What I liked best about the course was the blogging, the presentations, and the personal narrative writing prompt. I was nervous to do the blogging, because I was sure it was something I would never figure out to do. However, I realized how simple it really is to have your thoughts published on the web. The presentations were enjoyable, too. I loved researching my Flashmobs presentation, because it really opened me up to something I never would have heard of otherwise. The electronic literature presentation was another favorite of mine. I still go on the site sometimes to look at different additions, because I didn't have time to go through it while in class.
Frontpage was an annoyance, simply because of the blocks at school. It took forever to learn how to use frontpage, but i am pretty proud of how everything turned out. Just to have working links and graphics is an accomplishment! But I probably wouldn't want to ever do something like that again.
If I were to take this class again, I would rather not do all the reading we did in the beginning, particularly the reading like produsage and remediation. It was so hard to get through and wasn't enjoyable at all. I would do more blogging, more ventures into different areas of cyberspace as we did with the presentations, as well as more reflective writing.
I feel prepared when it comes to blogging as well as wikipedia. However, I don't feel prepared with frontpage at all. I will probably forget everything i have already learned.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Reflective Essay - Final Draft
Topic – How does technology change personal connections through writing?
Readings : I ♥ novels, Friend Game, Wikipedia article, Flashmobs, Electronic Literature, “Deep and Hyper Attention” and “Sampling “the New” in New Literacies”
In a recent conversation with a friend, we discussed how my parents fell in love through the old fashioned handwritten letter, sent from the US to Portugal, where my dad was still living in. It reminded me of how something as simple as a letter can change a personal connection and in turn can change the course of someone’s life. This is why I chose to change my topic to delve into how technology changes personal connections through writing. Does it have the same impact as traditional print writing? Are these impacts negative or positive? Are we better off with traditional writing?
Collin’s “Friend Game” speaks of the ugly side of writing through the use of technology. For many of us, as seen through our narratives, we use the internet for social networking. Whether to meet new people or to keep in touch with old friends, we rely on the internet to communicate and form personal connections and bonds. However, “Friend Game” pointed out that writing through technology is not always pleasant. Cyber bullying is an extreme form of the nasty side of writing through technology. In the real world, it is much easier to avoid a person you have issues with, but in the cyber world of writing, doing so is not as easy. The safety of the internet is virtually non existent, and unfortunately it can have a negative impact on the person that is on the receiving end.
Similarly, the Wikipedia article can fall under the not a pleasant experience. As a class, we all had our unpleasant experiences with this user-created website. For instance, another student and I had not a single response to our first foray into posting on Wikipedia. Others had their posts taken down within minutes, and others had Wikipedia ‘experts’ say they were blatantly advertising. In the latter experiences, it is very easy to feel bullied on Wikipedia. Also, the issue of trolls came up. These people hack into Wikipedia and destroy someone’s post that they probably worked on for a long time. However, we are also brought together through Wikipedia. Just look at how it was first created. The Wikipedia article stated that “it was constructed, in less than eight years, by strangers who disagreed about all kinds of things but who were drawn to a shared, not-for-profit purpose”
However, not all writing through technology brings out the worst in people. In fact, some writing that is done through technology brings them together. For instance, the I ♥ novels presentation showed us that teenagers in Japan formed their own virtual world via standard messaging services on their cell phones. Instead of having to go to a library or bookstore to read a novel, they can download it onto their phone and immerse themselves in the story, creating their own space. They can easily share the novels with others, as well.
The “Flashmobs” presentation also talks about the positives in writing through technology. People are brought together through text messaging, where they become one to achieve a certain goal. Whether it be something funny or something as serious as a political stance, these individuals are notified via technology to meet in a specific place, get instructions, and hold a pose or do an action together to make a point. Although I was one of the presenters of this article, I am still amazed when I do youtube searches for flashmobs and find out that so many people are involved. And to think it was writing through technology that brought them together is amazing.
Instead of just traditional print writing, we also have artistic ways of writing when it comes to technology. I still find myself looking into the Electronic Literature website. This goes far beyond the black print and drawings of print writing. Now we have graphics and interactive reading that showcases just how creative individuals can become. There is a space where authors can come together and share their artistic views of writing, instead of having just standard books.
If the internet is full of these creative writings and social networking, how do we as individuals find the time to explore the different areas that interest us? How do we juggle work and play? This is clearly explained through Hayles “Hyper and Deep Attention”. We use hyper attention to multitask. We are able to not only do our work (whether it be writing essays or searching the web for sources or even doing job related activities), we are able to listen to music, talk to friends, surf the web for hobby related interests, etc.
In my opinion, writing through technology is a positive experience. The internet is much like real life. There will always be the bad aspects which in this essay are cyberbullying, learning to blog or post and the issues that go along with that, but in return we as readers are rewarded with a vast amount of creativity. We are given the chance to show readers that they can reap the same kind of enjoyment via writing through technology the same way a standard print book can give us. Just look at the Electronic Literature website and you are able to see a small part of the author’s creativity. Lankshear and Noble state literacies call us to generate and communicate meanings and to invite others to make meaning from our texts in turn.” These types of literature in technology do just that. We communicate meanings through what we write via technology, and we are brought together by shared interests.
Readings : I ♥ novels, Friend Game, Wikipedia article, Flashmobs, Electronic Literature, “Deep and Hyper Attention” and “Sampling “the New” in New Literacies”
In a recent conversation with a friend, we discussed how my parents fell in love through the old fashioned handwritten letter, sent from the US to Portugal, where my dad was still living in. It reminded me of how something as simple as a letter can change a personal connection and in turn can change the course of someone’s life. This is why I chose to change my topic to delve into how technology changes personal connections through writing. Does it have the same impact as traditional print writing? Are these impacts negative or positive? Are we better off with traditional writing?
Collin’s “Friend Game” speaks of the ugly side of writing through the use of technology. For many of us, as seen through our narratives, we use the internet for social networking. Whether to meet new people or to keep in touch with old friends, we rely on the internet to communicate and form personal connections and bonds. However, “Friend Game” pointed out that writing through technology is not always pleasant. Cyber bullying is an extreme form of the nasty side of writing through technology. In the real world, it is much easier to avoid a person you have issues with, but in the cyber world of writing, doing so is not as easy. The safety of the internet is virtually non existent, and unfortunately it can have a negative impact on the person that is on the receiving end.
Similarly, the Wikipedia article can fall under the not a pleasant experience. As a class, we all had our unpleasant experiences with this user-created website. For instance, another student and I had not a single response to our first foray into posting on Wikipedia. Others had their posts taken down within minutes, and others had Wikipedia ‘experts’ say they were blatantly advertising. In the latter experiences, it is very easy to feel bullied on Wikipedia. Also, the issue of trolls came up. These people hack into Wikipedia and destroy someone’s post that they probably worked on for a long time. However, we are also brought together through Wikipedia. Just look at how it was first created. The Wikipedia article stated that “it was constructed, in less than eight years, by strangers who disagreed about all kinds of things but who were drawn to a shared, not-for-profit purpose”
However, not all writing through technology brings out the worst in people. In fact, some writing that is done through technology brings them together. For instance, the I ♥ novels presentation showed us that teenagers in Japan formed their own virtual world via standard messaging services on their cell phones. Instead of having to go to a library or bookstore to read a novel, they can download it onto their phone and immerse themselves in the story, creating their own space. They can easily share the novels with others, as well.
The “Flashmobs” presentation also talks about the positives in writing through technology. People are brought together through text messaging, where they become one to achieve a certain goal. Whether it be something funny or something as serious as a political stance, these individuals are notified via technology to meet in a specific place, get instructions, and hold a pose or do an action together to make a point. Although I was one of the presenters of this article, I am still amazed when I do youtube searches for flashmobs and find out that so many people are involved. And to think it was writing through technology that brought them together is amazing.
Instead of just traditional print writing, we also have artistic ways of writing when it comes to technology. I still find myself looking into the Electronic Literature website. This goes far beyond the black print and drawings of print writing. Now we have graphics and interactive reading that showcases just how creative individuals can become. There is a space where authors can come together and share their artistic views of writing, instead of having just standard books.
If the internet is full of these creative writings and social networking, how do we as individuals find the time to explore the different areas that interest us? How do we juggle work and play? This is clearly explained through Hayles “Hyper and Deep Attention”. We use hyper attention to multitask. We are able to not only do our work (whether it be writing essays or searching the web for sources or even doing job related activities), we are able to listen to music, talk to friends, surf the web for hobby related interests, etc.
In my opinion, writing through technology is a positive experience. The internet is much like real life. There will always be the bad aspects which in this essay are cyberbullying, learning to blog or post and the issues that go along with that, but in return we as readers are rewarded with a vast amount of creativity. We are given the chance to show readers that they can reap the same kind of enjoyment via writing through technology the same way a standard print book can give us. Just look at the Electronic Literature website and you are able to see a small part of the author’s creativity. Lankshear and Noble state literacies call us to generate and communicate meanings and to invite others to make meaning from our texts in turn.” These types of literature in technology do just that. We communicate meanings through what we write via technology, and we are brought together by shared interests.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Blog 20
Brainstorming- How concept of writing has changed- Technology creates more autonomous learners- How course readings changed your understanding use of technology - How technology changes personal connections through writing- Which essays connect to hive mind- Technology impact on print world and why- Impact of technology on print generationWriting I’m interested in – Friend Game, I <3 novels, hayles hyper and deep attention , friend game, Wikipedia article, flashmobs, and electronic literature. Wikipedia is changing writing in the education field, because of how far it reaches other readers, and how instantly information can be found. In regards to the expectations , the user (whether it be student or teacher) must learn how to use digital rules in order to post. There is no free writing, no writing without ‘proof’ – everything has to be backed up, much like providing sources when doing traditional writing. -------------------------------------------------So I am going to focus on Friend Game, I <3 novels, Wikipedia, Flashmobs, Electronic Literature. They were my favorite articles. The last two articles that I am going to try to incorporate are Hyper and Deep Attention and Produsage into this, although I didn’t like either. What is the impact of technology on print world.Wikipedia – writing is available to anyone, within seconds. Does not have to go through formal editing, instead it is reviewed by every day users. There are multiple ‘editors’. Must follow digital rules when users want to post something. No writing without proof – everything has to be backed up, much like providing sources when doing traditional writing. Topics otherwise not explored are covered. A full collaboration between users, instead of just one author or a few people within a joint project. Writing can be altered by trolls – the safety of writing is now jeopardized. Print writing cannot be defamed, but online writing can.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Blog 18
1. List the kinds of media you use/read/engage with on a daily basis. Are your choice of media + patterns for interacting with media the same or different from they way it was when you were 5? 10? 15? etc Give short descriptions to explain.
The media I use now varies from music, instant messaging, texting, watching television, emailing or surfing random websites. The choice of media definitely differs from when I was 5, 10 and even 15. When I was 5 and 10, I had no instant messaging (or internet service, for that matter), cell phone, or my own television and computer. Now I have two of my own laptops, my own television, many cellphones, and an ipod. Technology has effortlessly made its way into my life.
2. Rank the relative amount of time you presently spend with each medium -- be as specific as you can.
Texting - has to come first. I text all the time, and prefer it to talking on the phone. I send at least 50 texts a day, probably.
Music - Music is always on for me. At work, in the car, in school (I carry my ipod with me and usually have it on in between classes), when I'm on the computer, when I'm doing homework, when I'm cooking, when I'm watching t.v, etc....
Surfing the Web - I usually spend about 2 hours a day online, for whatever reason.
Watching television - I don't watch television too much. I have certain t.v shows that I must watch, otherwise I barely channel surf. I never watch t.v during the day.
Emailing - With the use of vbulletin and , more often TEXTING, I hardly email anymore. I'll use email to k.i.t with professors and relatives I wouldn't text, and that's about it.
Instant messaging - Once a big deal to me when I first got the internet as an adolescent, I hardly instant message anymore. I am usually never logged into any messenger, and maybe spend 15 minutes a day tops with instant messaging.
3. Describe any media associated with how you perform the following school related tasks:
do math or other calculation-based homework - sometimes use the calculator on the computer
read assignments - i might print out reading materials off the computer
compose a paper (answers may be different for drafting, revising + editing) - i use MS Word all the time
study for an exam - sometimes i'll find help online through tutoring sites.
conduct research / find references - use scholarly journals from Kean's website.
4. Describe any media associated with how you do the following everyday tasks:
drive - listen to music, text (!!!)
eat a meal by yourself - have music in the background, or watch television, or surf the web (this barely happens)
eat with your family/friends - sometimes have music in the background, or a radio talk show.
household chores (cooking, cleaning, household repairs, work on your car) - have music on all the time to keep me company.
5. Describe what you do to relax or in your free time - and how you relax(e.g. watching TV while looking at a magazine and texting a friend)
To relax, I'll listen to music in my room, text, and either read a magazine or surf the web or sketch something or just sleep!
a. Patterns of attention for individual activities: look back over your list and rank the individual practices listed under 3 - 5 . Use a scale of 1 - 5 where 1 is deep attention (focused on one task - creating an environment with no distractions) and 5 is hyper attention (focused on multiple channels for input - creating an environment with many distracting features). These numbers reflect your preferences for attending for individual activities.
math related - 2
read assignments - 4
compose a paper - 4
study for an exam - 3
conduct research - 5
average = 3.6
drive - 5
eat a meal by yourself - 5
eat a meal with family - 2
household chores - 5
average - 4.25
relax - 5
b. Patterns of attending within activity clusters: After you have ranked all the activities you listed, give yourself a score for school activities, living/household activities + relaxation activities by averaging the numbers in each category (for example if you have 3 for math assignments, 4 for reading assignments, 2 for writing papers, and 5 for studying for exams, then your school number would be: 3+4+2+5= 14/4 categories = 3.5 (a little more on the hyper attention side than the deep attention side)
c. Overall pattern for attention. Average all the rating numbers to get your overall pattern for attending.
Blog 17
Purpose: To determine whether the educational projects of teen second life have an audience, and if so, explain why it's beneficial to implement it in the classroom.
Research Question: Is there an audience in the Education Projects of Teen Second Life?
Related Questions: How many projects are ongoing right now? In terms of numbers, what is the participation? Are classes optional or mandatory? What are the benefits? What are the drawbacks? How easy is it to implement it? Where can teen second life be promoted? Is it worth promoting?
Teen Second Life is a separate world from the original "Main Grid", used by teens between the ages of 13 and 17. Once they turn 18, teens are transported to the Main Grid along with their identities, inventories and land and join the adults occupying the main grid.
Up until February 2006, Teen Second Life was entirely a teen population. Adults were not allowed on the Teen Grid. But this changed as educators realized the benefits offered by the second life grid. Since that time, the number of educational islands on the Teen Grid has grown at a tremendous rate. The educational projects in Teen Second Life fall into two categories: those accessible to all residents of Teen Second Life (public projects), and those accessible to teens associated with projects in 'real life' (private projects). About 70% of these educational sims are private and therefore not available to the general teen population. However, there are also many educational simsengaged in public projects accessible to all teen residents. A few examples are Global Kids, Eye4you Alliance, Tech Savvy, Kids Connect, and Metaversa.
Discipline-specific Uses of Second Life
Conklin (2005) lists discipline-specific activities for which Second Life or any virtual world could be used. The Information and Communication Library in Second Life itself also lists many of the same activities.
Economics Any activity with associated commerce and values. These include cooperation, competition, and variable value sets.
Business
Comparison of in-world business affordances with real-world parallels.
Advertising and marketing in a virtual world.
In-world and real-world business crossovers (where things in-world are sold in the real world, and vise versa).
Complete business simulations.
Virtual real estate.
Virtual intellectual property issues.
Social Sciences
Class and status issues.
Subcultures.
Relationships, politics, and religion.
Diversity.
Criminal justice for in-world offenders.
Legal rights of avatars.
Communication.
Humanities
Cultural studies and recreations.
Virtual art and theater.
Virtual existences.
Sciences
Programming.
Physics of game design.
Analysis of real-world scientific phenomenon, such as biological evolution or physics principles in action.
http://simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Life_Education_Wiki
http://gaming.psu.edu/node/193
http://trumpy.cs.elon.edu/metaverse/gst364Win2005/handout.pdf
Research Question: Is there an audience in the Education Projects of Teen Second Life?
Related Questions: How many projects are ongoing right now? In terms of numbers, what is the participation? Are classes optional or mandatory? What are the benefits? What are the drawbacks? How easy is it to implement it? Where can teen second life be promoted? Is it worth promoting?
Teen Second Life is a separate world from the original "Main Grid", used by teens between the ages of 13 and 17. Once they turn 18, teens are transported to the Main Grid along with their identities, inventories and land and join the adults occupying the main grid.
Up until February 2006, Teen Second Life was entirely a teen population. Adults were not allowed on the Teen Grid. But this changed as educators realized the benefits offered by the second life grid. Since that time, the number of educational islands on the Teen Grid has grown at a tremendous rate. The educational projects in Teen Second Life fall into two categories: those accessible to all residents of Teen Second Life (public projects), and those accessible to teens associated with projects in 'real life' (private projects). About 70% of these educational sims are private and therefore not available to the general teen population. However, there are also many educational simsengaged in public projects accessible to all teen residents. A few examples are Global Kids, Eye4you Alliance, Tech Savvy, Kids Connect, and Metaversa.
Discipline-specific Uses of Second Life
Conklin (2005) lists discipline-specific activities for which Second Life or any virtual world could be used. The Information and Communication Library in Second Life itself also lists many of the same activities.
Economics Any activity with associated commerce and values. These include cooperation, competition, and variable value sets.
Business
Comparison of in-world business affordances with real-world parallels.
Advertising and marketing in a virtual world.
In-world and real-world business crossovers (where things in-world are sold in the real world, and vise versa).
Complete business simulations.
Virtual real estate.
Virtual intellectual property issues.
Social Sciences
Class and status issues.
Subcultures.
Relationships, politics, and religion.
Diversity.
Criminal justice for in-world offenders.
Legal rights of avatars.
Communication.
Humanities
Cultural studies and recreations.
Virtual art and theater.
Virtual existences.
Sciences
Programming.
Physics of game design.
Analysis of real-world scientific phenomenon, such as biological evolution or physics principles in action.
http://simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Life_Education_Wiki
http://gaming.psu.edu/node/193
http://trumpy.cs.elon.edu/metaverse/gst364Win2005/handout.pdf
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Blog 16
I am trying to write about this, but I am having a very difficult time. I still think I am not doing a research paper, I feel like i'm doing just a review... I think I need lots of help!
Teen Second Life is geared to , of course, teenagers. The only adults allowed are the staff of Second Life as well as educators. Educational projects exist in teen second life, but the particpation is pretty much unknown unless you are a teen/educator using it. my research question is what is the participation levels of teen second life educational projects right now? How can we promote teen second life educational projects to districts and teachers, focusing on telling them the benefits of it.
i want to research how many educational projects are in teen second life right now, and how many students are using it (of courses, averages have to be made...). Is it optional classes, or is it mandatory classes? What are the benefts? What are the drawbacks? How easy is it to implement it? Where can Teen Second Life be promoted so it gets more traffic?
Teen Second Life is geared to , of course, teenagers. The only adults allowed are the staff of Second Life as well as educators. Educational projects exist in teen second life, but the particpation is pretty much unknown unless you are a teen/educator using it. my research question is what is the participation levels of teen second life educational projects right now? How can we promote teen second life educational projects to districts and teachers, focusing on telling them the benefits of it.
i want to research how many educational projects are in teen second life right now, and how many students are using it (of courses, averages have to be made...). Is it optional classes, or is it mandatory classes? What are the benefts? What are the drawbacks? How easy is it to implement it? Where can Teen Second Life be promoted so it gets more traffic?
Monday, March 30, 2009
Blog 14
First of all, I think my thesis will be "Is there an audience in Teen Second Life classrooms?" I want to focus on whether or not these Teen Educational Projects are actually being used, if there is actual participation and how it works. Is it a voluntary classroom, where people can go in and out on the weekdays or weekends, or is truly a stand in for a class where attendance is mandatory, and held as substitute for holding class in an actual concrete classroom.
I think the Outline macrostructure would work best for my project. I want to have the first node be a brief overview of Teen Second life (How to register, avatars, acceptable members, etc).
I want the second node to be about what Educational Projects are in detail (How to set one up and who can set it up, How they function, etc).
And I want a detailed node about what the percentage of teen second life is being used for educational purposes, in comparison to the website on a whole.
I hope this is a bit more focused. I am having a very difficult time with the thesis.
I think the Outline macrostructure would work best for my project. I want to have the first node be a brief overview of Teen Second life (How to register, avatars, acceptable members, etc).
I want the second node to be about what Educational Projects are in detail (How to set one up and who can set it up, How they function, etc).
And I want a detailed node about what the percentage of teen second life is being used for educational purposes, in comparison to the website on a whole.
I hope this is a bit more focused. I am having a very difficult time with the thesis.
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