THE DISRUPTIVE POWER OF SECOND LIFE

Dr.Thornburg in his (2008) podcast says that disruptive technology comes out of nowhere and obsolete an emerging technology. Disruptive technology is a term coined by Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen to describe a new technology that unexpectedly displaces an established technology. In his 1997 best-selling book, "The Innovator's Dilemma," Christensen separates new technology into two categories: sustaining and disruptive. Sustaining technology relies on incremental improvements to an already established technology. Disruptive technology lacks refinement, often has performance problems because it is new, appeals to a limited audience, and may not yet have a proven practical application. (Whatis?com, 2008, p. 1).

Examples of Disruptive Technologies:


DVRs + Entertainment on DemandRemember programming your VCR to record TV shows? Of course you don't, because nobody did it--the task was too difficult and time-consuming. Fast-forward to the late 1990s and the introduction of the TiVo and ReplayTV digital video recorders. Time-shifting programs and fast-forwarding through commercials became as easy as pressing a couple of buttons. Suddenly people were no longer shackled to the arbitrary schedules of TV programmers and the obnoxious pandering of advertisers. Cable and satellite providers rushed out their own DVRs, and millions of folks began "TiVo-ing"--even those who had never touched an actual TiVo (Typan, D., 2008, p. 1)


YouTube + Cheap Digital Cameras and CamcordersOne word: macaca. When the candid video of former Senator George Allen calling someone a macaca (a monkey) appeared on YouTube, it not only cost him a Senate seat and altered the balance of power in the United States Congress, but it also demonstrated how far viral video had come. The Web is now the first stop for many political candidates and companies trying to spread the word about themselves or their products, and YouTube accounts for more than 60 percent of all video-site traffic, according to Hitwise.com (Typan, D., 2008, p. 2).

Philip Rosedale on Second Life
Philip Rosedale (avatar "Philip Linden") is the founder of Second Life, an online 3D virtual world inhabited by millions. He's chair of Linden Labs, the company behind the digital society. Why build a virtual world? Philip Rosedale (2008) talks about the virtual society he founded, Second Life and its underpinnings in human creativity. It's a place so different that anything could happen. If a disruptive technology is one that comes out of nowhere, and generate a huge impact on society than Second Life would be a disruptive technology. Second Life is a virtual world technology that can be use to create avatars and islands where these avatars resign. (The Daily Galaxy, 2007, p. 6). This technology has the potential of replacing a physical teaching environment with a virtual one. Second Life has five to ten years before it is replaced by another emerging technology. The social benefit of Second Life is being able to create avatars that interface with each other using motion and animation on a virtual island. People who are introverted would find Second Life an ideal place to reinvent themselves. The social implication of virtual worlds in my industry is illustrated by the EDTech Island in Second Life.

References

Clayton M. Christensen to describe a new technology that ... http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci945822,00.html

Dr. David Thornburg “Disruptive Technologies” (approx. 8 minutes)

Philip Rosedale on Second Life
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html

Second Life - The Daily Galaxy
Serious Web gurus see Second Life, which claims 3.3 million registered ... giving them the strength and power of what it represents and making them no longer human. ... Second Life is a disruptive technology on the level of the personal ...
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/second_life/

The 10 Most Disruptive Technology Combinations - PCWorld
Often, even great new technology needs a partner to really change the world. Here are 10 marriages of technologies that have shaken the digital world over ...
http://www.pcworld.com/.../the_10_most_disruptive_technology_combinations.html
By Dan Tynan, PCWorld Mar 19, 2008

What is disruptive technology? Definition from WhatIs.com - see ...
Jan 28, 2006 ... Disruptive technology is a term used by Harvard Business School professor
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci945822,00.html

RHYMES OF HISTORY

Dr. Thornburg (2008a) defines the Rhyme of History as being an affect or impact of a new development that rekindle something from the distance past. E-book rekindling goes all the way back to Plato the classical Greek Philosopher. How do E-books relates to Plato? Well Plato had a great distrust for the written word, stating that words were “silent; they cannot speak, answer questions, or come to their own defense” (The History of E-books, p. 1). If Plato were alive today, he would be flabbergasted at how wrong he was.

We can fast forward to Germany in 1440 and the invention of the Gutenberg printing press; even though movable type was already in use in China, a few hundred years earlier. The precision of the Gutenberg’s typesetting was the essential element required for western printing. The relatively inexpensive books were produced on paper, as opposed to parchment. This removed the power of the written word from the hands of the clergy and gave it to the educated middle class (The History of E-books, p. 1).

In 1830, Penny dreadful (similar to how modern comic books) made their appearance. In 1930, paperback books came on the scene. Most of these books would not have been allowed within a hundred yards of a public library or a reader of “serious” literature. Today paperback books are considered a legitimate form of publishing (The History of E-books, p. 1).

E-books appearance on the web was easily shared, was stored on a hard drive or storage disk, and quickly began to proliferate (The History of E-books, p. 1). This industry is still relatively young, generally marking its beginnings in 2000; however, its early years have been marked by market hype, investor fallout and slow market development. Today's industry is at a pivotal point: can obstacles to maturity be overcome or will the industry be either subsumed by the larger consumer electronics or web-based industries (Herther, 2005, p.45). The reason E-books are on an evolutionary path is that many consumers had not embraced the concept of reading literature from a computer until Oprah got involved. When Oprah Winfrey announced that Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader was her favorite gadget at that point, e-books met popular culture. Amazon couldn’t keep enough Kindles in stock to meet the demand. Sony also introduced a portable reader using the same e-ink display (The History of E-books, p. 2). V-Tech also joined the band wagon and introduced the V-Tech Reader for children four – seven years old.

E-books rekindle actual printed; bound books that came about many centuries ago. I believe this technology path is sustainable, because by the year of 2020, very few people will be reading from a traditional book and the e-book cost will decline much like the cost of the first calculator. This bring us back to the famous quote by Mark Twain, “History may not repeat itself, but it sure rhyme a lot” as quoted by (Dr. Thornburg, 2008a Vodcast --the Rhymes of History).

Another way to look at the Rhyme of History is through Kevin Kelly speech, “The next 5,000 Days of the Web,” wherein he discusses the ways the Web will be transformed over the next 5,000 days through embodiment, restricting, and codependency (Kelly, 2007).

Thornburg, D. (2008a). “Rhymes of History” Vobcast. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

http://www.ebookweek.com/history.html

Kelly, K. (2007, December). The next 5,000 days of the Web [Speech]. Speech delivered at the EG 2007 Conference, Los Angeles. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html
Nancy K. Herther, (2005) "The e-book industry today: a bumpy road becomes an evolutionary path to market maturity", Electronic Library, The, 23-1 p. 45 – 53. Retrieve on January 5, 2011 from: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1464892&show=html

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY TETRAD

Probably no means of communication has revolutionized the daily lives of ordinary people more than the telephone. The actual history of the telephone is a subject of complex dispute. The controversy began with the success of the invention and continues today. Some of the inventors credited with inventing the telephone include Antonio Meucci, Philip Reis, Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell. Bell's experiments with his assistant Thomas Watson finally proved successful on March 10, 1876, when the first complete sentence was transmitted: "Watson, come here; I want you." (The Great Idea Finder, 1997-2007, p. 1).

Telephone technology has come a long way since Watson, come here, I want you. Cell phones as an emerging technology also have its own history. In today world, we can communicate with each other whether we are in the grocery store, the mall, from our cars, planes, and train. We can talk to each other while we are walking down the streets. Practically, we can talk to each other from everywhere, without using land phone. What a magnificent invention. We have progressed from land, wireless, and mobile phones. Dr Martin Cooper, a former general manager for the systems division at Motorola, is considered the inventor of the first portable handset and the first person to make a call on a portable cell phone in April 1973. The first call he made was to his rival, Joel Engel, Bell Labs head of research. (Cooper, M. (n.d.). Inventor of the cell phone, p. 1).

What does this technology do that is new?

Enhances, the way we communicate from the clouds. This new cell phone technology has a touch button screen and allows users to make calls, it allows the user to connect to the internet, search the Web, take a picture and create videos and upload and sent videos, text and receive messages, send and receive email and with this newest technology; play all types of games and have GPS functions as well as can upload e-books.

What does this technology replaces?

Obsolete: It has the potential of making old cell phone technology obsolete such has the cell phone that required you to type in the telephone number of your contracts and only allowed the users to take pictures and play simple games.

What does this technology bring to mind (or retrieve) form the past?

Retrieve: It rekindles how we communicated with each other in the past using the telegraph, which was invented in 1806, and telephone which was invented in 1876.

What might replace this technology in the future, or what might it cause to occur?

Reverses: As a technology futurist I project that this technology will morph into waistband cell technology that is activated by voice. This technology will be able to activate all your tools and applications. Show images on the walls and have GPS technology embedded.

Resources:
http://www.cellular.co.za/cellphone_inventor.htm
http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/telephone.htm
http://affordablephones.net/HistoryCellular.htm
http://cellphones.org/cell-phone-history.html
http://www.htc.com/us/products/t-mobile-mytouch-4g?view=1-1&sort=0

Current Trends in Educational Technology

A current technology that has emerged in the last few years is blogging. Blogging can be a formative innovation that can shape learning and productivity in the proprietary school industry. Blogging can be exciting and can include images, photos, links, video, audio, or simply text. The students seem to enjoy blogging. Blog posting is a good way for students to improve their grammar, reading, writing and critical thinking skills. Students can collaborate with other students as well share ideas, opinions and valuable/significant information about their course of study.

Problem and challenges associated with this technology is (1) some teachers and administrators associate blogging with social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. (2) some schools have not upgraded to Web 2.0, which enhances blogging capabilities. Web 2.0 offers a faster and more reliable access to the Internet and the World Wide Web.

The societal need that blogging meets and the benefits, are supported by research done by Farmer, B., Yue, A., & Brooks, C. in 2008. Farmer et al., (2008) did a case study of the development and use of a blogging resource in a large-cohort first year arts subject at the University of Melbourne. Evaluation is ongoing, but initial results offer support for the potential of blogging as an enabling learning tool in higher education. The dynamic capacity of blogging as a communicative channel for both individual self expression and social connectivity has fuelled increasing interest in blogging as an educational resource (Williams & Jacobs, 2004; Burgess, 2006).

What would make this technology even better, plus avoiding the pitfalls I identified? Professional development workshops for teachers and administers which elaborates on the viewpoint of the proponents of educational social networking tools. Proponents of educational blogging proclaim it as an effective tool for user centered, participatory learning; arguing that it contributes vitally “to a reconceptualization of students as critical, collaborative, and creative participants in the social construction of knowledge” (Burgess, 2006, p. 105). Drawing on the social constructivist educational theories of Vygotski, Ferdig and Trammell (2004) usefully explicate the four central pedagogic benefits of blogging for students:

·Assisting students to become subject matter experts through a process of regular scouring, filtering and posting.

·Increasing student interest and ownership in learning.

·Giving students legitimate chances to participate and enculturating them into a community of practice.

·Providing opportunities for diverse perspectives (Farmer, et al., 2008).

Another component that would make this technology even better, would be to interface blogging with a networking system that has Web 2.0 installed on it server.

Benefits of Blogging - The Reading Workshop

http://www.thereadingworkshop.com/.../benefits-of-blogging.html

Farmer, B., Yue, A., & Brooks, C. (2008). Using blogging for higher order learning in large cohort university teaching: A case study. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 24(2), 123-136. Retrieved Sept. 19, 2010
http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet24/farmer.pdf

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

KELLER'S ARCS--MOTIVATING LINCOLN TECHNICAL INSTITUTE TEACHERS

At Lincoln Technical Institute we have many computer labs. One of the things I have notice is that our Medical Assistance teachers have low self-efficacy in experimenting with new technology. One of the areas that come to mind when I think of our MA teachers is that they spend a lot of time in creating their own hard copy quizzes, test, and exams. So I asked a couple of the teachers why are they not utilizing the computerized test bank that comes with their textbooks instructional software.

So, I proceeding to ask a couple of the MA teachers why do they make up their own test when they have access to computerized test banks that comes along with their textbook. One teacher told me that they enjoy making up their own test questions, and they could create A, B, C tests to insure that their students were not cheating. Another teacher said they felt it would take too much time to learn how to use the computerized test bank, and they did not always have access to the computer lab. Another teacher said they wanted to make sure the objectives they taught were cover in the test. Another reason the MA teacher told me was that they really were not computer savvy. So, I asked the teachers when you write your objectives are goals on the board, do the objectives and goals matches the chapters in the textbook. The recurring answer, I receive was of course. So, I tried to explain to them that with the instructional CD give a test bank and it was not hard to learn how to develop test :

1. That met the objectives and goals that they were teaching.
2. They could also create A, B, C tests if they wanted to.
3. They could also list the goals and objectives on the test, which would enable them to access whether the students mastered the goals or objective.
4. They could also set security to the test, by assigning a password for each test.
5. They could also time the test.
6. Allow the students two times to answer a question and if the answer is incorrect a confirmation box was appear on the screen that the answer was incorrect and give the student another opportunity to answer the multiple choice question.
7. At the completion of the quiz, test, exam, the students test is graded and the student get immediate feedback and a grade. The students do not have to wait for the teacher to grade the test.
8. In regards to the computer lab availability, they could at least utilize the mega labs (which have over 35 computers in three sections for testing for their midterm and final exam, so at the end of these major exam students would receive immediate feedback.
9. They could build their own tests using the computerized test bank, whether it was a multiple choice, true/false, short answer, essay or a combination test. Even with the many advantages I pointed out to the teachers I still was met with resistance or disappointing results.

So I started thinking about Keller’s ARCH. How could I use the Model of Motivation, Performance, and Instructional Influence? Then it occurred to me that I needed a strategy to stimulate motivation in using the test bank. So I invited these teachers to sit in my class while I was administering a computerized test. Using ARCS, after seeing the students’ response to taking a computerized test and reviewing their test scores, by receiving immediate feedback, I got their ATTENTION. To demonstrate the RELEVANCE of computerize testing I ask to the teacher to spend one hour after school where I show them how to incorporate goals and objective they wanted to students to meet. I builded their CONFIDENCE by helping them do a step by step development of a multiple choice test within 15 minutes. What would ready neat, I show them how they could incorporate their own test questions into the test bank. Then I allow them to take the test they develop and note how the goals or objective on the answer sheet was available to them. This generated excitement and SATIFICATION because they could feel and see what their students would experience after taking a computerized test.

Check out this video, because teachers' need to understand the importance of motivating students and integrating technology into the classroom.

Motivating Teachers

Reference:

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

Connectivism

Click on MindMap for Larger View

My network have changed the way I learn through enabling me to network with individuals who have more knowledge than I do on a particular topic or subject. I now rely on connected specialization and knowledge of others, through direct and indirect collaboration. I am able to reflect on other ideas and opinions. My network also function as a support community of faculty members who I work with and fellow Walden students I interface with on a regular bases. bases. Siemens (2006) states we forage for knowledge--we keep looking until we find people, tools, content, and processes that assist us in solving problems (p. 33). The communities I work with not only afford me the opportunities to learn from others, but to share my knowledge with others in a significant way.

With the use of technology, I find the Internet best facilitate learning for me. I am now able to blog and respond to fellow blogger. I also use the Internet for research and locating information on various subject and issues. When I have work related inquiry-based questions, I communicate through e-mail or sometimes twittering. When these questions are school related, I can e-mail or meet with the orange group in the chat room.

Siemens, G. (2006). Knowing knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.lulu.com/

“Howard Rheingold: Way-New Collaboration"

Rheingold discussed the ways people use participatory media and collective activities to collaborate. Rheingold talked about the collaboration of various group throughout times. He also talked about the prisoner dilemma and how each individual did not want to compromise based or his/her perspective of being cheated even though they did not know each other. The social dilemma educators are faced with today is closing the great digital divide and therefore enhancing the learning for all our students. Rheingold also discuss the new emergent of technology and it uses in the new era as a learning tool. The global implication of the use of computer will be the catalyst to linking educators/ students with other educators/students all over the globe.

Getting back to Rheingold, the prisoner dilemma also exists amongst educators. Susana Juniu article on Digital Democracy in Higher Education: Bridging the Digital Divide, she discussed the perspective of using technology in the classroom by three different groups of educators. In her discussion she identified three groups. One group felt that technology alone would not enhance or change education. For this group, "technical information is not true wisdom" (Mitcham 1990). They believe that hardware alone would not enhance students learning. For them, incorporating instructional changes, fostering students' critical thinking skills, and possessing strong constructivist pedagogies must always be a prerequisites for the use of computer technology in instruction. For this group, in short, questions of pedagogy must always precede questions of technological integration.

Another group of educators believes that computers can engage and motivate students to learn more, and thus it advocates the use of technology within the classroom. For this group, pedagogical principles are not necessarily irrelevant, but they are less sharply defined at the outset such that the educators in this group are more willing to modify their teaching strategies with different tools in different circumstances. This group of faculty users corresponds to Milliron and Miles's notion of the "reasoned center" (2000).

A third group views technology as the key answer to the problems in education and an indispensable means of school transformation and reform. These "techno-promoters" usually believe that students learn faster, better, and more extensively with computers (Cuban 2001).

From a constructivist perspective, technology such as the Internet and World Wide Web would facilitate instructional goals, conditions of learning, and method of instruction. Reasoning and critical thinking could be facilitated through microworlds, problem-based learning. And cognitive flexibility (which produces multiple perspectives and multiple modes of learning) could be facilitated through utilizing hypermedia (Driscoll, 2005, p. 402).

What would be the paid off if educators participated in collaboration and a collective educational community using technology as a catalyst to improve learning across our nation.

References:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html

Cuban, L. (2001). Oversold and underused computers in the classroom. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

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

Juniu, S. (2005). Digital democracy in higher education: Bridging the digital divide. Published in Innovate, http://www.innovateonline.info/

Mitcham, C. (1990). Three ways of being with technology. In From artifact to habitat: Studies in the critical engagement of technology, ed. G. Ormiston, 31-59. Bethlehem, PA: Lehigh University Press.

Milliron, D. & Miles, C. L. (2000). Education in a digital democracy. EDUCAUSE Review November-December): 50-62.