Erin Two Point Oh

This Shift Happens series of videos is such an inspiring piece of media. Unlike many members of this current class I’m not a classroom teacher. Instead I’m slowly working my ways toward hopefully becoming an Instructional Designer. In my dreams I’d love to work with publishers and software engineers to create interactive books and resources for young adults and children.

Of course it helps that I already harbor a very avid love and perhaps addiction to all things having to do with the Internet, web 2.0 tools, software and video games. Some may see that as just an obsession with fads but I don’t think that’s the case at all. As noted in the Shift Happens video, technology has permeated every area of our lives. It’s a rare occurrence when we aren’t tweeting, using Facebook, emailing, texting, or IMing at some point each day. It’s only natural that these items have begun to be incorporated seamlessly into educational settings.

This is especially true for me as I work with faculty to create vibrant online class environments. If we didn’t have blogs, wikis, Skype, Twitter, discussion boards, Articulate, Captivate etc… students in online classes would never be able to feel the sense of connection that one receives in a face-to-face class. I applaud the fact that devices like smart phones, eReaders, and iPads are being leveraged as educational tools. This hardware has the potential to bring even richer experiences to not only online students but all students.

Of course, I’ve had my doubts too. Originally I was definitely on the fence about the Apple iPad but as soon as I viewed the above video I was sold. As a child I was obsessed with pop-up books so to see a beloved childhood story come to life in this manner endeared me to the product forever. Don’t you think this digital interactivity could serve as a perfect way to hook children into developing an early love of reading?