student-related

Items re: “Learning from the Living Room”

On 03/09/2012, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, future of higher education, game-changing environment, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), Learning from the Living [Class] Room, marketplaces, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, online learning, online media, online tutoring, smart/connected TV, social learning / networks, student-related, technologies for your home, transmedia, trends, using teams, videoconferencing, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
Here are some items related to what I call “Learning from the Living Room” — a trend that continues to develop that involves:

Using high-end, personalized, multimedia-based, interactive, team-created content — packed with new reporting tools for better diagnostics/learning analytics — available via a cloud-based “education store”/marketplace/exchange
Web-accessible content that’s available 24x7x365
The power of social networks/learning
Riding the wave of the massive convergence of the computer, the telephone, and the television.

Smarter TV: Living room as digital hub from Samsung and Microsoft to Apple and Google — from wired.com by Tim Carmody

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

In the future, the living room will replace the home office as most households’ home for the stationary personal computer. Instead of printers and mice and other corded accessories, networked appliances and post-PC machines share data with one another and with the cloud. Play and productivity both become decentered; gaming and entertainment might be on a tablet or a television, with recipes at the refrigerator, a shopping list for the smartphone, and an instructional video on the television set. All of these experiences will be coherent, continuous and contextual. And like the personal computer at the height of Pax Wintel, the living room will be a platform characterized by triumphant pluralism.“The thing about the living room is that it’s universal; everyone in the household uses it,” Samsung VP Eric Anderson told me at today’s event. “We know that we’re not going to capture every single member of the household. In my family, my wife and my daughter are Apple, me and my sons are Android,” he noted, pointing out that the majority of devices introduced today can interact with either mobile platform.

The modern mechanics of app stores: today, tomorrow and connected TV — from guardian.co.uk by Dean Johnson

Excerpt:

What’s next for app stores?
It’s time for each platform to up its game – smart TVs are coming. The small and medium screen experience will shortly be translated to the bigger screen as connectivity and discoverability takes on even greater importance.

Google and Apple will further interweave themselves into our daily lives as iOS and Android seamlessly combine our smartphones and tablets with our new smartTVs. Electronic Program Guides (EPGs) and the programmes themselves will suggest related content, from apps to music to film to books. This must all be presented in an approachable, then browsable manner to encourage additional discovery.

The quest for the perfect meta-data will become increasingly important and voice commands will need to deliver the best search results with the minimum of fuss. This time next year, the battle of the app stores will be fought on the move, on the desktop and on the living room wall.

Samsung Launches Smart TVs With Gestures, Voice Control — from by Douglas Perry

Excerpt:

A Kinect-like feature is made possible via camera and microphone integration that comes standard with the LED ES7500, LED ES8000 and Plasma E8000 models. According to Samsung, consumers can launch apps such as Facebook or YouTube, or search the web via voice commands. Waving the hand will move the cursor and select links. The TVs integrate a Samsung dual-core processor as well as a new Webkit-based web browser to improve overall performance. The high-end 7500 and 8000 TVs ship with a remote with an integrated touchscreen. A wireless keyboard that is compatible with Samsung’s TVs as well as the Galaxy Tab tablet is sold as an option.

New TV experiences through companion apps — from moxie pulse

Tagged with: 21st century • 24x7x365 • A/V • cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related • cost of getting an education • dangers of the status quo • Daniel S. Christian • exchanges • future of higher education • game-changing environment • human-computer interaction (HCI) • learning from the living [class] room • marketplaces • online learning • online media • online tutoring • post-PC • Smart/Connected TV • social learning • student-related • Using teams • Walmart of Education • web-based collaboration

resumes4collegestudents.com: Resumes and cover letters for college students and grads [Schultze]

On 03/09/2012, in career development, colleges, student-related, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Resumes and cover letters for college students and grads — from Quentin Schultze
How to write a college student or graduate resume and cover letter that will get you a job

Tagged with: career development • colleges • student-related • universities • workplace

College presidents say $10,000 degrees available now [Hamilton]

On 03/07/2012, in change, changing business models, community colleges, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, future of higher education, higher education, innovation, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, student-related, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

College presidents say $10,000 degrees available now — from texastribune.org by Reeve Hamilton

Excerpt:

Called “The Evolving Role of University Systems in Higher Education,” today’s panel mostly focused on efforts to lower the cost of college. It was moderated by Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp and featured Heldenfels, Texas Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes, and two pairs of university and community college leaders actively collaborating: Texas A&M-San Antonio President Maria Ferrar and Alamo Colleges Chancellor Bruce Leslie, and Texas A&M-Commerce President Dan Jones and South Texas College’s Chief Academic Officer Juan Mejia.

Leslie said that Perry’s push has led to an increased emphasis on cooperation between community colleges and four-year universities. The result, he said, is a degree that meets Perry’s target — and is even less expensive. At Texas A&M-San Antonio, Ferrar said, a bachelor’s in information technology with an emphasis on cyber security will cost about $9,700.

Tagged with: budgetary • change • community college • cost of getting an education • Daniel S. Christian • future of higher education • higher education • innovation • leadership • new business models in he • strategy • student-related • United States • universities • Walmart of Education

Tagged with: educational technology • student-related

Learning Without Frontiers Conference presentations/talks now online (from UK Jan 2012)

On 02/27/2012, in 21st century, curriculum, design, economics, education, education reform, education technology, leadership, learning ecosystem, legislatures / government / legal, more voice more choice more control, passions, personalized/customized learning, policy, strategy, student-related, UK, United States, by Daniel Christian

My notes on two presentations from the Learning Without Frontiers Conference, London, 26th January 2012:

My notes for:
Sir Ken Robinson’s talk

Practice <–>Theory <–> Policy

People who practice don’t often have time to get the latest and greatest information re: theory
Theorists don’t have much time for practice
Policy makers don’t know much about either 🙂

Purposes of education:

Economic. Not solely, but there are economic reasons for providing education. Academic vs vocation programs – Sir Ken doesn’t subscribe to this dichotomy in educational DNA. Need new sorts of education
Cultural. Aim to pass on cultural genes – values, beliefs
Personal. The most important! In the end, education is ultimately, personal. Too much impersonal testing that students aren’t engaged in.

Key point:

There is everything you can do – at all levels; many of us ARE the educational system – at least for the group(s) of students that we are working with. So we can make immediate changes; and collectively this can create a revolution.

Education not linear, not monolithic. Rather, it’s a complex, adaptive system – many moving parts, like a vortex…not like an undistributed canal; more like an ocean with different forces tugging this way and that. (From DSC: I agree with what Sir Ken is saying here, but I especially agree with this particular perspective — thus the name of this blog.)

Personalization is key! Education needs to be customized to the communities where it’s taking place.

Principles

Curriculum – towards disciplines (skills, processes, procedures) and away from subjects
Teaching & Learning – dynamic; flow of knowledge; not static; forms need to tap into streams; move towards collaborative activities; active learning trumps passive learning
Assessment – must move from judgment to description

My notes (part way) for:
Jim Knight – If Steve Jobs Designed Schools

What if Steve Jobs had re-invented the education system rather the computer and consumer electronics industry?

Steve Jobs was a contradictory character, combining control freak and Zen Buddhist, and technology with design. He had a revolutionary impact on computing, animation, the music industry, printing, and publishing. Last year he and Bill Gates together expressed surprise at how little impact technology had had on schools. Jobs’s wife is an educational reformer, he was a college dropout; but what would it have been like if Steve Jobs had focused on education? What would the Jobs School be like?

How do we make an insanely great school?

Must go really deep to create something that’s easy to use (from DSC — I call this “Easy is hard.”) Need to de-clutter the teaching & learning environment, the curriculum, the qualifications, and the people.
How does it make me feel when I walk through the doorway of your school?
Get to choose who you want to learn with and from
Simple, beautiful space; flexible; social; reflective, all year round
More seductive, intuitive, enthralling
Does it inspire curiosity?
“Don’t need instructions”
Not just a school – learning doesn’t stop when school bell rings
24×7 thing
Curriculum

Is there a range of things to interest everyone?
Need more choice; selection; more control of their learning
All ages
Enterprising
Creative, technical, practical…but most of all, it would be fun!

More here…

Tagged with: 21st century • culture • curriculum • customized learning • design • economics/business • education • education reform • educational technology • innovation • learning ecosystem • legislation • more choice more control • passions • personalized learning • strategy • student-related • UK • United States

Blackboard launches solution to improve developmental education
Fully online courses now include built-in assessment, analytics tools

Excerpt:

WASHINGTON – February 22, 2012 – Blackboard Inc. today announced the official launch of Blackboard Developmental Education™ (Blackboard DevEd), an innovative approach aimed at improving student outcomes and increasing completion rates in an area where many institutions have struggled. The solution, which was first piloted by several institutions in the fall, now includes built-in assessment and analytics tools that enable course instructors to further personalize their instruction.

Early reflections from DSC:

First of all, my congratulations go out to Blackboard for innovating! Nice work.
This is another example of the innovation occurring in the online/digital learning world — yet more tools and diagnostic powers are being made available to online-based teaching and learning environments
This should be another shot across the bow of how institutions of higher education are training our future teachers — student teachers NEED to know how to teach online!!!
Too early to tell how such endeavors will affect career paths (for teachers, administrators, counselors, nurses, and such)

Also see:

Innosight’s Michael Horn on how ‘blended learning’ and technology can bridge the education gap — from knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu

Tagged with: 1:1 • 21st century • 24x7x365 • analytics • Blackboard • career development • customized learning • disruption • e-learning • education • educational technology • emerging technologies • K-12 • leadership • online learning • organizational change • personalized learning • strategy • student teaching/teacher education • student-related • vendors • web-based collaboration

Conn. university: Competition for free tuition [Reitz]

On 02/22/2012, in business, cost of getting a degree, innovation, student-related, universities, by Daniel Christian

Conn. university: competition for free tuition — from yahoo.com Stephanie Reitz, AP
For freshmen at Conn. university, chance to win free tuition for business degree ‘priceless’

Excerpt:

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Four years of tuition at the University of New Haven’s business school? About $120,000.

A chance to get it free? Priceless.

UNH’s new business school dean, a former MasterCard executive responsible for its “Priceless” advertising campaign, has issued a challenge to the university’s incoming freshmen: Bowl me over with your entrepreneurial idea and win free tuition for your undergraduate degree.

Originally saw at Edudemic.com

Tagged with: business • cost of getting an education • innovation • student-related • universities

Let researchers research and teachers teach — but not both

On 02/17/2012, in business side of he, change, Daniel S. Christian, future of higher education, higher education, organizational change, research, student-related, teaching & learning, universities, using teams, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
Reflecting on Survival Factor [from Inside Higher Ed by Kaustuv Basu]:

Let researchers research, and teachers teach — but not both. Teaching is an art as well as a science — and learning is messy. It takes a long time and a great deal of effort to become an effective professor (and more “hats” are being required all the time). On the flip side, there are skills required in research that may not be related to knowing how to be an effective professor.

The problem is — at least in many cases — that students are not served when researchers try to teach as well as do their research. These researchers were most likely recruited because of their ability to research — not due to their ability to teach. I realize that there could be a subset that can do both teaching and researching. But my experience at Northwestern was that the good researchers were not the effective teachers…and I’ll bet that’s still the case today. Why? Because there simply isn’t enough time and energy for most people to perform both roles well.

With the price of an education continuing to increase, is this a system we want to continue? Are these researchers trying to improve their teaching? Are they rewarded for their teaching efforts and growth? If not, are the students being served here? In any other industry, would this type of situation continue to exist?

As we move towards a more team-based approach to creating and delivering education, we may want to seriously consider breaking up the roles of researcher and professor — and doing so for good.

Tagged with: business side of he • change • Daniel S. Christian • organizational change • research • roles • student-related • teaching & learning • universities • Using teams

From DSC:

Tie this type of cloud-based platform in with learning analytics, new types of certifications/assessments/badges, web-based learner profiles, and the ability to continue building your own cloud over a lifetime, and you may find yourself enjoying a very powerful learning ecosystem!!!

Tagged with: 24x7x365 • accreditation • adjunct faculty • assessment • cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related • CMS/LMS • cost of getting an education • dangers of the status quo • Daniel S. Christian • faculty • future • game-changing environment • innovation • internet • learning ecosystem • Lifelong learning • platforms • social learning • student-related • Walmart of Education

A dangerous game [Wheeler]

On 02/09/2012, in assessment, curriculum, dangers of the status quo, education reform, K-12 related, memory, more voice more choice more control, pace of change, student-related, teaching & learning, UK, by Daniel Christian

A dangerous game — from learning with ‘e’s by Steve Wheeler

Excerpt:

This got me thinking that many of the world’s education systems are a little like the eating game of Meze. We pile the students plates high with content. Content of every kind is presented to be consumed, and the poor students don’t stand a chance. Many are overwhelmed by the amount of content they need to learn, and the pace at which they have to learn it. Even while they are struggling their way through an overburdened ‘just in case’ curriculum, still more content continues to arrive at an alarming pace. Some learners cry out for mercy, but they are still compelled to consume the content, because later, they are required to regurgitate it in an examination to obtain their grades. The examinations bear no resemblance to that which will be required of them in the real world. No wonder so many wish to leave the table early. What can teachers do to obviate this problem? Some are making a difference, reinterpreting the curriculum they are given by enabling activities and creating resources that facilitate student centred learning. Learning at one’s own pace, and in a manner that suits the individual will overcome some of the problems of overload, but more needs to be done. Things are changing, but they are changing slowly, too slowly for many people’s tastes. It’s a dangerous game we are playing in education. Isn’t it about time we stopped?

Tagged with: assessment • content • curriculum • dangers of the status quo • education reform • information overload • K-12 • memory • more choice more control • pace of change • student-related • teaching & learning • UK

University of Charleston: How we cut tuition by 22% [Ellis]

On 02/07/2012, in budgets, business side of he, cost of getting a degree, higher education, student-related, by Daniel Christian

University of Charleston: How we cut tuition by 22% — from money.cnn.com by Blake Ellis

Excerpt:

What has been the impact of the decision to lower tuition so far? Have you seen applications increase?
So far, the reaction from parents and students has been very positive. We expected a spike in applications, and applications are up nicely in our primary markets — West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. Total applications are ahead of our two-year average but slightly behind last year.

More importantly, our deposits are up 40%. This suggests that students and families who look at us are finding the new tuition structure attractive and are depositing at a higher rate than previously.

From DSC:
Good move University of Charleston. I wish more institutions of higher education would follow your example (for the sake of their students as well as for their own sustainability).

Addendum on 2/13/11:

Lowering the Cost of Higher Education — from onlineuniversities.com

Tagged with: budgetary • cost of getting an education • higher education • student-related

Digital learning: What kids really want [Riedel & Evans]

On 02/07/2012, in 21st century, digital learning, digital textbooks, education reform, expectations, K-12 related, online learning, online tutoring, social learning / networks, student-related, ubiquitous learning, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

Digital learning: What kids really want — from The Journal by Chris Riedel

Excerpt:

According to [Project Tomorrow CEO Julie] Evans, the data from those surveys indicated that students:

Have a growing interest in social-based learning;
Want to connect with and develop a personal network of expert resources;
Are looking for tools that increase untethered learning; and
Want a digitally rich learning environment, unencumbered by traditional rules.

Also:

Other things students at all grade levels are looking for include access to online tutoring, the ability to take online classes, access to real-word data and databases, greater access to teachers using SMS/text messaging, education-based virtual reality and games, and increased access to digital collaboration tools.

Tagged with: Connectivism • digital learning • digital textbooks • online learning • online tutoring • personal learning networks (PLNs) • social learning • student expectations • student-related • ubiquitous learning • virtual reality / worlds / learning • web-based collaboration

Tagged with: productivity • student-related • tools

YouTube for Schools

On 12/14/2011, in collaboration, digital learning, digital video, Google, innovation, open courseware and systems, professional development, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, by Daniel Christian

Tagged with: collaboration • digital learning • digital video • Google • innovation • open • professional development • student teaching/teacher education • student-related • teachers • web-based collaboration

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