Week 6

I really enjoyed the readings from this week and continue to find myself shocked daily on just how much information is available free to the public online. First of all, I don’t think I realized how valuable a resource The Chronicle of Higher Education truly was. I know I have read articles from the site before but it has never clicked to be a resource for me before. I have tagged it on my delicious account and set myself up to receive occasional e-mail updates.

The Internet has changed the way we view and access information in ways that I don’t even think could be listed. I hear jokes about people saying the “internet fad will pass” and I know that this was a true belief at one time. Now, the idea of being without the Internet leaves me with an almost hopeless feeling. I feel like I restrict myself way too much though. My first reaction to signing online is to check my e-mail and then go on facebook. After scrolling through the most recent updates I will sometimes tap my fingers and feel almost bored. The fact that the world is at my fingertips sometimes doesn’t occur to me. My newest obsession is stumbleupon.com. This website lets you choose what you want to see and then introduces you to thousands and thousands of things that you WANT to see, to hear, to play with. It’s one of the biggest enablers to my procrastination I’ve ever had to face. But, at the same time, I learn constantly through using it. Despite the fact that Stumbleupon.com deters me from wanting to do my homework, it’s way better than watching TV because at least it makes me think.

I am so excited for the shift that I am sure is going to come with digital textbooks. It’s so frustrating sometimes when I want to read an article on the UF website but can’t because it’s not available online. The idea of having to get up, get dressed, gather my stuff and go to the library is almost funny. I’d rather spend that time looking for a new article that does apply to what I’m investigating. I know it’s lazy but it easily puts into perspective what I value most, and quick and easy access to material is at the top of my list.

One aspect of the reading that I want to reflect on is the idea of self-grading digital texbooks . I’m not sure that this promotes active intrinsic learning and participation. What motivation do students have to do well if they’re only working for the grade that the computer will give them. I cherished the comments that my teachers wrote on my homework, especially if they were assignments that I had spent a long time completing. Making grading 100% digital takes away the personal aspect and seems like an unreasonable choice for valuable assessment methods like short answer or essay questions. I would hate for a digital grading system to replace the use of these assessment methods because they require the most complex thought processes and critical thinking skills.

An aspect of digital textbooks that I am really excited about using in my future classroom is the ability that students will have “to jump around in their e-textbooks. From any homework problem, for instance, students can click to the relevant part of the text, or can jump to a part of their professor's recorded lecture that touched on that concept (if the professor makes use of that feature).” (Yonge, 2009). I feel like this tool would be the ease of access that students need to push themselves the extra step to understanding material. It can be annoying to have to go and find a topic that you don’t understand in a book that you don’t like reading.

Overall, I am very excited about the future of digital textbook technology and can’t wait to see what they come up with next to make learning easier and more fun for students!

Resources:

Yong, J. R. (2009, September). New E-Textbooks Do More Than Inform: They'll Even Grade You. The chronicle of higher education. Retrived from http://chronicle.com/article/New-E-Textbooks-Do-More-Than/48324/?sid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

Week 5

- How indispensable are mobile computing devices in your life? Are they an "extension" of who you are?
- How can mobile computing devices be used in disadvantaged or underdeveloped environments?

My cell phone goes with me everywhere. I wake up to the alarm that I set on it and then check it- responding to any text messages I may have gotten in the night. Then I have breakfast and take a shower and check it again to make sure nothing has changed in the world since I took my shower. After I’ve packed my stuff I double check to make sure I have it with me and put it in my pocket for easy access during my commute and then I head to class. During class I check to make sure it’s on vibrate and then use it a clock to let me know how many minutes left till class is out. After class I use it to call work and make sure everything is going smoothly until I get there and then go to the Library. At the Library I have the shelf location text messaged to me from the computer so I can find the book I’m looking for. Then, I might receive a tweet or two from my friends in Europe about what they’re doing that night.

Basically, I’m trying to emphasize that I am attached to my cell phone and it doesn’t even have the Internet. In the Fall I’m going to be getting an iPhone with a camera and internet and I can only imagine that my obsession with staying connected via mobile device will turn into a full fledged addiction. My cell phone keeps me connected with my family, with my coworkers, with my peers and with my social life. It helps me coordinate when I get up and when I move from place to place. I haven’t owned a watch in years. To expect any level of involvement less than this from my students would be absurd and completely hypocritical. Cell phones should be allowed in school because they are allowed in life and they are not going away any time soon. A student using their cell phone in class should not insult teachers, they’re not doing it to be disrespectful. They’re doing it because it’s a part of who they are, an extension of themselves. To take that part away would be cruel.

Week 4

- In what ways can multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) contribute to the learning experience?
- Do MUVEs benefit certain students or groups more than others?

I had a lot of fun exploring the multi-user virtual environment (MUVE) Second Life this week. I’ve even taken the time to go back and play it several more times since our assignment and found some neat places to talk to people. I am especially interested in finding places where I can work with people on improving my Spanish. I did find the Spanish Institute that offers some free classes but most are not free. I signed up for their e-mail list and now get occasional e-mails inviting me to come and sit in on a class.

I have no doubt that SL would be useful in an educational setting. It’s a game with an extraordinary amount of detail that would provide students with a social and creative outlet. I think it would be especially beneficial for students who struggle with social interactions in real life because it provides a safe place to communicate with others while still giving the safe anonymity of the Internet.

I do think that there would be some safety concerns when using SL in the classroom, especially with younger students who could easily fall victim to the ploy of untrustworthy strangers. These types of issues could easily be avoided with the proper education of online netiquette and safety. Also, SL makes it very easy to block someone’s contact with you if they make you feel uncomfortable. Therefore I don’t think that this would be a viable reason not to use SL in a classroom.

Although I haven’t used many MUVEs, I think that they would be beneficial to students who wanted to use them. They might not be as effective to some, but it’s silly to think you can find a teaching method that works for every single students. MUVEs would be a great way to differentiate instruction.

Week 3

How do we shape our ability to critically evaluate the credibility of information available online?
- How do we represent ourselves online?

I think that in general I am a very trusting individual. When someone say something to me I typically believe them unless they have given me a reason in the past not to. Also, when I read a book I usually trust that the author has done their research or has accurately represented the information that they are presenting. However, I do know that my blind faith has changed. By this I mean that I now take everything I read with a grain of salt, a tiny wondering about if it is really true or not.

The internet has many credible sources of information. I do feel that the fact that the Internet is available to anyone who wants it and can afford has exponentially increased the amount of information that is not credible. I feel that the "blogosphere" has made many people feel that they too should include their opinion in the universe.

Along with this desire for millions to share their thoughts on the internet has come an age of unreliable, lightning fast rumors that spread like wildfire through the blogosphere. Allegations of terrorist attacks, dead celebrities, plagues, etc. are passed from person to person in minutes. Just the other day someone posted that Jayden Smith, Will Smiths son, was dead due to a snowboarding accident. Within the hour Will Smith posted that Jayden was fine on his facebook page. But it's crazy that one person can spread a rumor that is believed so fast that a superstar like Will Smith feels the need to clarify.

We now have to teach students how to find credible information in a sea of unknown facts and fictions that can be stressful to sift through. One that I always recommend to my friends and plan to teach my students is how to find credible sources and the triangulation of information. If 3 credible sources give the same information than it’s likely that that is true. This can be difficult to do with things like breaking news though. I often find myself jumping around from different news websites to determine what really happened in an event. I think that questioning and researching are the best ways to evaluate the credibility of online information.

Week 2

How do we define who we are, and shape or reaffirm our identity using social networks?

It’s amazing to me when I look at some of the profiles of my friends on Facebook. I can’t believe the pictures they post, the things they say, and the comments they make. I have even deleted some of the things that have been posted on my page by a few of them.  However, when I meet with these friends in class or in public they have perfectly appropriate behavior, attitudes and language. It’s like their online identity is a completely different person.

I’ve always thought about a quote that my mom has said to me my whole life. “Never say, write or type anything that you don’t want on the front page of the newspaper”. This quote along with the fact that I’m friends with 2 grand parents, my great aunt Mary and the parents of several of the kids I used to babysit for has always resulted in me thinking about what I say, write or type always. Also, I often think about my future when I’m in the present. I don’t allow anyone to take picture of me with alcohol, I don’t RSVP to questionable events and I try and stay away from controversial sites or issues on facebook that will display on my newsfeed.

Social networks, although in the invisible universe of the Internet, can have a big impact on our real world lives. A teacher last week was punished for writing a blog complaining about how lazy her students were. She didn’t list names and she didn’t give specific details. She simply stated her opinion and frustration in a venting way that nearly got her fired. Even though I don’t think this is fair, I acknowledge that it’s happening every day in our world.

I think that it’s very important that everyone recognizes that when you meet someone in person your first impression is based on a split moment. Even though everyone says “first impressions are everything” I think an in person bad first impression is easier changed than a bad digital first impression. We choose how to represent ourselves on the internet and disregarding this fact can have detrimental effects on our reputations for years to come. I feel like my great aunt Mary can be quoted to wrap this whole post up. “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. Even though the picture of you hanging upside down doing a keg stand in your underwear isn’t words, it says a lot to the parents of your 1^st grade class.

Week 1

How do we perceive ourselves (and others) in the real and digital worlds in which we live? 

It’s a bizarre concept to think of having multiple personalities if you don’t. Following this logic it would seem just as strange to have different versions of your own self whether they be online, in person, over the phone or anywhere else. However, I believe that many people live their lives having multiple personalities in the real and digital world. When you’re in the digital world you can be anyone you want to be.  60 year old men can be 12 year old girls. The poor can be rich and celebrities can “fit in”. It’s a fantasy world that many step into feeling like they’re still in reality. I feel that the digital world gives a lot of people a blind sense of confidence that they never feel they could possess in the “real world”.

I definitely have felt the safe feeling that can be a result of being behind the amenity of chatting online. I have spoken my opinion about items to people whom I probably would not have been comfortable being so bold in front of in person. I don’t think it’s a bad thing that technology has provided this safe haven. I do think that it’s a bad thing that many don’t acknowledge that it exists.

It’s easy to become lost in the digital world when you disregard the fact that an real world exists. This can be detrimental to both the mental and physical safety of young people who become enamored with “hotguy88” who likes all the same music as them and happens to live just down the block.

However, the instantaneous connection that the digital world allows for us to have with one another gives us access to people whom we would never have been able to meet otherwise. We can discuss topics with experts in Australia, learn from someone’s personal experience in Switzerland or simply chat with a friend who has moved across the state.