David Vogt
ETEC522 Author & Instructor
The Difficult Path to AI’s Promise
Pertinent to this week’s focus, I just came across the following article in the MIT Technology Review: The Messy Reality of OpenAI From an ETEC522 perspective it is a very worthwhile read. It is simultaneously an analysis of a single well-funded venture and of the entire frontier of AI: is it possible for AI’s general […]
Hi from David Vogt
OK, so I’m your instructor, and I’m also the author of this course and the Graduate Advisor for the MET Program. Please call me David.
Success-Driven Learning
A Silicon Valley startup called Lambda School is pioneering a new business model for learning: everything is free, everything is very high quality, and you only begin to pay a tuition bill if/when you land a job in your chosen field with a salary above $50K/yr. This emerging market doesn’t have a name yet, but […]
Proximity-Based Learning
There are a variety of technologies, including Beacons, NFC, RFID, Bluetooth, LoRaWAN, QR codes, GPS, etc, that enable learners to access location-specific learning content and experiences via mobile devices based. For example, Beacons allow a mobile device to determine when it has entered or left an area, along with an estimation of proximity to a Beacon, […]
5G Networks
The first North American roll-outs of the next generation wireless networks, called “5G” are underway. They are already on trial or selectively available in a number of countries around the world. Vancouver was the first Canadian city activated, with a test site on the UBC campus in 2019. Opportunity Statement: Here are a few dimensions […]
AI & Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (aka “Deep Learning”) are actually quite different technologies, but they address roughly the same opportunity in learning. AI is the vision of creating a stand-alone processing capacity with dimensions of human intelligence, in science fiction approaching a “singularity” when a machine becomes more intelligent than any person. By contrast, Machine Learning refers to […]
Affective Computing
Affective Computing refers to the idea that humans can program machines to recognize, interpret, process, and simulate the range of human emotions. This concept revolves around the development of computers attaining humanlike understanding through activities such as implementing a video camera to capture facial cues and gestures that work in conjunction with an algorithm that detects and interprets these interactions. The ultimate goal […]
Apps
While tablet and smart phone manufacturers are churning forward at a breakneck pace, making a fortune on humanity’s device-lust, the compelling back-story is what these devices can do – the proliferation of Apps. And while addiction and burn-out on the distracting nature of most apps is already big news, there is also a rapid emergence […]
BYOT
In the corporate sector IT managers are trying to cope with the ‘impossible’ situation that workers are insisting on coming to work, and doing their work, with their own mobile and work devices and preferred software (Bring Your Own Device or Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT), creating (for the managers, they say) a tsunami of technology management, […]
Experience Design
You’ve heard of product design, graphic design, fashion design, architecture, etc, but Experience Design is the invisible frontier of human engagement. As mobile technologies continue to get smaller and more capable, they are beginning to disappear from our physical awareness without letting go of our attention – in fact, they are cleverly meshing our physical and digital […]
Blockchains
You’ve all heard of “Bitcoin”, the disruptive digital currency. The technology behind Bitcoin is called “Blockchain“, a way to create a universal digital ‘ledger’ which apparently makes it impossible any party in a transaction to commit fraud. Blockchain is heralded as a new digital way to ensure trust, well beyond money, to real estate, property, […]
Chatbots
Conversational systems can range from simple informal, bidirectional text or voice conversations such as an answer to “What time is it?” to more complex interactions such as collecting oral testimony from crime witnesses to generate a sketch of a suspect. All forms of virtual assistants, including Siri, Alexa and all of their siblings also fit […]
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 […]
Digital Textbooks
Tablets and related devices have redefined publishing, including textbooks. No longer is textbook content necessarily closed, static and non-interactive. The growing expectation of both teachers and students is that Digital Textbooks must deliver a rich, engaging, responsive journey – a thrilling new kind of learning experience. Features of Digital Textbooks are evolving beyond student interaction, to teacher customization, auto-grading […]
Open Everything
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 […]
Game-Based Learning
Game-Based Learning seeks to apply the technologies and engagement factors of the hyper-successful electronic games sector, and of games more generally, to create effective learning experiences. This includes everything from the creation of original games with learning outcomes embedded in the gameplay (“serious games”) to the game-like animation (“gamification”) of more traditional learning approaches . Opportunity Statement […]
Teachback
Teachback derives from the simple, ages-old adage that, “you never really learn anything until you have to teach it”. A teacher instructs on a topic which the learner absorbs and then instructs back in their own authentic terms, with an arrived consensus becoming a learning moment for both parties. The strategy is being applied in the UK, for […]
Wearables
Wearable technologies can gather data—from the body of the wearer or from the environment—or provide information, or both. Wearables represent an evolution in our relationship with computing and hint at a future of ubiquitous connectivity where the furnishings of our everyday life are imbued with sensors, processors, and information displays. Inconspicuous wearable devices could change the […]
Self-Guided Learning
Most people prefer to tackle the majority of their continuing learning objectives independently or informally in professional groups, as Self-Guided Learning. Additionally, the availability and affordability of qualified teachers and accessible learning environments can’t nearly meet the global demand for higher and better educational opportunities. Opportunity Statement: Venture opportunities exist in a vibrant global marketplace to […]
Neuroscience
The last decade or so has seen Neuroscience take a more prominent seat at the education table than ever before. As neuroscience research compiles ever greater evidence of how the brain learns and processes information, some argue that their results should form the basis of educational reform. While a well-organized cooperation of neuroscientists and trained educators could […]
MOOCs
A Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) is an emerging model for interactive online learning experiences designed to accommodate possibly unlimited numbers of learners who potentially arrive, attend, participate, and leave on their own terms. MOOCs can take advantage of existing social media and gaming environments as platforms to host both formal and informal learning experiences. Opportunity Statement MOOCs are primarily […]
Social Media in the Classroom
Social media is far more than Facebook. You don’t have to look deeper than Pinterest and Evernote to see valuable potential for the classroom environment. Every classroom is inherently a social space, so Social Media in the Classroom is an inevitable and substantial part of the future of education. Opportunity Statement The breadth & penetration of social […]
Intelligent Things
Self-driving cars, drones, robots, intelligent toys, and the entire Internet of Things (IoT) fit into the broad emerging frontier of Intelligent Things. It isn’t so much the intelligence that drives them (likely AI or Machine Learning) as it is the transformation of our engagement with the real world into a realm where learners can expect constructive interaction and […]
Infographics
Information visualization is the graphical representation of technical, often complex data, designed to be understood quickly and easily. Popularly called “infographics,” this type of media is highly valuable in the age of ubiquitous knowledge, and the people who create it are equally desired by organizations seeking to share messages that make an impact. Opportunity Statement: […]
Adaptive Software
As brilliant as most software and apps might seem, they are still severely awareness-disabled, meaning they don’t know and can’t respond to simple user contexts such as who I am, where I am, what grade I’m in, what class this is, what level I’ve achieved, what my learning style is, etc. The objective of Adaptive Software is […]
Personalized Learning
Personalized learning has been the clarion call of education reform advocates for many years, but until recently it has been difficult to scale beyond small, well-funded learning organizations. In order to implement personalized learning, assessment must be highly nuanced and detailed learner profiles and individual learning plans must be created for each student. These initiatives, […]
Immersive Experience
Immersive platforms are changing the way in which people interact with the digital world. Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) are changing the way in which people perceive the digital world. This combined shift in perception and interaction models leads to the future immersive user experience. Virtual Reality Virtual Reality technologies are still very new but as the […]
Big Data & Learning Analytics
Big Data refers to massive streams of data now transforming every sector of business globally, including education. Some people like to think of the entire Internet being about understanding and riding this “flow” of data. On a smaller and more local scale, every teacher has felt the flow of learning in their classrooms, and Learning Analytics are an […]
Mobile Learning
At first blush Mobile Learning might be thought of as any learning that can happen on a mobile device, but more deeply, the opportunity is to make learning as accessible and flexible as mobile technologies have transformed other dimensions of human experience. Just because something can be accomplished on a mobile device does not make it exemplary […]
Cloud Learning
Employing essentially limitless web-based storage and services (the “cloud”) to enhance the learning experience, Cloud Learning has the potential to provide unprecedented accessibility, continuity, extensibility and integration. Most analysts believe that humanity’s move from computers to the cloud will be more transformational than our recent move from paper to computers. Opportunity Statement While it may seem that […]
Microlearning
Microlearning offers a change from traditional teaching and learning methods. It provides learners creative, engaging, and most importantly, short, opportunities to learn something new, whether one is on the go, or in educational and professional settings. By utilizing microlearning, information is easily accessed, gained, and shared to better serve society across any and all learning […]
Visually Intensive Learning
The Visually Intensive Learning (VIL) marketplace is very large and can be difficult to define. It can go as far as to remove text completely from learning, or make information more visually appealing. It is not a category limited to visual learners, but rather is useful all learners. From AR, VR, and MR to YouTube, to […]
Transhumanity
Transhumanity is a term to cover how technology-based human augmentation can be used to deliver cognitive and physical improvements as an integral part of the human experience. Opportunity Statement Physical augmentation enhances humans by changing their inherent physical capabilities by implanting a technology element on their bodies. Cognitive augmentation can occur through genetics, pharmaceuticals, and through […]
*NB* Forum Archives Below
Please note that everything posted earlier than this post in this Category is part of ETEC522 “Archives” – they are the collected contributions of past cohorts of this course. You are encouraged to review these for reference and inspiration – the authors are brilliant!
Waiting for a Launch Post
This post is a page holder for your team’s Opportunity Forecast. When your team is ready to launch your week, create a launch post in the Opportunity Forecasts category and send the URL to your instructor, who will insert it here.
Are Teacherless Classrooms an Emerging Market?
The following article from The Economist introduces a sticky issue in learning technologies, fronted by the Global Learning XPrize…. In poor countries technology can make big improvements to education Teachers are often unqualified, ignorant or absent; tablets show up and work Print edition | International Nov 15th 2018| NAIROBI AND GHANGHU At kicoshep school in Kibera, a […]
E-Learning.com Predictions
ELearning.com Predictions compile a broad set of sources – something for everyone but perhaps not as much critical analysis and focus as might be helpful.
The Economist: The Future of Learning
Some of you may appreciate the most recent (July 22) issue of The Economist, which has a focus on The Future of Learning. as a broad background to our studies in ETEC522.
Game-Based Learning
Game-Based Learning seeks to apply the technologies and engagement factors of the hyper-successful electronic games sector, and of games more generally, to create effective learning experiences. This includes everything from the creation of original games with learning outcomes embedded in the gameplay (“serious games”) to the game-like animation (“gamification”) of more traditional learning approaches . Opportunity Statement […]
Learning Analytics
Human interaction with information on the Internet, including consumption, creation and distribution, generates data with value that can be mined. Social media analytics, for example, is a red-hot market as organizations of all kinds seek to understand rapidly-emerging trends. Learning Analytics applies similar data-mining techniques to create value for learners, teachers, parents, and education systems. Opportunity […]
22 Jul
Thanks for this, Sydney - Not surprising - although I would be concerned that staff preparation might be a significant issue here, as you can expect that the students themselves are more than comfortable with tablets. Too comfortable perhaps, but then that is a classroom management issue. I'm not saying that this is the case here, but the situation reminds me of the lobbying power of the textbook industry, which is not seeing the profit margins they used to with printed textbooks. Twenty years ago, when I was leading the implementation of a completely online middle school science curriculum, I was confronted by a province (unnamed) where the textbook publishers successfully lobbied to legislate a new education ministry ordinance that in order for any resource to be purchased by the province, the publisher would have to guarantee that the content would remain unchanged for at least five years. Sounds simple enough, and in spirit it was meaning to offer some quality assurance, but it was designed precisely to kill any online resource, at least any resource that used the power of the internet to continuously refresh and update content...
8 May
Yup
8 May
yessur
8 Aug
Colleen - DavidP is grading A4, so he may have additional comments, but the main objective is for you to briefly and objectively (as possible) characterize your contribution to 522 in terms of ideas and thought leadership. Providing linked items to evidence your characterization will tie it all together. DavidV
8 Jun
Extending your concept of "clash" a bit further, isn't that the basis of human creativity across art, science, business, relationships, etc? In science, which was my first love, there is a saying that, "the best measure of the greatness of any scientist is the amount of time she or he is able to impede the progress of science". Ideas are in constant minor motion, but great ideas are like intellectual earthquakes, able to suck up change-energy for decades or centuries. Disruptive new ideas often seem to work best with cognitive dissonance - a combination of two ideas that people are already comfortable with separately, but had never considered meshed together. Art that is 'arresting' of your attention usually works this way. That's the "Eureka!" moment that venture capitalists are looking for: a similarly arresting business model or product or service. Entrepreneurs need to showcase something in their venture that wakes people up with its originality, otherwise they'll be seen as part of the constant minor motion. Meshing up a new idea is tough enough, but it is usually even harder to find a way to communicate it compellingly. Images, stories, metaphors are your best tools for "crossing the chasm" of peoples' understanding and behaviour. Timing and luck play an important role. In human ideas, very much like plate tectonics, all kinds of invisible forces build tensions that can't even be measured until a major disruption happens when a single right idea occurs at the right place, at the right time.