Welcome to UR Blogs!
Welcome to UR Blogs! This is your first post. Delete it, then start building your site.
December Newsletter
My Thoughts
It’s hard to believe that the fall semester has come to a close. This semester has brought exciting VR developments to the University of Richmond. We’ve created a new VR@UR interest group, hosted VR technology open houses at our new VR space in Jepson, and supported a number of classes using Google Cardboard. I’m excited to get started on new projects and efforts for next semester. If you are interested in joining the VR@UR group and/or using VR technologies in the classroom next semester please get in touch: abell4@richmond.edu.
News
Using augmented reality technology to help train crime scene professionals
I suspect we will see more and more of these training/simulations initiatives as hardware devices (i.e. Hololens, Magic Leap) become more mature and ubiquitous.
While this article summarizes the research rather than actually reporting the data, it is a great summary of ways both content creators and distributors are experimenting with VR technology/content.
“Over the past two years, technology giants and Hollywood have poured millions of dollars into virtual reality in the hope that the medium will transform gaming and entertainment. But a growing crop of filmmakers, policymakers, researchers, human rights workers and even some law enforcement officials see a broader societal purpose in the emerging medium’s stunning ability to make people feel as if they have experienced an event firsthand.”
Want to Know What Virtual Reality Might Become? Look to the Past
Great look back at the technological and cultural driving forces that push innovators to develop new devices and experiences.
“Everyone knows the old saying “Necessity is the mother of invention,” but if you do a paternity test on many of the modern world’s most important ideas or institutions, you will find, invariably, that leisure and play were involved in the conception as well.”
#8 Who’s behind the wheel? Are driverless cars coming?
This week Scott and I discuss the future of transportation. Some argue the greatest technological disruption in the near future will occur in the transportation sector. How will be get from point A to point B? Will computers take over driving responsibilities? What will the culture, social, and ethical repercussions be? How will this drastically altered transportation model effect the education system. We cover all these awesome questions PLUS introduce our new colleague in the CTLT, Ryan Brazell. I gotta be honest, this is a great podcast. Hope you enjoy!
Additional Information
Medium.com Self Driving Trucks
telegraph.co.uk Ten ways that driverless cars will change the world
#7 Music – How streaming services are changing the game
Music is something that Scott and I love. It’s also an interesting topic because it touches on so many of the issues we love to talk about here in the CTLT: technology, culture, and innovation. The way that society has consumed music has drastically shifted in the last century, particularly in the last 25 years. We have gone from buying physical tapes/CDs to renting access to online streaming music. We are in the midst of a new shift in the culture and technology surrounding music. Streaming music, having (legal) access to tens of millions of song at the push of a button, is changing the way we interact and even think about music. Scott and I talk about these shifts in light of the recently released Apple Music and how they impact us and the education technology landscape. Hope you enjoy the episode!
Links
Thought piece: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-anxious-ease-of-apple-music
Apple Music Review: http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/8/8911731/apple-music-review
# 6 Folders, files, backups OH MY
Is your desktop a cluttered mess? Do you have a little voice in your head that says maybe I should backup my files once and a while? This installment of UR Tech Savvy, Scott and I talk about solutions for folder organization and backups. It’s an exciting time in storage news as more and more companies are offering (nearly) free and (nearly) unlimited cloud storage. Hope you enjoy!
#5 Altfest – A conferen… FESTIVAL
Scott and I took a 10 minute trip down the road to VCU’s AltLab for the first Altfest a few weeks ago. Altfest was a festival of ideas about educational technology and learning. We both really enjoyed it and thought it would make for a great podcast episode.
For our 5th (do the 5th anniversary dance) episode, Scott and I talk about the Altfest experience. Some specific topics we discuss are the need for Makerspaces on campus, the benefits of quality wordpress installations in the classroom, and much more! Hope you enjoy!