There are three ideas that I really like. I am going to list them and then discuss each one.
1. Create our own Song:
Jam Studio Using Jam Studio as a platform, we can collaborate and create our own songs. We would basically have the same login and then work on the song indivdually, each of us adding our own piece. This site helps schools with education grants for equipment and also offers a license to educators. It could be a great resource for schools and education in general.
2. Create our own story video or film of a children's story. We could also use Jam Studio for background music for this, or DanoSongs, a place where Internet artists allow their songs to be used freely (probably a lot of other sites out there that do this as well). Then place our voice audio tracks on top.
3. Subtitle a video, kind of like the Hitler & i-Pad video.
I like a lot of the other ideas out there, even creating an app for the iphone, but I don't own one, so we will have to see how many of us in the group actually own iphones so we can test, and then strictly monitor the downloads and views to see how quickly it gets out there and how many people download (these tools are inlcuded in the iphone appmaker that Richard sent out).
Thursday, October 28, 2010
B-R@d's YouTube Highlight List
Hitler's Reaction to the i-Pad
The first YouTube Collaborative Movie The actual movie
Noah's Daily Photos
Dancing on TreadMills
Crazy Cats
The movie is a parody on Spanish soap operas, called "novelas." I am married to a Latina, so this is absolutely hilarious for me (and I speak Spanish...). Ok, the Tortuga n' Periquit guys are crazy, but they are right. Even if the movie is nuts, this effort was huge for the YouTube community. Collaboration is something that YouTube videos lack, in the sense of artistic ideas put out there and worked on together. Now, obviously, people's idea of art really varies (I see this point clearer and clearer everytime I watch this video). Nonetheless, it is an area that could really grow. I also saw a Harry Potter Puppet show with vocal rhythms. The storyline was practically non-existent, but it was artistic. I really like the idea of doing a short story through YouTube. One person can focus on the video, another the audio, another the story, and we can all read the parts. Or, we can film ourselves or other people, each of us doing a short scene.
Regardless of how our projects turn out, I have definitely learned a lot about YouTube, people (this part mostly scares me :D, and collaboration. Anyway, I welcome your comments. I hope you enjoy the videos I pulled off. It was very difficult to filter through the videos and find videos that were funny and collaborative. There is no search filter that really works so I spent at least 4-5 hours going through videos. This was the best I could find. By the way, I saw my first two-million dollar bra in the process...I know...what...? Victoria Secrets...you've done it again !!!
The first YouTube Collaborative Movie The actual movie
Noah's Daily Photos
Dancing on TreadMills
Crazy Cats
The movie is a parody on Spanish soap operas, called "novelas." I am married to a Latina, so this is absolutely hilarious for me (and I speak Spanish...). Ok, the Tortuga n' Periquit guys are crazy, but they are right. Even if the movie is nuts, this effort was huge for the YouTube community. Collaboration is something that YouTube videos lack, in the sense of artistic ideas put out there and worked on together. Now, obviously, people's idea of art really varies (I see this point clearer and clearer everytime I watch this video). Nonetheless, it is an area that could really grow. I also saw a Harry Potter Puppet show with vocal rhythms. The storyline was practically non-existent, but it was artistic. I really like the idea of doing a short story through YouTube. One person can focus on the video, another the audio, another the story, and we can all read the parts. Or, we can film ourselves or other people, each of us doing a short scene.
Regardless of how our projects turn out, I have definitely learned a lot about YouTube, people (this part mostly scares me :D, and collaboration. Anyway, I welcome your comments. I hope you enjoy the videos I pulled off. It was very difficult to filter through the videos and find videos that were funny and collaborative. There is no search filter that really works so I spent at least 4-5 hours going through videos. This was the best I could find. By the way, I saw my first two-million dollar bra in the process...I know...what...? Victoria Secrets...you've done it again !!!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Refocusing is important!
If you haven't seen my course objectives yet, please click here.
I firmly believe that developing, editing, and reviewing course objectives is an essential task that must never be overlooked. Many times, especially in a class such as this, it is easy to get lost in the sea of tools and applications that we use. It becomes very easy to complete a set a tasks without a focus. When there is no focus, the task becomes meaningless, because there is no driving force. When one keeps course objectives in focus they become a filter, through which all coursework is seen. For instance, I can write this blog and say something like, "It was nice to be able to review my work and see the difference and how I have changed since the beginning of the course." While that may be true, how does that comment apply to my objectives? It doesn't. It is much better to apply this to education like I am doing with this blog. Students must always be reminded of the focus, the goal, etc... so they're efforts actually produce a fruit in their learning and so the teacher doesn't spend countless hours developing lessons that don't work because the student had a poor vantage point (in other words, the student wasn't looking through the filter of the objectives; there was no driving force, no goal in mind).
To me, this is the difference between trying to earn a grade by completing a set of tasks and learning. And, let's face it. It is human nature to choose the path of completing the tasks. Honestly, even religion, has been reduced to this. "Do this, this, and that, and then you're fine." No, allow the purpose for these tasks to change you, the way you think, your desires, etc... and then you have learned!!!
Does this make sense to anyone, or am I rambling...?
I firmly believe that developing, editing, and reviewing course objectives is an essential task that must never be overlooked. Many times, especially in a class such as this, it is easy to get lost in the sea of tools and applications that we use. It becomes very easy to complete a set a tasks without a focus. When there is no focus, the task becomes meaningless, because there is no driving force. When one keeps course objectives in focus they become a filter, through which all coursework is seen. For instance, I can write this blog and say something like, "It was nice to be able to review my work and see the difference and how I have changed since the beginning of the course." While that may be true, how does that comment apply to my objectives? It doesn't. It is much better to apply this to education like I am doing with this blog. Students must always be reminded of the focus, the goal, etc... so they're efforts actually produce a fruit in their learning and so the teacher doesn't spend countless hours developing lessons that don't work because the student had a poor vantage point (in other words, the student wasn't looking through the filter of the objectives; there was no driving force, no goal in mind).
To me, this is the difference between trying to earn a grade by completing a set of tasks and learning. And, let's face it. It is human nature to choose the path of completing the tasks. Honestly, even religion, has been reduced to this. "Do this, this, and that, and then you're fine." No, allow the purpose for these tasks to change you, the way you think, your desires, etc... and then you have learned!!!
Does this make sense to anyone, or am I rambling...?
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Meeting in Second Life
Attending a meeting in Second Life is way better than attending a meeting in real life. Not having to drive anywhere, get ready, or sit without being able to get up and grab a glass of water or even go to the bathroom are just a few reasons why I like meeting in Second Life. Now, depending on the tools the speaker uses any meeting can vary. For instance, I attended a meeting today where the speaker had this interactive polling system. This added a nice dimension to the meeting, allowing the attendees to interact with the speakers and each other, as well as enhance the subject matter, which happened to be "copyright."
In this photo, you can see the Instant Poll on the left and the two key speakers in the middle. Directly behind the blue dragon was a slide viewer where definitions were presented. To the right there is a little blue box. The notecards for the meeting were here, giving directions on how to interact during the meeting, as well as an array of online links to resources related to "copyright."
I really enjoyed the interactivity of the meeting and the professional presentation of a very difficult material. In the end, I would have liked to have had more concrete lists of do's and dont's with regard to the use of copyrighted material, but the dialogue was nice. Besides, I still need to look further into the resources that were provided for us in the notecard, a few of which are posted below.
Here are some notes and resources from the meeting that may interest you:
In this photo, you can see the Instant Poll on the left and the two key speakers in the middle. Directly behind the blue dragon was a slide viewer where definitions were presented. To the right there is a little blue box. The notecards for the meeting were here, giving directions on how to interact during the meeting, as well as an array of online links to resources related to "copyright."
I really enjoyed the interactivity of the meeting and the professional presentation of a very difficult material. In the end, I would have liked to have had more concrete lists of do's and dont's with regard to the use of copyrighted material, but the dialogue was nice. Besides, I still need to look further into the resources that were provided for us in the notecard, a few of which are posted below.
Here are some notes and resources from the meeting that may interest you:
The fair use of a copyrighted idea for criticism, comment, news, reporting, teaching, scholarship or research is not an infringement of copyright.
Copyright Remix: What’s Copyright, Copyleft, or Copywrong in a Participatory Culture? Live in the Bookhenge, October 21, 8 pm ET
To be archived at www.bookosphere.net
** Talking the Talk **
(Definitions from the New Media Literacies Skills, New Media Literacies Lab, USC http://www.newmedialiteracies.org/try-the-library.php and the MacArthur White Paper: Confronting the Challenges of a Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century, Jenkins et al., eds, (2006). http://www.newmedialiteracies.org/files/working/NMLWhitePaper.pdf
Appropriate -- to sample and remix media content
Transform – to transform media content means to not replace original thinking but build upon it in an original, innovative way; to repurpose and add value
Negotiate -- to travel across diverse communities, discerning and respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following alternative norms
** Fair Use Analysis **
Four Fair Use Factors:
1. Purpose and character of use
2. Nature of the copyrighted work
3. Amount and substantiality
4. $ effects on market $
(Stanford University Libraries -- http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/9-b.html
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Couch Surfing
The idea of Couch Surfing is amazing when you sit back and look at the big picture. I can make a friend online and then travel across the world and stay with that person for free, and he/she will even show me the sites. Wow! The implications of it are that social media can be used to create initially virtual creations that become physical. The idea really isn't all that new. As an example, take online advertising for a home. I am looking for a home, I check out a site, call the number, meet the agent and see the house (which beforehand only existed as pictures in my imagination). Then, I can meet the owners and purchase this house. Of course, couch surfing goes a step beyond, creating a different class or social relationships, one built on mutual trust and interests, which were completely founded on the web. Also, looking at a home takes no investment. Traveling around the world to stay with someone you've never met is quite a risk. What if the person is a lonely, miserable pervert? Of course, Couch Surfing takes steps to ensure that the people in its database that are verified are OK, but it can't really offer that much protection. It is definitely more secure and user-friendly with regards to security than other social media sites such as Facebook. Two-way acceptance of friendships, ratings for users and interactions with users, specific data fields for friends so that you know what you think of this person and can remember how you met, when, and how you have interacted, as well as an array of other similar tools really highlight the involved processes of tracking friends and acquaintances on the site. And, it should. Given the very nature of the site, I would think that even more security measures should be put into place. Just because I can verify my address doesn't mean that I'm not crazy. Sure, if I commit a crime against another couch surfer, then I would eventually be found out, but couldn't I simply fake another identity, or steal a credit card, use it to donate (step 2 of verification), and then look up that person whose card I have and get his/her address? Then, there have been issues with people never receiving their verification cards through the mail. I could be one of these victims who never receives the verification card and then requests another way to verify identity. And, social security numbers are not secure either, so what is next?
I like the site, but I would not put my family at risk by having a total stranger in my house. I may be willing, though, to travel somewhere else. If I lived by myself I would probably host someone, or if the person I was hosting was a good friend of someone I had known for a long time.
I like the site, but I would not put my family at risk by having a total stranger in my house. I may be willing, though, to travel somewhere else. If I lived by myself I would probably host someone, or if the person I was hosting was a good friend of someone I had known for a long time.
Thoughts on Privacy
I was reading an article on privacy from Harvard Magazine as well as an article I read in EduCase and I wanted to share. Here are links to both:
7 Things You Should Know about Privacy in Web 2.0 Learning Environments
The Erosion of Prviacy in the Internet Era
Everything is now digital and everyone uses credit or debit cards way more than cash. I must say that I am extremely uncomfortable with the fact that my purchase history can be sold to the government and can affect my future considerations for things like higher credit limits all the way up to loans (and who knows why the government is interested in it). We don't see many ramifications of this now, but what could happen in the future? As the government gets bigger and we become more dependent on the government (which is happening during this administration in a big way), who could we turn to if we had unknowingly violated some future law. Let's take religion, for example. I am a Christian, and there is evidence of that through the purchases I make at Christian stores and Amazon.com. If this religion were to one day be outlawed, would I be hunted down and persecuted? Even if I wasn't a Christian anymore, would I still be persecuted? The article used the example of intellectual philosophers in the 1930's having discussions about socialism, which had ramifications later during another administration. These people were simply discussing the validity and applicability of an idea. Where is their crime? I know that some of these fears could be unfounded (although I don't really think so) but it is worth our time to ponder. Could the decisions you make today put you at risk...your life, your ability to gain financial independence, or even your ability to get the job you want in the future? And when you finally do become aware of this, as we are now, is the Internet really as free as we think it is? Sure, I have the freedom to publish anything I want and it can reach far, as far as China even...or perhaps it is reaching too far, further than I want it
to reach.
7 Things You Should Know about Privacy in Web 2.0 Learning Environments
The Erosion of Prviacy in the Internet Era
Everything is now digital and everyone uses credit or debit cards way more than cash. I must say that I am extremely uncomfortable with the fact that my purchase history can be sold to the government and can affect my future considerations for things like higher credit limits all the way up to loans (and who knows why the government is interested in it). We don't see many ramifications of this now, but what could happen in the future? As the government gets bigger and we become more dependent on the government (which is happening during this administration in a big way), who could we turn to if we had unknowingly violated some future law. Let's take religion, for example. I am a Christian, and there is evidence of that through the purchases I make at Christian stores and Amazon.com. If this religion were to one day be outlawed, would I be hunted down and persecuted? Even if I wasn't a Christian anymore, would I still be persecuted? The article used the example of intellectual philosophers in the 1930's having discussions about socialism, which had ramifications later during another administration. These people were simply discussing the validity and applicability of an idea. Where is their crime? I know that some of these fears could be unfounded (although I don't really think so) but it is worth our time to ponder. Could the decisions you make today put you at risk...your life, your ability to gain financial independence, or even your ability to get the job you want in the future? And when you finally do become aware of this, as we are now, is the Internet really as free as we think it is? Sure, I have the freedom to publish anything I want and it can reach far, as far as China even...or perhaps it is reaching too far, further than I want it
to reach.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Meeting my Course Objectives
My course objectives are:
1- Become familiar with various tools and software, and learn how to integrate these tools into education, as well as other forms of technology.
2- Learn how to legally take from the web and use it, without infringing on copyright law, privacy, or general usage policies.
3- Learn how to develop an interactive learning environment where everyone gives and takes.
The class course objectives upon which we decided:
1- Discover the different types of social media on the web, including current web 2.0 platforms as well as a history of web 2.0 and its earliest platforms
2- Discuss the future and what it means for the web and social media.
3- Become familiar with various tools and software, and learn how to integrate these tools into education, as well as other forms of technology for both private and professional purposes.
4- Learn how to be "collaborative" when it comes to using the Internet
5- Learn how to develop an interactive learning environment where everyone gives and takes.
6- Learn how to troubleshoot tech and website issues that could occur in a workplace or personal setting so they can be resolved quickly .
I feel as though I have a good grasp on my objectives, except for developing an online learning environment. I have learned how to use a lot of tools but I haven't combined them into a truly interactive learning environment. I guess that Classroom 2.0 is the closest thing I have done so far, but I want to do more. One way I would like to accomplish this is through my individual web site project, as well as the suggestion I had for our group to develop a Wikiversity class. I would like to explore Classroom 2.0 more. Perhaps I will integrate this into my website, as I will be integrating several blog sites, YouTube, etc... We took a glance at copyright, though I am continuing to investigate this. I developed a Google site for my favorite team, the Carolina Hurricanes, and I incorporated the ability to trade tickets on the site. However, I want to include a disclaimer to dispel the liability from myself. I will investigate this and continue to learn as needed in this area.
With regard to the classroom objectives that differed from my own, I need to learn about troubleshooting tech issues. I plan on finding an excellent tech Wiki or online group that I can utilize in the future to help me with any issues I may face. I am investigating the future of social media and technology in another class and I feel that I am advancing nicely in that area. With regards to "being collaborative," our projects are really going to help out with that. Google documents is nothing. We are going to use some awesome new tools and means of communicating in order to accomplish our goals and I am looking forward to working with everyone on these projects.
I guess that's it for now. This field has already changed as I am writing this. Like Lester said, "We are always beginners..." so the learning and investigation never stop. We have to stay current and continue our education on our own in order to remain productive in the realm of social media. Comfort is a luxury that can't be afforded in this arena.
1- Become familiar with various tools and software, and learn how to integrate these tools into education, as well as other forms of technology.
2- Learn how to legally take from the web and use it, without infringing on copyright law, privacy, or general usage policies.
3- Learn how to develop an interactive learning environment where everyone gives and takes.
The class course objectives upon which we decided:
1- Discover the different types of social media on the web, including current web 2.0 platforms as well as a history of web 2.0 and its earliest platforms
2- Discuss the future and what it means for the web and social media.
3- Become familiar with various tools and software, and learn how to integrate these tools into education, as well as other forms of technology for both private and professional purposes.
4- Learn how to be "collaborative" when it comes to using the Internet
5- Learn how to develop an interactive learning environment where everyone gives and takes.
6- Learn how to troubleshoot tech and website issues that could occur in a workplace or personal setting so they can be resolved quickly .
I feel as though I have a good grasp on my objectives, except for developing an online learning environment. I have learned how to use a lot of tools but I haven't combined them into a truly interactive learning environment. I guess that Classroom 2.0 is the closest thing I have done so far, but I want to do more. One way I would like to accomplish this is through my individual web site project, as well as the suggestion I had for our group to develop a Wikiversity class. I would like to explore Classroom 2.0 more. Perhaps I will integrate this into my website, as I will be integrating several blog sites, YouTube, etc... We took a glance at copyright, though I am continuing to investigate this. I developed a Google site for my favorite team, the Carolina Hurricanes, and I incorporated the ability to trade tickets on the site. However, I want to include a disclaimer to dispel the liability from myself. I will investigate this and continue to learn as needed in this area.
With regard to the classroom objectives that differed from my own, I need to learn about troubleshooting tech issues. I plan on finding an excellent tech Wiki or online group that I can utilize in the future to help me with any issues I may face. I am investigating the future of social media and technology in another class and I feel that I am advancing nicely in that area. With regards to "being collaborative," our projects are really going to help out with that. Google documents is nothing. We are going to use some awesome new tools and means of communicating in order to accomplish our goals and I am looking forward to working with everyone on these projects.
I guess that's it for now. This field has already changed as I am writing this. Like Lester said, "We are always beginners..." so the learning and investigation never stop. We have to stay current and continue our education on our own in order to remain productive in the realm of social media. Comfort is a luxury that can't be afforded in this arena.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Private Theories and New Media
Upon reviewing my answer I realized that even I had confused the side the moon is on when there is a new moon and visa versa, and I took Astronomy in College! It made me really reflect on this. The video started out by saying "students who receive the best education" but continued to explain that they don't understand even basic scientific concepts. I really believe, in a global context, that this is an untrue statement. While Harvard may be considered to be the best in this country (which is very arguable), it is certainly not the best in the world. And, our public education is appalling in many ways, especially when we consider the amount of money that is spent on it. In the end, it doesn't matter, because the world is changing. With sites like Wikipedia, the world has become smaller. Things that were once private have become public through various media sources.
The video focused on how the student had ingrained her very own "private theory" into her brain and that it penetrated so deeply that it would be very difficult to remove it and replace it with a correct understanding of the material. So, how did this happen and why? Well, honestly, she accepted the truth when she was given the knowledge and the choice to react to it. She thought it through and it made sense.
In the end, she accepted it. This is what New Media brings to the table for education. A tangible, audible, visual, interactive way of learning, yes, but more importantly, a knowledge network that can dispel common misunderstandings. When one communicates through new media and places his/her "private theory" up against the scrutiny of his/her peers, the information is no longer private and one can learn from others. Learning becomes cooperative. Information is ready available to learn in a variety of contexts (thus stimulating different intelligences), and one can no longer keep "private theories." Everything has to be laid out onto the table. New media gives us the edge over cycles of ignorance if the information is controlled well.
The video focused on how the student had ingrained her very own "private theory" into her brain and that it penetrated so deeply that it would be very difficult to remove it and replace it with a correct understanding of the material. So, how did this happen and why? Well, honestly, she accepted the truth when she was given the knowledge and the choice to react to it. She thought it through and it made sense.
In the end, she accepted it. This is what New Media brings to the table for education. A tangible, audible, visual, interactive way of learning, yes, but more importantly, a knowledge network that can dispel common misunderstandings. When one communicates through new media and places his/her "private theory" up against the scrutiny of his/her peers, the information is no longer private and one can learn from others. Learning becomes cooperative. Information is ready available to learn in a variety of contexts (thus stimulating different intelligences), and one can no longer keep "private theories." Everything has to be laid out onto the table. New media gives us the edge over cycles of ignorance if the information is controlled well.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
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