Saludos a todos mis compañeros del curso Herramientas Web 2.0 Mi nombre es Guillermina Viruet y soy Profesora del Area de Educación en el Programa AHORA. Además, soy maestra de Salud del DE en Rio Grande. Este blog lo preparé para mis cursos doctorales en Walden y ahora para este curso tan importante. Les invito a ver mis trabajos y a comentar sobre ellos si les parece.
Following the line of Dr. Thornburg (2011), the use of technology is a cultural decision that involves recognizing the need and the contribution it makes to certain cultural context. For this reason, it is important first to understand the needs, problems and the roots of each culture to define how the technologies could help achieve practical solutions to this particular context. Furthermore, it is important to understand the sociocultural barriers that each context for technological development applied fairly. Recognizing this, the education of all sectors involved with real and viable alternative technological access would be a way to make that technology could be important and something valuable for the development of that culture. Certainly some solutions are not feasible for others. Therefore it is important to focus on the specific context and educate them as to be a contribution to their idiosyncrasy and not a cultural assault.
References:
Obijiofor,L.&Inayatullah, S. (n/d.) Impact of New Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on Socio-economic and Educational Development of Africa and the Asia-Pacific: Private Retrieve from http://www.metafuture.org/Articles/icts.htm
I decided to complete my assignment in Module 4 based on a Philip K. Dick book with the film Minority Report because I own it in a movie collection. Since I had Direct TV in my home I never rent a movie I saw in the TV and if I liked it I buy it.
Red Queen is when two competing companies drive other competition out of business by vying with each other for business.The current competition between DVDs and video on demand is an example of Red Queens but this competition just makes possible a shift in the digital entertainment. The consumers demand greater flexibility and convenience in acquiring entertainment content, and this help to change the structure of DVD rent and a fierce battle with VOD that is the real challenge to the DVD rental business.
Here in PR, the current competition between DVDs is between Redbox and Blockbuster. I think that the first one represent a problem to Blockbuster. Redbox locations are everywhere and you can get a movie for a dollar any time or any day. But I think, it is grow of the satellite and cable companies the responsible of the DVD rent decline. Video on demand is available through satellite companies and in PR the two main companies, Dish Network and Direct TV compete with each other to get the market and I think this is another example of the Red Queen.
Thinking about the four criteria of McLuhan’s tetrad, DVDs and video on demand are on the “Enhances” quadrant, because both of these technologies have enhanced the quality of life for many families to allow more time spent together at home and have great availability and is affordable for people. Both have “Obsoletes” the movie theater and are “Rekindle” from the privacy that offered the drive in. In the “Reverses” quadrant I think both will move to a new business model where VOD have more probabilities to survive.
Dr. Thornburg (2011) explained disruptive technologies as completely new tools that change how things are done, and are not gradual extensions of older technologies. Second Life is a disruptive technology because it has the strength and ability to obsolete many different technologies and institutions. Some of the technologies that Second Life could obsolete are websites as we know now and current abilities of social networking sites. The virtual world of Second Life is replacing real world situations allowing people to virtually tour places and information. Is a new way of communicating that let people perform activities that came from the real life. Second life replaces traditional social networking sites because provides a physical meeting space that gives reality in the communication, presenting gestures, modes and new words forms that let the intercultural collaboration be the most important act. As discussed by Rosedale (2008) the social benefits of Second Life was its immense diversity, and the ongoing communication and collaboration among people from many different countries and cultures, speaking many different languages.
I don’t think that Second Life should replace all face-to-face but could be that eventually replaces the physical teaching environment and creates things and experience that would be impossible in the physical world where the students need practice. I think that in years to come, Second Life will replace the traditional educational practice of teaching and learning environment.
I really can imagine how many years Second Life has before it is replaced by another disruptive technology, but as Rosedale expressed (2008) its influence will continue to increase, and that fear of this technology is futile because its increasing ubiquity is inevitable.
According to Dr. Thornburg (n/d) “Rhymes of History” refers to when we connect today’s technology with past and its impact on society.” Once example is the use of electronic book readers to download and read books. “Electronic book readers are revolutionizing the reading experience” (Morse, 2010). What it rekindles from the past and is a recurring theme of history is reading and the popularity of books. Now, with e-books we have the portability convenience to have a lot of them in a single and affordable device. The first versions of e-books were designed as specialty devices with a limited scope of subject matter, such as technical manuals, manufacturing procedures and meant to be read only by small and devoted interest groups. Today, the choice of e-books is widening at an equal pace of the sizes and types of devices for viewing. Some e-readers are the Kindle, Sony Reader or the iPad.
Kevin Kelly describes what life might be like in the next 5,000 days of the Web through “one machine” composed of three unique components:
(1) Embodiment is where humans are the extended senses of this machine, rekindling all previous forms of how humans communicate;
(2) Restructuring links data and all things, rekindling how everyone and everything in our environment affect each other in some way;
(3) Codependency has everyone relying on everyone else, because we become the web, rekindling the need for socialization.
Kelly's concepts are examples for all new technologies of the rhymes of history in which they continue to reorganize and go through the same process again because we need satisfy our necessities. First everything needs to be restructured to work as it is supposed to work. Then, if we don’t need the technology, this does not continue its development.
The Smartphone emerged from the landline phone, to the car phone, the mobile phone, and the cellular phone. It is the result of the integration of other technologies such as the computer, radio, pocket calculator, the digital camera, the MP3 player, and the PDA.
Enhances: What does this technology do that is new?
The smartphone integrate multiple functions acting as a computer with portability, music player, PDA functions and without lost the connection and capabilities.
Obsoletes: What does this technology replace?
The cell phone without functions and landline phone in much cases.
Retrieves/rekindles: What does this technology bring to mind (or retrieve) from the past?
Computer, Digital Camera, Internet applications.
Reverses: What might replace this technology in the future, or what might it cause to occur?
With the advent of the Internet, access to information every day is more what has changed the way we think about the educational process. The movement toward open content reflects this change and prioritizes the learning process over the transmission of knowledge. Today, what matters is learning how to use information rather than own it. With the availability of free educational content, students are learning not only material but also skills related to the search, evaluation, interpretation, and redirection of resources they are studying, in collaboration with their teachers. According to Wikipedia, which represents an area of open content (In English open content, open source analogy) it is a concept coined by David Wiley (University of Utah, USA) in 1998 to describe any content (articles, pictures, audios, videos, etc..) published under a non-restrictive and in a form that explicitly allows copying, distribution and modification. It is a new educational perspective, focused on knowledge and the sharing and reuse of learning academic content. The open content idea is to use internet as a platform for global content distribution and collective knowledge, and designing learning experience that maximize their use. The challenges to share, change the format of presentation and re-academic work is related to discussions on intellectual property, copyright, and student-student collaboration. Projects such as Creative Commons, Academic Common, and Science Commons work performed taking into account the need to meet these challenges.
According to the community that supports open content, the advantages in the learning process includes the development of essential skills in any discipline and the ability to find and evaluate and use new information, the expansion of learning modalities as well as learning and leisure. Connectivism theory of Siemems based open content development. Connectivism recognizes that learning is in a group of individual opinions. Knowledge is sought and in the process helped build the knowledge of others.
Initially when I started working in the university I offered hybrid courses in the freshman classes. The student did not complete the course because they did not want using the Blackboard platform. They commented that they did not understand it. While the first workshop were told and taught how to use it, many students were knocked down. The students said that they understood better in person and were very complicated and further work on the network. I understand that the University is now initiating the first year students in the use of the platform as it is required to access course content and reflective journals on the platform. Following the ARCS model, could provide a problem solving approach to designing the motivational aspects of learning environments to stimulate and sustain students’ motivation to learn (Keller, 1987).I understand that the strategy to learn the benefits of using the platform and let them loose their technological fear to fail, should work in near time. Students go through a process of continuous practice with the platform and are invited to enroll in hybrid courses. More technological students understand how relevant is the use of the platform and promote its use among the student population. Increasing satisfaction among students according to their years of study increased using the platform in other educational practices.
Reference
Keller, J. M. (1987). Development and use of the ARCS model of motivational design. Journal of Instructional Development, 10(3), 2 – 10.
Learning – Theories.com. (2010). ARCS Model of Motivational Design (Keller). Retrieved from; http://www.learning-theories.com/kellers-arcs-model-of-motivational-design.html
At the beginning my studies at Walden did not actually know all that technology has advanced. I've been surprised course after course all the resources and educational tools that I had discovered. I am learning about these technological advances and how they can benefit from different uses. This has changed the way that I learned because I can search and look for information from different sources, blogs, wikis, google search etc. Now I find myself having access to more information than ever before trying to select the one that is correct. Also, I work sharing this information with people from others towns that think different but have the same problems. Working using Pbworks, Google documents, wikis and other collaborative tools that allow me manage the information with other point of view. Another amazing tool that changes my life is Diggo. This tool let me organized all the information and have access to them as Siemens (2010) express in his blog, “we want to be able to readily access important information when we need it”
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Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?
The digital tool that best facilitate my learning is the Wiki. I use it with my students for collaborative projects, with my university works and I find it is an amazing tool. But, I think that it is because I had to discover and learn how to use other tools that could help me in my learning process.
Another tool that best facilitates learning for me is email and the smart phones. I can e communicate with my student when they really need me. Also I can work with the information wherever I am.
How do you learn new knowledge when you have questions?
I can say that now I have a multiple forms to answer my questions. I look for in google search, look for in blogs, slideshare, YouTube to compare and contrast the information and learn something new. It is amazing for me that when I have question, I just not answered it looking for in the web. I find new questions in my mind that let me learn complex knowledge. But certainly, I have to develop more profound the skills necessary to manage all the information and the tools that could help me with that.
Additional Reading:
Chris Smith: Personal Learning Network PLN
http://www.shambles.net/csmith/pln/
learning, networks, knowledge, technology, community
Studying Constructivism theory we understand that humans generate knowledge and meaning from their experiences. This is often achieved through our interactions with others. When we share our ideas, we reflect on others ideas and the knowledge is constructed.In our technological society, social networking and virtual world have the ability to facilitate collaboration giving us the opportunities to solve problems from various settings as a group in a collaboration process.But this process has to be learning.
The experience of learning in a behavioral way, teach us the competency and the fear of failure. The experience about, let us learn that we need working together instead alone to promote a feeling of success. As Rheingold (2005) discusses the humanity experiences teach that need process to give us the opportunity to improve, Collaboration. As he states: this process gives us the experience to see that we have “succeed by destroying and dominating competition.” Then, more that believe that humans have a basic instinct to interact and work as a group, the failure experience to success alone allow us look for new ways to get a better performance, work together in a collaboration process. Today we have those opportunities with the internet, web 2.0 etc. As examples, Rheingold (2005) discusses the Open Source including Mozilla, the free Open University Lectures and the evolution of Wikipedia.
Using technology give us the opportunity to facilitate collaboration process with our students interacting with others from across the world to help share and collect information and develop their own experiences. We have to teach new ways of learning and develop the instinct to look for better ways to grow.
Rheingold, H. (2005). Way-New Collaboration. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html
All learning theories were developed in different educational contexts. Each offers a better option or explanation to the above by expressing the social, cultural and knowledge changes. All evolved at the time. As Kerr expressed in his blog, we need a new theory to bring the change necessary in our education system. Indeed, the increase in the amount of knowledge, easy access and distribution through the Internet as well as different forms of expression (Web 2.0, 3.0), I understand the need to rethink new theory or approach that substantiates the learning process. However, while this happens it is better to take the est of all and that which can fulfill the educational objectives. That's why I agree with Kapp Notes.
I agree with Kapp, learning is not a solo activity, is multicontextual. Occurs in context with particular stimuli and particular responses. Requires heredity and environment acting together . Each theory, behavioral, cognitive and constructivist response to a context and an educational need. So, explore the best of each in terms of content and learning is the best option.
Over time there has been debate about how people learn and what strategy, based on some theory of learning is better in the teaching process. I believe that people learn in different ways. I understand that most of the teaching strategies will depend on what type of learning you want and to what purpose focuses the process. As a teacher I believe that the range of possibilities becomes opportunity to achieve my educational goal rather than competing alternatives. Initially, education focused on the acquisition of skills in reading, writing and arithmetic. In general, it is not preparing students to think and read critically and to solve complex problems. Additionally, knowledge was limited and of poor access. In the world of work, the context did not require more skills. Today, the demands of job skills have increased, information, knowledge and access to it are growing at a much faster each day, requiring the educational process consider learning more of cognitive skills and competencies related to knowledge. According to Herbert Simon, the meaning of "knowing" has gone from being able to remember and repeat information to be able to find it and use it (Simon, 1966). However, learning is influenced by the context in which they occur and should take into consideration the backgrounds of students who must have extensive knowledge of facts (behavioral), understanding of these facts and ideas within its contextual framework (cognitive) and the option of organizing that knowledge to be able to access it and apply it in other situations (constructivism). New research on brain-based learning, connectivism including only extend the framework of possibilities for the teacher. Educational technology open the doors to new forms of learning in a technologically connected world with different forms of student learning. Asked how people learn best is to limit these options. The selection of the theory and teaching strategy will depend on the purpose, context and goal. However, to achieve a lifelong learner, it is imperative that students learn a wide repertoire of ways to learn. In my view, trying to teach thinking skills without a solid knowledge base of data do not stimulate the skills to solve problems or support the use of new knowledge to new situations. Education then should focus on the learner and the use and knowledge of multiple forms of learning and teaching. The problem is not what is best way to learn but how to reconcile the theoretical knowledge about learning for the benefit of it. The next book I find a good resource to have more light on the subject.
References:
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Siemens, G. (2008, January 27). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. Paper presented to ITFORUM. Retrieved from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper105/Siemens.pdf
In my experience in Distance Education I feel now I am moving in the middle of the continuum. When I started study I never worked or heard about wikis, skype digital words, I just wrote in my computer. I started to discover these tools and was amazing. I am in the middle because I don't have the expertize using them and I need more practice. Now, I am excited about and I really want to move toward the dynamics end. To achieve this I have to work hard in a trial and error process using these technologies fearless. The practice give me the experience need it to move to the dynamic end.
Swafford (2006) express that students’ levels of performance are higher and superior when online courses engage them in interactive actions. This engagement can be achieved too in blended and face to face courses integrating news technologies that allow work with the interactive components; content, collaboration, and communication. There are various ways to engage students in content, communication, and to collaborate in the online environment. The vast majority of students has computers at home and use much of their time to connect to social networks like facebook, twitter and other electronic games and sharing network. I think that the social networks are tools to work with collaborative projects as problem discussions, using photos to work with vocabulary or written skills. The wiki as the social network will be an easy tool to work with.As the student like to play digital games on line, it will be fun as educational, working with a history using virtual words. In these tools the student work communication, collaboration and can create content to express new constructed knowledge. They can use wikis or blogs to reflex about the process. They can create web quest to share their virtual words with others learning communities. I think that the possibilities are without borders.
References:
Durrington, V. A., Berryhill, A., & Swafford, J. (2006). Strategies for enhancing student interactivity in an online environment. College Teaching, 54(1), 190−193.
Dr. Siemens ask in his presentation about, how change an assessment model based on individual learning to a model of collaborative learning? I think that this question is asking in the face to face context too. The problem is in the evaluation and assessment process per se and that they have not relationship with the teaching process. That what Siemens expressed that assessment is not different from teaching. Therefore, the teaching process has to be collaborative and designed to use collaborative assessment.
As a face to face context, online class presents the same problem with students, different skills and learning styles. Lisa (2009) in her block addresses problem like, students not attending class, not reading the syllabus, not understanding when they ask a question and it is answered, not asking questions when they need to, missing tests, having low reading ability, being inexperienced at processing basic information, and not being aware of cues given to help them and that these problem not been magically solved online. The teachers have to be aware and work with Siemens call “Participate Pedagogy”.
Siemens suggested four ways to assess in learning communities; peers assessing peers, online communities as list serve, student contributions using wiki, learning management systems to metrics the post and general participation (Siemens, 2009).
Instructors need to keep the following things in mind about assessments: fair and direct, based on stated outcomes and equitable (Siemens, 2009). In one blog that I found suggests that to improve validity, In particular the process should not rely on a single assessment exercise and use a variety of different approaches. This way helps to overcome the different levels of skill and knowledge and be fair and equitable in the assessment process because providing an array of assessments the instructor is able to reach various types of learners with different learning styles and motivate them to participate in the collaborative process.
To develop a fair and equitable assessment, Palloff and Pratt (2007) suggest that students assess their own performance and receive feedback from each other throughout the course. They further state that having this type of feedback "is the only way students can learn to self-assess continually and then self-adjust their intellectual performance..." (Palloff, & Pratt, 2007)
To be effective in the collaborative process, all members of the group need to establish rules, roles, and consequences. If a student does not want to participate, the other group members will need approach him and to understand and help with the process. If the problem persists, the members of the collaborative group will need to talk the instructor and who will ultimately determine the consequences and the actions to following.
Lane, M.L (2009). Ramblings on assessments that work and assumptions that don’t. Retrieve from Lisa’s (Online) Teaching Blog http://lisahistory.net/wordpress/?p=392
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Siemens, G. (2008). Assessment of collaborative learning. [Vodcast]. Laureate Education Inc. Baltimore: Author.
In the Siemens vodcast we could understand how the increase in online communication, new tools develop and the growing comfort using this tools and in this way of communication are growing the acceptance of Distance Education. I agree with this position and I believe that are factors that are interrelated. We could see then in the collaborative interaction form. Siemens expressed that as the new technologies develop and because of the global diversity approach, the concept of interaction has change significantly. In Edutopia blog, Will Richardsonexpress that collaborative in this age comes with challenges that often cause concern and fear. The collaborative process is a new way of thinking about teaching and learning. This element has evolved thanks to develop of new tools like web 2.0. The using of facebook, wikis, blogs, google documents have open a possibility word that change the way student think and learn. They connect people to interact in a different, not just because of the tools but because of the feeling and mentality way. But the concern is how to use it in the way to be in line with this new world. Chris Jonesin his Talent Culture blog redefines the collaboration concept to be in line with. He define the concept as an “interactive dynamic of engaged people, who, when electing to work together, adopt shared behaviors and goals through conversation … with an objective of driving new, emergent, innovative insights and outcomes”. The collaboration is not an option is an election that the student accept to create his knowledge when share with others. When student decides to work with other, he starts to understand his thinking and change it or develop it in the process that knows others thinking. When decision is taken, tools like wiki and blog give the opportunities to work with others without frontiers.
References
George Siemens "The future of Distance Education"
Jones, C.. Collaboration is everywhere. Maybe we should define it? Retrieve from http://www.talentculture.com/culture/collaboration-is-everywhere-maybe-we-should-define-it/
Richardson, W. World without walls: Learning well with others. Retrieve from http://www.edutopia.org/collaboration-age-technology-will-richardson
