Technology in Education

This blog is about technology being used in education. My thoughts are based on my passion for technology and education along with my experiences as a Learning Technologies advisor and team leader of the Learning Technologies Unit in Christchurch, New Zealand.

[samhegarty]

Apple TV - now you can use it anywhere!

My most favorite feature in the release of iOS8 is one that has quietly been slipped though - the ability to connect an iPad or iPhone to an Apple TV no matter where you are!  It does this through what is known is peer-to-peer which means the Apple TV talks to your Apple device directly. Previously, it had to go over through WiFi which often didn't work when connecting it to a corporate or education network. Find out how to get this working and some important things you need to know about it below.

To get it working:

Make sure your device has upgraded to iOS8

Make sure you have the latest Apple TV software update

Start mirroring your device

That should be all you need to get going!  There are a couple of important things that you need to be aware of:

At present it only works with the Apple TV model A1469.  To check your model number, look underneath the Apple TV device.

If you want to play a video through Youtube or anything else that says 'playing through Apple TV' you'll need to connect your device to the wireless.  If your iPhone or iPad connects to the internet through the wireless, then your Apple TV should be also able to do this fine.  Doing so will still let your device talk directly to your Apple TV - allowing you to mirror your device .

Happy roaming for your presentation!

[samhegarty]

Adobe Captivate 8. How intuitive is it for teachers to use?

First impressions of Adobe Captivate 8 suggest it's had significant improvement and looks like it's a very promising tool to develop online, interactive resources.

What are the main features?

A much more simple interface. They seem to have taken elements of Articulate Storyline & PowerPoint

Support for gestures on touch devices (link to pinch and zoom)

Location Based Learning. Devices have GPS, so content created can detect the environment you're in!

A focus on designing for tablet and mobile devices. Adobe have really thought about this and now appear to lead the way on having

So, can teachers use it?

I think so! Like any effective design, it does still need support around designing for the learning process. I see us at CPIT being able to create templates by developing support materials for staff. If these are well designed (they need to be, it's what we are about!), it should generate more interest and give our teaching staff a foundation to work off.

What next? We are going to get a trial copy and see its capability in more depth. The big question that i'm yet to answer is what platform these are best delivered on. There seems to be a real weekness in eLearning products across the board to track students progress and engagement. Tin Can seems to be the answer, but if you want to deliver these on Moodle how well does it really track?. It's a question bigger than Captivate 8 itself, but I hope as a product it's done all it can to support this.

I'm looking forward to getting some content created!

For more info check out http://blogs.adobe.com/captivate/2014/05/the-all-new-adobe-captivate-8-blends-authoring-ease-with-game-changing-mobile-support.html

What are your thoughts?

[samhegarty]

Understanding Blended Learning

Blended Learning - using a combine of online and face-to-face learning, is now becoming essential for higher educational institutions to consider and adopt. A considered approach to Blended Learning must be taken. Too often academics use online environments to simply replicate something normally done in a face to face environment. An example would be 'instead of discussing this in class, let's discuss it online' What needs to be asked is 'how will using online environments enhance learning for my students'. A good place to start is to think about how online can improve the face to face interactions. Think about how students learn most - in active learning situations. With that in mind, why not use the more teacher lead scenarios online where students are usually more passive, so you can facilitate that crucial active learning process in a face to face environment.

[samhegarty]

Free HTML5 Content Creation Tool

We are starting to get more and more serious about developing content in HTML5 format. What does that mean? In very simple terms it allows content to be viewed and interacted with nicely on any modern device (tablet, smartphone etc) or computer. You may have heard of Flash before .... this is its replacement as there are limitations on what you can do with flash, and it usually requires high expertise to create something.

I feel like we've reached the point where we even at a course level we must design content for Mobile devices before anything else. It's what students what after all! With this in mind, I've come across a free, open source tool that has promise to support us on this Journey - h5p.

Firstly, check this example out to see the potential it has - http://h5p.org/interactive-video. I have yet to come across a free tool that creates content this in depth - with a bonus being you can create it within a web browser!

Although it's early days for this product, I like how its evolved. Their website states "To get really good rich content the cost of producing such content must be reduced. And in order to do so the content needs to become reusable. This is one of the main ideas behind H5P"

The downside .... Although Moodle is mentioned, it doesn't seem to be ready for it yet. They do say it's coming, so if you use Moodle you could start practicing on their demo site and start thinking about designing more interactive content. Check out the examples and give it a go! http://h5p.org/content-types-and-applications

My next post will be suggestions I have about how to improve the tool going forward.

[samhegarty]

An App that blows teachers minds

Every now and then I come along an App that grabs a teachers attention and draws in even one that has been too scared to go anywhere near technology!

This week, that app has been Anatomy 4D (available on Apple and Android).  The app brings a piece of paper to life and shows different parts of the anatomy.  It's highly engaging for students and brings something that can be difficult to demonstrate to life in a highly visual fashion.

Our Medical Imaging and Nursing staff that I showed were really were blown away and I could see their brains ticking away thinking of all the different scenarios where they could use it. I'm looking forward to seeing how our students find it!

Teachers will be screaming out for these types of augmentation in their learning environments. I can already hear our automotive tutors asking me when one for the inside of a car and all its parts will be available!

Check it out on the App Store or Google Play, its free.

[samhegarty]

meMini - a game changer for recording experiences in Education?

meMINI, (currently being developed after a highly successful Kick Starter Project) has enormous potential to lead the way in how we record and demonstrate evidence based learning in and out of the classroom.

meMINI is a wearable camera that is continuously recording as you go about your day.  Where the difference lies is that rather than having to trawl through hours of footage to find the bits you want to keep, you simply press a button after a moment has happened to keep that memory or evidence.

Imagine a student out in placement.  They are shown something quickly by their mentor and it's really valuable.  How many of our students have thought "I wish I had recorded that as I've forgotten half of it already!"

There is also some great uses in recording assessment.  Lets say a mechanic student demonstrates in their workforce learning a really effective way to reduce the backlog of cars after having a conversation with another mechanic.  The mechanic applauds the student for creative thinking and says they will start following their idea.  That real 'aha' moment could be captured instantly as used as evidence. What makes this very cool is they can capture that moment and spend their time reflecting on that moment and how they came about it, rather than having to explain the whole idea again and get their mentor mechanic to back it up. Not to mention the power of having that authentic, in the moment experience recorded.

This is just one of many examples as to how technology like this could be used in the future.  So many ideas spring to mind.  Imagine parents being able to see their child's first steps without hitting that record button every time just in case!

Lets hope once this technology is out there are some great integrations with ePortfolios.  How do you see this being used in Education or otherwise?

For more info check out meMini onTwitter - @joinmemini, and Facebook - Facebook.com/Memini 

[samhegarty]

[samhegarty]

Flip The Classroom - Whats It all about? Tips and why you should use it in your teaching

As this image illustrates, Flipped Classroom is giving your students homework before they come to class, so more active learning can happen while you are with your students.

Why Flip The Classroom?

Flip the classroom is really taking off worldwide and the results are showing better learning is taking place.  When you think of a traditional lecture, students are largely receiving information from you as the teacher and writing notes as they go - a teacher centered approach. Technology is now challenging this approach - because it's now very easy for students to receive this information through the internet.  

21st Century Learning is based around a Student centered approach - this is where Flipped Classroom can work really well.  Anyone now has the ability to easily record lectures and share with your students before they get to class.  With tools such as Echo360, once they arrive you will even know who has watched the recordings and then use your time with your students to get them doing activities where they attention is on them and the engagement levels are up.  

I'm In! ... How Do I Start?

The tool my institution (CPIT) uses to record lectures is Echo360.  This is simple to use and automatically publishes to your Moodle Course. For those of you who don't have access to Echo360, check with your institution on whether they have screen recording software.  Camtasia and Adobe Presenter are popular ones id recommend, otherwise there are a number of free out there (but they usually have limitations.  Google 'free screen recording software' to see what's out there.

Tips for Flipped Classroom:

Keep your videos short, ideally less than 10 minutes.

Don't just repeat an hour long lecture - segment them into topics or mico topics.  They will be easier to update and re-use next time and your students will appreciate it being in smaller segments.

Set an expectation with your students around watching before they attend class. Its really important they know why its benefical to them. In Echo360 you have analytics to see who is watching and how long they are watching for.

Use those analytics to understand your students engagement levels and to reflect on your own teaching.

Build questions into the content to students know what to expect when they come to class.

Encourage students to use the discussion tool in Echo360. They can ask questions while they are engaging with the content and you can address those either in the forum or before class.

Share your experiences with other teachers.

Seek feedback from your students, particularly on your class activities.  Did they feel more engaged in their learning

Check out this website for some good Active Learning Strategies

[samhegarty]

[samhegarty]