Digital Media and Technology

Professor

November 28, 2013

Education in Digitalization

Our group decided to do our paper on the topic of Education in the Digital age which was our first project of the year. Education has changed so much over the years and it has done that very fast. From having textbooks and covering them to now classes having I pad’s in them and almost diminishing textbooks from school. As technology advances everyday, we can only imagine how our education will be in schools in even just 5 years. Research, studying, student testing, disabled education, hybrid classes and the changing roles of teachers in today's digital age are some of the main topics I will be talking about. Textbooks are not only very important for a students education but also puts a hole in their wallet. On average a student spends roughly $1,200 a year on textbooks whether you are renting them or buying them. That is a staggering number for a book that sometimes doesn't even help you too much in class. A single sheet of paper to make costs just 5 cents, but that adds up with how many pages are in a book overall. Some of the jobs that textbooks make were more than I expected. You can have jobs such as authors, illustrators, publishers, editors, lumbar people, paper mill workers and shippers. The authors are the people who write the text in the book, the illustrators can print in the pictures into the book, the editors look for any misspelling or misprint that the author or illustrator may have done and the publishers get the book published and ready to sell. The lumbar people and paper mill people work in the lumber yard and have the jobs such as cutting the trees down and cutting them in a certain very thin way to create paper. Some interesting facts about textbooks are that it takes 5 years to create one! Yes, that's right, 5 years of creating the textbook that you read today. That is why when you look at your book most of the time it say's it was published either in the 90's or if you are lucky maybe early 2000's. There is not much difference though between these books, just maybe a picture or two; resulting in saving a tons of money for the seller of these books. What is bad about these textbooks is that is has a bad impact on our environment. One tree roughly makes 35 textbooks and that is not a lot of textbooks for today's standards. To give you a perspective if a school has 10,000 students it takes 1,680 trees for every one of those students to have one textbook. Why else is a textbook a waste? After you send your book back to the publisher it is either incinerated, thrown away or just recycled. $1,200 a year on hurting the environment and your wallet. After digitalization in textbooks we now have great products out there such as the Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple's I pad, and a Barnes and Noble Nook. All of these products are up-to-date technology devices that allow you to read almost any book, website, article, paper, etc, instantly. We now have incredible websites that help out students and everyone else who is interested in learning such as wileyplus, tutor.com and khan.com. These sites are very valuable assets to today's technology and for the benefit of students. In today's society you are seeing school's make the switch over to these tablet's more and more often. The reason behind switching to tablets instead of normal textbooks is because tablets allow you to have up to date information, instant access to words that aren't understood, and an increase in students learning because they can take it upon themselves to learn knowing the content is all there in front of them. The global impact is better for the world today because there are not nearly as many trees affected, health for students is better and not many emissions are being sent into the environment. The only part that wasn't really affected was the job security. There are still the same amount of jobs out there and even more with the textbook technology that's going to keep advancing. Educational impact of digitalization online is a contributing factor to education and continues to grow stronger and stronger every day. Some statistics that you will find interesting is that 1 out of 3 educational instructors believe that online teaching is inferior than face to face instructions. Ninety percent of faculty are using the social media themselves, thirty-two percent of students in higher education are taking at least one online course and twenty percent of faculty assign students throughout their semester to comment or post on social media. Videos and lessons are a big part in a student's learning and helping them understand the material. Teachers can now use visual aids such as online videos during their lessons to help students better understand the topic being discussed. The videos can either be on you tube or any other site that provides streaming video. Visual aids also force viewers to use more than one sense at the same time which increases their understanding of what they are being shown. In other words students tend to pay attention more to a video rather then your teacher 's banter. Discussion boards and forum posts are an up and coming way for teachers to see there students post topics, questions, papers and answers for whatever topic the teacher assigned. Students can communicate with other students on these posts to get help and there are usually study guides can be shared online with students taking similar courses. The students can get another student’s perspective on problems they could not figure out on their own. This is not plagiarism but rather just something to base what you are going to write about off of their topic. It's very beneficial and helps everyone in the long run. An example of a discussion board used at Stockton would be Black Board. Professors can communicate with their students through this site as well as post assignments and grades. This is the basic way of having an online class through blackboard. With the internet and educational impact we have search engines that can instantly search through the web for whatever problem the student is stuck on or if they have to do some research. Speaking of research; research has shown that ninety-three percent of students first instinct is to go to a search engine rather then a library when faced with an assignment. Many parents who home school their children now use online aids. Online homeschooling allows the students to be interactive with others on the site rather than just sitting alone with an instructor or their parent. The only downside of the home schooling is not having a social life and getting to learn how it is in the real world. Each child can find what online program works for their specific needs. Some parents choose to stick to traditional homeschooling rather than use an online aid but still choose to use some online resources to help with some of their lessons as teachers do. Kids are also a lot more comfortable in their on environment and could have the tendency to learn more than the average student if the parent is committed. The impact of research in digitalization has evolved as well. I couldn't personally imagine research before computers and writing these dreadful papers. Sitting in the library for hours upon hours and dragging books of the shelves and searching these for information was incredibly time consuming and took a strain on your body. How a lot of people got their information was from Encyclopedia's which are reference books that contain information on many different subject areas. Now today we have search engines which I mentioned earlier, but I didn't go into detail on the high end search engines which have very important articles. Archie was the first search engine ever created. In the the early 90’s there was no World Wide Web, but there was an Internet. This largely changed the way research was done and made the act of researching much more efficient. You also have to understand what websites are out there today that are reliable and those that are unreliable. The reliable websites are PHD or MBA articles, educational institutional websites or even scholarly articles that are isolated. The unreliable sources are Wikipedia, blogs and forums that anyone can post whatever they would like to. These websites can lead to accidental plagiarism which results in the failure of a class. Studying and learning in digitalization has come a long way. Back in the day you would have note cards, study groups and meet outside of class to study with friends. A lot of these formats used to study are actually still quite viable today. What a lot of people don't realize though is that the information you are studying with groups or friends is that you could all possibly have the wrong information taken down. By this I mean what if you have on the flash card that the declaration of Independence was signed in 1778 and that's what you put down on the test instead of the correct answer of 1776. In today's digital age of studying, you can now study online with flash cards and quizzes and self-tests that help you prepare a lot better today. After you are done taking a self quiz or flashcard test you can see what answers you got wrong to help you better prepare yourself for the upcoming test or quiz. Can't meet with your friend the night before an exam? No problem with today's technology; we now have programs such as Skype that uses your web cam to have a face-to-face interaction over the internet. This makes it so much easier to study with someone instead of having to find time to go drive to meet up somewhere and waste gas. With the simple click of a button you are connected with a friend or group and can instantly start studying, saving time and money. Other ways to learn is through videos such as YouTube, live streams and pictures. Something as simple as searching how to tie a tie on you tube can teach you how to look great in just two minutes. Learning a new language can also be extremely difficult in school when your teacher is very fluent and expects you to pick up this information right away. Audiobooks and Rosetta Stone are the top sellers in today's society about learning a new language and practice. Instead of listening to your pesky teacher speak Spanish, French or whatever language you are trying to learn, you can get one of these great products which don't judge you or quiz you; resulting in you learning more accurate and faster. Today studying and learning in the digital age has vastly improved especially with the internet being involved. Back before digitalization affected testing, it was a lot more easier to be able to get away with cheating. There were tests/ still are tests that people take today such as the Act’s, benchmark testing and Sat’s. As of spring 2015 the Act’s will actually be all online. The only way of still taking one with paper and pencil is if you request it. The Sat’s are actually a dying test and it will be soon a useless test to take in the future. Although the digitalization of testing is still early in it's process, over just the past five years or so you can see a huge difference in test taking procedures. Of course you still take scan tron tests which is the main way of test taking; filling in the bubble and allowing a machine to read if it's correct. A flaw of this is that if a student does not fill in the bubble all the way or goes outside of the circle it could be marked as incorrect. In today's digital age computer's are becoming almost the number one option of taking a test. Taking an online test helps out a student and professor in many ways such as reducing cheating, reducing costs of tests, instant results, and benefits the student for excelling in typing. The cheating is reduced because each time you take a test online you can have the test be different, therefore disallowing any possibility of students copying each others answers. The cost of tests are now getting reduced because we aren't using pencils or paper, thus saving the school money and helping our environment. Being a good typer today is almost a must because a lot of jobs involve using the computer or some sort of technology with a keyboard. If you are not the best at typing, having an online class or test where you have to type well will only help you in the long run. Some of the flaws of online testing can be quite annoying if you are not protected correctly or have a bad setup at home. Internet problems are number one when taking an online exam or doing homework. For some reason it seems that the internet likes to go down or you computer crashes when you do something important. Those who cannot type fast will not excel in the writing section of tests. This is sad to say but you could be a great writer but a terrible typer and not be able to jot down everything because you can't hit the keys quick enough. Computer hackers can breach the system and get the exam early which is entirely illegal and can have you sent to prison. If you get away with this type of hacking then good for you, you can pass the class but it is very rare that someone knows how to hack the system and get test exams. Math sections might be harder if you cannot physically write it down on paper. Math is quite a nuisance online because this may be the one subject which is easier to write down rather then typing out an equation. Although not many people use it, but excel is an excellent program which can do almost any math equation on your computer. The last problem is the need for computers for every student taking the test. Some students and families out there just can't afford a good machine for there kid to get going. But thanks to comcast as of recent, they now offer free internet and a pc to those families who are struggling and need to have the internet for school. Today in this digital age colleges and other schools across the world are adapting to the online format of taking tests. This pace started off slow but has become quite rapid now and roughly every college has at least 10 classes that make you take an exam online rather then pen and paper. This benefits me out a lot because I am do not have the neatest handwriting! In today's society we have people out there who are disabled either mentally or physically. This makes it even tougher on them to learn with these difficulties. People with Autism and other disorders had trouble communicating in general and it is hard to teach them. Personally I have an autistic cousin and I know a lot of people know someone who is autistic and how difficult it is for them to be educated. There are also blind people who use Braille. Braille is a language made of raised bumps to read with your fingers. This is one of the most difficult languages to learn in the world. Another few disabilities are people who are paralyzed or have very limited movement and mute (deaf) people who can't see and need a eye-seeing dog or an assistant. With technology growing each day there become unlimited possibilities of helping out the disabled to help them gain more education. For autistic kids there has been a recent study showing that an interactive device such as leapfrog or an ipad has been incredibly great in this field. Researchers have found this way of being a great new form of augmentative communication. All you would have to do is click on the picture or word to communicate with a teacher or family member. This makes the learning experience a lot more fun for the kid, students have the tendency to pay attention more, the Ipad makes them more independent and their social skills improve vastly. All of the above stated are great steps you would not see an autistic kid make so early in his life; if any advancement at all. You may be wondering how can else could we help people who have the lack of movement at school and outside of it? Well some proposals are electronic wheelchairs to help them move, robotic and prosthetic legs/arms to help move, write, lift things and even self driving cars. I know that electronic wheelchairs already exist with today's technology but sadly if you are paralyzed or disabled of the sort, you must find a way to move around if you wish to learn. This may come off harsh but I do not to offend anyone by this. Self driving cars are now in today's future which is absolutely mind blowing. Google has recently come out with a driver-less car. Yes, a driver-less car which is completely programmed by chips and uses smart software to drive around with cameras attached all over. There will be a picture of this on my poster board. Being blind or deaf may be the worst disabilities out of all four of them, but that does not mean you can't learn any less than them. Voice recognition software types what you say, helps blind people take notes and helps them write notes down. This voice recognition greatly helps them and can even help people who do not have any disabilities. If you are blind there is screen-reading software tells the user what they are reading or looking at. Yes you are going to need an assistant to help you out and tell you where to go, but they do not have to teach you; with this software it's like you are right in the classroom. Hearing aids are becoming extremely advanced, helping those born deaf actually hear the sounds of the world the way they were supposed to be heard; almost as good as people who were born with good hearing and health. Overall disabilities can put a person down in life but with education in the digital age advancing so vastly you can learn with every other person out there and just as good. Don't have a great amount of time to be going to school five days a week for classes? Sometimes you have work and other issues in life that you have to deal with and all the class and studying is slowing you down. Well hybrid classes may be your choice. Hybrid classes are classes that are half online and half in the classroom. Another word for these are also called blended learning classes. Inside these classes are a face-to-face interaction such as in-class discussions, active group work, and live lectures with typically web-based educational technologies such as online course cartridges, assignments, discussion boards, and other web-assisted learning tools. This sounds like a borderline online class but it does not quite work like one. The degree to which the design of hybrid courses utilize traditional classroom and online learning environments varies mainly being largely dependent on the subject matter and overall nature of a course. Having a hybrid course allows for a flexible schedule that allows you to manage your work hours while still trying to be a great student. You could be a stay at home mother and not have any time to go to class everyday with nagging kids, bills and other chores at the house which could really hold you back. Some other quick facts are that you could hate sitting in class two to three times a week for almost two hours each day which a lot of people including myself really dislike. This also allows you to do your homework/tests at your own pace and in a comfortable environment. Being in a comfortable environment is very important in succeeding in school I believe. If you are uncomfortable you don't really want to talk or participate and this could bring down your grades. This way takes away stress and you can get up drink, listen to music, laundry and do other things around your house while still getting your degree. Some more reasons on why a hybrid course could be for you are things such as personal preference. Pretty much like I stated before, some people can’t sit in a seat and listen to a boring lecture for 2 hours. There are people out there who do not like to do things such as group projects like this or have to speak in front of the class and much rather just type into a discussion board. It is crazy how you can get graded off of public speaking and doing group presentations in school. Also students tend to have more time to reflect and refer to relevant course and other research materials when working and writing online than when responding in class. Last but not least, students typically have 24/7 access to online course materials. Having access to the material all day and night is a great way of being able to study whenever you want.

Most students who take hybrid courses report that they enjoy the format more than a traditional face-to-face course that always has to emphasize lectures and testing. Many students say that they learn more in a hybrid course, because they can use outside resources more easily than in a traditional course like I just talked about having 24/7 access to all material. Almost all students who take hybrid courses appreciate its convenience and flexibility to adapt to individual work and family schedules. Hybrid classes are solutions for colleges that already have a problem with enrolling too many students just like Stockton for example. The parking here is one terrible problem and adding more hybrid and online classes will free up spots instead of trying to fight for one everyday to get to class on time.

Not all is always good about taking a hybrid class. For some of the cons we have things such as people tend to lose focus and forget about their online work that is due and I am guilty of charge of that. Again going back to the other slide about personal preference and there are some people out there who just can not take an online class and are too used to being in the classroom. Going into an online blackboard is like a whole new language and it can frustrate the student and confuse them. One of the biggest problems I have run across is internet stability. By this I mean that when taking an exam or homework problem online something as simple as your internet provider going down or power going out can make you get a 0. You would have to email your teacher and explain what happened which is a huge pain and half the time your teacher does not believe you.

Many students say that the combination of both online and in-class learning required in a hybrid course demands more time, dedication, and time-management skills than traditional face-to-face classroom learning. You must be able to read others' writing, both your instructor's and your fellow students' and understand what they mean. You also have to be able to write clearly and concisely, with few grammatical or spelling errors. You should know enough about computers to be able to upload and download files to your course Web site, search and browse the Web, use email, and interact on a discussion forum or bulletin board. You should also know how to download appropriate plug ins if one is needed to read or view a file. Basic computer literacy of this sort is essential in modern University education.

Education has advanced so much in technology that it is even going outside of the classroom and of school. Schools can now control or have take action if something happens outside of school such as getting bullied or being caught drinking on social media. Social media is almost for the worse when you are in school or have a great job. You must always be careful about what pictures or status's or tweets you put up because it can be seen by anyone; no matter how private you set your page!

Overall, education in the digitalization has increased over the years and especially recently. Every week, month, and year something new comes out that is so innovative it replaces and does ten-fold of what our old technology does. From I pads to driver-less cars, to hybrid classes; education is changing and it is for the better. One of the main questions is are we ready? Are we ready for the technology is bringing us in education? As technology increases so does our knowledge and expands our minds to unlimited possibilities for the future.