Globalism, Diversity, and the Future....

"The future arrived; it just wasn't equally distributed." -William Gibson



I cannot begin to tell you how this quote gave me pause and started 'wheels' turning in my head. This is so true in the world of technology as well as many other cross cultural categories. From socioeconomic status to education and beyond, our world is imbalanced.

After listening to the resources for this week's discussion and blog post, I begin to think about ways that I could help to bring about change in my community. Being an online instructor, I do not have as much access to the public education system and structural facilities. However, I thought about just the one aspect of using Linux as an operating system in our local public schools and how much money that would save to put towards upgrading technology and providing more computers per student. As a resident of a state that remains on the bottom of the educational ranks, I believe changing the operating system and support would be a saving and effective way to increase our statistics and bridge the learning gap for our children and young adults.



Since I still have connections with my former elementary school, I would like to explore the possibilities of creating change in the department of technology to bring about more revenue for the schools and increase the resources available to enhance the learning environment for students. Open source software is a means that should be implemented in this country as in other countries. I know that monopolies from Microsoft often hinder these implementations, but it is time to help increase awareness of our options rather than going with the majority.

One thing that also came to mind after reviewing our resources, is the options a charter school would have if implementing Linux and other open source software and the decrease in expenditures this would bring about, so that start up costs would be more effective in providing needed technology and instructional resources.

As I said, wheels are turning in my mind and the fact that "the future is not equally distributed" in my community makes me want to get out a shovel, move some dirt around, and smooth out the surface!

Cynthia Harrison

All copyrights to this video belong to the original owner. This video is located at the following URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnAqi9JWR3g

Module Five Post

Red Queens and Increasing Returns Blog Post

This week, we are continuing to talk about the different forces that affect emerging and mainstreamed technologies. Once again, we will focus on the science fiction assignment that we completed in Module Four and take a look at how completing this assignment connects to the forces of Red Queens and Increasing Returns discussed in Module Five.

For my science fiction DVD assignment, I must say that I didn’t stop at one of the titles based on the Philip K. Dick books. I have an Amazon.com Prime Membership and I immediately called a friend who is a techie, to ask him which of the movies he would recommend. I remember watching Total Recall in the past, but I knew I would need to review the title for the assignment. However, after talking with him, and realizing that Nicholas Cage had starred and helped produce Next, I decided to focus on that particular movie.

I did purchase Total Recall, Next, and A Scanner Darkly, new, on Blu-Ray, from Amazon.com, to view at my convenience and then I found Blade Runner, Next, and Paycheck at our local Big Lots store for about $3 to $5 each, previously viewed. I did check to see if any of the movies might be on demand via my cable provider, but they were not listed. I thought they might be under the “free movies” since they are older productions.

I watched the regular production of Next on my computer because it was more convenient for me just to pop it into the CD/DVD port and play it while I worked and took notes. The others are still in their shrink wrap and await the time when I actually have a spare minute to view and enjoy them.

Increasing returns applies to the DVD and video technology in many ways. For instance, the “winner takes all” model for the high definition DVD is Blu-Ray (Laureate, 2009). It won out over HD DVD and monopolized the DVD world for high definition. I didn’t think I would buy Blu-Ray, but I really believe that the “Red Queen” of the Disney parent company gave Blu-Ray the advantage and they made HD DVD players and movies almost obsolete (except for those of us who purchased them before they were discontinued).

Although I have not yet subscribed to any of the computer-based movie subscriptions, my techie friend, who is a Mac and Linux man, is usually my source for viewing movies, and he uses Apple TV to download all seasonal episodes of various series or movies that he wants to purchase. This is a great space saver and I find that we spend more time watching the trailers to various movies and being more discriminating in our purchases with this technology.

While DVD’s are not obsolete, I believe most VHS formats have reached pretty much reached that stage in McLuhan’s tetrad and are only found in used condition on eBay or Amazon and purchased when they have not been formatted for sale on DVD. I can see Apple TV, Netflix, and other on demand services eventually obsoleting regular and high definition DVD’s, but before that, I see Blu-Ray working to obsolete regular DVD’s. These technologies are both mainstreamed and they are progressing rapidly with the on demand services gaining more ground since they eliminate the space needed to store Blu-Ray.

On a side note, I think that Blu-Ray and high definition DVD’s remind me of a past technology that would apply to McLuhan’s tetrad, being that it enhances the quality and viewing of the movie. This makes me think back to those days of enhancement to black and white films and those “re-mastered” versions of classic movies that were marketed in “Technicolor.”

Personally, I believe that multimedia formats are headed toward the downloads and live streaming as the emerging Red Queen, although it may take some time for it to progress to that stage of the tetrad. There will be laggards and I may be one of them because I still love the feel of a book and I still love to pop in a DVD when I have the time, especially those classics. I think I laugh more at Buster Keaton than any modern actor, except maybe Rowan Atkinson. (smile).

I think we will hear a shout of “Off with her head!” from on demand services sometime in the future that will be the diminishing of the physical DVD and may eventually obsolete movie rental businesses due to overhead and rental prices not being competitive. Change is good, but sometimes sad because that will eliminate jobs and change the face of society in a lot of ways for the sake of convenience and progress.

Cynthia

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Emerging and future technology. Baltimore: Author.

Please mouse over other terms for tags linking them to more informational websites.

Would you like a Second Life? (Disruptive Technologies)

I fell in love with Second Life about a year ago. At first, I was introduced to it by a friend who had explored the virtual world and had begun to attend classes to learn about building objects and creating textures for various virtual world activities. His Halloween haunted house and animated decorations were totally awesome! He has since built a couple of houses, boats, chairs, designed clothing, and assisted others in their journey to learn the skills of creating animated objects.

After seeing what he was doing, I automatically began to wonder how Second Life could be used for educational purposes. Since budget cuts were beginning to have a major effect on field trips and other extracurricular activities, I decided to investigate Second Life as an educational tool and Library Migpalion (my avatar) came into existence.

I must say that I was overcome by the social aspects of Second Life and the escape and maybe the reverting back to childhood feeling that I had upon entering the world. I went shopping! My friend bestowed some Lindens (money) upon my avatar account, so that I could purchase some clothing and not look like a "newbie." I was able to create my own personality, walk, body shape, hair, eye color, and anything else you could imagine. I can not only be a human, but I can change to other forms as I wish. The possibilities are unlimited!

But, I digress. The educational prospects are also unlimited and I began to explore those. I was taking one of the previous Ed Tech courses at Walden when I began to really think about Second Life as an educational tool. I created a video for my final project in the course with my avatar and a compilation of other information that presents Second Life as an educational tool and introduces a keynote speaker.

As a disruptive technology, Second Life brings more to technology than the original gaming idea for which it was intended. Linden Labs has created a community that is ever evolving and the possibilities are amazing. Second Life is disruptive because it incorporates so much more than an interactive game or 3D experience. It is a place to socialize, work, explore, and learn.

Many major companies have a presence in Second Life, and as you will see when you view my video, there are virtual field trips that allow you to view the inside of a Dell computer and many other similar experiences. Colleges have locations within Second Life. You can attend church with live streaming video. Conferences and classes are available. You can set up a business. There is no way for me to list all the qualities and opportunities that Second Life offers.

As for the world of Education and other opportunities that Second Life makes possible, I would like to refer you to another video that I found that is touching and thought provoking. This video focuses on those with special learning needs who may not be able to leave their homes. For them, Second Life allows the opportunity to live as they may not be able to live in the real world. It opens doors for social interaction they may not have without it.

I believe the following video explains how special Second Life is and how it does so much more than other similar applications. I don't think that Second Life will be replaced for a long time. I believe it will be enhanced and continue to grow, but I don't think it will become obsolete for a while.

A Second Life in Second Life


Cynthia Harrison

Second Life Coming Soon!

Hello, Everyone!

I was going to post my blog for Second Life today, but I am out of town and I realized that my video is at home on my laptop. I should be home sometime this evening. I took a little break after all the drama in my life, but I will be back at home tonight.

I created a video project on Second Life for another class and I have a lot of information and interest in this virtual world. For a time, I actively participated in the world through my avatar and I still believe it has great value for possible virtual field trips and other educational adventures. I have a lot to say about it, but the video describes it best! Dr. Thornburg has seen the video and he said it made him want to check out Second Life, so I am going to limit my post until I can get home and add the video and my other resources to the blog.

I appreciate your patience and I will update you when I have posted. It will be no later than tomorrow.

Thanks for all your support as I have gone through this difficult time in my life!

Cynthia

Rhymes of History-Implantable Eye Telescope

When deciding on a topic to post about the Rhymes of History in Technology, I visited www.singularityhub.com which has been my new method of research emerging technologies. I happened upon the following article regarding an eye telescope. Here is the link to my article:

Implantable Eye Telescope That Treats AMD Now FDA Approved

This article reminded me, first of all, of the old telescopes used by explorers to view distant lands. The article also reminded me of the monocle used to help with reading and of course, that brought me to the reading glasses, eyeglasses, contact lenses, lasix eye surgery, and other improvements upon our vision.

However, the implantable eye telescope goes above and beyond by treating various types of blindness. This brings us to another rhyme in history with legally blind individuals and the technologies provided to them such as: increased text size, special computer screens for viewing, special lenses to help them to read, and other visual aids.

It is funny to me that this emerging technology is an actual telescope of sorts that is inserted directly into the eye rather than used as needed by lifting the ancient telescope and placing it over the eye. The effect of this innovation on those individuals with diabetes or other blurred vision related illnesses is incredible. Our society is definitely progressing from going to the local store to choose a pair of reading glasses!

Cynthia Harrison

Module Two Emerging Technology Tetrads

Hello, Everyone!

Here is my timeline and graphic organizer for the e-book and the tetrads according to McLuhan.

Please click on the link to view the timeline. Each underlined bubble links to a website with more information.

History of e-book Tetrads

Cynthia Harrison

P.S. It seems the actual timeline is "read only." Please view the outline of the organizer and the links to the information below:

Outline of e-book Tetrads

Module One-Emerging Technology-Kindle

Watch this Commercial for Kindle.

In response to the article on emerging technology, written by Dr. Thornburg, I would like to add the Kindle 2. Although, there is an original Kindle and Kindle DX, my favorite is the Kindle 2 and that is the one I will be focusing on, not only because of the device, but because of the free application that can be downloaded to the computer.

The Kindle has been marketed by Amazon.com and can be found there, along with thousands of books, some of them free, that can be purchased and read via the Kindle or Kindle application for the computer. The Kindle 2 can hold up to 500 books on the actual device and it also stores all purchased titles in the Archives for you to retrieve at your leisure. Once you purchase a title, it never goes away unless you decide to delete it from your account.


I believe this device and the application for the computer is a great asset to our educational world. The weight of textbooks in children's backpacks alone, is enough to help us see that a solution is needed. The amount of information that is available, including free reference books, such as the thesaurus and dictionary, allow students to have all the necessary reading and writing tools at their fingertips, in one slim lightweight device. The appeal is great because it is a "gadget" to them.

The Kindle also allows the user to bookmark and create notes as they read within the text and this would help to reinforce comprehension. By simply clicking on a link, you can return to your notes and study or review your readings.

The problems I see with Kindle at this point, in regards to the educational environment, is the graphics are not of the best quality. I believe there are other ereaders that may have already improved their graphics, such as the newly introduced iPad, which has this feature and many more bells and whistles. I believe the expense of the Kindle is slowly reducing as new upgrades are marketed; however, the investment for schools may be such that textbooks would still be preferred. One good thing is that a purchased title may be placed on more than one device without charging an additional fee, so this would be great for adding the titles to both computers and devices.

The limited space needed for a Kindle with 500 titles is definitely an advantage. I have stacks of books and I am constantly looking for bookshelves to hold them. The downfall to this is that not all titles are available for the ereader. That is something that would have to be addressed in the marketing and educational world as well.

I see the cost of replacing damaged or lost Kindles as being a liability and they may need to be used within the classroom only under adult supervision.

The concept of the Kindle and other ereaders is a great innovation. I personally enjoy using mine. However, I still find that sometimes I would like to hold a book, especially if it is a recipe or a picture book. We have not quite reached the point where we can totally replace those actual hard copies of literature, but we are working on it.

See how the Amazon Kindle 2 weighs in against Sony's ereader.

Welcome to the Education Station

Hello, Everyone!

Welcome to the Education Station!

I am excited about this blog because I hope it will be the springboard for an idea I've had for some time and haven't been able to complete. I want to create a web page entitled "Education Station" for my students and for educators. I realize there are a lot of sites out there, but mine will be a great resource for me and for many other people. Hopefully, as I progress through my blog and learn more about the needs of my classmates and students, I will be able to progress on my journey to creating my website. This is a start and I am appreciative to my current Walden class for helping me to find the time to do this. I look forward to your posts and to following my classmates through this educational journey! Make yourself at home and please feel free to post suggestions and information that is relevant to all things Educational!

Cynthia