On 12/12/2011,
in design, digital learning, educational games / serious games, elearning, engagement / engaging students, instructional design, online learning, usability, user experience (UX),
by Daniel Christian
The Inspiration Bookshelf — from Julie Dirksen
From DSC:
Here’s a solid list of resources re: books ID’s should read that seems to support the KISS principle (of which I’m a huge fan) as well as how to make learning fun and engaging.
Here’s a solid list of resources re: books ID’s should read that seems to support the KISS principle (of which I’m a huge fan) as well as how to make learning fun and engaging.
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Excerpt:
One of the things I had while writing the book was an inspiration bookshelf. These were books that not only inspired the content of Design for How People Learn, but also the style of it. None of these are instructional design books, but they are all books that instructional designers should read…
Also see:
On 12/08/2011,
in digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, education technology, emerging technologies, library / librarians, reading, social learning / networks, social media,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
I originally saw this at:
- Readmill goes public: is the future of books social? — from gigaom.com by Bobbie Johnson
On 12/07/2011,
in 21st century, change, convergence, digital learning, digital textbooks, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, online learning, technologies for your home, tools, trends, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
Educational content and learning experiences wirelessly delivered to home TV console — from marketwatch.com
Excerpt:
DALLAS, Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Don’t touch that dial. A new variety of interactive educational content for the youngsters in the household is headed to a TV near you.
AT&T* today announced an agreement with TVTextbook to provide mobile broadband connectivity to TVTextbook’s eLearning connected device portfolio. TVTextbook (TVT) delivers high-quality K-12 curriculum that is distributed through a learning console connected to the television. Only TVTextbook leverages basic television-a product found in virtually every U.S. household-to help school districts deliver a digital education to 100% of their students. AT&T’s connectivity will bring a seamless, wireless connection between school and home.
From DSC:
Do I think this will be excellent in 2012? No. Do I think it’s innovative? Yes. Do I think it will be potentially helpful to many? Yes…and so will many apps that are coming to our living rooms in the next 1-3 years.
Also see:
On 12/07/2011,
in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, convergence, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, emerging technologies, human-computer interaction (HCI), Learning from the Living [Class] Room, Microsoft, technologies for your home, television, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Below are some items concerning the continued convergence of the telephone, the television, and the computer — it involves the smart/connected TV as well as human-computer-interaction (HCI)-related items. But this time, I’m focusing on a recent announcement from Microsoft.
However, I have to disagree that, given this announcement, Microsoft will now rule the living room — or at least I surely hope not. Why do I say this? For several reasons.
1) How long has Microsoft Office been around? Years and years, right? If you think that Microsoft should control your living room, I ask you to show me how I can quickly and easily insert some audio-based feedback with one easy click of a record button within Microsoft Word. Go ahead and check…such a quick and easy method is not there….still…and it’s almost 2012. (BTW, here are some resources on this if you’re interested in seeing how this could be done, but you will quickly notice that this is not a streamlined process — and it should have been so years ago.)
- http://www.addictivetips.com/microsoft-office/insert-audio-file-in-microsoft-word-2010/ (for Word 2010)
- http://www.howtogeek.com/80016/insert-audio-into-word-2007-documents-2/ (Word 2007)
- http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/insert-a-sound-HP005257344.aspx or http://resources.marshalladulteducation.org/techtips/techtip52.htm (Word 2003)
2) Performance/not doing what it’s supposed to do. My Dell PC running Windows 7 still can’t even shut itself down half the time. It just sits there with wheels-a-spinnin’ at some point…but not powering down. I’m not sure why this is the case, but I never have had trouble with this simple task on my Macs.
3) Regarding troubleshooting Microsoft’s solutions, an entire support industry has been built on supporting Microsoft’s software — go to a local bookstore and see how to get MS certified on some particular package/application/service — none of the books are thin.
4) Security has never been Microsoft’s strong point.
Bottom line:
I think you get my point. Microsoft has a loooooonnnnngggg way to go in my mind before I want their products and services controlling my living room.
With that said, I do congratulate Microsoft on being more innovative and forward thinking with the Xbox announcements mentioned below. I just hope that items such as usability, user experience, security, and streamlined interfaces are high on the list of their priorities/deliverables.
Disclosure/note:
I do use PCs with Windows a significant amount of the time and they do a nice job with many items. But if I were to assign grades to Microsoft, usability, performance, and security are not items that I would give A’s to Microsoft on.
- Introducing Engaged TV: Xbox 360 Leads The Way To A New Video Product Experience — from Forrester Research by James McQuivey
- Microsoft’s Take on Interactive TV Could Finally Hit the Mark — from minyanville.com by Carol Kopp
A free app for the Xbox could change the face of television. - Microsoft’s non-disruptive disruption — from concurrentmedia.com
- Take that, Siri: Xbox upgrade uses voice to master entertainment hub — from m&c by Andy Goldberg
- Delays Force Microsoft to Roll Out Major Xbox Update in Phases — from allthingsd.com by Tricia Duryee
- Microsoft Brings Interactive TV Spots to Xbox — from digiday.com by Mike Shields
- Microsoft aims at digital living room — from The Daily Telegraphy by Andy Goldberg
Upgrade: The Xbox 360 Slim game console.
Also:
- Microsoft’s Kinect: A robot’s low-cost, secret weapon — from cnet.com
On 11/30/2011,
in A/V -- audio/visual, digital learning, learning spaces, multi-touch, smart classrooms,
by Daniel Christian
MultiTaction turns walls into giant touch screens — from cnet.com by Jacqueline Seng
.
A maximum of 24 MultiTouch cells can be stacked together to form a ginormous touch-screen display.
(Credit: MultiTouch)
Excerpt:
MultiTouch, a Finland-based company known for its interactive display systems, has launched the MultiTaction Cell 55″. The display is supposedly the “world’s largest integrated multiuser LCD multitouch display,” which means (way) more than one person can use it at a time.
On 11/28/2011,
in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, Augmented Reality (AR), change, convergence, digital learning, education technology, emerging technologies, geography / geology, mobile learning, mobile technologies, telecommunications, trends, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning,
by Daniel Christian
Excerpt:
A REVOLUTION IN PERCEPTION is in the air, a transformation decades in the making. It will require a radical shift in viewpoint, as the way we experience data and information revolves 90 degrees from our traditional bird’s-eye view of maps, paper and screens to a more natural cinematic vision of the real world, one overlaid with digital information virtually attached to specific places.
And while augmented reality may still be in its infancy – with smartphone viewfinders displaying floating objects that are only vaguely connected to real places – don’t let that fool you.
The changes could reach far beyond mobile broadband and potentially be as profound as the development of the World Wide Web, says Michael Liebhold of the Institute for the Future. Liebhold forecasts that within five to 10 years, “the unadorned world will be history,” and our reality will have become a mix of the real and the digital. Telecom companies need to be ready, he says, to meet the demands of networks in which we are connected right before our eyes.
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On 11/28/2011,
in 21st century, digital learning, learning spaces, smart classrooms,
by Daniel Christian
(re)Designing Learning Spaces for a Digital World — by Steve Wheeler
Also see:
- Rethinking classroom furniture — from NBC News
On 11/15/2011,
in CMS/LMS, digital learning, digital textbooks, education technology, educational games / serious games, engagement / engaging students, flipping -- inverted learning, internet, mobile learning, online learning, personalized/customized learning, project-based learning, social learning / networks,
by Daniel Christian
Graphic from:
- The education technologies that educators believe can have the biggest impact on student learning (survey results) — by K. Walsh on November 13, 2011
On 11/14/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, blended learning, change, digital learning, education technology, elearning, future, game-changing environment, hybrid learning, innovation, K-12 related, online learning, personalized/customized learning, productivity / tips and tricks, student teaching/teacher education, student-related,
by Daniel Christian
Also see:
.
A comprehensive look at the promise and potential of online learning
In our digital age, students have dramatically new learning needs and must be prepared for the idea economy of the future. In Getting Smart, well-known global education expert Tom Vander Ark examines the facets of educational innovation in the United States and abroad. Vander Ark makes a convincing case for a blend of online and onsite learning, shares inspiring stories of schools and programs that effectively offer “personal digital learning” opportunities, and discusses what we need to do to remake our schools into “smart schools.”
— Examines the innovation-driven world, discusses how to combine online and onsite learning, and reviews “smart tools” for learning
— Investigates the lives of learning professionals, outlines the new employment bargain, examines online universities and “smart schools”
— Makes the case for smart capital, advocates for policies that create better learning, studies smart cultures
Addendum on 11/29/11:
- Getting Smart envisions a smarter system of schooling — from innosightinstitute.org by Michael Horn
On 11/02/2011,
in A/V -- audio/visual, digital learning, digital video, K-12 related, online media, student teaching/teacher education, teachers, teaching & learning,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
I don’t know much about this, but it looked interesting…I thought I’d post it in case it’s helpful to someone out there.
On 10/28/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, accessibility / UDL, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, assistive technologies, Augmented Reality (AR), cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, communications, convergence, corporate / business world, creativity, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, e-books, e-readers, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, future, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, intelligent systems, interactivity, interface design, internet, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, lifelong learning, machine-to-machine communications, Microsoft, mirroring and/or multiple devices, mobile learning, mobile technologies, multi-touch, multimedia, Near Field Communication (NFC), new media literacies, online learning, online media, personalized/customized learning, reinvent, tablets, technologies for your home, technology (general), television, tools, transmedia, trends, ubiquitous learning, user experience (UX), user interface design, videoconferencing, vision/possibilities, visualizing information, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
