Discussions:
Discussion 1
Technology
View the "How Technology Will Shape the Next Decade" video case and then post a new thread to this discussion board that addresses the following:
• What are some of the ways that technology has changed the way you learn over the past few years?
• How do you think college courses will change over the next decade to incorporate technology?
• In what ways do you feel technology has enhanced your learning experience, both in face-to-face courses and in online courses?
• What do you think is the biggest disadvantage of using technology in college courses?
This posting, consisting of a minimum of 4 full paragraphs, must include chapter ideas and concepts to support your answers. Please make certain to cite any outside sources used. To post, click the "Reply" arrow at the lower left.
Example of classmate's reply of discussion 1:
Breakthroughs in technology has given the average person access to what was once a scarce commodity. I remember in high school; the internet was just coming out. I had no idea what it was or what it could do for me. All I remember doing on a computer was playing solitaire. I remember dos. I remember typing and the letters would flash and it was very pixilated. I remember a huge, bulky screen. Then I remember getting a cell phone in which you had to hit the same number several times to que different letters if you wanted to send a message. There were not a lot of families that had computers in their homes or even had cell phones. Times sure have changed! Our systems have changed. Our inputs have certainly changed. I pretty much have everything I could ever want to read, view or interact with in the palm of my hand. In fact, we are all using technology to our advantage in this very class. We are all taking an on-line course. I am able to continue to work and be a mother while I go to school on my computer at times that work for me. There are even apps on my phone that will connect me with all my college courses I'm currently taking so I don't even have to be home.
I think more and more college courses will be offered on line in the next decade. I think that technology will evolve that college classrooms will become vacant. Technology will only encourage more people to enroll in on-line college classes like I did. There is no way I could commit to going to a physical class at a designated time. Technology allows more students to achieve their goals outside of the classroom. I think college courses will also change in a global aspect. We will be able to connect with other facility and students in China or India or Brazil. Today's colleges are a good example of an open system. It is continually interacting with its environment of students and facility. This system allows for synergy. We are all working together to create something greater!
I think technology has enhanced my learning experience because I can start and stop on any given subject at any time. I am able to view my reading material on-line. I do not need to carry books around. So, accessibility is the biggest advantage for me. It has also given a robust platform to access various information and to move around the internet without having to close any windows. I can work on several different things at once. Taking classes on line has order and takes a lot of organization and time management skills.
I think the biggest disadvantage of using technology in college courses is the absence of a real-time instructor. To me there is nothing like bunny trail conversations and discussing ones' opinions with gestures and tones. I can learn about the instructors through email and I can have discussions with other students, hence the discussion board we are doing now, but that will only give me a very small picture of who someone truly is. Some of us might not be good at writing or conveying ideas on screen. For some of us we learn better from hearing. It's difficult to build lasting scholastic relationships. Another disadvantage is the prospect of not giving it my all and "soldiering". Distractions can be one of your worst enemies for someone that is not given to discipline.
Discussion 2
During a training session on stereotyping, a manager suggests that stereotypes are necessary. She said, "I have to make assumptions about what is in the head of the other person and stereotypes help me do that. It is better to rely on stereotypes than to enter a working relationship with someone from another culture without any idea of what they believe in." Discuss the merits of and problems with the manager's statement.
Your initial discussion should be at least 350 words.
Discussion 3
In your opinion has the introduction of email, social media and other information technologies increased or decreased the amount of information flowing through the office/classroom grapevine? Is this good or bad? How have these items helped/hurt life in general? Explain and defend your answer.
Your initial discussion should be at least 400 words.
Discussion 4
Discuss the role of reward systems in organizational change. Specifically, identify where reward systems work and where they undermine the organizational change process. If you have no experience in the work field please use the classroom setting as your model.
Your initial discussion should be at least 400 words.