By considering the positive outcomes (benefits) of having the technical solutions in place we can create a far more compelling story about why it is we are pursuing these initiatives in the first place. Continue reading What are the benefits?
For my first blog post of 2016 I thought it appropriate to feature a 'future focused' piece. As the parent of an 18 year old who is currently assessing his career options I was interested to read this morning a report from the World Economic Forum titled The Future of Jobs that has just been released. The report is premised on the idea that the world is currently in the midst of a Fourth Industrial Revolution, characterised by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres. The authors argue that this revolution is … Continue reading The Future of Jobs
A colleague, Dr Paul Lowe, sent me a link this evening to this intriguing project called "Pocketlab" Before he left NZ to take a job in Abu Dhabi, Paul was a leading science teacher here in NZ, and I remember well his experiments with using geo-location technology to monitor the downward movement of a parachutist, measring acceleration, velocity, and the size of the arcs through which the parachutist moved as he descended. All of this intrigued me – physics in the real world instead of the traditional trolley on rails in a lab – and measured through the imaginative use … Continue reading Pocketlab
A couple of years ago I began using the promo video for Google Glass in some of my presentations to illustrate the way technology is beginning to become a 'part of us', rather than something that is entirely external (i.e. on our desk or in our pocket). My prediction was (and is) that this sort of convergence will continue, and with the recent announcement from Google about it's development of wearable technology, we see more evidence of this occurring. From a technical point of view this is all very interesting, and provides yet more gadgets for the technophiles to eagerly … Continue reading The convergence continues
I remember back in 2007 when I got by first Android phone and installing an early verison of Layar. We used it for all sorts of things then, from creating orienteering trails to historical walks through the city. Things have moved on a lot since those days, and now there are all sorts of applications and devices that draw on augmented reality technologies to provide you with an 'augmented' view of the world around you. This list of Top 20 Augmented Reality Apps for Android and iPhone/iPad Users from DeepKnowHow provides an insight into what is now possible – from … Continue reading Augmented reality apps
This second report written by a small group of academics in the Institute of Educational Technology and the Faculty of Mathematics, Computing and Technology at The Open University proposes ten innovations that are already in currency but have not yet had a profound influence on education. The list includes many of the same technologies identified in similar lists and trends elsewhere (inlcuding CORE's ten trends), which of itself is indicative of the fact that we ought to be at least mindful of what these things are and the potential impact they may have on what we do as educators. Like … Continue reading Innovating Pedagogy 2013
I had the privilege of attending the NZ Christian Schools Educ8NOW conference held at Elim Christian College today, where I presented a couple of workshops and hosted two 'connect' sessions for general discussion. My workshops focused on strategic issues – the first around how we can strategically plan our school's professional learning and development programme so that it caters for both personal needs and helps us achieve school wide goals. The second workshop was on using a pedagogical decision making model to support our thinking about technology investment, to ensure anything we do actually supports the teaching and learning in our … Continue reading Thinking strategically about technology in schools
Having recently spoken in Hamilton about the Ten Trends at a CORE Breakfast my mind is already thinking forward to what lies on the horizon for 2013, so it was with interest I read this morning the latest McKinsey report on Disruptive Technologies: advances that will transorm life, business, and the global economy. What I like about the McKinsey report is that it attempts to look beyond the usual hype and speculation that comes with an emerging technology, and dig a little deeper to examine the potential impact of that technology, why they consider it disruptive, and what both the benefits … Continue reading Disruptive Technologies that will transform us
http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/iplayer/player.swf Interesting view of where the world of 'touch' technology could be heading – what implications could there be for this being used in education? Made me think of a conversation with my son about five years ago (aged 10) when he asked me when we might have the sorts of TV that show up as objects on the table that we could interact with. (via BBC News Click) Continue reading Touch technology – but no touching
The topic of BYOD continues to be a hot topic in schools, with many schools I visit looking at investing in wireless technologies to support students (and staff) bringing their own device to school. While there appears to be agreement that the notion of BYOD is something to be pursued, there isn't a shared understanding of what that might mean in a school context. For instance, in one school I visited there was a tension between the view of students who wanted to be able to use whatever device they had in their pocket, and the view of teachers who … Continue reading Thinking about BYOD