tools - Learning Ecosystems

6 ADA accessibility trends revealed in our mid-year 2022 report [Taylor]

On 07/05/2022, in accessibility / UDL, content development, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), instructional design, K-12 related, law schools, legislatures / government / legal, tools, training / L&D, vendors, workplace, by Daniel Christian

6 ADA accessibility trends revealed in our mid-year 2022 report — from blog.usablenet.com by Jason Taylor

Excerpt:

We just published our mid-year ADA web and App report created by the UsableNet research team reviewing all lawsuits filed in federal courts under the ADA and California state court under Unruh. We review the cases to identify where a digital property, including websites, mobile apps, and video, is the subject of the claim. Our bi-annual reports let UsableNet inform our clients and provide them with the most up-to-date advice for planning their digital accessibility initiatives.

Here is my main take on some key numbers based on what we have seen in 2022 and what’s driving those numbers.

Highlights and key insights from TICE 2022 (Training Industry Conference & Expo) [Tucker]

On 07/03/2022, in blogs / blogging / vlogging, content development, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, education technology, engagement / engaging students, instructional design, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, microlearning, story, storytelling, streams of content, tools, training / L&D, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Highlights and key insights from TICE 2022 (Training Industry Conference & Expo) — from christytuckerlearning.com by Christy Tucker

Excerpt:

[From June 21-23], I attended and presented at TICE 2022 (Training Industry Conference & Expo). This is the first time I have attended any Training Industry event. It was also the first time the conference has been back to in person since the beginning of the pandemic. This is a local conference for me, hosted in Raleigh, NC, about 30 minutes from home. It was great to meet up with several people I had previously only met online.

As with other conferences, I try to review my notes afterwards to pull out a few key insights. This helps me remember what I learned, and helps share the ideas with those who couldn’t attend.

Shannon Tipton shared a worksheet and process for planning “drip-feed learning,” or a scheduled delivery of chunked content to support spaced learning. I liked the idea of treating the drips like a story and keeping people engaged by making them curious about what happens next.

The Metaverse in 2040 [Anderson & Rainie]

On 07/03/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, Augmented Reality (AR), business, collaboration, communications, content aggregration, content development, content repositories, copyright/ownership/NFTs, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, cryptocurrencies, education reform, education technology, educational games / serious games, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, future, game-changing environment, global / globalization, higher education, immersion, innovation, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, Metaverse, Mixed Reality (MR), the downsides of technology, tools, trends, vendors, Virtual courts, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, visualizing information, web-based collaboration, Web3, XR - extended reality, by Daniel Christian

The Metaverse in 2040 — from pewresearch.org by Janna Anderson and Lee Rainie
Hype? Hope? Hell? Maybe all three. Experts are split about the likely evolution of a truly immersive ‘metaverse.’ They expect that augmented- and mixed-reality enhancements will become more useful in people’s daily lives. Many worry that current online problems may be magnified if Web3 development is led by those who built today’s dominant web platforms

The metaverse will, at its core, be a collection of new and extended technologies. It is easy to imagine that both the best and the worst aspects of our online lives will be extended by being able to tap into a more-complete immersive experience, by being inside a digital space instead of looking at one from the outside.

Laurence Lannom, vice president at the Corporation for National Research Initiatives

“Virtual, augmented and mixed reality are the gateway to phenomenal applications in medicine, education, manufacturing, retail, workforce training and more, and it is the gateway to deeply social and immersive interactions – the metaverse.

Elizabeth Hyman, CEO for the XR Association

Only 37% of Lawyers are Satisfied with their Firm’s Technology

On 06/30/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Access to Justice (A2J), law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, technology (general), telelegal, tools, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Only 37% of Lawyers are Satisfied with their Firm’s Technology — from artificiallawyer.com

Excerpt:

A new survey has found that only 36.7% of lawyers are satisfied with the tech tools on offer at their firms, and with only 37.1% saying that they had used a new product at their law firm in the last six months. So, they’re not too happy with what they’ve got, while most firms are not bringing in anything much that is new either.

…
Mat Rotenberg, CEO of Dashboard Legal, the company that conducted the survey, told Artificial Lawyer that a key factor here is the retention of talent, i.e. that underinvesting in tech that removed drudgery would inevitably contribute to lawyer attrition.

‘This survey raises the question of whether firms are doing what they can to retain top talent. It appears that partners are not asking associates what they want to make their lives better.’

He noted that the survey data also showed that although lawyers were not that pleased with what was on offer, they did indeed value tech solutions and believed they could help.

The state of teaching and learning in K12 — from Instructure

What began as an unplanned shift to remote learning two years ago has grown into a movement—a transformation, really—that has given way to a more measured approach to intentionally designed digital learning. The adoption of new educational technologies and instructional strategies has evolved teaching and learning as we know it at an unprecedented pace.

AI Plus VR at Purdue University Global — from er.educause.edu by Abbey Elliott, Michele McMahon, Jerrica Sheridan, and Gregory Dobbin
Adding artificial intelligence to virtual reality provides nursing students with realistic, immersive learning experiences that prepare them to treat patients from diverse backgrounds.

Excerpt:

Adding artificial intelligence (AI) to immersive VR simulations can deepen the learning by enabling patient interactions that reflect a variety of patient demographics and circumstances, adjusting patient responses based on students’ questions and actions. In this way, the immersive learning activities become richer, with the goal of providing unique experiences that can help students make a successful transition from student to provider in the workforce. The use of AI and immersive learning techniques augments learning experiences and reinforces concepts presented in both didactic and clinical courses and coursework. The urgency of the pandemic prompted the development of a vision of such learning that would be sustainable beyond the pandemic as a tool for education on a relevant and scalable platform.

Speaking of emerging technologies and education/learning, also see:

3 Ways AI Can Help Students with Disabilities — from er.educause.edu
Artificial intelligence can improve accessibility and ensure that students with disabilities have access to rich learning opportunities.
Nvidia’s new AI magic turns 2D photos into 3D graphics — from thenextweb.com by
The technique targets video game designs

Best virtual tours in Ireland — from bestinireland.com; with thanks to Mary Pauline Maido for this resource

Is VR Really Mainstream? What Learning Leaders Need to Know — from learningsolutionsmag.com
Eduverse Debuts as Education-Themed Metaverse Experience for K–12 — from thejournal.com

Adobe—yes, Adobe—has one of the best free video-makers out there [Caplan]

On 06/29/2022, in A/V -- audio/visual, Adobe, digital storytelling, digital video, online learning, platforms, presentations, story, storytelling, tools, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Adobe—yes, Adobe—has one of the best free video-makers out there — from by Jeremy Caplan
Spark Video is best for beginners or those looking for something quick and easy.

Excerpt:

Adobe’s professional software has long struck me as unnecessarily clunky and complex. Adobe Premiere, Illustrator, Photoshop and other such apps are powerful, but daunting for beginners to learn.

So I was surprised to discover that Adobe Spark Video is one of the best free apps for making a quick slideshow-style video.

For current college students interested in film, TV, and/or gaming

On 06/29/2022, in 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, architecture, art, career development, communities of practice, content development, creativity, digital audio, digital storytelling, digital video, drama/theater, educational games / serious games, media/film, tools, vendors, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
For those of you college students who are trying to determine what you enjoy doing, I wanted to pass some items along that may be helpful if you are interested in game development, film, and/or TV-related production.

Some friends recommended knowing how to use the following tools, but I realize one could dive very deep with these tools:

Unreal Engine
Unity (games, automotive, architecture, film)
DaVinci Resolve

Excerpt from Unity.com
.

Additional tip:

Stay within what your budget can provide. Making a film about five students on campus is doable. Making a Star Wars-type movie isn’t — unless you are making a spoof or presenting a knowingly-bad movie.

I just wanted to pass these items along.

Also relevant/see:

Video streaming in the era of framerate wars — from provideocoalition.com by Allan Tépper

Addendums on 7/3/22:

Dissecting MetaHuman – A Realistic Avatar Framework — from xrtoday.com
Epic Games democratises avatar creation with integrated Unreal Engine tools

The 2022 L&D Global Sentiment Survey — from donaldtaylor.co.uk by Donald Taylor

Excerpt:

This year’s L&D Global Sentiment Survey, the ninth, shows L&D at a turning point, as the result of two forces. One is the demands of organisations, as they emerge from the pandemic, for more training delivery, very often with unchanged or reduced resources for L&D. The other is the need to deal with the emergency measures put in place in 2020 to deal with the immediate impact of COVID-19.

This sense of practitioners being under pressure is amply illustrated by responses to the free text question ‘What is your biggest L&D challenge in 2022?’ 40% of respondents answered, with the answers painting a picture of practitioners being asked to do more, in difficult circumstances, to support the learning of overworked employees and uninterested employers.

It is tempting to see this as a return to business-as-usual for L&D. Hasn‘t it always been the case that the department needed to fight for the attention of both executives and employees? Behind this undeniable reality, however, there are definite signs of longer-term trends emerging.

Facebook Seems to Be Adding Video-Course Features. For Edtech, That Raises Old Fears. [Mollenkamp]

On 06/22/2022, in Alternatives, Facebook / Meta Platforms, heutagogy, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, online learning, online media, online tutoring, platforms, tools, vendors, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

Facebook Seems to Be Adding Video-Course Features. For Edtech, That Raises Old Fears. — from edsurge.com by Daniel Mollenkamp

Excerpts:

The tech giant Meta, widely known under its previous name Facebook, seems to be eyeing a way to allow users to offer video classes.

Since at least last year, Meta has experimented with Facebook Classes, a program designed to make online instruction through its platform smoother. A consultant recently noticed a company announcement about the features in the U.K. version of the platform and shared a screenshot on Twitter.

New! Facebook Classes for Events

‘Classes’ is new event type which can be selected when creating a new online event on Facebook.

It aims to make it easier to instruct and discover a class on Facebook pic.twitter.com/L0BvBuTXkM

— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) January 21, 2021

The company did not respond to questions about the program. But recent reports have speculated that the company could “bootstrap an online course ecosystem.”

Meta’s learning offering could be most trouble for other tech behemoths like Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, according to some speculations.

Either way, Meta’s possible entrance into the market plays into a long-standing fear of big tech in the edtech industry.

Some learning-related tips from Eva Keiffenheim’s Learn Letter

Excerpts from Eva’s 6/15/22 letter re: learning a language — with Mathias Barra, who “has studied about 20 languages and is fluent in six”

2) The best way to mastery is by making language learning part of your life
There’s no single best way to study languages. Mathias approached every language differently.

The most important thing is to find some activities that you actually enjoy in the language. For example, you can:

watch a Netflix series with double subtitles with the free Language Reactor extension
reading a book in the language you’re learning, for example with easy readers?
go to radio.garden and listen to the language you’re learning
switch your phone settings to another language
write your diary in the language you’re learning

“The best way to study languages is not to limit it to study time, but to make it part of your life, for example, through exposure.”
…
Some tools and resources Mathias recommends:

iTalki offers 1-on-1 lessons in more than 150 languages
Journaly allows you to type a text that natives correct
Slowly connects you with a language tandem for writing letters
HiNative gets you answers from native speakers
Speechling helps you work on listening comprehension

See the full interview here.

And from Eva’s 6/22/22 Learn Letter:

According to this concept, there’s an optimal arousal level for task performance. The Yerkes-Dodson Law says there is an empirical relationship between stress and performance. Yerkes and Dodson discovered that the optimal arousal level depends on the complexity and difficulty of the task.

From DSC:
Reading a bit about the Yerkes-Dodson Law, I was reminded of a bad learning experience from years ago. I recall sitting in a conference room at Baxter Healthcare and I was trying to learn more about programming. I had just been switched into a new group and my new supervisor was trying to teach me some basic items (basic to him, anyway). He was getting increasingly frustrated at me for not understanding some things. The more frustrated he got, the less I could even concentrate on what he was saying and trying to teach me.

Along these lines, I also remember a relative trying to teach another relative some new things. Again, the more upset the “teacher” got, the less able the “learner” was able to concentrate. It didn’t end well.

Oh…what’s that?! I’m hearing a loud “Amen!!!” coming from countless music teachers and students out there too.

For these kinds of reasons, I want to learn more about the place of emotion in our learning ecosystems.

How parents can set up a productive home learning space for students [Fletcher]

On 06/21/2022, in blended learning, homeschooling/homeschoolers, hybrid learning, Hyflex learning, ideas, learning hubs & pods, learning spaces, parents, student-related, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, tools, United States, by Daniel Christian

How parents can set up a productive home learning space for students — from blog.neolms.com by Charlie Fletcher

Excerpt:

Most schools have now reopened, and students across the nation and the world are back to learning in person. But, that doesn’t mean that remote learning is over. Plenty of schools still follow a hybrid model, and some students who fared better in remote learning conditions have stuck with virtual classrooms. This means that parents must know how to set up a productive learning space, both for remote learning and as a great study area.

Fortunately, there are plenty of resources to help parents and guardians who want to create a home learning space. This means that whatever your budget, every student can have their own space to study for exams and complete homework.

Higher ed investments in student systems doubled last year, report finds [Schwartz]

On 06/21/2022, in cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, CMS/LMS, colleges, community colleges, education technology, funding / grants, higher education, legislatures / government / legal, platforms, tools, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Higher ed investments in student systems doubled last year, report finds — from highereddive.com by Natalie Schwartz

Dive Brief:

Higher education investments in student technology systems doubled in 2021 compared to the year before, marking the largest annual increase over the past decade, according to a new report from the Tambellini Group, a technology research and advisory firm.
However, many college leaders are hesitant to invest in modern cloud student systems because most of these products still lack the functionalities institutions seek. The Tambellini Group based its findings on technology spending by more than 3,600 U.S. institutions.
Vendors are adding new tools and enhancements to their student technology systems to respond to increased pressures on colleges to improve their enrollment, retention and other student success metrics. That includes by providing engagement analytics and automated alerts.

Also from highereddive.com:

Buoyed by federal aid, state higher ed funding rose by 4.5% in fiscal 2021 — by Jeremy Bauer-Wolf

Learning Ecosystems

Highlights and key insights from TICE 2022 (Training Industry Conference & Expo) [Tucker]

The Metaverse in 2040 [Anderson & Rainie]

Only 37% of Lawyers are Satisfied with their Firm’s Technology

“AI Plus VR at Purdue University Global” + 5 other items re: emerging technologies and education/learning

Adobe—yes, Adobe—has one of the best free video-makers out there [Caplan]

For current college students interested in film, TV, and/or gaming

Excerpt from Unity.com
.

Facebook Seems to Be Adding Video-Course Features. For Edtech, That Raises Old Fears. [Mollenkamp]

Higher ed investments in student systems doubled last year, report finds [Schwartz]

Categories

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Excerpt from Unity.com .

Categories

Tags

Excerpt from Unity.com
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