Technology - YES

November 10, 2010

A Celebration of Technology Inventiveness (even if it doesn’t make sense)

This past week end a copy of the magazine “Men’s Health” was laying on the counter top at our home and I caught a headline on the front cover. IOO of the Latest Technology Toys for Men” I wasn’t exactly sure why these toys were being directed to the masculine gender, but given that it was a “Mens” magazine I guess that was appropriate. Being an absolute sucker for anything that is labeled “new technology” I decided to check it out.
After wading through a few dozen pages of advertisements I found the section. Now here is where I get intimidated and a little depressed. Of the 100 items, I think I actually had a understanding of the technology listed for only 50 % of the items highlighted. There were a number of new style computers and some adaptations for I PODs etc, An amazing looking surround sound home theater system for about $15,000. I did understand the price tags on all of them. As I said, the first glance was a blow to my techno savy ego, but once I got over that assault I took it as a dare to read futher and challenge myself to understand the actual utility of the technology being promoted.
It is in this position of technology exploration that I find myself entirely in awe of the world we live in. The development and the creative energy going into this new world of technology and information technology facilitated communication and productivity is beyond comprehension. I have been so giddy about the fact that I have a vascular scanner to get into my office and now that 2-3 year old technology is beginning to look rather mundane. Yes I need a new technology fix.
DSU was so excited this fall to discover the use of the QR bar codes. I had no knowledge of them and without hesitation hooked on to this as DSU’s “new thing”. We put them on lapel pins that could take the person scanning the barcode to a u tube video of me explaining the technology and the clear fact that DSU was the place to come if the person who was watching the U tube knew anything about our mission. We put a large one on the side of a building to take the scanner to the press release on DSU being named the highest ranked public college in the Midwest for the 5th straight year. I began wearing my lapel pin and at meeting after meeting was demonstrating this technology and reinforcing the fact that DSU was once again out in front!
Within a few weeks I have now seen a large billboard in the Denver Airport with three large barcodes that will allow the scanner to down load whole books – Treasure Island or Moby Dick. FAR OUT – okay that expression dated me just a bit. I saw one in an ad in a Time magazine and during my last journey to Best Buy find that they are all over most of the products in the store. YES – SO SO Cool I love this stuff and love that it spreads so fast. I want a droid now because it scans so much faster than my blackberry!
This morning I read an article on the “10 gadgets that take tech too far”. Can one really take tech too far – cmon? So first thing was an alarm clock that will roll away from you if you try and shut it off before you get out of bed. Sleepy college students chasing their alarm clocks down the hallway in the residence hall is an image I think clearly warrants some study. There is a toilet that that measures your blood pressure and your insulin level, among a variety of other health related items and reports them to your PC. Why not? A toilet just seems like an item that could be so much more. And lastly, my favorite, a toilet paper holder that has an I POD speaker system attached. Hey we are going to get rid of all this paper waste why not find something better than a magazine!

There are those that think I have gone off the deep end by my obsession with technology (including my wife) but could I be the president of a more perfect place. I am in technology nirvana at DSU and I belong here.

Reflection

Reflection is the Key to Effective Educational Experience
Doug Knowlton
November 25, 2010

A couple of hours ago I woke at my lake place (my get away place for the Thanksgiving holiday) and began a review of the activities for my day. As I lay half awake and half asleep I began to think through the things that I have been engaged in during the past few days. This is a type of reflection because it wasn’t just recalling those events, it was a time for “thinking about” what those activities meant and how they impacted me. I began the process of integrating what I had thought and learned into an understanding of the world – the ultimate educational goal.
During the past week I had the opportunity to attend a conference sponsored by the Collaboration for Learning. This is a regional organization that supports faculty development at colleges and universities throughout the upper Midwest. The keynote speaker at this meeting was Dr. George Kuh, one of the most prominent authorities on higher education in the United States. He provided intriguing information and data about the kinds of activities that help students be successful at universities in the United States. This is a subject of major concern here at DSU and throughout the US as we continue to fall behind other countries with regard to the educational attainment of our citizens.
While I have been very familiar with Dr. Kuh’s work and his ideas, there was one new activity that I found to hold significant promise for Dakota State. The concept he presented centered on the higher success rate of students who engage in “high impact” activities while they are engaged in their education. This has traditionally meant being engaged in clubs, organizations, service activities, intercollegiate and intramural athletics. The new possibility that was presented was the opportunity to turn “work” activities of students into a “high impact” learning experience. The hypothesis presented is that this experience could facilitate learning at a higher level and at the same time promote more success (retention and graduation). A small pilot study was completed at the University of Iowa that found very significant positive impact on student’s perception of their work and the educational value when there was a “high impact” component of this work activity.
What could turn the everyday work activities of students – workstudy positions, on campus work, work at athletic events, and off-campus work into an activity that has the possibility of increasing their success? The process that has this tremendous potential is something we know with certainty increases a student’s learning. Reflection on the activity! A student who is encouraged and supported to think somewhat more deeply about what they are doing at work will use that experience more effectively. A supervisor who would have a brief but structured conversation about the work experience – “What have they learned about working with people? What organizational or time management practices have they engaged in? What specific skills have they developed?” could have an impact on the possibility the student would graduate! WOW – now there is a concept!
So as I lay warm half asleep, the motivation to take action and the integration of this concept started to take shape. Reflection- yes the simple process of thinking about and analyzing an experience is the key to making any activity one that educates and informs. So I am committed to beginning a conversation at DSU that could provide this exceptional and meaningful way to increase their reflective activity and thus their exceptional success. This is particularly relevant because recent studies have documented that DSU students spend more time “working” than students at any other campus in the SD system. Please let me know if you have thoughts or ideas that might facilitate our progress on such an initiative.