Passion For Technology Research Articles

Impression of Metaverse on Gen Z Customers in the Hotel Industry

The metaverse is having a revolutionary effect on Gen Z customers in the hotel industry. With Gen Z’s passion for technology, hotels may make use of the metaverse to allow guests to explore and book based on virtual experiences. Their preferences are catered to through virtual tours, customized interactions, and social areas. In keeping with Gen Z’s need for distinctive, adaptable experiences, the metaverse also provides venues for virtual conferences and events. Virtual co-working spaces take advantage of the growing trend of remote work, while digital concierge services improve client care. Metaverse gives hotels the ability to design captivating, technologically advanced spaces that satisfy Gen Z’s demand for unique, creative, and socially engaged vacation experiences. This study aims to focus on the Impression of the metaverse on Gen Z customers in the Hotel Industry. The study was done using qualitative research on Gen Z customers. The study unveils that Gen Z customers are likely to use the metaverse, they value it for immersive experiences and better personalization in hotels. Future studies should examine how Metaverse will affect them in the long term and how their expectations change as Metaverse tech improves.

Welcome to ISG-Grandmaster Anthea Tinker!

Anthea Tinker, 7th Grandmaster of the International Society for Gerontechnology (ISG), has a passion for technology and older people, while stressing, for instance, housing for Ageing-in-Place as early as 1976. Currently in her eighties she is still active in international projects. The breadth and depth of her passion is shown in this issue of Gerontechnology journal.

Welcome to ISG-Grandmaster Anthea Tinker!

Anthea Tinker, 7th Grandmaster of the International Society for Gerontechnology (ISG), has a passion for technology and older people, while stressing, for instance, housing for Ageing-in-Place as early as 1976. Currently in her eighties she is still active in international projects. The breadth and depth of her passion is shown in this issue of Gerontechnology journal.

Eternal Present? From McLuhan’s Global Village to Artificial Intelligence

Herbert Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) was a Canadian philosopher, philologist, literary scholar and media expert. Andy Warhol famously said that in the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes. As for McLuhan’s fame, it stretched over decades. His ideas that technology can influence and shape society have been widely discussed up to this day. McLuhan’s work is regarded as an important conceptual contribution to media theory, and his term ‘global village’ is widely used by students and scholars, practitioners and theorists in the field of communication. The authors of this article attempt to analyze the contribution of McLuhan, as a communication expert and influential technodeterminist, to understanding the media of the 21st century. It is concluded that, despite the abundant criticism regarding the naivety and “unscientific” nature of his approach, the lack of empirical evidence for the theory he put forward, his passion for technology, as well as his belief in the decisive role of the media in the development of culture and society, McLuhan’s ideas still inspire researchers. The concept of ‘global village’ in the modern information world has not only retained its relevance - it describes the laws of the functioning of the digital society in the best possible way. The Internet and social networks have confirmed Marshall’s postulate that communication technologies enable people to become increasingly involved in one another’s lives.

How smart experiences build service loyalty: The importance of consumer love for smart voice assistants

AbstractSmart voice assistants (SVAs) have emerged as new artificial intelligence service platforms. They have the capacity to act like actual human assistants and modify traditional forms of human–computer interactions. So, consumers relate to their SVA as though it was a person, despite knowing that they are interacting with a machine. Based on the stimulus‐organism‐response framework, this paper examines feelings of love that consumers develop for SVAs when they are interacting. It proposes that these feelings act as the psychological mechanism to transmit the effect of consumers' experiences with the technology (i.e., smart experiences) on their service loyalty. Feelings of love are conceptualized following the triangular theory of love that considers three components: passion, intimacy, and commitment. Service loyalty refers to consumers' intentions to continue using SVAs in the future and to recommend SVAs to other people through physical and/or electronic word of mouth communication. The results show that smart experiences influence consumers' passion for technology, while passion explains their intimacy and commitment. Consumer intimacy and commitment for SVAs lead to service loyalty. Therefore, this paper contributes to research focusing on the importance of consumers' feelings for SVAs and shedding light on the process that drives to service loyalty.

STEM for All on the SS Freshspring: VR Tour

Over the past year the world has changed dramatically. With greater restrictions on accessibility, the need to provide innovative and distributable remote experiences is now more prominent than ever. BMT has partnered with the SS Freshspring Trust to create multi-generational STEM experiences. “Preserving the past to inspire knowledge for the future”. The SS Freshspring Trust have a vision to become a STEM hub by utilising cutting-edge technology. BMT have extensive experience in developing VR applications in the Maritime Domain. With skills shortfalls in many engineering disciplines, there is a need to inspire future generations into careers in STEM. Equally, many adults have a passion for technology and have valuable skills to offer to STEM projects. This paper uses the historic vessel SS Freshspring, a 1940s RFA Fresh Water Carrier currently being restored in North Devon, as the basis for exploring a range of initiatives and activities aimed at making engineering and technology interesting and accessible to all. The specific focus is on the development of an interactive 3D virtual tour, aiming to provide access to a wide audience by targeting a range of modalities including smartphones, internet browsers, and most consumer VR headsets.

IN MEMORIAM: MATTHEW S. BRENNESHOLTZ

Top: Brennesholtz was a familiar face at Display Week. MATTHEW S. BRENNESHOLTZ, A LONGTIME SID member who had been active in the Mid-Atlantic Chapter and twice served as its chair, passed away on August 2, 2020, at his home in Pleasantville, New York. He was 73 years old. Brennesholtz was born in Orange, New Jersey, and briefly spent time as a Navy helicopter pilot. After receiving his bachelor's degree and a master's degree in engineering from Cornell University, he turned his professional focus to the display industry, where he would spend the next four decades. He worked on a range of display technologies, starting with the design and manufacturing of cathode-ray tubes (CRTs) at GTE/Sylvania and Philips. He was also involved in the design and testing of optical components for television and projection display systems. He held some 23 patents. Brennesholtz was named a Senior Member of SID in 2005; the designation is used to recognize individuals who've made significant technical contributions to the advancement of displays and actively participated in the display community and SID. In the latter half of his career, he became known for his thoroughly-researched writings about displays. Brennesholtz was the co-author of Projection Displays, an exhaustive textbook on optical and mechanical systems in electronic projection displays, and the author or co-author of 16 technical papers for various publications. He frequently wrote for Information Display, was a regular contributor for DisplayDaily.com, and served as an analyst for Insight Media, contributing to the company's newsletters and reports, among other things. “His keen intellect, probing questions, passion for technology and folksy writing style made his contributions a must-read,” says Chris Chinnock, Insight Media's owner, who first met Brennesholtz more than 15 years ago. “Nothing fazed Matt, and he was also easy to be around. I am so saddened by his passing as he was a friend who will be greatly missed.” That sentiment is shared, not only by Brennesholtz's colleagues and readers but also by the companies he covered. “Matt was well trusted and well connected in the industry, and this made him a very effective journalist,” says John Kymissis, SID treasurer and a former Mid-Atlantic Chapter director. “At SID, SMPTE meetings, and other events, he was usually there with a camera and questions. Exhibitors loved to speak with him knowing their technology would appear that week in any of several venues with a thorough and accurate review.” Kymissis, who teaches courses on solid-state devices and display technology at Columbia University, recalls, too, how generous Brennesholtz was with his time, coming to campus once a year to speak to Kymissis's classes about projectors and optics. “One of the things that always amused the students was his critique of the relatively terrible projectors we have on campus. He was able to use the imperfections of our various projectors to explain how [the technology] worked.” A devoted husband and father, Brennesholtz's pastimes included writing fiction, bike riding, drawing, and photography. Indeed, according to his family, he spent most Sundays on his bike, photographing the outside of New York City subway stations and the defunct New York, Westchester, and Boston Railway. At the time of his passing, he was getting ready for his weekly bike ride through New York City. He is survived by his wife Libby, his three daughters Rachel, Eleanor, and Margaret, and his grandson Paul. The family says a memorial service will be held sometime in 2021 when restrictions on travel and public gatherings have eased. Instead of flowers, they ask that friends and colleagues simply continue Brennesholtz's spirit of kindness. Go to InformationDisplay.org to read these and other ID articles by Matthew S. Brennesholtz: A Friend and Colleague Bottom: Bike riding was one of his many passions.

Incorporating iPad Technology: Creating More Effective Language Classrooms

Technology today plays a significant role in the lives of many students who are part of a technology-driven culture that they have grown up with. It would seem unimaginable for young adults today to communicate or exchange ideas without using technology. The plethora of devices competing with the computer, from smartphones to tablets, just to name a few, have provided students with the ability to communicate and get information with unprecedented accessibility and speed. Because visual culture, youth culture, and digital media go hand in hand today, it is only logical that classrooms move beyond the traditional methods of teaching, which no longer seem compatible with student expectations or the needs of today's workforce, and utilize this passion for technology. Fully incorporating technology in the classroom is inevitable, and utilizing students' passion for technology can act as a catalyst for motivating them to work. This article presents the benefits of utilizing the iPad in the ESL classroom, showing how lessons can become more effective, paving the way for more motivating and engaging English language learning. It also provides information which guides ESL teachers in choosing appropriate apps for transformative lessons and information on apps that have been used in ESL classrooms.

Teacher beliefs and technology integration practices: A critical relationship

Early studies indicated that teachers' enacted beliefs, particularly in terms of classroom technology practices, often did not align with their espoused beliefs. Researchers concluded this was due, at least in part, to a variety of external barriers that prevented teachers from using technology in ways that aligned more closely with their beliefs. However, many of these barriers (access, support, etc.) have since been eliminated in the majority of schools. This multiple case-study research was designed to revisit the question, ''How do the pedagogical beliefs and classroom technology practices of teachers, recognized for their technology uses, align?'' Twelve K-12 classroom teachers were purposefully selected based on their award-winning technology practices, supported by evidence from personal and/or classroom websites. Follow-up interviews were conducted to examine the correspondence between teachers' classroom practices and their pedagogical beliefs. Results suggest close alignment; that is student-centered beliefs undergirded student-centered practices (authenticity, student choice, collaboration). Moreover, teachers with student-centered beliefs tended to enact student-centered curricula despite technological, administrative, or assessment barriers. Teachers' own beliefs and attitudes about the relevance of technology to students' learning were perceived as having the biggest impact on their success. Additionally, most teachers indicated that internal factors (e.g., passion for technology, having a problem-solving mentality) and support from others (administrators and personal learning networks) played key roles in shaping their practices. Teachers noted that the strongest barriers preventing other teachers from using technology were their existing attitudes and beliefs toward technology, as well as their current levels of knowledge and skills. Recommendations are made for refocusing our professional development efforts on strategies for facilitating changes in teachers' attitudes and beliefs.

Growing Healthy Habits: Integrating Gardening and Nutrition Education Into the Elementary Classroom

Virtual garden learning will prepare children for real garden production and garden sales. Evaluation: Evaluation will be conducted by administering preand posttest surveys with youths engaged in the virtual world. Conclusions and Implications: Children, through their passion for technology and use of social media, feel connected with peers. They have an awareness of the issues and should be empowered to be part of a healthier solution. Children will be given the opportunity to virtually grow healthy food and experience healthy outcomes and encouraged to transfer their knowledge to the real world. This project was funded in part by USDA SNAP-Ed funding.

Why American business demands twenty‐first century learning: A company perspective

Microsoft is an innovative corporation demonstrating the kind and caliber of job skills needed in the twenty-first century. It demonstrates its commitment to twenty-first century skills by holding its employees accountable to a set of core competencies, enabling the company to run effectively. The author explores how Microsoft's core competencies parallel the Partnership for 21st Century Skills learning frameworks. Both require advanced problem-solving skills and a passion for technology, both expect individuals to be able to work in teams, both look for a love of learning, and both call for the self-confidence to honestly self-evaluate. Microsoft also works to cultivate twenty-first century skills among future workers, investing in education to help prepare young people for competitive futures. As the need for digital literacy has become imperative, technology companies have taken the lead in facilitating technology training by partnering with schools and communities. Microsoft is playing a direct role in preparing students for what lies ahead in their careers. To further twenty-first century skills, or core competencies, among the nation's youth, Microsoft has established Partners in Learning, a program that helps education organizations build partnerships that leverage technology to improve teaching and learning. One Partners in Learning grantee is Global Kids, a nonprofit organization that trains students to design online games focused on global social issues resonating with civic and global competencies. As Microsoft believes the challenges of competing in today's economy and teaching today's students are substantial but not insurmountable, such partnerships and investments demonstrate Microsoft's belief in and commitment to twenty-first century skills.