On 11/29/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, future, IT in HE, telecommunications, trends,
by Daniel Christian
On 11/18/2011,
in CMS/LMS, Daniel S. Christian, education technology, higher education, innovation, instructional design, new business models, online media, publishing, reinvent, staying relevant, strategy,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
We really need a much more granular approach — like an iTunes for academic content.
On 11/09/2011,
in budgets, business side of he, change, changing business models, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, education technology, elearning, emerging technologies, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, innovation, IT in HE, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, reinvent, society, staying relevant,
by Daniel Christian
If not now, when? –– from Educause ReviewMagazine by Adrian Sannier
Adrian Sannier is Digital Strategist and Senior Vice President of Product at Pearson eCollege and is Professor of Computing Studies at Arizona State University, where he was also the University Technology Officer prior to joining Pearson eCollege.
Excerpt:
Strong signs are indicating that higher education is finally on the verge of a long-awaited digital shift. Given that experts have been prophesying such a shift for more than forty years, with little if any real change, it’s reasonable to approach such a statement with healthy skepticism. Various factors—some cultural, some technological—have indeed retarded progress along this path to the future. Nevertheless, the unprecedented challenges facing the educational system, combined with higher education’s cultural success at solving daunting challenges through the widespread application of information technology, have created the conditions for rapid change. In the coming months, we will see major shifts in the role that technology plays in the creation, distribution, consumption, and improvement of learning experiences. And education will never be the same.
…
Beyond Textbooks, Beyond Bookstores, Beyond Learning Management Systems, Beyond School—the changes introduced by technology have already begun. The digital shift is upon us. If other industries and other fields are any guide, once the dominos begin to fall, progress will be swift and irreversible.
I, for one, can’t wait to be a part of it. If not now, when?
From DSC:
Readers of this blog will not be surprised at what I’m about to say…
Higher ed, if we are wise, will quickly wake up and heed the disruptive changes that have already occurred within other industries (i.e. those caused by a variety of technologies). The following quote is especially relevant for those of us in higher education, because the conversation is no longer being controlled by those within the world of higher education.
“For the first time, the tools to drive change and improve learning lie beyond the scope and the control of the academy, in the community which surrounds it. So, for the first time in our history, colleges and universities do not control either the conversation or the drive to innovate. As a consequence, also for the first time, if they stand still, they will be left behind, bobbing in the wake of rapid change.” — HEMG
The writing on the wall is coming into a bolder/stronger/clearer view: Higher ed needs to respond to society’s needs and to its own customers…otherwise, it will become irrelevant. Much of this is due to what things often come down to — money.
The cost of education is one of the most potent forces acting as a catalyst to these changes — and the tidal waves of technological change will finish the job.
…and more forcefully illustrated:
On 09/02/2011,
in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, education technology, elearning, future, ideas, innovation, internet, IT in HE, learning ecosystem, learning theories, memory, online learning, online media, real-world assignments, social learning / networks, streams of content,
by Daniel Christian
Ignite Great Lakes – Maria Andersen: Where’s the “Learn This” Button? — my thanks to Mr. Paul Simbeck-Hampson for this resource
Dr. Maria H. Andersen is the Learning Futurist for the LIFT Institute and a Math Professor at Muskegon Community College, where she organizes Ignite MCC. She writes the “Teaching with Tech” column for MAA Focus and has recently published articles in Educause Review and The Futurist. Lately she has been spending a lot of time building games for teaching math and musing about the future of learning and higher education. You can find Maria blogging on the Internet at TeachingCollegeMath.com or on Twitter at @busynessgirl.
SOCRAIT — a new learning layer on the Internet:
- SOC for social
- AI for artificial intelligence
- IT for information technology
On 08/07/2011,
in expectations, higher education, student-related, technology (general),
by Daniel Christian
College students and technology — a July 2011 report from Pew Internet by Aaron Smith, Lee Rainie, Kathryn Zickuhr
On 08/06/2011,
in higher education, IT in HE, library / librarians, universities,
by Daniel Christian
4 university libraries move down the virtualization path — from ConvergeMag.com by Tanya Roscorla
On 08/06/2011,
in 21st century, Daniel S. Christian, disruption, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, internet, IT in HE, leadership, strategy,
by Daniel Christian
Reengineering IT in higher education — from campustechnology.com by John Waters
Excerpt:
Higher ed IT is going the way of the TV repairman, eventually becoming anachronistic maintainers of commodity systems–if university and college technology managers and chief information officers don’t reclaim their rightful place as innovators. So proclaimed William G. “Gerry” McCartney, CIO at Purdue University, who spoke to attendees at the annual Campus Technology 2011 conference last week in Boston. McCarthy said he wants to see nothing less than a new kind of higher ed hybrid, one that transforms colleges and universities into “producers as well as consumers.”
From DSC:
I have had the perspective for decades now that those organizations who utilize technologies the best will be the winners (sorry for the competitive way of framing this topic, but it’s true).
“Keeping the systems running” in the world of IT is important — but the strategic use of IT has arguably become more important as the Internet, changing landscapes, and budgetary pressures continue to disrupt higher education.
In the 21st century, if you want a successful organization, you must have at least one visionary technologist — who understands your business — on your organization’s decision-making board; if not, good luck to such an organization in the future. If your organization minimizes and underestimates the power of technology to disrupt your business, things may not turn out too good for your organization in the future.
Also see:
- Technology not a priority for most college administrators, report finds — from ConvergeMag.com by Tanya Roscorla
On 07/24/2011,
in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, convergence, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, education technology, internet, IT in HE, learning spaces, library / librarians, multimedia, smart classrooms,
by Daniel Christian
Aruba MOVE delivers high-quality video simultaneously to 100 iPads in a single classroom at the University of Ottawa — from ArrubaNetworks.com
Multimedia applications included Apple Facetime and AirPlay, Blackboard Mobile™ Learn, Distribution Access Learning, HaiVision and Turning Technologies
Excerpt:
SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 13, 2011 – Aruba Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARUN) today announced that it and several application partners delivered the next-generation classroom experience at the University of Ottawa. Validated by the university information technology (IT) department, the classroom experience consisted of six leading multimedia educational applications delivered to 100 iPads, concurrently. Each of the applications was delivered simultaneously to all 100 iPads with the highest quality and without any noticeable jitter, delay or frame loss. 100 percent of the iPads passed the multimedia Service Level Agreement (SLA), as measured by VeriWave WaveInsite, which was also used to objectively verify sustained performance of 1Mbps of multimedia streaming to each iPad.
From DSC:
I think there may be something here for the Smart Classrooms of the future. I can’t help but think of some of our courses in astronomy, for example, and that I think that sometimes we are using the wrong technologies to display images and videos to our students. Without investing an enormous amount of money on very high-end projection systems, we lose too much detail with a variety of images that feature galaxies, constellations, etc. with a projected image.
What about if a student could control where they want to zoom in on an image — and not lose any resolution or brightness? What about if they had such high res images available for viewing directly on their iPads? Sounds very interesting to me.
Also see:
- Haivision Acquires KulaByte and MontiVision; Forms Internet Media Division
Haivision driving toward $50 million revenue with new division combining Internet streaming and cloud transcoding to enable over-the-top media delivery
MONTREAL and CHICAGO — July 21, 2011 — Haivision Network Video, a leading provider of the most advanced video networking, digital signage, and IP video distribution solutions, today announced that it has acquired both KulaByte Corporation of San Marcos, Texas, and MontiVision Imaging Technologies based in Germany. The technologies of both companies, including advanced encoding, transcoding, cloud computing, and workflow solutions, will be combined to form Haivision’s new Internet Media Division.
On 07/07/2011,
in 21st century, assessment, change, digital learning, disruption, education technology, engagement / engaging students, innovation, IT in HE, leadership, pace of change, strategy, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
Schools struggle to balance digital innovation, academic accountability — from Education Week’s Digital Directions by Michelle Davis
Using educational technology in new and different ways to improve student learning is often at odds with standardized testing and other traditional measures of achievement.
Excerpt:
But how do you move forward with such an innovation, when there isn’t definitive proof that it will work? That is the key question educators and policymakers are grappling with.
Under the education priorities of President George W. Bush’s administration, the catchphrase “research base” was drilled into educators” heads when it came to new programs and initiatives. If it wasn’t research-based, it wasn’t worth adopting.
But technology innovations occur so rapidly that it’s often impossible to do scientifically based trials proving effectiveness before schools embrace new approaches. Think of social-networking tools, iPads, and e-readers. And what other new digital-learning tools might also emerge well before scientifically based research can justify their use in classrooms?
Also see:
- ‘Hybrid’ Charter Schools on the Rise — from Education Week’s Digital Directions by Michelle Davis
New charter school models are combining online-only learning and face-to-face instruction
From DSC:
From my 20+ years of experience with working with a variety of technologies, while there is an element of risk taking to implementing technologies, there are also enormous payoffs if organizations implement the appropriate technologies.
But how can we select and implement the most effective technologies? This is where we need to rely on our technologists out there and keep them growing in the knowledge of “the business”, not just the technologies. Tell them what you are trying to achieve, and they can greatly assist. No one can hit 100% — but good technologists can get you into the right game and into the right ballpark (if not exactly lining up the exact right players, which may change or take some tweaking).
NOTE:
Don’t rely on technologists who only see their jobs as keeping the systems running. Though we need technologists who keep the infrastructures up and running, at this juncture what organizations really need are visionaries who are knowledgeable about the needs of the business (as well as the technologies), and those who are willing to explore, experiment, and take some risks…i.e. to lead….to be instrumental in forming strategies and visions. The areas outside IT need to be aware of how critical technologies are becoming in their core strategies and plans. It’s not the same ball-game as it was. Those who use technologies strategically will survive and thrive.
It should be noted that there have been risks inherent in maintaining the status quo — a 20%-30% dropout rate (in K-12) across the United States is pretty risky too, at least in my mind.
On 06/27/2011,
in IT in HE, web design and production,
by Daniel Christian
Report: The most common web browsers and browser versions today — from royal.pingdom.com
Excerpt from this 6/16/11 posting:
The web browser market is an ever-changing landscape. It can sometimes be rocky ground for web designers and web developers trying to make their websites and services work for all the various browser versions available out there. It’s challenging work, to say the least.
That’s why it pays to be aware of what the web browser market looks like, and stay up to date. How many are using the various browsers out there? How many are using the latest versions? Which versions are the most common? How big an audience may you be annoying if your site isn’t perfect in a specific browser version?
Those are all questions you’ll want to answer, and here is what the situation looks like right now, in June 2011, based on the traffic to more than three million websites and billions of page views.
On 05/30/2011,
in Canada, change, creativity, education technology, innovation, IT in HE, pedagogy, teaching & learning, technology (general), vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
On 04/09/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, change, colleges, convergence, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, disruption, distance education, e-books, e-readers, education, education reform, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, entrepreneurship, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, global / globalization, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), hybrid learning, immersion, informal learning, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, interaction design, interactivity, interface design, internet, IT in HE, K-12 related, learning agents, learning ecosystem, learning spaces, lifelong learning, marketplaces, mobile learning, mobile technologies, multi-touch, multimedia, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new business models, new media literacies, online learning, online media, online tutoring, pace of change, personalized/customized learning, platforms, play, podcasting, professional development, reinvent, RSS, simulations, smart classrooms, social learning / networks, social media, society, storytelling, strategy, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, surviving, tablets, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, technology (general), telecommunications, telepresence, television, transmedia, trends, ubiquitous learning, universities, user experience (UX), using teams, videoconferencing, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, webinars,
by Daniel Christian
Daniel Christian:
A Vision of Our Future Learning Ecosystems
In the near future, as the computer, the television, the telephone (and more) continues to converge, we will most likely enjoy even more powerful capabilities to conveniently create and share our content as well as participate in a global learning ecosystem — whether that be from within our homes and/or from within our schools, colleges, universities and businesses throughout the world.
We will be teachers and students at the same time — even within the same hour — with online-based learning exchanges taking place all over the virtual and physical world. Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) — in the form of online-based tutors, instructors, teachers, and professors — will be available on demand. Even more powerful/accurate/helpful learning engines will be involved behind the scenes in delivering up personalized, customized learning — available 24x7x365. Cloud-based learner profiles may enter the equation as well.
The chances for creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship that are coming will be mind-blowing! What employers will be looking for — and where they can look for it — may change as well.
What we know today as the “television” will most likely play a significant role in this learning ecosystem of the future. But it won’t be like the TV we’ve come to know. It will be much more interactive and will be aware of who is using it — and what that person is interested in learning about. Technologies/applications like Apple’s AirPlay will become more standard, allowing a person to move from device to device without missing a beat. Transmedia storytellers will thrive in this environment!
Much of the professionally done content will be created by teams of specialists, including the publishers of educational content, and the in-house teams of specialists within colleges, universities, and corporations around the globe. Perhaps consortiums of colleges/universities will each contribute some of the content — more readily accepting previous coursework that was delivered via their consortium’s membership.
An additional thought regarding higher education and K-12 and their Smart Classrooms/Spaces:
For input devices…
The “chalkboards” of the future may be transparent, or they may be on top of a drawing board-sized table or they may be tablet-based. But whatever form they take and whatever is displayed upon them, the ability to annotate will be there; with the resulting graphics saved and instantly distributed. (Eventually, we may get to voice-controlled Smart Classrooms, but we have a ways to go in that area…)
Below are some of the graphics that capture a bit of what I’m seeing in my mind…and in our futures.
Alternatively available as a PowerPoint Presentation (audio forthcoming in a future version)
— from Daniel S. Christian | April 2011
- Hunch brings predictions to Internet TV — from ReadWriteWeb.com by Mike Melanson
- Group video calling comes to iPhone & Android in Fring beta test – from Mashable.com by Jennifer Van Grove
- State of the Art Tutoring is Going Online — from chatam.patch.com by K.F. Rogers (originally saw at Ray Schroeder’s blog)
- Storytelling: Video games’ next killer app — from CNN.com by Scott Steinberg
- YouTube finally launches live streaming portal to select partners — from ReadWriteWeb.com by Marshall Kirkpatrick
- The art of immersion, digital storytelling and transmedia — from Six Pixels of Separation
- Reversing course, U. of California to borrow millions for online classes — from The Chronicle by Josh Keller
- Non-stop Learning Futures conference spans three time zones to mirror demands of 24/7 global society — from 24dash.com
- Call for presentations: Online learning, teaching, and research in the new media ecology — from Ray Schroeder and the Sloan Consortium
…It is clear that we are in the midst of rapid and ongoing changes in the way that we communicate and represent ideas and these changes have profound consequence for how we know, learn, think, and teach in higher education and beyond. The dizzying pace of change is highlighted by the fact that even the relatively new conventions of online education associated with asynchronous learning networks are being challenged by emerging means of access, such as mobile and cloud computing, new forms of communication, such as video streaming and instant messaging, as well as the innovative modes of participation represented in social media.
Addendum on 4-14-11:
- Surprise! Online TV is billion-dollar biz — from cnn.com
-My thanks to Mr. Michael Haan, Calvin College, for this resource
Also see:
- Is Ed Tech Accessible Enough? — from CampusTechnology.com by Bridget McCrea
Technology opens doors for college students and teachers, but it’s not always adequate for non-traditional learners, despite meeting existing accessibility standards.
Helen Lee knows what it’s like to get excited about a new piece of classroom technology. But as assistant professor for Western Michigan University’s Department of Blindness & Low Vision Studies in Kalamazoo, Lee also is familiar with the bitter disappointment that comes when her students can’t use some or all of the technology.