Rhymes of the Times

Technological advances has impacted every aspect of life and the way we live it. However, many of these advances are simply bring us back full circle to that past. David Thornburg states that “the affect or impact of a new development rekindles something from the distant past” (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). With each new piece of technology that enters society, a bit of history is rekindled. Someone once said, “The future will be like the past, only with cooler toys.” While technological advances found in the medical field or NASA may seem to contribute greater to society, the “toys” are where many of us see them.

The origin of role-playing games (RPG) is often thought of as the 1970s release of Dungeons and Dragons where mythical creatures would wage war on their opponents. However, RPG dates back to the 1700s with traveling role playing productions. Like everything, these games have evolved with technology. Many were reintroduced to the RPG genre when The Legends of Zelda was released on Nintendo. However, the gaming world has continued to expand and grow like all technologies. Soon, RPGs could be played on computers, and today they are available on tablets and smartphones. In 2010, World of Warcraft had 12 million subscribers (Reilly, 2010). The list of popular games today appears unending. Each day new games are developed with greater graphics and more technical user controls. Gamers from around the world are able to work together to meet a common goal or war to gain control of the kingdom. From Camelot to unknown alien worlds, the possibilities are endless for roleplaying gamers.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Emerging and future technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Reilly, J. (2010, October 10). World of Warcraft Reaches 12 Million Subscribers. Retrieved from New York Comic Con: http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/10/07/world-of-warcraft-reaches-12-million-subscribers

 

Tetrad for Smartphones as Formative Assessments

Smartphones in the classroom provide new ways of formative assessments in the classroom.  The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) movement could make traditional classroom response systems obsolete.  Meanwhile, these different assessment applications available on most Smartphones rekindle the ease of Scantron tests by quickly scoring assessments and providing classroom data to discover trends.  In the future, as tablets become more and more available, these types of assessments will continue to grow to provide more information to educators.

For more information on BYOD, you may visit:
http://allthingsd.com/20130501/bring-your-own-device-evolving-from-trend-to-requirement/
http://www.k12blueprint.com/byod

Tablets Emerged in Education

Technology is continuously changing and transitioning the landscapes of our classrooms (Thornburg, 2009). Computer tablets are beginning to show up in schools across the world. The IDC predicts a total of 229.3 million global shipments of tablets in 2013. This is up 57.7% from 2012. When used correctly, this technology has the potential to provide meaningful, authentic learning experiences for students of all ages. Unfortunately, like many educational technologies, teachers don’t understand how to use them for new learning experiences. Instead, they are being used to basic word processing and/or viewing digital videos.

Tablets have the potential to put global learning in the hands of our students. Downloadable applications, that are often free, can be used in creative and innovative ways to maximize student growth that goes beyond basic knowledge acquisition. These skills are what will make our students competitive in the future job market. Tablets provide an equal learning platform that allows students of all abilities and backgrounds positive learning experiences. Meeting individual learning needs for students can be accomplished much easier through tablet computing.

The greatest downside to computer tablets is their incapability with each other. Apple devices such as the iPad run an iOS platform while other tablets may run on Windows or Android. Currently, there isn’t a way to sync information from one platform to another. With the strong competition between these different companies, I don’t foresee this problem being solved any time in the near future. Apple’s lack of compatibility with other devices has been a struggle for Mac users for decades. This issue is only enhanced in the tablet realm. However, despite the pitfalls of tablets in education, the benefits have yet to be fully identified.

For tips on how to use tablets in the classroom, visit TeachThought here.

Thornburg, D. D. (2009). Current trends in educational technology. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

                             

Connectivism

Twenty years ago the average person was limited in their acquisition of knowledge. As a child, I remember thinking that my ancient set of encyclopedias held all of the world’s information. One of my first research papers I remember writing was on starfish. I found the book labeled “S”, and since it was the biggest book, I expected to find tons of information about starfish. I was disappointed to find only two or three paragraphs on the sea creature and none of the specifics I was looking for. My next step was the library where I had to sort through the card catalog to find books I needed. I jotted down the numbers, and went in search of the perfect book only to discover it had been loaned to another library. Since I couldn’t find the information I needed, I had to switch topics to complete the paper.

The internet has changed the way individuals learn new things. No longer is information limited to experts in the field or hidden in the words of an unobtainable book. Today if I wanted to research starfish, a few clicks would take me to endless information and pictures. I could access videos of experts discussing all of the neat and interesting things I wanted to know. The internet has greatly influenced learning by providing networks for virtually unlimited access to all forms of knowledge.

Not only does technology provide us with information, but it gives us digital tools to help individuals deepen their learning. When learning new things, I prefer visual aids along with graphic organizers to help me organize my thoughts. Streaming video along with a good mind mapping software to help make connections are some of my favorites for personal learning. Despite your learning preferences, there are digital tools available to help deepen your learning.

Today, if I had to write a research paper on starfish, I would begin with the internet. Wikipedia provides a plethora of information on nearly any topic imaginable. From there, I would identify experts that can be contacted through e-mail, blogs, or websites. I could ask social networking contacts for information and even follow experts on Twitter. If I needed to find out about the latest research conducted on these interesting animals, I could search online databases to find current studies conducted. The options are limitless. The information I am looking for about starfish is probably identical to what I would have found twenty years ago. However, now I can efficiently access the information.

Constructivism and Collaboration

Collaboration has become an overwhelmingly popular term that is used throughout multiple fields and disciplines. It is rare that I can sit through a commercial break during primetime television without hearing this word used as a selling point. So what is all this hype about collaboration?

Howard Rheingold (2008) believes that it is a basic human instinct to “interact and work as a group”. Whether it’s human instinct or common sense, I believe that a group can accomplish much more than an individual. This idea isn’t new. Assembly lines show us that quantity increases when multiple people work together for a common cause. Is this collaboration? This has been known for over a century, so it still doesn’t explain the sudden focus on this single word. The problems facing our world today are too great for any one person to solve. Many are too great for a single discipline to solve. Collaboration is a platform for individuals to come together to produce a creative solution towards a common problem or cause. The quality of the end result is the key to collaboration.

Collaboration isn’t only receiving attention in the business world. Educators are beginning to understand the importance of collaboration as a learning tool in the classroom. The constructivist learning theory “rests on the assumption that knowledge is constructed by learners as they attempt to make sense of their experiences” (Driscoll, 200 p. 387). Students must experience complex problems before they can begin to solve them. Technology provides these opportunities for students. According to Edelson as cited in Driscoll (2005), with technology, “the potential is there for technology to play a “revolutionary role in supporting new forms of learning conversations in educational settings” (p. 398). As new technologies emerge, the capabilities technology will provide classrooms are limitless.

Edutopia and the George Lucas Foundation have discovered that “More than 1200 studies comparing cooperative, competitive, and individualistic efforts have found that cooperative learning methods improve students' time on tasks and intrinsic motivation to learn, as well as students' interpersonal relationships and expectations for success” (Vega & Terada, 2012). The multiple benefits discovered using collaboration in the classroom can be further explored at Edutopia. Educators are responsible for preparing for the future. In order to do this, we must prepare our students for the unknown.

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

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

Vega, V., & Terada, Y. (2012, 12 5). Research Supports Collaborative Learning. Retrieved from Edutopia: http://www.edutopia.org/stw-collaborative-learning-research