Google Open Policy Fellow (Draft 2012)

The transformation of information into zeros and ones and the countless documents, pictures, and videos that are now at the fingertips of anyone with an internet connection are democratizing learning, and have radically transformed the educational experience and  socialization of youth. Currently studying for a PhD in Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development at the University of Minnesota exploring the impact of Open Education on the poor, minorities, and developing countries, having an MA in Latin American Studies – Development, the influence of the internet and open content on the formal and informal education of individuals is a topic of academic interest and personal importance to me. The impact of openness to society has begun to be explored, but its transformative effect has yet to be fully understood. Having the opportunity to work as a Google Policy Fellow will further my involvement in open policy and my interest in increasing access to disconnected and isolated communities.…

“The more ubiquitous and diverse the use of information and communication technologies, the more probable that we will develop new abilities and understandings that are invisible or ignored by the traditional instruments used to measure knowledge…. Even if they are if they are invisible for the formal system of education, they are not in any way in the professional and social life” (Cobo and Moravec, 2011, pg. 26)

2/2/12

Technologies represent tools that can have either a negative or positive impact on education in differen contexts, and while they can contribute to improving the education experience, their implementation needs to be carefully studied (Chapman and Mahlck, 2004; Kamenetz, 2011; Heeks, 2008, 2010; Unwin 2009). While scholars continue to debate whether modern technologies are influencing education in a positive or a negative way, the vast majority agree that our increasing interconnectedness has important impacts on nation-states throughout the world[JGD1] . Their impact in the Dominican Republic (D.R.)…

Exercise – Fulbright Questions

January 20, 2012

With whom do you propose to work?

I intend to work with community members in the Dominican Republic where I plan on visiting three different locations.

What do you propose to do? What is exciting, new or unique about your project? What contribution will the project make to the Fulbright objective of promoting cross-cultural interaction and mutual understanding?

I propose conducting a mixed methods study about the impacts of invisible learning in these communities and how these communities use both open, closed, and pirated educational resources.

When will you carry out your study or research? Include a timeline.

This research will take place during the summer or 2012 and the summer of 2013

Where do you propose to conduct your study or research? Why is it important to go abroad to carry out your project?

Migration affects both the community of origin and the community where immigrants migrate to.…

Media Viewing Habits Survey Report (12/8/11)

Elizabeth Hedin, Idris Kamara, Heather Keelon, Sarah Komperud,

Alfonso Sintjago, Maren Stoddard, Sarah Walker.

Introduction of Issues and Survey Development

In the non-stop world of entertainment, the ways in which we access and engage with entertainment is quickly evolving.  Our group developed a survey about Media Viewing Habits and a person’s change in habits and preferred media sources within the last five years.

Our group took a multi-faceted approach to developing this survey.  First, to frame our survey questions, we defined our target as U of M undergraduate and graduate students.  Then, as a group we discussed overall themes of questions and areas of interest within media.  It was decided that our survey should focus on the kinds of media preferred, the vehicle used to consume the media, how these two factors have changed in the past five years, and how living situations affect media viewing. …

College of Education and Human Development Graduate Students’

Opinions about Open Access Journals

December 7, 2011

Most traditional academic journals, also known as toll-access journals, are accessible to the libraries that can afford to pay an annual subscription fee to a series of companies that sell journal access packages. Journal articles and subscriptions to individual journals can also be paid by either institutions or students, yet despite the possible contribution of many articles to broader society, they are not openly accessible, and this is particularly a problem for individuals who would like to contribute despite having limited financial resources or access to a subscribed institution. While information and communication technologies (ICT) has increased the reach of information, journal subscription fees have risen sharply in recent years (200% over inflation), resulting in many universities, including top tier research institutions, reducing their number of subscriptions (http://righttoresearch.org/).

Unfortunately, as subscriptions are cancelled by universities, the number of journal articles that researchers at that particular university are able to access decreases.…

Sophia.org 

Project Part 3: Exploring and Analyzing Data (40 points)

December 12, 2011

How did you come up with the idea? (2 points)

Computer enhanced learning has increased over the years. Currently online college courses account for close to 30% of student enrollment and has experience an average annual growth of over 10% per year since 2002 (http://sloanconsortium.org). While traditional higher education institutions have grown in average by 2% per year, including a growth of 1.2% from the fall of 2008 to the fall of 2009, in contrast online education grew by 21.1% from the fall of 2008 to the fall of 2009 alone.  Not only is formal online education growing, but information online education has also grown at a rapid pace. YouTube was created in 2005 by three former PayPal employees and it rapidly transformed into the second largest search engine experiencing a rate of growth of 65,000 new videos every 24 hours.…

Project Part 3: Exploring and Analyzing Data (40 points)

12/2/11

How did you come up with the idea? (2 points)

Computer enhanced learning has increased over the years. Currently online college courses account for close to 30% of student enrollment and has experience an average annual growth of over 10% per year since 2002 (http://sloanconsortium.org). While traditional higher education institutions have grown in average by 2% per year, including a growth of 1.2% from the fall of 2008 to the fall of 2009, in contrast online education grew by 21.1% from the fall of 2008 to the fall of 2009 alone.  Not only is formal online education growing, but information online education has also grown at a rapid pace. YouTube was created in 2005 by three former PayPal employees and it rapidly transformed into the second largest search engine experiencing a rate of growth of 65,000 new videos every 24 hours.…

College of Education and Human Development Graduate Students’

Opinions about Open Access Journals

December 2, 2011

Most traditional academic journals, also known as toll-access journals, are accessible to the libraries that can afford to pay an annual subscription fee to a series of companies that sell journal access packages. Journal articles and subscriptions to individual journals can also be paid by either institutions or students, yet despite the possible contribution of many articles to broader society, they are not openly accessible, and this is particularly a problem for individuals who would like to contribute despite having limited financial resources or access to a subscribed institution. While information and communication technologies (ICT) has increased the reach of information, journal subscription fees have risen sharply in recent years (200% over inflation), resulting in many universities, including top tier research institutions, reducing their number of subscriptions (http://righttoresearch.org/).

Unfortunately, as subscriptions are cancelled by universities, the number of journal articles that researchers at that particular university are able to access decreases.…

ICT and the Digital Divide – A Participatory Solution with a Dominican Flavor

11/29/2011

The Digital Divides – The Ownership of Knowledge in the 21^st Century

The “digital divide,” a term coined in the late 20th century, highlights the growing disparity in access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) between and within countries (Norris, 2001; Compaine, 2001; Warschauer, 2003).  This concept, its meaning, and its implications for states across the world have been topics of widespread research and debate since the beginning of the 21^st century (OECD, 2000; Attewell, 2001; Goldfarb & Prince, 2007; Katz, 2008; Trucano, 2005; Mar, 2004; Chapman & Mahlck, 2004). Within the United States and abroad, public libraries and public computing centers have attempted to diminish the gap between technology haves and have-nots, yet many still lack access to computers, broadband Internet, and even mobile phones (Krebeck, 2010; InfoDev, 2010; The Economist, 2010; The Economist, 2005; Richardson et al.,…