Transcript of Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable: Feb. 9, 2010
Topic: Special Meeting with Dr. Barry Fishman, Associate Professor of Learning Technologies in the University of Michigan School of Education and School of Education and School of Information.
Links of Interest or noted in transcript:
Thanks to Lolly Dovgal for the photos. Join our VWER group at Flickr and add your own pictures!
AJ Brooks: Hi everyone, and welcome to the Special Monthly Meeting of the Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable meeting.
AJ Brooks: Our meetings are made possible by the Office of Information Technology at Montclair State University. We meet here each week at 2:30pm SLT for an hour.
AJ Brooks: The Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable is a forum to educate and inform the community about issues that are important and relevant to education.
AJ Brooks: The Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable is a forum to educate and inform the community about issues that are important and relevant to education.
AJ Brooks: The views and opinions of any of our special guests or visitors do not necessarily represent those who volunteer or organize these meetings,
or of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Office of Information Technology , or Montclair State University.
AJ Brooks: This is a public meeting, so we do keep a transcript of what is said in local chat. For a copy of transcripts, please visit http://www.vwer.org
If you've not seen the transcripts, you should check them out - they are a great information asset.
AJ Brooks: We will also be using Voice Chat for this meeting. If you are having problems hearing, please IM Margaret Michalski and she will help you.
AJ Brooks: There are also signs on the walls of the amphitheater. The most important things is to keep your microphone muted.
AJ Brooks: The Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable meeting happens each week and we continue to develop a community of educators from around the world with a variety of thoughts, needs, and ideas.
AJ Brooks: Please join the Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable group here in SL. You can also find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Flicker, and KoinUp, as well as on Twitter as VWER.
AJ Brooks: Finally, if you have Mystitool on, or other similar tool, please put it to sleep or detach it for now. :-) It tends to lag things.
AJ Brooks: As a hint, it is better to have "local chat" open for these meetings, it will help you follow along better.
AJ Brooks: You can find local chat by clicking COMMUNICATE in the bottom navigation bar and you'll find LOCAL CHAT as one of the tabs at the bottom of the window.
AJ Brooks: You are welcome to use the local chat as a back channel, but if you have a question for our guest, we ask that you use Google Moderator.
AJ Brooks: Google Moderator is a web site where you can go to add a question OR vote on questions that have already been asked.
AJ Brooks: The most popular questions will appear on the top of the list, and those are the questions I'll ask our guests in voice chat.
AJ Brooks: There are URL givers on either side of the amphitheater floor and also behind me above the Montclair State sign.
AJ Brooks: Click on it and you will get a pop up asking you to open a web page, which will open inside the SL browser (you can also click to open it in a regular web browser)
AJ Brooks: Through this site http://www.google.com/moderator/#15/e=3838&t=3838.42 you will ask and vote for questions. You do need a Google account to sign in.
AJ Brooks: As most of you know, my name is AJ Kelton and I am the Director, Emerging Instructional Technology for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Montclair State University in New Jersey
AJ Brooks: Our special guest today is Dr. Barry Fishman, Barry Fredericks in SL. Dr. Fishman is an Associate Professor of Learning Technologies in the University of Michigan School of Education and School of Information. His research focuses on the use of technology to support teacher learning, standards-based systemic school reform, and the role of educational leaders in fostering classroom-level reform involving technology. He also just recently completed his work as part of the Technical Working Group with President Obama's National Education Technology Plan.
AJ Brooks: Hi Barry, thanks for joining us.
Kali Pizzaro: We are getting snow too
Kali Pizzaro: Barry - sure I am not following text chat will look at the google modearator
Kali Pizzaro: BF - I have been interested in tech for many years. I used hypertext long time ago but wanted to share with other
Kali Pizzaro: new opportunities came along to help teachers use technology more effectively. that is what my research is about
Kali Pizzaro: currently doing a rct comparing teachers use of face to face and tech
Kali Pizzaro: i am also helping administrators at policy level including federal policy
hobbs Constantine: AJ asks about the technology group/how it works
Kali Pizzaro: BF- it takes a broad range of people and brings them together
AJ Brooks: 56 people on the sim atm
Kali Pizzaro: i will say this i dont speak for the Federal government; this is my own opinion i will share the most recent report later.
Kali Pizzaro: it is not final and i am hoping it reflects our thoughts
Kali Pizzaro: it is really a plan mandated by the congress
Kali Pizzaro: it is national technology plan
Kali Pizzaro: how will we take technology forward
Kali Pizzaro: the Bush admininstraton only did one plan
Kali Pizzaro: this is the first Obama plan
Kali Pizzaro: we are on the 5th plan
Kali Pizzaro: this is a bringing together of 18 experts [that] includes Jim Shelton and Mike Smith. Smith was with HP and involved in the Clinton admin; he started influencing curriculum alignment in schools
AJ Brooks: http://www.google.com/moderator/#15/e=3838&t=3838.42 please post questions and vote on questions that are already posted
Kali Pizzaro: So we have teachers, policy makers, researchers to drive this forward
Kali Pizzaro: the nations chief It guy is also involved, Aneesh Chopra
Kali Pizzaro: the group has met 4 times f2f and webinar to brainstorm
Kali Pizzaro: there was discussion around a lot of broadband , etc. The broadband plan will be out later this year
Kali Pizzaro: we also had a number of public forums which were great
Kali Pizzaro: this brought in others to help us inform the plan
hobbs Constantine: AJ mentions that this is a good summary
hobbs Constantine: AJ asks "You are not a current regular SL user, please talk about that:
Kali Pizzaro: i am an early adopter of sl to explore it as a technology user
Kali Pizzaro: however, i did not push it for teaching; I am still interested in vw for teaching. Quest Atlantis is one i use
[quest Atlantis image taken from Dean Groom's Design for Learning blog]
AJ Brooks: http://www.google.com/moderator/#15/e=3838&t=3838.42 please post questions and vote on questions that are already posted
Katie Fenstalker: SL great for conferences, workshops, meetings, reading groups and such as well as teaching.
Kali Pizzaro: the use of many different community and immersive tech is really waht we want to push
Kali Pizzaro: the planning gorup and the tech conversations we where learning focused
Kali Pizzaro: this was about learning not tools for learning
Kali Pizzaro: so what was the social arrangements
Katie Fenstalker: yes! about how to alter and affect learning -- not just delivery or tools.
hobbs Constantine: AJ asks " can you share the goals of the group?"
Kali Pizzaro: we want to make sure we influenced the drafts but we wanted to build on previous good world
Olivia Hotshot: For background/transcript: eSchool News http://www.eschoolnews.com/2009/12/02/eds-new-tech-chief-previews-national-plan/
Kali Pizzaro: there was 4 broad areas
Gwenette Writer: Enabling Unprecedented Access to High Quality Learning Experiences
Katie Fenstalker: throughout ENTIRE LIVES!!! THIS MATTERS!
Katie Fenstalker: love "lifelong and lifewide!"
Kali Pizzaro: lifelong as well as lifewide
Olivia Hotshot: "Learning: Enabling unprecedented access to high-quality learning experiences. Everyone, including English Language Learners and students with disabilities, should have increased access to meaningful, well designed, and readily available learning experiences, throughout their lives.
hobbs Constantine: AJ asks RE lifelong and lifewide, was this K-12 focus only? Is it only about children?
Kali Pizzaro: "Assessment: Measuring what matters and providing the information that enables continuous improvement processes at all levels of the education system. Students, teachers, parents, and administrators should have access to the kinds of data that can enable better instructional decisions and provision of educational resources.
Gwenette Writer: rofl
hobbs Constantine: lol
Kali Pizzaro: it is a K2 - 20
Olivia Hotshot: and funding is going to community colleges as well.
Katie Fenstalker: MIT learning Lab: "lifelong kindergarten"
Jarrad Voom: oh really?
Kali Pizzaro: Obama wants community college to influence BSC
Gwenette Writer: we hope
Kali Pizzaro: when we talk about education we need to include
Kali Pizzaro: teachers, parents, library etc
Kali Pizzaro: to ensure they continue to learn to ensure they can teach
AJ Brooks: http://www.google.com/moderator/#15/e=3838&t=3838.42 please post questions and vote on questions that are already posted
Kali Pizzaro: how do you use tech to connect all together
Gwenette Writer: teachers as learners
Katie Fenstalker: (everyone as lifelong learners -- TV takes you only so far!)
Gwenette Writer: reading a lost art
Kali Pizzaro: 2nd area assessment, so how do we influence formative and summative assessment
Kali Pizzaro: to feed forward we use educational psychologists
hobbs Constantine: agrees
Kali Pizzaro: does the test measure what you want
Kali Pizzaro: not really but we are trying to fix it
Katie Fenstalker: inventory metaphor great.
Kali Pizzaro: you may have heard Secretary Duncan say he wanted to take teacher performance and link it back to where they got their teaching cert
Kali Pizzaro: this may cause problems for not so good teacher training schools
Katie Fenstalker: held responsible for things you cannot control is a problem.
AJ Brooks: http://www.google.com/moderator/#15/e=3838&t=3838.42 please post questions and vote on questions that are already posted
Kali Pizzaro: we we hope for alumni support
Gwenette Writer: Continuing Education package with original degree tuition perhaps
Kali Pizzaro: the attitude towards teaching has not always been helpful
Ruth Zarco: amen!
hobbs Constantine: agreed
Kali Pizzaro: get rid of poor teachers why not try to use tech to make teachers the best they can be
667 Footman: How to get the resources they don't have?
Ruth Zarco: again...amen!
Kali Pizzaro: we need to get a community involved and try to ensure everyone takes responsibility
Gwenette Writer: social and MEDICAL problems come to school with the kids . . .
Logos Sohl: @ 667 virtualworld baby
Kali Pizzaro: our section looked at connecting teachers and looking at the students
667 Footman: living in rural America with limited (read no) broadband!
Kali Pizzaro: overall world to help the community influence the teaching
Kali Pizzaro: online may be an answer - virtual high school
Kali Pizzaro: we also talk about making better online teachers
Olivia Hotshot: "Teaching: New ways to support those who support learning. Technology can enable mentors, coaches, and peers to better support learning both in and out of school. Teachers can benefit from resources provided through technology and from anytime-anywhere professional interactions, including collaborations to share and refine effective techniques and resources.
AJ Brooks: There are some great questions already submitted, please go vote for your favorites.
AJ Brooks: http://www.google.com/moderator/#15/e=3838&t=3838.42 please post questions and vote on questions that are already posted
Kali Pizzaro: and help teachers use the technology
Kali Pizzaro: thanks livia
Kali Pizzaro: we need to get away from repeating what we do in the real world
Kali Pizzaro: we need to get out of the one teacher can not teach in all states
Ruth Zarco: same ...yes...there is more
Joel Savard: this is also true of many other certified professions... therapy for instance and other psych-related services
Kali Pizzaro: so lifelong support, online teaching, and connectiveness
Logos Sohl: I suspect that the really innovative and effective teaching in virtual worlds is stemming not so much from teachers as it is from learning technologists.
Kali Pizzaro: not always Logos
Olivia Hotshot: "Productivity: Redesigning systems and processes to free up education system resources to support learning. In an era of scarce resources, education systems need to take advantage of new technological and content solutions to reduce spending tied to inefficient systems and processes. This effort includes more effective approaches to education R&D to increase the pace of innovation and the scaling of effective practices."
Kali Pizzaro: the first plan was about stuff, get tech into school - infrastructure
Kali Pizzaro: 2nd focused a bit more about what were we doing
Kali Pizzaro: 3rd - did not much
Gwenette Writer: loud computing will enable a lot of old technology to function and deliver new high end software
Logos Sohl: Well no, when teachers take the time (lots of time) to really get to grips with the environment, they too do create wonderful things. But many people don't have this kind of time.
Kali Pizzaro: it was no child left behind etc.
Kali Pizzaro: we have new tech all the time
Kali Pizzaro: so we added a 5th section to look at infrastructure again
hobbs Constantine: AJ so far, we have some audience questions
Ruth Zarco: old buildings= inability to connect
AJ Brooks: I wonder if there were discussions about blanketing our country with broadband as rural states often have difficulty getting internet access
hobbs Constantine: AJ asks "I wonder if there were discussions about blanketing our country with broadband as rural states often have difficulty getting internet access." (from Google Moderator
AJ Brooks: you rock hobbs
Kali Pizzaro: this is the same in the Uk
Gwenette Writer: Access via cloud computing seen at all???
AJ Brooks: Make sure to post questions in Google Moderator if you'd like to see them possibly asked. I wonder if there were discussions about blanketing our country with broadband as rural states often have difficulty getting internet access
Kali Pizzaro: there will be continued problems because of the size and who controls where infrastructure goes
667 Footman: hehehe we can stream the Superbowl to every house via satellite but limit Internet access over the same channel...pacification of the masses!
hobbs Constantine: AJ asks ""Is it the social or interface aspects of virtual worlds and other online facilities that make them compelling for learning?" (Google Moderator)
AJ Brooks: http://www.google.com/moderator/#15/e=3838&t=3838.42
AJ Brooks: vote for your favorite questions - make sure they get asked
Kali Pizzaro: I would say yes. However, one of my classes is about video games and learning
ValentineBouquet Garnet: I agree!
Kali Pizzaro: my feelings about technology is what draws you in and gets you engaged is social and this is what keeps you here
Kali Pizzaro: the social interaction is the most important area to design
Gwenette Writer: if the interface if FUN and SAFE it works
Kali Pizzaro: you obviously need good interface but these can be overcome
Olivia Hotshot: chuckling
Logos Sohl: I dont think you can have the learning to use virtual worlds unless you're drawing on the expertise of the community. And the community itself is a massive source of intrinsic motivation...
Kali Pizzaro: smoky bars are bad but i got pass them for the chat
Liana Hubbenfluff: me too
Katie Fenstalker: how the interface and social interaction expand each other?
hobbs Constantine: AJ asks "Did Obama himself get involved in your working group?" (Birdie)
Kali Pizzaro: we only had three face to face
Kali Pizzaro: but we wanted to make sure each chapter linked together
Kali Pizzaro: we went to the white house and he was out
Kali Pizzaro: there you go unlucky
Gwenette Writer: hahaha budget
Kali Pizzaro: the white house is the shabbiest place for a conference. No wifi.
hobbs Constantine: wow
Gwenette Writer: tech is outdated before it is delivered ahah
Katie Fenstalker: no SL in the White House?
Kali Pizzaro: purchasing policy stops good stuff
Gwenette Writer: History re-write ahhaha
Kali Pizzaro: all names are velcroed onto the door so you can be shifted easy
Kali Pizzaro: we did not get the president but we did get some big players who have the ear of the president. They are very impressive. They work 24/7 i was confident that they would take our plans forward, even thought they are not educators
AJ Brooks: http://www.google.com/moderator/#15/e=3838&t=3838.42 last few minutes - every vote for a question matters
AJ Brooks: we won't be able to get to all the questions
Kali Pizzaro: no Obama meeting
Olivia Hotshot: Office of Science, Technology & Innovation - http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp
Kali Pizzaro: cheers Olivia
Dude Gilruth: eat your heart out mate... I have met the president (Clinton) at the White House
hobbs Constantine: AJ asks How does ed tech alter learning, not just offer delivery systems?" (Katie King)
Dusty Artaud: just crash a dinner party AJ
Kali Pizzaro: it is a career long question
AJ Brooks: lol
Joel Savard: because we're teaching people, not computers! :))
Logos Sohl: The Russell meta-analysis
Kali Pizzaro: technology by it self is not the answer they help us
Logos Sohl: 450 studies reviewed: role of technology unclear
Katie Fenstalker: interconnected systems built on layered infrastructures....
Logos Sohl: Learning theories embedded in systems are what matter
Gwenette Writer: content content content
Kali Pizzaro: me pedagogy not the tech it helps it facilitate it
Katie Fenstalker: i love this question too.
hobbs Constantine: AJ asks ""Did your work on this committee renew your faith in the democratic process and the government's involvement in education, or has it enlightened/frustrated you on how complicated it can be to work on this level?" (Ann, Chico)
Kali Pizzaro: it is easy to be cynical; however, this was a great learning curve for me. Yes I was a little more cynical. It let me see how the right policy's can influence change
Olivia Hotshot: 2 Min warning (in keeping with football theme)
Katie Fenstalker: a lot more actors involved than you might realize... not cynicism but expansions of how many things have to come together.....
hobbs Constantine: Fin Aid bill was just decided...deciding
Kali Pizzaro: educational bills will be pushed for the new election
Gwenette Writer: "look" a lil bit bi-partisan hahaha
Devon Alderton: because of charter schools?
Kali Pizzaro: they are very smart people at every level of government
Olivia Hotshot: We CAN make a difference.
Kali Pizzaro: but we need to ensure they can achieve what we need in a limited time. We never give folk enough time to achieve the goals
Gwenette Writer: Maintain focus across a policy environment excellent visual:)
hobbs Constantine: AJ asks...can we have more time with you Barry? or do you need to leave us?
Claudia13 Rossini: LOL
hobbs Constantine: AJ: "How can technology prepare students for college level classes, especially in critical thinking skills and encourage students to be more proactive in their education?" (Zotorah)
Ruth Zarco: uh oh
Katie Fenstalker: everyone breaking up.
[many remarks about this glitch, until the sound cut back in]
Fred Brecher: better
Azwaldo Villota: Digital Nation http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/
Ruth Zarco: yes
AJ Brooks: http://www.google.com/moderator/#15/e=3838&t=3838.42 Please go vote for your favorite questions - every vote will count now that our time is limited. :-)
Kali Pizzaro: college students are not to good at writing
Kali Pizzaro: the frontline program was interesting
Profdan Netizen: Then you need smaller classes in high school.
Kali Pizzaro: tech could be used for this but not sure how
Katie Fenstalker: they also know more of other stuff though... how much can indivduals know?
Kali Pizzaro: but maybe we need to do a better job in high school to prepare students for college
Trudy Takacs: not rely on traditional, classic models that doesn't measure with the technology they use
hobbs Constantine: Our transcribing is trying to catch the gist
Kali Pizzaro: we need to keep goals high
Gwenette Writer: Busy AJ???
Katie Fenstalker: we don't measure what they know better??
Devon Alderton: KY's portfolio system did not require a formal research paper..until the last few years...a whole bunch of students arrived at college having never done one.
Profdan Netizen: You need a RL assistant, AJ.
Gwenette Writer: awwwwwwwwwww
Olivia Hotshot: http://www.vwer.org
Logos Sohl: drat
Charla Vellhi: back
hobbs Constantine: AJ reminds us that the video is found at the web address just posted by Olivia
Liana Hubbenfluff: wb Charla
hobbs Constantine: we should google doc it! :-)
Gwenette Writer: public ever see the original contribution drafts???
Gwenette Writer: CLOUD CLOUD CLOUD keeps hardware functional
Kali Pizzaro: no draft at the moment away to be set at a reading level and not academic
[15:35] Kali Pizzaro: the secretary has looked at it
[15:35] Kali Pizzaro: there will be a wiki not sure how this will be administered
[15:35] Kali Pizzaro: but look for March 1st date
Ruth Zarco: now there's a question
AJ Brooks: Virtual worlds require high-end computers, not just broadband. Who will pay for these expensive volatile quickly-obsolete assets? Do you see the federal government providing the funding to access virtual worlds such as Second Life for K-12?
Kali Pizzaro: money has been given to help with literacy etc
Charla Vellhi: Cloud does nothing for access.
Gwenette Writer: ACCESS ACCESS ACCESS yes
Kali Pizzaro: we will see the spread of things like cloud and access
Kali Pizzaro: etc
Kali Pizzaro: but computers for Sl in schools not sure about that
Raloc Dorado: cloud needs more bandwidth
Katie Fenstalker: Will SL run on iPad?
Kali Pizzaro: more like tablet, mobile tech this is my thoughts
Gwenette Writer: see www.onlive. com for CLOUD computing for high end graphic games . . in beta worth following tho
Raloc Dorado: unless you're running your own cloud
Profdan Netizen: fastest growing demographic in VW--10-14 yo
Kali Pizzaro: Have anyone in the audience know about how school buy computers
Claudia13 Rossini: let's ask Bill Gates
Dude Gilruth: schools always run WAY behind in the level of tech quality they buy
AJ Brooks: Where ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards - NETS for teachers and students discussed at your meetings? If so, how do they factor into the standards you are creating?
Kali Pizzaro: the net standards keep evolving
Kali Pizzaro: we were not writing tech in schools but how school should work
Gwenette Writer: 21st Century Literacy is far broader than simple tech literacy
Katie Fenstalker: like that -- what schools should be like, not what tech should be like.
Alan Sandalwood: Thank you
Kali Pizzaro: we did speak to many folks Iste etc
Alan Sandalwood: Bye
Gwenette Writer: ahah we KNOW the answer ahhaha
hobbs Constantine: AJ asks "Do you think US is at forefront of classroom-level reform involving technology, or are we lagging behind other nations
AJ Brooks: Do you think US is at forefront of classroom-level reform involving technology, or are we lagging behind other nations?
Gwenette Writer: duh
Kali Pizzaro: lagging
Profdan Netizen: broadband
Claudia13 Rossini: Korea
Kali Pizzaro: Singapore is way ahead
Gwenette Writer: US is state and separate districts yes
Kali Pizzaro: we are a little backwards in education
Ruth Zarco: broken
Kali Pizzaro: in part no because of our structure of education
Profdan Netizen: Any different elsewhere?
Gwenette Writer: central innovation:))
ValentineBouquet Garnet: politics, money, low priority, education needs reformed in the US
Kali Pizzaro: however even though decentralised every classroom is doing the same
ffeldon Mint: Yes, centralize/nationalize our curriculum
Rachelle Munro: we also provide inclusive education for all
Kali Pizzaro: there are many highly innovative teachers, students etc
Charla Vellhi: Centralization and Innovation seem antithetical.
Kali Pizzaro: well i want to thank you all
Gwenette Writer: depends on who is on the center team hahaah
hobbs Constantine: AJ will email the last few questions to Barry
ffeldon Mint: Centralize the curriculum but yes, you can still innovate
Kali Pizzaro: it is great to talk to folk who are interested in education
Kali Pizzaro: and great questions
Katie Fenstalker: great!
Kali Pizzaro: i will be back in SL so keep an eye out for me
Kali Pizzaro: thanks
Liana Hubbenfluff: thanks so much for coming!
[and many more thanks all around]
After our meeting ended, Dr. Fishman answered a few follow up questions; AJ Brooks sends these along:
Here are some answers to those questions. Hopefully my responses will be satisfying or helpful to those who asked them!
1. How can we professionalize our activities in virtual worlds as a sl community (rather than as representatives of real life institutions)?
This is a great question (They were all great questions!). In my own "professional" life, I represent and belong to multiple organizations and institutions. For instance, I am a faculty member of the University of Michigan. But within Michigan, I identify as both faculty of the School of Education and as faculty of the School of Information. Which "identity" I present depends on who I'm speaking with and in what context. But I'm also a member of the International Society of the Learning Sciences, and the American Educational Research Association. These are both academic and scholarly societies that define my professional identity.
What I'm trying to convey here is that SL might be an identity that its participants share that is as strong as your RL institutional affiliations, or as strong as other organizations many of you belong to (ISTE, CoSN, etc.). It might be interesting to start thinking of SL educators as a professional group, and perhaps establish yourselves as a special interest group within AERA or other organizations. It is also important to think about how the SL community shares and archives its knowledge. A key component of most professional organizations is some kind of regular conferences, newsletters, or journals in which knowledge is recorded, aggregated, and most importantly - built. I suspect there are many such resources spread across SL (such as the archives of the education roundtable). But are they indexed in any central way? These kinds of moves would create an identity for you in SL that others would also come to recognize as valid within the professional sphere of education.
I hope that the NETP (National Educational Technology Plan) contributes to the growing credibility of online and virtual education of all kinds. The release of the plan, therefore, may be a good opportunity to think about whether and how to organize those who care about education within SL.
2. The issue of nationwide certification in online teaching: is that at K-12 level only? Or might that extend to higher education?
Our discussions of certification for online teaching was really limited to K-12, which is where most of the issues exist.
I'm not sure why you would want such a certification in higher education, because at the moment I don't believe there are *any* certifications required to teach at the post-secondary level. Now, we might have a discussion about whether we *want* or *need* some kind of certification of quality for those who teach in higher education, but that's a whole other conversation!
3. Did any of the ideas correspond to what we see on documents like the NMC Horizon Report?
I feel that the conversations of the NETP TWG (National Educational Technology Plan Technical Working Group) were in strong agreement with the vision of technology futures as projected in the NMC Horizon Report. This is both because most of the folks on the TWG have either read that report (and many others like it), and because that report reflects trends that many TWG members have participated in (such as the emergence of handheld and personal technologies). I think we can be confident that the vision of the NETP will not be out of step with other major views of the near future of technology.
4.What are the problems with increasing educational reliance on the cloud if we lose security of the systems to cyber attacks?
This is always going to be an important concern. There is no perfect answer to the security/access issue. One thing I can say is that among school IT folks there has long been too much emphasis on security, to the detriment of potentially beneficial learning activities. This is reminiscent of the history of libraries, where in the early days, the function of the library was to protect the books, not to make them accessible. You needed special credentials to access the collections at most research libraries. Today, we've taken great strides towards democratizing access, recognizing that there will be some costs. I believe that you'll see an emphasis on opening up access to resources in the NETP, though always with an eye to keeping children and data safe.
Thanks again - it was an enjoyable experience.
Sincerely,
Barry