Second Life Technology

What is Second Life? Second Life is a 3-D virtual world where users can socialize and connect to share ideas and created identities that would otherwise be impossible to create in the real world (Rosedale, 2008). It can serve as a means of escape and creativity (Rosedale, 2008).

How is Second Life a disruptive technology?
In the field of education, high school education, many of our students use Second Life technologies to escape the stressors of everyday life as a student. They create this collaborative environment where only they and the members (peers/friends) are welcome. They can enjoy free expression and a world that they have created specifically for themselves.

What technology or innovation did it displace?
It has displaced the teacher as the leader of dialog and the face to face classroom collaborative learning environment.

How many years do you think Second Life has left before another emerging technology or disruptive technology replaces it?
That is difficult to answer. I am just becoming familiar with the new technology, but this one will be around until something else comes out that expands on the current technology (Laureate Education Inc., 2009).

What are the social benefits of Second Life, and what might be the social implications of virtual worlds in your industry?
The social benefits of second life are endless. Some of our students will not interact in an open environment. Second Life gives them the opportunity to develop some social skills in a different platform. Nonetheless, they are being exposed to various cultures and ways of seeing the world. I think this type of collaborative learning and interacting forces educators to look at how our students prefer to communicate. We will have to eventually create an environment that supports this method of communication within the face to face classroom.

For more information, please visit http://secondlife.com/whatis/


Reference
Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Emerging and future technology. Baltimore, MD

Rosedale, P. (2008). Philip Rosedale on Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.

Rhyme of History: Document Camera

A Rhyme of History: Document Camera

The document camera can be described as an image projector or digital projector. You can lay a piece of paper on it and write or draw on it to delineate a concept or theory being taught. Whatever is written is projected on a screen for the audience to see. The document camera rekindles the overhead projector in the respect that it project an image in real time and allows for real time modification that can be viewed by the targeted audience, and it is portable as the overhead projector was. Visit http://www.visualedtech.com/What%20is%20a%20document_camera.htm for a full description of the document camera.

Below is a picture of the overhead projector.

Below is a picture of the document camera.

Obsolete Technology Tetrad

What does this technology enhance?
This technology enhances picture quality and playback quality. It also provides options for scene viewing. The DVD player slowed for dimension modification of screen viewing so as to increase of decrease the screen viewing size of a motion picture. The DVD player also enhanced the sound quality of motion pictures.

What does this technology replace?
The DVD player replaced the Video Cassette Recorder.

What does this technology rekindle?
The DVD player rekindles the use of more wires to connect media, the use of more than device to complete the viewing task, and the need to for storage to keep the DVDs.

What does this technology reverse?
The DVD ushered in the data screen and data projector in conjunction with the PC.