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.
Blog 15
My username on Wikipedia is Lissa724. My text was
Skoolaborate Islands - a global virtual learning space in the Teen Grid in Second Life that is only accessible via invitation. It was initiated in 2007 by Westley Field at MLC School Sydney. To date, 22 schools/organizations from Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Chile, Portugal, the UK and the USA are participants. Teens are the primary builders of the island, although teens and teachers alike run and host the learning experience.
So far nothing was taken down, and nothing was said. However, that's probably because this page has been inactive for a while. Before my post, it hadn't been touched since March 4th. I would be happy if they flagged my post, because it would mean someone was looking at this page! I am going to keep an eye on this, to see if anyone talks about anything on this page, and hopefully about something I posted.
Skoolaborate Islands - a global virtual learning space in the Teen Grid in Second Life that is only accessible via invitation. It was initiated in 2007 by Westley Field at MLC School Sydney. To date, 22 schools/organizations from Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Chile, Portugal, the UK and the USA are participants. Teens are the primary builders of the island, although teens and teachers alike run and host the learning experience.
So far nothing was taken down, and nothing was said. However, that's probably because this page has been inactive for a while. Before my post, it hadn't been touched since March 4th. I would be happy if they flagged my post, because it would mean someone was looking at this page! I am going to keep an eye on this, to see if anyone talks about anything on this page, and hopefully about something I posted.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Blog 13 Research Plan
Purpose
I want to show educators how exactly to set up Teen Second Life Educational Projects in their classroom. I want to be able to provide the benefits of using Teen Second Life so that educators can propose it within their school district.
Detailed statement of your research question
I am not quite sure of a thesis statement yet! I need to work on this further!
List of the information you need to gather
- What are the capability requirements you need on your computer to use Second Life (i crashed my computer when i used to use it!)
- What are the restrictions
List of Sources
http://warburton.typepad.com/disruptive/documents/SL_handout.pdf
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Teen_Second_Life
http://tesl-ej.org/ej39/int.html
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ778625&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ778625
http://www.simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Life_Education_Wiki
http://sleducation.wikispaces.com/educationaluses
I want to show educators how exactly to set up Teen Second Life Educational Projects in their classroom. I want to be able to provide the benefits of using Teen Second Life so that educators can propose it within their school district.
Detailed statement of your research question
I am not quite sure of a thesis statement yet! I need to work on this further!
List of the information you need to gather
- What are the capability requirements you need on your computer to use Second Life (i crashed my computer when i used to use it!)
- What are the restrictions
List of Sources
http://warburton.typepad.com/disruptive/documents/SL_handout.pdf
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Teen_Second_Life
http://tesl-ej.org/ej39/int.html
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ778625&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ778625
http://www.simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Life_Education_Wiki
http://sleducation.wikispaces.com/educationaluses
Blog 12 - Wikipedia Post
So, I posted my own entry to Wikipedia. These are the links i used as a reference
http://heyjude.wordpress.com/2008/03/31/virtual-learning-and-teen-second-life-project/
http://www.skoolaborate.com/
So far, so good! Nothing was taken down.
Here is my entry. This is the page it is located on and what my entry is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_Second_Life
http://heyjude.wordpress.com/2008/03/31/virtual-learning-and-teen-second-life-project/
http://www.skoolaborate.com/
So far, so good! Nothing was taken down.
Here is my entry. This is the page it is located on and what my entry is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_Second_Life
Skoolaborate Islands - a global virtual learning space in the Teen Grid in Second Life that is only accessible via invitation. It was initiated in 2007 by Westley Field at MLC School Sydney. To date, 22 schools/organizations from Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Chile, Portugal, the UK and the USA are participants. Teens are the primary builders of the island, although teens and teachers alike run and host the learning experience.
Blog 11
I am still doing my topic of Teen Second Life in the Classroom. My focus is on how teachers can use the Education Projects in Teen Second Life to hold online classes at home.
1.) Who uses the site?
Primarily teachers and students. Although, parents are a possible audience as well.
.2.) Where are they?
They can be in their classroom, at home, a meeting (where they introduce this), their office, their bedroom, etc.
3.) What do they want from this site? They will want to learn what exactly Teen Second life is. What are the benefits, and the issues. How it can be used in the classroom. How they can register, how they can set it up, and how to get their students to sign up and be involved.
4.) How does the text of the site address the users? The text will include simple step by step instruction on how to register for second life, what compatibility needs you must have in terms of your computer, how to set up your own private educational project on the Teen Life Grid, etc.
5.) How do the graphic elements of the site address the users?I want to add images of Teen Second Life as it's going on. Maybe screenshots of actual classes going on, or screenshots of the online schools (what the buildings look like, what the avatars look like, etc).
1.) Who uses the site?
Primarily teachers and students. Although, parents are a possible audience as well.
.2.) Where are they?
They can be in their classroom, at home, a meeting (where they introduce this), their office, their bedroom, etc.
3.) What do they want from this site? They will want to learn what exactly Teen Second life is. What are the benefits, and the issues. How it can be used in the classroom. How they can register, how they can set it up, and how to get their students to sign up and be involved.
4.) How does the text of the site address the users? The text will include simple step by step instruction on how to register for second life, what compatibility needs you must have in terms of your computer, how to set up your own private educational project on the Teen Life Grid, etc.
5.) How do the graphic elements of the site address the users?I want to add images of Teen Second Life as it's going on. Maybe screenshots of actual classes going on, or screenshots of the online schools (what the buildings look like, what the avatars look like, etc).
Monday, March 9, 2009
Blog 10
I am going to do both the Wikipedia assignment as well as the hypertext assignment on using Teen Second Life in the classroom.
These are the links that were provided to me, by Dr. Chandler. I have some of my own for the wikipedia, which i will post.
http://3080sp08.blogspot.com
http://warburton.typepad.com/disruptive/documents/SL_handout.pdf
I am not sure if i myself will be able to log into teen second life, since i am an adult. i think i may try emailing them and letting them know i am a soon to be teacher, working on a class assignment. we'll see how that goes!
These are the links that were provided to me, by Dr. Chandler. I have some of my own for the wikipedia, which i will post.
http://3080sp08.blogspot.com
http://warburton.typepad.com/disruptive/documents/SL_handout.pdf
I am not sure if i myself will be able to log into teen second life, since i am an adult. i think i may try emailing them and letting them know i am a soon to be teacher, working on a class assignment. we'll see how that goes!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Blog 9
I am sorry that I am so late in posting my blog. I decided to go to Chicago for the weekend and played the 'priceline lottery'. Although I got a great price, i unfortunately had to leave on thursday morning at 6am! so, i only saw this article today in class.
I will finish this later, when i get home!
I will finish this later, when i get home!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Blog 8
I looked into the Wikipedia entry for Second Life and found that there is Teen Second Life. I read about how Teen Second Life has the option for educators to sign up (they have to be verified, due to security reasons. No adults are normally admitted). They allow educators to make up "Educational Projects", many of them online classes. While the entire wiki needs more information (it is very short compared to the adult Second Life wiki), I want to concentrate on the Educational Project portion of the entry. I did some research and found some educational projects that are recent and have not been listed.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Blog 7 - Flashmobs
First and foremost, click this link.
http://improveverywhere.com/2009/01/14/no-pants-2k9/
I wanted to mention that in the flashmob presentation the other day, but thought it might be tasteless. But the idea of a No Pants Day flashmob made me laugh, and the fact that it's been successful in different countries amazed me. Maybe we'll see some of you next year?
The flashmobs assignment was so much fun to research. I had never heard of such a thing, and was never lucky enough to actually experience one in public. When I think of what in the world of print might correspond to the communications of flashmobs, I think of chain letters, announcements in papers that group together a bunch of people at once (party announcements, parades, etc). Technology like text messages has changed this, because things like alerts on your phones can bring these events to your knowledge. I would expect there to be some kind of program in the future to easily find people to send these alerts to, and reach a broader audience.
http://improveverywhere.com/2009/01/14/no-pants-2k9/
I wanted to mention that in the flashmob presentation the other day, but thought it might be tasteless. But the idea of a No Pants Day flashmob made me laugh, and the fact that it's been successful in different countries amazed me. Maybe we'll see some of you next year?
The flashmobs assignment was so much fun to research. I had never heard of such a thing, and was never lucky enough to actually experience one in public. When I think of what in the world of print might correspond to the communications of flashmobs, I think of chain letters, announcements in papers that group together a bunch of people at once (party announcements, parades, etc). Technology like text messages has changed this, because things like alerts on your phones can bring these events to your knowledge. I would expect there to be some kind of program in the future to easily find people to send these alerts to, and reach a broader audience.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Final Draft for Literacy Narrative.
My development into a literary participant in the 21st Century started out in the traditional sense. It moved from simple picture books into the wide world of the internet. The reasons behind these ventures were varied. Some were mandated by schools, others because of peer pressure, and finally to my own desire to keep up with the times.
I learned to read fairly early. At age 4, I was reading Portuguese riddles from these kid-friendly books my father would bring home from our local Portuguese club chapter. Technically, English was my second language, except you really don't know it when I speak. I wanted to learn to read early, because of sheer boredom. My brothers are older, and although my mothers rule was 'only speak Portuguese in the house', they would talk to me in English behind her back just to annoy me. I had no idea what they were saying. So learning to read kept me busy and, in a short amount of time, soon made me love reading and writing. My mom tried her best to keep her rule enforced so we would never lose our native language, but she gave up after I entered Kindergarten at age 5. Halfway through the semester, I was speaking English to everyone in and outside of my home, and was learning to read the language as well. Amelia Bedelia, The Babysitters Club, Pippi Longstocking, etc etc... I read just about everything I could get my hands on, and loved reading out loud to my mom. I can remember that I spent a lot of time reading children's encyclopedia's when I had no more books in the house to read. I found that writing in cursive was fun, and I would write stories after story of made up animals. I played 'school' with friends, using a chalkboard and stuffed animals as our 'class'. We would write notes to each other in class, and my mother would write notes for me to put in my bookbag, my lunchbox, etc. I never touched a typewriter or anything that comes close to technology. That changed when I was 12 years old.
After seeing other familes get them, my parents finally gave in to social conformity and got a computer. With it came The Internet. Everything changed at that point. I signed on for the first time onto America Online, and suddenly communicating with friends was so different. Peer pressure made me create my first screen name, and start my first venture into online communication. But I still stayed away from the computer as much as possible - I always found myself breaking something, or freezing the computer, etc. It seemed that me and technology didn't mix. After I realized it took me about 10 minutes to write one sentence, I put on the Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing software that came with my computer and learned to type like a pro. Soon, I noticed that the computer was able to run even with me as the user. I was becoming familiar and even good with the computer. Soon I was using the basic word processor to type up journals that I once wrote labouriously by hand, and transferred my beloved stories onto Word as well.
At age 14, my development and interest with the computer changed course because of school mandated learning. Gone was the simple days of using the internet primarily to communicate with friends and surf the web. I had my first computer class as a high school freshman. That changed everything. We learned how to use the computer for class assignments. That meant typing all our work on Word documents and using the search engines for research. This continued with me all throughout high school. I was applying to colleges with online applications as well as paper ones, writing essay after essay on MS Word, and sometimes even viewing a teachers page on the internet.
Now in college, I find that I have come full circle. Gone is the peer pressure, the social conformity, and the mandated use of computers. I find myself using the computer because I want to use it. I apply to jobs via the computer, surf websites ranging from finding cheats to Wii games to diagnosing a medical symptom, talk to friends via instant messenger/facebook/vbulletin not because I have to, but because it is easier for me and I want to do it. As a freshman in college, I began not only communicating with friends through just the computer, but also through my mobile phone. I discovered that texting is a way of life. I say full circle because my love of writing and reading is still there. Just in a different format.
I learned to read fairly early. At age 4, I was reading Portuguese riddles from these kid-friendly books my father would bring home from our local Portuguese club chapter. Technically, English was my second language, except you really don't know it when I speak. I wanted to learn to read early, because of sheer boredom. My brothers are older, and although my mothers rule was 'only speak Portuguese in the house', they would talk to me in English behind her back just to annoy me. I had no idea what they were saying. So learning to read kept me busy and, in a short amount of time, soon made me love reading and writing. My mom tried her best to keep her rule enforced so we would never lose our native language, but she gave up after I entered Kindergarten at age 5. Halfway through the semester, I was speaking English to everyone in and outside of my home, and was learning to read the language as well. Amelia Bedelia, The Babysitters Club, Pippi Longstocking, etc etc... I read just about everything I could get my hands on, and loved reading out loud to my mom. I can remember that I spent a lot of time reading children's encyclopedia's when I had no more books in the house to read. I found that writing in cursive was fun, and I would write stories after story of made up animals. I played 'school' with friends, using a chalkboard and stuffed animals as our 'class'. We would write notes to each other in class, and my mother would write notes for me to put in my bookbag, my lunchbox, etc. I never touched a typewriter or anything that comes close to technology. That changed when I was 12 years old.
After seeing other familes get them, my parents finally gave in to social conformity and got a computer. With it came The Internet. Everything changed at that point. I signed on for the first time onto America Online, and suddenly communicating with friends was so different. Peer pressure made me create my first screen name, and start my first venture into online communication. But I still stayed away from the computer as much as possible - I always found myself breaking something, or freezing the computer, etc. It seemed that me and technology didn't mix. After I realized it took me about 10 minutes to write one sentence, I put on the Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing software that came with my computer and learned to type like a pro. Soon, I noticed that the computer was able to run even with me as the user. I was becoming familiar and even good with the computer. Soon I was using the basic word processor to type up journals that I once wrote labouriously by hand, and transferred my beloved stories onto Word as well.
At age 14, my development and interest with the computer changed course because of school mandated learning. Gone was the simple days of using the internet primarily to communicate with friends and surf the web. I had my first computer class as a high school freshman. That changed everything. We learned how to use the computer for class assignments. That meant typing all our work on Word documents and using the search engines for research. This continued with me all throughout high school. I was applying to colleges with online applications as well as paper ones, writing essay after essay on MS Word, and sometimes even viewing a teachers page on the internet.
Now in college, I find that I have come full circle. Gone is the peer pressure, the social conformity, and the mandated use of computers. I find myself using the computer because I want to use it. I apply to jobs via the computer, surf websites ranging from finding cheats to Wii games to diagnosing a medical symptom, talk to friends via instant messenger/facebook/vbulletin not because I have to, but because it is easier for me and I want to do it. As a freshman in college, I began not only communicating with friends through just the computer, but also through my mobile phone. I discovered that texting is a way of life. I say full circle because my love of writing and reading is still there. Just in a different format.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Blog 5
I am not too sure what to write about. In terms of this class, I am really interested in two major aspects.
How to use digital writing in the classroom (i keep hearing that it's used, but not HOW) and if i can use it to teach in a special education classroom.
I have an interest in pro ana / mia sites on livejournal. Pro ana/mia sites on the internet (ie: forums) have been banned, but livejournal still has many that are active. I have a personal interest in this, because I had an experience with it a few years ago. Things dealing with censorship.
Maybe something with telemedicine, which does include online.
I would love some feedback/comments on this!
How to use digital writing in the classroom (i keep hearing that it's used, but not HOW) and if i can use it to teach in a special education classroom.
I have an interest in pro ana / mia sites on livejournal. Pro ana/mia sites on the internet (ie: forums) have been banned, but livejournal still has many that are active. I have a personal interest in this, because I had an experience with it a few years ago. Things dealing with censorship.
Maybe something with telemedicine, which does include online.
I would love some feedback/comments on this!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Narrative Draft.
I learned to read fairly early. At age 4, I was reading Portuguese riddles from these kid-friendly books my father would bring home from our local Portuguese club chapter. Technically, English was my second language, except you really don't know it when I speak. I wanted to learn to read early, because of sheer boredom. My brothers are older, and although my mothers rule was 'only speak Portuguese in the house', they would talk to me in English behind her back just to annoy me. I had no idea what they were saying. So learning to read kept me busy, and in turn made me love reading and writing. My mom tried her best to keep her rule enforced so we would never lose our native language, but she gave up after I entered Kindergarten at age 5. Halfway through the semester, I was speaking English to everyone, and was learning to read the language as well.
Amelia Bedelia, The Babysitters Club, Pippi Longstocking, etc etc... I read just about everything I could get my hands on, and loved reading out lout to my mom. I can remember that I spent a lot of time poring over children's encyclopedia's when I had no more books in the house to read. I found that writing script was fun, and I would write stories after story of made up animals. I played 'school' with friends, using a chalkboard and stuffed animals as our 'class'. We would write notes to each other in class, and my mother would write notes for me to put in my bookbag, my lunchbox, etc. I never touched a typewriter or anything that comes close to technology.
That changed when I was 12 years old. We finally got a computer, and with it came The Internet. Everything changed at that point. I signed on for the first time on AIM, and suddenly communicating with friends was so different. But I still stayed away from the computer as much as possible - I always found myself breaking something, or freezing the computer, etc. It seemed that me and technology didn't mix. I only used it for AIM and after I realized it took me about 10 minutes to write one sentence, I put on the Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing software that came with my computer and learned to type like a pro.
At age 14, I had my first computer class as a high school freshman. That changed everything. We learned how to use the computer for class assignments. That meant typing all our work on Word documents and using the search engines for research. Suddenly, I found myself using the computer for everything.
Google is now my favorite thing on the net. If it weren't for that, I'd be utterly lost. I use the internet for everything, but still am not good at using it. I do have a myspace, courtesy of a friend. Though now I am pretty good at editing it, although it took a few years.. I use the internet mostly to keep in touch with far away friends. It's made it possible for us to remain close , despite them leaving the state. We have our own message board, so I have discovered I can handle VBulletin.
Amelia Bedelia, The Babysitters Club, Pippi Longstocking, etc etc... I read just about everything I could get my hands on, and loved reading out lout to my mom. I can remember that I spent a lot of time poring over children's encyclopedia's when I had no more books in the house to read. I found that writing script was fun, and I would write stories after story of made up animals. I played 'school' with friends, using a chalkboard and stuffed animals as our 'class'. We would write notes to each other in class, and my mother would write notes for me to put in my bookbag, my lunchbox, etc. I never touched a typewriter or anything that comes close to technology.
That changed when I was 12 years old. We finally got a computer, and with it came The Internet. Everything changed at that point. I signed on for the first time on AIM, and suddenly communicating with friends was so different. But I still stayed away from the computer as much as possible - I always found myself breaking something, or freezing the computer, etc. It seemed that me and technology didn't mix. I only used it for AIM and after I realized it took me about 10 minutes to write one sentence, I put on the Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing software that came with my computer and learned to type like a pro.
At age 14, I had my first computer class as a high school freshman. That changed everything. We learned how to use the computer for class assignments. That meant typing all our work on Word documents and using the search engines for research. Suddenly, I found myself using the computer for everything.
Google is now my favorite thing on the net. If it weren't for that, I'd be utterly lost. I use the internet for everything, but still am not good at using it. I do have a myspace, courtesy of a friend. Though now I am pretty good at editing it, although it took a few years.. I use the internet mostly to keep in touch with far away friends. It's made it possible for us to remain close , despite them leaving the state. We have our own message board, so I have discovered I can handle VBulletin.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Blog 2 - Course Readings.
I am really interested in presenting the "Friend Game" article. I heard about this incident that happened with Myspace, and I was shocked at how far they took this hoax. The end result was so upsetting. Myspace is so popular, particularly with the younger crowd. The idea that this happened is terrible. Bullying is so rampant in regular schools, it's scary to think that it has now transferred to the internet!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
google.docs
Using google.docs for the first time was frusterating. If too many students were trying to edit the posts, the user was unable to edit when they were logged in. I was not familiar with the editing software, particularly making new rows and columns. When I tried making a new row, it would delete someone else's entry. Also, the lack of being able to easily communicate with all of the users within our class was frusterating. There was no real way talk to one another about our entries, and if I wanted to edit or move someone's entry, I felt unsure of doing it and would have liked to either ask the entry poster if they didn't mind me editing, or asking them themselves to edit their entry.
What I liked about google.docs in terms of making it easier to collaborate with my classmates is how convenient it is in terms of location. The fact that it is accessible anywhere that has an internet connection is great. Also, the history feature is a good tool. I can easily see who made an entry, and if I have questions or comments about it, I know instantly who to talk to concerning it.
A feature I might add to google.docs to make it easier would be an address list somewhere on the page, where everyone's emails are visible and easy to access. Another feature would be something that would allow multiple users to edit/add entries, without any issues with too many people on at once.
What I liked about google.docs in terms of making it easier to collaborate with my classmates is how convenient it is in terms of location. The fact that it is accessible anywhere that has an internet connection is great. Also, the history feature is a good tool. I can easily see who made an entry, and if I have questions or comments about it, I know instantly who to talk to concerning it.
A feature I might add to google.docs to make it easier would be an address list somewhere on the page, where everyone's emails are visible and easy to access. Another feature would be something that would allow multiple users to edit/add entries, without any issues with too many people on at once.
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