The Internet and its Impact on Work

            Technology has had a massive impact on jobs across the globe.  Jobs are being created rapidly and jobs are becoming obsolete just as quickly.  Many organizations are able to outsource jobs to other countries where employment opportunities are limited.  At the same time, people with the proper knowledge and talent, especially those of which are in high demand, are able to work from almost anywhere around the globe.  A computer and an Internet connection are all that is needed to connect the employer to his or her job.  Gartner (2010) explained that the traditional workplace is becoming more virtual, and the lines separating professional and personal lives will disappear.  Individuals can collaborate with others from all over the globe, and are becoming more reachable due to Smart Phones and other technology. 

            Leadership is still a critical component of successful organizations, even though job descriptions may need to be altered to adapt to changing technologies.  Individuals in leadership positions must be aware of how information is being transferred among those in the organization.  As Husband (2013) stated, leaders should “be prepared to listen deeply, be responsible, be accountable and be transparent”.  In today’s world, dialogue has become a two-way street, as consumers are able to utilize technological resources to review organizations and the services they provide (Friedman, 2007).  Leaders are forced to understand the new transparency of their organization.  Today it is even more important to provide the best service to customers because consumers have many more options to choose from.  Friedman (2007) noted the importance of creating a meaningful customer experience by dealing more “consistently, openly, and honestly with your suppliers and investors, and more decently with your employees” (p. 468). Friedman explained that this conduct will create a relationship built around loyalty and trust, and will lead to positive collaboration between customers and the organization. 

            Leaders must understand the importance of collaboration today.  Collaboration with customers allows the organization to offer the best services possible while at the same time keeping up with the demands created due to changing technology (Friedman, 2007).  Leaders should foster these relationships and continue to develop methods of interacting with this important group of people.  Social networks, YouTube, and other venues allow customers to voice their opinion, good or bad, about an organization.  A leader’s role is to determine the best use of these technology forums in the growth and development of an organization. 

            The traditional office is growing and changing with technology.  Leaders now have employees working at home and across the ocean.  It is becoming more difficult to directly monitor employees and their productivity, so other methods will be utilized.  Ironically, technology helps to monitor the progress of employees while maintaining a connection among all of the individuals working for the company.  As stated earlier, loyalty and trust must be built to foster positive collaboration.    

           

            The nature of my job is changing everyday.  When I first started teaching, I brought grading home, but never even considered checking my email during my personal time.  I was better able to leave some of my work at school.  Now, I teach both online and traditional classroom courses at a university.  Many of my online students work full-time jobs, may have families, and spend their evenings and weekend completing assignments.  Unfortunately, their productive time tends to be my time off at home.  I have adjusted well to answering emails and conducting discussions with students during the evening and on weekends, but it has taken some adjusting on my part.  I am learning to set boundaries, but understand the importance of rapid response in online courses.  If anybody out there has any suggestions on how to balance personal time with online course responsibilities, I would love to have your feedback!  I feel like I have set up a good routine, but would greatly appreciate any other suggestions. 

Friedman, T. L. (2007).  The World is Flat.  New York: Picador. 

Gartner, Inc. (2010, August 4). Gartner says the world of work will witness 10 changes during the next 10 years. Retrieved from: http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/1416513

Husband, J. (2013, February 18). What is Wirearchy? [Beb log comment]. Retrieved from: http://wirearchy.com/what-is-wirearchy/

The Triple Convergence and Knowledge Management

The world is flat…

The ten forces that flattened the world…

The triple convergence…

            If I were not involved in a technology course, I would immediately assume the above statements were part of a science fiction movie that my mother-in-law loves to watch.  (Recently she watched a movie called The 12 Disasters of Christmas, which connected the Mayan calendar to the song 12 Days of Christmas.) 

            I was born in the 80’s, so I grew up as the technology we utilize today was “growing up”.  I can still remember the Zack Morris cell phone from Saved by the Bell, and playing games on the Mac computers with the black screen and green writing during free time at school.   I was in college when Facebook was developed, and I became a member of my college’s network, which was the only network of people I could become friends with on that site. 

            As Friedman (2007) argued, the world is becoming flat due to many flattening forces, ranging from the collapse of the Berlin Wall to uploading to outsourcing.  Each of these flatteners changed the world in unique ways, but alone were not enough to cause the world to become flat.  These ten flatteners had to converge and become common around the world in order for the world to truly become flat (Friedman, 2007). 

            Friedman (2007) explained the first convergence as creating a new platform, “It is a global, Web-enabled platform for multiple forms of collaboration” (p 204).  People from all over the world were able to communicate and compete with many different individuals.  The second convergence involved more people being able to access and learning to utilize that platform (Friedman, 2007).  The third convergence involved the opening up of economic and political systems in countries including India, China, Russia, and more (Friedman, 2007).  The triple convergence allowed the global community to interact and utilize technology in collaboration.  Dixon (2009) explained that collective knowledge is important today because it is derived from many diverse perspectives.  The Triple convergence has allowed many different perspectives to come together and work collaboratively.  Knowledge management can now take place virtually just as easily as it can in face-to-face format. 

The triple convergence caused a major change to how the world and its organizations and people interact.  All of these changes have created a horizontal system where connecting with each other and collaborating and sharing ideas is extremely important.  Jarche (2010) explained that because of technology, people must be constantly learning and adapting to new systems.  He explained that social networks create an environment where individuals can collaborate with each other and focus on results.  Knowledge is shared horizontally, many times in informal, social settings (Jarche, 2010).  Leaders within organizations must learn to foster the ideas being developed in these informal settings.  Leaders will still need to direct and guide others, and help them realize that their ideas are important.  Trust is a major factor in knowledge management; employees must trust that communication is a two-way street (Jarche, 2010).  It is the leader’s duty to foster these new ideas and to help make them become reality. 

I have discovered my own social networks at work, which vary depending on the specific aspects of my job.  I have had many informal conversations that have led to great teaching ideas for my classroom.  As an online instructor as well, I am discovering new ideas every day just be interacting with various people in my social network.  I find that the encouragement from the university leaders has helped me to become more confident in my interactions and in the choices I am making for my teaching. 

Dixon, N. (2009, May 2).  Where knowledge management has been and where it is going- part one.  [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.nancydixonblog.com/2009/05/where-knowledge-management-has-been-and-where-it-is-going-part-one.html

Dixon, N. (2009, May 10).  Knowledge management: where we've been and where we're going - part two. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.nancydixonblog.com/2009/05/knowledge-management-where-weve-been-and-where-were-going---part-two.html

Dixon, N. (2009, July 30).  Where knowledge management has been and where it is going- part three. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.nancydixonblog.com/2009/07/where-knowledge-management-has-been-and-where-it-is-going-part-three.html

Friedman, T. L. (2007).  The World is Flat.  New York: Picador. 

Jarche, H. (2010, February 24).  A framework for social learning in the enterprise. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.jarche.com/2010/02/a-framework-for-social-learning-in-the-enterprise/

Prezi in the Classroom and Beyond...

            I have been an educator for several years and am always looking for new ways to utilize technology in my classroom.  Retention of important math concepts and the development of problem solving skills are two of the most important teaching objectives that I hope to pass on to my students.  At the same time, I want to instill a love of learning on my students by utilizing teaching techniques that are exciting.  Various forms of technology today consume our students, including: smart phones, computers, gaming systems, etc.  It is important to find opportunities to motivate students to interact with each other by utilizing technology to make presentations and other classroom projects (Boles, 2011). 

            Technology is constantly changing, and my classroom seems to evolve with it.  During my own coursework in my graduate degree programs, I have utilized the program Prezi.  I am anxious to find ways to utilize Prezi in my own classroom as an instructional tool.  Through research, I have discovered many Prezi presentations related to teaching mathematic concepts.  Prezi also allows users to import PowerPoint slides in order to create a unique presentation.  The user can choose to utilize a pre-made presentation, or can build one from scratch. 

            Prezi is a cloud-based tool that allows individuals to create presentations or to tell stories using a virtual canvas (www.prezi.com).  When you access the website, you are able to click into other people’s presentation or search for specific topics of Prezis.  Prezi is a presentation tool, like PowerPoint, but it allows users to create pathways and to zoom in and out of a virtual canvas, giving a very dynamic presentation.  As the Prezi website explained, the presentation tool allows users to create a spatial metaphor, which helps the viewers remember the content better. 

I have the exciting opportunity to teach two online courses this upcoming semester for our new online degree program being implemented this fall.  I am a strong proponent of a collaborative, project-based classroom setting.  Prezi includes the option of Prezi Meeting, which allows up to ten different users to collaborate on a project at the same time.  When users are logged in, each user is given a unique avatar, allowing the group to work together and communicate in real time. Leticia B. Cavagnaro from Stanford University stated, “Prezi truly embodies what creativity is about: changing your perspective, connecting and combining ideas, thinking in non-linear ways, and creating in collaboration with others” (www.prezi.com).  Kennedy and Duffy (2004) explained that being able to work collaboratively in distance education is an important and necessary component of a successful distance-learning course. 

A major downside of Prezi is that it has a learning curve, and it can take new users some time to get used to mapping out the pathways.  Many users decide it is too time-consuming, and would rather create presentations using PowerPoint.  Similar to PowerPoint, it is very easy to “overdo” a Prezi.  With the various pathways and options to rotate the text and graphics, users run the risk of utilizing too many options, and thus distracting viewers from the message being presented.  

Overall, Prezi has the potential to be a valuable tool in the classroom and beyond.  A little guidance from the instructor would allow students an opportunity to collaboratively create dynamic presentations.  I am already analyzing how I can utilize Prezi in my upcoming online courses.

Boles, S. (2011). Using technology in the classroom. Science Scope, 34(9), 39-43.

Kennedy, D., & Duffy, T. (2004). Collaboration--a key principle in distance education. Open Learning, 19(2), 203-211.

Perron, B.E., & Stearns, A.G. (2011). A review of a presentation technology: Prezi. Research on Social Work Practice, 21(3), 376-377. DOI: 10.1177/1049731510390700

Prezi. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2013 from: www.prezi.com

Flat or Spiky?

            Technology has influenced various aspects of our world today.  As I reflect on the readings this week from Chapter 1 of Thomas L. Friedman’s book The World is Flat, I could not help but compare the analogy to my present residence in South Dakota.  As I look around at my surroundings, the world looks very flat! In the field of education, I feel that most positions and opportunities are available to me, even in my rural area.  I earned my Master’s Degree in math education from a college several hours away, and have never even stepped foot on that campus.  I am now working on my doctorate at a university four hours away, and have connected with many students from all over the United States and other countries.  Geographically, there are not limitations on my education, as I can receive the same education as someone in New York, for example. 

            As a math instructor at a small, private university, I have witnessed first-hand how advancements in technology have created a flat world.  Our university has approved an online initiative to begin classes for adult learners.  I will be instructing two of the online math courses, a challenge I am excited to tackle.  These online courses flatten the world, as students from almost any geographical location can participate and be successful.  Friedman (2007) pointed out that people are able to plug in from every corner of our world, making it possible for many different people to become empowered and to take an active role in globalization.  

            Education has been greatly altered because of technology.  Advances in technology allow students of all ages the opportunity at an education that was not available to them before.  Students in rural areas are able to connect with teachers from all over the world in order to gain knowledge in subject areas that are not provided at their current school.  Adult learners are able to earn degrees that were unavailable to them due to their personal responsibilities.  Technology has created a more flexible learning environment for these students.  Students have learned to expect a more flexible and immediate classroom environment. 

            While I believe that technology has allowed more individuals from all over the world to be active members in organizations and in educational programs, I tend to agree with Florida’s (2005) perspective that the world is spiky, which he explained as spikes in specific cities and regions that are the driving force of the world’s economy.  Technology has made it much easier for individuals to become involved, but it has not been able to solve all of our economic problems.  I can do so much from my location in rural South Dakota, but a vaster array of opportunities is available to those individuals in urban settings.  Many people still must relocate to these urban areas for certain career paths.  Florida (2005) continued to explain that the connection between these peaks has been strengthened by technology and through the easier mobility created by this technology. 

            The World is Flat (Friedman, 2007) is an intriguing book on technology from the last decade.  The first chapter focused on how outsourcing has become a part of creating a flat world, which is still relevant to today’s economy.  Outsourcing has become a large discussion in the news lately with the factory collapse in Bangladesh.  Foroohar and Saporito (2013) took a different approach to outsourcing in a recent article in Time magazine.  These authors discussed how the latest technology and cutting edge practices have brought manufacturing back to the United States.  Will technology cause more spikes in the United States, or will the trend continue to level the playing field? 

Resources: 

Florida, R. (2005, October). The world is spiky. The Atlantic Monthly, 48-51.

Foroohar, R., & Saporito, B. (2013). Made in the USA. Time, 181(15), 22.

Friedman, T. L. (2007).  The World is Flat.  New York: Picador. 

The beginning...

Hello Everyone! 
I am excited to begin a blogging adventure with you all.  I look forward to sharing this experience with everyone. 
Ashley