This week's topic, social media, was very interesting. Especially since I work in the I.T. industy sometimes I catch myself thinking I know all there is to know about the technology that is out there. This is not the case with social media. My first introduction to to social media was probably 7 years ago with MySpace. I created a page just to do it, but then rarely did anything with it. I never got hooked on the value of it. Now, I use Facebook and LinkedIn all of the time.
I use Facebook for a photo repository and a way to quickly stay connected to friends and family. I remember when I first signed up for an account I was amazed because within minutes of creating an account, I was flooded with friend requests. I was awe struck by the "blasts from the past." Before I could even understand how it worked I was reunited with former college buddies, ex-girlfriends, grade school classmates, etc... Unlike MySpace, with Facebook I immediately felt the power of social media. Since that time, Facebook is almost taken for granted. I check it daily along with LinkedIn but I am over the intial "awe." I am currently working with a group of students planning my 20 year high school reunion. We are using Facebook as the primary way to contact and spread the news. This is so much easier than mailings and email groups.
I also use LinkedIn for work purposes. The most powerful tool within LinkedIn, I feel, is the ability to write and read recommendations about people and their services. When looking for a tech to sub contract, I was able to go on LinkedIn and get a recommendation of a solid technical resource to write Visual Basic code for one of our clients in less than one day. Before Social Media, this process would have tken weeks if not months.
I am also using Diigo as a a class requirement. I was not awe struck when I first signed on and quite frankly, I am still trying to understand the full value. I signed up for a group called Classroom 2.0. I do like the group because it has over 4000 members. There is a lot of activity within the group, however most of it is people posting links to sites I really am not interested in. I worry that people may be posting links to unsafe websites on these groups and am wondering if Diigo does anything to filter unsafe links. I was, however, able to find some valuable information at something called the TeacherBuzz.com. This site had a word cloud on the main page, so it caught my interest right away. This site provides the viewers with a lot of information that people in the field of educational technology can use. For me, the jury is still out on Diigo. I need more experience with this before I can provide a fair evaluation.
My primary concern with all of these other social media sites besides Facebook and LinkedIn is that they are not as mainstream. I feel as if the main purpose of social media is to connect with as many people as possible, then it is important that the mass population is aware of and using the media. While some of these other social media sites may have more functionality and a better interface than Facebook, they still lack the fact that they are not as popular. Google+ is a great example of this. I am a member of Google+ and love the idea of creating circles for communication with others, however, so few of my friends and family use it, so I rarely use it.
It reminds me of the time when my parents bought me laser tag as a child because I thought it was the coolest way to play "guns" in the neighborhood. Well, I was the only one with a laser tag gun, so nobody else could play with me. :) I ended up going back to my plastic pistol because that's what everybody else had. In most areas of my life I try to avoid being a part of the mainstream community, however, in the world of social media, the power comes from the popularity.
This is a place for soccer coaches in Northwest Ohio to read information and post opinions about the local youth soccer community. The objective is for this to be a forum for colleagues to help each other so together we can help develop our youth. Negative comments and inappropriate content will be removed and posters will be blocked from future use.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Gaming
I spent so much time playing some of these online games that I almost ran out of time to post this blog. My four year old daughter, Evelyn, played a lot of these games with me. We started on the list of hyperlinks for assignment 5.3. The very first item listed is the PBS website. Right away we got preoccupied with playing the Dr. Seuss game of matching similar shapes and patterns. She loved it. When I inssted that we stop playing so I could research the next online gaming site, she got upset. That was until she saw it. She very quickly became engrossed in one of the higher level brain games on the Sheppard Software website. We played the bouncing balls game where you need to destroy round balloons in groups of three. She didn't fully understand it but still took to it and was very interested in the game. Then I insisted we stopped because she had homework to do from her pre-school class. We had to go over her "sight words." That's when I really noticed the difference in using games to learn vs. traditional learning methods. As soon as I pulled out her sight word flash cards, she became uninterested and bored. This gave me an idea. I took her sight words and put each one on a powerpoint slide. I then made a game of it and timed her to see if she could get 10 sight words correct in 1 minute. If she did, I put a sticker on this card for her. After about 20 minutes, she got it. I was doing the same exercise as before essentially but since it looked like a game and was on the computer, she wanted to do it.
I'm not a teacher, but I think this course has taught me that introducing games as a tool for learning is a great way to grab children's interest. I wish that when I was a student there were more games as a method of learning. I often became bored easily in social studies and had no interest in learning a foreign language. I had a tough time figuring out how algebra would ever be used in the real world. I just wasn't interested. But then I'd go home and play Legend of Zelda for 3 hours. Now there are games as interesting and as fun to play as Zelda but are also Educational. World of Warcraft is a great example of a game that is fun for kids but also educational in the aspect that games like these are complex, and include solo as well as group content and goals that are collaborative as well as some that are competitive. (Johnson 2011. 20) World of WarCraft is a Multiplayer Online game that allows several players to play together and against eachother at the same time.
We have a PS3 at our house and my kids play the EyePet game using the Move controller. I never even thought of this as a form of augmented reality until this assignment. But essesntially, EyePet teaches our kids how to take care of an animal by feeding, bathing and playing with this virtual animal. It is very fascinating and the kids love it...so much so, that we were able to avoid purchasing an actual dog in leiu of our virtual pet. (How's that for dodging a bullet! Ha!)
Another site I found fasicinating was the Virtual Reality game called Teen Second Life. This game is almost scary. This allows kids to recreate themselves and live in a virtual world. They can socialize with other virtual people, get jobs, make money, attend partys, etc... One of the most appealing attributes to Virtual and Augmented Reality games according to Dennis Whatley, CEO of Breakaway LTD states is that it "they (students) can make mistakes without taking risks." (Edutopia) That may not be true with a game that is this real. This Teen Second Life still has real life people using alias identities but mistakes can translate into their real lives. These games become popular amongst teenage students who all know each other in school. Bullying and teasing can occur within these games, the same way it occurs in real life. This game is extremely realistic but I would caution teens to get too involved in this life because it could definitely lead to a false perception of reality when not playing in the game. This type of virtual reality could take over a student's actual reality and consume their personality. While it's cool technology, to me it scares me and I'm not certain it provides too much educational value.
Don't get me wrong, in general, I think thatVirtual Technology overall is a positive thing that should be implemented in schools. Computer simulations and virtual reality offer students the unique opportunity of experiencing and exploring a broad range of environments, objects, and phenomena within the walls of the classroom. (Strangman. 2009). I just think that there needs to be rules in place and enforced for students that participate in virtual gaming within the classroom environment to minimize risks that could transition into real life.
The few types of video games that were out there when I was a child were not allowed in schools. I remember teachers confiscating Nintendo GameBoys in the early 90's from students who brought them to school. That mindset is changing. Schools are beginning the transition from blocking web-based games to integrating them into their classrooms and curriculums. (Johnson.2011. 19)
I think this blending gaming with education is a wonderful thing. In fact one of the reasons I am so interested in this major (Educational Technology) is because I see how technology can be used to make learning fun. One of my biggest regrets as a student is that I never got interested in some subjects becasue it was typically just having to read and memorize facts out of a text. I think games can really make learning fun for kids.
References:
Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Haywood, K., (2011). The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A., and Haywood, K., (2011). The 2011 Horizon Report.
Edutopia: Schools Use Games For Learning and Assessment. (n.d.)
http://www.edutopia.org/computer-simulations-games-virtual-learning-video
Strangman, Nicole., Hall, Tracey (2009), Virtuality/ Simulations
http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/virtual_simulations
I'm not a teacher, but I think this course has taught me that introducing games as a tool for learning is a great way to grab children's interest. I wish that when I was a student there were more games as a method of learning. I often became bored easily in social studies and had no interest in learning a foreign language. I had a tough time figuring out how algebra would ever be used in the real world. I just wasn't interested. But then I'd go home and play Legend of Zelda for 3 hours. Now there are games as interesting and as fun to play as Zelda but are also Educational. World of Warcraft is a great example of a game that is fun for kids but also educational in the aspect that games like these are complex, and include solo as well as group content and goals that are collaborative as well as some that are competitive. (Johnson 2011. 20) World of WarCraft is a Multiplayer Online game that allows several players to play together and against eachother at the same time.
We have a PS3 at our house and my kids play the EyePet game using the Move controller. I never even thought of this as a form of augmented reality until this assignment. But essesntially, EyePet teaches our kids how to take care of an animal by feeding, bathing and playing with this virtual animal. It is very fascinating and the kids love it...so much so, that we were able to avoid purchasing an actual dog in leiu of our virtual pet. (How's that for dodging a bullet! Ha!)
Another site I found fasicinating was the Virtual Reality game called Teen Second Life. This game is almost scary. This allows kids to recreate themselves and live in a virtual world. They can socialize with other virtual people, get jobs, make money, attend partys, etc... One of the most appealing attributes to Virtual and Augmented Reality games according to Dennis Whatley, CEO of Breakaway LTD states is that it "they (students) can make mistakes without taking risks." (Edutopia) That may not be true with a game that is this real. This Teen Second Life still has real life people using alias identities but mistakes can translate into their real lives. These games become popular amongst teenage students who all know each other in school. Bullying and teasing can occur within these games, the same way it occurs in real life. This game is extremely realistic but I would caution teens to get too involved in this life because it could definitely lead to a false perception of reality when not playing in the game. This type of virtual reality could take over a student's actual reality and consume their personality. While it's cool technology, to me it scares me and I'm not certain it provides too much educational value.
Don't get me wrong, in general, I think thatVirtual Technology overall is a positive thing that should be implemented in schools. Computer simulations and virtual reality offer students the unique opportunity of experiencing and exploring a broad range of environments, objects, and phenomena within the walls of the classroom. (Strangman. 2009). I just think that there needs to be rules in place and enforced for students that participate in virtual gaming within the classroom environment to minimize risks that could transition into real life.
The few types of video games that were out there when I was a child were not allowed in schools. I remember teachers confiscating Nintendo GameBoys in the early 90's from students who brought them to school. That mindset is changing. Schools are beginning the transition from blocking web-based games to integrating them into their classrooms and curriculums. (Johnson.2011. 19)
I think this blending gaming with education is a wonderful thing. In fact one of the reasons I am so interested in this major (Educational Technology) is because I see how technology can be used to make learning fun. One of my biggest regrets as a student is that I never got interested in some subjects becasue it was typically just having to read and memorize facts out of a text. I think games can really make learning fun for kids.
References:
Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Haywood, K., (2011). The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A., and Haywood, K., (2011). The 2011 Horizon Report.
Edutopia: Schools Use Games For Learning and Assessment. (n.d.)
http://www.edutopia.org/computer-simulations-games-virtual-learning-video
Strangman, Nicole., Hall, Tracey (2009), Virtuality/ Simulations
http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/virtual_simulations
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Open Content and Ethics
The issue of open content and copyright on the internet is huge especially in the arena of education. It is important for teacher's to make sure they are getting the proper rights to be able to utilize copywritten material because to not get those rights would be a violation of ethics. Since teachers are role models to so many children, violating copywrite laws is simply unethical and should be avoided.
However, getting copyrights or permission to use certain materials, books, software, can be a tedious chore and is sometimes not worth the effort. For example, I'd love to show my soccer players some clips of the World Cup Highlights to demonstrate proper technique. However, for me to get the written permission from FIFA to actually do that is almost not worth the effort and needs to be planned out in advance. Plus if there is cost involved to acquire the permissions or the material, that usually makes it unaccessible.
This is where open content can be very valuable. Open content embraces not only the sharing of information, but the sharing of instructional practice and experience as well. (Johnson, et al, 2011, pg. 22). This allows people from any location to build upon each other's ideas and to learn from one another. I believe people should get due credit for what they deserve but I also think that if people would be willing to share their knowledge and allow others to acquire it and further develop within the framework of open source/ content online, then the sky is the limit. Open content provides a platform for all people to collectively help each other, and that is a good thing.
CC0 or "No Right Reserved", (as opposed to "All Rights Reserved")enables scientists, educators, artists and other creators and owners of copyright- or database-protected content to waive those interests in their works and thereby place them as completely as possible in the public domain, so that others may freely build upon, enhance and reuse the works for any purposes without restriction under copyright or database law. (About CCO). This allows people to simply say...this content is for the public domain. Take this and do with it whatever you want. I think of CCO as asimilar to planting seeds. Someone puts an initial idea or concept out there and then allows anyone else to run with it with no strings attached. The issue here is that there is a reluctancy for people to want to put out this type of information for the well being of the common because there is very little or no money in it.
It is a complicated situation all the away around because developers spend a lot of time and effort to develop databases, content and material and they deserve recogniton and funding for this work effort. However consumers are not going to pay to utilize that content when someone else provides similar technology and makes it available for free. The Open Content market has made competition fierce in the world of software. Users can download Open Office for free and get almost all of the same benefits that Microsoft Office offers or pay Microsoft close to $400.00. For what? OpenOffice.org 3 can be downloaded and used entirely free of any licence fees. ("Why Open Office")
The bottom line is that Open Content is a fantastic concept overall that increases the ability for people to work together to create the unimaginable. Overall, Open Content is great for keeping costs down to consumers and for sharing knowledge with anyone who wishes to acquire it. However, there are still some issues with the nature of Open Content because the funding is so limited, developers of brilliant ideas are typically going to want to make big money by selling their product instead of releasing it to the open source market.
Advertisers may be one solution for this dilemma. Corporate sponsorships pay for ad space on websites and within apps. This money can help pay the developers and the hosting costs associated while still being able to get the software into the hands of end users for free or very little cost. Other solutions may be for developers to release free versions of their software but to charge for any add-ons that specific companies may desire. Companies or independent consultants can also charge for training, installation, technical support or customization of the software.("Open Source Software")
References:
About CCO-No Rights Reserved. (n.d.) retrieved from http://creativecommons.org/about/cc0
Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Haywood, K., (2011). The NMC Horizon Report:
However, getting copyrights or permission to use certain materials, books, software, can be a tedious chore and is sometimes not worth the effort. For example, I'd love to show my soccer players some clips of the World Cup Highlights to demonstrate proper technique. However, for me to get the written permission from FIFA to actually do that is almost not worth the effort and needs to be planned out in advance. Plus if there is cost involved to acquire the permissions or the material, that usually makes it unaccessible.
This is where open content can be very valuable. Open content embraces not only the sharing of information, but the sharing of instructional practice and experience as well. (Johnson, et al, 2011, pg. 22). This allows people from any location to build upon each other's ideas and to learn from one another. I believe people should get due credit for what they deserve but I also think that if people would be willing to share their knowledge and allow others to acquire it and further develop within the framework of open source/ content online, then the sky is the limit. Open content provides a platform for all people to collectively help each other, and that is a good thing.
CC0 or "No Right Reserved", (as opposed to "All Rights Reserved")enables scientists, educators, artists and other creators and owners of copyright- or database-protected content to waive those interests in their works and thereby place them as completely as possible in the public domain, so that others may freely build upon, enhance and reuse the works for any purposes without restriction under copyright or database law. (About CCO). This allows people to simply say...this content is for the public domain. Take this and do with it whatever you want. I think of CCO as asimilar to planting seeds. Someone puts an initial idea or concept out there and then allows anyone else to run with it with no strings attached. The issue here is that there is a reluctancy for people to want to put out this type of information for the well being of the common because there is very little or no money in it.
It is a complicated situation all the away around because developers spend a lot of time and effort to develop databases, content and material and they deserve recogniton and funding for this work effort. However consumers are not going to pay to utilize that content when someone else provides similar technology and makes it available for free. The Open Content market has made competition fierce in the world of software. Users can download Open Office for free and get almost all of the same benefits that Microsoft Office offers or pay Microsoft close to $400.00. For what? OpenOffice.org 3 can be downloaded and used entirely free of any licence fees. ("Why Open Office")
The bottom line is that Open Content is a fantastic concept overall that increases the ability for people to work together to create the unimaginable. Overall, Open Content is great for keeping costs down to consumers and for sharing knowledge with anyone who wishes to acquire it. However, there are still some issues with the nature of Open Content because the funding is so limited, developers of brilliant ideas are typically going to want to make big money by selling their product instead of releasing it to the open source market.
Advertisers may be one solution for this dilemma. Corporate sponsorships pay for ad space on websites and within apps. This money can help pay the developers and the hosting costs associated while still being able to get the software into the hands of end users for free or very little cost. Other solutions may be for developers to release free versions of their software but to charge for any add-ons that specific companies may desire. Companies or independent consultants can also charge for training, installation, technical support or customization of the software.("Open Source Software")
References:
About CCO-No Rights Reserved. (n.d.) retrieved from http://creativecommons.org/about/cc0
Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Haywood, K., (2011). The NMC Horizon Report:
2011
K-12 Edition.
Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Open Source Software. (n.d.) retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software
Why Open Office?. (n.d.) retrieved from http://www.openoffice.org/why/
Open Source Software. (n.d.) retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software
Why Open Office?. (n.d.) retrieved from http://www.openoffice.org/why/
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