Da-Bearss Lair

The “digital divide” is the gap between the technology haves and have-nots. As an instructor, medical device educator, and world traveler, I don’t have to look very far to see evidence of the digital divide. Within my area of work the playing field is fairly level, even at a global level. Colleagues are provided with the “standard” arsenal of tools in order to conduct business and complete their work-related tasks. This typically consists of the laptop computer and a local area network connection to the corporate servers, Microsoft Office 7.0, and Internet access. On the other hand, the distribution of corporate-paid cell phones or Smartphones is not equally distributed, unless you are part of the mobile or field-based workforce, like sales representatives and clinical specialists. The predominant technology for dissemination of real-time information within the confines of the corporate offices is the laptop computer. For field-based personnel who are predominantly traveling, there is a preponderant use of the Smartphone. What this means is as an educator, learning resources need to accommodate all technology platforms.

Another layer of consideration, particularly with the field-based personnel is the unequal distribution of and access to Internet and cell-phone bandwidth. Rural areas lag behind in Internet access and use as well as access to the latest broadband technologies (Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt, 2002). While some people marvel at streaming video and instant, on-demand information delivered by DSL or cable modem, others are still trying to just get connected, and stay connected. Experiencing the dropped connection is a normal and anticipated occurrence in everyday use of the Smartphone. Not all hotel rooms provide uniform access to the Internet. Hospitals ban cell phone usage in patient care areas. Providing content via the correct technology also means insuring the size of the material is capable of being captured or uploaded in a timely fashion.

Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt. (2002, January 11). Bridging the digital divide. Retrieved May 23, 2010 from http://web.riverdeep.net/current/2002/01/011402t_divide.jhtml

If you were to look at my movie collection, you would not find any particular propensity towards a particular genre. I have quite a mix, the least of which is in the category of science fiction. I found it serendipitous that when given the assignment to watch a movie from a list of books by Philip K. Dick, on that list was a movie that I already owned…“Paycheck”.

I would contend the development of the DVD and the growth of movie rentals from outlets like Blockbuster significantly contributed to the popularity of home movies. While Blockbuster became a market leader and was experiencing increasing returns, this was no guarantee it could sustain market dominance. “An inferior product cannot continue to dominate a market when there are alternatives that are much better” (Arthur, 1994). Enter those alternatives; DVD’s from Netflix and watching videos on demand. While these Red Queens continued to accelerate the popularity of home movies, their hassle-free business model are contributing to the decline of movie rental stores.
                                                                                                                                                                 Arthur, W. B. (1994). Increasing Returns and Path Dependence in the Economy. (Book Review by Ian Kaplan). Retrieved May 12, 2010 from http://www.bearcave.com/bookrev/increase_ret.html

As the name suggests, a disruptive technology is an innovation that disrupts the status quo by either displacing an existing technology or introducing an entirely unique and novel concept. These types of technologies surprise the market by generating a substantial improvement over existing technology and attracting more potential users by providing it, for example, cheaper or more user-friendly in nature. Thornburg (2009) describes disruptive technologies as completely new tools that change how things are done. They do not appear as gradual changes but rather appear without warning and obsolescing the other technology.

Second Life is an interactive virtual world that allows user-created content in which an individual can immerse themselves into an environment using completely customizable and personalized characters, or avatars. While its use is limited in my industry, it has potential to become a disruptive technology. For example let’s think about the use of PowerPoint, one of the most widely used programs in the Microsoft Office arsenal. PowerPoint has been the presentation standard for delivering training, conference presentations, business plans, marketing strategies; the list is endless. Second Life has the potential to transform its scheme of intermittent, static, 2-dimensional images to a presentation that is dynamic, immersive and imaginative and even interactive (Pagel, 2009). Not only could Second Life displace a popular tool for learning but the actual learning environment itself. Research is indicating that the corporate classroom for the delivery of training has been dropping steadily (Galagan, 2010). Reasons are associated with the cost of travel, the accessibility of digital information from remote locations, and the leveraging of Web 2.0 technologies. Training in Second Life has been demonstrated to provide an online environment in which widely geographically separated learners can enjoy an experience that comes as close as currently possible to replicating the social aspects of the classroom and “creates the visceral feel that one is face to face with the other people involved, to an extent unmatched by email, instant messaging or telephone (Gollub, 2010).

The social implications of Second Life are mixed. It has the potential to permit people to immerse themselves into a permanent soap opera which could be more pervasive than reality TV. The incognito avatar could inhabit their virtual world to a level of obsession and develop relationships that can seriously impact, even replace, real relationships (Highfield, 2007). Conversely, the virtual experience is still diminished due to the incomplete experience of all five senses and will never replace the in-person experience. In my industry where hands-on technical learning is pervasive, it will be awhile before the virtual training room prevails.      

                                                   
Galagan, P. (2010, March). The vanishing corporate classroom. Training and Development. Retrieved April 07, 2010 from http://www.astd.org/TD/Archives/2010/Mar/1003_Trends.htm                      
Gollub, R. (2010). Second life and education. Retrieved April 23, 2010 from http://www.acm.org/crossroads/xrds14-1/secondlife.html   

Highfield, R. (2007, June 19). Virtual worlds could replace real relationships. Retrieved April 23, 2010 from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1554999/Virtual-worlds-could-replace-real-elationships.html                                      

                                                                     
Pagel, L. (2009, June 22). Second Life: A Powerpoint replacement. Retrieved April 27, 2010 from http://blog.walkerinfo.com/blog/customer-focused-innovation/0/0/second-life-a-powerpoint-replacement

A technology that represents a rhyme of history is the e-book, a.k.a. the e-Reader, the Kindle, Sony Reader or the iPad. What it rekindles from the past and is a recurring theme of history is reading. It’s what you are doing right now as the recipient of what I am trying to communicate in this blog posting by using black alpha-numeric symbols (“the alphabet”) displayed on a white background. Whether you read for pleasure or information, you are bound to benefit in one way or another. “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” (Charles W. Eliot) The first versions of e-books were designed as specialty devices with a limited scope of subject matter, such as technical manuals, manufacturing procedures and meant to be read only by small and devoted interest groups. Today, the choice of e-books is widening at an equal pace of the sizes and types of devices for viewing. As of August 2009 there were over 2 million free books available for download.

There will always be those who prefer curling up with a good book for its multi-sensory experience. It embraces the look of real printed text, the smell of the paper and the feel of turning pages. But when the crammed briefcase tucked under the seat in front of you in the cramped coach-seating section does not have space for that new hardcover novel, the convenience of reading on a Smartphone does the trick better than anything else. And now, you can get that smell of the real book for your e-book in an aerosol. Yes, it’s true. “Smell of Books™ is compatible with a wide range of e-reading devices and e-book formats and is 100% DRM-compatible. Whether you read your e-books on a Kindle or an iPhone using Stanza, Smell of Books™ will bring back that real book smell you miss so much.” (See http://smellofbooks.com/)

Sedycias, R. (2008, July 12). The history and popularity of e-books. Retrieved April 16, 2010 from http://www.articlesbase.com/ebooks-articles/the-history-and-popularity-of-ebooks-481506.html

The Smartphone  is an emerging technology that has progressed from the landline phone, to the car phone, the mobile phone, and the cellular phone. It has evolved as the result of the integration of other emergent technologies such as the computer, transistor radio, pocket calculator, the digital camera, the MP3 player, and the pocket digital assistant.

 REFERENCES:

1. The Polaroid Instant Camera:  http://www.savepolaroid.com/history

2. The Future of the SmartPhone:  http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206800816

3. A Review of the SmartPhone:  http://www.smartphonereviewblog.com/

4. The new Google Android 4G Super SmartPhone:  http://www.smartdevicecentral.com/article/Hands+On+with+the+HTC+Evo+4G+Super+Phone/249550_1.aspx

A current technology that emerged in the last few years and is shaping learning in the medical industry is Podcasting (and Vodcasting). These educational technologies enable the download of digital programs for learning onto a variety of audio/video devices, including a desktop computer. They are rapidly increasing in popularity because they are simple to produce and very inexpensive to deliver. The name “pod-casting” was derived from the Apple iPod as it became the common, favored MP3 device for storing and retrieving files on demand.

What societal need does it meet? In my area of work, accomplishing synchronized training sessions is ineffective for a workforce that is predominantly mobile and often located in poorly-accessible areas like airports, on the highway or in customer offices. Technology that lends to portable and on-demand learning is well suited for this audience. According to Anders Gronstadt (2007) “Mobile audio and video applications represent the steepest technology-based adoption curve that the training industry has ever seen.” Podcasting and vodcasting provide brief information-packed sessions that address customer challenges, product updates, competitive intelligence and allows the employee to take responsibility for their own training. A library of audio and video files would also facilitate readily available ‘Instructions for Use” when setting up or trouble-shooting equipment.

As with any new innovation, there are problems and challenges that should be considered. Learners characterized as digital immigrants are less likely to embrace this technology in favor of printed training materials. Another hurdle is bandwidth. Podcasting still requires downloading, either onto a computer or Smartphone. Depending on the link (network Ethernet or G3 wireless), the file could take as long as 10 to 20 minutes to download. Another limitation with regards to vodcasting is the limited viewing size of the iPod or Smartphone screen.

The first thing that would make this technology better is to simplify the ability for retrieving needed information. The attribute of an MP3 player is the immediate access to a vast array of Podcast and Vodcast references. The search typically begins in our heads via trying to recall the name of a file or folder on a topic, problem, or frequently-asked question. In my specific area of expertise with medical devices, for example, technology that promotes “recognizing” the device by the MP3 player would simplify finding the needed reference, such as an Operator’s Manual, Instructions for Use, videos of start-up procedures and the latest journal articles pertinent to that device.

Gronstedt, A. (2007). The changing face of workforce learning. T & D, January, 20-24. Retrieved March 15, 2010 from
http://www.gronstedtgroup.com/pdf/Infoline_podcasting.pdf

One of the educational technology environments that I work in is where my students are colleagues. The subject is on Training Programs Development. The one technology that has a high comfort-level amongst my colleagues is the digital projector for the presentation of PowerPoint-based information. This is a relatively good starting point for opportunities to experiment with new technologies. Unfortunately, I cannot even get them to create self-learning modules with their PowerPoint by simply having them script the presentations in the Notes section, then use the Acrobat printer option to create readable PDF versions for trainees to read. They continue to insist on the traditional auditorium-style venue, turn down the lights, and drone through slide after slide. If this was conducted over Live Meeting, that would be different. After all, in our organization everyone has Live Meeting loaded as part of Outlook. This would be a demonstration whereby my colleagues would be experimenting outside the box for the didactic phase of their training. It is my contention that when you bring a learner in-house for medical device training, the best utilization of their time should be conducted doing hands-on experiential learning exercises.

Unfortunately, my colleagues perceive spending time doing training as an invasion of their schedule up until the time they are actually in front of the learner. They admit the actual time doing training can be fun; just not the preparation for training. It is not an aversion to technology. The lunch-time conversation with colleagues is often about the new iPhone aps they use, the latest Netflix-ready Blue Ray disc player they bought, or the new Garmin GPS that offers a virtual heads-up display. With regards to Keller’s ARCS Model, the first obstacle is to convey relevance in their need to commit time towards being an educator in addition to their role as product manager. There’s an old saying, “if you continue to do what you have always done, you will keep getting back what you always got.” What has to happen first before they will get excited about using new technology is to recognize the relevance of their purpose as educators.

Change is commonly met with varying degrees of aversion or resistance to outright refusal to embrace. What I have noticed is that there exists a “wow” factor with new technologies which draws people’s attention and helps overcome that resistance to change. The challenge for me as the Education & Training programs manager is to somehow demonstrate that “wow-factor” with technology used for training.

When I look at the overall scheme of this mindmap, the first thing I noticed is it is more-heavily ‘weighted’ in my Work and Career networks. If one were to associate our connections or networks with what it means to live a balanced life, this tool suggests I need to put more effort in the methods, tools, and people for Social and Lifelong Learning. This realization in and of itself is a learning experience. I cannot say the network will “change” the way I learn, but rather it will enhance the way I learn by providing a fundamental “knowledgebase” of varied resources I have immediately available to answer questions,  seek advice, establish collaboration,  and gain knowledge in the various aspects of my life. The learning will occur when I am able to think, process and analyze and potentially re-model the information that I gather using these resources.

Networks are great utilities to seek out and gather information with the intent to build new knowledge. A common starting place for me is Wikipedia. I use the breadth and depth of information gained from this to set up additional research, using on-line library resources (Medtronic’s e-library or the Walden University Library) and then extend my search from there using online databases, if applicable. While I consider learning as a thinking-processing-remodeling exercise, the tools that best facilitate this process are those that promote synchronous or asynchronous interaction and collaboration with thought-exchange.  Networking and gathering different perspectives from classmates, colleagues and friends are the best methods to accomplish this.

Do humans have a basic instinct to interact and work as a group?

From an anthropologic point of view, the willingness to interact may be the result of a human behavior characterized as “innately sociable and helpful to others” (Wade, 2009) and occurs as a natural inclination that is not imposed by parenting or culture (Tomasello, 2009). As they mature, adolescents experience phases of being cooperative outside the home, develop a sense of a social norm, and exhibit a desire to belong to a group. Tomasello (2009) also points out that humans at a fairly early age develop what is referred to as a “shared intentionality” from which they derive a sense of norms of what to expect from others, the sense of “we”, and the notion for others to obey these norms. It is believed the basis of human socialization and what eventually evolved into the purpose of cooperation in gathering food is the result shared intentionality. A child’s existing propensity for social cooperation can be further influenced from certain parenting styles that communicate to the child about the effects their actions can have on others (2009).

Humans are also naturally deeply social creatures. We have evolved to heed a powerful desire to “belong”; be part of a group of people we can know and who, in return, can know us (Wever-Rabehl, 2006). Social connected-ness, or our fear of losing it, continues to be paramount in defining the quality of our lives. Therefore, the answer to the above question is “yes”; humans do exhibit a natural trait to interact and work as a group.

How can technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles? As you know, the Constructivism theory maintains that students construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences (Bonk & Cunningham, 1998). Social constructivists view learning as a participative and social process. Conceptual growth comes from sharing multiple perspectives and changing our internal representations through collaborative learning.

Technology has provided numerous platforms to facilitate this process in the form of electronic networking via Skype, Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter using the Internet, and 3G wireless mobile technologies with Smart Phones. The use of these collaborative technologies not only forges relationships between learners but also promotes sharing ideas and solving problems. Meaningful learning occurs when individuals are engaged in social interactions with each other (Bonk & Cunningham, 1998).

Bonk, C. J., Cunningham, D. J. (1998). Searching for learner-centered, constructivist, and sociocultural components of collaborative educational learning tools. In C. J. Bonk, & K. S. King (Eds.), Electronic collaborators: Learner-centered technologies for literacy, apprenticeship, and discourse (pp. 25-50). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Tomasello, M. (2009, October). Why We Cooperate. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Wade, N. (2009, December). We may be born with an urge to help. Retrieved January 12, 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/science/01human.html

Wever-Rabehl, G. (2006, July). The anthropology of belonging: The need for social inclusion. Retrieved January 12, 2010 from http://anthropology.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_anthropology_of_belonging

The importance of placing labels (the –isms) on methods sometimes seems to outweigh the methods themselves. When presented with the name of a theory, do our minds automatically associate with a concept, process or technique that represents that theory? Or, when given a particular learning situation, is it more useful to identify a theory that can explain why it does (or doesn’t) work? What struck me very poignant was Bill Kerr’s statement, “Should we stick to -isms or should we be more pragmatic and just cherry pick different useful ideas out of the various theories?” I can relate to this. It’s probably the reference to being pragmatic that caught my attention. I tend to try different teaching methods and then continue to use the ones that work, then modify and improve upon them. What particular -ism it falls under is not the focus; learning outcomes from well-designed instruction is what’s paramount. This notion is further emphasized in Bill’s response to the following comment by Stephen Downes,

“…it remains puzzling that so much of the instructional design

community remains in behaviorism, this more than 30 years after

the theory was abandoned everywhere else.”

I agree with Bill’s reply. Repeating what gets results is the path to the reward, as opposed following the popular theory du-jour (e.g. cognitivism). I tend to get lost in the semantic gymnastics of all the –isms…cognitivisn, empiricism, nativism, rationalism, skepticism, realism, idealism, pragmatism, objectivism, interpretivism…without the need to stop and ask their relevance. In the wiki http://learningevolves.wikispaces.com Bill Kerr talks about “the need to study a wide variety of learning theories to learn about the wide variety of tricks that different people use to learn.” I wonder if the -isms would become clearer if we knew more about what those “tricks” were.

Understanding learning theory definitely has its place in order to help understand all the various ways that the human mind learns, and allow us to try and predict the methods to accomplish effective learning. For that nuclear power-plant scenario; if either a strictly behaviorist or strictly cognitivist approach doesn’t work, then “cherry-pick”; be creative and design a blended instructional method that does work, or maybe have the trainee stay at a Holiday Inn Express.