Reflection

Being that this was my first EdTech course , I was flooded with new experiences! One thing I am taking away from this course is the understanding of the historical development of the field of educational technology and its ever-changing role in society. There are many facets involved such as assessment, planning, professional development, and also in many different settings – schools districts, in the classroom, in the corporate setting. Reading other people’s blogs was very interesting as it allowed me to get a glimpse of the technology practices in schools in America. I am excited to conquer the next couple of years of classes and explore where it will take me in my career.

The Digital Divide

Memo
To: World Class School Board
From: Jayne Crawford, Educator
Date: July 16, 2008
Re: How to Bridge the Digital Divide

The accessibility the digital age affords is unfortunately not available to everyone. The digital divide refers to certain groups (people from low socio-economic households, with lower education, with disabilities, and minorities) who may not have access to technology (including computers and Internet use) nor the skills to use it. We cannot assume every person who does not have access to technology wants access, however as educators it is our responsibility to model and promote the advantages and opportunities the Internet can provide to enhance one’s life, especially the above group of people. The effects of such inequity for students can result in lack of confidence because of inadequate skills needed to use the Internet and other computers programs. Furthermore, parents with no computer skills are deprived of opportunities for self-improvement such as more education, better jobs, and higher incomes. This memo provides six resources that can help reduce digital inequity in our schools and community.

• It is critical to develop an awareness of technology and provide information to our community about the importance and place of technology in today’s society thus allowing students to have access not only at school, but also at home and in their communities. Community Technology Centers’ Network (CTCNet) is available to provide our community with resources and support to implement technology to those who need it. http://www.ctcnet.org/
• The Community MAR program provides refurbished computers to low-income families and schools. They can help establish equipment to families in need. http://www.techsoup.org/mar/
• Schools who don’t have administrators who are technologically skilled may not feel confident enough to promote a technologically thriving school. CASTLE helps prepare school administrators to lead their school to become a computer-based environment with ample resources for teachers and students. http://www.schooltechleadership.org/
• Digital Equity Service Center provides leaders of the community as well as teachers expertise in setting up programs and curriculum to implement technology and its applications. http://www.digitalequity.or/
• Edutopia is a great resource for schools. It gives examples of schools who have implemented technology into their teaching, and is a great source for teacher development as well as hands-on projects for the classroom. http://www.edutopia.org/
• W3C provide scenarios of people with disabilities using the web. Teachers need to be sensitive and develop empathy for students who have impaired access to computers. Also Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) provides a wealth of resources and links to help people with disabilities
  http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/Overview.html
  http://www.w3.org/WAI/

All in all, we must not lose focus of our ultimate goal which is educating students to become productive citizens in today’s technologically-based society. Change does not happen overnight, however the sooner we start taking steps to support those people included in the digital divide, the more our students will have opportunities for success. By offering families low priced computers, providing training courses to teachers and parents, guiding administrators to become technologically confident, and supporting the community with ample resources, our school board can become successful in diminishing the digital divide.

Is iTunes U for You? -by Jeffrey Selingo

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/31/AR2007103102521.html

Several univerisites as well as The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) offer free educational content and lectures at iTunes U. Parents, students, teachers, and learning enthusiasts can dowload content for free via iTunes and watch it on their computer or on-the-go on their iPod. This article discusses the impact iTunes U is having on universities and whether it will end up changing online learning in the future. It gives examples of professors who record lectures and explains who is benefiting from these free lectures. Who is funding this and will it always be free?

FUTUREPERSPECTIVE - A Vision of Education for the 21st Century -by Roger C. Schank

http://www.thejournal.com/articles/14552

This article discusses may future trends that are and will continue to change the face of learning both in schools and in companies. There will be a demand to teach children interpersonal skills and working with other students to balance it with sitting in front of a computer all day long. The teacher's role will be more of a guidance counsellor and advisor rather than an authoritarian. It also talks about the restructuring of the curriculum whereas experts rather than a board of trustees will develop curriculum and online courses. Video-conferencing learning centers will become available to students just as consumer 24-hour help centers are popular today.

Definition of Educational Technology

Reiser has clearly laid out the key events in history which are related to the emphasis he places on instructional design. I agree with his emphasis because in order to change human performance (which is the goal educational and instructional technology) it involves a detailed, systematic process of learning. This system, developed by psychologists, has been continually evolving to educate individuals in a wide-range of learning fields. Individuals all posses unique learning and life experiences which makes designing instruction a challenging process which technology is trying to improve.

Over the past 50 years, history has shown that the mere existence of technology does not automatically equate to increased levels of learning. People had high expectations in regards to learning with technology; however, some fields (military, higher education, on-line learning) have had better success rates than the public school system. This could possibly be associated with the motivation factor of children to learn as they are more attracted to exciting, interesting learning methods whereas adult learners are less affected by instructional methods as their motivation is usually related to job security and advancement in their field.

My definition of educational technology: to improve human performance by using the ADDIE model to design programs (analyze, design, develop, implement, and evaluate) and by using a variety of technological processes.