On 08/23/2012,
in Asia, Europe, global / globalization, K-12 related, learning spaces, UK, United States,
by Daniel Christian
How children learn: Portraits of classrooms around the world — by Maria Popova and Julian Germain
A revealing lens on a system-phenomenon both global in reach and strikingly local in degree of diversity.
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Jessore, Bangladesh. Year 10, English.
Image courtesy Julian Germain
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On 07/24/2012,
in Apple, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, Asia, Australia, convergence, cost of getting a degree, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, Europe, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), India, innovation, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, lifelong learning, machine-to-machine communications, mirroring and/or multiple devices, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, multi-touch, multimedia, smart/connected TV, streams of content, teaching online, technologies for your home,
by Daniel Christian
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.”
On 04/16/2012,
in Asia, collaboration, learning spaces, real-world assignments, smart classrooms,
by Daniel Christian
Coworking spaces team with universities to bridge the gap between classroom and practice — from gigaom.com by Jessica Stillman
Excerpt:
With tuition costs mounting, the national student loan burden growing and employers complaining about a lack of certain job skills, no one is really in love with the current university education system. But with frustration comes creativity, as initiatives of all sorts attempt to dream up a better way. Should we go back to an apprentice system? Is online learning the answer? How about re-imagining universities as coffee shops?
Excerpt from http://blog.eriin.com/tags/collaborative-workspace/
Essentially, Kennel is a collaborative workspace for creative entrepreneurs in Singapore. Set facing the fringe of a forest, with ceiling-to-floor glass windows spanning across the entire space, we like to think that Kennel lets you switch easily between the bustle of Dempsey Hill and the calm serenity of nature. We also love that the walls are covered in Ideapaint, with markers readily available around the entire space for you to write anything on the walls. It is clear that the space was designed for creativity and collaboration to thrive!
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An alternative to incubators: the co-working space — from venturebeat.com by Genevieve DeGuzman
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On 03/27/2012,
in Asia, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, Europe, India, innovation, IT in HE, United States,
by Daniel Christian
In cloud computing moves, money isn’t everything — from gigaom.com by Barb Darrow
Excerpt:
While saving money is a commonly reason cited for moving IT to the cloud, it is really not the overriding driver at all for most companies, according to new research.
What’s more important than cost savings for companies — at least in the U.S. and Asia-Pacific regions — is the ability to standardize their software and business processes across the company, according to a new survey of 600 large companies by Tata Consultancy Services, the $8 billion IT service provider. In Europe and Latin America, the primary rationale was the ability to ramp systems up and down faster.
According to the survey:
The factors driving companies to launch entirely new applications in the cloud are quite different – to institute new business processes and launch new technology-dependent products and services.
On 03/26/2012,
in Africa, Asia, Australia, budgets, business side of he, Canada, cost of getting a degree, Europe, funding / grants, global / globalization, UK, United States,
by Daniel Christian
Excerpt:
All around the world, the pace of change in higher education is accelerating. In the face of continued increases in participation, demographic change and – in the west at least – profound fiscal crises, higher education institutions are increasingly being required to raise funds from students as opposed to relying on transfers from governments. Indeed, the pace of policy change is coming so quickly that it is difficult to keep track of all the relevant developments in different parts of the world.
In this, the second edition of Year in Review: Tuition Fees and Student Assistance, we outline the major changes related to higher education affordability around the world in 2011. In order to keep our sample manageable, we have kept our inquiries to a selection of 40 countries that collectively best represent the global situation:
The G-40 consists of: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam.
Marcucci, Pamela and Usher, Alex (2012). 2011 Year in Review:
Global Changes in Tuition Fee Policies and Student Financial Assistance.
Toronto: Higher Education Strategy Associates.
On 03/06/2012,
in accessibility / UDL, Asia, creativity, digital storytelling, music,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
My dad forwarded this link to me recently…and though I don’t know the words that this beautiful lady is singing, her joy is contagious and she seems beautiful both on the inside and the outside. Enjoy and give thanks!
Pingtan Experimental Development Zone — from nextbigfuture.com
.Excerpt:
China is expecting to spend US$4.6 billion in infrastructure in 2011 alone for the Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone, US$15.4 million a day on average, and in the next three years more than US$15 billion, reaching US$38.5 billion by 2015. China is building a gigantic special economic zone on a cluster of islands on the other side of the Taiwan Strait some 150 km from the port city of Taichung, for the sole purpose of enhancing cross-straits industrial cooperation.
International architectural firm 10 Design has recently won the opportunity to master plan a 93-hectare (230-acre) waterfront central business district as part of a new development for Pingtan in China. Pingtan, being the closest Chinese island to Taiwan, is to be transformed into a new commercial hub in an effort to attract trade between the two sides of the Straits.
Blackboard makes major investment to support online learning in China
Acquisition of CerBibo Enhances Company’s Ability to Invest in One of the World’s Fastest-Growing Markets
Excerpt:
WASHINGTON—November 9, 2011—Blackboard has made a major investment to support online learning in China, by acquiring full ownership of CerBibo, a company that has brought its online learning solution to hundreds of institutions in China, the company announced today. The move enhances the company’s ability to make deeper investments to support greater use of online learning in one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.
Blackboard has seen strong momentum in China with CerBibo, a joint venture launched in 2003 in partnership with CERNET, a public-private organization that provides technology and information services to Chinese education institutions. The venture has brought Blackboard’s online teaching and learning solution to over 270 Chinese higher education and K-12 institutions including Peking University, Renmin University, Sun Yat-Sen University and the China-Europe International Business School (CEIBS).
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On 06/14/2011,
in A/V -- audio/visual, architecture, art, Asia, Europe, interaction design, interactivity,
by Daniel Christian
…was a one day seminar (held back in January 2011) with associated art exhibition that explores the intersections of light, space and interaction.
image (c) Eddie Clemens 2011
The next LUX event is confirmed as taking place on 8-10 July 2011 in Wellington, New Zealand. The format will be similar to Oslo Lux – a mix of local and international artists, researchers, designers and architects will map out the overlaps of light, space and interaction. The event will take place over 2 1/2 days, and is timed to coincide with Te Aomarama, a Maori festival of light. See http://www.lux.org.nz/ for more information.
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Two swans below fireworks projected onto fountain at Odaiba Water Show (Tokyo).
On 05/27/2011,
in Asia, Augmented Reality (AR), education technology, emerging technologies, mobile learning, mobile technologies,
by Daniel Christian
