I found my thoughts to be well aligned with those from the NMC 2012 Horizon Report in terms of emerging markets. Of the key trends they mention here are a few that I felt necessary to share: 1) Ability to work, learn, and study whenever and wherever: As a MET student, I already see huge […]
Continue reading New Media Consortium 2012 Horizon Report Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
In the article, Top-Ten IT Issues the authors identified 10 Issues as follows: Top-Ten IT Issues, 2011 Funding IT Administrative/ERP/Information Systems Teaching and Learning with Technology Security Mobile Technologies Agility/Adaptability/Responsiveness Governance, Portfolio/Project Management Infrastructure/Cyberinfrastructure Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity Strategic Planning and thanks to my colleague melissaayers the 2012 list: Top-Ten IT Issues, 2012 Updating IT professionals’ […]
Continue reading Top 10 IT Issues- Opportunity Horizon Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
Hi Shaun,
I agree with you 100 percent. This is so true. Buying a technology and bringing it into a school is useless if no one knows how to use it. I have seen this happen in all the schools I have worked in. Technology is bought because it seems ideal but either the technology is not used at all and it gathers dust or it is used incorrectly because teachers do not have the necessary training or do not know what to use the technology for. Many educators are open to using new technologies but they already have so much on their plates and they do not have the time to learn how to use these technologies to a degree that they can teach with them effectively.
There is a huge push in the school district I work in for more and more technology to be adopted and courses to be offered. This is great because it opens more doors for kids but it is also extremely costly and can be frustrating for teachers and schools.
Teacher training is where the investment needs to be made. One thing that the board I am working for has began doing and that I think is a valuable way to assess what technological investments should be made is a loan pool. The school board has purchased some technologies and is allowing schools to borrow sets of the technology to try out with their students. This way students and teachers can be exposed to a new technology and find out if investing in it would be a good idea.
In her article titled “Learning Technology Trends in 2012,” Connie Malamed shares her insightful predictions on trends to watch out for in 2012. The full list is available by clicking on the link provided above. For the purpose of this discussion, I will focus on the idea of backchannels and flipped learning. Backchannel […]
Continue reading Learning Coach: 2012 Top Trends Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
Hi Manny:
I like your approach to focus on two technologies. I work in a post secondary and have seen both of these used.
The Back channel was in a demonstration situation in one of our new “technology rooms”. I signed up for the session last May not knowing what is was and I was going light that day so I did not have any personnel technology with me. Needless to say I was not an active participant, just an observer. They did tie in participants from other parts of the institute so it went beyond the classroom. I certainly found it hard to keep up and focus as there was so much going on: the facilitator speaking, their presentation on one set of screens, the twitter back channel on other screens and the F-2-F back channel at each table. In the end, I can’t remember what the topic was, only the apparent confusion of everything going on at once. All I could think of was the student who did not have the technology/twitter account and any special needs students that find it hard to focus, it would have blown their circuits. So this technology/method is in its infancy and participants/facilitators need some training, guidelines and best practices are needed to direct it so it is actually useful and not some neat thing to play with.
Flipped learning is a great method that is being used and is possible through courses developed for blended learning. It also provides a way for instructors to get away from the traditional lecture style classroom format to a style that is more engaging and interactive project and group work. In post secondary we are finding it is many students who oppose this style as it means they need to actually do something in the classroom rather than come for a lecture. For the most part we have been able to check the students helicopter parents at the hanger before entering the school.
Doug.
I agree. The idea of flipped learning is making significant leeway within educational settings. With the shift to project/inquiry based learning, educators are opting to front-load the material/content online via tutorials/videos and having students engage in work in the classroom. I have tried this myself on a few occassions, and allowed me to focus on those who need the extra help while allowing those who feel comfortable move on.
S
I have heard about flipped learning from a few teachers at another school in my district. One of the courses was Math 12 and the other Biology 12. They taught in this style last year, but I don’t know if they are continuing to try it or how beneficial it was in their classes. A few of us in my department were thinking of trying it for the Space Unit in Gr. 9 Science. We have the students do a large space project, so we thought this would be a good idea to try.
Hi Lisa,
It definitely exciting to try something new with a class and more importantly learn from it. Have you had the opportunity to talk to the grade 12 math and biology instructors to see if the experience was fruitful. I would be interested to know how it went and what were some things that needed to be improved in order to make it more productive.
Suhayl
Hi Suhayl,
I sent them an email a couple of weeks ago, but with the start up of school, they were probably too busy to answer. If I hear anything back, I will report back on what I found out.
Lisa
I’d be interested in hearing how a flipped classroom experiment goes. Reading about it, I can see how it makes a lot of sense. The problem I saw with it is that students tend to be lazy, and the ‘homework’ of watching a lecture the day of, might be ignored by a lot of students. It requires a lot of trust of the kids to do those things. Also, lots of times in lectures and presentations, questions arise as you go, and there are cool tangents that you can take as the teacher to facilitate discussion and more questioning and clarifying. I think there would have to be some sort of question period at the beginning of the next day – perhaps that could be a homework check, to improve the accountability of the class.
I have experimented with the Idea of the flipped classroom. I think it is important to enforce the watching of videos like you would a homework check. If students start to look at it as a ‘serious’ assignment not just fun, they tend to gain good insight. In my classroom, I usually get them to write 1 thing they found interesting about the video and 1 thing they found confusing. You can use polling software and reference the video the next day in class while clearing up any misunderstandings.
This flipped technique can be effective. However, I still have found the most effective way is to use the videos in class, pause and explain or clarify as the video is playing. This isn’t traditional, but it is not a flipped classroom either. It allows students to take a resource home (Khan academy, TED Ed) that we have discussed and work on their homework with assistance.
I can’t imagine a better course to have taken this semester. I have to say that this course gives me a much different vibe than any other course I have ever taken. I recently accepted a position as a Learning and Innovation Specialist with the public board, and I came from 5 years as a […]
Continue reading education=commerce Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
Hey Supatel,
Congratulations on the new position. It definitely sounds exciting.
Its so exciting that you are working with the likes of Apple and Google to provide such up to date packages and hardware.
I am highly interested in the comment that you made that you were the one doing the research and negotiating but you said that you ‘can’t imagine’ how much money’ these cost.
What is the process here – do you liase with the global brands in terms of functionality and then pass your findings on to ‘an accountant’ to decide which of your recommendations to choose? As a business that is ‘loosing money’ I can already tell you the answer there!!!!
Are the cheque writers even further removed from the negotiation process, as in its not now the people in the know at a managerial level, its people who read their reports and then decide on a financial basis.
Or have I misunderstood your post??
So as far as I know we make a pitch to our superiors on technology that might be something worth purhcasing. Along the process, the finances are discussed usually, involving both the public board and the provincial government.
Sometimes I do the negotiating with a laison from a company but more often, i have nothing to do with that. It all depends on the magnitude and complication of the situation. Last week me and a colleague were on the phone with MS trying to get a good enough deal to purchase an office suite that we could sell to the students on a laptop purchase/lease program.
When it comes to freeware and online tools that don’t cost any money, we do the PIA (privacy impact assessment) and the legal dept goes over it and makes sure we are covered as a board if we so choose to use the tool.
In the end, i’m really a small pawn on a large chess board, but it’s an unbelievable learning opportunity.
S
Hi,
Congratulations on your new job. That is really interesting that you got too see how technologies function at the ground level in schools and now you are getting to see what the business side looks like. This course is definitely well suited for your new position. Thanks for sharing the insights you have gained from your job. It is always nice to see what you are leaning in action.
I find that a lot of educators think from the heart and do not associate teaching and learning with business (well at least at the primary and secondary level). As an educator who has only worked in schools, I find it very hard to see the business aspect of teaching. That is one of the reasons I took this course. I look forward to reading more of your posts because I think your insight will help me to build on the understandings I am hoping to gain from this course.
Thanks for opening this discussion, Suhayl, and congrats as well on your exciting new mandate in the world of learning!
My experience has mostly been on the other side of your equation – with the companies that are negotiating directly with superintendents and ministry officials for the deals you are completing the groundwork for. Unfortunately it is seldom a fulfilling experience for those that care about learning, which is why I’m so interested that ETEC522 enables more teachers to become active, leading participants in the process.
I’ll give you one example, which should be simple and eye-opening. I don’t know how many hundreds of millions of K-12 students there are worldwide, but it is a HUGE market. However, there has only ever been one device that has ever been designed entirely and comprehensively for the specific requirements of this market. Desktops, laptops, ipads, etc, etc, weren’t designed for learners, they were designed for office workers and home consumers. That’s why there have always been so many problems with applying these technologies in the classroom. How do I know this? Because one of my companies designed what I believe is still the one and only wireless laptop designed exclusively for K-12 (I don’t include the One Laptop Per Child devices for a different reason, and I won’t delve into my company’s story here).
The following may be a minor over-statement but most large companies treat education as a dumping ground for technology they can’t sell anymore into corporate markets. This includes devices and software. Schools get it cheap because the technology is essentially remaindered. Value for learning is rarely a priority.
I don’t believe I’m cynical or pessimistic. In fact, I’ve never been more excited for learning, because the agility and versatility of the information technologies marketplace is awesomely great right now from an education perspective. It has never been so fertile.
Let me end my fun little rant with an analogy from a different huge, cumbersome, complex market. When we think of the “health” sector it isn’t really about health at all, it is about “illness management” because that’s where lots of money can be made. A societal focus on health promotion would cost much less and support a much smaller industry. So what is the learning market really about?
Being provocative is part of my job…
David
Interesting and provocative.
Most of the things I have come across in the “learning market”, via our school district, have been basic fact practice activities or games, and programs aimed at students who are low in math or reading. Everything I have seen has been focussed on closing the gap between students who are not yet meeting expectations and students who are. These programs are often put in place for struggling readers and are redundant for many students.
From what I see the market right now there is not a lot out there for enrichment activities, particularly at the elementary level. As an example, many students are able to understand complex games, so why not also supplement critical thinking teaching with an RPG?
Perhaps part of it comes from the public school goals. Districts are often looking for alternative means to bring students up to standards, so their funding is often directed at this. Not very unlike the “health” sector. With limited funds, enormous classes, minimal support staff and financial cuts all around, their position can be understood.
So what can be done about this? I see a lot happening at the university/college level and some at the highschool level locally. There are more and more interesting and educational content/programs/opportunities online. I’d be very interested in seeeing enrichment technologies that require more than rote q&a. Things that get students to really think deeply and work through problems.
Supatel, your job sounds great! Do you find that there is a focus on “levelling” technology or is equal attention (and funding) given to enrichment?
Alright, time to come clean. Although I read most of the articles that had been provided to us it was really the Learning Coach that caught my eye with it’s title. And that’s only because I thought that it was going to be an article about a new technology – Learning Coaches. Which in essence […]
Continue reading The Learning Coach – Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
Hey PC,
I would be interested in drilling down into this 10% you have calculated. Do you think they are from all backgrounds? Do you think that they are from all ages?
I am going to put my head on the chopping board now and it might actually create a bit of a backlash. In my experience the biggest differentiator between people is their attitudes. The biggest influence on peoples attitudes is their work environment. I find that people working in the public sector are forced into a changeless single-minded-ness attitude that hampers both the ability and desire to change. I am not taking sides and not blaming anyone. I find that private sector people are required, and allowed, to be more dynamic and versatile and that it stands to their personal development in what ever field they are in.
You posed the question that its between the teachers who are willing/flexible/comfortable/confident with technology and those who are not? Would it be more about what systems are in place for teachers to be allowed and encouraged to test and perhaps fail?
S
Thanks for the post PC; it actually caught my eye as I was going through the week’s postings, so I decided to take a closer look at the Learning Coach. I like these brief overviews of key technologies to look for. I certainly don’t have time to follow up every one in depth, even though my job is focused on bringing technology to the classroom throughout my division, but the more I continue to hear & read about specific topics the deeper I am drawn in.
I see an increasing number of teachers – my estimate would be much higher than your 10% – who are willing to explore how to integrate technology into their everyday instruction. I think one of their biggest challenges (other than costs, of course) is not resistance but time. I’m constantly reading about technological advances and how they may be used in the classroom. I would guess most teachers would be like me – they require repeated exposure to gain a depth of understanding. They, however, have less time to devote to experimentation and practice. While I wouldn’t say this is the only reason educational advances in this area plod along slowly, I think it’s an important one. And as S noted above, it’s important that teachers do have this time to test and fail.
Peggy
Hi Peggy,
The experimentation phase when it comes to introducing new technologies definitely needs to happen. Unfortunately it seems like a catch 22. I read somewhere that on average, a teacher needs about 2 years to successfully adopt and integrate new technologies into their instructional practice. However, it seems as though we are always playing catch up because of the rapid growth of technology. It seems to me that as soon as we figure out how to integrate a new technology into the classroom, it is already obsolete and the next best thing is already on the market and being introduced into classrooms. I feel that this is just one of the realities we have to face and makes it difficult to remain on the cutting edge of innovation.
Manny
Very true Manny – excellent point!
Hi everyone:
A few quick comments:
PC – there is a technology divide with post secondary instructors as well, generally by age. Younger more likely to use/adopt technology and older, especially those late in their careers less likely.
Stuart: – I believe the private/public sector situation occurs in all fields, not just education.
Peggy – From what I have seen working for nearly 10 years with post secondary instructors it is a combination of attitude (Stuart) and time. Without some sort of offload it is difficult for instructors to find the time to integrate technology. Some motivated instructors will. I have seen situations where faculty are given time and a goal through a project, andt they do work hard at it and others who because of attitude, don’t really create good value based on the time and money made available to them.
Manny – It is a risk for the teacher and the school to actually prototype something new and different live in the classroom.
Doug.
The Educause: 2011 Top Ten IT Issues article discusses the various challenges associated with running an IT market on a contemporary scholastic budget. It begins by attempting to explain the funding structure of a typical IT department within a university campus. It details the different strategies utilized by campuses in their attempt to forcast upcoming […]
Continue reading The Educause: 2011 Top Ten IT Issues art… Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
I am agreeing with the 2.1 and 2.2 introduction pieces and found them to be very clear. I am also finding the 2.2 Who is the customer? to be very cut throat. I can understand that there can be a massive disconnect between the decision maker and the active user. For example I can see […]
Continue reading Single point of sale Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
Some great musings,
To answer your question about the decision making process with companies….. I had taken a course where we learned about the s.m.a.r.t. rule for analyzing new technologies and their appropriateness (specific/measurable/attainable/realistic/timely) and that’s all well and good. But it brings up the point that you ask – who is actually doing the decision making?
And generally it’s not the frontline workers is it? Or the users? I was asked during the summer to take a survey about using the new connect system for my course and in my head i was thinking, “you’ve already taken the plunge, why ask me now?”
PC
I looked at the New Media Consortium 2012 Horizon Report. Initially I spent some time trying to figure out a bit about the NMC. At times the internet feels a bit like the wild west, and I like to know before I read who is in charge of putting out what I’m reading, as that, […]
Continue reading New Media Consortium 2012 Horizon Report Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technologies of 2012 In this press release, Gartner Inc. identified the top 10 strategic technologies of 2012. I found it helpful that they included their definition of strategic technologies in the opening paragraphs because it helped put into focus the target audience for these technologies. To me, the projections […]
Continue reading Opportunity Horizon – Gartner: 2012 Top 10 Technologies Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
Upon skimming through this report, I agree with you analysis Lisa.
In addition to the Cloud and App Store areas you focused on, I also see potential in the area of Contextual and Social User Experiences. I can envision the growth of mobile apps which leverage the camera and GPS location features in devices, to provide services and information to students when they arrive at school/campus and as they move through the campus. As an example, such technology is already being tried for identifying when students arrive at school, simplifying attendance tracking procedures. Privacy concerns are undoubtedly a concern in this example, but the concept is intriguing I think. I can envision augmented reality apps which could assist students (those able bodied and otherwise) in navigating the school/campus, finding resources, or in the case of a high-tech media lab such as I teach in, for providing real time tutorials and support for the various pieces of equipment in the lab.
Hi Scott, I found your comment about identifying students and simplifying attendance tracking quite interesting. Privacy issues would be one area of concern, but I also think that there is an assumption being made that every student has a cell phone or mobile device. This may not always be the case. As well, what grades were these attendance tracking procedures taking place on? Are kindergartners expected to have these devices on them?
I can also see the potential of apps in the classroom. Now to only find the funding to provide the devices to students…
Hi Lisa,
There are many online schools that are already making good use of cloud. For example, here in the Okanagan there is the youlearn.ca online school that has managed to mesh it’s moodle into google drive in a really amazing way. I don’t know how they have done it but it’s an incredible means of tracking students and having access to shared documents/portfolios/etc.
And BYOD is a huge reality too – simply because of the financials. Districts don’t have a means of keeping up with the technological changes due to financial restrictions. I’m chuckling as I say this because I have heard it so many times when I’m wheeling the laptop cart from 2002 into my classroom and kids are begging to be allowed to use their phones to carry out research.
Torture with out of date technology – there’s a first.
PC
Hi PC,
I have heard about youlearn.ca, but don’t have any experience with it. Post secondary institutes probably make use of cloud way more than is seen at the secondary and middle school levels.
Our district is looking at BYOD, but probably not for another 2-3 years; on one side, it would be good since signing out laptop carts is becoming harder and harder since more people are using them for projects, but on the other hand, will every student be expected to buy a device to use at school? Our school (and district) won’t be putting in anymore money for laptop carts.
Lisa
I
Hi Lisa,
As far as I can see no cutting edge technology in IT today was designed from the ground up for education. The PC, mobile computing, social networking and cloud computing are just a few that comes to mind. Furthermore as established in this course education is not the easiest market to break into. So it is not surprising that this report is not aimed at educators. Historically education is ‘added’ after the technology is established and its capacity for exploitation by educators is determined. In this report the Internet of Things (IoT) can be a vital tool for gathering data for research and context-aware computing be used to enhance the learning experience.
In the light of the position I have presented I am not convinced that despite the technology available today the current generation tablet PCs are not designed with student and teachers in mind but do not worry I will design one.
Patason
Hey Patason,
Let me know when you have finished creating your “tablet” for educational purposes. I do agree, the current generation of tablets has some capabilities to use in classrooms, but they could be much, much better.
Hi Lisa,
Just in case you missed it my tablet can be found in the venture forum @ https://blogs.ubc.ca/etec522sept12/2012/11/26/my-pitches-and-reflection/
Cheers
Patason
I reviewed Ambient Insight’s 2012 Learning Technology Research Taxonomy: Research Methodology, Product Definitions, and Licensing Model. First impression was of a typical marketing pitched document of this company’s services. There is that – many superlatives that describe its uniqueness or why one should purchase their service. However, this 50 page document also presents a research […]
Continue reading Ambient Insight – Global Learning Technology Market Taxonomy Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
I would agree with you that the report presents a taxonomy that could be used to examine or develop a business care for learning technology products and services. I am very unfamiliar with developing businesses cases for products so this report will be useful for our upcoming assignments. Thanks for passing on the Porter Five Forces Model as well.
After reading ‘Learning Technology Trends To Watch In 2012’ my first thought was to check to see when this article was written. There is no date listed, but from the comments below the article I would suspect that it was released early this year. If this is the case, I think that the author is […]
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It was interesting to read about your perspective on this issue. I had not even heard of some of the technologies the author talked about in the article but I am fascinated to know that these technologies are known about and considered in post secondary institutions. That is fantastic. I think this opens the doors for many opportunities.
I too thought the author did a great job of explaining each ideas and the examples were definitely helpful. The author did a good job of conveying ideas in a non technical manner. Hence, this article can be read and understood by anyone who is interested in the progression of current technologies. It is a good resource for sure.
Nureen
Trends Shaping Education 2010 is the latest biennial book written by the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) and published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Aimed at a broad range of educational stakeholders, the 94 page report presents 27 social, economic, demographic and technological trends which stand to impact education, […]
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I reviewed the report 7 things you should know about “Navigating the new learning ecosystem” by Educause. The report is concise, objective analysis of the current educational technology environment within Higher Ed and provides key considerations for educators, learning technology specialists and venture capitalists. As an instructional designer and project manager working in the Higher […]
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Thank you for making such a well articulated post Ranvir. The focus on using a LMS as more than an online delivery method for digital versions of stale paper handouts, is spot on. As a teacher in the secondary system, which in my view seems to have one foot in outdated classroom baed curriculum delivery methods and the other foot tentatively stepping into more modern online delivery, I think this report could prove beneficial to those outside of higher education as well.
As a layman I found the Garner Newsroom’s article useful in terms of the overall content and concepts found within, but was surprised at its vagueness at the same time. I guess I went into the article with expectations of specific data and insight, but then realized that we can’t really have a solid grasp on innovations […]
Continue reading Gartner – Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2012 Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
I too find the Gartner reports quite vague, but I assume their purpose is just to give a very quick overview and description of potentially key innovations. I like the word they used – “disruptive”. For leadership positions in education, and the technical departments that support them, being aware of technologies that are likely to have major impacts can be vital. We might tend to agree that education moves slowly in many ways – but by having some forewarning and knowledge of what may eventually infiltrate schools should be an essential part of a smart educational sytem-level plan, as laying the necessary foundations for such systems is essential – it is often necessary to begin selling the key stakeholders (especially those holding the financial purse), as it may take considerable time and money to provide the necessary technological and pedagical foundations.
Just a thought, but I perhaps one of the reasons education is often so slow to adapt is the paucity of visionaries who can sell these ideas to the necessary stakeholders far enough in advance. Without that lead time, by the time the technologies become mainstream, especially in these times, providing the necessary foundations to support is too late and too costly.
Peggy
Hi Kent,
I believe the article was written for the layman and as such is present in the genre a news paper article and therefore it does not have the detail of an academic paper. Once that is taken into account it can be a useful document for educators and venturers. The educator may have to exert some effort to determine which is applicable to education.
Patason
New Media Consortium 2012 Horizon Report 1. How, and how much, is it useful and valuable to the broader community of educators, as well as learning technologies specialists and venturers? Upon opening the forty two-page New Media Consortium 2012 Horizon Report, I was immediately engaged and spent a great deal of time reading […]
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I recently downloaded NMC’s HZ app. Great info and links to articles and journals, updates, etc. Some links were broken, but a great resource nonetheless. (2.99)
I was also drawn in immediately when reading and “couldn’t put it down”. It certainly is a resource that could be used by anyone with any interest in this field!
Hi Eva – Thanks for your very thorough review. I printed and read the K-12 version and thought it was highly credible and valuable. Something I find interesting and controversial is one of the challenges they mention. On page 5 in the K-12 version, they discuss “Critical Challenges” and write that “despite the widespread agreement agreement on its importance, training in digital literacy skills and techniques is rare in teacher education. As a Faculty Advisor in UBC’s newly designed Bachelor of Education program I was surprised and disappointed that the teacher candidates do not have to take a course in digital media literacy. When I inquired about this I was told that it was infused throughout other literacy courses and curriculum classes but I wonder perhaps if it merits its own course. Thoughts anyone? David, do you know if anyone from MET was involved in the creation of the new B.Ed program?
Gartner’s 2012 Top Ten Strategic Technologies are as follows: Media Tablets and Beyond Mobile-Centric Applications and Interfaces. Contextual and Social User Experience. Internet of Things. App Stores and Marketplaces. Cloud Computing. Next-Generation Analytics. Big Data. In-Memory Computing. Extreme Low-Energy Servers. (NB. Cloud computing is number 10 in the original list because I find it is […]
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I chose “Learning Technology Trends to Watch in 2012” because I felt that this article had a lot of information in it that was applicable to the time and place I am teaching and learning in. I think the content in this article was delivered in a clear and concise manner. Emerging technologies and their […]
Continue reading Learning Technology Trends to Watch in 2012 Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
I noticed that you connected their report to the areas identified in the readings. It is important to recognize which areas are going to be more successful with certain technologies. What about regions that are wired in but slow to adopt technology? I think reports like this (and the others listed in the 2A: Opportunity Horizon library) will help those that are asking for support from decision makers.
I have never used Backchannel, it sounds like a great way to extend the learning that takes place in the classroom. This also helps with the idea of a learner becoming a life-long learner. Learning doesn’t stop at 3:30 when the bell rings. For students to participate in these types of learning is a very exiting movement in education.
It’s funny you mention backchannel, as my Grade 4 team just set one up for our faculty meeting this afternoon. We were discussing the potential for this type of tool to be used in the classroom, and at what age the kids should be to start using it. We found ‘TodaysMeet’ to be a clean, easy to use resource for creating a backchannel. I would imagine that a lot of the learning in a class would take place there, as students would a) need to be accountable for their comments, and b) feel they were ‘in it together’ and their own seperate knowledge community. A great tool nonetheless
That is great that you have actually seen one of these emerging technologies in use. Thanks for sharing your experience. I agree there is a lot of potential for learning to take place but with any new learning environment or venue comes underlying factors that need to be taken into consideration. There is always some bad with some good.
Nureen
I thought this report was well written from an educator/instructional designer’s perspective. When I read through it, I enjoyed how it summarized the main points and provided links to resources specific to the select learning technologies. It is a useful report to get a quick overview of what the trend is in the application of learning technologies, and I would use it in conjunction with other reports such as those by Educause or Ambient Insight to get a fuller picture of a particular learning technology of interest.
James
I agree. The article is written in a manner that provides good content despite it being short. It is definitely a good way to begin to educate oneself on this issue.
Nureen
That is an interesting point about requiring good connectivity to make certain technologies work. If your storage/sharing system is online and requires being connected the majority of the time to allow sharing or access, it certainly would be limited in its value.
I also read the same article and what stood out for me is the gamification of learning. This approach has unbelievable potential and can foster enormous engagement and deepen learning for an individual. I was recently visited by an individual from Australia who teaches in a Catholic school. Their entire school thrives on that principal. They way they facilitate learning is unlike anything i’ve ever had the opportunity to wittness. But the single biggest piece of advice that he gave my team was they idea of the EPIC WIN. It has to happen in order to get someone to move on. If that’s not there, most learners will give up.
I actually did an assignment about gaming in a previous course and I was blown away by all the educational games that are available. I have personally seen how much more engaged my students are when the content that they are expose to is more interactive. The incentive associated with this type of learning is a motivational factor. The concept of losing can actually be beneficial as well because then the child is more driven to try again and to win.
A good summary of educational technologies to keep an eye on. I especially like the Twitter Back channel as it allows me to not only attend a conference ‘virtually’ and also participate in important topics, discussions. Most of the learning these days is happening outside the classroom in an informal way and following twitter feeds from like minded individuals is a great way to keep informed on the latest happenings.
It is so important to stay connected these days. I find that when I am not keeping up with Social media, I fall behind in what is occurring around me. In this fast paced society, things are chaining at such a rapid pace that being connected is crucial. I agree with you in your opinion that leaning is no longer contained to a classroom and it is very important to stay connected digitally because this is a means of learning.
For this activity I decided to review the Educause: 2011 Top Ten IT Issues report. Just the title alone hooked me as it reminded me of something a manager told me once. “We do not face problems/issues here instead we have many opportunities and challenges to tackle”. While somewhat cliché I however started reading the […]
Continue reading Educause: 2011 Top Ten IT Issues Report Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
Looking at the “issues” is just as important as looking forward to what is promising. When we as educators, policy makers, and consumers start looking at spending money and time it is good to know what needs to be considered. I skimmed through the list and it was apparent that each of the issues related are similar to those I have heard when asking the IT people about new products. Hopefully reports such as this one can offer viable suggestions for overcoming these issues.
Great post. I enjoyed reading how you compared between the reports in Educause and noted what the company is doing to improve the content of its reports. The interactive graph was also interesting to interact with. I could see how educators, technology specialists and venturers will each be able to relate to the graph differently to help them visualize trends in IT.
James
The NMC Horizon Report: 2012 Higher Education Edition aims to provide an overview of the top trends of today and predict what will be coming on the ‘horizon”. The report was completed with the help of the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative and the EDUCAUSE Program. The use of the report is granted under a Creative Commons […]
Continue reading The NMC 2012 Horizon Report Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
I find the comment you made in your final paragraph, regarding the speed at which some of these technologies are adopted by districts to be very powerful. For myself, districts are both an educational, political, and legal entity, all of which sometimes bogs down the system creating a delay in the large scale implementation of these services. Conversely, teachers within those districts could implement change more quickly, but might run the risk of creating controversy with either fellow teachers or the district itself, if they adopt unsanctioned technology.
Furthermore, the speed of implementation in some cases is so great, that by the time the technology is adopted, it is usually out of date, which creates further implementation issues for other technology initiatives.
Thoughts?
Great point. It seems that while the advancements in hardware and software may be increasing according to Moore’s law, our educational infrastructure is having a hard time meeting demands. It seems to all come down to funding… Or perhaps it might be the fact that Moore’s law has been turned into More law by the corporate giants through a design for the dumps approach to satisfy consumer demands. Take a look at this video to find out how: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW_7i6T_H78
James
I thought that this report gave a great overview of several technologies and broad technological ideas for implementation in education. it also gave excellent examples of the educational use and purposes of such technologies and provided great specific examples of technologies that are in current use or are being developed. I very much agree with you that this was an easy read that provided a lot of information and in the future can be used by educators such as myself to get quick access to ideas in time for the technology to be relevant.
I greatly appreciated your review of the NMC Report. I also reviewed it, and felt it was eye-opening. Like you, I started to follow links and started to download apps. Are there any things that you are already using or know that others are using? I’m trying to find a good way to keep track of all the links that I pursue in readings and even categories for new apps. Perhaps there is an app for doing that? I sympathize with your last comments, since many public high schools will likely not adopt many of these things. The same goes for higher ed. However, I do believe that there are elements of this report that can be implemented in small-scale ways, (especially apps).
Thanks Eva,
I have used Delicious as one way to track links that I like. I have even created a Google doc for my own use where I copy & paste links and ideas. There are other ways to find similar links as well. You can use Twitter and follow other educators that you know have similar interests or concerns. This may help you as you build your list of resources to check out. The problem is that there is always something new, that is why I think this report and others like it are so important.
Very good review. I agree that many of us tend to rely on other teachers and ed. tech. specialist for information on the ed. tech. market. This is only natural; other teachers and ed. tech. professionals in our circles are great resources. However, as you have pointed out, reports like this make the search for information easier. It also provides us with additional credible ammunition. As a decision maker, a valid concern in this technologically dynamic environment is purchasing technology now that will become obsolete within the next second. While this report does not solve this concern and this maybe nothing will, it is provides decision makers with a tool that they can consult. Great that it is under a Creative Commons License.
Thanks Sophiabb, I think that the investment and length of time the technology will be in use is a major concern for the purchasers in education. The course ETEC 520 is a great course (if you haven’t already taken it) to help one deal with how these decisions are made.
After reading your post, I took a closer look at the NMC Report and had to agree that this was an easy-to-read report that could come in very handy for future technological requests. I also thought it was useful how they had created a “Relevance for Teaching, Learning, or Creative Inquiry”section that helped relate the projected technologies to these ideas. I found when reading through some of the research reports or market projections many of the technologies were interesting but I couldn’t always think of a way I could use them in my teaching.
You stated in your last paragraph that many school districts were behind in technology movements. Sometimes, even within a school district you will see a big discrepancy. My middle school is 4 years old and we have a lot of new technology within the building. We have also asked for certain things and have gotten them. A colleague of mine recently moved to a high school within the district and she couldn’t believe how many devices they didn’t have. I guess there are different priorities and use of funds at various schools.
Thanks Lisa,
We have the same issue in our district where some schools have and some do not. We also have the problem where we have some schools that have allowed certain products (Apple computers as an example) and other schools being told that they won’t be supported by the same centralized IT department. Very frustrating.
I agree that the “Relevance for Teaching, …” section was a nice feature.
Selecting one (1) of the reports, review it in sufficient detail to post a concise critical analysis of it in the ETEC522 course blog, focusing on the following general criteria: How, and how much, is it useful and valuable to the broader community of educators, as well as learning technologies specialists and venturers? Upon reviewing […]
Continue reading Analysis of the Educause: 7 Things You Should Know About report Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
I really enjoyed reading the Educause report. Their focus on the educator and practical approach to presenting the information really makes it a tool that one can use to help guide them to useful and effective learning tools. You are right that there is not a lot of data presented…I suppose we are to trust that they have collected the data and analyzed it before presenting the information.
Each of the reports provided in section 2.1 of this module seem to provide information that is targeted to fulfill particular investment needs. I think for reports that do not provide sufficient data to support their claims, it would be best to examine other sources on the same topic before making any sort of investment decisions.
Hi my fellow teammate,
It is a good idea that Educause reports their finding by answering the 7 essential questions f. I hope they continue with this seven things series format ( I have found 18 of these reports). The readers can quickly skim through their report to find any particular piece of info or just to keep themselves abreast to the latest tech.
Hi Paula,
I think this report and the one by Ambient Insight would be useful as follow-ups after reading reports that have summarized the trend in learning technology. It is too bad that all of the more detailed reports need membership to be accessed, which is nonetheless reasonable for the information and services one receives.
I chose this report ( althought it is 50 pages long)because Ambient Insight claimed that they are specializing in learning technology. After reading it, I found it to be very informative and a valuable report, especially in the area of e learning and language learning that I have always had a keen interest in. How, […]
Continue reading Ambient Insight Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
I’ve quickly become a fan, and thus a future follower, of Educause’s “7 Things You Should Know About . . . “ Learning Technology series . These topic-specific, short briefs give the reader just the highlights – a quick read that provides you with enough information to understand the key ideas or concepts of the […]
Continue reading I’ve quickly become a fan, and thus a fu… Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
I am enjoying these as well. But I am finding that I am wanting a little more. Particularly on number 6. I always want to know the history of who and why something was started and how it developed to where it is now. Then it can move on to where its going. The latter is opinion but the former needs to be fact. I find the development of a company/product lets me understand and form an opinion on whether I agree with where its apparently going.
Ahh – but that’s the point of the series I believe. Just enough to whet your appetite. If you find yourself wanting more – then it’s up to you to continue your search. I agree these reports are not the best site for a venturer – they do lack depth. Also, I know you didn’t raise this concern (but others might) – I do not consider it a “missing feature” for Educase that they don’t provide links for future readings in their brief reports.. If you are an Educause reader, you will be quite capable of searching on your own.
Peggy
I shied away from these since I am too impatient to download pdf’s but on your recommendation, I just buzzed through a bunch of them. I sent 7 Things you should know about Badges to my principal. Cheers.
Based upon the information you provided, I get the sense that this form of report would be beneficial for experienced technology teachers, allowing them to stay abreast of current trends. And for the general educator, to get both a sense of what the technology is, and potentially hook them into exploring more, especially those topics that interest them.
Thoughts?
Secondly, I noticed teacherben mention that these are strictly pdf’s. I would then recommend using Google Chrome, which easily opens the documents, then allows one to save into their Google Docs account. This recommendation also helps with those teachers who are beginning to explore Google Doc’s and its potential within their classroom, for in our district we have found that this cloud based service runs better on Chrome, than any other browser at this time.
Tom – I agree these reports would be very useful for the general teacher who might hear the buzzwords (cloud computing??) but knows little about the technology. I can see tossing some of the reports on the staffroom table for some quick & easy reads. Just enough to get some teachers thinking.
Peggy
I had a read through Ambient Insight’s 2012 Learning Technology Research Taxonomy and was enthralled by all the interesting and informative data that was provided – it actually got me quite excited to think of the numerous ventures that could very well be successful in the marketplace. Also, some of the data could be quite […]
Continue reading I had a read through Ambient Insight’s 2… Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
In order to know if a source is good or not, it’s important to see its affiliation to see how objective the information they provide is, or if they have been paid to carry out research to indirectly promote a company. This is why I chose the OECD research report Trends Shaping Education 2012. The […]
Continue reading OECD – Trends Shaping Education 2010 Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
I found ZDnet report very concise and therefore useful to me. I would recommend it, it gave me opportunity to look things up that I didn’t know about, and explore them on my own (some hyper links are provided).On the contrary, someone looking for a research report that is more in depth might find the […]
Continue reading I found ZDnet report very concise and th… Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
lesson learned: copy and pasting from Word may cause the beginning of the post to look like hell
Hi Mike:
Yes I found that as well but manged to delete the coding before I posted it live. You can go in and edit your post later to delete the excess stuff.
Doug.
Doug.
nice…thanks doug
Hi Mike, I agree with that a 1 year prediction window is too small when determining future trends. I think it would take several years for most of his predictions to happen.
Hi Mike,
I too have wondered what approaches could be taken to ameliorate the divide between those who have access and benefit from new technologies and those who cannot. Or better yet, what alternatives can be implemented so as to make those students feel a little less marginalized? What suggestions would you put forward?
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the post; it inspired curiosity and I delved into several web pages to check things out. It turns you are right in taking the information from ZDNet cautiously, but not only because Adam Garry works for Dell, but because of who ZDNet is. It turns out ZDNet is quite a profitable company presently owned by CBS Corporation; they even accept advertising. Knowing this explains why the major predictions this guy makes are promoting tolls owned by major companies: Dell’s platform; Live@Edu (Microsoft); Journ(i)e (Blackboard); not one mention is made of OERs other open sources. When I couple this with the OECD information about how schools are failing to integrate technology and really make a change in education, I wonder if it’s not because we’re working backwards; instead of educators saying this is what I do and so I need this type of tool, we’re allowing companies to create needs that are not there.
Perhaps where his predictions are correct given the statistics provided by the OECD report on ‘Trades Shaping Education 2010’, is the need for personalized learning; however, I’m not sure this necessarily means LMS systems will disappear, rather we will see more open sourced options. The context of differientiated instruction is that of a community of learning, while that of personalized instruction is a solo act, and there’s room for both. His prediction on tablets and etextbooksis also right, but we need to find more ways to exploit this ability to become mobile learners and educators.
Adriana
Mike – I read the article initially with the mindset with a critical eye, as I would for our coursework, however, I found myself quickly relaxing my stance as I shifted my viewpoint to one of a fan of technology. I became less critical and was just enjoying the article as a general consumer. I couldn’t agree with you more on the Dell involvement. I thought it was fishy and I chuckled with the plug for their own product. His mention got me curious about the product, but I wasn’t able to find too much about the platform other than some general information. Do you have experience with it? I’m well aware of the Dell Duo Netbooks.
Adriana — Thanks for doing the extra research. I took it an extra step further to dig into Dawson’s previous predictions and found that while he was involved in ZDNET Education articles, he is just an informed writer, sharing opinions and thoughts. Naturally he’s catering to a wider audience and he does have yearly predictions. What is interesting about ZDNET and many of these firms as you’ve mentioned is that they are all intricately tightly wound together. I’m more hesitant with regards to some people reviewing products now because of this. Often reviewers feel inclined to give positive ratings just so they can continue to receive products. It’d interesting to know if this is a collegial friendship or one that was setup by ZDNET and advertising itself 🙂
I also enjoyed the hyperlinks in this report and the NMC 2012 Horizon report. I think that I would not rely on one of these reports. I would be more likely to check out a few. Having the links would allow me to go from one report to another and gather the information I want without being bogged down with extras.
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visramn 4:40 pm on September 16, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Patrick,
I think many of the points you highlighted are extremely valuable. Sometimes certain technologies seem great but they may not be suited to a certain time and place as of yet. Evolution is continuously occurring with learning and technology. Many of these technologies may not be adopted right away but there is definitely room for them in the future. The main thing is to have them in our radar because when they do surface we will all have a better understanding. That is why articles like this one are so important. They keep us informed about the direction education will be heading in. i agree with you, this is a good article to keep on hand and the refer back to.
Ranvir 5:57 pm on September 16, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Collaborative learning and learning analytics areas I may like to invest as a venture capitalist. Analytics are gradually catching interest and institutions including ours are thinking of ways to better manage and mine data for informing teaching and learning. One of things we are exploring is the value of SCORM and TinCan API to track informal learning and behaviour patterns. Anybody else interested, exploring similar areas?