Red Queens and Increasing Returns

Science fiction is a great resource for emerging technology. Several novels by Philip K. Dick have provided the basis for movies and technology. A couple of weeks ago I chose to watch Total Recall with Arnold Schwarzenegger as the basis for another assignment. How did I watch the movie? Did I go to the video store? Did I download it? Did I purchase the DVD? I have to admit, I went to the video store and I ended up watching Total Recall because the video store did not have any of the other movies on the list. Was Total Recall my first choice? No. But it is a good classic SciFi movie that I enjoyed watching with my husband and son. It was Henry’s first time seeing it and he really liked all the blood and guts (gotta love those 10 year olds J). I did not stream the movie because I actually do not have a membership to Netflix or any other video-on-demand service. I do not have time very often to sit down and watch a movie so I cannot justify the cost.

The competition between DVD’s and video-on-demand is an example of increasing returns. Video-on-demand started somewhat later than DVD’s but has grown quickly as more people have connected in more ways to the Internet via faster connections. Video rental stores, especially independent video rental stores have had to find a niche to continue to attract customers, and large video rental stores are investing in online streaming to continue to boost their sales (Overfelt, 2009). Video companies like Netflix and Blcokbuster provide both DVD’s and streaming to reach a larger market share of movie customers.

McLuhan’s Tetrad for DVD’s and video-on-demand:

Enhances: Family time – provides opportunity for family to watch a movie together without high cost of the movie theatre	Obsoletes: VHS video tapes
Rekindles: Reflects the progression of books throughout history – from a rare commodity to a common item most people own	Reverses: Movies presented in a virtual environment where viewer feels more a part of the movie

Overfelt, M. (2009, March 06). The last movie store left standing. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2009/03/06/smallbusiness/last_movie_rental_stores.smb/index.htm.

Rhymes of History - Autopilot Automobiles

 Safety features of cars have improved over the years, to the point that some of these features are performing various driving functions (Wilson, 2009). Volkswagen launched its new temporary autopilot that will control the car at speeds up to 80mph (Boyle, 2011). The driver can at anytime override the autopilot. It is not recommended the driver participate in other activities while the autopilot is engaged, just in case. A fully automated automobile could provide drivers, especially the physically challenged, with a freedom we have not experienced since the invention of automobiles.  As someone who is in the car for at least 100 miles per day (most days) I cannot wait for this technology to be readily available. For years I have dreamed about what I could do while the car is driving me to my destination.

The autopilot car rekindles the days of the horse as the major form of transportation. A well trained horse could get you and itself home without a lot of direction. Imagine the things you could do sitting on the back of a horse.  

Boyle, R. (2011, June). Volkswagen debuts self-driving ‘temporary auto-pilot’ for new cars. Retrieved from http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2011-06/volkswagen-debuts-self-driving-temporary-autopilot-new-cars

Wilson, D.H. (2009). Cars are approaching ‘auto’ pilot mode. Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33591971/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/t/cars-are-approaching-auto-pilot-mode/

Emerging Technologies Tetrad

Bluetooth technology transfers data between two devices that are near each other. Bluetooth is used in low bandwidth situations (Bluetooth.com, 2011). Bluetooth is currently the global standard for simple connectivity between wireless devices (Bluetooth.com, 2011). Bluetooth and wireless technology are similar, Bluetooth is used with wireless technology in close proximity situations and wifi is used in larger areas with equipment that is considered “stationery”.

Bluetooth.com. (2011, August 8). Panasonic, samsung, sony  and XPAND choose Bluetooth technology to standardize active 3D glasses. Kirkland, WA. http://www.bluetooth.com/Pages/Press-Releases-Detail.aspx?ItemID=135

Websites to check out for info on Bluetooth:

https://www.bluetooth.org/apps/content/

www.bluetooth.com

Emerging Technology in Educational Technology

Technology is rapidly changing. Products move onto the market very quickly. Educational technology is changing to meet the needs of millennial students. Dr. Thornburg (2009) discusses how new tools really are old tools that have changed over the years to meet new needs. Speech to text software is one of those tools. Initially this software was seen only as a tool for the disabled. Recently speech to text software has seen increased usage in the education environment. Windows 7 includes it as an easy to use accessory; there are also external software packages like Dragon. Speech to text software has been available for quite a while but only recently has developed into a tool that can be easily used.

Speech to text software has become more prevalent in schools. Students who have trouble handwriting their assignments are able to use speech to text software to complete those assignments as easily as other students. As with any tool there are some problems with it. Speech to text software can be difficult to use when in a noisy environment. Have you been in a classroom lately? They are not the quiet tombs they used to be, so the student must go to a quiet environment to “write” the assignment. Even if the classroom happens to be quiet, it is quite obvious what you are “writing” when everyone can hear you. That may even be disturbing to other students. As my son pointed out the other day, he uses technology to be the same as the other students in his class, but when he uses speech to text it points out his difference. Another problem is the learning curve. It does take time and some dedication to train the software to recognize a user’s voice and I have noticed that sometimes the Windows 7 tool just gets bogged down and cannot keep up with the speaker.

How students learn is changing. Speech to text software allows students to participate with classmates on grade level appropriate materials without being confined by their handwriting/typing ability.  Accommodations of this type have not typically been used as a solution for students who qualify as learning disabled.

Dragon can be found at http://nuance.com/for-individuals/by-product/dragon-for-pc/index.htm. Speech to text is an accessory on Windows 7 and can be accessed on Windows XP. To access it on Windows XP try out these instructions,  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306901.

Thornburg, D.D. (2009). Current trends in educational technology. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

Digital Games Video Link

Here is the link to my video. Check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks

http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=242929&title=Digital_Games

This link does work now.

Moving Toward Dynamic Technologies

I believe I am just above the halfway point on the “static-dynamic continuum.” I like to try new things with students and get their reactions and I like to work with teachers to push them out of their comfort zone. To be able to push others I feel I need to push myself also. I am not as far on the continuum as I would like to be but I keep working toward the goal. Moller (2008) talks about how ”a deeper understanding of the content is achieved” (p1) when dynamic technologies are used. One of my goals for students is increasing their understanding of the course content. If using dynamic tools will help them toward that goal then as an educator I need to vett the tool and experiment for its best usage.

Moller, L. (2008). Static and dynamic technologies. Laureate Education, pp. 1-2.

Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools

Palloff and Pratt (2007) comment that students who use technology in their personal lives may not be equipped to use it academically.  While teaching computers at the high school freshman level parents would often comment they expected their student to do well in the class because that student spends quite a bit of time on computers. More often I find that student is equipped to use the computer for personal use but in a structured academic environment not nearly as successful. Students have the technological skills to use and learn these tools but many are not able to transfer those skills to an academic purpose. Students need guidance to learn to use those tools in a way that will benefit them academically and in their future career.

Online learning is more accepted than it was even five years ago. The technology tools have been advancing at an exponential rate. I think the real key for an online institution and/or online instructor is to look at any new technology and think about how that can be used in their classroom. Actually this is quite the same thing teachers have been doing since the beginning of organized education. It is about experimentation and trial and error and in the greatest educational tradition, watching what others are doing and copy it if it works.

Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (2007) Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Assessing Collaborative Efforts

Since our educational system is individualistic in nature it is difficult to grade students collaboratively. George Siemens (Laureate Education, 2008) discussed a three pronged assessment model for a collaborative learning environment. Of the three prongs the one that causes the greatest concern for me is peer assessment, not because I think it is unfair, rather because most students do not know how to assess their peers. Our individualistic educational system does not value peer assessment and as a result our students do not know how to assess their peers. When asked to perform a peer assessment they let their personal feelings about the other student color their assessment or feel they cannot say “anything bad” so give the other person fluff. I do think peer assessment is a valuable part of assessment in a collaborative environment but we need to help our students understand how powerful critique is and how best to complete it.

Networking and collaboration in a learning community is important for the growth of all students. A collaborative environment relies on each person working toward the common goal. The instructor is responsible for facilitating the learning community; students also have the responsibility to make the learning community happen (Palloff & Pratt, 2007).  When someone does not contribute it affects the other students. When students do not contribute, the role of the instructor would depend on the academic level of the students. Younger students will need more contact and guidance from the instructor to get back on track. Older students should be able to contact the group again on their own, however, in some situations the instructor may need to intervene if the disassociation continues over an extended time period.

Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Assessment of Collaborative Learning [Video program]. Available from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5260640&Survey=1&47=7338982&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Storyboard

I'm sorry I'm so late getting this posted. The past couple of weeks have been completely overwhelming. I hope to be back full time now. Anyway I am posting my storyboard, it is not finished but at least is a start at this point.

Try this link:             https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B3OUHuBqgO2WMWY3NDdjYzUtMGEzNy00MjJkLTk2YTgtYWE0MTg0NWVlZDlk&hl=en_US

Distance Education Evolution

Huett, Moller, Foshay, and Coleman (2008) believe distance education needs to evolve to be relevant in the training and education fields. Distance education is in danger of not transitioning to the truly powerful tool it shows the potential to be. Simonson (2008a) states the usage of distance education will grow but it will not change radically from its current form. This comment leads me to believe Simonson is not a concerned about the quality of the design of the course rather more about the equivalency. If the course is equivalent the design will take care of itself.  Huett et al. (2008) state the importance of instructional design for distance education. Currently distance education suffers from too many “experts”, the common thought is that anyone who knows about computers and education can easily design a distance education class. Well they can easily design a course the question is whether it will be successful. Will it meet the desired outcomes?

Both Huett et al. (2008) and Simonson (2008b) discuss the concept of equivalency between face to face education and distance education. Both believe for distance education to be equivalent it must be different from face to face instruction. Simply videotaping face to face instruction and posting it in a distance education classroom is not equal instruction (Simonson, 2008b). The distance education classroom must use the same outcomes as the traditional classroom but to support the distance education students the materials need to be presented in a manner that is enhanced by the available technology, not a simple regurgitation of what has already been done (Simonson, 2008b).

Until Simonson’s Theory of Equivalency (2008b) I had not thought about the effectiveness of materials posted in an online class. As many other people I operated under the misconception that if it works in a face to face classroom then it will work online. This makes me think about the materials I place the online classroom for the hybridized class I teach.

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W.R., & Coleman, C. (2008). Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (part 3). Tech Trends, 52(5), 63-67.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008a). Distance education: The next generation [Video program]. Available from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5260640&Survey=1&47=7338982&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008b). Equivalency Theory [Video program]. Available from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5260640&Survey=1&47=7338982&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1