Coordinating Technology

Technology requires skill, patience, and wisdom to coordinate into an existing system. As a result of technological challenges, I am convinced of the following:

1. Two heads are better than one.
2. Technology requires a backup plan.
3. Clear vision is a prerequisite for success.
4. Technology planninng is vital for successful implementation.
5. Never freak out; technology will only laugh at you.

Point One:

I have encountered so many new and unusual technological problems. Sometimes, I have been able to solve them but some problems were so perplexing that I needed to consult others. Thank God for the 'tech gurus' that I can ask. I am learning how much more I will need to learn to effectively coordinate technology systemically.

Point Two:

Technology is like an evil mistress who fails you at the most important times. Whether trying to get all computers online at once, give a presentation, or clear a paper jam from the printer, technology is bound to fail at the most undesirable time. A backup plan must always be available. Sometimes, we may need to revert to B.G.(Before Google) methods of problem solving.

Point Three:

A clear and realistic vision of the capabilities of technology must be assessd and evaluated. Important questions include: What am I trying to do? What purpose will technology serve? What will technology implementation look, feel, and sound like? Is everyone benefitting from technology? Is there a suggestion box available? What skills are needed to effectively use the technology? Is assistive technology needed? How will technology use be assessed? Where are the aspirin?

Point Four

Planning is essential for success. Failure to plan is planning to fail. Take the time to develop a plan to turn a vision into reality. Follow a template. Follow through. Realize that you are never finished making improvements.

Point Five

Above all, realize that the technology imps will decide to visit occassionally. A network will slow down and burp when needed for training. Software may seem to have its own mind and exercise its right to freeze at the most inappropriate time. Teaching others to use technology brings out the worst in technology. Laugh and remain calm through technology crises. He who laughs first...

The Value of Vision- Near and Far

Vision is a necessary part of any journey. Close your eyes and walk to the door of the room that you are in without stumbling over or walking into anything. Now, keep your eyes locked on an object that is right in front of you. Without taking your eyes off of the object, ball up a piece of paper and try to throw it in the garbage. Next, stare out of a window and name everything that is in the room. How did you do?

The exercise above is an example of how important vision is in everyday life. When planning for technology, vision is critical for success. Near-sighted vision prevents large outcomes from occurring by placing too much emphasis on small accomplishments in growth. Far-sighted vision negates the importance of having important elements in place that ensure success.

Vision, expectation, and planning must co-exist for technology integration to be successful in education. 'Techno-mania'(rushing into technology) is tempting but also part of the recipe for failure. A new computer, device, gadget, or peripheral may be exciting to watch or use but effective integration requires more than just placing technology into the hands of unskilled users who have not yet analyzed the anticipated result they hope to achieve.

Technology is a tool, not a toy...

Time 2 Blog!

It is not that I have had nothing to blog about during my hiatus but more that I have not TAKEN the time to blog. After relocating to Chicago at the end of August, my life has been spinning faster than I can run! A new position as Technology Coordinator has been wrought with challenges and successes that are too numerable to list. I believe that the next blog entries that I make will be a glimpse of the struggles and triumphs of this era of my life. My new motto: Time 2 Blog!

Art Education + Technology =???

This claymation movie is an interesting use of technology. What is it communicating to us?

The Future of Educational Technology

A middle school in Boston is already using educational technology to boost student attendance, motivation, interest, and academic performance. This article details how technology will become an essential component of the public and private educational system by 2020. According to the article, the number of teachers expected to be employed as classroom teachers will fall but the number of high school students enrolled in online classes will rise.


http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-usa-education-technology.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Google vs. Brain Use

I recently read an article about how much of our brain is no longer used as a result of Internet use. Since we know "if we don't use it, we lose it", we must find the balance between technology and cognitive processing. We do not want to become so dependent on technology that we are no longer able to process information or problem-solve without technology. This article addresses the problem but does not really offer solutions. I guess that is up to us to figure out...

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google

Technology Challenges

I have been visiting friends and family this week and am amazed at how we learn to live with the problems and challenges of technology. i have spent endless hours clearing malware from the computers of my friends and family. Living with a slow computer has become acceptable by many people. I take it for granted that everyone is knowledgeable about computers and networks since they have been a part of mainstream society for about two decades.

This raises a few questions. How do we know when we are getting the maximum benefit out of technology? Also, how can we share technological skills, knowledge, and expertise on a wider scale? Can technology be a limiting factor when applied to education?

I will seek out the answers to these questions during this year.

Lessons Learned

I feel as though I am writing for the last time but I realize that I have only just begun. I have learned so much about existing and emerging technologies. I have come to understand the collaborative benefits of blogs, wikis, and Skype. I have made friends with classmates that I have never met. We have laughed, shared, and experienced a bit of each other's life over the last twelve weeks. I plan to remain in touch with my classmates as a result of my new-found technologies. The sense of community is mind-boggling, yet real enough to feel.

I have learned that blogs are for more than keeping up with your favorite celebrity or hobby club. I have learned to trust wikis as a reliable source built on intelligence and integrity. I have learned that there are technological advances are being made in education but are not reaching the classrooms of our country in large enough numbers. I have learned that many people are afraid of the change that technology can bring to the classroom and may refuse to give it a try out of fear. I have learned that there are ways to incorporate iPods and cellphones into the classroom experience that embrace technology rather than resist its presence. Most of all, I have learned that I must stay abreast of new and emerging technologies, read the research reports, and familiarize myself with these technologies so that I can emerge as an expert in the field of Educational Technology.

No, this is not my last blog. Now I will post because I want to add meaningful reflections and input for the purpose of Collective Intelligence...

The Power of Collective Intelligence

This film displays the need for and power of collective intelligence in a society, whether human or non-human. The dynamic evolution of a society results when the efforts of individuals are combined to create 'systems in action'. These systems may reflect a collaboration of efforts that lead toward 'collective good' or 'collective evil'. As collective intelligence, web 2.0, and social wisdom become more mainstream, we must seek to maintain love for one another and keep it an utmost priorirty so that we strive to work towards 'collective good' in the future course of humanity.



Reference
http://www.revver.com/video/337252/soh23-the-power-of-collective-intelligence-and-awareness/

Is Socialized Education a Conceivable Reality?

As educators, we are often faced with the charge to believe that 'all children can learn'. The NCLB Act attempts to make that charge a measurable reality through the enforcement of strict measures and guidelines to ensure that equitable learning and education occurs for all students.

Realistically, can governments and economic systems sustain a society of equally educated and skilled people? Will the role of a computer programmer be considered equally important as that of a surgeon since the programmer will design the program that will enable the surgeon to perform nano-surgery on a patient? Will the role of a teacher be held in high regard ( in this country) since it is the hub of learning for both the surgeon and computer programmer? Who will be left in society to perform the less desirable jobs such as trash collection, fast food workers, and laborers if everyone has equal access to education?

France has a system of socialized education and recently experienced a major revolt by college students who were graduating only to be faced with a severe job shortage and high unemployment rate (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/12/world/europe/12france.html). As this article states, as college enrollment increased, the value of a Bachelor's degree decreased. Are we truly ready to de-value some jobs and educational achievements by making education accessible to all?

Technology has definitely expanded the ability to reach more students nationally and internationally through distance learning, LMS/LCMS, learning objects, and digital repositories. What can we do to make education accessible and equitable to all without creating a societal and economic revolt caused by the reality of the problems (like those) encountered by France?

Personal Reflection on LMS

As a first-time online student who is seeking the attainment of a degree through matriculation thru virtual classrooms, I admit that I was initially unfamiliar with the process. Being an 'old school' student who accomplished completion of past degrees in a traditional classroom, I did not believe that the quality of learning would be as good due to limited social interaction. I am happy to say that I was wrong!

Learning Management Systems(LMS) actually work! The LMS design that Walden utilizes along with the delivery of instruction by qualified instructors has made the coursework fun, engaging, and most of all, informative. The level of student performance is graded critically but fairly and keeps scholarly writing a standard for maintaining student excellence.

I have also learned a great deal about using such social collaboration tools as blogs, wikis, Skype, and LMS tools such as webliographies. I have developed a sense the personal skills necessary for success as an online student. The top three seem to be: self-discipline, time management, and the willingness to share ideas with fellow classmates.

Technology in Everyday Life(?)

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!

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

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!

Derek-

I just googled Camtasia Studio. the link is http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp

Good luck!

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...

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/

Educational Technology Websites

Please add your favorite technology websites to this blog. Here are a few of mine:

Technology Learning http://www.techlearning.com

U.S. Department of Educational Technology http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/index.html

Web 2.0 http://www.classroom20wiki.com/

How to Restore Blog Admin Rights

Learning 'on the fly' is not always best! I accidentally revoked my administrative rights. Since it is impossible to go back, the only way to restore the rights is to have one of your authors restore your rights, delete their name, and invite the author to your blog again.

No admin for me

Hope you find some one who can help

Blogging

Trying to restore administrative rights to my blog!

Derek,

I finally made it into your blog! I think you are really thinking hard about blogs, this is good. I feel like we will develop some practical uses for them and adopt them into our own practice before we leave this class. I am going to assign it once a week for my students as soon as we return from break. I will learn from them how to make it useful to them.

Rose Ann

Meat

I'm no good at sacrificial lamb, and I try to keep the bull to a minimum. Don't expect any chicken no matter how much of a turkey you think I may be. But if it is meat you want, I'll do my best as part of the tribe.

Blog Reflection-week 3

Blogging is a great tool to create a web-accessible reflective log or journal. Educational applications can be of great benefit to students. Learning usually occurs over a period of time. Due to the busy lifestyles that most people have, it is easy to forget the importance of reflection during the learning process. Blogs also help keep track of important information gained. Blogging affords the opportunity to keep a 'web log' of what has been learned and may also be used to communicate with other students. Though it is not as personal as email, it is a more personal way to communicate than a website or the virtual classroom.

I still hope to learn of new and exciting uses and/or application of blogging.

Blogger Reflection: Online Instruction

The creation of this blog was a new and exciting experience. I have never created a blog because I did not know or understand its purpose. As an educator, I could not envision an appropriate use for the classroom. I have gained an appreciation of using blogs for educational purposes as a result of creating this blog.

Blogging is a relatively new technological tool that offers a variety of applications for instruction. For classroom instruction, blogs offer an opportunity for students to reflect on what they have learned in addition to classroom assessments. Blogs are also a means of 'connecting ' students in a 'virtual' classroom setting. Students are able to post thoughts, ideas, and questions that can lead to a deeper understanding of a topic.

Blogging for online or distance learners offers evidence that can be used for assessment of learner outcomes. Since teachers and students communicate virtually in the online setting, a blog may serve as a student journal or type of student portfolio. Students are able to post their work and communicate via this media. Blogs offer an opportunity for the student to demonstrate understanding using text and visiual media. Students may share information using blogs and communicate with each other. Since location is not a significant issue, students are able to learn from communicating with students in other ccountries using blogs. Blogs may also be used for team projects or cooperative learning by providing a common area for the creation or editing of a group assignment.

Blogging will surely offer more educational opportunities for the 21st Century classroom and learner. I look forward to learning more about the capabilities of using blogs for educational purposes.

Hello Walden Scholar-Practitioners!

Hello Walden Scholar-Practitioners! Hello Fellow Scholar-Practitioners!My name is Derek Atchison. I relocated from Chicago to Phoenix, AZ two years ago and have been homesick except for the snow! I am divorced and the father of five grown/nearly grown children. I am seeking a Ph.D in Educational Technology and plan to become a consultant for schools and school districts. I am currently a high school science teacher ( all courses except chemistry) who has grown weary from the daily struggle to teach. Sadly, our children are not learning in the 21st century in spite of our technological advances. I hope to use technology to identify and remediate skill gaps for improved achievement on high stakes tests. Since the NCLB Act was introduced, minority students have consistently scored poorly. Since school funding is tied to test performance, the most impoverished schools and students have been set up to experience a continual cycle of poverty. It is my hope to provide a template to schools to address and reduce achievement gap disparities. I look forward to working with you and collaborating on projects. I am fairly competent with most technologies but still require occasional direction if I am unfamiliar with a new modality. I believe that this class will provide the opportunity to learn about the new and exciting emerging technologies. I will send you my personal contact info upon request. I wish all of you much success in your scholarly journey.