January 2008 Archives

In "Distributed intelligence and designs for education," Roy D. Pea suggests that in education, pedagogy, and instructional design, our outcomes and goals should strive to have learners invent their own tools for learning rather than receive information and spit it back.  Pea states that learners should be "inventors of distributed-intelligence-as-tool" rather than "receivers of intelligence-as-substance." The implications of his research are simple.   Teachers should facilitate the creation of tools that will serve as resources for creative and intelligent activities in the classroom whether in individual or group work.  In dealing with technology, the following question comes up:

Are the implications of distributed intelligence different with Web 2.0 technologies?  No.  The Web 2.0 revolution has created a world where "the machine is us" (words by Michael Wesch).  There has never been a time in history where technology has been so easy to learn and use.  Whereas the teacher is the facilitator in the classroom, Web 2.0 technology is the facilitator in our lives.  Web 2.0 allows all of us to create tools that will serve as resources for creative and intelligent activities throughout our lives. 

In a "A Slice of Life in My Virtual Community", Howard Rheingold asks the following question about the future: "will there be an open market, in which newcomers like Apple or Microsoft can become industry leaders?"

I think there is an answer to that question right now in the present.  With the emergence of Web 2.0 tools and social networks, the future is now and the future is open source.  The leading social network in the U.S., Facebook, just recently produced a SDK (software development kit) package and opened up their software to developers around the world.  Facebook has made it possible to create applications that can be used as part of their network.  Small businesses can now become part of the social network market.  Businesses can create applications for the Facebook platform and then sell them to Facebook.  They can also retain rights for applications and run advertisements on their application pages.  If you would like to learn more about this new facebook feature, watch Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, explain it in detail (Click here).  Having a programming background myself, I am interested in trying my hand in developing a few Facebook applications.  Who knows, I may even make some money.  Which in turn begs the question... who will be the first millionaire in Facebook applications?

Another open source online community has already produced its first millionaire in Anshe Chung.  What is truly amazing is that Chung started out in SecondLife with an initial investment of $9.95!  For some more information about SecondLife, click on the Anshe Chung link above or watch the online office space that Rheingold set up at http://vlog.rheingold.com/

In a recent video featured on YouTube, Michael Wesch states that "the machine is us."  We are the new internet.  Through Web 2.0, we can connect to other people around the world.  The internet is no longer a one way street.  We can now collaborate with other users, argue and compare ideas, show pictures and videos of our cultures, and organize all the information that we normally view into a single page.  XML and RSS Feeds allow someone to effectively organize many different news feeds into a single page. 

What is very interesting is how many people are unfamiliar with the term Web 2.0. and its meaning.  My background is in Computer Science and Mathematics and I was very unfamiliar with this technology until I started using iGoogle last semester.  If I am behind the times, what does that say about other computer users?  As Web 2.0. becomes more popular and spreads to more and more internet users, I feel it is worth it to think about the potential uses and upside of this technology in teaching and learning.  Currently similar technology is being used for course management systems and/or distance learning, but where else and in what capacity can this Web 2.0. technology assist with teaching and learning?  I think it will be a fun and interesting journey to find out.

During my student teaching experience at a New Jersey high school in 2006, students were not allowed to have cell phones or ipods (including all mp3 players) in school.  If a student was found using either of these technologies, the teacher was instructed to take away the item and send it to the Principal's office where the student could pick it up after school.  In this atmosphere, cell phones and ipods were considered irritating and useless in the classroom.  They were disruptive technologies. 

Disruptive technologies are those that current educators find no reason to use in a classroom setting.  These technologies include but are not limited to cell phones, ipods and other mp3 and mp4 players, blogs, wikis, social networks, online video games, second life, and in some circumstances palm pilots and graphing calculators. 

NAME:  Mike Montalto-Rook

BIO:  Completed my undergraduate and masters degrees at T.C.N.J. (B.S. in Comp Sci and M.A.T. in Secondary Ed. Math).  Currently enrolled as a full-time Ph.D. candidate in Instructional Systems in College of Ed. at P.S.U. 

INTERESTS:  Watching all sports, playing soccer and wii sports (if that qualifies), playing and teaching music (vocal, guitar, djembe drum, piano), reading (currently R. Ludlum novels), and watching movies.  View the picture of me conducting a K-8 Music Concert at Saint Michael School in Loretto in the PHOTO section on the right. 

REASON FOR TAKING CI 597:  Learn more about blogs, wikis, podcasts and how to incorporate these technologies in the classroom.

INTERESTING FACTS:  Have performed numerous hand drumming shows with Jim Donovan, the old drummer for "Rusted Root," as part of the Saint Francis University World Drumming Ensemble.

OVERALL COMFORT LEVEL WITH TECHNOLOGY:  Very high... prolly 10 out of 10.  Previous projects have included Web Design, Graphic Design, Audio Editing, and Movie Filming and Editing. 

DOES TECHNOLOGY INTEREST ME:  Yes, with an emphasis on emerging technologies and their use in teaching and learning.

HOW TECHNOLOGY INFLUENCES TEACHING AND LEARNING:  I currently feel that technology is necessary for teaching and learning in the classroom today.  However, I view technology as an aid and resource, not as the main teaching method.  A teacher is still the leader and facilitator of the classroom and needs to determine where and when the use of technology is appropriate.