We discuss the trends and issues we observed during the weeks of February 29-March 13 as we flipped resources into our Flipboard magazine (http://bit.ly/trendsandissues). We have four trends that we discuss: two major trends and two emerging trends. Virtual Reality continues to be a trend. The focus for the past two weeks with VR has been on the language of design of VR experiences. The second trend was online learning. A focus was on LMS issues and discussions of major university systems use of specific LMSs. The two emerging trends were OER and digital literacy. OER continues to make the news with educational institutions determining what role OER will take. The focus on digital literacy is on the need for students to know how to use technology and how to use it appropriately.

We have four recommended readings.

Academia Tackle Storytelling in Virtual Reality by D. Frank Smith http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2016/02/academia-tackles-storytelling-virtual-reality
Virtual Reality will be Stuck in Limbo Until it gets Its Own Language by Manick Bhan http://venturebeat.com/2016/03/06/virtual-reality-will-be-stuck-in-limbo-until-it-gets-its-own-language/
What's the State of OER and Where Do We Go Next? by Tara Mathewson http://www.educationdive.com/news/whats-the-state-of-oer-and-where-do-we-go-next/415429/
The End of 'Just Google It": Why Students need to be Digitally Literate by Jennifer Wilson http://www.innovatemyschool.com/ideas/item/1558-the-end-of-

To cite the Trends & Issues podcast:

Brown, A. & Green, T. (Producers). (2016, March 14). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design, Educational Technology, and Learning Sciences [Audio Podcast]. Retrieved from http://trendsandissues.com/

Our next podcast episode will be March 28, 2016