The educational technology services group at Pennsylvania State will be exploring how we use wearable technologies like the Apple Watch to help students think about and reflect on how they learn. Collecting data while this happens is perhaps one of the best ideas proposed so far for using the Apple Watch in learning environments. The research will use the Apple Watch as a reflective tool to capture how the students are engaging with their classmates, the content and the learning environment in general. The researchers posit that because the watch is worn it doesn’t have to be interacted with in the same way as the iPhone so it will not get in between what is being taught and the learner.
It will be interesting to see what this “Fitbit” type of measurement will reveal. Measuring performance with wearable devices like the Fitbit or the more advanced Freelap is central to speed training in many different sports. Coaches and athletes in these discipline are always looking for that competitive edge and understand that what gets measured gets improved.
Looking at new technologies and ways to enhance learning is always beneficial, but not everyone holds this belief. The comments section on the post is filled with the typical detractions:
Just another gimmick and with zero influence on student outcomes.
Wouldn’t it be nice if teachers and administrators (and the Chronicle) focused their resources (and our time) on the bread-and-butter of teaching and learning, instead of jumping on every gadgety distraction that comes along?
What about the thousands and thousands who do not have disposable income to waste on the latest trendy consumer status symbol?
I lived through the Mobile Learning initiative at Abilene Christian University several years ago where we pioneered using the iPhone and then iPads in the learning environment and since I started teaching fully online back in 1996 I have already heard all these criticisms and many more, so I am not surprised by all the detractors. Online learning, blended learning, mobile learning and now wearable learning all have one thing in common: a group of dedicated educators who are willing to explore how technology can be used to enhance the learning environment. If we really want progress then we need to keep up this spirit of exploration.
This reminds me of the proverb:
Those that say it can’t be done should get out of the way of those doing it.
The following are the links to articles, blog post, YouTube videos, TED Talks, and books that were used or referenced in the PIDP 3210 Curriculum Development course:
Passive Voice
What’s Passive Voice? Consider this extreme example of passive voice:
It has been observed in a frequency all too significant that students upon submission of their written assignments have been inclined to have chosen a manner of composition that is too often far from one that is direct enough to be understood as conveying meaning in a fashion that is most expedient.
Same idea in Active voice:
Students too often submit assignments where they don’t directly write what they mean.
OR
Students too often turn in work where they don’t directly say what they mean to say.
Use the following sites to help you prevent passive voice:
You will find this video, learning philosophy and links to many of my presentations, and my favorite blog posts on my blog About page.
The Head Won’t Go Where the Heart Hasn’t Been
Benjamin Bloom argued that we need to address all the domains and find a balance. We often overemphasize the cognitive domain, relegate the psychomotor to the trades or other overtly physical disciplines and limit the affective domain to ethical or values issues. This limitation will severely limit the change that is necessary for learning. The blog post The Head Won’t Go Where the Heart Hasn’t Been post includes a more detailed explanation of the importance of the affective domain and has links to the Behavioral Science (BS) Guys video How to Change People Who Don’t Want to Change and also a related TED Talk Why TED Talks don’t change people’s behaviors.
Organizational Change
Change can also be difficult because sometimes people like things the way that they are. The post People how like this stuff…like this stuff explores the 4 steps that you need to follow to be successful with organizational change. These 4 steps have become part of the Masters Course EDLD 5304: Leading Organizational Change.
Change in Focus
If you really want to improve your practices and pedagogies, then you need to get clear on your primary focus because your focus will determine where you will go. The use of authentic learning opportunities can help you and your organization stay focused on helping your learners to realize their full potential and grow into future leaders who will help improve our world.
Because the century-old challenge of content delivery has been solved by mobile technology we can move forward to use authentic learning opportunities that provide the context for learning.
Fixed VS Growth Mindset
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
The power of believing that you can improve | Carol Dweck
The Power of belief — mindset and success | Eduardo Briceno | TEDxManhattanBeach
You will find a very useful Fixed vs Growth Mindset graphic and a short comparison of how the Fixed Vs Growth Mindset is equivalent to the Print Vs Digital Information Age on the blog post Fixed Vs Growth Mindset = Print Vs Digital Information Age
Mapping Your Learner’s Journey
If we view our course Outline or Syllabus as a map rather than a contract we will do a better job in getting our learner to where they need to be. Consider the ideas in the post Mapping Your Learner’s Journey.
Don’t Let Learning Styles Limit Your Learning
Learning Styles Don’t Exist
Content Saturation
In the article Rescuing Nursing Education from Content Saturation: The Case for a Concept-Based Curriculum Jean F. Giddens and Debra P. Brady argue that nursing education has been plagued with a saturation of content for many years. Fortunately, they offer recommendations on how to move away from content delivery and saturation and how to create a learning environment based on a conceptual approach to curriculum development. Even though this article is focused on nursing it is a good read for any instructor in any discipline.
People Don’t Buy What You Do They Buy Why You Do It
Start with why – how great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek | TEDxPugetSound
Become smarter about running experiments, which usually include technology
Figure out how to scale innovations that are working
Watch smaller schools to see how they approach technology because they have more freedom to innovate
Recognize that universities are in a turbulent period of time and identify the cost of being wrong about education technology
While these are salient points and should be factors to consider Roscorla has missed the fundamental issue that needs to be addressed if your organization is to be successful in deploying Ed Tech effectively. Ed Tech should be used to enhance the learning environment rather be used as a magic bullet to change the way that students, faculty, staff and administrators work in the educational environment.
All too often in Higher Ed technology is deployed and everyone has to adopt to the technology rather then find the appropriate technology that can be adopted to the learning environment. The starting point for all technology related projects in Higher Ed should be the learning. This means that we look to the needs of the learner and faculty first, then the staff and administration.
Unfortunately, most administrators in Higher Ed do not have enough knowledge and experience with Ed Tech so decisions regarding the selection and support of the technology are most often off loaded to IT departments. Even though IT departments are focused on serving the user their priority is to help the user to deal with the technology that the IT department has chosen to deploy. If the priority is the technology then it makes perfect sense to pay attention to technology testing, scalability, technology deployments at other institutions, and costs.
However, if the priority is the learner then issues like flexibility, usability, mobility and adaptability are paramount because the technology needs to adapt to the learning environment and support the learning. IT should play a support role in selecting the technology but the primary selection should fall upon an advisory group comprised of faculty, students and other learning support staff who understand the importance of putting the needs of the learner first.
The fundamental question needs to be asked–who does Ed Tech serve? The learner or administration and IT. Until we start focusing on the learning we will continue to see significant Ed Tech project failures.
Lower hardware costs – some Chromebooks come in below $200.
Lower management costs – simple management console and no imaging costs.
Students prefer Chromebooks to iPads – in grades 3-12 overwhelming preference for Chromebooks. Younger students benefit from the touch screen of the iPad.
Web-based apps – majority of major educational software is now available online.
Google Classroom – Collaborative integration of Google Docs, Drive, and Gmail. Nothing native to the iPad provides the same service.
Cost aside, Google Chromebooks provide a much simpler and easier to use ecosystem for students, teachers and administrators than the iPad.
This could be a huge blow to Apple because the education market has been one of Apple’s keys to success. With their continued inability to grow their iCloud service into anything that remotely offers the power of Google Docs/Apps for education I don’t see them regaining the Educational market share in the US and would expect to see their world wide Educational share decline as well.
I think that this is also an example of Google beating Apple at is own game – simplicity. Over the years people (myself included) have been willing to spend the premium dollar on the iPhone, iPads and other Apple products in general because they are so simple to use. The iPhone, iPad and other Apple devices work so well together that they required minimal management. Once you learn all of Apple’s idiosyncrasies you are up and running.
Google’s products have matured to the point were they are equally simple to use and with the added infrastructure of Google Classroom and Google Apps for Education Google offers a management simplicity that Apple has not been able to match.
As much as I enjoy using my MacBook Air, my iPad or my iPhone I can only tolerate iTunes and iTunesU and other Apple management tools. The wonderful option is using the best of both worlds. For the most part I use Apple hardware but for almost everything else Google is my first choice.
It will be interesting to see how this continues to develop. Are you Google or Apple purist or are you a hybrid user?
David Cearley, Gartner vice president, has been analyzing business and technology trends since Gartner started publishing the annual Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends. In the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2015 the following the top ten technology trends that organizations cannot afford to ignore in their strategic planning processes all rely on some type of interaction with cloud services.
Computing everywhere
Internet of Things
3D printing
Advanced, pervasive, and invisible analytics
Context-rich systems
Smart machines
Cloud/client computing
Software-defined applications and infrastructure
Web-scale IT
Risk-based security and self-protection
Why is this important for Higher Education and especially Polytechnic institutions like British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)? We are moving rapidly into a global marketplace that is functioning in the Cloud. Unless we are preparing our students for this type of a future we are robing them of tomorrow.
This means that technology driven institutions like BCIT must not only embrace these technologies we must use these technologies as the foundational infrastructure that we build our significant learning environments upon.
is definitely worth the read.
was referenced and is worth the read.
