learning spaces

A Podpourri of Learning Options: Pods, Hubs, and Microschools in the Wake of the Pandemic [Vander Ark]

On 03/01/2022, in Alternatives, education, education reform, homeschooling/homeschoolers, innovation, instructional design, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, neurodivergent/special needs, parents/guardians, personalized/customized learning, by Daniel Christian

A Podpourri of Learning Options: Pods, Hubs, and Microschools in the Wake of the Pandemic — from gettingsmart.com by Tom Vander Ark

Excerpts:

The Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) recently published a report, Pandemic Pods and the Future of Education, based on a survey of families and educators who organized or participated in a pandemic pod. While it was challenging to collect representative data on pods, CRPE concluded that pods were an important pandemic response with long-term implications for education.
…
The CRPE defines pods as an in person or intensive virtual support that meets multiple times per week. While a broad definition, it is more narrowly defined than many of the previous attempts at categorizing small group learning experiences.
…
Despite the “moment” that pods had during the pandemic, once in-person learning became more available there was a snapback of about 85%, with the numbers of students shifting from pods to classroom attendance. Those students remaining in pods, typically counted as homeschooled, are part of what is likely to be a 1-2% long-term enrollment shift (perhaps 1 million students) away from traditional public schools.

Addendum on 3/2/22:

Along the lines of learning options, see:

The Changing Landscape: Opportunities for Independent School Transformation — from nais.org; with thanks to the Big Questions Institute for this resource

Why the World’s First Virtual Reality High School Changes Everything [Steve Grubbs]

On 03/01/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, accreditation, attention, Augmented Reality (AR), change, changing business models, collaboration, communities of practice, content development, aggregation, repositories, copyright/ownership/NFTs, creativity, credentialing, cryptocurrencies, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, distance education, education, education technology, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, entrepreneurship, experimentation, future, game-changing environment, global / globalization, graphics, homeschooling/homeschoolers, ideas, immersion, innovation, instructional design, interactivity, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, Metaverse, multimedia, new business models, online learning, online media, online tutoring, parents/guardians, participation, platforms, simulations, social learning / networks, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, tools, United States, vendors, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, wearables, web-based collaboration, Web3, XR - extended reality, youth, by Daniel Christian

Why the World’s First Virtual Reality High School Changes Everything — from steve-grubbs.medium.com by Steve Grubs

Excerpts:

The recipe required key ingredients to happen. In addition to an accredited school to manage students, admissions and the for-credit learning, it also needed a platform. That’s where EngageVR comes in. There are other platforms that will ultimately host schools, perhaps AltSpace, Horizon or others, but the first is on Engage.
…
The bottom line is this: creators, coders, educators, entrepreneurs, investors, corporations, parents and students all played a role in finally bringing the first global virtual reality high school to life. It won’t be the last school to open in the metaverse, but to all those involved in this inaugural launch — the Neil Armstrongs of your age — a special tip of the hat today for having the vision and the willingness to launch a better and more equitable era of education.

Also see:

World’s First Metaverse VR High School Speech & Debate Tournament Announced for March — from victoryxr.com
NFT in Edu: What Does the Future Hold? — from gettingsmart.com by Rachelle Dené Poth
Geo Guessing Is Even More Fun In VR On The Meta Quest — from vrscout.com by Kyle Melnick

What Workplace Design Can Learn From Higher Education Facilities [Rudy & Foster]

On 02/19/2022, in business, change, collaboration, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, design, health, higher education, learning spaces, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

What Workplace Design Can Learn From Higher Education Facilities — from workdesign.com by Sandi Rudy and James Foster

Excerpt:

Our built environments are always changing and evolving, but now more than ever, workplace design is experiencing a major identity crisis. While the concept of “going to the office” is no longer standard practice for many, for some, it will always be the preferred, and for most, having the option is a giant plus. But in the interest of ensuring the evolving nature of knowledge work and knowledge workplaces keeps pace with employee needs, workplace design can find inspiration in education facilities with now proven solutions for improved wellness and increased overall performance. And with this new way of thinking, perhaps workplace design will once again take the grade.

The adoption of and success with flexible furniture and spaces such as that in many higher ed environments, which accommodates a range of uses and learning or working styles is now influencing today’s office designs. Credit: Bob Pluckebaum

A whole new world: Education meets the metaverse [brookings.edu/research]

On 02/17/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), communications, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, digital learning, distance education, experimentation, future, game-changing environment, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, immersion, innovation, instructional design, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, learning theories, Metaverse, multimedia, platforms, play, teachers, teaching & learning, vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, XR - extended reality, by Daniel Christian

A whole new world: Education meets the metaverse — from brookings.edu by Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Jennifer M. Zosh, Helen Shwe Hadani, Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Kevin Clark, Chip Donohue, and Ellen Wartella

Excerpt:

The metaverse is upon us. Soon it will be as omnipresent as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook (now Meta). As technology advances to bring us new immersive and imaginary worlds, how we educate children and prepare teachers must also advance to meet these new opportunities. When education lags the digital leaps, the technology rather than educators defines what counts as educational opportunity. This is largely what happened with the introduction of “educational” apps designed to be used on smartphones and tablets meant for adults. Today, as the metaverse infrastructure is still under construction, researchers, educators, policymakers, and digital designers have a chance to lead the way rather than get caught in the undertow. To leverage the potential of the metaverse as a 3D, global, interconnected, immersive, and real-time online space, we need new ways to connect the physical world with augmented and virtual reality (VR) experiences.

In the end, we challenge those creating educational products for the metaverse to partner with educators and scientists to ensure that children experience real human social interaction as they navigate virtual spaces, children’s agency is supported as they explore these spaces, and there is a real eye to diversity in the representation and access to what is created.

Also relevant/see:

The metaverse can provide a whole new opportunity for education. Here’s what to consider — from fastcompany.com by Stephen Fromkin
The cofounder of Talespin looks at an existing immersive learning program that delivers results and says our next priority should be getting it into the hands of as many learners as possible through the metaverse.

Holograms? Check! Now what? [Bieniek @ Webex]

On 02/17/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, colleges, communications, community colleges, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, experimentation, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, Holographic comms, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), immersion, innovation, instructional design, intelligent tutoring, K-12 related, law schools, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, Legal operations, library / librarians, Metaverse, multimedia, Natural Language Processing (NLP), online learning, online media, online tutoring, participation, society, teaching online, technologies for your home, telelegal, telemedicine / telehealth / virtual health, tools, training / L&D, TVs, ubiquitous learning, universities, user experience (UX), vendors, videoconferencing, Virtual courts and law firms, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, visualizing information, vocational / trades, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, web-based collaboration, Web3, by Daniel Christian

Holograms? Check! Now what? — from blog.webex.com by Elizabeth Bieniek

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

Two years ago, I wrote about the Future of Meetings in 2030 and hinted at an effort my team was building to make this a reality. Now, we have publicly unveiled Webex Hologram and brought the reality of a real-time, end-to-end holographic meeting solution to life.

With Webex Hologram, you can feel co-located with a colleague who is thousands of miles away. You can share real objects in incredible multi-dimensional detail and collaborate on 3D content to show perspective, share, and approve design changes in real-time, all from the comfort of your home workspace.

As the hype dies down, the focus on entirely virtual experiences in fanciful environments will abate and a resurgence in focus on augmented experiences—interjecting virtual content into the physical world around you for an enhanced experience that blends the best of physical and virtual—will emerge.

The ability to have curated information at one’s fingertips, still holds an incredible value prop that has yet to be realized. Applying AI to predict, find, and present this type of augmented information in both 2D and 3D formats will become incredibly useful.

From DSC:
As I think of some of the categories that this posting about establishing a new kind of co-presence relates to, there are many relevant ones:

21st century
24x7x365
3D
Audio/Visual (A/V)
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Cloud-based
Collaboration/web-based collaboration
Intelligent tutoring
Law schools, legal, government
Learning, learning agents, learning ecosystems, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning spaces/hubs/pods
Libraries/librarians
K-12, higher education, corporate training
Metaverse
Online learning
Telelegal, telemedicine
Videoconferencing
Virtual courts, virtual tutoring, virtual field trips
Web3

Technology We Need: Documenting the complete Learner Record [McClennen & Midles]

On 02/12/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Blockchain, business, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, credentialing, Daniel S. Christian, education, education technology, emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, experimentation, future, higher education, ideas, innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, IT in HE, K-12 related, learner profiles, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, lifelong learning, personalized/customized learning, platforms, privacy, society, student-related, training / L&D, United States, universities, vendors, vision/possibilities, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Technology We Need: Documenting the complete Learner Record — from gettingsmart.com by Nate McClennen and Rebecca Midles

Key Points

Most innovative schools and a number of states have built Graduate Profiles/Learner Profiles and a handful have created K12 competency progressions that articulate pathways towards meeting the profile.
These learning organizations are using a learning management system (LMS) that does not accommodate comprehensive Learner Records, does not capture or report transparent growth to learners or their families and does not capture out-of-course learning experiences.
We issue a challenge to those building and creating solutions.

From DSC:
The above posting reminds me of the following graphic:

What Could Web3 Mean for Education? — from edsurge.com by Rebecca Koenig

Excerpts:

It’s an ecosystem that could transform schools—sites for teaching and learning—into marketplaces—sites for buying and selling.

That includes higher education. In the vein of MOOC platforms, Web3 systems could make it easier to “unbundle” college courses from degree programs and universities, enabling individuals to sign up for whatever classes they want and instructors to market their courses to consumers directly, says Vriti Saraf, a former charter school teacher and administrator and Teach for America alumna who founded a startup called k20 Educators.

From DSC:
How can we better get the word out to our learners regarding how they can maximize their Return On Investment (ROI) from their studying time and efforts?

Two ideas come to mind here:

Place learning-related tips directly into our banners within our CMS’s and LMS’s
and/or
Link our banners to some other web pages/resources that provide such best practices and tips for our learners

Along these lines, we should have 11″x17″ (or larger) posters like this plastered in every hallway of every learning space out there:

Some would also add:

Active learning
Flipping the classroom
Providing individualized feedback
Metacognition (which was referenced in the first graphic above in regards to identifying gaps in one’s knowledge)

An example of teaching & learning in the metaverse

On 01/18/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, experimentation, future, future of higher education, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, IT in HE, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, Metaverse, multimedia, training / L&D, user experience (UX), Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, Web3, webinars, workplace, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
Here’s a brief example of what teaching & learning could like in the metaverse. I realize this is just one example, and there will likely be a variety of options and formats…but it’s an interesting thought experiment.

The Metaverse in the works! pic.twitter.com/vmHL5oXOVP

— DekmarTrades via TradeCaster (@DekmarTrades) January 17, 2022

Here’s a nice moderator checklist, courtesy of Eva Keiffenheim

On 01/13/2022, in adjunct faculty, adult learning, biology, business, collaboration, colleges, communications, communities of practice, community colleges, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, distance education, education, education technology, faculty/staff, health, instructional design, K-12 related, law schools, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, learning theories, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, United States, universities, vendors, videoconferencing, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

Here’s a nice moderator checklist, courtesy of Eva Keiffenheim — from her Learn Letter, dated 1/12/22

Also see the following item from Eva Keiffenheim:

Four Brain and Energy Hacks for Better Learning — from medium.com
Use these mental and physical shortcuts to increase learning efficiency.

But how does exercise transform your brain? She shares the three main changes…

FLEXspace: Building the Resource, Fostering the Community [Grush & Stephens]

On 01/13/2022, in colleges, community colleges, education technology, higher education, learning, learning ecosystem, learning spaces, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

FLEXspace: Building the Resource, Fostering the Community — from campustechnology.com by Mary Grush & Lisa Stephens

Excerpt:

The FLEXspace platform allows users to find and share detailed exemplars for learning space design and is of great value for institutions planning new or updated spaces. FLEXspace has evolved amid a growing community of higher education participating institutions, with the SUNY and California State University systems, Penn State, and Foothill-DeAnza Community College District among its earliest and longest-term supporters. We asked Stephens about current and future developments in the FLEXspace platform and plans for its burgeoning community.

Also see:

Community College Students Want More Flexibility, Technology in Their Courses — from campustechnology.com by Rhea Kelly

Will this type of mixed reality / augmented reality be a part of our learning ecosystems? [Christian]

On 01/10/2022, in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, adjunct faculty, Augmented Reality (AR), colleges, community colleges, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, education technology, faculty/staff, future of higher education, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, K-12 related, law schools, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, Mixed Reality (MR), participation, pedagogy, platforms, teaching & learning, tools, training / L&D, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

AR and MR bubbles above students' heads as to who has been called upon and who hasn't

From DSC:
I created this image back in May of 2016.

14 Predictions for Higher Education in 2022 [Schaffhauser]

On 01/10/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adult learning, Alternatives, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Augmented Reality (AR), blended learning, Blockchain, business side of he, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, colleges, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, copyright/ownership/NFTs, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital video, disruption, distance education, education, education reform, education technology, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, faculty/staff, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, ideas, immersion, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, IT in HE, law schools, leadership, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, learning spaces, more voice more choice more control, new business models, online learning, pace of change, personalized/customized learning, platforms, reinvent, social learning / networks, society, staying relevant, streams of content, surviving, teaching & learning, teaching online, tools, training / L&D, trends, United States, universities, vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, workplace, XR - extended reality, by Daniel Christian

14 Predictions for Higher Education in 2022 — from campustechnology.com by Dian Schaffhauser

Excerpt:

Ask people working in higher education what they expect will happen in the new year, and the outlook is filled with visions that build on what we’ve been experiencing on college and university campuses for the last two years: a major focus on learning formats; continued exploitation of new technology; and the use of new digital models that move users “beyond Zoom.” Here we present the collective predictions of 14 IT leaders, instructional folks and a student about what they anticipate seeing in 2022. As one put it, “Let’s go, 2022! We have work to do!”

From DSC:
I’d like to thank Dian Schaffhauser, Rhea Kelly, and Mary Grush for letting me contribute some thoughts to the various conversations that Campus Technology Magazine hosts and/or initiates. I inserted some reflections into the above article and I hope that you’ll take a moment to read my and others’ thoughts out there.

6 Elements of Thriving Learners [Fielding]

On 01/07/2022, in creativity, education, K-12 related, leadership, learning, learning spaces, more voice more choice more control, teachers, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

6 Elements of Thriving Learners — from gettingsmart.com by Randy Fielding

Key points:

Schools aren’t to blame for last year’s Insurrection, but they can be part of the long-term solution.
After nearly two decades of designing creative schools around the world, Fielding International has defined six elements for thriving learners.
Each thriving element is mapped to a series of design patterns at SchoolPatterns.com to help schools shape environments where learners thrive.

Mound Fort Innovation Center, an environment where curiosity & mastery are nurtured

Frequently Asked Questions About Metaverse — from 101blockchains.com by Georgia Weston

You can also discover many other interesting use cases of the metaverse, such as creating virtual learning spaces or virtual tourism.

Also see:

Top 5 Blockchain And Crypto Projects In The Metaverse — from 101blockchains.com by Georgia Weston

Learning Ecosystems

What Workplace Design Can Learn From Higher Education Facilities [Rudy & Foster]

A whole new world: Education meets the metaverse [brookings.edu/research]

FLEXspace: Building the Resource, Fostering the Community [Grush & Stephens]

Frequently Asked Questions About Metaverse [Weston]

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