Learning Community - TCC Conference 2012 Continued

Community of Education - TCC Conference 2012

1. I felt very honored to be in the presence of so many talented individuals. I appreciated everything that I learned from the presenters, the comments made by learners, and my group that I collaborated with for our Tech-Tools presentation. I even won an award for being a Provocateur. This basically means that I was nominated by 10 people as a presenter that caused people to talk about and be interested in a particular topic. I felt like I won an Academy Award:)
   
   

   Here are some of the presentations that I attended:

   
   

   Laureen Kodani - Information Literacy for Electronic Resources

   
   

   Mari Zelenik - Developing a Mobile App to Learn French

   
   

   John P Coney - Teaching Marine Species Identification Using Web Based Learning Modules

   
   

   Kehau Souza, Kahea Nae'ole, and Kalewa Correa - The Hawaiian Archipelago
2. I also had the honor of participating in the TCC Conference as a presenter with my cohorts Gayle Anbe, Ross Uedoi, and Susan St. John. Our topic was creating a course that teaches how to use specific technology tools. Our tools were categorized into 3 types: 

   1) Screencasts 

   - Jing

   - Screencast-O-Matic

   2) Presentations 

   - Prezi

   - Voicethread

   3) Animations

   - Animoto

   - GoAnimate

   
   

   It was fun and I would definitely attend these conferences after I graduate. I learned so much from everyone.

   
   

   
   

TCC Conference & Counting in Japanese

Our group decided on several objectives during this year's TCC conference:

1) Active participation
2) Come prepared with questions
3) Find projects that are relevant to what we will do for our final projects
4) Take notes

For me I feel that my final project needs a lot of fine tuning. My project is based on the need for working professional in Hawaii to learn Japanese language. In order to create a narrow scope, my project will focus on COUNTING IN JAPANESE for 10 different types of objects. Something fun, engaging, and relevant will make for a useful tool. There will audio and graphics so pronunciation of the Japanese will be learned.

I am looking forward to TCC tomorrow.

Here is an example of some learning objects for my topic on youtube. Enjoy!!!

Internet of Things: SECURITY & TOO MUCH CONVENIENCE!

After reading about the Internet of Things, I have a lot of concerns about security issues. Imagine grabbing a library book that has some sort of biometrics that read your vital signs to determine your identity and track you so the book can be traced as well. What if your financial information could be read? Who gets to access that information?

Are we not just endangering our lives by trying to make our lives more convenient? There needs to be a balance between digital convenience and human nature.

If objects can access my information by a simple touch, how much security do I have? What are the checks and balances here? Who determines the standards for these security protocols.

SECURITY HELP!!!

Internet of Things: From Coffee Cameras to Smart Shoes

The growing popularity of smart objects embedded in everyday items is a very good marketing idea. New inventions are providing information to users that are based on location and interaction with the environment.

The article I read here http://thehammersmithgroup.com/images/reports/networked_objects.pdf discusses some of the ingenious inventions that are already out for the public to consume. There are BOTANICALLS which are tracking devices placed in soil for plants. They measure the amount of water moisture in the soil and then send a tweet or message to your twitter or Facebook account saying "Water me ... I am thirsty!"

There are Nike+iPhones that embed smart devices in the soles of shoes that keep track of how many steps you've walked and then configure the estimated amount of calories burned. 

Glowcaps are sensor caps on medicine bottles that help remind consumers that they need to take their medicine.

Check out this article for more information about the Internet of things, its history, and what benefits that have for our lifestyle.

Gavon

Augmented Reality - Fake on Real

Off the top of my head, I would define Augmented Reality (AR) as the manipulated viewing of our real-world environment and its elements through the use of a computer-based interface.

Last night I found an AR game called Pandemica. Basically there are these strains of bacteria that surround you as you look through your mobile camera. Your objective is to press the screen and shoot all the bacteria before they reach you and kill you. It won an award for best AR game of the year.

I really think that these types of tools would be very useful in education. I found another app called ARgo that creates tags on locations shown on your mobile interface when you look through the camera. The tags show descriptions of each building, statue, point of interest, etc. If you were facing your mobile camera at the Kamehameha Statue, then you would see a tag with a description of the statue and the history of King Kamehameha.

In education, learners can use these AR tools for geography lessons, or have a guided tour to learn about the things in their environment.

Check out Pandemica here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtAFb2uF1AA
Here are some AR apps: http://www.mobileaugmentedreality.info/

Have fun!

Gavon

Keep Movin' !!! Gesture-Based Learning

I remember gesture games existing back when I was intermediate. They had the Nintendo Glove. You put on the glove and you could control everything that happens on the screen: punching, flying, shooting, etc.

I am not surprised that methods of incorporating gesture-based learning into the curriculum has taken place. I watched several videos on the Microsoft Kinect being used as a learning tool:

I am looking forward to see the learning objects instructors produce with Kinect. Gesture-based learning engages all of the major senses of Sight, Sound, and Touch. It will appeal to various larding styles. What will the future hold for gesture-based learning.

G

Game-Based Learning

GBL in the future

I read the NMC.org site. I honestly feel that in my own opinion, game based-learning has already become adopted widely and will continue to grow. Game-Based Learning (GBL) will never disappear like a fad. It will hold its own place in education. A big reason why games appeal to the learner is because they cater to various learning styles: tactile learners: controlling an entity on the screen with your hands and having it interact with the other objects; visual learners: animated graphics and interaction between sprites and other entities; audio learners: sound effects after a shot is fired or an explosion occurs; textual learners: words describing the objectives of the game and notifying you when goals are attainted. These are the key tools used to engage the learner.

For this sole reason of games appealing to all the senses, I feel that games, especially video or online games, are the ultimate way to learn and teach.

I would take several factors into consideration when designing a game for learners:
1) Learners' demographics - What is the background? What do they know about gaming? 
2) Subject - What topic is being learned?
3) Content - What types of things will the learner learn? What objects or characters will be used in the game?
4) Entertainment - What type of storyline will be used for the learner to accomplished the objective?
5) Engagement - How will visual, audio, text, and interaction between learner and game be used to accomplish the objective?


I remember growing up as a child and learning the conventional way: teacher with chalk and chalkboard and student with pen and pad. I always wondered why teachers never incorporated techniques from sesame street and electric company to get our attention. I always wondered why games were not incorporated more into our school work. Even as an adult, game-based learning is still more engaging and effective for me when I am teaching or when I am being taught.

This is the basis for my final project. HOPE YOU ENJOY!!!

Gavon