On 12/27/2021,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Blockchain, business, career development, change, changing business models, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, copyright/ownership/NFTs, corporate / business world, creativity, Daniel S. Christian, emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, game-changing environment, innovation, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, more voice more choice more control, online learning, pace of change, platforms, play, society, the downsides of how people use tech, trends, vendors, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
As with many emerging technologies, there appear to be some significant pros and cons re: the use of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens).
The question I wonder about is: How can the legal realm help address the massive impacts of the exponential pace of technological change in our society these days? For examples:
- How is — or should — the American Bar Association respond?
- Law schools?
- Lawyers?
- Legislatures?
- Judges?
- Politicians and others?
Technicians, network engineers, data center specialists, computer scientists, and others also need to be asking themselves how they can help out in these areas as well.
Emphasis below is mine.
NFTs Are Hot. So Is Their Effect on the Earth’s Climate — from wired.com by Gregory Barber
The sale of a piece of crypto art consumed as much energy as the studio uses in two years. Now the artist is campaigning to reduce the medium’s carbon emissions.
Excerpt:
The works were placed for auction on a website called Nifty Gateway, where they sold out in 10 seconds for thousands of dollars. The sale also consumed 8.7 megawatt-hours of energy, as he later learned from a website called Cryptoart.WTF.
NFTs And Their Role In The “Metaverse” — from 101blockchains.com by Georgia Weston
Many people would perceive NFTs as mere images of digital artworks or collectibles which they can sell for massive prices. However, the frenzy surrounding digital art in present times has pointed out many new possibilities with NFTs. For example, the NFT metaverse connection undoubtedly presents a promising use case for NFTs. The road for the future of NFTs brings many new opportunities for investors, enterprises, and hobbyists, which can shape up NFT usage and adoption in the long term.
NFTs or non-fungible tokens are a new class of digital assets, which are unique, indivisible, and immutable. They help in representing the ownership of digital and physical assets on the blockchain. Starting from digital artwork to the gaming industry, NFTs are making a huge impact everywhere.
The decentralized nature of the blockchain offers the prospects for unlimited business opportunities and social interaction. Metaverse offers extremely versatile, scalable, and interoperable digital environments. Most important of all, the metaverse blends innovative technologies with models of interaction between participants from individual and enterprise perspectives.
From DSC:
How might the developments occurring with NFTs and the Metaverse impact a next-gen learning platform?
—–
Artist shuts down because people keep their work to make NFTs — from futurism.com by Victor Tangermann
NFT theft is a huge problem
Someone is selling NFTs of Olive Garden locations that they do not own — from futurism.com by
And you can mint a breadstick NFT — for free, of course
On 12/21/2021,
in animation, art, attention, Canada, communications, creativity, design, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital video, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, engagement / engaging students, Google, graphics, mathematics, media/film, more voice more choice more control, motivation, multimedia, music, online learning, online media, participation, pedagogy, platforms, play, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, remote teaching and learning, science, society, STEAM-related, story, storytelling, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, tools, vendors, youth,
by Daniel Christian
Excerpt from this posting:
Welcome to day 21 of the 2021 Appvent Calendar. It’s been so much fun sharing all of these amazing tools each day across the month so far. With Google featuring twice already on the calendar, it’s great to share again the awe and wonder of human history in the arts and within our cultures with the sharing of this amazing free app. Thanks to Gustavo Calderón De Anda for suggesting it!
Also see:
- 14 measurement apps for teaching math & science — from teachthought and Glenda Stewart-Smith
Glenda Stewart-Smith of Surrey School District #36 in Canada, along with TeachThought staff, helped put together this collection of iPhone and iPad apps that offer all of these measuring abilities and more.
On 12/21/2021,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adult learning, Alternatives, business side of he, change, changing business models, collaboration, colleges, community colleges, competency-based learning/education, disruption, education technology, future of higher education, game-changing environment, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, online learning, skills, trends, universities, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
3 major trends affecting ed tech companies — from highereddive.com by Natalie Schwartz
We reviewed what executives said during their latest earnings calls to better understand patterns in the growing sector.
Excerpts:
Earlier on the call, he said Coursera’s entry-level certificates — which are developed by the likes of Facebook, Google, IBM, Intuit and Salesforce — attracted more than 2 million student enrollments since 2018.
“New entrants to the sector, such as corporations and online education companies, will offer genuine competition to traditional colleges, especially as pricing becomes more of a focus,” analysts wrote in the report.
Several ed tech companies are seeing returns from efforts to work with companies to train their employees.
Officials at Udemy, a major MOOC platform that went public in October, said during a call with analysts in early December that their work with companies now accounts for 39% of their revenue – up from 23% a year ago.
On 12/17/2021,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, art, Blockchain, business, change, changing business models, content development, aggregation, repositories, copyright/ownership/NFTs, cryptocurrencies, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, disruption, economics, future, game-changing environment, ideas, innovation, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, online learning,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
I’m not saying not to go there…but one has to be very careful when dealing with cryptocurrencies. As the items below show, you can mess up…big time.
- A Man Accidentally Threw Out a Hard Drive Worth $357 Million in Bitcoin — from interestingengineering.com by Chris Young
And he’s been searching for it for a decade. - Crypto scammers stole almost $8 billion in 2021, up 81% from 2020 — from protocol.com by Benjamin Pimentel
More than a third of losses came from rug pulls, where developers rolled out crypto projects before vanishing with investor money - Frequently Asked Questions About Cryptocurrency — from 101blockchains.com by Georgia Weston
- Coin Worth $0.00004893 Highlights Crypto’s Wild Decimal Frontier — from bloomberg.com by Michael Regan
From DSC:
And that bit about the decimal point is key! I tried to locate an article that I recently read that described how one person lost hundreds of thousands of dollars because he misplaced the decimal in his asking price for a cryptocurrency. It was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, but he said that his big thumbs got in the way. He mistyped the asking price and hit the Enter key before he recognized his mistake. He sold the cryptocurrency for a fraction of its real value. In that case, one would hope that the buyer would extend some grace and readjust the price. But that didn’t happen in this case. Ouch!
From DSC:
Again, I’m not saying that this area may not represent an enormous new, impactful, prosperous wave to ride. But I need to do a whole lot more learning before I feel comfortable jumping into this ocean.
That said when I read the quote below…I wondered:
DC: I wonder if that sentence could also read:
“Crypto needed a use case, and it found it in a next generation learning platform.”#cryptocurrency #Cryptos #cryptocurrencies #lifelonglearning #onlinelearning #learning #CMS #LMS #platform
— Daniel Christian (he/him/his) (@dchristian5) December 17, 2021
On 12/17/2021,
in accessibility / UDL, assessment, higher education, instructional design, interaction design, interactivity, law schools, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, multimedia, online learning, quality, United States, universities, usability, user experience (UX), vendors,
by Daniel Christian
Quality Matters > Higher Education News > December 2021
Throughout the year, we — along with members of our amazing community — share resources to help all of us deliver on our online promise. Here are some of the most popular items from 2021 for you to use and share:
- QM Bridge to Quality Course Design Guide — printable PDF version
- Accessibility and Usability Resource Site
- QM Self-Review Tool
- Video: Redesigning Assessments for Interaction & Engagement
- QM-Hosted Research Webinar Recordings
- QM Success Stories (members only), including “Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes: The True Impact of Digital Accessibility“
- Dr. Steven Crawford’s series on multimedia use in online learning — start with “Designing Multimedia Presentations for Your Course”
On 12/17/2021,
in adult learning, content development, aggregation, repositories, higher education, lifelong learning, online learning, United States, universities,
by Daniel Christian
UNC’s $97 Million Plan to Reach Adult Online Learners — from insidehighered.com by Suzanne Smalley
University of North Carolina will create an internal unit to build and manage online programs from the system’s 17 campuses for learners largely ignored by many universities.
Excerpt:
The University of North Carolina system is leveraging $97 million in pandemic recovery funding to launch a nonprofit ed-tech start-up intended to bolster adult online education in a state with a looming need for more skilled workers.
Project Kitty Hawk is named after the North Carolina beach town the Wright brothers returned to repeatedly before achieving their dream of flight, an apt metaphor for an undertaking that UNC leaders herald as a transformative effort to reach the state’s estimated one million working adults who have some college education but no degree.
On 12/13/2021,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adult learning, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, Australia, Blockchain, Canada, career development, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, copyright/ownership/NFTs, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, credentialing, cryptocurrencies, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, disruption, education technology, emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, Europe, experimentation, Facebook / Meta Platforms, faculty/staff, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, global, higher education, ideas, India, innovation, instructional design, internet, IT in HE, K-12 related, law schools, learner profiles, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, lifelong learning, Michigan, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, more voice more choice more control, online learning, online media, skills, society, staying relevant, streams of content, surviving, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, tools, training / L&D, UK, United States, vendors, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
The next age of the internet could suck power away from Big Tech while living on the same backbone as cryptocurrencies. Here’s what to know about Web3. — from businessinsider.com by Katie Canales
Excerpts (emphasis DSC):
- Web3 is the next generation of the internet and will exist on the blockchain.
- It will be decentralized, meaning it won’t be controlled entities like Facebook or Google.
- Twitter, GameStop, Reddit, and VC firm a16z are all putting resources into building Web3.
…
One aspect of the metaverse is that users will hopefully be able to go virtually from platform to platform with one single account — just like we will in Web3.
And NFTs, one-of-a-kind tokens representing your ownership of a virtual good, could be more easily bought and sold with cryptocurrencies within a space like Web3.
From DSC:
How might “Web3” translate into the future of lifelong learning? Here’s one vision/possibility:
Each person would have a learner profile/account that could seamlessly log into multiple education/training providers’ platforms and services. The results of that learning could be stored in one’s cloud-based learner profile. This type of next-generation learning platform would still need subject matter experts, instructional designers, programmers, and other team members. But the focus would be on building skills — skills that an artificial intelligence-backed interface would demonstrate are currently being requested by the modern workplace. This constantly-being-updated list of skills could then link to the learning-related experiences and resources that people could choose from in order to develop those skills.
The following vision/graphic also comes to my mind:
On 12/13/2021,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, art, colleges, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, culture, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, drama/theater, education technology, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, higher education, history, ideas, instructional design, languages and translation, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, liberal arts, library / librarians, lifelong learning, love of learning, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, music, new business models, online learning, participation, platforms, religion, society, United States, universities, user experience (UX), vendors, videoconferencing, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, writing,
by Daniel Christian
The Humanities May Be Declining at Universities — But They’re Thriving on Zoom — from edsurge.com by Rebecca Koenig
Excerpt:
Throughout the pandemic, versions of this close-reading conversation have taken place week after week. Organized through new nonprofits and small startups including the Catherine Project, Night School Bar and Premise, they bring together adults who want to spend their free time talking to strangers about literature and philosophy.
It sounds at first like an ambitious book club—except for the fact that many of these seminars are organized and led by college professors, some so eager to participate that they do it for free.
“Mostly it’s a way for them to do a kind of teaching they can’t do at their regular jobs,” explains Zena Hitz, founder of the Catherine Project and a tutor (faculty member) at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland.
From DSC:
I’ve often thought that online-based learning may be the thing that saves the liberal arts (i.e., available throughout one’s lifetime and would be far less expensive). It would be ironic though, as many liberal arts institutions have not been proponents of online-based learning.
On 12/02/2021,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, Blockchain, business, career development, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, communications, communities of practice, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, cryptocurrencies, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, drama/theater, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, entrepreneurship, experimentation, future, global, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, immersion, innovation, internet, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, liberal arts, media/film, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, music, new business models, online learning, online media, participation, platforms, play, society, streams of content, technologies for your home, tools, UK, user experience (UX), vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, vocational / trades, web-based collaboration, XR - extended reality,
by Daniel Christian
The VRJAM metaverse platform is coming to transform the world of live entertainment
VRJAM, the UK’s leading creator of live music experiences in virtual reality, today teased the launch of the VRJAM platform, a revolutionary new metaverse events platform and NFT creation solution.
To bring the VRJAM metaverse platform to life, VRJAM has partnered with market leading NFT software developer Enjin.io to launch a rich virtual reality world that offers a host of new solutions for artists to render and monetize their music and live shows in amazing new ways using NFT’s, blockchain and immersive technology.
The VRJAM platform promises to open up completely new ways for both fans and artist to experience live music events and represents the next step in the evolution of live music.
Ownership of this virtual world will be shared by a guild of globally recognised artists and record labels who will cooperate to create value and define new possibilities for music inside the metaverse.
VRJAM’s metaverse platform offers solutions for true live performance using technology that is years ahead of other similar platforms. It provides unsurpassed user experience and offers fans, artists and labels an array of unique features:
At the heart of the VRJAM metaverse platform is a blockchain based trading and finance system, VRJAM Coin. This revolutionary new cryptocurrency will create ways for both artists and fans to earn money inside the metaverse and promises to create entirely new business models for artists, venues and labels at a time when their traditional ways of making money have been turned upside down by the Covid 19 pandemic.
The VRJAM cryptocurrency is backed by investment from 5 of the world’s leading blockchain specialist investment and venture capital firms, demonstrating the exciting potential of VRJAM’s tech.
The VRJAM platform is scheduled to go live in early 2022, follow on social media to stay up to date.
From DSC:
Hmmmmm….might this type of thing spill over into the worlds of teaching and learning? More direct-to-consumer (learner) types of offerings? Will this open up the doors for new methods of earning a living or for those interested in building a teaching & learning-based brand?
Alternatively, will this impact what actors, actresses, and comedians will be able to do?
Addendum on 12/2/21:
- Got Teacher Burnout? Launch A Microschool — from forbes.com by Kerry McDonald
On 12/01/2021,
in adjunct faculty, Africa, Asia, Australia, blended learning, Canada, career development, CMS/LMS, collaboration, colleges, communications, community colleges, digital learning, education technology, engagement / engaging students, Europe, expectations, experimentation, faculty/staff, health, higher education, hybrid learning, India, instructional design, leadership, learning ecosystem, online learning, pedagogy, skills, staying relevant, strategy, student-related, teaching & learning, trends, UK, United States, universities, using teams, vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
The State of Student Success & Engagement in Higher Education — from instructure.com (authors of the Canvas LMS)
Our 2021 Global Student engagement and success study uncovers vital stats and key trends to help education institutions thrive through today’s education challenges.
Excerpt:
- Connect students with alumni and potential employers through virtual networking, internships/externships, mentorship programs, and strategic partnerships.
- Align curriculum with workforce outcomes and offer opportunities for students to showcase skill sets.
- Close the perceived awareness gap of work/career readiness programs on campus with alumni programming highlighting the success of campus career resources.
- Embed career exploration throughout the higher education experience and provide actionable insights into employment trends.
On 12/01/2021,
in Blockchain, business, change, changing business models, corporate / business world, cryptocurrencies, Daniel S. Christian, law schools, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, legislatures / government / legal, marketplaces, new business models, online learning, platforms, society, vendors, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
From the Paul Weiss Law Firm — back from 2019: A whitepaper re: cryptocurrency
Excerpt:
The development and growth of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology has implications for many industries, including finance, media, and healthcare. In a series of papers, we will discuss the variety of ways in which cryptocurrencies and blockchains are being used in different fields. This paper, the first in our series of three papers, discusses cryptocurrencies, including how they operate in conjunction with the blockchain and how Bitcoin, the first major cryptocurrency, compares to traditional, fiat currencies.
From DSC:
How might the development of cryptocurrencies integrate in with a next-gen learning platform? Would teams and/or individuals get paid via a cryptocurrency? Hmmm…more learning to do.
It’s interesting to note what Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was trading at in 2017, 2018, and 2019 versus today:
- In 2017 alone, Bitcoin’s price rose from $973 in January to $5,856 in October, and skyrocketed towards $20,000 by year end.
- By February 2018, however, Bitcoin had fallen below $7,600.
- In June 2019, Bitcoin’s price rose to approximately $10,000.
Today:
Here’s what some of the other cryptocurrencies were trading at today:
