You've heard it said that this or that technology is "only" a tool... (by stacey wadle)

Most, if not all the latest models of cell phones come standard with a camera. The phone with a camera can make the cell phone a tool that can change culture and society. “…ordinary people inevitably make their own decisions about whether they want to use the technology, and, more importantly, how they want to use it based on their own needs and values” (Thurlow, p. 26). It is the user of a tool, not the people who designed it, who should be considered when reflecting on the idea that technology is only a tool. The choice to make a positive difference or to be a nuisance is in the hands of the user of the tool.
Has the camera phone taken on an invisible technology status because we no longer find it remarkable? The technology of a camera phone has fallen to a status somewhere between the hysteria of how it will be used for evil, for example up skirting, and the hype that we can all be eyewitnesses to history and real time journalist, like the guard who taped the Saddam Hussein execution. Another popular use is the cell phone camera as a tool to combat crime.
In September 2008 New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Real Time Crime Center. This will allow 911 callers to send in video or photos of crimes that could help to solve crimes. The success of the program would depend on the “public’s willingness to provide information” according to a New York Times article, “Camera Phones Are Enlisted to Fight Crime” by Christine Hauser. Previously calling 911 allowed the person to remain anonymous. With the new program, callers to 911 who indicate that they had photos or video footage would be required to leave their name so they could be contacted later with instructions on sending the photos.
“The eyes and ears of society will expand in scope and with that we may likely see random acts of theft, violence and other crimes decrease.” Will this create a “Criminal Divide” so that potential criminals stay away from areas where techno savvy people live? As the article title says “Defeating Crime with Digital Camera Cell Phones” Brian Lee at streetdirectory.com believes “technology’s unintended consequence may be a more virtuous society and decreased crime, which is a good thing”. The deterrent factor should increase if the possibility of being “caught in the act” by a mere passerby is the potential for anyone with a cell phone.
In order for our crime fighting capabilities to be maximized we will need to visit Digital Photography School web site and read Darren Rowse article on “12 Tips for Improving Camera Phone Photos”. The tips are built off the advice given by Johnson (2005). Johnson’s five tips were get plenty of light, get close to the subject so you do not have to use the digital zoom, also hold steady, don’t compress the image, and use your computer to fix problems versus editing in the cell phone. To build upon those suggestions Rowse says to take many pictures and do not throw away what look like mistakes. When you have time to edit on your computer, Rowse suggests, you may find that the image is usable. Near the end of the tips, number eleven is “Observe Camera Phone Etiquette” addressing the issue of asking permission to take someone’s picture and restrict the use of camera phones in theaters and concerts.
Jeffries (2010) would add to the list of places to restrict camera use is museums, especially the Victoria and Albert Museum. Instead of enjoying the views people have become ”snappers on autopilot, slaves to our machines,” using the pictures to enhance our Facebook pages and proving that we were some place interesting. An interesting place like London’s Royal Festival Hall or the Taj Mahal recorded on a cell phone camera and the image sent around the world.
Sometimes pictures are sent only to our home computer. That however may have the unexpected result of solving a crime. If you view the AP video clip you will see another way that crime is prevented. A robbery suspect took a picture of himself with stolen phone. The phone was set up to send the photos automatically to home computer of the owner of the phone. When the women received the photo she alerted police. The suspect turned himself into authorities. He had apparently read the instructions on how to obtain a quality photo. The picture is very clear due to the use of proper lighting.
The technology of a cell phone with a camera has many great advantages. It can record a historic event, the execution of a world leader or a child singing in a 4th grade show. It can capture a crime being committed like a robbery or an assault. It can assist in the committing of a crime by photographing what is under a skirt. The always present camera can capture standing in front of Niagara Falls which is what my cell phone camera did last year and send that picture to friends in Houston and Singapore with the same push of a button. The tool is what the user chooses to do with it. By itself it is only a tool waiting to be used for the good of the community or not.



 
References
Associated Press (no date). Video of robbery suspect. Retrieved January 25, 2010 from http://www.comcast.net/video/cops-robber-took-own-photo-with-stolen-camera/1350187506/
Hauser, C. (September 10, 2008) Camera phones are enlisted to fight crime. The New York Times retrieved January 25, 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/nyregion/10video.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
Jeffries, S. (January 8, 2010). The rise of the camera-phone. The Guardian. Retrieved January 25, 2010 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jan/08/stuart-jeffries-camera-phones/print.
Johnson, D. (June 14, 2005) Digital focus: Better photos from your camera phone. PC WORLD retrieved January 25, 2010 from http://www.pcworld.com/article/120980/digital_focus_better_photos_from_your_camera_phone.html
Lee, B. (No date) Defeating crime with digital camera cell phones. Retrieved January 25, 2010, from http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/print_article.php?articleId=134008
Rowse, D. (no date). 12 Tips for Improving Camera Phone Photos Digital Photography School website. Retrieved January 25, 2010 from http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-use-a-camera-phone .
Thurlow, C, Lengel, L &Tomic, A. (2008). Computer mediated communication: Social interaction and the internet. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.

STUCK IN THE MUD...

Stuck in the mud…

I just had a conversation with a colleague who just doesn’t get it. The world is changing. Life is dynamic. We are living organisms in constant flux. Everything around us in fact and theory is in some kind of constant chaos all the way down to the molecular level and even smaller. Thus for better or worse, nothing stays the same. If things are left alone, do they stay the same? No, they deteriorate, somthings quicker than others.

Why are people so afraid of change? Too many reasons to list here, and I can think of hundreds myself, but I’d rather skip that and move on for now. A year or two ago, I read the book “Who moved my cheese” by Spencer Johnson. This book is a must read for anyone stuck on the couch. It is funny, a quick read and life changing.

Now I don’t want change for the sake of change. I know a manager who reacts that way. And more than creating change, I just want to be aware that it is happening around me, and not be oblivious to it. I also don’t want to just react to change, I want to be influential when appropriate and accepting when someone else has a better idea.

I chose this typeface or font on purpose for this blog. It is “ELEPHANT,” …because I don’t want to be an elephant stuck in the mud, unwilling and unable to change for the better.

A SYSTEMS APPROACH... (based on a posting I wrote for one of my grad. classes at Capella U.)

A SYSTEMS APPROACH: to distance education and…


I grew up flying planes and sailing sailboats. What am I doing now? Sitting behind a computer typing. Oh what happened to the good-old-days? Responsibility is the evil word. Responsibility costs time and money, so I have to be an armchair pilot (just for now) and sail on occasion. What does this have to do with systems and distance education? Everything. Sailboats and airplanes run on systems. Distance education is facilitated through a system involving content developers, instructional designers, web designers, learning management systems, administrators, staff, instructors and learners. That is one big interdependent system!

An airplane no matter how big or small, or complex or simple must work as a system. Airplanes are built with multiple systems that back each other up if there is some type of electronic, mechanical or human failure. A sailboat is less comprehensive, but has systems to control the sails to harness the wind. Also, the crew on a sailboat must work together as an interdependent team, thus a systems approach.

A distance education university, program, or class cannot operate successfully outside the system. Each part is dependent on the other and dependent on them all working synergistically. If the LMS is down, the class is down, if the instructor is out, the class is down, if the techs are out sick, the class could be sinking without life jackets.

Thus, the more we realize how interdependent these parts and pieces are, the better distance education will become.

Could this apply to everyday life also?


Moore, M., & Kearsley, G. (2005). Distance education: A systems view (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. ISBN: 0534506887.

THEORY IN ACTION...

Theory in Action (Based on readings from Argyris, C., & Schön, D. A. (1992).)

SITUATION
Some mornings I wake up and think, “omg,” what have I got myself into this time? What was I thinking? Can I actually do this PhD thing that is reserved for smart people? Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night thinking the same thoughts. However, after reading Paul @ Elder’s (2006) chapter one through four, I have to rethink how I think, or rethink not to spend so much time worrying about things I can’t control, and I should spend time tackling the things I can influence.

Over the past several days I have had severe computer issues which I believe I have resolved with the help of Miami Dade College’s computer techs. Thus one hurdle has been jumped and I landed on my feet ready for the next hurdle. Should I start worrying about that next hurdle now? No, of course not, but I have to make a conscience effort not to do it. Ouch, that is a painful realization.

My situation is truly a blessed one. I have everything I need, a job, family, transportation and many other things others may not have. So the only thing I should be concerned with is moving forward. Thus I will move forward in pursuing a PhD in Instructional Design for Online learning.


CONSEQUENCE
As I learn my way through each Capella class, I will become a better teacher, learner, course designer and person. As I traverse the hills and valleys of this journey (lot of hills in Miami…), I want to groom myself to become a spokesperson for this new paradigm of e-leaning.


ACTION
I have a crystal ball. I look in it every day. It tells me to look to the future, to be proactive, don’t waste time, employ technology, follow a five year plan and finally, most of all, have faith!

My assumptions are based on fact, fiction and faith.

1. I will live for at least another three decades (faith)
2. I will continue to apply what I learn daily (fact)
3. I will loose weight (???)
4. I will re-grow my hair (fiction)
5. I will move to a less populated area of Florida and work from a home office and have time to play in the outdoors. (faith)

Summary/Putting it all together: My situation is truly a blessed one. Thus I will move forward in pursuing a PhD in Instructional Design for Online learning. I will become a better teacher, learner, course designer and person. I will look to the future, to be proactive, don’t waste time, employ technology, follow a five year plan and finally, most of all, have faith!

Argyris, C., & Schön, D. A. (1992). Theory in practice: Increasing professional effectiveness (Reprint ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 9781555424466

Paul, R. W., & Elder, L. (2006). Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your learning and your life (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN: 9780131149625.

Greener Pastures...

Greener Pastures...

What's it about Miami, FL that makes me want to get the _____ out of dodge at least once a week? Is it the traffic, the heat, the attitude, the corrupt government... Mayor Alvarez asking for layoffs and pay cuts for the workers, and giving raises to his cronies?

I could go on and on, but I pride myself on being an optimist. So my optimistic thought of the day, is that I doubt any of this will change, but I have the ability to make changes. So as soon as the kids are off to college, we will be off to greener pastures. Maybe some farm land in North Florida, with a river bank, and a grass runway long enough to land a light sport aircraft on it. Where I can wear a jacket in the Winter and shorts the rest of the year.

I believe in five year plans. This is mine.

The PhD journey...playing the game at work. (this blog was based on a posting that I created in one of my classes at Capella U.)

To get a PhD or not to get a PhD, that is the question…

Every job description you read at the university level and the community college level either requires or prefers that you have a PhD. This seems to be the trend for all of higher education, and it seems to be following the “Jones,” hop on the bandwagon fallacies. I have been teaching for over twenty years with a Masters of Science degree. And now all of the sudden, I need to have a PhD in order to be promoted to Professor at a two year college. Having a PhD may make me a better professor in the long run, but in order to get it, I will have to spend less time with my students and more time taking graduate classes for the next four years. I know that this adventure will help me out leaps and bounds, but not for this semester’s or next semester’s students.


Which is more important, satisfying the chairperson and dean or teaching and learning with your students?

Both are important. In order to continue to teach and learn with my students, I must play the game and please my superiors at the same time. Serving on committees, attending college functions and spending countless hours in departmental meetings are part of my employment contract. Teaching seven classes each major term and four in the summer pay some of my bills. The joy I get from seeing my students get from point “a” to “b” to “c” is PRICELESS.

I believe that I will continue to become a “fair minded” thinker as I progress through my PHD coursework, participate in class discussions and read the required texts. I have spent several hours reading the Paul and Elder (2009) first chapter and have caught myself daydreaming about my thinking process, and then thinking about, thinking about and even more thinking about how I and my fellow coworkers demonstrate our/their thinking through our/their actions and words. I have found it eye opening, distracting and rewarding all at once.
How do I plan on tying this all together? While and during this learning adventure, I want to continue to think critically. I want to demonstrate “second order” thinking for my students, peers and supervisors. I want to stand up for good ideas, even if they are from my competitors. I want to have the courage to support what is ethical and just, even if it is unpopular, and I want to be empathetic to people who are out of work and less fortunate.

Paul, R. W., & Elder, L. (2006). Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your learning and your life (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Test blog

This is to see if this actually works...

Welcome to my new blog site! Stay tuned for exciting updates...