EDUCAUSE round up

Final keynote session was from the President of SUNY, (State University of New York) on New Responsibilities for post secondary education in the 21st century.

A call to arms on the importance of higher education and how it has to change to educate more people and educate them better. However, it was very US centric, and I'm not sure the speaker realised that she was speaking to an international audience. Not an inspiring end to the conference, which was a shame because the rest of it has been excellent.

One of the hot topics here was " big data", how do we use the huge amount of data we're collecting all of the time. There was an excellent session on using wireless data which I've posted about, and several about learner analytics and looking at how we can spot students who might be having problems and intervene to help them. One of the best was from Purdue University which was entitled "Putting the I back into CIO", and looked at how we can turn the data we have into useful information. There was a great video to go with the talk, and I'm just waiting for it to go online and I'll post a link to it.

Wearables was another hot topic, and I saw a few pairs of Google glass around, as well as a narrative clip, the wearable camera which takes a picture every 30 seconds. Caused a bit of a Twitter storm when a delegate admitted to wearing one, with some people finding it too intrusive. Others couldn't see why it was a problem, comparing it to tiny cameras on smart phones. Will be interesting to see how things like this and Glass become socially acceptable.

So, that's the end of another great conference. Lots of good sessions. Some mediocre ones but no really bad ones, and lots of contacts made and networks strengthened. Always good to hear what other people are doing, and how they are responding to the challenges we all face. Also made some good contacts with vendors and saw some new, interesting products which we'll be keeping an eye on. Now to work out how to get all the freebies I've collected at the exhibition home....



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Wearable devices

First session today is about wearable devices. Quick audience poll shows that quite a few of us are wearing a fitness band, there's also two people wearing Google glass.

Wearable devices are the next major technology cycle. Hands free, always connected, environment aware. They can go anywhere on the body, including being tattooed on the skin. On bands, on belts, in jewellery.
Google glass has had most publicity, but very few around.

Some examples of wearable technology:

Meta 3D glasses, true augmented holographic reality glasses available later this year. Wired to a small pocket computer that handles processing.



The connected and monitored body. Wearables are collecting vast range of data related to health, could have huge implications. Our sixth sense is going to be digital.
Some of them being highly designed as fashion statements, such as misfit shine.

Lechal shoes connect to a users smartphone via Bluetooth to ascertain your current location and destination. They vibrate when you need to change direction.

Wearables can also track our brainwaves. Muse is a brain sensing headband. Has six sensors on it and tracks brainwaves which are then sent to a tablet. Analyses how calm or active you are.

Narrative clip life logging camera. Incredibly small, takes a time stamped geotagged photo every 30 seconds. No on/off switch, 2 day battery life

Oculus rift, virtual reality head mounted display, 1920x 1080 resolution. The tethered to a computer, designed as an in expensive gaming device.

Wearables in the learning environment
UC Irvine School of Medicine using Google glass in labs, theatres, emergency rooms.
Other universities using them in architecture classes, journalism courses and other field studies.
Also if you wear them for prolonged periods you collect a lot of feedback on your behaviour

Can use wearable technology in teaching for:
Video
Field trips
Online teaching
Mentors, coaching sessions
Language instruction
Feedback and evaluation
Real,time search and reference
Provide accessibility for visual, auditory and physical
Interactive problem solving games

Types of sensors available currently include:
Acceleration, vibration
Acoustic, ultrasonic
Chemical, gas
Electric, magnetic flow
Force, load
Humidity, moisture
Machine vision
Optical
Motion, velocity
Position, presence
Pressure
Temperature


Augmented reality, the overlay of information on the world as we see it. History pin project, can use smart phone to see London as it was in 19th century. Will be able to do with Glass, eventually anywhere.

Virtual reality, new forms of sensory experience. Reality cave is a 3D immersive environment.

Wearable challenges:
Biggest one is battery life. Has to improve. Lots of Ashdod solutions currently for Glass, including battery in a head strap.
Social acceptance, Glass prohibited in some areas. Will change as become more available
Fashion and design

Some impact of wearables
Tidal wave of data and images. 10% of all photos ever taken were taken last year.



We share 1.8billion photos daily.
Privacy. What is public, what is private.
Will our technology read us? Analyse our brainwaves and anticipate what we want to do.
User interfaces. In the future, the limiting factor will be us.



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Gadgets...

I have to admit it, I'm a bit of a gadget person. Ruby Wax once referred to me as The Geek Girl. The last gadget I got was a Fitbit which I wear all the time (except in the shower) to measure how many steps I take, how many miles I walk, and how many active minutes I have in a day. when I first got it it was quite scary how little exercise I got on some days. Now if I haven't reached my target when I get home, I go for a walk. Headphones in, music or audiobook on and off I go. Much to the amusement of my neighbours, given that I live in the city centre. Made a real difference to how much exercise I take.

But, I've been looking recently at whether sitting down for long periods of time, which I often do, is good for me. The simple answer is, it isn't! I often get pains in my neck and shoulders, and I know I hunch and tense my shoulders when sitting over a keyboard. So, a few days ago I got a Varidesk - allows me to stand up when I want to, and sit down when I don't. Interestingly, in the 3 days I've had it, I've barely sat down. Don't feel the need to, and feel so much more comfortable. And no shoulder ache. Also, my step count has gone up considerably, presumably because it's very difficult to stand still.


I can't write a post about gadgets without mentioning the latest addition to the department  today -
Google Glass. Given us all much amusement today,  and it was quite weird when one of the Assistant Directors appeared at my door looking like The Borg and said - "I can take a photo of you by slowly winking"....


And this is the picture -  my standing up desk, taken with Google Glass.