I just watched the most hilarious video on Twitter on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2HAroA12w
Though there is a great deal of humour involved, there are some serious questions about how the webtool should be used. Should people Twitter about nothing? Or, should people Twitter only when they have something interesting to say or share? For me, Twitter is not for self-affirmation, it is a tool I will use to connect with ideas and people. I vow never to become a Twitter addict like Craig, but I do see the tool as amazing and I will continue to use it, but not to broadcast every mundane thing I see or do. I think my frustration with facebook is the way people, at least on my friend list, use it. I hope Twitter is different and does not spiral into mere exhibitionism. I suppose it all depends on who you have on your contact list.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Death of the book?
As an avid reader and a lover of literature, I must express some concern over the effect of technology on reading. If educators establish their own creative commons in the digital world and spend large amounts of time online, it has the potential to take away from time available for reading. Similarly, society at large is spending more and more time online.
I actually consulted our school librarian to see if she had any data on numbers of books signed out to see if an overall decline in reading was occurring. I was surprised to see that the number of books signed out has been steadily increasing over the last few years. During the last calendar year, our school of 430 kids has signed out almost 15000 books! That is fantastic!
It is interesting to note, however, that kids do virtually no research through library books anymore. Instead they rely on the internet as a resource. I have to admit, it is far easier to find information online, but there is a nostalgic part of me that longs to be on the 4th or 6th floor of the UofS library all by myself gently opening an old hard-cover book that has not been touched in 20 years. Perhaps that is my inner historian speaking.
I value reading and, though I want my students and my own children to be immersed in the digital world, I also want them to read. While reading seems to be alive and well at present, I hope we guard against its extinction. I guess it is all about balance.
I actually consulted our school librarian to see if she had any data on numbers of books signed out to see if an overall decline in reading was occurring. I was surprised to see that the number of books signed out has been steadily increasing over the last few years. During the last calendar year, our school of 430 kids has signed out almost 15000 books! That is fantastic!
It is interesting to note, however, that kids do virtually no research through library books anymore. Instead they rely on the internet as a resource. I have to admit, it is far easier to find information online, but there is a nostalgic part of me that longs to be on the 4th or 6th floor of the UofS library all by myself gently opening an old hard-cover book that has not been touched in 20 years. Perhaps that is my inner historian speaking.
I value reading and, though I want my students and my own children to be immersed in the digital world, I also want them to read. While reading seems to be alive and well at present, I hope we guard against its extinction. I guess it is all about balance.
Intellectual Property
I just watched a great video that was recommended on Twitter by Alec Couros. The URL is http://www3.nfb.ca/webextension/rip-a-remix-manifesto/?film=11 and the video is called RIP: A Remix Manifesto. It discusses the notion of copyrighting ideas and explains the devious and greedy history behind copyrighting. I had no idea that a living organism could be copyrighted!
It was fascinating to listen to a former Clinton staffer explain the planned shift in the American economy from things to ideas. I had no idea that allowing low-wage manufacturing jobs to go to Asia was a conscious decision. The Americans miscalculated badly - they believed that they could convince the WTO to enforce American copyrights of American ideas. Their intention was, essentially, to create a closed intellectual world in which they would have to be paid for any use, extension, or manipulation of any idea they claimed to be their property.
American copyright laws extend even to medications for diseases such as AIDS. Thankfully, some countries, such as Brazil, are defying these laws to produce copies of these drugs at a fraction of the cost. This is an illustration of how amoral copyrighting can be. If we are to move forward and prosper not as a nation, but as a planet, we need to combine our thinking, not keep it private.
The video then discusses the creation of creative commons - a digital space where music is shared, altered, and recreated. This is a truly profound concept and I think it is particularly relevant to education. The PLC movement is a start, but on a really small scale. Technology provides the keys for educators to create our common spaces and develop our craft as a collective. The days of hoarding unit plans in dusty filing cabinets must end - by working together and thinking together, we all gain.
It was fascinating to listen to a former Clinton staffer explain the planned shift in the American economy from things to ideas. I had no idea that allowing low-wage manufacturing jobs to go to Asia was a conscious decision. The Americans miscalculated badly - they believed that they could convince the WTO to enforce American copyrights of American ideas. Their intention was, essentially, to create a closed intellectual world in which they would have to be paid for any use, extension, or manipulation of any idea they claimed to be their property.
American copyright laws extend even to medications for diseases such as AIDS. Thankfully, some countries, such as Brazil, are defying these laws to produce copies of these drugs at a fraction of the cost. This is an illustration of how amoral copyrighting can be. If we are to move forward and prosper not as a nation, but as a planet, we need to combine our thinking, not keep it private.
The video then discusses the creation of creative commons - a digital space where music is shared, altered, and recreated. This is a truly profound concept and I think it is particularly relevant to education. The PLC movement is a start, but on a really small scale. Technology provides the keys for educators to create our common spaces and develop our craft as a collective. The days of hoarding unit plans in dusty filing cabinets must end - by working together and thinking together, we all gain.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Cool - I just had my first meaningful interaction with a human-being on the internet. Actually, it was Steven King from this class who gave me some tips with respect to Tweetdeck - a really cool tool. I can definitely see the potential in this tool, especially for educators. I vow to experiment with Twitter every day and expand my list of contacts so that it becomes more than a novelty.
Exciting Times
I am being converted. Last night I was at school until 10pm doing spring planning, which involves setting up a power point for the Board of Education (whose power to tax has been stripped - bit of a sore spot there) to justify our programs and their expenditures. I basically took over the technology section of the power point and I plan on explaining to the Board the benefits of collective thinking among teachers, students, and human-beings in general!
We need to fundamentally change the way we think of the internet - it is not a huge encyclopedia filled with static information, but a living, learning digital organism that provides a medium that can connect us like never before.
Interviewing young teachers this spring has also been enlightening and encouraging. Almost all of the teacher candidates under 25 mention wikis, blogs, and many other webtools that will enable them to connect to the entire educational establishment as well as to their students in ways they never could before. Exciting times.
We need to fundamentally change the way we think of the internet - it is not a huge encyclopedia filled with static information, but a living, learning digital organism that provides a medium that can connect us like never before.
Interviewing young teachers this spring has also been enlightening and encouraging. Almost all of the teacher candidates under 25 mention wikis, blogs, and many other webtools that will enable them to connect to the entire educational establishment as well as to their students in ways they never could before. Exciting times.
Last night I sat in on "Women of Web 2.0". It was very interesting and casual in nature and I found that it afforded plenty of time to surf the various sites they suggested. It was particularly interesting because it basically consisted of regular educators who have been actually using these various technologies. I think that the boundary between theory and practice is being bridged in a very meaningful way in this sense.
I did, however, find some of the speakers to be self-important. They frequently expressed their utter disdain for those not using these technologies and showed no hesitation in patting themselves on the back for being such wonderful educators. I think it is precisely these types of attitudes that are preventing the more rapid normalization of the web 2.0 concept. It is also these types of attitudes that make me feel self-conscious and keep me in 'lurker' mode. I congratulate most of the people I have met online, especially the ones in this class, for being so open, accepting, and understanding. There are some, however, who could stand to stop looking down on educators not in the technological loop and start helping out to bridge those gaps.
I did, however, find some of the speakers to be self-important. They frequently expressed their utter disdain for those not using these technologies and showed no hesitation in patting themselves on the back for being such wonderful educators. I think it is precisely these types of attitudes that are preventing the more rapid normalization of the web 2.0 concept. It is also these types of attitudes that make me feel self-conscious and keep me in 'lurker' mode. I congratulate most of the people I have met online, especially the ones in this class, for being so open, accepting, and understanding. There are some, however, who could stand to stop looking down on educators not in the technological loop and start helping out to bridge those gaps.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Over My Head
I am trying to understand, I really am. However, I consistently feel like an imbecile during our weekly online sessions. Many of the terms our speakers, my classmates, and our guests are throwing around with obvious comprehension are totally foreign to me.
Honestly, I have never used google and wikipedia so much! Even the simplest terms such as "Web 2.0" were foreign to me at the outset of this course. I usually write down a list of terms as the speakers are presenting and spend the week trying to figure out exactly what was being said.
The good news is that I am making progress. I understand the notion of "Web 2.0" and many of the related terms and concepts. Using them is, however, proving to be somewhat more difficult. While I have a plan for my digital project, it is still a work in progress.
The most important thing about my meager progress is that I am starting to enjoy 'playing' online and interacting and creating new material. I understand why many are claiming that we are on the verge of an educational revolution in terms of how we use technology. At first, I scoffed at the term "revolution", but I have come to agree.
Honestly, I have never used google and wikipedia so much! Even the simplest terms such as "Web 2.0" were foreign to me at the outset of this course. I usually write down a list of terms as the speakers are presenting and spend the week trying to figure out exactly what was being said.
The good news is that I am making progress. I understand the notion of "Web 2.0" and many of the related terms and concepts. Using them is, however, proving to be somewhat more difficult. While I have a plan for my digital project, it is still a work in progress.
The most important thing about my meager progress is that I am starting to enjoy 'playing' online and interacting and creating new material. I understand why many are claiming that we are on the verge of an educational revolution in terms of how we use technology. At first, I scoffed at the term "revolution", but I have come to agree.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
