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Ted X Columbus and OSU

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The Columbus TedX event on October 11th offered a lineup of truly interesting talks by brilliant and passionate people from Columbus and beyond.  This year’s theme was the 5 senses in honor of this 5th year of TedX and several talks focused on this theme, but viewed from my tech background I was for the most part moved by presentations around scientific discovery.  And as is often the case, I was in awe of the fantastic research going on at Ohio State University

Scott Gaudi, Associate Professor of Astronomy at The Ohio State University talked about his search for planets in other solar systems across the galaxy, and the passion he developed for astronomy at an early age.  As amazing and almost unfathomable the vast distances and volumes of data were, Scott brought a real sense to the audience of what drove his searching.

Dr. Ali Rezai, a Professor of Neurological Surgery followed with a talk about pacemakers for the brain that are being studied for use with Parkinson’s patients as well as a wide range of other disorders where the brain can be effected by electrical impulses from the devices he’s testing.  As fascinating as the research is, seeing the benefits of using these devices with patients was truly uplifting for the entire audience.

Susan Nittrouer, the Director of Research in the OSU Department of Otolarygology, is another Ohio State University researcher, working on language recognition and how children with cochlear implants learn to recognize language.  The work she does will have an impact on generations to come as children learn to communicate using this new technology.

These three speakers are just a slice of the brilliant talks given at TedX Columbus.  The topics were all over the map, ranging from entrepreneurship in Somalia to biking in Columbus.  Technology and performance was sprinkled in for good measure.

If you have healthy curiosity about your world I urge you to take the opportunity to attend one of these events next time TedX comes to town.  That date will be February 8, 2014 when TedX Ohio State University comes to campus. Nominations for speakers are open now, to learn more go to http://tedx.osu.edu/

 

Update:

Check out my blog submission to TEDx Columbus here:  http://tedxcolumbus.com/2013/11/follow-this-out-there/

A new soapbox

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Dave Hooker in 3D glasses, Harvard NMC tour
Welcome to the new blog site and digital soapbox of Dave Hooker, Innovation Lead for the Office of Distance Education and eLEarning. This site will serve as a space where I plan to call attention to interesting opportunities, shifts, or changes in technology that may effect the world of higher education, especially at OSU. My past year has been spent focusing on selecting a tool for use across OSU for capturing lecture content and rolling that tool out as a production service. As we approach completion of the pilot to production transition I expect to have more time for exploration of new technologies.

The next technology we’re examining for ODEE is Student Response Systems.  In the past students had to trundle over to the bookstore where they would have to purchase a clicker so they could respond to polls in class.  These clickers cost about 30 or 40 bucks, and interfaced with the podium computer in the room to receive votes on polling questions or a/b/c/d/e answers.  The technology was limited, and the tools available can do some pretty incredible stuff.  With virtually every student on campus already carrying a smart phone, a phone with SMS text, a tablet, a laptop, or an iPod (and often more than one) it’s time to examine what’s available now.

The new generation of student response systems go way beyond the a/b/c’s of the past.  Current tools can accept answers from students like hot spots on images, graphing, and vectors in addition to traditional polling sorts of answers.  The new tools open up a whole new range of possibilities for keeping students engaged in class,

As I look at the new generation of clickers I’ll work with a committee of faculty and technology support staff from across the university to identify what features are needed or desired in class, how various devices will work on OSU wireless or cellular networks, and whether attendance or quiz grades can be imported into Carmen easily or automatically.  After we figure out the best ones to try we’ll set up interested faculty to test a few and get their feedback and the feedback of their students.

What’s the point? If we can standardize on one recommended student response system that means students won’t have to buy subscriptions to two or three different solutions for two or three different classes.  The other benefit is a consistent student experience, so our students don’t have to learn to use three different systems.  If you are a faculty member who would be interested in participating in these tests please let me know.  We plan to begin testing for the Spring 2014 semester.

Dave Hooker, hooker.24 at osu dot edu