Module 5 Blog Responses

This week I responded to two blog posts discussing Red Queens and Increasing Returns-

Jessica Green: http://jygreensblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/module-5-red-queens-and-increasing.html?showComment=1344550022027#c8119219849939538251

Tim Weaver: http://weave1-weave1.blogspot.com/2012/08/red-queens-or-increasing-returns.html?showComment=1344550666408#c8658732145789260809

Module 5 Blog Post- Red Queens

When I was assigned to watch a science fiction movie based on Phillip K. Dick’s books, my first thought was, “How am I supposed to find these old movies without Blockbuster?” Just a few years ago Blockbuster was where we went to rent movies, and they had a large variety of old and new movies. Since Netflix and Redbox has emerged, Blockbuster has recently closed its stores and has attempted to limit their business to vendor machines similar to Redbox. The only way that I figured I was going to find older titles was through my Netflix subscription or downloading one from the Internet because Redbox and the DirecTV On-Demand Cinema only seems to have new releases available for renting. The great aspect of Netflix is that there are several ways to access its services, such as on iPhones and iPads, XBOX, Blu-ray players, or through their website. I used Netflix through our XBOX 360 since it is connected to our family room television and easiest to view. I chose to watch the movie Paycheck, and fortunately it was one of the titles available.




I believe that the driving force behind the current competition of movie rental technology is due to the concept of ‘Red Queens’. Thornburg (2008) clarifies how “The name ‘Red Queen’ is attached to certain phenomena when competition between two forces results in the rapid development of them both”. There seems to be more than two emerging technologies in existence today for renting movies, but the two that are rapidly competing and emerging into society are Redbox and Netflix. These two companies continue to rapidly develop as they compete with low prices, Redbox costing $0.99 to $1.50 per rental and Netflix offering unlimited streaming of movies through for $7.99 per month. I use both services, as Redbox seems to offer newer releases faster and Netflix is great for when we are bored sitting at home and want to instantly find a movie to watch without leaving the house (or when I need to watch a movie for an assignment).



According to McLuhan’s tetrad, I believe that renting DVDs from Redbox retrieves the idea of going to Blockbuster or similar companies to rent a movie. Video-on-demand will continue to reverse the idea of movie renting by allowing people to find movies to watch without leaving their home. With the developments of the Internet and the abilities to download or stream movies, I believe that eventually videos-on-demand will obsolete Redbox and people will choose to download movies or access them through Netflix. Although we can predict what the future of such emerging technologies holds, we can only wait and see!



The following article takes a look into why Blockbuster has become obsolete and how the emergence of Netflix has made an impact on movie rentals.

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2010/10/18/101018ta_talk_surowiecki



References
Surowiecki, J. (2010). The next level. The New Yorker. Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2010/10/18/101018ta_talk_surowiecki  

Thornburg, D. (2008). Red Queens, butterflies, and strange attractors: Imperfect lenses into emergent technologies. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

Module 4 Blog Responses

During this module, I responded to the following blogs:

Anwar Mohammad- http://anwar-mohammad.blogspot.com/2012/07/disruptive-power-of-second-life.html?showComment=1343488977197#!/2012/07/disruptive-power-of-second-life.html

Tracy Snow- http://snowkween.blogspot.com/2012/07/mod4blogassign-disruptive-power-of.html?showComment=1343490334869#c4189978355750951856

EDUC 7108 Module 4 Blog Post: The Disruptive Power of Second Life

Dr. Thornburg (Laureate Education Inc., 2009) defines a disruptive technology as a “new technology with the same functionality of an existing technology, but it functions more efficiently, and then obsoletes that technology.” Second Life is a virtual reality online world that has made the technology behind chat rooms obsolete. The technology uses the same idea of allowing people to communicate and collaborate, but Second Life also allows the users to create their environment using graphics, the ability to personalize an avatar, and the ability to hear and participate in chats through microphones and speakers.




According to Rosedale (2008), Second Life is a rapidly expanding virtual world, with infinite possibilities of user-created products and data. Virtual worlds allow information to be presented using powerful iconic symbols versus text to organize and experience information. Due to the rapid expansion of Second Life, I think that it will be at least another 8 years before another emerging or disruptive technology replaces it. According to the Elon University/ Pew Internet Project (n.d.), immersive virtual reality worlds are predicted to emerge between 2016-2025. Second Life still has the power to grow in size, graphics, and abilities.



Another benefit to Second Life is that it creates a social experience to explore information, allowing for communication and collaboration. In my field of elementary education, virtual worlds such as Second Life are beneficial in motivating students to participate in expressing themselves and working with others. Yet, Rosedale (2008) addressed a concern of the social implications of Second Life, explaining how we may begin to like our virtual image more than our human selves. Students creating their own avatars allow them to express their individuality, but we do not want them to become so consumed in their virtual reality that they withdraw completely from face-to-face social interactions. With the future emergence of immersive virtual realities, students will become more likely to use virtual worlds such as Second Life for a majority of their social interactions and searches for information.



References

Elon University/Pew Internet Project. (n.d.). Imagining the Internet: A history and forecast: Forward 150 timeline. Retrieved April 7, 2011, from http://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/predictions/forward150years.pdf



Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Emerging and future technology: Disruptive technologies. Baltimore, MD: Author.



Rosedale, P. (2008). Philip Rosedale on Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.

EDUC 7108 Module 3 Blog Responses

I responded to the following blogs about "Rhymes of History" during this module:

Rashida Brown- http://rashidabrown.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/rhymes-of-history/#comment-57

Anetha Johnson- http://anethajaye7108.blogspot.com/2012/07/johnson-module-3-blog.html?showComment=1342191406596#c5541076832274136253

EDUC 7108 Module 3 Blog Post

Through history, the concept of communicating to gain information has been retrieved and evolved as the abilities of technology increases. Dr. Thornburg (Laureate Education Inc., 2009) explains how rhymes of history occur when, “the affect or impact of a new development rekindles something from the distant past”. Communication dates back to the idea of writing on walls using symbols to create a message or tell a story. Over time, technology has given people the ability to communicate anywhere, anytime using cell phones. The concept of cell phones has been rekindled as new developments changed its design and functions from a car phone in a bag, to smaller designed flip phones for personal use, and now even smaller smartphones to multitask daily forms of communicating. “In recent years, the purpose of the cell phone has shifted from a verbal communication tool to a multimedia tool, often adopting the name “mobile device” rather than being called a phone at all” (Ai InSite, 2011). Besides still being able to use cell phones for making calls between one or more people, these mobile devices have given the added abilities for surfing the web, taking pictures, sending e-mails and text messages, and communicating with people through social networking sites.

Kevin Kelly (2007) described three trends of rhymes in history which hold true to the rekindling of communication through cell phones: embodiment, restructuring, and codependency. Embodiment is the ability for cell phones to connect to the Web. As mobile devices allow for Internet connection, people can use this tool for gaining information from the web and sharing information themselves. Through restructuring, the purpose of cell phones has shifted to allow for linking to more pages and data using the web. Looking towards to future, Google has already begun to develop augmented reality technology to allow people to link to things in the world using a tool such as a cell phone. Going back to the idea of creating phones for communicating, cell phones have rekindled the idea of our codependency on each other. People’s contributions of information from the web and our ability to retrieve such information has developed a codependency for each other to be able to share and gain knowledge.

References
Ai InSite (2011). The history and evolution of cell phones. Retrieved from http://insite.artinstitutes.edu/the-history-and-evolution-of-cell-phones-57809.aspx


Kelly, K. (2007, December). Kevin Kelly on the next 5,000 days of the Web [Speech]. Speech delivered at the EG 2007 Conference, Los Angeles. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html


Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Emerging and future technology: Rhymes of history. Baltimore, MD: Author.

EDUC 7108 Module 2 Blog Post

Progression of Computers in Reading Technology- iPad

Enhances Students’ ability to access multimedia applications for reading books and learning reading skills. Allows learner to hear text, along with having words highlighted to assist students in becoming fluent readers.	Obsoletes Students reading text-only hard and soft cover books, checked out from a library.
Retrieves The idea of storytelling and reading from printed books, as well as computer-based software for reading instruction.	Reverses May lead to the creation of new technologies that support more interactive text, such as 3D or holographic images aligned with stories.

As technologies such as the iPhone and iPad have emerged, students now have access to interactive reading applications that support them in learning to read. Rather than having to check out a paperback book from the library, there are technologies emerging into education that provide books on tablets such as eReader, Nook, and Kindle. The iPad also enhances the ability for additional book titles to be located and read from anywhere, at any time using one tool versus a stack of books. The idea of storytelling is retrieved through eBooks because students can follow along with stories as they are read to them by the tablet.

The iPad not only provides books through iBooks, but iTunes and the App Store allow for applications to be downloaded which feature activities and games to increase students’ reading skills, as well as their motivation to learn to read. In a recent study using the iPad to facilitate reading improvement with a fifth grade student, McClanahan, Williams, Kennedy, and Tate (2012) found success in using applications to address comprehension, sequencing, details, drawing inferences, and identifying cause and effect. As the student came across struggles, the teacher was able to instantly download and provide activities for the student to engage in immediate guided practice. This type of individualized computer-assisted instruction allowed the student to feel successful in a self-paced format. The idea of computer-based instruction where all students move through the same work has become obsolete. The iPad and similar technologies are proving to increase students’ motivation and success in learning, especially in reading and literacy skills. As more classrooms are becoming equipped with such tools, hopefully the future will lead to teachers being able to provide all students with more individualized educational plans.

Additional resources for information about the iPad taking the role of computers and books in the classroom:

Apple in Education- http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/

Interactive iPad Reading Experience- http://appsineducation.blogspot.com/2011/02/interactive-ipad-reading-experience.html

‘Reading Rainbow’ app aims to take kids to new learning heights- http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/science_tech/reading-rainbow-app-aims-to-take-kids-to-new-learning-heights-wcpo1340894862740

Reference

McClanahan, B., Williams, K., Kennedy, E., & Tate, S. (2012). A Breakthrough for Josh: How Use of an iPad Facilitated Reading Improvement. Techtrends: Linking Research And Practice To Improve Learning, 56(3), 20-28.