Addressing the Digital Divide

What is the Digital Divide? According to the International Telecommunications Union, (Digital Divide: What it is and why it matters) "Digital Divide" refers to the gap between those who benefit from digital technology and those who do not. This website explains socioeconomics reflecting on the benefits of technology on the wealthy in contrast to lower income people. The following is suggested: “Thus giving to the poor digital technology that has been designed for the rich may actually add to the causes of poverty and accelerate the exodus of the rural poor into cities already bursting at the seams. “ (Digital Divide: What it is and why it matters) This is true if there is a lack of education that supports the technology, and a lack of cultural understanding by the educators.

As a leader in educational technology it is my responsibility to support the school systems, the education associations, and the communities to push for improvements in quality education, and in quality technology resources. Equal access to technology needs to be provided, and so must the quality of education to utilize the technology.

In providing a quality education, it means that there must be an understanding and appreciation of the cultural and societal differences. Dr. Thornburg (2009) states, “When bringing in technologies to other countries, we must understand the cultures to see what technologies are appropriate given their realities. In all of our studies as educators we have learned that in order to make a difference in the level of learning that a student acquires, we must draw from their prior knowledge and their cultures. When students see how a lesson or a topic affects their lives, they will appreciate how to benefit from the emerging technology. It shows them that the emerging technology is not taking anything away from them or making them compromise their livelihood. It is here in my role as a leader in educational technology that I must make learning and the learning of technology (or with technology) meaningful to diverse students—to all students.

I really like the quote by William Gibson: “The future arrived; it just wasn't equally distributed.” I can’t help but think that; “ Education arrived; it just isn’t equally distributed,” is a quote that the former cannot exist without.

Thornburg, D. D. (2009). Diversity and globalism. [Vodcast]. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4199715&Survey=1&47=5797856&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
Digital Divide: What it is and why it matters. (n.d.). Retrieved August 22, 2010, from Digitial Divide.org Ushering in the Second Revolution: http://www.digitaldivide.org/digitaldivide.html

Red Queens and Increasing Returns

I first searched the library online to reserve a copy. The problem with this was that it would take a few days for them to remove it from the shelf and put it on hold. The other problem was that most copies were in VHS format. I could have chosen this option, since I have a VHS/DVD player, but I prefer the DVD. Also, it just would have been faster and easier to go to the store directly and check it out in person. I thought about digitally downloading it, but I couldn't decide which movie I wanted to watch. So I did a search on Blockbuster's inventory and found out which movies they carried and at which location I should go to. I found one close location that had 3 of the 4 movies which gave me options. So I rented all 3 of them, and decided later which one to watch and review. Also, I chose to go to the store because I like to get out of the house and just browse through the selections.

The DVD has the advantage of being portable, and of being able to be kept and stored. It is hard for me to look at these two technologies as being representative of increasing returns because ultimately, the digital downloads would be copied and stored on a DVD. I think that it is an example of Red Queens for the DVD. It must compete with the convenience of downloading a movie directly to your computer or Xbox 360 or Wii. Blockbuster and Netflix realize this. With their services, you not only can digitally download a movie, but you can still rent DVDs and have them delivered directly to your home via the mail. You don't have to drive to the store to rent a movie. You can simply go to your mailbox. I think that this is where the DVD is running and running trying to keep its usefulness apparent to the public. With a couple of DVDs that I have recently rented, there are two in the case, one which is the movie, and the other which is in a digital format to be shown on the computer.

The digital downloads seem to be in the "enhances" quadrant, improving the speed of which to view a movie, but it doesn't completely improve the DVD because it lacks portability. The DVD is still in the "rekindles quadrant", as it rekindles personal recording, and motion picture recordings that can be stored and viewed many times at home.

 

http://www.netflix.com/HowItWorks

http://www.blockbuster.com/download/ondemand101

Thornburg, D. (2008c). Red Queens, butterflies, and strange attractors: Imperfect lenses into emergent technologies. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

 

The Disruptive Power of Second Life

“There are so many things that we would like to do in real everyday life, but can’t because of limitations.” – Philip Rosendale, creator of Second Life

Disruptive technologies are examples of emerging technologies that develop spontaneously and replace current technologies. These new technologies are often creative and exciting. They involve creators who take chances and do not think like the norm. In his video, Rosendale described himself as a person who has these interests. The concept of Second Life lives up to the definition of disruptive technologies as well. It is a cyber life that allows people to assume a new and different life that they create and control via the web. This concept takes people’s thoughts and ideals above and beyond normal perspectives of life. The limitations of the imagination are challenged and people begin to act on their perspectives.
One attraction to Second Life, is that people need a form of escape. If you look at the different ways people try to escape the realities of their lives, they can be negative escapes like drinking and drug abuse or they can be positive like exercise, meditation or vacationing. In the world of Second Life, there is no need for these things to be “forms of escape”, but simply parts of life, if chosen to be so.
Another attraction to a virtual life is the control that someone can have over their own life. Through creativity and imagination, a Second Life user can enter a world that they have dreamed of, but in reality are too afraid to venture.
In the Rosendale video, he spoke of the game “Dungeons and Dragons” as being a game that he played but needed more from. This could be one innovation that Second Life has replaced, however given the fact that it is a disruptive technology, I don’t believe that it has truly replaced any one technology. Another possible technology would be story writing: fiction, fantasy and science fiction for example. Here Second Life is a visual replacement. I would venture that like there are other types of virtual worlds in existence now, Second Life will be replaced quite soon, in the next 2-5 years, due to its popularity and the need to grow bigger and better.
Social benefits
A final example of an attraction to Second Life is that the users can also start again or do something again. Real life does not allow one to relive an event from the past and change it. In a virtual world one can do this. This could be a positive way that allows people to reflect on their actions and thus think about how they will interact with others in the future.
In the field of World Language Education, virtual worlds open up many possibilities for exploring countries and cultures. People can get a visual and auditory glimpse of what life is like. They could even get a chance to try out their new language skills and make mistakes without feeling intimidated by making mistakes with real people. San Francisco-based Linden Labs (which runs SL) leading the pack. Linden says more than 100 virtual islands have been bought within its world for education purposes. (Nuthall, 2008) All areas of education will benefit from the possiblities of virtual life.

My personal views of Second Life? I don’t have a lot of interest in virtual worlds. I can see the advantages, which I pointed out, but I have a fear that people will not use this responsibly and it will open the doors to many negative experiences. I can only hope that this won’t be true.

Suggested Link: www.simteach.com


Nuthall, K. (2008, January 20). US: A disruptive technology arrives. Retrieved July 26, 2010, from University World News: www.universityworldnews.com/article.phy?story=2008117162121373&mode=print

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

Thornburg, D. D. (2009). Disruptive technologies. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4199715&Survey=1&47=5797856&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Rhymes of History Technology

The Digital Voice Recorder

 

The Digital Voice Recorder is a technology that is an example of the evolution of several technologies that shared the same theme in history, audio recording! Throughout history, there has always been an invention of recording voices and music for society to listen to repeatedly at their leisure. It could be used for note taking, lessons, or simply for the listening pleasure of stories and music.

 

Various technologies have been invented to be portable and capable of storing a lot of material. The technologies that I immediately think of that the digital voice recorder has evolved from are the 8-track tape, the cassette tape, and of course the LP. These technologies were evolved from the phonograph and the gramophone back in the 1800's. All share the theme of being able to record and to playback audio recordings.

 

Growing up, I remember that my parents had the 8-track tape player, (invented in 1965) in the car and we would sing along with our favorite music groups. (William Lear, 2010) This later became the cassette tape player. As a language teacher, I have used cassette tapes, audio CDs and MP3 players to play the audio lessons that support our text. My colleague still pulls out a record player and plays music in Spanish for her students! They just look at her in awe, questioning this strange contraption!

 

Today, the Digital Voice Recorder can perform multiple actions. In the example of the Sony Memory Stick Duo Voice Recorder, one can find features such as a voice recorder that organizes and edits recordings in 340 folders. This means that I can record my students during oral examinations. I can record myself to create podcasts for my courses, all on one device. There is even software for sending audible emails—with an attachment! A completely new and innovative idea! (Memory Stick Duo Voice Recorder, 2010) Some digital voice recorders offer the feature of MP3 players and recorders, I have one that does this and it didn't come close to the cost of this Sony Memory Stick!

 

The digital voice recorder can be added to the long list of technologies that have been produced to provide society with voice and musical audio recordings.

 

References:

Bellis, M. (2010). Photo Gallery - Gramophone & Emile Berliner. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from About.com Guide: http://inventors.about.com/od/gstartinventions/ss/gramophone.htm

DVD: Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Emerging and future technology. Baltimore: Thornburg, D.

Emile Berliner: The History of the Gramophone. (2010). Retrieved 14 July, 2010, from About.com: http://inventors.about.com/od/gstartinventions/a/gramophone.htm

Memory Stick Duo Voice Recorder. (2010). Retrieved 15 July, 2010, from Sony Electronics, Inc.: http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665927715

William Lear. (2010). Retrieved July 14, 2010, from About.com: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bllear.htm

Emerging Technologies Tetrad

Smartphone:

The Smartphone does more than just allows you to communicate with other people. According to the Back 150 timeline website, (Imagining the Internet: Back 150 Timeline) the phone's purpose was to "bring people closer together, decreasing loneliness and building new communities;” The smart phone takes this a step beyond, by allowing communication to also take place through emails, using wireless internet connections. Cassavoy (2010) states, "a smartphone is a device that lets you make telephone calls, but also adds in features that you might find on a personal digital assistant or a computer--such as the ability to send and receive e-mail and edit Office documents, for example."

This technology replaces the cell phone and ultimately the telephone itself. The smartphone rekindles a cluster past technologies. The telegraph and the telegram, were important ways to communicate with people from great distances. I would think that the French would feel that pigeons sending messages would be an important past communication that should be included in this cluster too! The lost art of letter writing would be another technology that the smartphone replaces with its email application. Finally, the keyboard on the smartphone is a small replica of the typewriter.

In the future, the smartphone could continue with all the smartphone applications plus word processing and multimedia project applications, like PowerPoint, video projects, and word processing. This technology will be so sophisticated that one would not even have to type, but simply speak and the future pda will create the projects and do all the typing!

Cassavoy, L. (n.d.). What makes a Smartphone smart? Retrieved June 28, 2010, from About.com: http://cellphones.about.com/od/smartphonebasics/a/what_is_smart.htm

Cassovoy, L. (2010). Before You Buy: Which Operating System Works for Your Smartphone? Retrieved June 28, 2010, from About.com: http://cellphones.about.com/od/smartphonebasics/bb/palm_or_windows.htm
Cha, B. (2010, June 24). Cnet reviews: Best Smartphones. Retrieved June 29, 2010, from http://reviews.cnet.com/best-smartphones/

Imagining the Internet: Back 150 Timeline. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2010, from Elon University/Pew Internet: http://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/predictions/back150years.pdf

Telegram. (n.d.). Retrieved June 29, 2010, from Ask Image Search: http://www.ecommcode.com/hoover/hooveronline/hoover_dam/politics/thumb/046tn.gif

Telegraph. (n.d.). Retrieved June 29, 2010, from American Inventors and Inventions: http://www.150.si.edu/150trav/remember/r819.htm

Typewritter. (n.d.). Retrieved June 29, 2010, from Ask.com Image Search: http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/tonightwedance1/typewritter.jpg

An Emerged Technology

 

Although audio CDs have been around for quite some time, it wasn't always used in the World Language classroom. The cassette tape was used for building listening comprehension skills. In my building, CDs replaced the cassette tape in 2003 because it was time to adopt new textbooks. Not only are the CDs a more modern use of technology, but the sound quality is much clearer. The students were able to practice their listening comprehension, and improve their own pronunciation as well. The website Omniglot, best explains how foreign language learning takes place in various courses, "together with cassettes or CDs with recordings of most of the dialogues and some of the exercises. Most of these courses are suitable for beginners. Intermediate-level courses are also available for the more popular languages, such as French, German, Russian, Spanish and Italian." (What's the best way to study?, 1998-2010) As a result, students are able to communication with native speakers.

With the cassette tape, you lost a lot of instruction time while searching for the correct section to play for your students in class. The CD's allow you to go straight to the track and play what is needed right away! The students appreciate the use of the CDs, and whenever I ran into a problem with locating a track or fast forwarding, I could always rely on my students to come to the rescue!

The problems with the CD's are that there are several of them that come with the textbook; they come in a huge binder. One must be well organized and keep up with them, if you're not, then forget it! Also, teachers would be required to share them, which would become another problem. What if you both needed a particular CD at the same time? The other problem is when a CD is scratched; it takes forever to get it replaced, if you can't fix it yourself.

The listening CD would be better if it were smaller and able to hold more content to reduce the amount of CDs that accompany the text. If the CD's could be created without the possibility of scratching that would be really ingenious! I think that these may be ways to improve an already good technology! In the meanwhile, the World Language Department is now moving towards MP3 players.

References:

Holt McDougal -French. (2010). Retrieved June 16, 2010, from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: http://holtmcdougal.hmhco.com/hm/series.htm?level2Code=MSIB10015&level3Code=4_FR

Holt McDougal World Language Catalog 2010. (2010). Retrieved June 17, 2010, from Houton Mifflin Harcourt: http://vihmh.impelsys.com/hmhcatalog/index.php?catalog=2/5/0

What's the best way to study? (1998-2010). Retrieved June 17, 2010, from Omniglot: Writing Systems & Language Learning of the World: http://www.omniglot.com/language/how.htm

 

 

New Technologies

I have recently joined a non-for-profit organization that encourages the study of French. We offer courses for children through adults, at all levels of instruction. In one of our planning meetings, we were discussing ways to improve enrollment. I suggested incorporating more technology. I even gave some suggestions that I use as a classroom teacher. The other teachers became very resistant, and told me that our classrooms weren't large enough, and weren't equipped with computers or wireless capabilities like those in the public schools that I am used to. They also said that they just didn't see how it would work because the videos that accompany the texts are not well received. I have requested to observe their classes, so that I can get a feel for the students and the environment. At the same time, I found out that no, there aren't any computers, but yes there is a wireless capability. So I am currently suggesting that we create a survey of the current students and members, to learn what their technology experiences are. Do they use social networks? Do they Blog or use Skype? Are they familiar with PowerPoint or Movie making applications? And of course, do they have a laptop and an iPod? (Capturing the attention of the students.)When I explained that by incorporating these technologies, (enhancing the relevance),it could very well take some of the pressure off of the teachers, and allow them to step back and allow the students of our classes to gain some control of their learning, it began to appeal to them. (Building confidence, and generating satisfaction). (Driscoll, 2005, p.339) We are in the process of using these strategies for stimulating motivation, but I am positive that Keller's theory will prevail!

Rosetta Stone is an example of how Multimedia is incorporated into language instruction.

References:

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3^rd ed.).
Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.