Journal Entry #2


The iPod Classroom

Firstly, I think that is incredible to be able to incorporate the new technologies out there to new ways of learning. I think I would learn well using an iPod because of the freedom you are given with your learning. Watching lectures or seminars while you’re waiting for a bus or on the subway can be a great way to learn and even save time by not having to go to the teacher and attending the seminar. Using an iPod to watch your lectures can revolutionize the way people learn online and submit work via the internet. I also believe I could learn well from this method because while I’m doing the actual work I can listen to the lecture and pause it or rewind it until I understand what to do.
Embracing such technology at Mary Ward wouldn’t be very wise even though this method supports Mary Ward’s self directed learning structure. This is because this would require every student at Mary Ward to own an iPod or some sort of way of receiving the pod cast. Not every student would be able to purchase these devices in order to receive the seminars and teachers don’t really even know if the students will watch the seminars. Also, this would create another reason to slack off at Mary Ward. This is because people would often just say “I’ll watch it later…” and never get around to it and procrastinate watching the seminar. This also can create further distance between the student and the teacher at Mary Ward because there is already many students not seeing their teachers and this would only add to it. Embracing this technology would also boost Apples wealth tremendously because everyone would be buying iPods for school. There is also one more concern about using this technology and that is trust. The teachers would have to trust that the students are watching the seminars on their iPods and not some other videos because the iPod can obviously view any video and not just the seminars. So kids could be watching music videos and/or movies during class and the teachers wouldn’t know, thus resulting in even more slacking done in Mary Ward.
Although there are several disadvantages to embracing this technology, there are several advantages that follow. Using iPods can be useful for a lot of students because they can watch the seminars when they need them and don’t have to work around the teacher’s schedule. Many students at Mary Ward already own an iPod so it would be more convenient for them already. Another advantage to using the iPod for watching seminars is that the kids at Mary Ward can technically never miss the seminars and the students don’t have to waste periods during the day to go to seminars, they can simply watch the seminar as they work on the unit.
Overall, I don’t think Mary Ward should embrace this technology yet because of all its flaws and how it clearly has more disadvantages then advantages. Although, I personally think that I would be able to benefit from such a learning method, I don’t think that absolutely everyone would benefit from this method of learning as much as actually going to the seminars and seeing the teacher personally.

Journal Entry #1


It's finally here.

The Good and Bad of Web Cameras for Computers

Web cameras or “webcams” is a camera that is usually attached to a computer and used for taking videos and storing them on a computer and sending live video feed. This modern-day communication technology is very useful for a lot of people. A webcam allows distant relatives and friends see each other as long as they have an internet connection and it can be used by people who need to conference with other people around the world but can’t be there. They can also be used for sending pre-recorded videos to friends, family members, and co-workers. Other uses of webcams are to give live video feeds of traffic so that traffic reports can be accurate and quickly constructed. Another use is to use a webcam to record what goes on in the room when you are not there (for example, you may want to watch the baby sitter with your child while you are at work). Webcams are also used for much more in everyday life.

Although the webcam seems to be very beneficial, there are also many negative points about it. Your webcam is connected to your computer which can be entered by an unauthorized user which means they can view whatever your webcam is looking at. This is a serious invasion of privacy and a serious concern if you are unaware of it. There are several ways to misuse a webcam. Some teenagers have been using webcams to send videos online to people they know online. You have absolutely no reassurance of the true identity of people you meet online; therefore sending a video of yourself to strangers is really dangerous to your privacy and well being. Also, some teenagers participate in live video feeds from their computer which is also just as dangerous for the same reasons except it’s even worse. This is because anyone can access the site where the video is being streamed live.

Just like any modern-day communication technology, if used correctly it can benefit you and if used incorrectly, it can be dangerous.

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