Without a doubt communication has advanced significantly. No longer are there geographical separations in communicating across the room or across the globe(Siemens, 2008). This bridge in contact is due to the increase in tools that make this possible as well as the enhancement in the quality of these apparatus. Through the past decades communication has gone from face to face, to mail by pony, to landline phones, and onto to cellular devices. Now we see people communicating across the web cheaper, farther, and just as efficient if not more. I personally am new to blogs, wikis, Skype and Popcasts but fascinated at the same time. It almost frightens me sometimes to think were all these innovations are going. What will communication be like for my sons of 14 and 6? I remember when I was their ages, not to say I’m getting old or anything….but we mailed letters and made phone calls when we wanted to talk. The long distance relatives’ phone calls were expensive and rare. Now I can turn on Skype and talk with them as much as I want and as far away as I want as long as I’ve made my monthly internet payment.
Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Principles of Distance Education, Baltimore: Author.
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Beth,
ReplyDeleteI remember when I would get so excited when I received a letter or card in the mail. Now I find that if someone posts on my blog, Facebook or emails me, I get excited. This Christmas I realized that I got more Christmas texts or Ecards than I did in the mail. In a way, it makes me sad that society has gotten so used to sending the quick message that we don't seem to take any time out to send a card or letter. I think one reason is because we get so busy and if we didn't send a quick message, we wouldn't say anything at all. Technology has brought new, cheaper and faster ways to communicate, but has it also weakened our relationships with others? Just a thought. I think that social networks have opened the doors to relationships with long lost friends, but how close of a relationship do we build if all we do is talk online?
There have been amazing and intimidating, at least for us Digital Immigrants (Prensky, 2001), changes in communication technology. The speed and reach of today’s equivalent of Morse code and the telegraph are amazing. Even more amazing are how they are affecting the attitudes and brains of Digital Natives (Prensky, 2001) or kids who grow up with digital technologies.
ReplyDeleteFrand (2000) notes the following characteristics of the information-age mindset: computers aren’t considered technology, more time is spent on the internet than watching TV, what you can do is more important than what you know, trial-and-error is much preferred over logic, multitasking is a way of life, typing is better than writing, staying connect is vital, and no tolerance for delays. Prensky (2001) notes growing up digital is also affecting how brains develop. Both authors note these changes can have positive implications for education. I think the important thing for all of us teachers to remember is whether we like these changes or not they are real and here to stay and we will have to adapt our pedagogical methods to best help them develop into thoughtful and responsible citizens of the information age.
Brown, J.S. Growing up digital: How the web changes, work, education and the ways people
learn. USDAL Journal, 16(2), Retrieved from http://innovations.oise.utoronto.
ca/~jhewitt/ctl1602/papers/Brown%202000.pdf.
Frand, J.L. (2000). The information-age mindset: Changes in students and implications for higher education. EDUCAUSE review,5(35), 14-24.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6.
Retrieved from http://www.hfmboces.org/HFMDistrictServices/TechYES/PrenskyDigital Natives.pdf
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. Part II: Do the really think differently? On the Horizon, 9(6), 1-10. Retrieved from http://www.hfmboces.org/HFMDistrict Services /TechYES/PrenskyDigital Natives.pdf
The ways of communicating have grown. We tend to think it may be cheaper to send an e-card but possibly its the same as mailing a card because we have to pay for our internet service. The thing is communication has become more convenient.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I am new to the wiki pages, blogs and such but through these courses I hope to become more familiar and able to use them in my classroom.