Mod 4: Second Life - Beneficial?

Mod 4: Second Life Beneficial?



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.

Mod 3 - Rhymes in History

-Modern Letter Writing-


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.


Sherry


References:

http://www.socialgo.com/

http://webtrends.about.com/od/socialnetworking/u/list-of-social-networks-guide.htm

http://mashable.com/2007/10/23/social-networking-god/

http://socialnetwork.com/

http://facebook.com

http://myspace.com

Mod 2: Tetrads

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.