More info about iBeacon technology — from DavidLeeKing.com
Excerpt:
Ex-Apple designer rethinks the Bible for a mobile world — from fastcodesign.com by Ainsley O’Connell
Kory Westerhold and his cofounder, Yahoo design director Aaron Martin, give Co.Design an exclusive look at their beautiful new Bible app.
Excerpt:
Fast-forward to 2015, and Westerhold, now a product designer at Twitter, has teamed up with Aaron Martin, a design director at Yahoo and childhood friend. Today, after months of sketching and development, they released NeuBible, an elegant and radically simplified mobile app for the Bible.
Their goal, Westerhold says, was to “get rid of everything between you and scripture.”
Also see:
What does ‘learning’ have to learn from Netflix? — from donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com by Donald Clark
Excerpts:
Of course, young people are watching way less TV these days, TV is dying, and when they do watch stuff, it’s streamed, at a time that suits them. Education has to learn from this. I’m not saying that we need to replace all of our existing structures but moving towards understanding what the technology can deliver and what learners want (they shape each other) is worth investigation. Hence some reflections on Netflix.
Areas discussed:
From DSC:
I just wanted to add a few thoughts here:
Also, some other graphics come to my mind:
Excerpt:
AUSTIN, TX – Virtual reality is featured prominently at South By Southwest Sports this year, from using it to better train athletes with Oculus Rift to how it could transform the fan experience watching basketball, football and hockey at home.
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The NHL had its first successful test of a 360-degree virtual reality experience at its Stadium Series game between the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings last month, mounting cameras around the glass that filmed HD images in the round.
Excerpt:
When basketball lovers aren’t able to trek to stadiums near and far to follow their favorite teams, it’s possible that watching games on a bar’s widescreen TV from behind bowls of wings is the next best thing. This may no longer be true, however, as a wave of court-side, 3D virtual game experiences is becoming available to superfans with Oculus gear.
Earlier this month, NextVR showed off its new enhanced spectator experiences at the 2015 NBA All-Star Technology Summit with virtual reality (VR) footage of an October 2014 Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers match-up in Rio de Janeiro. The NBA also already announced plans to record VR sessions of the NBA All-Star Game, the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, and the Sprite Slam Dunk event and practice.
From DSC:
In the future, will you be able to “pull up a seat” at any lecture — throughout the globe — that you want to?
Alternatively, another experiment might relate to second screening lectures — i.e., listening to the lecture on the main/large screen — in your home or office — and employing social-based learning/networking going on via a mobile device.
Consider this article:
TV-friendly social network Twitter is testing a new Social TV service on iPhones which provides users with content and interaction about only one TV show at a time.
The aim is to give users significantly better engagement with their favourite shows than they presently experience when they follow a live broadcast via a Twitter hashtag.
This radical innovation in Social TV design effectively curates just relevant content (screening out irrelevant tweets that use a show’s hashtag) and presents it in an easy-to-use interface.
If successful, the TV Timeline feature will better position Twitter as it competes with Facebook to partner with the television industry and tap advertising revenue related to TV programming.
My thanks to Mary Grush at Campus Technology for her continued work in bringing relevant topics and discussions to light — so that our institutions of higher education will continue delivering on their missions well into the future. By doing so, learners will be able to continue to partake of the benefits of attending such institutions. But in order to do so, we must adapt, be responsive, and be willing to experiment. Towards that end, this Q&A with Mary relays some of my thoughts on the need to move more towards a team-based approach.
When you think about it, we need teams whether we’re talking about online learning, hybrid learning or face-to-face learning. In fact, I just came back from an excellent Next Generation Learning Space Conference and it was never so evident to me that you need a team of specialists to design the Next Generation Learning Space and to design/implement pedagogies that take advantage of the new affordances being offered by active learning environments.
Designing the Future of Augmented Reality: slides from PechaKucha
Excerpted slides:
Also see:
Excerpt from 40ideas.com
How will Augmented Reality extend human capacity and human imagination? The 40 Ideas That Will Change Reality documents the inventions, concepts, and opportunities that will forever change the way we experience reality. Eight of the 40 Ideas from the upcoming book are highlighted above.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality: what’s the difference? — from augmentedstories.com by Helen Papagiannis
Excerpt:
AR and VR are often confused with each other, and used interchangeably in the media, but they are significantly different. Let’s break it down:
Augmented Reality (AR): real, physical world
Virtual Reality (VR): computer generated environment, artificial world
Reality Has Changed. Microsoft’s HoloLens and what you need to know about the next wave of Augmented Reality — from augmentedstories.com by Helen Papagiannis
Excerpt:
HoloLens appears to use a Virtual Retinal Display (VRD).
So, what’s VRD, you ask?
VRD mirrors how the human eye works. The back of the eye receives light and converts it into signals for your brain. Images are projected directly onto the retina with the back of the eye used as a screen effectively.
Also see:
An addendum on 2/17/15 — with thanks to Mr. Steven Chevalia for this resource which deals with immersive experiences:
The Big Web Design Trends for 2015 — from sitepoint.com by Joanna Krenz Kurowska; with thanks to Mr. Tim Pixley for this resource
Excerpt:
When thinking about web design, you must consider the full spectrum of possibilities that the internet presents. Done boldly, designers can push the current limits of human interaction and imagination on a global scale – as is often seen with edgier industries, such as creative agency websites.
In this article, we’ll boil down some of the most prominent web design trends emerging in 2015. It is here that we can find true innovation and new opportunities – a few of which may completely change our understanding of a “modern website”.
8 design trends for 2015 — from istockphoto.com by Rebecca Swift
Web design trends that will rule 2015 — from designmodo.com by Tomas Laurinavicius
Excerpt:
Web design is a vibrant and diverse industry that is changing and evolving quickly. Website design is, however, not an end product; it’s an asset in the presentation of a product, connecting people with other people, providing a tool or service.
After reviewing over 500 websites in weekly series of “Inspiring Sites of the Week” on Despreneur I’ve got a sense of where web design is and where it is going for the next year. In this post I will try to review the current status of web design and predict some trends for 2015.
These are my assumptions and guesses based on my research and experience designing in 2014. Some of these may be right some may be not. If you think there should be something more in this article I’d love to have a discussion with you.
The trends in web design for 2015 [infographic] — from techinfographics.com by by Josipa Štrok
Excerpt:
The way we use the web is changing in line with the growth of technology. Smartphones and tablets have become a major factor which influencing the design of the web. What are the trends in web design for 2015?
If content is king, then the design is the crown. Home page should be more comprehensive. Visitors must get a sense of intuitive and dynamic interaction. Responsive design of website remains still imperative. Every owner who cares for his visitors should have designed a website that includes technology to automatically adjust the content to the devices where they are read. In the future responsive design will adapt to smart TVs and smart watches, not only monitors, smart phones or tablets. Moving page should be vertical because it contributes to an interactive style stories. After all this way scrolling through content is much easier to use on smartphones / tablets than clicking on the navigation from page to page. Forget the shadows, patterns and textures. Style with simple lines and white space is recommended for the coming year.
Is this the online learning model of the future? — from ecampusnews.com by Rony Zarom
Flex class options are seeing spikes in enrollment among Gen C students; here’s how to get started.
Excerpt:
“Flex-classes,” a preferred learning style among Gen Cs that offers “flex-attendance“ options to join classes “in-person” or “online” throughout the duration of a course, allowing students to more efficiently, and affordably, learn anytime, anywhere.
In fact, if the current enrollment growth rate continues, nearly half of all college students will be enrolled in a flexible online learning course by 2020.
Based on a cross-generational commonality to stay digitally connected and plugged into mobile devices, these two generations expect more accessible, technology-forward learning environments that give them the flexibility, mobility and freedom to learn when and where they want.
…
One of the biggest weather deterrents that disrupts student attendance and educators’ lesson plans is snow days, and thanks to virtual flex-class options, snow day disruptions may be coming to an end for good.
Schools around the country have been implementing flex-classes to allow students the option to join classes online on days they can’t make it to school, instead of making up the lost days at another time and often dipping deep into summer vacations. Students can tune in to their classrooms via mobile device or tablet to complete their learning initiatives for the day. The snow day approach is a realistic option for institutions looking to test the effectiveness of flex-class implementation.
From DSC:
This is an interesting approach. What I like about it is that it provides more choice and more control for the student.
What I wonder about is how would this type of learning environment impact the pedagogies that a professor would need to employ…? Or are we not that far along here yet? That is, how does one simultaneously offer a productive online learning experience as well as an effective face-to-face learning experience?
Also, on a slight tangent here from this model…
I’ve been wondering about whether remote students could effectively/simultaneously come into a face-to-face classroom setting — and I think the answer is yes. As with the corporate world, teams are scattered throughout a nation or from various places throughout the globe — and yet work gets done. Projects get done. Collaboration happens. Learning happens.
Some institutions, including the college where I work at, are experimenting with using telepresence robots to bring in those remote students. The version 2.0’s and above of these robots may be an option. However, I’m wondering if a better option might be available if a vendor could morph something like Cisco’s StadiumVision into an educational setting…? That is, provide 3-4 camera angles/perspectives per classroom and let the remote learners switch between viewing angles on their end of things…? Such as setup would be very interesting to experiment with.
Also, in regards to learning spaces, should one wall be dedicated to bringing in remote students? That is, one of the walls could display who all is coming into a classroom remotely so that they could be a part of the discussions and so that the F2F students could see and interact w/ those remote students.
Finally, might these ideas dovetail into the idea of providing learning hubs — where Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) could be synchronously or asynchronously presenting information (in a digital/virtual manner) and leading a discussion for those who are seated and learning together in a physical setting?
From DSC:
It seems like there’s been an increase in the number of “boot camps” that I’m seeing — below are some examples:
.
New MOOC Platform Provides Free IT Certification Courses — from campustechnology.com by Rhea Kelly
People offering their own bootcamps / building their own brands; such as this Two Week Web Development Bootcamp for Beginners by Adam Stanford.
Some other approaches that are occurring:
Simon & Schuster to sell online courses taught by popular authors — from nytimes.com by Alexandra Alter; with thanks to Sidneyeve Matrix for her Tweet on this
Excerpt:
Simon & Schuster is making a push into paid online video, with a new website offering online courses from popular health, finance and self-help authors.
The cost of the first batch of online courses ranges from $25 to $85, and includes workbooks and access to live question-and-answer sessions with three authors: Dr. David B. Agus, the best-selling author of “The End of Illness”; Zhena Muzyka, who wrote the self-help book “Life by the Cup”; and Tosha Silver, the author of the spiritual advice book “Outrageous Openness.” The courses will be available on the authors’ individual websites and on the company’s new site, SimonSays.
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But there is a new wave of online competency-based learning providers that has absolutely nothing to do with offering free, massive, or open courses. In fact, they’re not even building courses per se, but creating a whole new architecture of learning that has serious implications for businesses and organizations around the world.
It’s called online competency-based education, and it’s going to revolutionize the workforce.
…
The key distinction is the modularization of learning.
…
Here’s why business leaders should care: the resulting stackable credential reveals identifiable skillsets and dispositions that mean something to an employer. As opposed to the black box of the diploma, competencies lead to a more transparent system that highlights student-learning outcomes.
From DSC:
Though several of the items above have a slant towards IT/coding/programming, other disciplines may be impacted by these types of trends as well.
These developments are meant for consideration for those of us working within higher education. What do they mean for us? Should they inform more of our strategies? Our visions? Our responses?
Addendums on 2/17/15:
Addendum on 3/27/15:
Addendum on 4/1/15 — with thanks to Mr. Cal Keen at Calvin College
Addendum on 4/7/15:
Addendum on 5/1/15:
Addendum on 5/18/15:
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.
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:
Meanwhile, upon returning to school:
How do we create an advanced experience ecosystem? — from uxmag.com by Dallas Sargent
Excerpt:
“The Internet of Things is interesting because it forces us to rethink the interaction paradigms we have with objects—that is, something is different about our engagement with a smart object versus a ‘dumb’ one,” writes Thomas Wendt in his recent UX Magazine article, “Internet of Things and the Work of the Hands.”
Whatever you choose to call the grayish area sitting at the intersection of wearable technology, customizable sensors, and enhanced connectivity, it seems likely that this is where the next major breakthroughs in experience design will take place. Cisco estimates that by 2020, there will be 50 billion things connected to the Internet, so whether we settle on the “Internet of Things,” “The Internet of Everything,” or an “Experience Ecosystem,” the space is primed for explosive growth.
As Wendt notes, there is something different about interacting with smart objects and, “It’s our job to understand what that something is.” That something has been illusive in recent years, with users adopting to wearable tech slowly and a noticeable lack of sophisticated communication between objects. After all, an object sharing information with your smartphone or tablet only constitutes a relationship, it takes many more overlapping relationships to create an ecosystem.
Also see:
Apple pioneer Bill Fernandez on Google Glass, Oculus Rift and the look of the future — from cnet.com by Jason Hiner
In his time at Apple, Bill Fernandez helped develop technologies that have shaped modern computing. He also has a keen perspective on what’s next.
Excerpt:
“The true user interface is the gestalt of many things: industrial design, ergonomics, internal hardware, performance, error handling, visual design, interaction, latency, reliability, predictability, and more. For this reason I’m glad to see my profession moving from the concept of user “interface” (where the user interacts with the screen) to user ‘experience’ (where more the above factors are considered),” said Fernandez.
“I can design the best user interface in the world on paper, but if it’s not implemented well by the hardware and software engineers (e.g. the product is slow or buggy) then the product will fail. If you do a really good job of designing a product then everyone who sees it thinks it’s so obvious that they could have done it themselves.”
…
“So there will be a seamless, multimodal UI experience using sight, sound, voice, head motion, arm movement, gestures, typing on virtual keyboards, etc. There have been pieces of this in research for decades. Only now are we beginning to see some of these things emerge into the consumer market: with Google Glass, Siri, etc. We have further to go, but we’re on the road.”
From DSC:
I’m intrigued with the overlay (or should I say integration?) of services/concepts similar to IFTTT over the infrastructure of machine-to-machine communications and sensors such as iBeacons. I think we’re moving into entirely new end user experiences and affordances enabled by these technologies. I’m looking for opportunities that might benefit students, teachers, faculty members, and trainers.
Excerpt from Context: Your Work Enriched by the Smartest Minds — from blog.evernote.com
Good research happens in three phases. You recall what you know. You consult with someone. You search external sources. We’re applying our machine learning and augmented intelligence expertise to present you with all three research phases automatically, at the moment you need them, without ever leaving your workspace. As you work, Evernote is automatically looking for other information and content that might help you connect the dots/see the big picture. This content can take the form of other notes, people you might talk to or even relevant news sources.
In Evernote, every phrase informs our algorithms about what other content might help you further your project. We call this Context. It’s an extremely powerful new Premium feature coming soon to Evernote.
…
Your knowledge
Your team’s knowledge
Your network
The professionals: Possibly the most powerful new benefit that Context brings is a look at related information from premier news and information sources, including…
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