Dot Learnt

The world’s problems have become our problems with the advent of social media. Collaboration between problem-solvers and idealists span the Web, pooling together ideas, funds and strategies to alleviate the world’s most daunting challenges.

In an effort to inspire human-centered design, HCD Connect has emerged as a platform for individuals to build off of empathy, observation and listening in order to design solutions for anyone out in the world who needs it. Think of it as a sort of Facebook for do-gooders.

The HCD Toolkit, available in a hard copy form or digitally online for free, provides nonprofits, social enterprises and people who work with low-income communities around the globe with a problem-solving guide.

It is the social aspect of the site and organization that really caught the attention of my tech-seeking eyes. The website offers a social network for those interested and engaged in a cause, as a means to share stories of their work and for potential collaboration. By simply inputting your location and interests from a dropdown menu, you find others participating in a similar context.

Looking to connect with people in Asia working on environmental projects? Abrar Hassan – a filmmaker and social entrepreneur working in Karachi, Pakistan on issues at the nexus of community development and the environment – popped up on my search.

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Globalization has consumed our world. In an increasingly interconnected community, the daily happenings of the dwellers of Delhi to the inhabitants of Dubai seamlessly transcend borders. For those unable to explore the world on a physical level, these 5 apps can transport you from here to there in an instant, self-guided discovery.

7 Billion: How Will Your World Change

• An ode to the growing world population, National Geographic Magazine unveiled this visually stimulating app that takes users on a journey through a stunning array of photographs, thought-provoking charts and videos painting a picture of the challenges and problems associated with population growth. 

Hear Planet

• The world’s largest audio guide, with over half a million-voice files, this app is an “Audio Guide to the World.” HearPlanet provides a “virtual reality audio layer” that gives users feedback and facts about points of interest, turning your town or vacation spot into a self-guided museum tour.  (more…)

I’d like to call him the arbiter of cool. During a brief interview with Sina Mossayeb, a Systems Designer at the innovation and design firm IDEO, Mr. Mosayeb gave us insight on how to make the ordinary extraordinary in terms of education, technology and this wide world of untapped innovation.

0-10 Seconds: I’m sure our readers are eager to find out more about what it means to work for an innovation firm. Could you start off by telling us more about your role with IDEO?

IDEO is a global innovation and design firm that takes a human-centered, design-based approach to helping organizations in the public and private sectors innovate and grow. We help organizations build creative culture and the internal systems required to sustain innovation and launch new ventures.

As a Systems Designer, I look at the bigger picture of things, and cast smaller frames to see where new processes or things can be introduced to serve an organization’s objectives.

10-20 Seconds: You’ve noted an interest in “anything centered around learning.” That’s a fairly broad interest – how would you describe the ideal learning process in the 21^st century?

Education or learning is everywhere. We have to wonder, and ask how to frame specific moments as learning opportunities. We can do this by experimenting regularly, on iterating outcomes, and additionally assess objectives as learning opportunities.

The ideal process would revolve around teaching people less about content and focusing more energy on how to learn.

20-30 Seconds: In terms of tools of support, which digital tools do you find to be most stimulating when looking to invigorate the learning process?

Initially, everyone was crazy about social media. Anything connective. Yes, these tools are really great because they stimulate contextual learning, but I think we are moving past that now.

Engagement happens more when technology becomes invisible. iPhone Siri for example is a masterpiece, due to its ability to foster natural interaction.

I think the exciting avenues that we need to explore will be tools that facilitate learning without it being visible.

30-40 Seconds: In your opinion, what has been the biggest contribution to the realm of learning and education in the past 10 years? And if nothing seems to stand out, what would you like to see be contributed to the realm of education within the next 5 years?

I think the more we can get outside the classroom the better off we are. Students need to engage with the world around them. If you are learning about the environment, go out into the environment. If you are learning about technology, go out and use technology.

Whether its virtual or you actually move out of the classroom physically, I think that is what I would like to see more of in the future. It is all about learning in action.

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I recently had the honor of participating in a conference with Sal Khan, the founder of the Khan Academy, a free education service providing over 2,700 videos on topics ranging from calculus to sentence structure and used by over 3.5 million students across the globe.

Walking away from my morning session with Sal, I could not help but reflect on the web platform I was working on for the Peer to Peer University (P2PU).  In much the same way that Sal is impacting the world of education by speaking directly to the students, P2PU hopes to impact the world of education by supporting and connecting teachers and administrators.

With over 1,300 posts on its platform, P2PU is on a trajectory to deliver as many open educational materials to professional-level students as the Khan Academy now provides to school-age children. Bon Education has been a part of P2PU’s expansion, offering new courses aimed at providing high quality training to teachers across the globe. (more…)

And that is what a badge is for. Recently, in the education sphere, there has been much talk about badging. As Peter Levine, Director of The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement and Research Director of Tuft’s University’s Jonathan Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, points out, badging “could be the start of something big.”

Badges indicate the acquirement of skills and goals and provide employers, teachers and peer communities with a visual understanding of an individual’s talents and abilities.

Badges typically fall into the following categories:

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In the pursuit of an education? These 5 apps have the ability to transform any classroom in any location into an engaging platform of discussion and self-reliant learning.

Name: Word Lens

Cool Factor: A language translator that fuses the best of translation and augmented reality! Just point the camera to a piece of text and watch the translation appear instantaneously on your screen.

EduApp: A pile of textbooks in a different language? No problem! Just point, shoot and let your mother tongue come alive.

Enlighten Me: Browse the entire Khan Academy curriculum, with access to hundreds of videos organized by subject and curriculum

Teched on the Go: Students can tap into over 2,700 videos, delving into everything from physics or art history to healthcare and medicine. (more…)

With the Global Education Conference right out around the corner, Bon had the chance to tap into the thoughts of Global Education Collaborative founder, Lucy Gray. Read on for the short and sweet 60-second interview stuffed with nuggets on 21^st century skills, edtech and a conference preview!

0-5 Seconds: Can you sum up the mission of The Global Education Conference in a tweet?

An inclusive & free online conference designed to showcase the power of global collaboration by connecting students, educators & organizations

5-10 Seconds: Why free?

It’s free because many volunteers and presenters are donating their time and expertise to this cause. We think we’ll have greater participation if cost is not a barrier.

10-15 Seconds: What led you to get involved in The Global Education Conference?

In 2007, I founded an online community for people involved in education and interested in developing the necessary relationships for globally-connecting projects and initiatives. Steve Hargadon, founder of Classroom 2.0, another community that focuses on new and emerging technologies, approached me with the idea of combining forces with Blackboard Collaborate, a webinar platform, in order to produce a significant education event. Steve is also a consultant with Blackboard Collaborate.

15-20 Seconds: What should users/attendees expect from the Conference?

Attendees should expect 5 days of inspiring online sessions around the clock including keynotes by high level thought leaders active in the field of global education. Conference participants should come away from their sessions with practical ideas on how to implement global collaboration. They will also be inspired after learning of initiatives created by various global organizations. Sessions are recorded if you cannot attend a live online session. (more…)