Interactivities

Please participate in the following during the week of Oct 13-20th.

→ Participate in at least one of the Discussions in Activity 1. that speaks to you the most in our Vista Symposium. Feel free to respond to more of the questions if you so desire.

→ We encourage you to complete TWO out of the three remaining activities (Activities 2 through 4).  

 

Activity 1 – Discussion Questions

We invite you to contribute to our discussions which are posted inside our Vista Symposium. Pick one topic or several that you feel most drawn to. While each topic contains several starter questions to encourage reflection, please talk only to the points that speak to you the most, or introduce your own thoughts. We also encourage the class to participate in deep & rich discussions on a few key topics instead of starting multiple independent threads.

  1. Think of your own educational background as a student, and as an educator. Was there any particular technology, hardware or software, that really stands out in your memory? Why? Was it for its educational value, or just something fun and new?
  2. Do you think Marshall McLuhan’s argument that “the medium is the message” holds true today? How does it relate specifically to educational technology? Is content only secondary to the medium?
  3. The video in Activity 2, Old School New School presents two somewhat extreme views on technology use in the classroom. Where do you fit into the spectrum? Is Old School always bad, New School always good? Why fix what isn’t broken versus technology is the only way to reach today’s students? How do we know which path is really the right educational track?
  4. What do you feel has been the most significant technological shift that has affected education. Why?

 

Activity 2

Technology is used in classrooms more than ever these days – depending on the instructor. Some educators feel that students are so use to to technology that it is essential to revolve education around it. Others believe that technology interferes with student learning and is merely a distraction in today’s classroom. Are you the type of teacher who is holding onto the past because why fix what isn’t broken, or are you the type of teacher who is on the forefront of technology and change because you feel this is the only way to keep students interested? Maybe some use technology too much in school. Maybe some don’t use it enough…

  1. Please watch the video Old School, New School here.
  2. Please complete the quiz Old School or New School and determine your educational perspective on digital media and technology. Follow this link  and click on the heading Quiz – Are You Old School or New School?

 

Activity 3

Does education drive technology? Is the future of technology in our own hands?

The following video addresses the questions above as well as the following statement outlined in module 6: How, why and to what degree media and technology have been incorporated into, or changed by, education over time?

Technology has absolutely ingrained itself into education. Unfortunately for many, technologies are often inaccessible to schools due to funding issues. Thankfully, advances in educational technology occur constantly and researchers are trying to find ways to make these technologies more available to educators and students. Isn’t it always the limitations of the past that lead to new innovations of the future? As Johnny Lee espouses in his Ted Talk, technology is often full of “simple opportunities that can drastically change” the future. We just need to harness these occasions.

  1. Watch the Ted Talk video below.
  2. Please complete the following poll based on the above video.

If you would like more information on Johnny Lee’s innovations, here is his website.

 

Activity 4

There are many important events in the history of educational technology, and it is impossible to incorporate all of them. Therefore, we invite you to contribute or edit events on our historical timeline on educational technology.

To view the timeline without contributing, please visit this link: http://www.capzles.com/#/9a8f4b4a-1b6f-4111-a299-d2c7afa1081d/ Feel free to leave comments on any part of the timeline – you will see a comments button you can click on at the top of the timeline.

Instructions for adding events:

  • Go to: http://www.capzles.com/#/Login/
  • Enter screen name: etec511historyofedtech
  • Password: module6
  • Click on ‘My Stuff’ then select ‘My Capzles’
  • Click on ‘The History of Educational Technology’ timeline
  • On the navigation bar on the left, click on ‘Add Content’
  • If you just want to add text, click on ‘Blog directly onto my timeline’
  • If you would like to add a combination of text, videos, and/or images for the same entry, click on ‘Upload into a stack onto my timeline’