3D Printing

3D Printing:

      3D Printing is fast becoming the newest asset in technology. Since it's development it has gained a vast of amount of customers. The printing has immersed itself in all of the technologies and is getting cheaper in cost everyday. As the researchers, scientists, engineers and other users understand the full capabilities. There will truly will be a revolution in the marketplace for the services it will provide. Since the inception this type of printing years ago the 3D printer has become the new mainstay. From medicine to the other sciences the ability to print what is thought of and needed is no longer a problem.




    The major concerns are the technological, cultural, and environmental aspects of this action. Who is going to provide the required guidance to ensure that these aspects are met in the respective countries. If these aspects are no overseen properly then the benefits this aspect provides will be minimized.

Now What?

An examination of the process:

       The reading requirement this week was very interesting as it provided information on a very interesting topic. The required reading was of a case study called “The Newspaper Industry” (Wade, 2012). This study provided the information and data that showed various stages of the newspaper throughout time. In this way it was analyzed to provide scenario planning from the present until 2020. The information was broken into questions first as they covered the general and specific ones that had to be asked. These questions were presented to the select number of CEO’s and COO’s of the newspaper industry that participated in the scenario planning (Wade, 2012). The foundations and concerns of the newspapers are listed below.

      General questions:

·         If you could look into the future what would you like to know?

·         If the future unfolded according to your wishes, realistically but optimistically, what could it be like?

·         If the future unfolded in the wrong direction, what would you worry about? (Wade, 2012)

     Specific questions:

·         What kind of content will newspapers contain in 2020, and how will this differ from content in 2007

·         What three major changes need to happen in order for the newspaper industry to be successful in 2020?

·         How will newspaper revenue sources change between 2007 and 2020?

·         Who are newspapers’ competition in 2020 compared to with 2007 and how do newspapers compete with them?

·         What role do newspapers play in society in 2020 compared with 2007? (Wade, 2012)

   These questions when used properly provide the guidance that is necessary to plan effectively. In this way the scenario planning will address these questions overall in the completion process. All of the actions will be incorporated with the selection of the trends. These trends will form basis of the most important issues related to the newspapers. The trends that are the most relevant are listed below.

 

     Trends:

·         New revenue models

·         Multichannel strategies

·         User-generated content

·         Shifting importance from channel to content

·         Target market segmentation

·         More mobile broadband

·         Simplifying your life

·         Audience fragmentation (Wade, 2012)

   These trends are incorporated with the previous section and allow the scenarios to be created and implemented. This allows the scenarios to be based on valuable data that is critical to the newspaper. In this way a more extensive view is scene of the situation. Thus ensuring that a decision can be made that is based on relevant data and firmly grounded in the necessary facts.            

     The above figures (1 and 2) show the areas that form the foundation for the scenario when implemented. These areas were chosen as they were considered the most prominent. Figure 1 shows the areas that directly influence one another while Figure two shows the correlation of them all together. In viewing these one can see the relationships and how they can affect the decisions that need be made in accordance with their influence overall.

Planning and Innovation

     The planning and innovation for change is very evident and has been displayed throughout the summary thus far. The questions provide the framework that is used in conjunction with the trends. This action ensures that as the information changes the result will always be within the process. By changing the trends and the dates of the questions or the questions themselves, the planning and innovation will always be within the results. This will occur because the process is based on this set of actions and provides the foundation.

Forces Involved and Impact

        In viewing that has been discusses the forces that have the most influence are social and global. The newspaper is part of everything because it tells you what is going on. In addition the paper also information on the most relevant areas of interest to the specific area that is serves. Socially the concerns of the reader and are they being met by the information provided. In this study it was shown that the information could meet the needs and be timely. However the cost of the information was cheaper using the internet. The internet provided more options to receive the data such as Twitter, Facebook, and Skype just to name a few. The news is very accurate, detailed and is easily obtainable.

     When the examination of the news was completed in the scenario, the relevancy of the previously mentioned was not considered since they were not evaluated. Globally this has to be considered because the previously mentioned are restricted in other countries. In this instance the people and newspaper access is limited because they are controlled by the government. This has occurred in some Muslim countries that are currently fighting and the only news that is being transmitted is those that access to Twitter.

                                                                           Reference

Wade, W. (2012). Scenario planning: a field guide to the future. John Wiley & Sons.

How Animations can Help Scientists Test a Hypothesis

                                                                                      
Examining the area and its influence:

     The assignment this week provided some very aspects that are highly relevant. The article that was found was “How animations can help scientists test a hypothesis” (Iwasa, 2014). In reading this article there was some very useful information discovered. The author Janet Iwasa provides a visual outline of how animation is used to describe the processes and action of the previously mentioned. When incorporated properly the users of the animations will have a clearer picture of a particular process.

        This will allow them to make better decisions in their particular field. As the visual aspect can now be implemented to provide a clearer picture. In the medical field and other areas this is a significant gain in the use of technology and guidance.  The animation process allows for the effective use of communicating an idea and exploring the hypothesis. In the medical field this is extremely important. For example, the animation process can act a catalyst that feed back into the research process (Iwasa, 2014). This is completed when a researcher animates a particular test (figure.1) and more details are given and seen throughout the process. In this way a better foundation is gained that is more suitable for all involved.

                                                                     

                                                            Figure. 1

       Once these actions have been taken the validation of the information will be easier. This is because the process will be understood in a better manner and the found implementations will be more effective. The video provided information that was new to me as I never looked at the process in this way. In examining my views it was clear to see that my actions were limited at best.

       In the video the actions of the respective personnel are discussed and the results can be gauged. If this can be implemented on larger scale in a consistent manner then there will be a lot more success in the respective fields (Iwasa, 2014). This action has proven that it can be applied to all areas without compromising the specific actions.

       Too many times process have been adopted that required too much comprise and very little improvement overall. In this instance however the process has been proven to be every effective and have a firm foundation. Overall the process has been very effective and shown to be a winner on all fronts. With that in in mind expect this process to become the standard.

Technology: The use of the process can be very effective if supervised and implemented properly.

Cultural: This process can be used and not influence the cultural aspect in a negative way. This is true for most of population in the world. However, there those whose religion may discourage the implementation because of the process providing change outside of their control.

                                                                               Reference

Iwasa, J. (2014). How animations can help scientists test a hypothesis. Retrieved on November 3, 2014   from http://www.ted.com/talks/janet_iwasa_how_animations_can_help_scientists_test_a_hypothesis

The Technology and Trends of Higher Education

Examining the areas and their influence:

The technology and trends of higher education are very relevant in our society today. These two sections provide the course and adoption of the specific policies or actions that are the most relevant. In reviewing the information a clear process was established that showed the implementation of the previously mentioned. This action provided the guidance that was used. In addition it also set the basis for future actions in the respective fields.

The first area that will be discussed is the technology. The technology is the section that is based on ideas and processes. The previously mentioned uses materials, processes and ideas in a specific fashion to execute a given set of tasks. In this particular instance that technology is the virtual assistant (see figure 1.) ( http://generic.pixmac.com/4/royalty-free-images-3d-puppet-assisting-to-the-friend-in-a-trouble-12175597.jpg).

                                                         Figure 1.

The virtual assistant employs artificial intelligence and natural language processing to provide the users with a variety of tasks. In this way the user is able to effectively complete a given set of tasks with the proper support. For example, the user will be able to have a conversational interface with the smartphone or tablet. This will allow the user to speak/give guidance about the task and it will be executed based on their verbal instruction. In this way the virtual assistant will be able to track the user preferences and adapt them over time for the best possible use.

The functionality of the virtual assistant is based on the following technologies listed below.

     1. A conversational interface such as speakerphone, microphone or other related voice
         recognition devices. The device must have the ability to decipher meaning based on special
         algorithms usage.

     2. Personal context awareness allows the virtual assistant to understand specific nuances and
         keywords based on language.

    3. Service delegation allows mobile virtual assistants to access and communicate with the user's
        mobile apps.

The previously listed technologies provide a stable foundation for the virtual assistant to grow. In this way the technology will continued to be adapted and maintain a significant presence. Already the virtual assistant is providing more services to smartphone and tablet users. This is because the technology on which this is based is easy to implement and adapt over time.

However the lack of adaption in the schools is very clear. There is very little of the use as most of what is discussed is on a commercial level. The education system is slow to implement this actions as whole overall as standard process. This is because over a period of time what was once a good idea becomes bad.

They are slow to provide these in the classroom from the elementary to the college level because of the feared disruption of the students. In addition the other negative aspect is the use of this technology can become so commonplace that it will no longer monitored. Without the monitoring of the technology as whole, it will develop into a usage without any guidance and the customers will be taken advantage of by the service providers.
  
                                                   
                                                        Figure 2.

The trend that will be discussed ties in significantly with the previously mentioned technology. The trend that is so dependent on the technology also is online learning (Figure 2.). This has become the mantra of colleges and business alike when educating their personnel. Online learning provides another way of taking a course that is not in the standard format. In this instance that would be a classroom in a building with a instructor and all of the supporting requirements. The instructor has to be able to get and keep the attention of the students while they are in class. In addition the teacher must also provide the foundation for to complete assignments outside of the classroom. This is a tall order to reach and maintain for the school and instructor to maintain.

With the students of the last 20 years deciding that normal college was not for them. Mostly this was attributed to costs and time away for their jobs. The students sought other avenues to obtain/reach their educational goals. There were a few schools who provided the right education and accreditation and they cornered the market. As time went on more schools went the online way of operation and gained a significant market share.

The brick and mortar schools realized that they were losing a significant amount of money and took action. Because they were accredited by the right associations they were able to use this as a selling point. In this way they were able to retain or gain new student who would not otherwise attend. With so many students going online, the schools had to ensure that they were meeting the requirements and had something to offer the students.

In view of this the schools began to offer more degrees that were in common with the student.  To meet the requirements of the students and ensure consistency the schools worked on their support systems by providing better technology and operational procedures. In this way the schools were able to show that they were adaptive and meeting the needs of all.

 

                                                                     Reference

 

Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., Freeman, A. (2014). NMC Horizon Report 2014:Higher

 

            Education Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium

 

 

 

 

 

NGT versus the Delphi Mehod

A clear view of the methods:

The nominal group technique (NGT) and Delphi method have become very popular in their usage. These two methods have defined the way that decisions are made in a group aspect. In examining the process it can be scene that their actions are similar. However there are significant differences when completing a project or research action.

The nominal group technique provides actions that are more advantageous when time is of the essence. The decisions can me made easier because of the processes as they are shorter and not as time consuming. The group sizes are also smaller than the Delphi method. This can lead to the group having a more structured and disciplined process (Delbecq, Van De Ven, 1971). The key to these specific actions occurring is the leader. In this instance the leader must be purposeful and well informed of the actions (Delbecq, Van De Ven, 1971). This will allow the leader to provide the right amount of influence when necessary on the situation. The next aspect that will be examined is the Delphi method.

The Delphi method is more to the advantage when time is not pressing. This will allow the actions to be examined and completed in a more detailed manner. The size of the group is significant as it usually provides a more detailed response. This is because of the time allotted for research and the structure of the group itself. The group is comprised of well selected experts who are able to work on a consensus. This allows them to focus on solving the problem in a more definitive process. The actions of the process are listed below.

    1. The sample  consists of a "panel" of carefully selected experts representing a broad spectrum of
        opinion on the topic or issues being examined.

     2. Participants are usually anonymous

     3. The "moderator" (i.e. researcher) constructs a series of structured questionnaires and feedbacks
          feedback reports for the panel over the course of the Delphi.

     4. It is an iterative process often involving three to four iterations or "rounds" of questionnaires
         and feedback reports.

    5. There is an output typically in the form of a research report with Delphi results, the forecasts,
         policy and program options with their strengths and weaknesses, recommendations to senior
         management and, possibly, actions for developing and implementing the policies and programs
         (Loo, 2002).

The action previously listed provides a guideline for the Delphi method. This guideline will ensure that all of the requirements are where they should be. The NGT and Delphi method have shown there value in the process and one has to have to make a decision on the best use of each. With this is mind the comparison of the two processes are listed below.

     1. The facilitator or leader moderates/guides the action throughout the process.

     2. The solutions are examined accordingly and are reviewed and ranked.

     3. The actions of the participants are forecast orientated.

     4. All of the participants are encouraged to contribute as well as agree on the final action.

All of the actions have been proven to be very effective and provide a solvent foundation in their comparison. However a contrast must be made to be given a clearer view. The clear and precise listings are provided below.

NGT

    1. There is not any validation within the group of the ideas as they are not discussed jointly.

    2. All of the actions have a specific time limit.

    3. The thoughts or ideas are expressed individually.

    4. Individuals are not anonymous in this setting.

    5. The ideas or thoughts are not agreed upon as a group initially.

Delphi method

     1. The ideas are discussed jointly and validated as a group.

     2. There is not time limit on the actions.

     3. The respondents are anonymous.

     4. The leader has more into the decision making process as they provide a summary of the actions.

In competing this requirement a clear guide of what is required is shown. Meeting these requirements have provided solid process for the required actions. In this instance the best model to use would be nominal group technique. In the security field that I am employed in both of the processes are used.
However in competing the implementation of a security check for a specific violation.

The NGT action provides the best support. As the individual actions need to be private and not shared with the group as a whole in the initial action. In this way the views of the situation are given specific audience for a complex decision. This allows the investigator to have a definitive action and process that is more effective.

                                                                    Reference:

Delbecq, A. L., & Van de Ven, A. H. (1971). A group process model for problem identification and

       program planning. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 7(4), 466-492.

Loo, R. (2002). The Delphi method: a powerful tool for strategic management, Policing: An

 

       International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, Vol. 25 (4), 762 – 769. Retrieved on

 

       October 26, 2014 from http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ctu.idm.oclc.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1108