Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Emerging Technologies Supplemental Work
Here is all the supplemental work for my video project.
Thank you,
Kassidy
Emerging and Obsolete Technologies:
Kassidy Hetzel
kassidy.hetzel@waldenu.edu
Student Number: A00159082
May 1, 2010
EDUC 7108 -1 Emerging and Future Technologies
Dr. David Thornburg
Walden University
Narrator:
In this Program, studying Educational Technologist, Kassidy Hetzel will explain the process of emerging technologies and obsolete technologies through the real world example of how the Overhead Projector became obsolete by the emergence of the SMARTboard with the assistance of fellow educators from Arvada High School in Arvada, Colorado.
Kassidy Hetzel:
When we think of human life there are many different thoughts that one may think of, but when we look at the span of human life we see it as a journey, and each of us take on our own individual journey that is distinctively our own. While each of us may have the same fate of death our road to that fate are all very different. Some may have only a short distance to travel on the path of life and others may navigate the path unharmed for decades before they meet the fruition of the fate we all share, but one thing is certain: In order to escape death’s grasp humans must change as they grow. We must become smarter and more agile, we must grow from experience and learn from our mistakes, we must try to keep up with the younger generations and we must be able to admit when we can’t. Just as the span of human life is a journey, so is the life span of technologies. And, just like a human the ideas that make up a technology must develop, change, and adapt over time in order to survive.
The life cycle of specific technologies begins when it is first emerging and ends when it becomes obsolete. Because there are a plethora of definitions for the different life cycle stages of technology it is easier to make assumptions about their meaning than to try to limit their meaning to a specific definition. According to Dr. David Thornburg, an Educational Technologist and Futurist, an emerging technology is a working prototype of an idea that functions as need be (2009); where as Dr. Elliot Soloway, also an Educational Technologist and Futurist, explains emerging technologies as innovations that have been accepted by the majority of people and is essential to their everyday life (n.d.).
Where emerging is one of the first phases in the advancement of a technology becoming obsolete is its demise. An existing technology becomes obsolete when a new idea or technology can perform its current function more efficiently and effectively. But, how and what determines if the technology adapts and changes to avoid becoming obsolete or whether it fails in comparison to the new idea or technology? The road to becoming obsolete is paved with six main forces that drive emerging technologies. Evolutionary Technologies, Rhymes of History, Disruptive Technologies, Science Fiction, Increasing Returns and Red Queens. But before we break each of these forces down to understand the emergence of SMARTboards lets first look at the McLuhan’s tetrad for both of the technologies that I am using as examples. McLuhan’s law of media proposes that every innovation falls into a four part tetrad. This tetrad is divided into four quadrants that represent the different elements that make up the technology. The four quadrants are enhances, obsoletes, rekindles, and reverses. The tetrad for the overhead projector is as follows. PLACE BULLETED TETRAD HERE. The overhead projector enhances visual aids to larger sizes so that all members of the audience may see the needed materials. The overhead projector enhances previous visual aids such as handmade posters and individual copies of visual aids. The overhead projector enhances presentations through its ability to enlarge both black and white graphics as well as colored. The overhead projector enables presenters to for go the option of making individual copies for each member of the audience because everyone can see the needed material on the projected image and screen. The overhead projector makes smaller visual spaces such as white boards and chalk boards obsolete because it provides a writing surface on transparencies that can be switched as needed. The presenter does not need to erase and start over each time they do the same presentation. The overhead projector retrieves or rekindles the notion that visual learning is a very large part of the learning process and through the use of the overhead projector ideas and information can be displayed in conjunction with an oral presentation reinforcing the ideas of the presentation. There have already been many technologies that have taken the place of an overhead projector and many of them are based or attached to a computer of some sort. Programs such as PowerPoint are presented through a computer and are projected through an LCD projector onto a screen. PowerPoints have additional features that overheads just are not capable of such as: timed transitions, sound effects, music, and animated features. However, while PowerPoint is a wonderful technology that has replaced the overhead projector newer technologies are already beginning to replace PowerPoints. Technologies such as the SMARTboard are capable of all things that PowerPoint can do; only they can do them more effectively and more technologically advanced.
Now compare the overhead’s tetrad to that of the SMARTboard and we can begin to understand why the SMARTboard was a better choice for instructional use. PLACE SMARTboard’s BULLETED TETRAD HERE. The SMARTboard enhances learning and presenting opportunities through an engaging and active means. SMARTboards are designed to add an interactive method to both presentations and learning opportunities. SMARTboards build off of previous technology such as the overhead projector, DVD players, and white boards. SMARTboards enhance these previous technologies by being attached to a computer and projecting the computers’ monitor image onto a larger touch friendly board that illustrates not only the image on the screen, but it also becomes the computers control. SMARTboards have made many technologies of the past obsolete because they combine so many features into one technology. With the assistance of a projector and a computer SMARTboards can do anything a whiteboard, overhead projector, DVD player, audio player and a computer into one new technology that provides its users with an engaging and active learning tool to present, manipulate, and learn from. SMARTboards retrieve and rekindle the notion that students and audiences need to be kept engaged and actively learning if they are to truly transfer the information being presented. While SMARTboards are relatively new in the world of education their presence is one that can be multiplied with the addition of other technologies. Technologies such as clickers can be used in addition with a SMARTboard to enhance their production and possibilities. One technology that I see a future for making the SMARTboard obsolete would be the smartphones of today. With their presence becoming more and more frequent the need for SMARTboards diminishes because each smartphone user could be able to download the information to their own handheld device for access whenever and wherever needed.
We know today that SMARTboards are now the better choice for instruction; however, when overheads were first being purchased for schools they too were the best choice of the time for instruction. So the question is how long will SMARTboards be the best technology? We just don’t know, but the teachers of today sure are enjoying them while they are top dog.
Narrator:
In this segment Mrs. Karen Durbin, Technology Coordinator at Arvada High School, will explain why overheads were initially purchased for instructional use at Arvada High School and what purpose they served in both the classroom and in staff development, as well as her opinion on why SMARTboards made overhead projectors become obsolete.
Karen Durbin:
Hi, here today to talk to you about overheads and the fact that SMARTboards have pretty much extincted them. The original purchase of overheads in schools and here at Arvada High School was because it was actually a wonderful technology that enabled teachers to be able to take a look at something as a group with students without having to make a copy for every student. Teachers could also write on the document and could look at student work. It really was a wonderful tool at the time. It made lectures great. Teachers didn’t have to turn around to write on the board during a lecture. They could have notes that they wanted the students to know right on an overhead. It was a great way for student editing. You could put student work right on the overhead and students could come up to the overhead and write on it. Quite frankly, teachers who really used overheads well really used them much in the same way that SMARTboards are being used today, it just wasn’t as interactive. There just weren’t as many tools and it didn’t provide the function that SMARTboards provide today. Some advantages of the overhead projector as they were coming into schools was that it cut down on copy costs. Keeping a projector light bulb going, and keeping the extension cord plugged in was a lot cheaper than providing a copy to every student. Some of the disadvantages of overhead projectors was that they were big and bulky and hard to transport. I remember never being able to find one when I needed one. In a department of thirteen people and only three overheads to share between us, so that was always a problem. In a lot of schools today that continues to be a problem with the SMARTboard technology. Without having a SMARTboard in every classroom some teachers do struggle to find a SMARTboard that they can use. However, we are definitely seeing many, many schools having a SMARTboard in every classroom. And, I don’t really even know if any of those schools even still have any overheads or they do and they are just stored downstairs in the basement. So, we now live in a world where the overheads are stored in the basement and most teachers are using SMARTboards. I think that SMARTboards are a better technology, and you know I am not even sure that in today’s day and age that we would even call an overhead projector technology. SMARTboards are a better tool because they are more interactive, they allow direct access to the internet, students can see exactly what is happening on a teacher’s computer, and you can pull up and access any other type of technology that you could want. The SMARTboards allows you the vehicle to display that technology and that is why overheads have become the dinosaurs in the educational world.
Narrator:
In this segment of the video Kassidy Hetzel will continue her explanation on the emergence of the SMARTboard and the benefits that SMARTboards provide to instruction and student learning.
Kassidy Hetzel:
SMARTboards allow students to become active participants in their learning rather than passive spectators. As research from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia indicates, the functionality of the interactive whiteboard (SMARTboard) and its accompanying software allows for the development of classroom activities that are engaging for whole-class teaching brings the entire class together, focuses their attention and provides structured, teacher-focused group interaction. Active learning engages learners in the learning process through reading, writing, discussion, analysis, synthesis and evaluation, rather than passively absorbing instruction (e.g., lecture model of instruction). So, they (SMARTboards) encourage greater focus, participation and interaction, and improve student learning outcomes as a result (SMART, 2006). According to SMART Technologies (2006), interactive whiteboards (SMARTboards) are an effective way to interact with digital content and multimedia in a multi-person learning environment. Learning activities with an interactive whiteboard may include, but are not limited to the following:
• Manipulating text and images
• Making notes in digital ink
• Saving notes for later review by using e-mail, the Web or print
• Viewing websites as a group
• Demonstrating or using software at the front of a room without being tied to a computer
• Creating digital lesson activities with templates, images and multimedia
• Writing notes over educational video clips
• Using presentation tools that are included with the whiteboarding software to enhance learning materials
• Showcasing student presentations
It is because of all of these possibilities as well as the student engagement factor that every teacher should have access to a SMARTboard.
Narrator:
In this segment Arvada High School’s Instructional Leader Emilie Nickoloff discusses how SMARTboards have been implemented and utilized throughout the English Department at AHS.
Emilie Nickoloff:
SMARTboards have had a very positive impact on the students and teachers here at AHS. First thing is just the logistics of it. It has reduced our copy costs significantly. We don’t have to copy readings or tests. A lot of it can be done on the SMARTboard itself. It also makes lessons easier to share within the department. If I make a lesson on my SMARTboard I can save it to a shared file where other teachers within the department can access it. So, just logistically it has made things a lot easier. It also helps with my curriculum presentation for visual learners they are far more engaged with a SMARTboard lesson than they would be with any other kind. I try to attach videos, pictures, sound clips to support my lessons, so I can get all types of students engaged in what I am teaching. So, it obviously helps my visual learners. But last, it has really impacted my curriculum as a whole. I would say that there has definitely been a shift in informational literacy and those types of skills because of my SMARTboard. If we don’t know the answer to a question we can go and look it up on the internet or we will research it at any given time. So, we are always thinking about how we can solve problems and find answers by using the web. Through logistics, curriculum presentation and the curriculum itself SMARTboards have had a great impact on our students and teachers here at AHS. I have seen SMARTboards being used through every facet both here at AHS and district wide including curriculum, community outreach, and professional development. The first place I have seen them being used is in classroom instruction. From assessments, to activities and quick writes, and readings I am constantly seeing SMARTboards being used in the classroom. I have also seen district assessments being given through SMARTboard technology. That was a program that we piloted this year which helped free up our computer labs for learning that was going on during other parts of the building while we were still giving the district assessment. Staff meetings have used the SMARTboards to convey important information to the staff from ACT proctor information to the CSAP timeline. Tons of professional development has included the SMARTboard at all levels including the department, the school, and the district. Especially at back to school night where we brought out the SMARTboards to show our parents our commitment to technology here at Arvada High School.
Narrator:
In this final segment Kassidy Hetzel breaks down the six forces that drive emerging technologies, and explains which factors led to the emergence of the SMARTboard and the obsoletion of the overhead projector.
Kassidy Hetzel:
The six forces that drive emerging technology help explain why technologies emerge. Each of the six forces has its own way of driving technologies to emerge. Let’s now take a closer look at each one of the forces and how it drove the overhead and the SMARTboard into emergence.
The first of the six forces is Evolutionary Technologies and the concept of Moore’s Law which is the idea that in technology there will be a constant state of improved capabilities of the technology followed by lower prices. When we look at the emergence of the overhead cost effectiveness was a deterrent for only the early adopters, for once this technology was available the rate in which they increased in demand and popularity was remarkable. And, because they were in such high demand they were relatively inexpensive. However, adopters of the SMARTboard are especially the early adopters were paying a premium for the technology. The concept of Moore’s law for SMARTboards to become reasonably priced will take quite a lot longer to happen keeping some overhead projectors very busy even today.
The second force that can drive emerging technologies is the notion of Rhymes of History which is where the technology rekindles or revives something from the past. The emergence of the overhead rekindled the idea that visual literacy is important. By being able to display things on a larger scale more people were able to see the information and therefore more people were being exposed to the information. But, I do not believe that the overhead was a rhyme of history. However, the SMARTboard on the other hand was absolutely a rhyme of history because it took the simplistic idea of the overhead projector and rekindled it to be a far better version of what they overhead originally was.
The third force that can drive emerging technologies is the idea of disruptive technologies. The concept behind disruptive technologies is that the emerging technology seems to come out of nowhere and is a complete surprise and in its emergence it replaces a current and successful technology. The overhead projector was the first technology whose capabilities were focused on the enlargement of a document in front of a whole group, so it was not a disruptive technology. However, the SMARTboard could be a disruptive technology because they contributed to the fast and complex changes in our society. They allow us to access information and entertain our learners wherever or whenever the need or desire arises.
The fourth force that could drive the emergence of technologies is Science Fiction. Science fiction stretches the imagination and opens a new world dramatically different than our own. The SMARTboard could very well have been an idea first seen in a science fiction movie. Movies often portray intelligence organizations standing in front of computer that they can manipulate for whatever problem or situation arises. This could have absolutely been the start of where the ideas for SMARTboards came from.
The fifth and sixth forces that could drive the emergence of technology are concepts based on competition. The concepts of Increasing Returns and Red Queens use competitive technology against one an other. Increasing Returns is the tendency that which is ahead will try to get further ahead, and that which has a losing advantage will attempt to take over the advantage, and ultimately one winner is crowned. Between the overhead and the SMARTboard there was a clear winner: the SMARTboard. The concept of Red Queens is where there are two technologies so fierce in competition that they continually try to perform the other technology. Each technology continually tries to be new and more effective than the other. And, in the case of SMARTboards they were completely more effective than the overhead projector.
Conclusion:
So what does the future hold for the SMARTboard? Well, in my opinion the world of education is moving toward having a SMARTboard in every classroom across America. I see the future of educational technology being routed in having SMARTboards. I believe the next wave of innovations will be designed to work in conjunction with a SMARTboard much the way that clickers have been designed to do. SMARTboards are an emerging technology that I personally believe will be around for quite a while, and will constantly be upgraded to do more and more things, so I don’t see it becoming obsolete, but rather I see it being redesigned and reorganized. If there were to be a technology that could replace the SMARTboard I believe it would be a imager that projects a 3-D image rather than a flat 2-D image. If the SMARTboard was to be replaced by the holographic imager I don’t think we would have the technology available in the average classroom for at least another 10-15 years. Meaning that by the time all classrooms in America would finally have SMARTboards the schools and districts that are most privileged would be moving onto holographic imagers. Until every school is granted the funds needed to become exceptional learning places there will always be those schools that are left with dinosaurs of technology while others are moving onto the “Next Big” thing.
Resources:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Disruptive technologies. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Emerging technologies. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Increasing returns. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). McLuhan’s tetrad. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Red queens. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Rhymes of history. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Science fiction. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Six forces that drive emerging technologies. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York: Free Press.
Soloway, E. (n.d.). Emerging vs. emerged technologies.[Podcast]. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=3642809&Survey=1&47=5050260&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
Smart Technologies. (SMART, 2006 ). Interactive whiteboards and learning: improving student learning outcomes and streamlining lesson planning. Retrieved from http://www2.smarttech.com/NR/rdonlyres/2C729F6E-0A8D-42B8-9B32-F90BE0A746D8/0/Int_Whiteboard_Research_Whitepaper_Update.pdf’`
Smart technologies. (2009). Secure checkout. Retrieved from http://www.smartboards.com/index.php?list=shoppingcart&method=checkout_1_form
Thornburg, D. D. (2009). When is a technology emergent? Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.
Thornburg, D. (2008). An amazingly incomplete emerging technologies bibliography. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration
Thornburg, D. D. (2008). Emerging technologies and McLuhan's Laws of Media. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.
Thornburg, D. (2008). Red Queens, butterflies, and strange attractors: Imperfect lenses into emergent technologies. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.
Attachments:
Information and Consent Form
For valuable consideration, I do hereby authorize Kassidy Hetzel and Walden University to:
a. Record my participation and appearance on video tape, audio tape, film, photograph or any other medium.
b. Use my name, likeness, voice and biographical material in connection with these recordings.
c. Exhibit or distribute such recording using a private digital video network, or other mechanisms, in whole or in part without restrictions or limitation for any educational purpose which Kassidy Hetzel and Walden University may see fit.
d. To copyright the same in its name or any other name it may choose. I hereby release and discharge Kassidy Hetzel and Walden University from any and all claims and demands arising out of or in connection with the use of such photographs, film or tape, including but not limited to any claims for defamation or invasion of privacy.
I hereby consent to the release of said video tape, audio tape, film, photograph or any other medium for the above-stated purposes and in accordance with the terms stated above, pursuant to the consent provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. 1232 et.seq.
Name:_________________________________________________
Address:_______________________________________________
Phone No.:_____________________________________________
Signature:______________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature (if under 18): ______________________
Date: __________________________________________________
Tech Questions:
Why were overheads initially purchased for the school?
When were the overheads purchased? A guess is fine!
What purpose did overheads serve in the classroom?
What purpose did overheads serve to instruction?
What purpose did overheads serve to staff development?
Why did overheads become obsolete?
Why were overheads replaced by SMARTboards instead of any other technology?
What are some of the benefits of using SMARTboards in the classroom? (I have a whole paper about this if you want to look at it! Let me know!)
What do you think the future holds for SMARTboards?
Thank you,
Kassidy
Emerging and Obsolete Technologies:
Kassidy Hetzel
kassidy.hetzel@waldenu.edu
Student Number: A00159082
May 1, 2010
EDUC 7108 -1 Emerging and Future Technologies
Dr. David Thornburg
Walden University
Narrator:
In this Program, studying Educational Technologist, Kassidy Hetzel will explain the process of emerging technologies and obsolete technologies through the real world example of how the Overhead Projector became obsolete by the emergence of the SMARTboard with the assistance of fellow educators from Arvada High School in Arvada, Colorado.
Kassidy Hetzel:
When we think of human life there are many different thoughts that one may think of, but when we look at the span of human life we see it as a journey, and each of us take on our own individual journey that is distinctively our own. While each of us may have the same fate of death our road to that fate are all very different. Some may have only a short distance to travel on the path of life and others may navigate the path unharmed for decades before they meet the fruition of the fate we all share, but one thing is certain: In order to escape death’s grasp humans must change as they grow. We must become smarter and more agile, we must grow from experience and learn from our mistakes, we must try to keep up with the younger generations and we must be able to admit when we can’t. Just as the span of human life is a journey, so is the life span of technologies. And, just like a human the ideas that make up a technology must develop, change, and adapt over time in order to survive.
The life cycle of specific technologies begins when it is first emerging and ends when it becomes obsolete. Because there are a plethora of definitions for the different life cycle stages of technology it is easier to make assumptions about their meaning than to try to limit their meaning to a specific definition. According to Dr. David Thornburg, an Educational Technologist and Futurist, an emerging technology is a working prototype of an idea that functions as need be (2009); where as Dr. Elliot Soloway, also an Educational Technologist and Futurist, explains emerging technologies as innovations that have been accepted by the majority of people and is essential to their everyday life (n.d.).
Where emerging is one of the first phases in the advancement of a technology becoming obsolete is its demise. An existing technology becomes obsolete when a new idea or technology can perform its current function more efficiently and effectively. But, how and what determines if the technology adapts and changes to avoid becoming obsolete or whether it fails in comparison to the new idea or technology? The road to becoming obsolete is paved with six main forces that drive emerging technologies. Evolutionary Technologies, Rhymes of History, Disruptive Technologies, Science Fiction, Increasing Returns and Red Queens. But before we break each of these forces down to understand the emergence of SMARTboards lets first look at the McLuhan’s tetrad for both of the technologies that I am using as examples. McLuhan’s law of media proposes that every innovation falls into a four part tetrad. This tetrad is divided into four quadrants that represent the different elements that make up the technology. The four quadrants are enhances, obsoletes, rekindles, and reverses. The tetrad for the overhead projector is as follows. PLACE BULLETED TETRAD HERE. The overhead projector enhances visual aids to larger sizes so that all members of the audience may see the needed materials. The overhead projector enhances previous visual aids such as handmade posters and individual copies of visual aids. The overhead projector enhances presentations through its ability to enlarge both black and white graphics as well as colored. The overhead projector enables presenters to for go the option of making individual copies for each member of the audience because everyone can see the needed material on the projected image and screen. The overhead projector makes smaller visual spaces such as white boards and chalk boards obsolete because it provides a writing surface on transparencies that can be switched as needed. The presenter does not need to erase and start over each time they do the same presentation. The overhead projector retrieves or rekindles the notion that visual learning is a very large part of the learning process and through the use of the overhead projector ideas and information can be displayed in conjunction with an oral presentation reinforcing the ideas of the presentation. There have already been many technologies that have taken the place of an overhead projector and many of them are based or attached to a computer of some sort. Programs such as PowerPoint are presented through a computer and are projected through an LCD projector onto a screen. PowerPoints have additional features that overheads just are not capable of such as: timed transitions, sound effects, music, and animated features. However, while PowerPoint is a wonderful technology that has replaced the overhead projector newer technologies are already beginning to replace PowerPoints. Technologies such as the SMARTboard are capable of all things that PowerPoint can do; only they can do them more effectively and more technologically advanced.
Now compare the overhead’s tetrad to that of the SMARTboard and we can begin to understand why the SMARTboard was a better choice for instructional use. PLACE SMARTboard’s BULLETED TETRAD HERE. The SMARTboard enhances learning and presenting opportunities through an engaging and active means. SMARTboards are designed to add an interactive method to both presentations and learning opportunities. SMARTboards build off of previous technology such as the overhead projector, DVD players, and white boards. SMARTboards enhance these previous technologies by being attached to a computer and projecting the computers’ monitor image onto a larger touch friendly board that illustrates not only the image on the screen, but it also becomes the computers control. SMARTboards have made many technologies of the past obsolete because they combine so many features into one technology. With the assistance of a projector and a computer SMARTboards can do anything a whiteboard, overhead projector, DVD player, audio player and a computer into one new technology that provides its users with an engaging and active learning tool to present, manipulate, and learn from. SMARTboards retrieve and rekindle the notion that students and audiences need to be kept engaged and actively learning if they are to truly transfer the information being presented. While SMARTboards are relatively new in the world of education their presence is one that can be multiplied with the addition of other technologies. Technologies such as clickers can be used in addition with a SMARTboard to enhance their production and possibilities. One technology that I see a future for making the SMARTboard obsolete would be the smartphones of today. With their presence becoming more and more frequent the need for SMARTboards diminishes because each smartphone user could be able to download the information to their own handheld device for access whenever and wherever needed.
We know today that SMARTboards are now the better choice for instruction; however, when overheads were first being purchased for schools they too were the best choice of the time for instruction. So the question is how long will SMARTboards be the best technology? We just don’t know, but the teachers of today sure are enjoying them while they are top dog.
Narrator:
In this segment Mrs. Karen Durbin, Technology Coordinator at Arvada High School, will explain why overheads were initially purchased for instructional use at Arvada High School and what purpose they served in both the classroom and in staff development, as well as her opinion on why SMARTboards made overhead projectors become obsolete.
Karen Durbin:
Hi, here today to talk to you about overheads and the fact that SMARTboards have pretty much extincted them. The original purchase of overheads in schools and here at Arvada High School was because it was actually a wonderful technology that enabled teachers to be able to take a look at something as a group with students without having to make a copy for every student. Teachers could also write on the document and could look at student work. It really was a wonderful tool at the time. It made lectures great. Teachers didn’t have to turn around to write on the board during a lecture. They could have notes that they wanted the students to know right on an overhead. It was a great way for student editing. You could put student work right on the overhead and students could come up to the overhead and write on it. Quite frankly, teachers who really used overheads well really used them much in the same way that SMARTboards are being used today, it just wasn’t as interactive. There just weren’t as many tools and it didn’t provide the function that SMARTboards provide today. Some advantages of the overhead projector as they were coming into schools was that it cut down on copy costs. Keeping a projector light bulb going, and keeping the extension cord plugged in was a lot cheaper than providing a copy to every student. Some of the disadvantages of overhead projectors was that they were big and bulky and hard to transport. I remember never being able to find one when I needed one. In a department of thirteen people and only three overheads to share between us, so that was always a problem. In a lot of schools today that continues to be a problem with the SMARTboard technology. Without having a SMARTboard in every classroom some teachers do struggle to find a SMARTboard that they can use. However, we are definitely seeing many, many schools having a SMARTboard in every classroom. And, I don’t really even know if any of those schools even still have any overheads or they do and they are just stored downstairs in the basement. So, we now live in a world where the overheads are stored in the basement and most teachers are using SMARTboards. I think that SMARTboards are a better technology, and you know I am not even sure that in today’s day and age that we would even call an overhead projector technology. SMARTboards are a better tool because they are more interactive, they allow direct access to the internet, students can see exactly what is happening on a teacher’s computer, and you can pull up and access any other type of technology that you could want. The SMARTboards allows you the vehicle to display that technology and that is why overheads have become the dinosaurs in the educational world.
Narrator:
In this segment of the video Kassidy Hetzel will continue her explanation on the emergence of the SMARTboard and the benefits that SMARTboards provide to instruction and student learning.
Kassidy Hetzel:
SMARTboards allow students to become active participants in their learning rather than passive spectators. As research from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia indicates, the functionality of the interactive whiteboard (SMARTboard) and its accompanying software allows for the development of classroom activities that are engaging for whole-class teaching brings the entire class together, focuses their attention and provides structured, teacher-focused group interaction. Active learning engages learners in the learning process through reading, writing, discussion, analysis, synthesis and evaluation, rather than passively absorbing instruction (e.g., lecture model of instruction). So, they (SMARTboards) encourage greater focus, participation and interaction, and improve student learning outcomes as a result (SMART, 2006). According to SMART Technologies (2006), interactive whiteboards (SMARTboards) are an effective way to interact with digital content and multimedia in a multi-person learning environment. Learning activities with an interactive whiteboard may include, but are not limited to the following:
• Manipulating text and images
• Making notes in digital ink
• Saving notes for later review by using e-mail, the Web or print
• Viewing websites as a group
• Demonstrating or using software at the front of a room without being tied to a computer
• Creating digital lesson activities with templates, images and multimedia
• Writing notes over educational video clips
• Using presentation tools that are included with the whiteboarding software to enhance learning materials
• Showcasing student presentations
It is because of all of these possibilities as well as the student engagement factor that every teacher should have access to a SMARTboard.
Narrator:
In this segment Arvada High School’s Instructional Leader Emilie Nickoloff discusses how SMARTboards have been implemented and utilized throughout the English Department at AHS.
Emilie Nickoloff:
SMARTboards have had a very positive impact on the students and teachers here at AHS. First thing is just the logistics of it. It has reduced our copy costs significantly. We don’t have to copy readings or tests. A lot of it can be done on the SMARTboard itself. It also makes lessons easier to share within the department. If I make a lesson on my SMARTboard I can save it to a shared file where other teachers within the department can access it. So, just logistically it has made things a lot easier. It also helps with my curriculum presentation for visual learners they are far more engaged with a SMARTboard lesson than they would be with any other kind. I try to attach videos, pictures, sound clips to support my lessons, so I can get all types of students engaged in what I am teaching. So, it obviously helps my visual learners. But last, it has really impacted my curriculum as a whole. I would say that there has definitely been a shift in informational literacy and those types of skills because of my SMARTboard. If we don’t know the answer to a question we can go and look it up on the internet or we will research it at any given time. So, we are always thinking about how we can solve problems and find answers by using the web. Through logistics, curriculum presentation and the curriculum itself SMARTboards have had a great impact on our students and teachers here at AHS. I have seen SMARTboards being used through every facet both here at AHS and district wide including curriculum, community outreach, and professional development. The first place I have seen them being used is in classroom instruction. From assessments, to activities and quick writes, and readings I am constantly seeing SMARTboards being used in the classroom. I have also seen district assessments being given through SMARTboard technology. That was a program that we piloted this year which helped free up our computer labs for learning that was going on during other parts of the building while we were still giving the district assessment. Staff meetings have used the SMARTboards to convey important information to the staff from ACT proctor information to the CSAP timeline. Tons of professional development has included the SMARTboard at all levels including the department, the school, and the district. Especially at back to school night where we brought out the SMARTboards to show our parents our commitment to technology here at Arvada High School.
Narrator:
In this final segment Kassidy Hetzel breaks down the six forces that drive emerging technologies, and explains which factors led to the emergence of the SMARTboard and the obsoletion of the overhead projector.
Kassidy Hetzel:
The six forces that drive emerging technology help explain why technologies emerge. Each of the six forces has its own way of driving technologies to emerge. Let’s now take a closer look at each one of the forces and how it drove the overhead and the SMARTboard into emergence.
The first of the six forces is Evolutionary Technologies and the concept of Moore’s Law which is the idea that in technology there will be a constant state of improved capabilities of the technology followed by lower prices. When we look at the emergence of the overhead cost effectiveness was a deterrent for only the early adopters, for once this technology was available the rate in which they increased in demand and popularity was remarkable. And, because they were in such high demand they were relatively inexpensive. However, adopters of the SMARTboard are especially the early adopters were paying a premium for the technology. The concept of Moore’s law for SMARTboards to become reasonably priced will take quite a lot longer to happen keeping some overhead projectors very busy even today.
The second force that can drive emerging technologies is the notion of Rhymes of History which is where the technology rekindles or revives something from the past. The emergence of the overhead rekindled the idea that visual literacy is important. By being able to display things on a larger scale more people were able to see the information and therefore more people were being exposed to the information. But, I do not believe that the overhead was a rhyme of history. However, the SMARTboard on the other hand was absolutely a rhyme of history because it took the simplistic idea of the overhead projector and rekindled it to be a far better version of what they overhead originally was.
The third force that can drive emerging technologies is the idea of disruptive technologies. The concept behind disruptive technologies is that the emerging technology seems to come out of nowhere and is a complete surprise and in its emergence it replaces a current and successful technology. The overhead projector was the first technology whose capabilities were focused on the enlargement of a document in front of a whole group, so it was not a disruptive technology. However, the SMARTboard could be a disruptive technology because they contributed to the fast and complex changes in our society. They allow us to access information and entertain our learners wherever or whenever the need or desire arises.
The fourth force that could drive the emergence of technologies is Science Fiction. Science fiction stretches the imagination and opens a new world dramatically different than our own. The SMARTboard could very well have been an idea first seen in a science fiction movie. Movies often portray intelligence organizations standing in front of computer that they can manipulate for whatever problem or situation arises. This could have absolutely been the start of where the ideas for SMARTboards came from.
The fifth and sixth forces that could drive the emergence of technology are concepts based on competition. The concepts of Increasing Returns and Red Queens use competitive technology against one an other. Increasing Returns is the tendency that which is ahead will try to get further ahead, and that which has a losing advantage will attempt to take over the advantage, and ultimately one winner is crowned. Between the overhead and the SMARTboard there was a clear winner: the SMARTboard. The concept of Red Queens is where there are two technologies so fierce in competition that they continually try to perform the other technology. Each technology continually tries to be new and more effective than the other. And, in the case of SMARTboards they were completely more effective than the overhead projector.
Conclusion:
So what does the future hold for the SMARTboard? Well, in my opinion the world of education is moving toward having a SMARTboard in every classroom across America. I see the future of educational technology being routed in having SMARTboards. I believe the next wave of innovations will be designed to work in conjunction with a SMARTboard much the way that clickers have been designed to do. SMARTboards are an emerging technology that I personally believe will be around for quite a while, and will constantly be upgraded to do more and more things, so I don’t see it becoming obsolete, but rather I see it being redesigned and reorganized. If there were to be a technology that could replace the SMARTboard I believe it would be a imager that projects a 3-D image rather than a flat 2-D image. If the SMARTboard was to be replaced by the holographic imager I don’t think we would have the technology available in the average classroom for at least another 10-15 years. Meaning that by the time all classrooms in America would finally have SMARTboards the schools and districts that are most privileged would be moving onto holographic imagers. Until every school is granted the funds needed to become exceptional learning places there will always be those schools that are left with dinosaurs of technology while others are moving onto the “Next Big” thing.
Resources:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Disruptive technologies. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Emerging technologies. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Increasing returns. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). McLuhan’s tetrad. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Red queens. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Rhymes of history. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Science fiction. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Six forces that drive emerging technologies. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York: Free Press.
Soloway, E. (n.d.). Emerging vs. emerged technologies.[Podcast]. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=3642809&Survey=1&47=5050260&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
Smart Technologies. (SMART, 2006 ). Interactive whiteboards and learning: improving student learning outcomes and streamlining lesson planning. Retrieved from http://www2.smarttech.com/NR/rdonlyres/2C729F6E-0A8D-42B8-9B32-F90BE0A746D8/0/Int_Whiteboard_Research_Whitepaper_Update.pdf’`
Smart technologies. (2009). Secure checkout. Retrieved from http://www.smartboards.com/index.php?list=shoppingcart&method=checkout_1_form
Thornburg, D. D. (2009). When is a technology emergent? Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.
Thornburg, D. (2008). An amazingly incomplete emerging technologies bibliography. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration
Thornburg, D. D. (2008). Emerging technologies and McLuhan's Laws of Media. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.
Thornburg, D. (2008). Red Queens, butterflies, and strange attractors: Imperfect lenses into emergent technologies. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.
Attachments:
Information and Consent Form
For valuable consideration, I do hereby authorize Kassidy Hetzel and Walden University to:
a. Record my participation and appearance on video tape, audio tape, film, photograph or any other medium.
b. Use my name, likeness, voice and biographical material in connection with these recordings.
c. Exhibit or distribute such recording using a private digital video network, or other mechanisms, in whole or in part without restrictions or limitation for any educational purpose which Kassidy Hetzel and Walden University may see fit.
d. To copyright the same in its name or any other name it may choose. I hereby release and discharge Kassidy Hetzel and Walden University from any and all claims and demands arising out of or in connection with the use of such photographs, film or tape, including but not limited to any claims for defamation or invasion of privacy.
I hereby consent to the release of said video tape, audio tape, film, photograph or any other medium for the above-stated purposes and in accordance with the terms stated above, pursuant to the consent provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. 1232 et.seq.
Name:_________________________________________________
Address:_______________________________________________
Phone No.:_____________________________________________
Signature:______________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature (if under 18): ______________________
Date: __________________________________________________
Tech Questions:
Why were overheads initially purchased for the school?
When were the overheads purchased? A guess is fine!
What purpose did overheads serve in the classroom?
What purpose did overheads serve to instruction?
What purpose did overheads serve to staff development?
Why did overheads become obsolete?
Why were overheads replaced by SMARTboards instead of any other technology?
What are some of the benefits of using SMARTboards in the classroom? (I have a whole paper about this if you want to look at it! Let me know!)
What do you think the future holds for SMARTboards?
Monday, May 24, 2010
Module 6 Blog Post
As a leader in educational technology, what can you do to help make emerging technologies valuable to others, while maintaining gender, cultural, and socioeconomic sensitivity?
I believe the first step in making emerging technologies important to others is getting the word out about them. People can not use the technology if they do not know it exists. I have placed myself in a role at my school as the go to person for the implementation of technology in the classroom. One of the ways that I have done this is that I have started an interactive document where I have placed all of the great technology tools and a description of what they do and how to use them on a shared drive that all teachers can access it. I have also started creating tutorials for each of these technologies for support. In addition to this interactive document I have been holding monthly presentations for my staff where I extend an invitation for all to come and learn about the “newest” technology. I believe that through these two services that I am offering to my staff I am giving them all the opportunity to get their toes wet with technology and that when they are ready to jump in they will know that they have a support system in me.
I want emerging technologies to be valuable to all and I am trying to maintain gender, cultural, and socioeconomic sensitivity through keeping all technologies that I present on free, easy to use, and available through any of the school’s shared computer lab. If I can continue to present upon technologies that fit all of these characteristics I should be able to steer clear of any sensitivity issues. This will begin to be more challenging as I do more and more presentations, but for now, I have not had any problems with these issues. I hope I can still say that in six months.
I believe the first step in making emerging technologies important to others is getting the word out about them. People can not use the technology if they do not know it exists. I have placed myself in a role at my school as the go to person for the implementation of technology in the classroom. One of the ways that I have done this is that I have started an interactive document where I have placed all of the great technology tools and a description of what they do and how to use them on a shared drive that all teachers can access it. I have also started creating tutorials for each of these technologies for support. In addition to this interactive document I have been holding monthly presentations for my staff where I extend an invitation for all to come and learn about the “newest” technology. I believe that through these two services that I am offering to my staff I am giving them all the opportunity to get their toes wet with technology and that when they are ready to jump in they will know that they have a support system in me.
I want emerging technologies to be valuable to all and I am trying to maintain gender, cultural, and socioeconomic sensitivity through keeping all technologies that I present on free, easy to use, and available through any of the school’s shared computer lab. If I can continue to present upon technologies that fit all of these characteristics I should be able to steer clear of any sensitivity issues. This will begin to be more challenging as I do more and more presentations, but for now, I have not had any problems with these issues. I hope I can still say that in six months.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Module 5 Blog Posting
Kassidy Hetzel’s Module 5 Blog Posting:
For one of our recent assignments we were to watch a video and then respond to some ideas and questions based on that movie. All of the movies that were available for us to choose were based on a science fiction book written by Philip K. Dick. I chose to watch Minority Report a movie based on Dick’s Minority Report. The reason I chose to watch this movie was because I knew that this was a movie that my husband had in his DVD collection. So mainly it was because of convenience that I decided on this movie. However, I was interested in some of the other titles that were available as choices so I added them to my Blockbuster online DVD Queue and patiently waited for their arrival in the mail. Since the assignment I have watched two more of the films and I am anticipating the delivery of the others shortly.
When comparing VOD to DVD’s I do not believe they are Red Queens because the traditional DVD cannot compete with the fast paced and ever changing nature of Video on Demand. And, while I do not believe they are Red Queens I don’t think they are true versions of increasing returns either. I think the element of human choice and ease of use. I think as more people begin to be interested the more of a transfer we will see.
These are the tetrads as I see them:
For one of our recent assignments we were to watch a video and then respond to some ideas and questions based on that movie. All of the movies that were available for us to choose were based on a science fiction book written by Philip K. Dick. I chose to watch Minority Report a movie based on Dick’s Minority Report. The reason I chose to watch this movie was because I knew that this was a movie that my husband had in his DVD collection. So mainly it was because of convenience that I decided on this movie. However, I was interested in some of the other titles that were available as choices so I added them to my Blockbuster online DVD Queue and patiently waited for their arrival in the mail. Since the assignment I have watched two more of the films and I am anticipating the delivery of the others shortly.
When comparing VOD to DVD’s I do not believe they are Red Queens because the traditional DVD cannot compete with the fast paced and ever changing nature of Video on Demand. And, while I do not believe they are Red Queens I don’t think they are true versions of increasing returns either. I think the element of human choice and ease of use. I think as more people begin to be interested the more of a transfer we will see.
These are the tetrads as I see them:
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Second Life as a Disruptive Technology
Kassidy Hetzel’s Module 4 Blog Posting
Thornburg (2009) explained disruptive technologies as completely new tools that change how things are done, and are not gradual extensions of older technologies. Second Life fits this definition because of its very nature. Second Life is a disruptive technology because it has the strength and ability to obsolete many different technologies and institutions. Some of the technologies that Second Life could obsolete are the standard websites and current abilities of social networking sites. The virtual world of Second Life is replacing real world situations. No longer does a person have to physically be somewhere to see what they want to see Second Life is allowing people to virtually tour places and information with its technology that it is presenting a whole new way of communicating and “seeing”. Second life replaces traditional social networking sites and provides a virtual world where everyone has a physical meeting space even though it may only be a virtual one it still allows everyone to be on an equal and accessible playing field. I would not be surprised if Second Life eventually replaces the physical teaching environment and creates a new virtual institution based around student centered values.
In addition the avatars that users create allow people to replace/change things about themselves allowing them to present a new image or species that everyday life won’t allow them to do or be. Second Life gives people the opportunity to become their ideal selves.
Resources:
Rosedale, P. (2008). Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.
Thornburg, D. (2009). Evolutionary technology Vodcast: In Laureate Education, Inc. Emerging and future technology.
Thornburg (2009) explained disruptive technologies as completely new tools that change how things are done, and are not gradual extensions of older technologies. Second Life fits this definition because of its very nature. Second Life is a disruptive technology because it has the strength and ability to obsolete many different technologies and institutions. Some of the technologies that Second Life could obsolete are the standard websites and current abilities of social networking sites. The virtual world of Second Life is replacing real world situations. No longer does a person have to physically be somewhere to see what they want to see Second Life is allowing people to virtually tour places and information with its technology that it is presenting a whole new way of communicating and “seeing”. Second life replaces traditional social networking sites and provides a virtual world where everyone has a physical meeting space even though it may only be a virtual one it still allows everyone to be on an equal and accessible playing field. I would not be surprised if Second Life eventually replaces the physical teaching environment and creates a new virtual institution based around student centered values.
In addition the avatars that users create allow people to replace/change things about themselves allowing them to present a new image or species that everyday life won’t allow them to do or be. Second Life gives people the opportunity to become their ideal selves.
Resources:
Rosedale, P. (2008). Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.
Thornburg, D. (2009). Evolutionary technology Vodcast: In Laureate Education, Inc. Emerging and future technology.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Module 3
I can remember when my father used to me to the University of Colorado's football games and he never left the house without his portable radio. The portable radio of then was mainly for AM feeds although on occasion you could reach one FM station. He would hall this huge radio into the stadium accompanied by an even bigger battery that would only last through about the end of the third quarter so that he could hear the radio announcer's calls of the play by play. I never understood why he needed to hear the announcer's comments while he watched the game, but never the less the contraption always made the trips to Boulder with us.
Now, as I think back to those days as I go to the Bronco games I am reminded of two things: One the people at the stadium don't get all the relevant commentary needed to see all the dynamics of the football game and two: I married my father. My husband now carries his Sirius player and headphones to make sure he can keep up to date with all the games in the division as well as any other pertinent information he may be missing by not having his NFL network on constantly. The path from hand held radios to MP3 players to satellite radio has been an innovation that has been transplanted through the generations. The capabilities of satellite radio began on the premises developed by those of the handheld radio, to the walkman, to cd players, to MP3 players to now the satellite radio. The possibilities of this innovation are endless.
Now, as I think back to those days as I go to the Bronco games I am reminded of two things: One the people at the stadium don't get all the relevant commentary needed to see all the dynamics of the football game and two: I married my father. My husband now carries his Sirius player and headphones to make sure he can keep up to date with all the games in the division as well as any other pertinent information he may be missing by not having his NFL network on constantly. The path from hand held radios to MP3 players to satellite radio has been an innovation that has been transplanted through the generations. The capabilities of satellite radio began on the premises developed by those of the handheld radio, to the walkman, to cd players, to MP3 players to now the satellite radio. The possibilities of this innovation are endless.
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