Mike Rybachuk's ETEC 511 E-Portfolio

For my major paper in ETEC 511, I decided to look at Mobile Learning.

I initially looked at the technologies involved, then both the pros and cons of m-learning in an educational setting, then finally as some design issues and implications.

As I conducted more and more research, I realized that this type of learning was what motivated me to enroll in the MET program,even if at that time I was really not aware what online or mobile learning would entail.

The attached PDF file is lengthy.  Enjoy!

Mobile Learning

In her article, Sherry Turkle projects the computer as
moving away from its mechanical role as object; it does things for us, to a
more interactive subject; it does things to us. Computers are now cast in the
role of Relational Artifacts, a technological companion species. What role
might this new species have in the future?

As the “Baby-boomers” continue to age, retire, and enter the
twilight of their lives, they continue to posse significant demands on health
care, assisted living, and family relationships. Loneliness, detachment from
the traditional family structure, lack of self worth are some of the
afflictions facing some of most elderly citizens.  A mechanical pet; AI in the form of Scottish terrier offers some very interesting options.
A robotic dog may be the answer to many seniors where a real dog is not
a viable option.  As social creatures, humans have the need for interactions and company, something that RoboDog would provide.  Such a pet could easily handle
reminders to take medication, provide security along with a wide range of other
technological tasks, but is it “Alive”; can it respond to the emotional needs
of its owner?

Watching my daughter look after an “Electronic Baby” for
three days and nights leads me to believe an emotional relationship; albeit not
a traditional human-human relationship is entirely possible.  Armed with sensors, the baby responded to touching, feeding, changing, much like a real baby.  Watching my daughter visibly relax as the baby slowed, and then eventually stopped crying in the middle of the night provided me with some realization that the baby had evoked real emotions in my daughter.  Surely RoboDog has the potential to elicit similar emotions with my great aunt, who generally spends most of her day alone, in front of the window, just watching.

This may seem old fashioned, and certainly less academic
than Haraway, but my first recollection of a cyborg was Steve Austin, played by
Lee Majors, in the Six-Million Dollar Man.
The prezi video about the military research on prosthetic arms reminded
of the days when my buddies and I would rush home after school to watch on TV.  Since then, and even earlier, we were all cyborgs, an integrated system of biology and technology, human and digital (analog).  Our collective history is intertwined with physical
and technological selves.

Television, novels, automobiles, and telephones are just as
much a part of us, our everyday us, as blue jeans, ear-aches, fingernails, and
the common cold.  I cannot remember biology without technology, and for today’s i-phone, Google, and Facebook generation, that symbiosis is not only more prevalent, but far more natural.  One might conclude from Haraway that the cyborg is a manifestation of the underprivileged or underappreciated, but I might suggest otherwise.  We are all
cyborgs, clearly some more than others, but our lives are fashioned by both a
biological and a technical determinism that is both essential and inseparable.  Look down, where your fingers end, your cyborg-self continues.

Once upon a time….

A University Professor tried something new, and it seemed to work.  After some playing around, a big corporation, Blackboard poured a lot of time, money and human resources into the idea, and the end product was/is the Blackboard learning system.  I love the irony of this story as we are using this same system.  E-learning gains
popularity, thanks in some part to Blackboard, but likely not exclusively.  In an attempt to protect its investment, Blackboard takes out a US patent #……….138.  Such a patent is based on existing concepts of “the manufacture of material goods” (my words here), and business progresses as usual.

Then along comes a Canadian company Desire2learn (much better name) and they commence to sell a Learning Management System similar to that of Blackboard, both in Canada and the US.

Blackboard cries foul… or Pirate in the vein of our current module… and both parties head off to court, spend a whole pile of dough on lawyers, and bring in experts who they themselves are just developing these concepts, thus forcing a judge to make a ruling on

here is the fun part….

1. Something he probably has little or no expertise on

2. On a patent that is based on patent laws that do not pertain to this type of “property”

So the judge makes a ruling, as best he can, knowing both
sides will appeal, appeal, appeal, slaps Desire2learn with a trivial fine and
some restrictions regarding timing of sales, and…..

…… eventually both companies decide to be friends and
work together cooperatively, while Blackboard slips out the back door and
attempts to stiffen its patent language and thus its hold on the learning
management system.

……………………….and they all lived happily after

Ps… here are a few links to even more…..at least they
are agreeably short.

http://mfeldstein.com/blackboard-v-desire2learn-the-first-final-judgment/

http://intellirights.com/cms2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=67

To take an idea from one person is Plagiarism, to take ideas
from many people is Research.

I offer this quote, without direct reference, as a way to
summarize much of what I got from the Philip’s article.  I suspect that the opening quote pertains to print materials, which seems to make the idea of Piracy a bit more cut and dried, if you like.  If you are copying an entire
book, a chapter, or quoting paragraph verbatim, most of us agree that is
Piracy.  Without getting into the notion of good vs bad Piracy, Philip concedes that copying entire works, movies for example, is indeed Piracy.

It is this mixing of ideas, easily facilitated in our
digital age, that stretches our current notions of Intellectual Ownership, and
hence Piracy.  Much debate, it seems to me, is based on whose side you are on, the Owner or the Pirate.  If Pixar spends $100 million on a new movie,
they have a substantial interest in recovering their investment, and making a
profit.  To the movie buff, they have no interest in spending $24 to buy a legal copy of the same movie, when you can buy one, just as good, for $5.  And to be
fair, I have seen more than one Canadian selling illegal movies out of the back
of their car, so this is not just an Asian phenomenon.

In all honesty, much of what Philip was trying to say was
lost in intellectual jargon.  Her point(s), when she made one was lost in wording worthy of a thesaurus.  I found much more body in Barlow’s ( p. 2)
analogy of the bottle of wine; the value was in the conveyance and not in the
thought conveyed, the bottle was protected, and yet the wine was not.

I suspect that the notion of Intellectual Property and the
Piracy of such will be debated for some time yet.

Barlow,
J.P. (1994), The Economy of Ideas, Wired,
Issue 2.03, downloaded from
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.03/economy.ideas.html?topic=&topic_set=

Finally… an assignment where I actually have used the technology before.  Playing around with various “toon” programs was not only lots of fun, but guess what I am going to have my students due next time we are in the computer lab?

to enjoy the toons…..you have to click on the images page…

Theorizing
the Graphing Calculator

            Since 1985 when Casio first introduced the fx-7000G, the graphing calculator has
become a staple in high school and university mathematics classrooms.  Without reliable access to computer labs, this hand-held computer offers power and flexibility to both students and instructors. Open a suitcase containing a class set of calculators and
experience the excitement and anticipation as students gaze at the 30
viewing screen, wondering what the previous user has
left for them to explore, or what new direction they may follow today.

The graphing calculator does not replace mathematical content; rather enhances it
with the power of visualization.  By changing components, students, individually or in groups, are able to study and classify the behaviour of functions, exploring possibilities and forming conjectures regarding similar situations.
The “what if” question, answered in real time, holds student interest
and promotes divergent thinking.  Students become actively involved in problem solving; using tables for numerical results, supporting and confirming results graphically, solving
problems that cannot be solved with present analytical or algebraic
skills.  The visual affordances offered by the calculator are applicable to all levels of math, offering a look at the simple concept of slope, right up to optimization problems in              3-Dimensions.

Technological advancements have enabled the graphing calculator to enjoy color screens and a seeming endless amount of memory.  Using
pre-programmed or downloadable Apps, students have access to practice quizzes,
spreadsheets, and financial applications.  Exploring the costs of buying a new or used vehicle quickly has tremendous impact on high school students.
Students can look at the interconnectivity of mortgages, changes in term
length, interest rates, frequency of monthly payments, and present values using
a few keystrokes.  Concurrently graphingthe levels of interest paid vs principle paid over the course of a conventionalmortgage presents a visual impact students cannot ignore, nor are likely to forget.

It is not only their computational speed, widespread application base, or visual
impact on learning mathematics that has kept the graphing calculator in the
class-room for over 25 years; flexibility is also a contributing factor.  The number of peripheral devices the calculator supports offers much to teachers and students.  By attaching a calculator to an overhead projector, the teacher is able to introduce topics, lead discussions and regulate the pace of learning.  This
scaffolding is essential to students new to the technology, or when exploring
unfamiliar problems.  Data loggers, measuring time-distance relationships, Ph levels, temperature, decibel, and light levels not only give students access to real world information, but facilitate immediate visual representation of that same date, increasing the connectedness with the data, but also forming connections across math and
science.  Watch with amazement at the engagement of students trying to create the first letter of their name on the calculator screen by walking towards and away from a motion sensor.  By linking the calculator to a computer, the built in programming features are enhanced, extending the affordances offered by pre-built programs with student made programs.

Despite the affordances of graphing calculator, some trepidation exists.  Access, comprehension and transfer cloud the seeming blue sky of calculator use in the classroom.  Calculators are cheaper than computer labs, yet economics remain a factor.  Schools must weigh the purchase cost; bore by the school or individual students, against the aforementioned advantages.  Economically disadvantages school districts and communities may find access to this technology prohibitive.  The visual
impact of the calculator offers much to students, but may also form a barrier
to true comprehension and understanding.  If finding the roots of a quadratic equation, either by graphing or pre-programmed applications allows students ready access to such information, performance does not necessitate learning of the underlying concepts used in
such a task.  Being able to copy the general shape of a function off the calculator screen may even inhibit knowledge transfer when the same tasks take a pencil and paper form.  With no print button, all transfer into conventional print form may be rote, rather than conceptual.

The enduring use of the graphing calculator substantiates its positive impact on
learning in the mathematics classroom.   But, like all technology, strong methodologies
and practices are essential to ensure that visualization enhances rather than
restricts mathematical comprehension and transfer.

Unlike Tufte, I found Adams analysis of power-point fair and
objective, and quite a bit more positive.
Because of standardized testing and measurable learning outcomes,
power-point is embraced as a welcome medium in the educational solution.
Without substantiating an argument for the former, Adams presents power-point
as useful, armed with affordances of style, suspense and generosity.

Many users have evolved beyond the discrete bulleting of
information and recall, portrayed so pathetically by the teacher in “Ferris Bueller’s
Day Off” in his questioning technique…. anyone? anyone?… anyone?  I use power-point in my math class,
especially when solving equations.  The
linear form of each slide works perfectly with the “work-down” approach of
mathematics, allowing for time between steps for discussion or inquiry.  The suspense in waiting for the next step, or
final answers allows for student collaboration and processing.  Colour emphasises trouble spots or special
situations, while individual slides or the entire presentation can be used
again, for review/remediation.

Adams does concede that power-point has failed to show
significant differences in learning outcomes, (Levasseaur and Sawyer, 2006), yet
reports positive feelings towards instructors using power-point. (p. 285).  Most teachers would concede that if students
are motivated and positive about learning, success is a usual consequence.

On a side-note, much is made of the 3 x 4 dimensions of the
slides.  This is an easy fix; simply
change the dimensions to reflect those of the golden ratio; (approx 3 x 4.8).

If only everything was so easy…… grin.

I am reminded of the “magical elixir”, sold from the back of
a covered wagon in a travelling caravan.
One bottle could relieve headaches, cure arthritis, repair scaring, and
would put a mean shine on your boots.  Have
we, as educators, embraced the overhead and the power-point as the teaching
elixir? Has the development of these tools, along with the perception that
teaching with technology is better than teaching without technology,  been so hypnotic that we embrace them with
the God-like awe proposed by Knowlton?

Perhaps a better analogy would be to associate the overhead
and power-point with a contemporary drug like Celebrex.  (It is used to treat the symptoms of osteoarthritis,
ankylosing spondylitis, and rheumatoid arthritis in adults.) The overhead
and power-point, like celebrex, were developed, in response to a need, real or
perceived, to enhance the role of technology, and thus education in the
classroom.  As Knowlton and Tufte point
out, each carries a number of side effects.
Do these authors propose that these side-effects; the voice from a
detached body, minimal information per slide, logo type branding, render these
technologies ineffectual.  As with
celebrex, are the positive aspects sufficient to overcome the side-effects?

Until recently, the side-effects of most drugs were widely
unknown, and deeply under-publicized.  Such
challenge by Knowlton and Tufte will continue to be necessary, for clearly ET
will continue to evolve and be embraced.

Celebrex:  http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/drug_info_details.asp?channel_id=0&relation_id=0&brand_name_id=1110&page_no=1#Indication

Prior to enrolment in the MET
program, my definition of ET would have centered around the gadgets of
technology; computers, Smart-boards, video streaming and the like.  Since, the learning theories of Dick and Carey
along with Reigeluth and others have illuminated my definition, and have forced
me to consider research, and indeed theory.
The readings on the history of the definition of ET produced much
anxiety, mostly because of the language involved.  I found that I do not possess enough
back-ground language to easily follow the discourse.

In her post, Nicola states, “I
think the concepts of technology and education transcend the language used to
define them”.  Thank you.  Since ET is a complex idea, any definition
requires complex language, subject to interpretation and refinement, much like
technology and education themselves.

My definition of ET still includes
stuff, and being a guy I like the “toys of our trade”. I know consider what
affordances our toys offer, rather than just a means to an end.  And I will never look at a silver chalice in
the same way again.