Inviting Others to the Technology Buffet Table

The issues surrounding global equity are daunting, in scope and number. As a technology specialist, I don’t think it would be possible to plan or devise a single program that could address all the issues. Instead I think it is important as a technology specialist to be aware of projects that are designed to identify and address equity issues surrounding access to technology.

It is important to keep in mind that many do not have the price of admission to the technology dinner table. Being aware of what equity issues that are found in your own community is a start. The only way to do this is to be involved in the community, to be part of community outreach to the underprivileged. It would be important to also work a network of individuals as well as organizations, including businesses, who want to be involved in addressing local equity issues. Familiarity with the local culture and resources would promote success in addressing equity issues. Leading by example is an important way of promoting social change. I am a strong believer in community service. Offering technical skills to a service organization or helping underprivileged children learn how to use a computer are just a couple ways of promoting equity at the local level.

Maintaining active membership of a professional organization such as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is one of the ways the individual technology specialist can work with others on a global level to promote equity. ISTE has numerous advocacy programs at local, state, national, and international levels. Supporting an organization like this is important on a professional as well as personal level.

The key to making sure all have a seat at the technology table is personal involvement. Doing something is much better than doing nothing. Personal involvement in helping others is not only good professionally, but it also feeds the soul.

VOD or DVD? Which will it be?

Finding a DVD to use for the assignment for Module $ was as easy as going to the entertainment center and pulling “Total Recall” from the shelf. I had purchased the DVD some time back when it was on sale at one of the local video rental stores. I’ve thought of watching some videos using VOD, but my internet service provider has yet to provide enough speed and bandwidth to make the experience of watching a video at home enjoyable. This is not the case at the university where I watch. (I guess I must confess that I’ve spend a few lunch breaks in my office watching some a couple “Flash Forward” episodes I’ve missed on ABC.)

I think the DVD and VOD competition is an example of Red Queens trying to keep ahead in the game. According to Thornburg, a Red Queen situation involves huge competition between two technologies. Both the DVD and VOD technologies are competing to provide higher and higher quality video and audio to the consumers, the same way there was competition between the HDDVD and Blue Ray technology. It seems that Blue Ray won the battle. I suspect that eventually VOD will win the competition with DVD. Video on demand will allow the consumer to have greater flexibility in choosing what to purchase. For example, rather than purchasing or renting an entire season of TV programming in order to catch up on a couple episodes, the consumer will be able to order up just the shows they want to watch. The DVD and VOD technologies are in much the same competition.

When Thomas Hawk wrote in his blog about “The Staying Power of DVD vs. VOD” in 2005, he concluded that DVDs will be around for a while. It is true that DVDs are very portable and easy to obtain. I agree with him that it would be good if all electronic entertainment were available on demand. But from my own personal experiences I am glad to still have the DVD available to me. I think that until the bandwidth and speed of data transfer is universally up to the requirements for a good VOD experience, the DVD or Blue Ray DVD will be the media of choice. Even though my internet speed is not what I’d like it to be, homes two blocks down from my home have even slower speeds to contend with. How long this will take to make VOD universally viable is up to the economics of the situation. Right now, it is not economically feasible for my ISP to cross the street with their fiber optics.

Reference:
Hawk, T. (April 23, 2005). The staying power of the dvd vs. vod. Message posted to http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/2005/04/23/the-staying-power-of-the-dvd-vs-vod/ .

Thornburg, D. (2009). Red Queens [Podcast]. In Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer) Emerging and future technology.