Addressing the Digital Divide

As a leader in educational technology, what can you do to help make emerging technologies valuable to others, while maintaining gender, cultural, and socioeconomic sensitivity? 

I think that it is important to continue improving technologies for educational purposes regardless of the statuses mentioned above. I picture cities and even rural areas in the future having 24/7 access to Wi-Fi. With internet access and the continuous move to the cloud, most individuals will be able to get the information he/she needs. 

Of course, this does not answer the question, where do people get computers?

We must work with government and other entities to provide access to this service. Many companies, that I am familiar with, use a 3 year depreciation scale for computers. With this in mind, why can we not work with computer repair specialists to convert the computers, if necessary, for educational purposes. Sure, by most standards, the computers may be slower than the most recent technology; however, is it better to have some technology or none at all.

Our nations financial struggle is not new to many; however, I think that the budget cuts that continue to occur in education are where we are failing. So, as an education technologist, I must strive to find a way to provide an education for all; regardless of gender, culture, and socioeconomic sensitivity.

Red Queens and Increasing Returns

• 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? Did you rent or purchase a DVD, or did you view it digitally on your computer using Netflix or a similar vendor of video on demand? 

It did not take me more than a moment to decide where to locate the movie for review, the Internet. Because the movies of choice were all older titles, I knew that I would be able to locate them through an Internet source. My first choice was Hulu. Believe it or not, I was not able to find any of the titles through this site. Therefore, I went to the “always”-faithful Google and typed in the Tile of the movie I wanted to see and low and behold found many sites offering the opportunity to view the movie. After searching various sites, I found the movie “Blade Runner” available for free without any subscription. 

• Is the current competition between DVDs and video on demand an example of increasing returns or Red Queens? Justify your response with sound reasoning and specific examples. 

 

This is a loaded question. The reason I state this is due to the fact that even the DVD manufacturers are getting into offering digital media through Wi-Fi on most Blu-ray players. Going back to the question, I believe that we are looking at Red Queens. While DVD and On Demand movies battle for the number one technology spot, others are falling behind.

Many manufacturers are getting into the digital media market through the addition of Wi-Fi capabilities. Additionally, computer companies, like Apple, are providing digital media players that are basically a computer hooked up to the television. At the rate these additions, modifications, enhancements, or whatever terminology an individual wishes to use occur, DVD’s will eventually go away. Dr. David Thornburg (2008c) describes this as an increase on return. This occurs when one innovation captures the imagination more than others. 

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

 

I think that the DVD is at a rekindle stage of McLuhan’s tetrad. In recent years, we have seen the emergence of Blu-Ray DVD’s. The format has not changed, but the quality of the video presented has changed. At one time, there was a level of increasing return that occurred between HD DVD and Blu-Ray DVD. Ultimately, Blu-Ray prevailed and is the model of choice.

On the other hand, I think that Video on Demand is going to replace DVD and therefore it is in an obsolete stage. Eventually, we will not have to purchase any videos versus going to a website or our cable provider and pulling up the movie of choice. Also, with the connections occurring via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, we will be able to tap into our computers hard drive and pull up any movie we wish to see.

Reference:

Thornburg, D. (2008c). Red Queens, butterflies, and strange attractors: Imperfect lenses into emergent technologies. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

The Disruptive Power of Second Life

• How is Second Life a disruptive technology?

Second Life, or virtual worlds, is a space where individuals can create his/her own world and can interact and communicate. This technology provides individuals the chance to vacate the world in which we live. In my mind, technology is meant to assist us with making our lives easier, however, it is not meant to consume us.

• What technology or innovation did it displace?

The avatar that an individual creates becomes him/her and in essence replaces the individual being. One may say that we are not a technology and we are not an innovation, but I disagree. Our mind is the innovation and yes, the avatar that has been created is only an extension of the person, but it is not us. The avatar is what we want to look like or be.   

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

I believe virtual worlds have a lifespan that will be available after my life has expired. Many individuals look for an escape from reality and it is in this world that a person can make him/herself anything they wish to be.

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

To be fair to those individuals that are users of Second Life, this form of communication does allow a person to present a version of him/her that is more comfortable. For example, take an individual that has been involved in a devastating accident which has caused a change in appearance. This individual may no longer be comfortable going out in public, however, when socializing in a virtual world s/he may be more comfortable.

Conclusion:

Overall, there are positive aspects of using virtual worlds to assist in the education process. For example, in my current Multimedia course, I have been introduced to www.xtranormal.com. This site has allowed me to create presentations using an avatar. It is exciting to be able to present material to students through animation; however, I do not believe it is a replacement for individual instruction.

To View more in Second Life, please select the following link below:

Philip Rosedale on Second Life | Video on TED.com

Rhymes of History Technology

The following blog seems like a pun, when you read the title “Re-Kindle”, but the information presented discusses initial reactions to the Kindle when it was introduced in 2007. As this blogger discussed, she couldn’t see the need for such a product, however, could not say why. I think the Kindle allows individuals that enjoy reading a way to reconnect with a passion that he/she may have lost in the past or give the individual the chance to catch up on the latest news during a quick break. Whatever the reason, the Kindle and E-Readers have allowed society to beckon on the idea that one can carry many books, magazines, and/or newspapers at one time and on one product. People do not have to have bookshelves lining the walls of the home.

http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/rich-tehrani/consumer-electronics/rekindle.html

Kevin Kelly provides several interesting ideas on the future of the internet and how society will embrace the technology. Based on his remarks, if the internet does continue the ascending levels of progression of which he discusses, the ideas presented are not far from fiction to fact. The information presented below takes only one idea from the three principles Kelly provided (embodiment, restructuring, and codependency) and rekindles it to technologies of the past.

Embodiment:

As Kelly (2007) states,  all media will become one media format. When most of us think of media, we think of television, but media can be broken into many different formats. The newspaper is a form of media. So is radio. What about the picture shows of the early twentieth century?

If Kelly is correct, the web will take existing formats and present them through this one channel. No longer have will and individual had to purchase the newspaper through print. Oh wait, we do not have to do this now. The internet already provides this option. Essentially, we will be watching television through the web, but yet again, we can do this now. See the point here. The web will provide all media choices going forward.

Re-structure:

As Kelly (2007) explains, eventually we will be linking data through the internet (idea to idea versus page to page). What does this rekindle?

When an individual was researching a topic in the past, he/she could go to the library and pull various books and journals on a particular subject matter. This will no longer be a necessity. It is essentially going to be Google on a much larger scale.

Co-dependent:

The last principle, co-dependency, is related to the alphabet (Kelly, 2007). This is a very interesting point, that if a person were to think about it is actually true. What Kelly is trying to state is that the web will make us rely on it to find information. If I am correct on what he initially stated , when we learn the alphabet we become reliant on the knowledge we have gained.

Kelly, K. (2007, December). The next 5,000 days of the Web [Speech]. Speech delivered at the EG 2007 Conference, Los Angeles. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/
kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html

Emerging Technologies Tetrad - The Internet

The Internet is a product that began as a tool for a group of scientists to connect a computers that could be accessed from multiple sites (Elon University, n.d.). when the idea of the Internet was developed by this group of individuals, I do not believe that it was destined to be used as the tool that it has become. The following Tetrad demonstrates, in short terms, how the Internet can be viewed using McLuhen's Tetrad.

The Tetrad above is broken into four distinct categories including enhancement, obsoletes, retrieves/rekindles, and reverses. Each of these categories looks into an aspect of the product being observed.

What does Internet do that provides an enhancement to technology?

During its conception and in its current state, the Internet is a tool that allows users across the world to connect to each other, data, and various tasks through computers, servers, and other networks that are interconnect. 

What does the Internet  replace?

I believe the Internet is the future replacement of the television, telephone, paper documents, etc...

What does the Internet bring to mind (or retrieve) from the past?

I think this answer will depend on the individual that is being asked. From an educational perspective we have seen a resurgence in the way education is delivered. Where standardized tests have become a norm in classrooms, this is not functional in an online environment. Therefore, instructors and course developers have built new ways for students to learn material while using old behaviorism and cognitive theories. 

What might replace the Internet in the future, or what might it cause to occur?

A new version of the Internet (Internet II) will eventually replace the existing product. This version will be faster and will be much more affordable. It will become common place in homes that currently do not have access to the technology.

Reference:


Elon University/Pew Internet Project. (n.d.). Imagining the Internet: A history and forecast: Back 150 timeline. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from http://www.elon.edu/e-web/predictions/back150years.pdf

Identify an Emerged Technology

• Identify a current technology that has emerged in the last few years that shapes learning or productivity in your industry.

Dr. David Thornburg (2009a) provides so many wonderful examples of emerging technologies that it is hard to follow up with a future technology that rivals. Looking outside the box at newer items that have become well known within the past few years, I keep coming back to the E-Reader. Whatever an individual’s preference; Kindle, Sony, IPad, Samsung, etc… E-Readers are taking textbooks and novels to a new level that was not previously available.

• What problems or challenges have been associated with this technology?
I think there are several reasons why the E-Reader still has improvements that are needed before it replaces, dare I say it, the textbook. Elyse Andrews (2010) discusses cost as a negative factor. E-Readers still carry a price tag that is surmountable versus the cost of a book plus once the unit is purchased, the materials (books, magazines, journals, etc..) are an additional cost. Another factor to consider is that some individuals like the touch, feel, and smell of a book, as odd as that sounds. Andrews (2010) says that it takes her from her library, which doesn’t cost anything. The last piece is that publishers cannot make a decision on what format to use. This leaves the customer wondering which product will support the book he/she likes to read the most.

• What societal need does it meet, and what are its benefits?

Although E-Readers have their issues, as does any technology/innovation, there are factors that will allow the product to stay around. One important factor is convenience. We live in a society where individuals want to be self indulged right now. Most E-Readers allow individuals to download the book in real time for their reading pleasure. Additionally, an individual can hold hundreds of books on one E-Reader and not have to lug around a bag full of books. One last piece of information, E-Readers can benefit educational institutions that are seeing a continual rise in the cost of the texts they purchase for the students. These costs are then passed onto the student through tuition, taxes, or through other various organizations willing to foot the bill. The cost for publishers to produce the electronic version of a book is minimal compared to the cost of publishing.

• What would make this technology even better, avoiding the pitfalls you identified?

In order for this technology to completely change the way we view books, cost will have to come down to what consumers feel is an acceptable level. Kindle, which is manufactured by Amazon, has decreased the cost of its E-Readers as new versions of the product have become available. Additionally, I believe that a consistent software/technology platform is needed.

The following link provides insight into E-Readers including Q&A, Products, Articles and more:

http://www.ereaders.net/

References:

Andrews, E. (2010). Problems and solutions for e-readers. Retrieved September 16, 2010 from http://www.cabot.net/Issues/CWA/Archives/2010/01/Problems-Solutions-E-Readers.aspx

Thornburg, D. D. (2009a). Current trends in educational technology. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.