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Public university becomes first to endorse untraditional online model [Carter]

On 06/25/2012, in cost of getting a degree, education reform, higher education, innovation, leadership, legislatures / government / legal, new business models, online learning, reinvent, staying relevant, by Daniel Christian

Public university becomes first to endorse untraditional online model — from by Denny Carter
Some UW faculty members, after political clashes with Gov. Scott Walker, remain skeptical of UW Flexible Degree

Excerpt:

Students at the University of Wisconsin (UW) can earn college degrees based on proven competency in a subject, making UW the first publicly-funded school to launch a competency-based degree program.

Led by officials at UW-Extension, a continued learning program with offices located across Wisconsin, the UW Flexible Degree will let incoming students demonstrate their knowledge and cut down on the time it takes to earn a degree.

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Citia: Reinventing the reading experience

On 06/20/2012, in innovation, publishing, reinvent, by Daniel Christian

citia.com

 

  • Created with some of the world’s best writers and publishers
  • More knowledge in less time: serious nonfiction titles, beautifully condensed
  • Two levels of summary—high altitude and detailed
  • Curated rich media, info graphics, and photography
  • ‘Card’-based reading system moves e-reading beyond the PDF format
  • Intuitive, grounded navigation (say goodbye to “location 2,077”!!)
  • New 3D table of contents organizes books by concept
  • Helps you sample books and buy the ones you really want to read
  • Skip over material you already understand, focusing on new ideas
  • Radical new format designed for speed and sharing
  • Share extended, formatted samples via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and email
  • A killer app for time-challenged executives
  • Includes referrals to related books

 

 

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Gates Foundation gives $9 million in grants to support ‘breakthrough’ education models [Young]

On 06/20/2012, in higher education, innovation, new business models, by Daniel Christian

Gates Foundation gives $9 million in grants to support ‘breakthrough’ education models — from The Chronicle by Jeffrey R. Young

Excerpt:

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is stepping up its investment in innovative delivery models in higher education, announcing $9-million in grants today to support a range of new approaches.

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The future of higher education and other imponderables [Siemens]

On 06/18/2012, in business side of he, Canada, change, dangers of the status quo, education technology, future of higher education, game-changing environment, global / globalization, higher education, innovation, leadership, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, reinvent, staying relevant, by Daniel Christian

The future of higher education and other imponderables — from elearnspace.org by George Siemens

Excerpt:

Educators are not driving the change bus. Leadership in traditional universities has been grossly negligent in preparing the academy for the economic and technological reality it now faces. This failure is apparent in interactions I’ve had with several universities over the past several months. Universities have not been paying attention. As a result, they have not developed systemic capacity to function in a digital networked age. In order to try and ramp up capacity today, they have to acquire the skills that they failed to develop over the last decade by purchasing services from vendors. Digital content, testing, teaching resources, teaching/learning software, etc. are now being purchased to try and address the capacity shortage. Enormous amounts of organizational resources are now flowing outside of education in order to fill gaps due to poor leadership. Good for the startups that were smart enough to anticipate the skill and capacity shortage in higher education. Bad for the university, faculty, and support staff.

I have delivered two presentations recently on the scope of change in higher education, one in Peru at Universidad de San Martin Porres and the other at the CANHEIT conference. Slides from CANHEIT are below…

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Addendum on 6/20/12:

Addendum on 6/21/12:

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Innovations involving 3D printing and computer numerical control (CNC) machines

On 06/15/2012, in 3D, biology, emerging technologies, engineering, nursing, by Daniel Christian

Desktop CNC Machine lets you build stuff out of more than just plastic — from GIZMODO

Excerpt:

Affordable 3D printers are all the rage, but you’re limited to only creating objects from plastic or other extrudable materials. A CNC machine, however, like this ultra-compact ShopBot Desktop, can carve objects out of any material, letting you create more than just trinkets or models.

Printing a medical revolution — from trowprice.com by Russ Banham
3D printing is shaping the future of medicine
 
Addendum on 6/18/12:
 

This Gigantor CNC Machine is Longer Than a Football Field— from gizmodo.com

 
 

 
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Tech watch: Keep a pulse check on what’s happening in — and to — the living room [Christian]

On 06/13/2012, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, innovation, more voice more choice more control, smart/connected TV, television, by Daniel Christian

Watch what happens in -- and to -- the living room

 

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Also see:
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The Secret Life of Data in the Year 2020 [Johnson]

On 06/12/2012, in analytics, computer science, data related items, engineering, future, innovation, internet, machine-to-machine communications, by Daniel Christian

The Secret Life of Data in the Year 2020 –– from The World Future Society by Brian David Johnson, a futurist at Intel Corporation, where he is developing an actionable vision for computing in 2020.

Excerpt:

Why will most people think that their data has a life of its own? Well, because it’s true. We will have algorithms talking to algorithms, machines talking to machines, machines talking to algorithms, sensors and cameras gathering data, and computational power crunching through that data, then handing it off to more algorithms and machines. It will be a rich and secret life separate from us and for me incredibly fascinating.

But as we begin to build the Secret Life of Data, we must always remember that data is meaningless all by itself. The 1s and 0s are useless and meaningless on their own. Data is only useful and indeed powerful when it comes into contact with people.

This brings up some interesting questions and fascinating problems to be solved from an engineering standpoint. When we are architecting these algorithms, when we are designing these systems, how do we make sure they have an understanding of what it means to be human? The people writing these algorithms must have an understanding of what people will do with that data. How will it fit into their lives? How will it affect their daily routine? How will it make their lives better?

Also see:

Preview of Future Inventions—Futurists: BetaLaunch 2012 — from The World Future Society by Kenneth J. Moore
The World Future Society’s second annual innovation competition will allow WorldFuture 2012 attendees to preview a few of the life-changing and society-altering artifacts of the future.

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3-D scanning and printing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

On 06/04/2012, in 3D, art, creativity, innovation, by Daniel Christian

Met 3-D: The Museum's First 3-D Scanning and Printing Hackathon

Also see:

Picture courtesy of Simon Fieldhouse
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Kindergarten teacher earns $700,000 by selling lesson plans online [Fox]

On 05/18/2012, in career development, game-changing environment, innovation, marketplaces, teachers, by Daniel Christian

Kindergarten teacher earns $700,000 by selling lesson plans online — from mashable.com by Zoe Fox

Excerpt:

Teaching isn’t known to be a lucrative profession, but online marketplace Teachers Pay Teachers is changing that for some educators.

Deanna Jump, a kindergarten teacher from Georgia, has made $700,000 selling her lesson plans on Teachers Pay Teachers, an ecommerce startup where teachers offer their lesson plans to fellow educators.

From DSC:
I can just see the dust building in the air now — coming from the trails starting to be paved from a new, electronic version of the Gold Rush!   🙂

 

 

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We need a “Fab Lab for Education” [Hernandez]

On 05/17/2012, in A/V -- audio/visual, education, education technology, emerging technologies, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, learning spaces, smart classrooms, student teaching/teacher education, by Daniel Christian

We need a “Fab Lab for Education” — from innosightinstitute.org by Alex Hernandez

Excerpt:

In my dreams, [insert city] would open a Fab Lab for Education.

The Fab Lab for Education is a place where educators with big ideas can prototype new approaches to education and operate them for six weeks at a time with real kids. In other sectors, fab labs are mini-workshops where inventors can make “almost anything” without re-tooling an entire factory. Educators should have a place to try amazing, new ideas without “re-tooling” a whole school.

For educators, getting selected to prototype their big idea is a huge honor and people travel across the country to see their work. By the way, they don’t have to quit their jobs to do this and everyone knows that not all the programs will succeed.

The Fab Lab for Education is a highly flexible and customizable space, kind of like the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Philanthropists stock the lab with all the things needed to test out new ideas: 3-D printers, legos, amazing books, art supplies, post-it notes…  basically whatever the educators need.

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The Fab Lab for Education team has five jobs…

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Additional reflection from DSC:
Great, innovative thinking Alex on this posting. Speaking of such dreams, it’s my dream to have such a place here on campus where folks could “kick the tires” on various technologies — where educators, faculty members, etc. could collaboratively work with each other and with educational technologists.  Before a “standard” gets put into place (i.e. such as an implementation of an interactive whiteboard), such a facility could help people test out a variety of potential pathways.  Ideas emerge and they morph into something else. Innovation could occur. Emerging technologies could be identified and tested out.

Other thoughts:

  • This would be a great place for our future educators/student teachers to have access to as well
  • Ideas/innovations arising from some of these facilities might be eligible for patents and additional income streams to keep such facilities open/sustainable
  • Successful approaches could be shared with other school districts, colleges, universities
  • Human Computer Interaction (HCI)-related work could be a piece of this vision — esp. in regards to developing the next gen Smart Classroom and learning spaces

 


 

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Six things to know about the robots in your future [Worzel]

On 05/17/2012, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, change, emerging technologies, future, innovation, robotics, society, trends, by Daniel Christian

Six things to know about the robots in your future — by futurist Richard Worzel, C.F.A.

Excerpt:

Accordingly, we’re about to be surprised, for real robots and their non-physical counterparts, computer intelligences, are about to enter our lives in a very real way. And initially at least, our reactions to them are likely to be that they are either creepy, or infuriating. Let’s start with the ways in which we are likely to encounter robots and computer intelligences, and then let me move on to where the evolution of robots is headed.

Also see Richard’s The Innovation Revolution

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

We are standing at the edge of the next revolution, one that will shake the foundations of the corporate world. It will both create and destroy jobs, and build and decimate organizations, and at speeds that will catch people – and organizations – by surprise. The winners will be those who foresee what’s ahead, think clearly about how to take advantage of these emerging trends, and act decisively. We are witnessing the end of “business as usual” in any sense of the phrase.

In the corporate world, we tend to think of innovation as a corporate process. It typically involves a team looking for improved ways of doing things the organization already does, then implementing them to increase the corporation’s profitability, or competitive advantage, or both.

Yet, one long-term trend is clear, undisturbed, and will be markedly disruptive: power is devolving from large organizations to individuals and small groups.

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5 hot startups using tech for good [Hockenson]

On 05/14/2012, in global / globalization, innovation, society, by Daniel Christian

5 hot startups using tech for good — from Mashable.com by Lauren Hockenson

Excerpt:

In our social entrepreneurship series, The World at Work, Mashable interviews the faces behind the startups and projects that are working to make a global impact.

By harnessing the power of the web and digital technology, these companies have built a way for companies to commit to charity, made electric cars affordable and offered a new way for people to rally around political issues. While the companies are diverse, they are all on a mission to change our lives for the better and improve society.

Also see:

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AirServer: Stream or mirror your iOS device, such as your iPhone 4S, to your Mac/PC

On 05/08/2012, in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, Apple, education technology, educational games / serious games, innovation, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning spaces, mirroring and/or multiple devices, smart classrooms, technologies for your home, tools, trends, vendors, by Daniel Christian

What is AirServer? — my thanks to Mr. Johnny Ansari at Calvin College for this resource

Overview
AirServer is a powerful Mac/PC application that enables you to stream or mirror your iOS device, such as your iPhone 4S, to your Mac/PC. If your computer is connected to a secondary or alternative display, such as an HDTV or projector, your iOS device can use that display. If your iOS device allows Mirroring then anything you see on that device can be displayed on the big screen.

AirServer is the most advanced AirPlay/AirTunes receiver app on the market. Mirroring has been fully supported since version 4.0 of AirServer. No other app will let you seamlessly stream audio, videos, photos, and photo slideshows to your Mac or iOS device. AirServer gives you more features for less money, and it keeps getting better. Android fans rejoice: we now support AirPlay streaming to Mac from Android devices running doubleTwist+AirTwist.

AirServer makes history — 1 May, 2012

We’re so hyped about our latest breakthrough with AirServer that we couldn’t hold back any longer. This is something no other app has done. This is history in the making.

AirPlay Mirroring for PC is here!
That’s right. AirServer is the first and only software that can Mirror your iPhone/iPad to your Windows PC. This is a pre-release version and doesn’t yet have sound or some of the eye candy features of full blown AirServer. But it does have Mirroring. And Mirroring will enable you to take your iPhone 4S and display the screen pixel perfect on your PC. Over the coming weeks we’ll be adding free updates to the PC version to bring it up to speed with the Mac version. Exciting times ahead.

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Some innovations that demonstrate how fast things are moving and the need for us to be *lifelong* learners!

On 05/07/2012, in 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, lifelong learning, machine-to-machine communications, robotics, videoconferencing, by Daniel Christian

Automated grading software in development to score essays as accurately as humans — from singularityhub.com by David J. Hill

See the iphone – Diorama piece at mike-ko.com

Beam me up Scotty: Life-size hologram-like telepods revolutionize videoconferencing — from the Human Media Lab at Queen’s University

Disney Research invents amazing new touch sensing tech — from DVICE.com

A smart city

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When we think of computer networks, we think of routers and servers and fiber optic cables and laptops and smartphones — we think of the internet. In actuality, though, the visible internet is just the tip of the iceberg. There are secret military networks, and ad hoc wireless networks, and utility companies have sprawling, cellular networks the track

 

30 specialist (and super smart) search engines — from thenextweb.com by Adam Vincenzini

The home 3-D printer is more real than ever–and costs as much as an iPad — from fastcompany.com by Kit Eaton

A ride on MIT Media Lab’s digital bandwagon — from CNET.com by Martin LaMonica
Digital technologies are reaching deeper into the physical world, opening up new ways for people to interact with their surroundings, say researchers at MIT’s Media Lab.

 

 

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“Stay tuned: The future of TV” <-- with educationally-related apps on deck

On 05/07/2012, in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, convergence, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, disruption, distance education, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, interactivity, internet, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning spaces, multimedia, online learning, online media, smart/connected TV, technologies for your home, television, transmedia, trends, by Daniel Christian

The Future of TV - special from CNBC which airs tonight - May 7, 2012

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Also see:

and…

 

Addendums on 5/8/12:

Double vision: TV gets interactive — from thetowntalk.com by Fraizer Moore

Piers Fawkes: The future of TV — from psfk.com by Piers Fawkes

A solid Q&A with such questions as:

  • The old hierarchical vertical order of: channel – series – episode, seems to be in danger, letting the horizontal disorder take its place. What do you think broadcasters can do to serve people during this shift?
  • The TV channel is being challenged, first by VOD and now by internet based services. How do you think the TV channels’ role will evolve in the next 5 years? Will the traditional push-based model maintain its centrality or will users be looking for search-only and pull-based alternatives?
  • A new form of TV means new revenue models. Who do you think will finance the next successful TV show in 10 years and how? Will the new channels’ role generate new business models? How you imagine them?
  • To protect our brain from information overload we need to filter and recommendations are a form of filtering. How do you think people’s recommendations will shape the future role of TV channels in the next years to come?
  • Artificial Intelligence, Smart Agents and algorithms are directing us into a world of Adaptive User Interfaces capable of recognizing different users and provide them with an anticipated, personalized experience. How do you think the future TV will shape around people’s habits and tastes?
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