4G Advertisements: Fact or Fiction?

Has anyone seen the recent advertisements made by global wireless service providers such as Verizon and T-Mobile claiming to produce a product capable of 4G speeds? If you haven’t, these advertisements are out there, and very misleading for adamant consumers of the newest technology.

This topic caught my attention and interest via the following article entitled “4G is a myth (and a confusing mess)”:

http://money.cnn.com/2010/12/01/technology/4g_myth/index.htm

Prior to reading this article, I never thought much of the validity of these advertisements multiple global wireless service providers are streaming via media. I made the assumption that providers are competing with each other to have the fastest wireless networks, in order to stay relevant in the technological realm of people’s lives.  I also assumed that it must be true on the basis that once one manufacturer comes out with a product, many other manufacturers produce what is basically a clone of the original product.  This thought process led me to believe that one popular service provider had attained the goal of reaching 4G speeds within their wireless network, and the secret of how to replicate this service was somehow leaked into the entire field of top global wireless service suppliers.

After reading this article, I realized that my assumptions were wrong. According to the International Telecommunication Union, the definition of 4G is that of a network capable of download speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps). The article listed above states that 100 Mbps is a speed fast enough to download the average HD movie in a total of three minutes. If you think that sounds unreal in comparison to so the wireless service you have now, and the service they are claiming to provide, you’re correct! According to the definition of 4G, no global wireless service providers have reached 4G speeds, nor will they in the near future. The actual speeds these providers say they will reach are merely a tenth of “real” 4G.

Having said that, the new and improved global wireless networks these carriers are coming out with are definitely just that—new and improved. This is not to put down the progress they are making in the technological world; this is to bring attention to the misuse of the term 4G and the marketing effect it may have on consumers. In my opinion, the use of this term certainly promotes business, but also heightens the potential of complaint and accusations of false advertising.

How do you think the loosely used term 4G affects consumers’ perceptions and the choices they make concerning global wireless service? Do you think the myth of 4G is affecting carriers’ reputations? What suggestions would you make concerning the marketing of the real speeds providers are attaining? Please express your opinions on the topic, concerning importance, lack of importance, etc.

Did you participate in the 'Cyber Monday' craze?

As many of us know, or might even have experienced the infamous Black Friday this year, stores are reducing prices left and right. Many individuals did online shopping Thursday night into early Friday morning. More and more places were offering deals starting at midnight on Friday. Since technology has been on the rise in the past year and has commanded a larger crowd, there was an increase in online shopping for the holiday.

On cnn.com there are plenty of articles about all of the new electronic prices and how the Apple iPad price had even gone down to below $500 for Thanksgiving weekend shoppers. However, today, has been dubbed the name of "Cyber Monday." Personally, I don't think I've ever heard of it, but since I've become more invovled in the online world, I came across this article this afternoon.
(link to article: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/11/29/cyber.monday.hoax/index.html)

CNN writer, John Sutter shares in his brief article how Cyber Monday is mostly a myth. Experts shared that in actuality Cyber Monday is no different than an average online shopping day. It is actually December 13th that is estimated (for this year) to be one of the biggest online shopping days of 2010. As stated in the article, "Some high-end retailers do hold Cyber Monday sales, he said, but some already started on Friday or Sunday and others won't begin until the second or third week in December."

The article goes on to say that the Cyber Monday term was coined as a marketing idea originially. Therefore, holding no true value to the discounts some individuals expect on the Monday after Thanksgiving. "Shop.org, which coined the term "Cyber Monday" and operates a retail website called CyberMonday.com, says nine in 10 online retailers are offering Cyber Monday deals this year." However, this was based off of 51 respondents. Many people were disappointed with the outcome of this year's Cyber Monday, holding higher expectations for better deals due to the nature of the title for this day.

The article also states that many people thought that Cyber Monday was big in the past because people were doing these purchases at work where they had access to internet. However, now that internet can be found almost anywhere - home or office computer, phone, iTouch, etc., this theory has been thrown out the window!

Lastly, I think the most interesting thing about this article is that regardless of whether it is the Monday after Thanksgiving or just a regular Monday, it is one of the biggest days for online shopping for retailers. The reasoning behind this conclusion, made by consumer electronics experts, people like to shop online while at work.

What are your thoughts? Do you partake in this Monday online shopping? Do you look for things in particular online during this time of the holiday?

What is your view on this idea of 'Cyber Monday?'

Did most of you do your online Christmas discount shopping or did you take the plunge ino the 4am shopping at Target?

Please share your experiences!

Is Facebook Pointless?...

Aside from the endless updates, friend connections and game playing on the social networking site with a massive user base, some people are now wondering what the real social and humanitarian worth of this site is. Now wait a minute and think about it. Consider: for what do you actually use Facebook? It’s a good question about how we spend our time and what we’ll do with the tools we use. Keep in mind that the argument is not that Facebook is useless, in fact, it’s being used for countless purposes from all kinds of people. However, with such a powerful user base around the globe of connectivity, is this program being used for the benefit of humanity? Should it be? Is it more than just providing a status update about what we just ate for lunch?

Consider the following article from Malcolm Gladwell, in the NY Times. "Small Change" (it is lengthy but a worthwhile read; especially if you use Facebook) One of the arguments of this article is that social networks consist of "weak ties" to each other rather than strong interpersonal relationships that can provoke and promote real change.

Also, this article from Techcrunch gives a brief account of two sides of the debate.

Do you see there being real, life-changing uses for Facebook, Twitter and other social networking tools?

What do you think the ‘real’ and true value is that Facebook holds? Have we tapped into the true power of being ‘connected’ with each other yet?

Automatic Target Recognition in Airports?

In the CBS News article, "Airport Body Scanners: Less Invasive Technology is Out There," a scanning technology called "automatic target recognition" is introduced.  Instead of using the full-body digital x-ray machines, which expose the body to radiation and produce detailed body images, automatic target recognition minimizes radiation exposure and produces only a stick figure body image.

Many people today are concerned with exposing their bodies to unnecessary radiation, and even more are concerned about their lack of privacy during the current method of x-ray imaging.  There have been countless debates, and even a plan for "National Opt-Out Day," (warning: link contains body image sample), which will be held on November 24, which encourages people traveling on that day to exercise their right to "opt-out" of going through a full-body machine and receiving an "enhanced pat-down" instead.

Last April, three Senators wrote a letter to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requesting automatic target recognition; however, the software is currently being tested before any changes can be made.  The TSA explains that although automatic target recognition does not meet the TSA detection standards at this time, it may be used in the future.

Where do you think the TSA is headed with body imaging?  Do you think a more private and safe technology like automatic target recognition will ever be introduced, or will the TSA continue on the path of invading privacy to maintain security?

The Child-Driven Education; Education seen as a self organizing system.

Will children teach themselves?...

Watch this video

Sugata Mitra, an education specialist, faced one of the most pressing problems in education today. Teachers will not go where they are needed most. Mitra wanted to test a new radical notion, will children teach themselves? The results Mitra obtained were astonishing.

The Hypotheses:

1. Set up a computer with high speed internet access in the slums. Will children be able to & how long would it take if they did, to figure out how to use the internet and promote self-education.
2. Will children be able to understand and teach themselves more advanced topics with no supervision?
3. Wil the "granny role" promote more self-education?

The Results:

What Mitra found was that "groups of children can learn to use the computer and internet on their own, irrespective of who and where they were." He followed the advice given to him by Arthur C. Clarke "if children have interest, then education will happen." He used this advice to continue these experiments and see what the limits were. Mitrad continued by doing more and more complex things, as expected learning decreased with the higher complexity. He then introduced what he called the "granny role" which was an adult figure who didn't explicitly teach the children what he wanted them to learn, rather they provided positive reinforcement to hopefully promote self educating. This granny role is what lead Mitra to discover a 76% pass rate for students who self educated and made him decide on developing what he called a SOLE. In understanding that groups of children working together with the addition of "granny role" supervision, he was able to introduce the Self Organized Learning Environment. The video can better illustrate, but basically these were dedicated areas where groups of students can come together. They have access to a computer with high speed internet access and via online communication devices (skype) acces to what he called the "granny cloud."

Mitra proposes that education is a self organizing system, where learning is an emergent phenomenon. A self organizing system is composed of two things:

1. Structure: appears without explicit intervention from the outside
2. Emergence- system does things that it was not designed for (i.e. you didn't design it that way because it looked impossible)

"A question of attitude, not technology," is Mitra's main theme through the development of SOLEs. I think it's extremely interesting to see how through the use of technology that self education is highly promoted.

What do you think?

Second Life - Big change for education.

Linden Labs has made a couple of really big announcements that have the potential to make a large impact on its use in education. The first being the closing of the Teen Second Life grid, an area set aside for users ages 13-17. This area had the potential to bring SL into the secondary classroom and boost the use of virtual worlds in teaching. With the closing of this area the safety concerns over using SL in the age group becomes a greater hurdle and creates a harder "sell" for the innovative teacher looking to use this tool.

The second announcement Linden Labs made is the ending of the educational discount on regions of the grid used by non-profit/educational institutions. Many universities have set up virtual campuses in these regions and the increase in cost may outweigh the benefits of using SecondLife. Linden Labs has offered a renewal option, allowing these organizations the ability to renew for up to 2 years at the current rate. Although this may only slow the exodus from SL.

While both announcement are disappointed it may open up market for other virtual worlds to take hold in education. With options like Open-Sim and OpenCobalt already available will we begin to see a growth in their use? Is the potential for more education specific virtual worlds going to bring new players to the field? While it is too soon to see what exactly will unfold from these announcements I hope that the education world continues to explore the avenue of virtual worlds at all levels of education.

http://www.opencobalt.org/

http://opensimulator.org/wiki/Main_Page

The Journal - Article on Linden Labs Announcements

Twitter in the Classroom

Many people have been warned of the possible harmful effects of using technology in the classroom. Will students become dependent on technology to learn? 

Well, Twitter is one of the most recent innovations to social media and networking. For those of you who are not sure what Twitter is or how it is used here is a brief description. Twitter is owned and operated by Twitter Inc., which offers a social networking and I would say mini-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' messages called tweets. Tweets are text-based posts and are displayed on the user's profile page. Tweets are visible to the public as default, but senders can make their tweets private in which only those following them can see them. Users may subscribe to other’s tweets, in which this is known as following and subscribers are known as followers.

Twitter in the classroom has seemed to be a new phenomenon for classroom activity. I have personally had a professor use twitter regularly in her course; from events in the news to class updates, assignment reminders and so much more. I found that this was pretty interesting and kind of made me feel that the professor was trying to reach her students in innovative ways. I also feel I benefited from this sort technology being used for academic purposes.

In some cases that I have recently read about teachers and professors are finding new ways to engage and retain their students’ attention through the use of Twitter. They are introducing it in their classrooms and having it be a part of their lecture segments, which I find even more fascinating. In addition some are even replacing previously used technologies with Twitter.

Here are a few links from those who have used Twitter in their classrooms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OxIz_3o3O0

http://tametheweb.com/2009/02/24/twitter-in-the-classroom-2/

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/professor-encourages-students-to-pass-notes-during-class-via-twitter/4619

What do you think about twitter being used for academic purposes? Do you feel it can be effective? Do you feel students will become dependent upon this type of social media?  Share your thoughts. 

Technology in Sports

Technology in Sports

Many professional sports have used instant replays for years. In American football, coaches are able to challenge plays they think referees may have gotten wrong, while in basketball referees are able to use technology to confirm a player has released a shot before the time expires. Baseball uses a technology system that shows how accurate Umpires ball and strike calls are. One sport that has hesitated in implementing technology in their sport is football, or soccer. During the world cup in South Africa this past summer, it was evident that referees are vulnerable to making the wrong calls and at times miss calls altogether.

So should Soccer adopt instant replay?

It seems that it would be a no-brainer. However, there is a deep sense of tradition in soccer that makes it the most popular game in the world. Introducing technology could drastically change the nature of the game.

The decision comes down to what is more important to the game of soccer: getting the call right and creating a fair playing field, or sticking with tradition and history.

Jamie Trecker is a journalist for Fox Sports and believes that it is time for soccer to adopt new technology into their sport. His article can be found at this URL.

http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/worldcup/story/World-Cup-referee-blunders-prove-instant-replay-needed-in-soccer

Journalist Dan Levy, offers that introducing technology in the game would have a negative effect. His article is found here:

http://www.sbnation.com/2010/6/22/1647329/why-replay-would-not-work-in-world

So what do you think? Is it more important to stick with tradition or evolve with technology? Do you think that technology and tradition can co-exist together?

World's Best Classrooms Light on Technology

These days, we often hear about how the education system in the United States is failing. We're falling behind other countries and there are many theories why. According to Bill Gates,

"American education has been the best in the world, but we’re falling below our own high standards of excellence for high school and college attainment. We’re living in a tremendous age of innovation. We should harness new technologies and innovation to help all students get the education they need to succeed."

A common lament is that we used to be the best in the world, but our glory days have come and gone. On October 11th, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced they'd be giving $20 million to develop educational technologies to help American students succeed in the classroom. But is the lack of technology in our classrooms the real reason we're falling behind? Here's an interesting perspective:

http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/10/21/worlds-best-classrooms-are-light-on-technology

I encourage you to also click on the links that the author references in the article, especially Amanda Ripley's from Slate.com. Taken from her article:

"...school systems in Singapore, Finland, and Korea recruit 100 percent of their teachers from the top one-third of their academic cohort... In the United States, about 23 percent of new teachers—and only 14 percent in high-poverty schools—come from the top one-third. It is a remarkably large difference in approach, and in results."

It seems to me that spending the money to attract top talent to the teaching profession should be a higher priority than equipping our classrooms with cutting edge technology. What do you think?

Incentives for Teachers

I teach in a very rural school. 33% of the children in my building are on free and reduced lunch. We are a title one school that receives help from the state. I have several children in my classroom who come from very difficult home lives. Their parents are either not involved in their life or they are constantly working to provide for them. Regardless of these children’s up bringing they come to me for about 8 hours a day to be taught. I have no control over what happens from 4pm-8am, but I do control 8am-4pm. I am a teacher. I have chosen a profession that I don’t leave at 5:00 every day. I often bring work home with me, stay late or arrive early. Being a teacher requires a lot out of you.

We can’t control what students we have in our classes each year-we can however make the best out of what we are given. I say this because news travels fast. I currently teach in King William County, a neighboring county-Henrico County, just recently received an incentive grant they are offering to 8 of their counties schools. Each teacher (core subject areas and special education) are being offered an $8000 incentive for student achievement. If their students are successful on their standardized test then they will receive a bonus check of $8000.
Check out these two links to learn more about the grants they received and the schools that qualify.

http://www.whiteheadchioccalaw.com/blog/new-incentives-for-teachers-in-henrico-county.cfm

http://www.henrico.k12.va.us/Newsroom/NewsReleases/2010-11/101510A.html

Now I have some questions for you. Is this a fair program? It appears to be offered only to the lower schools in the county. If we as teachers can’t control who is placed in our classrooms then is it fair to offer monetary incentives to certain schools? Certain teachers?
I truly have no set opinion on this matter. I think an $8000 incentive for student’s achievement is something I would bust my tail to get. Who wouldn’t want that extra pocket change? However it is my firm belief that all children can be successful-but can all children be successful on an SOL?

Do you think the counties are offering this money trying to simply keep “great” teachers in these buildings? What is your take on this?

I teach in a school very much like the schools that qualify for these programs but our county didn’t receive this grant?

What if some of these schools don’t have the resources, staff members and even technology that other successful schools have? Is this an even playing field? I have teacher friends at two of these schools and they both teach collaborative classes. Both qualify for the money and both have said-I’m giving it my all because it’s such a great incentive, however I have some kids that I am just not sure if they are going to make it. I do know that if you are hired in Henrico County you aren’t allowed to change schools until you have completed three years at your hired school-then you may request a transfer.

Any comments on this?

Is 3D TV Really That Great?

With the massive marketing push behind 3D TV you've almost certainly heard all the upsides to watching television in 3 dimensions.

Over the last several years, flat panel HD TVs have seen significant price drop. Today, it’s not uncommon to find a 50" flat panel TV for under $1000. Manufacturers originally stated that 3D viewing wouldn’t add any additional price to the TV but research has found that this is not necessarily the situation. The 3D enabled model TVs make up the top tier of most manufacturer's offerings this year (Samsung has the most different 3D capable lines). It seems that many family households just recently upgraded from standard definition to high definition television and HD components such as a Blu Ray player. To go from 2D to 3D requires at minimum a new, expensive television purchase. Consumers may also need to purchase new components although some recent Blu Ray players will be able to download a firmware update that will make them 3D ready. 3D glasses will also be required for each viewer. For a family of 4 this could add up to nearly $1000 in glasses alone. There has been a number of concerns associated with theses new 3D TVs including, lack of content (amount of media compatible for 3D viewing is small), eye-strain, headaches, and nausea. Considering these factors, the question that I pose is whether or not these 3D TVs are as good as they are “hyped” up to be? What are your thoughts surrounding the new advancement on technology?

For more information check out http://3d-tvbuyingguide.com/3dtv/3d-tv-problems.html

HTML5’s New Privacy Concerns

HTML5, the new webcode poised for dominance on the internet, comes with a bevy of features to enhance our online experience. With the ability to imbed multimedia without relying on plug-ins like Quick Time, application caches that allow offline access to online apps, and geolocation features, HTML5 can provide a robust, integrated end-user experience.

But the superior user experience does not come without cost. In her New York Times article, Tanzinia Vega highlights some of the privacy concerns inherent in HTML5.

Most of us are familiar with the ubiquitous cookies, which save our usernames and passwords (I, for one, would be lost without this feature), permit the use of online shopping carts, and so on. I remember a time when my spyware tracker was constantly popping up “allow cookie?” messages as I went about the web. Initially, I was very cautious about my cookies, and routinely cleared them. As time has gone by, I find that I don’t even think about them; I accept them as almost a cost of doing business. HTML5 allows trackers to set super cookies that can track weeks of personal data, including “a user’s location, time zone, photographs, text from blogs, shopping cart contents, e-mails and a history of the Web pages visited” (Vega). One hacker has created an “evercookie” that is difficult for even experts to delete. He claims it is in the interest of preventing unauthorized tracking, but such a persistent and stealthy tool is hardly something most of us are comfortable with.

Where should the burden of privacy protection lie? With the enduser? It gets harder and harder to find, let alone manage, privacy settings. With the browser, the provider, or the developer? That seems against their own self interest. With an external regulatory body? Perhaps ease of privacy settings should be mandated. Or, maybe, the public will consider the flash and ease of the new technology worth the trade off of privacy. After all, the browser Opera tried to implement more stringent cookie controls, but users complained that it disrupted use of a social networking site.

Second Life in Real Life

This post should strike a cord with my peers and others who are in Professor Snow's "Intro to HRD" class this semester. The class was introduced to a program called "Second Life" (SL). I personally had never heard of SL before this particular class. My initial question was, "What is SL?" Professor Snow explained it as a virtual 3-D world that you can interact with other real people using the mouse and keyboard of your computer. The phrase he used that sticks out in my mind is, "Anything you can do in real life, you can do in second life!"

Take a look at a quick demo of SL if you need a visual explanation:

http://secondlife.com/whatis/

So after seeing how it works in Professor Snow's class, he also made another point. Professor Snow said you can actually hold a class via SL. You would have to create a character, and go as far as logging in the program to be at the designated class meeting location (within SL) and sit down to have class with your peers and the professor. The setting is an actual classroom or other location of choice. You can see the characters of your other classmates and your professor as if you are actually sitting there. There is the ability to actually upload and play real PowerPoint presentations within the SL interface. Apparently, there are universities currently already using this method to hold classes. There is an actual site that someone engineered to mirror our very own James Madison University. The layout, buildings and traditional JMU symbols and paraphernalia all scattered throughout the interface. So essentially on a snow day where campus is closed, we all could be in our respective homes in Harrisonburg (or anywhere for that matter), log into SL and still actually meet "in-person" in SL to have class instead of fighting icy and snowy roads!

That seems a little extreme to me. How is this any different from holding an online class or a class using Eluminate? Are there any benefits to using SL over one of these methods? Do you think this will eventually be a widely utilized tool to hold classes at JMU? And would you consider this method E-Learning?

As if that didn't blow my mind enough, SL is now being taken a step further. Instead of using the mouse and keyboard to control your character as I initially mentioned, now technology is being developed to control your character with the movements of your own body. Moving around is similar to how a Segway works (lean your body forward or backwards and your character will walk forward or backwards). Check it out below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t52gkAwJq8

Almost everyone has a cellphone these days, including those as young as eight years old. Texting is undoubtedly one of the most popular features of the wireless phone. Before last year, I was hardly knowledgeable about the world of texting. It took me over ten minutes to send a one sentence text. Needless to say, this is not the case anymore. Today, texting is one of my primary ways of communication and this is hardly a surprise for my generation. Earlier in the semester we discussed Facebook in the classroom, but what about cellphones? The debate about how young is too young for one to get a cellphone is somewhat old but relevant nonetheless. I have posted a link to a YouTube clip discussing this debate. Check it out.

htt://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvzRpTdY3is

After watching this clip, I am still convinced that the issue is not age but the level of responsibility one possesses. Some children are more involved and away from their parents for longer periods of time and a cellphone is necessary. I was fourteen before I was allowed to get a cellphone and my little brother was eleven. Even my ten year old cousin has a cellphone and she probably uses texting more than I do! With texting having gained such a popular interest, I believe that there has to be a way to utilize this in the classroom, for the benefit of young students/cellphone users.

Do you guys thing that texting/cellphone use can be positively used in the classroom? What place does cellphones have in education and what age do you think it is appropriate to mix it with their learning?

PDF Annotating software vs Textbooks

There has been considerable speculation about the impact mobile reading devices such as the iPad and Kindle could eventually have on Textbook usage. One of the main critiques of PDF readers has been the users inability to mark up, take notes, and highlight these documents. When a book is on paper it's much easier to make notes all over and personalize the pages.

A new version of Goodreader allows ipad and iphone users to do just that. The upgraded app allows users to annotate their pdfs. Users can add comments on the document with sticky notes, as well as highlight, draw, and underline to their hearts content. These notes are saved on the document and can be edited later. Readers can cut and paste portions of the text onto their clipboard, which can then be inserted into other documents.

Here is the full article.

I think this is an exciting development. Unlike textbooks, which in the K-12 environment are usually banned from being written on, these PDFs can be written on as much as is desired. Textbooks are a great expense for schools, and perhaps some costs could be reduced by purchasing an electronic version of the text.

Do you think applications such as Goodreader are a viable replacement for school textbooks? Do you think this would be a more useful application for higher ed rather than k-12? Do you think it could be cost effective and practical over a period of several years assuming the expense of purchasing an ipad or other e-reader for each student?

Mary Kay Online Cosmetics Tools.

Mary Kay Cosmetics is a company , founded in 1963, with the purpose of “Enriching Women’s Lives” by offering hope to women who lacked opportunity, self-esteem, and financial support. Currently, more than 36,000 women around the world have become independent sales directors. Training is vital and this company provides training for the consultants online via videos and live chats to compliment the conferences and training stations across the world.

Selling Mary Kay gets easier with the advancement of technology. Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants can, not only direct customers to their website to shop and make purchases, but also educate current and potential clients on product functions and uses without being present. The website utilizes many interactive learning techniques such as the virtual makeover.

View my website, specially the virtual makeover site, listed below. This learning tool allows you to upload a photo of yourself (or choose a model with similar skin tone and facial structure) and experiment with makeup color as well as hair styles. With this tool, you can also view the suggested looks for you (which are based off the picture you uploaded or chose), add accessories, and even get the makeup artist bridal look you are seeking. Be careful, because if you seek to learn about “your look” you can easily play with this tool for hours. Don’t worry guys, you can also participate by uploading a picture of a special lady in your life and learn a style that may be best for her.

http://www.marykay.com/waldencz/whatsnew/virtualmakeover/default.aspx?ab=vmoicon


What do you think about this feature? Do you think it is helpful for educating consumers on the makeup they seek to purchase? If you were as Independent Beauty Consultant (like myself), would you considering this an effective learning tool for your target clients?

To patent or not to patent?

One of my greatest passions in recent years has been gardening and seed saving. This obsession has led to concern about the patenting of genetically modified seeds and the legal ramifications of this process. In traditional farming if Joe's cow got in his neighbor Bill's field and ate his corn, Joe would owe Bill for his loss. By the patenting of GMO seeds, the Monsanto Corporation with the support of several court cases has been taking control of our food source. Now if Joe drops his GMO seeds on Bill's land and the plants are discovered on Bill property by the corporation, Monsanto can claim not only the plants, but now Bill's land as well, as the GMO seeds invade the genetic make-up of Bill's original plants.

In the meantime, Myriad Genetics has been gaining power over our health-care choices with the patenting of the breast cancer gene. In discussing my concern over these issues with my son James one day, he explained the same problem occurring in the software industry. Until recent years, a company could obtain a copyright on software, not a patent. The information contained in software, like DNA, is an abstract concept. A court ruling in 1989 changed this by deciding software was patentable in that it has a tangible result represented in a specific form, again like DNA. Luckily this spring an appeal's court judge took a step to reverse this dangerous trend. To read more about the implications of this case, check

http://opensource.com/law/10/4/gene-patenting-and-free-software-breakthrough

While some might argue that companies need to be able to protect product development expenses, I can't help but wonder if we are not simply weaving a tangled legal web that will drive up product cost and limit the implementation of basic ideas. A prime example of the complexity involved in these patents is the infringement by Microsoft involving XML imports in Office 2003. http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/200933/4240/Microsoft-has-60-days-to-halt-sales-of-Word

What do you think? Should abstract ideas like DNA and software be patentable? If so, what level of rights should be given to the patent holder? Where do we draw the line to protect an individual in our society?

"Confessions of a (Online) Shopaholic"

To escape the mediocre shopping experience offered in Harrisonburg, a friend and I had planned to travel up to Northern Virginia this weekend. Unfortunately, a rapidly approaching literature review deadline forced me to postpone our adventure. But thanks to the increasing “commercial use of interactive media” I was still able to reach the marketplace via online shopping.

According to a study entitled, “Consumer Decision Making in Online Shopping Environments: The Effects of Interactive Decision Aids,” the popularity of online shopping is increasing. I have to confess that I am a contributor to this growth and may have a slight addiction to online shopping. The focus of the study was to analyze the behavior of a consumer as they interact with various retailers’ digital storefront.

The study suggests that “the interactive tools designed to assist consumers in the initial screening of available products and to facilitate in-depth comparisons among selected alternatives in an online shopping environment may have strong favorable effects on both the quality and the efficiency of purchase decisions—shoppers can make much better decisions while expending substantially less effort.” (Haubl, Trifts, pg. 4) I enjoy shopping in general, whether it’s the traditional method or online, but I know that a day at the mall can be exhausting. Online shopping on the other hand, allows me to jump from store-to-store just by adding a tab to my web browser. Some retailers are designing such high quality interfaces that can keep me on their website for hours. The interactive tools which the article refers to are size charts, product descriptions, pictures, zoom features, multiple views, color options, item suggestions, etc. I take advantage of all of these features—and the more elaborate they are, the better my online shopping experience.

According to the study, “the technology available for implementing interactivity in online shopping environments has the potential to provide consumers with unparalleled opportunities to locate product offerings. Such capabilities are particularly valuable given that online stores cannot offer physical contact with products and do not allow face-to-face interaction with a salesperson.” (pg. 6)

With the expansion of the online market, the study suggests that many more retailers are focusing their attention to using the World Wide Web to reach consumers. “More generally, the availability of ‘interactive decision aids’ in online shopping environments should enhance the ability of individuals to identify products that match their personal preferences and therefore lead to substantial positive welfare effects for the consumers.” (pg. 18)

Sources:

Haubl, G., Valerie, T. 2000. Consumer Decision Making in Online Shopping Environments: The Effects of Interactive Decision Aids. Marketing Science. 19, 1, 4-21.

The link to the website: http://www.jstor.org/stable/193256

What about those automobile DVDs?

Are they benefiting the kids or the parents? On one level it's nice to have the peace and quiet but what's happening to the kids? When I was a child and our family travelled we would play games, words from letters on the license plate, alphabet games using road signs, flash card games, who can get the most different states off of license plates, etc. Now you drive down the interstate and you see movies playing, especially at night. How is this stimulating the children? Whare are the parents doing while kids are wathing the DVD? What social and communication skills are the kids learning by watching movies.
I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing to have some entertainment in the automobile for long trips but some parents don't want to hear the kids complain when the movie is turned off so they don't turn it off! I actually knew a mother who told her young children the DVD player didn't work because she didn't want to deal with the complaining when they couldn't watch a movie. I think these devices should be used as supprts for parents, not crutches.
Clearly anything excessive has the ability to be harmful and I fear that DVD's in a vehicle could very easily move in that direction. What do you think?

Facebook Donation to Newark Schools

 Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook is donating $100 worth of Facebook stock into Newark, NJ schools. Though Zuckerberg is not earmarking specifically how the money be spent, instead giving the Governor, the Mayor and the appropriated boards the freedom to do what is necessary to improve the education system in the area.
     This brings up two questions related to us. The first, does money make a difference? With more financial resources will the current educational system be improved by the added revenue stream? Such a large amount to a specific area can improve not only the technology and communications base but also reward better and more successful teachers.
     This brings us to the second question. How will we measure this donation to see if it successful. Is it by increased standardized test scores? Is it by increased High School and College graduates? Or maybe it is by an increase in the average income of families in the area?
     If you are interested in this donation here are some links to articles:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/09/23/newark-nj-schools-to-get-100m-facebook-donation/

http://dailycollegian.com/2010/09/26/facebook-founder-lends-a-hand/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/education/23newark.html

    If this money was added to our area, what sort of improvements would you recommend to the school board (from a technological perspective) to insure success?
     Then the big question. If it is successful, what does this do to help everyone else? What can the rest of the country and the world glean from this endeavor?
Comment on these or any in the previous paragraphs.

Technology in the Courtroom

While looking for an interesting article dealing with education and technology, I came across this article about technology in the courtroom. During deliberations, a juror decided to use his i-phone to look up the definition of "prudence," in order to help him and the other jurors come to a conclusion. The use of the electronic encyclopedia cost him his place on the jury, as well as the case. It was decided by the courts that his use of technology was not appropriate and the accused received a new trial - and a new jury.

What do you think about this? With dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias, and google at our fingertips, should traditional places such as courtrooms allow the use of these resources to help the understanding of jurors and others involved, or is it to far of a stretch too soon in this technological age? After all, if he has asked the judge to define "prudence" for him, his request would have been granted.

To read the article, click here

Apple iPad

My husband bought me an Apple iPad (32 GB). I would be the first to admit that I just get by when it comes to technology, so I wasn’t exactly thrilled when he proudly brought the iPad home. “Oh no…something else for me to learn,” was exactly what ran through my mind. So, I am ashamed to say, it stayed in my closet for at least a month before I recently got it out and started playing with it.

There have been many reviews done on the Apple iPad and there seems to be just as many pros as cons. So, I would like to address some of both here.

Let me start with the cons. (1) I have read that the iPad is hard to read, especially reading books. After downloading a book and “turning” the pages, I found reading on the iPad to be easy. The screen option, either landscape or portrait gives the reader viewing options. (2) Some wish it had Microsoft applications. Yes, this is somewhat disappointing, but the iPad is not intended to be used that way. I guess that is why there are laptops. However, the iPad can be set up to include the iPad Bluetooth wireless, keyboard. This video will explain how http://www.intomobile.com/2010/04/04/video-ipad-pairing-with-apple-bluetooth-keyboard/ (3) Another complaint is that typing on the iPad can be difficult. Yes, I have found that the iPad’s keyboard is a little awkward for “regular” typing and that I use my index fingers a lot. If there were word processing software, typing would be an issue but since there isn’t, the keyboard is adequate for the little amount of typing that is required.

The pros are endless. (1) I had heard the iPad is great for gaming. While I am not a gamer, my 10 year-old son and I played Flight Control on the iPad. All I can say is, what fun! (2) The iPad’s speed and navigation have been praised, and I agree. I have found that the iPad is faster than a lot of desktop computers. (3) Many iPad users say that the iPad is simple to use. Being technology challenged, I can say that the iPad is extremely user-friendly. (4) One of the best advantages, is there are so many iPad applications to choose from—from gaming to finance. What is amazing, is many of the applications are free. Here’s a link of iPad Application Reviews - http://www.ipad-application-reviews.com/ and http://www.cnbc.com/id/39278839/ that you may find interesting.

You may have heard that colleges and universities around the country are now requiring iPads for learning. Here is an example:

http://blogs.abcnews.com/campuschatter/2010/07/ipads-for-everyone-at-seton-hills-university-.html.

Also, businesses are now using the iPad -- http://www.apple.com/ipad/business/profiles/ .

Do you think iPads will work here at JMU?

Other than cost, what would prevent you from using an iPad in your classes and research?

Google God !!

As I prepare to deliver my testimony this upcoming Saturday to a group of high school athletes, my mind can not help but ask how do I reach this generation. The material that I have in my presentation is awesome and makes sense in my mind, but once again how do I present this so that they learn the message.
These questions lead me to the most utilized source in today's generation, technology. I began to ponder different ways to use technology in delivering my message. Today's youth uses so many social media tools, and communication gadgets that it seemed that it would be easy to access a feasible tool to put my ideas and thoughts together.However, this was a lot harder than I thought it to be. I know for me that much of my learning came in groups where the pastor or bible study leader preached the message to me. In learning more of universal design and e-learning, I feel that this generation would really benefit from using a mixture of different learning tools.

Here is a interview by Tom Ferguson who speaks on how technology plays a great role in Religion; http://www.technewsworld.com/story/33078.html?wlc=1284952818


In writing this blog I wonder how many of you guys use the internet to seek or " Google" your foundational faith source. If not, do you think spiritual growth is an area of your life that can really be sought via technological sources?

facebook in the classroom...for elementary students

Social media and it's many uses is a very 'hot topic' in the news these days. It seems that there tends to be two points of view about it's many uses. One school of thought expresses the usefulness social networking sites, like facebook, have in an educational setting. The other thought is that the outcomes of such use will be more negative than positive.

Coming to the AHRD program, this is the first time I have used any type of social networking application as an instructional tool (using facebook for discussions). I think that in the setting of higher education, with the assumption that students are more mature and responsible with/about information, these are very useful tools connecting students with their peers and teachers.

I found this clip on CNN in the technology section.

Check out this clip

I wanted to know what you guys think?

Is the use of this technology positive or negative (somewhere in between), and why?

I thought the idea of parents checking on what their kids are doing, really changes their relationship with teachers, is this a good thing? will teachers become too focused on updating parents; could parents become to questioning of what is going on in the classroom with this new information?

Finally, I think the point that the fourth grade teacher brings up in the end about kids using social networking outside of school is inevitable, so why not teach them productive and responsible ways to use it? A great point I never thought about...

What do you all think?

Multimedia Around You!

During the week, observe the use of multimedia for teaching/learning around you.  Have you encountered a particularly effective website?  Did you observe a multimedia installation in the mall or other public area?  Comment here on a particularly effective (or not so effective) use of multimedia for learning.  Based on your reading this week - what elements were effective (or not) and why?

Example:
As I was waiting to attend a meeting in Miller Hall, I sat on a bench outside of the planetarium.  Even though I had my computer and was checking email and attending to a bit of work, I noticed a large HD flat screen mounted to the wall.  On it was a rather powerful presentation on the solar system - no sound - just an intense black background with vivid images and some text.  The text was used carefully - I noticed fonts that were consistent, easy to read and placed in close proximity to the item being described.  Each screen progressed slowly, so that I could read and look carefully at each image without feeling rushed.

Welcome Design & Development Students - Fall 2010

Consult your course syllabus and Blackboard website for specifics about using this blog space.  We are looking forward to a great semester!