Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Blog Responses for Module 6
Amy - http://edtechspecial.blogspot.com/
Soraya - http://8848soraya.blogspot.com/
Soraya - http://8848soraya.blogspot.com/
Monday, February 21, 2011
Module 6 Blog Post
Module 6 Blog
I experience the digital divide everyday at school. I work in a low socio-economic area where unemployment is very high at this time. 80 percent of the school that I work at is on free/reduced lunch. We also have the highest percentage of special education students which is another group of students that will be on the “wrong side” of the digital divide. As a leader in educational technology I do my very best to provide experiences within the classroom to my students that they would never have access to at home. I am required to take my students to the computer lab once a week to work on math skill on StudyIsland.com. They really enjoy using it and when they found out that they could access it at home they were very excited. My students that have a computer and internet access are using it at home. They come in telling me what they worked on and if they got on the Top Score Boards. These students had been playing on entertainment sites, now they are working on math skills to win their blue ribbons and receive their rewards for their hard work. I have three autistic students that absolutely love the gaming style of Study Island. They work very hard to be able to play the games. If they were asked to do a worksheet they would not be as excited about practicing what they had learned. Though this site is not new (in relation to date of invention), it is innovating to my students because they are playing games and learning at the same time with the added bonus that the skills line up with the Georgia Performance Standards that they will be tested on in April.
Another technology that I use with my student is Power Point. As with Study Island, it is not new in terms of date, it is new to them. All of my students have seen power points in use by their teachers but very few of them have ever created on. Each year I have my students create a power point during the last nine weeks that describes what they have learned during the year. I take pictures of many of the activities during the year that the students may us in their power point to illustrate their new learning. We complete this my booking time in the computer lab for a minimum of 5 sessions. Some students work on their projects at home if they bring a jump drive to take it back and forth. For students who do not have a jump drive I email it to their parent’s email account for them to have the document at home to work on. I could have them create a poster however this would not be preparing them for what they will be exposed to and be required to do as they progress through their school career. Learning how to use what they have access to prove valuable in and of itself. If they do not know how to use accessible technology it will never be valuable no matter how new it is.
I do agree totally that “The future has arrived; it just wasn’t evenly distributed.” My school is fortunate enough that all our classes have 21st century technology. This is largely due to the fact that we used Title 1 funds to purchase extra equipment. This is one time that being a Title 1 school afforded our students more than other students in schools that are higher on the socio-economic ladder. We are also fortunate to have a computer technology paraprofessional to help our students when they go to computer lab (the class).
I experience the digital divide everyday at school. I work in a low socio-economic area where unemployment is very high at this time. 80 percent of the school that I work at is on free/reduced lunch. We also have the highest percentage of special education students which is another group of students that will be on the “wrong side” of the digital divide. As a leader in educational technology I do my very best to provide experiences within the classroom to my students that they would never have access to at home. I am required to take my students to the computer lab once a week to work on math skill on StudyIsland.com. They really enjoy using it and when they found out that they could access it at home they were very excited. My students that have a computer and internet access are using it at home. They come in telling me what they worked on and if they got on the Top Score Boards. These students had been playing on entertainment sites, now they are working on math skills to win their blue ribbons and receive their rewards for their hard work. I have three autistic students that absolutely love the gaming style of Study Island. They work very hard to be able to play the games. If they were asked to do a worksheet they would not be as excited about practicing what they had learned. Though this site is not new (in relation to date of invention), it is innovating to my students because they are playing games and learning at the same time with the added bonus that the skills line up with the Georgia Performance Standards that they will be tested on in April.
Another technology that I use with my student is Power Point. As with Study Island, it is not new in terms of date, it is new to them. All of my students have seen power points in use by their teachers but very few of them have ever created on. Each year I have my students create a power point during the last nine weeks that describes what they have learned during the year. I take pictures of many of the activities during the year that the students may us in their power point to illustrate their new learning. We complete this my booking time in the computer lab for a minimum of 5 sessions. Some students work on their projects at home if they bring a jump drive to take it back and forth. For students who do not have a jump drive I email it to their parent’s email account for them to have the document at home to work on. I could have them create a poster however this would not be preparing them for what they will be exposed to and be required to do as they progress through their school career. Learning how to use what they have access to prove valuable in and of itself. If they do not know how to use accessible technology it will never be valuable no matter how new it is.
I do agree totally that “The future has arrived; it just wasn’t evenly distributed.” My school is fortunate enough that all our classes have 21st century technology. This is largely due to the fact that we used Title 1 funds to purchase extra equipment. This is one time that being a Title 1 school afforded our students more than other students in schools that are higher on the socio-economic ladder. We are also fortunate to have a computer technology paraprofessional to help our students when they go to computer lab (the class).
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Module 5 blog responses
Amy - http://edtechspecial.blogspot.com/
Soraya - http://8848soraya.blogspot.com/
Soraya - http://8848soraya.blogspot.com/
Thursday, February 10, 2011
DVD -VS- Video Streaming
Module 5 Blog
When finding my movie to watch for Module 4, I immediately looked to Netflix streaming. I wanted to watch Minority Report but it was not available for streaming so I chose to watch Next Paycheck instead. It was a matter of quick access and convenience.
If I had to choose a model for the battle between DVDs and videos on demand I think that I would side with the Red Queen model.(Thornburg, 2008) I believe that with today’s society in constant search for entertainment, it is inevitable that this sort of battle would commence. I believe that the DVD format will be able to sustain its fierce battle with video on demand because of hold outs to streaming and for collectors who like to have a “hard copy” of their favorite movie. Video streaming will be able to compete because of its instant accessibility-no leaving to go to the store and no waiting on DVDs in the mail. All that is required is a push of a button to watch the desired movie. The only drawback that I have found with streaming is that all movies that I want to see are not available in this format. But how is that different from the traditional method of obtaining movies? How many times have you been to the movie store only to find that they are out of the movie you want to watch? I think that this battle of the Red Queens will come down to consumer preference. However eventually I believe that most of what is watched will be in a streaming format as the space available for online storage and distribution. Looks like that is where the new wave “cloud storage” will come in.
When it comes to McLuhan’s tetrad model I believe that DVDs extended the movie experience for movie buffs past the movie theater and into the home. DVDs made obsolete VHS because of their higher quality and smaller size. The DVD rekindled a time when families sat around the radio listening to “shows.” Now the voices have faces and movements. The DVD format set the stage for streaming video.
As for video streaming via the internet it is an extension of the DVD because it is offering the same product in a different format that is being quickly adopted. One day it may obsolete the DVD when internet use for entertainment has been fully adopted by the masses. I believe this will happen within the next ten years. Video streaming will be pushed to the limit when it attempts to increase its instant plays adding more and more movies, shows, ect... Cloud storage may be the answer.
Resources:
Thornburg, D. (2008). Red Queens, butterflies, and strange attractors: Imperfect lenses into emergent technologies. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.
When finding my movie to watch for Module 4, I immediately looked to Netflix streaming. I wanted to watch Minority Report but it was not available for streaming so I chose to watch Next Paycheck instead. It was a matter of quick access and convenience.
If I had to choose a model for the battle between DVDs and videos on demand I think that I would side with the Red Queen model.(Thornburg, 2008) I believe that with today’s society in constant search for entertainment, it is inevitable that this sort of battle would commence. I believe that the DVD format will be able to sustain its fierce battle with video on demand because of hold outs to streaming and for collectors who like to have a “hard copy” of their favorite movie. Video streaming will be able to compete because of its instant accessibility-no leaving to go to the store and no waiting on DVDs in the mail. All that is required is a push of a button to watch the desired movie. The only drawback that I have found with streaming is that all movies that I want to see are not available in this format. But how is that different from the traditional method of obtaining movies? How many times have you been to the movie store only to find that they are out of the movie you want to watch? I think that this battle of the Red Queens will come down to consumer preference. However eventually I believe that most of what is watched will be in a streaming format as the space available for online storage and distribution. Looks like that is where the new wave “cloud storage” will come in.
When it comes to McLuhan’s tetrad model I believe that DVDs extended the movie experience for movie buffs past the movie theater and into the home. DVDs made obsolete VHS because of their higher quality and smaller size. The DVD rekindled a time when families sat around the radio listening to “shows.” Now the voices have faces and movements. The DVD format set the stage for streaming video.
As for video streaming via the internet it is an extension of the DVD because it is offering the same product in a different format that is being quickly adopted. One day it may obsolete the DVD when internet use for entertainment has been fully adopted by the masses. I believe this will happen within the next ten years. Video streaming will be pushed to the limit when it attempts to increase its instant plays adding more and more movies, shows, ect... Cloud storage may be the answer.
Resources:
Thornburg, D. (2008). Red Queens, butterflies, and strange attractors: Imperfect lenses into emergent technologies. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Blog Responses for Module 4
Amy - http://edtechspecial.blogspot.com/
Soraya - http://8848soraya.blogspot.com/
Soraya - http://8848soraya.blogspot.com/
Friday, January 28, 2011
Module 4 Blog
Module 4 Blog: Second Life as a Disruptive Technology
David Thornburg described disruptive technology as a new technology that seems to come out of nowhere to replace an existing technology that has been following the normal sequence of evolution. (2009). Second Life is a virtual world where someone can create an alternate persona that interacts with others (called avatars) from all over the world. As an avatar, a person can completely change, slightly alter, or enhance their true lives in a virtual setting.
In K-12 education, Second Life could be used as a disruptive technology by providing learners a virtual world in which to explore and interact with places and people that would be physically impossible in the traditional sense. With all the budget cuts, the few trips that we were allowed to take have now been cut. Teaching in a rural area with low socio-economic cliental, the field trips allowed the school to provide life experiences that otherwise the students would not have. For example, Effingham is about a 45 minute drive from Tybee Island. Many students that I have taught have not left the county let alone been to the beach. One of the field trips that the lower grades always took was one to the beach. This trip provided the students with first hand experiences to use to draw upon in the future.
I do not believe that Second Life is a disruptive technology in the K-12 sector of education. It is such a new technology that allows students to interact with unknown avatars many parents would not allow their young children interact in this way for safety purposes. There was a sector of Second Life that was set apart for children ages 13-17 called Teen Grid. This sector was shut down December 31, 2010 after only being active for five years. Second Life stated it was due to the economics of keeping up improvements and upgrades with multiple grids. (Harrison, 2010) Since this grid was shutdown the young users are now left to interact with older users. If this grid had been able to sustain itself and could prove to be secure for young children it then could have possibility disrupted some traditional educational practices such as field trips, viewing videos of reenactments of historical events, and role playing with only the students within the four classroom walls.
Before Second Life can be disrupted by another technology it must first disrupt what is the norm in K-12 education today. I believe that Second Life has a long way to go before it becomes as useful as it is in other industries. Society still believes that education should take place with a face to face experience between teacher and students. As older generations that are still skeptical of technology fade and the new generation who are emerced in gaming takes the lead in decisions in all areas of society then Second Life and other similar technologies will have a fighting chance to prove their usefulness in education.
Blog for educators for activities using Seond Life
Harrison, D. (2010). K-12 groups stranded in second life teen grid shutdown.
The Journal, Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/08/30/k-12-groups-stranded-in-second-life-teen-grid-shutdown.asp
Thornburg, D. (2009). Disruptive Technologies [Vodcast]. Laureate Education,
Inc.
David Thornburg described disruptive technology as a new technology that seems to come out of nowhere to replace an existing technology that has been following the normal sequence of evolution. (2009). Second Life is a virtual world where someone can create an alternate persona that interacts with others (called avatars) from all over the world. As an avatar, a person can completely change, slightly alter, or enhance their true lives in a virtual setting.
In K-12 education, Second Life could be used as a disruptive technology by providing learners a virtual world in which to explore and interact with places and people that would be physically impossible in the traditional sense. With all the budget cuts, the few trips that we were allowed to take have now been cut. Teaching in a rural area with low socio-economic cliental, the field trips allowed the school to provide life experiences that otherwise the students would not have. For example, Effingham is about a 45 minute drive from Tybee Island. Many students that I have taught have not left the county let alone been to the beach. One of the field trips that the lower grades always took was one to the beach. This trip provided the students with first hand experiences to use to draw upon in the future.
I do not believe that Second Life is a disruptive technology in the K-12 sector of education. It is such a new technology that allows students to interact with unknown avatars many parents would not allow their young children interact in this way for safety purposes. There was a sector of Second Life that was set apart for children ages 13-17 called Teen Grid. This sector was shut down December 31, 2010 after only being active for five years. Second Life stated it was due to the economics of keeping up improvements and upgrades with multiple grids. (Harrison, 2010) Since this grid was shutdown the young users are now left to interact with older users. If this grid had been able to sustain itself and could prove to be secure for young children it then could have possibility disrupted some traditional educational practices such as field trips, viewing videos of reenactments of historical events, and role playing with only the students within the four classroom walls.
Before Second Life can be disrupted by another technology it must first disrupt what is the norm in K-12 education today. I believe that Second Life has a long way to go before it becomes as useful as it is in other industries. Society still believes that education should take place with a face to face experience between teacher and students. As older generations that are still skeptical of technology fade and the new generation who are emerced in gaming takes the lead in decisions in all areas of society then Second Life and other similar technologies will have a fighting chance to prove their usefulness in education.
Blog for educators for activities using Seond Life
Harrison, D. (2010). K-12 groups stranded in second life teen grid shutdown.
The Journal, Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/08/30/k-12-groups-stranded-in-second-life-teen-grid-shutdown.asp
Thornburg, D. (2009). Disruptive Technologies [Vodcast]. Laureate Education,
Inc.
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