January 2008 Archives
Jason, Doug, Keith, Becci
Community:
a group of people which have a sense of belonging through common circumstance or interest
Identity:
a way of knowing someone by way of connecting attributes through a common representation which is context specific
Design:
(n) an organizational method
(v) the act of attributing affordances to...(you will in the blank)
Has anyone seen the new Diane Lane movie (thriller)? I have not, but apparently, the premise could be very applicable to the ideas in this course. As I understand it, the faster people log onto the killer's site, the faster the person dies...essentially people are participating in the death of the victims. While I know this thought is quite morbid, the concept could be applicable to our class. So...can we convince Cole and Scott to take a field trip to the movies and then blog about the topic??? Who knows, but apparently if we vote, then we can discuss this topic in class...Power to the People!
I don't think we realize how much we depend on technology until the power goes out. Yesterday I was without power for 6 1/2 hours. I was told by an automated message from the electric company when I reported my outage that it was caused by faulty lines.
Soon I realized that I had no refrigerator, no freezer, no TV, no DVD, no IPod, no computer, no internet, no stove, no microwave, no toaster oven, no radio, no light, no heat, no phone...
As the sun set, I thought, "I need to be prepared here." After lighting almost every candle I owned and putting a log in the fire, I at least had some light. I had an hour of time left on my computer, which had to be prioritized and divided between the many hours of work due today for all of my classes. After all, with no electricity I couldn't recharge my computer. For a moment, I kind of freaked out...I couldn't make food; There's no noise (like the TV, radio, Ipod, etc.) in the background; I don't have sufficient light; and I'm cold...I grabbed my textbook and a highlighter, sat down under a blanket by the fireplace, and read my other "traditional" assignments by firelight.
Romantic? Maybe to some people, but every time I experience a power outage, it reminds me of how dependent I am on technology. It is quite troublesome, really, because it makes me feel helpless. Does our dependence on so much technology make us vulnerable?
Today's newspapers line tomorrow's wastebaskets. This statement implies a concept that Roy Pea describes in his article "Distributed Intelligences and Designs for Education." In the early stages of the article, he discusses accessibility and the "mythic"-ness of objects. Here is implying that objects that the current generation sees as innovative will eventually become so ingrained in society that they will eventually go unnoticed, almost like a new penny losing its shine. His thinking probed insight into some of the technologies in my life that I feel are on the cutting edge but will one day be looked at as antiquated by my children.
For Christmas, my husband and I received an IRobot - a "smart tool" device that vacuums all by itself. It knows where to go, when to clean, and how to return to its dock. It helps me keep up with the cleaning and allows me to devote more attention to other aspects in my life. I'm starting to feel like Mrs. Weasley in Harry Potter. With a wave of her wand, the dishes are done, the duster floats about the room, and dinner is made. Well, with a push of a button, my first floor gets vacuumed.
What I wonder is what will smart tool technology mean for the future? What will it allow, or not allow for that matter, the next generations to be able to do? Will we become The Jetsons?
Do you recall the expression, "Somebody pinch me please?" when referring to the inability to determine reality? After reading Howard Rheingold's piece "A Slice of Life in my Virtual Community" and listening to a part of his vlog, the question of reality arose. In these venues he talks about his virtual community and his online identity. Not only has he been able to design his virtual office, but he has also created a virtual him - a picture of someone who has similar features but whose physical appearance differs in what I will refer to as "real life." He also refers to his virtual community as an on-going soap-opera, an addicting drama where one feels the need to tune in (or maybe in this case it should be log in) to each day, but if one misses a day, the sagas are so cyclical that one can easily catch up on the storyline. I wonder as people get more involved in virtual communities and an online life essentially, what happens to the line of reality? Does it get blurred? Are there two distinct sides - reality and virtual surreality/fantasy? Will what today is deemed as virtual surreality become reality someday? What implications will these actions have on what we currently see as "reality?"
Each time I view the movie, I feel I learn something new both in content and meaning. First it can be overwhelming, slightly scary, and yet exciting all at the same time. I remember in high school I took a Pascal course in order to better understand programming language, and yet today in order to publish something on the web, those former skills are obsolete. When we enter into a tool of such possibility, the tasks of learning and participating can be overwhelming. Living in such a community evokes many feelings and potential issues, as mentioned at the end of the movie. Yet, the fear of those concerns can also bring excitement in that you now are literally, or maybe it's virtually, connected.
My first reaction was to decipher the word by breaking it into two words - disruptive and technology. To me, disruptive means interrupting. Initially my thoughts revolved around how all of these new technologies are interrupting our lives. After doing some exploration online, my eyes have been opened slightly. Dictionary.com offers an explanation, but I gained a clearer understanding from whatis.techtarget.com. When I first started exploring the Pligg posts, I also was able to uncover some discussions about the definition. Now, however, I'm having trouble finding the location of my previous search. Consequently, I turned to whatis.techtarget.com to form a new understanding of the definition. If I am understanding it correctly, disruptive technology is a technology that could eventually replace an existing technology. Initially the disruptive technology could be raw, a little rough around the edges, and appeal only to a small audience. The practicality of the disruptive technology is initially unknown but could develop and become more attractive and ultimately marketable to a larger audience over time.
Welcome to my blog! To learn a little bit about me, please check out the following interview done virtually by interviewers Scott McDonald and Cole Camplese represented as (Q:). My responses will be distinguished by (A:).
Q: What is your name?
A: Rebecca Burns, but I am most commonly known as Becci.
Q: Where are you from?
A: My family is from the Huntingdon Area. Growing up, I lived in a variety of places: Huntingdon, PA; Carlisle, PA; Vorhees, NJ; Havertown, PA; Sinking Spring/Wyomissing, PA; Birdsboro, PA; and State College, PA.
Q: What are your interests?
A: I have many interests. I love sports. Playing table tennis, soccer, and volleyball is a part of my pastime. During the fall, I enjoy watching football - the Nittany Lions in particular. In my prior life, I enjoyed playing the flute and singing, especially in musicals.
Q: Why you are taking this class?
A: This course was recommended to me. As a doctoral student and Professional Development Associate for Penn State University's Professional Development School, my interns have access to and use multiple mediums of technology. I want to not only understand what these "creatures" are but also how they work and how they impact teaching and learning in the classroom, particularly the elementary classroom.
Q: Is there anything interesting about you?
A: Maybe...I'll let you decide. As an undergraduate, I played table tennis for PSU. After graduation, I taught sixth grade in an elementary school for five years.
Q: How would you describe your overall comfort level with the use of technology?
A: I am not very comfortable at all. In fact, I feel like the understanding of technology can be a sign of age, and according to this age scale, I am not very youthful. However, I am seeking ways to become more "hip."
Q: Does technology interest you?
A: Somewhat but it also scares me. It opens the door to an entirely different community. Because of a past poor prior experience, I have severe reservations about information and the ease with which it is transported across the internet highway. I recognize both positive and negative aspects of technology, and I am interested in engaging in discussions to toy with such ideas among peers.
Q: Talk a little about how you see technology influencing teaching and learning.
A: Well...that depends on the definition of technology. For me, technology is a construct of an era. It is something new to that generation or civilization, as some will refer to it, used to supposedly manipulate processes in life whether it be for work or play. The question for me has always been that technology is a relative term. Technology is only new to those that were not born with it. Therefore as technology changes, so will society, which in turn will impact the pressures society places on educational curriculum in order to meet the needs of the current population – thereby driving the curricular change and impacting teaching and learning.
I have listened to the podcast and created my blog. It appears that I am progressing through the first several assignments.
I am having trouble understanding all of the new language...RSS, Web 2.0, Pligg, Digg, etc. If anyone can help a novice out, your assistance would be greatly appreciated as I attempt to learn this new foreign language.
