The work of Mark Weiser and other researchers at Xerox’s PARC paints a picture of the coming third wave of computing where computers are invisibly embedded into the world. As computers proliferate and as everyday objects are given the ability to communicate with RFID tags and their successors, networks will approach and surpass the scale […]
Continue reading Ubiquitous Computing Posted in: Emerging Markets Poll Applications like Flipboard, Zite, RSS5000, and Taptu aggregate content from personal social media networks and other sources, presenting the information in a snappy magazine-style format complete with headlines, images, column formatting, and multimedia. Users set up sections, like those in a newspaper, and each section provides content from Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, or other social media […]
Continue reading Personalized Magazines Posted in: Emerging Markets Poll
Again my concern is people who set up niche worlds to avoid consuming information they are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with. It seems to me people already do this and I am dismayed that we have “right wing” and “left wing” leaning newspapers and news channels. I use Google News and I tend to read different viewpoints on the same article, as well as all the fiery objectionable comments people make to criticize each other.
I agree with David in that this may strengthen the boundaries of comfort and lead to people being less likely to stepping outside their box and exploring different kinds of information. Personalizing media may end up excluding something that someone may have actually have taken an interest in or at the least explored had it been presented to them.
I see an increase in 3D Virtual World software being used to replace 2D PowerPoint-based virtual meetings. People loose focus quickly in 2D meetings staring at slides on the screen with a disembodied voice. So more companies are adopting 3D virtual worlds—where the environments look like conference rooms or offices—to avoid the mind numbing presentations. […]
Continue reading Virtual Worlds Posted in: Emerging Markets Poll
I still don’t see the point of these. The fact that people don’t use something like the assertion-evidence model of PowerPoint design combined with a Socratic method doesn’t mean that PowerPoint is useless.
http://writing.engr.psu.edu/slides.html
The funniest thing I’ve seen is virtual conferences in 3D worlds with PowerPoint presentations within the virtual conferences.
The usage of 3D virtual worlds to keep interest in meetings seems to be a waste to me. If the virtal worlds are used for an educational application of some sort it would be better. For instance, there are some nursing programs that are using virtual worlds to improve clinical skills in their students. There is some preliminary research that suggests that the self-efficacy and confidence of the students do improve from such exercises.
I was also confused by the meeting example, and the value or importance of simply moving a meeting to a virtual location; that being said, virtual worlds might be very useful for meeting with people when we are all geographically dispersed. I took a look at the link, and the author also discusses doing the kinds of simulations that Juliana mentions – such as medical training – in virtual worlds.
Oh yeah, I am all for this technology advancement. The Virtual Globe would look great in 3D, and it will be the step between present-day computing and the holodeck. Gamers are just getting into 3D gaming, and in a few years they are not going to be impressed with the 2D stylings of even a Prezi slideshow. Teachers will need to catch on to virtual worlds quick.
There’s a good example of border guard training that has effectively used Virtual World technology. They turned to this with the increased security issues resulting from 9/11. I think there is appropriate uses for this technology. However, in my experiments it made me too motion sick so I’m not sure that I’d be an adopter.
I believe just like 3D games, virtual worlds/simulations enable people the power to do anything as far as imagination can go. I imagine it can be used for biology classes when exploring different structures.. for building models.. and creating assignments that might be too expensive to implement in the real world.
In addition, it also provides opportunity for people with physical disabilities.
I’ve had no problem with PowerPoint. I used an animated PPT from http://www.presentermedia.com/ to work on my final project for ETEC 521 and it was a lot of fun. I agree with my coursemates here. I don’t see a point of having 3D replaced 2D PowerPoint.
Augmented reality, a capability that has been around for decades, is shifting from what was once seen as a gimmick to a bonafide game-changer. The layering of information over 3D space produces a new experience of the world, sometimes referred to as “blended reality,” and is fueling the broader migration of computing from the desktop […]
Continue reading Augmented Reality Posted in: Emerging Markets Poll
There was a great story in Bill Bryson’s book about the Appalachian Trail… a kid on a mountaintop with an electronic GPS who could tell you the height, the location in latitude and longitude, the temperature and air pressure…. but could not tell you where he really was or where he needed to go next. I hate to confuse data with actually knowing something, or a focus on data instead of a focus on the real world and its cues all around us.
Before mobile devices, during a family dinner, my Dad would often get and go to the encyclopedia to look up some information based on a conversation at the table. Now that we all have smartphones, all that information is literally at our fingertips, but we generally keep them away from the table. The great thing about augmented reality would be the ease with which we can pluck information out of thin air. Always there if we need it, but hopefully there’s an off switch so that conversation can resume at family dinner tables.
Before you publish your posting, please make sure that you select a category (eg. Introductions) as well as assign some meaningful tags (keywords).
Jim 3:50 pm on September 7, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I believe that this is coming and it will have a significant impact in education… not sure in what context or how but I think it will.
David William Price 7:07 am on September 8, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Like Jim I’m unsure how this will play out. I tend to be a little cynical and think people will rely too much on the technology and use their brains less but I may be way off here. I already tend to think that people find things on the Internet to support their pre-conceived notions rather than challenge themselves (looking for fellow members of niche world views to reduce the anxiety they feel about having to change). How much will ubiquitous computing shape people’s thinking for marketing and advocacy purposes instead of truly helping with thinking and problem-solving?