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Augmented Reality

The amount, form and location of information that is accessible is quickly expanding. Going even further, the ability to overlap additional levels of information on top of what we naturally perceive is not only like science fiction brought to life, but it is readily purchasable in the form of Augmented Reality hardware and software. With apps such as Accrossair, one simply needs to lift his smart phone to see, in real time, locations and distances. If the thought of unlocking your phone and lifting it up is too much for you, then look no further as Google has you covered. With the advent of Google Glass, mapping information can be displayed at anytime in front of you.

Opportunity Statement

With the amount and speed of data recognition constantly increasing, Augmented Reality provides the possibility for learners to see the natural world around them while also experiencing many typically unseen layers. As mobile technology floods into the field of education, not to mention many other domains, the opportunity to add and then decipher tiers of data is allowing learners the choice to access it when needed.

Prediction Source

13 Trends in 2013: #8 Rise of Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality and Education: Applications and Potentials

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Hello from London

Hi Everyone!

My name is Danielle and I live in London, Ontario, or as I often call it, Little London (although its not that little).  I am a business teacher, currently teaching accounting at a rural school, and am excited to learn more about different ventures to take that knowledge back to the classroom.

I am also currently taking 540, and these will be courses number 7 and 8 for me in the MET program.  Its looking to be a busy semester as I look at the syllabus for both these courses, am currently teaching two brand new courses, and work on wedding planning (although I have some time for that still!).

I look forward to working with all of you, and getting to know you!

Dani

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Hi from Montreal!

Hello All!

I’m very glad to be taking this course with you all. I am currently teaching Integrated Arts in an elementary school, here in Montreal. Unfortunately, I do not have access to much technology, my computer is not even up and running in my classroom yet, oh the joys! The students can be tough, but I like the challenge. I’m enjoying it, but it is exhausting! This is my final course on my journey through the MET program. I am excited to be finishing up, and promised myself I would make the trek to Vancouver to pick up my diploma (hopefully all goes well!).

I look forward to working and learning alongside you!

Milena 🙂

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Hello from Delta

This semester I am adjusting to a lot of new changes. For one, I just moved from Burnaby to Delta and am enjoying my new home. I have also taken a break from teaching full time and am currently on maternity leave expecting to give birth to my first child in October. Finally, I am enrolled in my fifth course for the MET program. Hopefully, I can juggle a new born and a new course at the same time. Before my leave, I was teaching full-time Math and Science at a secondary public school for the Surrey School Board.

I am excited to learn about all the new emerging learning technology that I have started reading about in this course. It would be interesting to see how the different technologies can be implemented in a high school setting as a lot of the articles focused on post secondary education. I am hoping the exposure that I get from this course as well as previous MET courses would allow me to integrate sound pedagogical theory with technology into my teaching methods  and make me a better twenty first century educator.

The one image I would like to share is the Piscasso Head Self Portrait that I had to complete as an introductory activity for another MET course. I had a lot of fun creating it and I feel that it is reflective of the flexibility technology offers a learning environment to merge multiple skills in an academic setting and a unique way to perform a task like introducing oneself. If anyone else wants to give it a try, it is available at http://www.picassohead.com/

Stephanie

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From the far south

Hi, I’m on my 6th MET course … writing you from Australia where I live.

I am really keen to explore Word Press and maybe one of the assignment topics will let me dabble on my own project?  (let’s see).

Great to be here with you guys and look forward to chatting more soon.

– Janette

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Hello From Torbay Newfoundland

Hello everyone, my name is Kevin Andrews and I currently live in Torbay, Newfoundland.  This is my 4th course in my ETEC journey.  At the moment, I am teaching technology full-time at an intermediate school (Mount Pearl Intermediate) and on a daily basis be found running around fixing computers, replacing SMART/TEAM boards, updating software, removing spyware, running network wires, maintaining the school website, and various other system administrative jobs. I am passionate about all things technology especially if it has an apple logo on it. On that note, I will attempt to use my 32 gig iPad Mini as one of my main devices for this course (due to the fact that ETEC522 is built on WordPress) with Dropbox, iBooks/Kindle/PlayBooks,iAWriter, Bean, and Evernote as my file editing/syncing companions. It has been a little challenging using Blackboard’s discussions on tablets and so I hope to have more success here.

Beyond work, I am a very busy husband and father to a wonderful wife and two magical children. On any given day at home I can be found trying to keep up with my 3-year old son and 8-month old daughter. Cleaning dirty diapers, attempting to potty train and late nights of teething are my specialty at the moment.

I have been an educator and entrepreneur for the past 15 years and it has always been an interest to further understand the notion of global learning marketplaces and prospective learning potentials of emerging technologies. Be that as it may, I am all about the digital frontiers of learning, and the skills required to be a successful pioneer. Looking forward to finding my way through this course via active role-playing as a venture creator or analyst.

Finally, of the little time I have left, I do tweet on occasion @kevinandrews, maintain one of many websites (thedigitalteacher.ca), and share bookmarks at (delicious.com/kevinandrews).

Below is a YourTube video taken in St.John’s harbor that depicts a very common occurrence this time of year:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/JK2yPdv83r8[/youtube]

Looking forward to working with everyone this semester!

Cheers,
Kevin

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Hello from Clearwater, BC

I am always amazed to find out about the geographical diversity among my MET classmates. This is my fourth course in the program; I have done three of the core courses so far.

I signed up for this class because it was the only option available to me for the fall semester. I was reluctant at first because there is little that I despise more than technology businesses scooping up the scarce dollars of public education without bringing any improvement in student’s learning. After reading the outline, I realized that the ultimate goal of a venture in learning technology is not necessarily to make money but can also strive to maximize learning opportunities. Teaching in a small rural school, where opportunities are limited, I can now see how this course can help me in my practice.  I am now looking forward to it.

In the picture is my wife and one of our sons on Clearwater lake (practically in our backyard). We have two sons at home, as well as another son and a daughter who are all grown up.

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Greetings from Edmonton

Hello everyone! My name is Ryan and I am currently enrolled in 522 and 565m, both with David! These are courses 7 and 8 for me in my MET journey. I  have greatly enjoyed my experiences thus far in all the courses that I have completed and I have been looking forward to this course since my enrollment (more on that in a second!)

I currently live in Edmonton with my wonderful wife and 2 daughters (who just finished their second day of grades 3 and 1). Although I live in Edmonton, I am commuting to Fort Saskatchewan (NE of Edmonton) where I am fulfilling a new role as “Directeur adjoint” (assistant principal) in a newly formed French immersion school. Previous to this I have been working else where in the district as an educator.

I have been looking forward to this course as I have always felt that I have had a very entrepreneurial spirit, but have not known how to express it. My hope is that I will either have made or be on the cusp of making a true foray into a Kickstarter campain!!! (The thought gives me shivers!) Since its conception I have been drawn to see and support the creativity of those around the world, which has caused my wife to say (with much love) “No more Kickstarter!” (My bank account is not large enough for all the innovation I have seen!)

I am looking forward to learning lots this term and in getting to know all of you!

Bon courage!

One day…

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Another North Vancouverite

Well, BC’s North Shore is well represented in this session of ETEC 522.

My name is Diane and this is my 4th term within the MET. I am taking 522 concurrently with ETEC 512.  Vastly different courses, I suspect, which should help me keep the subject matter correctly categorized in my brain. I’m more than a little nervous about attempting 2 courses this term.
My motivation is that my son moved away for 1st year university on the weekend, so I expect I will have much more time on my hands to dedicate to my studies.   I need to keep myself busy so I’m not over visiting him and making his life miserable 🙂
I am one of those fish-out-of-water students. I am a practicing healthcare professional, working at Fraser Health Authority, looking to open some doors to new career options.   I think 522 will be a fabulous experience for considering the business side of educational technology with all its permutations, and already have an idea or two in mind that I’d like to work on this term.
I love how diverse the student population of the MET program is, from educational backgrounds to work experiences to locations. It makes for much richer discussions when we come from different backgrounds and have such different ‘voices’.
I look forward to working with you all and learning from you as the next 13 weeks unfold…..

When not working or studying, I can often be found hiking the trails of North Vancouver with my golden retriever, Sam.

All the best, Diane

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Hello from Central Alberta

Hello all from Central Alberta. My name is Dale and this is my seventh course through the MET journey. I live in Vermilion with my wife and shitzu, MacKenzie. I am a retired submariner who served 21 years with the Canadian Military. I work at Lakeland College as the Accessibility Advisor and Assistive Technologist. I provide support to students with diverse needs (disabilities). I am looking forward to learning more about the venture factors involved in technology and working with such a diverse group.

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Hello from North Vancouver

Hello -My name is Terri, and this is my ninth course in the MET Program. My professional background includes dietetics, technical writing, courseware development, instructional design, IT project management as well as business analysis. I currently work for a large software firm that allows me to dabble in all of the above, except dietetics of course! My interests center around virtual live classroom and e-learning initiatives. I especially enjoy the challenges and rewards of working on virtual teams dispersed across time zones.

When I’m not working, you’ll generally find me enjoying the outdoors on the North Shore Mountains although I’d love to hike up Mount Cheam (Chilliwack) pictured below. As well, this fall I’m planning on taking up kayaking. Anyone have any suggestions for taking up this activity?

Reading through the bios I’m thrilled to see that once again we’re a highly diversified group. I look forward to learning with you.  – Terri

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Soon moving from the very north of North Vancouver to the very north of British Columbia

What part of being North is so attractive to me you might ask. Well …it’s living in the superlative!  😉 The further North the more pristine, wild and invigorating. It’s just so cooool…(-40) and the people are so interesting.

So I have been busy preparing. My car has been very unreliable, so I had to get something more dependable. I’ve hauled my guns out of the safe and have been stocking up on foodstuffs. I’m taking my bread-makers, bought lots of powdered milk and gathered my collection of music and video CDs ; and…not to forget I’m taking my computer to stay in touch with you folk. I did check and they claim they do have a reasonably good DSL hookup. The location is Iskut, B.C. from which I intend to build my corporate empire after completing this course. I wonder if the NSA surveillance teams will be able to track me down there?

I’ve had some experience building empires. I ran a very successful language institute in Vancouver for many years and subsequently became consultant on international student recruitment to several Lower Mainland School Districts and several Community Colleges. I traveled extensively internationally in my recruiting efforts. I also represented the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) in the Lower Maniland as Local Secretary.

My interest in this course is due to the fact that at the core I’m still entrepreneurial. I like to solve issues that present themselves as a challenge. I’m hoping to meet some kindred spirits to brain storm. preferably in an international context.

About me personally: Retired teacher, three gown kids now successfully launched, and a dedicated wife who plans to stay home in North Van while I move north for ten months to stare at the Aurora Borealis.

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Hello from North Vancouver

Hi everyone,

I’m excited and slightly nervous to be doing this course and 565M this term, as I’ve had a long break from studying. Right now, I’m a stay-at-home mom to 2 little boys. Prior to that I was a college instructor, a creative for a couple dot com companies, and an e-learning consultant at an educational publishing company in New Zealand, in which I helped develop new literacy and numeracy products for NZ schools and international markets. I have a personal interest in how technology can help kids with special needs.  When not doing MET courses, I run a little Etsy shop with my husband selling our prints and paper products (the antithesis to digital!) and consult for a start up app development company. I’m very happy to be on this adventure with you all!

This image captures the essence of what my life is like.

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Hello from Vancouver!

Hello there everyone! My name is Amber and this is my first semester in the MET program. I’ve been teaching for the past seven years all over the world and having worked in different countries and curriculums, I have seen the disparity in the quality of education overseas. I believe that technology will be the power that levels the playing field, giving everyone equal opportunity to the high quality education they will need to follow their dreams. I want to be a part of this and the MET program has the potential of giving me the knowledge and skills I will need to get involved.

So now I’m back in Vancouver and grateful to live here in what I consider to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. I spend every free minute out in nature hiking, biking, jogging, and basically enjoying the great outdoors. I’m hoping that next year I will have been able to save enough money to take off and finish this program while riding my bike around the US and really putting online education to the test. But really, who knows what the next year will bring?

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Hello Out There

Hello All,

My name is Evan Barr and this is my 5th course in the MET Program, so I’s nearly half way there.

I’m currently completing my MET part-time, treating it more as a marathon rather than a sprint, as I am teaching full time as well. Balancing my course work and teaching responsibilities is a challenge, but I find it forces me to make use of my time more efficiently. Its amazing how much time one can waste if they don’t have something to keep them motivated.

The reason I took ETEC 522 is to gain some alternative perspective within the field of educational technology. Many of the other course I have taken within the MET Program have been geared towards eLearning and the theory that surrounds it. I am hoping to gain some perspective on what it takes to be a pioneer in the educational technology field, and learn some alternative applications of educational technology outside the school setting. This course also has unique form of blog style delivery which I already find easier to navigate than the Connect pages used in other courses.

Personally, I enjoy hockey (Go Sens Go), the outdoors and alternative music. I live on a lake in Eastern Ontario and have recently finished a project which saw rehabilitation of the spawning grounds for walleye (pickerel) on the lake, which hopefully will lead to greater fish stock within the lake in the coming years.

I look forward to working with you all in the coming weeks.

Evan

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Ontario Hello

Hi, everyone!

I’m Sarah. This is my 5th (and final!) course in my graduate certificate program. I won’t be flying to BC in the spring for graduation, but I’ll hum the graduation march when I open my certificate in the mail.

I have a little 1.5-year-old girl, and a great husband who works in higher education. I’m a trained teacher who “fell” into the world of educational publishing after graduating from teachers’ college and have been there ever since. I now manage the production of our suite of K-12 digital products.

My reasons for taking this course are two-fold; one, because the course I wanted to take this semester was full (perhaps I should have prefaced this post with a warning: I offer no-holds-barred honesty!), and two, because I desperately wanted a practical course to finish off my certificate. I always felt a bit out of the loop when taking my other courses because I work in business and not education! While the core courses of the program offered me lots of insight into research on eLearning on a large scale I haven’t yet been given the opportunity to explore the actual design of an eLearning (or any type of learning) product from a money-making standpoint. Although this is actually part of my job we so often fall into the habit of sticking with what’s safe, and that is what I’ve done! This course will definitely push me to try something new.

I love baking, reading (currently obsessed with Game of Thrones), and coaching a synchronized swimming team in my community.

I look forward to working with you all over the next few months.

All the best!

Sarah

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Greetings from Texas, How y’all doin?

Hi Everybody,

My name is Brendan Alexander. I’m originally from Vancouver, but currently live with my wife in Dallas, TX. Here’s what we look like:

Terry and Brendan

This is my 4th MET course, and I’m delighted to see a few familiar faces… er, names.

I am a curriculum writer and language teacher. Currently I am working on a curriculum project that bridges Chinese and Korean middle-school aged students into the Canadian public school system. I last taught in June at a school in Vancouver. Previous to that I spent a year teaching in Saudi Arabia, and 3 years teaching in Seoul, Korea.

I think this course really jumped out at me because, first and foremost, it sounds really interesting. I am always captivated by innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit. After reading the course description I got really excited thinking of possible pitch ideas! I have been taking mostly theoretical courses at this point, so it’s really refreshing to do something a little more creative.

Other than that, I’m glad to meet you guys!

Brendan

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Greetings from Tianjin, China!

Hello everyone,

My name is David MacKinnon and I am currently teaching at Wellington College International Tianjin in China (picture is below).  I have been in Tianjin for almost five years now and I love it.  I teach biology and math to middle school/high school students.

img_001

This is my 6th/7th course in the MET program and I have learned an incredible amount since I started the program.  I have to admit this course is definitely outside of my area of expertise, but I am really looking forward to learning something outside of my comfort zone.  I’m not sure if I have what it takes to be a pioneer, but I am ready to find out!

Cheers,

Dave

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Hello from Germany

My name is Shaimaa. This term I am taking my 5th & 6th MET courses (this course and 511 which is my last core course). I am an Egyptian living in Germany, Munich as my husband works here. We have two daughters who are 5 and 2.

My educational experience is quite diversified. Back in Egypt, my focus was on Adult Education especially in a non-formal setting. I used to design and facilitate training courses in various fields: Development, NGO work, and Business Consulting. Here in Munich, I am teaching Arabic for kids (5-10 years old). I am trying to keep my connection to Adult Education through focusing on related topics in MET courses and designing training courses for adults in Egypt for community development purposes.

I think this image is quite a good reflection of what I am trying to do 🙂

Looking forward to learning and interacting with all of you

Shaimaa

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Hello from Vancouver!

Hi there! My name is Momoe and this will be my 3rd MET course so far. I am a physician working in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. I decided to participate in the MET program to help me in my academic career in medical student and resident physician education. Both courses I have taken so far have been great but definitely a huge learning curve for me, and I’m sure this course will be no different! It’s kind of nice to learn something completely out of my comfort zone . . . most of the time.

Looking forward to working with you!

Mo

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Greetings from Northern Alberta

Hi Everyone,

I am excited about taking my 7th and 8th course this term, which are both going to be on the UBC Blogs, not Connect.  There is always something new going on with the MET program, and I think that is why I am enjoying it so much.

I work in Cold Lake, AB which isn’t very cold currently, but will quickly change temperatures and make us wish these warm days were more frequent.  This term I am teaching Grade 9 Math, Science, and Health.  Unlike the rest of Alberta my class sizes are very reasonable, so I thank my lucky stars for that.

In my spare time I am a volunteer firefighter with Cold Lake Fire-Rescue, and the president of the ATA Science Council.

This summer I was able to travel to Greenland and Baffin Island, and the photo below was taken in Illulissat, Greenland.  It was an incredible opportunity with a group called Students on Ice.

Rose in Illulissat in front of Iceberg.

Rose in Illulissat

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Greetings from Hong Kong

Hello, my name is Rocky and this will be my 7th/8th MET course. Oh how time flies! I am currently working at an international school in Hong Kong teaching Year 2 (Grade 1). Amber warning is currently hoisted, not like the amber alert in Toronto, but just means it’s raining a lot – a signal may then be elevated to red rain, and black rain would mean no school.

This year we moved towards using GoogleDocs for team planning and installing two new class sets of iPads, ready for trial with the entire grade level. I look forward to working with you all.

Here is a picture from when I was travelling in Mexico this summer. Taxco was a beautiful small city famous for silver.

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Hello from SW Ontario

Hey Everyone,

My name is John and this is my 9th MET course.  If all goes well, I should be flying out to BC to attend graduation next year.  I suspect I’ll be the first person from my board to request a graduation leave of absence to go across the country and I have my fingers crossed that they’ll give me more than one day.

I teach a 5/6 split in a little community outside of Windsor, Ontario.  I’ve been here about 10 years, and have always taught some version of grade 5, 6 or both.  I love the age; they retain the eagerness of children, while being able to take on more difficult cognitive challenges.

Prior to the MET program, I generally considered myself fairly tech savvy. While the MET program has introduced me to fantastic resources, it has also really highlighted how much more I have to learn.  I’m looking forward to learning with all of you this term.

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Hello from Alberta

My name is Marie-Astrid (M-A for short) Detharet. This is my 5th MET class and I am very excited to be joining you all. I teach at École Fox Run School in Sylan Lake, my school is a middle school made up of 503 students in three grades, we are quickly running out of space for all our students. This year I teach a split 7/8 French Immersion class with 39 very tall students, I think the majority are taller than me and I’m 5’6! When not working at school or on MET, I enjoy spending time with my 4 year old boy and 1 year old daughter. Looking forward to this class and learning all about Learning Technologies.

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Hi Everyone!!

Hi everyone, My name is Jason Harbor and this is course #4 in my MET journey.

I am currently in my 8th year of teaching in a small (250 students from K-12) rural school in Porcupine Plain, SK, teaching senior level math, science and accounting.

I have been involved with my school division’s e-learning program for 6 years, teaching math through Moodle.  I have started to step away from Moodle this year, moving into Schoology and Facebook as my content delivery systems.

I am the leader of the technology committee in my school and we are constantly looking for ways to improve student learning through technology.  In fact, last year we managed to implement e-portfolios for all of our students using Google Sites.

On a personal note, I am a football referee, having refereed various provincial football games.  As well, my wife and I are expecting our first child at the end of November.  I look forward to meeting and learning with all of you.  Have a wonderful semester!

The images above are me… in real life and if I were a Simpson’s character, can you tell which is which?

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My Intro

Hello all,

My name is Adeel Farooq and this is my 5th MET course. I’m currently teaching high school computers in Monterrey, Mexico at the American School Foundation of Monterrey. My wife and I moved down 7 years ago and haven’t looked back nor have we needed to shovel any snow!

Over the last 3 years our school has been experimenting with a new Learning Management System and 5 – 6 other tools we believe will help our teachers and students. I’m always looking forward to seeing the latest educational technology and feel that this course will open my eyes to a whole new range of options.

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Howdy! DavidP here…

Welcome ETEC 522 students. We’re looking forward to working with you all over the next 13 weeks.

A good part of the curriculum and content for ETEC 522 is generated through collaborative engagement during this course. We welcome your ideas and are eager to see how the class will steer the direction of the 2013 version.

One of my first recommendations would be for you to consider an offline RSS reader, a web browser RSS plugin, or an app for iPad or Android to help you manage your reading of both course content and colleague interactions.

A few are listed below. I use a Mac, iPad and Android tablet so, I’ve equipped all my gear for the task.

Please choose your own RSS reader and configure it right away with the course URL: https://blogs.ubc.ca/etec522sept13

We look forwarding to interacting with you all.

dp

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Touch, Gesture & Voice

Tablets, game systems, smart phones and application like Siri all suggest a trend away from the inefficiencies of the keyboard for virtual interactions.  Touch, Gesture & Voice are some of the more “natural” ways learners will access and immerse themselves in learning experiences.

Opportunity Statement

Learning technologies venture opportunities in Touch, Gesture & Voice are bountiful in that the introduction of marketable versions of these new interfaces is very new and pedagogically appropriate design applications are still few and far between.

Prediction Source(s):  

CNN – 2012 Tech Trends

NMC – 2012 Horizon Report

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Open Source

A few years ago Open Source was a real buzz – the future of software well beyond education. While the movement is still very active, the breakthrough promise hasn’t been realized.  Yet.  There are many who believe that the critical mass of openness – including new dimensions such as Open Data, Open Licenses, Open Innovation, Open Educational Resources, etc, is just around the corner.

Opportunity Statement

Learning technologies ventures based on an Open Source model are compelling in thought but challenging in practice.  Analogous to social media applications, they depend significantly on cultivating a community committed to the value proposition.   This is a not an unreasonable assumption in the education marketplace.

Prediction Source(s):  

KQED – Open Source

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3D Printing

3D printing is the process of creating an object using a machine that putting down material layer by layer until the desired object is formed. Such printers use specifications generated by computer modeling applications or by3D scans of existing objects. This process of creating 3D models is much faster than many traditional methods of creating prototypes or replicas of existing objects, facilitating an innovative culture of learning in which students can quickly move from imagination to the production of a solid model. 3D printers also allow users anywhere to “build” their own versions of rare or delicate artifacts, expanding access to items that can enable learners in many fields.

Opportunity Statement

3D Printing is affordable enough to be in most schools.   The opportunity for teachers and learners to design and fabricate almost anything they wish is a breakthrough dimension of learning equivalent to that of the original (2D) desktop publishing.

Prediction Source(s)

Educause – 7 Things

Online Colleges – Tech Trends for 2013

NMC Horizon Report 2013

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