I think the scope is pretty much endless for digital technologies. Since the implemention of the world wide web in 1991 the world changed. Suddenly it was possible to access a cyber universe of technology, information and to communicate with people from all over the world. Spatial and time boundaries were overcome and it was possible for someone on Africa to access information from New York. Of course, then came Web 2.0 which saw the creation of a social web where users were active and collaborated, instead of being the passive recipients of information under Web 1.0. What is currently evolving now is Web 3.0, also known as the semantic web. This next evolution of the web will be able to collate and integrate information about each different user of the web so that intelligent, tailored answers or search results will be made. Mark gave us the example of typing into Web 3.0, 'where to go on holiday?'. It would be possible for Web 3.0 to spew out an answer of plausible holiday destinations customised to your salary and budget and preferred style of holiday and destination. This sounds fantastic - like your own personal travel agent BUT the implications are not so nice. It would mean that software was constantly collating and integrating information about you and your preferences - like being watched by Big Brother...I find the privacy issues reason for concern.
2. What benefits might such developments bring for education and more generally?
As time goes on and technology continue to develop at great speed, the normalisation of technology into classrooms is going to become a greater necessity. Our role as teachers is essentially to prepare each child for integration into mainstream society so they can reach their potential. Just because we (teachers) were not born in the digital era and grew up in a time where each family did not have a computer and the internet and may not be that IT savvy, doesn't mean that we have the right to limit our students exposure to and use of technology. We need to equip our stduents not only with numeracy and literacy skills but also with ICT competence as technology will be a way of life for these people: an integral skill needed for entry into University and the workforce.
I'm of the opinion that we should embrace technology in the classroom. Yes it may be daunting and more time consuiming BUT it is a necessary skill our pupils need. Integrating ICT into the calssroom as a way of framing the pedagogy can also serve to better meet the curriculum outcomes and to engage and motivate our students.
3. How relevant do you think m-learning will be to future education?
M-learning is a bit of a Pandora's box. M-learning is using mobile phones, iPods and the like and PDA's to educate students. I think there is scope for this type of learning device i.e. on field trips students can directly add to their blogs or wikis or iPods can be used for guided reading and to listen to podcasts.I personally find the idea of M-learning a slight contradiction. School's don't like to have phones in classrooms, but now we are saying that there is a huge learning tool sitting in their back pockets that we want them to use...in the classroom. I think it would be difficult to supervise appropriate usage of mobile phones - what happens if someone calls or texts when your trying to update your wiki?
I found this clip on m-learning in America ot be quite interesting:
4. How relevant do you think virtual worlds will be to future education?
Virtual worlds can be used in schools to take students on excursions to destinations previously inaccessible - whether it be due to financial restrictions or if it is physically too far away. Innately, virtual worlds have a gaming type feel to them and this may well aid to engage and motivate students in their quest for knowledge. Virtual worlds are able to immerse students in the context where they can interact with other avatars and the virtual world. However, I don’t think educators and students can go past the tactile experience of physically being somewhere and the multitude of sense stimulation that naturally occurs e.g. taking a tour of a bakery without smelling the yeast and freshly baked bread wouldn’t be half as stimulating as actually being there. Furthermore the physiological and psychological implications of experiencing life through an avatar worry me greatly. I remember watching a movie eons ago where people controlled an avatar from a ‘digital cacoon’ at home. They spent every day in the cocoon while the avatar went to work for them, shopped for them and had coffee with their friends. The idea was that it was, ‘too dangerous’ to go outside so an avatar was used. This is obviously taking virtual worlds a few steps further but the sentiment is the same! Such a depressing thought to think this technology could, one day, go mainstream. However, to get back on track, in an educational setting when the choice is to between visiting a virtual world or no field trip at all, the virtual world should be used.
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