As the author said in the book, many schools have spent a lot of money every year on network cabling or creating new facilities to be network ready. However, this is becoming the past. Then what are these schools doing now? The answer is wireless networking.
Wireless Networking is not strange to us anymore, today. Just like cell phone, wireless networking can help people connect computers to servers and computer-to- computer. This is powerful, if you think about that we do not need to bring the internet code and go to classrooms or libraries to get online, instead, we can bring a laptop and sit anywhere on campuses to communicate with classmates and/or processors. in fact, this is the truth now and many schools are offering this kind of technologies right now. Furthermore, there are several new technologies which are support this wireless revolution. Take WiFi technology as an example, this is a wireless net working technology based on the common 802.11 standard. WiFi, using radio frequency set aside for consumer use, can offer connectivity across a school campus in hardware barely larger than a textbook. This kind of technology can make internet access everywhere on campus available. Public WiFi can do more than this. It is a cheap way to get internet access nowadays. WiFi has its advantages, such as convenience and open ways of getting on line. However, things always have two sides, also because of WiFi’s open access, some security issues arise. Protecting students’ and faculty members’ privacy is the responsibilities of all the schools. They need to resolve the wide implementation. Also, WiFi has its potential to change the way we access the internet and the places where the resources are located.
Another example is Bluetooth technology. It can help users to share the device in a classroom and communicate to each other. Even when the school network does work, under the supporting of the Bluetooth technology, students can still take pictures and transfer data. Bluetooth is becoming more and more widely used these days and also, more and more devices are now Bluetooth enabled.
Technologies are playing a more and more important role nowadays and it is a part of education. Almost all the schools in the US are offering students wireless connecting to internet now. There is a significant change and reform happening in the education area now. The potential for the limitless connections in every classroom and the capability of arranging the instructional environment without regard for power or network nodes will be possible.
Technology will make teaching and learning easier and more efficient in the future.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
What is distance education? What types of support are critical to the success of distance education? Why?
This is an interesting topic. I mean I felt interesting when I find that, in the middle of 1800s, correspondence courses in Europe used mail systems to offer instruction. It is out of my imagination that courses can be delivered through mail. However, it is easier for me to understand that communication through technologies, such as telephone, email, or discussion board, nowadays. In fact, communications through technology did not appear until 1980s. It is pretty new. Then it is introduced into education area for offering classes to the students who do not have time to go to school regularly or are far from school. The technologies that used to support this kind of learning is called distance education. People had to go to schools everyday and stay in classrooms before the distance education was used. If people did not have time to go to school or they had not a regular schedule, they had to give up the ideas of learning before the distance education was served. So the distance learning solved these kinds of problems. Any people, wherever they live or whenever they want to study, they will always get the chance to do it through the distance education systems.
Of course, the distance education needs technology-support. “Technology is the key to providing a format for academic communication and exchange” (Teaching and learning with technology, Judy Lever-Duffy, Jean B. McDonald, 2007). For example, students can choose different ways to communicate with teachers and their classmates, such as emails, discussion boards, facebooks, or skypes. So they have many choices for communications. Furthermore, students can choose any time to communicate with teachers or classmates. People form different countries may be in a same class and the time difference may stop them to communicate during daytime or night. The distance education can offer students choices to communicate at anytime. That is, technologies can offer students synchronized communication an unsynchronized communication. So a student can send an email for help either during the daytime or during midnight if he or she likes to study in the night.
Teachers benefit from distance education too. All the processes of teaching are delivered by a system and teachers have enough time to develop the whole course before they put it into the delivering system. And they can also make revisions after they already put them in the system but the students do not get the part yet. Students can send teachers questions to ask questions and teachers can reply them during the morning. This helps both the teacher and student to improve the efficiency of teaching and learning. Of course, teachers do not have to stay in their offices everyday, like students do not need to go to schools everyday. What they need just the access to the delivering systems, normally just need to remember the password and account number. If they like they can also make appointment with students to see each other through videos when they are discussing.
More and more technologies are emerged into this area, such as phone bridges: a sophisticated telephone conferencing system, allowed a large group of students to dial in together and connect with each other and their teachers. Students can, of course, also interact with teachers and classmates via the phone. There are also other technologies that are used very common in this area, such as personal computer and internet. Technologies are the most important to any of the distance education.
At last I also want to say, technologies help education to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of teaching and learning. There would not be the distance education with the support of technologies. However, the education also helped to improve the technologies themselves. I mean the companies may try to recreate a certain technologies according to the feedback from education area. This is the process to improve technologies. So what I want to say here that distance education need technologies and technologies benefit from the emerging into education, too.
Of course, the distance education needs technology-support. “Technology is the key to providing a format for academic communication and exchange” (Teaching and learning with technology, Judy Lever-Duffy, Jean B. McDonald, 2007). For example, students can choose different ways to communicate with teachers and their classmates, such as emails, discussion boards, facebooks, or skypes. So they have many choices for communications. Furthermore, students can choose any time to communicate with teachers or classmates. People form different countries may be in a same class and the time difference may stop them to communicate during daytime or night. The distance education can offer students choices to communicate at anytime. That is, technologies can offer students synchronized communication an unsynchronized communication. So a student can send an email for help either during the daytime or during midnight if he or she likes to study in the night.
Teachers benefit from distance education too. All the processes of teaching are delivered by a system and teachers have enough time to develop the whole course before they put it into the delivering system. And they can also make revisions after they already put them in the system but the students do not get the part yet. Students can send teachers questions to ask questions and teachers can reply them during the morning. This helps both the teacher and student to improve the efficiency of teaching and learning. Of course, teachers do not have to stay in their offices everyday, like students do not need to go to schools everyday. What they need just the access to the delivering systems, normally just need to remember the password and account number. If they like they can also make appointment with students to see each other through videos when they are discussing.
More and more technologies are emerged into this area, such as phone bridges: a sophisticated telephone conferencing system, allowed a large group of students to dial in together and connect with each other and their teachers. Students can, of course, also interact with teachers and classmates via the phone. There are also other technologies that are used very common in this area, such as personal computer and internet. Technologies are the most important to any of the distance education.
At last I also want to say, technologies help education to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of teaching and learning. There would not be the distance education with the support of technologies. However, the education also helped to improve the technologies themselves. I mean the companies may try to recreate a certain technologies according to the feedback from education area. This is the process to improve technologies. So what I want to say here that distance education need technologies and technologies benefit from the emerging into education, too.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
What is visual literacy? Where and when is it learned? Why is it important?
As the author said, visual literacy is like we are in the process of developing technological literacy through this course. The author did not give us a definition of visual literacy directly in this chapter, however, according to the author’s statement, I think visual literacy means the visual environment through which we gain knowledge or information.
A visual environment includes text, colors, animations, and shapes. The visual literacy helps people to interpret information and encode knowledge for storage into memories. It is also a kind of stimuli to human brains. Both adults and children have the experiences of learning through visual literacy. We all have the experience that we can remember and understand things better when we see them. It is hard for us to really understand the idea if we only hear it from others. This is also the reason that why we encourage teachers to use technology to create an analog environment for learners to “see” during the learning and teaching processes.
Every visual consists of a number of elements presented in a deliberate arrangement. The three primary categories of design elements are visual, text, and affective elements. Visual elements include graphics, symbols, real objects, and organizational visuals. Graphics are primary visual elements and it is said that a picture talks better than text. Another important style of graphics is video which is also used a lot in teaching and learning processes. Text elements include font, color, size, and all other aspects of textual presentation used. Making sure that all the aspects of the text elements can match each other is the designer’s responsibility. Affective elements are those components of a visual that can elicit a response from viewers, such as pleasure, surprise, or humor. These elements are used a lot in some tutorials. The requirements of using visual design are listed at page 328:
Relevance – all elements should be all about the main topic;
Coherence – all elements should be used to enhance and support the topic;
Consistency – all elements should work together to send a single message;
Proportion – all elements should have their sizes corresponding to their importance;
Contrast – key message should be emphasized more than others elements;
Unity and direction – all elements working together to gain the users’ attention and guide them through is the most important thing needs to be targeted.
In my opinion, the visual literacy should be used with other components for maximizing the effectiveness of learning and teaching. In fact some designers did combine some elements together with visual literacy elements, such as narration of a video, and animation with music background.
A visual environment includes text, colors, animations, and shapes. The visual literacy helps people to interpret information and encode knowledge for storage into memories. It is also a kind of stimuli to human brains. Both adults and children have the experiences of learning through visual literacy. We all have the experience that we can remember and understand things better when we see them. It is hard for us to really understand the idea if we only hear it from others. This is also the reason that why we encourage teachers to use technology to create an analog environment for learners to “see” during the learning and teaching processes.
Every visual consists of a number of elements presented in a deliberate arrangement. The three primary categories of design elements are visual, text, and affective elements. Visual elements include graphics, symbols, real objects, and organizational visuals. Graphics are primary visual elements and it is said that a picture talks better than text. Another important style of graphics is video which is also used a lot in teaching and learning processes. Text elements include font, color, size, and all other aspects of textual presentation used. Making sure that all the aspects of the text elements can match each other is the designer’s responsibility. Affective elements are those components of a visual that can elicit a response from viewers, such as pleasure, surprise, or humor. These elements are used a lot in some tutorials. The requirements of using visual design are listed at page 328:
Relevance – all elements should be all about the main topic;
Coherence – all elements should be used to enhance and support the topic;
Consistency – all elements should work together to send a single message;
Proportion – all elements should have their sizes corresponding to their importance;
Contrast – key message should be emphasized more than others elements;
Unity and direction – all elements working together to gain the users’ attention and guide them through is the most important thing needs to be targeted.
In my opinion, the visual literacy should be used with other components for maximizing the effectiveness of learning and teaching. In fact some designers did combine some elements together with visual literacy elements, such as narration of a video, and animation with music background.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Contrast the issues of privacy and filtering when using the web in the classroom. What are the responsibilities of a teacher in each of these areas?
It is necessary and important for people to make rules for the web-using in education area which is also a way of protecting children. Many parents and educators concern that if we leave full freedom for children getting online, some inappropriate content will harm them because they do not have enough life experiences and cannot judge what wrong from right. However, parents and educators cannot totally forbid them using internet either because it could offer powerful help with children’s study. Considering this situation, many IT companies developed some kinds of software through which parents can filter inappropriate websites and just allow their children get on some “regular” web sites. In fact, regarding the use of internet, people do not only worry about what I talked above. Generally speaking, they are concerning three issues – acceptable use, privacy protecting, and content filtering (Teaching and learning with technology, Judy lever-Duffy and Jean B. McDonald, 2007, p303).
Acceptable use
Everything has two sides, internet brings us numerous useful information, however, at the same time it is also a way of delivering “bad” information, such as violence and pornography. Different people have different standards of this. In order to protect students, all the schools have their own AUP (acceptable use policy) about using internet. Normally, parents are asked to understand AUP clearly and teachers as well. Teachers have the responsibilities to make sure that the website they provide to their students are safe, that is, the content in the webs they provided is permitted by the AUP in the schools or school districts.
Privacy
Using internet in teaching is not only to get information or to search for information, sometimes teachers may want to create websites or blogs for their classes. The purpose of doing this is to offer a platform for students and teachers to communicate after schools. A teacher may want to post some students’ work as samples for the rest of the class or doing something like this. But students’ private information, such as images, names, address, and grades should not be included. And also permissions from their parents or guardians are needed. In fact, any information about the students that can be used to identify the students or may cause any harm to them or may affect any aspects of their lives are all not supposed to be released. Almost all the schools in the US have these kinds of policies to guild their educators how to protect students privacy not only online but also in the real world. In my opinions, educators should also tell their students to protect their classmates’ privacy.
Filtering
Internet is a virtual world which is parallel with our real world, so nobody can control the internet as well as nobody can control our real world, either. Thus, it is normal that inappropriate content is included in some website. As I said above that some parents have some control over their computers at home to avoid their children from getting on some inappropriate websites. The same thing at school, educators have the responsibility to make sure that the internet accesses on campuses are “safe”, that is students cannot access to some websites which do not fit them. Like some parents did at home, that filter software is needed on campuses. Although there are disagreements at this point because issues of freedom of speech are sometimes invoked when filtering software is used, I still agree that schools should try their best to keep children away from anything that could affect them in bad ways.
Acceptable use
Everything has two sides, internet brings us numerous useful information, however, at the same time it is also a way of delivering “bad” information, such as violence and pornography. Different people have different standards of this. In order to protect students, all the schools have their own AUP (acceptable use policy) about using internet. Normally, parents are asked to understand AUP clearly and teachers as well. Teachers have the responsibilities to make sure that the website they provide to their students are safe, that is, the content in the webs they provided is permitted by the AUP in the schools or school districts.
Privacy
Using internet in teaching is not only to get information or to search for information, sometimes teachers may want to create websites or blogs for their classes. The purpose of doing this is to offer a platform for students and teachers to communicate after schools. A teacher may want to post some students’ work as samples for the rest of the class or doing something like this. But students’ private information, such as images, names, address, and grades should not be included. And also permissions from their parents or guardians are needed. In fact, any information about the students that can be used to identify the students or may cause any harm to them or may affect any aspects of their lives are all not supposed to be released. Almost all the schools in the US have these kinds of policies to guild their educators how to protect students privacy not only online but also in the real world. In my opinions, educators should also tell their students to protect their classmates’ privacy.
Filtering
Internet is a virtual world which is parallel with our real world, so nobody can control the internet as well as nobody can control our real world, either. Thus, it is normal that inappropriate content is included in some website. As I said above that some parents have some control over their computers at home to avoid their children from getting on some inappropriate websites. The same thing at school, educators have the responsibility to make sure that the internet accesses on campuses are “safe”, that is students cannot access to some websites which do not fit them. Like some parents did at home, that filter software is needed on campuses. Although there are disagreements at this point because issues of freedom of speech are sometimes invoked when filtering software is used, I still agree that schools should try their best to keep children away from anything that could affect them in bad ways.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
What is the difference between asynchronous and synchronous communication? Name and describe the internet communication tools that fall into each cate
Asynchronous communication means that communication that can occur at different times that are convenient to the participants, so students’ schedules do not impede communications. This kind of communication includes email, mail list (listserv), and discussion. Let’s talk about email first. Electronic mail which is commonly called Email is becoming more and more popular to the internet users. It is offered by the ISP (internet service provider), the ISPs normally have servers and they set some space from their servers as email space. Internet users can access their servers through the internet, and they are allowed to register an account on their servers. These accounts are just like the mail boxes in real life. And each account comes with a pass word which is very similar to the key to a mailbox in real life. If an email user want to open his or her email box, he or she just need to access the sever and input the account name and pass word. As soon as the users get into their email accounts, they can read, delete, send, and/or even print emails. They can check their email as long as they can access the server in which their email accounts are. If the users do not have time to check their emails, the emails will stay in the server until they delete them. So this kind of communication is not synchronized. By the way, an email user can send one email to a group at one time, and also a group of people can subscribe to a certain email address and thereafter whenever they send email is going to everyone in the listserv (also called mail list). Email address is like youaccount@severname.net (or .com, or .org, etc).Second, discussion is another kind of asynchronous communication. Normally, the ISPs offer some space to the users to post some questions or information that allow other people to comment on or discuss about. Users can set the discussion anonymously or only open to a certain group of people. Or user can set the discussion to be private or public.
According to the book, the most popular email is Microsoft Outlook tools, however, I do not think so. The most popular email should be internet email that offered by some websites, such as yahoo, goggle, or others. And the most popular discussion types are BBS (bulletin board system), Facebook, ect. In fact, nowadays discussion can be both asynchronous and synchronous.
Synchronous communication means that communication that occurs at the same time, that is, the communicators should be online at the same time so that the communication can occur. This kind of communication includes chats and videoconferencing. Chats are offered by some ISPs and some internet sites that set aside a space in which two or more people can meet at a real time online. They can post what they want to say on the server which will be seen by everyone in that chatting group. This is like people talk together in the real life. Furthermore, ISPs provide chat rooms for people to have a private chat. And also there is another form of chat, called instant messaging (IM); this is a one-to-one chat that can be started whenever another user is online. The videoconferencing is very popular recently, which was from the idea that text, graphics can be delivered through internet, so can live voice and video images be as well. This kind of technology is becoming more advanced today. It is used very widely in business.
All these kinds of communication are used in education nowadays. For example, email is a very important tool for teachers now. Normally, students in one class will have an email list and they can discuss questions or share information. Teacher can also use email list to inform students assignments or reminder them to submit assignments. And also teachers can answer questions through email after class if necessary. Discuss board is also a good board to discuss questions and chat room offers more opportunities to have some private communication. Students can even find a study partner outside of the class, the school, or even outside of the country. I do not think videoconferencing is used a lot in classrooms in nowadays, however, it will be more powerful in the future in education area.
According to the book, the most popular email is Microsoft Outlook tools, however, I do not think so. The most popular email should be internet email that offered by some websites, such as yahoo, goggle, or others. And the most popular discussion types are BBS (bulletin board system), Facebook, ect. In fact, nowadays discussion can be both asynchronous and synchronous.
Synchronous communication means that communication that occurs at the same time, that is, the communicators should be online at the same time so that the communication can occur. This kind of communication includes chats and videoconferencing. Chats are offered by some ISPs and some internet sites that set aside a space in which two or more people can meet at a real time online. They can post what they want to say on the server which will be seen by everyone in that chatting group. This is like people talk together in the real life. Furthermore, ISPs provide chat rooms for people to have a private chat. And also there is another form of chat, called instant messaging (IM); this is a one-to-one chat that can be started whenever another user is online. The videoconferencing is very popular recently, which was from the idea that text, graphics can be delivered through internet, so can live voice and video images be as well. This kind of technology is becoming more advanced today. It is used very widely in business.
All these kinds of communication are used in education nowadays. For example, email is a very important tool for teachers now. Normally, students in one class will have an email list and they can discuss questions or share information. Teacher can also use email list to inform students assignments or reminder them to submit assignments. And also teachers can answer questions through email after class if necessary. Discuss board is also a good board to discuss questions and chat room offers more opportunities to have some private communication. Students can even find a study partner outside of the class, the school, or even outside of the country. I do not think videoconferencing is used a lot in classrooms in nowadays, however, it will be more powerful in the future in education area.
Friday, October 12, 2007
What are authoring system? How are they used for teaching and learning?
After reading Chapter 5 last week, we all know the advantages of using administrative software as a tool to make you more productive as a teacher. We did improve the effectiveness with the help of all these kinds of software. In fact, there are also other kinds of software which can help educators, as well as students, in teaching and learning process. Academic softwares, such as authoring systems, Desktop Publishing, Graphics Software, are some good examples. As we explored before that learning styles are different from individual to individual, so educator should vary their teaching methods to meet all the learning styles for different individuals. It is necessary for the educators to create their own instructional multimedia lessons to accomadate the students in their classes. Authoring systems can help teachers to realize this.
We often talk about some kinds of software, such as Hypercard, Hyperstudio, Powerpoint, they are all called authoring systems. Especially, the powerpoint software is becoming more and more welcome to the users for its easy use and powerful effectiveness. Generally speaking, authoring systems include programs that create computer–based customized multimedia lessons and those that create lessons for presentation online. Authoring systems range from easy-to-use software to robust but more complex software that can create commercial–looking programs. A series of jumps or links are created for giving the students choices to move through the learning experiences in their own unique ways. All the software is supposed to help both teachers and students organize and present lessons, projects, or reports to the class.
Authoring systems were designed to create in-class presentation. With the development of WWW in education area, most companies modified their software to emerge with the HTML, which is a popular language used widely in developing website. So educators can also use authoring systems to design their own lessons and display them online. In this way, students can approach the lecture through the internet at home. It is very easy for teachers to transfer their lessons into HTML format, for most of the situations the users just need to click a button and computers will take care of the rest. The internet browsers can translate the HTML data into computer display. Furthermore, internet authoring software shares many kinds of tools and features of hypermedia authoring software.
As I mentioned above in this article, it is very easy to learn how to use software to support both teaching and learning. Many teachers and students can even figure out how to use the authoring systems by themselves. Authoring systems are used very widely in recent days. Especially, they can help the educators to customize academic lessons to meet different needs form all kinds of learners.
We often talk about some kinds of software, such as Hypercard, Hyperstudio, Powerpoint, they are all called authoring systems. Especially, the powerpoint software is becoming more and more welcome to the users for its easy use and powerful effectiveness. Generally speaking, authoring systems include programs that create computer–based customized multimedia lessons and those that create lessons for presentation online. Authoring systems range from easy-to-use software to robust but more complex software that can create commercial–looking programs. A series of jumps or links are created for giving the students choices to move through the learning experiences in their own unique ways. All the software is supposed to help both teachers and students organize and present lessons, projects, or reports to the class.
Authoring systems were designed to create in-class presentation. With the development of WWW in education area, most companies modified their software to emerge with the HTML, which is a popular language used widely in developing website. So educators can also use authoring systems to design their own lessons and display them online. In this way, students can approach the lecture through the internet at home. It is very easy for teachers to transfer their lessons into HTML format, for most of the situations the users just need to click a button and computers will take care of the rest. The internet browsers can translate the HTML data into computer display. Furthermore, internet authoring software shares many kinds of tools and features of hypermedia authoring software.
As I mentioned above in this article, it is very easy to learn how to use software to support both teaching and learning. Many teachers and students can even figure out how to use the authoring systems by themselves. Authoring systems are used very widely in recent days. Especially, they can help the educators to customize academic lessons to meet different needs form all kinds of learners.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
What are the characteristics of today’s students? In what way do they differ from traditional students? What new strategies should educators apply?
With the development of science and technology, life is changing very quickly. In fact, not only did the life change, but also human being itself. Because it is true that “each generation is defined by its life experiences, giving rise to different attitudes, beliefs, and sensitivities” (Boomers and Gen-Xers Millennials, by Diana Oblinger, 2003). We are living in a changing world and different things happen in different times, so different generations have different experiences. For example, the “Depression generation” experienced Word War Two and The Cold War. “Baby Boomers” grew up with the space race, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and Watergate. “Generation X” saw the fall of the Berlin Wall and the emergence of AIDS and the Web (Boomers and Gen-Xers Millennials, by Diana Oblinger, 2003). All the things happening around today’s students are totally different from the other generations. As it stated that “Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.” (Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, by Marc Prensky, 2001). They have their own characters! That is, today’s new students are different from the traditional students.
Then what are the differences and what are their characters?
Today’s students have not only just changed their slang, clothes, body adornments, or styles, as has happened between generations previously (Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, by Marc Prensky, 2001). In fact, there is a singularity event which changes things very fundamentally that there is absolutely no going back. That is the arrival and rapid dissemination of the digital technology in the last decades of the 20th century (Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, by Marc Prensky, 2001). The current students from PK to college are the first generations that grow with this new technology. They have spent their entire lives surrounded by and using computers, video games, digital music players, cell phones, and all the other toys and tools of the digital age. Computer games, email, the Internet, Cell Phones and instant messaging are integral parts of their lives (Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, by Marc Prensky, 2001). So if we look at the today’s educators and administrators in school, it is not surprising to find that they are far behind the students. These people who are teaching the students today are called Digital Immigrants. So there is the problem: Digital Immigrant instructors, who speak an outdated language (that of the pre-digital age), are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language (Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, by Marc Prensky, 2001). In fact, I think there are also dozens of other problems which are similar with this or totally different with this problem that listed above.
So we can solve the problem - Reconsidering both methodology and content.
First, today’s teachers have to learn to communicate in the language and style of their students. But this does not mean changing the meaning of what is important, or of good thinking skills. It does mean going faster, less step-by-step, more in paraless, with more random access, among other things (Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, by Marc Prensky, 2001). Students are always in the center of any styles of education and find the best and different ways to fit different students are the educators’ duty.
Second, to the traditional content, such as reading and writing which are called legacy content, is still important, but it is from a different era. Some of it will still be important, but some of it will be less so, as did Latin and Greek. How about the content-future content? This future content includes digital and technological knowledge, it is increasing to today’s class. Educators need to think about how to teach both traditional and future content. (Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, by Marc Prensky, 2001).
What is the result?
If the educators really want to reach today’s students, they will have to change themselves first to succeed in the long run.
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