Looking into the Future of Education

Now that my research team and I have submitted two grant proposals, it is time to get back on track with this blog.  I read the EDUCAUSE Horizon reports each year.  The 2010 report provides us a glimpse at the future of education.  The authors note that within:

• This year we will have a wide-scale adoption of mobile computing and open content
• Within the next 2-3 years we will adopt electronic textbooks and "simple augmented reality"
• Within 4-5 years we will adopt "guesture based computing" and "visual data analysis"

Clearly mobile computing is evident on our campuses.  Students and faculty alike depend upon netbooks, smartphones, like the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android to access email, online course content, and electronic resources.  The worldwide economic crisis has sped up the interest in open content.  Open content is a term for online courses that are freely availalble without charge.

Electronic textbooks have increased popularity.  I am currently using 3 electronic textbooks on my laptop.  Electronic textbooks provide the ability to highlight, make notes, and bookmark similar to a paper version.  The perks are the ability to have electronic booksmarks and to have them anytime I need them and have my laptop (everywhere). Simple augmented reality is a feature on many cell phones, for example, the GPS, a digital camera, and the compass on the iPhone. 

Guesture based computing is a term for operating computers using movement of hands, arms, and/or body.  Guesture based computing is used on popular news shows where the news anchor uses their hands and arms to open or close windows on wide screen televisions to show news and weather reports.  The iPhone uses guestures such as a finger swipe, tap and shake.  The Wii has popularize guesture based computing with software for sports and fitness. 

I am really excited about the emergence of visual data analysis, which will allow us to visualize complex data without having to know complex software.  It should prove especially meaningful for healthcare.  I am looking forward to the day that every nurse will have expertise in the analysis of healthcare data to improve the safety, effectiveness, and quality of care provided.

How to Build a Computer

I remember when my mother was first facinated by the power of a computer (she has one of every type now).  Anyway, I opened up the case on a desktop personal computer to show her the parts of a computer.  Today, I still hear comments from students asking about how a computer works. 

I found a short video on the web site How Stuff Works (one of my favorite sites) that shows how to build a computer at http://videos.howstuffworks.com/howstuffworks/23-computer-tour-video.htm The video explains essential components like the motherboard, CPU, fan, hard drive, ram, video card, power supply, optical drive, and more.  In the video, you can see how all of the components are connected to communicate using flat ribbed flexible plastic ribbons.  You can also see the grouped flexible colored power cords, which are like a Christmas tree extension cord - having several places on the cable to plug in devices (daisy chain connection). 

Georgia Conference on Information Literacy

Georgia Conference on Information Literacy

Plan to explore this conference. It addresses one of the issues that our Connecting Communities with Web 2.0 research study addresses.

First Aid & CPR iPhone app Saves a Life During the Haiti Disaster

Many of us are aware of telehealth and telemedicine applications, but self-treatment is not usually a part of the equation. Macworld reported a story about a man, Dan Wooley, who successfully administered first aid to himself for treatment of a head wound and compound fracture of his leg using the iPhone app Pocket First Aid & CPR (http://jive.me/firstaid/) powered by Jive Media. Wooley, who worked for Compassion International, was in Haiti making a movie about poverty.

According to the story (http://www.macworld.com/article/145842/2010/01/pocketfirstaid.html), Wooley was trapped in an elevator shaft for 65 hours after the earthquake struck. He used the instructions on the app to bandage his wounds and stop bleeding. He used the app instructions that warned him not to fall asleep if he was going into shock and set the alarm to ring every 20 minutes.

The content for Pocket First Aid & CPR is from the American Heart Association. According to the Jive Media web site, the app includes:

• Up-to-date emergency information 
• First aid procedures
• First aid checklist
• A modified personal health record that allows the user to input their medical and insurance information

The American Heart Association First Aid app costs $3.99.  There are several other First Aid apps at the iPhone store.The WebMD First Aid app is free. There are First Aid apps for animals available, too!

I am amazed that with all of the devastation, that the cell towers were still operational. It is clear that cell phones are a mainstay of immediate communication after a disaster occurs.  Perhaps this type of story will encourage Apple and cell phone manufacturers to work on battery life issues.

Personal Bibliographic Manager Software: Endnote? Zotero? or Both?

I was reading an article this morning that provided an analogy that the use of technology is like learning to ride a bicycle with no training wheels.  How true, especially for those who are uncomfortable using technology.  Switching from using hand-written notecards to store reference information to a software solution can be an adjustment.  I have been teaching students how to use EndNote (http://www.endnote.com/) for several years now.  I began teaching undergraduate students to use Zotero (http://www.zotero.org/)just a couple of years ago.  My colleague, Karen, said that she attempted to use Zotero with graduate students and had all sorts of problems.  She has decided to switch back to requiring EndNote, but accept Zotero for students who cannot affort to purchase EndNote.

One of my students is writing a paper about the use of Zotero and inadvertently nudged me to learn something new :)!  She had downloaded the beta version of Zotero that allows for sharing of references and synching the reference library with the Zotero server.  Wow, did that get my attention!!  Why?   I now will begin to use the sharing aspect of the references with students in courses that I teach.  I really like the way that I can grab info from web sites in Zotero and attach any associated PDF file with a click of the mouse.  I  also like the way that I can use EndNote to search for articles in PubMed and also search for PDF copies of the references.  Because the two software packages have different strengths, I have decided to use a combination of the two.  I can export references from EndNote into Zotero so that the file can be synched and shared.  To learn more about the beta version of Zotero, go to http://www.zotero.org/support/2.0_beta

Screen Capture and Video Software - Snag-it, Jing, and OneNote

A colleague mentioned that she was going to visit a nursing program that is using Jing and Snag-it software.  Jing and Snag-it are developed by TechSmith, the same company that produces Camtasia.  Jing is free. With the really scarce resources for many of us, free software is good.

Snag-it (http://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp ) is used for screen capture.  The software is available for a 30-day free trial.  It is much better than the Print Screen function that we all have with our computer keyboards because you can choose exactly what you want to capture.  I use Microsoft OneNote (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/onenote/default.aspx ) software, which is similar.  OneNote is available for a 60-day trial. The reason that I like it better, is that the software runs in the background, so all I have to do is to tap the Window+S keys to do a screen capture.  I also like the way that OneNote keeps automatic notes about the screen captures, for example, the day, time, and source (if it is a URL) of the capture.  OneNote allows me to store the screen captures in a workbook.  Those features are really helpful when designing online course content.

Jing (http://www.jingproject.com/) provides the ability to record video of on-screen action and it also can be used for screen capture.  The free version of the software is available for both the PC and the Mac.  It includes tutorials and is easy to use.  The on-screen action video is very helpful for that "teaching moment" assistance.  As an example, a couple of years ago I was running into roadblock using a software to access my web site.  One of our fantastic support people in the GCSU Web Enhanced Resource (WER) group figured out a work around. He created a short video of the on-screen action and emailed it to me. 

If you need a way to capture a part of a computer screen or capture screen action, consider trying Snag-it, OneNote, and/or Jing. All are very easy to use.

Using Web Folders (WebDav)

I remember the first time that I heard the term WebDav, I thought that it was a Geek term and something that I would never need or want to do.  Was I wrong or what!  I am a huge fan of WebDav!  WebDav is a term that indicates that it is possible to have a shortcut to a folder on a remote computer.  The shortcut, located in My Network Places, allows you to synchronize files from your personal computer and the remote computer with using drag and drop. 

When might it be useful?  It depends....  Do you have a wiki, a personal web site, or are you an instructor using a learning management system?  If you have a web site where you must log in and need to upload and download files, check to see if the site supports WebDav. 

As an instructor, WebDav has saved me hours of tedious labor!  That is the good news. 

The caveat (there is always one) is that if you have Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating system the setup may be problematic. 

I use the Blackboard learning management system, Windows XP, and Internet Explorer 7.  I was able to "map" to the WebDav folder using my home office computer with Vista OS.  My colleague, who has Windows 7 on her personal computer has been unsuccessful.  I created screenshots for creating a WebDav folder with one of my courses.  You are welcome to download it from
http://hercules.gcsu.edu/jsewell/textbook/WebDav.docx

If you are using Windows 7, you might want to look at the following post http://www.techiechips.com/web-folders-web-disk-webdav-problems-on-windows-7/ to see if it is helpful.  If you have a solution to the problem, please post! 

The old adage, "you can't miss what you never had", is true for the WebDav function.  I never want to return to the time consuming, tedious way of building and editing online courses.