Week 4 Assignment 2

I work for a Health Care Company that runs several different hospitals.  I have seen my fair share of technology mishaps since I started working here.  I work in training and development, so often we have to rely on the technology that is in the room we are working in.  Unfortunately, at the hospitals, there is little to no consistency of technology in the rooms that are available for training.  I have personally struggled to get technology working in some of these rooms.  One of the most frustrating things is that we have gone into the room to test our training, and it will work, but when it is show time, we run into snags. 

One of the times that our group ran into trouble was for a technology class that we were training.  Our idea was to hold a live traditional class, face-to-face, while at the same time host a synchronous webinar.  “Students appear to segment different modes of communication for different purposes.”  A. Guess, 2007.  Several of our department members were there and set up the equipment.  We couldn’t get wireless or a hard wire line connection on the laptop or desktop in the room. 

In order for the training to work, we had the desktop computer in the room up with the presentation on it.  On the laptop that we brought, we had WebEx up, but could not get an internet connection on either computer.  When we called IT or information technology, they said they showed in their systems that the internet was on and was working.  “So technology’s utility in the classroom comes down to how it is used.”  A. Guess, 2007.  The problems was that we couldn’t use the technology that was right there in front of us.

We spent about forty-five minutes trying to get these systems to work, but to no avail.  Our poor facilitator was completely frazzled, and got off to a rough start to the class.  While the face-to-face training was a success, the webinar never happened and we had to go back to the office and send an apology email to all of the participants that were trying to view the class via WebEx.  For the training department, these types of issues come up daily.  It is frustrating that there are different systems in different places.  The lack of consistency to reach the internet in our facilities can be one of our biggest issues. 

The idea to hold a WebEx class as the same time that we held a traditional live class was not a good fit for us.  We tried something new, but it didn’t work.  Unfortunately, we had no choice but to use system approved technology, so we had no choice to use different or better technology.  We consistently complain to our IT department about these issues, we are hoping that they will upgrade their systems so that we can multi-task these types of sessions in a true blended learning scenario. 

Reference:

Educause Center for Applied Research. (2007). Students’ ‘evolving’ use of technology. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/09/17/it

I  would not consider myself to have a “millennial learning style”.  While I can multi-task, it is not my favorite thing to do.  I do multi-task quite a bit at work.  I don’t have much of a choice.  I take care of the facilities for our three classrooms.  I am constantly interrupted at the front desk I sit at.  However, I cannot play music, and be in a chat room while doing my homework.  I require solitude and quiet.  “These skills are almost totally foreign to the Immigrants, who themselves learned – and so choose to teach – slowly, step-by-step, one thing at a time, individually, and above all, seriously.”  M. Prensky, 2001. 

I would say that I use technology freely.  I recently transitioned from Microsoft Office 2007 to 2010 at work (of course, now Office 2013 is here already).  Other than a few hiccups, I really had no problems transitioning to the new system.  It is annoying when Microsoft moves things on the ribbon, such as how to set up your out of office.   Although, I know the intent of Microsoft is to make the software easier for quick moving natives and slower moving immigrants, like me.  “Digital natives are used to receiving information really fast.” M. Prensky, 2001.  I do use technology with ease most of the time.  However, I have struggled with Adobe products over the years.  But, I can see that they are starting to make their software more user-friendly to help all of us immigrants.  Just a few years ago, I had such a hard time working with Adobe Photoshop that I basically gave up on it.  Last weekend, I was able to learn some new tricks in Adobe Photoshop, with ease and help from the help screens.  I also think that Adobe has had to step up its game in the user-friendly area due to other companies competing with easy to use software such as Articulate. 

I don’t begrudge any technology.  I love to learn new software and technology.  I guess I am a little bit of a geek that way.  That’s okay, it is something I enjoy.  My love to learn new software and technology is what drove me to major in Instructional Design and Technology.  I was thinking about going with Graphic Design, but I think this major will give me the best of both worlds - graphic design and instructional design.  I will use Adobe Creative Suite 6 as an example.  I have not had a lot of experience with Adobe products, but this new software looks innovative and fun.  I am excited about learning how to use it. 

The most obvious effect that technology has had on the way I learn is the internet.  Without the internet, I am not sure I would have ever gone back to college.  The web has given me back my power and now I can study online and take classes in six weeks, instead of in three months.  I can still remember using a typewriter or word processor to complete my homework in college.  In high school, my homework was mostly hand written.  The computer age has had a profound impact on me this way.  I can type pretty fast and I have always been fairly accurate.  So my computer has helped me type up my homework versus hand writing it.  This is an enormous relief to me, since I only print and do not write in cursive.  So now, I am able to complete assignments faster and more accurately.  This has assisted me and given me a new confidence in my educational experience.  And, this will also help me become a successful instructional designer.  “So if Digital Immigrants education really want to reach Digital Natives – i.e. all their students – they will have to change.”  M. Prensky, 2001.  There is no point in avoiding changes in technology, so I will choose to embrace it. 

References:

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5).

Week 1 Assignment 2

Of all the technologies you use on a daily basis, pick the two you would not want to live without and explain why. Provide examples of how these technologies improve your life. How would your life change without these technologies?

I cannot live without my desktop computer.  This is the computer that I use at work.  I know, I know, most of you are probably going to say that your tablet or your cell phones are your most important piece of technology.  However, my desktop computer is gold to me.  I work in a Learning and Organizational Development department for a major Health Care system in North Carolina.  Since we work in Learning and Organizational Development, we work a lot with graphics, graphics software, learning management software, and etc.  I am lucky to have a fast computer that has double monitors and has a vast array of software that allows me to be highly functional.  My double monitors improve my life because I can multi-task.  I can look at two screens at the same time, which saves me time and allows me to be more organized.  Some of the technology in this computer such as Microsoft Office 2010 also improves my life.  Some of the Office software I use every week is Microsoft:  Word, Excel, Publisher, Outlook, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.  Without this software and my desktop computer, I can’t imagine how I would function.  I am completely dependent on everything I mentioned above.  My life would be drastically different without this technology.  I cannot imagine going back in time and using a word processor or a type writer.  If I lost all of the technology I use daily, my company would have to recruit at least two to three people to do the job I am doing now.

My other necessity is my laptop computer at home.  This computer allows me to complete all of my school work at Walden.  It also enables me to fiddle with my craft blog and my other hobby-photography.  Just this week, I learned how to put a watermark on a photo in Photoshop.  This is something I have wanted to learn for years.  My laptop goes with me when I travel, so it allows me to be mobile.  Last summer, I was in the middle of taking college algebra, and was able to complete the semester on the road from North Carolina to Michigan.  My husband’s family lives in Michigan, so this gave me an opportunity to still go on vacation and study at the same time.  Mobile technology has improved my life to the point that I would not have been able to go on vacation otherwise.  Students in a traditional classroom setting do not have that luxury.  Without my laptop and the mobile technology that goes with it, I would not be enrolled in an online school.  I would have been forced to attend a traditional classroom type of college, and may not have ever finished.  Being forced to go to traditional classroom college would have slowed down my progress in school, due to the fact that I would only be able to take one class every three months, versus, every six weeks as I do at Walden University.

Next, reflect on this week's required Learning Resources and share two insights you gained regarding technology and learning. What did you discover this week that you did not already know? Be sure to cite the Resources in your response.

I think one of the biggest insights I have had this week was correlating the printing press to literacy and teaching masses of people at the same time.  It never occurred to me that the printing of books and newspapers would have such a profound effect on education.  Jennifer Bussell discusses this in her article, “This invention had wide-ranging implications.  More significantly, increased access to printed texts created the opportunity for broad-based literacy.”  J. Bussell, 2006.  The fact that using the printing press to provide consistency so that everything printed was the same was a major feat.  This led to consistency with school texts and education.

Another insight that perhaps I hadn’t given much thought is that of Internet dominated instruction.  Randal Carlson writes of the 1980 and 1990’s, “These two decades saw the refinement of previous theories and models.  The advent and rapid development of the microcomputer and later the Internet dominated instruction.  Perspective began to shift from teacher as expert to teacher as facilitator.”  R. Carlson, 2006.  With the rapid change in technology since this time, internet dominated instruction has come to the fore-front.  At the turn of the century, seeking out classes online started to become a reality, and now, there are many options for college students that want the convenience of going to school online versus the traditional classroom.  Also, to refer to teachers as facilitators for the first time, is an important milestone in the development of learning and technology. 

References:

Bussell, J. (2006). Technology. In M. Bevir (Ed.), Encyclopedia of governance, 953–956. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Carlson, R. D. (2006). Instructional technology. Encyclopedia of educational leadership and administration. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.