Talk about a class of metamorphosis. I walked in with slight apprehension, which gave way to moderate frustration and a bad attitude, and has since developed into a sense of curiosity and pride. While some of the tools we've used in class have challenged me in both patience and skill, most of them I've found to be relevant in the classroom - if used correctly. The Geocaching activity, though fun and rewarding due to the chocolate (yes, I am easily pleased) failed to capture my enthusiasm as a means of encouraging people to strap on their boots and get outside. I can see how it might interest certain groups and encourage some healthier interactions that blend technology and nature, but at the same time, if I want to go outside for the sake of experiencing the outside, I want to do so unaided by a machine.
Perhaps this comes back to how I was raised. My most beloved playthings included rocks and sticks and spare strips of fabric from which I created flags, tepees, spears, obstacle courses, forts, and entire worlds. Nothing like a little imagination and decent weather to give a kid hours of entertainment and exercise. Even in winter, malleable snow was the ultimate medium for creativity.
I could count on both hands the number of hours I played with the Gameboy Advance I was given for my 10th birthday. I can't think of a single summer day growing up where I didn't spend at least one hand's worth of hours outside.
What I'm trying to say here is that while Geocaching opens up some opportunities and can serve as an interesting activity, I shy away from the thought of it being the only thing that gets people outside. People should want to be with nature because it is nature, and is one of the last sanctuaries free from technology.
And, just to point out, sometimes the good ol' global positioning systems fail miserably.
Case in point: this past Saturday was the Poetry Prowl in Red Deer, hosted by the Red Deer College Poetry Society. The event basically involved poets from the college giving readings at different venues around town. Incidentally, I was asked to make the posters for the event and did so using some of the skills and resources Carmen taught us in class. It should be mentioned that I'm the kind of person who thinks that North is some distant point above my head, so directionally, I'm a little challenged. My vehicle is equipped with a GPS, which I use with less and less faith. Relying on it got me totally lost downtown - the result of which also included a bolt wedged in my now severely leaking tire. In frustration I parked at the nearest spot possible, got out, and found my way on foot. Amazing, really, once I was out of the vehicle and not looking at the screen of the GPS, I knew exactly where I was in the city, and quickly found my way to the venue where the society was meeting.
Despite the ongoing love-hate relationship I seem to share with technology, I have to give Carmen a big thank you for the effort she's put towards this class, her positive attitude and all the information/experience she's provided for us. I can hear the groan of the reader now (she's such a suck-up!)... but in all seriousness, I think this is something that needs to be said. We're all enrolled in this course because we want to teach. Don't you think you'll feel that some recognition is deserved after all you do for a class?
And secondly, more and more so, I'm beginning to see the value in the Wiki portfolios we've constructed in this term. It may have taken until the middle of March, but I've begun to feel a real sense of pride in the work that I've put out there. No longer is it just about impressing the teacher and getting the good grades - this is work that I feel sincere ownership of, and that I can say I am honestly pleased to share with the world.
It's certainly been a learning experience, in more ways that one. I wish you all the best of luck with your finals (both in Edit 302 and your other classes) and I hope that you have an excellent summer break.
/golum in the gears/
wires. inspire. reflect. connect.
April 3, 2011
March 9, 2011
Not Computing...?
I've learned some serious lessons in the last 24 hours.
First of all, the Internet is a very delicate and frightening place. There are far too many people willing to post pictures of themselves naked in places where just anyone could stumble across them. Don't get me wrong, the human body is beautiful thing regardless of shape or size, but as an 18 year old I have the experience and maturity to come to that conclusion. An eight year old does not. Nor do most 14 year olds, for that matter.
And nobody should be exposed to such sexually explicit content without warning.
Furthermore, the potentially questionable content posted to the Internet needs to be given serious consideration by whoever is making the post. Who are your readers? What are the consequences of such material being associated with you?
Believe me, I'm all for freedom of expression and free speech, and I take censorship with a sizeable grain of salt. But rights always come with responsibilities.
Secondly, I strongly advise against making blog posts or tweets or facebook statuses or whatever when in an impulsive mood or unstable emotional state. The Internet is a vortex of permanency - once something is up there, there is no guaranteed way to remove it.
I've written some pretty awful things for fanfiction.net (yes, I've wandered that dark valley) but the shoddy writing of my 15 year old self pale in comparison to the verbal, emotional, and psychological bashing that people dish out on a fairly regular basis. No one is likely to go searching for a poorly constructed story that I wrote, and have since removed. If they did, I'm sure it could be located with relative ease - provided the right programs were at hand. The only result of that would be some amusement on the reader's part, and some embarrassment for me.
But insults, hurt feelings, and threats are impossible to erase. Once seen, they cannot be unseen, and are rarely forgotten.
There are no closed doors with the Internet. What we post is, inevitably, viewable by all, and not all that we post is appropriate.
Nor does the fact that it's "just the Internet" excuse anything we make available to other users. You wouldn't walk around downtown Edmonton (or wherever) completely naked. Why? Because it's a public place, obviously.
Then what makes you think it is appropriate to display yourself so casually over the Internet, a place equally as (if not more so) public?
People have committed suicide over things posted via the Internet, whether with hurtful intentions or not. Lives are ruined, and sometimes the shield of anonymity that the screen provides is little comfort when faced with the fact that the person on the other end knows exactly who their attacker is.
Another thing to consider is that, regardless who we really are, people who are not personally known to us (and by "personally" I mean have actually met in the physical world) are quick to make judgments of our character through what we make available to them through the Internet. Predators are everywhere, and the Internet is the ultimate of back-alleys. Never mind saying something unflattering about your ex boyfriend on facebook... some of what you post can put you in a potentially dangerous situation, without you ever knowing.
Profile pictures would be a lot different if all the 13 year-olds taking pictures of themselves in their bathroom mirrors knew that somewhere, there was potentially a pedophile looking at those very same photos, this exact moment.
Or would they?
Somehow we seem to have the mentality that because the Internet is so impersonal, that the screen is only a one-way path, and that what we do has no real consequence.
In the virtual world, when will reality start to compute?
First of all, the Internet is a very delicate and frightening place. There are far too many people willing to post pictures of themselves naked in places where just anyone could stumble across them. Don't get me wrong, the human body is beautiful thing regardless of shape or size, but as an 18 year old I have the experience and maturity to come to that conclusion. An eight year old does not. Nor do most 14 year olds, for that matter.
And nobody should be exposed to such sexually explicit content without warning.
Furthermore, the potentially questionable content posted to the Internet needs to be given serious consideration by whoever is making the post. Who are your readers? What are the consequences of such material being associated with you?
Believe me, I'm all for freedom of expression and free speech, and I take censorship with a sizeable grain of salt. But rights always come with responsibilities.
Secondly, I strongly advise against making blog posts or tweets or facebook statuses or whatever when in an impulsive mood or unstable emotional state. The Internet is a vortex of permanency - once something is up there, there is no guaranteed way to remove it.
I've written some pretty awful things for fanfiction.net (yes, I've wandered that dark valley) but the shoddy writing of my 15 year old self pale in comparison to the verbal, emotional, and psychological bashing that people dish out on a fairly regular basis. No one is likely to go searching for a poorly constructed story that I wrote, and have since removed. If they did, I'm sure it could be located with relative ease - provided the right programs were at hand. The only result of that would be some amusement on the reader's part, and some embarrassment for me.
But insults, hurt feelings, and threats are impossible to erase. Once seen, they cannot be unseen, and are rarely forgotten.
There are no closed doors with the Internet. What we post is, inevitably, viewable by all, and not all that we post is appropriate.
Nor does the fact that it's "just the Internet" excuse anything we make available to other users. You wouldn't walk around downtown Edmonton (or wherever) completely naked. Why? Because it's a public place, obviously.
Then what makes you think it is appropriate to display yourself so casually over the Internet, a place equally as (if not more so) public?
People have committed suicide over things posted via the Internet, whether with hurtful intentions or not. Lives are ruined, and sometimes the shield of anonymity that the screen provides is little comfort when faced with the fact that the person on the other end knows exactly who their attacker is.
Another thing to consider is that, regardless who we really are, people who are not personally known to us (and by "personally" I mean have actually met in the physical world) are quick to make judgments of our character through what we make available to them through the Internet. Predators are everywhere, and the Internet is the ultimate of back-alleys. Never mind saying something unflattering about your ex boyfriend on facebook... some of what you post can put you in a potentially dangerous situation, without you ever knowing.
Profile pictures would be a lot different if all the 13 year-olds taking pictures of themselves in their bathroom mirrors knew that somewhere, there was potentially a pedophile looking at those very same photos, this exact moment.
Or would they?
Somehow we seem to have the mentality that because the Internet is so impersonal, that the screen is only a one-way path, and that what we do has no real consequence.
In the virtual world, when will reality start to compute?
March 2, 2011
CopyWrite
The following is a YouTube video pertaining to Canada's copyright laws. The speakers in the video are published authors (as I hope to be one day) and are expressing their concerns about the effect that Bill C-32 will have on them personally, and as a collective group of individuals.
While I wholeheartedly feel that teachers need to be able to have access to material, and that we should not be limited in the number of copies we make, I am also of the opinion that writers need to be recognized for their work. Words have changed the world, have inspired people, and are an important resource for education. Students and teachers alike need access to these materials - these books, magazines, poems, short stories - so that the minds of the future may be nourished.
But the creators need the credit.
The distribution of literature without credit is much the same as downloading music for free, though without the benefits of exposure. A lot of work, effort, time (and believe it or not, money) is put into the writing and publication of a book. If authors are not given due recognition for their labour, they will have little motivation to continue writing so that their work can, essentially, be stolen.
Copyright is for the producer as much as the consumer, but in our consumer-market mentality, I think this is a fact often forgotten.
Musicians, artists, film-makers and photographers have been given recognition with this bill, why haven't writers?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qrcNksj5DE
While I wholeheartedly feel that teachers need to be able to have access to material, and that we should not be limited in the number of copies we make, I am also of the opinion that writers need to be recognized for their work. Words have changed the world, have inspired people, and are an important resource for education. Students and teachers alike need access to these materials - these books, magazines, poems, short stories - so that the minds of the future may be nourished.
But the creators need the credit.
The distribution of literature without credit is much the same as downloading music for free, though without the benefits of exposure. A lot of work, effort, time (and believe it or not, money) is put into the writing and publication of a book. If authors are not given due recognition for their labour, they will have little motivation to continue writing so that their work can, essentially, be stolen.
Copyright is for the producer as much as the consumer, but in our consumer-market mentality, I think this is a fact often forgotten.
Musicians, artists, film-makers and photographers have been given recognition with this bill, why haven't writers?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qrcNksj5DE
February 28, 2011
Connecting the Wires
At the risk of sounding like a horrible student - I must confess I did not expect to glean much from the group presentation. Much to the contrary, I find that I've learned a great deal about the topic itself, as well as the construction of the presentation.
Firstly, there was a surprising amount of information to be found on the topic. My group chose to take a stab at the controversy of integrating technology in classroom, and how critical it is (or isn't). Beyond the obvious and general statements, there was a large number of statistics available to us that drove home the point that technology is very important for future employment opportunities. Mirroring that with the epidemic-proportion rise in childhood & adolescent obesity... and you have one monstrous combination.
As essential as it is to teach the future generations to be able to competently function with the technology, it is equally important to for them to lead balanced and healthy lives.
We're not doing so well with that last part, you'll note.
Early on in the project, I volunteered to construct a Prezi as our main feature. My enthusiasm for the format has not changed, though like PowerPoint, I'm more than willing to point out certain flaws. Similar rules apply for a Prezi be effective - too much font will quickly become overwhelming - and too many special effects or flips will not only distract your audience, but possibly give them a headache.
That said, not enough detail or variation in the lettering, and you just get a boring presentation all over again.
If you plan on having a good Prezi, I suggest lots of practice and henceforth, lots of free time.
Firstly, there was a surprising amount of information to be found on the topic. My group chose to take a stab at the controversy of integrating technology in classroom, and how critical it is (or isn't). Beyond the obvious and general statements, there was a large number of statistics available to us that drove home the point that technology is very important for future employment opportunities. Mirroring that with the epidemic-proportion rise in childhood & adolescent obesity... and you have one monstrous combination.
As essential as it is to teach the future generations to be able to competently function with the technology, it is equally important to for them to lead balanced and healthy lives.
We're not doing so well with that last part, you'll note.
Early on in the project, I volunteered to construct a Prezi as our main feature. My enthusiasm for the format has not changed, though like PowerPoint, I'm more than willing to point out certain flaws. Similar rules apply for a Prezi be effective - too much font will quickly become overwhelming - and too many special effects or flips will not only distract your audience, but possibly give them a headache.
That said, not enough detail or variation in the lettering, and you just get a boring presentation all over again.
If you plan on having a good Prezi, I suggest lots of practice and henceforth, lots of free time.
Post Script:
To follow up on an earlier post, my father has asked that I sit down and spend some time with him to work out a Prezi for a presentation he plans to do for his work. Hopefully the experience from doing this project will help me when we work on his own Prezi.
February 3, 2011
Short Circuit
The other day in one of my classes at the college, we encountered "technical difficulties". In the class previous, the bulb in the overhead projector blew out.
This wouldn't be such an issue, things go wrong with equipment all the time. We just never seem prepared when it does.
The unfortunate part of this is that our lectures are based off material that the professor has on the computer. Without the projector, the very design of his class was disrupted.
A normal projector was available in the classroom, but as none of the notes were on transparency sheets, this was of no benefit to us.
Several minutes were lost as our professor had to figure out what to do as a substitute for the lesson, and after going over only a few slides worth of material, he ended the class roughly 15 minutes early.
This experience left me with a great feeling of dissatisfaction and disappointment with technology as a whole. We are so dependent on it; we've become crippled by it.
When something goes wrong with our computer, we feel helpless and isolated.
When other equipment malfunctions, we are rendered equally incapable of successfully finishing otherwise simple tasks.
I understand the importance of being able to function with technology, but I also firmly believe that more emphasis needs to be placed on other non-technological skills. Hand writing, for instance. As much of an asset as typing is, this skill should not come at the loss of legibility when using a pen and piece of paper.
Perhaps it's time to remember that for the many years prior to the rise of the computer, we were more than capable of doing everything manually. We can take notes from off the whiteboard, we can do mathematical calculations without a calculator at our fingertips, and we can write lengthy essays without having to type.
We just need to remember that, contrary to popular thought, we do not need the computer.
This wouldn't be such an issue, things go wrong with equipment all the time. We just never seem prepared when it does.
The unfortunate part of this is that our lectures are based off material that the professor has on the computer. Without the projector, the very design of his class was disrupted.
A normal projector was available in the classroom, but as none of the notes were on transparency sheets, this was of no benefit to us.
Several minutes were lost as our professor had to figure out what to do as a substitute for the lesson, and after going over only a few slides worth of material, he ended the class roughly 15 minutes early.
This experience left me with a great feeling of dissatisfaction and disappointment with technology as a whole. We are so dependent on it; we've become crippled by it.
When something goes wrong with our computer, we feel helpless and isolated.
When other equipment malfunctions, we are rendered equally incapable of successfully finishing otherwise simple tasks.
I understand the importance of being able to function with technology, but I also firmly believe that more emphasis needs to be placed on other non-technological skills. Hand writing, for instance. As much of an asset as typing is, this skill should not come at the loss of legibility when using a pen and piece of paper.
Perhaps it's time to remember that for the many years prior to the rise of the computer, we were more than capable of doing everything manually. We can take notes from off the whiteboard, we can do mathematical calculations without a calculator at our fingertips, and we can write lengthy essays without having to type.
We just need to remember that, contrary to popular thought, we do not need the computer.
January 26, 2011
On the Grid - Abruptly
It's interesting to me how many of my contemporaries have expressed discomfort with the idea of jumping head first into the vast world of technology. After all, this generation is considered to be the most tech-savvy.
We've had to evolve to the many changes; had to learn how to function with the sudden appearance of cell-phones, mp3 players (succeeded by iPods, of course), and personal computers. For many of us, this technology has become second nature.
That said, coming into the EDIT 302 class has presented something of a challenge. So much of what we've learned is entirely new to most of us, and at times this can be overwhelming. There is a vast amount of material out there, not to mention the protocol that accompanies the use of such material.
After the lessons on copyright, I must confess that I feel somewhat like a delinquent. I've copied and pasted from Google images without too much thought to the legality of my actions. If images are out there, should it not be expected that they will be used? By putting something up to the scrutiny of the world via the internet, do we not automatically give our consent for its reproduction and manipulation?
These misconceptions were addressed, and thus, abandoned.
Though I might complain about the length of the class and the enormity of its scope, I find that I am learning things of value. Being able to use both the lecture and the lab component to work on the technological side is much appreciated, even if there is an awful lot of reading from the textbook afterwards. In a way it's almost like two classes in one: by having the lecture/labs be totally hands on application, I'm not having to worry about floundering in the big bad internet at home, instead I can work through the textbook, which has very little to do with the lecture component. The textbook work feels much more like the Education course that this class is represented as.
I understand that if a student in the Bachelor of Education program could not get into the EDIT course, it was suggested they take Computing as a substitute. I imagine the lab work much resembles ours, but what about the textbook? Are those students getting exposed to the same information about Bloom's Taxonomy and such?
As a final thought, I think it's important that I continue to grow in my knowledge of technology, but that I strongly disagree with many of its aspects. The whole "paperless" gimmick is a point of contention with me, but I'll save that for a another post. With the use of technology, personally or in the classroom, as with anything, balance is key.
We've had to evolve to the many changes; had to learn how to function with the sudden appearance of cell-phones, mp3 players (succeeded by iPods, of course), and personal computers. For many of us, this technology has become second nature.
That said, coming into the EDIT 302 class has presented something of a challenge. So much of what we've learned is entirely new to most of us, and at times this can be overwhelming. There is a vast amount of material out there, not to mention the protocol that accompanies the use of such material.
After the lessons on copyright, I must confess that I feel somewhat like a delinquent. I've copied and pasted from Google images without too much thought to the legality of my actions. If images are out there, should it not be expected that they will be used? By putting something up to the scrutiny of the world via the internet, do we not automatically give our consent for its reproduction and manipulation?
These misconceptions were addressed, and thus, abandoned.
Though I might complain about the length of the class and the enormity of its scope, I find that I am learning things of value. Being able to use both the lecture and the lab component to work on the technological side is much appreciated, even if there is an awful lot of reading from the textbook afterwards. In a way it's almost like two classes in one: by having the lecture/labs be totally hands on application, I'm not having to worry about floundering in the big bad internet at home, instead I can work through the textbook, which has very little to do with the lecture component. The textbook work feels much more like the Education course that this class is represented as.
I understand that if a student in the Bachelor of Education program could not get into the EDIT course, it was suggested they take Computing as a substitute. I imagine the lab work much resembles ours, but what about the textbook? Are those students getting exposed to the same information about Bloom's Taxonomy and such?
As a final thought, I think it's important that I continue to grow in my knowledge of technology, but that I strongly disagree with many of its aspects. The whole "paperless" gimmick is a point of contention with me, but I'll save that for a another post. With the use of technology, personally or in the classroom, as with anything, balance is key.
January 18, 2011
Salutations from Beyond the Screen
Greetings.
Welcome to my second blog, and once again thank you for taking the time to drop by.
This space shall be reserved for posting assignments in relation to my EDIT 302 class with Christie Carmen-Bill.
See you on the other side.
Welcome to my second blog, and once again thank you for taking the time to drop by.
This space shall be reserved for posting assignments in relation to my EDIT 302 class with Christie Carmen-Bill.
See you on the other side.
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