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The SPINNER project from the Responsive Environments Group at MIT Media Lab is the first research platform designed to investigate the world of ubiquitous video devices. The Spinner can automatically edit video to fit a narrative structure. It uses video from cameras installed at the Media Lab and sensor data from people generated by wearable smart badges to track their activity and location. The system then creates a video using the characteristics detected from the sensor data with the video captured by the cameras.

MIT just appointed a new Director of Digital Learning. I guess edX and the impact of educational technology at MIT has become official and institutionalized--and probably not just a fad.

Hats off to MIT. I think they will reap huge benefits from putting an accomplished leader in charge of this endeavor. Not only does this appointment communicate how much value they place on digital learning, but it will likely lead to the development of a coherent vision, comprehensive strategy, and stream-lined effort to push MIT forward in the edtech scene. I haven't seen this same kind of commitment to edtech from Harvard. As HBS professor and author Clay Christensen so eloquently wrote, "you can talk all you want about having a strategy...but ultimately, this means nothing if you do not align those [strategies] with where you actually expend your time, money, and energy. In other words, how you allocate your resources is where the rubber meets the road."

This is not the first talk given by Dr. McGonigal and since I've watched both now, I can tell you that this one is really worth watching! This transformative power of gaming is relevant to education and she is an embodiment of its revolutionary power.

Thank you for sharing this Drew I agree that this is worth watching. Who would have thought that online games can outperform pharmaceuticals in treating clinical anxiety and depression?

Intrigued to see what comes of this

The Knight Center's MOOC on data visualization was a bit smaller than traditional MOOCs (it actually capped enrollment at 2000), but the second version of the same class already has 4000 students registered. It sounds like the professor gave a lot of attention to the students and the projects, and the fact that the numbers went up is a good sign.

Wisconsin officials tout the UW Flexible Option as the first to offer multiple, competency-based bachelor's degrees from a public university system. Officials encourage students to complete their education independently through online courses, which have grown in popularity through efforts by companies such as Coursera, edX and Udacity. No classroom time is required under the Wisconsin program except for clinical or practicum work for certain degrees.

I like how Dr. Heineken forces his residents to interact directly with the patients first, then consult technology - puts the technology at the service of the doctor, not the other way around.

It's official..

This site advertizes that it is the first virtual mentoring site app. It is intended to be a way for educators, parents, students, and/or at-risk youth to stay connected using a single platform. It even has a built in VRM (Virtual Relationship Management) tool.

Has anyone seen this group? Seems like they are doing what we have been talking about re: blended learning. I am going to dig in for more info....

Steve, I used to work on the external evaluation of the first round of NGLC grants, which focused on colleges and community colleges applying these guiding principles. I know less about their K12 grants and present work but am happy to talk about what I know.

Fascinating new school in New York, focusing on Science and teaching entirely through educational gaming.

"By 2017, the first wave of students of P-Tech - Pathways in Technology Early College High School - is expected to emerge with associate's degrees in applied science in computer information systems or electromechanical engineering technology, following a course of studies developed in consultation with I.B.M."

Interview with Stanford's first vice provost of online learning

Authors urge caution before jumping on the tech-bandwagon. Their argument amounts to something like it's best not to buy first generation tech products; wait until the kinks are worked out.

" eInstruction"

I think private companies running contests like this is really undignified.

full disclosure: classmate Alex Schoenfeld first shared this with the us in the TIE facebook group :). But it brings an interesting trend in the adoption and pricing of mobile apps: Article outlining what lots of us know when it comes to moblie apps and pricing - free, $1, and $2 are the price-points that sell, and allow us to try out an app with minimal regret. But with the rise of more and more high-quailty, high-profile, and high-budget educatioanl apps, will the pricing structure change? Will parents and educators be willing to spend the prices of traditional computer software ($50 or more?) for really great mobile apps? The article brings up an interesting model that seems to already be coming to life looking at how apps are being sold and updated lately: "Donahoo and Russell propose there's a better way: subscriptions and content expansion packs.  Launchpad Toys follows the latter tact. The initial price the Toontastic app for $3 (though it's currently free). Users can use that fully functioning app, or choose to add additional characters and themes with $.99 expansion packs. This way, they contend, costs are controlled; it's cheap for parents and children to evaluate an app, and the model encourages regular updates."

For the first time, Amazon's digital books had outsold paper books. While many popular consumer books have successfully made the switch into the new format, textbooks are still widely read on paper. However, textbooks as e-books ought to be seen as a stepping stone to the future. And we need to design devices that are specifically made to support academic reading.

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) implementation in Australia seems to bring positive results. In remote, largely indigenous northwest Queensland, Doomadgee, 3rd grade students' numeracy improved from 31 per cent last year to a staggering 95 per cent in 2011.

How young is too young to use a smartphone? In a growing number of families across the country, infants and toddlers are deftly swiping and tapping away even as they wobble toward their first steps.