From DSC:

  • What if you want to allow some remote students to come on into your face-to-face classroom?
    .
  • What if you want to allow those remote students to be seen and communicated with at eye level?
    .
  • What if you want Remote Student A to join Group 1, and Remote Student B to join Group 2?
    .

Well…how about using one of these devices  in order to do so!


 

New video collaboration robot: TelePresence gets moving — from cisco.com by Dave Evans

Excerpt:

That is why Cisco’s new joint effort with iRobot—demonstrated publicly this week for the first time—is so exciting: We’ve created a mobile Cisco TelePresence unit that brings collaboration to you—or, conversely, brings you to wherever you need to collaborate. Called iRobot Ava 500, this high-definition video collaboration robot combines Cisco TelePresence with iRobot’s mobility and self-navigation capabilities, enabling freedom of movement and spontaneous interactions with people thousands of miles away.

.

irobot-june-10-2013
.

iRobot Ava™ 500 Video Collaboration Robot — published on Jun 10, 2013
iRobot and Cisco have teamed to bring the Ava 500 video collaboration robot to market. The robot blends iRobot’s autonomous navigation with Cisco’s TelePresence to enable people working off-site to participate in meetings and presentations where movement and location spontaneity are important. The new robot is also designed to enable mobile visual access to manufacturing facilities, laboratories, customer experience centers and other remote facilities.

 

.

Double Robotics Double

http://www.doublerobotics.com/img/use-office.jpg

 

 

MantaroBot™ TeleMe

 

 

 

From Attack of the Telepresence Robots! — from BYTE  by Rick Lehrbaum

.

Kubi

http://twimgs.com/informationweek/byte/reviews/2013-Jan/robotic-telepresence/kubi.jpg

 

 

MantaroBot “TeleMe” VGo Communications “VGo” Anybots “QB” Suitable Technologies “Beam”

 

.

RP-7i ROBOT

RP-7i Remote Presence Robot

 

Also see:

 

Apple TV needs apps — from money.cnn.com by Adrian Covert
If there was ever a time for Apple to open up its Apple TV platform to third-party apps, that time is [today] at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference.

.
.

apple tv

 

 

TV apps: A dive into fragmentation — from appmarket.tv by

Excerpt:

Suppose you wanted to build an app for TV, where would you start? Admittedly, there is an enormous number of variables to consider for an app developer on where they might start the journey, even before that journey starts. These include areas like skill sets, funding, previous development, and relationships. This article is the first in a series that aims to shed some light on the current state of TV app development, as well as the exciting ecosystem that is forming around the connected TV. If you’ve identified an opportunity where developing a TV app makes sense, read on!

At this point, suppose you want to cover the market and develop for all devices and middleware platforms. That’s at least 72 middleware/OS, 122 devices, and 3 screen resolutions, which equates to managing over 26,352 experiences. A little overwhelming, right? Luckily, the picture isn’t quite this grim and in practice, no developer has gone to these lengths (we hope!). The next article in this series will go into how some of this fragmentation is being dealt with and some best practices that we’ve discovered along the way.

.

itv-image

 

.

 

The Living [Class] Room -- by Daniel Christian -- July 2012 -- a second device used in conjunction with a Smart/Connected TV

Higher Ed in 2018 — from InsideHigherEd.com by Jeb Bush and Randy Best

Excerpts (emphasis DSC):

Half a decade from now, almost all universities will offer their students the option of undertaking their coursework in high-demand degree programs online. However, online offerings will no longer be the competitive advantage they are today.

This unprecedented competition and the availability of many high-quality, low-priced options will have caused the tuition bubble to burst and the cost of attending college to tumble, putting even greater pressure on institutional budgets.

While the relative cost of instruction will have declined due to increased scale, the incomes of many professors providing online instruction will have risen sharply.  Some of these professors will have become the free agents of academe, with their courses widely accepted at both public and private universities around the world.

 

 

EdX Expands xConsortium to Asia and doubles in size with addition of 15 new global institutions — from prnewswire.com

From MOOC platform edX announces 15 new university partners (from educationdive.com)

These are the new partner institutions:

  • The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (HKUx)
  • Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Hong Kong (HKUSTx)
  • Kyoto University, Japan (KyotoUx)
  • Peking University, Beijing, China (PekingX)
  • Seoul National University, South Korea (SNUx)
  • Tsinghua University, Beijing, China (TsinghuaX)
  • The University of Queensland in Australia (UQx)
  • Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (KIx)
  • Universite catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium (LouvainX)
  • Technische Universitat Munchen, Germany (TUMx)
  • Berklee College of Music, Boston, Mass. (BerkleeX)
  • Boston University, Boston, Mass. (BUx)
  • Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. (CornellX)
  • Davidson College, Davidson, N.C. (DavidsonX)
  • University of Washington, Seattle (UWashingtonX)

Microsoft unveils Xbox One: the ultimate all-in-one home entertainment system — from microsoft.com

Excerpt:

REDMOND, Wash. — May 21, 2013 — A new vision for the future comes to life today as Microsoft Corp. unveils Xbox One , the all-in-one gaming and entertainment system created for today and the next generation. At Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Wash., the company showcased how Xbox One puts you at the center of all your games, TV, movies, music, sports and Skype.

“Xbox One is designed to deliver a whole new generation of blockbuster games, television and entertainment in a powerful, all-in-one device,” said Don Mattrick, president, Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Our unique, modern architecture brings simplicity to the living room and, for the first time ever, the ability to instantly switch across your games and entertainment.”

With Xbox One, games push the boundaries of realism, and TV obeys your commands. Say “Xbox On” to launch your personalized Xbox One Home screen, discover what is popular on TV or see friends’ latest gaming achievements all using the most natural interface — your voice. The more you interact with Xbox One, the more it gets to know you and learns what you like.

 

From DSC:
Here’s the item I find particularly interesting (emphasis DSC):

  • Skype for Xbox One.
    Specially designed for Xbox One, talk with friends on your TV in stunning HD, or for the first time ever, hold group Skype calls on your TV.

 

IBM Watson at your service: New Watson breakthrough transforms how brands engage today’s connected consumers — from IBM.com
Delivered from the cloud and into the hands of mobile consumers, Watson provides faster, personalized service for smarter commerce; top brands tap Watson’s ability to crunch big data and provide fast, personalized advice for empowered consumers

.

WatsonGoesToWorkForYouMay2013

.

Also see:

 

.

CognitiveSystems-IBMResearch-May2013

 

.


.

Watson-MOOCs-NewTypesCollaboration-DChristian-2-14-13

.


IBM’s Watson tries to learn…everything — from spectrum.ieee.org by Steven Cherry
What happens when Watson learns a million databases? RPI students and faculty hope to find out.


Cara face recognition transforms standard webcams into intelligent sensors — from singularityhub.com by Jason Dorrier

Excerpt:

Founder and CEO, Jason Sosa, told Singularity Hub, “Website stats are powerful—gender, age breakdowns, age categories, how many impressions you have based on traffic. Cara gives you the same thing, only it’s for a real world space.”

Cara detects multiple faces up to 25 feet away and notes whether they are a male or female child (0-13), young adult (14-35), adult (35-65), or senior (65+). It also records how much and what kind of attention they’re giving the camera. This includes total duration (time in front of the camera), glances (looking away and back), attention time (facing the camera), and opportunity to see (traffic near the camera).

 

 

Also see:

Also, here is an excerpt from an email from IMRSV:

We’re excited to announce a breakthrough in perceptive computing. Cara is a face detection software that uses a basic webcam to measure gender, age, attention time and glances for up to 25 people simultaneously, up to 25 ft away. It’s available to download now at http://imrsv.com. With complete privacy by design, it doesn’t record video, images or any personal information. Cara is a way to measure retail, advertising and other real world environments that have typically required expensive research studies using a handwritten pen, paper and clipboard.

This new technology enables smarter spaces and devices – whether toys that smile back at you, or advertising messages that adapt to the audience automatically – with real-time, continuous data collection. There are many possible applications including audience measurement, retail insights, adaptive advertising, gaming/entertainment and internet of things capabilities. We’re very excited to share with you a brand new way to measure the world. Cara is also available as a REST API allowing third party developers to leverage real world data for custom applications.

 

From DSC:
As I mentioned to Jason, I could easily see this type of technology being integrated into what I’ve been thinking about re: the Learning from the Living [Class] Room concept — i.e. a “Smart/Connected TV” and/or a second screen app recognizes who is viewing the materials, brings up a customized listing of educational materials as well as that person’s digital learning playlists (and where that person last left off), their social learning networks, and their communities of practice, etc.

I also wonder whether this type of technology could be used in interactive storytelling…?

 

Living-room opera lends a new twist to an old art — from smartplanet.com by Shannon Smith

 

 

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

Bruun has managed to fill living rooms like this one a total of ten times since May 2012 with her project called Home Opera. The series features operetta-style performances put on by classically trained, professional musicians in private homes. Anyone can apply to host an evening of Home Opera: The only requirements are high ceilings, a well-tuned piano and room for at least 40 guests (although some evenings have attracted more than 70). Hosts usually sell food and drink during the event.

From DSC:
To the Music/Drama/Theater Departments out there, could there be some room for this in your community?

 

Michigan district fires all teachers, closes every school — from takepart.com by Suzi Parker
A funding crisis caused the Buena Vista School District to close its schools for the rest of the year—and perhaps permanently.

 

From DSC:
This is not right.

If the State of Michigan can’t resolve this…
I hope that a corporation or two — or a major philanthropist or two — steps in here to insure that all these students have Internet access. Then provide/allow these students to go online.  Let these students take any class that they want to — and help them enjoy learning as much as possible. They will learn things along the way — without even knowing that they are learning (along the lines of what Sugata Mitra has been saying).

Are there issues with this idea? You bet. I can think of several off the top of my head:

  • Parents out at work, kids at home…
  • Online learning works best with disciplined students…
  • The students may take courses that are not STEM-related
    (However, if they are interested in another discipline or topic, these things could be brought into their learning along the way.)
  • The students may not take courses related to the Common Core standards
    (However, this is not a big concern for me; as pounding everyone into a similar “mold” goes against the reality that each of us is different.  We each have different gifts, skills, abilities, strengths, weaknesses, passions, interests, and preferences.)

But we’ve let these kids down — and make no mistake, we will all pay the price for this type of thing — one way or another. We need to help these kids discover the joy of learning…before it’s too late. 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Part 3: Transmedia is a mindset, not a science — from by Matt Doherty — thanks to the Scoop from siobhan-o-flynn  at Tracking Transmedia
The end of TV as we know it & the rise of transmedia

.

.

Also see:

The end of TV as we know it & the birth of transmedia — slideshare by Ogilvy & Mather

Doug Scott, President, OgilvyEntertainment and Matt Doherty, Transmedia Architect, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide presented The End of TV as We Know It & The Birth of Transmedia at the 21st Century Storytelling Conference: Content, Context and Conversations sponsored by Microsoft, Ogilvy & BrainJuicer on July 31, 2012 in Chicago.

Throughout history, we have told stories. Stories are what connect us across geographies, cultures and experiences; stories demonstrate that we share the same hope, dreams, fears, challenges and desires. Today’s complex, digtally connected consumer universe makes brand storytelling more challenging, but also creates opportunities for brands to tell their stories in new ways.

Doug Scott and Matt Doherty discussed how the idea of TV might be a thing of the past, but the stories that drive our content will always be our constant. Our variable? Telling. Telling has evolved due to the primary role of digital in our lives and disruptive innovation which has given us the ability to craft transmedia experiences. Transmedia has brought about a new set of creative tools and narratives that are rooted in content, formed by context and crossed by all things culture. Are you a story? Or are you a teller?

 

From DSC: re: Adobe’s Project Context:
This is the type of hardware/software combination that I’ve been hoping for and envisioning! Excellent!

It appears to be the type of setup whereby students could quickly and easily collaborate with one another — in a face-to-face setting (and ideally in remote locations as well) — by not just displaying files but also being able to share files with one another.  Files can be sent up to the interactive, multi-touch displays as well as to an interactive table. So it’s not just displaying files, but actually sharing files and being able to collaboratively work on a project.

Eventually, I see this being able to be done in your living room.  What if MOOCs could integrate this type of web-based collaboration into their projects?

But for now, this is a HUGE step forward in this vision. Great work Adobe! This is innovative! Very helpful!

Example screenshots:

 

AdobeProjectContext-May2013

 

.

 

AdobeProjectContext-1

 

.

.

AdobeProjectContext-2

 

..

 

Also see:

  • Adobe’s hardware experiments are more than just hobbies: Hands-on with Project Context – from techcrunch.com by Frederic Lardinois
    Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
    At its MAX conference in Los Angeles [on 5/6/13], Adobe showed  quite a few products that will soon be available to its customers, but it also highlighted a number of hardware experiments, including Project Context, a totally re-imagined way for creating magazine layouts, as well as an advanced stylus and a ruler for touchscreens.

.

project_context_screen_1

FutureofConnectedLR-CoverSlide-May2013

.

FutureofConnectedLR-1-May2013

.

FutureofConnectedLR-2-May2013

.

FutureofConnectedLR-3-May2013

 

 

Report: 6 of 10 US broadband households have connected TVs— from appmarket.tv by Richard Kastelein

.Also see:

 

.


From DSC:
Learning from the Living [Class] Room continues to move forward. What I said out at FutureLearn.org (a different site than what’s out there today) in April 2011 continues to come to fruition:


.

FutureLearn-April302011-DanielChristian

 


Some other graphics that come to mind:


 

How will technologies like AirPlay affect education? I suggest 24x7x365 access on any device may be one way. By Daniel S. Christian at Learning Ecosystems blog-- 1-17-11.

 

 .

Learning from the living room -- a component of our future learning ecosystems -- by Daniel S. Christian, June 2012

 

 

.

The Living [Class] Room -- by Daniel Christian -- July 2012 -- a second device used in conjunction with a Smart/Connected TV

 

.

40 years coming, the revolution is here — from gettingsmart.com by Tom Vander Ark

Excerpt:

Moe sees learners creating a “personalized knowledge portfolio,” an unbundled sequence of learning experiences from multiple providers.

Moe sees an innovation ecosystem emerging, and calls it KaizenEDU. In this emerging ecosystem, it’s the “return on education” that matters. Moe argues the entrepreneurs that help create great learning gains are the ones that will create great shareholder value.

Healthcare gives us a picture of what that could mean for edtech. In 1970 there were 3 companies worth more than $1 billion. Last year, health care made up 13% of U.S. GDP and there were 398 companies with a market cap of more than $1 billion. Education is about 9% of GDP but there are only 5 public companies worth more than $1 billion. The difference is a result of dramatic under investment in R&D, but that’s changing!

The three emerging areas requiring more attention, according to Shelton, are early learning tools and resources, summer and out of school learning, and course redesign in higher education.

© 2024 | Daniel Christian