Module 5 Blog: Red Queens

I will be honest.  I am not really a movie watcher.  I honestly can’t recall the exact time I was last in a theater (I want to say Chipmunks with my daughter).  When choosing movies, sometimes it is last minute.  I honestly do not want to be bothered with running to a rental store.  Besides, are they even around anymore?!

For my video project, I chose Amazon’s new VOD service.  Because I have Prime, the service makes sense for me.  The limitation, though, is that Amazon’s VOD service is not MAC friendly, so no iPad watching.  Because I work on a larger screen, the picture was great.  I will admit that for the iPad, we use NetFlix.  My daughter can easily navigate the site on the iPad for kids movies (she is five).  It’s also an easy service as long as you have WiFi.  The great thing about NetFlix is the choice.  Amazon VOD and Hulu have not quite met the sheer volume NetFlix has.

I digress though.  VOD versus DVD.  VOD = Video on Demand and DVD = Digital Movie Disk.

According to the Smart Advantage blog, DVDs have traditionally been the moneymaker for Hollywood because they are so cheap to make.  In fact, “Industrywide DVD revenues fell 15% during 2010, with overall home entertainment revenues down by 3.8%” (Smart Advantaage, n.d.).  This is significant.  To get a piece of the market share, studios and companies that sell DVDs have to rethink how they market and give access to movies.  I think one of the reasons NetFLix, Amazon VOD, and Hulu are so popular is they are cheaper, give easier access, and meet customers’ needs on customers’ terms.  For instance, if I want a VOD, I log on to Amazon or Netflix and browse through my account for the movie.  Because I subscribe to NetFlix, the movie is “free” if it is available on VOD (some are not). Likewise, some Amazon VODs are free while I can rent others from ninety-nine centers to $5.99 or more.  DVDs (yes you own them) are anywhere from $5.99 to $25.99.  The catch is you have to wait on release dates.

Release date is the key here.  Szalai (2010) quoted media analyst Richard Greenfield as noting that the new industry standard, based on VOD, is narrowing from 30-45 days  to less than a week.  In order to compete with VOD, DVDs have to be made available earlier.  This is significant because the competition is changing industry standards.

According to Thornburg (2009), Red Queens occur when “huge competition between two technologies, in the process, all other competitors are left behind.”  This is the situation with VOD and DVD.  The competition between the two will eventually (in my opinion) lead to increasing returns: “two innovations hit the market at about the same time.  By chance, one technology gets locked in and drives the other to extinction” (Thornburg, 2009).  In the case of VOD and DVD, DVD has been around longer; however, eventually because of market economics, VOD will eventually drive DVDs to extinction.  Like cell phones replacing telephone landlines, I see the potential for the cheaper, more accessible VOD replacing DVDs.

References

Smart Advantage.  (n.d.).  Don’t Wait to Compete – A Lesson from Hollywood vs. VOD.  Smart Advantage Blog.  Retrieved from http://blog.smartadvantage.com/competitive-advantage-blog/bid/54085/Don-t-Wait-to-Compete-A-Lesson-from-Hollywood-vs-VOD

Szalai, G. (2010).  Period between DVD and Video on Demand Shrinks.  Rueters US Edition.  Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/08/20/us-dvd-idUSTRE67J40920100820

Thornburg, D. (2009). Emerging and future technology: Increasing Returns.  [Video Vodcast]. Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education, Inc.

Thornburg, D. D. (2009). Red Queens. [Video Vodcast]. Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education, Inc.

Module 4 Blog: Second Life

Is Second Life a disruptive technology?  According to Thornburg (2009), a disruptive technology is one that has the function of an existing technology but is more efficient than the existing technology.  This essentially renders the existing technology obsolete.

To answer the question of whether Second Life (SL) is a disruptive technology, we have to consider the technology SL replaced and the emergence trajectory of SL.  SL is a virtual world.  It is not a game.  According to Rosedale (2008), one of the complaints from gamers is that SL has below average graphics and gaming options.  The point of SL is not the game; the point is it is a growing virtual world. Rosedale (2008) also noted that SL mirrors culture and the trajectory of SL mirrors the social and anthropological trajectory of an emerging culture.  From a social and even anthropological stance, SL disrupts the notion that you have to have a homogenous group to begin a culture/community. 

What about the technology though?  Chat rooms in the late 70s and through the early 90s could be one technology that SL has replaced.  Instead of just text-based chat rooms, SL offers a virtual world where residents (SL users) interact.  I think the important point about the technology of SL is that it offers an alternative for education and business.  For instance, New Mexico State University offers a geology course in SL and Kaplan University offers a crime scene investigation class that utilizes SL.  Thornburg’s definition of disruptive technology includes the requirement that the new technology be more efficient.  In this respect, SL courses are cheaper and offer more students the opportunity to practice the skills being taught. 

The emergence trajectory of SL is interesting.  In 2003 it opened.  In his 2008 TED speech, Rosedale noted that while growth in SL still occurred, it occurred at a slower pace.  Will SL continue to grow?  I am not sure.  I am not a SL resident.  Based on criticisms though, it seems that SL graphics have to improve for gamers to take the platform more serious.  I also think that for schools to use SL more, there has to be an ease of use and understanding from non-gamers on how to navigate the SL worlds.

There are social benefits and implications with SL.  One of the biggest benefits is the ability to interact with others without ever leaving your home.  For persons who are not able to leave their home for a variety of reasons like medical or disability, SL offers practical experience in the form of classes, and social interaction with others.  Rosedale (2009) made the point that as social creatures, humans look for social interactions to make sense of their worlds.  SL offers this.  More importantly, is Rosedale’s point that SL mimics culture.  As a social benefit, this characteristic allows social scientists to hypothesize and test questions about cultural and social behavior.

In higher education, the implication of SL is that more students have the potential to get more practical experience in online or distance education settings.  Conversely, is there enough social interaction in this experience to mirror F2F experience?  While I do not think SL will replace teachers, I do think SL will replace lab experiences.  This lowers the cost in higher education and changes how students will receive knowledge.

My opinion on SL is still forming.  I can see the benefits of SL, especially in education and research.  My concern is whether it is another technology that removes human interaction.

References

Rosedale, P. (2008). Philip Rosedale on Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.

Thornburg, D.   (2009). Emerging and future technology. Laureate Education, Inc. Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education, Inc.

Rosedale's TED:

Module Three Rhymes of History

The future does indeed have better toys!  A rhymes of history technology is current or new technology that brings to mind a technology from the past.  Rhymes of history technologies are pervasive in society.  Consider telecommunication.  Before electronic technology, runners and smoke signals were used to convey messages over a distance.  The pony express and telegraph then became ways to convey written messages.  The telephone changed communication technology though because it allowed you to talk in real time.  This is similar in some respects to Morse code.  Today, smartphones and VOIP products have changed telecommunication.  Many smart phones allow you to talk to multiple users (very similar to party lines of the past) and VOIP allows you to talk without a phone device.  Interestingly, the smart phone (and even basic cell phone) have begun to replace landline phones in most American homes.

Kelly’s TED talk concerned the next 5000 days of the internet.  As I listened to his talk, I was reminded that technically, we are halfway through the days in his prediction and he has been spot on.

Kelly’s TED:

In the talk, Kelly (2007) noted three activities or processes the web would go through in the next 5000 days: embodiment, restructuring, and co-dependency.  An example of embodiment, according to Kelly, is how the internet links computers.  In the TED talk, Kelly refers to the cloud as a future technology.  Today, this technology is very used. 

The second stage is restructuring.  The example Kelly gives here is linking pages.  While his example of the airline itinerary is accurate, I would argue that today’s technology is even great in this respect.  Consider iTunes.  You have your iTunes library.  Within that library, you can use the Genius application to find similar items you do not own. Then, you can also use Ping to share your library with others on your social network sites.  This example shows how you can restructure the old “mix tapes” into a smart thinking application that helps you choose music and books based on your past purchases.

The third stage according to Kelly is co-dependency.  In this stage, the ONE MACHINE Kelly talks about is always on and always close.  Smart phones have really made this possible.  Even without a computer or landline phone, you are in contact, anytime, anywhere.

Reference

Kelly, K. (2007, December). Kevin Kelly on the next 5,000 days of the Web [Speech]. Speech delivered at the EG 2007 Conference, Los Angeles. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html

Module 2 Tetrad

I am taking the position of Second Life as a replacement to labs.  I have a colleague who uses Second Life as a component of his criminal investigations course.  This lab space gives online students lab experience.

Reference

Baker, S.C., Wentz, R. & Woods, M.M. (2009).  Using virtual worlds in education: Second Life as an educational tool.  Teaching of Psychology, 36(1), p. 54-64.  DOI: 10.1080/00986280802529079

Module One Blog

The current technology I have chosen is eBooks and eReaders.  The Kindle, Nook, and iPad are the leaders in eReaders right now with eBook selections from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, and free (or low cost) sites like SmashWords (which carries independents).  In higher education, where tuition and book prices have skyrocketed in the last decade, eBooks and eReaders are emerging as a low cost and greener alternative to traditional print textbooks.  More significant, though, is the ability to update eBooks quicker, more efficiently, and cheaper.

Despite its abilities to meet certain needs in society, there are drawbacks to both eBooks and eReaders.  For eBooks, the sheer number of books in print makes it impossible to have all books in digital format.  Older texts so no always format well in eReaders and rarely have a searchable table of contents.  Sites like Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page) and Bartleby (http://www.bartleby.com/) provide eTexts that do not have to be read with an eReader. 

eReaders are faced with their own challenges.  Arizona State University piloted eReaders but had to remove them because of ADA requirements.  The blog Edudemic notes that the problem many institutions run into is the text to speech function on eReaders is still emerging (see the blog at http://edudemic.com/2010/06/government-requiring-schools-to-use-blind-friendly-gadgets/).  The limited functionality of text to speech is perhaps the greatest obstacle eReaders face.

Both eBooks and eReaders have benefits.  For instance, many eBooks are offered free from the three big name book sellers.  Older texts can also be found on Bartleby and Project Gutenberg.  Both Kindle and Nook offer free readers for computer.  The free eBooks and ability to reader form sites or on the computer lessens the price of books.  The three top eReaders (Kindle, Nook, iPad) have also come down in price as second and third generation models have come on the market.  The lightweight nature of the eReader replaces the need to carry around a heavy backpack of books.  In addition the eReader is a greener choice.

I am a huge fan of eBooks and eReaders.  Last term, I actually used my computer to read Dewey electronically because I could not find my print copy.  The ease of highlighting on the Kindle computer app was easy and I was able to search.  The eBook was comparable in price to the print version.  I find, though, that I prefer print version for note taking and highlighting. My pleasure reading is done on the Kindle though.

The eReader and eBooks can be improved.  For instance, search functions and tabbing should be easier to use.  This would increase the usability for higher education use.  Decreasing textbook prices for eBooks to make them competitive with print used books is another improvement.  The market for eReaders is competitive.  In terms of price, this benefits higher education.  I think that the competitive nature keeps the three main devices affordable and up to date as far as technology.

Here is a picture of the Kindle

The Kindle website:

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wireless-Reading-Display-Generation/dp/B003FSUDM4/ref=sa_menu_kdp33

Here is a picture of the Nook

The Nook website:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/index.asp

Here is a picture of the iPad

The iBook website (this can also be accessed through iTunes)

http://www.apple.com/ipad/built-in-apps/ibooks.html