vendors

From DSC:
My answer to the question “Is Accreditation a Barrier to Innovation?” would be “Yes, it is.” But admittedly, maybe that’s because I work for a law school these days…and in the legal education realm (as controlled by the American Bar Association), there is YET to be a fully 100% online-based Juris Doctor (JD) degree that I’m aware of. There are some schools that have applied for “variances,” but we’re talking 20+ years after institutions of higher education introduced online-based learning! Those programs who have applied for variances are under an incredible amount of scrutiny by the American Bar Association, that’s for sure. So the legal realm is NOT doing well with innovation.

But in regards to other areas of higher ed and its accrediting bodies…I’m sorry, but you can’t tell me that the run-up in the price of higher education over the last several decades had nothing to do with HE’s accrediting bodies and either their support of — or their lack of support of — those organizations who were trying to introduce something new.

But along these lines, I’d like to hear from folks like:

Burck Smith from Straighterline on his perspectives and his company’s experiences with the various accrediting bodies that Straighterline has had to deal with. His insights here would carry a significant impact/weight for me.
Or perhaps someone like James DeVaney from University of Michingan’s Center for Academic Innovation or Joshua Kim who writes about higher education and edtech/online learning
Or folks like Mary Grush or Rhea Kelly at CampusTechnology.com
Surveying organizations who could speak for a massive group of students/learners/employees
…and/or other folks who are either trying to innovate within the existing systems, have heard from both sides of the table here, and/or have tried and failed to innovate within the existing structures

We’ll see if institutions of traditional higher education can reinvent themselves in order to stay relevant and survive (especially colleges and universities…not so much the community colleges). The accreditation bodies will have a large part in whether this happens…or not.

Along these lines…let’s see what happens to the growth of alternatives to those types of institutions as well.

What Will Online Learning Look Like in 10 Years? Zoom Has Some Ideas [Noonoo]

On 09/16/2021, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, change, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, corporate universities / corporate training, distance education, education technology, educational games / serious games, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, interaction design, interactivity, internet, K-12 related, law schools, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, multimedia, online learning, online media, online tutoring, platforms, play, programming, remote teaching and learning, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, tools, training / L&D, trends, TVs, United States, universities, vendors, videoconferencing, youth, by Daniel Christian

What Will Online Learning Look Like in 10 Years? Zoom Has Some Ideas — from edsurge.com by Stephen Noonoo

Excerpt:

This week at Zoom’s annual conference, Zoomtopia, a trio of education-focused Zoom employees (er, Zoomers?) speculated wildly about what hybrid Zoom learning might look like 10 years from now, given the warp speed advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning expected. Below are highlights of their grandiose, if sometimes vague, vision for the future of learning on Zoom.

Zoom very much sees itself as one day innovating on personalized learning in a substantial way, although beyond breakout rooms and instant translation services, they have few concrete ideas in mind. Mostly, the company says it will be working to add more choices to how teachers can present materials and how students can display mastery to teachers in realtime. They’re bullish on Kahoot-like gamification features and new ways of assessing students, too.

Also see:

An Eighth Grader Was Tired of Being Late to Zoom School. So He Made an App for That. — from edsurge.com by Nadia Tamez-Robledo

“I could not find anything else that exists like this to automatically join meetings at the right times,” says Seth, a high school freshman based in Walnut Creek, Calif. “Reminders are just really easy to ignore. I’ll get a notification maybe five minutes before my meeting, and it’ll just sit there and not do anything. [LinkJoin] interrupts whatever you’re doing and says, ‘Join this meeting. In fact it’s already opening, so better get on it.’”

Zoom product updates showcase the art of the possible for hybrid work — from diginomica.com by Derek du Preez
Zoom’s annual conference – Zoomtopia – kicked off with a number of impressive product updates that highlight how we should be thinking about the future of hybrid work.

Excerpt:

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan kicked off the collaboration vendor’s annual conference – Zoomtopia – with a swathe of product updates that effectively showcase how we should be thinking about the future of hybrid work.
…
What’s clear is that Zoom is thinking well beyond its video call roots and is creating a platform that’s an effective place for people to get work done. Upcoming integrations with the likes of Google Drive and Dropbox are just part of this.

Features such as being able to continuously access and collaborate on content in a meeting, whether that be chats or files, whilst also having call transcriptions instantly accessible within the Zoom client after a call is completed, and having access to Zoom Whiteboard to create visual presentations – and being able to do this wherever you are – gives you an idea of how the vendor is thinking about making remote work as seamless and productive as possible.

From DSC:
The intense competition between vendors like Zoom, Cisco, Microsoft, and others will only benefit all of us in the longer term. Here’s to innovation! Online learning may never be the same again. For that matter, learning may never be the same again.

In the US, the AI Industry Risks Becoming Winner-Take-Most [Johnson]

On 09/13/2021, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, computer science, dangers of the status quo, data related items, emerging technologies, ethics, morals/values, platforms, programming, society, sociology, the downsides of how people use tech, trends, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

In the US, the AI Industry Risks Becoming Winner-Take-Most — from wired.com by Khari Johnson
A new study illustrates just how geographically concentrated AI activity has become.

Excerpt:

A NEW STUDY warns that the American AI industry is highly concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area and that this could prove to be a weakness in the long run. The Bay leads all other regions of the country in AI research and investment activity, accounting for about one-quarter of AI conference papers, patents, and companies in the US. Bay Area metro areas see levels of AI activity four times higher than other top cities for AI development.

“When you have a high percentage of all AI activity in Bay Area metros, you may be overconcentrating, losing diversity, and getting groupthink in the algorithmic economy. It locks in a winner-take-most dimension to this sector, and that’s where we hope that federal policy will begin to invest in new and different AI clusters in new and different places to provide a balance or counter,” Mark Muro, policy director at the Brookings Institution and the study’s coauthor, told WIRED.

Also relevant/see:

“Algorithms are opinions embedded in code.”

Untold provides educational video content to engage students in history learning [educatorstechnology.com]

On 09/12/2021, in art, digital learning, education technology, engagement / engaging students, history, homeschooling/homeschoolers, K-12 related, legislatures / government / legal, society, sociology, teachers, United States, vendors, youth, by Daniel Christian

Untold provides educational video content to engage students in history learning — from educatorstechnology.com

Excerpt:

Untold is a platform that provides educational resources to engage students in history learning. The site offers a free collection of animated videos that shed light on alternative historical perspectives highlighting those stories and events that do not normally make it into the mainstream history textbooks. As they interact with these resources, students develop critical thinking skills required to help them evaluate and question the validity and authenticity of the information and news they deal with on a daily basis.

Untold materials are provided for free for teachers and students.

“In a truly connected campus, time, space and location should be absolutely irrelevant.” [Karbhari]

On 09/08/2021, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, business side of he, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, CMS/LMS, collaboration, colleges, communications, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, experimentation, face-to-face, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, higher education, ideas, innovation, instructional design, IT in HE, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, platforms, smart classrooms, TVs, United States, universities, vendors, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

In a truly connected campus, time, space and location should be absolutely irrelevant. “We should be able to build a digital twin of space and services and we need to think about things that are physical and digital – ‘phygital’,” he pointed out. https://t.co/cyud0rigZl

— Daniel Christian (he/him/his) (@dchristian5) September 8, 2021

Top 300 Tools for Learning 2021 [Hart]

On 09/03/2021, in 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, active learning, adjunct faculty, Adobe, adult learning, analytics, animation, Apple, art, blogs / blogging / vlogging, business, career development, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, CMS/LMS, collaboration, colleges, communications, communities of practice, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, creativity, design, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital video, e-books, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), e-readers, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, face-to-face, faculty/staff, flipping -- inverted learning, Google, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, innovation, instructional design, interactivity, IT in HE, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, online learning, online media, open courseware and systems, platforms, podcasting, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, programming, reading, remote teaching and learning, RSS, social learning / networks, social media, STEAM-related, storytelling, streams of content, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, tools, training / L&D, trends, UK, United States, universities, vendors, videoconferencing, web-based collaboration, webinars, workplace, writing, youth, by Daniel Christian

Top 300 Tools for Learning 2021 — from toptools4learning.com by Jane Hart

Excerpt:

2021 was the YEAR OF DISRUPTION! There were a substantial number of new tools nominated this year so the main list has now been extended to 300 tools to accommodate them, and each of the 3 sub-lists has been increased to 150 tools. Although the top of this year’s list is relatively stable, there is quite bit of movement of tools on the rest of the list, and the effect of the new tools has been to push other established tools down – if not off the list altogether. Further analysis of the list appears in the right-hand column of the table below.

This table shows the overall rankings as well as the rankings on the 3 sub-lists: Top 150 Tools for Personal Learning (PL150), the Top 150 Tools for Workplace Learning (WL150) and the Top 150 Tools for Education (ED150). NEW tools are shaded YELLOW, tools coming BACK on the list are shaded GREEN. The most popular context in which each tool is used is also highlighted in BLUE. Click on a tool name to find out more about it.

Earning a Living and College Credit at the Same Time [Greenberg]

On 08/27/2021, in Alternatives, collaboration, colleges, computer science, cost of getting a degree, funding / grants, higher education, programming, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Earning a Living and College Credit at the Same Time — from insidehighered.com by Susan H. Greenberg
IBM software engineering apprentices can now translate their training into three semesters of college credit at participating institutions.

Excerpt:

IBM is the latest company to win recognition from the American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service as part of its recently launched Apprenticeship Pathways project, which allows apprentices at selected companies to earn digital credentials that they can apply to six participating institutions:

Bismark State College
Excelsior College
Ivy Tech Community College
Rowan University
Tidewater Community College
California State University, San Bernardino

Zoom for Education: 5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of It — from techlearning.com by Erik Ofgang
Many educators are still only using the basic Zoom features despite new upgrades to the video conferencing software.

As mentioned in Erik’s article, also see:

Russell Stannard’s Zoom tutorials — from teachertrainingvideos.com

Zoom how-to-video tutorials

College textbooks: The final blow of higher education’s affordability crisis [Vorias]

On 08/22/2021, in colleges, cost of getting a degree, higher education, textbooks, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

DC: Agreed.
“W/ the aver cost of college being $35,720/year in the US, there should be no reason that college students should not have access to all the materials they need to be successful in their courses at no additional cost.” Via ?@ryancraigap? https://t.co/U1ODZ5JrgY

— Daniel Christian (he/him/his) (@dchristian5) August 21, 2021

Dreamscape Learn Pod Unveiled at ASU+GSV Summit — from gettingsmart.com by Rachelle Dene Poth

Excerpt:

At the ASU+GSV Summit, a leading digital learning summit held in San Diego, California, virtual reality (VR) enthusiasts had an opportunity to experience Dreamscape Learn pod, a first-of-its-kind, full-body tracking, immersive VR experience. Created in partnership with Steven Spielberg, Dreamscape Immersive and Arizona State University (ASU) unveiled the pod for the first time during the event.

ASU President Michael M. Crow and Dreamscape Immersive founder/president and former DreamWorks Pictures studio head Walter Parkes, worked together to create Dreamscape Learn. President Crow and Parkes together merged the ideas of creating Hollywood storytelling with the innovation from ASU. ASU has been a leader in innovation and cutting-edge technology and has been ranked number one in innovation for the sixth year by the US News and World Report.

Art in the Age of the Metaverse [Future Institute Today]

On 08/22/2021, in 21st century, art, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, creativity, design, emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, experimentation, future, global / globalization, society, vendors, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

Art in the Age of the Metaversehttps://t.co/4GZc2rcust #art #creativity #creators #metaverse #future #emergingtechnologies #AI #DigitalArtist

— Daniel Christian (he/him/his) (@dchristian5) August 22, 2021

How soon/long before #telelegal has its own category here as well? [Christian]

On 08/19/2021, in communications, Daniel S. Christian, ideas, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, platforms, society, United States, vendors, videoconferencing, Virtual courts and law firms, vision/possibilities, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

Interesting list re: #telehealth and #zoom –>https://t.co/cDDkTO9zSu

DC: How soon/long before #telelegal has its own category as well?#videoconferencing #communications #emergingtechnologies #Internet #telecommunications #platforms

— Daniel Christian (he/him/his) (@dchristian5) August 19, 2021

Many Americans aren’t aware they’re being tracked with facial recognition while shopping — from techradar.com by Anthony Spadafora
You’re not just on camera, you’re also being tracked

Excerpt:

Despite consumer opposition to facial recognition, the technology is currently being used in retail stores throughout the US according to new research from Piplsay.

While San Francisco banned the police from using facial recognition back in 2019 and the EU called for a five year ban on the technology last year, several major retailers in the US including Lowe’s, Albertsons and Macy’s have been using it for both fraud and theft detection.

From DSC:
I’m not sure how prevalent this practice is…and that’s precisely the point. We don’t know what all of those cameras are actually doing in our stores, gas stations, supermarkets, etc. I put this in the categories of policy, law schools, legal, government, and others as the legislative and legal realm need to scramble to catch up to this Wild Wild West.

Along these lines, I was watching a portion of 60 minutes last night where they were doing a piece on autonomous trucks (reportedly to hit the roads without a person sometime later this year). When asked about oversight, there was some…but not much.

Readers of this blog will know that I have often wondered…”How does society weigh in on these things?”

Along these same lines, also see:

The NYPD Had a Secret Fund for Surveillance Tools — from wired.com by Sidney Fussell
Documents reveal that police bought facial-recognition software, vans equipped with x-ray machines, and “stingray” cell site simulators—with no public oversight.

Learning Ecosystems

“In a truly connected campus, time, space and location should be absolutely irrelevant.” [Karbhari]

Earning a Living and College Credit at the Same Time [Greenberg]

College textbooks: The final blow of higher education’s affordability crisis [Vorias]

How soon/long before #telelegal has its own category here as well? [Christian]

Many Americans aren’t aware they’re being tracked with facial recognition while shopping [Spadafora]

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