tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1668205114513391831.post4539247639034278977..comments2024-02-12T10:55:56.164-08:00Comments on Shift to the Future: Face to FaceBrian Kuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565982072371979984noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1668205114513391831.post-84665971463585509082012-09-25T06:49:18.451-07:002012-09-25T06:49:18.451-07:00Hey Gord, as usual you always have something inter...Hey Gord, as usual you always have something interesting and challenging to say! Although I agree with you that some ppl may prefer virtual to real life and perhaps are more "real" with each other in virtual, I'm not so sure that's entirely healthy if that's how they interact the majority of the time. Until the virtual environments can more fully replicate a human encounter, I'd say balance time in virtual with real. IE, virtual today, in my opinion, is good enough to supplement real.<br /><br />Interesting your comment about listening closely. I totally agree there but... the facial expression (I actually think we are born experts in this) is important to properly interpret what is said with words. We may not be scientists in this but we are pretty intuitive in piecing together faces with words and interpreting what is said and meant.<br /><br />The beach party sounds cool - let me know how it goes.<br /><br />The challenge with 3D is the limited options for material input and complexity within objects. For example to print a working cell phone, there would need to be quite a granular print of a large variety of inputs. To print a T-shirt, shoes, functional calendar, an LCD monitor, a tablet, or a mug... we have a ways to go. But reality will match up with theory at some point.<br /><br />I didn't share Atlantis Remixed with the Danish Principals.<br /><br />As always, thanks for stopping by.Brian Kuhnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12565982072371979984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1668205114513391831.post-5295726585874422662012-09-23T22:23:15.205-07:002012-09-23T22:23:15.205-07:00Face to face. Hmmm...an interesting concept these ...Face to face. Hmmm...an interesting concept these days given the billions of dollars not only spent on cosmetics, but now on men's products as well. When we consider the industries around botox, lyposuction, plastic surgery, fashion, dieting, body sculpting programs, and the mandatory "dressing for success" industry for administrators, it causes me to wonder if the person I'm meeting isn't more a perception than a reality. Of course these questions become more of an issue in Distributed Learning where I would suggest a significant portion of the students don't meet either the physical and/or social dynamics required for positive face to face interactions with their peers. They tend to be grateful for opportunities to interact in a virtual environment where they are freed from much of the social baggage that haunts our physical "representations." It's a well known phenonmenon in virtual communities that people tend to be "more real" there than they are in real life (RL). To the point of this becoming a two-edged sword in fact. <br /><br />One can of course argue the downside of not being able to read a person's face if it is not a perfect replication, but really, how many of us are trained experts in that field anyway. Perhaps needing to listen more closely to what is being said even more than compensates. All I know, is that I have a far more personal relationship with the students I meet virtually than the ones I met in classrooms (even though I was known for being highly relational). It's an irony that will be interesting to explore further. <br /><br />I am about to launch a platform where all the teachers of Heritage Christian Online School will be able to meet with their students in virtual learning spaces on a daily basis. This can be individually, or with classes of 100 or more. The goal is to have students and staff involved in learning communities where everyone helps everyone else. Within the next few weeks we hope to have a "Crash the Net" beach party where over 300 grade 10, 11 and 12 students will meet for an assembly on a beach, and then participate in some large group activities on our new virtual island. They should be able to converse with each other but be muted when the speaker is speaking. <br /><br />I think the future you speak of is upon us. Like the 3D printer you speak of, it's not a replicator (yet), but it does much of what you might want a replicator to do. There's no need to wait for the replicator to come along. Similarly, there are now virtual environments that can house entire communities of learners of up to 8000 individuals. The fact that many are finding these communities to be much more productive and personal ways of learning will not likely be overlooked for long.<br /><br />P.S. Would be interested in hearing the Danish reaction when you showed them Atlantis Remixed. Did they get my information? <br />Gord Holdenhttp://immersivetechnology4learning.ning.com/noreply@blogger.com