productivity / tips and tricks

This might be the best iPhone feature you never knew existed [Aamoth]

On 04/07/2022, in Apple, productivity / tips and tricks, tools, by Daniel Christian

This might be the best iPhone feature you never knew existed — from fastcompany.com by Doug Aamoth
Why doesn’t ‘Back Tap’ have its own ad? Or billboards? It’s amazing! And there are counterparts available for Android, too.

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

Did you know that you could tap the back of your phone to make it quick-launch apps, settings, and shortcuts?

Although I feel mild shame for not knowing such a feature existed until now, I feel even greater joy that it’s part of my life. It’s life-changing, friends. Here’s how it works on an iPhone—and two ways to get something similar on an Android phone.

Excerpt:

While studying I misjudged the depth of my knowledge. I confused familiarity with knowing.

When you passively consume information like reading books or watching courses and things start to make sense we often tell ourselves: “Oh, easy. I understand this. Got it.”

But it’s wrong to think you can access something from your memory if you can recognize it.

These Smart Glasses Want to Replace Your Laptop [Chokkattu]

On 03/28/2022, in IT in HE, productivity / tips and tricks, tools, vendors, wearables, by Daniel Christian

These Smart Glasses Want to Replace Your Laptop — from wired.com by Julian Chokkattu
Nimo is a mini-computer that sits on your head and gives you six virtual screens to work with when you’re away from your desk.

Learners need: More voice. More choice. More control. -- this image was created by Daniel Christian

One District’s Ongoing Hybrid Success — from by Erik Ofgang
Early in the pandemic, Kyle Berger, chief technology officer for Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District, installed cameras in every classroom for hybrid learning. Those cameras continue to be used in innovative ways.

Excerpt:

In the meantime, the cameras continue to be utilized in a variety of ways, including:

For students who are out of school with COVID or for other medical reasons to keep participating in class.
To allow a teacher to quickly record an explanation or lesson so students can access it later. “The way they’re mounted on the ceiling, the teachers started taking that to a different level because you could reach up to the webcam if you wanted to and you could turn it to point down, and now in a sense, it’s a document camera,” Berger says.
To help with the substitute teacher shortage. “We can bridge two classrooms together through our video solutions, and maybe just have an instructional aide in the second classroom,” Berger says.
To allow educators to engage in professional development by watching videos of their own lectures and lessons.

“It’s really allowed us a lot more flexibility to continue to navigate the ever-changing environment and education right now,” Berger says.

From DSC:
I’d probably use the word hyflex here instead of the word hybrid…but you get the point. I would also assert that for the following relevant article as well:

Hybrid classrooms – impressive solutions but are we asking the right questions? — from acreelman.blogspot.com by Alastair Creelman

Google Invites Classroom Users to Join Beta for ‘Practice Sets,’ with Auto-Grading, Instant Student Feedback, and More [Kuykendall]

On 03/18/2022, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, CMS/LMS, digital learning, education technology, emerging technologies, Google, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, mathematics, personalized/customized learning, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, teachers, by Daniel Christian

Google Invites Classroom Users to Join Beta for ‘Practice Sets,’ with Auto-Grading, Instant Student Feedback, and More — from thejournal.com by Kristal Kuykendall

Excerpt:

“With Practice Sets, educators can easily transform their own teaching content into interactive assignments and use the auto-grading tool to cut down on manual grading time,” Kiecza said in his blog post. “Practice Sets also helps teachers figure out which concepts need more instruction time and who could use extra support, giving them quick performance insights to shape future lesson plans.

In an accompanying blog post explaining the Practice Sets features, Google for Education Senior Director Shantanu Sinha said the adaptive learning technology at the root of Practice Sets uses more advanced artificial intelligence than anything seen before in ed tech.

Revisiting Camera Use in Live Remote Teaching: Considerations for Learning and Equity [Turner]

On 03/17/2022, in adjunct faculty, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), colleges, communications, community colleges, digital learning, distance education, education technology, higher education, instructional design, IT in HE, law schools, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, online learning, participation, pedagogy, policy, privacy, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, remote teaching and learning, student-related, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, telepresence, United States, universities, user experience (UX), videoconferencing, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

Revisiting Camera Use in Live Remote Teaching: Considerations for Learning and Equity — from er.educause.edu by Patricia Turner

Excerpts:

Given the need to balance equity concerns with effective teaching practices, the following suggestions might be helpful in articulating an approach to using cameras in live remote teaching sessions. This list is not exhaustive; these suggestions are offered as a starting point from which to begin thinking about this issue.

…
Given what we know from research about interaction, active learning, equity, and inclusion, one possible philosophy is this: if we believe that some students are not using a camera because of privacy issues, because they lack a quiet space in which to learn, or because of inequitable circumstances, we can let our students know that we are available if they need help and that, although we can’t solve all problems, we may be able to help students get the support and resources they need.

Some solid cameras and gear for vlogging

On 03/13/2022, in 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, blogs / blogging / vlogging, content development, aggregation, repositories, IT in HE, K-12 related, multimedia, online media, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, social learning / networks, social media, by Daniel Christian

Best Cameras for Vlogging in 2022 — from futurism.com

Excerpt:

Whether you’re looking for a camera to start your journey to internet stardom, or would just like to improve your video quality, this list of the best cameras for vlogging will not only capture you as you ham it up, but produce some seriously crisp content that you won’t have to patch up in editing.

Also see:

The Best Vlogging Cameras and Gear — updated in May 2021 — from nytimes.com (Wirecutter) by Geoffrey Morrison and Phil RyanU

The best lighting for video conferencing, according to experts [Webex]

On 03/02/2022, in A/V -- audio/visual, adjunct faculty, business, collaboration, colleges, communications, communities of practice, community colleges, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, digital audio, digital video, distance education, education technology, higher education, ideas, instructional design, internet, IT in HE, K-12 related, law schools, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, legislatures / government / legal, library / librarians, multimedia, online learning, online media, online tutoring, platforms, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, telelegal, telemedicine / telehealth / virtual health, telepresence, tools, United States, universities, using teams, vendors, videoconferencing, Virtual courts and law firms, virtual K-12 schools, virtual tutoring, web-based collaboration, webinars, workplace, by Daniel Christian

The best lighting for video conferencing, according to experts— from blog.webex.com

Contents:

What is the best lighting for video conferencing?
Where should the light be for a video call?
What kind of lighting is best for video meetings?
What are the best lighting products for a video conference?
What is the best lighting for video conferencing on-the-go?
Good lighting means good communication:

Telehealth…then telelegal.

On 02/26/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, Access to Justice (A2J), accessibility / UDL, assistive technologies, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), colleges, communications, community colleges, experimentation, future, health, higher education, ideas, IT in HE, K-12 related, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, new business models, participation, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, society, student-related, surviving, technologies for your home, telelegal, telemedicine / telehealth / virtual health, telepresence, tools, trends, United States, universities, user experience (UX), vendors, videoconferencing, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, youth, by Daniel Christian

The doctor is in—the video call — from mckinsey.com

Excerpt:

More patients than ever were willing to try virtual health services after COVID-19 emerged. Last year, the use of telehealth care was 38 times higher than prepandemic levels, as appointments such as follow-ups could easily be delivered remotely. A recent McKinsey survey shows that up to $265 billion in Medicare spending could shift to patients’ homes by 2025, with greater physician participation in the transition from telehealth to at-home care.

From facility to home: How healthcare could shift by 2025 — from mckinsey.com by Oleg Bestsennyy, Michelle Chmielewski, Anne Koffel, and Amit Shah

Also see the other charts via their daily chart feature:

Using Telehealth to Expand Student Access to Care — from techlearning.com by Erik Ofgang
Renee Kotsopoulo, director of health services for the Garland ISD in Texas, helped bring telehealth to her students and believes technology can help keep kids healthy and in school.

Can Teletherapy Companies Ease the Campus Mental-Health Crisis? — from chronicle.com by Kate Hidalgo Bellows

From DSC:
Telehealth has been booming during the pandemic. I think telelegal will ride on the coattails of telehealth.

How I use Minecraft to help kids with autism [Duncan]

On 02/14/2022, in 24x7x365 access, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, active learning, attention, communications, communities of practice, creativity, digital learning, digital storytelling, distance education, education, education reform, education technology, educational games / serious games, Emotion, engagement / engaging students, ethics, hearts -- matters of the heart, homeschooling/homeschoolers, ideas, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, library / librarians, love of learning, Metaverse, Microsoft, morals/values, neurodivergent/special needs, online learning, online media, parents/guardians, participation, passions, platforms, play, productivity / tips and tricks, psychology, remote teaching and learning, social learning / networks, storytelling, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching online, technologies for your home, tools, UK, United States, vendors, web-based collaboration, youth, by Daniel Christian

How I use Minecraft to help kids with autism — from ted.com by Stuart Duncan; with thanks to Dr. Kate Christian for this resource

Description:

The internet can be an ugly place, but you won’t find bullies or trolls on Stuart Duncan’s Minecraft server, AutCraft. Designed for children with autism and their families, AutCraft creates a safe online environment for play and self-expression for kids who sometimes behave a bit differently than their peers (and who might be singled out elsewhere). Learn more about one of the best places on the internet with this heartwarming talk.

Below are two excerpted snapshots from Stuart’s presentation:

5 Tips for Online Tutoring Based on New Research [Ofgang & Kraft]

On 02/14/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, digital learning, distance education, education, experimentation, homeschooling/homeschoolers, instructional design, online learning, online tutoring, pedagogy, productivity / tips and tricks, research, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, by Daniel Christian

5 Tips for Online Tutoring Based on New Research — from techlearning.com by Erik Ofgang
Matthew Kraft, a professor at Brown University, shares some best practices for implementing online tutoring programs based on his recent research.

Excerpt:

While in-person high-dosage tutoring has been shown to improve student learning in multiple studies, the extent that this translates to online tutoring is not as well researched. However, a recent pilot study of online tutoring in which college students volunteered as tutors and were paired with middle school students in Illinois found consistently positive effects of online tutoring on student achievement, though these effects were smaller than had been seen for in-person tutoring.

Perhaps Solomon should get more credit as one of the first wise investment advisors.

On 02/14/2022, in 21st century, budgets, business, Daniel S. Christian, economics, faith, global / globalization, parents/guardians, productivity / tips and tricks, society, by Daniel Christian

Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 and 6 — Invest in Many Ventures; as written by King Solomon

11 Ship your grain across the sea;
after many days you may receive a return.
²Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

…

⁶Sow your seed in the morning,
    and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
    whether this or that,
    or whether both will do equally well.

From DSC:
Perhaps Solomon should get more credit as one of the first wise investment advisors. If he lived today, he would likely support diversification and support the concepts behind using index funds!

Learning Ecosystems

This might be the best iPhone feature you never knew existed [Aamoth]

These Smart Glasses Want to Replace Your Laptop [Chokkattu]

Perhaps Solomon should get more credit as one of the first wise investment advisors.

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