Tuesday, February 24, 2009
There's More to Technology Than Just Computer Screens
Just think of all of the classtoom uses for a handheld Van de Graff generator!
New Tools Catching Up to Old Ways of Thinking?
In response to the poll on smartphones vs. laptops, a reader writes:
"Tools at their disposal" is the operative phrase.
The possible future advantage of smartphones is cost. For a fifth the cost of a laptop, a student could potentially go Wi-Fi directly into all the tools Web 2.0 has to offer. This could be a practical way to close the digital divide.
With regards to "why use new technology for old methods", I have to admit not following that one entirely. We're not talking about "re-designing" the assessment so that it "fits in" to anything. We're talking about working within and beyond the new and evolving dimensions.
I guess what I'm getting at here is that we don't even know what the "real world" is going to be. Certainly, computing in 2009 has little in common with the computing of 1999; and surely the effect that has had on culture has been dramatic. There's likely more folks renting video games than movies on any given Friday night.
Furthermore, when I am teaching my Latin II class about Julius Caesar, I have little interest in whether or not they know the date on which he was assassinated; I care that they understand and can reflect upon why he was assassinated and what his death represents. Wikipedia has made what we used to call "book knowledge" (or "cocktail party knowledge" depending on your inclination) virtually negligible. In short, knowledge just ain't what it used to be. So, if I just "update" my assessments to "new technology", but fail to see what the new paradigm of technology has done to the value of what it is that my old assessments represent, then -- at best -- I am taking part in a futile task.
Of course, good teachers have always known this. And I'm sure that many of you are saying to yourselves: "But I've always been more interested in the 'why and how' than the 'what and when'". Well, then this moment was made for you. Because the future of education within the dynamic digital paradigm is a future of questions, not mere facts. And it's not that the technological world has instigated this, rather it's that the technological world has finally caught up to this.
Why not just let them use all of the tools at their disposal and re-design the assessment so that it fits into the real world (or virtual world) of practice. Why use new technology for old methods?
"Tools at their disposal" is the operative phrase.
The possible future advantage of smartphones is cost. For a fifth the cost of a laptop, a student could potentially go Wi-Fi directly into all the tools Web 2.0 has to offer. This could be a practical way to close the digital divide.
With regards to "why use new technology for old methods", I have to admit not following that one entirely. We're not talking about "re-designing" the assessment so that it "fits in" to anything. We're talking about working within and beyond the new and evolving dimensions.
I guess what I'm getting at here is that we don't even know what the "real world" is going to be. Certainly, computing in 2009 has little in common with the computing of 1999; and surely the effect that has had on culture has been dramatic. There's likely more folks renting video games than movies on any given Friday night.
Furthermore, when I am teaching my Latin II class about Julius Caesar, I have little interest in whether or not they know the date on which he was assassinated; I care that they understand and can reflect upon why he was assassinated and what his death represents. Wikipedia has made what we used to call "book knowledge" (or "cocktail party knowledge" depending on your inclination) virtually negligible. In short, knowledge just ain't what it used to be. So, if I just "update" my assessments to "new technology", but fail to see what the new paradigm of technology has done to the value of what it is that my old assessments represent, then -- at best -- I am taking part in a futile task.
Of course, good teachers have always known this. And I'm sure that many of you are saying to yourselves: "But I've always been more interested in the 'why and how' than the 'what and when'". Well, then this moment was made for you. Because the future of education within the dynamic digital paradigm is a future of questions, not mere facts. And it's not that the technological world has instigated this, rather it's that the technological world has finally caught up to this.
Second Life
In response to yesterday's post on virtual environments, I received a bunch of mail about Second Life. Perhaps I should have posted on my experience with Second Life before posting on MMOGs, but that's okay.
Second Life -- ideally -- is a virtual world created by its inhabitants (called residents). In this way, you can do many of the things I suggested in the last post -- such as create your own environments and historical re-enactments -- although the graphics pale in comparison to World of Warcraft or several other MMOGs.
That said, the real difficulty I've had in bringing Second Life to the high school classroom is that it's no place for minors.
What do I mean?
Well, the very thing that makes Second Life so unique -- the fact that it is entirely created by its users -- is also the same thing that makes it such a difficult place to take students. I would encourage all teachers to log on and create an avatar; there's a wealth of great stuff in there: everything from Community College distance classes to lectures in Princeton University's Second Life campus to tours of world capitals to great online avatar-customization shopping centers. But I dare any newbie to the Second Life world to not innocently find themselves lost and end up strolling into a rated-X part of town. As an adult, you should be able to handle that.
But a 14 year old?
Nope.
So, Second Life remains a virtual destination for college students and adults. And that's fine. And there's a ton of cool stuff to see and do once you are there. But, there's too much of a disconnect for touring with kids.
See, the difference in an MMOG like World of Warcraft is that the virtual environment has been created by the creators of the game whereas in Second Life, so long as you have the virtual money, you can create whatever you want. Second, MMOGs usually have GMs (Game Masters) working the environment so that if a problem arises, it's settled quickly. In Second Life, there is very little in the way of policing.
Now, there is a teenaged-version of Second Life. But I haven't been there (not being a teenager myself...) Perhaps you could send a few crack students in to do some reconnaissance. I imagine that there's got to be some way to work out the basic problems.
Second Life -- ideally -- is a virtual world created by its inhabitants (called residents). In this way, you can do many of the things I suggested in the last post -- such as create your own environments and historical re-enactments -- although the graphics pale in comparison to World of Warcraft or several other MMOGs.
That said, the real difficulty I've had in bringing Second Life to the high school classroom is that it's no place for minors.
What do I mean?
Well, the very thing that makes Second Life so unique -- the fact that it is entirely created by its users -- is also the same thing that makes it such a difficult place to take students. I would encourage all teachers to log on and create an avatar; there's a wealth of great stuff in there: everything from Community College distance classes to lectures in Princeton University's Second Life campus to tours of world capitals to great online avatar-customization shopping centers. But I dare any newbie to the Second Life world to not innocently find themselves lost and end up strolling into a rated-X part of town. As an adult, you should be able to handle that.
But a 14 year old?
Nope.
So, Second Life remains a virtual destination for college students and adults. And that's fine. And there's a ton of cool stuff to see and do once you are there. But, there's too much of a disconnect for touring with kids.
See, the difference in an MMOG like World of Warcraft is that the virtual environment has been created by the creators of the game whereas in Second Life, so long as you have the virtual money, you can create whatever you want. Second, MMOGs usually have GMs (Game Masters) working the environment so that if a problem arises, it's settled quickly. In Second Life, there is very little in the way of policing.
Now, there is a teenaged-version of Second Life. But I haven't been there (not being a teenager myself...) Perhaps you could send a few crack students in to do some reconnaissance. I imagine that there's got to be some way to work out the basic problems.
Monday, February 23, 2009
If you love to hate Ryanair as much as me then...
Read this post from Travolution "What happened when a blogger decided to take on Ryanair" and make sure you read the exchange between a "Ryanair Staff member" and web designer Jason Roe.
Interview with Marc Andreessen on Internet business models
The interview is a primer on everything from Facebook and cloud computing to the mobile Web. Andreessen, who sits on Facebook’s board, also says that Facebook could be generating $1 billion in revenues today if it wanted to.
Further reading:
New Business Models for Internet start-ups
Further reading:
New Business Models for Internet start-ups
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