I found this video to be very interesting and in regards to new standards in healthcare, if this were to actually ever happen, it could change the game. Take a look.
It seems as though there are countless Web 2.0 tools that have been created and I enjoyed exploring the uses of some of these. It was interesting to see in the infographic provided to us how the online schooling world has taken off and the timeline in which it did so. From the information that I have gathered and seen on the links provided, it seems as though Web 2.0 has made the online schooling world an easier and more efficient place for learners to find information and to then share that information with peers. It is amazing to think how far the online learning realm has come and it will be interesting to watch continued developments and to see where the Web will be in 20 years from now and how it will interact, so to speak, with the learners of the future.
In looking at the lists provided and exploring the many online productivity tools available, I came to realize that I use more of these than I first would have assumed. For example I use Dropbox, Pandora, MayMyRun, Google Docs, and Mint. Both Pandora and MapMyRun are tools that I use for entertainment and fitness tracking. I have used Dropbox, Google Docs, and Mint in my personal life, in my professional career, as well as in my development as a student. I especially like the aspects and the use of the tool Dropbox as it makes it very simple to get documents or photos from one place to another with extreme ease. This tool allows me to add files to Dropbox and save the file to another location; for example from my computer to my phone or to my tablet. This feature allows me to have the same resource in all of these places without having to find the origin and complete the download again, and the transfers happen very quickly. Out of all the examples I had listed, Dropbox is the online productivity tool that I use the most and I would recommend it to anyone who has several devices and has a need to share the same documents within them. I am sure that Dropbox is useful in more than just this way, but it is the way that I am most avid in using it.
Of the technologies explored thus far in this course, one that I have found to be quite useful is the development of an RSS feed, specifically Scoop.It!. I had never used this resource before and in learning more about this particular technology it has become clear that it will be helpful in my career development. Having this resource at my disposal now has opened up learning opportunities and ways for me to explore new and upcoming research methods or articles in an informational organized space. This is one tool that I foresee myself using more and in the future to gain better knowledge and perspective on my field and area of expertise.
Podcasting in education seems to be an upcoming resource in the technology based learning experiences. I have never had any personal experience with the use of Podcasts and found the readings very informative to the use and efficiency of such learning tools. In the article, Using Podcasts as Audio Learning Objects written by Zeynel Cebeci and Mehmet Tekdal ( 2006), podcasting is defined as “the process of capturing an audio event, song, speech, or mix of sounds and then posting that digital sound object to a Web site and a ‘blog’ in a data structure called an RSS 2.0 envelope” (p.47). The articles discussed that although this is not a new technology, it is new to the learning environment and that more and more teachers are recognizing that. One of the benefits that Cebeci and Takdal (2006) discussed was that “because content is available anywhere, learning is no longer tied to a particular location” (p. 48). I think that this is a crucial benefit speaking from a student’s perspective to be able to have learning resources available wherever I may be. Now as an online student, I feel as though I have all I need with me when I have my laptop and I could imagine that having the access to Podcasts as lectures or whatever they may be, even without the use of the internet would be extremely helpful. Another point made by Cebeci and Takdal (2006) is the importance of “sequencing the fragments in a logical order” and that Podcasts should be “combined with music and appropriate fragments in order to increase listenability of the audio object” (p. 51). I feel like this should be in the forefront of the mind of any person creating a Podcast with the intention of keeping the interest of their students while they listen. In History to Go: Why iTeach with iPods written by Deborah Vess (2006) she stated that “we are encountering students who are more wired than ever before, and the more we take advantage of the natural comfort zones students, the more we may be able to reach them in educationally profound ways” (p. 490). As I am learning more about the use of technology in education through this course, the more sense this statement makes.
References Cebeci, Z., & Mehmet, T. (2006). Using podcasts as audio learning objects. Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects, 47-57. Vess, D. L. (2006). History to go: Why iteach with ipods. The History Teacher, 479-492. http://www.elon.edu/E-Net/Article/59585
The article hyperlinked above provided some interesting insight on the idea of generation “always-on”. It discussed the children being brought up practically through technology and what expectations this should cause by the year 2020. There were several interesting remarks made in both a positive and a negative light for this issue and to be honest, I hadn’t thought of the positive aspects that some of the authors have brought to light here. I can agree that I have witnessed a vast change in the behavioral differences and the tech dependences that young adults and teens have now and my mind usually jumped right to the lack of human interaction and the possible decrease in people skills that may continue. Several remarks were made however, that made me think that this point of view could be an overreaction and as one statement pointed out, these young adults could help us adapt to the ever changing technology based world around us. I still feel as though there is far too much technology surrounding kids these days that stays with them as they grow up and I can only hope that it doesn’t inhibit developmental skills as is the worry and there will be one way to find out. Once we reach the year 2020, a reevaluation might be done and perhaps there will be a way to tell which of these predictions these young adults and kids will meet; perhaps they will be thriving or perhaps we will not yet be dominated by a technology driven world. The article, Social Networking in Undergraduate Education, written by Nicole A Buzzetto-More provided an interesting insight on the use of social networking for educational purposes. Its focus was on the differences of Facebook as the learning tool as opposed to the Blackboard Learning Management System. I found the results and conclusions of the paper to be interesting but had a difficult time relating this situation to my own learning experiences thus far. I have never had the experience of using Facebook or any other social media coupled with a class, although I did have a class or two that used the Blackboard system in my undergraduate studies. The manner in which Blackboard was used by the professor and the class does not sound similar to the situation in the paper where there were postings and such to facilitate discussion. It sounds as though the manner in which I experienced the Blackboard system was not to its fullest capabilities and again makes it difficult to relate to the students discussed in the paper. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any other students that have shared experiences related to this with me either.
In the paper, Buzzetto-More (2012) discussed that social learning communities can help establish “groups of people who share an interest in the learning process, learn both with as well as from each other, and develop a supportive atmosphere to encourage success among members” (p. 66). The differentiating factor here for me to think of learning through social networking, is the piece that refers to individuals learning from each other. I think that in a traditional setting where there is little to no use of social media as a learning tool; learning from each other would happen less often. This class has opened my eyes to the possible changes in learning and how it can be beneficial in several aspects. I found this paper intriguing and it further peaks my interest in what I will gain from this course. References Buzzetto-More, N. A. (2012). Social networking in undergraduate education. Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Management: Special Section on Social Networking, Teaching, and Learning, 63-90. |