R/D5

I think it’s safe to say that the internet and World Wide Web will absolutely have a major impact on education from kindergarten through grade school and college and extending into our adult lives. We know this is true because it has already happened in our lifetime and we can see it continuing to develop and spread.

I found Chapter 3 very informative. Beginning by describing instructional media as anything “other than the teacher, the chalkboard and the textbook,” we can see how much technology has evolved. Throughout my own education, I have seen quite a transformation in instructional media. I remember slides and films when I was in elementary school. The first computers I used in middle school were Apples with black and green screens and 3.5 inch floppy disk drives. In high school, everyone had to take a computer class which taught basic skills in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. I can recall various times in high school and a few times in college, when my teachers would show us a video that they had recorded from an educational TV program. Even though these seem like great advancements, we know that they are just a small look at what is coming.

Because the use of technology is currently a necessity in most careers, it only makes sense to incorporate technology in K-12 and higher education. At the very least, students will need to be able to create a resume and search for future jobs.

The history of instructional design and technology shows us that technological advancements, like the internet, are not only for schools, they are also useful tools for businesses and the military. I didn’t know that training videos, which are now in use all over the world for various fields, rose in popularity after World War II when they were utilized to train industry workers and the military.

I recently watched “Live Free or Die Hard.” In the movie, a group of American techno-terrorists hack into various computer programs, databases, etc. and cause mass confusion. The head terrorist was previously employed by the government to design and test technological security. After finding security was not adequate, he told the government what needed to be done, but they ignored him and fired him. After that, he assembles a team of “geeks” to hack their way into vital systems like gas & power companies, city traffic lights, and various forms of communication to show how unprotected our technological world is. How realistic is this? Probably not very, but it brings up some important questions we need to ask ourselves when it comes to our dependence on the World Wide Web.

We are all aware of current trends in educational technology and how much our education system is affected by the spread of intelligence through the internet. I think it would be unwise for any system, school or program to ignore the opportunities that the internet provides.
-Suzy