According to Weinberger (2011) you have
probably come away with at least these ideas if you have used the Net;
Corning’s video’s on “A day made of
glass (Part 1 & 2)” made it clear that “ready or not” innovation and new
technologies are being created as we speak around the clock, as mentioned in by
Friedman in his book the World is Flat. Comparing
Friedman’s technologies in 2007, to Corning’s technologies is an “eye-opener”
in the just recent past, as compared to the future of technologies;
eakthroughs
in instant messaging and file sharing
Breakthroughs
in instant messaging and file sharing
What this clearly displays is even
the short time between 2007 and today/with a peak into future innovation,
leaders will be forced to get on board.
As Weinberger noted above abundance
not only applies to information, but it also applies to the technologies that
were presented in a fashion that showed a person’s access to these glass
technologies as their day progressed. Whether
it was a mirrored arch display to check the weather or traffic while one
brushes their teeth and hair, and maybe to check their daily schedule. Or while preparing breakfast checking the
stock market or if one’s flight is on time.
However, I felt that with all of these glass technologies when does one
relax or give it a break, at every stop one could log in and search for
information. Will we then be
overloaded? Possibly, but as I can
continued to watch the video, I became excited viewing all the possibilities
even at the bus stop. In addition, as a
leader I was thrilled to see future possibilities such as the flexible display
glass that can be taken anywhere and then spread out necessary to present
information or the presentation that the teacher was given to her students.
In addition the next three themes; links, permission-free, and public
all are relevant as far as the wide ranging possibilities of using the
web. Just recently I presented a unit on
the Lewis & Clark expedition and used a fantastic Ken Burns youtube video
on the Corp of Discovery and the challenges and successes of the expedition and
ultimately the fact that once the expedition was on their way home, “It was the
beginning of the end” for the Native peoples.
Furthermore, I discovered a link through National Geographic’s that my
students could go through each leg of the expedition and learn more in depth
about their discoveries. I feel as a
leader in education, if I do not seek out these different technologies and
sources, I will be sunk, it is all about learning and keeping your students
engaged (especially in middle school).
The last section Weinberger
presented was the idea that the Net is unresolved. This idea I definitely agree with because of
the limited time we have to track down resources that supplement the materials
we present, I think there is a whole other world of technologies that could be
utilized in our classrooms without even knowing. If your school is lucky enough you could
pilot a program as we are this year at my school with an Intensive Literature
program we adopted this year, that is a good program, however, we received a
half day training before school started and even in December we are still
learning and having to back track and teach previous lessons due to not fully
understanding the capabilities of the system.
Hence, with any technologies adopted and the onslaught of technologies presented
this week by both Corning and Meeker, one must be willing and flexible to adopt
and learn on the fly otherwise organizations will find other employees that
will.
In closing, I was struck by Kelly’s
(2011) presentation “The future of the network starts here” and the fact that
the more we share, post, and are engaged in the Net the more we appear to put
ourselves out there and be public.
With this figure it illustrates in a
short period of time we have gone through producing information that is private
in nature to having access to unlimited amount of information both reliable and
not so much, to still having that opportunity but not fully understanding where
that information may be or who has access to it. In other words, without fully understanding
each step in this evolution, one may not understand the implications of or
where or who has access to their materials.
It reminds of the line in the current movie “Creed” where the main
character copies with his phone a workout that Rocky wrote down and then told Rocky
that he would copy it to the cloud. I
chuckled then when Rocky looked up in
the sky and stated “What cloud?” This is
where my digital migrant generation is and without being flexible and willing
to adopt new technological practices and think it will hurt us in the future in
the job market, both keeping our jobs and looking for a job or promotion.
References
Corning
Incorporated. (2011, February 24). A day made Of glass corning's vision for the
future. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qmwdbhsbVs
Kelly, K.
(2011, July 22). The future of network starts here. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXPfSrmzLo0&feature=youtu.be
Weinberger, D.
(2011). Too big to know. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Nice post, Chris. I liked your comment that "...one must be willing and flexible to adopt and learn on the fly..." That applies to both leadership and the workers or students with whom we work.
ReplyDeleteCool lesson with your middle school students! As the Meeker presentation suggested, it both provides them structure and gives them autonomy to explore.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteI can relate with your second to last paragraph as you described how technology training is provided in K-12 schools. We get one full day, if we are lucky, on new software and are expected to figure it out among all the pressing directives that need to take place with accountability and assessment. The positive side of integrating technology, Web 2.0 tools and internet-based learning is that there are no rules or defined expectations so wea are given lots of grace for errors and not knowing how to do something. This digital age is rapidly unfolding and it sometimes feels simply good to be a part of the opne-minded groups.
Chris: Nice post. I particularly liked the question that you asked: “…when does one relax or give it a break, at every stop one could log in and search for information. Will we then be overloaded?” Can we argue that we are already at that point and we just do not know it yet? Have we gone over the tipping point yet, but because everything is so novel and pervasive, we do not see it? Just as a fish does not know it is wet because the water is all around it, is there a change that we’ve already gone past this ‘overload’ threshold and simply do not have a frame of reference to know it? I believe that argument could be made. Paul Hemp discusses this in a 2009 article in the Harvard Business Review journal. Citing various studies that found things like, “people took an average of nearly 25 minutes to return to a work task after an e-mail interruption. That’s bad news for both individuals and their organizations” or “IQ scores of knowledge workers distracted by e-mail and phone calls fell from their normal level by an average of 10 points—twice the decline recorded for those smoking marijuana” (Hemp, 2009). Although Hemp does not go so far as to say we’ve gone past that ‘overload’ point, a compelling case is made that we may not be far from it, and that a number of things (Hemp refers to them as burdens) must change or shift, so that we find relief from the overload. I think the more compelling case of overload, which may actually be absent of any significant evidence at this point, is the overload of our youth. Like many other cause-and-effect diseases or disorders, it sometimes takes several decades of data collection and analysis before any conclusions can be drawn (i.e. various cancers and their connection to environmental conditions/behaviors). Because all this tech is so new, and so saturated into the malleable brains of the youth, we may still be decades from recognizing that they in-fact are (and have been for a long time) overloaded, unable to “relax or give it a break” (like you wrote). And if/when we do learn that, will it be too late? I guess the time needed to learn it will be the time needed to tell it. Cheers! Creighton Helms
ReplyDeleteHemp, P. (2009, Sep). Death by information overload. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2009/09/death-by-information-overload
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ReplyDeleteI think the question of how then do we relax or step away was answered a few weeks ago when we talked about how jobs that will be automated will go away and it is possible that we will move in a more artisanal direction. I am an early adopter and always reach out to embrace new technology and find ways for it to improve and enhance my life and connectivity. At the the same time, I often used the time saved by technology to knit or some other purely creative task. The balance is important to me and I have found that many of my technologically rich friends and colleagues have unplugged pursuits to balance their lives. Some are purists and have absolute no tech times, and others document their hiking, camping, crafts, etc. with tech updates. However that balance is struck, it is important to find those outlets that are uniquely human. The need to create and surround ourselves with "beauty" distinguishes us from our automated counterparts and I think it is the true hallmark of humanity that automation allows us time for our more human and unique endeavors.
ReplyDelete