Friday, February 1, 2013

Week 4 reflection

When I first got into the Delicious site (great name by the way) I was really asking our question what is this replacing or improving on that I already had? At first it was not that clear but as I played with the site and looked at some of the recommended links and sites on a subject I started to like the concept. I don't think its an earth shattering process. However, I really like the transportability of  moving my bookmarks from one device to another without having to download them each time. This is especially true when using a computer that is not mine. I love that I can go to the one site or even my blog link and get all my bookmarks. Being able to peruse other peoples links I think is fun as sometimes it can tell you a lot about them especially when you find that you may have a lot in common. I noticed our instructor likes recipes from Israel. I lived there for three years and enjoy making foods from that region so I was able to scour his bookmarks for new recipes. Thank You. I can see that groups formed through the wiki could post to Delicious to share interesting information that members may find.
In the classroom I can see Delicious tied to a wiki or a blog for students doing a research paper I could have them use the bookmarks I want so I know they are using appropriate sources. I like that you can share your bookmarks easily with others and my students instead of spending unproductive hours looking for information I can get the facts right out to them. There is definitely a use for social bookmark sites although their use might not be as obvious at first. To be honest I had never heard of them before and have been frustrated for years as I couldn't take my favorites with me.

The reading reflection for this week was interesting I loved how the definitions of Instructional Technology have evolved as technology advances. How early instructional media was very much sit down and watch. There is little or no interaction as the technology at the time was not interactive. The media was used to replace the lecture and blackboard. When AECT moved into systemic approach in 1977 with their definition I liked how the words integrated process involving people, analyzing problems and all aspects of human learning were included. They were moving forward to the facilitating of  learning that would improve performance that were to the basis for the 2008 definition of educational technology. They were staring to use educational theory words in the their definition. We start to see that now educational technology is bringing in design and improvements to not just hardware but to programs and systems that can intervene and enhance human performance. The definitions surprised me some very long as they were that way to clarify the field of educational technology for people outside of the field. I agree that when people are asked what is educational technology they often answer computers, smart boards, videos etc. They forget the multitude of programs and sources such as wikis, blogs and bookmarks that can be great instructional tools to enhance student and educators performance.  

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