Red Queens

I had already possessed the DVD necessary for my science fiction assignment.  I purchased the DVD copy of Total Recall when it first came out.  When I was younger my family owned a copy of the original Total Recall on VHS.  The current competition between DVDS and streaming videos on demand goes better with the Red Queens model.  Dr. Thornburg   said, “Huge competition between two technologies is in the process and all other competitors are left behind.”  I agree with this because there was VHS and it was replaced by DVDs and video on demand.   Presently new movies do not come out on VHS. 

                They are either on DVD or video on demand.  There are some benefits to DVDs and there are some benefits to video on demand.  DVDs benefit people that do not have internet connections or slow internet speeds. Video on demand benefits people that like use computers and have internet capabilities that can properly show the movies.  Also video on demand typically comes from another source such as Netflix or cable companies.  Both can appeal to two different groups of people. 

On McLuhan’s tetrad I believe they are in the enhance stage.  The new media has improved upon VHS and have caused VHS to be in the obsolete stage.   Some people believe that DVDs will soon be replaced by video on demand but I don’t see how that can be possible. This is a website I was looking at that believes that one day it will happen. http://www.reelseo.com/streaming-video-ondemand-vs-dvd/

Reference

Walden University (2008). Red Queens [Video file]. Retrieved from                 https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fweb           apps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2643401_1%26url              %3D

The Disruptive Power of Second Life

Second life is a disruptive technology because it has displaced a technology.  The traditional online chat has been replaced with virtual worlds in a sense.  This innovation replaced the traditional chat room where people can only talk using words.  In second life people interact differently.  Humans are social people and this fills a social need that humans have.  In these virtual worlds you are never alone and information can be experienced together according to Philip Rosedale.   I think it will be over a decade before another technology displaces it because it is just now getting off the ground.

Reference

Rosedale, P. (2008). Philip Rosedale on Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from                 http://www.ted.com/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.

Rhymes of History Technology

The technology that I wanted to focus on is Instagram. This new technology is trying to create a, “world more connected through photos.” This technology is free and easy to use. The type of technology that Instagram rekindles from the past would go back as far as 3500 B.C. in ancient Sumer. Pictographs were used on clay tablets to convey messages and connect future generations. Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics are believed to go back to about 3000 B.C. Julius Caesar had messages carved into stone in public. In 175 the Chinese carved classics into stones. These are all different types of technology that Instagram has rekindled. People take pictures on a daily basis and post them for the world to see and stay connected. This was the same function that the historic technologies were used for as well.  Dr. Thornburg said that technology can fit in a rhymes of history situation  where a new development mirrors or rekindles something form the past and I believe Instagram does just that.


References

Instagram. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://instagram.com/

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Rhymes of History. Baltimore, MD: Author

iPads in the classroom

A current technology that has emerged in the last few years that has started to shape the learning process is Apple's iPad.  The number one problem with the technology is the price.  It is also hard to monitor what students are actually doing on their school supplied iPads.  The societal needs that are meet include interactive activites and a reduction of textbooks.  This technology would be even better if it were more affordable for all school districts and students.  Some sites that might be useful include: http://ipadeducators.ning.com/ and http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/. 

Connectivism Mindmap

• How has your network changed the way you learn? 
• I know this seems odd but networking has not changed the way I learn.  Personally I like to do things alone.  
• Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you? 
• None of these tools are better then the other for me.  I have been struggling with blogging, wikis and Google Plus.  When it comes to collaboration I have struggled.
• How do you learn new knowledge when you have questions?
• When I have questions I would rather go up to someone and ask them face to face or read the information in a book or online myself.

Collaboration

Collaboration

Howard Rhinegold talked about how in history humans have found ways to work with each other for the greater good.  He used the example of hunting big game and that it is impossible for one person to take down a mastodon.  Humans would have to come together to kill such a creature.  Personally I believe that humans only like to come together when it serves a common goal.  Most of the time people like to do things as individuals.

In my classroom whenever I mention group work there seems to be a wave of groans and questions of can I work by myself.  Technology can facilitate collaboration amongst learners because it can help elevate some of the fears and concerns that students have when it comes to collaborative assignments.  A student’s participation and contributions can be tracked and this helps the grading process. 

I found this link of useful resources and I would like to share it with everyone:  http://www.collaborativelearning.org  there are lots of resources available for free.    The research study that I would like to point my classmates to is located at: http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=02b02570-6aea-4d86-a821-e1217721fe99%40sessionmgr12&vid=8&hid=22.

References

Burger, S., & McFarland, M. (2009). Action Research and Wikis: An Effective Collaboration. Library Media Connection, 28(2), 38-40.

 Rheingold, H. (2008, February). Howard Rheingold on collaboration [Video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.ted.com/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html

Cognitivism as a Learning Theory

As I was reading Bill Kerr’s blog the first thing that popped into my mind was that he is confusing my by constantly using “isms”. Bill Kerr said, “Actions which are followed by rewards are often repeated.” I completely agree that this is a strategy that is still used in today’s classroom. The theory of behaviorism, to me, is one of the most used strategies inside of the classroom. All students receive a grade for their work. I consider grades to be an award. Some students might not agree with that but rewarding a student with an “A” is a reward in response to the correct work being submitted. There were many times in Kerr’s blog that confused me. At one point I was not sure what theory he supported. I am guessing that he believes that all of the learning theories are necessary because he started to lean that way by the end of his blog. I am wondering if anyone else had trouble understanding his points and if they can elaborate further on what he was trying to say.




Reference

Kerr, B. (2007, January 1). _isms as filter, not blinker [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html

Learning Theory and Educational Technology: Module One

For this week's blog I have decided to discuss option one which states, "What are your beliefs about how people learn best? What is the purpose of learning theory in educational technology?"  The problem with answering this type of question is that I don't have one particular belief about how people learn.  Different people learn differently.  There is no one size fits all fix for education.  I believe that educational technology can help with this problem.  Technology can be used to help students get an individual learning experience.  I also believe that the best learning can only occur if the theories are combined.

Video Presentation

Cluster Map

Here is my graphic organizer.  If you would like to see the interactive graph working please visit the class cafe.

Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools

Once again I am dealing with something I have no clue how to make work.  I have created this wonderful interactive graphic organizer but I can not post it on my blog.  Please go to the class cafe and check out my graphic organizer.  Please help me if you know how to attach pdf files to blogs.

Resource for graphic organizer

Prois, J. (2011, March 27). Social networking in schools: Educators debate the merits of technology in classrooms The Internet Newspaper, Retrieved from       http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/27/social-networking-schools_n_840911.html

Assessing Collaborative Efforts

Participation in a collaborative learning community should be assessed in different models.  According to Siemens students should assess their peers, self-assess, educators should assess student contributions and educators should assess based on metrics.   Assessment should be fair and understood.  Rubrics would be the best way for an educator to assess students in this learning environment.  I believe the fairest way to assess students is to create a rubric that is very specific. 
 
When it comes to students who do not want to participate in the learning community it effects everyone.  I have worked in groups where there are a few people that do not actively participate.  It is a major headache.  The best way to deal with this problem is to try and communicate with the group member.  If this does not work then the instructor needs to be informed.  The instructor is a facilitator and should be made aware of group members that do not participate. 
 
 
Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Learning Communities. Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Video Presentation: Post Storyboard on Blog

I have images that I have set up for this project and they will go in the power point presentation.  However, I am having trouble uploading the photos to my blog.  If anyone know how to do this please respond and let me know what I am doing wrong.


Title: What is Plagiarism and how to deal with it in distance education




By Sadie Rodgers









What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism- using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author’s work as your own,

 

Definition taken from dictionary.com

Slide Title: Examples of plagiarism

• Copying and pasting online sources, text, or any information that is not your original work

• Using your work previously submitted and not giving proper credit

• Using audio, video or photographs without citations (acknowledgement)

• Using a family/friends work and taking credit for it as if it were your own

• Quoting without using quotation marks

• Getting written work off the internet and trying to pass it off as your own

Slide Title: Preventing Plagiarism

• Do not copy and paste but use your own words for an assignment

• Always cite your sources and give credit where it is due

• use quotation marks and in-text citations

• When taking notes write down the citation information for you to use later

• Do not use anyone else’s work and claim it as your own



Detection and remediation





Resources

• https://www.google.com/search?q=Plagarism&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7ADFA_enUS483&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=qEn6T9b6GIPc9ASy9IDuBg&biw=1280&bih=596&sei=XEr6T5-eKoW88ATtlvXmBg (Images were taken from this site.)

Title: What is Plagiarism and how to deal with it in distance education




By Sadie Rodgers









What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism- using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author’s work as your own,

 

Definition taken from dictionary.com

Slide Title: Examples of plagiarism

• Copying and pasting online sources, text, or any information that is not your original work

• Using your work previously submitted and not giving proper credit

• Using audio, video or photographs without citations (acknowledgement)

• Using a family/friends work and taking credit for it as if it were your own

• Quoting without using quotation marks

• Getting written work off the internet and trying to pass it off as your own

Slide Title: Preventing Plagiarism

• Do not copy and paste but use your own words for an assignment

• Always cite your sources and give credit where it is due

• use quotation marks and in-text citations

• When taking notes write down the citation information for you to use later

• Do not use anyone else’s work and claim it as your own



Detection and remediation





Resources

• https://www.google.com/search?q=Plagarism&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7ADFA_enUS483&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=qEn6T9b6GIPc9ASy9IDuBg&biw=1280&bih=596&sei=XEr6T5-eKoW88ATtlvXmBg (Images were taken from this site.)

Citation list for this weeks blog:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). The future of distance education featuring George Siemens. United States: Walden University.

I agree with Siemens view on distance education. Distance education provides many possibilities that are different from face to face traditional classrooms. The elements of global diversity and collaboration have evolved dramatically. Students can collaborate with students across the globe and this also adds an element of diversity to the educational experience. Siemens said that students have to have a, “growing comfort with online discourse” for distance education to be successful.


There are many tools that have made it possible to collaborate and achieve global diversity. For example students can Skype with students around the world. English students that take Spanish can have face to face conversations with native English speakers and vice verses. Authors can talk to students from the comfort of their home or a location of their choosing. The possibilities are endless when it comes to the internet/world wide web.

The Next Generation of Distance Education

After reading the three articles by Moller, Huett, Foshay and Coleman, and listening to the Simonson video programs, compare and contrast the reasons these authors believe there is a need to evolve distance education to the next generation. Do you agree with their positions? Why or why not?

I agree with the positions of all five of these authors in one way or another. For example our education system needs to evolve. Our students are no longer traditional students and the traditional school does not work for everyone. With the inclusion of No Child Left Behind we need more options for our students. In the article titled The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web the following quote was available: Ideally, by offering online courses, a small school can provide rich and varied options normally available only at larger schools (Pape, 2005). Moller, Huett, Foshay, Coleman and Simonson all agreed that our learners are more advanced than they used to be in the past. They also believe that distance education has to evolve.

Simonson believes that distance education has been widely accepted by society and this is great because this is one of the major barriers that usually stand in the way of innovations. He also believes that there must be a blending of the traditional learning environment and distance learning for students to be successful. I agree more with this idea because there are lots of benefits to having both settings. In the traditional classroom there is more face to face interaction and when it comes to distance education there is convince and the aspect of lower cost that must come into the equation. Cost has become a major factor in lots of decisions in education in the recent years because of the recession. Distance learning can help fix overcrowded classrooms and provide twenty first century skills that all of our students will need.

Sadie Rodgers

Resources

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70-75. Use the Academic Search Premier database, and search using the article's Accession Number: 33281719.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66-70. Use the Academic Search Premier database, and search using the article's Accession Number: 33991516.

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5). 63-67.

Final Reflection

My personal theory of learning consisted of my students learning through repletion. I still believe this but I would modify that theory buy saying that my students need to be taught the proper way to do things. Practice doesn’t make perfect but it does make permanent. I plan on using technology that gives my students feedback. They need this to be successful.


An immediate change that I will make when it comes to technology integration is to make sure that I model the aspects I want my students to grasp. To many times I have assumed that my students knew what to do. I now realize that this was a source of my major frustration with major projects. Not all students are technology proficient. Students need to see teachers modeling so that they can learn. My long term goals include continuing my education in this program and going to any technology professional development sessions my district may offer. I am already signed up to work on learning iPad technology and other Apple applications.

Social networking

Collaboration and social networking go together. Dr. Orey suggested jigsawing. In my classroom I Have used wikis. I had my students work in pairs to research and create a wiki based on the Holocaust. My students were given a rubric and they also did peer editing on each others wikis. It was a great experience for everyone. It required a lot of work and time but in the end it was well worth the skills that my students acquired.




Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program eight: Social learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

VoiceThread

Here is the url for my voicethread: http://voicethread.com/#q.b2302742.i12207994.