Future restaurants

What is the future of the restaurant experience? These two examples may map the binary nature of future experiences.

Firstly, the cheap no frills technology driven experience as characterised by San Fransisco restaurant Eatsa in this New York Times story.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/09/upshot/restaurant-of-the-future-service-with-an-impersonal-touch.html?_r=0

Or is it the sensory overloaded experience of Ultraviolet restaurant in Shanghai.

Both examples provide insight into not only the changing nature of food/dining experiences but also the changing nature of work. Importantly in both examples is the role technology plays in the creation of the experience.

PS – what does Gen Y want in the restaurant experience

Gen Y restaurant experience

PPS – it is obvious that some of the above articles are currently doing the rounds of social media – here is one of the more interesting responses Automat eating.

PPPS – yet another article http://mobileworldcapital.com/the-future-of-restaurants-is-no-restaurant-startups-changing-the-way-we-eat/

Using iMovies

As part of the second assignment you are asked to make an iMovie trailer. The idea behind this was to provide an opportunity to play with the iPads and help develop some new media skills.

But do businesses actual use this sort of technology in the market place. One company Arctic Adventure Tours does actual use these tools. Have a look at their website and find out about the different types of arctic experiences they offer. They are a great example of a company who are commercialising microadventure style experiences. Here is a taste with a sailing adventure.

Here is also the longer movie length version.

Why we love our iPad

iPads in class

When UWS began the roll out of iPads we changed a number of things in the unit and its delivery to incorporate and foster iPad use by students. Some things were simple – a change of lecture slides from PowerPoint to Keynote. Some more radical things like the use of iPads in exams. We love our iPads and smartphones so inevitably iMovies made an entrance in assignment two. For some the leap into film was easy and exciting. For others a step learning curve – but overwhelmingly we all found that the iPad/smartphone technology was amazingly capable of helping us all to deliver watchable results. Suddenly we were all Spielbergs (I wanted to be Peter Greenaway) producing remarkable footage.

Interesting to read of the spread of the use of the technology into the mainstream.
http://www.cultofmac.com/312536/modern-family-will-air-episode-shot-entirely-iphones-ipads/

So if they can film whole TV shows… What can we do? – let’s get out and start filming 😎

Spielberg I am not…

The Exam

Well the exam, and our second trial of an iPad exam, is over and despite stressing all semester the importance of surprise in any meaningful experience…
Anyway the exit interviews saw a degree of positivity (it’s exam ) with a generally favourable response to the use of the technology.

For those that want to relive the excitement of the exam – you can

Memorabilia is also available from our online store.

Well it is time for the marking

Maybe the last word should go to an unnamed student who tweeted me the following mid exam

@200273exp. #struggling

As an update

As promised I would raise the question with exams branch of coffees not being allowed in the exam room and just how distruptive and stressful this was for some students. At least two this morning had to gulp their lattes – obviously not good 😔 – I suggessted that we could maybe modify the exam cover sheet to allow coffee in much the same way as calculators are allowed in some exams. I even tried to appeal to their ‘short arms and deep pockets by suggesting “maybe exams could cost recover by selling coffee in exams 😂”

Again I was surprised by exams response, particularly their caviller and gung ho attitude. Here is what they are looking at – ” We’ve been thinking of coffees, muffins, massages…it’s all about the student experience.” 😂😂😂

It seems that the concept of exams is changing.

That first iPad exam – still talking

On Friday Keith Parry and I gave presentations to the Australian Business Dean’s Council Learning and Teaching Network meeting addressing the UWS Business innovations in Learning and Teaching – Keith on ‘Tweeching’ using Twitter to teach and me The iPad exam. My talk is below.

Looking forward to the second trial of an Internet enabled exam next week.

iPads in the class room

Must be getting old 😔

In the student survey of teaching it asks if your lecturer has facilitated the taking of notes in class? Well today I put up some new overheads that had not been placed on vUWS. An opportunity for note taking you think? Well not quite.

Think it is time to reword the survey question.
Has your lecturer facilitated the taking photos of projected overheads?

That exam!!!!!!!’

Yes we are still talking about “that exam”. It created a little more of a stir than we imagined. Here is the latest update as published in the School’s Friday Flash.

Sharing our stories: innovating assessment with iPads

On Monday, 3 November, Lynnae Rankine-Venaruzzo of the Blended Learning Team and Colin Sheringham presented a workshop virtually to an audience in Istanbul, Turkey. The event was the mlearn2014: 13th World Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning and the workshop shared UWS’ experiences in using iPads in assessment.

In what is believed to be an Australian University first, an internet enabled exam where students could freely use their iPads to respond to exam questions was held at the University in July 2014. Our experience in using iPads in open book exams was a subject of keen interest to participants as the 10 minute allocated discussion time extended beyond 30 minutes. Attendees were interested in how students reacted to being able to bring in a mobile device into a formal exam room, how they used their iPads and what their results were like post examination.

There was some chatter on Twitter during the workshop about the UWS experience and an attendee discovered and shared an interview of Colin and Kate Alley speaking about the iPad exam.
(Video)
Feedback from participants was positive and the conference organiser emailed later advising participants ‘loved the presentation and were impressed with the UWS implementation model’. The convenor also asked if he could come and work at UWS as we are ‘pioneers’ in mobile learning.

If you’d like to know more about the iPad exam, come along to the Designing for Learning Showcase where Kate and Colin are presenting at 10.30am. Register via MyCareerOnline.

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The iPad exam

It seems such a long time ago – that exam. Hard to remember what all the fuss was about. But there was fuss….. It was a first at UWS and apparently Australia wide in the Uni sector.

So what were we thinking when we proposed the trial of an open book exam with internet connection?

Here is your chance to watch a couple of videos and find out ☺️ what the old dinosaurs were thinking.

Interview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu6CMAvTmD8

Presentation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7WoocQUM74

And again thanks to everybody that helped make it happen.

Memorabilia

With that exam experience what were we thinking – or more importantly not thinking?
We should have mixed in a little memorabilia. Made a little money and enhanced the customer experience.

Maybe t shirts, tea spoons or a lovely snow dome.

Is anybody interested in a souvenir exam paper?