Educators have a responsibility to make their files accessible to users. If students–all students–cannot see or hear the materials teachers create, then the are “inaccessible.” One of the steps educators should take to make their files and pages accessible to those who have vision disabilities is to make sure files have sufficient color contrast. The best Read More
Category: Technology
Identity in the Digital World
Interestingly, in the digital world, it has become possible to maintain many different identities as well; these identities can be imaginative and even contrary to any physical identity. There are thousands of online communities that focus on just about any topic imaginable. Joining those communities (usually) requires only an email address which can be obtained Read More
Brains and Information Technology
Among the studies summarized by Gary Small, a cognitive scientist who works at the University of California Los Angeles, and his coauthor Gigi Vorgan in the 2008 book iBrain: Surviving the Technological Modification of the Modern Mind, were several documenting the effects of technologies on human brains. They described research in which scientists measured a Read More
Wireless Mobile Devices
Larry Rosen (2010), a psychologist from California State University, Dominguez Hills, applied the acronym WMD to describe wireless mobile devices which he observed have become the ICT device of choice for the first digital generation, and that choice was driven by the social interactions available via the devices. With these devices individuals are always connected Read More
The New Digital Divide
For some decades, I advocated for “technology-rich” schools. My work was supporting IT infrastructure and teaching teachers to use technology. At the time, we were all concerned with the “digital divide,” the fact that schools in affluent communities had plenty of devices and connections compared to the scant digital resources in schools located in poor Read More
“Is necessity the mother of invention?”
David Nye (2006) a historian of technology from Denmark observed that “the central purpose of technologies has not been to provide necessities, such as food and shelter, for humans had achieved these goals very early in their existence” (2). Nye and others find that the adage “necessity is the mother of invention” is just the Read More
Technology and Humans
A few years ago, I enrolled in a few massive open online courses (MOOC’s) so that I could more completely understand these opportunities for learners. In the time since, I have enrolled in many others, and completed a few. While cleaning out my YouTube videos, I rediscovered the video artifact I created for E-learning and Read More
Technology is Recursive
108: Technology is Recursive Every technology comprises other technologies. As a result, any technology can be deconstructed into its component technologies, and each technology can be understood as part of a larger complex of technologies. Scholars refer to systems that occur at multiple levels in this manner as “recursive.” Although related and connected, the component Read More
Efficacious #edtech
102: Efficacious #edtech If information technology is to be used to realize the strategic goal of allowing students to fully participate in the digital world, then it must be appropriately used, properly configured, and reasonably supported. Deficiencies in any of these aspects of technology management are a serious threat to the overall efficacy of the Read More
#Edtech for #Edleaders: Whom to Hire: Technology Integration Specialists
99: #Edtech for #Edleaders: Whom to Hire: Technology Integration Specialists For decades, those responsible for organizing and presenting in-service professional development for educators have used a variety of models for providing learning experiences for teachers, and these have been designed to support all aspects of TPCK and to accommodate the needs of individual learners. These Read More