For Christmas I asked Santa for a Kindle. It allows me to download books and read them from anywhere. It will hold up to 1,500 books, so here is where we play as instructional designers. It reads the PDF's format. If colleges switch to EBooks in their classes, the students would have the option to download the PDF to their computer and then upload the EBook to the Kindle. They would no longer need the physical book or if the student really wanted too, could still have the option. Student's could take all their books everywhere. (When taking a class, having all my books to lug around was never fun). I think this is a real possiblitily for the future and I am going to test it with my new class and my new kindle I get for Christmas. I do not think we are far from the capability on a much wider scale in high school and universities. There are three of these types of products on the market right now. Some colleges have already started using them and allowing students to download the books needed from the internet or school book store. Wouldn't that be amazing? Think about it, you would pick your class, get on to your kindle, download the book, and you are set for your next term. I love technology!

Second Life and Online Learning

If you are under the current belief that Second Life is a Christian revival, you are very mistaken. Second life has been around for years and is used in so many different real life sistuation, dispite being a 3D virtual reality. Business's are using the software for meeting that spands over the boundry of distance. Second Life has entered the academic word on many fronts. Some schools have a virtual campus, others have academic classes in the virtual 3D classroom. Some are doing video production with 3D simulation and some are creating a 3D simulation of actual sistuation to allow students to complete an activity that would be otherwise highly dangerous without proper training. This may seem to be the next generation of technology in the classroom, but I caution any developer before taking on this task. Although you can create and build your own island, it takes time, man power and skill. You can just buy everything from developers who sale their products pre-made, but it is costly. I you would like or think you would like to simply create a simulation in the 3D environment, you have to use multiply software video tools. Another caution, just like the real word, there are some wacko's out there who would like to complicate you endevor with virtual money, sex, and yes even 3D drugs. The goal is obtainable with a lot of time, money, and effort. But remember, your students will have to learn how to walk all over again and maybe even fly.