Shepp GeekTech – A Tech Geek’s Blog

It is dawning on me that trying to understand Web 2.0 can be compared to pinning jello against the wall. Have a look at Ian Delaney’s piece “10 definitions of Web 2.0 and their shortcomings” and the comments that follow and you will get an idea of where I am coming from. Warning: it gets a little too technogeeky (if it is not a word it should be) at times.

Okay, I’ll admit it. When new ideas and technologies emerge I am not the first one on the bandwagon. That is probably why I am so far behind in exploring the RSS, podcasting, social networking, and a host of other popular trends on the Internet (could also be a time factor). Web 2.0 is a concept I have not fully grasped. It seems to mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. My understanding of it is that Web 2.0 refers to a group of technologies that makes the Net much more interactive. I would add that it makes it much more dangerous as well., but I will save this sentiment to explore in a future posting (maybe).

My goal for the coming year is to learn more about Web 2.0. Here are some of my questions:

• Can I use it (or parts of it) as a teaching tool for my classroom?
• How does it impact distance learning?

First, I have to figure out what it is? In an effort to learn more I have downloaded the “Coming of Age: An Introduction to the New World Wide Web” from Ewan McIntosh’s blog. I must confess that I have a hard time reading anything of length on the computer and it is too big to print out. I leave for my vacation today and I plan to give it a crack when I get home at the end of this month (along with preparing to teach a new school year, starting up Lego Robotics again, and the MDDE 604 course I am taking this fall).

To get my feet wet, I have been exploring RSS feeds and as a result I have setup an account on Bloglines. What is Bloglines? It is a web site that acts as a news aggregator. You can subscribe to web content (like blogs) and Bloglines will keep track of them all in one place for you. I like it because it helps tame the information overload on the web. For those not technologically inclined it is one of those things you have to try to understand.

I am not entirely sure what the future holds for me. I want to incorporate blogs, podcasting, and vdeo editing into my courses this year but I don’t have a lot of time to do it. My tech courses are required to be a minimum of 26 hours and that is not a lot of time. I have considered doing it as an extra-curricular activity but I am already doing Lego robotics and I don’t know how I am going to get any time to pursue other afterschool events? A case of wanting to do a lot more but not enough time to do it.

I have been thinking a lot about where I am going with the distance education program. I had two reasons for doing the Master of Distance Education (MDDE) program. The first was that the program would lead to a significant increase in my salary. The second was my interest in distance learning. Now I am wondering what I will do once I finish the program. I like teaching but I don’t think I can do it at a high school level for the next 22 years until I can retire. Distance learning is an exciting field and not much research has been devoted to the practice at the high school level. I think there are opportunities here but I have no idea how I am going to crack into the field.

I finished the MDDE 603 course towards the end of July 2006 and I thought I would post the bibliography for the assignment. I did well on the paper but I am hesitant to publish it here. I have some concerns about plagiarism and being given credit for the work I create.

Title: A Theory of Practice: A Constantly Evolving Process

References

Anderson, T. (October 2003). Getting the mix right: An updated and theoretical rationale for interaction. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 4(2). Retrieved July 14, 2006 from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/149/230.

Bird, Jenny, & Morgan, Chris. (2003, April). Adults contemplating university study at a distance: Issues, themes and concerns. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 4(1). Retrieved July 21, 2005, from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/130/210.

Cooper, P.A. (1993). Paradigm shifts in designed instruction: From behaviorism to cognitivism to constructivism. Educational Technology, May, 12-19.

Driscoll, Mary P. (2005). Psychology of Learning for Instruction. Boston, Pearson
Education, Inc.

Huitt, W. (2003). Constructivism. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved July 20, 2006, from http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/construct.html

Kanuka, Heather & Anderson, Terry. (1998). Online social interchange, discord, and knowledge construction. Journal of Distance Education, 13(1). Retrieved June 16, 2006 from http://cade.athabascau.ca/vol13.1/kanuka.html

Kanuka, Heather & Anderson, Terry. (1999). Using constructivism in technology-mediated learning: Constructing order out of the chaos in the literature. Radical Pedagogy, 1(2).

Ludwig-Hardman, S. & Dunlap, J.C. (April 2003). Learner support services for online students: scaffolding for success. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 4(1). Retrieved July 21, 2006 from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/131/211.

MacDonald, Colla J. and Thompson, Terrie Lynn. (July 2005). Structure, content, delivery, service, and outcomes: Quality e-learning in higher education. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 6(2). Retrieved June 14, 2006 from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/237/321.

Savory, J.R., & Duff, T.M. (2001). Problem based learning: An instructional model and its constructivist framework. CRLT Technical report No. 16-01. Indiana University: Center for Research on Learning and Technology.

Spitzer, Dean R. (1996, May/June). Motivation: The neglected factor in instructional design. Educational Technology, 45-49.

Tam, Maureen. (2000). Constructivism, instructional design, and technology: implications for transforming distance learning. Educational Technology & Society, 3(2). Retrieved May 15, 2005, from http://ifets.ieee.org/periodical/vol_2_2000/tam.html.

Wilson, B. G., Ludwig-Hardman, S., Thornam C. L., & Dunlap, J. C. (November 2004). Bounded community: Designing and facilitating learning communities in formal courses. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 5(3). Retrieved June 14, 2006 from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/204/286.