Though technology has the ability to make our lives easier, it also has the ability to bring us to our knees. A visit to the dentist today was both impressive and frustrating. No longer do dentists need to take film based x-rays of teeth. I was initially impressed as I stepped to a machine and bit down on a bite strip. A moving part of the machine encircled my head and a few second later, I thought" Wow- technology has really made a difference in this field. No longer are x-rays a tedious process for the patient or the dental technician." My joy was short-lived as I heard the dentist tell the technician that the image did not take. I returned to the machine with two technicians who stared blankly at the touchpad as if it was written in an unfamiliar language. Again I bit down on the strip. This time, three plastic fingers held my head in place as the moving part circled my head. The dentist was looking at the monitor trying to figure out what to do. I realized that no one in the office knew how to use the equipment. " New technology?", I asked expecting the answer I received. "Yes" said the dentist. We'll have to re-schedule your visit", he said. I realized that his profession had been brought to its knees by untrained staff and new technology.
What if this happened at the ATM machine or the grocery store or the gas station! What if my online paymeny didn't go through! What if the Internet shut down for a day! What if I could not make phone call ( wireless or LAN) because of a computer glitch! The fears that I had finally allayed about technology re-appeared as I began to once again fear the takeover of the world by machines!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Emerging Technologies in the News
This article recently appeared in the Arizona Republic newspaper. It highlighted how technology is helping students learn while using technology. It is good to read a story that provides evidence that technology can be used as a vehicle for learning for motivated students.
http://www.azcentral.com/business/abg/articles/2008/04/10/20080410abg-techgames0410.html
http://www.azcentral.com/business/abg/articles/2008/04/10/20080410abg-techgames0410.html
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Educational PowerPoint Games--EDUC 8823 Project
Educational Technology offers many opportunities for the constructivist learner. Creating educational PowerPoint games that incorporate Flash animation and voice recognition are examples of two applications of emerging technologies. The videos above provide instruction on setting up voice recognition on your computer and embedding Flash animation in educational PowerPoint games. Watch the videos then give it a try!
Technology and Social Networking
My last few entries have been about my fears of technology as a force that will consume humanity. (Anyone seen the Orson Wells movie '1984'?). Today I reached an epiphany. If technology is utilized in its truest form, it can actually serve to assist in building social networks. Skype has been a fun way to connect with classmates, most of whom I have never met. I now feel a sense of 'community' with my classmates after interacting on Skype for about seven weeks. We are all over the country but seem to be in the same room when we communicate on Skype. I can finally say that I see the value of technology as communication portal that creates a sense of relationship among former strangers. Wow!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Technology, Humanity, and Compassion
As we continue to find useful ways for technology to make our lives easier, we must remember that our true purpose in life is to love and help one another. Technology allows us to accomplish tasks faster, cheaper, and easier. Yet, we (as society) seem to have become 'slaves' to technology. Though technology is meant to serve us, countless hours are often spent surfing ( and serving) the Internet. If we do not easily find the answer we seek, we keep surfing. Have we forgotten that we can ask one another? It is my fear that we are becoming less human and forgetting how to communicate with other humans! Many people prefer to chat online rather than in-person. Children and parents no longer just sit down and talk. Let's text, email, voicemail, or send an emoticon instead!
Expressing love and compassion towards one another seems to difficult nowadays. Though I am writing as a hospital in-patient with a challenging cardiac condition, I must share my personal experience that has caused my concern for how technology has affected our ability to be compassionate towards one another. Though I am experiencing health challenges, I have appealed to the hospital nursing staff to allow me to use the Internet so that I can continue to complete my online PhD. course assignments. They obliged without hesitation. I notified my professors of my condition and sought compassion during this trying period in my life. Sadly, I received an email from one professor who seemed to disregard my effort to continue to complete assignments while facing these challenges. I have been told that late discussion postings and assignments will not receive full credit (regardless of the reason) and have been advised to drop the course. How sad. Where is the compassion for humanity? Are we becoming loveless androids whose purpose is merely to complete a task without regard for the trials and tribulations that we all experience at some point in Life?
The impact of technology on humanity and society has caused me to ponder these questions:
Do we still value a handwritten 'thank you' note? Do we still trust one another? Has the Internet become our 'supreme being'? Do we really take time to listen to each other? Why is it getting more difficult to find a friendly person? Has more free time as a result of technology caused us to forget how to help, love, and serve one another compassionately? Where does it end?
Humanity's use of technology is beginning to scare me. We must remain human. We must continue to love each other. We must not lose our compassion for one another. We must remember to give to the poor. We must remember to feed the starving and clothe the naked. We must continue to value family. We must remember to kiss our children. We must spend time talking face-to-face. We must remember to laugh and experience joy. We must remember to enjoy a beautiful sunset. We must remember to love one another.
God, help us to use technology to extend love and compassion to one another...
Expressing love and compassion towards one another seems to difficult nowadays. Though I am writing as a hospital in-patient with a challenging cardiac condition, I must share my personal experience that has caused my concern for how technology has affected our ability to be compassionate towards one another. Though I am experiencing health challenges, I have appealed to the hospital nursing staff to allow me to use the Internet so that I can continue to complete my online PhD. course assignments. They obliged without hesitation. I notified my professors of my condition and sought compassion during this trying period in my life. Sadly, I received an email from one professor who seemed to disregard my effort to continue to complete assignments while facing these challenges. I have been told that late discussion postings and assignments will not receive full credit (regardless of the reason) and have been advised to drop the course. How sad. Where is the compassion for humanity? Are we becoming loveless androids whose purpose is merely to complete a task without regard for the trials and tribulations that we all experience at some point in Life?
The impact of technology on humanity and society has caused me to ponder these questions:
Do we still value a handwritten 'thank you' note? Do we still trust one another? Has the Internet become our 'supreme being'? Do we really take time to listen to each other? Why is it getting more difficult to find a friendly person? Has more free time as a result of technology caused us to forget how to help, love, and serve one another compassionately? Where does it end?
Humanity's use of technology is beginning to scare me. We must remain human. We must continue to love each other. We must not lose our compassion for one another. We must remember to give to the poor. We must remember to feed the starving and clothe the naked. We must continue to value family. We must remember to kiss our children. We must spend time talking face-to-face. We must remember to laugh and experience joy. We must remember to enjoy a beautiful sunset. We must remember to love one another.
God, help us to use technology to extend love and compassion to one another...
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The Benefits of Blogging!
Until I read the work of Richardson, I was unaware of the many benefits and uses that blogging brings to the learning process and the classroom. From shared public read/write to RSS feeds, blogging offers a new and effective portal for learning and sharing information. In the past, I did not trust the reliability of blogging due to the ease of public access. I did not know that there were administrative restrictions that can reduce the possibility of vandalism and increase the reliability of information. Since I was not aware of the available tools that make blogging more secure and trustworthy, I initially shied away from blogging as a classroom tool. In the future, I plan to use classroom blogs and student blogs for e-journaling, research, and classroom information sharing.
Other sites about blogging:
Blogging for Beginners
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/14/blogging-for-beginners-2/
Educational Blogs
http://educational.blogs.com/
scroll down to Blog Writing Tools
http://awd.cl.uh.edu/blog/
Weblog Directory (Google)
http://www.google.com/Top/Reference/Education/Instructional_Technology/Weblogs/
Other sites about blogging:
Blogging for Beginners
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/14/blogging-for-beginners-2/
Educational Blogs
http://educational.blogs.com/
scroll down to Blog Writing Tools
http://awd.cl.uh.edu/blog/
Weblog Directory (Google)
http://www.google.com/Top/Reference/Education/Instructional_Technology/Weblogs/