Addressing The Digital Divide

As I think of emerging technologies I think of how successful the use of technology is in the classroom when students do not have access to technology once they leave school. Throughout my coursework at Walden University I have focused a lot on collaboration among students. There are so many ways to collaborate online in groups wikis, blogs, nings, google docs, just to name a few. I have created assessments using these tools for future use with my students. I have to be creative on how I implement these technologies into my own classroom because many of my students are of low socioeconomic status and do not have access to computers at home. Furthermore education is not the top priority for my students so they are not going to make a way to a library or other access point where these technologies are available. As a leader in educational technology I must take these conditions into consideration when designing lessons for students. I realized just because many of them cannot use these collaboration methods outside of school does not mean that they have to be kept ignorant to the fact that these technologies exist. As I speak with other teachers about the usefulness of technology in the classroom they also have no idea what some of these things are or how easily accessible these technologies are. I must keep my students abreast of all of their options so that those that continue their education will have equal opportunity to succeed as those who are not as disadvantaged when it comes to access of technology. I began creating lessons that will allow my students to use technology during class when it is available. I have also created collaborative activities that encourage students to stay after school to use the technologies available for them at the school. I realized through my experiences at Walden that all students must be given equal opportunity to be successful.

Red Queens

Dr. David Thornburg suggests a red queen is a technology that comes out of no where and changes the game. The red queen creates competition for one technology until one technology is faded out For a discussion I was asked to watch a science fiction to find emerging or emerged technologies. I immediately sought out a DVD to watch for the assignment. As I write this blog I was asked to think about whether or not on demand movie rentals or the ability to watch movies over the Internet will replace DVDs. On demand movie rentals and the the Internet is certainly creating competition for DVDs. It is more convenient to hit a button on a remote to watch a movie or find a video to stream on the Internet than to leave home to find a movie to rent. As I look around I see more an more video rental stores closing. However I see more and more DVD rental kiosks popping up in grocery stores and the like. I also see the price of DVDs dropping and becoming more affordable for everyone. Although I think it is convenient for people to rent movies on demand and stream movies via the Internet, I do not think it will completely wipe out the demand for DVDs any time soon. People still like to get out of the house even if it is for the purpose of renting a movie. It is even more convenient because you can head to a local grocery store shop for groceries and pick up a movie on your way out the door. People also still like to purchase DVDs so they can pop them in at any time without having to find it. DVDs are also good for those who may not have cable or satellite television or access to the Internet. Lastly DVDs can be used during travel where there is limited or no access to on demand or Internet, and can be shared among family and friends. On demand and Internet streaming, in my opinion, just gave an alternative to DVDs. People will choose what is convenient for them at the time.

Second Life

Second Life a virtual world where anything is possible created by Philip Rosedale changed the way people can communicate via the Internet. Second life allows people to do what they want to do but cannot do in the real world. It goes beyond the standard text to text of normal Internet searches and information is presented in images. Dr. Thornburg defines disruptive technology as a new technology that has the same features as an old technology, but more efficient. The new technology comes along and changes how we do things. With this definition we can look at Second Life changing the way that we chat globally. So many users are in this world at the same time from everywhere around the globe. It allows users to chat as someone else to leave their real world and enter the world of their avatar. Instead of have linear chat with just one person or having to wait your turn to chat in a chat room you can create different conversations with people simultaneously. Dr. Thornburg also refers to a disruptive technology as a wild card that changes the nature of the game instantly, but I am not so sure that Second Life is a true disruptive technology in this since. It has taken years to grow to this level and its creator suggests it has many years and much more potential for growth. It is unclear what technology it truly displaced because chat is still available and it is still being used. I believe that Second Life has about five more years to reach it's full potential because a lot of people haven't caught on to it, or they may just not have time. I would like to see what it is like but I have too many real world responsibilities to take on a virtual world. I am not sure that it will ever be displaced by another emerging technology because people like to live out their dreams via virtual worlds. I think the more advanced the program gets the more people will stick with it because its virtual possibilities are endless. As a foreign language teacher I think it would be a great teaching tool. Students are so scared to speak in front of the class but if they could use avatars in a virtual setting I believe they would become more comfortable with the language. The only problem is my students do not have the technology at home to create virtual worlds.

Resources:

Rosedale, P. (2008) Second Life (video). Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index/php/talks/theinspirationofsecondlife.html

Thornburg, D. (2009) Disruptive Technologies (vodcast). Laureate Education Inc.

Rhymes of History

Dr. Thornburg defines rhymes of history as "the affect or impact of a new equipment rekindles something from the distant past. As I think about this topic I think about all sorts of technologies that have emerged that revisit some past idea. One technology in particular is the Nintendo Wii and the Wii Fit. This technology is relatively new but it focuses on a concept that has been around for ages, exercise. Exercise is an important part of staying healthy and different exercise programs have been in place for thousands of years. In today's busy society many make excuses for not exercising. No time to go to the gym or to run outside between work and kids. Financial struggles, not being able to afford a monthly gym membership or home gym equpment, also deter people from exercising. Most families purchase video game consoles so why not purchase one that can benefit the entire family. The Nintendo Wii has something for everyone including several exercise games that turn the video gaming console into a home gym. Once the day has settled down and the kids are asleep you can turn on the Wii and exercise. The Wii Fit is described by Nintendo as a product that "combines fun and fitness into one product." It is not just exercising but bringing in fun. It also allows you to customize your exercising experience so that when you come back to play it already knows your stats. Although the equipment may seem pricey it is a one time cost that can be used by the entire family as opposed to purchasing several gym memberships. You won't get the entire gym experience however you will get to exercise.

References:

Thornburg, D. (n.d.) Rhymes of History. Video Podcast. Laureate Education, Inc.

http://wiifit.com