Apple's iTunes U may be leading a global revolution in higher education

 

From DSC:

Apple has been putting together a solid ecosystem of hardware and software that allows for the creation and distribution of content.  “Easy is hard” I like to say and Apple’s done a great job of creating easy-to-use devices and apps. They have a long way to go before iTunes U has all the built-in functionality needed to replace a Blackboard Learn or a Moodle type of CMS/LMS.  But given their solid history of creating highly-usable hardware and software, they could deal a smashing blow to what’s happening in the CMS/LMS world today. 

Plus, with Apple TV, Airplay mirroring, the growth of second screen-based apps, and machine-to-machine communications, Apple is poised to get into this game…big time. If my thoughts re: “Learning from the Living [Class] Room” come to fruition, Apple would be positioned for some serious worldwide impact on lifelong learning; especially when combined with the developments such as the use of MOOCs, AI and HCI-related innovations, learning agents, web-based learner profiles, and potential/upcoming changes to accreditation.

Too far fetched do you think? Hmmm….well considering that online learning has already been proven to be at least as affective as f2f learning — and in some studies has produced even greater learning outcomes/results — I wonder how things will look in mid-2015…? (That is, where is the innovation occurring?)


 Addendum:

  • Connected TV penetration to top 50% by 2017 — from worldscreen.com by Mansha Daswani
    Excerpt:
    SCOTTSDALE: ABI Research forecasts that more than 50 percent of television homes in North America and Western Europe will have Internet-connected TV sets by 2017, up from just 10 percent last year, while Blu-ray player penetration is expected to rise to more than 76 percent from about 25 percent. The report notes that the popularity of connected TV is not limited to developed markets—there have been increasing shipments to China, ABI notes.
    .
  • Advertisers need to pay attention to connected TV [INFOGRAPHIC] — from Mashable.com
    .
  • The future of TV is two screens, one held firmly in your hands — from FastCompany.com by Kit Eaton
    Excerpt:

    The connected TV, sometimes called the smart TV (and even branded as such by Samsung) is a growing phenomenon: TV makers are adding limited apps, Net connectivity, and even streaming media powers to their newer TVs in the hope they’ll persuade you to upgrade your newish LCD for a flatter, smarter unit. They’re desperate to, given how flat this market is. But according to new research from Pew, the future of TV may actually be a little more closely aligned with the notion of a “connected TV viewer,” an important distinction. Pew spoke to over 2,200 U.S. adults a couple of months ago and discovered that 52% of all adult cell phone owners now “incorporate their mobile devices into their television watching experiences.”

 

8 things to know about the new Microsoft Office  — from inc.com by Christina DesMarais

Microsoft starts integrating Skype into Office — from techcrunch.com by Frederic Lardinois

Next version of Microsoft Office puts emphasis on subscriptions with Office 365 — from techcrunch.com by Frederic Lardinois

Licensing is the Achilles Heel for the new Microsoft Office — from techcrunch.com by Alex Williams

Microsoft’s new Office: The cloud finally takes center stage — from cnet.com by Mary Jo Foley
A public preview of Microsoft’s coming Office 2013 client is out today. But Office 365 and SkyDrive are the real stars of the new Office show.

New Microsoft Office taps into the cloud — from cnet.com by Lance Whitney
Like Windows 8, the new version of Office will let you sign in with an online account, providing you with the same settings across different devices.

The new Microsoft Office — in pictures – from cnet.com

.

http://news.cnet.com/2300-10805_3-10012965-15.html

 

.

New Microsoft Office to embrace Windows 8 touch-screen tablets — from cnet.com by Lance Whitney
Demoing the applications in the new Office suite today, Microsoft emphasized the ability to integrate with Windows 8 using taps and other touch-based gestures.

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 to be bundled on all Windows RT tablets

Hands On: Microsoft Office 2013 and Office 365 — from PCMag.com by Jill Duffy

New Microsoft Office ropes in Skype, Yammer, SkyDrive — from gigaom.com by Barb Darrow

What the new Microsoft Office gets wrong — from fastcodesign.com by Austin Carr
Microsoft unveiled a preview of its latest version of Office, and the design is a schizophrenic mess. Here’s why.

Office 15: Microsoft’s Best Bet For Beating Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive — from FastCompany.com by Austin Carr
With one billion Office users worldwide, the newest upgrade to Microsoft’s productivity suite could give the company a significant hold on the cloud, which Gartner estimates will become a $149 billion industry by 2015.

 

 

Microsoft buys CNN’s Magic Wall maker — from CNN.com by Erin Kim

Excerpt:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Microsoft is adding a magic touch. Microsoft said Monday that it has agreed to buy Perceptive Pixel Inc., which makes large, multi-touch displays, including CNN’s “Magic Wall.”

CNN's John King used the Magic Wall for his coverage of the Michigan and Arizona primaries this year.

CNN’s John King used the Magic Wall for his coverage of the Michigan and Arizona primaries this year.

.

Why Did Microsoft Buy Giant-Touchscreen-Maker Perceptive Pixel?— from readwriteweb.com by Brian Proffitt

 

From DSC:
I could easily see a “video wall” in the Smart Classrooms of the near future, integrating this technology and more. Intel’s incorporated/captured such a vision as well in this piece here.

I would like to see such a mechanism be able to obtain files from students, check them for any viruses/malware, and then distribute the files to other students (if they choose to receive the files).

 


 

 

A piece of the Next Generation Smart Classroom -- Daniel Christian -- June 2012

 

From DSC:
I wonder:

  • If the video wall  pictured above could be a Smart/connected TV and if it can share files as well as play files?
  • If such a setup will involve machine-to-machine communications (NFC, other)?
  • If it will be like banking setups whereby the student’s device must obtain a constantly rotating password to access a resource that expires in ___ seconds — and they must be in that room to get it?
  • If it will be hardware or software based…or both?

 

Beyond Siri - A report regarding the future of Virtual Assistants -- from VisionMobile -- June 2012

 

Contents

  • Virtual assistants: four generations in 20 years
  • The evolving VA technology landscape
  • The VA Competitive landscape
  • VA business models: Revenue share rather than paid app downloads
  • Leaders and challengers in the VA value chain
  • Beyond Siri: What’s in store in the VA market

Behind this report

  • Lead researcher: Marlène Sellebråten
  • Project lead: Michael Vakulenko
  • Marketing lead: Matos Kapetanakis
  • Editorial: Andreas Constantinou

 

Tagged with:  

Ideum Releases MT65 Presenter Multitouch Wall Display — from Ideum.com by Chad Person

Technical Specifications

 

.

From DSC:
What if this were a Connected/Smart TV in a Smart Classroom?

MultiTaction turns walls into giant touch screens — from cnet.com by Jacqueline Seng
.MultiTaction

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.

One iPad publishing platform to rule them all — from Mashable.com by Josh Koppel, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at ScrollMotion

.

Excerpt:

App developer ScrollMotion has created tablet content for some of the world’s largest publishers. At the Mashable Media Summit last Friday, its co-founder and chief creative officer Josh Koppel showed off a single platform built to run the entire gamut of enterprise media publishing.

.Also see:

Scrollmotion.com -- solutions

From DSC:
It’s highly likely that you have already seen a ton of postings re: the news of Steve Jobs’ passing yesterday.  However, I need to reflect, comment upon, and commemorate his life and work here today.

 

Steve Jobs - 1955-2011

When Apple asserts that Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, it’s true.  They are not just flowery, flattering words.  Jobs was a one in a (hundred) million type of person — carefully crafted for the needs of today. His skillsets were rare.  His negotiation skills were solid.  His vision and courage to pursue the entrepreneurial/innovative way of life are outstanding.  His knowledge — and pursuit of knowledge — as well as his drive helped him bring about many world-changing technologies and projects.  Not too many people could own/direct an animation studio, oversee the production of software and hardware that was fined tuned to creating and distributing multimedia, comment on which font style would be appropriate for a message, relentlessly pursue excellence in user experience/usability in all of an organization’s product lines, present information the way he did, create excitement for his company’s products, etc.

Personally, Steve Jobs has helped me continue to think big — to have wind in my sails that I can make a contribution…that I can help change the world.  All of us can, even if in smaller ways than Steve Jobs did.  But we will need to believe that we can change the world and to persevere through the trials and tribulations that are sure to come our way when we attempt to do so.

I hope that the team that Steve & Co. put into place continue to pursue his passions and visions, as the world needs visionaries.  Though I did not know him, I will yet miss him. I am grateful to God for his gifts, abilities, life and work.

 

Addendum:

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

— from Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement speech given at Standford University

 

Tagged with:  
© 2024 | Daniel Christian