RED QUEENS AND INCREASING RETURNS

When you decided to obtain a DVD for your science fiction assignment in Module 4, where did you go find a movie based on a Philip K. Dick book?  Dis you rent or purchase a DVD, or did you view it digitally on your computer using Netflix or a similar vendor of video-on-demand?

For the above-mentioned assignment, I chose to use Prime Instant Video that is included with my Amazon Prime membership.  It is very difficult for me to find a block of time to watch movies or television programs in their entirety.  I usually have to watch movies in sections.  Having access to Prime Instant Video and Netflix accommodates my schedule (i.e. running a child care from my home, being a foster parent to four young boys and men, providing respite services, volunteering as a big sister for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Massachusetts, etc…).  I also do not have to make an extra trip somewhere to rent a video.

Is the current competition between DVDs and video-on-demand an example of increasing returns or Red Queens? 

Thornburg (2008c) stated “It seems we all go through Rip van Winkle experiences every day, especially when it comes to technology.  For example, when I was in graduate school in the 1960’s, “my” computer was a huge mainframe system located several blocks from my office.  Now a mere 40 years later, this same power (and probably more) is inside my iPhone.”  This statement brought me back to when I was in high school and thought the new word processors with removable floppy disks were the greatest invention for homework.  Now a mere 30 years later, it is unbelievable the technology I know have in my household.

Thornburg (2008), states “The name “Red Queen” is attached to certain phenomena when a competition between two forces results in the rapid development of them both.”  “Red Queens exist in emerging technology.”  The example Thornburg (2008) gave is the early competition between Netscape and Microsoft for the web browser market.  Each company was vying for the greater share of the market.  The company’s knew that users would be attracted to the software with the best features.  “This resulted in a rapid series of new product releases as Netscape and Microsoft fought to stay ahead of each other in terms of features.” 

Arthur (1996), states “Increasing returns are the tendency for that which is ahead to get further ahead, for that which loses advantage to lose further advantage.  They are mechanisms of positive feedback that operate – within markets, businesses, and industries – to rein-force that which gains success or aggravate that which suffers loss.  Increasing returns generate not equilibrium but instability.” 

This being said, I believe the current competition between DVDs and video-on-demand is more of an example of Red Queens.  There is a competition between DVDs and video-on-demand but both are still trying for their share of the market.  Neither one is bringing the other to extinction at this point.

Where do you think DVDs and video-on-demand are on the four criteria of McLuhan’s tetrad?

DVDs can be in the “retrieval” part of the tetrad.  I say this because DVDs could be thought of rekindling the VHS tapes.  However, depending on how you look at the tetrad, DVDs could also be in the “obsolescence” part of the tetrad as they may be on their way to being obsolete at some point in the future.  Video-on-demand could easily be placed in the “enhancement” part of the tetrad as this method of viewing videos enhances how individuals can view movies, television shoes, etc…

References

Arthur, W. B. (1996). Increasing returns and the new world of business. Harvard Business

          Review, 74(4), 100−109. Retrieved from the Business Source Complete database.

Thornburg, D. (2008c). Red Queens, butterflies, and strange attractors: Imperfect lenses into

          emergent technologies. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space.

 

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THE DISRUPTIVE POWER OF SECOND LIFE

I have run a state licensed home child care for the last 25 years out of my home.  I became interested in Second Life and Virtual Worlds because of my love of technology but also because I cannot bring the children on fieldtrips.  I also like to add more realistic elements to my curriculum whenever possible.  This being said, as an educator, if anything were possible, where would you like to take the children in your care?  Would you want to take them to tour China and learn about its people and their culture?  Maybe go back in time and visit dinosaurs.  Or how about going on an underwater adventure exploring sea life?  Would you like to visit a factory and see how different products are made?  Of course, these field trips are not possible – or are they?  If you plan and create a virtual field trip it can be done (Kirchen, 2011).

A virtual field trip or VFT is a technology-based experience that allows children to take an educational journey without leaving the classroom or their home environments (Kirchen, 2011).  These multimedia presentations bring the sights, sounds, and descriptions of distance places to learners (Kirchen, 2011).  Incorporating Second Life would allow the students to actually interact with others in these environments in order to actively participate.

Nuthall (2008), quotes Mitch Kapor (who founded Lotus 1-2-3) in respect to Second Life as “Second Life is a disruptive technology on the level of the personal computer or the internet.”  Second Life is a disruptive technology.  I say this because Second Life replaces the traditional physical teaching environment.  It also adds another dimension to the curriculum.

I really cannot pinpoint or guess how many years Second Life has left before another emerging technology or disruptive technology replaces it.  However, I do agree with Rosedale (2008), when he stated “Wherever this is all going, whether it’s Second Life or its descendants, or something broader that happens all around the world at a lot of different points – this is what we’re going to see the Internet used for, and total traffic and total unique users is going to invert, so that the Web and its bibliographic set of text and graphical information is going to become a tool or a part of that consumption pattern, but the pattern itself is going to happen mostly in this type of an environment.”

In reference to the social benefits of Second Life and what the social implications of virtual worlds in education may be, Rosedale (2008), stated “Lifelike environments are really important in some magical way to us.  But the second thing – and I think this one is less obvious – is that the experience of creating, consuming, exploring that information is in the virtual world implicitly and inherently social.  You are always there with other people.  And we as humans are social creatures and must, or are aided by, or enjoy more, the consumption of information in the presence of others.  It’s essential to us.  You can’t escape it.” 

According to Wang and Lockee (2010), one of the current innovations is three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds.  The medium of virtual worlds for online distance education is currently a topic discussed extensively in the distance education field.  Dass et al., (2011) notes when looking at virtual worlds from an educational perspective “virtual worlds can provide classroom space, house resource materials, or support self-contained stand-alone course conduced entirely within the virtual world."

References

Dass, S., Dabbagh, N., & Clark, K. (2011). Using virtual worlds: What the research 

          says. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 12(2), 95-111.

Kirchen, D. J. (2011). Making and taking virtual field trips in pre-k and the primary

          grades. YC: Young Children, 66(6), 22-26.

Nuthall, K. (2008). US: A disruptive technology arrives - University World News.

          Retrieved from http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=

          20080117162121373

Rosedale, P. (2008). Philip Rosedale on Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from

          http://www.ted.com/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.

Wang, F., & Lockee, B. B. (2010). Virtual worlds in distance education: A content

          analysis study. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 11(3), 183-186.

 

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RHYMES OF HISTORY TECHNOLOGY

“History doesn't repeat itself - at best it sometimes rhymes”

                                                          ~ Mark Twain (Thinkexist.com, n.d.)

Someone once said, “The future will be like the past, only with cooler toys.”  This quote is useful in understanding the force of rhymes of history.  Thornburg (2009) stated, “New technology is a fresh emergence of the impact left many years before from another technology” (Laureate, 2009).  One of the examples that Thornburg (2009) used was laptop technology.  Thornburg (2009) stated, “Laptop technology rekindles runners from ancient times who carried messaged from village to village.  It’s not the technology, but the effect of the technology that is rekindled” (Laureate, 2009).

For this assignment I chose to focus on long distance communication and specifically Skype for the technology that rekindled how we communicate in this day and age.  According to historyworld.net (n.d.) “There are forms of long-distance communication not based on words. The smoke signals used by American Indians are of this kind. So are bonfires lit in succession on a line of hilltops.   Some non-verbal systems are more sophisticated. The whistled language of Gomera, in the Canary Islands, is used to communicate across deep valleys.

One example of long distance communication for our era is Skype.  What is Skype?  According to Skype.com (n.d.), “Skype is for doing things together, whenever you’re apart. Skype’s text, voice and video make it simple to share experiences with the people that matter to you, wherever they are. With Skype, you can share a story, celebrate a birthday, learn a language, hold a meeting, work with colleagues – just about anything you need to do together every day. You can use Skype on whatever works best for you - on your phone or computer or a TV with Skype on it. It is free to start using Skype - to speak, see and instant message other people on Skype for example. You can even try out group video, with the latest version of Skype.  Skype is just one example of how we can now keep the lines of communication open regardless of distance.

References

About Skype - What is Skype. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.skype.com/en/about/

History of communication. (n.d.). Retrieved from

          http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=aa93

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Emerging and future technology: Rhymes of history.

          Baltimore, MD: Author.

Mark Twain quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://thinkexist.com/quotation/history_doesn-

          t_repeat_itself-at_best_it/163316.html

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EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES TETRAD

 

Marshall McLuhan was constantly challenged to provide a scientific basis for his media observations. “McLuhan concluded that four things happen to all media and human artifacts; this phenomenon was inevitable, and they apply universally. Additionally, while some results may take years to make themselves apparent, McLuhan insisted that these things all happened simultaneously” (Horton.ednet, n.d.).

The four laws of media include (Thornburg, 2008b):

-           Extension/Enhancement:  Every technology extends or amplifies some organ or faculty of the user.  It does something new.

-           Closure/Obsolescence:  Because there is equilibrium in sensibility, when one area of experience is heightened or intensified, another is diminished or numbed.  The “new” drives an older technology into obsolescence.

-           Retrieval:  The content of any medium is an older medium.  A new technology rekindles something from the past – sometimes the very distant past.

-           Reversal:  Every form, pushed to the limit of its potential, reverses its characteristics.  Every technology sets the stage for its own replacement.

One technology that has gone through a series of progressions is the storage of data from our personal and business computers.  I remember when I was in high school and we were using a huge work processor.  This word processor used 8” floppy disks.  I remember how tough it was to transport these floppy disks back and forth to school and not bend them or damage them. Also, these floppy disks did not hold much data. If I remember correctly each assignment needed its own floppy disk.

In 1994 I bought my first Apple Mac computer.  The storage media for this computer was 3 ½” floppy disks.  These were much sturdier but still did not hold much data.  As I upgraded my computers, I also upgraded how I stored data and backed up my computer.  I slowly progressed from floppy disks to CDs/DVDs to USB flash drives.  Now the emerging technology (at least in my world right now) is personal cloud storage. 

For the purposes of this assignment I will use the progression of 8” floppy disks to personal cloud storage.  According to Seagate.com (2014), our email and photos are in the cloud.  If we use webmail and store our pictures on Facebook, Flickr, or Instagram, we are using the cloud.  Companies that connect employees’ computer workstations to a central server for efficient sharing of documents are using another form of the cloud.  The purpose of cloud computing is to make data accessible to multiple people, usually wirelessly and, at times, across large distances. 

One idea is the use of a private or personal cloud. Gartner Research (2014) states, “the personal cloud will replace the personal computer by 2014. The more people use mobile devices like smartphones and tablet computers, the more people will look for on-the-go access to all their personal content. Data won’t be tied up in your laptop; it will be in a cloud all your own” (Seagate, 2014).
 

McLuhan’s Tetrad Example:  Personal Cloud Storage

ENHANCHMENT   Personal Cloud Storage allows for secure access of data, etc.  Access of this data, etc. is easier to access through mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers.	OBSOLESCENSE   Floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, hard drives and flash drives.
RETRIEVAL   Return to when all data was stored on the computer’s hard drive (everything needed was in one place).	REVERSAL   Possibly a satellite-based personal cloud storage system.  This may be necessary so there are no restrictions on how much space the personal cloud storage allows.

 

Progression to Personal Cloud Storage

Floppy Disk Storage

ENHANCHMENT   Allows for data storage away from the hard drive.	OBSOLESCENSE   Makes the need for a large capacity hard drive obsolete.
RETRIEVAL   Brings back the convenience for accessing a data file in one location (i.e. a file cabinet of sorts).	REVERSAL   Higher capacity storage media

 

Progressing To:

CD/DVD Storage

ENHANCHMENT   Allows for more storage room per CD versus the floppy disk.	OBSOLESCENSE   Further makes the need for a large capacity hard drive obsolete.
RETRIEVAL   Brings back the convenience for accessing a data file in one location (i.e. a file cabinet of sorts).	REVERSAL   Higher capacity storage media.

 

Progressing To:

USB Flash Drive

ENHANCHMENT   Allows for a variety of storage sizes for data.  USB flash drives also offer a more convenient size for transporting data from computer to computer.	OBSOLESCENSE   Floppy disks, CD drives and large capacity hard drives are not necessary.
RETRIEVAL   Brings back the convenience for accessing a data file in one location (i.e. a file cabinet of sorts).	REVERSAL   Higher capacity storage media.

References

McLuhan's Laws of Media. (n.d.). Retrieved from

            http://www.horton.ednet.ns.ca/staff/scottbennett/media/

Thornburg, D. D. (2008b). Emerging technologies and McLuhan's Laws of Media. Lake

            Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

What is a personal cloud? (2014). Retrieved from http://www.seagate.com/do-more/what-is-personal-cloud-master-dm/

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IDENTIFY AN EMERGED TECHNOLOGY

http://www.apple.com/ipad-air/

As Yogi Berra once observed, "It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future."

Even so, there are some clear trends in American society today that are likely to have

long-term consequences. Since one of the major roles of education is to prepare students

for life in the next century, an awareness of these trends by educators and policy

makers is essential if our educational system is to achieve its objectives.

                                                            ~  Thornburg (1997)

The current technology chosen for this assignment that has emerged over the last few years in the early childhood field (in my area of Massachusetts) is Apple’s iPad.  As a licensed home childcare owner/provider I have noticed the increased use of iPads by other licensed home childcare owners/providers in my area as well as some of the secondary schools. 

Blackwell, et al., (2013) stated, “The increased access to, but continued under-use of, technology in education makes it imperative to understand the barriers teachers face when integrating technology into their classrooms.  While prior research suggests teachers encounter both first-order extrinsic barriers and second-order personal barriers, much of this research has focused on K-12 teachers, not early childhood educators.”  With the emerging of anything new there will undoubtedly challenges.  When working with the technology in an educational setting with young children there will definitely be some challenges.

In the case of incorporating the iPad into early childhood curriculum, specific challenges are, but not limited to: 

-           Children are, at times, more technologically savvy than adults and may figure out how to bypass the filtering software that would need to be put in place.  In this day and age it is easy to surf the web and search for this information. 

-           There are times when the limited version of the apps do not give a full demonstration of the full potential of the full app could do. 

-           The price of educational apps can be expensive (i.e. apps for differing abilities).    

-           Storage capacity can cost almost $1,000 depending on the amount of space required for the curriculum. 

-           There is no external storage options available on the iPad - what you buy is what you have.  There is no method available to increase the memory.

-           There is only one log in account so all of the information cannot be kept confidential between students (Biersdorfer, 2010). 

One of the largest societal needs an iPad meets (in my daughter’s work with children of differing abilities) is that of a light-weight compact communication device.  The iPad opens the doors of communication for individuals who need assistance.  It is also less bulky to be transported and therefore more convenient for individuals of all ages to transport (blogs.kqed.org, 2014).

            Some ideas on what would make an iPad even better are, but not limited to:

-           Adding parental controls/school controls so the children cannot access inappropriate material. 

-           It would also be helpful if there were more workshops to demonstrate the use of the iPad for individuals in the early childhood field.  These workshops should include examples of how to incorporate an iPad into the curriculum.

-           More regulation of limited version of apps so the consumer will know what they are paying for with the full-version purchase.

-           Offer bundles of apps for an inexpensive price per app.

-           Incorporate an external storage outlet on the iPad.

-           Create a way for multiple users to keep their information safe and secure.

References

2020 visions (WP). (1997). Retrieved from   

          http://tcpd.org/Thornburg/Handouts/2020visions.html

Biersdorfer, J. D. (2010). IPad. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media.  Retrieved from

          http://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1595/en_US/ipad_user_guide.pdf

Blackwell, C. K., Lauricella, A. R., & Wartella, E. (2014). Factors influencing digital technology

          use in early childhood education. Computers & Education, 77, 82-90.

The Invisible iPad: It’s Not About the Device. (n.d.). Retrieved from

          http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/05/the-invisible-ipad-its-not-about-the-device/

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LEARNING IN A DIGITAL WORLD

In an educational world full of regimentation, memorization, worksheets, closed ended projects and a variety of standardized testing, when did we lose focus in regards to the importance of play in a child’s development?  Over the years working with children I have come to the realization that defining play is not an easy task.  I see play as a behavior, a process, and as an approach to a task (Sheridan, 2011).  I also see play as the most productive and enjoyable activity in which children undertake.  Play is considered universal since it is apparent in every part of the world and has been for thousands of years (Berger, 2009).  Child-initiated play lays the foundations of learning.  Through play, children learn to interact with others, to recognize and solve problems, and to feel the sense of mastery that results.  Basically, play helps children make sense of and find their own place in the physical and social world (Alliance for Childhood, 2005).

When I first began to study the different theories of childhood (i.e. Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget, and Vygotsky) my curiosity was piqued and I continued to research further into the theories which interested me.  The theories by Piaget and Vygotsky concerning play were among my favorites to research.  In my field of early child care – specifically in the licensed home child cares – I see game-based learning becoming more of a focus.  Piaget believed that play was important as it is a positive avenue for learning (Mooney, 2000).  He believed that children make sense of the objects and activities that surround them when they engage in symbolic play.  He believed that children begin to understand how different objects work and what these objects are meant to do as they experiment (play) through trial and error (Mooney, 2000).  Their time spent experimenting (playing) uses repetition and this information then helps to increase their understanding of the world around them (Mooney, 2000).  Vygotsky believed children learn extensively while playing.  He also believed that language and developmental skills build on each other.  While children are engaged in play they use a constant stream of language, determine conditions while engaged in make-believe, discuss roles, objects, and directions (Mooney, 2000).  They also learn from each other about other situations and ideas which they are unfamiliar with or have not yet engaged in.  Vygotsky believed that this type of interaction contributed to the children’s building of knowledge and to their learning (Mooney, 2000).

References

Alliance for Childhood, C. D. (2005). Time for play, every day: It's Fun – and fundamental.        

          Alliance for Childhood.

Berger, K. S. (2009). In The developing person through childhood. New York: Worth.

Mooney, C. G. (2000). Theories of childhood: An introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson,   

          Piaget and Vygotsky (pp. 62-63,83). St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

Sheridan, M. D., Howard, J., & Alderson, D. (2011). Play in early childhood: from birth to six     

          years. London: Routledge.

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES

“The ARCS model is a problem solving approach to designing 

the motivational aspects of learning environments

to stimulate and sustain students’ motivation to learn.”

                                                               ~  Keller (1983, 1984, 1987)

Keller’s ARCS Model of Motivational Design has four steps for promoting and sustaining motivation in the learning process.  These steps are:  attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (learning-theories, n.d.).  Each of these steps is part of a sequential process.  The first step is to gain the attention of the learners and to engage them (Driscoll, 2005).  The second step is to demonstrate the benefits of the technology to each individual.  In other words, show the individuals why they should learn this new technology.  The third step is to build confidence.  In other words work with the individuals to be more confident in their ability to learn the new technology.  The fourth step, according to Driscoll (Driscoll, 2005), is the payoff.  The payoff will be when each individual feels a sense of satisfaction that will allow for a continuing desire to learn.

When I read this assignment, the first situation involving technology that I thought of was when the state was implementing the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) grant program (QRIS, n.d.).  The entire application for this grant was online.  There were multiple child care providers who either did not know how to use a computer and therefore refused to apply; English was their second language; or their technological skills were not enough to allow them to work through the application process.  To add to this, since this was a competitive grant, other providers were not allowed to assist others.  The meetings that were held by the state of Massachusetts in order to assist with questions were awful to attend.  Individuals were so frustrated with the system and the whole process that these meetings were unproductive.  To this day I feel sorry for the administrators of the grant during this time.  They really had no idea how to help or to motivate the child care owners and providers into working with them in order to successfully apply for this grant.

In this scenario it would be important to gain the owner/providers’ attention.  This could be done by effective communication (i.e., contacting the owners/providers and explaining what the QRIS program is about).  Once the owners/providers’ attention has been gained, it would be important to demonstrate the technology is a concise manner that everyone could understand (i.e. even those who are not familiar with the use of computers).  The hardest part in this scenario would be finding ways for those struggling to gain confidence.  This confidence could be gained by the use of mentors who volunteer to assist those in need of extra assistance.  Last, would be the satisfaction of seeing the grant paperwork all digitally submitted.  Once this is done (and it is a long process) the individuals would be rewarded for their hard work and perseverance by receiving the grant to improve a variety of areas in their child care businesses.

References

Arcsmode.ipower.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.arcsmodel.com/#!arcs-

          model/c1wm1

ARCS Model of Motivational Design (Keller) | Learning Theories. (n.d.). Retrieved from  

          http://www.learning-theories.com/kellers-arcs-model-of-motivational-design.html

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA:

          Pearson Education.

Keller, J. M. (1983). Motivational design of instruction. In C. M. Reigeluth

          (Ed.),Instructional-design theories and models: An overview of their current status.

          Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Keller, J. M. (1984). The use of the ARCS model of motivation in teacher training. In K.

          Shaw & A. J. Trott (Eds.), Aspects of Educational Technology Volume XVII: staff

          Development and Career Updating. London: Kogan Page.

Keller, J. M. (1987). Development and use of the ARCS model of motivational

          design.Journal of Instructional Development, 10(3), 2 – 10.

Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). (n.d.). Retrieved from

          http://www.mass.gov/edu/birth-grade-12/early-education-and-care/provider-and-

          program-administration/quality-rating-and-improvement-system-qris.html

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