On 02/23/2010,
in blogs / blogging / vlogging, education technology, emerging technologies, innovation, internet, IT in HE, mobile technologies, multimedia, new media literacies, online learning, technologies for your home,
by Daniel Christian
On 02/23/2010,
in budgets, education technology, funding / grants, K-12 related,
by Daniel Christian
The 2011 Budget makes a strong commitment to technology that transforms how educators teach and how students learn. The President strongly believes that technology, when used creatively and effectively, can transform education and training in the same way that it has transformed the private sector. It makes a broad array of Department of Education programs, including the $500 million “Investing in Innovation” Fund, eligible for technology-related investments, encouraging the infusion of educational technology across a broad range of programs in order to improve teaching and learning, and build the capacity at the State and local level to support better uses of technology for efficient and effective transfer of knowledge.
Potential for Transformative Impact:
Last year, the President released A Strategy for American Innovation, highlighting the role of technology in educating the next generation. The strategy outlined the role that educational technology could play to improve our quality of life and establish the foundation for the industries and jobs of the future. For example (emphasis below from DSC):
- Online learning can allow adults that are struggling to balance the competing demands of work and family to acquire new skills, and compete for higher wage jobs, at a time, place and pace that is convenient for them. It can also improve access to a quality education for students in underserved areas.
- Digital tutors can provide every student with immediate feedback and personalized instruction, providing them with the information needed to diagnose and correct errors, and providing challenging instruction.
- Digital learning environments can generate a large volume of data that, if analyzed properly, will support “continuous improvement” by providing rich feedback to learners, teachers, curriculum designers, and researchers in the field of learning science and technology.
- “Games for learning” that are compelling and engaging have the potential to increase the attentive time on task that students engage in learning. Massive multiplayer games can support the social and team-based dimensions of learning.
- Simulations, such as a flight simulator for pilots or a “digital human” for medical professionals can allow students to engage in hands-on learning.
- Open educational resources can be shared, adapted, re-mixed, and re-used.
- Technology can increase parental involvement, provide new opportunities for students with disabilities and for English Language Learners, allow teachers to participate in “communities of practice,” and enlist professionals and retirees as online mentors.
On 02/23/2010,
in blended learning, education technology, hybrid learning, online learning,
by Daniel Christian
New hybrid PhD program at MSU — from Michigan State University
From Dr. Patrick Dickson of MSU College of Education:
I would like to let you know of the new hybrid avenue to earning the Michigan State University Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology with an emphasis in educational technology and online learning.
The faculty decided to offer this substantially online pathway to our PhD in response to the interest among professionals who wish to continue in their current positions while earning their doctorate.
The hybrid program is designed for the bright, established professionals currently serving in K-12 schools, universities, policy centers, and research institutions, who understand how new technologies, including online learning, continue to transform education.
On 02/20/2010,
in digital storytelling, education technology, Google, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
3 educational web applications I’d like to make — from edte.ch blog
“I am sure you have had moments when you discover your inner inventor too. Here are three web based applications I have much pondered and if I had more time, money, expertise would probably have made by now.”
- StoryBook Earth
- My Reading Diary
- Connect Collaborate Content
HP, in collaboration with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), invites educators around the world to participate remotely in the 2010 HP Innovations in Education Worldwide Summit. More than 100 educators in 23 countries will be attending the summit in person on 22-24 February to learn from education experts and innovation thought leaders such as Michael Horn (co-author of “Disrupting Class”), Georges Haddad (UNESCO), Phil McKinney (HP Innovation “guru” www.philmckinney.com), David Williamson Schaffer (www.epistemicgames.org), and students as they discuss how social media impacts their learning experience.
From the Product Review section at Amazon.com
In Education Nation author Milton Chen draws from extensive experience in media—from his work on Sesame Street in its nascent years to his current role as executive director of the George Lucas Educational Foundation—to support his vision for a new world of learning. Presented in five parts and divided into “module” chapters, this book examines the ways in which K-12 learning can be revolutionized through innovative reform and the use of technology.
Due in large part to new technologies, over the last few decades we’ve witnessed a huge shift in how we imagine teaching and learning. A good example is the educational revolution sparked by Sesame Street—which in its first season had a goal of teaching preschool-age children the numbers 1 to 10. At the time, experts dismissed it as an unrealistic goal since many kindergarten students were having trouble mastering this simple counting. Yet the research proved that preschool-age children learned those skills and many others directly from the TV screen. Now Sesame Street’s curriculum teaches the numbers from 1 to 40. In today’s digital age the number of new ways to teach and learn is ever-expanding and includes: television, Google, YouTube, TeacherTube, Facebook, iPhones, video games, GPS devices, open source textbooks, interactive whiteboards; and there are countless examples of ways technology positively impacts student learning—from voice-recognition software that helps children learn to read to translation tools that help teachers communicate with non-English speaking parents. As a result of constant innovation, learning is no longer limited by traditional confines and we’re quickly moving beyond students tied to their chairs, desks, and textbooks—and teachers locked away in classrooms (emphasis DSC).
On 02/16/2010,
in disruption, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, internet, new business models,
by Daniel Christian
Bruce Klein [SVP for Cisco] Talks About Technology Creating New Business and Learning Models in Higher Education — from focuswashington.com
Technology is playing an increasing role creating new business and learning models in higher education. Bruce Klein, senior vice president for Cisco, provides us with a snapshot on how technology is becoming a strategic tool in not just providing a better experience for teachers, students, and other stakeholders, but also how video is transforming the way students learn and how schools are building brand reputation and increasing competitiveness globally. As an example, Bruce Klein talks about Duke University’s adoption of high-resolution video with Cisco TelePresence and builds a next-generation classroom environment, as well as Purdue University’s new way to deliver student interaction.
On 02/12/2010,
in Apple, Augmented Reality (AR), changing business models, convergence, digital audio, digital video, disruption, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, game-changing environment, higher education, learning, learning ecosystem, mobile learning, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, new media literacies, publishing, social learning / networks, social media, student-related, textbooks, tools, trends, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
- Geo-tagging will be a powerful tool for higher education
- The Apple iPad will have a significant impact in the education market
- The “smudging” of technologies: Augmented reality, mobile computing and crowdsourcing.
- Social media can help solve the student engagement crisis.
- In order for both students and instructors to engage in social media, there needs to be a level of incentive.
Be sure to check out their GradeGuru video/piece for:
- An interesting new incentive system for students
- An engaging way to relay information
- A great illustration of the power of the web to aid in sharing educationally-related information; social learning
- A way to find other students who have good notes
On 02/11/2010,
in education technology, policy, smart classrooms, teaching & learning,
by Daniel Christian
How well has your institution integrated technology? — from Tony Bates
On 02/10/2010,
in colleges, education technology, emerging technologies, faculty, funding / grants,
by Daniel Christian
Putting Emerging Technologies to the Test — from CampusTechnology.com by Bridget McCrea
Hope College, a liberal arts institution in Michigan, isn’t afraid to put technology in the classroom and to get faculty involved in the process
To encourage innovation and participation among its faculty, Hope College established its own “Instructional Technology Innovation Fund (emphasis DSC)” in 1999, with the goal of enticing instructors to propose ideas and to get them funded. “Faculty members make a public presentation about their ideas before they can get the financing for them,” said Ludwig. “This has turned out to be an incubator for dozens of exciting, individual faculty projects.”
One of those projects garnered attention from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), which, according to the FIPSE Web site, “supports and disseminates innovative reform projects that promise to be models for improving the quality of postsecondary education and increasing student access.”
On 02/09/2010,
in 21st century, 3D, blended learning, education technology, hybrid learning, interaction design, smart classrooms,
by Daniel Christian
RENCI pioneering the visualization industry with innovative interfaces — from InnovativeInteractivity.com by Tracy Boyer
“Today I flew through a digitally enhanced simulation of an ear canal, looked at 3D manipulations of static 2D images, and watched a seamless video projected simultaneously on four surrounding walls. The Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) is based in North Carolina and oddly enough it was my first visit to this extremely innovative and eye-opening interactive institute. Not only did it get me excited about information visualization, it gave me tons of inspiration for the future of immersive and interactive multimedia. Here is a great overview video of a similar tour group that went through RENCI. I experienced the first two visualizations that are shown here…”
On 02/02/2010,
in change, disruption, engagement / engaging students, expectations, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, innovation, student-related,
by Daniel Christian
From Campus Technology’s latest edition — quote below from Geoff Fletcher, Editorial Director
Per Geoff: Innovation is in. Innovation has always been in, but it really is in these days: According to economists, innovation will be America’s [or substitute any nation — per DSC] hedge in an increasingly-competitive global economy, but only if our education system is good enough — is innovative enough — to foster the same creativity and inventiveness in our students.
Per DSC:
Wow…do we have our work cut out for us. From so many of the articles and postings I’ve seen over the last few years, innovation and change comes hard to those of us in the world of education. Are we giving the students the chances to be innovative and creative? Are we encouraging those traits in them? If not, what will it take to turn the tides here?
Also, I’d like to comment on students’ expectations — in that we should not underrate them! (Particularly in light of the higher costs of obtaining an education and the movement towards a more consumer-based mindset of our students.) I wonder how long will it be before prospective students take a good, long, hard look at what assistance/training/education an institution of higher education will offer them in developing their learning networks? What technologies does that institution support? What philosophies does that school have concerning how open to be here? Hmmm…
Finally, this edition sports a great article (starting on page 23) entitled, “Managing the Student for Life” — I’ve often thought that more colleges and universities should focus more heavily on lifelong learning possibilities, and then to market themselves as being able to assist a person from age 18 – until “death-do-we-part”. 🙂
