expansive enterprise push — from techcrunch.com by Darrell Etherington

From DSC:
It would be very interesting times, indeed, if Watson merged with Siri! Here’s a posting to that effect:

When Watson met Siri: Apple’s IBM deal could make Siri a lot smarter — from venturebeat.com by Richard Byrne Reilly & Devindra Hardawar

Excerpt:

One of the long-term results of Apple’s new partnership with IBM — which the two announced yesterday as a joint effort to give both a stronger standing in the mobile enterprise — could be an eventual union between Watson and Siri, a “cognitive” technology expert familiar with both tells VentureBeat.

—————–

Addendums:

Educating the ‘big data’ generation — from by Katherine Noyes
Classes—and even degree programs—focused on data analytics are cropping up all over the U.S. Behind them? Tech’s largest companies.

Report: Cognizant computing will have ‘immense’ impact on mobile computing — from by Joshua Bolkan

Excerpt:

Gartner has unveiled a new report forecasting that cognizant computing, which the company says is the next phase of the personal cloud movement, “will become one of the strongest forces in consumer-focused IT” in the next few years to “have an immense impact across a range of industries, including mobile devices, mobile apps, wearables, networking, services and cloud providers.”

…

With data analytics as its backbone, cognizant computing uses simple rules and data associated with an individual to create services and activities delivered across multiple devices. Examples include alarms, payments, health and fitness monitoring and management and context-specific advertisements.

—————–

Does this phenomenon of how ecosystems will compete in the future also apply to educationally-related products/services?

On 06/25/2014, in Amazon, Apple, business, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, computer science, corporate / business world, Daniel S. Christian, future, game-changing environment, Google, heutagogy, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, lifelong learning, Microsoft, mobile learning, mobile technologies, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, online learning, online media, platforms, programming, second screen apps, strategy, streams of content, student-related, technologies for your home, technology (general), trends, TVs, ubiquitous learning, by Daniel Christian

Mobile Megatrends 2014…uncovering major mobile trends in 2014 — from visionmobile.com

Excerpt:

This report examines five major trends that we expect to shape the future of mobile in the coming years:

Apps: The Tip of the Iceberg
Mobile Ecosystems: Don’t Come Late to the Game
OTT Squared: Messaging Apps are the new Platforms
Handset Business Reboot: Hardware is the new Distribution
The Future of HTML5: Beyond the Browser

From DSC:
In looking at the below excerpted slide from this solid presentation, I have to ask…

“Does this same phenomenon also apply to educationally-related products/services?”

…

Yes, I think it does.

That is, the educationally-related products and services of an organization will compete not by size, but how well the experience roams across screens. Lifelong learners (who are using well-designed learning experiences) will be able to tap into streams of content on multiple devices and never skip a beat. The organizations who provide such solid learning experiences across multiple “channels” should do well in the future. This is due to:

The affordances of cloud-based computing
The increasing power of mobile computing
The convergence of the television, the telephone, and the computer — which is opening up the door for powerful, interactive, multi-directional communications that involve smart/connected televisions
Generation Z’s extensive use of screens*

* From Here Comes Generation Z — bloombergview.com by Leonid Bershidsky

If Y-ers were the perfectly connected generation, Z-ers are overconnected. They multi-task across five screens: TV, phone, laptop, desktop and either a tablet or some handheld gaming device, spending 41 percent of their time outside of school with computers of some kind or another, compared to 22 percent 10 years ago.

Some annnouncements & items from Apple this week

On 06/05/2014, in Apple, computer science, internet, machine-to-machine communications, mobile learning, mobile technologies, platforms, programming, user experience (UX), user interface design, by Daniel Christian

“The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) gives developers an in-depth look at the latest in iOS and OS X. You can learn from and be inspired by more than 100 sessions led by Apple engineers, get help from Apple experts through an extensive set of hands-on labs, and connect with fellow developers from around the world, giving you the opportunity to create your best apps ever. WWDC 2014 takes place June 2 – 6, 2014 at Moscone West in San Francisco, California.”

The 22 most important things Apple announced at WWDC 2014
From QuickType to Continuity, this is Apple’s future

Apple announces iOS 8 at WWDC 2014 — from cnet.com by Nick Statt and Shara Tibken
Apple’s next iteration of its mobile operating system is all about upgrading what’s under the hood.

iOS 8: Way more open to your world — from networkworld.com by John Cox

Swift, Apple’s New Programming Language, Has Been In Development For Nearly Four Years — from techcrunch.com by Kyle Russell

9 new iOS features from Apple’s WWDC that Android already had — from networkworld.com by Steven Max Patterson

8 huge new features in iOS 8 that Apple didn’t talk about today — from theverge.com by Dan Seifert
From Wi-Fi calling to a new keyboard for the blind, sometimes the best things are hidden

Metal, meet Apple TV: Why iOS 8 seems destined for console gaming — from cnet.com byScott Stein
Console-quality games on iOS could be closer than ever, which means a TV-connected device makes even more sense.

Apple’s iOS 8 uses iBeacon tech to bring location-aware app access to lock screen — from appleinsider.com
While not a shiny new feature like HealthKit, Apple baked what appears to be new iBeacon functionality into iOS 8, making the process of proximity-aware app and content pushes passive and more discovery oriented.

Full Transcript of Apple’s WWDC 2014 Keynote: OS X 10.10, iOS 8, and More — macrumors.com

Internet Trends 2014 — Mary Meeker [KPCB]

On 05/29/2014, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, Amazon, analytics, Apple, Asia, business, Canada, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, communications, convergence, corporate / business world, dangers of the status quo, data related items, disruption, emerging technologies, Europe, global, Google, human-computer interaction (HCI), IBM, innovation, interactivity, internet, marketing/social marketing, marketplaces, mobile technologies, more voice more choice more control, pace of change, platforms, social media, society, strategy, streams of content, technologies for your home, technology (general), telecommunications, television, trends, TVs, UK, United States, user experience (UX), vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, workplace, youth, by Daniel Christian

Example slides:

Also see:

Where the Internet of Things could take society by 2025 — from centerdigitaled.com by Tanya Roscorla

Excerpt:

The Pew Research Center Internet Project and Elon University’s Imagining the Internet Center released the report on Wednesday, May 14, as part of an ongoing future of the Internet series inspired by the Web’s 25th anniversary. Eighty-three percent of these experts, which included education leaders, agreed that the Internet of Things would have “widespread and beneficial effects on the everyday lives of the public by 2025.” The remaining 17 percent said it would not, and both camps elaborated on their answers in paragraph form.

Their explanations fall under six major points:

The Internet of Things and wearable computing will take major steps forward in the next 11 years.
Increased data from connected things will cause privacy concerns to come to the forefront and encourage the growth of profiling and targeting people, which will greatly inflame conflicts in various arenas.
Despite advancement in information interfaces, most people won’t be connecting their brains to the network.
Complicated, unintended consequences will arise.
A digital divide could deepen and disenfranchise people who don’t choose to connect to the network.
Relationships will change depending on people’s response to the Internet of Things.

From DSC:
As with most technologies, there will be positives and negatives about the Internet of Things. To me, the technologies are tools — neutral, not value-laden — and it’s how we use them that adds moral, political, legal, ethical, or social perspectives/elements to them. With that said, I’m quite sure that the IoT will have unintended consequences (#4 above). Also, item #5 — “A digital divide could deepen and disenfranchise people who don’t choose to connect to the network” — is especially troublesome to me, along with the topic of privacy concerns as mentioned in #2.

Learning Ecosystems

The future of digital [BI Intelligence]

11 things we just learned about how the Apple Watch works [Miller]

Millennials move TV content beyond the TV set [Richter]

The amazing ways new tech shapes storytelling [Graves]

iOS 8 now available; some articles describing its features/potential impact

Some annnouncements & items from Apple this week

The Internet of Things will thrive by 2025 [Pew Research; Anderson & Rainie]

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