The emergence of new technologies often echoes the technologies of the past. At times these new technologies are designed to meet the same universal needs as those in the past. Dr. Thornburg describes the rhymes of history as, “The affect or impact of a new development rekindles something from the distant past” (Laureate, 2014h). As I looked through my school district’s twitter feed this past feed I noticed this tweet picturing young students practicing their handwriting using iPads.

O.A .Fleming PreK students are learning letters & practicing handwriting skills on the ipads. #BISDpride #OAFleming pic.twitter.com/MgVsaXRf1M

— Christie Bray Burns (@ChristieBurnsEd) January 7, 2016

As I looked at this picture I thought years ago young children would be doing the same thing using a slate and a piece of chalk. Now before anyone gets mad and starts listing all the advanced capabilities of an iPad hear me out. Sometimes you simply need a way to practice the fine motor skills needed to write in cursive. These skills will often need to be practiced over and over.

While paper may not be so hard to come by in or modern times we have hopefully learned to conserve it when possible. So in addition to its many other capabilities the iPad can successfully be used to provide a tool for students to practice their writing skills while limiting the use of natural resources.

Reference

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014h). David Thornburg: Rhymes of history [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Identifying and Emerged Technology

In 1999 I began working in K12 education as a teacher and administrator. Through my experiences in first private schools then in public schools I have been able to observe the emergence of various learning and instructional technologies. Dr. Thornburg views emergent technologies as, “the very onset of discovery and demonstration of a technology well in advance of its use in products” (Thornburg, 2013e p. 1). Others may argue that technology remains emergent while it grows to a place where it becomes a “must have” for individuals in a particular field. Regardless of the definition of an emerging technology the term emerged technology should be applied to a technology that is clearly past the point of emerging.

A technology that has emerged in the past few years in the field of K12 education is the use of data projectors combined with document cameras being controlled by smartboards and computers for the purpose of delivering interactive and flexible lessons. While this technology is not new it has become expected in elementary and secondary classrooms. This state of being the norm rather than the exception in K12 classrooms is what makes this technology clearly emerged.

Some of the problems or challenges facing the implementation of this technology have been training and initial expense. Without training, practice, and real world experience teachers did not actually use any of the additional features or tools that previous technologies had. This created scenarios where instructors were using document cameras, video projectors, and computers to accomplish the same task that was previously done with a simple overhead projector. Another challenge was the initial cost. It is difficult to justify spending money on technologies that teachers do not yet know how to use to their full potential.

With each new presentation technology that teachers are given there seem to be three or four more cables or cords that must be connected. This is one of the pitfalls of this technology. Instructors who do not understand how the setup should work will not use it because getting everything to work properly is too difficult a task. This could be improved by adding wireless options that could be used to eliminate the majority of the cords. This technology already exists but is probably not being used because of increased cost.

The district I currently work in primarily uses the Lumens Ladybug document cameras. More information about these is available at http://www.lumens.com.tw/product_1_1.php?new_id=2&big_id=1&pageNum_news=0

Reference

Thornburg, D. (2013e). When is a technology emergent? Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

The Evolution of Online Communication and its Impact on Distance Education

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One of the greatest contributing factors to the growing acceptance of online distance education is the evolution and development on communication. As online communication tools have continued to grow and develop the quality and the availability have increased. At the same time the cost of using these tools has also decreased. It is no longer a difficult task to interact with friends and family members through online video tools like skype, google hangouts, or face time. Not only has the necessary software become more user friendly but the necessary hardware has also become standard on most portable devices. Today’s technology consumers would be surprised to see a phone, tablet, or laptop that did not have a built in camera and microphone. The growing social acceptance and adoption of online social communication has contributed to the development of a student base that is just as comfortable with online communication as they are with a traditional face to face classroom experience. In some cases individuals may actually be more comfortable communicating online than they are in person.

The available technologies and the social adoption of online social interaction have in affect created a smaller world. “We are recognizing that the notion of distance or geographical separation isn’t as significant as we might have thought it was” (Laureate, 2008). These social and technological developments have created an ideal time for online distance education to grow and flourish.

Reference

Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Principles of distance education: The future of distance education.

Distance Education the Next Generation

Distance education is certainly an area of education that has seen its share of change over the years. While distance education is not a new phenomenon the growth of internet resources over the past couple of decades has brought rapid growth and change to this educational arena. Dr. Simonson defines distance education as, “Formal Education that is institutionally based where the learning group (the teacher, the students, and the resources) are separated by geography and sometimes be time” (Laureate Education, Inc. 2008). Using this definition to limit the scope of research it is possible to examine how the distance education programs of institutions have evolved. Some of the greatest ways in which distance education has changed over the years is seen in the increase of equivalent programs for distance students. Modern resources make collaboration and communication more practical to the point that students can attend distance programs that are based on the other side of the world. An examination of almost any higher education institution will reveal an, “explosive e-learning growth, most colleges and universities are willingly evolving to this new environment and providing some, if not a significant portion, of their educational offerings in web-based or other nontraditional formats” (Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. 2008, July/August). The increase in distance programs is not limited to higher education. This trend is also seen in corporate training and even in the K12 sector.

Considering the three articles covering the Evolution of Distance Education and the video clip from Dr. Simonson there seem to be a great deal of similarities. Dr. Simonson sees the future of distance education growing but not exploding or replacing the traditional brick and mortar university (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). Moller, Foshay, Huett, and Coleman tend to focus more on the growing pains or current limitations found in the various distance education models. In the corporate training area of distance education the limitation center around poor quality and limited qualified instructional designers (Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J., 2008, May/June). Higher education communities are struggling with the time and effort needed to produce quality courses as well as the negative social stigma attached to distance education (Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J., 2008, July/August). In part because of its rather new and rapid growth the K12 distance education programs seem to be inundated with students who are unable or unwilling to function in a traditional classroom (Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W. & Coleman, C., 2008, September/October). As a result the effectiveness of these programs is difficult to measure and often questioned.

Considering the various perspectives of these articles and Dr. Simonson’s video it is clear that distance education will continue to grow and be a substantial force within education as a whole. What remains to be seen is how each of the various facets of education will seek to overcome the challenges that come with the growth of distance education.

Resources

Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Principles of distance education: Distance education: The next generation. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 1: Training and Development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70–75.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, July/August). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 2: Higher Education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66–70.

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W. & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–67.