2015 archive
Pursuing Quests: How Digital Games Can Create a Learning Journey
http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/12/04/pursuing-quests-how-digital-games-can-create-a-learning-journey
December 4, 2015 Paul Darvasi
Completing missions for rewards is a core mechanic in many video games, including best-sellers like “World of Warcraft,” “Grand Theft Auto,” “Fallout” and “Skyrim.” Quests are diverse and optional, and players can undertake them on their own schedule.
A good quest-based curriculum meets the needs of many students by offering a multiplicity of choices that cover standards
We began looking for ways to meta-game curricular activities,” said Haskell. “We built 3D GameLab to allow us to deliver any curriculum with game-based mechanics
When he first waded into quest-based learning, Isaacs created one central quest path that his students followed at slightly varied paces, and he added some optional side quests that could be completed for extra credits.
“Reluctant or disenfranchised students are very likely to demonstrate renewed interest and engagement when presented with the game-infused option,” she said. “Once the kids were granted some agency in the trajectory of their learning, they really wanted to succeed.” But she also recognizes that games may not be for everybody.
More on Minecraft in this IMS blog:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/?s=minecraft&submit=Search
Amazon Wants To Beam Augmented Reality Into Your Living Room
Aaron Tilley, Dec 1, 2015 @ 10:42 PM http://www.forbes.com/sites/aarontilley/2015/12/01/amazon-wants-to-bring-augmented-reality-into-your-living-room
Amazon has built up a nice little collection of devices at its Palo Alto, Calif.-based hardware division, Lab126.
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Colleges begin to take virtual reality seriously
http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/colleges-virtual-reality-941
the power of VR goes beyond simply recruiting. The University of Michigan uses the technology as a learning tool, and by instituting a virtual reality “cave” they’ve allowed engineering students to interact with virtual structures as they “come together, buckle and collapse.” Instead of relying on physical models—which tend to be large, expensive, and slow to build—a student using the MIDEN VR cave can fly around a virtual structure to study mechanical connections.
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http://k12.wiki.nmc.org/Augmented+Reality
Will Virtual Reality Stake Its Claim in K–12 Classrooms?
As the cost to install and support enabling technologies continues to fall, VR-based instruction will likely become a reality in K–12 schools.
More on virtual reality in this IMS blog:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/?s=virtual+reality&submit=Search
Are schools really wasting money on computers?
By Paula Dillon November 19th, 2015
“Technology can amplify great teaching, but great technology cannot replace poor teaching.” As such, it is imperative that we provide teachers with ongoing and relevant professional development to improve and refine their skills.
Technology integration that is student-centered and evidenced based takes planning, training, collaboration, and time.
Power, Privacy, and the Internet
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/gallery/2014/feb/07/power-privacy-and-internet-conference/
- Governments, Corporations and Hackers: The Internet and Threats to the Privacy and Dignity of the Citizen:
https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/126066881/download?secret_token=s-QvmZz&client_id=0f8fdbbaa21a9bd18210986a7dc2d72c
- The Internet and the Future of the Press
https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/126066391/download?secret_token=s-v6mpP&client_id=0f8fdbbaa21a9bd18210986a7dc2d72c
- The Internet, Repression and Dissent
https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/126066389/download?secret_token=s-Udzom&client_id=0f8fdbbaa21a9bd18210986a7dc2d72c
Merkel calls for separate EU internet
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/europe/2014/02/merkel-calls-separate-eu-internet-201421955226908928.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/edward_snowden_here_s_how_we_take_back_the_internet
The NSA Is Building the Country’s Biggest Spy Center (Watch What You Say)
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/ff_nsadatacenter/
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2015/12/03/surveillance-age-and-librarians/
Privacy in the Surveillance Age: How Librarians Can Fight Back.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
2pm Eastern (11am Pacific | 12pm Mountain | 1pm Central)
Description:
In the wake of Edward Snowden’s revelations about NSA and FBI dragnet surveillance, many Americans are concerned that their rights to privacy and intellectual freedom are under threat. But librarians are perfectly positioned to help our communities develop strategies to protect themselves against unwanted surveillance. In this webinar, Alison Macrina and April Glaser of the Library Freedom Project will talk about the landscape of surveillance, the work of the LFP, and some tips and tools librarians can use to resist pervasive surveillance in the digital age.
About the Presenters:
Alison Macrina is a librarian, privacy rights activist, and the founder and director of the Library Freedom Project, an initiative which aims to make real the promise of intellectual freedom in libraries by teaching librarians and their local communities about surveillance threats, privacy rights and law, and privacy-protecting technology tools to help safeguard digital freedoms. Alison is passionate about connecting surveillance issues to larger global struggles for justice, demystifying privacy and security technologies for ordinary users, and resisting an internet controlled by a handful of intelligence agencies and giant multinational corporations. When she’s not doing any of that, she’s reading.
April Glaser is a writer and an activist with the Library Freedom Project. She currently works as a mobilization specialist at Greenpeace USA, where she focuses on ending oil extraction in the Arctic. Prior to Greenpeace, April was at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, organizing around the net neutrality campaign and EFF’s grassroots programming. April also previously worked with the Prometheus Radio Project, where her efforts helped propel the passage of the Local Community Radio Act, the largest expansion of community radio in U.S. history. She lives in Oakland, California and continues to work with local organizations on a range of digital rights issues.
Can’t make it to the live show? That’s okay. The session will be recorded and available on the Carterette Series Webinars site for later viewing.
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To register for the online event
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2. Complete and submit the form.
3. A URL for the event will be emailed to you immediately after registration.
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Contact a member of the Carterette Series planning team with questions or suggestions:
More on privacy in this IMS blog:
StudentMobileWorkspacesInfographic
http://click.1105info.com/?qs=b1a9facc358e69c5e555c89e504685495b1d780cba35d773a6c91b28c901810231d4847a443edfab
Driving positive change in the student life cycle
https://www-01.ibm.com/marketing/iwm/dre/signup?source=ibm-analytics&S_PKG=ov18048&S_TACT=C3310AVW&dynform=4817
How to make better decisions faster
IBM Predictive Analytics Solutions for Education can help you improve outcomes
Your data is a record of what’s already happened. But did you know that the same data—combined with the right analytical tools—can give you a forward-looking view of your situation, along with recommendations for decision making?
Read this white paper to learn how predictive analytics can help your institution address a range of challenges, from increasing graduation rates student by student to optimizing recruitment, fundraising and the performance measures that matter most.
Li-Fi, which reaches speeds of 224 gigabits per second, is being tested in Estonia.
http://www.bdcnetwork.com/light-based-wireless-technology-100-times-faster-wi-fi
Online learning can work if universities just rethink the design of their courses
https://theconversation.com/online-learning-can-work-if-universities-just-rethink-the-design-of-their-courses-50848
Course design is key to improving student engagement
Training teachers in how to design their courses is key to re-engaging individual students and holding back the tide of dropouts.
- State your objective: Each lesson should have one concise, action-oriented learning objective to ensure your lesson design process is focused.
- Think as a private tutor: Learners today are inundated with media tailored to them and they expect learning to be tailored as well. So think about how the tools available, including new technologies, will help create meaningful learning moments for all your students.
- Storyboard before you build: Being able to see a complete lesson, especially one that integrates various mediums, is essential to creating a successful learning experience.
- Build towards high-order thinking: Technology in education can go beyond multiple-choice questions and document repositories. Don’t be afraid to integrate tools that let learners create and share.
- Remember you’re learning too: Reviewing learner results from a lesson shouldn’t just be about their score, but also evaluating how effectively the lesson was developed and executed so your teaching can adapt and learn as well.
New Technology Allows Breakout Sessions for Large Online Video Classes
Zoom Breakout Rooms will allow instructors in video classes as large as 200 students to break into as many as 50 smaller groups. By Michael Hart 12/01/15
Zoom https://zoom.us/
