The way I look at it is that the Web itself has always been able to do the functions of "Web 2.0." People have just started to produce programs, templates, and web sites that make it seem like a new version of the Web. I have never blogged or wikied before this class, just never had the interest in it. And after doing these things I still don't like it. I do think that it is a great way for people to communicate and discuss things that they have a common interest in. I have not had any classes online so when it comes to using Web 2.0 for learning I cant say that I like or dislike it, but next quarter I will find out. I have used sites that use Web 2.0 processes but I did not interact with the site itself, just gathered the information I needed and went on tho the next site.
So as for Web 2.0 helping me learn, no not yet but I am sure that will change next quarter.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
2.0h yeah!
All i can say is that I love Web 2.0.
I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of sites like youtube, I do use them every once in a while. i guess it's not that i am not a fan, i just don't hang out on the site for hours like others. In a weird way i kind of agree with that Andrew Keen guy when he talks about 2.0 under minding mainstream media but i don't think that it could get to the point where no media professionals, like mscians, will be wiped out. As for the rest of his argument, i think its crap. Maybe thats the real difference between an digital native and others, we are much more open minded about things. We tend to adapt and figure things out as we go, we have been doing it since the beginning and it has worked thus far. By nature, we are improvisors...
I am proud of the fact that i am taking part in the building one of the most important and influential things in history, the Web. That is one of the reasons why i chose the web design field. Maybe there needs to be better filtering and maybe there needs to be some kind of editing but the just the idea Web 2.0 gets me all worked up. To me it's like we are all cavemen (or cavewomen) making drawings on the wall of a cave. We get a chance to leave our stories around for anyone who wants to find and read them.
On a side note, i really thought that the woman who was spitting that crazy rhyme on the lecture video this week had a good point. Her message was good and the way she told it was awesome. Her method for getting her message across was really effective. I wanted her to keep going when she stopped. I do like Myspace but I don't check it every hour and i don't sit on it for long periods of time. It is just a means for me to shout at my friends that i don't get a chance to talk to very often I think that there is a point when we should draw the line and keep things to ourselves.
Final thought...this weeks lectures and videos had some good stuff in them to think about, I really liked them.
I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of sites like youtube, I do use them every once in a while. i guess it's not that i am not a fan, i just don't hang out on the site for hours like others. In a weird way i kind of agree with that Andrew Keen guy when he talks about 2.0 under minding mainstream media but i don't think that it could get to the point where no media professionals, like mscians, will be wiped out. As for the rest of his argument, i think its crap. Maybe thats the real difference between an digital native and others, we are much more open minded about things. We tend to adapt and figure things out as we go, we have been doing it since the beginning and it has worked thus far. By nature, we are improvisors...
I am proud of the fact that i am taking part in the building one of the most important and influential things in history, the Web. That is one of the reasons why i chose the web design field. Maybe there needs to be better filtering and maybe there needs to be some kind of editing but the just the idea Web 2.0 gets me all worked up. To me it's like we are all cavemen (or cavewomen) making drawings on the wall of a cave. We get a chance to leave our stories around for anyone who wants to find and read them.
On a side note, i really thought that the woman who was spitting that crazy rhyme on the lecture video this week had a good point. Her message was good and the way she told it was awesome. Her method for getting her message across was really effective. I wanted her to keep going when she stopped. I do like Myspace but I don't check it every hour and i don't sit on it for long periods of time. It is just a means for me to shout at my friends that i don't get a chance to talk to very often I think that there is a point when we should draw the line and keep things to ourselves.
Final thought...this weeks lectures and videos had some good stuff in them to think about, I really liked them.
Online Identity
When I first joined a social network, I was very interested in meeting people and communicating. The more I commented and offered my opinions, the more I began to realize that people are much less inhibited in an online environment. I was always taught to be respectful to others, and this of course carried over to my online activity. It seems that not everyone shares this sentiment. It's amazing what some people will say when they think no one is really listening; like there's no one on the other side of their comments and remarks, reading the nasty things they'll write. Luckily I have not been the butt of too many unnecessary attacks, but it is a very real occurrence.
More than the intentional attacks, it seems to me that I have had and continue to have a problem trying to convey myself in an accurate way when there is no face to face contact. I am a person that enjoys a little sarcasm and dry humor. I am a person that uses a little sarcasm and dry humor in my communication with others. Sarcasm and dry humor don't always translate well to the written word. I sometimes find myself having a very hard time conveying my true meaning without the person I'm addressing knowing my personality. I have offended more than one person this way.
Who a person truly is can be a hard thing to know. Even with people we live next to, work with, attend church or school with, it's difficult to tell if we actually know them. So how do we know people we never actually see or have physical contact with? Does the fact that you know that I am 30 years old, my sign is Cancer, my favorite bands are Tool and Pearl Jam, and my favorite movie is Almost Famous, mean that you know me? Probably not. You could probably find half a million other people's profiles that offer very similar information. Does the fact that I have shared some personal stories here on this blog mean you know me?
All these things help a person who hasn't met me form an opinion of me, but how accurate is that opinion? It's hard to say. I'd like to believe that I've made some real friends online with people that I share common interests with; but what if they're serial killers, posting and commenting on photography online to pass the time between kills? My point is that this "society" that has been created through the World Wide Web and Web 2.0 may all just be a house of cards. Or maybe I'm just paranoid and cynical.
I don't mean to present myself as a critic of the online world. It's actually the contrary, I'm a big fan of it. I just worry that somehow we are losing who we really are and the value of human contact. I email my family and friends that live out of state fairly often, but it's a poor substitute for actually being able to see them and laugh with them.
I have noticed over the past few years that the more time I spend online, communicating and sharing, the more comfortable I become. Is this a reflection of personal growth or just a familiarity with the media? A little of both maybe.
More than the intentional attacks, it seems to me that I have had and continue to have a problem trying to convey myself in an accurate way when there is no face to face contact. I am a person that enjoys a little sarcasm and dry humor. I am a person that uses a little sarcasm and dry humor in my communication with others. Sarcasm and dry humor don't always translate well to the written word. I sometimes find myself having a very hard time conveying my true meaning without the person I'm addressing knowing my personality. I have offended more than one person this way.
Who a person truly is can be a hard thing to know. Even with people we live next to, work with, attend church or school with, it's difficult to tell if we actually know them. So how do we know people we never actually see or have physical contact with? Does the fact that you know that I am 30 years old, my sign is Cancer, my favorite bands are Tool and Pearl Jam, and my favorite movie is Almost Famous, mean that you know me? Probably not. You could probably find half a million other people's profiles that offer very similar information. Does the fact that I have shared some personal stories here on this blog mean you know me?
All these things help a person who hasn't met me form an opinion of me, but how accurate is that opinion? It's hard to say. I'd like to believe that I've made some real friends online with people that I share common interests with; but what if they're serial killers, posting and commenting on photography online to pass the time between kills? My point is that this "society" that has been created through the World Wide Web and Web 2.0 may all just be a house of cards. Or maybe I'm just paranoid and cynical.
I don't mean to present myself as a critic of the online world. It's actually the contrary, I'm a big fan of it. I just worry that somehow we are losing who we really are and the value of human contact. I email my family and friends that live out of state fairly often, but it's a poor substitute for actually being able to see them and laugh with them.
I have noticed over the past few years that the more time I spend online, communicating and sharing, the more comfortable I become. Is this a reflection of personal growth or just a familiarity with the media? A little of both maybe.
Down to the wire...
So in this entry, I'm getting it just in time.
Focusing on the prompt from the lecture, Web 2.0 hasn't affected my learning much at all, not in the traditional, institutionalized way - public eduction. Of course this class is different. It's affecting me quite a bit. And as for being a self-learner, Web 2.0 has definitely educated me - from understanding educational theory all the way to learning how to fold a shirt in one sweeping motion.
But Web 2.0 has directly affected the way I taught when I was a high school teacher. Although I didn't know it at the time, I was using Web 2.0 as a tool to educate or to reinforce characterization, theme, dialogue, and setting in books that were read for the classroom, most noticeably Catcher in the Rye. Being a firm believer of tailoring teaching so that content is applicable to students' lives, I strove to bring texts down a notch, within the realm of the student. Once on their level, I helped push their thinking. MySpace, I'm sure, loved me. Groups had to create a shared mySpace account for one of the character from the book. They were to create a mini-network and justification for the network. Holden wouldn't necessarily befriend Maurice, the pimp in charge of the prostitute with whom Holden just couldn't "get in the mood." However, if they chose "to be" Maurice, an agreeable match-up had to be created. Profile pictures were to be added (school appropriate of course), comments were to be made, and customization had to be selected. Students loved this assignment. They dove deeply into the inner-workings of characters, which provided great content for class. It was encouraging to see non-students wanting to get in on the discussion for those that were familiar with the book. They became part of the exchange after becoming friends with Holden, Stradlater, or his sister, Phoebe. People began teaching people. These accounts have since been deleted, but I know that the students will remember this assignment.
the internet...the life line?
I too am taking 2 online classes this quarter, Human Anatomy and Physiology and of course this one. I have taken previous online courses prior to this quarter, but by far I have to say that this one has brought so much more to the table for me than any of the others.
I use the web everyday, several times a day. Not just for school, but for everything! If I need to find as address or a phone number to a local business I log online, or if I want to surf the web, its a daily part of my life. My husband jokes and says that its like a life line to me and that I would totally be lost without it, and sometimes I agree sadly but it is what it is right?! I know that I am not the only person that uses the web at least once a day be it for a school assignment or strictly out of fun, but its sort of an addiction. I want to see what's new out there, read things recently posted to our blog and to others as well. Has the Internet became a life line to me and to thousands of others out there? I don't know but I sure do enjoy having all of the amazing and wonderful technology that is offered from it :o)
I use the web everyday, several times a day. Not just for school, but for everything! If I need to find as address or a phone number to a local business I log online, or if I want to surf the web, its a daily part of my life. My husband jokes and says that its like a life line to me and that I would totally be lost without it, and sometimes I agree sadly but it is what it is right?! I know that I am not the only person that uses the web at least once a day be it for a school assignment or strictly out of fun, but its sort of an addiction. I want to see what's new out there, read things recently posted to our blog and to others as well. Has the Internet became a life line to me and to thousands of others out there? I don't know but I sure do enjoy having all of the amazing and wonderful technology that is offered from it :o)
Everything Web 2.0
I mean everything I learn today is from the Web and when my daughters have a question, guess what, yep the Web. Just last night both my daughters we're asking me what the seven wonders of the world are. Well of course I start rattling off "The ancient wonders of the world" get stuck on about 4 and realize we need to be on the Web looking this stuff up, by the way the there are modern wonders I learned about too. So we are going through this stuff and learning together, and of course there's words that can't be pronounced. So naturally we navigate to dictionary.com and look up the words and have them pronounced for us using wav files.
The web has also given me the opprotunity to cross-reference anything anybody says anytime. I love this new ability because it thwarts the spread of misinformation. Just the other day somebody was talking about Jesse Owens and about the 1936 Olympics, they was totally screwing up the facts so I immediately started looking this stuff up and showing them the facts, and together we learn about stuff way before our time, watched a video of it on YouTube and came away enlighten on the whole subject.
The web has also given me the opprotunity to cross-reference anything anybody says anytime. I love this new ability because it thwarts the spread of misinformation. Just the other day somebody was talking about Jesse Owens and about the 1936 Olympics, they was totally screwing up the facts so I immediately started looking this stuff up and showing them the facts, and together we learn about stuff way before our time, watched a video of it on YouTube and came away enlighten on the whole subject.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Oh, Technology.
Spam filters are the devil.
That said, it's been a pleasure to take an online course that I actually felt a part of. I'm actually a part of two different online courses here at COTC. The first is the typical Black Board course that is all about writing papers and emailing them in while you discuss a topic on the boards. Fun fun. The other being this one. In my college experiences, I've never taken a course quite like this one. I had fun being a part of it. That's a novel idea. I've always found myself doing better when I was having fun, be it at work or otherwise. I love technology and actually being able to use it in all of it's different shapes and sizes proved the importance of the message this course put out there. I personally believe that there need to be more courses like this one and more teachers like the one we have.
That said, it's been a pleasure to take an online course that I actually felt a part of. I'm actually a part of two different online courses here at COTC. The first is the typical Black Board course that is all about writing papers and emailing them in while you discuss a topic on the boards. Fun fun. The other being this one. In my college experiences, I've never taken a course quite like this one. I had fun being a part of it. That's a novel idea. I've always found myself doing better when I was having fun, be it at work or otherwise. I love technology and actually being able to use it in all of it's different shapes and sizes proved the importance of the message this course put out there. I personally believe that there need to be more courses like this one and more teachers like the one we have.
Blogging down the barriers
I have been having just the best time, reading the writings of my students (and colleagues) on this blog. Something has happened here that I'm not sure the participants are aware of, but it is both significant and wonderful.
Supposedly we're all here to experience an immersion in Web 2.0 technology, but this blog was really an experiment to get out of the formality of the distance ed structure. One of the common complaints of distance learning is the isolation of the student from the academic community, in particular the classroom.
As a teacher, I love the classroom. I like its feel, its complexity, its energy when its filled with students, its quietness as students focus on their current projects, its chaos at finals time.
There's a great dialogue that happens in the classroom between teacher and student. But conversation is incredibly hard to generate in an online course, and we can blame the technology. The discussion boards that are the staple of asynchronous distance ed courses are a throwback to the primitive bulletin board systems that existed before the Web.
Yes, here we are, 20 years after CompuServe... and we're still communicating by posting "message threads?" Heck, a CompuServe thread was easier to follow than the posts in our discussion boards. Even when we tried to follow one thread with comments and posts, there was little sense of interaction. Posts were short and stilted, as if there was great pain in actually posting, and a significant number of replies were of the "I agree" category.
Each student seemed isolated, and when I'd comment on a post, I'd rarely get a response. It was almost as if the student had done their onerous task and couldn't wait to go somewhere else and never return. I could hardly blame them; even for me it felt like descending into a compositional dungeon.
So with Web 2.0 as an excuse I decided to throw caution to the winds and take the class on a field trip. It's been a more exciting journey than I ever imagined. Remember what the discussion board was like? Now look at the dialog going on here in the blog. Look at the length of each post. Good grief! A couple of posts contains almost as much content as the entire class's contribution to a week's discussion board from earlier in the quarter.
But what has really warmed the cockles of my heart is the quality of the writing. Your grammar has improved. Your spelling is better. Your thoughts are coherent and well-focused. Your conversations are more in-depth.
To be sure the entire class hasn't joined us on this journey, but that's typical of an online class. And it's their loss. For those of you who have contributed your thoughts, your hopes, your fears, and your experiences, I thank you for sharing. While I may be your instructor, you are doing a remarkable job of teaching yourselves and each other.
Say, this Web 2.0 stuff might not really be so bad after all!
Supposedly we're all here to experience an immersion in Web 2.0 technology, but this blog was really an experiment to get out of the formality of the distance ed structure. One of the common complaints of distance learning is the isolation of the student from the academic community, in particular the classroom.
As a teacher, I love the classroom. I like its feel, its complexity, its energy when its filled with students, its quietness as students focus on their current projects, its chaos at finals time.
There's a great dialogue that happens in the classroom between teacher and student. But conversation is incredibly hard to generate in an online course, and we can blame the technology. The discussion boards that are the staple of asynchronous distance ed courses are a throwback to the primitive bulletin board systems that existed before the Web.
Yes, here we are, 20 years after CompuServe... and we're still communicating by posting "message threads?" Heck, a CompuServe thread was easier to follow than the posts in our discussion boards. Even when we tried to follow one thread with comments and posts, there was little sense of interaction. Posts were short and stilted, as if there was great pain in actually posting, and a significant number of replies were of the "I agree" category.
Each student seemed isolated, and when I'd comment on a post, I'd rarely get a response. It was almost as if the student had done their onerous task and couldn't wait to go somewhere else and never return. I could hardly blame them; even for me it felt like descending into a compositional dungeon.
So with Web 2.0 as an excuse I decided to throw caution to the winds and take the class on a field trip. It's been a more exciting journey than I ever imagined. Remember what the discussion board was like? Now look at the dialog going on here in the blog. Look at the length of each post. Good grief! A couple of posts contains almost as much content as the entire class's contribution to a week's discussion board from earlier in the quarter.
But what has really warmed the cockles of my heart is the quality of the writing. Your grammar has improved. Your spelling is better. Your thoughts are coherent and well-focused. Your conversations are more in-depth.
To be sure the entire class hasn't joined us on this journey, but that's typical of an online class. And it's their loss. For those of you who have contributed your thoughts, your hopes, your fears, and your experiences, I thank you for sharing. While I may be your instructor, you are doing a remarkable job of teaching yourselves and each other.
Say, this Web 2.0 stuff might not really be so bad after all!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
As Good As It Gets
The path i have taken thus far in life has been bumpy but seems to be smoothing out. I have been traveling around without a care in the world ever since i left Ohio State a few years ago. I got the idea in my head that college was a joke, wasting both my time and money. I was taking classes that felt like they were pointless. I guess that didn't understand the whole "exploration" part of a four year college. I really didn't know what i wanted to do so i tried a little of everything and came up short by not finding something that caught my attention.
The real problem was that it wasn't challenging me enough. I really only had 2 courses that gave me any trouble what so ever. The first one was a calculus class, and yeah i know, most would say that is just a hard course all together but not for me. for some reason math is the one subject that i excel at. The course was tough because the teacher didn't really teach, to me she was just a grader. Assigning homework out of the text book, collecting it first thing, and then taking the rest of the class time to grade the homework while we got started on the next assignment. This one class made me rethink everything. Why should some pay so much money for so little? The tuition wasn't cheap and in my eyes it should include some kind of instruction and not just someone there to grade homework and tests. When you take the teacher out of the teacher+student equation it no longer equals learning, rather memorizing.
My story really boils down to this..... I was really skeptical about returning back to school, thinking that it was going to be the same old thing and man was I surprised. I know some people that have graduatedthe DMD program and spoke very highly of it. I'm happy to say that my expectations have been eclipsed. I love how all of my teachers work together to make every class fit with the other. They all put 100% in what they do and how they teach us. Even though i haven't worked with all of them I have observed them teaching and damn I'm impressed. When the teachers are excited and actually care about the students it drives the students to listen and want to make those teachers proud. I can't wait to meet the rest of them and get the full experience of the program.
This class really sparked my interest in the "cause and effect" aspects of the digital world . I loved learning about the history and early tech aspects of the web.... and now I love the fact that we are starting to get so hands on with web 2.0... like this new wiki project.... how fun? Another student and I started talking the other day, in a different class, about this project and decided to work as a team on some really good ideas that have us both pretty excited. I have never experienced learning like this, where the classes are so closely related and in sync with each other and the students actually want to learn. It's what I have always thought school should be...finally something that makes sense.
The real problem was that it wasn't challenging me enough. I really only had 2 courses that gave me any trouble what so ever. The first one was a calculus class, and yeah i know, most would say that is just a hard course all together but not for me. for some reason math is the one subject that i excel at. The course was tough because the teacher didn't really teach, to me she was just a grader. Assigning homework out of the text book, collecting it first thing, and then taking the rest of the class time to grade the homework while we got started on the next assignment. This one class made me rethink everything. Why should some pay so much money for so little? The tuition wasn't cheap and in my eyes it should include some kind of instruction and not just someone there to grade homework and tests. When you take the teacher out of the teacher+student equation it no longer equals learning, rather memorizing.
My story really boils down to this..... I was really skeptical about returning back to school, thinking that it was going to be the same old thing and man was I surprised. I know some people that have graduatedthe DMD program and spoke very highly of it. I'm happy to say that my expectations have been eclipsed. I love how all of my teachers work together to make every class fit with the other. They all put 100% in what they do and how they teach us. Even though i haven't worked with all of them I have observed them teaching and damn I'm impressed. When the teachers are excited and actually care about the students it drives the students to listen and want to make those teachers proud. I can't wait to meet the rest of them and get the full experience of the program.
This class really sparked my interest in the "cause and effect" aspects of the digital world . I loved learning about the history and early tech aspects of the web.... and now I love the fact that we are starting to get so hands on with web 2.0... like this new wiki project.... how fun? Another student and I started talking the other day, in a different class, about this project and decided to work as a team on some really good ideas that have us both pretty excited. I have never experienced learning like this, where the classes are so closely related and in sync with each other and the students actually want to learn. It's what I have always thought school should be...finally something that makes sense.
second thoughts?
I have only taken the classes needed to get into the nursing program thus far, that is until this class. I took this class because in the course description it sounded super interesting, and I have to admit that it has captured my interest and made me sort of re-think what I am actually attending college for.
I have not actually applied to my program yet, and now after taking this class am wondering if I would prefer this? I like every aspect of it, even the papers. The first couple of assignments had me a little curious and now I look forward to what the next weeks assignment will bring and if it will be challenging to me. I love to blog, and this weeks assignment with the wiki is totally new to me but all the more interesting and cool it will be.
Is it possible to like both, I mean nursing and digital media design are very distant in the job aspects ya know?! I could always pursue the nursing career and keep taking these classes on the side to see if they are all interesting to me or if its just this one class in particular that has captured my interest and left me wondering what's coming next. Who knows where I will go from here, but this course has definitely left an impression on me and left me wondering if I am interested in the right plan of study.
I know that whatever I choose my family will be there to back me 100% which is one thing that I could not live without, they are a huge part of my future educational decisions.
I have not actually applied to my program yet, and now after taking this class am wondering if I would prefer this? I like every aspect of it, even the papers. The first couple of assignments had me a little curious and now I look forward to what the next weeks assignment will bring and if it will be challenging to me. I love to blog, and this weeks assignment with the wiki is totally new to me but all the more interesting and cool it will be.
Is it possible to like both, I mean nursing and digital media design are very distant in the job aspects ya know?! I could always pursue the nursing career and keep taking these classes on the side to see if they are all interesting to me or if its just this one class in particular that has captured my interest and left me wondering what's coming next. Who knows where I will go from here, but this course has definitely left an impression on me and left me wondering if I am interested in the right plan of study.
I know that whatever I choose my family will be there to back me 100% which is one thing that I could not live without, they are a huge part of my future educational decisions.
College Life As I Know It
After graduating form Lancaster High School in 2003, I had a faint view as to what I wanted to pursue in a career. In high school I took Machine Technology, Engineering Technology, and Drawing Design classes. At that time I worked in construction as a sub-contractor for a small company. Business started to slow so I moved on.
I enrolled at Ohio University Lancaster looking to work my way toward a degree in engineering graphics using CAD. I liked the classes that work with CAD, mainly because the work was on a computer. On the other hand, the electives that are required to move up their tier system were dry and boring. I lost interest in the classes and just worked to get by. I decided it was time for a change.
A few of my friends were taking classes at Central Ohio Technical College, so I asked them, "How is it?" They only had praise in their answers so I hopped on the Web and scanned the programs. I was looking for something CAD related and stumbled upon the Digital Media Degree program. My first thought was, "WOW!" It seemed to tailor to me perfectly.
After I enrolled and attended a few classes I felt like saying, "Where the hell have you been all my life?" The classes are fun. We get to work on some really neat and exciting projects that push the creativity envelope. I found questions to answers that I had for a long time. The program has helped me to move out of a shy shell that plagued me since I was a young.
The people I've met, while in the program, are some of the most interesting and creative I have ever seen. Every professor is strong in their subject and willing to go out of their way to help and inspire the students. Not only that, but also, to help students inspire each other. The program has changed my life forever in ways that mirror over to everyday life.
It is intense, stressful, and rewarding all at the same time. The program worked well with my full-time schedule at Wal-Mart in Canal Winchester, but it was a ton of driving. There have been many sleepless nights but I have fun with the work that I do. As they say, "Whistle while you work." What would I trade for my experience at Central Ohio Technical College? Nothing!
I enrolled at Ohio University Lancaster looking to work my way toward a degree in engineering graphics using CAD. I liked the classes that work with CAD, mainly because the work was on a computer. On the other hand, the electives that are required to move up their tier system were dry and boring. I lost interest in the classes and just worked to get by. I decided it was time for a change.
A few of my friends were taking classes at Central Ohio Technical College, so I asked them, "How is it?" They only had praise in their answers so I hopped on the Web and scanned the programs. I was looking for something CAD related and stumbled upon the Digital Media Degree program. My first thought was, "WOW!" It seemed to tailor to me perfectly.
After I enrolled and attended a few classes I felt like saying, "Where the hell have you been all my life?" The classes are fun. We get to work on some really neat and exciting projects that push the creativity envelope. I found questions to answers that I had for a long time. The program has helped me to move out of a shy shell that plagued me since I was a young.
The people I've met, while in the program, are some of the most interesting and creative I have ever seen. Every professor is strong in their subject and willing to go out of their way to help and inspire the students. Not only that, but also, to help students inspire each other. The program has changed my life forever in ways that mirror over to everyday life.
It is intense, stressful, and rewarding all at the same time. The program worked well with my full-time schedule at Wal-Mart in Canal Winchester, but it was a ton of driving. There have been many sleepless nights but I have fun with the work that I do. As they say, "Whistle while you work." What would I trade for my experience at Central Ohio Technical College? Nothing!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Back To School
When I decided to go back to school, I didnt know where to start. I never enrolled for college after high school, just went into the world of construction. So the whole college thing is a new experience for me, and I am liking it so far. I got lucky with the instructors that I have. Each of them teach in a different way, some better than others, but I still manage to make sence of what each of them are trying to teach me. I never really thought about teachers and the way they teach, I never really cared enough to notice. But now that I am a little older than someone out of high school, and have a family that depends on me, I want to make sure that I understand the teaching method of some of the instructors.
I think of myself as a fast learner, as long as I am learning "hands on". If you tell me that something needs to be done in a certin order, your best bet is to show me how, and then let me do the steps in order while you watch and instruct me. I think that comes form the jobs I have had in the construction field. Almost all of the learning is "hands on" in construction.
I think of myself as a fast learner, as long as I am learning "hands on". If you tell me that something needs to be done in a certin order, your best bet is to show me how, and then let me do the steps in order while you watch and instruct me. I think that comes form the jobs I have had in the construction field. Almost all of the learning is "hands on" in construction.
I'm waiting for Web 3.0...
Web 2.0 is merely foreplay.
Seriously...
After I jumped to the end of the lecture on Thursday to hear this week's homework, I logged onto the Wiki. I was floored. I believe that Wikis are one step ahead of YouTube, Facebook, or even Blogs. I know that it is of a different artery all together, but the inherent principle is amazing.
I honestly believed that I was "connected," but I didn't know what a Wiki or an RSS feed was. And now, admitting that they are truly revolutionary, I see it being something that I don't immediately embrace. Why? I see its value. I see its enjoyment. I would even like to understand how they work more. But a part of me has no desire to set up an account. Hmmm. Have I missed the boat? Perhaps I am too busy. The videos dictate that if I search for my news and entertainment the old way, I am the equivalent of a dinosaur renting from a physical Blockbuster rather than renting over the Internet via Netflix. If I am too busy, then why do I prefer a slower method?
Time to broaden this past me. During great discovery, as much as type setters hated the linotype machine, there will always be resistance or tension between what's practiced and what's promised. The video suggested that a great way to store photos is through flickr. Seriously? And then for "fun," make them public. I get that. But that's a lot of work. Uploading my photos. And are they really there with all of the quality that exists when stored on my hard drive? It seems that there is so much push to make everything public. What is there that's left as private? Why live in a home when we can live in a commune?
I can see the tension that exists among instructors who dislike Wikipedia. After all, wouldn't the educational establishment of academia quake if everyone is a contributor and expert on a topic? Teaching is definitely one-sided. Yes, students can teach and the classroom can be a dialogic; however, a teacher is still in charge of the classroom. They go to school to be able to teach. They must be labeled as professional, but indeed it seems that with the advent of sites such as blogs, wikis, etc., everyone can teach. Students and parents already find reason to dislike and complain about the educational system without recognizing its successes. What will they say now?
Also, are these 2.0? To me, they merely seem like applications that users can use that maximize current tech. There are many more yet undiscovered I'm sure. Someone had a good idea and technology was able to meet him/her there, and it was created. To say that THIS is the face of Social Media is an overstatement. There will be so much more.
All of these questions are sponsored by Thomas Davis.
Online Learning
In 2007 I decided to go back to school. Having been in the workplace for over ten years out of high school and finding it overwhelmingly unsatisfying, I decided I may as well give it a try. The problem was not me being unwilling, the problem was figuring out how to go back to school and get a good education and still work around 50 hours a week. Scheduling was an obvious conflict. Then the more my wife and I researched, the more I began to realize that I could take quite a few classes online through COTC.
This is my second fall quarter as a student in the DMD curriculum at Central Ohio Technical College. I have earned only 22 credits in my three quarts completed thus far, but I have done that with only having attended two face to face classes total, and still working 45-50 hours a week. This is not so much a testimonial to me as it is to the amount of online classes made available to me. On a side note I'd like to say that having taken classes last year, without the Angel site, and comparing to this year with it, I have to say that Angel has made my experience much more organized, and much less stressful as a whole. This has proven to be very important since I'm taking three courses online this quarter, a personal high so far.
I have taken Salesmanship, Psychology, Algebra and Composition all online. This quarter I'm enrolled in Marketing, Intro to e-Life and Digital Software Fundamentals. All have been very unique learning experiences. Some of the instructors seemed very bothered by the whole online class thing, as if the online class was a hassle for them. Some flourished in the process, really getting involved and making the most of the medium. Some seemed to be confused about how to run an online class at all. Each class presented it's own set of challenges and opportunities.
Composition was very straight forward. I don't think my experience would have been much different if it had been a face to face. The assignments were fairly self explanatory and most of the class was a refresher course.
Salesmanship was, and Marketing so far has been, what I expected. The material is not overly difficult, but sometimes rather uninteresting. Marketing has proven to be a bit more of a struggle than I expected due to the group assignments. I'm having trouble finding the time to be able to collaborate with a group of people who are on a completely different schedule than myself.
Psychology and Algebra were classes that could have been easier for me in a face to face setting. Algebra was another refresher course, but it would have been faster for me to pick it back up if I had someone showing me on a blackboard. Psychology was difficult for me because some of the material was just difficult. I think I would have been able to catch on better in a classroom environment.
I have to admit that my favorite classes so far have been DigiFun and Intro to E-life. DigiFun has just been a fun class. I've really enjoyed learning to use Adobe Illustrator, and the Photoshop stuff is always fun. The irony of taking Intro to E-Life: The Evolving Web online seems too obvious to even bring up. Bill's lectures and material have been by far the most involved and entertaining.
All in all, I've really enjoyed my online learning experiences. The instructors have all been helpful and always willing to respond to e-mails and answer my questions, no matter how trivial. My college experience would not have been possible just a few years ago. I have the "miracle" of the Internet and the World Wide Web to thank for making it possible. Well, those things and all the hard work that so many dedicated people put into making all this possible through. I'm very thankful for this opportunity and even though it may be just a marketing term, Web 2.0 is changing the world.
This is my second fall quarter as a student in the DMD curriculum at Central Ohio Technical College. I have earned only 22 credits in my three quarts completed thus far, but I have done that with only having attended two face to face classes total, and still working 45-50 hours a week. This is not so much a testimonial to me as it is to the amount of online classes made available to me. On a side note I'd like to say that having taken classes last year, without the Angel site, and comparing to this year with it, I have to say that Angel has made my experience much more organized, and much less stressful as a whole. This has proven to be very important since I'm taking three courses online this quarter, a personal high so far.
I have taken Salesmanship, Psychology, Algebra and Composition all online. This quarter I'm enrolled in Marketing, Intro to e-Life and Digital Software Fundamentals. All have been very unique learning experiences. Some of the instructors seemed very bothered by the whole online class thing, as if the online class was a hassle for them. Some flourished in the process, really getting involved and making the most of the medium. Some seemed to be confused about how to run an online class at all. Each class presented it's own set of challenges and opportunities.
Composition was very straight forward. I don't think my experience would have been much different if it had been a face to face. The assignments were fairly self explanatory and most of the class was a refresher course.
Salesmanship was, and Marketing so far has been, what I expected. The material is not overly difficult, but sometimes rather uninteresting. Marketing has proven to be a bit more of a struggle than I expected due to the group assignments. I'm having trouble finding the time to be able to collaborate with a group of people who are on a completely different schedule than myself.
Psychology and Algebra were classes that could have been easier for me in a face to face setting. Algebra was another refresher course, but it would have been faster for me to pick it back up if I had someone showing me on a blackboard. Psychology was difficult for me because some of the material was just difficult. I think I would have been able to catch on better in a classroom environment.
I have to admit that my favorite classes so far have been DigiFun and Intro to E-life. DigiFun has just been a fun class. I've really enjoyed learning to use Adobe Illustrator, and the Photoshop stuff is always fun. The irony of taking Intro to E-Life: The Evolving Web online seems too obvious to even bring up. Bill's lectures and material have been by far the most involved and entertaining.
All in all, I've really enjoyed my online learning experiences. The instructors have all been helpful and always willing to respond to e-mails and answer my questions, no matter how trivial. My college experience would not have been possible just a few years ago. I have the "miracle" of the Internet and the World Wide Web to thank for making it possible. Well, those things and all the hard work that so many dedicated people put into making all this possible through. I'm very thankful for this opportunity and even though it may be just a marketing term, Web 2.0 is changing the world.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Digital Native, Schmative
After much resistance, I've decided to jump in the "blog pool" and finally comment. Not that I don't follow blogs, mind you, I've just never felt the overwhelming need to comment. I've just been enjoying the conversation as a "lurker" as we are so often called. And that segues right into what my topic is today, labels.
I detest labels and don’t like being labeled. This resentment of labels reared its ugly head again when someone recently referred to me as a Digital Immigrant. Sigh. It seems people have been trying to label me ever since the label Baby Boomer was created. I think the resentment lies in the fact that in some cases I fall into the Baby Boomer category and in others I do not. It depends on what expert defines who is or is not a Boomer. My birth date is in that grey area. So I’ve spent my life with those firmly rooted in the Baby Boomer category either telling me I am or am not a fellow Boomer. Frankly, I don’t care. I share some of the traits of a Boomer but thankfully, not all. Thus, this is the root of my label resentment. I don’t fit into one neat category.
So, back to the Digital Native subject. From what I gleaned from online sources, the term “Digital Native” was coined by Marc Prensky in an article published in October 2001. Mr. Prensky is “an internationally acclaimed thought leader, speaker, writer, consultant, and game designer in the critical areas of education and learning. He is the author of Digital Game-Based Learning (McGraw-Hill, 2001), founder and CEO of Games2train, a game-based learning company.” Quoted from On the Horizon (MCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5, October 2001). According to Mr. Prensky’s definitions of Digital Native and Digital Immigrant, I am neither. In order to make sure, I also took a quiz entitled “Are you a digital native” that I found on the DigitalNative.org, a website produced and maintained by Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and the Research Center for Information Law at the University of St. Gallen. According to the quiz, I’m 50% Digital Native. Sigh. Alas, no label for me.
All of this reaffirms what I knew already. Even though I was born in the sixties, I embraced computer technology as soon as it was made available to me, somewhere around 1977 or 78. And I haven’t looked back since. I purchased a desktop computer as soon as I could afford it (1990) and dialed up OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) immediately. This was the only online access of information I could get at the time. I’ve owned dozens of computers since, have taken apart and rebuilt my own computers, have been “surfing the web” since 1993, and spent seven years in the eighties and nineties teaching adults all over the country how to use computers and software. I shop for everything online including items such as cat food, shampoo, makeup, coffee, cooking utensils, pots, pans, electronics, bed sheets, pillows, clothing…you name it, I’ve bought it online. I made purchases on eBay in its infancy. I can find anything on the web; just ask anyone who knows me. I have a MySpace page, a Facebook page and subscribe to several blogs through RSS feeds. The only television programming I watch I have recorded on my DVR. I have taken dozens of online classes and I met my husband online through a dating service. I am more technically savvy then most of those who qualify as Digital Natives.
Now, finally, this brings me to my point. The current trend in education is to reach and teach Digital Natives. That is good in that educators are looking to learn how to best teach our current constituency. What is bad, however, is that we’ve lumped all students of a certain age into one single category. And while some do qualify as Digital Natives, others most decidedly do not or maybe only 50%. Mr. Prensky makes his living creating and selling digital games for education. How much credence should we give him and his definitions? Are we over-reacting as we did with the first generation to grow up with television? According to “studies” at the time, the first generation to grow up with television was going to end up generally stupid and violent (I’m one of that generation, by the way). According to experts, our attention spans were shortened by the viewing of television, and we weren’t able learn like our parents did. Televisions were brought into the classroom so we could watch videos rather than movies or filmstrips. Did it help? I’m not sure. I have to admit, that while I watched a lot of television, I also read just as much and I am far from stupid and violent.
So, what is the answer to how we teach the students of today? Textbooks or no textbooks? Video games? Twitter? Blogs? Wikis? Online or face-to-face? I’m not sure. My approach is to try and see but not abandon what has worked for me in my classroom in the past. We have to avoid the “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” approach. I’ve watched both my sons suffer though an education system that totally re-invents itself every two or so years, sometimes with devastating consequences. Some teachers are so focused on the most current, trendy method; they throw out some methods that are proven to work in order to be considered up-to-the-minute with their teaching. As if adopting something that is trendy at the time makes up for truly assessing their methods over time and making adjustments as needed.
Here is a quote I found that pretty much sums up how I feel about teaching and teachers. "A good teacher can teach with nothing more than a stick to write with in the dirt," author unknown. I strive to be that kind of teacher.
I detest labels and don’t like being labeled. This resentment of labels reared its ugly head again when someone recently referred to me as a Digital Immigrant. Sigh. It seems people have been trying to label me ever since the label Baby Boomer was created. I think the resentment lies in the fact that in some cases I fall into the Baby Boomer category and in others I do not. It depends on what expert defines who is or is not a Boomer. My birth date is in that grey area. So I’ve spent my life with those firmly rooted in the Baby Boomer category either telling me I am or am not a fellow Boomer. Frankly, I don’t care. I share some of the traits of a Boomer but thankfully, not all. Thus, this is the root of my label resentment. I don’t fit into one neat category.
So, back to the Digital Native subject. From what I gleaned from online sources, the term “Digital Native” was coined by Marc Prensky in an article published in October 2001. Mr. Prensky is “an internationally acclaimed thought leader, speaker, writer, consultant, and game designer in the critical areas of education and learning. He is the author of Digital Game-Based Learning (McGraw-Hill, 2001), founder and CEO of Games2train, a game-based learning company.” Quoted from On the Horizon (MCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5, October 2001). According to Mr. Prensky’s definitions of Digital Native and Digital Immigrant, I am neither. In order to make sure, I also took a quiz entitled “Are you a digital native” that I found on the DigitalNative.org, a website produced and maintained by Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and the Research Center for Information Law at the University of St. Gallen. According to the quiz, I’m 50% Digital Native. Sigh. Alas, no label for me.
All of this reaffirms what I knew already. Even though I was born in the sixties, I embraced computer technology as soon as it was made available to me, somewhere around 1977 or 78. And I haven’t looked back since. I purchased a desktop computer as soon as I could afford it (1990) and dialed up OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) immediately. This was the only online access of information I could get at the time. I’ve owned dozens of computers since, have taken apart and rebuilt my own computers, have been “surfing the web” since 1993, and spent seven years in the eighties and nineties teaching adults all over the country how to use computers and software. I shop for everything online including items such as cat food, shampoo, makeup, coffee, cooking utensils, pots, pans, electronics, bed sheets, pillows, clothing…you name it, I’ve bought it online. I made purchases on eBay in its infancy. I can find anything on the web; just ask anyone who knows me. I have a MySpace page, a Facebook page and subscribe to several blogs through RSS feeds. The only television programming I watch I have recorded on my DVR. I have taken dozens of online classes and I met my husband online through a dating service. I am more technically savvy then most of those who qualify as Digital Natives.
Now, finally, this brings me to my point. The current trend in education is to reach and teach Digital Natives. That is good in that educators are looking to learn how to best teach our current constituency. What is bad, however, is that we’ve lumped all students of a certain age into one single category. And while some do qualify as Digital Natives, others most decidedly do not or maybe only 50%. Mr. Prensky makes his living creating and selling digital games for education. How much credence should we give him and his definitions? Are we over-reacting as we did with the first generation to grow up with television? According to “studies” at the time, the first generation to grow up with television was going to end up generally stupid and violent (I’m one of that generation, by the way). According to experts, our attention spans were shortened by the viewing of television, and we weren’t able learn like our parents did. Televisions were brought into the classroom so we could watch videos rather than movies or filmstrips. Did it help? I’m not sure. I have to admit, that while I watched a lot of television, I also read just as much and I am far from stupid and violent.
So, what is the answer to how we teach the students of today? Textbooks or no textbooks? Video games? Twitter? Blogs? Wikis? Online or face-to-face? I’m not sure. My approach is to try and see but not abandon what has worked for me in my classroom in the past. We have to avoid the “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” approach. I’ve watched both my sons suffer though an education system that totally re-invents itself every two or so years, sometimes with devastating consequences. Some teachers are so focused on the most current, trendy method; they throw out some methods that are proven to work in order to be considered up-to-the-minute with their teaching. As if adopting something that is trendy at the time makes up for truly assessing their methods over time and making adjustments as needed.
Here is a quote I found that pretty much sums up how I feel about teaching and teachers. "A good teacher can teach with nothing more than a stick to write with in the dirt," author unknown. I strive to be that kind of teacher.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The Oregon Trail
I'm still debating whether to consider myself a native or not....I have been told that our household has had a computer since before i arrived in this world (1981) but i can't prove it... here is what i do know for sure...
i was in first grade when i used my first computer. I had been tested and accepted into a gifted program called Horizons. Twice a week 12 other kids throughout the school district and I were bussed to another school . The very first day i was introduced to my computer. I can say "my" because it was, I used the same green screen Mac for four years untill it was time for an upgrade. Man did I love that thing....especially The Oregon Trail. I think i set the record for most times in trouble for "screwing around" on the computers. Whenever we would do exercises and projects, I would alaways "fly" through it so could play that damn game. I think they should remake a version for playstation /xbox...i would deffinately buy it.
It wasn't until my third grade year that I saw computers in my regular, day to day, classroom. They were the same green screen Macs that i had in my Horizons classroom. I will never forget... in 5th grade i actually learned how to write code and me and three others had to make a game for a project...totally awsome.
so.. weather or not i am a digital native or not, the technology has deffinately influenced my life in a major way. It doesn't really matter to me what category I'm placed in, as long as I'm here now.
i was in first grade when i used my first computer. I had been tested and accepted into a gifted program called Horizons. Twice a week 12 other kids throughout the school district and I were bussed to another school . The very first day i was introduced to my computer. I can say "my" because it was, I used the same green screen Mac for four years untill it was time for an upgrade. Man did I love that thing....especially The Oregon Trail. I think i set the record for most times in trouble for "screwing around" on the computers. Whenever we would do exercises and projects, I would alaways "fly" through it so could play that damn game. I think they should remake a version for playstation /xbox...i would deffinately buy it.
It wasn't until my third grade year that I saw computers in my regular, day to day, classroom. They were the same green screen Macs that i had in my Horizons classroom. I will never forget... in 5th grade i actually learned how to write code and me and three others had to make a game for a project...totally awsome.
so.. weather or not i am a digital native or not, the technology has deffinately influenced my life in a major way. It doesn't really matter to me what category I'm placed in, as long as I'm here now.
Digital Native
I thought that we were to write about something we know, but I've been reading everyone's blogs and they seem to be writing about the same topic so I thought I would too. Digital Native?.....Well I guess I would be considered a Digital Native, if that means being born in a time where computers were starting to become a part of everyday life. Although I really know nothing about computers. My cell phone was my most used type of computer up until like two years ago. I never had one in my home growing up, but now that I'm in school I realize thatI should probably know how to use one, even if it's just the basics. I think that getting a digital media degree will only make things easier for me in the future with whatever type of career I end up in.
Unexperienced in Distant Education
I haven't yet taken a course online. Why? It hasn't worked with my schedule yet. I do plan to possibly take a few online course for the winter quarter. My mother is almost finished with her Bachelors in Health Care Administration that is offered online with Franklin University. I asked her what the online courses are like and she stated that there are pros and cons. Some of the cons include: a few professors that do not know how to work the interface effectively, students don't show up who are assigned to group project meetings, and lack of understanding for many of the students. The main pro to online classes is that you can enjoy it from the comfort of one's home and it fits in with a full-time working schedule.
I know that the online courses take a lot of discipline but I think I can manage that just fine. I'm always on my laptop anyway. Also, I would save a good bit of money in traveling expenses as I have a 45 minute drive from home to school. Also, if there are people at school that are sick one need not worry about catching a cold or flu. Once winter reaches us the threat of driving on dangerous roads no longer becomes a factor. The only problem I see with distant education is if my internet goes out. Lets just hope that doesn't happen for an extended amount of time!
I know that the online courses take a lot of discipline but I think I can manage that just fine. I'm always on my laptop anyway. Also, I would save a good bit of money in traveling expenses as I have a 45 minute drive from home to school. Also, if there are people at school that are sick one need not worry about catching a cold or flu. Once winter reaches us the threat of driving on dangerous roads no longer becomes a factor. The only problem I see with distant education is if my internet goes out. Lets just hope that doesn't happen for an extended amount of time!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
me = digital native
Computers have become a part of everything. Once i hit jr. high, I was with a computer everyday. I took a computer class every year, and by my senior year I was in the school's web design class helping out with the school's website as well. I was in a couple of tech. fairs and got awards in each. Math was always, ALWAYS, and still is my favorite subject. But in the long run, computers have more fun that comes with them. You can learn how to do so much and just by sitting on a computer or laptop at home or on my free time whenever, I've taught myself a little more than the average person. I'll sit there and mess with different functions and programs, check out where I can find information, and the list goes on. I might not know enough to be a computer game programmer, but I sure know enough that I want to learn what more I can find out that I can even benefit from even if I don't pursue in digital media design profession.
A digital native, myself
I was born after 1980 so I guess that makes me a digital native. I do not feel like one though, I think I was in 8th or 9th grade before I even got my hands on a computer. My school did not have a whole lote of computers or education about them so there really were not any until later into middle and high school. I try to show my kids things on the computer and online just so that they are more aware of the things that they can do and of the things out there. They are still young enough to want their mom to show them things and to learn the dangers of the internet and the great and positive things about it without pushing me or the info I give them to the side. I use a computer everyday, not just for school but for email and chatting, and during the holidays for shopping. In this aspect I do feel more of a digital native I guess. There is still a lot of information and eduacation about computers that I do not know, but thats the fun part right? I love to learn new things especially about computers since they are such a big part of our everyday lives now.
Learning in the Digital Age (from the Perspective of a Digital Immigrant)
I was born in1978, that means I am not technically a Digital Native, even if I feel like I one. It also means that I could either be a gen-Xer or a gen-Yer, depending on what you read. This tends to give me little bit of an identity crisis, but that's a whole different blog.
My dad has always been a computer guy. I can remember the old computer systems being in our home as far back as the 80's, and I can remember him writing code for these systems long before I knew what code was. Today he still writes code and programs and continues to preach the evils of the Microsoft corporation and the joys of Linux. Again though, I digress, and this is a subject for a different blog as well.
For a person who was raised in a computer friendly home, I am surprisingly new to the computer world. I was never very interested in the technology because it did not seem to offer me very much. The Internet and the World Wide Web are things that I have really just begun to understand, mostly due to this class. Of course, I have had Internet access for many years, but I never really understood all the possibilities of this technology.
I can't say that I have ever listened to a podcast, or even know exactly what they are. I don't know what Wikis are excluding Wikipedia. I have taken part in very few forums, and the extent of my blogging consists of the "journal" I keep on Deviantart that gets updated every few months, and usually consists only of thumbnails of some of the art I have been enjoying recently. Well, that was the extent of my blogging until this blog of course. I have found myself more and more getting my news from streaming videos provided by websites like the Advocate's and of course, sports news and highlights from espn.com.
My history with youtube was limited to a link I may get in a email, or if my brother wanted to show me a live performance by Tool or Pantera. Since starting this class though, I have found myself more and more searching for topics on youtube, including political topics. I have to say that my knowledge of these subjects has grown exponentially due to this class though, and I finally feel like I am not groping around in the dark when I search for information.
It seems to me that the possibilities of these new technologies are endless, but I do wonder at what cost. In the video lecture we watched this week, one of the men questioning the speaker said something very similar to one of Bill's entries here, in that textbooks are losing their value and usefulness. While I agree that textbooks are very 20th century, and do not have the ability to update the information they provide, they still have their value. There is a difference between actually holding a text and just looking information up on the internet. The joy of reading a classic novel, or a new one, can not be duplicated, in my opinion, by sitting in front of a computer screen. Images seen on a screen are not as powerful as a printed work. There is something to be said for the value of physical interaction with the information and art that we enjoy. Maybe I'm wrong in this line of thought or maybe it's just my personal opinion.
All this being said, I am very happy to be living in this digital world. I enjoy the never ending supply of information and misinformation provided by the digital tools we use today. I could not be a college student without the possibility of online classes. I could not interact with and show my personal artwork to people all over the world without the Internet. I would not be able to communicate with my family that is dispersed across the eastern US with as much ease and regularity without the miracles of modern digital technology.
Perhaps I'm old fashioned but I still enjoy buying a magazine or newspaper and thumbing through the pages. While I do consider myself to be a digital immigrant, I can't see myself ever completely giving up my analog roots.
My dad has always been a computer guy. I can remember the old computer systems being in our home as far back as the 80's, and I can remember him writing code for these systems long before I knew what code was. Today he still writes code and programs and continues to preach the evils of the Microsoft corporation and the joys of Linux. Again though, I digress, and this is a subject for a different blog as well.
For a person who was raised in a computer friendly home, I am surprisingly new to the computer world. I was never very interested in the technology because it did not seem to offer me very much. The Internet and the World Wide Web are things that I have really just begun to understand, mostly due to this class. Of course, I have had Internet access for many years, but I never really understood all the possibilities of this technology.
I can't say that I have ever listened to a podcast, or even know exactly what they are. I don't know what Wikis are excluding Wikipedia. I have taken part in very few forums, and the extent of my blogging consists of the "journal" I keep on Deviantart that gets updated every few months, and usually consists only of thumbnails of some of the art I have been enjoying recently. Well, that was the extent of my blogging until this blog of course. I have found myself more and more getting my news from streaming videos provided by websites like the Advocate's and of course, sports news and highlights from espn.com.
My history with youtube was limited to a link I may get in a email, or if my brother wanted to show me a live performance by Tool or Pantera. Since starting this class though, I have found myself more and more searching for topics on youtube, including political topics. I have to say that my knowledge of these subjects has grown exponentially due to this class though, and I finally feel like I am not groping around in the dark when I search for information.
It seems to me that the possibilities of these new technologies are endless, but I do wonder at what cost. In the video lecture we watched this week, one of the men questioning the speaker said something very similar to one of Bill's entries here, in that textbooks are losing their value and usefulness. While I agree that textbooks are very 20th century, and do not have the ability to update the information they provide, they still have their value. There is a difference between actually holding a text and just looking information up on the internet. The joy of reading a classic novel, or a new one, can not be duplicated, in my opinion, by sitting in front of a computer screen. Images seen on a screen are not as powerful as a printed work. There is something to be said for the value of physical interaction with the information and art that we enjoy. Maybe I'm wrong in this line of thought or maybe it's just my personal opinion.
All this being said, I am very happy to be living in this digital world. I enjoy the never ending supply of information and misinformation provided by the digital tools we use today. I could not be a college student without the possibility of online classes. I could not interact with and show my personal artwork to people all over the world without the Internet. I would not be able to communicate with my family that is dispersed across the eastern US with as much ease and regularity without the miracles of modern digital technology.
Perhaps I'm old fashioned but I still enjoy buying a magazine or newspaper and thumbing through the pages. While I do consider myself to be a digital immigrant, I can't see myself ever completely giving up my analog roots.
I Forget
I graduated 12 years ago, and always wanted to go back to school. Just never had the time or the money to do so, with 3 boys and working in construction. But that all changed, the company we were subcontracting from was going through a slow spell. I thought that this is my chance to do it, to go back to school. With help from H&R Block who submitted my information for different types of grants, I get to go back to school for almost nothing.
When I took the placement test, man did I forget a lot. I had the chance to retake the sections that I was close to testing out of, but I chose not to. Yea that puts me a little behind, but now that I am passing the 2 courses that I chose not to test out of with A's, and more importantly understanding and remembering the material taught, it was well worth it.
When I took the placement test, man did I forget a lot. I had the chance to retake the sections that I was close to testing out of, but I chose not to. Yea that puts me a little behind, but now that I am passing the 2 courses that I chose not to test out of with A's, and more importantly understanding and remembering the material taught, it was well worth it.
Subspace
My first computer was donated to me by my wife's Grandmother. I can't remember the specs but it was 1997 so you can pretty much imagine the antiquity of it. Just thinking of that old 33.3 modem still makes me smile. Before that I was using a device made by Sony called WebTv to hang out in various chat rooms and browse the web from my television.
One day while trolling Downloads.com for a new game to play I came across a game called Subspace, a 2d top-down space shooter, I was a so excited because I loved that genre of gaming at the time. What I did not know is that it was a multi player game where you basically competed against other people and it was all completely free. The first time I logged it I was completely overwhelmed by all the ships, bombs, mines, and bullets flying around and it had real time chat! I spent my first few hours just lurking, taking it all in trying to figure out the mechanics and enthralled by chat like a moth to the flame. After about my first week of Subspace I happen across a conversation that two guys was having in the duel arena about "girls" that played Subspace. So it hit me like a ton of feathers, I was going to be a "girl" online!
It was suppose to be a joke, my girlfriend now wife had to help me, as people tried to trip me up, "Honey how much do tampons cost?", "What size panties do I wear?" were some of the questions that were followed by hysterical laughter to the point of tears. I started off just being really nice to everybody and let the fact that I was a girl travel by word of chat. Within the first month of starting this game I had more "friends" than I could count, all 9 of my chat slots were full and was getting daily request to join more. There were forums where I would post massive amounts of poetry and short stories, all while hiding behind my anonymity. This was a huge outlet for me because I never had the nerve to post such things. Then the strangest thing started to happen, people were private messaging with advice on problems, somehow I became a person to confide in. Now this really got serious for me as I did not want to let the cat out of the bag so to say. So needless to say I felt really guilty about what I was doing, but my girlfriend reassured me that as long as It wasn't for ill will towards others I shouldn't feel so bad about it, so I continued, for 4 years. Then a group of us from Subspace stepped into the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game genre, the game was Lineage 2 and chat communication was required for castle sieging, no problem I just didn't have a microphone so they wouldn't find out who I really was. As I listened to the people that I had been interacting with for all these years I really wanted to interact with them through voice. So one day I plugged my microphone in and began speaking, this took guts on my part because I was certain that I would be rejected, denounce, cussed out, and verbally beaten to a pulp. It was just the opposite people for the most part showed acceptance because after all I was the same person just a different gender now. I have to admit out of all the "friends" I made two of them felt really betrayed but some months later re-established communication with me again.
Through this interaction with technology I learned so much about myself as well as others and how they perceive others, what they believe and don't believe. I learned guilt and acceptance. I learned that sometimes "females" are treated much differently than males. I learned how to talk to people. I learned that everything isn't what it seems and that people are amazing. I learned that I can't predict people by just looking at myself. I learned how to come out of my shell and to initiate conversation. I learned different point of views, morales and beliefs. Most importantly I learned how to be myself.
One day while trolling Downloads.com for a new game to play I came across a game called Subspace, a 2d top-down space shooter, I was a so excited because I loved that genre of gaming at the time. What I did not know is that it was a multi player game where you basically competed against other people and it was all completely free. The first time I logged it I was completely overwhelmed by all the ships, bombs, mines, and bullets flying around and it had real time chat! I spent my first few hours just lurking, taking it all in trying to figure out the mechanics and enthralled by chat like a moth to the flame. After about my first week of Subspace I happen across a conversation that two guys was having in the duel arena about "girls" that played Subspace. So it hit me like a ton of feathers, I was going to be a "girl" online!
It was suppose to be a joke, my girlfriend now wife had to help me, as people tried to trip me up, "Honey how much do tampons cost?", "What size panties do I wear?" were some of the questions that were followed by hysterical laughter to the point of tears. I started off just being really nice to everybody and let the fact that I was a girl travel by word of chat. Within the first month of starting this game I had more "friends" than I could count, all 9 of my chat slots were full and was getting daily request to join more. There were forums where I would post massive amounts of poetry and short stories, all while hiding behind my anonymity. This was a huge outlet for me because I never had the nerve to post such things. Then the strangest thing started to happen, people were private messaging with advice on problems, somehow I became a person to confide in. Now this really got serious for me as I did not want to let the cat out of the bag so to say. So needless to say I felt really guilty about what I was doing, but my girlfriend reassured me that as long as It wasn't for ill will towards others I shouldn't feel so bad about it, so I continued, for 4 years. Then a group of us from Subspace stepped into the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game genre, the game was Lineage 2 and chat communication was required for castle sieging, no problem I just didn't have a microphone so they wouldn't find out who I really was. As I listened to the people that I had been interacting with for all these years I really wanted to interact with them through voice. So one day I plugged my microphone in and began speaking, this took guts on my part because I was certain that I would be rejected, denounce, cussed out, and verbally beaten to a pulp. It was just the opposite people for the most part showed acceptance because after all I was the same person just a different gender now. I have to admit out of all the "friends" I made two of them felt really betrayed but some months later re-established communication with me again.
Through this interaction with technology I learned so much about myself as well as others and how they perceive others, what they believe and don't believe. I learned guilt and acceptance. I learned that sometimes "females" are treated much differently than males. I learned how to talk to people. I learned that everything isn't what it seems and that people are amazing. I learned that I can't predict people by just looking at myself. I learned how to come out of my shell and to initiate conversation. I learned different point of views, morales and beliefs. Most importantly I learned how to be myself.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Web Technology...Helping Me Learn
Learning for me on the Internet has typically been in a non-traditional form, learning for more personal, self-guided reasons. Aside from picking up a handful (how many can one hand hold?) of online classes provided by COTC, most of my forum and podcast activities have been engaged in personal uses. Personally, forming a question beginning with how, motivates me to research it until I find the answer.
Frankly (brother of Surly), the use of the technologies of Web 2.0 are new to me. The newest one I've adopted has been podcasts, seeing as I received a free iPod touch after purchasing a laptop. Forums, however, have been useful ever since I took up cooking and directing (always looking for recommended plays and musicals). I'd have to say that my rate of understanding, learning, or helping others has been increased due to the Internet. And while not entirely Web 2.0, the idea of forums could be found back to the bulletin boards a decade and a half ago. Essentially though, my access to this knowledge or information was probably nonexistent before the Internet. Short of having to go to the library, ordering a cooking magazine, or asking my family my "how" questions, most of my questions would have gone unanswered. It is understandable why the rate of learning has increased exponentially over the last couple hundred years. Access.
The use of forums have helped me solve my computing problems, cooking questions (specifically the process of canning), and production dilemmas in theater. I have also been the instructor per se in cases pertaining to gaming, some Photoshop techniques, and biking. These occurences amazingly connect users with common interests without the presence of an instructor or tutor explaining THE way in doing things. We are all students helping one another.
So, how has it affected my learning? Having this technology has opened my sense of self-inquiry. Of course, being older and a college graduate, my sense of self-inquiry, reflection, understanding, etc. is already high; however, the cyber technology available to us, helps harness AND foster it. It's really quite awesome. Especially after my undergraduate years, self-inquiry has been the preferred method for me in order to learn well and to retain what I've learned. As a student, I need to have a purposeful need for inquiry otherwise I will not retain what I've learned. As was stated in the lecture, three criteria exist to make instruction effective: content, methods, AND the involvement of student. No one dare tell me that the educational system is inherently defective when students, now more than ever, are apathetic and distracted. Should the establishment address this? Absolutely. But it is not an indication that the establishment is flawed. I enjoyed the techno music behind the video "A Vision of Students Today" starring Wesch as the instructor, but too much credit is given to the student.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Learning to see does not have an end
As a young boy I had always liked to draw. During my time in elementary school drawing was one of my favorite things to do and I did not understand why. We were always heavily pushed in other areas of knowledge such as math, reading, science, and so on. I could never get the drawings right since I was largely accessing my symbol system. I wanted realism. When I moved on to middle school we had the option of taking an "art" class. I enrolled in the class and thus began my dwelling into the unknown. Mr. Fish was my first true "seeing" teacher. We learned that you must see the smaller details involved in the framed space. Whether it was drawing a still-life with graphite or just dabbling around with mixed medias, I found how to manipulate the paper in front of me. On that piece of paper, I could put anything in its empty space. I continued to work on my drawing skills and when I made it to high school I was ready for more knowledge in the area of drawing and design. I completed two drawings, one of a snake on scratchboard and the other of a tiger. They were both entered into the high school's art exhibit. When I watched people pass by and talk about what they were seeing on the wall, they all had a different personal relation with it in some way or another. I found that, with the artwork, you could give someone an experience in that space. When I was drawing I would lose my track of time and get into my own space. After enrolling in the Digital Media Design program I finally received answers for many questions I had on my feelings of drawing and design. I never realized that the left and right hand side of my brain was working together and seperate at the same time. These findings have essentially enriched my life to what I know and see today. I am grateful to have amazing teachers. My skills and talents will be used to help someone who might be wearing my old shoes.
Monday, November 3, 2008
33 in a 20
Speeding tickets are a reminder that we all need to slow down. The analogy for life. But do we ever learn our lesson? Perhaps. Or perhaps we learn that in a specific situation or context, our actions are not the desired ones. But I know that I will not mistakingly miss the flashing school lights sign as I enter Alexandria again. 15 minutes earlier and I would have been going under the 35 mpg speed limit. However, will I apply this lesson in a different context or location? Probably not.
Slowing down seems counterintuitive to the American culture or even the World culture. Slowing down makes us prone to laziness and defeat. I need to get to my next location ten minutes before I am supposed to, so that I can quickly complete a goal that would most likely get done anyway. Typically I still get to bed. Whatever I don't accomplish the night before does get done unless I'm facing some type of deadline (which in my case right now life is a deadline). Then I forgo sleep in order to get the needed task accomplished. I'm rambling.
Learning a concept is one thing. But to process, practice, embed, and recall the said concept is another. It takes conscious effort. When I arrived in the next town, Johnstown, to flashing lights, I found it difficult to drive 20 mph. Perhaps I'm desensitized to speed. I mean 20 mph is fast. I can't run 20 mph. And I'm pretty sure I can't ride my bike that fast...for a prolonged amount of time. I had to force myself to raise my foot off of the accelerator. I actually had to resist the urge to not comply. Wouldn't it be better to arrive everywhere faster? Even an ugly city can appear beautiful when driving too fast to process it. Calm down, I'm not implying these cities are ugly.
That's our problem. At least one of them. We are a culture that has chosen to bypass the process of... processing. We want it our way. All the way. We want to believe that we understand when perhaps we don't. Or worse, we want to pretend we understand when we know we don't. I saw it in the educational system clearly. But I think it is much more prevalent in life than we would like to think. Who has problems remembering names?
Several bloggers hands go up.
Bad memory or a lack of conscious effort?
I feel soo stressed out right now....I feel like i never have time for anything. I cant seem to get myself on a schedule with being a new mom , school and working all the time. I never know whats goin on. Its hard for meto get any school work done without a computer in my house, I have to go here or go there to use a computer in between classes or work. I need get a rythme going. I dont think I have ever been this overwhelmed.
What I know, is motherhood has became my new source of learning. I absolutely love it! Its definitely hard, but worth every sleepless night and time without friends. My son is the new love in my life! I cant get over the things he does and the way he smiles at me. Being a parent has opened my eyes to a whole new world. I know that things can only get better from here!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Grades....why I give it my all.
I wish that I would have tried as hard to get good grades in high school as I have in college. its so mind blowing to me. I guess I just never put my full potential out there and kind of just got by with whatever I got. Now that I am in college, its totally different. Why is that? Well for one, I am paying to take the classes so if I fail its coming out of my pocket and for two, I am the adult now and I realize how important it is to get those good grades. Believe me I am no where near perfect, I have taken a class or two twice, and I not only learned more than the first time around but I also realized that if you don't put your all into it than you only get back what you put forth, so I always try my hardest, because I know that I am going to get back what I put into it, and I want that good grade. Don't we all?
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