Blog 6 - Diversity and Globalism

Supporting diversity is a method of increasing the value of technology in education. Acquiring resources and developing strategies that offer equal access for gender, cultural, and
socioeconomic diversities is a critical component of a tolerant classroom. Therefore, I search for methods and digital media to support individual differences.

Regarding gender differences, girls and boys receive alternatives to performance tasks such as selecting a digital tool for written expression. Thornburg (2010) warns that educators must address gender equity to ensure that all students have access to tools that initiate and encourage creativity. Cultural sensitivity means including culture-rich text and images to expose students to diverse traditions. Projects regarding cultural heritage as well as incorporating stories, discussions, and experts from other backgrounds helps students understand and respect different perspectives. Finally, socioeconomic status is a significant issue in my organization as the majority of students come from low income, single parent families. My responsibilities to address this need involve providing numerous multimedia opportunities to expose students to digital literacy including typing, browsing, and presenting information.

Overall, to make technology valuable, I must stay proactive in using emerging technologies to create a respectful environment where students openly experience various perspectives. Closing the digital divide requires equal access to global citizenship (Dyson, 2011). By integrating educational technology into daily routines, students connect to globalization and understand the power of the web regardless of gender, culture, or socioeconomic issues. This discovery will sustain global participation as students accept and use the opinions of others to build and share personal perspectives. In the future, I would like to incorporate the use of cell phones as experts suggest that this technology will close the digital divide (Nagel, 2011; Soloway, 2009). Until our school accepts cell phones as a learning tool, I will continue to explore the latest web-based innovations such as Google apps, wikis, and Moodle as appropriate tools for providing knowledge about technology as well as exploit authentic learning activities.

References

Dyson, L. (2011, February 15). How will gov 2.0 address the digital divide? [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://codeforamerica.org/2011/02/15/how-will-gov-2-0-address-the-digital-divide/#

Nagel, D. (2011, February 1). Will smart phones eliminate the digital divide? [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/02/01/will-smart-phones-eliminate-the-digital-divide.aspx

Soloway, E. (2009). The digital divide: Leveling the playing field. Podcast retrieved from Laureate Education, Inc.

Thornburg, D. (Presenter). (2010). Diversity and globalism. In Emerging and Future Technology [DVD]. United States: Laureate Education, Inc.

Module 5 Discussion

Obtaining digital media including video and music requires little effort and money. For a recent project, I rented “Blade Runner” using an app on my iPod Touch. Then, I connected my iPod to my home theatre system and enjoyed surround sound and HD image quality. I did not purchase or rent a DVD, because video on demand (VOD) has displaced DVD rental for my personal entertainment.

The future of the fierce competition between DVD and VOD is explained by the concept of increasing returns rather than red queens. According to Thornburg (2010), red queens describe the competition between two technologies that continually evolve to stay strong in the market. At first glance, one might argue that the battle between these two technologies exhibits red queen forces. Agreeably, these two technologies emerged at relatively the same time and continued to develop throughout time (Anderson, 2004). Yet, the current state of DVDs causes me to believe that the red queen force is no longer relevant.

Similar to red queens, increasing returns also acknowledges the fierce competition between two technologies. However, in this race, one technology ultimately takes the prize replacing the competition due to multiple outcomes including adoption of outside influences (Arthur, 1999). While DVD purchases decreased in 2010, the VOD market increased by 20% demonstrating critical mass (Graser, 2011). Outside agents including gaming systems, iTunes, smartphones, wireless internet, and TiVo are creating potential adopters due to the merge with VOD services (Tynan, 2008). DVDs began on top, however, as users gain familiarity with technologies in the digital revolution, VOD services appeal to a wider audience. Pretty soon, VOD will push out DVD and Blu-Ray. VOD offers higher efficiency, affordability, and portability. The driving force between the battle of VOD and DVD results from increasing returns due to the impact of economic influences and the predictability of the replacement of DVDs (Arthur, 1999).

Using McLuhan’s tetrad model, DVDs are located in the obsolete category, because VOD technology has replaced DVDs in many situations. Additionally, VOD represents reversal as the future of video entertainment is shifting from physical devices to digital streaming (Seals, 2011). Markets would be wise to use the tetrad model to capitalize on the video streaming and budget according to the downfall of DVDs.

References

Anderson, C. (2004). Tech’s long tail [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/chris_anderson_of_wired_on_tech_s_long_tail.html

Arthur, B. (1999). Competing technologies, increasing returns, and lock-in by historical events. The Economic Journal, 99(394), 116-131. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/pss/2234208

Graser, M. (2011, January 6). Blu-ray hits mainstream in 2010: Players, discs hit critical mass in US homes [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118029848?refCatId=14&ref=related

Seals, T. (2011, January). Netflix commits DVD-OCIDE: Targets cable VOD [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.vision2mobile.com/news/2011/01/netflix-commits-dvd-ocide-targets-cable-vod.aspx#

Thornburg, D. (2008c). Red Queens, butterflies, and strange attractors: Imperfect lenses into emergent technologies. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

Tynan, D. (2008). The 10 most disruptive technology combinations [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.pcworld.com/article/143474/the_10_most_disruptive_technology_combinations.html