penrose's blog

This is clearly a rant ...
I am curious if there is anyone out there in the blogosphere that is willing to answer this question:
How realistic is it to expect users to invest hundreds of dollars in equipment (iPods, Dell DJ, etc) instead of tens of dollars in (CD MP3 players) equally functional equipment?

The reason that I ask this question is that as we consider the implications for delivering MP3 educational content via the internet, will students be more willing to pay high prices for trendy hardware when they could accomplish the same end with CD and Mini CD MP3 players?

What is missing from the equation? Software that can synchronize MP3 files to a less expensive device, much in the way iTunes does for the iPods family of players.

Comments?

David

It's all about portability. I remember, almost 5 years ago, getting my first portable MP3 CD Player for $80. I was amazed that I could put 11 hours of stereo audio on one CD-ROM. When tiny MP3 players came out (using flash cards), I just wasn't impressed.

Today there are a variety of solutions for playing MP3 files. I can understand the disdain with hauling a collection of CDs around with you on a trip. In principle, I prefer a player that can store 20+GB (315 hours) of music or sound over a player that can only play one CD (11 hours) at a time.

So what choices do you have?

• CD Player - plays regular CDs
• CD/MP3 Player - plays regular CDs and MP3 CDs
• Mini CD/MP3 Player - same as CD/MP3 Player except on mini CDs
• MP3 Player - small, with internal storage capacity 15mb - 60GB
• MP3 w/Radio Tuner Player - same as MP3, including a radio
• MP3/Video Player - recognizes both MP3 and MPG files

I prefer the CD/MP3 Player. I have an inexpensive ($25) audio appliance that has unlimited storage capacity. The player will recognize both regular size and mini CDs. The disadvantage is the size. My portable player will not fit in my shirt pocket or hang from a chord around my neck. Also, I have to take my CDs with me. Other than some minor inconveniences and CDs laying around everywhere, it is inexpensive and versatile. Perhaps, one day soon we will be able to buy a portable Mini CD/MP3 player that recognizes MP3 files on a Mini DVD-RW disc!

David

I was wondering if anyone has tried this idea out.

In my experience in working with techno-phobic (as compared to techno-philic) faculty, it seems that many do not have the time or the resources to experiment with instructional technology. This has caused me to consider the role of "play" in desensitizing individuals and groups to trying something unfamiliar.

If play is a context where individuals can experiment without the threat of evaluation, then might the need for "technology play therapy" be indicated? What if IDOLers (Instructional Designers for Online Learning) set up "play grounds" or "play rooms" for faculty to experiment with techie toys without worrying about the cost or something breaking. How many worried about the ball breaking if you threw it too hard? I believe that play is the appropriate context for learning the limits and the limitations of technology.

The idea of having something different each week could attract the same individuals or appeal to a new set of individuals each week. I will solicit hardware and software companies to contribute their product for us to play with! It sure sounds viable.

I am offering Power Lunch Thursdays where we talk about innovations, but I was thinking I would call this Recess Time. What do y'all think?

David

p.s., While I am not thinking about doing this for my Dissertation, I am interested in learning what factors contribute to faculty using innovative instructional technologies in their teaching.

You don't want to blog, but you would like to create an RSS (news) feed. The benefits of using RSS includes your being able to keep individuals posted of the latest information evolving from your work. Specifically, you push the information to them that you want them to know. Now, for educational purposes you are going to hear more about RSS and OPML. Where RSS is a single newsfeed, OPML is a library of feeds.

I found a great FREE program for creating your RSS feed and saving it as an .rss file. You can even use the program to upload the file to your website. The program is called RSSBuilder and is as good as any commercial software (in terms of functionality) that I have used.

cost - free
site - home.hetnet.nl/~bsoft/rssbuilder

David

Anyone out there looking on a good article related to the use of blogs in academia? Here is a teaser taken directly from Shola Adenekan's article ...

"Blogs are giving departments, staff and students the freedom and informality of tone impossible in scholarly journals or even the student newspaper. Blogging lecturers say the technology provides them with easy online web access to students and improves communication outside of the classroom."

[ click here to read ]

David

In one of my newsfeeds this morning, I learned about a recent posting by Robin Good discussing the process of posting virtual tour podcasts. The idea of talking tours from differing perspectives and in multiple languages not only makes sense, but supports my belief that living in a pluralistic society means that we can all learn from each other.

[ click here to read ]

Good, Robin. (2005, June 9). Audio Virtual Guides Open Up New Opportunities For Art And Nature Enthusiasts. Message posted to http://www.masternewmedia.org

David

I just love finding good read in professional and jurried journals. Mostly, because it is nice to have a reliable source to cite when discussing my favorite topic of "online learning." So, here are some articles that are pretty recent that you will enjoy reading.

Michels, Barbara J. (2005). A Rubric for Comparing Dissimilar Text Materials. TechTrends, 49(1), 69-70

Smith, Regina O. (2004). Working With Difference in Online Collaborative Groups. Adult Education Quarterly, 55(3), 182-199

Whipp, Joan L. and Chiarelli, Stephanie (2004). Self-Regulation in a Web-Based Course: A Case Study. ETR&D, 52(4), 5-22

David

This is my very first RANT and it is a doooooooosey!
What really p*&%)s me off is the lack of recognition given to other cultures in instructional design. I should mention that I consider myself to be a Social Constructivist (Vygotsky) and that some people might think that I am a Marxist. This is certainly not the case!

I have had experiences working with the AN-MSI project and met many wonderful, kind, generous, helpful, articulate, professional people representing the issues and concerns of the Minority Serving Institutions. Is there anyone out there who can see that when it comes to eLearning (a global educational solution) that we are going to lose to anyone else who understands the importance of culture and social values ... not to mention the fact that the majority of Americans can not speak with anyone who speaks English as a second language.

PLEASE ... let me know that I am not alone!

David

... podcast to follow .... ;-)

I know it must seem that I have NO LIFE … but, I am constantly stumbling across these cool tools to try. While reading my daily dose of RSS (I subscribe to about 150 news feeds altogether), I read an interesting article about MoonEdit and thought I would share with my IDOL pals. We are pals, right?

You have heard me praising InstaColl … which I still recommend for 1:1 collaboration projects. However, it lacks the ummmmph of program which can allow multiple users to be connected at the same time (like Jybe) BUT it also allows for multiple editing and tracking of editing. Specifically, everyone’s changes/contributions are given a different color.

Now, is that awesome or what? So, could it get any better than that? Did I mention it’s FREE and is available in Windows/Linux/FreeBSD(OS X) flavors. As you are thinking of wrapping up your courses and either preparing for the Summer Quarter or looking for a tool to help you as you start working on your Dissertation … Remember MoonEdit.

cost – free
site – www.moonedit.com

David

The author aptly points out ... "Most speakers of English as a first language do not know how to speak ESL! Those speaking ESL frequently complain that native English speakers are more difficult to understand that other ESL speakers. Native speakers use a larger vocabulary often laced with slang expressions, speak too fast, and assume others have caught and even agree to ideas that have missed entirely." (Simons, Colin, Vazquez & Harris, 1993, p. 56)

This, it seems, has serious implications for Instructional Designers!

References:
Simons, G. F., Colin, C. V., Vazquez, C., Harris, P. R. (1993). Transcultural Leadership: Empowering the Diverse Workforce. Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing Company.

David