TechDino's Reflections on TechEd Innovation

         Second Life, an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab, allows users to interact with one another through avatars, build virtual objects, and create and trade virtual property and services.   Phillip Rosedale, founder of Linden Lab, claims that individuals, through Second Life, are able to begin again by transforming self and creating a new identity; and these new identities can be replicated in virtual worlds (Rosedale, 2008).   Fox, Bailenson, and Ricciardi (2012) support research findings that virtual representations of the self can actually influence attitude and behavior change in reality.   Since its inception in 2003, Second Life has disrupted the way individuals interact with each other in virtual environments on the Internet.             Thornburg states that disruptive technology is one of the six major forces that explain how new technologies emerge (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).   He defines a disruptive technology as a new technology that suddenly ap

RHYMES OF HISTORY TECHNOLOGY             Thornburgh suggests that there are six factors that drive emerging technologies and seek to explain how and why these technologies are adopted: evolutionary technologies, rhymes of history, disruptive technologies, science fiction, increasing returns, and Red Queens (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009b).   More specifically, he states that the force called rhymes of history demonstrates how societal events of the past have influenced today’s emerging technology, and thus the affect or impact of new technology rekindles something from the distant past (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009a). One example he presented to illustrate rhymes of history is the use of social networking tools, such as Facebook and MySpace, among adolescents rekindles water hole gathers from ancient times.   Just like social networking is not just a place to keep abreast with what’s going on, but also serves as a social gathering, which allows individuals to chat and socialize