HGSET545

Thanks for sharing Sandra, this was an interesting article about injecting passion into our lessons. There were two questions I was thinking about though: 1) If we're not already passionate about something, why and how should we get passionate about it? 2) Excitement and passion do not equate to learning whereas solving problems or inquiry-based learning focuses the lessons on learning. Is that better? Cheers!

Article talks about the state of voice-recognition and how we might better design interfaces and technology to adapt to how we need our devices to gather greater context about what we are asking.

edX using AI to grade student essays.

"Every young person will continue to need basic knowledge, of course," he said. "But they will need skills and motivation even more. Of these three education goals, motivation is the most critical. Young people who are intrinsically motivated - curious, persistent, and willing to take risks - will learn new knowledge and skills continuously. They will be able to find new opportunities or create their own - a disposition that will be increasingly important as many traditional careers disappear."

Research shows that in video, abridged versions of text shown with narration and animation produces better recall and transfer or information than showing full text or no text. Interestingly, this is in conflict with what people prefer to watch, which is full text versions.

is this the right approach?

Although learning game design is valuable in itself, the learning objectives are vague and feedback doesn't seem to be embedded in the process. Gamestar claims that the game is adaptable to all content areas, however, without learning objectives from the outset students may master game design without learning classroom subject matter.

On a study break, I rediscovered this quite addictive, simple game that I think captures the ideas of flow quite nicely. I think the simple design, exponential scoring, soothing music, great art, and realistic physics make it quite immersive (for better or for worse!)

The music, the challenge of hitting the bells, the fact that the bells actually add some 'harmony' to the music, the high score at the end of the game. Simply brilliant. Thanks for sharing it!

An interesting talk about how chance favors the connected mind. How do we create such spaces in the classroom, school or perhaps out of formal learning environments?

Vivek Wadhwa provides an overview of emerging educational technologies, including sensor-based technology, which "detect the interest, learning, and emotion of the student".

The 2012 Digital Learning Report Card, funded by Jeb Bush's Digital Learning Now organization, was profiled in this week's EdSurge e-newsletter. The Digital Learning Report Card grades significant policy decisions (on a state-by-state basis) which "are advancing student-centric reforms, reducing barriers to blended learning, and encouraging the use of technology to offer a more personalized college- and career-ready education."

New frontiers in multi-sensory learning.