Tales of a Technology Omnivore

As an advocate of using new communication conduits, I find this article particularly interesting. Before I get into why, let me explain what I mean by communication conduits in relation to school communications. The 20th century provided amazing advances in how schools communicate to parents, students, and teachers with the invention of radio, phone, TV, and the internet. But it’s not done there, and in the last 8 years, we’ve seen how the 21st century is opening new conduits that schools must learn how to use in order to model the effective uses of new communication tools, prevent abuses on them, and construct learning delivery models.

(more…)

I love reading about technology predictions for the upcoming year because it excites me and gives me something to dream about (yes, I know I need a life but whatever — I get a kick out of this stuff).  So after reading what others are predicting for 2008, I am able to compile a list of my own predictions for education technology in 2008.  Of course, I see the edTech industry as a follower in terms of late adoption of everything so I’m going to take a stab and see how much of this will come true by next year.

Prediction 1:  Apple will continue to gain ground in education. 

This is a no-brainer but I predict that due to its ability to run both operating systems, Apple computers will continue to be the platform of choice for schools.  With the ease of use in built in programs like garageband, students can make music and podcasts, websites, movies, and other media rich projects.  This is the way to go — replace the tri-board with a smartboard and digital projects.

Prediction 2:  Social networking will make it’s grand entrance. 

Educators salivate over the idea of digital portfolios.  Kids LOVE creating their own spaces on social networks.  And education technologists have been busy trying to figure out how we can leverage social networks in education.  It looks like each child’s page in a protected social network will function as their digital portfolio.  With PCworld predicting that 2008 is the year that the business world embraces social networking, I predict that education will follow right behind.

Prediction 3:  Continued disappointment with school networks. 

The beauty of web-based products:  You can use them on any computer, anywhere.  They require no installation.  Students can work from home, on a mobile device, or in a computer lab.  So what’s the disappointment?  The excitement will subside when you try to get a class of 30 children on laptops to use these tools on a school network.  In NYC we have pretty robust networks but the bandwidth required to make web2.0 applications a reality is not here yet and this will be a disappointment for educators who realize how easy and valuable it is use online collaborative applications amongst other things.

Prediction 4:  Mobile technology will continue to shape the landscape of learning.

The phones our students will bring into the classroom are more powerful than some of the hardware we line our computer labs with (seriously).  They have high speed internet access from which they can use IM clients, see their social networks, and send emails rich with photos, videos, and audio.  Think of the implications:  Students will be able to transmit teacher antics in audio and video formats and snapshots of exams; they’ll be able to speak with their friends ALL DAY; and they will have access to the Internet all the time which can be used to ask questions and get all types of information.  Foolish educators will bar students from using these tools.  The wise ones will start putting all homework online, assigning projects that utilize students multimedia devices, and employ online collaborative / social networking / internet search strategies in their lessons.  We CAN make this digital landmine a goldmine for learning. 

That’s all for now — Happy New Year!

My colleague sent me this amazing inspirational video that exposes the unspoken truths about our education system today and how our kids are learning.  This is a must watch for every educator — not just those into instructional technology!  I’ll let the video speak for itself.