I have thought that internet and emails and other web applications are for introvert people. While working with introvert engineers at Samsung, I was surprised how good they are utilizing technology. It feels like the introvert engineers build another world for themselves. If having felt uncomfortable in the world where verbal communication skills are highly appreciated, they no more have disadvantage over extravert, verbal and action-oriented people in web 2.0 world. It also seems also like somewhat power-free zone. In the conventional work environment, people who are in the higher position had more chance to talk and the people without power did not have an opportunity no matter how important opinion they could raise. This gives us a hegemony shift.
Although being so impressed about the application and how this application helps us practice Dewey philosophy, I am still concerned. The first issue is a virus infection. I feel this application is safer than using emails but after a virus detected while downloading Delicious program, I cannot stop worrying about this.
Second, all the application seems to be very useful for class activities and look so for works in office as well, especially in the era of globalization. We might need lesser time to wake up in the night to talk to people in the opposite side if the globe and pay for international calls. But I am worried about security. In cooperate learning, action leaning where people deal with real-life problem is popular. Like PBL, the learning subject and contents possibly contain something confidential.
Third, how can these new application appeal to old adults? Students in my program, adult learning and leadership, one day complain about people using iPod in the bus. A student said that she was so bothered by the noises from everybody’s iPod but her in the bus on her way back home in the night. The students were mostly in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. I also do not know how to download music. Due to this fact, I feel marginalized and victimized. I follow this class. But how can I introduce these applications to older students? Can using these applications be threatening?
My target students are executives in major corporations. They are who really need this kind of application since they are busy and hard to get together with other executives. But without clarifying above issues, it will not be possible to use these for their cooperative learning. Many executives cannot type.
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You have posted on some really important issues -introversion vs. extroversion, technology savvy, security, technology preferences and generations.
ReplyDeleteYour question about how to use these tools for collaborative use with older users is a really good one. Where I work, many of the teachers are older than I – in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. We have used many tools in a short period of time in our course because learning about technologies is a major topic within our program. However, for most people, learning about technologies is not their main concern. People are more likely to use a tool if they have a real-life purpose for it. We only talk about several tools to expose students in the class to possibilities and to have an anchor through which we can talk about problem solving and collaboration - this is not to suggest that everyone needs to use each of these tools in their educational settings. I would start first with problems and preferences, and if it appears that a tool might help one or more people you work with, then consider introducing it – let the purpose drive the tool, not the other way around.
These posts are now very relevant to our last unit - I would invite you to copy some of your content here and paste it into our threaded discussions for others to comment on.
I think of these web 2.0 tools as being used by introverts and extroverts alike. It used to be that tech tools were more likely to be used by the introverted "geeks", but I think technology has become more accessible and popular. It is possible that introverted people, however, have even more to benefit from these tools because they can contribute socially from home, they can more easily link to others with similar interests, and they can take the time necessary to express their thoughts.
Just about all of the tools we have used so far have the ability to be public, private, or semiprivate (invite particular collaborators). You can use these different features to create an environment that is comfortable to you. I’m not an expert on viruses, but I doubt that downloading the Delicious software could cause a virus. Visiting a site that someone has bookmarked on delicious, however, could cause a virus. However, the potential for viruses is always there when we visit new sites - with or without the delicious tool.