annef's blog

WS_10004

Bus & Mark Ed

This podcasts based around the world of textbook publishing, specifically for Flat World Knowledge.  Three types of publishing were specifically discussed; open licensing, online access, and print-on-demand.  In a business education classroom information is changing so frequently and published in such volumes that it is impossible to acquire it all; both from a time and financial standpoint.  Allowing virtual access to text books versus purchasing 100 copies of one text, resolves both conflicts.  This will also be useful when students are completing individual assignments and will need access to multiple sources.

http://sic.conversationsnetwork.org/series/education.html?series=&channel=&offset=11

This was a 26 week podcast in which various topics were discussed each week.  The fifteenth week was spent on the 13 pillars of Internet marketing.  Each of the pillars was given a summary and then a connection to real world situations.  The pillars are not solely Internet marketing based, however each pillar was then used in the Internet marketing world.  One of the most helpful parts of the pod cast were the criteria listed for each pillar.  This helps to clearly format what is needed in order to fulfill the pillar.

http://www.26weekplan.com/?powerpress_pinw=1146-podcast

  The new technologies available in schools have, as expected, followed the educational trends by becoming student focused versus teacher focused.  The text describes the new learning methods involving “teamwork, critical thinking, and communication skills”.  Business education is requires this type of learning more than any other, in my opinion.  Some business concepts are hard for students at middle and high school levels to fully comprehend just by reading the texts.  Technology is the outlet that allows students to actually see what they are learning.

Some of the newer technologies discussed in this chapter were: Blogs, Wikis, Podcasting, and Flickr.  Most emphasized was New Tech High, which is a Lotus Notes program.  Personally, I have had experience with Lotus Notes during my undergraduate education at the University of Dayton.  My experience with Lotus Notes was nothing impressive, so I was surprised to read about the tools available within it.  I suppose this is another example of how technology is not useful unless you actually know how to use it.  As students at UD we were just instructed to load the software and received no further guidelines.  I was intrigued when reading about the Lemon Grove School District and its LemonLINK program.  I think an important part of implementing any similar software is incorporating the parents, as LemonLINK did.  I am sure it is also helpful that the school is able to have a computer-to-student ratio of 1:2.

The chapter began with an analysis of the types of internet users and their activities.  The impact both personally and from a business stand point that the internet has on individuals was next discussed. The text also discussed a change in Bloom’s Taxonomy Knowledge Dimensions.  The dimensions are now: Factual knowledge, Conceptual knowledge, Procedural knowledge, and Meta-Cogntive knowledge.  Types of learning that were discussed in this chapter included constructivism, project-based learning, and connectivism.  Constructivism requires students building upon knowledge they have already acquired.  Project-based learning is the actual application of constrtuctivism.  Connectivism takes project-based learning another step further by emphasizing technology.

According to the text, Americans 13-24 are now spending more time on the internet than in front of the television.  Ironically, I would bet a significant amount of that time is spent WATCHING television series episodes while they are completing homework or on a social networking site.  As expected, when the age of in the individual increases the type of technology used via the internet is matured.  I think everyone begins their internet exprience in one of two ways; Google or creating an e-mail account.  What I don’t think some people think about is how much businesses really know about the internet habits.  Cookies and tracking methods tell businesses which websites we go to and how long we spend there.  This then leads to e-mail advertisments and promotional advertisements.

The focus of chapter 3 was on Web 2.0.  “Web 2.0 pages display their content in reverse-choronological order”.  Such tools involved in Web 2.0 include: blogs, podcasts, wikis, social bookmarking, photo sharing, photo editing, and video showcasing.  Specific tools for educational purpose include: mapping, 3D modeling, social networking, organizing web info, surveys, and mashups.  Google was also discussed from an educational stand point.  Google is effective first because it is a recongnizable name, so students are more prone to use it.  The search engine turned phenominon has dozens of other tools that can be used in the classroom and out.

The Web 2.0 map on page 47 would be a great introductory tool to teaching students about Web 2.0.  This could be done by having students split into teams and draw out the own Web 2.0 map and comparing it to the text book version.  As with any tool I believe as educators we must teach them first how to use the tool appropriately outside of the classroom.  Once students comprehend the relevance they are more likely to appreciate the impact such tools can have.  A perfect example for using a Google tool in the classroom is GoogleDocs.  GoogleDocs allows multiple people to edit the same document at different locations.  The tool also tracks who made the changes and when.  This would be a valuable tool when monitoring group work of students.