Emerging IT: Google Docs & Mobile Tech

Day One of our class Emerging Instructional Technology with Dr. Leigh Zeitz. We were honored to have Rob Galloway as our guest instructor. Today served as an introduction to what promises to be a whirlwind tour of Web 2.0. I am going to try and catch as many of the tools mentioned in class this week in a delicious feed and then serve it up on my blog.

Our topics today centered on Mobile Tech and Google Docs.

Google Docs & Mobile Services

Google is amassing an impressive assortment of Web 2.0 tools. Here's a brief overview:

• Google for Educators--a portal for educators wanting to use Google tools in the classroom. Includes suggested learning activities, a educators' community, promotional pieces, and information about the Google Academy.
• Google Docs--an office suite built on Web 2.0. Includes a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation tool. While the tools are not as developed as other online office suites (Zoho, for example), Google Docs are simple and built for easy collaboration.
• Google Pages--a tool for simple web pages.
• Google Mobile--a portal for all things Google for the mobile device.
• The Google Android Project--an open source operating system for mobile devices that will challenge Windows Mobile, Palm, etc.
• Goog-411--part of the Google Mobile Suite, Google 411 is a simple way to get information back from Google using voice prompts.
• Google SMS--like Goog-411, Google SMS provides on-the-go information via text messaging.
• Blogger--Google's powerful blogging tool.
• Gmail--Google's mail, calendar, tasks, contact apps.

Twitter

We also reviewed Twitter today. I've started using Twitter on semi-regular basis, but I'm still not in the habit. It appears the value of Twitter is to follow others throughout their day as thoughts cross their mind. Twitter limits each "tweet" to 146 characters, so there's no need to spend a lot of time crafting your entries. Twitter is for quick bursts of words that will keep your followers up-to-speed on what's happening. You can follow me at http://www.twitter.com/celler.

The China Syndrome

Last night, as part of my class on Emerging Instructional Technology at the University of Northern Iowa[1], I participated in a multi-dimensional chat experience. We were connected through the chat client in WebCT, audio  & video through MeBeam, and virtually through SecondLife (SL). As a digital immigrant, I think I experienced meltdown.

One of the things I've observed is the simplicity with which my kids (all digital natives) communicate in a nonlinear fashion via multiple methods. My son can be immersed in a massively multiplayer game (World of Warcraft), talking to his friends within this game via a headset, talking to friends in the room with him, and sending / receiving text messages all at the same time.

Last night, I have to admit, I felt overwhelmed at trying to keep all of the different environments active at the same time. I would follow the chat in WebCT for a few minutes only to find that all of my classmates had left the room in SL and I was standing their with my head hanging and the word (Away) hovering above me.

One of the purposes for this little experiment, in addition to exposing us to the different technologies, was to demonstrate the divide between digital natives and digital immigrants.[2] Trust me, I felt it.

Of the various technologies in use, I found the MeBeam channel to be of greatest benefit. Through MeBeam, I could see and hear the interaction of the different students online. Moreover, it gave me a much greater appreciation for the emotions and genuine feedback in a two-way conversation than with the WebCT or SL chat.

For example, our professor, Dr. Leigh Zeitz, kept his microphone open the entire time. In addition to talking, he would type into the chat client. As I listened to what he was saying and then saw how that was reflected in the text of the chat, I missed all of the texture the audio provided. He might laugh, for example at something someone said, but that was not reflected in the chat.

Reflecting on this experience, the obvious question to be answered is how can we employ these technologies in an educational setting? As demonstrated by last night's experience, I am probably more of an immigrant than I care to imagine.

We immigrants were entertained by the 1950s SciFi adventures like Buck Rogers. (Even those of us who grew up in the 1960s and 70s.) When Star Wars came out in 1977, that was a giant step forward in technology for the movie industry. Compare, however, Buck Rogers (or even Star Wars) with Star Wars: Episode III, released in 2005. The level of technology used to make this movie is common-place for today's digital natives. They watch a movie like Star Wars: Episode III then go home, plug the game into their PlayStation 2 and become Luke Skywalker. They can experience the battles he fought in the movie and match wits against the evil emperor. I watched Star Wars in 1977 and went home and picked up the controller to my Atari 2600 and played Pong (a little white dot that moved back and forth across the screen).

         

         Digital Immigrants                               Digital Natives                                    

              

                   Pong (ca. 1977)                          

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (PS2)

Bridging the Gap Between Immigrants (Educators)
and Natives (Students)

Even though I am less than a month into this degree program, it's clear that an entirely new paradigm is needed to bridge the gap between digital natives and digital immigrants within an educational setting. Students today are frustrated, for example, by an educational system that requires rote memorization when in their digital world facts are instantly available.

"Why should I memorize the presidents of the United States," a student can argue, "when I can pull up a list instantly from any web browser?"

As the Partnership for 21st Century Skills observes in their white paper, "The Intellectual and Policy Foundations of the 21st Century Skills Framework":

Today’s learning technologies give us the means to work smarter and learn more effectively. Schools, though, have not always been able to keep pace with their relentless advance. Too often new digital devices are employed without reference to new approaches to learning. Educators, researchers, and technologists need to continue to work together so that learners of all ages can fully realize the benefits of today’s learning tools. [3]

To give educators some guidelines, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) developed 13 Essential Conditions to Effectively Leverage Technology for Learning. These include:

• Shared Vision
• Implementation Planning
• Consistent and Adequate Funding
• Equitable Access
• Skilled Personnel
• Ongoing Professional Learning
• Technical Support
• Curriculum Framework
• Student-Centered Learning
• Assessment and Evaluation
• Engaged Communities
• Support Policies
• Supportive External Context

For more on these guidelines, access the document on the ISTE web site here.

References

[1] Emerging Instructional Technology is a part of the M.A. Instructional Technology degree offered by the University of Northern Iowa.

[2] The terms "digital natives" and "digital immigrants" were coined by Marc Prensky. Digital natives are students who are all "native speakers" of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet. Those of us who grew up prior to the digital age are referred to as "digital immigrants." While we are adopting many of the aspects of the new technology, it is not our "native tongue." As Prensky observes, "As digital immigrants learn -- like all immigrants, some better than others -- to adapt to their environment, they always retain, to some degree, their "accent," that is their foot in the past. [Source: Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Marc Prenskey, 2001. Access the original article here.]

[3] Parnership for 21st Century Skills. "The Intellectual and Policy Foundations of the 21st Century Skills Framework," p. 6. 2007

Google Docs Tutorials

Liz Davis, Instructional Technology Specialist and TV/Video teacher at the Wellesley High School in Wellesley, MA, has created some tutorials for those interested in experimenting with Google Docs. Like all things Google, they are free with a simple registration. The tutorials--created with Google Docs--will get you started using these simple, yet powerful tools.P.S. Don't miss Liz' free E-book on the right sidebar--21st Century Technology Tools: Tutorials for Teachers. This is a collection of tutorials on Web 2.0 technology tools such as Google Docs, Wikispaces, Ning, VoiceThread, Diigo and Delicious.Here's the link.

IT Needs to Prepare for $200 A Barrel Oil

Tech Republic is alerting readers to begin preparing now for the increased demand for for remote connections if oil continues to climb. Bill Detwiler states:

Many IT organizations, particularly in large enterprises, already support a distributed workforce. IT leaders within this category should ensure their infrastructure has the capacity to support increased demand. IT departments not currently supporting remote users should begin exploring their options now. At the very least, you should make certain your network can support existing remote workplace technologies. Also, IT will not be immune from this trend. IT leaders must develop the skills and techniques required to manage a distributed workforce.[1]

Unlike Mike Rhodin, General Manager of IBM Lotus Software, who sees the virtual workplace becoming the rule rather than the exception[2], Detwiler believes a hybrid model will emerge. Employees will work from home a few days each week.

As business and enterprise consider the trend towards the virtual workplace, educators and churches need to consider the virtual classroom. Anytime the words "travel" and "training" are used in the same sentence, we need to think "virtual." It will be too costly to send learners to remote locations for training...we must find effective methods to use technology to bring the learning environment to them.

From a church's perspective, we need to rethink models that require learners to travel to and from the church several times a week. How can the church employ technology to meet its teaching objectives? Leaders need to start exploring how to utilize the tools available to us now. Moreover, given that most churches rely on volunteer teachers, there will be a steep learning curve in helping volunteers develop the skill sets needed to communicate and teach to their classes via collaborative tools.

References

[1] "IT must prepare for $200-a-barrel oil and a rise in remote workers" - May 07, 2008. As transportation costs rise, organizations and workers will look for ways to reduce travel. For many employees, this will mean working from home to eliminate the daily commute. Tech Republic

[2]"IBM Predicts Five Future Trends That Will Drive Unified Communications" - March 19, 2008. Mike Rhodin, General Manager of IBM Lotus Software, made five predictions during his keynote address at the VoiceCon conference in Orlando, FL in March 2008. These include:

1. The Virtual Workplace will become the rule. No need to leave the office. Just bring it along. Desk phones and desktop computers will gradually disappear, replaced by mobile devices, including laptops, that take on traditional office capabilities. Social networking tools and virtual world meeting experiences will simulate the feeling on being there in-person. Work models will be changed by expanded globalization and green business initiatives that reduce travel and encourage work at home.
2. Instant Messaging and other real-time collaboration tools will become the norm, bypassing e-mail. Just as e-mail became a business necessity, a new generation of workers has a new expectation for instant messaging (IM) as the preferred method of business interaction. This will fuel more rapid adoption of unified communications as traditional IM becomes the core extension point for multi-modal communications.
3. Beyond Phone Calls to Collaborative Business Processes. Companies will go beyond the initial capabilities of IM, like click-to-call and online presence, to deep integration with business processes and line-of-business applications, where they can realize the greatest benefit.
4. Interoperability and Open Standards will tear down proprietary walls across business and public domains. Corporate demand for interoperability and maturing of industry standards will force unified communications providers to embrace interoperability. Converged, aggregated, and rich presence will allow businesses and individuals to better find and reach the appropriate resources, removing inefficiencies from business processes and daily lives.
5. New meeting models will emerge. Hang up on routine, calendared conference calls. The definition of "meetings" will radically transform and become increasingly adhoc and instantaneous based on context and need. 3-D virtual world and gaming technologies will significantly influence online corporate meeting experiences to deliver more life-like experiences demanded by the next generation workers who will operate more efficiently in this familiar environment.

Paradigm Shift

What does the economy and soaring oil prices have to do with educational technology and the church? If oil prices continue to climb, and the cost at the pump starts to hit $4.00 per gallon, $5.00 per gallon, and up, then the U.S. is in for a major paradigm shift unlike anything this generation has witnessed.

Recently, I visited with a couple of missionary friends who are serving in Western Europe. Fuel in Europe hovers near $9.00 a gallon! At this price, all decisions are funneled through the lens of cost per mile. You can no longer afford to travel 30 miles for a meeting, class, or Bible study. Here in the U.S., high fuel prices are impacting the cost of food and transportation, but as of this writing, the cost per gallon isn't slowing consumer travel.

In a church setting, we are already discussing how high fuel prices could impact ministry. Grace Church (where I serve as pastor of adult education) is a regional church. We have families who travel as far as 45 to 60 miles each way to attend church. Many of our families travel 10 to 20 miles each way. Multiply this times the number of trips each week families attend church, and you have an average of 50 to 150 miles each week per family.

Right now it's not a problem. If gas prices tripled, however, it would be a problem. We would have to rethink how we do everything.

To start, we would have to rely much more on a home church model of ministry. We might be able to bring everyone together to one central location for a weekly service, but multiple trips a week to the church would probably be too costly. As a result, many of the connection opportunities would have to take place in homes.

Second, we would need to place much more emphasis on training and teaching via the Internet and digital video or audio. Many of the classroom functions that happen now at the church would need to be moved to the digital classroom.

Third, we would need to enhance our social networking capabilities as a church to keep the church members feeling connected and plugged in to the mission and vision of the church.

This, of course, is only a microcosm of the larger problems facing the U.S. as the cost of energy slowly transforms our culture. As John Loeffler observed on a recent Financial Sense Newshour:

... these higher prices also means there is a great wealth transfer that’s taking place from energy-deficit countries to energy-surplus countries.  But that also means power.  Power always follows the money flow and I don’t think we have seen anything like this in world history before.  This is a radical paradigm shift that’s occurring right before our eyes.  And again, on the geopolitical scene, you don’t see that reflected in politicians’ eyes – not just in the US but in reading what’s going on in Europe they haven’t grappled with what this means yet. [Financial Sense Newshour for April 26, 2008]