ryancw's blog

Title: What is Cloud Computing? 

Author: Dr. Malinka Ivanova

Dr. Ivonova is currently working as a lecturer in Technical University of Sofia, College of Energetics and Electronics.  In addition she is in charge of two courses: Internet Technologies and Computer Graphics in College of Energetics and Electronics.  She holds a PhD in Automation of Engineering Labour and Systems for Automatized Design from Technical University-Sofia.  Dr. Ivanova has also wrote many publications and has organized many workshops dealing with technology related concepts.  

This was a great presentation that discussed cloud computing at a basic level.  Dr. Ivanova described four sections of cloud computing.  Those four sections included: 1) putting a website on a loud server, 2) as demand increases, computing power scales up instantly, 3) customers stay happy, and 4) as demand decreases, you can release servers back into the cloud.  This was a great overall picture of what cloud computing is.  The presentation also described how with cloud computing an individual or company can pay as they go.  This is essential because the company only pays for a service if they use it.  Dr. also gave some great rationale of why cloud computing is becoming so popular.  She described that is easy to grow or shrink to match your demand.  She also described that the computing power is there when the person/company needs it and they just turn it on.  Lastly, she described that you only have to pay for what it used and not for equipment that just is around “just in case.

Esteves, M., Fonseca, B., Morgado L., & Martins, P. (2009).  Pedagogy, education, and innovation in 3-D virtual worlds – Using Second Life for Problem Based Learning in Computer Science Programming. Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, 2(1), 4-8.

Why did you select this article?

I thought this article was interesting as it relates to teaching computer programming.  It uses the specific context of Second Life in a computer science courses. To teach an introductory computer programming course, this approach is more unique and replaces the traditional method of teaching it.

 Briefly describe experimental question(s)

There were a few research questions the article sought to discover.  Those included information on the problems for both teachers and students in using SL, and if those problems can be solved and how?”

Provide concise description of the methods used

The action research methodology was utilized for this article since it is best for research interactive processes. The action research methodology is a cyclical process that incorporates four steps: planning, action, observation, and reflection upon the results.  This is utilized because there is not enough research literature on the field of study.  The field of the study is the case with the use of multi-user virtual worlds to teach programming.

 Discuss results/findings

The article concluded that using Second Life as a platform for teaching and learning a programming language could benefit novice students.  In addition, specific factors motivated the students in choosing this way of learning. The majority of students mentioned that they wanted to try a new form of learning with computer programming class compared to the traditional way.

 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.

• Within a Computer Programming class to in high school, Second Life could be an option to teach specific computer programming concepts to the students.  It would be fun and interesting for the student and a different way to teach the content.

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

Second Life is also being used by many businesses to help promote products and services.  This could be a great way to allow your students to build the knowledge and skills of how important virtual worlds are in the business world.

What is your opinion of this research

I truly enjoyed the article and how it could apply successful to teach the course of computer programming.  I never enjoyed this class and I believe students would enjoy it more if this method was used.

Overall, I truly enjoyed reading the information presented in this article.  I believe there are many similar things I could incorporate into my own classroom.  One thing that the article discusses is using wikis for study guides when reviewing for tests.  I believe this would be a great thing to utilize in the classroom as students are practicing collaboration and can share other students’ inputs when preparing for a test.  The other aspect that would be very beneficial in business education classroom is using blogs.  I feel that using blogs many different purposes have many benefits for the teachers, students, and parents.  Many parents like to know what is going on in their child’s academic life.  This provides a way for teachers to communicate to parents in an effective manner if the parents have any questions regarding the class their child is in. 

There were a few strengths and weaknesses perceived throughout this article.  I believe a significant strength of the article is collaboration among teachers, students, and parents.  This 21^st skill is a skill students need to continue to practice because it is a skill that is essential in the work force.  A weakness I perceive this article discussed was using blogging for posting assignments.  I do believe this is a great way to assess students.  However, some students may be a little hesitant to fully describe their opinions and ideas on a certain concept if other students can see their posts.

Chapter 9 was very significant for many reasons.  It truly focused on many resources that educators could utilize in their classroom and the need for change within the educational system.  Change is everywhere as it relates to education.  This chapter discussed changes as it relates to a school’s curriculum, and the way we teach our students.  Students are coming into the classroom with more knowledge about technology and it is essential for us as teachers to embrace this change.  With students in today’s society being more aware of technology, we must incorporate technology into daily lessons.  The students are more interested when teachers use technology because they can relate to the material on a level that is more connected to their lives.

An additional point this chapter discussed was professional development.  It is a necessity for teachers to keep up to date on the emerging technologies available to use in the classroom.  If teachers understand these changes, they are more understanding of the benefits and would be more willing to incorporate Web 2.0 resources into the classroom!

Chapter 8 focused on different groups of students within the education system who could benefit from the use of technology in the classroom and at home.  Those include English as a Second Language (ESL) learners and students with special needs.  Blogs are an excellent way to provide authentic language activities to those students that aren’t efficient with language than other students.  In addition, podcasts are a great tool for those students that are ESL because they provide a way for those students to listen, memorize, and critique a foreign language.  This would be a great way to reinforce some vital points that the students need to understand.

The other group of students this chapter talks about is students with special needs.  There are so many technology tools that could benefit students with special needs.  The use of technology can help these students learn with an appropriate way that just works for them.  These students could also learn in a more in different ways including visually or auditory.  If students are visual learners, blogs or vodcasts may be the tools they need.  If they are auditory learners, using podcasts may help to retain or comprehend the material that was discussed in the lesson.  I would recommend using any technology tools for students of all abilities.  However, these two groups would extremely benefit and would be a lasting learning tool for your classroom.

This specific chapter discussed online safety and security as it relates to the educational environment.  While the internet is a wonderful tool for children, there can be hidden (and not so hidden) dangers. With clear usage guidelines, some supervision and the right monitoring software, however, it is possible to keep it safe as you surf.  Online safety and security, like most things, begin at home, especially as the internet is playing an increasingly larger role in family life.  Parents have to manage this by a case of graded supervision, teaching their children about good conduct on the internet, coupled with the use of appropriate filtering software on their laptop or desktop. 

Another aspect that is a worry for school districts and parents is cyber bullying.  It is essential for parents to teach their children not to engage in cyber-bullying.  This can be defined as what is acceptable use of the internet, mobile phones and other technologies or forms of communication within the school.  On the other hand if their child is the victim most of the time no crime has been committed in a legal sense.  Often it is the case that cyber-bullying has real-life roots and the child knows the bully from daily life.  I believe it is important to talk to the child’s teachers confidentially as well as the child him/herself.  Of course, parents must rely on the teacher to ensure their child is safe online when they are at school and there are standard guidelines for every school to follow.

The article I reviewed was “Instructional Strategies: What Do Online Students Prefer?” written by Kristen Cuthrell and Anna Lyon.  I choose to review this article because I may want to teach at the college level at one point and it was a study examining college students.  In addition, I thought it would be important to analyze what would be most effective instructional approach because I will more than likely be teaching a college course online at some point in my education career.

The study involved six different modules.  Each module had a different type of instructional strategy including Interactive PowerPoint, Group Discussion, Audio Files, Read and Respond, Read and Teach, and Interactive Video Lecture.  Data was gathered through student reflections and a survey administered at the conclusion of the class.  Student reflections were coded for themes while survey data was analyzed for frequency counts.  Results indicated that students preferred independent, passive modes of instruction in online courses because of ease, convenience, and comfort level.  

Overall reflections indicated student appreciation of a mix of instructional strategies that incorporated more interactive technological modes of instruction with independent, passive modes of instruction.  These findings suggest when developing online courses, university professors not assume one instructional strategy fits all.  As a result, online courses should provide a balance of instructional approaches.

I chose to view the presentation “Teaching and Learning with Twitter” by Steve Wheeler.  Mr. Wheeler is an Associate Professor at the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom.  Some aspects he is very knowledge about include e-learning, student support, psychological issues in distance education, creativity, the social web (Web 2.0) and learning technology.  I chose this article because I am fascinated with Twitter and its capabilities.  In addition, I believe that it will stick around and will continue to grow.  It’s important to learn about how education could be impacted with Twitter and some ways it could be used in the classroom.

Many facts are discussed about Twitter within this presentation.  Twitter takes time to build a network, develop your own Twitter style, and its full scope.  Mr. Wheeler continued to also discuss some disadvantages and barriers of using Twitter in an educational context.  Some questions that came up in his presentation includes: “How do we use Twitter with children when we can’t be sure how open Twitter is?” “What do we do about maintenance of confidentiality, privacy and the need to protect kids from internet predators?” Another question relates to something he posted recently about why Twitter is so powerful.   It relates to the need to persist with the tool, so that you give it enough time to build up a critical mass of followers and followed, ensuring that your personal learning network (PLN) becomes effective.   It also discusses how effective Twitter is in developing a PLN, and is described that a live tweetout usually shows everyone just how effective Twitter can be in connecting to a world of knowledge, experts and resources.

Another concern Mr. Wheeler talks about is age.  Some argue that Twitter is more the preserve of older people and that younger people tend to reject the tool because it doesn’t have the attractive affordances of other social networking tools such as Facebook. Mr. Wheeler also talks about the issue of instant gratification of how do younger people feel about having to invest in developing their network of followers/followed when it patently takes a lot of effort and time?  Overall I enjoyed this presentation and learned a significant amount of information of advantages and disadvantages to using it in education.

Leadership in any school district is so necessary than ever before.  It is essential for leaders to understand that education is changing, including how that change is happening and what likely is the result.  The two main elements that impacted me in this chapter were the six qualities needed for a school district to achieve success in the 21st century found on page and the twelve reasons for an administrator to blog on pages.  The six qualities include:  individual excellence, organizational skills, courage, results (goal-oriented), strategic skills, and operating skills.  I believe that each of these qualities is vital for any school district administrators to successful adapt Web 2.0 tools within their district.  Administrators must have knowledge and understanding of technology’s impact in the classroom.  I believe if an administrator possesses these qualities they will be more open to technology and its impact on education.

In addition, the chapter also discussed the twelve reasons for administration to blog.  Those include:  sharing news and events, progress monitoring, status alerts, marketing, public relations, community building, customer relations, branding, creating “customer evangelists”, thought leadership, advocacy, and replacing the school web site.  Blogs are powerful tools that can be used in many different ways throughout the school district.  Some ways they could be utilized include collaboration with teachers, staff, and administrators, parents could give input and ideas for the school district, and community members could access the blog to acquire up to date new about the school.  The real challenge is how do we motivate and encourage the administration to use blogs.

As technology continues to change, it is so important for all educators to gain knowledge about the changes because it will impact their students within the classroom.  The two main aspects I got away from this chapter was the discussion of how teachers are not trained in technology sufficiently and what could potentially done to improve the training of those teachers.  There is a significant amount of money that is spent on training teachers, and it is important to establish if those teachers that have been taken professional development have been integrating what they learned into their classroom.  The main challenge for administration is establishing if there is a real difference in which technology is being used.

The other element that I took away from this chapter is professional learning communities. These can be a great place for teachers to grow, learn, and collaborate with other educators.  The main challenge is encouraging participation with these communities among teachers.  It is essential to maintain active collaboration as this is the main benefit for these tools.