Vive Pro 2 and Focus 3
categories: VR
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more on Vive in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=vive
7 things about digital divide
categories: digital divide
https://library.educause.edu/-/media/files/library/2021/4/eli7177.pdf
- What is it?
- How does it work?
- Who’s doing it?
- Why is it significant?
- What are the downsides?
- Where is it going?
- What are the implications for teaching and learning?
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more about digital divide in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=%22digital+divide%22
VR apps for Nursing
two VR Applications, (this is one) that students at the UNL-Computer Science and Engineering built for UNMC College of Nursing-Lincoln on the 5 Stages of the Sepsis Bundle. Nurse’s Escape is now available on the Sidequest Store.
Download it for your Quest and Learn about the 5 stages of the Sepsis Bundle and save the millionaire.
https://sidequestvr.com/app/3848/nurses-escape
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more on VR for Nursing in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=vr+nursing
Writing Plainly
categories: academic library
The Case for Writing Plainly
New study says scholarly articles that are hard to read don’t actually make the author sound smarter, and they get cited less. Authors hope their findings will encourage graduate programs to teach students how to write clearly.
The study also offers academics a tutorial and a new bot-driven Clarity Calculator to help improve one’s writing.
“I believe that in public universities, which are funded with taxpayer dollars, the public should be informed in lay language about research and results that are relevant to the public.”
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more on academic writing in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=academic+writing
Job search as Big Business
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2021-05-10-why-tech-companies-view-the-job-search-as-big-business
“jobtech”—to be approximately $40 billion in size, and growing rapidly.
These emerging companies bridge the gap between people and jobs by matching, training, and often literally placing candidates into positions. That’s different from edtech, which focuses on the learning but not the workforce connection; and from HR tech, which prioritizes recruiting but not training or skills development. It’s more than the professional networks and digital job boards that put all the pressure and responsibility on the worker. And it has the potential to address the pain points of both students and workers who are underemployed, or newly unemployed due to the pandemic, by translating skills and experiences into positive labor market outcomes.
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more on employment in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=employment
gamification and online teaching
Study: Gamification Techniques Can Improve Online Teaching
A new study out of MIT‘s Sloan School of Management explores the use of ideas and tools from the gaming community to improve online teaching and student learning outcomes.
four key elements for maximizing student engagement in online learning:
- Narrative — a specific storyline or overarching theme. For instance, study co-author Brian Stevens, senior lecturer at the University of Tennessee‘s Haslam College of Business, created a video game theme for his statistics class, incorporating “Boss Battles,” “Speed Runs” and wacky characters to spice up his lectures.
- Continuous flow of action in sight and sound, even before class starts. For example, Lo uses a countdown timer and upbeat music on his course page about 30 minutes before the start of a synchronous lecture, to build anticipation for class. He also switches tasks and/or scenes every 15 minutes to help maintain students’ attention and interest levels.
- Opportunities for two-way communication. To help turn students from viewers into participants, Lo uses a combination of the “Raise Hand” function in Zoom, polls, breakout sessions, surveys and the chat window.
- High production quality. Lo built a home studio with various input devices, professional lighting, a green screen and more to create richer, more engaging presentations for students.
The full study, “The World of EdCraft: Challenges and Opportunities in Synchronous Online Teaching,” is openly available online
serious gamers and gamification experts on that panel. More here on the initiative: https://tinyurl.com/IABOL2021
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more on gamification in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=gamification
4 Types of Artificial Intelligence
Understanding the 4 Types of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/understanding-4-types-artificial-intelligence-ai-bernard-marr/
Reactive AI
Examples of reactive AI include:
- Deep Blue, the chess-playing IBM supercomputer that bested world champion Garry Kasparov
- Spam filters for our email that keep promotions and phishing attempts out of our inboxes
- The Netflix recommendation engine
Limited Memory AI
For example, autonomous vehicles use limited memory AI to observe other cars’ speed and direction, helping them “read the road” and adjust as needed. This process for understanding and interpreting incoming data makes them safer on the roads.
Theory of Mind AI
The Kismet robot head, developed by Professor Cynthia Breazeal, could recognize emotional signals on human faces and replicate those emotions on its own face. Humanoid robot Sophia, developed by Hanson Robotics in Hong Kong, can recognize faces and respond to interactions with her own facial expressions.
Self-aware AI
The most advanced type of artificial intelligence is self-aware AI. When machines can be aware of their own emotions, as well as the emotions of others around them, they will have a level of consciousness and intelligence similar to human beings. This type of AI will have desires, needs, and emotions as well.
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more on AI in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=artificial+intelligence
working remotely
https://www.chronicle.com/article/at-some-colleges-remote-work-could-be-here-to-stay
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Google relaxes remote work plan, will let 20% of employees telecommute
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Remote Work nach der Pandemie: Kernaspekte einer Richtlinie für Telearbeit
https://www.lanline.de/it-management/kernaspekte-einer-richtlinie-fuer-telearbeit.253005.html
training with VR
categories: VR
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more on VR in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=virtual+reality
negative net neutrality comments were fake
NY AG report finds 18 million FCC net neutrality comments were fake
Before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to repeal net neutrality at the end of 2017, the agency collected public opinion on the policy. In all, it said it received nearly 22 million comments. Over the years, there’s been a fair amount of discussion surrounding where many of those came from, with a study from that same year suggesting that only six percent of the comments were unique.
a report found the “largest” broadband companies funded a secret astroturfing campaign to push the FCC toward repealing net neutrality. At the time, AT&T, Comcast, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon (Engadget’s parent company) were in favor of repealing the policy. The industry hired several third-party firms to build public support for their decision. Ostensibly, those companies were supposed to convince people to support the broadband industry with incentives like gift cards and prizes. Instead, they simply submitted 8.5 million fake comments. The attorney general has fined three of the companies involved in sending in those comments $4.4 million.
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more on net neutrality in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=netneutrality