The Educational Value of Technology is Dependent on the Teachers Who Use Them

Are laptops in the classroom truly useful?
That depends on the teacher!

Whether it be a computer, a smart board or access to the Internet, the typical modern day classroom has now been renovated to be more than just a place for textbooks. In a study by the National Center for Education Statistics, the percentage of schools with access to technology has increased substantially over the years. In 1994 only 35 percent of public schools across America had access to the Internet and in 2002, just 8 years later, that same percentage has grown to about 99 percent. It is now 2012 and it is nearly impossible to see a modern American classroom without some form of technology, however this isn't necessarily a good thing.



Classrooms utilizing computers, laptops or even iPads are always questionable as to whether or not the technology being used is actually enhancing the teacher's curriculum. Furthermore, with life becoming virtual, popular distractions such as Facebook, Twitter and other forms of technological entertainment have become just as accessible, if not more, with laptops and computers allowed in class. Another note to consider is the heavy price tag that comes with buying and equipping classrooms with computers, smart boards and other forms of technology. With life becoming much more electronic, the pressure of adding technology to schools has never been stronger, however are schools sacrificing too much investing in educational technology? The answer to that question is determined by the leader of each and every classroom in America: the teacher.

Classroom Technology Is A Resource, Not A Replacement For The Teacher
It must be realized that technology is as useful as the user behind it. In terms of educational value, the teacher must utilize technology in order to perfect the presentation of course material to the students. Technology will always be a resource, not a replacement for the teacher. Nelson Padua-Perez is a Computer Science professor at the University of Maryland who has been teaching introductory programming courses for 13 years and he expands on this idea.

Improper Utilization of Technology Leads To Distracted Students

The familiar college lecture hall filled with laptops and students

With technology relying heavily on the teacher, it is important to highlight improper utilization of technology in the classroom setting. As any college student knows, there is the all too familiar lecture with everyone on their computer mindlessly switching between their respective email, Facebook and Twitter accounts. Although there are some students who utilize their laptop for notes and research, the amount of students without a program or webpage irrelevant to the class they are currently sitting in is without a doubt small if not nonexistent. Professor's who allow there students to bring laptops to class without a course related purpose are subject to distracted students and an overall improper educational setting.

As mentioned before, technology is as useful as the users behind them and with a professor providing close to no guidance in terms of using the technology beneficially for the class, the students might as well be back in their dorms surfing the web than in the classroom. Min Yun, a current University of Maryland student, shares his experience with using laptops in an under utilized manner.

listen to ‘Min Yun on laptop use in AOSC200’ on Audioboo

Integrating Technology With Engaging, Relevant Course Material Beneficial For Students and The Course Itself

JOUR289i engages students to tweet about their reports under the hashtag #info3pt0
Students stay engaged with technology while taking the course!

Technology, when used by the professor in accordance with the course material and curriculum, can improve the enthusiasm of students and enhance the course material learned. JOUR289i, titled Information 3.0: Exploring Technological Tools, is a class offered at the University of Maryland that allows its students to use technology such as the Internet, laptops, educational software (wimba) and even iPads with relevancy to the overall course material. Ronald Yaros, the course professor, utilizes technology by not only having assignments on the course webpage, but assignments elsewhere such as blogger.com and twitter.com. The course engages its students to become better reporters and through blogger and twitter students hone their skills in reporting concise news.



Furthermore the use of iPads and  has allowed students to go outside of the classroom setting and record multimedia to enhance not only the student's reporting skills, but the educational value of the iPad and its apps. Yaros has used technology as a resource that engages students while they learn not only from him, but on their own, about successful backpack journalism and online blogging. Steven Ma, a current student from his course, sheds his perspective on how technology has enhanced his experience with the class.

listen to ‘Steven Ma on technology use in JOUR289i’ on Audioboo

Beneficial Uses Of Technology For A Computer Science Professor And His Programming Courses
Technology has plenty of beneficial uses in courses as long as it is utilized in the proper manner. Even Professor Padua-Perez holds his lectures without laptops even though the course is a computer science course that requires technology for coding the assigned java projects. He feels that laptops are unnecessary during lecture and that is clear indication of the professor recognizing when technology is useful and when it isn't. Professor Padua-Perez explains his views on how technology has improved the computer science course.

Overall technology will always be beneficial as long as the teacher can integrate it successfully in the course. As always there will be teachers who feel their course can be enhanced with technology while others feel that technology is truly limited when it comes to enhancing the course material. That being said, schools must recognize when technology is useful based on the curriculum and the teachers that lead them. Equipping classrooms with technology has a hefty price tag and it must therefore be done in a frugal manner. Millions of dollars are spent by schools each year in order to maintain educational technology in the classroom, and with budget cuts and teacher layoffs, schools must remember that technology is only as good as the teacher who uses it.

Supreme Court Divided on Cell Phones: A lack of regulation and a lack of your privacy!

Our privacy is at risk with growing cell phone use and a lack of established regulations. Cell phones, or more specifically smart phones, have all become part of our daily lives in such a way that they are now personal extensions of ourselves. With cell phone applications and touch screen devices bursting at everyone's personal seams,  is our privacy at risk more than ever before? Can our location be tracked? Can our action history be monitored? Can our personal info and data be tracked? The answer is yes. With global positioning technology surrounding the world with its unlimited tracking capabilities, the more important question is whether or not America's justice system has set up regulations protecting our individual privacy rights. Has it been ruled illegal for others to track your location via your own cell phone? Are there any laws punishing criminals making use of your cell phone's data? The answer is no.

Fox News discusses the lack of regulation 

regarding cell phone privacy.

Information from our cell phone can easily be accessed by anyone!

When asked to discuss government regulation regarding individual privacy of personal digital technology, such as cell phones, the discussion is void. There is currently no definitive law regulating privacy through the medium of a cell phone, and it is a problem that must be addressed. Without a concrete form of regulation, even the government has the ability to track its citizens. As the FOX video quotes from Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the electronic privacy information center, "we have privacy laws for telephone communications, electronic mail messaging, but we really don't have modern privacy laws to address some of these modern services and new technologies". Cell phone privacy laws are grey areas that require clarification. Without clarification, cell phone user's location and data are legally accessible to anyone out there, including the government. As noted by Joseph A. Tomaszewski of the Daily Sundial, simply having your phone on allows your location to be registered by cell towers, and people such as the police are gaining access to your personal data and location without a search warrant. Although there are instances where tracking cell phone data has led to drug trafficking convictions and enhanced public safety, people need to understand how diminished their individual privacy rights are. The Fourth Amendment guards us from unreasonable searches and seizures unless judicially sanctioned and without proper cell phone regulation, the Fourth Amendment has loopholes accessible to anyone.

The Supreme Court is unable to agree on digital intrusion.

Currently, the Supreme Court justices are divided in their opinions over digital tracking, which, in turn, is causing a delay in any explicit law protecting our Fourth Amendment to its fullest. During the overturned 2008 drug trafficking conviction of Antione Jones, the Supreme Court stated that the police obtained tracking evidence by physically placing a GPS device on Jones' car without a warrant, but many questioned whether or not the same privacy standard applies digitally. When it comes to cell phones, there is no physical trespassing done in order to acquire your location, it is all done digitally, which leaves the Supreme Court divided in opinion. Some regard it unconstitutional when one's privacy is physically invaded, but digitally is another story that continues to divide the opinions of America's very own judicial system.

GPS Act: the first step towards possible regulation.

As of last summer, the Geolocation Privacy and Surveillance Act was introduced, providing clear rules for when the government, law enforcement, private entities and individuals can access your personal GPS tracking data. Modeled after the federal wiretapping statues, the act protects our privacy rights in terms of cell phone tracking, however, the act still needs to be refined on a national level. Even though the Supreme Court is currently divided over digital intrusion over physical intrusion, government regulations need to be established such as the aforementioned act, in order to preserve our privacy rights in general. If we fail to address the issue, technology will continue to grow, inching our privacy to virtually none unless it becomes protected on a federal level.

More info:

The Daily Sundial article by Joseph A. Tomaszewski details more about the Supreme Court's divide over digital intrusion

http://sundial.csun.edu/2012/02/no-decision-on-cell-phones-in-supreme-court-gps-tracking-case/

The Newspaper: Information as old as America

The Newspaper: Information as old as America

             The newspaper is a source of information as old as America itself. Transcending defining events such as wars, economic booms and depressions, and presidential elections, the newspaper has given society a wealth of information that, even today, is still considered reliable. Throughout time, society has found a way to repurpose the newspaper to their liking. Whether it be Samuel Adams, the radical journalist from colonial Massachusetts, using the newspaper to rally society against the unjust British government, cartoonists satirically drawing current events in order to highlight a different perspective, or journalists simply updating the general public on the success of the local carnival, society has made the newspaper a source of information that favors the interest of many different people.

            Starting with the "Penny Press" era, the newspaper became America's first form of mass communication. As told by the historical perspective on newspapers by cybercollege, by 1835 newspapers were becoming one of the most easily available forms of information priced at only one-cent a copy. It was around this time that some of the present-day newspapers also started up (The Chicago Tribune in 1847, The New York Times in 1851). During the Civil War, the need for newspapers, and information in general became apparent. Society was hungry for information regarding the war, and the newspapers became the best form of nourishment. As newspapers became more and more numerous, instances emerged questioning the legality of specific publications such as the Pentagon Papers. Regardless, society has continually fought for our freedom of the press and our justice system has upheld the First Amendment properly. Cases such as New York Times Co. v. United States (more info on http://www.infoplease.com/us/supreme-court/cases/ar25.html) and New York Times v. Sullivan (more info on http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1963/1963_39) upheld the First Amendment and showed that society has the right to publish and read information from others as long as it wasn't a grave danger. It truly highlights society's want for newspapers as a form of communication and information. We are willing to fight and defend our freedom to access the information source that is newspapers.

            That being said, I believe it is important to recognize how important newspapers are in society, especially in the midst of more advanced information mediums. Newspapers represent a mass source of information updated daily and continues to live on today, even with the technological advances of the Internet. Although newspapers have, as of 2010, hit a new low as an information source, the article on gigaom.com by Matthew Ingram still shows that a majority of users do not find information found online as reliable as the good ol' black print. The internet is filled with a plethora of information uploaded by anyone. Although the news may be relevant, it may not be as legitimate and true as compared to the journalists who are actually reporting about the incident. With that being said, I believe society, even with technology continually growing, will keep the newspaper around forever. It is a form of information that is still read by 74% of the general US population of adults (more information here at http://www.marketingcharts.com/print/74-of-americans-still-read-newspapers-11117/), and has catered to information searchers of many levels. World news, local news, sports news, and even school and college based newspapers, all represent a form of information made by society for society, and it will never get old, both figuratively and literally (new ones are printed everyday)!

Further reading:

Legitimate newspapers archived online! A database of newspapers that could be searchable by date, event or content, a possible new database?

http://www.old-newspaper-articles.com/

Sources:
http://www.cybercollege.com/frtv/newsp2.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/us/supreme-court/cases/ar25.html
http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1963/1963_39
http://gigaom.com/2010/07/27/newspapers-hit-new-low-as-an-information-source/
http://www.marketingcharts.com/print/74-of-americans-still-read-newspapers-11117/
http://www.historicpages.com/nprhist.htm

GPS, a private manner?

            Global positioning technology is a double-edged sword. Yes, these systems do offer the beneficial possibilities of satellite tracking of senior citizens diagnosed with dementia,  monitoring of teenage drivers, and, most commonly, navigational assistance, but one cannot ignore the controversies caused by these incredibly powerful locating devices. Is it right for the police to track a potential criminal without their consent? Is it right for employers to track their employees? This is where society needs to further its knowledge regarding GPS tracking capabilities and establish guidelines for deciding when GPS tracking is right and and when it is wrong.

            Society should recognize the purposeful and reasonable uses of GPS. For example, it is sensible and beneficial for a shipping company to track its employees and vehicles to ensure that cargo reaches its destination in a timely and efficient manner. However,it is improper and unnecessary for that same company to track its employees while they are not working; doing so is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment guards an individual's right against unreasonable searches and seizures without a judicially sanctioned search warrant. Without a warrant, tracking is an illegal and negative implementation of these advanced GPS technologies. That being said, when used by police officers or private investigative companies, GPS technologies used on potential criminals should be used only with the permission of our country's judicial system. Although GPS tracking has become a controversial subject, there are justifiable uses for it that society can and should utilize, as long as citizens' Fourth Amendment rights are not breached.

            Advancing the use of GPS and making its location-based information more relevant in society could potentially advance the human race into a much more interconnected species. By incorporating GPS into rising technologies, applications can be made that are beneficial to many individuals. For example, the Corning's projected advanced glass interfaces, one application of which is to associates glass displays at shopping malls and then make connections with one's location and offer shopping tips, current styles, news, and even coupons, all through one device. These glass interfaces promise digital supplementation to daily human activity by providing connections to one's world at speeds impossible to achieve via simple human interaction. 

            Though GPS technology does have its negative uses, its positive uses should never be abandoned. As long as society continues to further its knowledge of GPS technology while avoiding invasions of privacy, GPS will become an important part of our lives in the future. Integrated in future technologies, GPS technology will be able to provide society with location-based information in a useful way that can be used to help their businesses, their interests, their travels, their safety, their family and pets, and their daily lives. In order to make these possibilities a reality, all that is required is an open mind and a formal understanding of our private rights.


Sources and links for extra reading!:
The use of GPS is growing! Some examples are listed here. Are they positive or negative?
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/01/30/2004703/personal-use-of-gps-trackers-growing.html

GPS doesn't affect you? Do you use Google or Facebook? They are digitally tracking you!
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/25/privacy-one-step-forward/

Is the Fourth Amendment worth defending even when GPS evidence shows the man is guilty?
http://www.phoenixcriminallawlawyer.com/2012/01/supreme-court-warrantless-gps-tracking-violated-fourth-amendment.shtml

Are employers right by tracking their employees? It's an efficient way of making sure responsibilities are being performed efficiently, but is there a need for at least some worker privacy rights?
http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/5286/using-gps-tracking-devices-without-violating-employee-privacy