AR1: Emerging Technologies
Wolfram Alpha Summary
Will Wolfram Alpha be the new Google? Wolfram Alpha was launched in May 2009. Created by Stephen Wolfram, this new search engine computes searches based on meaning and concepts, unlike Google with keywords. Stephen Wolfram was born in London and has spent his years as an author of A New Kind of Science, creator of Mathmatica and Wolfram Alpha, and CEO of Wolfram Research. As you enter http://www.wolframalpha.com/ you are free to search, take a quick tour or look up resources and tools.
CNET performed a survey on reader’s experiences with the “computational knowledge engine” and received almost 1600 responses. Tom Krazit, reporter for CNET, reported during a podcast that readers were disappointed with the results for “general” ideas. Wolfram Alpha does great with areas like scientific inquiry, visualizing mathematical equations and other areas that are education related. However, some readers state that it lacks in the retrieval of entertainment inquiry, historical analysis and more general searches. This is contrary to what Stephen Wolfram reports on his blog. http://blog.wolfram.com/2009/03/05/wolframalpha-is-coming/
Wolfram states the search engine knows about Mathematics Life Sciences, Places & Geography, People & History, Transportation, Technological, World, Socioeconomic, Data, Education, Physics, Statistics & Data Analysis, Weather, Organizations, Chemistry, Computational Sciences, Health & Medicine, Sports & Games, Materials, Web & Computer Systems, Food & Nutrition, Music, Engineering, World & Linguistics, Culture& Media, Colors, Astronomy, Money & Finance, Culture & Media, Earth Sciences, Dates & Times, and more. According to Nova Spivack, CEO of Radar Networks, who posted Wolfram’s Blog in Twine, states that “Where Google is a system for FINDING things that we as a civilization collectively publish, Wolfram Alpha is for ANSWERING questions about what we as a civilization collectively know. It’s the next step in the distribution of knowledge and intelligence around the world –a new leap in the intelligence of our collective “Global Brain.” And like any big next step, Wolfram Alpha works in a new way-it computes answers instead of just looking them up.”
Implications of Staff Development by Author
Wolfram hopes to gain more data and make the system more broad. The focus is placed on things that have one answer, not questions that have many opinions. According to Spivack, he would like to see the search engine “dumbed down.” Wolfram Alpha is designed for people with a high IQ and this may overwhelm many people who try to use it.
My Reaction to the Article
After hearing of Wolfram Alpha, I have to admit that I have purchased the app on my phone. I have not performed enough searches to fully grasp what it is capable of. However, it does assist with math homework outside of the high school classroom. Inside the classroom this may pose a problem due to the fact that cell phones are easily accessible. Although you can get the answers to math problem quickly, It also offers additional information, like graphs, diagrams, calculators, demonstrations and unit conversions.
Works Cited:
Krazit, Tom (2009). CNET News Daily Podcast: What Wolfram Alpha s really all about. Retrieved on September 15th, 2011 from http://news.cnet.com/8301-11424_3-10248266-90.html
Spivack, Nova (2009) Twine. Wolfram Alpha Computes Answers to Factual Questions. This is going to be Big. Retrieved on September, 15th, 2011 from http://techcrunch.com/2009/03/08/wolfram-alpha-computes-answers-to-factual-questions-this-is-going-to-be-big/
Wolfram, Stephen (2010) Tedtalks. Stephen Wolfram: Computing a theory of everything. Retrieved on September 16th, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60P7717-XOQ
AR2: Data Management
Making Sense of ALL your Data Summary
With data being a tremendous part of today’s education, Lachat who is the program director at Public Consulting Group’s Center for Resource Management, worked with many high schools to improve the use of data. Lachat and partner Smith were also involved in a study at Brown University that focused on five urban secondary schools on data literacy. The outcome consisted of three practiced that were important when developing data literacy among staff members and establishing data that is purposeful. (Lachat)
1. Organize data use around essential questions.
2. Using technology that allows purposeful data disaggregation.
3. Using a data team and data coach.
Organized data that is focused allows staff members to work with data and maintain a clear focus on each child’s progress and the overall program. The questions allow staff to use multiple data to identify the risk factors that may influence learning. Holcomb refers to this outcome as “the core of data literacy.”
The technology component included the use of a data warehousing application. So what is purposeful data disaggregation? Data disagreggation would be looking at the results by multiple student characteristics, programs, interventions, educational supports, instructional practices, and grades and attendance. (Lachet) Surprisingly, all the schools that were part of this study used a data warehousing application. This application or database, linked data from schools, state assessment files, standardized test files and other data sources. School teams in general were excited about this information because it assisted them with tools for data literacy which in turn boosted their confidence.
Lastly, a data team would consist of teachers, support staff, administrators, interventionists, etc. Lachet continues to explain that this can even be sub-team of a group that is already established within the school system. For example, a school improvement team would be a pre-existing team that most schools implement. A data coach would be used to mentor the data team. The primary role of the data coach is to model various uses of data, which the data team can then model for the school staff. (Lachet) As the data team strengthens, the assistance of the coach will diminish.
Implications of Staff Development
The Lachet & Smith study that consisted of the five urban secondary schools showed the following effects:
1. Revealed inconsistencies in staff expectations and assessment criteria within subject areas
2. Confirmed or discredited assumptions about students and their performance
3. Showed the effectiveness of reading and math interventions
4. Allowed school staff members to determine the school's progress in improving the longitudinal performance of specific student groups on multiple performance indicators (Lachat & Smith, 2004).
It was also evident that the effects on implemented a data warehousing application, and a data team and coach within a district and with ongoing professional development would be diffciult. Many concerns of limited staff time, staff being reluctant to change, and limited budgets were identified. However, the outcomes that could be reached could benefit each child tremendously. It was also noted that this is an ongoing process and an “integral” part of every agenda, not just an addition to the agenda. (Lachet)
My Reaction to the Article
Overall, this article was very informative. It was a lot to digest and I walked away with a bettter understanding of data being much more than numbers. This was my first encounter with the term data warehousing technologies or applications as it is referred to here. I am curious to know if any districts are involved in anything like this. I teach preschool in a building that consists of GSRP and ECSE. Not sure how this could be implmented at this level. Little data is gathered in the cognitive, social/emotional, language and motor skills but not looked at in depth. Mostly, I loved how this is a team effort working together to help the individual needs of each child.
Work Cited:
Holcomb, E. L. ( 1999). Getting excited about data: How to combine people, passion, and proof. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Lachat, M., & Smith, S. (2004). Data use in urban high schools. Providence, RI: Brown University, Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory.
AR3: Interoperability and Open Source
Open Source and Libraries Summary
Rachel Singer Gordon was head of computer services at Franklin Park Public Library in Illinois. Currently, Gordon is a consulting editor, webmaster and author. One article, “Free Finds for Frugal Libraries” offers a great deal of resources and information in regards to open source software. Through out this article you learn about the need for open source software in society as well as maintaining the old fashion way of doing things. Numerous sites are highlighted as well as a brief review of pros and cons.
OpenOffice was stated to be the best office suite. It is multilingual, compatible with Microsoft Office and contains five components: Writer (word processor), Calc (spreadsheet), Impress (presentation), Draw (graphics) and Base (database). This is beneficial because an individual can work on documents at home, school or work and be able to save the document in a format that is preferred by most employers and schools prefer. If you are strictly committed to Microsoft Office there are additional functions you can use like PDFcreator. PDFcreator gives you the ability to create a PDF file from any windows program. (Gordon)
Graphics programs seem to be very popular for home and school use. Tux Paint is a free graphics program that can be used for creativity or as an educational tool. Tux Paint is a graphics program that is targeted to young children. This program includes a set of tools, sub-tools, color palette, and a canvas for creating your design. The tools include paintbrushes, eraser, alphabet stamps (various fonts), symbols, and shapes. In addition to Tux Paint, there is also Tux Typing and Tux Math. Beyond Tux Paint, you may want to explore GIMP. GIMP focuses more on photo editing and graphics tools. A third graphics program mentioned was Inkscape. Inkscape which is similar to Adobe Illustrator, would be a more affordable graphics programs for media centers. (Gordon)
Lastly, for the need of students or patrons to listen to audio files try using Real Alternative. If you currently use RealPlayer, you must uninstall it first, and then proceed with Real Alternative. Make sure all components of RealPlayer are uninstalled as well. Unlike RealPlayer, Real Alternative will not slow your computer down because there is no need to download the program. It also offers plugins for Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Opera, Netscape and Google Chrome. (Gordon)
Implications of Staff Development
The article directs the reader to http://www.schoolforge.com/ for educational alternatives to open source software in schools. Within this website you can search an index. If you choose to look at commercial software, the article refers you to http://www.techsoup.com/. TechSoup receives donated software and distributes them to non-profit organizations. Recently, a library used TechSoup to get Microsoft Office Professional 2003 for four workstations at $23 per station. This saved $1,228 over a reduced price state contract. (Gordon) It is also recommended to sign up for a free mailing from Linux in Libraries and oss4lib. Both are supporters in open source software in libraries. The Linux Librarian website provides a blog that focuses on implementation of open source software.
Gordon, who is currently a consulting editor for Information Today, has clearly taken a positive approach to open source software by providing readers with a wealth of information and resources to explore and implement within a library or school setting. I can appreciate her advice on keeping an open mind and starting “with one or more of the programs described above, and go from there?” (Gordon)
My Reaction to the Article
Overall, this article was very informative. I am unfamiliar with Linux and it seems to be quite popular. I continue to increase my knowledge with open source software and this article took a positive apporach to open source software in schools and provided resources to explore. Overall, there seems to be a huge cost savings going this route which leads me to wonder why the hestitation that some have.
Work Cited:
Gordon, Rachel Singer. (2006). Tech Tips for Every Librarian: Free Frugal Finds for Libraries. Computer in Libraries. Pg. 44-45 Retrieved on November 2nd, 2011 from ProQuest.
AR4: Cloud Computing
Unfortunately it wasn’t until now that I heard the term Cloud Computing. I have been involved in cloud computing for a couple of years now but didn’t know there was a term for it. Cloud Computing is nothing more then displaying your files or applications on the internet. According to the International Society for Technology in Education, there are many advantages for cloud computing in schools. There are financial savings, less powerful workstations will be needed, no flashdrive is needed, number of apps available for consistency in classroom (delicious, zoho), and the ability of collaboration and sharing of work (google docs). However, ISTE also states some disadvantages like the effect on staff and students with change of new things, security issues and legal issues. Obviously, the advantages of using cloud computing out way the disadvantages. (ISTE)
Doug Johnson, Director if Media and Technology for the Mankato, MN Public Schools offers numerous support and information for schools that struggle with making the transition of using aging equipment and software to cloud computing. Johnson believes that textbooks should still be a large part of classroom but that teachers need to supplement with online material. (ISTE)
After watching the Youtube video on Cloud Computing, I learned of more advantages to using cloud computing. With cloud computing you can easily and quickly scale it to fit your needs, what you need is instantly available and like ISTE, the cost savings is substantial. This discussion focused on the term Cloud Hosting. Looking at cloud hosting like a triangle, you will see infrastructure at the bottom. Building on infrastructure is platform and then application is at the top.
After reading an ebook on Software as a Service, I was enlightened to find out what a cost savings it can be to a district. For example, in reference to staffing issues or the lack of funds, Mike Rackler, Director of Technology at Portales Municpal School District is responsible for overseeing all related technology issues. Rackler was on a mission to find a way to save time. Through a desk management system he was able to perform many duties like monitoring and reporting and automate asset discovery. This led to staff efficiency, improving customer service and tracking and reporting work orders. This saved the district money because it was like having another employee. Nonetheless, SaaS is online based so for a district to utilize these services would be timely and easily implemented. (SaaS)
There can be many benefits to having ebooks in or outside the classroom. Everyone will have a copy, copies won’t get lost, and the dog won’t eat the book. However, there is the cost for the piece of technology used to display the ebook. Until recently, I haven’t noticed any free ebooks available. I would love a kindle or nook but don’t want to pay for books. I utilize the library weekly and although my small town library has a consortium agreement with Kent County libraries, I am not able to download the ebooks because I am not a Kent county resident.
Work Cited:Sheehy, P., Johnson, D. (2010) Learning and Technology and see and reviewing a second life recorded video on ISTE Eduverse Talks Episode 16! Computing In The Clouds: Using Web-Based Applications To Trim Your Budget. Retrieved on October 20th, 2011 from http://www.iste-community.org/forum/topics/iste-eduverse-talks-episode-16?xg_sou
Solomon Gwen. Rackler, Mike. Software as a Service. Retrieved on October 20th, 2011 from http://newbay.ebookhost.net/tl/schooldude/1/index.php?e=37&email=breefetterman@hotmail.com&new=1#reg
