Learning Ecosystems

This is a great idea from Kent ISD!!! I wish I had access to something like this growing up! [Christian]

On 09/28/2022, in career development, Daniel S. Christian, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, K-12 related, student-related, web-based collaboration, youth, by Daniel Christian

VIRTUAL CAREER EXPLORATION SERIES — from kentisd.org (emphasis DSC)

Kent ISD’s Career Chats are designed to provide 7-12 grade students a virtual opportunity to meet real professionals employed in real jobs. This series of 30-40 minute sessions will highlight professions in a variety of career pathways, giving students the opportunity to learn more about a career of interest, or to explore new options. Professionals will share their own career path, along with valuable industry insights that support student career exploration. Students will have an opportunity to ask their own questions through the platform’s chat function.

New Federal Data: Too Few Applicants in K-12 Schools [Camera]

On 09/28/2022, in career development, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, society, teachers, by Daniel Christian

New Federal Data: Too Few Applicants in K-12 Schools — from usnews.com by Lauren Camera
More than half of public schools were understaffed at the start of the school year, and 69% reported the primary challenge was that too few teacher candidates were applying for open positions.

Excerpt:

Personnel shortages that challenged K-12 leaders at the outset of the new academic year and continue to disrupt the U.S. public school system are driven by a shortage in the pipeline of new educators and school staff, federal data confirms.

More than half of all public schools in the country reported that they were understaffed at the start of the 2022-23 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the research arm of the Education Department, and 69% reported that too few teacher candidates applying for open positions was the primary challenge.

Also relevant/see:

Too Few Candidates Applying for Teaching Jobs the Primary Hiring Challenge for More than Two-Thirds of Public Schools Entering the 2022-23 School Year — from prnewswire.com

Excerpt:

“The majority of public schools are starting the new school year feeling understaffed, particularly in areas like special education, transportation, and mental health,” said NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr. “And while many schools say that the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more challenging to fill positions, 20 percent of schools say that they were already understaffed before the pandemic began. These data points are critical for understanding challenges our public schools are facing, allowing policymakers to provide timely assistance to help our students and educators in areas where it is needed.”

As of August, public schools across the country reported that special education and mathematics teaching positions were among the most difficult teaching positions to fill for the 2022–23 school year. Seventy-eight and 75 percent of schools offering these positions reported it was either “very” or “somewhat difficult,” respectively, to hire fully certified teachers in these areas.

Ed tech leaders just predicted these 3 trends will unfold in higher education [Schwartz]

On 09/28/2022, in colleges, community colleges, credentialing, education technology, future of higher education, trends, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Ed tech leaders just predicted these 3 trends will unfold in higher education — from highereddive.com by Natalie Schwartz
Ed tech leaders gathered in New York on Thursday to discuss trends in the sector. Here’s what they had to say.

Excerpt:

NEW YORK — It’s a brutal moment for ed tech companies.

The stock market has been battered over the past few months, and the technology sector has been particularly hard hit. Meanwhile, colleges are experiencing enrollment declines at the same time their coronavirus relief funds are drying up, potentially constraining how much they can spend with vendors.

Still, ed tech CEOs and investors remained bullish about their own sector’s future during a conference in New York on Thursday held by HolonIQ, a market analysis firm. Here are three trends they say are coming down the pike.

Megatrends | September 25, 2022 [Moe, Juang, Ritz, & Royce]

On 09/28/2022, in Africa, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, Australia, Canada, change, changing business models, culture, data related items, economics, future, game-changing environment, India, innovation, new business models, pace of change, platforms, society, sociology, technology (general), trends, UK, United States, by Daniel Christian

Megatrends | September 25, 2022 — by Michael Moe, Tim Juang, Owen Ritz, & Kit Royce

“The trend is your friend.” – Martin Zweig

“Follow the trend lines, not the headlines.” – Bill Clinton

“In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” – Coco Chanel

“I don’t set the trends. I just find out what they are and exploit them.” – Dick Clark

Megatrends are powerful technological, economic, and social forces that develop from a groundswell (early adoption), move into the mainstream (mass market), and disrupt the status quo (mature market), driving change, productivity, and ultimately growth opportunities for companies, industries, and entire economies.

.

The metaverse is not a vertical trend; it’s a horizontal trend that will impact sectors ranging from healthcare, education, socialization, entertainment, commerce, and more.

The New Learning Economy: It’s Time To Build in Education [Skates & Chan]

On 09/28/2022, in career development, change, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, society, student-related, teachers, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

The New Learning Economy: It’s Time To Build in Education — from a16z.com by Anne Lee Skates and Connie Chan

Excerpt:

As we enter the third school year of the Covid era, a disturbing new normal is settling over the country. Students continue to be chronically absent; nearly 50,000 Los Angeles public school students failed to show up on the first day of school. Nine-year-olds’ math and reading levels have dropped to 20-year lows, and the dip in reading scores is the steepest decline in more than 30 years. Teacher vacancies are reaching crisis levels. Schools are even resorting to bringing back retirees and loosening basic teaching requirements to fill gaps.

Why is this so important? Education is a $1.8 trillion-dollar industry in the U.S. More importantly, our education system shapes who our future leaders and builders will be—more than 1 in 5 people in the U.S. are current K–12 and college students.

Lessons Learned from Six Years of Podcasting — from derekbruff.org by Derek Bruff

Excerpt:

Last month on Twitter, I shared some of the many, many things I’ve learned from podcast guests over the last six years. I encourage you to check out that thread and listen to a few of my favorite episodes. Here on the blog, I’d like to share a few more general reflections about what I learned through producing Leading Lines.

Finally, one lesson that the podcast reinforced for me is that faculty and other instructors want to hear stories. Sure, a peer-reviewed journal article on the impact of some teaching practice is useful, but some of those can focus too much on assessment and not enough on the practice itself. Hearing a colleague talk about their teaching, the choices they’ve made, why they made those choices, what effects those choices have had on student learning… that can be both inspirational and intensely practical for those seeking to improve their teaching. A big part of Leading Lines was finding instructors with compelling stories and then letting them shine during our interviews.

Speaking of digital audio, also relevant/see:

With Audiobooks Launching in the U.S. Today, Spotify Is the Home for All the Audio You Love — from newsroom.spotify.com by

Excerpt:

Adding an entirely new content format to our service is no small feat. But we’ve done it before with podcasts, and we’re excited to now do the same with audiobooks.
…
Just as we did with podcasting, this will introduce a new format to an audience that has never before consumed it, unlocking a whole new segment of potential listeners. This also helps us support even more kinds of creators and connect them with fans that will love their art—which makes this even more exciting.

Addendum on 9/30/22:

8 TIME-SAVING TIPS FOR TEACHING WITH PODCASTS – EASY EDTECH PODCAST 182 — from classtechtips.com by Dr. Monica Burns

Instructional Audio: 4 Benefits to Improving It [Ofgang]

On 09/27/2022, in A/V -- audio/visual, accessibility / UDL, digital audio, education technology, K-12 related, learning spaces, smart classrooms, United States, vendors, web design and production, by Daniel Christian

Instructional Audio: 4 Benefits to Improving It — from techlearning.com by Erik Ofgang
Ensuring every classroom has instructional audio capabilities helps all students hear what the teacher is saying.

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

Sound is a key component of education. If students can’t hear their instructor well, they’re clearly not going to focus or learn as much. That’s why more and more schools are investing in instructional audio systems, which are high-tech public address systems designed with classrooms, teachers, and all students in mind.

Terri Meier is director of education technology for Rio Rancho Public Schools in New Mexico where all new classrooms are being built with voice amplification systems in place and many existing classrooms are being retrofitted with similar systems. These systems are key for schools in their accessibility efforts and in providing quality instruction overall, she says.

And speaking of accessibility-related postings/items, also see:

4 Ways to Improve Your Web Accessibility Audits — from boia.org

Video games dreamed up other worlds. Now they’re coming for real architecture [Berg]

On 09/27/2022, in 3D, architecture, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, communications, graphics, NVIDIA, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Video games dreamed up other worlds. Now they’re coming for real architecture — from fastcompany.com by Nate Berg
A marriage between Epic Games and Autodesk could help communities see exactly what’s coming their way with new construction.

Excerpt:

Video games and architectural models are about to form a long overdue union. Epic Games and design software maker Autodesk are joining forces to help turn the utilitarian digital building models used by architects and designers from blocky representations into immersive spaces in which viewers can get a sense of a room’s dimensions and see how the light changes throughout the day. For both designers and the clients they’re designing for, this could help make architecture more nimble and understandable.

The AutoCAD model (top) and Twinmotion render (bottom) [Images: courtesy Autodesk]

Integrating Twinmotion software into Revit essentially shortens the time-sucking process of rendering models into high-resolution images, animations, and virtual-reality walkthroughs from hours to seconds. “If you want to see your design in VR, in Twinmotion you push the VR button,” says Epic Games VP Marc Petit. “You want to share a walkthrough on the cloud, you can do that.”

From DSC:
An interesting collaboration! Perhaps this will be useful for those designing/implementing learning spaces as well.

Just another new Academic Year? Think again! [Mihai]

On 09/26/2022, in adjunct faculty, change, colleges, community colleges, Europe, experimentation, faculty/staff, higher education, ideas, instructional design, law schools, Learning Experience Design, pedagogy, teaching & learning, UK, United States, universities, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

Just another new Academic Year? Think again! — from The Educationalist by Alexandra Mihai

Excerpt:

Welcome to a new issue of “The Educationalist”! For many of us the new Academic Year just started or is about to start. These are busy times: catching up with our academic (and administrative) duties, reconnecting with colleagues and with students. It’s all too easy to fall back into an old pattern and go into the classroom with the same set of assumptions and expectations from previous years. That’s why I would like to call for a pause. A moment to collect our thoughts and acknowledge where we are. Think of what’s important. I believe this exercise is not a luxury; it is extremely necessary right now as it allows us to take stock of the current situation and decide on our next steps. Intentionally and not “by default”.

But how about letting go of the idea of “normal”? How about we take a moment to meaningfully reflect on our experience in the past three years in a try to see how it shaped the way we teach, learn, work, the way we interact with each other and with our environment?

Apple just quietly gave us the golden key to unlock the Metaverse [Holmlund]

On 09/26/2022, in 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, Apple, Augmented Reality (AR), content development, aggregation, repositories, emerging technologies, future, marketing/social marketing, simulations, vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, vocational / trades, XR - extended reality, by Daniel Christian

Apple just quietly gave us the golden key to unlock the Metaverse — from medium.com by Klas Holmlund; with thanks to Ori Inbar out on Twitter for this resource

Excerpt:

But the ‘Oh wow’ moment came when I pointed the app at a window. Or a door. Because with a short pause, a correctly placed 3D model of the window snapped in place. Same with a door. But the door could be opened or closed. RoomPlan did not care. It understands a door. It understands a chair. It understands a cabinet. And when it sees any of these things, it places a model of them, with the same dimensions, in the model.

Oh, the places you will go!
OK, so what will this mean to Metaverse building? Why is this a big deal? Well, to someone who is not a 3D modeler, it is hard to overstate what amount of work has to go into generating useable geometry. The key word, here, being useable. To be able to move around, exist in a VR space it has to be optimized. You’re not going to have a fun party if your dinner guests fall through a hole in reality. This technology will let you create a fully digital twin of any space you are in in the space of time it takes you to look around.

In a future Apple VR or AR headset, this technology will obviuosly be built in. You will build a VR capable digital twin of any space you are in just by wearing the headset. All of this is optimized.

Also with thanks to Ori Inbar:

Chief Metaverse Officers Are Getting Million-Dollar Paydays. So What Do They Do All Day?— from bloomberg.com by Matthew Boyle
Disney, P&G, LVMH and other big names have invested in chief metaverse officers to plot a course through the next chapter of the internet. Do companies really need them?

Somewhat relevant/see:

New Training Program Uses Virtual Reality Simulations to Address the Electrical Construction Skills Shortage — from prnewswire.com
New simulations from Transfr will be used by colleges, workforce organizations, and employers to create pathways to careers in electrical construction

“The COVID-19 pandemic spurred us to think creatively about how we can train the next generation of electrical construction workers in a scalable and cost-effective way,” said Beau Pollock, president and CEO of TRIO Electric. “Finding electrical instructors is difficult and time-consuming, and training requires us to use the same materials that technicians use on the job. The virtual simulations not only offer learners real-world experience and hands-on practice before they go into the field, they also help us to conserve resources in the process.”

The future of learning: Preparing your L&D organization for the new landscape of work [Joshi]

On 09/26/2022, in adult learning, change, competency-based learning/education, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, culture, learning ecosystem, lifelong learning, skills, workplace, by Daniel Christian

The future of learning: Preparing your L&D organization for the new landscape of work — from chieflearningofficer.com by Vikas Joshi

Excerpt:

Two major shifts characterize today’s work: The skills economy and the hybrid work approach. Alone, they are both powerful. But together, they are completely disrupting work and learning in significant ways.

It’s an exciting time for learning and development organizations. They are stepping up to meet the changing learning needs of employees and businesses. This article outlines the new landscape of work, lists its implications for learning leaders and providers, describes solution frameworks and makes the case for preparing your L&D organization for the future of learning with digital technology.

If the challenges my client L&D organizations describe are any indication, there is a distinct pattern of struggle to keep up with the growing demands from businesses and employees. The challenges occupy a wide spectrum — rapidly shifting need patterns, content obsolescence, remote solitary learners, content overload and the lack of certainty of effective outcomes — and despite the large and ever-growing libraries of learning content, robust video-conferencing technologies and learning management systems. So, where is the problem?

The first drastic change: The skills economy is here. As technology races ahead, skill gaps have appeared, widened and morphed. There was a time when L&D organizations could get by without using technology. Not anymore. New skills are needed across all kinds of work.

Learning Ecosystems

Ed tech leaders just predicted these 3 trends will unfold in higher education [Schwartz]

Video games dreamed up other worlds. Now they’re coming for real architecture [Berg]

Just another new Academic Year? Think again! [Mihai]

Apple just quietly gave us the golden key to unlock the Metaverse [Holmlund]

The future of learning: Preparing your L&D organization for the new landscape of work [Joshi]

Greetings!

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