Mod 6 - Digital Divide

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

Red Queens and Increasing Returns

- Mod 5 Blog post -

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.