Author: Ruth Wylie

Ruth Wylie is a postdoctoral scholar in the Learning Sciences Institute at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on the design and evaluation of educational technologies that facilitate student learning, help teachers in the classroom and provide insight into how students learn. She earned her PhD from the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.

Features of the Future Digital Textbook

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In lieu of writing, we drew things…

Overview

Overview

Intro to learning node: in this case a class on Shakespeare

Intro to learning node: in this case a class on Shakespeare

Provides historical context. Features include chat, place for notes, student directed content (student can choose which area(s) to explore)

Provides historical context. Features include chat, place for notes, student directed content (student can choose which area(s) to explore)

The play. Features include chat, video, AI scaffolding

The play. Features include chat, video, AI scaffolding

One of 3 cognitive engagement activities: Here, students watch the scene they just read.

One of 3 cognitive engagement activities: Here, students watch the scene they just read.

One of 3 cognitive engagement activities: Here, students discuss the scene with their peers.

One of 3 cognitive engagement activities: Here, students discuss the scene with their peers.

One of 3 cognitive engagement activities: Here, students write an essay about the scene they just read.

One of 3 cognitive engagement activities: Here, students write an essay about the scene they just read.

One of three assessment activities: writing assignment

One of three assessment activities: writing assignment

One of 3 assessment activities: Students do a performance

One of 3 assessment activities: Students do a performance

One of 3 assessment activities: Students do a creative writing activity

One of 3 assessment activities: Students do a creative writing activity

Finished product

Finished product

Choose Your Adventure: Ada’s Education

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7:42 pm. It had been a long day, but Ada arrived at the learning pod and exchanged nods with the other knowledge consumers who also preferred the evening shift. Today was a big day. While she normally preferred to study while commuting from Georgetown, Ada chose to come into the pod so she could attempt to level up without distracting the other commuters. Two weeks before, Ada had been notified that she was eligible to demonstrate the learning objectives for L3 Shakespeare, especially good timing because she was planning a trip to Stratford the following week and was hoping to visit the sites reserved for L3s and above.

She grabbed a charged SmartSpace by door, found an open seat on the couch, adjusted the level of ambient noise on her SmartEars to medium, and used SmartEyes to navigate to her learning space through a series of eye movements. Once in the space, she began by reviewing the work from her L2 students. She watched a video of a virtual chat recorded a few hours earlier and annotated it with comments, indicating both when she agreed and disagreed with the iModerator. She was grateful that the system generated transcripts and translations because while she had her L6 Chinese badge, she was just starting her L2 Spanish badge and would have had difficulty following Nina’s contributions. Before switching to her next task, she made individual notes in each of her ten apprentice’s files and reviewed the comments from the other L3 knowledge leaders to see if she agreed or had anything else to add.

At 7:55, her SmartEars chimed, indicating that her review was about to begin. When she signed up for her L3 badge she elected to demonstrate mastery through discussion, so she was soon joined by three L4 knowledge consumers who began evaluating her understanding by asking questions about the papers she had submitted and reviewing footage of cohort discussions. Ada hoped that Chris wouldn’t be on the panel, but knew that she had no control over the matter: panels were convened through a random selection of L4s who happened to be on-call at the time.

If you want Chris to be on Ada’s panel, turn to page 63.
If you don’t want Chris to be on Ada’s panel, turn to page 72.