With “Vizit,” Elementary students can share pictures with other students in other classes in other parts of the country or world, but…
I just read through one of those e-mails from one of those PR firms, hired to describe some new technology product that will revolutionize education, hoping that the reader will want to write about it. Be careful what you wish for…
Vizit appears to be a digital picture frame with broadband (3G) capabilities, enabling the sharing of photos across the wireless net. The pricing, as listed on the web site is $279.99 for the device (Charcoal or Silver finish with two other styles on the way), and $5.99 a month for 100 photos or $79.99 a year for up to 1450 photos. (I wrote for the school pricing but have not received a reply)
The press release, which was attached to the email, described their “Visit the Schools” program where..
..ten elementary schools are receiving Vizit two-way digital photo frames to utilize in their classrooms for a four-month trial to help define how Vizit can become an educational tool for students. Vizit is the world’s first two-way full touch screen digital photo frame allowing friends and family to share photos from anywhere, anytime.
Matthew Growney, Founder and CEO of Isabella Products, said that the program “…was established to help empower teachers with a new piece of technology that is simple to use and convenient for sharing student-based content from just about anywhere to the classroom.” The press release continued by describing how an elementary classroom in Tennessee is being paired with a class in New York, where they will use Vizits to swap photos and compare their lives and learning in the different states.
I think that this is a great global awareness activity and an excellent example of wall’less learning — and to be completely fair, I think that creative teachers could come up with some very clever and potent ways of using this technology, such as using the devices with autistic students to help them learn to identify feelings, as described in the press release. If I was a second grade teacher, without ubiquitous access to ICT for each of my students, and someone came in and gave us thirty Vizit devices for four months, I would be thrilled and eager to start pushing the envelope on these things.
But I would be settling for way too little.
The Vizit, as described so far, is limited, offering little more than what we and many of our children are already doing with cell phones, and way WAY less than what we’re doing with laptops and net books. Students, using the Vizit would not be reading (except words that have been photographed) nor would they be writing (except for words written and then photographed). It is not a literacy machine. My second graders would continue to spend most of their time pushing sticks across their paper and reading text that was stamped on pages months (or years) ago and miles away, trucked across the country, and handed out dead and stiff.
Sadly, educators will buy these technologies for their children because.. (phrases from the email & press release)
- “..they make learning more interesting, interactive and visual for students”
- “..schools are now adopting tech-savvy teaching formats”
- “..modern techniques is a great way to engage students”
- It is a “..new piece of technology that is simple to use”
OMG! Any teacher could use this! (sarcasm)
Could you do your job with 100 pictures a month? Neither can your learners.
Thank you for posting this review. I really appreciate knowing about a product before purchasing.
Thank you for the post, however I would like to make a few clarifications. Isabella is a consumer products company not an education company. Our Vizit the Schools program is a collaboration with individual teachers on creating enhanced user interaction. We were pleasantly shocked with the growing interest from teachers as to how photo sharing and other image-focused content could build personal relationships, learning, self-confidence, creativity, and other critical developmental aspects of childhood. I applaud their courage to assess and evaluate new technologies. I also want to point out that we don’t offer school pricing because we haven’t ever considered the school system as a ‘customer’. Vizit is already being used by families all across the country as a way for multiple generations to share memories and moments in real-time. The Vizit the School’s program has no cost to schools or teachers. We created it as a way for us to learn more about usability and human interaction. And although there are some inaccurate assumptions made in the post about what the technology can do or does, we’re certainly not of the mind that Vizit will revolutionize the education space. That is a human responsibility.
Matthew, thank you for your clarifications. As I stated in the addendum of this post, my objections are not to the Vizit product, which I find to be quite interesting and can see it as being idea for today’s geographically dispersed families.
I also want to thank you for affirmation of the inventive and dedicated teachers who are seeing your product for the potentials.
My objection is to companies who are pushing technologies into classrooms that are insufficient to 21st century learning that our children need, and even more so to educators who invest scarce funds based on the conception that technology and student engagement are the goals of 21st century learning rather than avenues.
Thanks again for your comment and for your very interesting product.
David,
I am posting for Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class. I have to agree with what you are saying here. Any and every teacher can use this, and should. It would definitely help with all students visually learning. However, yes it is simple and should not cost that much because it is so simple, but what is wrong with simple sometimes??
I do think it would be something easy to incorporate in the classrooms and use it as an extra learning tool. However, when they stated that it is a “modern” piece of technology I would have to disagree, especially if it can’t even compare to a laptop.
Thanks,
Tabitha Sexton
What was already discussed in the article about iPad, can be also applied here. Some of new gadgets are focused only on sharing omitting creating as a part of learning. I am sure that, in the educational sphere, the gadget can be most efficiently applied in nursery schools or kindergartens for the youngest learners, who perceive the reality through images.
I am writing for Dr. Strange’s EDM310 course. I can appreciate the use for which Vizits was created. However, I agree with Mr. David Warlick. Teachers and administrators are spending what little little funding they receive on products that claim to enhance learning potential, when in all actuality, do nothing of the sort. Vizit was not created to help teachers educate their students, so this comment so not pertain to them. But, there are several useful tools available to teachers and I not only agree, but encourage, they use them. What I do not recommend is purchasing a product that are insufficient to modern day learning. Just because a product says it works doesn’t mean it does! Teachers have the responsibility of researching the products they use in their classrooms and only allowing it to act as a supplementary tool. Technology means little without someone there to teach students how to use it. You can read more of my thoughts about this post on my blog. http://lordcaitlynedm310.blogspot.com
Thank you,
Caitlyn Lord
I think this type of technology is a step in the right direction but it also shows how far behind education is behind technologically. This is seems like it good be helful but students need more but this is a good start. Even something like google buzz which is free could be used in classrooms and involve even more interactions between students and other schools.
I am amazed by the opportunities students are receiving in the eduacational world. Given the resources knowing students can now meet and greet their pen pals from around the world is fascinating.
I teach middle school mathematics, however I also teach a writign class to 8th graders. I do implement much usage of our school labtops for both subjects. Now knowing that students can see other students through the internet, I feel I am going to try to see if this can be done in my school.
Students need to be aware that there are other places around the world that they have never seen. Being able to allow students to meet others from around the world will truly help in opening the eyes of my students to the world.