Technological Advancements Alter The Education World

The education system has changed drastically in recent years due to technological advancements.  Several decades ago, all college courses were in person because we had not yet discovered the resources that allowed for online courses.  Distance learning courses have become more and more popular with time.  Because of the rise in distance learning courses, teachers and students need to find creative ways to interact with one another, since much of their interactions are done through the computer.  This has brought about  huge increase in social media in the classroom.  Social media forms have become increasingly popular in individual’s personal lives, and this has spread to the world of teaching.    

Distance learning courses and MOOCs allow students to learn from home.

Distance learning courses have many forms.  For example, some distance learning courses are fully online and some are partially online.  If the course is fully online, the teacher has no face-to-face interaction with his/her students.  There are some universities that offer normal classes, fully online classes, and partially online classes, such as the University of Maryland.  In partially online courses, the students and teacher may meet once or twice a week and may have a "discussion" or another lecture that is online.  There are also some schools that are fully online which include Kaplan University, Capella University, Strayer University, etc.  For these universities, students can take all of their classes on the computer and maintain a degree at the end of the program.  MOOCs, or massive open online courses are also becoming more prevalent.  Massive open online courses refer to a system that delivers lectures through video, discussion boards, quizzes, and homework.  These classes are offered from some of the most highly regarded post secondary education schools, including Princeton, Brown, Columbia, and Duke. What is unique about MOOCs is that thousands of people can register for the same class at no cost.  The possibilities of classes are endless: art, biology, business, economics, education, food, mathematics, social sciences, the list goes on and on.  Students are able to register for many classes at a given time.

Distance learning courses offer several advantages and disadvantages as opposed to standard education.

There are many reasons why people want to enroll in fully or partially online courses.  First off, distance learning classes allow people a lot of flexibility.  Since there is no set class time, students can decide when and where to do their school work.  This is particularly helpful for students who have work and family obligations.  Distance learning courses also require no commuting, which makes school available to a wider range of people.  Not everyone has the resources to drive to class, so distance learning may be the only option.  This gives another reason as to why people enroll in distance learning classes: they are cheaper.  They are cheaper in terms of commuting, not having to live on campus, etc.  Another advantage is that distance learning courses give people more choices for schools.  For example, if you get permission to take an online class a class at another school, you can do so while taking other courses somewhere else. 

 

Although distance learning classes offer several advantages, there are some drawbacks.  One of the issues deals with legitimacy.  For courses that are taken through a massive open online course or a fully online school, some companies still do not see this as a valid form of education as compared to standard education practices.  Jason Farman, an expert in distance learning courses and a professor at the University of Maryland says in an interview, “Reputation is still a big reason why we go to the schools we go to and even why some people get interviews and jobs.”  Although it seems to be changing, as of now, the schools with the best reputation are not fully online schools.  Another issue with distance learning classes has to deal with social interaction.  Farman talks about some of these issues and how teachers and students can try to work around them. 

                                    

Social media and other technology can help teachers and students communicate with online courses.

As Farman mentioned, the emergence of social media has helped distance learning courses become more and more interactive.  Social media has various forms including: blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, iTunes, etc.  These types of social media are now not only a part of student's personal lives, but it is often time a part of their education as well.  Teachers can also engage students through the use of iPhones, iPads, and applications for these devices.  There are thousands of education related applications, from flashcard apps to an app where students can submit their quizzes for a class.  Farman teaches several online classes and discusses some ways that he incorporates social media into his class.   

                                   

Teachers can also communicate with students through the use of online lectures.  Sometimes it is difficult for students to get a full understanding of material just through a textbook, so teachers can post videos of themselves lecturing which the students can view at a convenient time.  Jill Cutler, a University of Maryland senior education major talked about her experience with an online class.  She says, "We would download the iTunes recording and we would have a follow-up assignment that went along with that such as a discussion board post or some sort of reflection."  Although Cutler had a positive experience using social media and technology in her online class, not all students enjoy these classes.  For example, freshman University of Maryland student, Erica Prestipino says, "I didn't like [my online class] because I am not tech savy and I like having teachers and other students there to help grow relationships with."  Prestipino had a hard time relying solely on social media to interact with other students and the teacher.  Distance learning classes are not for everyone.  Farman offers some other issues with social media in the classroom.  

Distance learning courses are becoming increasingly popular in today's society.  With constant changes in technology and social media comes constant changes in education.  There is no say as to how education will change in the future in regards to online classes and social media. 

Social Media in the Classroom: Interview with Jason Farman

What are some of the disadvantages of using social media in the classroom? What are some of the advantages of using social media in the classroom? What are some ways that students can interact with each other if their course is fully online i.e. distance learning? Do students who graduate have a hard time finding a job if they attended a fully online school?

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Teachers Use of Mass Communication Systems in Today's Society

With the increase in technology, many teachers are now using mass communication systems to interact with their students as opposed to the standard face-to-face interaction.  For example, in recent years there has been a big rise in the number of distance learning classes.  Many colleges are now offering fully online or partially online courses to its students so that students do not have to meet in person to learn.  This is especially useful for people who hold full time jobs or for people who have family responsibilities that make it difficult for them to go to class.

There are many colleges that now give out degrees for all online classes.  This includes the University of Phoenix, Kaplan University, Arizona State University Online, Columbia Southern University, etc.  Furthermore, there is a huge online database full of classes called MOOC, or massive open online course.  This is a free online course currently being tested by many universities across the country, including the University of Maryland.  There are tons of courses including categories such as: art, biology, business and management, chemistry, computer science, economics, education, engineering, food and nutrition, mathematics, physics, social sciences, etc.  These courses can have thousands of students and it requires no in-person interaction and no tuition fee.

With the addition of so many classes being offered online, teachers have to be more and more creative as to how to interact with students.  This has been made easy by social media.  More and more teachers use social media websites such as blog websites, Twitter, and Facebook to interact with their students.  Since teachers of online courses do not always meet in person with their students, these types of digital media make it simple to communicate with one another.

Questions for expert:

1) What are some of the drawbacks to using social media as opposed to face-to-face interaction?

2) What are some ways that students can interact with others if their courses are all online?

3) Do people who enroll at a fully online school have difficulty finding jobs once they graduate?

https://twitter.com/rachelcut2

Online Courses and Social Media

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History of Character or Virtue Ethics and It’s Applications in Today’s Journalism

Character, or virtue ethics has been around the longest out of the four ethical systems.  The Greeks believed strongly in the notion of virtues such as courage, modesty, stoicism, honesty, etc.  According to virtue ethics, you are virtuous because of your character and your character influences your decisions.  In other words, if you act on the virtues mentioned above but it is not sincere, then you are not acting virtuous.  Although there is a list of virtues that people are advised to follow, we are not told exactly how to act.  For example, virtue ethics suggests that we should show honesty, but it does not tell us how to go about doing this.  It gives us a framework on how to live our lives, but it is ultimately up to us how to do so.  Although virtue ethics may seem old fashioned, it is extremely important in today’s society, seeing as journalism has only grown with our increases in technology and social media.  There are two ethics that are based on virtue ethics, which are the Golden Rule and the Golden Mean. 
 

The Golden Rule: “Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do To You”

The Golden Rule is a basic principle in Judeo-Christian belief, which is also a common believe in Western cultures.  It deals with treating others how you would like to be treated – with respect and dignity.  For example, the book says that if a journalist is interviewing a grieving relative, he/she should treat that person fairly.  That being said, the journalist may not want to ask any questions that are too painful for the parents to answer because that would not be respectful.  In addition, the journalist should express empathy towards the parents.  This is important so that the journalist is not charged on invasion of privacy or tastelessness. 

Journalist Covering a Rape Trial Omits Names

I found an article on foxnews.com which covers the story of an Ohio rape trial.  Two high school football players are currently being charged with raping a 16-year-old-girl after attending a party with alcohol last summer.  The girl was intoxicated and says she has no recollection of the night, so the judge will be basing his decision off of text messages, photographic and video images, and witnesses.  If you look at the article, you will notice that no names were given for the defendants or the victim.  I believe this is a good example of The Golden Rule because the journalist sees that the people involved in this case are young, and that releasing this information could be detrimental to them.  For the boys being accused, nothing has been proven thus far, so releasing their names would be disrespectful.  For the girl victim, she stated in an interview how embarrassed she was about the situation, so giving out her name would just make the situation worse.  I think that the journalist made a wise decision by leaving out the names of these individuals, at least until the trial is over.
 

The Golden Mean 

The Golden Mean was adopted in different forms by both Aristotle and Confucius, who explained the importance of finding a balance between two extremes.  In other words, there is a “middle way” that journalists should follow which means finding a balance and fairness among both sides to an issue or topic.  The book states that this does not necessarily mean giving the same coverage to a certain topic, but that the importance should be evaluated.  The book also says that this principle has to be taken into moderation.  For example, it wouldn’t be ethical to steal half of the money in a cash register just because it is the “middle way”, because stealing is wrong in the first place.  Artistotle says that we need to decide a mean because the mean decides how ethical acts will be judged. 

Journalist Shows No Political Side With Rob Portman’s Reversal On Gay Marriage

It is important that journalists keep a middle ground when reporting controversial political topics.  In a recent CNN article, it is explained that Ohio Senator Rob Portman has changed his views on gay marriage to support the issue.  Portman did tireless campaigning for Mitt Romney, so it is obvious that his new stance on gay marriage is shocking to many.  This article was featured on CNN, MSNBC, FoxNews, etc and I noticed that none of the writers expressed their opinions on gay marriage.  They simply explained that Portman had a change of heart because of his gay son.  I think it's good that the journalists omitted their opinions on gay marriage because it could sway the reader’s opinion.  By finding a balance between the two conservative and liberal extremes, the reader is able to form his/her own opinions on the issue. 

The Importance of Character or Virtue Ethics
 

I selected the character or virtue ethics because I think that many people have forgotten how important it is.  For example, in terms of The Golden Rule, some journalists will do whatever it takes to get the best story.  This may mean asking inappropriate questions or releasing too much information to the public which can hurt individuals.  Likewise, in terms of The Golden Mean, there are so many times when certain political websites clearly choose a side, when really they should keep neutral.  I believe that out of all of the ethics outlined in the book, character or virtue ethics needs the most attention in today's world where anyone can post whatever they want on the internet. 

Edwin Armstrong's FM Radio Invention

Radio has been used for decades so people can listen to music, get updates on current events, hear about sports news, get informed on current traffic, receive weather updates, etc.  Although it may feel like radio has been around forever, there have been numerous milestones that got the radio world to where it is today.  Perhaps one of the most significant achievements in radio has to deal with the invention of frequency modulation (FM) radio.   

Before the 1930s, AM radio was the only form of radio available to listeners, but with AM radio came static.  Edwin Howard Armstrong, Columbia University engineering professor was the first person to make strides in the issue of static.  Before Armstrong, people had been varying the amplitude or strength of the radio wave.  For years, people thought that the static was unavoidable. But, Armstrong decided to try something different.  Instead of changing the amplitude, he modulated the frequency, hence “frequency modulation”.

In 1934, Edwin Howard Armstrong used AM and FM radio to send an organ recital from the Empire State Building to a friend in Long Island, New York.  He wanted to see the effects of changing the frequency as opposed to the amplitude.  The results were that the FM radio came through loud and clear whereas the AM version was much more static.  The Radio Corporation of America, which was responsible for the sales of AM radio sets, was now threatened by the possibilities that FM radio had because their business models were previously based on AM radio.

  
Armstrong has problems with his former business partner, David Sarnoff.

David Sarnoff, a friend of Armstrong’s, was head of Radio Corporation of America.  Although Sarnoff had wanted Armstrong to eliminate the static of AM radio, when he realized how successful FM radio could be, he cut ties with Armstrong.  Sarnoff asked for more tests of FM radio so he would receive the rewards for Armstrong’s inventions.  This is what ended up happening, so Armstrong never received the compensation that he deserved for FM radio and eventually committed suicide.  Despite Armstrong not receiving the payment that he should have, he is still the person recognized for the invention of FM radio, which has many advantages over AM radio.

FM radio has several advantages over AM radio.

One of the advantages of FM radio over AM radio is that FM radio operates on a wider frequency band, meaning that FM radio can produce much of the sounds that humans can hear, called fidelity.  Also, because of multiplexing, a method where signals are combined into one signal, the FM operator can send more than one signal simultaneously.  Another major advantage is that an FM station can serve a greater area than an AM station with the same power.  In other words, a single radio station is available to a wider range of people with FM radio than with AM radio.  Perhaps one of the largest advantages is that with FM radio, we only hear the stronger station.  AM radio stations, on the other hand, often interfere with each other.  

Armstrong’s invention of FM radio changed the radio world drastically.  Prior to the first half of the twentieth century, more people tuned in to AM radio than FM radio.  But starting in the late 1970s, this reversed.  This invention is what is responsible for the majority of what most people listen to while driving and in their homes.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Rachel Cutler.  I am a junior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Human Development.  I plan to go to graduate school for school counseling so I can be an elementary school counselor in the future.  I think that media today is both good and bad.  It is good because it gives people access to endless information, much of which can be helpful.  On the other hand, I think media is bad because much of the information out there is false, yet people still believe it.