There are often fears that the growth of technology will isolate its users from the physical world. I remember a picture in a local newspaper, a couple of years back, of a kids' birthday party. The group was all seated in neat rows in front of computer monitors, apparently playing some type of interactive game. It didn't really seem like your typical kids party, and it seemed a little sad.
Consider the introduction of other technologies -- specifically the radio, then television, and then home video player. At each turn the demise of the movie theater was predicted. The prevailing wisdom at the time of each innovation was that people would no longer have any reason to go out to the movies when they could get the same entertainment in their home. Well, the movie industry has certainly changed, but plenty of people still go to the movies. It turns out the social aspect of going to the movies is still a strong draw, and watching movies at home is not an acceptable alternative to that experience. It does seem to be an alternative to watching network television, but that's another discussion for another time.
In The Social Life of Paper, Malcolm Gladwell reviews the myth of the paperless office and why it has never appeared. It fact paper use is at an all time high. It turns out that paper is a really good medium for collaborating with others, and a valuable way to park ideas that one is still working on. In fact the messy desk with piles of paper really is the sign of an active mind -- I knew I was doing something right.
It turns out that other technologies also have their social aspects. In The Social Life of Information John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid explore various promised and fears of technical advances, and the ability of human social nature and institutions to adapt. Getting back to my earlier example of the technological birthday party, my 13 year old son has recently gotten hooked on the on line game Runescape. This is a massively multiplayer on line game which occupies hours of his time. Hours that is with his friends who join him there to explore. And talk on the phone to him at the same time (Do you see me? I'm at the top of the stairs. Look out!), and stop over to see what he is doing, and he goes over to their houses, etc. etc. His gaming experience is incredibly social, not isolating at all.
As education courses move into the digital realm we need to remember that there is critical social interchange on a college campus. Sure some of it doesn't seem very educational, but it is an important part of the experience. On line courses and digital libraries have their place, but they don't replace the benefits of the collegial atmosphere, and won't eliminate the need to physical centers for learning.
12/23/2004
12/22/2004
My Technologies
Here is a slice of internet software I am currently using daily and am finding invaluable to my research and writing efforts:
Firefox - Rediscover the web
Since its official version 1.0 release in November Firefox use has been growing quickly. I gave it a good, critical trial before abandoning Internet Explorer but Firefox is now my default web browser. Features such as tabbed browsing, and the ability to add features created in the open source community are really powerful. I've got spell check, a web design toolbar, and all sorts of other cool additions. Microsoft seems to have given up on improving IE, and Firefox is striving ahead with a dedicated worldwide group of volunteer programmers. I'm never going back!
RSS -- Feed Demon
I am a news junkie and RSS allows me to create my own personal news program that pulls the latest updates from websites of all types. These websites include those maintained by fellow researchers all the way up to major news organizations like the New York Times. And Feed Demon is my RSS aggregator and reader program. FeedDemon gives me a good bit of control over how my feeds are organized and other good features. Sure, there are plenty of web-based readers too, and in fact I have my wired feed on my personalized Yahoo page. But for the really heavy reading Feed Demon is great.
FURL -- your personal web
With my FURL IT link on my bookmarks bar I can quickly archive and share a web link on my personal furl website. This is so superior to the standard favorites/bookmarks built into your web browser. With FURL I can access my links from any web browser, they are easily search able and categorized, have a place for comments and/or quotes from the site, and I can share them via RSS or through my dedicated website.
And of course blogging through Blogger is great. I have a BlogThis! link on my bookmarks tool bar too. I haven't been using it too much yet, but am starting to get into the swing of this blogging thing.
Firefox - Rediscover the web
Since its official version 1.0 release in November Firefox use has been growing quickly. I gave it a good, critical trial before abandoning Internet Explorer but Firefox is now my default web browser. Features such as tabbed browsing, and the ability to add features created in the open source community are really powerful. I've got spell check, a web design toolbar, and all sorts of other cool additions. Microsoft seems to have given up on improving IE, and Firefox is striving ahead with a dedicated worldwide group of volunteer programmers. I'm never going back!
RSS -- Feed Demon
I am a news junkie and RSS allows me to create my own personal news program that pulls the latest updates from websites of all types. These websites include those maintained by fellow researchers all the way up to major news organizations like the New York Times. And Feed Demon is my RSS aggregator and reader program. FeedDemon gives me a good bit of control over how my feeds are organized and other good features. Sure, there are plenty of web-based readers too, and in fact I have my wired feed on my personalized Yahoo page. But for the really heavy reading Feed Demon is great.
FURL -- your personal web
With my FURL IT link on my bookmarks bar I can quickly archive and share a web link on my personal furl website. This is so superior to the standard favorites/bookmarks built into your web browser. With FURL I can access my links from any web browser, they are easily search able and categorized, have a place for comments and/or quotes from the site, and I can share them via RSS or through my dedicated website.
And of course blogging through Blogger is great. I have a BlogThis! link on my bookmarks tool bar too. I haven't been using it too much yet, but am starting to get into the swing of this blogging thing.
12/20/2004
Digital Kids
I've been working my way through Douglas Rushkoff's book Playing the Future: What We Can Learn from Digital Kids. This book came to my attention based upon a colleague's recommendation. Rushkoff's basic idea is that the current generation of kids is fundamentally different from their parents, having grown up in the chaotic, multimedia, environment of modern times. But rather than suffering from the distracting influences of video games, the Internet, instant messaging, hundreds of cable TV stations, DVD's and other technologies, they thrive. And, according to Rushkoff are ideally adapted to succeed in the today's technology driven climate.
While I haven't finished the book yet, I do have some problems with Rushkoff's arguments. I agree completely with his basic premise, but in making his argument he finds echoes of this digital age in almost every facet of pop culture. And I think he stretches his point a little far. It is also easy to look at predictions made in 1996 and wonder when they are going to happen. But Rushkoff's "screenagers" are truly here, and are having an impact on today's education and work environment.
In a recent New York Times article (12/19/04, Job Market) Learning Early that Success is a Game, Lisa Belkin discusses recent studies of the gaming culture. She reports that a "fault line" exists around age 30, separating a younger culture that grew up with video games from an older, no video-gaming culture. This younger group is more optimistic, willing to take changes, less deterred by failure and more self-confident than the over 30 group. She references a recent study, Got Game: How the Gamer Culture is Reshaping Business Forever by John Beck and Mitchel Wade. Now I am 40+, and I put in quite a lot of video game time in my day, so I feel a little left out. But maybe I am just at the front of the bell curve. These points on the new generation do echo much of what is discussed in Rushkoff's book, and if you do the math his 1996 "screenagers" would now be pushing 30, so the timing is about right.
I think the differentiation based solely on age is a little over simplistic. In my own experience I definitely see a divide between people who "get it" and those who don't. Age is a factor, but confident surfers are as likely to be 45 as 25. But I think these articles argue correctly that this group is growing, and will be shaping the culture in the workplace and in education institutions. So how do we educators react to create education settings that meet the needs of this new generation?
Douglas Rushkoff
Got Game
While I haven't finished the book yet, I do have some problems with Rushkoff's arguments. I agree completely with his basic premise, but in making his argument he finds echoes of this digital age in almost every facet of pop culture. And I think he stretches his point a little far. It is also easy to look at predictions made in 1996 and wonder when they are going to happen. But Rushkoff's "screenagers" are truly here, and are having an impact on today's education and work environment.
In a recent New York Times article (12/19/04, Job Market) Learning Early that Success is a Game, Lisa Belkin discusses recent studies of the gaming culture. She reports that a "fault line" exists around age 30, separating a younger culture that grew up with video games from an older, no video-gaming culture. This younger group is more optimistic, willing to take changes, less deterred by failure and more self-confident than the over 30 group. She references a recent study, Got Game: How the Gamer Culture is Reshaping Business Forever by John Beck and Mitchel Wade. Now I am 40+, and I put in quite a lot of video game time in my day, so I feel a little left out. But maybe I am just at the front of the bell curve. These points on the new generation do echo much of what is discussed in Rushkoff's book, and if you do the math his 1996 "screenagers" would now be pushing 30, so the timing is about right.
I think the differentiation based solely on age is a little over simplistic. In my own experience I definitely see a divide between people who "get it" and those who don't. Age is a factor, but confident surfers are as likely to be 45 as 25. But I think these articles argue correctly that this group is growing, and will be shaping the culture in the workplace and in education institutions. So how do we educators react to create education settings that meet the needs of this new generation?
Douglas Rushkoff
Got Game
12/19/2004
Technology and Teaching
Surveys of college faculty show that, at best, 30% are using course management systems (CMS) in their classes. And based upon my experience most of those are only using them to post a syllabus and maybe some reading materials. Technology has transformed other industries over the last 30 years -- why has education been so slow to follow?
I first encountered a CMS seven years ago as a graduate student at Rennsalear, where I worked as a TA. Faculty were being strongly encouraged to post their classes into WebCT, and my professor was eager to prove he was playing along. He supplied me with the syllabi for his classes, and in some cases class notes or power point slides and I took care of getting them posted. And in his classes he referred the students to take advantage of the materials posted. Well guess what? None of the students ever did more than perhaps log in once. There was no reason to! The professor seldom utilized the resource himself, it didn't change the way he taught the class, and it added almost nothing of value. The technology was being used, but not in any effective way.
Fast forward to today and not much has changed. Yale's CMS is a home-grown solution, with the standard bells 'n whistles -- discussion area, content posting, etc. At the moment no faculty at the School of Drama are using it as a resource. A few have tried in the past, posting syllabi and course materials, but the general feeling is that it wasn't worth the trouble. In this year's class of students there has been expressed interest in seeing greater utilization of web technologies to support the classroom. Students are used to enjoying the benefits of technology in other parts of their lives. So where are the promised benefits of technology in education?
Our use of the on line environment must be more than just another distribution channel for class handouts, assigned readings and tests. The true integration of technology into the teaching environment is going to fundamentally change what we do in the classroom, how we "teach" our students and when/where and how we interact with students. Students are coming more and more to expect the level of personalization, immediacy, control, and convenience that they experience in others parts of their tech-centered lives. Schools, programs, and faculty who can provide an educational experience that meets these expectations will thrive. Those that don't will struggle for survival and probably fade away.
How are we going to make this change? I don't believe that every student is willing to give up the experience of campus life, and the group interactions they can have there. A lot of education will move into on line settings, but nowhere near all. After all people still attend movie theaters in large numbers, despite the convenience and economy of their DVD-driven, surround sound home theaters. We humans are social animals, and there are many benefits derived from group settings. It seems to me that a blended approach, where the in-class experience and on line components complement each other, offers the most promise.
I have been exploring these ideas in several ways. First, in my fall semester class I utilized web logs, wikis, mail lists, and other technologies in the course design. I also made significant changes to the in-class sessions to move much of the learning into these on line interactions, making their use more integral to the students' experience. Second, I am chairing a faculty committee this spring to create an IT Plan that will complement and advance the school's teaching mission. And, third, I am continuing my studies in Instructional Design for Online Learning at Capella University. Look for more on these various activities, and further explorations on the subject of technology and teaching in the weeks ahead.
I first encountered a CMS seven years ago as a graduate student at Rennsalear, where I worked as a TA. Faculty were being strongly encouraged to post their classes into WebCT, and my professor was eager to prove he was playing along. He supplied me with the syllabi for his classes, and in some cases class notes or power point slides and I took care of getting them posted. And in his classes he referred the students to take advantage of the materials posted. Well guess what? None of the students ever did more than perhaps log in once. There was no reason to! The professor seldom utilized the resource himself, it didn't change the way he taught the class, and it added almost nothing of value. The technology was being used, but not in any effective way.
Fast forward to today and not much has changed. Yale's CMS is a home-grown solution, with the standard bells 'n whistles -- discussion area, content posting, etc. At the moment no faculty at the School of Drama are using it as a resource. A few have tried in the past, posting syllabi and course materials, but the general feeling is that it wasn't worth the trouble. In this year's class of students there has been expressed interest in seeing greater utilization of web technologies to support the classroom. Students are used to enjoying the benefits of technology in other parts of their lives. So where are the promised benefits of technology in education?
Our use of the on line environment must be more than just another distribution channel for class handouts, assigned readings and tests. The true integration of technology into the teaching environment is going to fundamentally change what we do in the classroom, how we "teach" our students and when/where and how we interact with students. Students are coming more and more to expect the level of personalization, immediacy, control, and convenience that they experience in others parts of their tech-centered lives. Schools, programs, and faculty who can provide an educational experience that meets these expectations will thrive. Those that don't will struggle for survival and probably fade away.
How are we going to make this change? I don't believe that every student is willing to give up the experience of campus life, and the group interactions they can have there. A lot of education will move into on line settings, but nowhere near all. After all people still attend movie theaters in large numbers, despite the convenience and economy of their DVD-driven, surround sound home theaters. We humans are social animals, and there are many benefits derived from group settings. It seems to me that a blended approach, where the in-class experience and on line components complement each other, offers the most promise.
I have been exploring these ideas in several ways. First, in my fall semester class I utilized web logs, wikis, mail lists, and other technologies in the course design. I also made significant changes to the in-class sessions to move much of the learning into these on line interactions, making their use more integral to the students' experience. Second, I am chairing a faculty committee this spring to create an IT Plan that will complement and advance the school's teaching mission. And, third, I am continuing my studies in Instructional Design for Online Learning at Capella University. Look for more on these various activities, and further explorations on the subject of technology and teaching in the weeks ahead.
12/13/2004
Welcome to my new Weblog
This is my second web log experience. For my first version I utilized Noah Grey's terrific Greymatter software hosted on my family web server. But it turns out that the web server is probably going by-by, and the software was starting to show its age.
I did experiment with utilizing a Greymatter blog in my class this semester, Business Operating Systems, taught at the Yale School of Drama. That class is now over, and I am waiting to see how the students responded in the course evaluations. Overall I think the experience was positive for most of them. We utilized the weblog for the first half of the class and then switched to a group project utilizing Web Collaborator.
I'll have a much longer post summarizing my perceptions of the class, and how it worked incorporating this online component.
Old Weblog: http://randy.rodenet.com/gmlog
Class Weblog: http://bin.yale.edu/~rr236
Web Collaborator: http://www.webcollaborator.com
I did experiment with utilizing a Greymatter blog in my class this semester, Business Operating Systems, taught at the Yale School of Drama. That class is now over, and I am waiting to see how the students responded in the course evaluations. Overall I think the experience was positive for most of them. We utilized the weblog for the first half of the class and then switched to a group project utilizing Web Collaborator.
I'll have a much longer post summarizing my perceptions of the class, and how it worked incorporating this online component.
Old Weblog: http://randy.rodenet.com/gmlog
Class Weblog: http://bin.yale.edu/~rr236
Web Collaborator: http://www.webcollaborator.com
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