Category: ed tech

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Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report

Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report is always interesting. She is a partner at KPCB, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, and this year marked her 20th report. Consisting of 197 slides, it’s good to read the various summaries around….here’s a summary of their summaries J

 

* 2.8 billion internet users globally (up 8% in 2014) with 39% of the world connected. Philanthropic organisations such as Facebook’s Internet.org and Google’s Project Loon will help connect the remaining 5 billion on planet Earth.

* 2.1 billion smartphone users (up 23%) with India, Brazil and China leading growth.

* Internet and smartphone use is still growing, but more slowly than in the past. India now leads internet/smartphone growth.

* The top internet companies are platforms where third party developers and merchants bolster value: 1. Apple 2. Google 3. Alibaba (China) 4. Facebook 5. Amazon

* Top global apps in usage and sessions are messaging apps. Most used apps: Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Line (Japan), Viber. New internet users will most likely use a messaging app when they use the internet for the first time.

* Asia’s messaging apps eg. WeChat (China) and Line (Japan) pioneered many features eg. video calls, payments, media. Messaging has become a platform not just for communications, but for commerce and computing.

* Vertical portrait video viewing is growing fast. Question: Are most selfies vertical?

* User generated content creation is exploding…even more! Pinterest creations are up 75%; video game broadcasts are up 83%; stories written on Wattpad are up 140%; Airbnb reviews are up 140%

* US youth aged 12-24 used less Facebook and Twitter and more Snapchat and Instagram – a shift from text to visual social media.

* 87% of teens say their smartphone never leaves their side.

* Consumer drones are increasingly popular globally – not just for hobbyists and videographers, but for commercial ventures, disaster response and infrastructure inspection.

 

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/05/27/mary-meekers-2015-internet-trends-report-internet-is-still-growing-but-slowing/

http://techcrunch.com/gallery/best-of-meeker/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/miguelhelft/2015/05/27/a-few-highlights-from-mary-meekers-internet-trends-report/

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coding ed tech future Google internet Internet of Things

ICT news

Pyne pushes for maths or science to be compulsory for Year 11 & 12

Education Minister Pyne will call for changes at an Education Council meeting on Friday. The government estimates that up to 75% of the areas with fastest-growing jobs will require STEM skills. There is a shortage of STEM teachers, particularly in rural areas. Meanwhile Labor plans to offer free access to certain degrees and the introduction of computer coding in primary and secondary schools. The Review of the Australian Curriculum in Aug 2014 recommended that coding not be compulsory in primary years, despite other countries introducing it, such as Britain, Vietnam, Israel, South Korea and Finland. The Aust. Curriculum: Digital Technologies awaits final endorsement.

http://www.afr.com/technology/apps/education/bill-shorten-is-right-to-push-computer-coding-in-schools-20150517-gh2vc4

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/christopher-pyne-pushes-for-maths-or-science-to-be-compulsory-for-year-11-and-12-students-20150525-gh9kjv.html

 

One million Micro Bit mini-computers for UK schools

In March the BBC announced it would give away 1 million Micro Bit mini-computers to all Year 7 students, as part of the Make it Digital initiative, aimed at improving the UK’s digital skills. The tiny programmable computer (like a Raspberry Pi) is used in computer coding, which is taught from the age of 5 in UK schools. Thirty years ago, PM Thatcher put BBC Micro Computers into schools and many students learned to code using them. The Micro Bit is a small wearable device with an LED display. It can connect and communicate with other Micro Bits and other devices including Arduino and Raspberry Pi. BBC Learning lessons and other online content from partners will support teachers and students.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/makeitdigital/micro-bit

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolreport/31854427

 

4D printing

The 4th dimension is time. 3D printed objects are designed to reshape themselves or self-assemble over time eg. medical devices or a printed pipe can sense the need to expand or contract; furniture and jewellery can change shape over time. Recently scientists developed a 3D implant to help 3 babies with their breathing. It changed shape over time as they grew and eventually dissolved when their airways grew.

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/4d-printing-is-cooler-than-3d-printing-and-why-that-means-the-end-of-ikea-flatpacks-20150421-1mp2aj.html

http://www.livescience.com/50668-4d-implant-babies-breathing-problems.html

 

3D body scanners at Westfield

The mPort Body Scanner tracks more than 200 000 points across the body in 7 seconds. The measurements create a 3D avatar of the user’s body which can be synched with online retailers to help find the correct size clothes.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/east/hi-tech-three-dimensional-body-scanner-at-westfield-doncaster-helps-shoppers-find-their-perfect-fit/story-fngnvlxu-1227278322835

 

Would you rather have an implant?

A survey by Visa found 25% of Australians were “slightly interested” in having a commerce-oriented chip implanted in their skin, so they no longer had to use cash, credit cards, smartphones or smartwatches. They would just wave their hand over the payment terminal. 32% would be interested in paying with a smartwatch; 29% with a smart ring; 26% with smart glasses. Some people already have chips implanted and have had them for more than 10 years.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/implants-to-aid-payment-with-a-wave-of-the-hand/story-e6frgakx-1227368819195

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/human-microchipping-ive-got-you-under-my-skin-20140416-zqvho.html

 

Google developing new Operating System for Internet of Things (IoT)

26 billion devices are predicted to be connected to the Internet of Things by 2020 (900 million in 2009). IoT devices connect to the internet and allow users to receive data related to them on their smartphones or computers. Devices can also communicate to each other. Google hopes that device manufacturers will use their operating system – to be called Brillo, a version of Android designed for low power devices. A single operating system could be very useful – whilst you away on holidays, your rain gauge, running Brillo, could communicate with your watering system, also running Brillo. There are already other IoT operating systems around, so Google will be another competitor. And they will be very happy if they can find another way into your home to market to you. J

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/55128/20150524/hello-brillo-google-developing-new-os-internet-things.htm

http://www.eweek.com/cloud/slideshows/what-a-google-internet-of-things-os-would-mean-for-the-it-industry.html

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ed tech Games and gaming Google internet iPads mobile phones popular culture sociology

Australians’ Digital Lives Report

iPad magician

Can you do this with your iPad? Check out Simon Pierro on the Ellen show in Feb (9 million views) J

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_xhSQGKxO4

 

Australians’ Digital Lives Report

New report from ACMA (Aust. Communications and Media Authority) – a good resource for articles and reports. The lives of Australians are converging even further into their phones and data downloading almost doubled in the year to June 2014. 70% of Australians went online using a smartphone; 50% using a tablet. 92% of Australians use the internet with 81% having the internet at home. However, 1.1 million Australians have never been online, mostly aged over 65 years. In Sept 2014 Australia ranked 21st in the world on internet access. 10.9 million Australians made an e-commerce transaction (entertainment most popular, then fashion, then reading material). We are downloading more apps and participating in more blogs and online communities. 68% are using 3 or more devices to access the internet. Almost half of employed Australians are digital workers (5.7 million), using the internet to work away from the office.

Good short video: http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/engage-blogs/engage-blogs/researchacma/Australians-embrace-a-digital-life

http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/571535/1-1-million-aussies-never-accessed-internet/

 

Moderate use of video games linked to better behaviour

A study from Oxford University has found that kids who play video games in moderation (less than 1 hour a day) are not at risk of anti-social behaviour. They do better at school, are less aggressive and more emotionally stable. However, those who played for 3 hours or more were hyperactive, more likely to get into fights and to lose concentration. Kids who played Minecraft did not perform better academically but had better emotional health and social behaviour. A recent Griffith University study found better collaboration, problem solving and thinking skills among kids who played video games.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/education/video-games-linked-to-better-behaviour/story-fn59nlz9-1227288437259

http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2015-04-01-poor-behaviour-linked-time-spent-gaming-not-types-games#

 

How Google picks new employees

Lazlo Bock of Google says that an increasing proportion of people hired at Google don’t have college degrees. Test scores don’t predict anything. Number 1 criteria used when evaluating candidates: Ability to learn – the ability to pick up new things, to learn on the fly, to find patterns in disparate pieces of information and take the next step. 2. Leadership – at every level,  including how to step back. 3.  Humility – openness to someone else having an even better idea than you.  4. Ownership – taking responsibility for solving problems and moving forward. 5. Expertise – but the other 4 attributes far outweigh expertise.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2014/04/07/how-google-picks-new-employees-hint-its-not-about-your-degree/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Apple ed tech Facebook future human rights internet Internet of Things language popular culture sociology

ICT news

Mapping the future: the future of the internet

The World Economic Forum has many interesting articles about world trends – great for global studies classes. By 2020, there will be 26 billion devices on the Internet of Things – all connected to the web, giving and receiving information. Who should oversee our online world? Should core infrastructure remain in Western institutions? Do the real dangers of the internet lie with the emergence of monolithic platforms eg. Google, Facebook? Can existing laws about copyright, libel, data protection and freedom of expression be effectively enforced online?

http://reports.weforum.org/outlook-global-agenda-2015/future-agenda/mapping-the-future-the-future-of-the-internet/

http://www.weforum.org/reports

 

“The internet will disappear”

Google chairman Eric Schmidt states that the internet’s presence will become so all-encompassing that we won’t even be aware it’s there. With devices, sensors, wearables etc, the Internet of Things (IoT) will be highly personalised & interactive.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/01/23/ericschmidt-internet-will-disappear_n_6530574.html

 

Internet.org

Two thirds of the world is not connected to the internet. You have probably seen the ads recently on TV –  Internet.org (a non-profit organisation founded by Mark Zuckerberg) will bring the internet to developing nations, in partnership with local carriers. It was launched on Android phones in Colombia and Ghana in January and India in February; also available in Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania. Users have free access to websites and services – news, local info, education, books, health info; sport, job search. Services include BBC News, Wikipedia, Facebook, Wattpad.

http://www.internet.org/

 

Facebook suicide prevention

Facebook has 1.4 billion users. Working with mental health organisations, Facebook will add new tools in the US (and then globally) to assist users who express suicidal thoughts. If someone posts something that indicates self-harm and it is reported to Facebook, they will be sent messages that encourage them to speak with a mental health expert and offered support. Resources will also be offered to those who flag the posts.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/26/8113735/facebook-suicideprevention-feature

 

What are the most important features of digital content to improve student learning?

Center for Digital Education Survey (2014). 1. Enables interaction among students or between students and teachers (44%) 2. Is adaptive or personalised (22%) 3. Is project or problem-based (16%) 4. Is game-based (12%) 5. Includes video (6%).

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/paper/Curriculum-of-the-Future-How-Digital-Content-is-Changing-Education.html

 

Apple iWork

Apple is to challenge Office 365 and Google Apps by offering their productivity suite (Pages, Numbers , Keynote and 1GB of storage) free to Android and Windows users via a browser.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/15/8043569/iwork-apps-apple-nowavailable-android-windows

 

Most anticipated technology of 2015

The Apple Watch has been launched (available late April); USB 3.1 Type C – faster, reversible, no “right way up” – yay!; lightning accessories for Apple’s port eg. wireless speakers; Windows 10; self-driving cars; Oculus Rift virtual reality headset; Sony Project Morpheus (VR for Playstation)…..

http://www.cnet.com/au/pictures/most-anticipated-tech-of-2015/

 

Top 10 emerging technologies of 2015

Next-generation robotics; emergent artificial intelligence; “sense and avoid” drones; digital genome….

http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Top10_Emerging_Technologies_2015.pdf

 

No punctuation is funnier

What. Vs What? A written statement can be funnier when there isn’t any punctuation. The informality and open structure of text messaging has led to stylistic changes – full stops, commas, capitals and other punctuation are used infrequently, especially on Twitter. It is a style that can remove emotion from a sentence or present a feigned nonchalance.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/19/twitter-grammar-no-punctuation_n_6785766.html?ir=Technology&ncid=newsltushpmg00000003

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ed tech Facebook Google internet mobile phones popular culture TV websites

Online viewing habits in Australia

Interesting data about our devices and viewing habits….

 

Australian Online Landscape Review (Nielsen Report: data for Jan 2015)

18 011 000 people online; 50+ age group = 33.5% of online Australians; 2-34 yr olds = 38.2%; users spent an average 36 hours online in January; 3.2 billion streams watched; 63% of daily browses came from portable devices (smartphones more than tablets).

http://www.iabaustralia.com.au/uploads/uploads/2015-02/1424642400_d9371e6886fcee7b6731413517a15ecb.pdf

 

Top sites in Australia (March 2015)

1.Google.com.au 2. Google.com 3. Facebook 4. YouTube 5. Yahoo 6. eBay 7. Wikipedia 8. Linkedin 9. Twitter 10. Live.com 11. Amazon 12. news.com.au 13. Paypal 14. Bing 15. Gumtree 16. Commbank 17. smh.com.au 18. abc.net.au 19. realestate.com.au 20. Reddit 21. Pinterest 22. Instagram 23. bom.gov.au 24. imdb.com 25. Westpac

http://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/AU

 

Australian Multi-Screen Report Q3 2015 (Nielsen Report Dec 2014)

TV is still the centrepiece of viewing; Australians watch nearly 97 hrs per month of TV; internet is in 80% of homes; smartphones are the most common internet-connected devices in homes (91%) – tablets (60%); 74% of people aged 16+ own a smartphone; 45% of homes own tablets; 13.377 million watch some video on the internet each month (7h30m per month).

http://www.nielsen.com/au/en/insights/reports/2014/multi-screen-report-q3-20141.html

 

Australian e-Generation Report (Nielsen Report Feb 2015)

2-15 yr olds spend av. 11h12m online each week; 13-15 yr olds = 18.7 hrs/wk; children go online at an increasingly younger age due to tablets, apps and smartphones; younger children use tablets; teens have all devices; 9 in 10 homes own laptops; 6 in 10 have wifi; 7 in 10 own tablets.

http://www.nielsen.com/au/en/insights/news/2015/childs-play-connected-aussie-kids-spend-up-to-equivalent-of-three-school-days-online.html

 

Password reset

Web security firm SplashData analyses several million leaked passwords each year. Most popular in 2014 and 2013 was  ‘123456’ (in 2012, ‘password’ won). Other favourites; ‘qwerty’; ‘trustno1’; ‘letmein’; ‘abc123’. If ‘123456’ is too short, just add ‘78’. Eventually we’ll see the end of passwords. The Fujitsu Purse Wallet identifies the vein patterns on your hand and the Bionym Nymi wristband uses your heartbeat as a password.

http://splashdata.com/press/worst-passwords-of-2014.htm

 

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ed tech future Google internet YouTube

YouTube for kids and ICT news

YouTube for kids launching 23 Feb 2015

Free new app YouTube Kids – currently for Android only. The app will be separate to the main YouTube service. The homescreen will have 8 options including choices from US kids’ TV; popular song videos; educational programs; links to top videos. Searches can be typed or spoken and the site will be free of comments with a timer for parents to shut down the app. No announcements yet about a similar Australian roll-out – maybe it will happen at the same time.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/02/19/youtube-for-kids-new-android-app-out-feb-23/23707819/

 

Google to revamp products with 12-and-younger focus

Google processes 40 000 search queries per second and many users are children, so it is planning to create child-specific versions of its most popular products –YouTube, Search and Chrome. Children of Google employees use the Kids Studio room at Google HQ where they are encouraged to tinker with prototype projects.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/12/03/google-products-revamped-for-under-13-crowd/19803447/

 

The end may be nigh for keyboard, mouse and monitor

Microsoft’s Windows 10 will incorporate voice, gestures and holograms. “When people can talk to their tech, see 3D representations in the air and interact with media or docs by waving their hands, the long-term survival for the keyboard, mouse and monitor suddenly seems precarious” – Adriana Lee. Microsoft’s voice feature, Cortana will be part of Windows 10 and people will be able to talk to their computers, maybe en masse. Windows Holographic will also be available, via HoloLens goggles. Currently 90% of personal computers run Windows. Windows 10 will be released mid-year and upgrades will be free this year.

http://readwrite.com/2015/01/21/hololens-windows-10-holographic-cortana-microsoft

Windows 10 Hologram trailer – impressive:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W97LCtOSXPY&feature=player_embedded

 

Google boss warns of “forgotten century” with emails and photos at risk

Google VP Vint Cerf (co-founder of the internet) warns that huge amounts of digitised material – images, videos, blogs, tweets, emails and official documents – may be lost forever because the programs needed to view them will become defunct. We face “a forgotten generation, or even a forgotten century” through “bit rot”. Cerf hopes that “digital vellum” can be used to preserve old software and hardware so that old files can be recovered. He says “if there are photos you really care about, print them out”.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/13/google-boss-warns-forgotten-century-email-photos-vint-cerf

 

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ed tech popular culture sociology Wikipedia

Who doesn’t love Wikipedia?

Definitely an important part of the online world…..

 

Wikipedia – one of the most used sites on the web at #7

http://www.alexa.com/topsites

 

Wikipedia stats (Sept 2014)

33.5 million articles (4.7 million in English; Swedish is next largest 1.94 mill, followed by Dutch 1.79 mill then German 1.73 mill.)

287 languages

English articles equivalent to 2058 volumes of Britannica

8.7 million views per hour (English)

793 new articles per day in English  – down from peaks of over 1500 in 2006/2007.

Active volunteer editors – declining. 3000 editors make 100 changes a month (English) – down from 4 700 in 2007.

http://stats.wikimedia.org/EN/Sitemap.htm

http://abs.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/12/26/0002764212469365.abstract

http://tools.wmflabs.org/wikitrends/english-most-visited-this-week.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Top_25_Report

 

Who edits Wikipedia?

Wikipedians write and edit pages. They do it because they like volunteering to share knowledge and believe that information should be freely available – it’s also fun. A study into editor gender bias revealed 84% of English Wikipedia editors are male (91% globally). 20% of editors are from the US; the top 10 editor countries are all either Nth America or Europe, except for India. Age distribution – 59% are 17-40 yrs; 28% are 40+.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedians

 

Harvard hires a Wikipedia editor to be its ‘Wikipedian in Residence’

In March, the Houghton Library at Harvard advertised a 12 week position for an experienced Wikipedia editor to write and improve articles for Wikipedia and to upload some of its own archives into Wikimedia, the parent organisation of Wikipedia. The Houghton Library focuses on rare and older books and it is hoped that there will be more use of their collections, whilst Wikipedia will get enhanced content. Wikimedia has been encouraging liaisons such as this for several years and many institutions have participated – eg. US National Archives, British Library, Smithsonian Archives. Harvard has also hosted ‘edit-a-thons’ for Wikipedia. During Science Week in August, Australia’s first “Wikibomb” sessions were held, where Wikipedia entries about leading female scientists were added.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/12/5501442/harvard-wikipedian-in-residence-library-job-posting

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-14/women-scientists-work-to-right-wrongs-with-wikibomb/5671332

 

Paid editors on Wikipedia

Would you trust it any more or less if you knew people were being paid to contribute content? Since August, Wikipedia  allows paid contributors to make changes, as long as they disclose their affiliations. Critics dislike paid editors, as it conflicts with Wikipedia’s core editing policy of neutrality – but of course, PR people are already “wikiwashing” entries for companies, politicians and others.

http://theconversation.com/paid-editors-on-wikipedia-should-you-be-worried-30527

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/jamiebartlett/100013979/wikiwashing-how-paid-professionals-are-using-wikipedia-as-a-pr-tool/

 

Bots as authors and editors on Wikipedia

Sverker Johansson in Sweden has contributed 2.7 million articles to Wikipedia – more than anyone else – but most of his entries have been created by a software program (bot). His program searches digital resources and packages the information into an article. Increasing amounts of new content on Wikipedia is now written by bots.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/for-this-author-10-000-wikipedia-articles-is-a-good-days-work-1405305001

Fear not – Wikipedia’s robots patrol 24/7 to kill vandalism: http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/18/5412636/this-machine-kills-trolls-how-wikipedia-robots-snuff-out-vandalism

 

Are Wikipedia’s days numbered?

New editors are hard to retain. Are there too many rules for them? Will Wikipedia adapt to Google Glass and translation services? The format is a bit dated now – should it be redesigned?

http://www.psmag.com/navigation/books-and-culture/killed-wikipedia-93777/

 

ALIA ACT Wikipedia and libraries information evening Mon 24 Nov in Canberra

What do Wikipedia and libraries have in common? How can libraries and Wikimedia Aust. work together?

https://www.alia.org.au/events/9405/alia-act-wikipedia-and-libraries-information-evening

Categories
ed tech Facebook future Google internet media mobile phones MOOCs news popular culture sociology Wikipedia YouTube

Internet Trends Report and The Conversation US

The Conversation launches US service

The acclaimed Australian news analysis website The Conversation launched its US service last week – following the UK launch last year. “The 3 newsrooms will work as one, sharing content and ideas from 14 000 academics. Australian academics and institutions will benefit from the increased global audience and opportunity for collaboration” – and readers will have increased access to quality information on current topics.

http://bit.ly/1wD90d0

https://theconversation.com/us

 

Technology improves higher learning – it doesn’t kill it

Gavin Moodie (RMIT) believes that MOOCs are unlikely to “disrupt” universities any more than print books did in early universities. Rather – “informal, open and online learning will be absorbed within exisiting universities to augment and improve their practices”. Interesting info about libraries and how they were changed by print…early libraries were closed to undergraduates – at Cambridge they were fined for entering them in the early 17th century! In the 18th century books were so numerous that a pedagogical role emerged for libraries, helping students navigate texts.

http://theconversation.com/technology-improves-higher-learning-it-doesnt-kill-it-29657

 

Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report 2014

The tech analyst’s influential report comes out annually mid year. She notes the biggest trend is towards mobile devices with sensors that enable users to share a huge range of information. This big data  can in turn be used to solve problems and create new products, but privacy and other rights could be compromised.

http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/business-it/mary-meekers-2014-internet-trends-report-is-a-must-read-20140529-zrrdf.html

http://torquemag.io/mobile-devices-are-the-big-story-in-mary-meekers-2014-internet-trends-report/

 

Interesting insights:

 

* Internet users globally growing at less than 10% a year, but initiatives like Google’s Project Loon and Facebook’s Internet.org hope to increase this

* Mobile usage continues to grow strongly – 25% of all web usage

* 30% of all mobile users are now smartphone users

* Tablets are growing faster than PCs ever did

* Unbundling of web and mobile apps – users now want simple apps that do one thing well

* New smartphone sensors (eg. accelerometers, compasses, barometers, heart rate sensors, GPS etc) are fueling the Big Data Age; it is hard to analyse all this Big Data

* 34% of the digital universe is useful but only 7% is tagged

* Cybersecurity is getting harder

* Mobile interfaces are changing everything – transport (Uber), restaurants (Yelp), accommodation (Airbnb), music consumption (Spotify)

* Many developing countries leapfrogged the laptop/PC era and went straight to mobile

* Social networking is changing from broadcast to private sharing – rather than sharing a little with a lot of people, we are sharing a lot with a few close friends. Giant international messaging apps have risen (Snapchat, WhatsApp etc)

* Music streaming up, digital song sales down for the first time (files are a nuisance; streaming is easier)

* Huge interest in cryptocurrencies (eg. bitcoin)

* Photo sharing is huge – we also upload fitness, events and computer code

* Decreasing cost of digital storage

* 84% of mobile owners use devices while watching TV

* Viewers are ditching traditional TV for online video content

* TV channels growing fast as mobile apps

* YouTube channels have huge reach and growth; YouTube stars are the new movie stars

* Rise of BuzzFeed (top Facebook news publisher)

* New genre of video – “Spectator gaming” – watch others playing – Twitch is top video streaming site

* Top 5 internet properties are from the US – Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo, Wikipedia – but majority of their users are from abroad

* Top public tech market leaders – Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Tencent (China)

* China is becoming a tech superpower with many innovations eg. WeChat

 

Summary of slides (54 slides): http://techcrunch.com/gallery/mary-meeker-internet-trends/

Full report (164 slides): http://www.kpcb.com/internet-trends

Categories
coding ed tech future internet pedagogy

Review of the Australian Curriculum and Future schools

 

An interesting week with the Review coming out….

Recommendation 18: “With the exception of literacy, numeracy and ICT that continue as they currently are dealt with in the Australian Curriculum, the remaining four general capabilities are no longer treated in a cross–curricular fashion. Critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, ethical understanding and intercultural understanding should be embedded only in those subjects and areas of learning where relevant and where they can be dealt with in a comprehensive and detailed fashion”.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/education-review-overhaul-of-bloated-national-curriculum-widely-supported-20141012-114zkz.html#ixzz3G4mWTcOT

Full review:  https://www.education.gov.au/news/review-australian-curriculum-final-report-and-initial-australian-government-released.

 

“Axing” of the Australian Curriculum Digital Technologies Curriculum Foundation to Year 10

This week’s Review of the Australian Curriculum recommended that schools only introduce specific digital technology subjects from Year 9 onwards, or as an option for the states and territories. Many teachers thought the proposed curriculum was too difficult, especially in the early years – but members of Australia’s technology industry and other academics are dismayed by the decision, saying it will set Australia back internationally in the technology field and will affect the future economy. Jason Zagami from the Aust. Council for Computers in Education posted a response: http://acce.edu.au/acce-reply-review-australian-curriculum-press-release#attachments .

 

However, the Government will spend $12 million improving STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) education in primary and secondary schools, including $3.5 million for computer coding education and $7.4 million for maths resources. A new Commonwealth Science Council will advise on science and technology issues, including Nobel Laureate Prof Brain Schmidt, Prof Ian Frazer and Catherine Livingstone.

http://www.itnews.com.au/News/396769,govt-promises-12-million-for-stem-in-schools.aspx

http://www.itwire.com/government-tech-news/govenrment-tech-policy/65707-proposed-‘axing’-of-digital-tech-curriculum-causes-outrage

http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/557429/warm-response-funding-coding-education/

 

Avoiding obsolescence: 13 standards for a near-future school

Food for thought and interesting ideas from Terry Heick, founder of TeachThought (which always has interesting articles).…

In 2024 traditional classrooms and pedagogy will have changed quite radically and current models will be obsolete. “Teaching, as we have designed it, curriculum, as we have packaged it, and education as we have promised it absolutely, positively cannot be successful on the shoulders of a single classroom teacher”. Or even 10. Heick suggests 13 standards for a near-future school. These include:

* every classroom should be “published” through appropriate social platforms

* student access to a network of peers, mentors and global “friends”

* artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool  for students to create their own learning experience via their own “Siri”

* students should have endless choices

* self-directed learning, creativity, making, the humanities, emotion and citizenship transcend curriculum and catalyze learning

* all texts (literature, non fiction, social commentary, creative, informal etc) should be responsive – adjusting to a student’s literacy level & reading preferences

* search is dead; research is born – search engines will have been replaced by a hybrid of search, recommendation, crowd-sourcing and “resource prediction” (a personalized learning algorithm that predicts what resource or learning element will benefit the student)

http://www.teachthought.com/learning/avoiding-obsolescence-13-standards-near-future-school/

 

More interesting suggestions from Heick….

Teaching Google natives to value information

10 strategies – not necessarily new ideas for TLs J

http://www.teachthought.com/technology/teaching-google-natives-to-value-information/

Categories
ed tech QR codes

Talking QR codes

QRvoiceNot quite a talking QR code but a website called QR voice that allows you to type in 100 words or less and then generate a QR code. When the code is scanned a digitised voice reads the message to you as an audio file.

Could be really useful to give an instruction or reminder, provide the definition of a word or a summary of a page.