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Microsoft BrightBytes DataSense

Microsoft Takes a Bite Out of BrightBytes, Acquiring Its DataSense Platform and Team

Tony Wan     Feb 5, 2019

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-02-04-microsoft-takes-a-bite-out-of-brightbytes-acquires-its-datasense-platform-and-team

From launching new tablets to virtual-reality curriculum, Microsoft has added plenty to its educational offerings

DataSense, a data management platform developed by Brightbytes.

DataSense is a set of professional services that work with K-12 districts to collect data from different data systems, translate them into unified formats and aggregate that information into a unified dashboard for reporting purposes.

DataSense traces its origins to Authentica Solutions, an education data management company founded in 2013.

A month later, BrightBytes acquired Authentica. The deal was hailed as a “major milestone in the industry” and appeared to be a complement to BrightBytes’ flagship offering, Clarity, a suite of data analytics tools that help educators understand the impact of technology spending and usage on student outcomes.

Of the “Big Five” technology giants, Microsoft has become the most acqui-hungry as of late in the learning and training space. In recent years it purchased several consumer brand names whose services reach into education, including LinkedIn (which owns Lynda.com, now a part of the LinkedIn Learning suite), Minecraft (which has been adapted for use in the classroom) and Github (which released an education bundle).

Last year, Microsoft also acquired a couple of smaller education tools, including Flipgrid, a video-discussion platform popular among teachers, and Chalkup, whose services have been rolled into Microsoft Teams, its competitor to Slack.

digital assessment session for SCSU faculty

please consider the following opportunities:

  1. Remote attendance through : https://webmeeting.minnstate.edu/collaborate
  2. Recording of the session: (URL will be shared after the session)
  3. Request a follow up meeting for your individual project: https://doodle.com/digitalliteracy

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more on digital assessment in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=edpuzzle

digital assessment

Unlocking the Promise of Digital Assessment

By Stacey Newbern Dammann, EdD, and Josh DeSantis October 30, 2017

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-with-technology-articles/unlocking-promise-digital-assessment/

The proliferation of mobile devices and the adoption of learning applications in higher education simplifies formative assessment. Professors can, for example, quickly create a multi-modal performance that requires students to write, draw, read, and watch video within the same assessment. Other tools allow for automatic grade responses, question-embedded documents, and video-based discussion.

  • Multi-Modal Assessments – create multiple-choice and open-ended items that are distributed digitally and assessed automatically. Student responses can be viewed instantaneously and downloaded to a spreadsheet for later use.
    • (socrative.com) and
    • Poll Everywhere (http://www.pollev.com).
    • Formative (http://www.goformative.com) allows professors to upload charts or graphic organizers that students can draw on with a stylus. Formative also allows professors to upload document “worksheets” which can then be augmented with multiple-choice and open-ended questions.
    • Nearpod (http://www.nearpod.com) allows professors to upload their digital presentations and create digital quizzes to accompany them. Nearpod also allows professors to share three-dimensional field trips and models to help communicate ideas.
  • Video-Based Assessments – Question-embedded videos are an outstanding way to improve student engagement in blended or flipped instructional contexts. Using these tools allows professors to identify if the videos they use or create are being viewed by students.
    • EdPuzzle (edpuzzle.com) and
    • Playposit (http://www.playposit.com) are two leaders in this application category. A second type of video-based assessment allows professors to sustain discussion-board like conversation with brief videos.
    • Flipgrid (http://www.flipgrid.com), for example, allows professors to posit a video question to which students may respond with their own video responses.
  • Quizzing Assessments – ools that utilize close-ended questions that provide a quick check of student understanding are also available.
    • Quizizz (quizizz.com) and
    • Kahoot (http://www.kahoot.com) are relatively quick and convenient to use as a wrap up to instruction or a review of concepts taught.

Integration of technology is aligned to sound formative assessment design. Formative assessment is most valuable when it addresses student understanding, progress toward competencies or standards, and indicates concepts that need further attention for mastery. Additionally, formative assessment provides the instructor with valuable information on gaps in their students’ learning which can imply instructional changes or additional coverage of key concepts. The use of tech tools can make the creation, administration, and grading of formative assessment more efficient and can enhance reliability of assessments when used consistently in the classroom. Selecting one that effectively addresses your assessment needs and enhances your teaching style is critical.

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more on digital assessment in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2017/03/15/fake-news-bib/

VR trends

6 VR Trends to Watch in Education

By Sri Ravipati  05/16/17

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/05/16/6-vr-trends-to-watch-in-education.aspx

VR devices are expected to increase 85 percent by 2020, with gaming and educational applications driving most of that growth.

Maya Georgieva, an ed tech strategist, author and speaker with more than 15 years of experience in higher education and global education. Georgieva is co-founder of Digital Bodies, a consulting group that provides news and analysis of VR, AR and wearables in education

Emory Craig,  currently the director of e-learning at the College of New Rochelle,

six areas with promising developments for educators.

1) More Affordable Headsets

the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, which I really like, you’re talking close to $2,000 per setup. the 2017 SXSWedu conference,

Microsoft has been collaborating with its partners, such as HP, Acer, Dell and Lenovo, to develop VR headsets that will work with lower-end desktops. Later this year, the companies will debut headsets for $299, “which is much more affordable compared to HoloLens

many Kickstarter crowdfunding efforts are bound to make high-end headsets more accessible for teaching.

the NOLO project. The NOLO system is meant for mobile VR headsets and gives users that “6 degrees of freedom” (or 6 DoF) motion tracking that is currently only found in high-end headsets.

2) Hand Controllers That Will Bring Increased Interactivity

Google Daydream  Samsung has also implemented its own hand controller for Gear VR

Microsoft  new motion controllers at Microsoft Build

zSpace, with their stylus and AR glasses, continue to develop their immersive applications

3) Easy-to-Use Content Creation Platforms

Game engines like Unity and Unreal are often a starting point for creating simulations.

Labster, which creates virtual chemistry labs — will become important in specialized subjects

ThingLink, for example, recently introduced a school-specific editor for creating 360-degree and VR content. Lifeliqe, Aurasma and Adobe are also working on more interactive tools.

5) 360-Degree Cameras

6) Social VR Spaces

AltspaceVR h uses avatars and supports multiplayer sessions that allow for socialization and user interaction.

Facebook has been continuing to develop its own VR platform, Facebook Spaces, which is in beta and will be out later this year. LectureVR is a similar platform on the horizon.

 

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more on augmented reality in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=augmented

pedagogical research elearning

What Does Recent Pedagogical Research Tell Us About eLearning Good Practice?

Many instructors indicate that they want their elearning teaching approaches to be evidence-based. Indeed, there are rich and varied sources of research being conducted on elearning good practices available in scholarly journals and government reports. However, few of us have time to keep up with these publications. In this session Christina Petersen will do some of that work for you. She summarize findings from recent government and university reports which review over 1,000 online learning studies. Additionally, she will summarize the findings from newly published articles from pedagogical journals with important information about good practices in online education. These practices address evidence-based methods for promoting student engagement in online courses, good practices for video production, and other topics related to online teaching. We will discuss the importance of all of these findings for your teaching.

Christina Petersen is an Education Program Specialist in the Center for Educational Innovation at the University of Minnesota where she partners with faculty and departments to help create and redesign courses and curriculum to promote maximal student learning. She facilitates a monthly Pedagogical Innovations Journal Club at the CEI. She has a PhD in Pharmacology and her teaching experience includes undergraduate courses in Pharmacology, and graduate courses in Higher Education pedagogy. Her teaching interests include integrating active learning into science courses, teaching in active learning classrooms, and evidence-based teaching practice. She is co-author of a soon-to-be-released book from Stylus, “A Guide to Teaching in Active Learning Classrooms”

View the eLearning Summit presentation

WebEx link for the webinar
Date: Thursday, December 1, 2016
Time: 2:00 p.m., Central Daylight Time (Chicago, GMT-05:00)
Session number: 805 333 130
Session Password: MNLC@2016

Teleconference information

To receive a call back, provide your phone number when you join the training session. Alternatively, you can call one of the following numbers and enter the access code:

Call-in toll-free number: 888-742-5095
(US) Call-in number: 619-377-3319
(US) Conference Code: 297 345 8873
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more on elearning in this IMS blog:

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=elearning

Quizzes and fun games (gamification)

Quizzes are considered mostly an assessment tool. The reward is in the end of the game. The player cannot “lose life.”

Students who are used to the logic of a game, expect rewards throughout the game.

Therefore, instead of a final assessment quiz, the class can be phased out with several training quizzes. Each of the training quizzes can allow students to have several attempts (equals lifes). In addition, students can be stimulated  format wise in playing the quizzes=gaming activity by some reward systems. E.g., for each training quiz being scored above B, students can collect badges/tockens, which they can redeem at the end of class. Content-wise, students can be stimulated in playing the quizzes=gaming activity by stepping on the next level and switching from text-based quizzes to quizzes including more multimedia: audio, video and interactivity

#techworkshop #pm great tool to combine with training D2L quizzes: http://quizlet.com
Here is a practical guide on games and quizzes with D2L
http://www.uww.edu/icit/instructional/teachingonline/games_quizzes.html

 

Those are the students we expect on campus: http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2012/06/13/03games.h05.html

Clickers, IPADs and stylus; http://www.as.ua.edu/ipad/drs-hong-min-park-emily-hencken-ritter-and-greg-vonnahme-ipads-in-political-science-pt-1/

Games and gamification

References

Frossard, F., Barajas, M., & Trifonova, A. (2012). A learner-centered game-design approach: Impacts on teachers’ creativity. Digital Education Review, (21), 13-22.

Fu-Hsing Tsai, Kuang-Chao Yu, & Hsien-Sheng Hsiao. (2012). Exploring the factors influencing learning effectiveness in digital game-based learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 15(3), 240-250.