Augmented reality is moving us slowly moving towards the future of embedded intelligent technology. In this webinar recording from Victór Alvarez he gives a comprehensible overview of what augmented reality is and can be. In addition he shows Ariane, a really wonderful and promising AR-tool for teachers or trainers. The video of Ariane shows the application that will be available on iPhone, iPad and Android soon and which gives teachers and/or trainers immediate, intuitive and simple access to embedding the outer world into a meaningful learning experience. MORE >>

What I like already: Oldsmooc is using different online environments At point of registration the registering participants are asked some relevant questions (type of learner, experience with online learning/learning design,) they provide badges , embedded in parts of the learning environment the fact that they start on a Thursday (leaving the weekend as work time for those in full time jobs) visible resources they have asked Martin Hawkey to strengthen their analytic approach. That is something I cannot resist. Although the course is free, you do need to register. MORE >>

Built pedagogy linked to mobility and social media: offer small content snippets, provide short courses as well as longer courses, build a narrative to anchor the content that is offered and the learning actions that are demanded from the participants for higher retention, … Engaging the learner for their needs: as many of us are lifelong learners, engaging in learning that fits our knowledge needs is important (and time saving), this is also taken into account in the new platform: short courses (6 – 8 weeks, but can vary), progressive rewards (informal and formal). So will it work? MORE >>

Because annotations are easy to make, you can also link to personal content that is relevant to the topic you are researching (or teaching or learning for that matter) and build upon the original content provided. Last week I got a message from Stephanie Ray and she asked me to take a look and review Nota , a free mobile collaborative learning platform which is available in a web format and as a mobile app. As she mentioned that it was linked to Open Educational Resources (OER) of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) textbooks, I got intrigued. all over again. MORE >>

even if such a framework is provided, who is to say how 'critical' is defined? Across time there have always been people who's voice was sounding louder than the voices of others. Simply because they have/had a solid opinion based on vision and strong arguments. And apart from the fact that you can always agree or disagree, listening and reflecting on ideas of outspoken, well-argumented people always brings you to the next level of understanding. One of these voices in the past 50 years has been Noam Chomsky. In this 21 minute video you can hear his opinion on education. MORE >>