5. Employment, Education and Entertainment

Kids play with a puzzle

Work, School, Recreation and Leisure - Computers and technology are having a significant impact on work and the workplace. Thousands of people are working in jobs that did not exist ten years ago. The workplace has changed as well. School isn't what it used to be. What we do for fun is also dramatically different. Some of these changes are for the better, some not. We will look at how technology and the internet are impacting all of these.


Learning outcomes

• consider the impact of computers on work
• experience video presentation and evaluate the effectiveness in education
• understand the special needs of people with disabilities when using media
• use the web as a research resource
• understand the fundamentals of working collaboratively
• discuss the educational uses of recreational technologies
• experience group project organization and planning


Keywords

• employment, gig economy, global workforce, collaboration, lifelong learning, apprenticeship, open educational resources, MOOC, edutainment, 21st century education, Web 3.0, gamification

Study notes

• How is technology changing jobs and the nature of work? What jobs have not changed even though technology might help them? What jobs would not exist without technology?

• What are some new types of jobs that will exist in the future that do not exist now because they need technology that does not exist yet?

• What do you think of the idea of remote work - not going to a particular place to work? Do you like the idea of working from home or anywhere else?

• Do you think employers should monitor their employees? When might it be ok?

• What are some of the health problems associated with technology jobs?

• How is technology changing K-8 education? High school?

• How is entertainment technology changing education and work?

Assignments

1. Before you start the reading and the assignments, take a few minutes to think about what you already know about Technology and the Internet on Employment, Education and Entertainment. What don't you know? What questions do you have? Write a sentence or two about this in the I have questions... discussion. Consider the connections and how technologies have made an impact.
   
   
2. Read the Study notes for an overview for the topics that will be covered.
   
   
3. Read, view, listen to several selections in the Selected media list.
   
   
4. Global impact - Choose 1 word from the Keywords list for this module. Find TWO (2) resources that provide information about the word and how it relates to the course. Look for resources that relate to the global impact of this idea. Post the word, links to your selected resources, and the relationship to societies worldwide to the discussion Employment, Education and Entertainment keywords.
   AND Follow links provided by TWO (2) other students, review their suggested resources, and write a brief reply for each. For this and other media research activities, you can select any "media" - text, images, audio, video, animation and podcasts (under 10 minutes preferably)
   
   
5. Occupational Mobility Explorer - opportunities for workers to transfer their skills from one occupation to a similar — but higher-paying — occupation in the same labor market. Select two specific jobs that interest you and compare them. Would the results be helpful in deciding between these categories of jobs? Review and comment in the Occupational Mobility Explorer discussion.
   
   
6. Disabilities and Adaptive / Assistive Technology (AT) - DeAnza provides a broad range of resources to support individuals with disabilities. These include technology, devices, hardware, software, applications in addition to education and training. People with disabilities are able to participate more fully in work and careers through the use of Technology. Disabilities include but are not limited to sight, hearing, mobility and ADHD. Review the DeAnza information https://deanza.edu/dsps/dss/
   How might a disability make it hard to get an education or work? Find an example of an adaptive or assistive technology. What is the disability problem it solves? How does this improve the life of the person with the disability? Post the link to the device information resource and a brief summary of the specific assistive / adaptive technology available for a disability to the Assistive / Adaptive Technology discussion.
   
   
7. Accessibility - Dyslexia simulation - Try out this constantly changing dyslexia simulation, which you can read more about at Reddit, Website Aims to Simulate What It’s Like to Be Dyslexic. Or try one of the other simulations. Does the simulation give you a better understanding of the problems faced by computer users with these disabilities?
   Then post a description of your experience in 2-3 sentences in the Accessibility Simulations discussion. Review the simulations and comments of 2 other students.
   
   
8. How to College! breaks down how to apply for, succeed at, and graduate from college. Watch the preview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8csJtDwjzk
   Is there anything missing? What suggestions do you have for improving this video? Post 2-3 sentences about your feedback and suggestions to the How to College discussion.
   
   
9. Open textbooks - OER Commons is a public digital library of open educational resources. Most are free in their electronic format, and $30-50 for the print version. Are any of your instructors using open textbooks in their classes? If so, which ones?
   In the Advanced search select Textbook (Material Type > Reading Materials > Textbook - left column near bottom). https://www.oercommons.org/advanced-search
   Look through the list of Open Textbooks and pick one for a topic of interest to you or for an actual class. Look through the textbook you selected. Would you use this textbook? Is the difference in cost between published textbooks and these open textbooks important to you? Post a link to the open textbook you select and your comments to the Open Textbooks discussion.
   
   
10. K-8 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Education - There is a lot of interest in STEM education for young kids in K-8 (Kindergarten - 8th Grade) but very little is about Engineering. Find a resource for K-8 Engineering. This could be an article, a lesson plan or an activity. Post a link to the resource and a brief description of the importance of this to the K-8 Engineering discussion.
    
    
11. Recreation and technology. Over the years recreation has change as improvements in technology have been applied to existing sports, new activities have evolved and new equipment has changed what is possible. There are light and strong materials developed for space that have impacted biking, climbing, hiking, water sports. Protective gear has saved millions from recreational injuries, just to name a few areas where technology is having a big impact on recreation. Find a resource and summarize the impact on recreation, and post to the Recreation and technology discussion. This resource can be an article, blog post, diagram, chart, video, podcast, or an info-graphic.
    Review 2 others.
    
    
12. Computers Games in Education and Play. Try out a couple of FREE (some are not free, but most are) educational games at Games for Change and find one that you think is particularly interesting. Write 2-3 sentences about the game and social issues associated with games in education. Post the web address of the game you selected and your description to the Games in Education discussion. Try a couple of the games recommended by others and post your thoughts about each game you reviewed.
    If you are a parent or work with kids, find a game that you could use to help your kids with school work. How would the game help in your specific situation?
    
    
13. Business and Social Media - It was a big deal when there were more web addresses in business magazine ads than phone or fax numbers. Today, many business list their social media identifiers. What do experts say about this? What do you think? Find a resource that discusses business and social media. Post a link to the resource and a brief summary along with your personal opinion to the Business and Social Media discussion.
    
    
14. New normal - Everyone has had to adapt to 'personal distancing'. Many businesses and services will be changed forever. XR - eXtended Reality - Mixed Reality (MR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) alternatives are being developed to replace in-person experiences. Shopping, spectator sports, live entertainment, school are a few. Find an example of eXtended Reality (XR / AR / VR / MR). Include the link and a brief explanation of how you personally will be impacted by this development, and post to the New Normal - eXtended Reality discussion. Review 2 others.
    
    
15. Learning Literacies - Make it - Creativity and Innovation. Is it possible to learn to be creative or innovative? Many authors think so and provide some suggestions for getting those creative juices flowing. Review 2-3 resources in the Make it media selections. Find another resource online that provides good advice for promoting creativity and innovation. Post a link and a brief summary of two resources - from the media list and your own "find" to the Learning Literacies - Make it discussion.
    
    
16. Learn to Earn - Most people work to earn money to spend - necessities, housing, entertainment, education, savings (maybe not in that order). It is never too late to learn about money and financial matters. Today, money and technology are connected. Select a resource that provides important and interesting information. Post the link and say why you selected this resource to the Financial literacy discussion. Review 3 others.
    
    
17. Hot tech news - Find a tech news item to share with the class. What is new and interesting in technologies, the internet and society? Post the link and 1-2 sentence to describe the importance of this news in the New tech news discussion. Review 3 others..
    
    
18. Project Groups Discussions - Share with the group your thoughts about online groups and entertainment. Is entertainment changing? What could happen over time? Is this good or bad? Why? Post 2-3 sentences to your Project Groups Discussions.
    
    
19. Reflection - Review your questions that you posted earlier in the I have questions... discussion. What questions got answered? Are there questions that you still have about Employment, Education and Entertainment? Any new questions? Submit your questions and response as 3-4 sentences to I wonder... assignment. For the Peer Reviews that are assigned to you, does each reflection represent the main ideas in the module?

Media

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Financial literacy

Dilbert’s One-Page Guide to Everything Financial

if you like Dilbert and understand the corporate hell that he lives in. Otherwise, without further ado, here is Dilbert’s One-Page Guide to Everything Financial: Make a will. Pay off your credit cards. Get term life insurance if you have a family to support. Fund your 401k to the maximum.

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