Alice

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  • Alice 8:48 am on October 18, 2011
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    Tags: , decorum, privacy   

    I’ve blogged on and off since 2004. I had a blogger blog – which I kept anonymously – for about 3.5 years, and recently started up a sewing blog on WordPress. I chose WordPress for strategic reasons; Blogger tends to be used strictly for personal blogs, while WordPress has much broader enterprise-level applications. I’m learning […]

    Continue reading “Allie” is a pseudonym: Blogs, Privacy, Kindness (or not!) and lifelong learning Posted in: Week 07: Blogs
     

    • kstooshnov 11:49 am on October 18, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Allie, or… ummm…

      Thank you for sharing your thoughts on blogging and anonymity. On the one hand, people should be able to maintain control over their image and identity, especially as anyone from around the world can use your opinions, preferences or personal information to one’s own advantage, which you may have unwittingly provided. Yet on the other hand, isn’t the anonymity of the Internet a cause of misinterpretation and even cyberbullying? You seem like a very engaging educator with a passion for sewing and architecture, but now knowing that “you” are not Allie leads me to wonder how much of your identity is also pseudo. Not to sound like someone from the older “paranoid” generation, but how much do we know about Tasia, Sunni or Gertie, the three sewist you hyperlinked, from their blogs. Gets to be like the 2010 movie Catfish. Sharing talents and interests on the Internet should be encouraged, and the more that others can find out about the bloggers, the better, or to adapt the line from Twelfth Night “is it a web to hide virtues in?” (I, iii, 124)

      For my first assignment, I needed to make use of the blogs and Second Life creations of someone with the pseudonym Ina Centaur. While she was up-front with her assumed identity, even blogging her biography without giving away too much personal information, I found it frustrating that I could not get any second-hand information on her. The project that she worked on had so much personal investment, that it is too bad that there was no other reliable source of information on her. For students learning the ropes of web communities, yes, there should be a certain level of privacy involved, yet for someone like “Ina” who needs funding so that her project should know better than to usurp herself in anonymity: “for what is yours to bestow is not yours to reserve.” (I, v, 181)

      Kyle

    • Juliana 5:17 pm on October 18, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Hello “Allie” 😉

      Thank you for bringing up the issues of anonymity and security. I agree that you do need to be cautious about putting information up on the internet, especially if you are a minor. And it can be especially irritating and even heart-breaking when the work that you publish gets copied and co-opted.

      As you are mostly talking about blogging for personal use, what do you think needs to be put in place to make blogging platforms even better for personal use?

      Juliana.

    • bcourey 7:45 pm on October 18, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Allie…I have met my soul mate – I too am a sewer..in fact, I lived in front of my sewing machine making everything from my childrens’ clothes to several wedding dresses! I would love to view your blogs! I have to admit though that my machine is getting rusty from misuse due to the demands of my new job! What a great way to share your passion though, then through blogging – Time to share with other sewing fanatics out there!

    • Deb Kim 9:11 pm on October 18, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Wow, Allie. Is it possible for you to share your sewing blog? I’d like to see it if you don’t mind as I like sewing too. 🙂

      Internet privacy was also one of my biggest concerns when I started blogging for my students. However, for WordPress, there is a privay function that you can use for your blog privacy. You can mark your blog private and only allow people that you permit to see the blog.

      Deb

      • jenaca 12:29 am on October 21, 2011 | Log in to Reply

        I agree!! Is there any way you could share this blog:)? I also really enjoy sewing and would love to check your blog out!!
        For me, I have always been very concerned with what information I post on the web and the privacy aspect that comes along with it. Once something is on the internet it can be used in anyway by anyone! This is a scary thought to me!!
        Jenaca

    • David William Price 6:06 am on October 19, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Great post. You share stuff I find insightful and it’s a shame your anxiety causes you to shield your identity from us. I used to remain pretty strictly anonymous but I changed all that once I started doing research on anxiety management.

      I realized that everyone is anxious and a person’s manner of communication really and truly had nothing to do with me, but was entirely a reflecting of their anxiety coping habits.

      I also realized my communication habits were similarly driven. I’ve been encouraging some of my fellow students lately (in person) who have been feeling overwhelmed in their program. I suggest that they focus on expressing their individual value which is a function of their past experiences and their unique perspectives. The more little risks you take, the more positive experiences you will have, and the higher your confidence will be.

      In person, when I’m not too tired, I can coax and coach the people around me. In the digital realm, it’s a little harder, particularly as there are so many voices around us all the time and we can misinterpret STRIDENCY for UBIQUITY. The more we chat around, the more we discover those strident voices are often in a minority and always reflect poor anxiety copying habits.

      I make mistakes myself, sometimes being a little too aggressive or analytical during discourse, which can switch people off. I’m trying to develop better emotional intelligence in this regard to recognize when this is happening then switch into a quieter and more active listening mode.

      In the last week I tried coaxing a couple of my classmates into accepting that they are personally awesome and to focus on their intrinsic motivations and wealth of experiences vs. chasing after extrinsic affirmations and feeling resentful at times at their lack of sense of control.

    • Tamara Wong 1:57 pm on October 19, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Allie,
      Great post! I am a budding sewer! I took classes when I was young but haven’t had the time/room to sew for a while. I’ve recently hauled out my sewing machine and hope to keep it running! I’d love to follow your blog! I’ve seen many other sewing blogs but as you say it is different when you feel you have a connection with the blogger.
      I also worry about privacy issues when working on the internet but I’ve never used a pseudonym and I was curious about your reasoning behind being so careful.

    • Deb Giesbrecht 6:13 pm on October 21, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Allie,

      I found your post very insightful.You brought up some of the very real concerns that I have as well – anonymity, privacy and the very real reaction of real people. Thanks for sharing how you really felt when your blog posts were ‘dissed’. Now imagine if you were a teenager and had some self-esteem issues and had the same comments. People free much freer and liberal in sharing their ideas and thoughts (and some not so nice thoughts) when they know people do not know who they are. The not so nice side of people sometimes tends to come out. Children tend to be much more vulnerable and sensitvie to negative reactions (aren’t we all) and I lean towards the side of caution as I really feel people do not have the screening mechanism required to be able to determine what is really ‘safe’ out there. As well, I really find that people’s social skills are lacking when the majority of their ‘work’ and life is done online.
      I would tend to agree with you that private spaces are the way to go if you intend to introduce these concepts into the classroom…at least in the beginning. Public domain and public opinion are not always a positive thing.

  • Alice 4:07 pm on October 14, 2011
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    Tags: access, , libraries   

    How apropos – the Westender (a free Vancouver community newspaper) has just published – as their cover story – a piece on the impact of e-books on libraries. They interview a couple of librarians from the Vancouver Public Library, who rightly emphasize that (1) the library has to be wary of the digital divide, which […]

    Continue reading E-books and libraries covered in this week’s Westender Posted in: Uncategorized, Week 06: eBooks
     

    • Everton Walker 5:33 pm on October 14, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Allie,

      Very interesting indeed and a must read when one considers the developing issues surrounding this issue. I also find the beyond books tagline to be appropriate. The ebook concept is really taking reading and access to information to a new level. My biggest concern however is to what extent the older generation will buy into the ebook concept.

  • Alice 9:13 am on October 14, 2011
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    …as MP3’s (digital music files) are to CD and … vinyl? I pose this question because I’m noticing that some of our reflections about e-books v hard copy books mirror some of the dialogue one hears about the relative advantages and disadvantages of digital music files (and other kinds of digital files, like photo files) […]

    Continue reading Are e-books to paper books… Posted in: Uncategorized
     

    • bcourey 9:17 am on October 14, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Let’s go all the way back to horses and “horseless carriages”. Same nostalgia for the good old days..

      • kstooshnov 10:57 am on October 14, 2011 | Log in to Reply

        On that sense of nostalgia for technological innovations, I like to refer to a set of rules coined by Douglas Adams (2003):

        “1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.

        2. Anything that’s invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.

        3. Anything invented after you’re thirty-five is against the natural order of things.” (p. 95)

        “We notice things that don’t work. We don’t notice things that do. We notice computers, we don’t notice pennies. We notice e-book readers, we don’t notice books.” (p. 110)

        Adams, Douglas (2003). The Salmon of Doubt. London: Pan Books.

    • David William Price 10:21 am on October 14, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      I suspect a good deal of this issue has a lot to do with context. If you associate a computer or gadgets with a certain context (work, anxiety, certain kinds of thoughts or feelings) you may find that context uncomfortable when you wish to engage in other activities (reading, relaxing).

      Perhaps people hold on to certain contexts (such as browsing bookstores, picking up paper books, browsing music stores, picking up vinyl) because they have romantic attachments to that context (touch, smell, etc.)

      Consider the difference in context between listening to a perfect rendition of music as an MP3 on your computer vs. standing in a crowded concert hall listening to anxious and fatigued musicians throwing themselves into a set amid the sounds and smells of food, beer, and murmured appreciate of fans.

      How much do we associate “experience” with a context? How important is that association based on our ability to manage our various anxieties? Anxiety can drive us to print something out before we revise it, wander out of our office to work in a kitchen or living room or conference room instead, etc. We may misinterpret our anxiety coping habits as part of the experience of media (going to a bookstore context, wandering the aisles, browsing instead of searching, having a coffee, bumping into someone we know, the sights, smells, textures, etc.)

  • Alice 10:19 am on October 13, 2011
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    Tags: , , self-publishing   

    It struck me last night that one really important topic we haven’t yet addressed – from a venture side – is self-publishing e-books. My understanding is that a number of prominent bloggers have self-published e-books, which they sell through their websites (payment is usually through paypal). Some of these authors, such as Chris Guillebeau who […]

    Continue reading Another facet of e-books: Self-publishing Posted in: Week 06: eBooks
     

    • kstooshnov 9:07 pm on October 13, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Thank you for bringing up this topic, Allie,

      One recent success story for the eBook format in publishing comes from the 2010 Giller Prize winner, The Sentimentalist by Johanna Skibsrud. Of course, it wasn’t intended to be the hottest selling electronic text, as the novel was originally handcrafted by a small town publisher, Gaspereau Press, could only release so many copies. When the novel was selected by the national literary award, big time publishing house Douglas & McIntyre stepped in, and eBook editions were the most convenient way to get this story into the hands of eager readers from sea to shining sea. One wrinkle in this story might be that if the story had been originally released as an eBook, it would not have been noticed by judges and the general population.

      It would also be good to consider how students could get in on the creation of eBooks. Perhaps there will be some students, as they become more familiar with the features of enhanced editions, whose writing takes off in this evolving format. And what better way to get the class involved with a writing project than to have peer reviews, similar to Goodread’s stars and comments, posted on-line. It would be more engaging than stapling together handwritten loose-leaf paper and pinning them to the school’s notice board. Being able to blog well is a more relevant skill than drawing an eye-catching title page, and will become more of a focus in 21st century classrooms.

    • jenaca 5:05 am on October 14, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Hey Allie,
      Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I didn’t really think such a thing was possible, but I think it would be a great way to get learners excited about writing and help motivate them! How neat would that be to create a classroom book online through this process!
      Jenaca

    • Angela Novoa 12:18 pm on October 14, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Hy Allie, as Jenaca I did not think about this issue. But it is relevant. It would be interesting to think about students and self-publishing. I think we would gain wonderful learning experiences.

  • Alice 9:32 am on October 12, 2011
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    I think I represent many potential users of e-books and e-reading devices. I don’t have an e-reader, though the new (cheap!) Kindles definitely have me interested. I’m also a techno-skeptic: I’m wary of fads and tend to hold out on making a technology decision unless I’m really sure it’s a worthwhile investment. I also find […]

    Continue reading my personal biography of e-reading Posted in: Week 06: eBooks
     

  • Alice 10:08 pm on October 9, 2011
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    I chose to play and review Edheads, mainly because I hadn’t yet seen it covered here (and because the military game, with the US Mil keeping the scores, creeped me out a little). I played a game that concerns stem cells. Having a fairly low science literacy, I was happy to learn what a stem […]

    Continue reading EVAing Edheads: what makes a game? Posted in: Week 05: Game-Based Learning
     

    • Julie S 7:26 am on October 10, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Allie,

      Excellent question. How does the market differentiate between interactive storytelling and games and if so how? Would ‘Create a Stem Cell Line’ be better marketed as an e-book, or as you put it, an interactive lesson. Is there room in the market to differentiate interactive lessons and then possibly further as ethical issues related to new technologies?

      I read a chapter in a book recently where the authors question whether or not games can be successful as learning tools and suggests that interactive storytelling would be more successful.

      Weib and Muller (2008) argue that ‘stories provide more explicit knowledge transfer’ (p.321) and further that ‘In general, the question on how to integrate learning successfully with elements of play and games is unsolved’. (p.323). Weib and Muller acknowledge Gee’s 36 principles of game play but argue that he misses the key concepts of fun and drama that games should provide.

      They list principles specific to interactive storytelling as characters and the story world, a hook, user agency, dramatic arcs, and usability. I don’t know how the line could or should be drawn when there are successful commercial games that have significant story telling principles incorporated.

      I’ve included the references to a couple of book chapters below if anyone is interested in learning more about the argument of interactive storytelling vs. games.

      References
      Numento, T., Uotila, F. (2009). Events as Organizational Stories an Event-Based Approach for Learning Media Production, in Multimedia and E-Content Trends. Bruck, P.A. (2009). Pp. 167-178.

      Weib, S., Muller W., (2008). Learning with Interactive Storeis. , in IFIP International Federation for Information Processing, Volume 281; Learning to Live in the Knowledge Society; Michael Kendall and Brian Samways; (Boston: Springer), pp. 321–328.

    • David William Price 8:38 am on October 10, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      I’ve been thinking a lot about games as well. In my Intro to Educational Computing class in the Winter, a team presented about game-based learning. Even after reading the articles presented this week, I still struggle a lot with the breathless claims of authors I feel are ignoring a few millennia of history.

      I’m not all that comfortable with the idea of turning all learning into a game because people enjoy games. Why? We’re making way too many assumptions about what a game is and what life is and what learning is.

      Looking at people from an evolutionary perspective, what were the actions that led to survival of the human race? Hunting, gathering, taking risks, looking for cause-and-effect relationships, balancing the saving and spending of resources, etc. Do we need to turn learning into a game? No. Life already is a game. School is already a game. Learning is already a game. Games don’t create those behaviours… those behaviours are what made humans successful in the first place.

      Consider the the phrase “gaming the system”. Students can “game” the system in schools. They can get great results with small amounts of concerted effort. I rarely did my French homework in high school. Instead, when class began, I’d choose three questions spread out over the assignment and work out the answers. Then I’d put up my hand to answer each of those questions.

      Workers can “game” the system in the workplace. They can advance with small amounts of concerted effort. They can identify who they need to impress and what kind of activity impresses that person.

      Lonely people can “game” the system in relationships. They learn how to identify likely matches and what buttons to push to make people like them.

      “Game theory” is used in economics and negotiations.

      People “game” systems all the time. “Gaming” is about turning the self into an active participant using strategy and tactics. Games are not things, they are mindsets. Instead of making games that teach, we can look at how we can shape mindsets instead– mindsets not only of students but also of teachers and designers.

      Is learning to game school or game the workplace something we want people to do? In some respects, yes. In other respects, no. I would’ve learned a lot more French if I’d done all of my homework. While I adopted a gaming mindset, the particular game I played was not one that benefitted me in an optimal way.

      I think it’s important to focus on assessment and really nail down the behaviours we want to see from people and think of the kinds of mindsets that will shape the behaviours we want to see.

      If we assume that a “game” must look a certain way, and that we have to fit education into that mould, then we are making a lot of unwarranted assumptions about what life is really like and we are focusing on medium (Kozma) instead of methods (Clark).

    • Allie 1:22 pm on October 11, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks for your thoughtful comments on my post, Julie and David.
      David, I too immediately thought of other uses of the idea of games – such as the oldie-but-goodie psychology text “Games People Play.”
      I think you make a great point in remarking that people’s desire to play the system (work or school) really depends on whether they feel attached to the dominant objective.
      And perhaps that’s why games (now I’m reverting back to the standard idea of game) are useful in educational settings; they provide some kind of motivation for students to learn something they might not feel is worthwhile to do (playing hangman to learn spelling, for instance). Using games is a way to game education (to use your way of using game as a verb)

  • Alice 10:01 am on October 4, 2011
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    This weekend, I was helping my best friend move and as we were packing as many boxes onto a flatbed dolly as possible, I thought of Tetris. The three of us – all Tetris players in our youth (though not together… we’re from BC, Alberta and North Carolina) were incredibly adept at find little gaps […]

    Continue reading Developing Spatial Intelligence with Tetris Posted in: Uncategorized
     

    • Angela Novoa 12:09 pm on October 4, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Allie, I agree with you. Even though I do not practice a lot with digital games, now I remember that I loved playing Tetris. As you, I think it is huge for developing spatial intelligence, specially today’s versions that are in 3D.

    • themusicwoman 12:50 pm on October 4, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Allie and Angela,
      Nice that both of you have brought up spatial intelligence. Here’s a thought for you: my 5 year old daughter is quite into the games and my iPhone in particular and, funnily enough, she has some very “boy” like traits when it comes to her play. I know we are not supposed to gender stereotype but it’s interesting to see. And I am not surprised that the North American boys outperformed girls in spatial aptitude tests.
      So, anyone up for a good old fashioned head to head Tetris game? lol

      • Allie 6:43 pm on October 5, 2011 | Log in to Reply

        thanks all for your comments; I’m intrigued by what might be the more practical applications of this spatial aptitude – beyond packing boxes and moving of course! I can imagine that this aptitude/intelligence would be significant for engineering (a field in which women continue to be vastly underrepresented).

    • Juliana 3:22 pm on October 4, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Allie,
      I remember playing tetris too! I also remembering hearing that statistic of boys doing better with spatial games such as this. Interesting that you bring up that games like this could help to bridge the gender differences with spatial skills. Also, whenever I think of tetris and moving, it also reminds me of “The Simpsons” episode that alludes to this too. Here it is if you’re interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po5eiqXG5uw&feature=related

      • jarvise 2:20 pm on October 5, 2011 | Log in to Reply

        I’m always up for a Simpsons reference. 🙂

        • Allie 6:41 pm on October 5, 2011 | Log in to Reply

          me too! that was awesome! I’m reminded of lecturing in my Aboriginal art class about the “crying Indian” PSA in the early 70s, and trying to convince my students of its cultural importance at the time. One student then said, “yeah, The Simpsons made a reference to it!” – which cemented my point for them!

          • jarvise 9:41 am on October 6, 2011 | Log in to Reply

            I know that one from the Simpsons too. The ultimate post-modern experience…

      • Angela Novoa 3:57 pm on October 5, 2011 | Log in to Reply

        me too 🙂 I did remember that episode before watching it again

    • jenaca 7:09 am on October 5, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Hey Allie,
      Great post! I remember playing tetris when I was younger, but never thought I could relate it to relate to it like you have: I was wrong!!! This goes to show that games do have meaning and that in the big picture it is learning!

      • Allie 6:50 pm on October 5, 2011 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks for your comment! I really enjoyed exploring games in 510, and one of my take-home lessons from that course was that there is a *lot* of learning that goes on in gaming that isn’t necessarily content-focused… or even intended. Since then, I’ve really paid attention to what I am learning when I play games. I think that’s because games are experiential and involve our affective domains.

    • Deb Giesbrecht 8:51 am on October 9, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      I loved Tetris too —- glad to hear that it finally came in handy in ‘packing and moving’ of all places. Good to see those many hours were not a waste of time!

  • Alice 2:17 pm on September 28, 2011
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    Sesh Kumar founded Emantras, (now) a digital education company, in 2000. Emantras began as a web development company, primarily using Macromedia Flash, and in 2004, began delivering e-learning solutions. Now with 9 offices worldwide, Emantras develops digital educational content for K-12, higher education, and enterprise. Emantras’ impressive enterprise client list includes Lufthansa, McGraw Hill Education, […]

    Continue reading Sesh Kumar, Founder/CEO of Emantras Posted in: Uncategorized
     

    • Everton Walker 4:42 pm on September 28, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Well based on where technology is taking us it seems like everything is possible. I am also inspired by this venture as my future entrepreneurial ambition is right up this street. I just would like to find out the nature of the content and the regions it spans. With the world becoming closer with every advance in technology, business ventures are no longer developed and marketed for any single region or location. This is a venture I will be following closely.

    • David William Price 4:51 pm on September 29, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Not sure that I’m a fan of replacing authentic messy learning with politically correct and tidy “simulations”. Mobile learning makes a lot of sense to me in respect of just-in-time performance supports but I’m interested in seeing examples of more than just a textbook or website shrunk down for the small screen.

      • Karen Jones 12:26 pm on September 30, 2011 | Log in to Reply

        Hi David,

        I think that simulations are a valuable tool in a number of situations. To start, they are useful to “cut out the noise” of the real experience, i.e. electricity and dissection simulations are a much more effective way to introduce concepts that otherwise are obscured by faulty equipment and excitable students (picture 30 grade 9’s dicing up 10 pig hearts.. 8-0) Secondly, they are suitable replacements in online settings and for students who missed the guided “face to face” experience. I totally agree with you in terms of coodinating the learning experience with the affordances of the medium or tool. I think too many online courses are just chunks of text that are suitable only for those with higher level reading skills.

        KJ

        • kstooshnov 1:27 pm on September 30, 2011 | Log in to Reply

          Hi Karen,

          I agree with David that there is a need for authentic, messy learning, and Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods that my wife is currently reading has lots to say about the Nature Deficit Disorder happening with too many plugged-in children. On the other hand, dissecting a rendered pig’s heart or a frog is not exactly a natural occurance, merely a simulation in place of studying human organs. It is about time for teachers to move on the digital frog and start teaching students about what is inside their own bodies… with the help of learning technologies, of course 🙂

          Kyle

          • mcquaid 2:49 pm on October 1, 2011 | Log in to Reply

            Kyle, that’s an interesting-looking book. I had never heard of that disorder before, although it makes sense to me as someone who spent a lot of their youth in the woods by myself or with friends. I may have to keep an eye out for it!

    • Doug Smith 3:57 am on October 1, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      This is an interesting case, thanks for sharing. I wonder how it is that Kumar, a college dropout, got involved in making educational products. I would guess that his dissatisfaction with his own education may have led him to recognizing a missing piece and a market that could address it.

    • mcquaid 2:48 pm on October 1, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      I would like to see some kind of statistics on the percentage of successful entrepreneurs who are dropouts vs the rest of the population. It seems that for many, as long as you have a good idea and the traits of an entrepreneur, that school isn’t necessary for professional or financial success.
      Just check out some of the examples here:
      http://www.retireat21.com/blog/the-most-successful-college-dropouts-in-history
      (although I wonder how many of them got successful while in college THEN dropped out)

  • Alice 8:53 pm on September 25, 2011
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    As an EVA, I found the Edufire pitch intriguing, but lacking sufficient focus to effectively differentiate it in the marketplace. As a learner, I gained new appreciation for the importance of focus for a pitch’s persuasiveness. The key differentiators of Edufire’s venture – live video learning and online language education (the venture’s current focus) – […]

    Continue reading Edufire: Object lesson in the necessity of focus Posted in: Uncategorized
     

  • Alice 12:27 pm on September 14, 2011
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    Tags: , , predictions, , thin computing,   

    Christopher Dawson and Adam Garry each offer 5 predictions to make up the ZDNet Top 10 EdTech predictions for 2011. Dawson is the ZDNet education blogger and vice-president of marketing for WizIQ, an online learning platform, while Garry is manager of global professional learning for Dell. While Dawson interviewed Garry for his predictions, Dawson remains […]

    Continue reading ZDnet’s uneven 2011 predictions Posted in: Uncategorized, Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
     

    • David William Price 9:25 am on September 15, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Nice work. It seems a common problem that some people are gadget focused. I suppose in the Ed Tech realm this is similar to people who are “solution focused” meaning they don’t do a proper needs analysis to determine what the problems are and what root causes should be addressed.

      I suspect the issue that “solutions-focused” people miss is the prerequisites of the community. Until a community has the required foundations in place (comfort level, supports, awareness of the problems that can be solved, willingness to take the risks required by the solution, etc.), a technology is not going to have much effect. With the proper foundations, a very basic technology can have huge effects. Without the proper foundations, an advanced technology can be a huge waste of resources.

      The disconnect between futurists and users is the failure to develop the necessary community.

      • Everton Walker 2:44 pm on September 15, 2011 | Log in to Reply

        You are so right about persons being gadget focused. It is just frightening sometimes at the way we focus on the end product and ignore the process. Persons of that nature ignore the natural power of the brain and think that a piece of gadget must be involved in every task. There must always be a balance in the learning situation where we go beyond the gadget and even try and get more from it than its prescribed use.

    • Jay 1:06 pm on September 15, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Might this ‘community’ be better developed with more inclusion of learner’s in the needs assessment process? While this likely less possible in child education it is a key principle in adult education. I think in the case of some of the new technologies, the learners are left out of the needs assessment and developing process which can lead to missing root causes of the problems. As David mentions if a community of learners does not feel safe, supported or willing to take required risk, new technology is unlikely to solve the problem that stems from these deeper foundations.

    • Allie 3:23 pm on September 15, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Hi David and Jay,

      Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments on my post! I’m in full agreement with you that the absence of a needs-assessment – or in this case the notion that needs assessment is paramount – is a real issue with the gadget or solutions-focused crowd. Thanks for hitting that one on the head :). I do find that Garry, whose predictions focus on shifts in education, is quite different from Dawson in this regard.

      I wonder if somehow doing needs assessment *for* the gadget crowd could be a venture in and of itself?

      Something that I like in both of your honing in on the idea of the community is that learning communities are diverse (amongst themselves, never mind within a given community), and no single technology will fit all. I suppose that’s why I feel a little uncomfortable with some of the overwhelming tablet enthusiasm.

    • Jay 4:50 pm on September 15, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Good observation. The diversity of learners in a given learning community presents a problem with the one-size fits all approach and requires educators to consider multi-faceted technologies that attempt to encompass different styles of learning…and teaching!

    • Jim 6:06 pm on September 15, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Wow! You said it all when you wrote “I’ll have to do a lot of legwork to see their applicability to educational practice.” Exactly and well put. I think this is the challenge for all teachers who wish to effectively use the avalanche of technology currently being purchased for schools. I wish a larger portion of the budgets would go towards paying for ongoing, long term support and professional development so teachers can wield these tools in precise and purposeful ways in their classrooms.

    • Can a "gadget guy" also be an "education guy"? | ZDNet 8:03 pm on September 18, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      […] read a very interesting critique of one of my articles the other day. A student at the University of British Columbia reviewed my “Top 10 Ed Tech predictions for 2011″ and concluded that the piece, a […]

    • Christopher Dawson 8:09 pm on September 18, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      Just wanted to share my roundabout response to your post:
      http://www.zdnet.com/blog/education/can-a-gadget-guy-also-be-an-education-guy/4692

      Your points are well-taken and I especially like the idea you noted in the comments above about a business model around educational technology needs assessments. I often go back to the good old SDLC (and mention it in the presentation I embedded in my response) – but how many technical project managers make it into education? Not many, meaning there is a large, unmet need for people to handle at least the early parts of the lifecycle around defining problems and requirements.

      Thanks again for your great post. While the blog format (and time constraints) don’t often allow for as much background or on-the-ground perspectives as I’d like, I’ll try to keep your critique in mind and include more “how does this impact student achievement and educational practice?” sorts of information in my posts.

      Best,
      Chris

    • Can a "gadget guy" also be an "education guy"? 8:49 pm on September 18, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      […] read a very interesting critique of one of my articles the other day. A student at the University of British Columbia reviewed my “Top 10 Ed Tech predictions for 2011″ and concluded that the piece, a combination […]

    • Can a “gadget guy” also be an “education guy”? – ZDNet (blog) | News In world 5:55 am on September 19, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      […] read a very interesting critique of one of my articles the other day. A student at the University of British Columbia reviewed my “Top 10 Ed Tech predictions for 2011″ and concluded that the piece, a combination […]

    • Adam Garry 4:08 am on September 20, 2011 | Log in to Reply

      I agree with Chris about the blog format because we talked for a while about my predictions and he showed a deep understanding for how the learning conversation must come first. In regards to a needs assessment, I believe it is critical in the process of determining what problem the technologies can help to solve. We actually engage in visioning days with school districts to help them determine what they want learning to look like and then begin to figure out if technology is a good fit to help them achieve their vision. The best part about this process is that we involve students in the conversation and their voice is very powerful. Thanks for keeping the conversation alive.

      AG

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