EDUC 7108 - Disruptive, Second Life Technologies

          A disruptive technology completely changes a tech market by making an existing technology become obsolete. Second life, or virtual reality worlds, have become disruptive technologies within the education field because they are allowing students to become involved in communal scenarios without being “physically present” (Nuthall, 2008).  Given the new ability for students to interact virtually, second life worlds begin to displace the need for learning in a traditional classroom setting. Nuthall (2008) points out that while second life may not be the best venue for a traditional lecture to take place, a “Powerpoint” would be quite conducive to be shown in a second life “theater.” Second life, however has some time before learning institutions, especially those in higher education, embrace second life for complete learning purposes. Second life could possibly become more readily available in classrooms by 2020 whereby many schools will more thank likely have 1:1 computer technology programs enabling all students to access the internet at home and at school. In the long run, second life might be overtaken by 3-D experiences that incorporate more marketing and Disney-like experiences that provide more thrill (McConnon & Reena, 2007).  Overall the social benefits of second life allow for global connections to be built as an enhancement of classroom learning. A drawback to learning within a second life environment has more to do with privacy than anything else. K-12 environments embracing second life will have to make parents feel comfortable about using this public platform for learning.

References: 

McConnon, A. & Reena, J. (2007, June 10). Beyond second life. Bloomberg Business. Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2007-06-10/beyond-second-life

Nuthall, K. (2008, January 20). US: a disruptive technology arrives. University World News. Retrieved from http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20080117162121373

I have posted to the following blogs:
http://coachwill97.weebly.com

https://educ7108krobertson.wordpress.com

EDUC 7105 - Connectivist Networks

EDUC 7105 - Technological Collaboration and Constructivism

Howard Rheingold’s assertion that humans possess an instinctive need to “interact and work as a group” holds some value in thinking about trend patterns around the evolution of human communication. The essence of Rheingold’s analysis, however, seems to highlight constructivist themes around collaboration and exploration. Therefore, in thinking about Rheingold’s broader impacts on educational technology, it then becomes important for educators to understand the value of social media or other collaborative tools within the educational process.

Social media usage within classrooms remains controversial, and often conflict with internet usage rules found in many school districts across America that prohibit social media access during the school day. Yet, and still, social media serves as a primary platform for communication and newsgathering. A 2012 Pew Poll found that nearly one-third of teen communication came from social media usage  (Grandoni, 2012). Social media use could be quite powerful in the classroom and could further by discussing online in a Twitter platform or garner resources from people across the globe using Wikipedia (Brannan, 2014). Collaborative tools are readily available through, often free, programming online. The educational value of collaboration, especially in an online forum, remains to be an effective way to learn.

References:

Brannan, F. (2014, July 30). Pros and cons of social media usage for students. EdTech

Review. Retrieved from http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/1402-pros-and-cons-of-social-media-usage-for-students

Grandoni, D. (2012, July 18). Texting dominates as teens and young adults make fewer

calls. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/

07/18/texting-phone-calls_n_1683756.html

Rheingold, H. (2008, February). Howard Rheingold on collaboration [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html

I responded to the following blogs:

http://kietzeroweds.wikispaces.com/EDUC
http://isaacu.blogspot.com

EDUC 7108 - Technological Rhymes of History

Technological "rhymes of the history," according to Dr. Thornburg, exists through forms of technology that are currently in use, and "rekindle" thoughts of technological advancements/devices that have existed in the past (Laureate, 2009). Theses types of deja vu experiences are only evidenced by changes that have occurred through technological advancements. Thornburg, in his "rhymes of history" commentary, suggests that the "affects" of current technologies never really depart from old forms of technology, but create better experiences with technology. An example of this would SMARTboard technologies. SMARTboard replaces the use of the traditional chalkboard, but creates a computer-generated, visually interactive learning experience. SMARTboards build upon a similar experience that students had from the traditional chalk and board classroom settings. The SMARTboard even lessen the need for dependance on a class computer. Internet access comes directly through this technology and makes classroom lessons more "creative" (Mossien, 2015). As educational technology continues to enhance learning experiences across the globe the need for visual, more interactive remains to be an essential learning strategy. Kevin Kelly, asserts that technology increases choice, which in turn breeds creativity and innovation (Sirius, 2011). Therefore, as students and teachers make choices around their learning the need for greater technology exists and spurs a constant movement toward change and enhancement.

References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Emerging and future technology: Rhymes of history. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Mossien, Kayla. (2015). Goodbye black board, hello SMART board. Retrieved from http://www.parentguidenews.com/Articles/GoodbyeBlackboardHelloSmartBoard

Sirius, R. U. (2011, January 19). What technology wants. what Kevin says. an interview with Kevin Kelly. Retrieved from http://hplusmagazine.com/2011/01/19/what-technology-wants-what-kevin-kelly-says-interview-kevin-kelly/

I have posted to the following blogs:
http://coachwill97.weebly.com

https://emergingtechnologywithwiggins.wordpress.com

EDUC 7108 - Obsolete/Replacement Technologies for Research

Obsolete Technology: Textbook Tetrad
Enhancements: Course text information located in one source Text combined with pictures Text is portable	Obsolescence: Print text lessened reliance on an orator Use of several smaller texts
Retrieval: Textbooks combine individual documents and important text	Reversal: Bulky Easily damaged or lost Textbook updates requires the purchase of a new textbook

Replacement: Online Textbooks
Enhancements: Paperless textbook Students can access all curriculum kit features Access to textbook anywhere/anytime	Obsolescence: Physical textbook Textbook related reproducibles Textbook damage/lost fees
Retrieval: Textbooks Class notes Supplemental class text documents Internet	Reversal: Time spent online Time spent in-front of a screen Internet loss

Interviews with school officials are being scheduled for the week of April 7th.