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The IT conversation we should be having [Stikeleather]

On 04/25/2013, in corporate / business world, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, future of higher education, game-changing environment, innovation, IT in HE, leadership, organizational change, pace of change, strategy, technology (general), workplace, by Daniel Christian

The IT conversation we should be having — from HBR.org by Jim Stikeleather

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

It is a conversation about the increasing importance of information technology and the role it must assume in every enterprise, regardless of size, industry or geography.

…

Our observations:

  • CEOs are demanding more visible value from their CIOs, in terms of generating revenue, gaining new customers, and increasing customer satisfaction.
  • Increasingly, the CIO and IT must be seen less as developing and deploying technology, and more as a source of innovation and transformation that delivers business value, leveraging technology instead of directly delivering it.
  • The CIO must be responsible and accountable if technology enables, facilitates or accelerates competition that the C-suite didn’t see coming, or allows the enterprise to miss opportunities because the C-suite did not understand the possibilities technology offered.
  • CIOs today must adapt or risk being marginalized.

 

From DSC:
This is critical in the higher ed space as well!

The majority of the higher education industry still isn’t getting it — we are operating in a brand new ball game where technology must be used strategically.  It’s not just about building and maintaining the infrastructure/plumbing anymore (though that is extremely important as well). It’s about the strategic, innovative use of IT that counts from here on out.

 

 

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Some serious resources & inspiration re: learning spaces

On 04/22/2013, in Daniel S. Christian, face-to-face, higher education, learning ecosystem, learning spaces, pedagogy, smart classrooms, student-related, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

Below are some resources and some inspirational items re: learning spaces — from Calvin College’s Learning Spaces Learning Community, one of the Learning Communities that have been discussing and researching various items at Calvin College since last fall.   Members include Debra Buursma*, Jo-Ann VanReeuwyk*, Joel Adams, Pat Bailey, Marcie Pyper, Cynthia Slagter, and Daniel Christian.

* Co-Leaders of the Learning Spaces Learning Community

 

 

 

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Education Innovation Summit 2013 [blog]

On 04/19/2013, in education technology, emerging technologies, higher education, innovation, by Daniel Christian

EducationInnovationSummit2013

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A new seat in the C-Suite: Chief Digital Officers find a place on college campuses [Burroughs]

On 04/17/2013, in higher education, organizational change, by Daniel Christian

A new seat in the C-Suite: Chief Digital Officers find a place on college campuses — from edtechmagazine.com by Amy Burroughs
CDOs do more than help colleges adapt to online learning.

Excerpt:

Mathison is studying the emerging role of CDOs and says their functions vary, depending on how much an organization has shifted in its digital evolution. In broad terms, CDOs increase revenue through digital products, decrease costs through digital fulfillment, improve customer service and improve the return on mobile and online investments. They also help organizations respond to disruptors, or innovations with game-changing potential. To many in academia, that means massive open online courses (MOOCs).

“There weren’t many [CDOs] around five years ago, and in academia it’s really been in the last year or two, with the MOOCs that have really spooked everyone,” Mathison said.

While many universities have a director of online education or a VP of e-learning, very few schools have hired a CDO. In addition to Sreenivasan, there is Perry Hewitt at Harvard University. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology had a CDO, Brent Turner, who says that as of January he has pulled back to focus his work on the MIT Technology Review.

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NovoED: Take free courses from Stanford University

On 04/15/2013, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, education technology, elearning, experimentation, game-changing environment, global / globalization, higher education, innovation, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new business models, online learning, platforms, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

NovoED-StanfordApril2013

 

About

NovoEd is the only online learning platform that provides a connected, effective and engaging learning environment for students using a combination of techniques in crowd sourcing, design and analysis of reputation systems, and algorithm design.

NovoEd’s philosophy is to advance the online learning experience by making online courses more experiential, interactive, and collaborative. On our platform, students not only have access to lectures by thought leaders and professors from top universities, but they are also able to form teams with people around the world and work on class projects.

NovoEd uses online learning to deliver learning opportunities at massive scale. We offer courses and programs by thought leaders in a wide range of fields and in partnership with universities. By fostering online collaboration, team work and project-based learning, we nurture problem solving, collaboration, and leadership while addressing specific topics and business opportunities.

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Scientific articles accepted (personal checks, too) [Kolata]

On 04/10/2013, in adjunct faculty, career development, faculty, higher education, open courseware and systems, research, the downsides of how people use tech, by Daniel Christian

Scientific articles accepted (personal checks, too) — from the nytimes.com by Gina Kolata

Excerpt:

The scientists who were recruited to appear at a conference called Entomology-2013 thought they had been selected to make a presentation to the leading professional association of scientists who study insects.

But they found out the hard way that they were wrong. The prestigious, academically sanctioned conference they had in mind has a slightly different name: Entomology 2013 (without the hyphen). The one they had signed up for featured speakers who were recruited by e-mail, not vetted by leading academics. Those who agreed to appear were later charged a hefty fee for the privilege, and pretty much anyone who paid got a spot on the podium that could be used to pad a résumé.

 

Excerpt of some recommendations/suggestions from Mr. Steve McMullen, Assistant Professor of Economics, Calvin College:

  1. Only publish in journals that you know are legitimate and long standing.
  2. Only go to conferences hosted by an institution or association that you respect.

These two rules immediately rule out all the suspect journals and conferences, but they do so by granting power to the traditional gatekeepers. I recognize that if everyone behaves this way, it might be difficult for the open-access movement, which is sometimes laudable, to take off in our field.

Another observation:  It is probably important for departments to have some statement written into their scholarship statements/guidelines that indicate the sort of journals that count and those that don’t, and a process for evaluating publication outlets.

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Technology is eating your job (part 2) — For those who need more convincing [Martin]

On 04/08/2013, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence / Agents / LLMs / and Related, career development, computer science, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, dangers of the status quo, future, professional development, robotics, technologies for your home, the downsides of how people use tech, United States, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Technology is eating your job (part 2) — For those who need more convincing  — by Michelle Martin

Excerpts:

 

Screen shot 2013-04-02 at 7.34.20 AM

 

The reason I’m harping on technology so much is because for most of us, I believe this is a ticking time bomb we are trying to ignore. Most of us want to keep our heads down and just keep working, hoping that we aren’t going to be the ones displaced by a piece of software or some other form of automation.

This will be a mistake. And it will blow up in your face. You need to start thinking now about how to future-proof yourself as much as possible so that you’re more prepared for this breaking wave of technology.

 

From DSC:
This is truly a troubling subject. I often ask myself the following questions:

  • Is an entire swath of people being left behind?
  • Am I in that swath?
    (It sure feels like it at times; it feels like the tidal waves of change are washing over us and we’re all starting to flail about. Perhaps it’s too early to tell, but I think we’ll all feel this soon.)
  • What do we do about this developing situation?  What does it mean for K-12? Higher ed? The corporate world?

Thanks Michelle for the important posting/heads-up!

For some solutions/thoughts here, see Michelle’s posting:

 

 

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New test for computers: Grading essays at college level [Markoff]

On 04/04/2013, in Artificial Intelligence / Agents / LLMs / and Related, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, disruption, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, reinvent, staying relevant, by Daniel Christian

New test for computers: Grading essays at college level — from nytimes.com by John Markoff
.

Gretchen Ertl for The New York Times
EdX, a nonprofit enterprise founded by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
will release automated software that uses artificial intelligence to grade student essays and short written answers.

 

Excerpt:

EdX, the nonprofit enterprise founded by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to offer courses on the Internet, has just introduced such a system and will make its automated software available free on the Web to any institution that wants to use it. The software uses artificial intelligence to grade student essays and short written answers, freeing professors for other tasks.

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Review of higher ed adaptive learning products [Vander Ark]

On 04/04/2013, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, dangers of the status quo, future of higher education, game-changing environment, personalized/customized learning, reinvent, by Daniel Christian

Review of higher ed adaptive learning products — from gettingsmart.com by Tom Vander Ark

Excerpt:

Last week we reviewed an EdGrowth white paper, A Case for Accelerating Adaptive Learning in HigherEd. Yesterday EdGrowth released a second paper that includes 8 profiles of adaptive learning providers.

 

Also see:


.

ADAPTIVE LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION:  A REALITY CHECK
Education Growth Advisors Report Makes Case for Accelerating Adaptive Learning in Higher Education

STAMFORD, CT (March 13, 2013) — Today, the higher education marketplace is thick with companies and organizations claiming to have “personalized learning” or “adaptive learning” capabilities.  Companies are using this language in their sales and marketing efforts, creating confusion for institutions as they grapple with determining an approach to personalized learning that matches their students’ and instructors’ needs.  But if one cuts through the clutter, adaptive learning may be one key capable of actually unshackling higher education from the “Iron Triangle” of cost, access and quality, according to a white paper by Education Growth Advisors.  The white paper, entitled “Learning to Adapt:  A Case for Accelerating Adaptive Learning in Higher Education”, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, explores the current adoption, opportunities, barriers, advancements, solutions and case studies of adaptive learning in higher education.

 

Also see:

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K-12 and higher ed: How are we doing on these desired job skills that employers want?

On 03/28/2013, in business, career development, corporate / business world, higher education, K-12 related, lifelong learning, love of learning, more voice more choice more control, passions, play, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Employers identify top 5 job skills

From DSC:
Though K-12 and higher ed do more than
develop skills — and I could add several key
traits/characteristics that we work on
developing (such as integrity, honesty, work
ethic, etc.) — I wanted to reflect on a question:
On a regular basis, are we doing
the things to help foster these traits?

 

Employers Identify Top 5 Job Skills

 

 

From DSC:
At a range between 79%-82%, note how high up the scale the desire is for people who have the ability and willingness to learn new skills!  In other words, employers want lifelong learners.

However, if people come out of their K-12 and/or higher ed experiences and don’t really enjoy learning in the first place, that’s going to be hard to deliver on.  I continue to suggest that we need to cultivate more of a love of learning in students — giving them more choice, more control to identify and pursue their passions….things they WANT to work on. If learning is fun, the other things will take care of themselves. 

 

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Games grow up: Colleges recognize the power of gamification [Bengfort]

On 03/28/2013, in creativity, digital learning, educational games / serious games, engagement / engaging students, higher education, motivation, play, by Daniel Christian

Games grow up: Colleges recognize the power of gamification — from edtechmagazine.com by Jacquelyn Bengfort
Universities enliven education through the power of play.

.

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Schools are doing Education 1.0; talking about doing Education 2.0; when they should be planning Education 3.0 [Gerstein]

On 03/22/2013, in 21st century, creativity, education, education reform, higher education, innovation, K-12 related, love of learning, more voice more choice more control, passions, by Daniel Christian

Schools are doing Education 1.0; talking about doing Education 2.0; when they should be planning Education 3.0 — from User Generated Education by Jackie Gerstein

Excerpt:

Education 3.0
Education 3.0 is based on the belief that content is freely and readily available. It is self-directed, interest-based learning where problem-solving, innovation and creativity drive education.

.

6915209866_dd348ca2b9_o

 

Also see —  with a thanks going our to Kevin Corbett on this one:

.

TheNewMindset-SimonMcKenzie-Jan2013

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Coming this fall: Steelcase’s Gesture Chair

On 03/22/2013, in 21st century, business, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, health, higher education, K-12 related, learning spaces, smart classrooms, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Coming this fall: Steelcase's Gesture Chair

 

9 new postures identified by Steelcase Global Posture Study

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Some further items re: the future of higher education

On 03/21/2013, in education technology, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, by Daniel Christian
Some further items re: the future of higher education from evoLLLution.com:
.
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The future of higher ed according to Richard DeMillo; some thoughts/perspectives worth reflecting on

On 03/20/2013, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, accreditation, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, disruption, emerging technologies, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, internet, journalism, lifelong learning, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, online learning, reinvent, staying relevant, student-related, surviving, by Daniel Christian
Traditional institutions will close, number of colleges and universities will rise (audio and transcript) — from evoLLLution.com (where LLL stands for lifelong learning) by Richard DeMillo | Director of the Center for 21st Century Universities, Georgia Institute of Technology
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
.

Well, for me, it always boils down to value. People misunderstand this as assigning value based on salaries or employability, but I mean value in the larger sense. You have to have a reason to ask students to pay more than the marginal costs of delivering education. And with all these revolutions in technology for course delivery, that marginal cost is going to zero very, very quickly [think journalism]. So, every institution that’s going to survive, I think, over the next 50 years, is going to have to make that case. Why is it that tuition at this institution is justified?

The interesting thing about this is it’s going to be accelerated because the old bureaucracies, the old institutional models… are crumbling. At least, their boundaries are crumbling. Let me tell you what I mean by that.

The accrediting agencies, which I think traditionally have had — at least for the last 120 years or so—an institutional focus, are now shifting their focus to students; to competencies, to demonstrations of what students know. And that really starts to cut against institutional entitlement.

I think the conclusion of all this is that, as it becomes harder and harder for… a “Me-Too Institution” to argue for a marginal increase in price, the amount of money that those institutions are going to have available to them to spend on anything but core mission for students is also going to go to zero. So, this is kind of a virtuous cycle; … institutions that are unable to make the value proposition will find themselves more and more strapped for discretionary funds in order to move themselves into a different space. And that’s an ending that’s not very good for most institutions.

From DSC:
How will our/your organization keep from becoming a commodity?  What are we/you all going to bring to the table that’s different, unique, and worth paying for?

 

WalmartOfEducation-Christian2008

 

 

Also see:

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