Investigation of Issues and Technology in
CPE
Introduction
The practice of continuing professional
education has been one that has seen substantial growth within the past decade.
Society is becoming more aware of the fact that employers require that their
employees need to be up to date with relevant skills and information, for there
is another company that is ready to take its place. Today’s market is more
competitive than ever, especially with the advent of globalization taking a
strong footing. With this being said, continuing professional education is
something that all too many people have difficulty with. These difficulties can
come in all shapes and sizes, and for the most part can be overlooked. There
has also been a significant increase in the development and use of technology
as well. It is without a doubt that a large portion of society has embraced the
use of technology, particularly within the education sector.
The objective of this paper is to
investigate the issues and technology that are relevant to continuing
professional education. More specifically, this paper sets out to find what
technologies have been developed or currently being developed to tackle two of
continuing professional education’s biggest issues, which are time constraints
and cost. Those who wish to engage in continuing professional education often
find that time constraints and cost play a major factor in whether there is an
opportunity to partake in activities or not. However, there are multiple uses
of technology that have given professionals the opportunity to continue their
education, while minimizing costs and with little disruption to their daily
routine.
There are a couple different
technologies that will be investigated with regards to time constraints/costs
and continuing professional education. The technologies that will be analyzed
are cloud computing and video conferencing. Each of these technologies helps to
combat the dilemma of not having enough time and/or money for continuing
professional education. What makes these technologies so beneficial is that
they allow companies and professionals to utilize the tools with ease and in
some instances at a minimal cost. While there are many examples of cloud
computing and video conferencing, the examples that will be of focus for this
paper include CISCO’s TelePresence, GoToMeeting, and Google Drive. Each of
these technologies have unique attributes available to continuing education
professionals, and each have practical uses for continuing professional
education today.
Video Conferencing
The first technology that will be analyzed
comes from the tech company CISCO, and is called TelePresence. According to
CISCO’s website, this technology “places people at the center of the
collaboration and video experience, empowering them to work together in new
ways to transform business, accelerate innovation, and do more with less. It’s
next generation video conferencing, where everyone, everywhere can be
face-to-face and more effective through the most natural and lifelike
communications experience available (CISCO, 2012) .” As seen
from this previous statement, there are many benefits that CISCO’s TelePresence
has to offer in terms of helping alleviate the issue of time constraints when
it comes to continuing professional education. For example, this particular technology
was developed with the notion that people should not have to sacrifice the
quality of having a face-to-face interaction when collaborating with other
people. The application this has for continuing professional education is that
it would allow professionals to hold large-scale meetings from multiple
locations at the same time. What this essentially means is that educators could
utilize this particular technology to reach those in remote locations without
the option of making travel arrangements. TelePresence is also scalable, so
educators could tailor the product to whatever size needed. Whether it is a
large classroom of two hundred, or just a group of a dozen, this particular
technology is a viable asset to utilize.
CISCO TelePresence has also the
benefit of offering a wide variety of models that offer different solutions for
individuals. Each model that is offered through CISCO has a unique intended
application. With regards to continuing professional education, it would be
difficult to choose just one model that would apply to all circumstances.
However, one model that may prove to be a valuable choice is the CISCO
TelePresence System 3000 Series. With this particular series, there is the
ability for an educator to utilize multiple endpoints, or locations where
students could videoconference. Each endpoint allows up to six participants
within a boardroom setting (CISCO, 2012) . What is
intuitive about this is that educators would be able to provide greater access
to students, thus reducing the constraints of time associated with having to
meet a one static location.
Another technology that could prove
to be of use to continuing professional education is also video conferenced based.
However, this is more geared towards those who would like to use their
computers. The name of this particular technology is GoToMeeting, and has its
potential applications in continuing professional education. With this
particular technology, there are essentially four simple, key steps or elements
that a student or educator would go about using GoToMeeting:
1. The educator would start GoToMeeting on
their computer or mobile device.
2. The educator would invite students to the
meeting. The audio can be either by mic on the computer or by phone.
3. The educator would then turn on his or
her webcam and utilize the HDFaces video conferencing feature.
4. The educator would finally share their
screen so that the students could see what the educator is seeing (GoToMeeting, 2012) .
With
GoToMeeting, educators are given the unique ability to instruct students from
virtually anywhere in the world. As long as a student has a computer and
Internet access, that individual is able to connect with his or her educators.
Now that there has been an analysis
of two separate video conferencing technologies, it is time to examine the
similarities and differences of each, as well as possibly determine which is
more applicable to continuing professional education. For starters, one obvious
similarity between the two is the ability to use both audio and video
capabilities. When dealing with continuing professional education, it is almost
safe to say that there will always be the need to provide content in a visual
and audio form that resembles a face-to-face interaction.
Both of these technologies allow an
educator to have a visual of the other person, which provides an experience
that cannot be replicated through a telephone or email conversation. CISCO’s
TelePresence and GoToMeeting also share the similarity of allowing individuals
the opportunity to collaborate from multiple locations. This particular
similarity essentially helps reduce the issue of time constraints that are
placed on an individual. Instead of the hassle of having to travel great
distances to a meeting, a student can simply set up shop at a different
location.
Another similarity with both TelePresence
and GoToMeeting is the potential costs associated with each. One of the biggest
issues facing continuing professional education is financing the various initiatives.
Whether the costs stem from renting a location and technical equipment or the
cost of travel, each of the previously mentioned technologies has its own
strengths. For instance, the travel costs associated with holding a conference
or training session that requires individuals to fly can be staggering.
However, by utilizing video conferencing, educators and students are able to
collaborate from great distances without the need to spend a substantial amount
of money on airline tickets.
Despite the similarities that each
video conferencing technology displays, there are also a number of differences
that sets each apart. For example, with the CISCO TelePresence, these solutions
are typically meant to have static locations. What this means for educators is
that if he or she wants to implement a video conferencing solution, then there
must be a strong assurance that the locations will enable students to have
quick and easy access. This may not always be the case, for it would not be
cost efficient to have numerous solutions installed for each student’s
convenience. However, with GoToMeeting, the cost effectiveness associated with
this technology seems to be a more logical choice. As mentioned previously, as
long as an educator or student has access to a computer and Internet, then that
person essentially has access to GoToMeeting. Unlike CISCO’s TelePresence,
GoToMeeting’s application is installed on a person’s computer and allows the
individual to change locations if they so choose.
Cloud Computing
The second technology that will be
analyzed with regards to the issues facing continuing professional education is
cloud computing. Cloud computing is basically storing and accessing information
and applications from a remote location. This type of technology has been
around for some time, but has just recently taken off as a full service
solution. One example of cloud computing that is very popular in society is
called Google Drive. This particular application used to be called Google
Documents, or Google Docs. This is a technology that allows individuals to
create and share documents, spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, as well as
other pieces of information. What makes this technology unique however is the
ability for multiple individuals to work on the same document or presentation
simultaneously. For example, an educator could post a document with a series of
questions on it and share that document with ten different students. Each
student would have the ability to see the document and make changes to it. When
a change is made, not only does it affect the document that person is looking
at, the changes are reflected on everyone else’s document as well.
This has been one particular
technology could also prove very useful for those in continuing professional
education. One of the biggest advantages of using Google Drive is the cost
associated with it, which is offered free for a set amount of storage. This is
one instance in which professionals could really save some money, for any money
that is being spent on an alternative means of collaboration could
theoretically be save using Google Drive. Another benefit with this particular
solution is the convenience and possible time saving attributes associated with
it. Just like GoToMeeting, Google Drive is available to anyone as long as they
have a computer and Internet access. And just like GoToMeeting, this
essentially means that an individual can collaborate with other people from
virtually anywhere.
Although there are benefits to using
a cloud-based solution such as Google Drive, there are also some drawbacks to
using this type of technology. For example, Google Drive does not offer video
or audio capabilities. What this means is any educational or training
initiatives that wanted to be implemented would have to rely solely on visual
aids, such as Word documents and PowerPoint presentations. This could prove to
be a difficulty for those who prefer a more traditional setting where one could
see and hear who was speaking. Another drawback to this type of solution is
that it can be at times rather difficult to know what another person is
thinking when making changes to a document or presentation, especially since
there is no verbal or visual communication taking place.
Cloud computing and video
conferencing are two technologies that will for the most part help combat the
issue of time and cost associated with continuing professional education. While
these are not meant to replace the traditional method of having an actual
face-to-face meeting in a classroom setting, both of the previously mentioned
technologies do have a place in continuing professional education. However, in
order for these two technologies to be effective, there is a need to understand
the educational situation and utilize the technologies accordingly.
Works Cited
CISCO. (2012,
October 8). CISCO TelePresence System 3000 Series. Retrieved October 8,
2012, from CISCO: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps8333/index.html
CISCO. (2012, October 8). TelePresence: In-Person
Experiences for All. Retrieved Octber 8, 2012, from CISCO:
http://www.cisco.com/web/telepresence/telepresence-basics.html
GoToMeeting. (2012, October 8). How it Works.
Retrieved October 8, 2012, from GoToMeeting:
http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/online_meeting
