As the field of technology evolves, so must the educators who teach tomorrow's leaders. Many emerging technologies are or will be effecting our world as educators. For instance, current trends in distance learning are making education more accessible and convenient for students. This new form of education is also more cost effective. Students can stay at home, and all they need is a computer with Internet access. Furthermore, thanks to Wikipedia, there is greater access to online globalization. Unfortunately, as professionals we are left to question what experts are putting information out there, and if the proper research has been conducted. As educators it is our job to teach our students 21st century skills. They need to know where information is coming from, and if the information is fact or opinion.
Furthermore, the field of communication is seeing a change as well. A program called Skype can help us talk to each other in an instant, yet it is all free. Imagine being able to talk to someone across the world for free! Not only can we take advantage of this personally, but professionally as well. Imagine the possibilities students would have. For example, they could have the opportunity to interview over the phone. They can talk to other students around the globe. As educators we need to keep evolving with the technology our students are using, or we will never prepare them for their futures. The following articles show what emerging technologies are shaping our future and how we can use them in the school.
I recommend checking out this video first. It discusses the educational role in 21st century technology: http://www.eschoolnews.com/video-center/esn-techwatch/?I=50600;_hbguid=026915fb-cc69-4d16-a0e0-b07e428bd751
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Social Networking on the Web
Survey Reveals Schools have a Huge Opportunity to Harness Technology for Instruction
From eSchool News staff and wire service reports
Retrieved November 14, 2007
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=7304
Check out this link for an example of social networking already in place for middle school girls: http://www.eschoolnews.com/video-center/index/?i=48747;_hbguid=6ef73cdc-dc9d-4ac2-8e0f-573f13f555b0
Check out the virtual world of education through Second Life: http://www.eschoolnews.com/video-center/esn-techwatch/?i=48767;_hbguid=1962012d-494f-4ab7-93b6-c32b74b1b4da
Ninety-six percent of U.S. students ages 9 to 17 who have internet access use social-networking technology to connect with their peers, and one of their most common topics of discussion is education, according to a new survey. Yet most schools have stringent rules against nearly all forms of online social networking during the school day. In light of the survey's findings, school leaders should consider reexamining their policies and explore ways they could use social networking for educational purposes, its authors say.
August 14, 2007—A new survey reveals that creating content and connecting with their peers online is nearly ubiquitous for students ages 9 to 17 who have internet access: Only one in 20 teens and "tweens" surveyed said they have not used social-networking technologies such as chatting, text-messaging, blogging, or visiting online communities such as Facebook, MySpace, and Webkinz.
What's more, students report that one of the most common topics of conversation on the social-networking scene is education--suggesting that schools have a huge, but largely untapped, opportunity to harness these technologies in support of student learning.
Released Aug. 14 by the National School Boards Association (NSBA) and Grunwald Associates LLC, the survey shows that 96 percent of students with online access use social-networking technologies. Nearly 60 percent of these students report discussing education-related topics online, such as college or college planning, learning outside of school, and careers. And half of online students say they talk specifically about schoolwork.
"There is no doubt that these online teen hangouts are having a huge influence on how kids today are creatively thinking and behaving," said Anne L. Bryant, NSBA's executive director. "The challenge for school boards and educators is that they have to keep pace with how students are using these tools in positive ways and consider how they might incorporate this technology into the school setting."
Students report they are engaging in highly creative activities on social-networking web sites, including writing, art, and contributing to collaborative online projects--whether these activities are related to schoolwork, or not. Nearly half of students surveyed say they have uploaded pictures they have made or photos they have taken, and 22 percent say they have uploaded video they have created.
Students also say they are spending nearly as much time using social-networking services and web sites as they spend watching television. Among teens who use social-networking sites, that amounts to about nine hours a week online, compared with 10 hours a week watching TV.
Yet, most K-12 school systems have stringent rules against nearly all forms of online social networking during the school day, according to the survey--even though students and parents report few problem behaviors online.
More than eight in 10 districts have rules against online chatting and instant messaging in school, the survey suggests, and more than six in 10 have rules against participating in blogs. Sixty percent also prohibit students from sending and receiving eMail while in school, and 52 percent ban the use of social-networking sites on campus.
In light of the survey's findings, school leaders should consider reexamining their policies and explore ways they could use social networking for educational purposes, its authors say.
"Our study showed that 96 percent of school districts say that at least some of their teachers assign homework requiring internet use," said Peter Grunwald of Grunwald Associates. "What this means is that schools may be starting to use the internet and other technologies more effectively. In the future, schools that incorporate social-networking tools in education can help engage kids and move them toward the center of the learning process."
Although most schools have rules against social-networking activities during school hours, some officially sanctioned online social networking does occur in schools, the survey finds. Nearly 70 percent of districts report having student web site programs, and nearly half say their schools take part in online collaborative projects with other schools. More than a third say their schools or their students have blogs, either officially or in the context of instruction.
The report, titled "Creating & Connecting: Research and Guidelines on Online Social and Educational Networking," is based on three surveys: an online survey of nearly 1,300 9- to 17-year-olds, an online survey of more than 1,000 parents, and telephone interviews with 250 school district leaders who make decisions on internet policy. The study was carried out with support from Microsoft, News Corp. (which owns MySpace), and Verizon.
From eSchool News staff and wire service reports
Retrieved November 14, 2007
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=7304
Check out this link for an example of social networking already in place for middle school girls: http://www.eschoolnews.com/video-center/index/?i=48747;_hbguid=6ef73cdc-dc9d-4ac2-8e0f-573f13f555b0
Check out the virtual world of education through Second Life: http://www.eschoolnews.com/video-center/esn-techwatch/?i=48767;_hbguid=1962012d-494f-4ab7-93b6-c32b74b1b4da
Ninety-six percent of U.S. students ages 9 to 17 who have internet access use social-networking technology to connect with their peers, and one of their most common topics of discussion is education, according to a new survey. Yet most schools have stringent rules against nearly all forms of online social networking during the school day. In light of the survey's findings, school leaders should consider reexamining their policies and explore ways they could use social networking for educational purposes, its authors say.
August 14, 2007—A new survey reveals that creating content and connecting with their peers online is nearly ubiquitous for students ages 9 to 17 who have internet access: Only one in 20 teens and "tweens" surveyed said they have not used social-networking technologies such as chatting, text-messaging, blogging, or visiting online communities such as Facebook, MySpace, and Webkinz.
What's more, students report that one of the most common topics of conversation on the social-networking scene is education--suggesting that schools have a huge, but largely untapped, opportunity to harness these technologies in support of student learning.
Released Aug. 14 by the National School Boards Association (NSBA) and Grunwald Associates LLC, the survey shows that 96 percent of students with online access use social-networking technologies. Nearly 60 percent of these students report discussing education-related topics online, such as college or college planning, learning outside of school, and careers. And half of online students say they talk specifically about schoolwork.
"There is no doubt that these online teen hangouts are having a huge influence on how kids today are creatively thinking and behaving," said Anne L. Bryant, NSBA's executive director. "The challenge for school boards and educators is that they have to keep pace with how students are using these tools in positive ways and consider how they might incorporate this technology into the school setting."
Students report they are engaging in highly creative activities on social-networking web sites, including writing, art, and contributing to collaborative online projects--whether these activities are related to schoolwork, or not. Nearly half of students surveyed say they have uploaded pictures they have made or photos they have taken, and 22 percent say they have uploaded video they have created.
Students also say they are spending nearly as much time using social-networking services and web sites as they spend watching television. Among teens who use social-networking sites, that amounts to about nine hours a week online, compared with 10 hours a week watching TV.
Yet, most K-12 school systems have stringent rules against nearly all forms of online social networking during the school day, according to the survey--even though students and parents report few problem behaviors online.
More than eight in 10 districts have rules against online chatting and instant messaging in school, the survey suggests, and more than six in 10 have rules against participating in blogs. Sixty percent also prohibit students from sending and receiving eMail while in school, and 52 percent ban the use of social-networking sites on campus.
In light of the survey's findings, school leaders should consider reexamining their policies and explore ways they could use social networking for educational purposes, its authors say.
"Our study showed that 96 percent of school districts say that at least some of their teachers assign homework requiring internet use," said Peter Grunwald of Grunwald Associates. "What this means is that schools may be starting to use the internet and other technologies more effectively. In the future, schools that incorporate social-networking tools in education can help engage kids and move them toward the center of the learning process."
Although most schools have rules against social-networking activities during school hours, some officially sanctioned online social networking does occur in schools, the survey finds. Nearly 70 percent of districts report having student web site programs, and nearly half say their schools take part in online collaborative projects with other schools. More than a third say their schools or their students have blogs, either officially or in the context of instruction.
The report, titled "Creating & Connecting: Research and Guidelines on Online Social and Educational Networking," is based on three surveys: an online survey of nearly 1,300 9- to 17-year-olds, an online survey of more than 1,000 parents, and telephone interviews with 250 school district leaders who make decisions on internet policy. The study was carried out with support from Microsoft, News Corp. (which owns MySpace), and Verizon.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Skype is the Telephone Industry's Napster (well almost)
Technology Review Magazine
Published by MIT
Written by: Eric Hellweg
Retrieved November 13, 2007
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/13382/
Link to Skype download: http://www.skype.com/download/
Do you Skype? If Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrm have their way, soon millions of people around the world will not only understand that inquiry but answer in the affirmative. The Swedish duo, who became (in)famous as two of the original programmers behind the peer-to-peer file sharing program Kazaa, are currently at work preparing the world for the first official, non-beta release of their new baby: an application that uses peer-to-peer technology to allow users to make phone calls over the Internet for free. They call it Skype, a nonsensical word they chose for its simplicity and catchiness.
Though Skype is not even a finished product (the most recent release is beta version 0.94, released on October 30), it has already been downloaded more than 2.6 million times in just over two and a half months. For a little perspective, it took Kazaa-the most popular piece of downloaded software ever created-more than six months to reach that number of downloads. What's more, Skype has achieved that download rate without any advertising. "Skype can change the way people think about communications," says Jeff Kagan, an independent telecommunications analyst. "Skype is the Napster of the phone system."
Skype began with a walk in the park. In June 2002, Friis and Zennstrm found themselves in a park in Copenhagen, Denmark, contemplating what to do next. Kazaa had been sold to Sharman Networks. But "we weren't going to retire," says 27-year-old Friis. So he and his partner (who is 37) began to hunt for a new project. They were looking specifically for industries ripe for a disruptive technology. "We wondered what we could do now, what would be big. We wanted to do something that could reach millions of people," says Friis in a telephone interview from Stockholm. "During our discussions," he adds, "we determined that telephony was extremely well suited for a peer-to-peer disruption." The key metrics? "It was centralized and expensive," says Friis, referring to the fact that the telecommunications industry is controlled by large, profit-seeking companies. Skype bypasses those companies entirely.
Friis and Zennstrm researched and found that a technology for routing phone calls over data networks-called Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP)-was, after years of very limited use, finally taking hold. The surge in VoIP's popularity stemmed chiefly from a rapid increase in the number of homes installing broadband, always-on Internet connections. The two programmers realized that the peer-to-peer infrastructure they used with Kazaa was well-suited to VoIP because it could scale cheaply (no central servers to purchase and maintain) and redundancies were built in: multiple users routed calls, so a conversation wouldn't be interrupted if a user logged off when a call was being routed through his system. What's more, because the routing would be done by users, Friis and Zennstrm wouldn't have to purchase expensive infrastructure. They could therefore offer the basic service for free.
After downloading the 2.5-megabyte Skype program, Internet-connected users can make phone calls using a microphone headset and speakers (or a headset) to other users on the Skype network; instead of a standard phone headset, they use a microphone headset and speakers plugged into the computer. The interface is familiar to that of instant messaging program; users can see who on their "friends list" is online, and they can place calls by clicking on graphical icons. Through a broadband connection, the service quality is comparable to that of a conventional analog phone call. Gone are the problems that plagued VoIP's earlier incarnations: static, tinny sound, delays, and dropped calls. Through a dial-up connection, however, sound quality suffers. "
After 10 years of talking about how VoIP can disintermediate the traditional carriers, we're actually seeing some tangible evidence that this phenomenon can become a reality," says Tom Valovik, an analyst with the market research firm IDC.
Making phone calls to strangers isn't much of a draw, so users typically act as recruiters, convincing friends and associates to download the software so they can communicate for free. Rather than route the calls through a centralized server-the method used by other VoIP companies such as Vonage and 8x8-the calls are routed through other users' computers, the same way Kazaa allows users to download files directly from other users' computers. By dispensing with the cost of maintaining a centralized server, Skype can offer its core service for free. The company eventually plans to charge for services such as voice mail and call forwarding, but none of those services are currently available.
With Skype's creators' controversial past (Kazaa remains the music industry's public enemy number one) and the program's rocket-like popularity, it's tempting to envision the day when programs like Skype eclipse the major telephone companies. But don't rush to sell your telco stocks (assuming you've held on to some); significant challenges remain before Skype becomes more than a nuisance to the AT&Ts of the world. "Skype will never threaten the traditional phone companies that have billions of revenue," says Kagan. "But it is going to be a grass roots success story."
One of the biggest challenges is that Skype can only be used with other Skype members, similar to how several years ago e-mail services allowed users to exchange messages only with other members of the same service. Until Skype's popularity reaches a tipping point, this relegates Skype to secondary phone line status rather than primary. Second, Skype users can't dial emergency services such as 911. Third, with phone company call rates dropping, offering service for free isn't the draw it once was.
Friis says his company is "in discussions" with other VoIP players to introduce interoperability among their programs. He also maintains that the 911 issue is not a big technical problem and eventually will be addressed.
"Skype has the potential to be bigger than Kazaa," Friis insists. "But the great thing is it doesn't come with the legal issues around it."
Published by MIT
Written by: Eric Hellweg
Retrieved November 13, 2007
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/13382/
Link to Skype download: http://www.skype.com/download/
Do you Skype? If Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrm have their way, soon millions of people around the world will not only understand that inquiry but answer in the affirmative. The Swedish duo, who became (in)famous as two of the original programmers behind the peer-to-peer file sharing program Kazaa, are currently at work preparing the world for the first official, non-beta release of their new baby: an application that uses peer-to-peer technology to allow users to make phone calls over the Internet for free. They call it Skype, a nonsensical word they chose for its simplicity and catchiness.
Though Skype is not even a finished product (the most recent release is beta version 0.94, released on October 30), it has already been downloaded more than 2.6 million times in just over two and a half months. For a little perspective, it took Kazaa-the most popular piece of downloaded software ever created-more than six months to reach that number of downloads. What's more, Skype has achieved that download rate without any advertising. "Skype can change the way people think about communications," says Jeff Kagan, an independent telecommunications analyst. "Skype is the Napster of the phone system."
Skype began with a walk in the park. In June 2002, Friis and Zennstrm found themselves in a park in Copenhagen, Denmark, contemplating what to do next. Kazaa had been sold to Sharman Networks. But "we weren't going to retire," says 27-year-old Friis. So he and his partner (who is 37) began to hunt for a new project. They were looking specifically for industries ripe for a disruptive technology. "We wondered what we could do now, what would be big. We wanted to do something that could reach millions of people," says Friis in a telephone interview from Stockholm. "During our discussions," he adds, "we determined that telephony was extremely well suited for a peer-to-peer disruption." The key metrics? "It was centralized and expensive," says Friis, referring to the fact that the telecommunications industry is controlled by large, profit-seeking companies. Skype bypasses those companies entirely.
Friis and Zennstrm researched and found that a technology for routing phone calls over data networks-called Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP)-was, after years of very limited use, finally taking hold. The surge in VoIP's popularity stemmed chiefly from a rapid increase in the number of homes installing broadband, always-on Internet connections. The two programmers realized that the peer-to-peer infrastructure they used with Kazaa was well-suited to VoIP because it could scale cheaply (no central servers to purchase and maintain) and redundancies were built in: multiple users routed calls, so a conversation wouldn't be interrupted if a user logged off when a call was being routed through his system. What's more, because the routing would be done by users, Friis and Zennstrm wouldn't have to purchase expensive infrastructure. They could therefore offer the basic service for free.
After downloading the 2.5-megabyte Skype program, Internet-connected users can make phone calls using a microphone headset and speakers (or a headset) to other users on the Skype network; instead of a standard phone headset, they use a microphone headset and speakers plugged into the computer. The interface is familiar to that of instant messaging program; users can see who on their "friends list" is online, and they can place calls by clicking on graphical icons. Through a broadband connection, the service quality is comparable to that of a conventional analog phone call. Gone are the problems that plagued VoIP's earlier incarnations: static, tinny sound, delays, and dropped calls. Through a dial-up connection, however, sound quality suffers. "
After 10 years of talking about how VoIP can disintermediate the traditional carriers, we're actually seeing some tangible evidence that this phenomenon can become a reality," says Tom Valovik, an analyst with the market research firm IDC.
Making phone calls to strangers isn't much of a draw, so users typically act as recruiters, convincing friends and associates to download the software so they can communicate for free. Rather than route the calls through a centralized server-the method used by other VoIP companies such as Vonage and 8x8-the calls are routed through other users' computers, the same way Kazaa allows users to download files directly from other users' computers. By dispensing with the cost of maintaining a centralized server, Skype can offer its core service for free. The company eventually plans to charge for services such as voice mail and call forwarding, but none of those services are currently available.
With Skype's creators' controversial past (Kazaa remains the music industry's public enemy number one) and the program's rocket-like popularity, it's tempting to envision the day when programs like Skype eclipse the major telephone companies. But don't rush to sell your telco stocks (assuming you've held on to some); significant challenges remain before Skype becomes more than a nuisance to the AT&Ts of the world. "Skype will never threaten the traditional phone companies that have billions of revenue," says Kagan. "But it is going to be a grass roots success story."
One of the biggest challenges is that Skype can only be used with other Skype members, similar to how several years ago e-mail services allowed users to exchange messages only with other members of the same service. Until Skype's popularity reaches a tipping point, this relegates Skype to secondary phone line status rather than primary. Second, Skype users can't dial emergency services such as 911. Third, with phone company call rates dropping, offering service for free isn't the draw it once was.
Friis says his company is "in discussions" with other VoIP players to introduce interoperability among their programs. He also maintains that the 911 issue is not a big technical problem and eventually will be addressed.
"Skype has the potential to be bigger than Kazaa," Friis insists. "But the great thing is it doesn't come with the legal issues around it."
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Upcoming Trends in Education
Key Trends
Horizon Advisory Board
Retrieved November 8, 2007
http://mail.portical.org/Redirect/www.nmc.org/horizon/2007/report
As it does each year, the Horizon Advisory Board again reviewed key trends in the practice of teaching, learning, and creativity, and ranked those it considered most important for campuses to watch. Trends were identified through a careful analysis of interviews, articles, papers, and published research. The six trends below emerged as most likely to have a significant impact in education in the next five years. They are presented in priority order as ranked by the Advisory Board.
The environment of higher education is changing rapidly. Costs are rising, budgets are shrinking, and the demand for new services is growing. Student enrollments are declining. There is an increasing need for distance education, with pressure coming not only from nontraditional students seeking flexible options, but from administrative directives to cut costs. The “shape” of the average student is changing, too; more students are working and commuting than ever before, and the residential, full-time student is not necessarily the model for today’s typical student. Higher education faces competition from the for-profit educational sector and an increasing demand by students for instant access and interactive experiences.
Increasing globalization is changing the way we work, collaborate, and communicate. China, India, and other southeast Asian nations continue to develop skilled researchers and thinkers who contribute significantly to the global body of knowledge and whose work fuels much innovation. Additionally, globalization of communication, entertainment, and information provides students with wider perspectives and resources than ever before, placing them in a new and continually changing learning space.
Information literacy increasingly should not be considered a given. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, the information literacy skills of new students are not improving as the post-1993 Internet boomlet enters college. At the same time, in a sea of user-created content, collaborative work, and instant access to information of varying quality, the skills of critical thinking, research, and evaluation are increasingly required to make sense of the world.
Academic review and faculty rewards are increasingly out of sync with new forms of scholarship. The trends toward digital expressions of scholarship and more interdisciplinary and collaborative work continue to move away from the standards of traditional peer-reviewed paper publication. New forms of peer review are emerging, but existing academic practices of specialization and long-honored notions of academic status are persistent barriers to the adoption of new approaches. Given the pace of change, the academy will grow more out of step with how scholarship is actually conducted until constraints imposed by traditional tenure and promotion processes are eased.
The notions of collective intelligence and mass amateurization are pushing the boundaries of scholarship. Amateur scholars are weighing in on scholarly debates with reasoned if not always expert opinions, and websites like the Wikipedia have caused the very notion of what an expert is to be reconsidered. Hobbyists and enthusiasts are engaged in data collection and field studies that are making real contributions in a great many fields at the same time that they are encouraging debate on what constitutes scholarly work—and who should be doing it. Still to be resolved is the question of how compatible the consensus sapientum and the wisdom of the academy will be.
Students’ views of what is and what is not technology are increasingly different from those of faculty. From small, flexible software tools to ubiquitous portable devices and instant access, students today experience technology very differently than faculty do, and the gap between students’ view of technology and that of faculty is growing rapidly. Mobile phones, to name just one example, are very different tools to students than to faculty; rather than being mere tools for voice communication, these devices store music, movies, and photos, keep students in touch with their friends by text and voice, and provide access to the wider world of the Internet at any time.
Horizon Advisory Board
Retrieved November 8, 2007
http://mail.portical.org/Redirect/www.nmc.org/horizon/2007/report
As it does each year, the Horizon Advisory Board again reviewed key trends in the practice of teaching, learning, and creativity, and ranked those it considered most important for campuses to watch. Trends were identified through a careful analysis of interviews, articles, papers, and published research. The six trends below emerged as most likely to have a significant impact in education in the next five years. They are presented in priority order as ranked by the Advisory Board.
The environment of higher education is changing rapidly. Costs are rising, budgets are shrinking, and the demand for new services is growing. Student enrollments are declining. There is an increasing need for distance education, with pressure coming not only from nontraditional students seeking flexible options, but from administrative directives to cut costs. The “shape” of the average student is changing, too; more students are working and commuting than ever before, and the residential, full-time student is not necessarily the model for today’s typical student. Higher education faces competition from the for-profit educational sector and an increasing demand by students for instant access and interactive experiences.
Increasing globalization is changing the way we work, collaborate, and communicate. China, India, and other southeast Asian nations continue to develop skilled researchers and thinkers who contribute significantly to the global body of knowledge and whose work fuels much innovation. Additionally, globalization of communication, entertainment, and information provides students with wider perspectives and resources than ever before, placing them in a new and continually changing learning space.
Information literacy increasingly should not be considered a given. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, the information literacy skills of new students are not improving as the post-1993 Internet boomlet enters college. At the same time, in a sea of user-created content, collaborative work, and instant access to information of varying quality, the skills of critical thinking, research, and evaluation are increasingly required to make sense of the world.
Academic review and faculty rewards are increasingly out of sync with new forms of scholarship. The trends toward digital expressions of scholarship and more interdisciplinary and collaborative work continue to move away from the standards of traditional peer-reviewed paper publication. New forms of peer review are emerging, but existing academic practices of specialization and long-honored notions of academic status are persistent barriers to the adoption of new approaches. Given the pace of change, the academy will grow more out of step with how scholarship is actually conducted until constraints imposed by traditional tenure and promotion processes are eased.
The notions of collective intelligence and mass amateurization are pushing the boundaries of scholarship. Amateur scholars are weighing in on scholarly debates with reasoned if not always expert opinions, and websites like the Wikipedia have caused the very notion of what an expert is to be reconsidered. Hobbyists and enthusiasts are engaged in data collection and field studies that are making real contributions in a great many fields at the same time that they are encouraging debate on what constitutes scholarly work—and who should be doing it. Still to be resolved is the question of how compatible the consensus sapientum and the wisdom of the academy will be.
Students’ views of what is and what is not technology are increasingly different from those of faculty. From small, flexible software tools to ubiquitous portable devices and instant access, students today experience technology very differently than faculty do, and the gap between students’ view of technology and that of faculty is growing rapidly. Mobile phones, to name just one example, are very different tools to students than to faculty; rather than being mere tools for voice communication, these devices store music, movies, and photos, keep students in touch with their friends by text and voice, and provide access to the wider world of the Internet at any time.
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