BEHS103 Week 1 | Technology in Education in Education - University of Maryland

5) What is your

own favorite technology? Explain your choice. Remember that in order to earn full credit for discussion participation, you are to must respond fully to every question and submit your best writing. Remember that you must respond to at least two of your classmates before the end of the academic week. Your responses to the discussion and to your classmates are due on Sunday evening at 11:59 PM EST. Manage your time wisely so that you do not incur a late penalty (refer to the syllabus). Time passes quickly in an 8 week course. Don’t procrastinate!

DQ2

Black out! On July 30, 2012, the world’s biggest blackout took place in India when three major power grids collapsed. To learn more about the story,

visit:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57483166/india-blackout-worsens-620m-in-dark/ How do you think you would survive a power blackout? Although it may seem a little counter-intuitive, we are going to start our consideration of technology in modern society by removing technology from our modern lives. This will lay an important foundation for the remainder of the course. This week, you are to pick one 24-hour period in which you avoid technology as much as

possible. This includes the use of the following:

Cell phone and handheld devices Computers, laptops, tablets Television Video games Smart phones iPods, MP3, radio any other mobile device Stove/Oven/Microwave Dishwasher For an extra challenge: start your day by filling large containers with as much water as you think you might be able to haul from a river or outside well and use only that water throughout the day instead of relying on water from tap. Obviously, if you must use any of these devices to perform your job or to keep children safe and healthy, you may do so. You may use kitchen appliances to prepare your meals (I don't want your family to go hungry!) and turn your air conditioning or heat on to keep your family comfortable, but during your blackout day, avoid as much modern technology as possible while you are at home. Be very mindful of the technologies that you use or avoid during the day and how this impacts your ability to function. The

objective of this exercise is to help you to appreciate the ways in which

technology impacts your functioning in everyday life. If you have other family members, see if they will participate with you and use this opportunity to talk about how technology impacts your life as a family. After you have completed your blackout period, respond to the following questions in 2-3

paragraphs:

What technologies were you aware of using that past generations did not have? How do these technologies impact your life? What technologies did you give up during your blackout? What did you miss the most and why? How did the absence of these devices impact you in the home, workplace and other areas of your life? Throughout the week, please respond substantively to at least 2 classmates for this discussion topic. Week 2 discussion

DQ1

Accessibility of Technology: In Their Shoes In this discussion activity, you will attempt to use the Internet via screen reader software and will compare/contrast this experience with using the Internet visually in order to analyze the way that technology has or has not lived up to the expectation of equalizing information-sharing. *IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are a student who has a visual disability and who already uses a screen reader program, please consider completing this assignment using a screen reader program that is different from yours and/or by visiting websites to which you do not normally go.

Steps:

Review some of the leading screen-reader software available

to individuals who are blind or low-vision today:

http://www.afb.org/prodmain.asp Select a free screen reader program for your phone, tablet,

or computer to use for this Activity:

http://www.screenreader.net/index.php?pageid=11 http://webanywhere.cs.washington.edu/wa.php http://www.readspeaker.com/ http://usabilitygeek.com/10-free-screen-reader-blind-visually-impaired-users/ Turning off your monitor, and using only the screen reader program and your speakers, navigate to your top 5 favorite websites and attempt to use each, noting your experience as you go. Keep track of missed links, content that does not work with the screen reader, and any difficulties you encounter. Make one of your visits to a website with a lot of video content – could you access the video with the screen reader? Try to access a website to which you have never been before – keep similar notes. Then, access a disability organization’s website – any of

your choice, but several are listed here:

www.aapd.com www.afb.org http://www.unitedspinal.org/ http://ncil.org/ Analyze your experience with each website and respond to the following questions Did you notice differences in the websites? What did you find frustrating about this activity? What would you recommend to make this experience easier? Do you think that you would have an easier time navigating with a screen reader program if you had more experience using it, or were there other factors? How does this activity alter your perspective on the experience of the visually impaired and those with other physical impairments that make technology use a challenge? Remember, in order to earn full participation credit for this discussion topic, you must respond substantively to at least 2 classmates throughout the week.

DQ2

Reenvisioning the Educational System

Watch the following fascinating perspective on education:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U (Note: you may want to take notes!) Respond to the following items in 2-3 well-written paragraphs. Once you have responded, read and respond to the ideas of at least 2 of your classmates during the week. Refer to the syllabus for guidelines on discussion participation. Summarize three main points you took away from this presentation. Visit the following website identifying the top educational systems in the world:http://www.ncee.org/programs-affiliates/center-on-international-education-benchmarking/top-performing-countries/ Take a look at 3 or more of these countries and briefly describe why these systems are so successful. Do you see any commonalities across these systems? Given what you have learned this week about the social sciences, education, and the transformative effect of technology on learning and development, propose an educational model for the future. What do you think should stay the same, what should change, and what role does technology play in helping to implement your model? What are the potential consequences (positive and negative) of the changes you propose? Week 3 discussion

DQ1

The changing nature of intimate relationships View and read the videos and readings provided for

Discussion Topic 5 and complete the following questions as a response to this

topic.