MOD 4 - THE MINIMALIST (EDUC 8845)

Have you heard of the show, The Mentalist? Well, when it comes to this assignment, I am the Minimalist.

It may well be ironic that I am in this Educational Technology doctoral program. Perhaps I should be in an "ancient history" program instead. What do I mean by all of this. Let's begin with this:

1. I do not have a social networking page. Despite invitations to join hundreds of my friends on Facebook, I decline them all. The reason? For me at this time, the risks do not outweigh the benefits. There are numerous stories about the dangers of social networking pages. This is not to say that they are "bad." It is just to say that at the current time, I do not allow technology to dictate my life. Also, as an educator, I believe I have to be a role model for our children. The dangers for children, in my opinion, are not worth it, at this time.

2. I do not text message. I called my carrier and disabled it from my phone. I am on the executive staff for the company for which I work, and all the executives text message each other constantly. I do not, and yet I am very successful at my job. Again, for me the dangers outweigh the benefits. I wonder if any studies been done on the addictive nature of text messaging? Is it ok? Is it healthy? Is it dangerous?

3. I do not have a blackberry or iPhone or any type of handheld device that allows me to connect to anyone or anywhere, except for a basic cell phone.

4. Cell phone: Only family members and perhaps ten friends have my phone number. My cell phone does not take pictures. It does not bake bread or clean the oven. It simply makes and receives phone calls.

I could go on, but I think maybe my point has been made. I am not anti-technology, and I am not technology illiterate. I grew up with the industry in that I started during DOS days before Windows. I learn and use items as needed, but the key phrase is "as needed." I enjoy the quality of my life outside of technology and only use technologies that I need.

That all said, now the assignment:

In the map, my online life is very simple. There are 3 areas: work, school, and personal. I spend most of my personal time face-to-face with my friends, not online. My professional life requires me to stand in front of large audiences and "perform." Therefore my presentation and social skills are critically important for me as an adult.


I only use the minimal technologies needed to learn and "get by." Yes, Walden's program forced me go learn about blogs, wikipages, and how to shoot and upload video. Yes, I have learned a lot through blogging with classmates and collaborating on wikipages. Podcasts of lectures certainly have increased and facilitated my learning. The amount of information and peer reviewed articles available online has certainly increased the amount of learning possible.

On the other hand, as Siemens (2009) states, the world of the internet and learning today can be "overwhelming" and "complex." He proposed that learning networks should be formed to manage the amount of information. Perhaps I am over-managing and limiting my networks.


Siemens, G. (2009). Connectivism Learning Theory. [Vodcast]. Retrieved from http://media.waldenu.edu/media/Media1/EDUC8845/html/educ8845_cc.html

EDUC 8845 Module 3 Post

Question 1: Do you believe that humans have a basic instinct to interact or work as a group, as Rheingold proposed in his discussion . . .

Rheingold’s (2005) web video is very fascinating and opens interesting doors to a new way of thinking. I followed his logic, and I do believe he is “on to” something here. However, I am a little bit confused.

Rheingold (2005) seems to be stating that man is now emerging toward working more collaboratively rather than the old way of survival of the fittest where one man wins. He mentioned that the collaborative spirit has been around even in the earlier days of the hunters. I agree that technology has enabled man to work more collectively as seen in such platforms as Google, Wikipedia, and Open Source software. But I am not convinced that it is because of man’s “basic instinct” to work as a group. I am not a sociologist and may be speaking blindly here, but I think that man’s basic instinct is still selfishness and self-survival.

I see Rheingold, Ted Talks, and all of us educational technology scholars as only a small part of our world. Put down the mouse and step away from the keyboard, and take a look at what is occurring outside our laptop world (beyond just us geeky technology types.) Countries are generally still led by one top person (President, Dictator, Queen, etc.) Catholics are led by one primary leader (the Pope). Companies still have one leader, a president or CEO. To me, a single leader does not symbolize collaborative action. We are still at war. Terrorists still exist. Leaders of large countries (e.g. Hugo Chavez) do not seem to fall in line with a collaborative spirit. Finally, I don’t think Roger Federer collaborated with Andy Roddick before this past weekend’s Wimbeldon finals. Granted, Rheingold did say we are only at the tip of the iceberg. I am uncertain if the iceberg can or ever will melt, if man is not really of a collaborative spirit but of a selfish nature.

I think that man (as in Rheingold’s description of the hunter) realizes the efficiency and effectiveness of collaborative action, but collaborates for selfish reasons not for the community good. Even Rheingold says that these collective actions are not done for altruistic reasons but for self interest. So I’m not quite sure if Rheingold is saying that man wants to work together to make a better world or if man’s self interest is realizing that collaborative efforts can serve him better and, oh by the way, technology has enabled those collaborative efforts. My opinion is the latter. So I don’t think man has a “basic instinct” to collaborate.


Question 2: How can technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles?


In just recent years, there have been a number of technology advancements in such things as bandwidth and video that have allowed for increased communication capabilities (webcasts, podcasts, etc.) Such things as wiki’s, twitter, and blogs have increased the opportunity to unite, construct, and collaborate.

A perfect example is Rheingold’s (2005) mention of the platform that posts problems in underdeveloped countries to be solved by design students around the world. With the ability to tap into multiple minds around the world, technology has enabled collaboration across time and space. The synchronous or asynchronous communication capabilities among any number of users provide an environment for discovery, discussion, and debate on real topics, topics that give and have meaning to the learner through engagement, participation, and socialization. All of that follows a collaborative constructivist approach



Rheingold, H. (2005). Howard Rheingold: Way-New Collaboration. Retrieved from
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html