Tailored Education.

Is there a potential problem being stored up for people if 'education' is tailored to fit into their cultural and personal preferences?

We live in such a cultural and diverse world, that it would be ignorant if we only learned about things which fit into our own personal preferences and culture.
Personally, I think we all need to be educated and have a basic knowledge of other different cultures and backgrounds. I think its important to know about other cultures, not just your own, as in todays world, our society is so multi-cultural that we need to know about them, theres no escaping it. In later life when we are in the woking world we will need to be educated in more than things that just apply to ourselves.

I think many problems could arise if education was tailored for the individual. In some cases, I can understand why tailoring around individual needs would benefit the individual greatly, for example, the way things are culturally percieved to different people would be best adapted to their preferences.

What is "Semantic Web"?

"The Semantic Web is a web that is able to describe things in a way that computers can understand."
"The Semantic Web is an evolving extension of the World Wide Web in which the semantics of information and services on the web is defined, making it possible for the web to understand and satisfy the requests of people and machines to use the web content."

The Semantic Web is a much smarter vesion of the internet that we know already. Although the World Wide Web gives us information, Semantic Web takes into consideration that we need applications in order to gain this information. It is able to run on applications, and although it may be several years until we see the Semantic Web up and running, the capabilities of it will be so beneficial and helpful in a world of digital technologies.


http://www.w3schools.com/semweb/default.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_Web

Semantic web and web 3.0

The semantic web and web 3.0 have a few similarities, such as both people eally fast versions of the internet, but they have many differences too.

Semantic web is a web of data. "The Semantic Web is about two things. It is about common formats for integration and combination of data drawn from diverse sources, where on the original Web mainly concentrated on the interchange of documents. It is also about language for recording how the data relates to real world objects. That allows a person, or a machine, to start off in one database, and then move through an unending set of databases which are connected not by wires but by being about the same thing". Semantic web allows comuters to read the internet.


"Web 3.0 refers to the attempt by technologists to overhaul radically the basic platform of the internet so that it 'understands' the near infinite pieces of information that reside on it and draws connections between them."



http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2726190.ece
http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/

Week 9/10 - Digital divide, social-economy and global acess.

Looking at the digital divide between Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants in Prenskys work, we may also be able to identify a divide in society. Digital Natives are more likely to use the internet for shopping, not only with sites like amazon, e-bay and play, which are exclusively online stores, but many high street stores such as TopShop and Le Senza now have online stores, as well as supermarkets. Obviously, by allowing people to shop from the comforts of their own homes,this is largely going to benefit the companies. This wouldnt apply for digital immigrants, as they are more likely to leave the house to use such services.

The whole idea of the digital divide effect interaction between immigrants, natives and things we do. For example, rather than actually meeting up or making a phone call, many people nowadays rely on MSN, social networking sites and text messaging at the main ways of communication. Even childhood is effected by this digital divide. When I was younger I used to have books read to me and spend summer in the garden with my neighbours, but it seems this has changed. When I visiting my young cousins last weekend, they were using consoles to read stories and play games, rather than physically reading of playing the games themselves.

When we think of global access, we generally think of the positive things, like how communication between people miles apart can be effectivley active. This new digital way of communicating allows us to talk to people over the other side of the country and world, which obviously benefits us as its convinient and bridges a gap.

Week 9/10 Wenger and Prensky

Wenger and Prenskys idea's can relate to each other as they both talk about how technology helps people to learn.

Both of the ideas see technology and learning as beneficial to students, with Prenskys notion of technolocy having such a strong impact on the lives of"digital natives", and Wenger seeing Communities of Practice as a way for people to work together to get to the same place. E-learninf in incorporated into both of these ideas.

Both of the ideas could be critised though, as far too many assumptions are made. Prensky assumes that everyone who is under the age of 25 should have been bought up in a digital world, and therefore labelled a Digital Native. Assuming that everyone in this age range has top knowledge of technology is a negative thing, as many people challenge this. Also, in both Prenky and Wengers idea, they never consider e-learning to be a bad thing and put students at disadvantage. Does using the internet hinder students chance of reaching their full ability? Does the fact that there is limited face to face interaction mean that students are less likely to succeed?

Both of the ideas focus on techno-determinism, saying that we are shaped by technology, suggesting students need it to succeed and reach their potential. Although in many cases it shows that E-learning is effective, the whole idea fails to recognise negative aspects of technology, its completely one sided, thinking that it is 100% beneficial to students. Prensky and Wenger ignore the idea that the effectiveness of e-learning can be hindered by a number of things, and the notion of digital natives can be challenged.

Website Five (with URL)

http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/Digital-Natives.htm

I found this article really interesting as it contrasts to the several different pages I have looked at. Rather than discussing why Prensky is wrong, this page focuses on supporting his ideas, saying that there is a digital divide. The site is mainly based on Prensky, and quotes him throughout. I couldnt find a publication date for it, but it seems up-to-date and fairly recent. Although this particular page only deals with Prenskys view point, it does a great job in descriptivley analysing his ideas and refers to many things to back it up (native lingo, games consoles, email etc). I think this works well as it doesnt just simply re-tell Prenskys ideas, it incorporates other things into to make you understand it and put the ideas into actual use and real life

Website Four (with URL)

http://educationalissues.suite101.com/article.cfm/digital_natives_and_digital_immigrants

This website it quite similar to many I have looked at. It effectivley divides the two terms "digital native" and "digital immigrant" with examples and meanings. The way the webpage is structured is really easy to read and it helps grasp an understanding of what the terms mean. The page talks about "digital natives" havent adapted their life to technology, they havent adapted to using internet, email and social networking sites, its just a natural occurance to them, they were born into a world of digital technology so have grown up with it surrounding them.
The website also talks about "digital immigrants" as being people who are older, and may know how to use the internet and computers, but not be so up-to-date and know the lingo that younger people do.

The article was written in 2008 so it is fairly new, and people have since posted comments with their responses. The responses are what interested me the most, at two twenty year olds have said that they dont neccessarily feel they are digital natives, they feel "in between" the digital divide. This caught my attention as they are suggesting that age doesnt always come in to it, which opposes what Prensky focused on in his theory.

Website Three (with URL)

http://www.mazar.ca/2006/07/18/digital-natives-vs-digital-immigrants/

I found this website quite interesting as it uses cases studies to effectivley give a greater understanding of Digitial Natives and Digitial Immigration. The opening paragraph straight away describes what it entails to be classed as each of these. The author (posting udner the name of Rochelle) immedietly puts her opinions into light, saying that Prenskys theory is indeed incorrect, as it is more of a "are we willing to learn" than "we've been brought up/havent been brought up in a digital world". I think this is a really interesting point, as although it goes against what Prensky says, it offers and alternative view point.
This webpage introduces us to two characters, 20 year old Emily who has been bought up in a world of wireless internet, social networking sites, mp3's, podcasts and mobile phones - qualify as a "digital native". Emily's lifestyle and experiences with technology reinforce her being labelled a "digitial native" as from the moment she wakes up, her day is effected by technology (checking her emails, podcasts and facebook account). Secondly, we are introduced to Rochelle, the author of this page. Rochelle is 32, and acoording to Premsky, she would be classified as a Digital Immigrant, because she was born before a world of digital technologies. Rochelle speaks about how she was 17 when she first started to use the internet, which is alot later that Emily. Although Rochelle should be a "digital immigrant", she it up-to-date with technology, using email and blogging sites, forums and instant messenger.

The website draws upon how Rochelle doesnt fit into the age range for a digital native, but feels that she is one, because she has as much technological involvement and knowledge as someone 10 years her senior.

I think this is really interesting and provides a great debate!

Website Two (with URL)

http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/default.asp

The second website which I found intersting is the homepage of a key figure in the concept of Digital Natives and Digitial Immigration, Marc Prensky. The homepage introduces Marc, and gives hyperlinks to different areas and pages. I found the "writitngs" hyperlink to be the most interesting, as on this page a number of articles are published, all to do with Digitial immigration and Digital Natives. Obviously as this website is about Prenskys ideas, it is all very supportive and positive. The website talks about how there is a divide in digital technology, breaking it down into to categories which are age dependent. The website is really up to date, with the most recent publications dating March 2009. There is also an archive of older publications dating back to 2003, so there is a whole host of resourses and articles available. The hyperlinks which give you acess to the articles are shown in red, which makes them stand out on the page, and co-ordinates with the text box at the very top of the page. The layout is generally quite simple, which is effective and is ideal for regular updates to be made.

Website One. (with URL)

[The first of my second batch!!]

http://technologysource.org/article/digital_natives_digital_immigrants/

This webpage was published on The University Of North Carolina's website and is one persons summary and opinions in Digital Natives and Digital Immigration.
The article begins with introducing the work of Marc Prensky, the main figure in the whole notion of digital immigration and natives. It talks about what Prensky said, and moves onto the authors own opinions and experiences. Although he thinks Prensky made soem valid points and a good distinction and understanding of those who grasp technology easier than others, he disagrees with many results Prensky made. Being in his 30's, according to Prensky, the author falls slightly outside the age range for being a digital native, but to himself he challenges this as he feels he knows a sufficient amount and works at a university within the field of technology and computers.
Although the article was written in 2003, I found it really interesting, as not only does it nicely introduce the notion and concepts, it provides a counter argument, drawing upon personal experiences. Personally, I found it really helpful in obtaining a greater understanding of Prenskys ideas.

Website analysis'

Okay, well Iexperienced some problems with my website analysis'...as in I saved the sources on my external hard drive and it broke, and there is no way of retrieving my files.

I have done the write ups for the sites I looked at, which are published on my blog already, but seeing as I havent been able to publish what sites I wrote about, Im gunna have to do it again! Just to let everyone know that Im not really late in doing it...I just had problems which caused a major delay!!

Something I stumbled across

I was having a browse on the cosmopolitan website (as you do) and it came up with a link to a forum where women were discussing open universities and online degrees.

From their points of view, its a really good thing, and i found it quite interesting as it sort of ties in with this unit in the sense that its a "virtual community" discussing the topic, and the topic has relevance to what we have been looking at.

Just thought I'd make a blog because, well, i found it interesting anyway.

Heres the link if anyone is interested http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/chatroom/topic/70345

Technophile 2020

11 years from now, and things must be different right? In an ever increasing technological world, the answer is so very obviously yes.

University would have changed so much for students like Finn (my fictional character - who is actually a real baby and likely to experience this for real!!). Long gone are the days of waking up early and trying to make it into uni for 9am starts, everything is now done in a virtual world. From the comfort of his own bedroom, Finn will be able to "attend" lectures and seminars and complete his degree course, all from his own house. At his own pace, at a time which suits him, he will be able to learn via his compter (which in ten years time will probably we able to make his breakfast and coffee for him too!...oo if only!!).

Distance learning is on the increase, already being used in a number of universities over the world. This uni itself it a prime example of how technology can be used for education, and if its as effective and convienient as we find it, then the likely hood is that its going to carry on developing and perhaps be the only way of learning? Why actually attend set lectures and seminars when it can all be done online?

I don't really see this as being a good thing. I would much prefer interactive learning, actually going into university for lectures etc, working with other students and being taught face to face from tutors. Its hard to predict what will happen in ten years time!!

Neo-luddites.

A neo-luddite is someone who doesn't agree with technological developments, and dislike using technology. "A Neo-Luddite is someone who believes that the use of technology has serious ethical, moral, and social ramifications" (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-neo-luddite.htm).
Neo-luddites are catious to promote early adaption of technology, and although they are not entirely against technology, they would rather see a serious discussion of the role of technology in todays soceity.

Being a neo-luddite causes many daily frustrations, as we live in such a technology dominated soceity, its virtually impossible to escape from it. To a neo-luddite student, university life would be such a problematice and frustrating area, as universtities rely on technology more than ever. For example, time tables, maps and contact between lectureres and students are all done via the internet these days, as well as lecture notes and materials being posted online the majority of the time, rather than in-class hand outs. At university, we are all given our own email address which is the man way we are expected to keep on contact with tutors and peers, and all written work is required to be submitted using word-proccesser, so a basic general knowledge of computers and technology is a must, which is obviously going to frustrate a neo-luddite.

A threat to digital natives/immigrants

A person that I know who I would see as a threat to the notion of digital natives and digital immigrants is my old college media studies teacher. I couldnt really say how old he was exactly, but late 50's I would imagine. Although he was born before "the digital age", his level of digital and technological knowledge is so high, much higher than most people his age, and probably higher than people my age!

Being a media and film studies tutor for a-level students I guess its required that he has a certain degree of digital knowledge, but also having a teenage son my age, and a daughter who is two years older than me also plays a role in him being a threat. Raising children in a digital world and working with college students for many years of his life has obviously benifited him and educated him in technology and IT etc.

I remember him being the one tutor who relied on electical communication such as email to keep in contact with students, and he prefered to recieve an e-copy of all our assignments as well as a printed out version. He also was really up-to-date with other forms of technology such as mobile phones, and he had a contact number which he gave out to students in case they needed to contact him and didnt have access to email. He also has a facebook account, which isn't really expected of someone his age? To me, this makes him challenge Prenskys ideas, as he is older than a "digital native" should be, but really doesnt fall into the "digital immigrant" category at all.

The youngest digital immigrant

The youngest digital immigrant that I can think of that I know is one of my old best friends, a girl who lived across the road from me, who is now 19 years old. Although she fits into the age group of a "digital native" as she has grown up with new technological advances surrounding her, she doesnt seem to possess the same level of internet/computer/digital knowledge as people her her. To me, her lack of involvement and capabilities categorise her as a "digital immgrant".
I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it is probably to do with the fact that her parents were in the 40's when they had her, and she was their first child. As older parents, they didn'y have the knowledge themselves of technology, and I can remember its only been in the past couple years when she started college that they got broadband internet and a new computer for her. The lack of tecnhnology surrounding her directly when she grew up obviously had an impact on her laer life, as now she seems to be slightly behind everyone else in terms of what she knows and how to do certain things, and is learning at a much later stage of life.

The oldest native..

The oldest digital native I know would probably be a family friend, Pete. He is in his late 30's/early 40's and he probably knows more about the internet and IT than anyone my age! Although he wasnt born directly in an age of digital technology, he grew up with technology expanding and advancing around him, so to me he does fall into this category.

Pete works as a part time photographer and an IT techinican, and he has his own website and myspace page for his photography work, a facebook account and several e-mail accounts. The fact the he is so involved with IT as a job and is so up-to-date and aware of the latest internet social networking sites etc shows that he has grown up with technology, learning it along the way.

Week 9 - Stretching People.

To me, the concept of "stretching" a person relates to the idea of pushing an individual as far as possible, to gain the most from their educational abilities. The way I look at is that education challenges your potential and skills, in order "up" yourself, which can be used in later life, careers etc.

By stretching yourself you are providing yourself with a new level of knowlegde, new information which can help in the long run. Education is such a large and diverse area, so of course stretching should take place. An example of stretching within education which springs to mind is communcation and persuasion and the secondary readings. By doing the "should" (but not "must") reads, we stretch ourselves, making ourself consume more of the unit work, and obviously this will come handy when doing the final assessment!

In a way I think E-learning can "stretch" you within education, as we are submitting the work individually, and we have the oppurtunity to blog on anything do to with NMC that we wish too. We can bring in other interesting information we find and do extra blogs if we have the time and want to, which to me suggests that does indeed stretch a person.

Blogger.com

I'm experiences a few problems with my blog atm, its not letting me post and freezes! There is work to come, its just playing up!

Week 8 - Website five.

The fifth website I looked at is actually a page of someone’s blog and there experiences of New media cultures digital natives. I am aware that this isn’t an academic or professional web page, but I found it really informative and I like how personal experiences were used. The way the writer draws upon being brought up with technology and knowing how towork and use it, compared to the lack of knowledge and the problems her Father experiences is really helpful in understanding the whole notion if digital immigrants and digital natives from someone reality . It helped me to put the terms into use and get a greater understanding. Like all blog sites, the structure of the site is simple and the usability is pretty straightforward, There are links to other pages at the top of the page, but mainly this is the only page directly related, though if you follow enough links you can find related topics. The blog was posted in August 2008, and although It isn’t the most recent updated site I found, I liked the way comments could be made, which can update and introduce newer concepts. The issue discussed in the blog itself is quite contemporary andf relevant to what we are studying.

Week 8 - Website four

The fourth website I have looked at and criticised is one person opinions on “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants: Some Thoughts from the Generation Gap”. I found this quite an interesting read, as it incorporates theory with opinions of the author. The usability is fairly easy as it is just one page about digital immigrants, and it’s a simple scroll down page. There is a lot of text and virtually no images, which makes the layout slightly boring, but the content of the text itself is really interesting and relevant to the concept and the unit. One flaw is that the commentary was written 2003, so being 6 years old it is pretty dated, and newer more relevant information and theories are available.

Week 8 - Website three.

The third website I am looking at is quite a small one, but I found it interesting. The website headline is “thoughts, ideas and reflections on teaching, learning and technology”, and I think this ties in with the unit so far. The usability of the website is quite straightforward, like the previous two, with links to different areas at the very top of the page, and a good use of text and images throughout. There are links to blogs and social networking sites to the right of the page, which keeps it up to date and modern, with blogs ranging from 2007 up until this year. There are areas where you can post comment and be alerted by email of any replies made, which I found interesting as it is really to do with the whole idea of online communication.

Week 8 - Website two

The second website I case across and found interesting is about a book in digital natives. As soon as I clicked on the page I liked what I saw, as there is a very striking image on the left hand side, which is colourful and big, instantly gaining attention from the viewer. The usability of the website is really simple yet effective. There are hyperlinks across the top of the page which take you to different areas of the site, including “authors” and “pod casts”. There is an image on the top of the page which changed every few seconds, showing children with different forms of technology such as game consoles and mp3 players. The website isn’t updated as often as some others I have seen, but I guess seeing as its reviewing a book it doesn’t really need to be updated too often. Although the main page doesn’t really give much information about digital immigration, there is a link to a page named “excerpt” which gives background information and a rough idea of what the terms mean and what the book is about and outlines.

Week 8 - Website one

The first website I looked at takes you to a number of different pages relating to digital natives and digital immigration. On the home page there is a large picture of the author of the website, and the layout is really eye catching and easy to follow.
The usability of this website is quite easy, as all the separate articles are linked on the home page and divided into categories of release date. The articles are shown in a bright red link which instantly gets attention and stands out on the white background. At the top of the page there are a number of hyperlinks which take you to different areas of the site. The positioning of these on the page is really effective as they are right at the top of the page and kept separate from the articled linked on the homepage. A block of red is used where the hyperlinks are, which co-ordinates with the hyperlinks and makes the page look nice. Generally, the usability of the website is really easy for anyone to understand.
The content of the website is really up to date, with the most recent article dating March 2009, and a whole archive of articles dating back over the past year or so. The issues dealt with on this site are very contemporary and modern, dealing with issues such as college courses, mobile phones and articles designated for students, games and learning, which I think are all important and pretty up to date.

China - Part Two.

Of course, as with pretty much any form of education and technology in todays world, there and advantaged and disadvantages with distance learning. An advantage which you cant find in schooling is that is it flexible and there is no centralised resources. Also, so many people can be educated this way as messages can easily be delivered and recieved by so many people at one time, which of course is a massive convinience. However, with the advantages come disadvantages, such as lack of face to face interaction and active learning with other students, which you do find in the classroom, which in my opinion would slow down and decrease the effectiveness, as if someone doesn't understand something or struggles, they can't just ask their tutor for help, as they are learning via a television. The audience aren't seen as individuals with their own interests and preferences, they are simply seen as a group. Surely this reflects the quaility of learning?

In theory I think distance learning is a great thing as it is an effective way of reaching the masses and offering so many people an education, but are these people at disadvantage compared to those who have class room schooling? "Students having access to better-equipped laboratories may perform more experiments than those who have no well-equipped laboratory at their disposal". I find this point quite interesting and fitting, as basically it says that students who have access to practical equpment (in science for example) perform more experiments than those who have less access. This must mean that education isn't equal? To me, this just suggests taht depending on where you live, you have a better chance of education and better oppurtunities.

I can see how distance learning works in China, it is such an impressive technological advance, but personally I can see quite a few "cracks" - problems and issues which may not seem a big deal, but can effect the students, education systems and in the long run.

China - Part One.

After reading the article I was quite surprised to see how old distance learning dates. It seems to be a huge success and work really well, and its obvious that China are much more developed than most parts of the world when it comes to organizational structure.

Chine favours distance learning, in particular through the use of television to educate children, due to the amount of population across the county. As it has be proved,television as a convienient and effective way of delivery messages to a mass audience. Between 1960- 1966 8,000 students graduated by using the television based learning and 50,000 students passed single courses. These statistics show how effective distance learning is, as the amount of students who gratuated using television as their aid of learning is more than the amount one lecturer could educate in the classroom. This article has really opened my eyes to education in different forms of media, as I generally think schooling is the best option, but after reading the successed of China, I can see how different ways can work out just as well.

The whole notion of this distance learning can be linked to the conept of "social-determinsim" with the society working with and functioning around the technological advances available to us.

Televisions have the ability to send messages to a massive audience, and although it has proven to benefit and work well for people in China, the whole idea does make me doubt the quality of learning, as distance learning doesnt offer face to face or interacting with other students, which surely lowers the effectiveness compared to that you would find in the classroom? Another issue which makes me question the overall effectiveness is that everyone is getting the same standard education. Obviously, this can be seen as a good thing as it means eveyone has an equal chance of succeeding, but to me I see it as everyone learns exactly the same within their field, which isnt neccessarily beneficial as its better that people have the chance to further there education and focus on areas which they feel more comfortable in? It works well for China I admit.

E learning in Africa.

The closure of schools in Zambia and the introduction of E-learning due to an outbreak of Cholera on the surface seems like a good idea, an effective way of ensuring children contine to learn and are educated. Although online learning is beneficial and effective, I think it is problematic. "The pupils argued that they were all going to write the same exam at the end of the year and that it was not fair for them to stay home while friends in areas unaffected by cholera continued going to school." I agree with this, as surely the children who are continuing with education in a school are going to have a better oppurtunity and chance of succeeding than those who learn everything via the internet? Although this is what I personally think, the use of e-learning is obviously better than nothing. E-learning provides children with the basics of education, and although they are missing out on face to face and interactive elements of education which you would find in the classroom and schools, without e-learning they wouldn't be able to continue with learning at all and be at an even bigger disadvantage.
Generally speaking, I can see why e-learning was enforced in Zambia, but in the long run I think there are other ways to combat the problem, such as invest in ways to cure Cholera so that all students get an equal oppurtinity in education and are on same level.

Week 6 - communities of practice.

I wasn't in the lecture for this, but after reading the materials and other peoples blogs I thought I'd give it a shot anyway.

I'm at home at the moment and cant access the material again from here because my laptop and home computer are silly! At the moment im writing this based on a few notes i made, so this isnt going to be much of a successful post, but I shall write more when I return to the lincoln land!

I can't really think of a community of practice which I have belonged to, the only one that springs to mind is the Brownies. When I was about 8 I was part of the local Brownie group, and although I was only involved for a year, I guess this was a community of practice!

Being part of the Brownies, we were an all girls club, and were all of similar age. Because we were there as a club, we all socialised and interacted with each other, and had activities designed for us to work together. As Wenger states, members of a CofP are 'informally bound together', and I guess this was the case at the Brownies, although because we all shared the same uniform and had to abide by the dress clothes (brown clogs and a YELLOW JUMPER... what were they thinking!!) we were quite formal. Being part of a club bound us as a group, we worked together and in our groups to acheieve different skills and get the reward badge when we completed certain tasks.

We had a few levels of authority within the brownies, with the "brown owl" being in charge (the responsible adult) and deputy officers. Within the club and members of the club, we were split into different groups, such as the imps and the pixies, and we had a captain and vice captain for each of these. Although the captains didn't take a noticable authoritative or higher role than other members of the group, it was just a known thing that they were in a higher position than you.