David William Price
Last week I had two conferences and a major assignment…. apologies for the late post. DAY 1: COMPUTERS CAN SCAFFOLD STUDENTS TO IMPROVE BLOG VALUE I’m not a teacher so I don’t have a classroom. I am a teaching assistant for an online second-year university course. One article I read found that students tend to […]
Continue reading Blog Week Post Posted in: Week 07: Blogs A TOWN WITHOUT BOOKS, WHERE NASA PRACTISED MOON LANDINGS My father grew up in a mining town with no trees and, as he claims, no books. He left as soon as he was able and found work cleaning telephones. By the time he retired, he was advising executives and working with professors from Harvard. […]
Continue reading eBooks could be cheating done right! Posted in: Week 06: eBooks
Hi David,
There’s obviously much in this essay to consider and respond to, but I’ll keep it to my top 4…
1) I read your take as being very strongly pragmatic (read what we need in order to solve the particular task at hand). I can’t help but think of the contrasting issue to the execs you discuss who want to synopsis rather than reading the book – that is, the huge value some people place on displaying how well read they are – or how well read they want people to think they are. I think this is significant for our discussion of e-books this week because the materiality of hard copy books is not only personally but socially significant for many. In the museum studies course I teach, we talk a lot about how, as students, our bookshelves at home can be considered curated collections – and how we are using them to make visible, to ourselves and others, our identities and ambitions.
2) Your comments on shearing down content reminded me of something significant a mentor once shared with me – it’s not what you know, it’s knowing where to find out what you need to know.
3) The idea of social annotations sounds really interesting – but as with knowing where to look, I’d want to be picky about whose metadata (annotations and highlighted passages) I’d be using. I say this because most of my experience with metadata in the form of marginalia and highlights comes from academic library books – and at least in the UBC social science books, ‘outrage marginalia’ seems to be a hot genre! As for finding the socially sanctioned good stuff – at least in academic texts – I love the Web of Science search engine, as it tells you which pages of a given text are most often cited in peer-reviewed publications. Interestingly, and a bit hilariously, it’s often the first page!
4) re: modular content. I’ve recently worked on a very large book composed of 30 distinct, and independently authored, chapters. From what I’ve learned from that experience, curation (careful selection, editing, and ordering) is paramount to ensure that the volume as a whole is cohesive. Something about applying the content management approach to publishing that concerns me is that the emphasis may land too heavily on the individual piece of content rather than on its relationships to other pieces in the broader work.
Wow, thank-you for sharing some great points.
1. Good point about people “wearing” their books as a symbol of their erudition. I was just talking to someone about the over-valuing of symbols (judgments based on the wearing of a hijab, or a skirt that is too short) rather than the character of the person as demonstrated through their actions. My father amassed a huge library in his basement which obviously had a huge symbolic value. I actually felt a tremendous sensation of freedom when I downsized my home prior to moving to a new city. I gave away 100s of books. I’m happy with a growing set of summaries I can share and use. To me, books are intellectual consumables.
2. “Knowing where to find vs. knowing”. Hm… I’m on both sides of this concept. On the one hand knowing where to look is important. On the other, having some judgment about the value of different sources means knowing some content. That’s why I prefer the notion of focusing on core concepts and defining mental models of those concepts in the form of job aids. The summaries, which could be analogized to hockey cards or baseball cards, I suppose, provide an easy way of trading in ideas and not getting too blinded by a particular expression of an idea in a particular book.
3. You’re right that annotations will have different value based on who provides them. In one sense, Wikipedia shows the power of curated crowd-sourcing. That’s a definite possibility. Simply going with trend in highlights and comments is another path. A third way would be to tap into particular minds: how would Steve Jobs annotate a business book? How would that compare to Bill Gates?
4. I take your point about the value of curating. I suppose I would say that your value as a curator is to consider the modules and work on the connective tissue that sequences them and teases out the patterns in them. The fact that you can work with modules actually gives you a lot more power in editing. Instead of facing a monolithic work, you can re-arrange modules for purposes of comparison, contrast, etc. One of my goals for my writing students is to make better use of outlines… breaking ideas down into chunks and playing with those chunks like a curator, using the outline as a simulation of the final work.
I strongly believe that anxiety over reading and thinking comes from feeling overwhelmed by a perceived complexity. Cognitive load theory suggests we use chunking to assemble patterns and hierarchies for easier processing.
Very interesting point, David, about the circumstances in which your father lived and became an educated reader, just as executives and professors went the other way with their reading: less is more. I agree with Allie first point, in fact heard very similar ideas in the CBC podcast Doug posted, people like to show what they know (therefore more is more, one would assume).
Thanks to Google and their scanning of a billion or so books, nobody has to read anything ever again, as we now have n-grams to tell us what can be found in decades’ worth of reading material: here’s the link: Google Ngrams Viewer. Gives us more time to get that perfect score on Angry Birds ;-P
Another interesting article from the NYTimes about the effectiveness of educational software solutions in classrooms. Mentions an interesting repository run by the US Dept of Education that analyzes 1000s of studies relied on by companies that sell educational products: What Works Clearinghouse Apparently many educators make decisions about educational matters without even knowing about the What […]
Continue reading What Works Clearinghouse – Bottom-line results for educational approaches and technologies Posted in: Blog Café WHY I DIDN’T CHOOSE THE OTHER GAMES NOT ENGAGED WITH NUNAVUT I played the Nunavut hunting skills game, but found it more aimed at having me, through trial-and-error, “learn” about some hunting information without providing any context or experience. I didn’t see how to make this information meaningful to me. HOPELESS THIRD WORLD FARMER I […]
Continue reading Hope in Haiti – A long plan, a nuanced experience Posted in: Week 05: Game-Based Learning
What a thorough and comprehensive post, David.
You’ve certainly highlighted key features that should be present in games targeted at adults, especially the incorporation of a varied perspective that doesn’t belabour the obvious, and changes with the user/character.
Way to set the bar higher!
KJ
The first time I ever flew in an airplane, I was flying it. Crammed into a tiny single-engine plane, the instructor turned the controls over to me and told me simply to fly straight and level. It was far more interesting than I expected and perhaps what surprised me most was the elevator drop effect […]
Continue reading My first flight that wasn’t Posted in: Week 05: Game-Based Learning
Great story David,
I’m glad you brought up the flight simulators. I’ve had friends who have told me how realistic they are but your story really gives evidence to that. I’ve tried them once or twice but I found the learning curve pretty steep so I never got into them that much. It’s interesting to hear your experience of how the knowledge transferred so well from simulation to real life.
David,
For a while I played a few flying games myself. One was Aces over Europe and set in WW2 and the other being the game based on the movie “Top Gun”. I am not sure how accurate the controls were in terms of in comparison to a flying a real plane, and I am sure that the hundreds of hours with top gun does make me certified to become a fighter pilot. But many of the other simulation games are quite real and I have read arcticles the military uses games and simulation to practice tactics.
I find it interesting that your curiousity and interest pushed you to buy a textbook and learn and practice maneuvers. Do you still have an interest in learning in this area today even though you don’t play simulation games anymore? Flight lessons maybe?
It is always interesting to see how learning in our childhood and youth shapes us and we are still able to recall these experiences, some very vividly.
I would have said your interest nose-dived (ba-dum-bum!).
Seriously, flight simulation, I think, is one of those long-time successes in terms of educational / simulation games. I can still remember one of my cousins playing an old one (probably circa… 1993 or 1994), and being totally wrapped up in it. He was a bit of a history / military buff, too. I can remember him chatting with other simulator players, and back then, to me, it was all Greek. The most I ever really got into playing any kind of flying games was arcade ones: Crimson Skies : High Road to Revenge and the Tie Fighter / X-Wing games. I think my interest in flying real planes and having it be very realistic grounded my simulator career.
Hi David,
enjoyed reading your story. It certainly reinforced the fact that game is a useful educational tool. I realised that long hours I spent playing car games was very good because I learnt to drive a car without the help of an instructor. Therefore, I understand the reason that you seemed so adept when you flew an aeroplane for the first time.
Hey David,
I also really enjoyed reading your post. It definitely helped me see that games can in fact be a very important and useful educational tool.
Curt Allen, co-founder, President and CEO of the learning venture Agilix Labs, Inc. AGILIX LABS, INC Agilix Labs, Inc., founded in 2001, has since 2009 developed and hosted(2) a web-based classroom management system called BrainHoney that includes course authoring, drag-and-drop mapping of state standards, a gradebook, and a student portal.(3) The basic account is […]
Continue reading Curt Allen’s BrainHoney at Agilix Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
Hi David,
Thanks for your detailed post. I appreciated your discussion on Boards of advisiors and networks and relationships of the CEO. I did not find any board of advisors information for my venture however the CEO and founders have strong relationships with boards and the education sector. I wondered therefore at their funding, research and development and business advice/management.
Your discussion on identifying personal strenghts and weaknesses and developing experience and/or relationships/networks highlights essential processes in paving a path or action plan for us as desirous entrepreneurs. From your post and from my research I was taken aback at how many YEARS and research CEOs and Founders spent in the various fields and heading a number of other companies and/or departments, plus for some reasearch and development (10 years in my case study and $20 million) before stepping into their own venture.
In today’s culture the concept of time is such that 10 years and 29 years seem like such a long time. For many who are now transitioning to learning technologies it may also be rather daunting and somewhat disheartening as the reality is that the Bill Gates’ and Mark Zuckerbergs are the exception not the norm.
Kerry-Ann
Very true. An easy mistake is to focus on the big wins of entrepreneurs, movie stars, authors, etc. and ignore the long trail towards their “overnight” successes. I have learned a lot by reading early works of master authors, seeing early films of award winning auteurs, and learning about the histories of business leaders. It provides a much more realistic perspective and highlights learning, persistence and passion as essential characteristics.
Hi, David.
Sounds like a positive outlook for yourself, based on some good self-awareness and planning! I had heard of Agilix before, and not BrainHoney, so that’s what drew me to your post.
To be honest, out of all the program / background / team / skill info, two things stuck with me the most. On the program side, “drag-and-drop mapping of state standards” – it had me dreaming of having a page of draggable outcomes from one of my courses all laid out in front of me, and enabling me to match them with activities or marks in our school’s grading/attendance/records-keeping software. On the entrepreneur side of things, what stuck for me here was the ability to make and maintain relationships – a very useful skill that turns into an intangible asset… a storehouse of go-to people to draw upon when needed.
Steve
I’ve noticed that people take their teams with them from venture to venture, building their networks over time. A key skill seems to be to assemble those teams (and be one of those key team members). I think part of that skill comes from being able to truly define yourself in terms of core skills and passions.
GENERAL REACTION TO PITCHES I watched two dozen pitches on silicon.com and noted my reactions. I need a clear description of the problem. I don’t care about lists of features, jargon or broad, vague claims without specific use cases. I don’t trust pitches that claim to be the solution for everyone. I want to understand […]
Continue reading Webroot – Problem and solution attract further inquiry Posted in: Week 03: Analyst Bootcamp
Wow! 2 dozen pitches viewed? That would really give you a sense of what is working and what is not. I watched a few video pitches prior to this discussion and was amazed at the poor quality of some of them…what were they thinking? As for your review of Webroot, I was intriqued at first as you described the main ideas of the pitch…but you make a good point at the end about long term risk..you are right – it is not worth the risk to have to replace your software later when budgets are unpredictable.
You chose a great pitch to review and I agree that while Ian Moyse doesn’t project a whole lot of enthusiasm, he clearly outlines a problem that his company can solve and provides pin-point answers to every question asked to him by the panel. He displays confidence through his composure and knowledge base. In my opinion, one of the better pitches on this site. Thanks for sharing your critique.
Moyse definitely came into his own answering the questions, but he was fairly nervous during the sixty seconds (which is fair enough). I think his credibility increased substantially as the Q & A continued.
I didn’t get from his description of the gap what his team brought to the table; I am not convinced that his company is the best one as there are many external IT companies out there. It may be that I didn’t understand how his was different, but in that 60 seconds, I would have turned away.
Thanks for the post!
Your analysis shows insight and a familiarity with business investor strategy, David. I am really glad you are in our group 11! Illuminating points to consider.
KJ
Two dozen pitches? impressive. i do like how you presented our thoughts by first giving a general summary of the pitches, focusing on a pitch and and itemising your comment on it. You wrote, “I don’t care about lists of features, jargon or broad, vague claims without specific use cases.”
I must say that some of the pitches were focused on features -that was my issue with Evernote, and I found that did not impress me either. On the other hand, jargon i think can swing either way, make or break depending on the audience. I too think that there were a lot of vague claims too and e.g, WEbook and Edufire.
On webroot, I think the presenter sounds like he understands his product/service. I like that he identified pain points and the role expected of IT and narrowed in on that to present their competitive advantage. However, you have done a good job analysing the short term and long term risks showing some good insight on your part.
Hi David,
Great points. I also, from watching the pitches, was able to zero in on the kind of information I find necessary and/or am interested in. I like to know features but as you said presented within the context of practical and specific use. Also, zeroing in on competitive advantage is essential.
A point you raised was the particular audience and that some elements were therefore not discussed. This is clearly context specific and so he knows they type of information to present for this target audience. However, can/should pitches be universal, particularly if they are presented via public media e.g. Youtube?
Kerry-Ann
Introduction I found the Ambient Insight executive summary titled The US market for self-paced eLearning products and services: 2010-2015 forecast and analysis helpful because it defines its scope, reports data according to narrow segments to highlight opportunities, and provides valuable data for tactical and strategic decision-making. The report defines its scope The summary defines its […]
Continue reading Ambient Insight: valuable data for decision-making Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
Thanks for this really thorough and well written review – I’ll be sure to check out this report as it seems to provide the kind of data that I’ll find useful and satisfying. I’m particularly intrigued by the focus on healthcare, as health is an area that, before this course, I found myself wondering if it could be a good area for me to apply my interests in education and technology – particularly international health and service delivery.
Adding my comments to Allie and saying thanks for a very well thought out review. I, too, will have to look at this report a little more closely (preferably with new contacts in or is it just because I’m tired?)
I also have the thought of perhaps forwarding the link to my administrator and IT department 🙂
Thank You David for this informative and detailed post. I particularly appreciated your discussion/ identification of the attributes within each category: educator, technology specialist and ‘venturer’. It actually is a useful means of identifying where we are/would like to be and our specific needs.
I had a brief look at the report, which I will also peruse in further detail later. I am heartened at the forecast and analysis at so many levels and in so many sectors. Thanks again for the link.
Kerry-Ann
In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores Sunday 4 September 2011 By MATT RICHTEL http://www.langaa-rpcig.net/+In-Classroom-of-Future-Stagnant+.html
Continue reading Interesting article related to using tech in / selling tech to schools + arguments over results Posted in: Uncategorized
Hi David…
I think it’s all in the definition of a “21 st Century Learner”. At a recent conference, I listened to Alberta Ed Ministry “Tech” supporters advocate for their “emerge” program.
http://education.alberta.ca/admin/technology/emerge-one-to-one.aspx
Unlike the school districts in your article, students and teachers in Alberta have seen test scores soar, especially in special needs and ESL classrooms. What made their study unique was that they waited for 3 years – until they could really define a 21st Learner Classroom.
Anyway – just thought you would like a comparison….and I would encourage you to check out “emerge”.
Verena:)
Scores were one element of the article. There were pretty interesting questions about allocations of resources (tech budgets preserved while teacher budgets slashed), whether improvements in scores were due to teacher training, differences in pedagogy, or the technology itself, etc.
One place where studies often fail is they evaluate the results of adding tech without controlling for the fact a different pedagogical model was used, and that classrooms using the same model performed the same regardless of tech. It comes down to the issue of the importance of design and learning theory vs. medium and how best to use medium as a choice after proper design.
Hi David…
I have to admit..you lost me at the end….
Do you mean….Choosing to use a teaching method to enhance learning, to make things easier (not more difficult) regardless of the medium? Is a bad thing?
Or do you mean …if two teachers taught the same course, the same way, one used “technology” tools and another didn’t ..and yet their tests results were still the same. So the technology isn’t “enhancing” the learning?
Or…what do you mean by your last sentence? Sorry, it confused me.
Verena:)
I’m a full-time Master’s student in the Educational Technology program at Concordia University in Montreal. I’m also the head teaching assistant for an Educational Communication course and an Editorial Assistant for the IEEE journal Transactions on Professional Communication. Previously, I studied journalism at Carleton, law at Western, and practised business law in Ottawa for a […]
Continue reading Hello from Montreal Posted in: Uncategorized
Hi,
You definitely have a background that is rich in experience. I’m sure we will have a lot to learn from you. Your pics brought back some good childhood memories of La Ronde. I lived in Montreal for a few years during childhood, and experienced much trauma at La Ronde. 😉
Emily
Ah, Montreal, home of the best hockey team there is…
Salut, David. I’m always amazed at the people attracted by this program and what their experiences have been and currently are. I’m glad to have people here so different from myself.
Cheers!
Steve
Before you publish your posting, please make sure that you select a category (eg. Introductions) as well as assign some meaningful tags (keywords).
Deb Kim 5:28 pm on October 28, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
David,
Thank you for posting. Although it is late, your post is appreciated as it will help our group. We are planning to organize and publish the final thoughts and ideas by the end of this week.
Thank you.
Deb