Module 4: The Disruptive Power of Second Life

I believe that Second Life could be seen as a disruptive force because its introduction could cause the displacement of other technologies. In looking at Second Life I must look at it from an educator's viewpoint and I feel that Second Life should not be seen as disruptive but as a tool that can be combined with other technological tools to aid in student success. In particular, my focus is on the benefits of Second Life on special needs students. Some special needs students struggle or have deficiencies in social skills and in social settings. Second Life is the perfect tool to use as a role modeling tool to show them the proper ways to interact with one another in a non-confrontational environment. By utilizing Second Life in the classroom it would allow these students to interact using various scenarios. Second Life could also be used in the general education classroom as well, especially with the many funding issues facing our schools. The use of virtual field trips could be utilized or virtual interviews with people from different parts of the country and the world. It opens up so many possibilities while staying financial feasible. Just as with other technology I am sure that sooner rather than later Second Life will be replaced by a more advanced technological tool in the near future. The key with these technological tools is to use them while they are still current and learn the ins and outs of their applications.

http://secondlife.com/destinations/learning

Module 3: Rhymes of HIstory Technology

Dr. Thornburg (2012) describes a rhyme of history as " an affect of new development that rekindles something from the distant past". I have chosen as my example of this rhyme of history the technological tool SMART BOARD. SMART BOARDs are interactive whiteboards that allow teachers to use touch screen components to display information for classroom usage. This tool rekindles the ideas and tools of the blackboard and the traditional chalk board. SMART BOARDS bring the idea of the chalkboard and blackboard into a totally different spectrum by allowing for internet activity embedded in the system and the touch screen capabilities. A decade ago a classroom tool such as this would have been deemed impossible or too expensive for everyday educational use. Now, many classrooms use this tool everyday to bring excitement and interactivity into the classroom. To me, this brings about Kevin Kelly's point in his speech "The Next 5,000 Days of the Web" in which he states that "we have to get better in believing in the impossible". This notion is so true because those things that we once deemed impossible are being used by ourselves everyday. Looking at the tremendous technological gains that have occurred in the last decades I am immensely excited to see what will be introduced into our everyday world next.


 Link to Kevin Kelly's speech
http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html

Link to SMART BOARD website

 http://smarttech.com/

Emerging technology tetrad

Module 2: Emerging Technology Tetrad

Internet TV

Enhances This technology allows for complete combination of TV and internet capabilities. It includes wifi, blue ray disk player and live streaming	Obsoletes This technology takes away the need to attach the personal computer to the television.
Retrieves/Rekindles This technology brings about the first time that Internet usage was able to be seen on the television. The excitement of this technology is the same excitement as that of the previous product.	Reverses I believe that the invention of a touch screen television will be the next technology to replace this technology.

Links: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/the-internet-tv-latest-in-tv-and-internet-technology

my movie

Wow! This turned out to be a lot harder than I thought but I hope you guys like it!

Static versus Dynamic Concept Map

This week we explored the static technology versus dynamic technology. I found this to be quite interesting because I never knew that there were two categores of technology and I never truly pondered on where I fell on the static- dynamic continuum. While analyzing various technologies, particularily those on the dynamic side I realized that the dynamic technologies are the tools that are needed to fully educate our students. In today's world students cannot fully learn by being taught using static technology. The days of straight teacher lectures and reading out of textbooks are becoming obselete. Now, students need to be taught by using all senses and by touching students of all learning styles. For example, a unit on cell division would be much more impactful by using tools such as whiteboards and discussion boards as opposed to teacher led lectures and various worksheets. Students are able to dive into the material in a deeper manner through the use of technology. It also allows for more collaboration and discussion among their peers. I feel that I am a novice on the more dynamic technologies but I am definitely leaning more towards that side than the static side. My plan to move more towards the dynamic side is to become more knowledgeable about dynamic technologies and integrating them into my classroom.

I have attached my concept map to the link below.

Concept Map

Graphic Organizer

Storyboard for final project

Sorry for the delay but here is my storyboard. I am very confused and I hope this is the correct format. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

I will record myself during this period		Introduction of Speaker and Introduction of topic of learner assessment
I will record myself during this period		Importance of learner assessment in online learning
I will record various slides that show descriptions of summative assessment and provide examples.		Description of Summative Assessment and Examples
I will record various slides that show descriptions of formative assessment and provide examples.		Description of Formative Assessment and Examples
I will record myself during this period		Introduction to the different types of assessments
I will record different images of information maps and people creating them.		Information Maps
I will record different images of group projects and their finished projects.		Group Projects
I will record images of sample self assessments and discuss the benefit of using this assessment tool.		Self Assessment
I will record images of collaborative learning environments		Collaborative learning environments
I will record sample project based assessments and show examples.	Project based assessments
I will record myself during this time period. I will explain the purpose of discussion boards and show examples of discussion boards.	Discussion boards
I will show images of different software that can be used for online assessments.	Software that can be used for assessment
I will record myself during this time.	Conclusion: Tie up all previously discussed material and reiterate the importance of learner assessment in online learning.