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Module 6: Addressing the Digital Divide

It is important that the debates continue on technology developments…that it touches on some fundamental issues and questions in learning practice. A central issue is the role of both the learner and their community in the development of knowledge and understanding of technology.  Many technology tools promote active, participatory and collaborative knowledge building. As educators of technology we need to understand how effective those approaches are and what the implications are for education, education professionals, and most importantly…the learner. 

The adoption of social software tools, techniques and ideas will be the most important and visible example of the use of emerging technology in education over the next few years; but it is the social affordances, not the technology itself that is really new and exciting.  Young people are often operating within entirely new online social contexts that provide alternative spaces in which to explore, interact and learn new skills, such as massively multiplayer online games, online social networking sites, blog networks, wikis and online groups. As Danah Boyd suggests, there are many positives to take from the way young people are using these spaces, and so it makes sense to engage with them and embrace online social networking and social tools within education. Wikis and online games are already being used as places in which new forms of learning and skill development can take place (http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts).

Through networked cultures young people are learning from peers in more direct ways. They are exposed to and challenged to think about, power and the importance of different cultural practices. Young people are using digital spaces to explore identity, their place in the world, and their understanding of how society and culture works. Yet adults do not fully understand the more deeply complex functions of these spaces, what they mean for young people’s sense of agency, what kinds of cultures they are consuming and learning through, and what impact this has on their life chances. Those who excel in a networked world are those who know how to use their networked communities and connections to get at knowledge, take action or communicate at any given moment and context (Jenkins, 2006).

To meet these challenges, certain conditions have to evolve. To Leadbeater(2006), it requires a cultural rather than physical rebuilding of schools to capture collaborative creativity.  He states:  “Schools are factories for learning in an age when we need agility and self-motivation. Learning beyond the school, using new technologies and tools, will become as important as learning at school. Imagine an education system for the generation that grew up with eBay and Google, MySpace and Wikipedia: participative, personalized, collaborative, and always available. (Leadbeater, 2006)

For this to happen, new media literacy should be social skills and part of a wider citizenship toolkit for a digital era.  The challenge that precedes that is how educators can be supported to approach new digital social contexts and cultures in a way that does not add extra pressure to an already challenging and under-resourced job.  Learning technology that promotes autonomy, encourages diversity, and enables interaction and supports openness will, in the main, be more effective than technology that does not. And thus we will see learning technology evolve from the approach defined by the learning management system to the idea that is the personal learning environment.  To use the twenty-first century’s rapidly emerging technology effectively for education, we must invent best practices together. In an era whose often unbelievable technological changes we are all struggling with, the mantra – for both educators and students -- must be this:  “We are all learners…We are all teachers”. Marc Prensky- 2006

Reference:

Boyd, D. (2010).  Zephoria Thoughts. (http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts).

Jenkins, H, (2006), Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, New York University Press

Leadbeater, C, (2006), ‘The Ten Habits of Innovation’, Provocation paper 01, Nesta, 1 Plough Place, London EC4A 1DE

Prensky, M. (2006).  Don’t Bother Me, Mom, I’m Learning (Paragon House, 2006). More of his writings can be found at www.marcprensky.com/writing/default.asp

Module 5: Increasing Returns and Red Queens

Module 5: Increasing Returns and Red Queens

• When you decided to obtain a DVD for your science fiction assignment in Module 4, where did you go to find a movie based on a Philip K. Dick book?

When I “rented” the movie “Minority Report” I obtained it from my husband’s library.  He is very expensive and protective!  I was happy to return it unscratched and whole!

• Is the current competition between DVDs and video on demand an example of increasing returns or Red Queens?

I really feel that this competition is a Red Queen.  Thornburg (2008) describes a Red Queen as technologies competing for a piece of the consumer market – both equally competitive for consumer dollars. When considering the DVD and video on demand market they are (in my opinion) technologies that are equally competing for consumer dollars. 

·   Where do you think DVDs and video on demand are on the four criteria of McLuhan’s tetrad?

Enhances: DVD’s enhances the quality of home movies…allowing us the opportunity to watch and store our videos more conveniently with clear pictures.	Obsoletes: It took away our reliance on VHS tapes to watch movies.
Retrieves/rekindles: Thinking of the past…the reel-to-reel was the main source of movie watching.  It was bulky and cumbersome…but it was what we had!	Reverses: Thinking of the future…video on demand has come to the forefront.  The future demand in on instant gratification!  Watching from your audio internet devices.

Reference:

Thornburg, D. (2008). Red Queens, butterflies, and strange attractors; Imperfect lenses into emergent technologies. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

Module 4: The Disruptive Power of Second Life

Bower and Christensen (1995), describe a disruptive innovation as an innovation that disrupts an existing market. The term is used in technology to describe innovations that improve a product or service in ways that the market does not expect.  Disruptive Technologies are new technology that has a serious impact on the status quo and changes the way people have been dealing with something, perhaps for decades (Bower and Christensen, 1995).  

Second-life-virtual-experience  (link)

Second Life (abbreviated as SL) is an Internet-based virtual world launched in 2003, developed by Linden Research, Inc (commonly referred to as Linden Lab), which came to international attention via mainstream news media in late 2006 and early 2007 (Sege, 2006).   A downloadable client program called the Second Life Viewer enables its users, called "Residents", to interact with each other through motional avatars, providing an advanced level of a social network service. An avatar is a computer user's representation of himself/herself or alter ego whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games,or a two-dimensional icon (picture) used on Internet forums and other communities (Blackwood, 2006).    

How is Second Life a disruptive technology?

I feel that Second Life is a disruptive technology in that it “…improved a product or service in ways that the market did not expect.”  In our 21st century world where technology is virtual, the creation of Second Life may seem to some as the logical next step. After all, technological developments of recent years have not only simplified life, but utterly transformed it, changing the way we work, communicate, apply for jobs, entertain ourselves and even socialize.

What technology or innovation did it displace? 

Second Life seemed to team with social networks and made virtual creativity a free possibility. Complete with avatars and replicas, filled with artwork, Second Life seeks to go one step beyond technology and into the treacherous world of virtual reality. In Second Life, one can enjoy most of life's pleasures – virtually, of course. Avatars can read, socialize, listen to music, go for walks, etc.  Students can use Second Life for creative projects, or for study groups and library research help. Professors can stream lectures from their very own virtual classrooms in Second Life.

How many years do you think Second Life has left before another emerging technology or disruptive technology replaces it? 

I think it is already here...

Technology that will replace SL = croquet
 
http://www.beatenetworks.com/blog/index.php?/archives/478-The-Technology-That-Will-Replace-Second-Life.html

Croquet is a new open source software platform for creating deeply collaborative multi-user online applications. It features a network architecture that supports communication, collaboration, resource sharing, and synchronous computation among multiple users. Using Croquet, software developers can create powerful and highly collaborative multi-user 2D and 3D applications and simulations. http://atsosxdev.doit.wisc.edu/croquet2/newsroom.html

What are the social benefits of Second Life, and what might be the social implications of virtual worlds in your industry? 

Undoubtedly, Second Life can (and does) offer a slew of educational benefits and conveniences to students, professors and administrators alike. Critics of social networking sites worry that the Internet has negatively affected our generation's ability to interact socially.  Second life technology has great power to distance you from human interaction.

Module 3: Ryhmes of History Technology

• With these thoughts in mind, find an example of a technology that represents a rhyme of history.

The new technological advancements in music listening devices – like the MP3 player.

• What does that technology rekindle or retrieve from the past that is a recurring theme of history?

I think the use of MP3 player rekindles the love that humans have for music.  Music has been with us as long as we can collectively remember. Musical instruments have been found dating back tens of thousands of years. Music was an important feature in Ancient Greece (BC) and continues to be an important feature today. (http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/grmu/hd_grmu.htm)

Ancient Greece

The ancient Greeks had a special place for music in their culture. It was commonly believed that music nurtured a man's relationship with the Gods. In fact, many ancient Greek myths included musical instruments, especially the lyre. It was believed that this instrument was invented by the god Apollo. One example is that Amphion, son of Zeus, used a lyre to help build the walls of Thebes. According to the myth, as soon as Amphion started playing, the stones started building themselves into a wall.

The lyre was a stringed instrument originally made of a tortoise shell with anywhere from three to twelve strings. The lyre was played with a plectrum, or pick. All the strings were strummed, but the player would press down the strings that he didn't want to be heard. The lyre was distantly related to the harp. The lyre was also used in Egypt and Sumeria. While the lyre was an instrument that amateurs could play, it's bigger brother, the kithara, was used by professional musicians. Similar in appearance to the lyre, it was bigger, heavier, and usually made of wood. The lyre migrated to Europe, but became rarer in medieval times to be replaced by the lute in popularity. (http://library.thinkquest.org/04apr/00275/ancient_ins.htm)

Australia (Aborigine)

The Aborigines of Australia came up with one of the world's oldest instruments - - the didgeridoo. Consisting of only a long, hollow tube, the didgeridoo is thought to be one of the earliest instruments made my man. A didgeridoo player blows into the instrument in a similar manner to a trumpet player. The didgeridoo produces a muffled tone that can be continuous through the use of a special kind of breathing. Above the one note drone that the instrument produces, the didgeridoo player can sing while playing, creating complex harmonies.

(http://library.thinkquest.org/04apr/00275/ancient_ins.htm)

Source: Music in Ancient Greece | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/grmu/hd_grmu.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/04apr/00275/ancient_ins.htm

Module 2 - HUMAN TRANSPORTATION TETRAD

Enhances:     The use of new technologies to transport us made transportation faster and offers a wider variety.	Obsoletes: It took away our reliance on animal transportation
Retrieves/rekindles: Thinking of the past…our main transportation was walking…walking…and more walking!	Reverses: Although we have a large variety to choose from the technology that would offer futuristic opportunities would be the flying automobile.

Module 1

After searching for the equipment the closet at the University, an obsolete technology that was emerging or emerged when my organization bought into the idea was telephone conference calls.


At the University teleconferencing, was frequently used enabling us to fully customize the conferencing experience from meeting to meeting. We had the ability to control our calls and maximize our efficiency. It also enabled attendees to participate more fully. When teleconferencing services were used to their greatest advantage, a free exchange of ideas were made possible and we could speak to each other with distance not being an issue.

However...The traditional conference call is a thing of the past - obsolete.

The emerging  technology that has certainly replaced it is the use of live video conferencing.
Recognizing that a phone call is no longer enough to satisfy. The global climate has made it necessary for our University to have the ability to effectively communicate with many  people at once regardless of their location be it across state lines or across entire oceans. To succeed, our University chose to stay on top of cutting-edge communications. A live video conference simply provides an easier way to exchange ideas and communicate in a more convenient fashion. This type of meeting enables attendees to see and hear each other so the contact is more personal than a phone call could ever be and it provides the perfect atmosphere for a free exchange of ideas.