CIDDL Technology Gift List
Author: Samantha Goldman; info@ciddl.org
With the winter holidays coming to an end, CIDDL’s Principal Investigators, staff, and doctoral students put together a list of “must have '' items that stood out this holiday season for the tech and innovation lover in your life. And, we won’t judge if you gift them all to yourself.
For the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Aficionado
Dr. James Basham, CIDDL’s Principal Investigator, has a subscription to Anyword on his list. This AI writer can write product descriptions, social media posts, blog posts, emails, and even paraphrase. There is a lot of talk about how AI can and is changing how we write and teach writing. Edweek recently shared a post about the “AI Bill of Rights”, where they outlined the five principles of the bill.
- Protection from unsafe and ineffective systems
- Be free from discrimination by algorithms
- Protection from abusive data practices
- Be aware that an automotive system is used
- Be able to opt-out
For the Virtual Reality (VR) Explorer
Dr. Sean Smith, a co-principal investigator of CIDDL, is always looking to add VR experiences to his list. VR provides opportunities to explore places near and far, such as Mars and museums, and has a research base supporting its use in education. His current project, VOISS, uses VR technology to teach social skills. Check out this Cizzle he did with his son Nolan where they made chicken fingers and explored how VOISS impacts social skill development by providing a safe place to practice.
For the World Traveler
Cheryl Lemke, lead evaluator for CIDDL and president and CEO of the Metiri Group recommends getting anti-motion sickness glasses. There are several different options available on popular market sites like amazon. These are great for family winter break trips and even future field trips.
For the Smart Home Lover
Michelle Patterson, a doctoral scholar at the University of Central Florida, recommends a home assistant-controlled thermostat. Beyond being able to control the room's temperature with your voice, these devices have some fantastic capabilities to support parents with providing feedback to their children, as Dr. Richard Allen Carter shared in his Cizzle last year.
For the On-the-Go Worker
Nicholas J. Hoekstra, a doctoral scholar at the University of Kansas, has wireless noise-canceling headphones on his list. He loves how they help him focus and block out the excess noise. Research supports the use of these headphones for students in the classroom, however, there is not enough for it to be considered an evidence-based practice, yet.
Gathering people who live spread out during the holidays can be a challenge. But, thanks to video platform technologies like Zoom and Google Meets, your host can still shine in party planning. Consider adding Elfster, a free gift exchange site that does all the organizing for you, or virtual games like Code Names and Scattegories to keep the party going.
What’s on Your List?
Head over to our community and share the gifts on your list that focus on lovers of technology and innovation. We would love to add your suggestions to our list!