I believe that as a leader in educational technology that my goal is to not only continue learning about new technologies but also to inform and teach others about it. I believe that by teaching our students we are teaching the future and with that comes great responsibility. I have the responsibility to teach what I have learned to others including my students. This is one way that I can help make emerging technologies valuable to others and also help to close the digital divide. As I do this I need to keep in mind teaching it equally across the gender, cultural, and socioeconomic arenas. Our future involves technology and that is not going to change. Soloway made a great point when he stated that the “cell phone is the one technology that can close the digital divide in a way that no other technology can” (Soloway, 2009). I happen to agree with him and I look forward to the day when the school system will be handing out smart phones to each and every student to utilize in school. Until that day comes I will continue to strive for technology equality at least within my own classroom.
Reference:
Soloway, E. (n.d.). The digital divide: leveling the playing field. Retrieved from: http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/14936/CRS-WUEDUC8812-3730077/EDUC_8848_PK_Transcript.pdf
When I saw I had to watch a movie for the mod 4 discussion assignment I decided upon the movie I wanted to see and then looked it up online through a free video service. I subscribe to Netflix but I didn’t have the time nor did I want to send any of my movies back in order to obtain total recall. In the video Dr. Thornburg stated that Red Queen is when two competing companies compete against each other which in turn put smaller businesses out of business. A great example of this is when Blockbuster and Hollywood Video opened and all of the “mom and Pop” stores renting videos went under and closed after a while. We can see the same today with the competition between Netflix and Redbox. Netflix gives you movies in the mail with no late fees and no due dates. They also give you streaming video online, and through the Wii and the Xbox gaming systems. The red Box has locations everywhere and the movies are one dollar per night. Both of these companies are competing with each other and I don’t believe that any other company can touch them. There is also a Gaming version of Netflix called gamefly. With both of these options out there it’s no wonder why blockbusters and Hollywood videos are closing right and left. Personally I believe that the VOD is N the stage of obsolete because you can get movies for free online and on top of that Netflix has streaming video included in your monthly fee. Who wants to pay $4.00 per movie when you can pay $16.00/month and get as many movies, and streaming video as you want?! A wave of the future – bringing back bartering/trading. Check out swaptree.com. This site is wonderful! You can trade video games, DVDs, bluray, books, and software… all online with people all over the country. I have traded over 75 items for other items all for the cost of a few stamps! I love saving money! I don’t remember the last time I actually bought a movie, book, or game?!!
References:
Thornburg, D.D. (2008) Emerging technologies and McLuhan's Laws of Media. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornberg Center for Space Exploration.
Second Life can be considered a disruptive technology because it –like so many other technological advances of today- replaces face to face interaction with a virtual world. You create an avatar and in a sense reinvent yourself as a new person in a new life. I personally find this bizarre and it makes me wonder if we are moving towards a world where reality is not really reality. A world much like the movie Surrogates where you stay home and your “surrogate” (your robot look a like or not look alike) goes out and experiences the world for you and you experience through them with a device connected to your brain much like a virtual world. What ever happened to the days of real people and real conversations? I must say that Second Life is profitable for those who are interested. CNN Money interviewed a couple who quit their jobs to do it full time- Click the link to view the video- (http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/03/17/n_real_estates_second_life.cnnmoney/). I believe that Second Life is still an emerging technology and has many years to go before it has been displaced by something else. I also believe that this technology could benefit students who are home bound as virtual classroom and high schools would be beneficial. The following video gives some examples of how Second Life can be beneficial in education.
References:
Thornburg,D. (2009) Evolutionary technology Vodcast: In Laureate Education, Inc. Emerging and future technology.
Mary Ann CLT (2010). Educational Uses for Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOFU9oUF2HA
CNN (2010). Second Life’s Real estate Barons [Video]. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/03/17/n_real_estates_second_life.cnnmoney/
Rosedale, P. (2008) Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.
A rhyme of history that current technology brings back to the surface is texting or e-mailing. I believe that these bring back in some form letter writing. At one time letter writing was the only way to communicate with others far away.. Today we have the modern conveniences of phones but texting has become huge. There is just something about print/text that is appealing as it always has been. Something else along the same lines would be social networking. Both texting and social networking lend themselves to the later days of letter writing. Letter writing informed, kept up to date information, and expressed feelings towards others. Texting and social networking do much of the same and so much more. Not only do you have the print/text aspect in this form of letter writing but you also have the ability to send pictures, videos, sounds, music, and so much more- instantly. We no longer have to wait upon the horse and buggy, the mail barge, or the mail carrier to deliver the words of those close to us. All we need do is turn the phone on or the computer and hit send.
Just one more interesting fact – now you can not only interact with your loved ones but there are social networking sites popping up for your pets, your business relationships, hobbies, interests, and mobile. Social networking sites have exploded and I am curious to see where they go next. I have included several sites below under references.
The Camera has come through many different changes and upgrades through its many years of existence. It has now come to the digital camera. The digital camera enhances access to pictures instantly and allows the taker to view and edit images instantly as they take them. The digital camera obsoletes the need for ‘film-use’ cameras almost completely and many new digital cameras also have the added use of a video camera which negates the need for a separate video capable camera. They are all in one now. The digital camera, in the future, I believe will become smaller and more powerful and will be able to access the internet for storage and e-mailing functions instantly. I also believe that the digital camera retrieves the need for photo albums but in a much easier format.
A current technology that is very new and is emerging that could be very useful in the classroom is the iPad. I have had a chance to work with this piece of technology and the there are great possibilities for the future classroom. This particular piece of technology may not be currently in use in classrooms but it could be very beneficial. Talk about putting the likes of a computer in the hands of every student - and the potential for the use of on the spot technology and applications would be literally at your finger tips. The iPad connects to the web “via high-speed 802.11n Wi-Fi. And when you’re away from a Wi-Fi network, you can surf from just about anywhere with optional 3G networking” (http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/safari.html. With more and more schools going wireless the iPad would work well and the 3G capability could be tapped into for field trips.
One problem or challenge that comes along with this technology is the price tag. The iPad starts at $499.00 at the lowest and goes up from there. I can see this being a problem for many schools especially since the ‘netbook’ is on the rise and as stated by Dr. Thornburg - “these devices not only reduce power consumption, they are also quite inexpensive – typically less than $300 per unit” (Thornburg, 2009, p. 2). One other issue that might be a problem would be users who are not familiar with Mac applications such as iWork, Keynote, Pages, and Numbers.
I believe that the need it meets is one of wireless accessibility and “right here, right now technology” (Thornburg, 2009, p.8). There are many benefits associated with this and the greatest in my opinion is the ability to put the power of the web and applications such as those mentioned earlier in your hand anywhere you go weather that is on the bus, in the car, on a field trip, or on the family vacation over spring break.
I think that applications that are PC oriented (e.g. word, power point, publisher, excel…) would make this technology even better and accessible to more people. This may already be possible as I know Microsoft has a Mac version of these software products… I’m just not sure that they are available for the iPad. Something else that I believe would make the technology even better is a lower price through competition. This is already in the making as there is talk of a “Google Android Tablet” in the making (Raphael, 2010). This could give the iPad some competition and lower the cost.
Check out the video below to see what is available for educational purposes using the iPad.
When I was teaching Kindergarten in the Private school a few years ago I tried to get another teacher on board with using technology in her classroom and also to complete her lesson plans. This teacher did not like technology and refused to change the way she did things. She thought she was just fine with out any of it so why change now. She refused to even try it at all in her classroom. She didn’t want anything to do with it. She had a very negative attitude towards technology and virtually everything else. With regards to Keller’s ARCS model, I could have designed a motivational strategy that could have generated satisfaction for using the technology in her classroom. A training session where the uses of the technology in the classroom were highlighted may have peaked interest and created a path for motivation. Being able to see the technology and how it would enhance something that she already does in her classroom could have created an inlet for satisfaction and a wanting to learn more about it. As stated by Driscoll, “People can harbor beliefs about their capabilities, or lack thereof, that bear no relation to their actual ability to perform some task” (Driscoll, p. 317, 2005). Allowing the teacher to see what could be done with the technology and then guiding her in the use of it could change her mind set towards it. Sometimes the birds need to be pushed out of the nest and I believe that is what it would have taken for this teacher.
Reference:
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
When ever I am learning something new or I have a question about something I will go to the internet and search for the information that I am seeking. I will utilize Google, Google scholar, you tube, teacher tube, and the Walden Online Library. Through my degrees at Walden I have learned to utilize several tools that help me to collaborate and facilitate my learning. These tools include wikis, Skype, Blogs, and EDU 2.0 amongst others. These tools help me on my learning journey and they are very convenient and easy to use. Over the years as I have added more and more digital items to my network it has changed the way I think and the way I learn as well. I no longer have just a few options at my finger tips but an endless amount to pull from. It has changed the way I think and that has changed the way I learn.
****************** I REPEAT MYSELF ******************
**** I POSTED TO CAROL LEE & CHARITY MORAN'S BLOGS. THE URLS ARE BELOW: ****
I believe that humans have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group”. You can see it in just about every profession out there. There are prime examples in business and education when groups of people need to collaborate to get something accomplished. There is a need to pick other’s brains to come up with the best idea possible to get the job done. Rheinhold stated that people have been working together for a very long time and have had to work together in groups in order to get the job done (Rheinhold, 2008). For example hunters and gatherers had to work together when taking down a huge animal for the tribe. People have an innate need to work together, live together, and socialize together - it’s biblical. Really we have seen the constructivist theory at work for a very long time when it comes to communication and collaboration among groups of people - as the commercial says “So Easy a Caveman can do it” and they were within their familial units. Technology can facilitate collaboration in so many ways. I my self have utilized web-quests in the classroom with groups of about 3 - 4 students each depending upon the assignment. Students love being able to utilize technology to learn and collaborate with each other. I have also utilized e-mail with our Flat Stanley projects and collaboration is instant with partner classrooms in the project. Collaboration and technology go hand in hand and with the onset on social networking sites, texting, and wiki usage, there really is no separating the two of them.
Reference:
Rheingold, Howard. (2008). Way-New collaboration. Retrieved April 14, 2010 at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html
I agree with both Kerr and Kapp in that we need to use parts of each learning theory. As I stated in my last post I believe that a melting pot learning theory is needed when it comes to teaching and learning. Depending upon the student and their needs you may need to use several aspects of different learning theories. Kapp Stated that “We need to take pieces from each school of thought and apply it effectively because…Cognitivism doesn’t explain 100% how humans process information and neither does Constructivism or Behaviorism” (Kapp, 2007). You really do need to utilize parts of them all in order to really make a difference in each and every student’s life. We all learn differently and because no 2 people are a like a melting pot learning theory is the best way to address everyone’s needs at once. Being able to pick and choose what best fits each student is what is going to make the difference when it comes to getting our students to be successful at learning.
References:
Kapp, K. (2007, January 2). Out and about: Discussion on educational schools of thought. Retrieved from http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational.html
Kerr, B. (2007, January 1). _isms as filter, not blinker. Retrieved from http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filters-not-blinker.html
I believe that people learn best when they are fully engaged.This would include cognitive skills, behavioral skills, and sensory skills and so on…Each person is different and each persons needs are different. So in the words of George Siemens, “How do we design learning when learners may adopt multiple paths and approaches to content and curriculum” (Siemens, 2008, p. 1). I believe that you need- not just one learning theory- but an array of learning theories.People learn best by, what I like to call, the melting pot learning theory.This learning theory incorporates the best of them all.Depending upon the student or what it is you want them to learn you may need to utilize more of a behaviorist approach and other times you may need to go with a more cognitive approach to their learning.I believe in being flexible and I think that the more flexible you are as an educator the better you will be.Being able to go with the flow and changing your approach to learning is better than going against it and sticking with your chosen learning theory that may not necessarily work with the chosen student.
The purpose of learning theory in educational technology is to help determine the needs of the learner and what application or technology would most benefit the learner. For example, if you have a student who is more of a visual learner and really responds well to positive reinforcement then a learning game on the computer where graphics come into play and positive reinforcement is given would be great! This technology would inform the student of a job well done or could correct them when they have gotten the wrong answer. This would be a great way to integrate educational technology based upon the way they learn best or in essence learning theories.
Reference:
Siemens, G. (2008, January 27). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. Paper presented to ITFORUM. Retrieved March 17, 2010 from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper105/Siemens.pdf
