Appreciate Technology

This is a funny video that I 100% agree with. It talks about how far technology has come and still no one it happy.

Week 14- Gaming as a Learning Tool

This week in class we discussed using games as a learning tool. With the ever expanding technology, teaching has grown from being limited to books and papers to include many new and innovative ways to convey lessons. Using games to teach students lessons or improve skills like memory is a great way to allow kids to learn while they are having fun. Children like to see their progress and playing games that have multiple levels and will allow them to set goals for themselves and reach them. I remember playing games when I was young to improve my skills in different areas. I had to find tiles that matched each other from a pile of them facing down. This improved my memory. For math skills I remember having to help a chef calculate how much the bill was for each table at his restaurant. Using games is also great because you can create a game to teach almost any subject, from math to English to music, to art. In fact, not only does using games online help children in the particular subject matter of that game, it also helps their technology skills that are now so crucial to have in life. It is important to note however, gaming is not a substitute for education, but a tool to enhance it.

While some games are educational, others sometimes blur the line between reality and fiction. Games such as Second Life or World of Warcraft which are role-playing games allow users to create an alter-ego. Sometimes though people get lost in their character and forget that there is a life past the computer screen. I read an article where a woman divorce her real life husband because he "had and affair" in Second Life even though he was loyal to her in reality. We all like to be distracted from life sometimes but when gaming becomes an obsession it is probably time to cut back. I think it is a little extreme that countries have embassies in second life. It's hard to imagine that someones job is only to stay on second life and answer questions about their country.

Telecommunication is not really related to gaming. The only similarity would be that in some games there is a plot or storyline that the user follows and advances on throughout the game. As a telecom. major, we sometimes have to come up with storylines that are creative and get the attention of the user. Whether the plot is in a game, commercial, or movie the only way the medium will be successful is if people are entertained.

This article I found does a good job of explaining how video games can teach children. It discusses how even children with ADHD who typically have a difficult time paying attention are able to play these games without distraction. Games offer something that normal teaching doesn't. Kids can read the screen which has directions for them which improves their reading ability.

Week 13- Distance Education

In class today we discussed distance education. Distance education is using technology to instruct and educate information to students who are not physically on site at the school. Whether a student is taking all of their classes online, or just one, 96 percent of schools offer online classes. Distance learning can be done through many different types of mediums, some of which include; mail, CD-ROM, the internet either synchronously or asynchronously, TV, radio, or nowadays even through one's phone! There are three categories of Distance education; online, where the student and teacher interact solely through the internet. Blended, which involve both in-class assignments and instruction as well as technology based instruction. The last is virtual, which all student services are done online through the internet. As with any system, there are pros and cons to distance learning. Some of the advantages are that the courses are online so it makes learning flexible and easy to fit in ones schedule, you can work at your own pace, and if the class you are taking already deals with technology, working through an online system helps to enhance your learning of the material. Some disadvantages are that one must have the right technology to access the instruction, their are security issues that may be concerns, and the student must be motivated to work on the material because they are not going to class to remind them to do their work. Virtual schools are an offshoot of distance learning the only difference is that the student is able and in some cases must be in contact with their instructor via phone to take oral quizzes, ask questions, and make sure they fully understand the material.

As a telecommunication major, distance learning does not so much relate to my field career wise but there is some online classes that I can take now that relate. one of the classes that is offered online that is offered in conjunction with my major is online storytelling. This is a class that shows students how to use the internet to enhance and convey a story whether it be through blogs, or other online media. While there is an actual class that I am supposed to go to I assume that there will be a lot of online instruction and homework. This type of learning environment would probably be a blended learning environment.

This video I found is a news report on virtual schools becoming more popular. In the video it discusses the advantages of virtual school. It also talks about how the virtual school provides the textbooks and supplies needed for school.


In addition to the video, this website provides a good list of advantages and disadvantages of virtual school not mentioned in the powerpoint slides. Some of these include giving the students the freedom to express their opinions where they may be shy in an actual class and having to depend on the computer to answer question may be frustrating because the teacher may take awhile to get back to the user with the answer.

Week 12- Professional Web Presence

This week in class we discussed having a professional web presence. Having a web presence means to have a site on the internet run by a user which is dedicated to a particular subject. In today's society, almost everyone has a web presence...Facebook. Facebook is a social web presence that holds personal information by the user including photos, links, likes, dislikes, videos, etc. However, if one is applying for a job and the potential employer searches for the applicants name and all that comes up is the facebook page, they will not be able to see the users professional work that they have created in a polished format. In addition the facebook page may contain negative photos or comments that may deter the employer from offering the job. Therefore, creating a high quality looking web presence dedicated to ones professional abilities and work would be very beneficial for an applicant. The employer could then adequately judge the applicant on the necessary qualification for the job and not just on ones social network. On the web presence the user can have all the work they have created, their resume, and what they are looking for in a job.

Having a professional web presence is imperative as a telecommunication major. Because most of the work that I would be creating for an employer to see would be videos, handing in just a resume in paper form would not adequately showcase my talents. By having a web presence I could be able to upload videos I have created or worked on so others could view it. Also, instead of handing employers multiple DVDs with my videos burned on them, they could just view my site and see all my work in one place. I could also edit my web page so that it make me look more favorable to a potential employer. This would set me apart from others who don't have a professional web presence.

I found a website the lists 6 reasons to have a web presence. In it, the author explains that by having a web presence allows one to keep up with growing and changing trends, keeps communication going between the business and it's costumers, expands creativity, helps increase exposure to a much larger audience, It is relatively inexpensive, and that people will always be using the internet. In todays age everyone is connected to the web all the time so it is important to know that the internet is not a trend that will die out anytime soon. This video I found also does a good job of explaining why even business that one would think would not need a web presence, such as a dentist, should have one.

Week 11 Open Source Software

This week, we learned about open source software. Two examples discussed in class of open source software include Gimp(which is a substitute for Photoshop) and Audacity(which records music). Open source software is essentially free software that anyone can use. Once you have downloaded to software the user can then change the source codes which are public to fit his/her specific needs. Once you have the software how you like it, the user is then free to distribute his/her version to others. Other examples of open source software include Linux created by Linus Torvalds or OpenOffice.

In the telecommunication field, open source software would be very helpful to someone just starting up. In order to get a job one has to have portfolio of things to show their potential employer. However, there are many programs that one in my field may need that are expensive, like Adobe Photoshop. In order to use these programs someone who lacks the necessary funds can use these cheaper alternatives like Gimp to get the job done. Unfortunately, there are some programs, like Final Cut Pro, that there is not a good open source substitute which are very important in my field for editing videos and such.

Two websites I found that would be useful to one looking for open source software alternatives for their computer are:

Open source software for Windows

Open source software for Macs

Some of the applications such as Mozilla firefox(which I use) are the same for both computers, however certain programs for some functions such as instant messageing are different. I will probably be checking this list out for new programs I can adapt and place on my computer so that I do not have to pay big bucks for the same application.

Week 10 Concept Map-additional post

Here is my concept map for social tools in the telecommunication field. Click to enlarge.

Week 10 Learning Theories & Critical Thinking

This week in class we learned about learning theories and ways to use technology to help foster different learning styles.

Learning theories were created to help describe how both people and animals learn. There are three frameworks which learning theories are built upon. The first is behaviorism. Behaviorism deals with cause and effect, the subject sees or experiences the behavior and learns about its repercussions. Internally the subject than begins to associate the behavior with the effect. Two subtypes of behaviorism are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning is where a subject learns to respond to a seemingly unrelated or neutral stimulus. For example, people playing a sport know to stop when a whistle is blown because they associate the whistle with a foul. Operant conditioning is using consequences to shape the behavior. Components of operant conditioning are reinforcement both positive(receiving a reward after the desired response) and negative(removing an unfavorable stimulus after the desired behavior). Another component is punishment which is designed to decrease a behavior. Positive punishment is implementing an unfavorable stimulus in response to the undesired behavior. Negative punishment is taking away a positive stimulus after the undesired behavior is shown. Last extinction which offers no rewards/punishments after an action so the action gradually goes away.

Information process theories deals with the internal processes rather than external behaviors. This theory states that the mind has 3 memory stores that register, process, retrieve and store information. One can retain information better by: rehearsal (repeating the information over and over in order to keep it in our working memory), organizing( where we "chunk" information into groups, like a phone number), elaboration(giving examples to clarify info), imagry(recreating an experience in our mind), and schema(which is our concepts of the world and we relate these concepts back to the info).

The last theory is constructivism. Constructivism is using our experiences to gain knowledge that is meaningful and relates to us. Some problems with the constructive learning style is that the skills learn may not be useful in the real world, some kids may not have the previous experiences needed to learn the new info ,and a teacher can not verify a students skill level. However, technology, like powerpoint, is helping the constructive learning style to become more practical by making learning more creative and meaningful, and letting students think about how they are learning.

Ultimately it depends upon the material you are teaching to choose what type of learning style is best.

As a telecommunication major, the constructivist learning theory is probably most related to my major. By creating movies/videos, we are trying to use the video format to help the audience relate or give the audience an experience (fictional or not) to convey the meaning in the movie. For example, in an advertisment we may want to convince the audience that brand A of an air freshener is better than brand B. To do this we might create a creative video that shows that brand B freshener does not get rid of the smell while brand A works so well that the consumer doesn't even notice the dog has gone to the bathroom in the room.

Different Learning Styles. This article talks about the learning styles we discussed in class as well as others such as cognitive learning theory. It also gives examples of ways to use the different styles of learning and goes over adults and others ways they learn and how some people are visual, sensual, intuitive, or active learners.