Derek E. Baird :: Barking Robot

H+ Summit: What Geeks Can Learn From Gurus [VIDEO]

“I set as a goal the maximum capacity that people have. I settle for no less. I make myself a relentless architect of the possibilities of human beings.” --Benjamin Zander

Last week Humanity+, an international nonprofit which advocates the ethical use of technology to expand human capacities, held their annual 2010 H+ Summit on the Harvard University campus.

The H+ Summit is part of a larger cultural conversation about what it means to be human and, ultimately, more than human. This issue lies at the heart of the transhumanism movement.

During the two day summit, held at Harvard, the keynote speakers explored the potential of technology to modify your body, mind, life, and world. What will it mean to be a human in this next phase of technological development? How can we prepare now for coming changes?

While the H+ Summit featured keynotes by well-known visionary thought leaders (Ray Kurzweil, Stephen Wolfram and Aubrey de Grey) it was Robert Tercek's keynote, "What Geeks Can Learn from Gurus", that caught both the imagination and attention of many people outside of the transhumanist community.

After Robert's talk was posted online, I had a steady stream of colleagues tweet, FB post and email me the link to both the video and SlideShare of his H+ Summit @Harvard presentation. All of them urged me to take the time to watch the video. I did and was not disappointed.

I don't want to say too much here (no spoilers!) but I urge you to take some time and have a listen and/or review the presentation slides for yourself. Rob Tercek is a very good speaker and he does a masterful job of talking about the challenges and future of the transhumanist movement and how they can better engage with the general public.

View more presentations from Humanity+.

Trend Watch: Curated Computing

In this video Forrester Research Analyst Sarah Rotman Epps talks about how Apple's iPad and other tablet devices will usher in a new era of personal computing. Forrester calls this "Curated Computing"-- a mode of computing where choice is constrained to deliver less complex, more relevant experiences. 

There's more at stake here than just tablets: Curated Computing will be the dominant design principle behind future form factors like wearable devices.

Product strategists that don't want to cede the future of devices to Apple should start thinking like museum curators and editors: Sometimes less is more.

Weekly Wrap: iPad Demographics, Geolocation Wars, Twitter + Blackbird Pie, Facebook Privacy Translated, TED TV, Nintendo DS Glucose Meter, iPad Apps for Kids & More!

Apple iPad User Analysis: Just a week after the iPad’s launch, we began to analyze the behavior of the first iPad users on the Yahoo! network. While some of the findings were expected, there were a few surprises that popped. Related: US Twitter Demographics & Stats [Yahoo! Mobile] [Barking Robot]

Facebook Set to Add Geolocation Features: Watch out Foursquare, information has leaked that Facebook is set to roll out location-based features for users and brands as soon as this month. According to Advertising Age, users could see location options any day now. [Mashable]

What is Twitter Really Up to With Blackbird Pie?: Following a bit of online buzz yesterday around embeddable Twitter quotes for online publishers, Twitter Media made it official today by unveiling a new tool dubbed 'Blackbird Pie'. [Social Media Today]

Facebook-to-English Translator: Despite the voluminous buzz, many commentators have missed the most confusing announcement of all — new Facebook jargon. So, in the interests of helping users understand what's going on, we've put together a rough Facebook-to-English translator. Think of it as a handy phrase-book that could help you navigate through the more common situations you'll find yourself in. [Electronic Freedom Foundation]

Kids Blood Glucose Meter Attaches to Nintendo DS: Every time a kid uses Didget to check his blood glucose level, it awards points that can be used to buy items and unravel new game levels within an associated game. The idea behind Didget is to encourage kids manage their diabetes by rewarding them for regular blood glucose testing. [BoingBoing]

Why Does the BBC Want to Send Its Readers Away?: The BBC aims to double the number outbound clicks from its site by 2013. That’s double the number of people sent away from the BBC site — intentionally. [Nieman Journalism Lab]

TED TV: The new initiative will allow television broadcasters around the world to air the talks for free as well as create programming around them. One of the primary goals behind the project is to extend the reach of TED’s idea-spreading mission into the developing world. [JED] 

Millennials Tech-Dependent, But Not Necessarily Tech-Savvy: One of the biggest myths about Millennials is that they are all digital natives, blogging and tweeting their way through life.  The truth is a bit more nuanced. Related: The Myth of the Digital Native [Millennial Marketing] [Barking Robot]

Teenage Homelessness on the Rise: In Minnesota, the number of 18- to 21-year-olds in shelters more than doubled in the past three years. [StarTribune.com]

Top 10 Entertainment iPad Apps for Kids: Sure, the new gadget isn’t perfect, but not to worry—techie geniuses have been up since its release, working through the kinks and quirks. Nothing left to do but the fun stuff; grab your kids and try out some of the latest entertainment apps, adapted or created for the iPad. [Kideos]

2010 Totally Wired Teacher Award: After listening to feedback from our friends in the educator community, we've made some important changes to this year's Totally Wired Teacher Award provided by Dell. Please help us spread the word to any public school teachers you are in contact with. [Ypulse]

Future Watch: Social Networking & Augmented Reality

Matthew Buckland and ace designer Philip Langley put their heads together to come up with some concept drawings on how social networking may work in the future, focusing on mobile and augmented reality (AR).

What they've come up with are AR concepts that are visionary, exciting and a wee bit creepy. You can visit Matthew's blog to see all the drawings, but this one in particular caught my imagination.

I've previously blogged how people use Twitter at conferences and I think that this drawing really takes it to the next logical step. What I really like about this concept is that it's a pragmatic and useful implementation of AR.

While there will inevitably be lots of fun or entertainment based AR implementations I think that, much like Apple iPhone Apps, we will find that AR apps that offer an on-demand or utilitarian service will prove to be the most useful for consumers.

We will have to sort all of this out at some point, but right now it's exciting to think about all the AR possibilities......

A Kindle in Every Backpack: A Proposal for eTextbooks in American Schools

A concept paper published in July by former members of the Obama-Biden transition team, titled A Kindle in Every Backpack: A Proposal for eTextbooks in American Schools, suggests we consider an innovative plan to spread eTextbooks around the country, rapidly scaling up employment of the technology so that we can learn, adapt, and perfect its use quickly. It describes the case for an eTextbook system in three parts.

In Part One, the report discusses the multiple reasons why eTextbooks like Amazon's Kindle are a much better approach for our nation’s students. The reasons they are superior include the ability to update eBooks relatively cheaply and easily, environmental and health benefits (such as reducing loads on young backs and shoulders), and the enormous opportunity to make texts more exciting and interactive—like the other tools children use today and that compete for their attention.

In Part Two, this paper discusses the economics of this approach. Cost estimates in the education world are notoriously sketchy and often self-serving, but it seems clear that over time an investment in these tools would produce big savings.

Finally, in Part Three, this paper outlines how we could implement such a plan, and why there could be broad-based support for it.

Also of interest is an article in the September/October 2009 issue of Scholastic Administrator Magazine titled, "Will the Kindle Change Education?" The article does a really good job of weighing in on both the pros and cons of using the Kindle in the classroom.

A lot of education folks have focused on using the mobile phone as the primary device to usher in the age of mlearning (mobile learning).

But perhaps we should be paying more attention to e-book devices like the Kindle, Sony Reader, Nook or the (rumoured) Apple tablet as the more viable mlearning option to delivering media rich and digital content to kids at school.

A lot the current research shows that when kids go to school they are disconnected from how they live outside the classroom. Either way, what's important is that we take a look at and try using any resource or tool--including e-books--that gets kids' more engaged and invested in their education.

Related: Amazon's Jeff Bezos Gives Away Kindles To His Alma Mater, Asks For Feedback

Henry Jenkins on Kids, Video Games, Education Reform & Learning

Here’s a clip from SXSW 2009 on YouTube where Henry Jenkins, Professor at MIT (and soon USC) and author of Convergence Culture, is interviewed by The Guardian about learning and video games. Dr. Jenkins further asserts that every game has an online community and it’s there where people start to trade information and learn from each other.

Henry also argues that there is "a learning ecology that takes place outside of the classroom and that schools cut themselves off from this learning by blocking games and YouTube - leaving students disconnected with the best ways of learning. This hinders students from becoming technically literate and be prepared for the future." [via]

Related Resources

• Pew Internet Research on Video Games & Gen Y
• Microsoft Wants to Help Families Get Video Game Safe
• Give Girl Gamers Some Props!
• Amy James > Video Games, Learning & Critical Thinking

Atomic Learning: Movie Maker 2 Tutorial

Atomic Learning is currently offering a complimentary tutorial series on Windows Movie Maker 2. The series can be accessed free of charge by clicking here.

The Movie Maker 2 series is a fast favorite among many movie makers and is regularly noted by a variety of bloggers as an invaluable free resource for educators, students and home movie-makers.

Utilizing Atomic Learning short, show-and-tell tutorial training style, the series guides users through getting started with Movie Maker 2. Topics include Capturing and Importing, Applying Video Effects, Applying Transitions, Adding Titles, Working with Audio and many more.

Schools and districts find Atomic Learning’s tutorials, series, workshops and resources to be especially useful for professional development, and many are incorporating tutorials into the curriculum.

In addition to the Windows Movie Maker 2 series, Atomic Learning also offers a training library of over 37,000 tutorials on over 110 applications through the Technology Skills Collection, plus training on education software and accessibility features through tutorials found in the Assistive Technology Collection.

For more information on any of Atomic Learning’s tutorial series or Collections visit Atomic Learning.

Related Resources

• PBwiki Back to School Challenge
• Vicki Davis > Seven Steps to a "Flat Classroom"
• PBwiki 101 > Video Tutorial

Call for Papers: 4th International Conference on Persuasive Technology

Persuasive Technology is all about using Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to change what we think and do. We are just entering the era of persuasive technology, of interactive computing systems designed to change people’s attitudes and behaviors.

The Claremont conference will assemble people from all parts of the world interested in such technologies by sharing their insights into how video games, mobile phone applications, web sites and social networking sites can be designed to motivate and influence people.

Academics and practitioners with an interest in research, theory, technologies, design, and applications related to persuasion are invited to submit their work for presentation at Persuasive 2009 to be held at the Claremont Colleges campus, in Claremont, California.

If you're interested in the mobile boom (and you should be!), be sure to check out Mobile Persuasion by my friend, Dr. BJ Fogg. This is a must read for anyone involved with digital media and education technology. BJ also is the founder of the Stanford University Persuasive Technology Lab.

Related Resources

• Mobile Persuasion 2009
• Persuasive 2009
• Book > Mobile Persuasion
• Book > Persuasive Technology
• Stanford Facebook Class
• International Journal of Computer Game Research

Pew Research on Teens, Video Games & Learning

A few days ago the Pew Internet & American Life Project released the results of a national survey of U.S. teens (survey sample: 1,102 youth ages 12-17) and video games.

The study, a project of the Pew Research Center and the MacArthur Foundation,  shatters many of the previously held beliefs that video game obsessed teens lead socially isolated lives devoid of interaction with other people.

In fact, the Pew study found that "virtually all American teens play computer, console, or cell phone games and that the gaming experience is rich and varied, with a significant amount of social interaction and potential for civic engagement."

Among the key findings:

Game playing is universal, with almost all teens playing games and at least half playing games on a given day.

• 97% of American teens ages 12-17 play some kind of video game.    
• 99% of boys say they are gamers and 94% of girls report that they play games.

Game playing experiences are diverse, with the most popular games falling into the racing, puzzle, sports, action and adventure categories.

• A typical teen plays at least five different categories of games and 40% of them play eight or more different game types.    
• While some teens play violent video games, those who play violent games generally also play non-violent games.

Game playing is social, with most teens playing games with others at least some of the time.

• 76% of gaming teens play games with others at least some of the time.    
• 82% play games alone at least occasionally, though 71% of this group also plays games with others.   
• 65% of gaming teens play with others in the same room.

Game playing can incorporate many aspects of civic and political life.

• 76% of youth report helping others while gaming.    
• 44% report playing games where they learn about a problem in society.

Game playing sometimes involves exposure to mature content, with almost a third of teens playing games that are listed as appropriate only for people older than they are.

• 32% of youth 12-16 in this sample play games that are listed as appropriate only for people older than they are.    
• 32% of gaming teens report that at least one of their favorite games is rated Mature or Adults Only.    
• 12-14 year old's are equally as likely to play Mature and Adults Only rated games as their 15-17 year old counterparts (source).

Related Resources

• Video Games Teaching Diplomacy & Social Justice
• Gen Y Update: Video Games 101
• CBS News > Gen Tech & Wired Teen America

Atomic Learning: Microsoft Office 2008 Tutorials

Through September 10, 2008 Atomic Learning will offer a free series on Microsoft Office 2008 will be offered free of charge The free series, Office Suite 2008 - What’s New includes more than 30 short, show-and-tell movies that guide users through the new features in Word, Excel and PowerPoint 2008.

Topics include using SmartArt™ graphics, using Automators workflows, using compatibility mode, understanding the new XML file format, opening files from earlier versions and more.

The series is an important resource for schools and organizations planning to transition to Office Suite 2008. Schools and districts find Atomic Learning to be especially useful for professional development purposes and incorporating technology into curriculum.

Be sure to also check out the new Office Live Workspace, a free service from Microsoft that allows you to easily and privately share files online with students, colleagues or parents. This is an easy way to create an online hub for your classroom. You can also use one of the many free templates to easily create school calendars, tests & quizzes or electronic grade book.

Related Resources

• Office Live Workspace
• Atomic Learning
• Microsoft Education Resources for Teachers
• Yahoo! Back-to-School Guide 2008

Free Cartoon Animation Software

via Open Source on LearnHub: "There are many cartoon animation programs available that offer free trial downloads. Here are three cartoon animation programs that are completely open-source, which means they are free for you to use.

Though they vary in complexity, ease of use and features you will likely find one that best suits your animation needs."

Related Resources

• LearnHub
• Pencil
• Synfig
• Creatoon
• Pixton: Learning with Comics

Update: Schwab Learning

Last summer I blogged about Schwab Learning, a philanthropic foundation set up by Charles and Helen Schwab dedicated to providing resources, information, and research on learning difficulties.

Late last year, The Schwab Foundation announced that it would shift its focus from their website and resources to providing grants. The good news is that they have found good homes for their parent/teacher communities and SparkTop site for kids.

SparkTop is now part of the Professor Garfield family of educational media. In addition to SparkTop, Professor Garfield has a wealth of resources for educators in their Teachers Lounge community.

The parent and teacher resources on learning difficulties are now a part of Great Schools, "a nonprofit dedicated to helping parents make informed choices, become actively involved in their kids’ education, and advocate for high-quality teaching and learning."

I'm thrilled that these phenomenal resources have found new homes on the web and will continue to help students, teachers and parents navigate their way through an educational ecosystem that doesn't always understand that "no two brains spark alike."

Schwab Learning: Helping Kids With Learning Difficulties

A few days ago I had the fantastic opportunity to attend the YPulse Mashup '07 in San Francisco. This conference was put together by the amazing and talented Anastastia Goodstein, author of the book Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online as well as the Teen Media blog YPulse.

I'll be posting more about the YPulse Mashup later (sidebar: I have SO much YPulse 411 to blog about--stuff like the brilliant Aseem Badsha of Scriptovia! More on him later...), but in the meantime I couldn't wait to share some excellent resources for parents, teachers and students with learning difficulties.

At the conference I had the pleasure to meet Pearl and Lisa from the Schwab Learning Foundation, a  philanthropic foundation set up by Charles and Helen Schwab dedicated to providing resources, information, and research on learning difficulties. They also have a Spanish language mirror site.

Schwab Learning is chock full of important resources to help parents connect, identify learning difficulties, along with strategies for working with the education system. Be sure to check out the vast collection of videos, books, and articles in their digital library.

In addition, Schwab Learning has developed an online community called Spark Top where children with various types of learning difficulties can connect and discover their "unique ways of learning, develop their strengths and self-esteem, and discover strategies to succeed in and out of school.

Spark Top provides a safe place for kids to interact, share their worries, concerns and successes, and get feedback from kids just like them."

I highly recommend both Schwab Learning and Spark Top to teachers, parents or anyone who works with children with learning challenges. Be sure to check out the SparkTop teachers resources too. There isn't a "one size fits all" learning style. We are complex creatures and we all learn in different ways.

Thanks to Lisa and Pearl for introducing me to the wonderful array of resources they provide to children, parents, and educators. If you have any questions--drop them a line! These are wonderful people who have dedicated their careers to helping children with learning difficulties.

And thanks to Anastasia and Modern Media for putting together such a great conference. I'm already looking forward to next years YPulse Mashup!

Related Resources

• The Schwabs' Story
• Preparing for Your Journey through the Special Education Maze
• Online Events
• Schwab Learning Newsletter
• Sean O'Sullivan's weblog
• Video: Totally Wired

mLearning Toolbox: Adam Burt Guide

A few weeks ago, Sean O'Sullivan sent me a really terrific mLearning resource put together by Adam Burt. I thought I'd pass his excellent guide to creating mobile on-demand live/non-live video and audio content along to debaird.net readers.

Thanks Sean!

Links

• Adam Burt mLearning Guide
• Sean O'Sullivan blog
• Sean O'Sullivan mLearning blog + Yahoo Podcasts

SpeEdChange: Assistive Technology & Learning

Ira Socol maintains an informative weblog, SpeEdChange, where he discusses how assistive technology can impact literacy throughout the school experience.

Links

• SpeEdChange
• Assistive Technology Grants