Emerging Technologies

[Lori Holcomb]

What are some of the emerging technologies you have used? How do the tie into the 21st century?

[Laura English Lewis]

Welcome to the World of e-Learning!

Constantly in the Pharmaceutical Business employees are required to update their training. Years ago most of our training was done in a classroom, and we had a very well staffed training center. The location of our training center was offsite. Employess had early morning classes, mid morning classes or after noon classes, which meant driving to the training center, and afterwards driving back to the main office.

One day we looked around and e-Learning had just about taken over the way we received training. 21st Century Technology of e-Learning at our desk has been one of the key factors to eliminate our training center, and eliminate the need to have a full staff of training instructors.

For the last three weeks I have been taking training at my desk via e-Learning. I have taken quizzes they have been graded and submitted via the e-Learning process, with me receiving my test results immediately to know whether I passed, or had to take this training again.

We now have a small training area that creates e-Learning training course that are emailed to employees. Employees are at their desk no more driving offsite. E-learning continues to be an emerging technology that continues to give management increased abilities to control their employees training environment. E-learning provides management with an enhancement of how training is given to employees with better control, and less cost of having additional offsite training centers. This type of training ties into the 21st Century in an innovate way because all employees can be trained with less cost to the employer, and more training can be given with the thought that all employees do not read or learn at the same level.

Before any e-Learning training begins you must agree that you understand that if a passing grade isn’t received you must retake the e-Learning course again. A certificate of completion is not produced until you pass the training with the required score. If employees need this training again or they need a refresher of this training it is right at their desk.

One of the disadvantages I can see right now is not having enough space on your account for keeping all of this e-Learning on your desktop. No matter what e-Learning will continue to be a 21st Century Technology that will help to continue life long learning for the young and the older student.

[Lauren Philbeck]

The two emerging technologies I presented in my Show and Tell were Slide Roll and Muvee Mix. I don’t want to say too much about them because I want you to look at my presentation  but they are great tools to use in the classroom especially if your school does not have the funding to provide such. In addition, they are free and easy to access on the internet. Look at my presentation for how they connect to the 21st Century.

I think a main 21st Century technology that I use is an iPod. While I mostly use it for listening to music, I have done other things. With the correct attachments, iPods can be used to do voiceovers on iMovie, which is quick, easy, and makes the iMovie appear more professional. In addition, I would love for my professors to put lectures on podcast so I could listen to them on my iPod. I have friends who have done this and it is very helpful to be able to re-listen to a lecture while riding in the car or working out at the gym. I think podcasting in colleges and universities is only going to increase.

[Rhonda W]

I really enjoy my iPod. I mentioned earlier that I had listened to The World is Flat via iPod. It was an interesting experience. I don't know that it is something I'll continue long-term as I can't find iBooks in the library and I'm too cheap to keep buying them. But I would certainly recommend it.

I also subscribe to several podcasts, most notably Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, a hilarious program on public radio that I can't seem to catch in real time because it comes on WUNC at noon on Saturdays and I always have something going on then. It is great not to miss something just because I'm busy. I haven't tried watching a movie yet. I'm not sure I can see it very well through my bifocals. (I think I am going to rent a movie to watch on my desktop this weekend at iTunes -- 3.99, cheaper than Blockbuster.)

I love the ability to download music so I can listen immediately. I don't like waiting for a CD to be delivered. I really like being able to buy 1 or 2 songs from an album instead of having to buy the whole thing. (Is "album" the right word? May not be up on my technology.) I must confess I tend to leave my iPod plugged into my clock-radio listening station about 90 percent of the time. I suppose I could have bought a boom box for a lot less.

I'd be interested in hearing how people use iPods in education. I read the articles that talked about it when we had our podcasting week, but I'm not sure how I see it happening in practice. So far it seems that they've been more a toy than an educational tool.

BTW, check out my blog discussion of the greatest technology ever. I'd love to hear some other opinions.

[Laura English Lewis]

Rhonda,

I am still joining the 21st century kicking and screaming along the way. I still do not have an iPod.

Before there was email, it was letter writing, telephone calls, and actual one on one conversation. Can you believe it? Talking face to face with someone? Introducing yourself and seeing them? All of these are being replaced in the cyberworld. Blogs have replaced the old journals and diaries of the previous century.

I still do not have a “MySpace” account. I still do not see the value in creating one. However, I have created a blog for our class. Now, I just remembered by creating this reply to your blog, that I am supposed to update my Blog with new information ever so often. See, I really am kicking and screaming along the way as I join the 21st Century.

I enjoyed reading your blog again. ---Laura

[Kelly Maxwell]

I agree because I am completely addicted to my ipod. I seem to rely more on my ipod now then when I bought my first one about 3 years ago. I orginally bought it to have for music when I workout, but now I have a whole new dependence on it. I recently bought a new car and one of the selling features for me is that the new Honda's provide an iPod adaptor built into the center console in order to play your iPod through your speaker. If that wasnt enough I got an iTouch & now that I have wireless internet access I am almost as dependant on it as I am my cell phone.

I definately thing that it would be awesome for professors to make lectures available in podcast. I would enjoy being able to listen to a lecture when it was more convenient, or be able to concentrate on main points outside of class when you can go back and listen to the podcast to clear up any confusion. Therefore, I definately support the idea of podcast at the university or high school levels.

[Zeynep Yurtseven]

Researchers from University of California at Santa Barbara have developed a new technology to speed up computers. You can see details following:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/emergingtech/?p=1050 link

I want to make my presentation about this new technology, because I think it has a lot of connections 21st century`s technology world and future generations life. According to the article it will be being used as early as 2011, so our students will probably face it.

Nanotechnology is one of the big parts of 21st Century technologies. I do not know if there is a direct usage of it in education, but if there is not I believe there will be. Everyday scientists are trying to make things smaller and smaller. Maybe we do not use these technologies in our classes directly; however it can be good to know about it, to introduce our students.

The leader of the research team Craig Hawker says ` If you can shrink all these things down, you get both. You get power and energy efficiency in one package. ` So I think the second point is the energy efficiency. I am working on a small project about sustainability for one of my classes. During my inquiry I recognized sustainability will be a really important component of work places, schools, and future world. Thus this new technology material also shows being sustainable is important in technology, too. I believe it must be a part of our classes.

You can see the video which shows the importance of sustainability in technology: (there is link on the page to play it. It is quite long, but maybe some of you interested)
http://www01.ibm.com/webcasts/WCPGateway.wss?jadeAction=WEBCAST_LAU...

I will continue to work on it for the presentation,
Thank you, have a good day

[Jennifer Cable]

One emerging technology that I am currently using is a Mimio board. It is like a Smartboard except that is also a whiteboard. There are two varieties of the Mimio board. One is a whiteboard with the Smartboard capabilities built into the board. The other variety is a simple bar, which attached to an existing whiteboard. This option is much less expensive. Both models are less expensive than a standard Smartboard although you have the same features as a Smartboard. The reason I like this is that I do not have to be as careful with the board as I would with a Smartboard. My students or anyone else can use the board with fear of tearing it up as can happen with a Smartboard. The surface is hard since it is a whiteboard, and you can use dry erase markers on it. When activated, special pens are used to make the board interactive. Work can also be captured and save on a computer. I have found this board very user friendly. For more information, check out their website. www.mimio.com

As for how this technology is tied to the 21st century, I believe it allows students to become more interactive with technology thereby allowing them to gain a deeper of the technology. Using the Mimio allows me to project student projects on the board where all students can see, analyze, and evaluate others work. It allows students to present multimedia projects thereby communicating new ideas to others. By showing others work, students can learn to respect diverse perspectives. It helps the students become ICT literate.

Another technology that I am using which is very new to me is called AB Tutor. This is a software program that is loaded on one central computer in a lab with all other computers linked to the central computer. From the cnetral computer, all other computers can be monitored. I am able to see which student is logged on to which computer and what programs they have opened. I can observe what they are doing and if I see something inappropriate, I can lock their computer or even shut it down. I am able to chat with the student about what they are doing and give them help with their assignment. I can project a student’s project on the whiteboard for other students to see. This software gives me total control of all computers in my lab. I can turn all the computers on or off with on click on my computer. This software is very inexpensive ($300) and a lifesaver in a computer lab. For more information, check out their website. www.abconsulting.com

As for how this technology is tied to the 21st century, I believe it teaches students to exercise personal responsibility and flexibility in the classroom. They know that even when I am not walking around the room, I am monitoring what they are doing. They also know that I can project what they are doing at any moment on the whiteboard for others to see. I believe this cause them to act more responsible. It is also allowing them to experience a new technology. Even though I have been using this software for almost a month, it still surprises them when I chat with them or take over their computer to demonstrate how to do something. This is a new technology my students still find fascinating.

[Charley Norkus]

Jennifer - ABTutor sounds awesome. I had my Recent International Relations class in the lab Thursday working on individual projects - some of them got off task and I would LOVE to have projected what they were doing so others could have seen it - does it also identify who they are (on the big screen) at the same time? I am definitely going to tell our technology director about ABTutor - sounds like a great tool for lab management. Thanks, Jennifer. - Charley

[Jennifer Cable]

Charley,
I do not think it will tell a student's name when you project it. I have not tried to project students computers yet. Although this can be use to show a student not working, I think the more useful advantage to this is showing students work that is good or to start a discussion about something that a student needs help with. I think that AB Tutor is the best software I have ever used as part of my teaching.

[Emily Jessee]

Jennifer,

I have a monitoring software, but not the capability to project work. In doing graphics this would come in handy, but it would make student demonstrations more relaxed and exciting.

[Charley Norkus]

You're always so positive, Jennifer! Great stuff. I definitely agree - reinforce the positive things that students are doing = great modeling for the rest of the class.

[Kelly Maxwell]

I would definately be in trouble if they had this monitoring software when I was in high school. I love the concept that the students can easily be monitored, and it is humerous that when they are "caught" playing they can be locked out of the system. This sounds very interesting!