Access to music, videos, academic papers, and information are easy because of digital files and technology. In fact, obtaining such files can be so easy that most people disregard copyright laws. Tonight’s class prompted a great discussion about intellectual property and copyrights within an educational context. The duration of a copyright exists for the life of the author plus 70 years ("Copyright law of," 2010, p. 133). A common misconception includes the idea that copyrights are valid for 70 years only. However, several other rules apply in various scenarios and it is important to clarify this information when considering the use of copyrighted material. Generally, no more than 10 seconds of music or video can be used or published. Anything more than that without permission is considered copyright infringement. Despite copyright laws, the massive amount of users and content of the Internet makes it extremely difficult to manage. In my opinion, business models should adapt to utilize emerging technologies in a beneficial way for all parties involved; artists, distributors, and consumers. Do you download or share free music or movies? It may be wise to familiarize yourself with current copyright laws.

Reference:
U.S. Copyright Office, (2010). Copyright law of the United States and related laws contained in title 17 of the United States code. Retrieved from website: http://www.copyright.gov/title17/

As our group continues to collaborate on our iTunes U Project, I am reminded that great ideas and opportunities don’t always mean designing instruction for them is easy. Whew! It is exciting, however, we cannot forget how important the teaching strategy is when striving to meet learning objectives. Our group is using Gagne’s Events of Instruction as a guide. We are mindful of the online learning environment as well.  I am encouraged by my teammates’ ideas and contributions and am anxious to see the final result of our work. Stay tuned!!

In the meantime, in another group assignment, we are discussing mobile learning. This growing trend is the result of portable mobile devices and numerous applications which can easily be integrated into an effective instructional strategy. One thing that stands out for me is the enormous possibilities of teachers and students learning together by sharing ideas and receiving feedback in real-time. We live in an exciting time!!

With the adoption of cloud applications, we can expect the trend for mobile devices to be considered as a pedagogical tool to encourage a more interactive and student-centered learning environment (Johnson, Adams & Cummins, 2012). I feel this is inevitable if educators want to engage learners in an effective way. Students use mobile devices to perform a variety of tasks throughout the day. Why not incorporate their current behavior in the learning process? For example, mobile users can download the Kindle app for free and use it to view eBooks and upload reading material in PDF format. An important and useful aspect is the ability to highlight and take notes. Learners can search for relevant material on the Internet or refer to digital versions of class resources. In addition, teachers can easily implement social learning components. For example, students use Twitter or a class blog to respond to questions or as a reflection of acquired knowledge. It is important to clarify the purpose of instruction and determine how mobile devices can augment the process. The planning process is critical to assure mobile devices drive, not replace, teaching and learning.

The possibilities are numerous and require teachers to be informed about emerging technologies and trends. Furthermore, teachers need to exercise flexibility, fearlessness, and fervor when learning how to use new technology in the classroom to meet the needs of digital natives.

Reference:
Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Cummins, M. (2012). Mobile apps. The NMC Horizon Report: 2012 Higher Education Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. pp. 10-13. Retrieved from http://www.nmc.org/publications]

In tonight’s class session, Dr. Kumiko Aoki from the Open University of Japan was gracious to share her knowledge about Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Courseware (OCW). OER are free and open resources which can be purposed for learning and teaching, particularly in an online environment. It is an educational technology trend that has gained traction on a global scale and requires our attention. After an interactive presentation by Dr. Aoki, we were randomly assigned to groups for further discussion.  

A concern for managing and assessing students on a very large scale was a focal point of our group discussion. Dr. Bert mentioned an interesting and relevant point. Students who are taking the course for credit would certainly need to be assessed. However, students who are not receiving course credit may not need to be assessed. I feel that the course design could include components for student self-assessments. This would provide immediate feedback to the student as they progress through the course and make the experience more meaningful.

OER has opened doors for many who are unable to afford the costs of a formal education. The good thing about OER is that all of the enrolled students have equal access to acquiring new knowledge. This improves the lives of learners in a personal, social, and corporate manner.    

Quick Poll:
  

One of our assignments for last week included a group effort for preparing a proposal for a class assignment for this course. I was impressed at the creative ideas expressed by all of the groups. One team proposed an assignment that challenges us to examine potential positive and negative effects of student learning with video games. Another team proposed mapping out an evacuation route in the event of a tsunami using Google maps and a social media tool such as Instagram.  

This week we will work in groups again to explore cloud computing. It seems the more I read about cloud computing the more I realize its potential, both positive and negative. For the most part, I feel the positive outweighs the negative in most cases. I am reminded that when designing instruction, it is important to stick to fundamentals in order to assure tools are used to enhance instruction, not replace it. It’s important to remember the assessment and analyzing part of your design process. Our team meets tomorrow to discuss our position and to formulate a statement. We have other ideas of how to convey our findings beside the basic write up that is required. Stay tuned!

We completed our first group assignment over the weekend. Another great opportunity to hone our group collaboration and social learning skills! It was a productive session of brainstorming, sharing of ideas, and developing a proposal for a potential class assignment. I can appreciate this form of learning because in the end, if we are successful, we can say social production is the result of social learning.

Tonight, our class session included a spirited discussion of social media with guest speakers Burt Lum and Melissa Chang who both shared their personal experiences with technology and social media. I was pleased to see so many questions being asked! There is so much to learn. I found myself intently listening to the discussion and failed to formulate a question of my own, GEEZ! I began to think about social media, social learning, and social production. How can we utilize social media in a learning environment? I think social media is a tool and not the end all for pedagogical strategies. Social media can facilitate a culture where students are interdependently analyzing, evaluating, creating, implementing, managing and sharing the outcome of their learning. This type of synergy produces something greater than the sum of these components. Students can take ownership of a learner controlled environment.

Whew! I’m looking forward to more in this class!

I spent most of the first week of school in bed with sinus issues that required antibiotics, ugh. I don’t remember the last time I felt so ill. BUT, I am beginning to feel better and am looking forward to catching up with the rest of my peers.

Our first assignment was to produce a media piece introducing a classmate. I decided to use Slide Rocket, a free online presentation tool that I have not used before. It is quite user friendly with useful features. I was able to create a slideshow presentation, add transitions, and add audio. I feel this is a great tool that can be effectively used for educational purposes. Here is the link to my presentation. http://portal.sliderocket.com/BCOKS/ETEC647-Introduction---Filemoni-Lauilefue

First session of the semester started off great despite my having to leave after the first half hour. It was great to meet up with so many friends and to meet new friends as well. This course will focus on evaluating tools and strategies for emerging technologies in learning. I’ve decided to use Weebly for my blogs as I have done in the past. I feel it’s a nice repository for my blogs from various courses in the ETEC program. I’m eager to learn with everyone this semester. Technology is in a constant state of growth and emergence so this should be exciting! Here we go….