Technology in Education and the Concept of Cultural Momentum

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07380569.2011.553150

Every educator knows that the field is subject to fad and fashion. Although  many of us would prefer to think that trends and issues in education are determined primarily by research, program evaluation, and expert opinion, it is obvious that such is not always the case (Maddux, 2003). More than 30 years ago, Benjamin Bloom (1981) alluded to the problem of fads in education. More recently, Masters (2002) has suggested that education today seems to “lurch from one fad to the next” (p. 1), and Haswell (1992) identifies fads as the primary reason for the lack of systematic progress in education.

In the past, we have written about the problem of fads in education and the destructive cycle they often initiate. That cycle begins with early, unrealistic optimism directed at some innovation. A vocal advocacy forms around the innovation followed by practitioner adoption before the development has been subjected to a body of research to help establish its efficacy.

When the innovation fails to live up to the premature and unrealistic expectations fostered by advocates, the innovation is then dropped before it has been given a real chance to succeed. The field then moves on to the next innovation and the cycle begins anew (Maddux & Cummings, 2004).

Discuss the issues, content authoring, usage, workload, and pedagogical consequences

http://www.igi-global.com/viewtitlesample.aspx?id=44465
Abstract
Hand-held technologies such as Apple’s iPod/iTouch/iPhone devices are now capable of being used for educational purposes as well as for entertainment. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the issues, content authoring, usage, workload, and pedagogical consequences of creating an iClassroom for mobile learning based on these devices. Use of podcasts and vodcasts by students, and their rate of success are varied as shown by studies reviewed from the literature and carried out by the author for this chapter.Several strategies for reducing workload at an individual and institutional level are proposed for adoption by educators. Key recommendations from this chapter are an increased emphasis on evaluation, usage of models for developing content, and an inclusion of iPod/iTouch/iPhone devices as part of an overall architecture for m-learning

Second App

I just finished my second app. The first can be found at https://market.android.com/search?q=UCAR+Globe&c=apps  or at Choose whatever is more convenient for you:

1. Copy the app URL into your mobile web browser
   URL: http://ibuildapp.com/web-GLOBE
2. Use Barcode scanner app:
   
    

Southeast Regional T-STEM Center

http://www.utmb.edu/tstem/conference/reception.asp

Getting Started with iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
Teachers are just getting to know iPad, iPhone, or iPod touches. This hands-on workshop is for you. Learn how to create and navigate through your Home screen. Explore Maps and find out how your device knows exactly where you are—even if you don't. Manage your apps for classrooom use and find where to get apps.

Advanced  iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

Go beyond the basics with your iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch in this hands-on workshop. Learn about multitasking, push notifications, copy/paste, and how to pair Bluetooth devices. Discover some great apps for teaching using apps like word, whiteboard, educreate, and  specialized applications. 

Amazon Kindle Fire: More Profitable Than Expected?

Findings from the survey:

• The two most frequent users for the Fire were e-book reading, at 71%, and browsing the Web, at 39%. Playing game was cited by 29%, and using apps, 20%. Only 13% named streaming video as a most frequent activity.
• The most important reason given for buying a Fire? 47% said it was a gift. 27% cited features. 20% cited the price. “We were somewhat surprised that features outweighed price, which contrasts some of the early reviews by the Technorati,” he writes.
• Over 80% of Fire owners have purchased an e-book, and 58% had purchased more than three e-books within 15-60 days of buying the Fire. He estimates that customers will by 5 e-books per quarter. At a $10 ASP for the books, he says, that would mean $15 in e-book revenue per quarter.
• 66% of the survey group had purchased at least one app; 41% have purchased three or more. He assumes 3 apps per purchase per quarter, suggesting $9 in paid app revenue per Kindle Fire unit per quarter at above-company average operating margin.
• 72% of the sample had not used the Fire to buy physical goods on Amazon.com. Of the 26% who had, a third said the purchases were incremental to what they would have purchased on the site otherwise. 51% increased their physical purchases on Amazon “slightly to significantly” because of owning the Kindle Fire.

The good, bad, and ugly....Kindle Fire

This is about the much talked about Amazon Kindle Fire tablet. With this Amazon Kindle Fire Review, we talk about NOT just its shiny-flashy details, but also about its apparent ‘shortcomings’ and how they can affect you, as a Kindle Fire user. Everybody knew that a tablet computer was coming from Amazon. Some even went on to predict that it might well be that iPad killer everybody thought every other tablet was going to be, but never was.