Shift Happened April 22, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos, Opinion.1 comment so far
Stephanie Sandifer, on LeaderTalk and Change Agency, posted a nice article on what to do once the realization has been made that something must change in education in response to the shift in the world around us that has already taken place. She does a nice job of moving the discussion from tools (what to buy) to people. Stephanie identifies everyone on campus, teacher, administrators, etc. as learners, and I agree with the assertion:
If we are serious about changing our learning environments so that our students leave fully prepared for life and work in a globally connected and collaborative environment, then we are definitely going to be moving the cheese of many people in our organizations — it won’t be easy and we can’t wait for all of the state and federal policies and mandates to catch up before we take action.
Stephanie goes on to point out that traditional methods of distributing change in educational systems, such as committees and pilot programs, are just too slow. She calls on the early adopters to virally spread change. While this is effective among the early adopter set, I don’t think this approach will impact those in the later (and larger) adopter groups. Unfortunately, I don’t have a suggestion for a better way to spread change, especially in educational institutions.
Stephanie does a great job of identifying roadblocks, such as tolerance toward technophobic attitudes and sufficient infrastructure. Some of these same elements I’ve written about in the ocassional ‘Necessary Ingredients’ series. On a side note, the post is nicely annotated with helpful links. Link to the article below:
$100 Laptop - Software Only - Jooce Style March 30, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, OLPC, Opinion, Tools.1 comment so far
Business Week has an interesting article about Jooce. It is a virtual desktop that allows a single access point to be used by many individuals. They make their money through advertising, but it removes the need for each user to have their own hardware or network connection. There are other solutions in this space, some of which I have bookmarked in del.icio.us and tagged as webOS. http://del.icio.us/mwoolums/webOS. I hadn’t thought of web OS solutions in this context, and am not sure how this solves much for classroom use, because you still need equipment, whether it is a lab with one computer for each child, or a mini-lab where students work in small groups or as part of a rotation. Still, in places where there may only be a few access points or limited disk space, virtual (online) desktops make sense.
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/mar2008/gb20080325_844094.htm
Alltop Needs More Tools March 29, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Opinion, Tools.1 comment so far
I’ve noticed a few mentions for Alltop lately. It is sort of a mashup of RSS feeds and a search directory. It has general categories for things like Culture and Geekery, with sub categories for Design, Gadgets, and so forth. Alltop is really handy to see the top sites for the categories in which you are interested.
Alltop is helpful in several ways. For one, it lets you find sources of influence. Finding who to follow, whose voice to listen to in the sea of information, is an exercise critical thinking, and Alltop helps by identifying those voices who are speaking with enough clarity for others to listen. Alltop also assists in bringing focus. By clicking on the link for a sub category, you find yourself with a simplified list of posts from each top site. Each item is a link to that specific article, blog, or tweet. As an RSS aggregator, it does a great job of reducing clutter.
Alltop could be even more helpful in a couple of ways. Sometimes even a plain listing of what is posted can be confusing and intimidating. Taking a look at the twitter collection, I find it takes a lot of time to read through everything just in case I might miss something. A tag cloud would be very helpful, collecting key words and displaying them by size. Sometimes I just want to get a sense for what people are talking about, and that would let me focus better on the specifics in which I might be interested.
Alltop could also open up to users and allow them to create their own categories, both private and shared. I’ve always thought the best suggestions came from word-of-mouth sources. Alltop could easily be a source for my own Alltop stories, the voices I listen to, the suggestions of other voices to which I should listen. I know there are other tools for providing exposure, like Digg, but those tend to get dominated by a few noisy contributors. Alltop brings the simplicity of Google to a sea of feeds, tweets, blogs, and so forth. I just want it to be even better.
Bebo Fighters March 28, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos, Opinion.add a comment
The BBC is reporting the arrest of six teenagers after they used the online social networking site Bebo. This is a story because it illustrates that kids can be very resourceful and are likely to use online resources as a daily part of their lives. This isn’t a story because kids organizing a fight by talking in the hallway or meeting up in neighborhoods just isn’t interesting.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/derbyshire/7318816.stm
Net Neutrality Update for March 2008 March 22, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Net Neutrality, Opinion.add a comment
I haven’t mentioned Net Neutrality for a while, but in case you were wondering, it is still an important issue. If you are a little unsure about what Net Neutrality is, imagine that everyone in the US is receiving a service, and then that service provider decides to change the rules and charge people based on different ways that service might be used. If your electrical service provider decided today that they would charge extra for connecting solar energy devices in your home, that would be a deterrent to moving to alternative energy sources, right? What if they also decided to charge extra if you wanted to watch TV shows that argued against your right to use solar powered devices? That wouldn’t sit so comfortably, would it? Take it one step further and this service provider makes could make it financially almost impossible to purchase any devices that were not manufactured by them. Suddenly you are locked into a system that determines what you can do with the service instead of working for you.
Now I’m not saying that the electrical company is doing that, but your Internet service provider might be. Did you know that “nearly 99 percent of all residential connections are provided by incumbent cable or phone companies” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/americas-internet-future_b_92763.html?) Your cable company already decides which channels you have access to on your TV. Do you also want them to decide which Internet sites you have access to on your computer or cell phone? That is an essential question to Net Neutrality.
Earlier this year, Verizon and AT&T plunked down a combined $16.3 billion for the largest blocks of licenses to use the public spectrum up for sale on the “700 band.” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/americas-internet-future_b_92763.html)
This means that a limited resource to provide Internet access was just sold to those same few limited companies that already make decisions about who does get access, and potentially what those subscribers are allowed to do with their access.Another part of Net Neutrality has to do with access. Many urban areas have considered (or have already started providing) free or reduced cost wireless access. In some places, this effort is falling short because there just isn’t enough profit for the providers.
EarthLink announced on Feb. 7 that “the operations of the municipal Wi-Fi assets were no longer consistent with the company’s strategic direction.” Philadelphia officials say they are not sure when or if the promised network will now be completed.For Cesar DeLaRosa, 15, however, the concern is more specific. He said he was worried about his science project on global warming.“If we don’t have Internet, that means I’ve got to take the bus to the public library after dark, and around here, that’s not always real safe,” Cesar said, seated in front of his family’s new computer in a gritty section of Hunting Park in North Philadelphia. His family is among the 1,000 or so low-income households that now have free or discounted Wi-Fi access through the city’s project, and many of them worry about losing access that they cannot otherwise afford (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/22/us/22wireless.html.)
This means that our friendly ISP is already limiting who can participate in this great social collaboration experiment. It isn’t all hopeless though. Even the ISPs have to account for market forces.
Prices for Internet service on the broader market also began dropping to a level that, while above what many poor people could afford, was below what municipal Wi-Fi providers were offering, so the companies had to lower their rates even further, making investment in infrastructure even more risky, he said (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/22/us/22wireless.html.)
So what’s next? The issue of Net Neutrality is still being debated. Legislation is working its way through congress (http://www.whereabill.org/#110_s215.) The FCC is holding meetings (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/03/20/18487350.php There are even things you can do to participate in this on-going debate (http://www.savetheinternet.com/=faq#help.) Your voice is important, but only as long as others have the ability to hear you.
This article was inspired by a single twitter from Will Richardson.
Voiceless Speech March 13, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Hardware, Opinion.add a comment
Techcrunch has posted a video about a new technology called voiceless communication. This is a fascinating technology that has the ability to do both great good and potentially a great deal of harm. On the positive side, those who are not able to produce recognizable speech would no longer be excluded from any voice-related activities. Imagine a world where no one knows what the word ‘mute’ means except in the context of a cell phone or TV.
One potential use for the technology that is demonstrated in the video is the ability to carry on phone conversations without anyone else hearing your end of the conversation. I can see the positive in that as well.
On the other hand (there is always an other hand) the ability to conduct conversations undetected means that students would be able to communicate with each other without any restrictions. Just imagine the cheating possibilities! We’ll have to install jamming devices in schools in order to prevent students from talking to each other.
Turn that around, and you have the ability to listen in on anyone who might be subvocalizing. This seems just one step away from reading someone’s mind. Once we are all fitted with an RFID chip to keep track of where we are, that same chip, or another one, might also be tracking our words, both internal and spoken.
Don’t get me wrong, I applaud the voiceless communication effort and think it should continue. There is much more to be gained in terms of removing barriers for a marginalized segment of society than there is a theoretical danger of the loss of privacy. Still, I think this is a good example of the normal development of technology. There is a problem, and someone provides a technical solution. That solution necessarily comes with its own set of problems, and very little thought is given to those new problems because in most cases we don’t know what they are until the solution is in place.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/13/the-future-of-voice-may-be-voiceless/
Hulu March 12, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Opinion, Tools.add a comment
Hulu is out of private beta and open to anyone. I’ve never been a big proponent of commercial TV in the classroom, but I do see this site as a sign of the times. TV as we know it started a long slow decline with the introduction of cable. The Internet is only accelerating the transition of TV to something different. I’m not sure what the future of video will be, but it does seem to be moving toward massive amounts of content of mostly lower quality (like YouTube.) The new Internet is characterized by the long tail after all. Still, it is nice to see some old SciFi shows like The Time Tunnel and relive some of my childhood.
Twitter Reflection #4 March 11, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Opinion.add a comment
I’ve noticed that I’m now checking my RSS feeds less than I used to BT, or before Twitter. I don’t think it is because I’m getting my most of the news from there, although there is a fair amount of that, but I do think there is a certain threshold for absorbing information. I can only accommodate so much information at a time, and Twitter certainly compresses that information flow by increasing the pace, quantity, and number of participants. By the way, I’m experimenting with time-stamping this article since I’m on overload already and wanted to see how it worked to write a post that appears on its own in the morning.
Twitter Reflection #3 March 10, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Opinion.add a comment
I found it interesting to see how quickly the connected conversations developed on Twitter. David Warlick, Will Richardson, and many others were discussing the need for a way to elevate educational articles or posts that are significant so that others who may not always pay attention to education will know what is going on.
I’m paraphrasing here. The suggestion was to use Digg, or some mechanism like Digg, to accomplish this education article conscious raising effect. In the blog world, there would have been a post, picked up by a couple others, or commented on, some cross posts over the next few days, and then the quest for action would ensue or end. With Twitter, all of this discussion took place over the span of a couple of hours. It was great to see these big thinkers carry on a significant conversation.
A disadvantage for Twitter is the 140 character limitation for each tweet. You can string tweets together, and your word choice is often more careful, but it can be an awfully small box for what can be a complicated concept. Sometimes, like now, I need more room to decompress through writing. Guess I better tweet about my new post now!
Twitter Reflection Part 2 March 8, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Opinion.add a comment
I’ve only been twittering for a few days, and I find it interesting how twitter communities seem to have a life of their own and how connected people are through twitter. I have had more contact with some people I follow in one week than I ever did through blogging for over a year. At least the connections are more obvious to all of the participants. One way I can measure that is the number of comments I’m getting on my blog from people I’m following on twitter. What do you call a person who twitters? Twitterer? Twitterine? Twitteroid? Twit? No, probably not. Is there an official twitter lexicon?
Twitter Reflection March 2, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Opinion, Tools.3 comments
I’ve only posted on Twitter for a short time, but I’m already struck by two items. One, it is incredibly easy to add new people to follow by selecting them from another person’s Twitter feed. Secondly, Twitter, as a social network, is incredibly fast. I added about two dozen new people to follow, and within minutes, a couple of them had added my feed to their list. That caught me by surprise. I’m sure there are more surprises ahead, and I’ll let you know what they are as I find them.
http://twitter.com/villagegreen
97, 98, 99… 100 February 29, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Opinion.add a comment
1 in 100 adults are behind bars. Okay, admittedly this has little to do with technology, or education, but I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t a better way than locking up so much potential. Will these numbers improve when our students are adults, or only accelerate? What else could be done with the funds it takes to imprison someone that could help them be a productive member of society?
Phun February 23, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Opinion, Tools.add a comment
Okay, this rarely happens any more, but I just experienced one of those moments when my jaw dropped and I said to myself “this changes everything” but after watching the video embedded below, that’s exactly what happened. I found Phun reading a Clarence Fisher post on Remote Access. Please read his post as well as watch the video. What is Phun? While it might not be obvious to many, what was obvious to me is that Phun is the simplest programming environment I’ve ever seen. I’ve always believed that computers at their best become a way to change education when students control what the computer does. This is one reason blogging is important, because it puts the students in control. Phun does that for programming. It makes it simple for students to create simulations and alter a virtual environment of their own design. Phun is absolutely Phabulous!
http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/remote_access/2008/02/phun.html
The Internet Is My Hard Drive February 20, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Opinion.add a comment
Bruce Schneier has posted an interesting commentary on Wired that essentially says the Internet is becoming more and more our hard drive. As that happens, we are subject to intermittent drive failures and some of our ‘data’ is lost. This can happen when a site is hacked and there is no backup, or when a service goes off-line like my Blackberry did last week.
I guess it is inevitable that the more stuff I keep on the Internet, or on any technology, the more susceptible it is to getting lost. Still, it isn’t like I go around and record every conversation I have for future playback, or commit every thought to paper ‘just in case’ I might need to remember what I was thinking. As I get older, and am more likely to forget something, I don’t see rediscovering already discovered ground as such a big deal. I’m getting more comfortable with it in fact.
I would have to say that the risk of losing something is more than balanced out by the benefits I gain by keeping something on the Internet in the first place. I get access to it from anywhere I can access the Internet. I can connect my ideas to the ideas of others and extend those ideas in new ways. Others can connect to my ideas and do the same. I also benefit from the process of writing itself.
So I guess I’m good with the idea that ‘my stuff’ on the Internet isn’t permanent, that it is still subject to the randomness of life. Even if I woke up tomorrow and all of my web pages and blogs and wikis were gone, it was all worth it. And just in case, I’m going to see if I can find a way to back up my blog before I go to bed tonight!
http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2008/02/securitymatters_0221
Unplanned Obsolescence February 20, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Opinion.add a comment
I ran across an interesting post on Infomancy today about obsolete skills. When I was a student, I was pretty good at threading film reels. I could also change the typeball on an IBM Selectric typewriter. I’m sure there are many other good examples of skills I picked up that are now obsolete. I’ve been able to move on and continue to collect skills that will probably become obsolete as well. For example, I can set a temporary greeting on my voice-mail when I won’t be at my desk for an extended period of time. Good to know for now, but for how long?
So I’m left wondering what skills we are passing along that are doomed for obsolescence, and what are we doing to encourage the skills that will allow our children to move on and continue to learn new skills as they become necessary. Below is a link to the list of obsolete skills, just in case you were wondering if any of your own skills are as obsolete as my own. I’m also sure that there are lists of skill we do need, but how long until those lists become obsolete?
