Final EDCMOOC Blog

Are we prepared for the new technology? 

Most of us come from a background of no or few computers in our past. Classroom were set up with the teacher at the front lecturing and giving homework. This module is still in play at this time. Unless we see a dramatic change in our approach to education we will be left behind. Embracing technology, all technology to educate the new student is a challenge while we become comfortable in the technology.

I believe online learning is the first step in becoming comfortable. Not only must we determine how we can utilize technology, but how can we present the material in new and interesting ways. 

The future teacher will be one part programmer, instructional designer, and scholar to meet the needs of the new student. He will be totally connected to social media throughout the day. I also, think that school rooms will disappear and online education will exist for all. When Tim Cook, CEO of Apple said he had money to spare, I thought, "Why doesn't he open a school for programming?" 

Online for-profits have developed a learning module to teach the student. It could be a more perfect module, IF, it is connected to a business. What if Apple, IBM, or other big businesses delve into the education market, some of them are doing that as we speak. 

We will learn in the future using all the technologies. Children are hungry for it. Technology describes the future in ways we have yet to imagine. Perhaps in the distant future technology will be intergraded into us.

Great Teachers, Bill Gates:

The lack of feelings toward another human being is usually the premise of the Utopian society in most sic-fi films. The movie 1984, and Equilibrium depicted such a society where feelings, and creativity were forbidden. We see in these films a fear of what humans can become in these films. The question is, what makes us human?

To have empathy means you are able to feel what someone else is feeling. This is what makes us human. However, psychopaths lack the ability to feel for another human being. Could it be a defect in their brain chemistry? Injury or behavioral problem, or other reason they cannot feel anything. Are these people human if they lack a basic human trait? Or do they lack a soul. Dr. Duncan MacDougall did an experiment in the early 19 hundreds on measuring the soul after death. His findings were startling. It weigh about 21 grams. More study on this could be updated using our standards and equipment. Read this link for more information.

http://www.lostmag.com/issue1/soulsweight.php

Human beings can be defined in their DNA. They are human because the posses the DNA. What if someone is born with a defective gene. Are they less of a human? If a child is born with Downs syndrome have a part or a copy of chromosome 21. Too many chromosomes and we have defects in our DNA. These problems can lead to life threatening, severe motor skills impairment, and cognitive defects. If we were able to repair the defective genes in a complex entity as human, all life on this planet will benefit.

Week 4 Rough Draft

Are we prepared for the new technology?
We will learn in the future using all the technologies. Children are hungry for it. Technology describes the future in ways we have yet to imagine. Perhaps in the distant future technology will be intergraded into us.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZokqjjIy77Y&sns=em

We must strive to become better teachers and embrace the technology.



Great Teachers, Bill Gates: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnfzZEREfQs&sns=em

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCSdIRNZmHw&sns=em



The lack of feelings toward another human being is usually the premise of the Utopian society in most sic-fi films. The movie 1984, and Equilibrium depicted such a society where feelings, and creativity were forbidden. We see in these films a fear of what humans can become in these films. The question is, what makes us human?

Equilibrium: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVDiaYQXBVs&sns=em
Minority Report: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2bmImPNKbM&sns=em


To have empathy means you are able to feel what someone else is feeling. This is what makes us human. However, psychopaths lack the ability to feel for another human being. Could it be a defect in their brain chemistry? Injury or behavioral problem, or other reason they cannot feel anything. Are these people human if they lack a basic human trait?



Silence of the Lambs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQKs169Sl0I&sns=em



Human beings can be defined in their DNA. They are human because the posses the DNA. What if someone is born with a defective gene. Are they less of a human? If a child is born with Downs syndrome have a part or a copy of chromosome 21. Too many chromosomes and we have defects in our DNA. These problems can lead to life threatening, severe motor skills impairment, and cognitive defects. If we were able to repair the defective genes in a complex entity as human, all life on this planet will benefit.

Hu Man

I do not know how to define it. I can not decide if it will be science that defines us as humans,  or the church. Science can define what is human material from animal in DNA. The church defines us as human from animals because we have a soul. Which one has more proof? Is it our intelligence that gives us a soul? Or something else? I am more inclined to believe that science has the upper hand on what is a human, however, they can not explain the soul. 

Week 3 - Technology Bad

How does this opposition continue to be played out in popular discussions about technology-mediated education?

I continue to see a direct link from technology to all the problems that come with it- that technology is bad and the warnings are to give a sense of foreboding. Can technology be good and useful to humans? Why must we look on the negative side to anti- technology? Is it in our DNA to create the negativity of technology? We learn from these questions that technology needs to be always guarded because it can go out of hand. Once we know and accept this premise technology will not be bound my the chains of negative elements.

Week 2 Film 1 & 2

Film 1 & 2 

Utopia- a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions if you are

anti-utopia this would be a dystopian society. I SEE THIS IS THE VERY NEAR FUTURE. 

Twenty years ago, I saw digital plastic pages that one would surf the Internet. I have also seen augmented reality, meaning something you can see layered over reality like Blade Runner. We have digital bill boards now, and it is only a matter of time when the screen will be limitless and in the air- virtual screen. 

What impact will this have on education? As you can see from the video both have integrated themselves into everyday life, the melding of glass and computer. Many of these technologies have been in the works for years and are now being used, for example, the iPad or Surface. 

I think society will be as comfortable in using these tools as they are now. The children will catch on quickly and enhance their education through the technology. As you can tell from the video, teachers will use this technology in a traditional classroom the "sage at the front" as well as the online educational systems. Learning on your own will embrace all grades and lead to further depth of study. 

Panopticon

The Panopticon is here

Online education has had its structure developed from Socrates discussions and adopted it for the Internet. Never before has an educational system been so democratic in its design as online education. One could say the the online educational system is circular like the panopticon. They can connect to the students home or wherever they have a Internet connection and observe that the student has logged into the system. Also, the instructors are observed by the servers through how much time they spend in a class. To have a certificate in some of the Coursera courses one must have a webcam and again be observed by the system after a photo ID is sent. We have given up our freedom a little at a time for convenience sake. Will it come to the level depicted in the movie, Panopticon? 

Week 2 Film 3 & 4

 In contrast to the first two films, both these films depict a  dystopian existence for their people. One uses games, the other a tracking device. Both the films show us an understanding of "us" as the technology interacting with our environment.

Today a chip in a cell phone can track a person from cell tower to cell tower. These chips are commonly used in forensics for crime evidence. Even though the chip is here now, our society has misgivings about the chip and our freedoms. Will the implanted chip ever make its way into our society as it exists today? I doubt that, however, who knows what the future will bring, what leaders we will elect, what freedoms will are willing to give up?

Social Media Week 2

Annalee Newitz lecture on social media and its invasive nature to control our brains was refreshing. Many of the books and movies she described I have read. However, do I believe that people we be willing to have their brains used as a collective consciousness? No. Why? The reason is obvious. All these dystopian and utopian movies and books demonstrate our in born fears. These fears are so strong that our nation I doubt will ever agree to such a power that controls our lives, and minds. We complain about the power our government has upon us now. I do not see it happening, perhaps I will be wrong, who knows.

Dystopia vs Utopia

An example of a dystopia film is Equilibrium, starring Christian Bale. In it he plays an enforcer priest who must stop and free- thinking or creativity which is forbidden. The creativity is squelched through drugs. Weird. No creativity but mind altering drugs are ok. Too illogical for me.

The other film is one of my favorites, Minority Report, with Tom Cruise, as another enforcer. This Utopian society is created from stopping crime before it begins through a sort of technology, which is stretching the process I know. People with the ability to see the future are tied into the machine and must spend the rest of their lives there. All hell breaks loose when Tom Cruise becomes part of the potential criminal.

What is left out of the Internet? Democracy?

The only things I see being left out of the Internet is speed of universal delivery and Internet for everyone. That speed will push all content to us immediately. No more delays, or waiting for pages to load, which may depend on your CPU, that also needs more speed. Once we conquer speed augmented reality will be all around us. Also, the portability has been conquered, but I see it as a wrist device that has a virtual screen pop-up.

I would like to see everyone on this planet have access to the Internet.... Maybe it is a dream.

More about the films

The fourth film, New Media states, that man accepts technology. No interference is represented. He (man) is a watcher, uninvolved with the tech elements surrounding him. This is in opposition to Bendito Machine III were tech is handled in a matter-of-fact manner. It is part of everyday life, which contrasts New Media where tech is intergraded in the background of the person’s life.

The similarities as both films depict connections to technology by acceptance. The Bendito Machine III, has acceptance but it is hand’s on. New Media has acceptance but it is in the background, it is part of the character life as well as Bendito Machine III.



Film 3: Thursday

Animals and technology do not mix. The message is clear and simple. When we design technology we do so with the human interface in mind.

Problems happen when animals invade the technical construct of our lives.

Films... Really!

I identify with technology. I am a nerd at heart. Always working on projects, pushing the envelope.
The film Bendito Machine III showed the relationship between man and technology. Let us say after several generations following a catastrophe people exist with only the remnants of technology. The belief that technology is somewhat like magic would exist. The technology is put together by someone who does not have all the information on what it does. Walking televisions intends to depict a melting of robotic design. For the life of me it does not make sense to have a walking television. That is just me.
The robotic qualities show us a blending of the past and possible future. However, at the end the technology goes awry and kills the people. The last piece is manned by a person so these primitive people are not so primitive and can run the equipment to a certain extent.

To me is shows no matter how sophisticated technology is it can be broken or misused.

The connection to the film Bendito and Inbox are they both use magic. In the Inbox messages are sent and received inside of bags between two people. This magic realism is evident throughout until the bag rips and messaging stops. Technology brings connection to people if they so chose.

When average people think of technology they think it is magic because they do not understand it. Who can build a computer from scratch, who can make a toaster, a radio, a television? Who can build a chipset? Everything we use in our lives was produced in parts all over the world. If the world ceases to exist as we know it who will build technology?