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Article Information (include a correct bibliographic entry).

Lizzy Bleumers, An Jacobs, and Kris Naessens. “How to approach a many splendored thing: Proxy Technology Assessment as a methodological praxis to study virtual experience” Volume 3, Number 1. November 2010

Why did you select this article (approx. 50-75 words)?

Honestly I selected this because I had no idea what it meant so I wanted to figure it out. I figured might as well look at something I had no idea what it was so I could learn as much as possible. It seemed like it was something about virtual life which was similar to second life which we learned about in a previous class.

Provide a one paragraph summary of the article. Do not copy the abstract.

• Approximately 150-200 words
• Briefly describe experimental question(s) (1 sentence)
• Provide concise description of the methods used (2-6 sentences)
• Discuss results/findings (2 sentences)

This article addressed the issue of people perceiving online and offline lives in a similar fashion and the two are intertwined. They researched into how new technologies impact people’s lives. It was interesting to see if people changed their actions or responses with these new technologies. Based off of this information the researchers can gain a better idea of how to contrast new technologies especially for a virtual world. They researched specifically different gaming systems such as PS3, Nintendo DS, Wii, etc. The article showed that a diverse group of gaming systems and games has a greater value to the user.  They can show people a multiple of different aspects of the virtual world.

Give an example of how you may use the ideas in this presentation in the business education classroom. Be specific with the content area, etc.

For a career development class students could get a virtual profession and practice that profession to see if it is truly something they would enjoy in the future. For personal finance, students could create a budget and pay different bills and manage their finances to see how much work goes into it.

Give an example of how the ideas in this presentation may transfer to the business/industry/health care environment.

Business or industry can use this information for better game design. Also, businesses can create simulations to see what might work better.

What is your opinion of this research (approx. 25-50 words)?

This article was too confusing and I felt like it didn’t actually answer any questions.  It went around the topic too much and kept going in circles. I am honestly still a little confused on the topic and I’ll have to look it up later on my own.

This slideshare was discussing the different aspects of cloud computing.  An example given was like cloud control can be compared to either renting or building a home.  When you build a home you are in charge of everything! You decide the walls, tiles, floors, etc., but you are also in charge of the upkeep with the lawn, cleaning, maintenance, etc. However, with renting, you may not have as much say with the decor, but you also do not have to worry about the maintenance. From what I understand of cloud computing, you can decide what you wish to send to the cloud and have other people complete for you.Also, it has unlimited storage and it is very reliable. It also appears as if you pay as you go so customers don’t have to pay for something they potentially are not using. According to the slideshare you are losing control, but you are saving time. http://www.slideshare.net/Guppers/im-cloud-confused

This article was very interesting. For a business classroom, you could reenact this experience through googlereader. For example, the students can subscribe to different business blogs, sites, news, or magazine sites in order to find current events or topics of interest to present to the class in a blog. Students could also work as a wiki team to update the class about the current event. Also, keeping the parents updated through podcast is a very interesting idea. This gives parents that want to be connected the chance to participate in their students educate! Also, it doesn’t force parents that don’t want to be involved but it could enjoy them with how simple it is.

One thing I did not like was all of the students homework being done over a blog. With businesse education students need  to be able to apply their knowledge by doing authentic real life assignments. This will have more meaning to the students and it may be easier to understand instead of the student potentially faking their way through a blog.

I found the beginning of the chapter extremely interesting.  Especially the statement that education should be run like the web-based software sites.  When you buy something off Amazon it will also give you roughly 3 options that you may also like or find interesting based off of other people that also purchased that book and other similar ones.  The book suggest with this type of an educational system, teachers will serve as an informational guides for student learning. 

I also found it interesting that the book suggest that instead of having textbooks, students use Wiki books.  I agree that it would obviously cut down on carrying around large bookbags, but what about those without internet access?  The book suggest that instead of using the cost of producing books, that cost be used to provide technology to others.  It also says it will change the way we do assignments now.  Instead of reading a chapter and answering questions, students would read and justify the text.

Finally, it seems like the classroom is ever changing.  Teachers have to find new ways to keep students interested  while managing the classroom. The chapter ends by discussing new classrooms with web 2.0 capabilities. Even from the time I was in junior high and high school, many things in the educational system have changed. It will be amazing to see what will change next.

Chapter 8 begings by stating, “Schools face challenges that are unique to their district, city, and region and must address their local constituency’s concerns all the time. In addition, there are some universal or systemic issues that all schools must consider and respond to through their programs, activities, and professional development….considering technology especially Web 2.0 tools” I understood this as all schools have different issues and achievements that others cannot relate to so it is unfair to generalize all school, but at the end of the day most schools have some common attribute that brings them all together.

I found it interesting that the chapter stated that students with disabilities have a greater need for accessing technology than do their non-disabled peers. This is especially true for students that have physical or sensory impairments that may need a computer to keep up with their peers. Also, students with learning disabilities can use podcasts to help their personal learning schedule.

Another interesting point was authentic assessment using Web 2.0 tools. It can be something simple like downloading an e-portfolio online to see the students skills and how they have progressed. Also, I liked the assessment where students can interview with people who have a  career that the student is interested in. The career professional can take students on virtual walkthroughs of their daily routine at work.  Students can than learn from the professional and evaluate what they would like to do.  Having students connect with professionals to mentor them will help the student choose a career path and help them excel above their peers.

Copyright and legal issues can be huge when it comes to technology.  At a school, teachers and administrators must keep a close eye to avoid problems. One of the biggest points I’ve learned from this chapter begins with the 5 steps to avoid copyright problems. Step 1-create and implement a technology policy that includes a code of ethics and set of procedures. Step 2- Review the entire policy with your educational community: students, teachers, and parents. Step 3-Appoint a technology manager to conduct audits and maintain a log of licenses and registration materials. Step 4- Teach ethical and legal behavior for technology use and finally step 5- Thank employees and students for supporting these steps.

Another thing I found interesting was the parent involvement with online safety. It seems like video games and the Internet almost act as a babysitter for some parents so it is great to see some are taking action.  According to a survey 55% of parents install software to limit or block their child’s activities, 74% set time limits on Internet use, 75% confine home Internet to where the parent can see it, 82% monitor the Internet activity, and 88% talk about how to use the Internet.

Educating students on how to use Internet appropriately is very important. If they are not told about certain things, its unfair for use to assume it is common knowledge. They may not know how dangerous the Internet is until they are told about it .

I looked at a slide show named, “The future of e-learning is social learning”, by Jane Hart. Ms. Hart is a Social Media and Learning Consultant. It discusses how we can use so many different social media’s in the classroom or outside of the classroom informally or formally.  It starts by saying how lecture was the traditional way to teach. She then states e-learning automates that style. All students can still learn, they just learn in a different place at a different time and at their own pace. This slide show encourages personal informal education. That means the student is able to research and discover new information on their own! Through that, they can make connections and communicatewith other people that are interested in the same things as they are. It suggests using media’s such as Skype, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Ning. However, one concern is privacy because once something is sent over the Internet it is there for everyone to see. It is great for people to learn from each other and collaborate, but it is definitely important to be mindful of the things you are doing over the Internet.

The article I read was, “Text Messaging and the Community of Inquiry in Online Courses” by Cindy L. Kovalik. This article was extremely interesting to me. It discussed a study that had teachers and students text to communicate. All participants willingly gave their numbers to have reminders of assignments, exams, quizzes, etc. I do not like the idea what so ever. I understand that most students LOVE to text, but I do not find it professional what so ever. First off, you usually do not use professional or proper grammar in texting. I can only imagine how crazy that would make an English teacher seeing un-capitalized  letters and misspelled words. A problem addressed in the article is what do you do for students that may not have a cellular phone that receives text messaging or they have a limited amount?  Those students did not participate so I feel as if the survey is bias.

The majority of students that took the survey, around 65%, said that the text reminders were helpful in staying on track with their work. An amazing 90% of students said that using text messaging can have a useful purpose in the classroom and 82% said it had a positive impact on the class.

I guess using this in a college classroom could be helpful, but I do not see it helpful in a high school setting. I think it would lower the respect level between teacher and student(s). Students should be responsible enough to either write their assignments down, look them up on the course calendar, or email or discussion board the teacher to find out what is due.

I read the article “The Validation of One Parental Involvement Measurement in Virtual Schooling”, by Feng Liu, Erik Black, James Algina, Cathy Cavanaugh, and Kara Dawson. This article focuses on parental involvement in a child’s education whether the child is in a physical classroom or a virtual one. I couldn’t agree more that parental involvement could not be more important for a child’s (especially in the younger years) education. From kindergarten through high school , I have gone to extremely small Catholic schools, one school k-8 and one 9-12. No matter my age or grade level, my parents were highly involved and my schools encouraged parent involvement as well. The majority of users participating in virtual education are most likely very motivated and do not necessarily need parental involvement. However, students that may not be mature or motivated may need an extra push from a parent.

Four main points for involvement from the article include parental encouragement, parental modeling, parental reinforcement, and parental instruction. All of these aspects will definately help shape the learner and their learning experience. If the parent shows bad habits, the student is more likely to pick up those habits. No matter what students say, one of the number one things they care about is pleasing their parents. If a parent is encouraging, the student will work harder and harder to show the parent something to be proud of and encourage. I feel like it really doesn’t matter if it is a physical classroom or a virtual classroom, parental involvement will always be important to the learner.

This chapter had points on leadership and new tools with technology and education. It expressed the fact that students are learning new technologies and teachers need to learn those in order to communicate effectively with students. I couldn’t agree more. We need to make sure the students are interested and in order to do that we need to incorporate those technologies they find interesting. I also found it interesting that the chapter suggested that school and district administrators need to develop six specific qualities in order to better help students. Those qualities are individual excellence, organizational skills, courage, results (goal oriented), strategic skills, and operating skills. Most people may think its common sense until you actually stop to think about it. Sometimes we take these things for granted and just assume. Its important to make a conscious effort to do these things. Another point I really liked in the chapter was the suggestion to replace email with blogs. An entire class may have a question about an assignment. If the question is posted in a blog or discussion board, it is 1o times easier to post a detailed answer once instead of to all thirty students. That way, all students are on the same page.