Category Archives: Uncategorized

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Am I static or dynamic? (EDUC 8842, Module 5)

 static_dynamic

Considering the graphic above, I am charged with determining my static or dynamic self. As it relates to content, am I static or dynamic? As an online learner you would expect me to be dynamic but it may surprise you to know that a good deal of online learning is based on static presentation. Yes, it is true that there is, or should be, a good mix of video and animation to aid in the learning process. If I am the determining factor, to tell the truth I just download the transcript. At the end of the day, I’m just an old school learner as it relates to content; I am as static as can be. As it relates to communication, am I static or dynamic? I love skype, chat and instant messaging. However, instant messaging is my preferable form of communication at work. I’d rather receive an instant response as opposed to waiting on a response. However, the “chat room” phenomenon was never my cup of tea; there were just too many people talking all at once and too fast jumping from topic to topic. (Talk about cognitive overload!) As an old school platform trainer, I am as dynamic as can be as long as it is a one-to-one conversation. As it relates to collaboration, am I static or dynamic? I was not a strong presence in the second life virtual world because it just looked like me flying around seeing and talking to other cartoon figures, but I prefer it to waiting on an email response. Also, I am not a big gamer but love gamification in the learning environment and believe multi-user environments can contribute significantly to socialization and learning. As an old school learner, platform trainer, and new school virtual and gamification realist … I am as dynamic as can be.

Comments left on the following blogs:
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Red Queen Rising! (EDUC 8342, Module 5)

Technology is a very fluid field on which to hang your hat. It is difficult to hold water in your hand let alone hang a hat. But we must try, right? Thornburg (2013) indicates that the “Red Queen” is a phenomenon regarding two competitive technologies that results in the rapid development of both. Right now DVDs and video-on-demand is a Red Queen situation; two technologies that are currently developing. The reasoning behind this is that a large percentage of people do not have Smart, or online televisions, or the cost related “on-demand” services through their cable or dish networks. However, it is just a matter of time before video-on-demand will experience an increase in return. According to Thornton (2013), increased returns occur when there are a couple of innovations and one of them drives the other into extinction due to increased popularity.

To take it a step further, what about the obsolescence of cable and dish networks? My daughter and son-in-law currently do not have cable or dish services in their home. I remember those days as “six channel hell” with absolutely no entertainment during a 2am sleepless stint. How is it that two twenty something millennials could possibly survive without a cable or dish service? The answer is NetFlix; see what you want to see when you want to see it for $7.99 per month. Wow, why didn’t I think of that?

Related commented blogs:
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http://erinortega.weebly.com/blog/videos-physical-rentals-or-streaming-that-is-the-question

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Online Learning in a Trade-based environment (Module 4, EDUC 8842)

The problem with learning and technology is that one is in a constant state of change. Workforce development in new technology can be difficult in a trade-based environment. There are most likely entire trade departments that do not have access to a shared desktop computer. Trade-specific jobs are accustomed to “hands-on” activities but the online environment requires the use of technology that is incompatible with the trade “lab” environment.

Widespread use of smartphones now has technology at the fingertips of most of the population. Users can participate in online learning through the use of kiosk-like tablet technology which does not require user adoption. The learning activities listed in the following graphic can not only be accessed through tablet technology but also encourage the content, communication, and collaborative nature of online learning.

blog_graphicCommented on the following blogs:

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Rhyme in History; Technology of the Lonely Heart (EDUC 8342)

This may seem a bit off topic but what can I say; it is a course post.

Mark Twain said, “History doesn’t repeat itself.  At best, it sometimes rhymes”.  David Thornburg (2013) indicates that rhymes of history is one place to find emerging technology. A wonderful example of “rhyme of history”, is virtual reality.   Consider technology involved with dating and the ability to live a fantasy of possessing the characteristics you believe to be appealing to the opposite sex.  If you want long hair … you’ve got it; if you want hazel eyes … presto, they’re yours.  Technology that has served this virtuality (this may not be a word but sounds good) has varied throughout history.   I know what you are thinking but indulge me for a minute and analyze the following graphic.

evolutionary_graphic

Makes sense right? With any of this technology between you and a potential loved one, you can be the person you always dreamed of. There may be an entirely new branch of psychology to deal with people who start believing they are their “virtual’ self.

References
Thornburg, D. (2013). An amazingly incomplete emerging technologies bibliography. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

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Accessing Collaborative Efforts (EDUC 8842)

In honor of our dear departed Joan Rivers, CAN WE TALK?  Collaboration is very good in the online environment but online group assignments … well it is just cumbersome.  Fair warning, this particular blog post is related to a course assignment but is mostly an opinion piece.  Most people attending an online university do so for flexibility.  Sure there are timelines which require assignment submission and discussion posts but for the most part, students complete assignments based on their schedule.   Online groups require some coordination between students that are often in different countries and across multiple time zones.  The world is a much smaller place thanks to fingertip technology and tools to help as it relates to communication. However, online students have same challenges as face-to-face students; time.  The difference is that face-to-face students are required to be a certain place at a certain time for class and can at least start there.  Online students on the other hand, have nothing.  So what is the solution?

I believe Palloff and Pratt (2005) provide the best advice regarding online group participation:

• Set the stage for collaboration.  Establishing team charters or guidelines are very good and should worked into the course design.
• Don’t encourage over- or under-participation.  Email or phone conversation should help with participation concerns.
• Address technical difficulties swiftly. Alternatives should always be considered when team members experience technical difficulties.
• Maximize participation through group composition.  Always consider personal, professional, and cultural backgrounds.

I hope this helps in all of your online collaboration efforts.

Commented Blogs:

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References
Palloff, R.M., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

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Big Brother is a matter of Physics (EDUC 8342)

Big Brother is a thing of the past! Well, at least for users of the newest security-enhanced smartphone known simply as Blackphone. Blackphone is the result of a joint venture between Silent Circle and Geeksphone. The smartphone runs on what is called a PrivatOS Android-based operating system with built in encryption technology that will render voice, text messages, and file attachments a challenge to the world’s most gifted hackers. These organizations are so confident in their product that they are offering hackers $128 per security bug found (ZDNet, 2014). Now, if you are a really gifted-hacker, this could amount to a pretty piece of change. So how does this new technology measure up to McLuhan’s Laws of Media?

According to Thornton (2013) McLuhan’s Laws of Media can be very useful in exploring new and emerging technology. McLuhan developed a tetrad diagram that would help determine the adoption of new technology. This is my tetrad for the product developed by “the best privacy minds in the industry” (Blackphone, 2014).

blackphone_tetrad

Enhances:
The Blackphone enhances communication. Users will no longer send a “private” text and wonder if it will be snatched in cyberspace.
Obsolesces:
Goodbye Big Brother! But who are we kidding? Someone will own all of that private data and I just bet someone else will pay a lot of money for it. (But we can dream right?)
Retrieves:
The field of cryptography was rekindled with the emergence of computer science but it will sail new heights as it attempts to stay ahead of eager and gifted hackers.
Reverses:
Just as cryptography is rekindled, the opposite of hacker extreme is Cryptanalysis or the insecurity of cryptographics which are both based on … for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction (Newton’s Third Law).

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The Immersive Technology (EDUC 8342 – Module 1, Assignment 1)

Working in an industrial environment has numerous pitfalls. Imagine the normal fear and apprehension of a new employee starting a new job and multiply that by the number of literal pitfalls in the industrial work environment. While an experienced person will have a good idea of some environmental hazards, there are no two industrial environments alike. With that being the case, most industrial work areas include new hire environmental safety training. Immersive learning is an excellent way for newly hired employees to experience the potential hazards in a safe environment. The traditional classroom or online class environments are very capable of facilitating learning in the contextual sense but remains non-immersive. Learning experience of environmental conditions require practice (Neville, 1998). Virtual Reality (VR) environments allow the learner to interact in a safe environment

Thornburg (2013) refers to emerging technology as technology that has newly entered the mainstream. As with any emerging technology the challenge involves education on the tool. VR systems are not yet sold off the shelf, unless a gaming system happens to involve the work-related topic; unlikely. Teachers and most instructional designers lack the required technical knowledge to develop a virtual reality training system. It is also difficult to justify cost during times where school systems are struggling to purchase textbooks and organizations are downsizing their workforce. Collaboration is a very good way to overcome the challenges involved with implementing virtual reality educational solutions. The following hyperlinks will provide good information regarding virtual reality.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/630181/virtual-reality-VR/253104/Education-and-training
http://www.scienceclarified.com/scitech/Virtual-Reality/The-Virtual-Classroom-Virtual-Reality-in-Training-and-Education.html

References
Neville, H. (1998). Workplace Accidents. Industrial Management, 40(1), 7-9.
Thornburg, D. (2013). When is a technology emergent? Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.