Online social networking is a device in which I have encountered throughout my adult life and a majority of my teenage years. Its appeal was first seen through use of chat rooms from the early 2000s. These chat rooms were grouped by subject or interest and were available for all interested to join. People had the ability to discuss the topic via the internet rather than meeting at an external location. This concept of social networking has evolved into the likes of MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter for the key purpose of interaction. We as humans are creatures of interaction. Without these web-based tools, we would be closed off to a majority of society. Not everything is ideal with social networking, however. As with anything, you should be mindful of to whom and how much personal information you provide to individuals you do not know. Luckily there are safeguards and security settings that assist users with potential security breaches. Users must also practice common sense—a sometimes all too lacking phenomena.
As for the classroom, networking sites are beneficial for both students and educators alike. They allow for quick access for research, providing links to hundreds of thousands of resources at the click of a mouse and enable global communication across societies and cultures. Information and lesson plans may be shared amongst educators to most efficiently and effectively teach students. As noted by Johnson et al. (2009), at this point the primary issue is access and filtration policy in the use of networking sites. I would assume that many of those issues have been resolved as of late, as many students are equipped with their own laptops and/or iPads. In addition, the use of social networking in the classroom will also prepare students for the use of professional sites as they pursue their future careers.
The objective of joining a diigo group has great similarities to a social networking site in which I already use on a weekly basis—LinkedIn. This site allows professionals to electronically network across corporations, share journal articles and blog postings, and seek employment/employees. I have received countless job offers and career-based information based upon the people, groups and items that I have shown interest in. Of course not all of the information bombardment is desired, but there are adjustable settings for this purpose.
When determining which diigo group I would join, my concentration was to find something that would both relate to this course and also assist me with my current profession. Specifically relating to the search of “Adult Learning”, I discovered the Instructional Design & E-Learning Professionals' Group. This group is affiliated with tags including eLearning, instructional, designer, industry and learning (among others). Including links to educational theories, the Instructional Design & E-Learning Professionals’ Group also provides links eLearning Weekly, a free eLearning newsletter. This resource will surely be beneficial to my profession as an educator.
Johnson, L., Levine, A., Smith, R., and Smythe, T. (2009). The Horizon Report: 2009 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Gaming
Electronic gaming, simulation, and virtual reality in the classroom have grown in popularity over the years. Though many educators have difficulty dismissing the negative connotations of the word game, this form of learning has proven to be both a teacher and motivator (Presnsky, 2007). The article by Prensky (2007) describes gaming as a fun user experience, so why not incorporate this media into the learning curriculum?
An example of virtual reality technology is Virtual Cell, from WoWiWe Instruction Co. As noted in the article by Strangman and Hall (2009), “virtual reality bridges the gap between the concrete world of nature and the abstract world of concepts and models”. This software does just that by assisting students when learning biology. Through the use of a three-dimensional replication of a submarine travelling through plant cells, Virtual Cell depicts the exploration of cell structure, photosynthesis, and osmosis. The key benefit of Virtual Cell is that it transforms the relatively dull content of biology into an interactive, engaging, and tangible experience that would otherwise be observed through a Petri dish and microscope.
Dumptown is a software example of learning through simulation. The premise of Dumptown is for the player to act as City Manager of Dumptown and transform it from being polluted to litter free. This program reinforces the importance of recycling, reducing and reusing as well as budgeting skills (just like in real life, resources are not free). It is believed that simulation-based games completely engage students in learning (Johnson et al, 2011) and through a program like Dumptown, students can translate the skills learned to their home life.
Alternatively, SimSchool is a classroom simulator for educators. This offers a great benefit in educational environments because teachers can become acclimated to the classroom environment without actually standing in front of a group of students. This is beneficial as teachers can refine their skills and continue to evolve without having to do it in front of a group of students.
Gaming, simulation, and virtual reality have found their place in the classroom. When used appropriately, gaming can be effective in reaching students who do not respond to other forms of instruction and challenge those who may be bored with traditional methods. It also provides a realistic alternative for adult learners as well. Overall, I am happy to say that gaming is here to stay.
Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Haywood, K., (2011). The NMC Horizon Report:
2011 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Prensky, M. (2007, March 09). Sims vs. games: The difference defined. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/sims-vs-games
Strangman, N., & Hall, T. (2003). Virtual reality/simulations. Wakefield, MA: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. Retrieved from http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/virtual_simula...
An example of virtual reality technology is Virtual Cell, from WoWiWe Instruction Co. As noted in the article by Strangman and Hall (2009), “virtual reality bridges the gap between the concrete world of nature and the abstract world of concepts and models”. This software does just that by assisting students when learning biology. Through the use of a three-dimensional replication of a submarine travelling through plant cells, Virtual Cell depicts the exploration of cell structure, photosynthesis, and osmosis. The key benefit of Virtual Cell is that it transforms the relatively dull content of biology into an interactive, engaging, and tangible experience that would otherwise be observed through a Petri dish and microscope.
Dumptown is a software example of learning through simulation. The premise of Dumptown is for the player to act as City Manager of Dumptown and transform it from being polluted to litter free. This program reinforces the importance of recycling, reducing and reusing as well as budgeting skills (just like in real life, resources are not free). It is believed that simulation-based games completely engage students in learning (Johnson et al, 2011) and through a program like Dumptown, students can translate the skills learned to their home life.
Alternatively, SimSchool is a classroom simulator for educators. This offers a great benefit in educational environments because teachers can become acclimated to the classroom environment without actually standing in front of a group of students. This is beneficial as teachers can refine their skills and continue to evolve without having to do it in front of a group of students.
Gaming, simulation, and virtual reality have found their place in the classroom. When used appropriately, gaming can be effective in reaching students who do not respond to other forms of instruction and challenge those who may be bored with traditional methods. It also provides a realistic alternative for adult learners as well. Overall, I am happy to say that gaming is here to stay.
Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Haywood, K., (2011). The NMC Horizon Report:
2011 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Prensky, M. (2007, March 09). Sims vs. games: The difference defined. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/sims-vs-games
Strangman, N., & Hall, T. (2003). Virtual reality/simulations. Wakefield, MA: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. Retrieved from http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/virtual_simula...
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Open Content & Ethics
As we all very well know, teaching has evolved tremendously over the years, especially due to technology advancements. This week’s readings signify these changes specifically due to shared works, from licensure and copyrights to electronic books and documents.
Throughout my education, I have encountered open content more times than I can fathom, though I did not realize what it involved. As noted in the report by Johnson, Adams and Haywood (2011), open content or open education is a concept that involves the efficient sharing of information, instructional practice, and experiences in a cost-effective way. Each of us has utilized open content through writings, research, movies and music. Open content in education has proven to be a distributable option for underserved communities who cannot afford state-of-the-art textbooks and learning materials—as long as they have internet access. This philosophy also allows faculty to customize articles in a way that can then be shared with the world.
Open content is a seemingly simple concept, but the copyrighting aspects of digital information are not to be forgotten. It is important to consider that when information is traditionally copyrighted, it cannot be modified by anyone (without permission or payment) but the copyright owner. Infringement of the sort is avoided through websites like that of Creative Commons. Licenses obtained through creative commons help the creators (called licensors) maintain their copyright but still allow others copy, distribute and make use of their work. Through use of Creative Commons, open content can be shared amongst educators to reach the overall goal of efficient and effective education.
In addition to the use of open content, electronic books are also gaining prevalence in today’s education. Most technology-savvy members of society own an iPad, smart phone, or other medium from which books can be read. The next logical step for the world of education is for text to be converted to these popular and portable devices. The 2011 Horizon Report states that despite the advantages of size and weight, obstacles have been in the way of general adoption among academic institutions: scarcity of academic titles, lack of necessary features in electronic readers to support scholarly work, a restrictive publishing model, and digital rights management (DRM) issues. Johnson et al. (2011) indicate that despite these issues, many of these constraints are now vanishing due to advancing reader technology, the uncoupling of print and electronic textbook sales and the use of course management systems like Blackboard.
As we continue to evolve as a society that utilizes technology, mobile technology will become the primary mode for the use of textbooks in the classroom. This will dramatically effect education as people will have the ability to download their textbooks remotely, not having to visit the book store or worry that their textbooks arrive in time for the first day of class. This is truly a digital generation of learners and educators alike.
References
Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Haywood, K., (2011). The NMC Horizon Report:
2011 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A., and Haywood, K., (2011). The 2011 Horizon Report.
Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Throughout my education, I have encountered open content more times than I can fathom, though I did not realize what it involved. As noted in the report by Johnson, Adams and Haywood (2011), open content or open education is a concept that involves the efficient sharing of information, instructional practice, and experiences in a cost-effective way. Each of us has utilized open content through writings, research, movies and music. Open content in education has proven to be a distributable option for underserved communities who cannot afford state-of-the-art textbooks and learning materials—as long as they have internet access. This philosophy also allows faculty to customize articles in a way that can then be shared with the world.
Open content is a seemingly simple concept, but the copyrighting aspects of digital information are not to be forgotten. It is important to consider that when information is traditionally copyrighted, it cannot be modified by anyone (without permission or payment) but the copyright owner. Infringement of the sort is avoided through websites like that of Creative Commons. Licenses obtained through creative commons help the creators (called licensors) maintain their copyright but still allow others copy, distribute and make use of their work. Through use of Creative Commons, open content can be shared amongst educators to reach the overall goal of efficient and effective education.
In addition to the use of open content, electronic books are also gaining prevalence in today’s education. Most technology-savvy members of society own an iPad, smart phone, or other medium from which books can be read. The next logical step for the world of education is for text to be converted to these popular and portable devices. The 2011 Horizon Report states that despite the advantages of size and weight, obstacles have been in the way of general adoption among academic institutions: scarcity of academic titles, lack of necessary features in electronic readers to support scholarly work, a restrictive publishing model, and digital rights management (DRM) issues. Johnson et al. (2011) indicate that despite these issues, many of these constraints are now vanishing due to advancing reader technology, the uncoupling of print and electronic textbook sales and the use of course management systems like Blackboard.
As we continue to evolve as a society that utilizes technology, mobile technology will become the primary mode for the use of textbooks in the classroom. This will dramatically effect education as people will have the ability to download their textbooks remotely, not having to visit the book store or worry that their textbooks arrive in time for the first day of class. This is truly a digital generation of learners and educators alike.
References
Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Haywood, K., (2011). The NMC Horizon Report:
2011 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A., and Haywood, K., (2011). The 2011 Horizon Report.
Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
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