5) What is the 'semantic web'?
The semantic web is a way to share content over and above the realms of the internet. “The Semantic Web agent does not include artificial intelligence – rather, it relies on structured sets of information and inference rules that allow it to “understand” the relationship between different data resources. The computer doesn’t really understand information the way a human can, but it has enough information to make logical connections and decisions.”
The semantic web is not different to the internet; it is technology that allows for the processing of the semantics of the internet, what the sites are actually saying. The Semantic Web will put structure into the content of Web pages that create meaning, and allow computers to work together efficiently.
http://www.altova.com/semantic_web.html
Friday, 27 March 2009
Week 9-10 Potential problem for tailored education
Is there a potential problem being stored up for people if 'education' is tailored to fit into their cultural and personal preferences?
I don’t think that there could ever be a type of education that could be tailor made for a certain cultural preference or personal preference. If we are looking at grouping together certain districts or areas then there would be cultural differences within them, England is a cultural melting pot which makes it interesting and unique.
Even if you looked at giving every single child a different way or level of learning to suit their cultural and personal preferences, it would interfere with the development of their identity, their subcultures and preferences change over time as we develop as people and pigeon holing students could possibly stunt their intellectual and emotional growth.
If such a system occurred I can see two main problems that I can see with education being tailored to fit students personal and cultural preferences.
The first relates to the question, ‘should education stretch a person?’ If we allow students to disregard certain subjects or ways of learning, then we aren’t fully preparing them for the challenges that will occur when they finish school. They may be fantastic at digital learning, but we do not (yet?) live in a world where everything is digital and they will need some kind of practical and hands on knowledge, not only in their job, but also outside of it in their life.
The other problem that could occur is students feeling that their culture and way of learning is superior to others. If a child disregards another cultural or personal preference, it may lead them to think that that way of learning is inferior. The only way to battle ignorance and prejudices is through education and learning about other cultures and other ways of doing things. Who is to say what is the best?
I don’t think that there could ever be a type of education that could be tailor made for a certain cultural preference or personal preference. If we are looking at grouping together certain districts or areas then there would be cultural differences within them, England is a cultural melting pot which makes it interesting and unique.
Even if you looked at giving every single child a different way or level of learning to suit their cultural and personal preferences, it would interfere with the development of their identity, their subcultures and preferences change over time as we develop as people and pigeon holing students could possibly stunt their intellectual and emotional growth.
If such a system occurred I can see two main problems that I can see with education being tailored to fit students personal and cultural preferences.
The first relates to the question, ‘should education stretch a person?’ If we allow students to disregard certain subjects or ways of learning, then we aren’t fully preparing them for the challenges that will occur when they finish school. They may be fantastic at digital learning, but we do not (yet?) live in a world where everything is digital and they will need some kind of practical and hands on knowledge, not only in their job, but also outside of it in their life.
The other problem that could occur is students feeling that their culture and way of learning is superior to others. If a child disregards another cultural or personal preference, it may lead them to think that that way of learning is inferior. The only way to battle ignorance and prejudices is through education and learning about other cultures and other ways of doing things. Who is to say what is the best?
Friday, 20 March 2009
Week 9 - A person who threatens theory of digital immigration
A person known to you (could be you, but you don't need to admit it!) who most threatens the notion of native/immigrant in digital culture
It would seem that this question asks for a person that “goes against the grain” in terms of their technological ability and age. As I have said, I don’t really know anybody personally who doesn’t conform to this notion, but I know of organisations that threaten the digital native/immigrant.
There are courses run by and for older people to help them become entrenched in the world of technology. The website that I looked at was:
www3.griffith.edu.au/03/u3a/includes/linked_pages/file_downloader.php?id=312&prop=5&save=1
This was about adult learning courses for the elderly and the positive effects that it could have on, not only their uses of technology, but also their overall wellbeing. Although this is a potential threat to the digital native/immigrant notion, I am dubious as to whether older people will embrace this and fully lose all of their traditional “accents” or simply continue in their struggle with the new world.
I think that on the whole, the threat to the digital natives is the traditional digital immigrants. There are people who see educative technology as damaging to children and who are scared or intimidated by the freedom that new media creates. The massive change in the way that we learn, read, communicate, consume etc. has massively frightened some in to campaigning against new media for children. The close-mindedness of the older generation, it seems, is the only threat to the digital natives.
It would seem that this question asks for a person that “goes against the grain” in terms of their technological ability and age. As I have said, I don’t really know anybody personally who doesn’t conform to this notion, but I know of organisations that threaten the digital native/immigrant.
There are courses run by and for older people to help them become entrenched in the world of technology. The website that I looked at was:
www3.griffith.edu.au/03/u3a/includes/linked_pages/file_downloader.php?id=312&prop=5&save=1
This was about adult learning courses for the elderly and the positive effects that it could have on, not only their uses of technology, but also their overall wellbeing. Although this is a potential threat to the digital native/immigrant notion, I am dubious as to whether older people will embrace this and fully lose all of their traditional “accents” or simply continue in their struggle with the new world.
I think that on the whole, the threat to the digital natives is the traditional digital immigrants. There are people who see educative technology as damaging to children and who are scared or intimidated by the freedom that new media creates. The massive change in the way that we learn, read, communicate, consume etc. has massively frightened some in to campaigning against new media for children. The close-mindedness of the older generation, it seems, is the only threat to the digital natives.
Week 9 - Youngest digital immigrant I know
I can honestly say that I don’t know a young person who does not fully embrace technology. I have much younger cousins with mobiles and watch whilst they attempt to teach my grandpa to read text messages. I imagine that it would be very difficult to grow up in such a techophilic society without the knowledge that seems to be ingrained our youth. This highlights the issues surrounding the digital divide, and how people can feel alienated if they can’t keep up.
I would say that the youngest digital immigrant I know is almost 30 (I know this does not fully support the task as, technology has advanced too much in the past decade when she was already an adult). Although she has (sort of) grown up with newer technology she hasn’t particularly embraced them. She does, however, have a computer and the internet and a mobile phone, it just seems that she doesn’t really make the most of them and know the different ways to use them. This age is a difficult one because I imagine that people fall at either side of the digital immigrant/native divide.
The idea of digital immigration and digital natives seems to be proven in general, however, technology seems to be run, made and mediated by adults. It is not exclusive to the young, who may feel outcast by new technologies if they aren’t ahead of the game.
I would say that the youngest digital immigrant I know is almost 30 (I know this does not fully support the task as, technology has advanced too much in the past decade when she was already an adult). Although she has (sort of) grown up with newer technology she hasn’t particularly embraced them. She does, however, have a computer and the internet and a mobile phone, it just seems that she doesn’t really make the most of them and know the different ways to use them. This age is a difficult one because I imagine that people fall at either side of the digital immigrant/native divide.
The idea of digital immigration and digital natives seems to be proven in general, however, technology seems to be run, made and mediated by adults. It is not exclusive to the young, who may feel outcast by new technologies if they aren’t ahead of the game.
Week 9 - Oldest digital native I know
In the least offensive way possible, I must say that my lecturers are the oldest digital natives I know. It seems that Prensky was accurate in his description of older people, at least when it comes to my own family or friends. There are older people in my family who have jobs that require them to be ‘au fait’ with technology, such as email and powerpoints, but it seems that when it comes to putting these into practice, they look at instructions and go through the longest motions of the programme, whereas, in general, the younger people in my family can simply open the applications and recognise the conventions of technology instantly. My lecturers have, however, been learning and interacting with technology at a degree level and have had to become in-tune technology in order to teach it at a higher level. Whether or not they found this process as easy as just ‘picking it up’ I don’t know
Week 9 - Technophile in 2020
A guy wakes up to the sound of MGMT from his ipod nano 7.0 (he always did like old school music) and does the 4 move dance that the motion detector recognises to switch his alarm off. Sleepily he realises he only has 2 minutes before his lesson starts. He quickly switches his laptop on and makes himself a cup of tea, waiting for his ‘post new-media cultures’ lecture to start. He adjusts his webcam and voice recogniser that makes the lecture fully interactive and settles down to the video link and taps away at his laptop. He starts a discussion with his friends through the multi screen option before the lecturer starts to talk about how education was 10 years ago, astonishing the students as to how different it was. He can’t imagine his course mates being in the same country as each other, let alone the same city. He laughs when he gets a text from his friend who is going to claim his equipment is broken for that extra couple of hours of sleep, maintenance won’t be happy!
After his lecture, he decides to pick up the newspaper he ordered online last night. The papers are still talking about the possibility that the internet will run out of space within the year. People are frantically culling sites they feel are old, pointless or unused in order to save the economy and the education system. He shrugs, this is probably one of those millennium bug scares that happened when he was a baby, he thinks that it’ll sort itself out.
He starts to think about what his lecturer was saying about the students 10 years ago, and all the changes that have happened in the last decade thanks to technology. He finds it galling that they had to sit in a lecture together and write things by hand, its years since he wrote with pen and paper in school. He then realises that a large majority of his friends are people he has never seen before or spoke to directly and imagines that it would be nice to sit with friends in a lecture and socialise with them in RL. He can’t quite figure out whether the huge changes in the world were for the better. Things are a lot more convenient, he can’t deny, but he feels isolated by his lack of human interaction that he seems to remember being a lot more apparent when he was younger. Maybe in another 10 years they will reach a happy medium?
After his lecture, he decides to pick up the newspaper he ordered online last night. The papers are still talking about the possibility that the internet will run out of space within the year. People are frantically culling sites they feel are old, pointless or unused in order to save the economy and the education system. He shrugs, this is probably one of those millennium bug scares that happened when he was a baby, he thinks that it’ll sort itself out.
He starts to think about what his lecturer was saying about the students 10 years ago, and all the changes that have happened in the last decade thanks to technology. He finds it galling that they had to sit in a lecture together and write things by hand, its years since he wrote with pen and paper in school. He then realises that a large majority of his friends are people he has never seen before or spoke to directly and imagines that it would be nice to sit with friends in a lecture and socialise with them in RL. He can’t quite figure out whether the huge changes in the world were for the better. Things are a lot more convenient, he can’t deny, but he feels isolated by his lack of human interaction that he seems to remember being a lot more apparent when he was younger. Maybe in another 10 years they will reach a happy medium?
Week 9 - Daily frustrations of a neo-luddite
Daily frustrations of a neo-luddite at university
The girl wakes up early to write up her handwritten work in the University Library and is frustrated that her work must not only be typed up, but also reference relevant websites. She doesn’t have a laptop and finds the process extremely laborious. She had arranged to meet her friends outside the library at 8:50 before their 9 am lecture and waits patiently for five minutes before rushing off alone, later finding out that her friends had texted each other to say they’d be late. When she gets to University, she feels left out when her class mates talk of the great night out they had last night, that they arranged last minute on facebook.
After the lecture, talk turns to music and the new bands that everyone’s into. Her friend mentions a band, famous on the internet site myspace, when everyone starts laughing and singing the lyrics, happy that they have a mutual appreciation for this great new band, the girl once again feels like she’s from another planet to her classmates. Alienated, she goes to the library to get ahead with her work. She’s doing advertising and struggles with the print add she’s supposed to have created on photoshop, and once again asks the IT department for help. She wishes that she didn’t have to use the computer so much and realises her flair for catchy phrases, jingles and slogans won’t make her successful without the technological know-how that came so naturally to her classmates. She sits and quietly resents the new technology encroaching on her life.
Frustrated, she goes to the shops to get something for lunch, and embarrassingly her card is rejected. She realises that her rent has gone out today and sighs as she thinks of the 45 minute walk to the bank across the city to transfer some money. Her friends never seem to have this problem and she wonders how they manage their money without making the long trip. On her way to the bank, she decides to go to the post office to post the letter she has written to her mum telling her of her progress at university. She often speaks to her on the pay phone on the corner of the road as her accommodation does not have a landline, but it’s frustrating not having much time and feels like she hasn’t updated her fully before the pips go.
She goes home to her apartment and sits on her bed trying to read her favourite book, but she can’t seem to get something off her mind. She realises that new technology is surrounding her and feels isolated from her peers, and to some extent, the world. She wishes that the more traditional ways of doing things, shopping, arranging social occasions, talking, working, learning weren’t slowly becoming obsolete around her. She realises that there is nothing that she can do to revive the old ways of doing things and wonders about where the world is going next.
The girl wakes up early to write up her handwritten work in the University Library and is frustrated that her work must not only be typed up, but also reference relevant websites. She doesn’t have a laptop and finds the process extremely laborious. She had arranged to meet her friends outside the library at 8:50 before their 9 am lecture and waits patiently for five minutes before rushing off alone, later finding out that her friends had texted each other to say they’d be late. When she gets to University, she feels left out when her class mates talk of the great night out they had last night, that they arranged last minute on facebook.
After the lecture, talk turns to music and the new bands that everyone’s into. Her friend mentions a band, famous on the internet site myspace, when everyone starts laughing and singing the lyrics, happy that they have a mutual appreciation for this great new band, the girl once again feels like she’s from another planet to her classmates. Alienated, she goes to the library to get ahead with her work. She’s doing advertising and struggles with the print add she’s supposed to have created on photoshop, and once again asks the IT department for help. She wishes that she didn’t have to use the computer so much and realises her flair for catchy phrases, jingles and slogans won’t make her successful without the technological know-how that came so naturally to her classmates. She sits and quietly resents the new technology encroaching on her life.
Frustrated, she goes to the shops to get something for lunch, and embarrassingly her card is rejected. She realises that her rent has gone out today and sighs as she thinks of the 45 minute walk to the bank across the city to transfer some money. Her friends never seem to have this problem and she wonders how they manage their money without making the long trip. On her way to the bank, she decides to go to the post office to post the letter she has written to her mum telling her of her progress at university. She often speaks to her on the pay phone on the corner of the road as her accommodation does not have a landline, but it’s frustrating not having much time and feels like she hasn’t updated her fully before the pips go.
She goes home to her apartment and sits on her bed trying to read her favourite book, but she can’t seem to get something off her mind. She realises that new technology is surrounding her and feels isolated from her peers, and to some extent, the world. She wishes that the more traditional ways of doing things, shopping, arranging social occasions, talking, working, learning weren’t slowly becoming obsolete around her. She realises that there is nothing that she can do to revive the old ways of doing things and wonders about where the world is going next.
Week 9 - Should education stretch a person?
Should education stretch a person do you think?
I am a firm believer that a person is either a practical learner, or an academic one. In my secondary school, the level that you were at in maths and science determined your place in all of your classes. This could restrict people who maybe struggle in maths and sciences to being in lower classes for everything else, including languages, art subjects, and design technology. This would dishearten pupils to the world of learning, and many just give up. I think instead we should test children’s ability and their affinity for different subjects and allow them the opportunity to show their skills at different things. We should find the strengths in students and allow them to flourish in a range of subjects, challenging students to get the best out of them.
Having said that, I think that even if we found a way to discover a student’s potential in certain areas, we should continue to teach them subjects that challenge them and teach them in different ways, digital learning, hands on learning, memory exercises etc. To prepare them for challenges that will inevitably occur after school, not only in the world of work but in life. To stretch them is to take them out of their comfort zone.
I think education should allow a person to stretch themselves as much as they choose, after a certain point. In higher learning, I think that the balance is right. Students can push themselves as much as they feel comfortable with. There is opportunity to learn more advanced theories and do the coursework to the best of your ability, and you can also do enough to scrape by, enjoying the social life and outside activities that University life offers. The only real pressure is the pressure that you put on yourself to get the best marks you can, you have a responsibility to stretch yourself and bring yourself out of your comfort zones. When you reach higher education you realise that you only get out of a degree what you put into it.
I am a firm believer that a person is either a practical learner, or an academic one. In my secondary school, the level that you were at in maths and science determined your place in all of your classes. This could restrict people who maybe struggle in maths and sciences to being in lower classes for everything else, including languages, art subjects, and design technology. This would dishearten pupils to the world of learning, and many just give up. I think instead we should test children’s ability and their affinity for different subjects and allow them the opportunity to show their skills at different things. We should find the strengths in students and allow them to flourish in a range of subjects, challenging students to get the best out of them.
Having said that, I think that even if we found a way to discover a student’s potential in certain areas, we should continue to teach them subjects that challenge them and teach them in different ways, digital learning, hands on learning, memory exercises etc. To prepare them for challenges that will inevitably occur after school, not only in the world of work but in life. To stretch them is to take them out of their comfort zone.
I think education should allow a person to stretch themselves as much as they choose, after a certain point. In higher learning, I think that the balance is right. Students can push themselves as much as they feel comfortable with. There is opportunity to learn more advanced theories and do the coursework to the best of your ability, and you can also do enough to scrape by, enjoying the social life and outside activities that University life offers. The only real pressure is the pressure that you put on yourself to get the best marks you can, you have a responsibility to stretch yourself and bring yourself out of your comfort zones. When you reach higher education you realise that you only get out of a degree what you put into it.
Week 8-9 Digital Immigration
Find out about 'Digital Immigration'.What Is it? Who cares about it? What sort of general attitudes have been based upon it?
The term ‘Digital Immigration’ was coined by Marc Prensky. He used it to describe how students nowadays learn and interact differently to before, and believed that the education system should change accordingly. He believes that “Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.” He sees a generation of pupils growing up with new technologies and spending more time on computer games and watching TV than with reading and more traditional ways of learning. He believes that this has made the younger generation think and process things differently.
Digital Natives – A term that suggests young people speak the digital language of computers and new technology. They have been brought into this environment and have picked it up effortlessly
Digital Immigrant – A term describing people brought up without technology who have had to adapt to it accordingly, without ever picking it up as well as digital natives and speaking the digital language with a traditional ‘accent’
The main point of interest in the article is teachers who have been brought up as a digital immigrant are now trying to teach digital natives. He thinks that digital natives will want to learn at a fast ever-changing pace, whilst digital immigrants, although they try to keep up, will still do a lot of their work by hand and use traditional methods.
I agree with a lot of his notions, and am always interested to find out about how new media affects us. I like his approach to the subject and he brings up some interesting points. I think the only problem is that he is very general with his findings, how do we know the extent of the effects yet? And also, he assumes that all youth will have had interactions with new technology, when this is not necessarily correct.
The term ‘Digital Immigration’ was coined by Marc Prensky. He used it to describe how students nowadays learn and interact differently to before, and believed that the education system should change accordingly. He believes that “Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.” He sees a generation of pupils growing up with new technologies and spending more time on computer games and watching TV than with reading and more traditional ways of learning. He believes that this has made the younger generation think and process things differently.
Digital Natives – A term that suggests young people speak the digital language of computers and new technology. They have been brought into this environment and have picked it up effortlessly
Digital Immigrant – A term describing people brought up without technology who have had to adapt to it accordingly, without ever picking it up as well as digital natives and speaking the digital language with a traditional ‘accent’
The main point of interest in the article is teachers who have been brought up as a digital immigrant are now trying to teach digital natives. He thinks that digital natives will want to learn at a fast ever-changing pace, whilst digital immigrants, although they try to keep up, will still do a lot of their work by hand and use traditional methods.
I agree with a lot of his notions, and am always interested to find out about how new media affects us. I like his approach to the subject and he brings up some interesting points. I think the only problem is that he is very general with his findings, how do we know the extent of the effects yet? And also, he assumes that all youth will have had interactions with new technology, when this is not necessarily correct.
Week 8 - 9 URL's of digital immigration websites
URL's of digital immigration websites
1) http://technologysource.org/article/digital_natives_digital_immigrants/
2)http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/12/reconsidering_digital_immigran.html
3)http://www.digitalnative.org/#
4)http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article4295414.ece
5)http://www.openeducation.net/2008/07/14/of-digital-immigrants-power-browsing-and-bouncing-out/
1) http://technologysource.org/article/digital_natives_digital_immigrants/
2)http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/12/reconsidering_digital_immigran.html
3)http://www.digitalnative.org/#
4)http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article4295414.ece
5)http://www.openeducation.net/2008/07/14/of-digital-immigrants-power-browsing-and-bouncing-out/
Week 8 - 9 Article References
1. Nalder, J. (2006) "Passport to being a digital native." Primary & Middle Years Educator 4, no. 2: 19-21. Academic Search Elite, EBSCOhost [13/03/09]
2. Warren, S. Dondlinger, M. Barab, S. (2008) "A MUVE Towards PBL Writing: Effects of a Digital Learning Environment Designed To Improve Elementary Student Writing." Journal of Research on Technology in Education 41, no. 1: 113-140. Academic Search Elite, EBSCOhost [13/03/09]
3. Talab, R. (2008) "Using Digital Materials in Online Courses: A Cautionary Tale of Georgia State University." TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning 52, no. 4: 30-32. Academic Search Elite, EBSCOhost [13/03/09]
4. Kern, A (2007) "Get a (second) life." B&T Weekly 57, no. 2606: 12-12. Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost [13/03/09]
5. Salz, P. (2008) "We Are All Publishers." EContent 31, no. 10: 14-14. Academic Search Elite, EBSCOhost [13/03/09]
2. Warren, S. Dondlinger, M. Barab, S. (2008) "A MUVE Towards PBL Writing: Effects of a Digital Learning Environment Designed To Improve Elementary Student Writing." Journal of Research on Technology in Education 41, no. 1: 113-140. Academic Search Elite, EBSCOhost [13/03/09]
3. Talab, R. (2008) "Using Digital Materials in Online Courses: A Cautionary Tale of Georgia State University." TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning 52, no. 4: 30-32. Academic Search Elite, EBSCOhost [13/03/09]
4. Kern, A (2007) "Get a (second) life." B&T Weekly 57, no. 2606: 12-12. Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost [13/03/09]
5. Salz, P. (2008) "We Are All Publishers." EContent 31, no. 10: 14-14. Academic Search Elite, EBSCOhost [13/03/09]
Friday, 13 March 2009
Week 8 - Website Analysis 5
Website 5
Website 5 directly references Website 4 as a point of interest. The website outlines how the article in Website 4 was effective and gave a general overview of the author’s feelings. Website 5 then attempts to analyse what happened in the previous article from an academic perspective “The all-powerful tools of technology are an enormous help to the writer, but as a digital immigrant she has already developed baseline skills in three distinct and critical aptitudes, the areas of concentration, contemplation and knowledge construction.”
The website then goes on to suggest solutions to the problems that digital immigration poses. The premise is once again around education, and the way that technology should be incorporated. “Those who work with children must find a way to incorporate technology into a lesson structure that helps students learn what technology cannot teach them”. I have struggled, in past posts, to believe that children don’t need the interaction of teachers and are able to learn from a machine just as well, this website complies: “Technology cannot teach them to reflect upon and evaluate the information they are gathering online. For that, the role of teachers and parents remains fundamentally important.”
The website is clear and easy to read, yet insightful into the world of digital immigration offering information and advice to the reader. The site is a child site from a much larger and well recognised website. This, and the astute musings of the content allow the reader to put trust in both the article and the arguments put forward.
Website 5 directly references Website 4 as a point of interest. The website outlines how the article in Website 4 was effective and gave a general overview of the author’s feelings. Website 5 then attempts to analyse what happened in the previous article from an academic perspective “The all-powerful tools of technology are an enormous help to the writer, but as a digital immigrant she has already developed baseline skills in three distinct and critical aptitudes, the areas of concentration, contemplation and knowledge construction.”
The website then goes on to suggest solutions to the problems that digital immigration poses. The premise is once again around education, and the way that technology should be incorporated. “Those who work with children must find a way to incorporate technology into a lesson structure that helps students learn what technology cannot teach them”. I have struggled, in past posts, to believe that children don’t need the interaction of teachers and are able to learn from a machine just as well, this website complies: “Technology cannot teach them to reflect upon and evaluate the information they are gathering online. For that, the role of teachers and parents remains fundamentally important.”
The website is clear and easy to read, yet insightful into the world of digital immigration offering information and advice to the reader. The site is a child site from a much larger and well recognised website. This, and the astute musings of the content allow the reader to put trust in both the article and the arguments put forward.
Week 8 - Website Analysis 4
Website 4
Website 4 is an article from a well known national newspaper. It deals with a mother of a 15 year old about to take his GCSE’s, and her inability to connect with the way he works and revises. This insightful article is well thought out and references Prensky directly. You find a sense of trust in the site not only because it is attached to an accredited newspaper, but also because she brings in other points of view and experts in the field to find out more, you feel that she is on a personal journey.
She questions some of the issues that Prensky has brought up, when talking about the advantages of revising online (such as emailing experts, the amount of information, networking with peers) she writes, “I can see that that broadens his knowledge, but does it deepen it?” She also supports Prensky’s view of the inherent differences in the way that digital natives and digital immigrants work and learn. Digital natives, “like receiving information quickly from multiple media sources.”
She deals with a lot of issues surrounding digital immigration, such as how teenagers read and process information, however, she is guilty, like Prensky of generalizing, “Today's teenagers have an assumed ownership of technology”. She ignores the digital divide and makes an assumption that all children today are technophiles. This, perhaps, would have confused matters though in an otherwise clear article. Bringing in the digital divide for an article not meant for media academics, but for the educated middle class, may have been too much information and so the generalization may have helped in that way?
The article is written in a witty and straightforward way, dealing with complicated issues in a simple yet intelligible way. This seems to be a good introduction to Prensky’s theories.
Website 4 is an article from a well known national newspaper. It deals with a mother of a 15 year old about to take his GCSE’s, and her inability to connect with the way he works and revises. This insightful article is well thought out and references Prensky directly. You find a sense of trust in the site not only because it is attached to an accredited newspaper, but also because she brings in other points of view and experts in the field to find out more, you feel that she is on a personal journey.
She questions some of the issues that Prensky has brought up, when talking about the advantages of revising online (such as emailing experts, the amount of information, networking with peers) she writes, “I can see that that broadens his knowledge, but does it deepen it?” She also supports Prensky’s view of the inherent differences in the way that digital natives and digital immigrants work and learn. Digital natives, “like receiving information quickly from multiple media sources.”
She deals with a lot of issues surrounding digital immigration, such as how teenagers read and process information, however, she is guilty, like Prensky of generalizing, “Today's teenagers have an assumed ownership of technology”. She ignores the digital divide and makes an assumption that all children today are technophiles. This, perhaps, would have confused matters though in an otherwise clear article. Bringing in the digital divide for an article not meant for media academics, but for the educated middle class, may have been too much information and so the generalization may have helped in that way?
The article is written in a witty and straightforward way, dealing with complicated issues in a simple yet intelligible way. This seems to be a good introduction to Prensky’s theories.
Week 8 - Article Reviews
Article 1
Whilst I found this article on ‘Academic search elite’, the style and content seemed a bit colloquial; it wouldn’t have been out of place on a blog. The author is a teacher who is observing his pupils interaction with various new technologies. He names the new technology, such as Nintendo DS or myspace.com and explains their functions and appeals. He, like Prensky, tended to generalise who technology was aimed at and used by. He focussed on students, when a lot of older people have and use the internet and games technology. This section also seemed to me to be very derivative, it all seemed very obvious. This could seal my status as a digital native, or perhaps it challenges his status as an academic author of new technologies. Although some parts were witty ( I particularly liked his “any passport to the digital world is likely to stay current for ten months at best” quote at the end) I don’t feel although I learned anything in particular from the article.
Article 2
This article focused on the interaction of elementary school children in America with games to improve their English skills. Prensky referred to the amount of video games that children play and how they could be used as a teaching aid. The article recognizes that there has been little research in the field to prove or disprove the theory. Without referencing him directly, the author pays tribute to Prensky’s ideas. “Successful teachers have long co-opted the existing interests and activities of their students into their curricular materials and instructional practices.” I found the article interesting. It recognised that its findings were not concrete evidence for the use of game-based learning, and that there needed to be more work done in the field, but is a small stepping stone to finding if these new ways can benefit the education system.
Article 3
This article is a self confessed precautionary tale about online courses and the ‘slackness’ of the use of copyrighted material. Whilst as soon as I read the title, I thought I would disagree instantly (it seemed like it would be written by a technophobe stuck in their own ways) I found the article interesting. It brings into light another problem that e-learning creates, without disregarding or undermining the use of digital learning. It advises the reader on the dangers of using copyrighted material through the internet, and the universities that make texts available online without getting the proper permission. The case study it looked into was Georgia State University, who got sued by Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press for “pervasive, flagrant, and ongoing’ unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material through its electronic course reserves service, its Blackboard/WebCT” Although the links to students and youths is quite weak in this article (though not non-existent), I found the new information and the fresh look at the subject reason enough to include it.
Article 4
This article was concerned with the future of marketing and new technologies. It was easy to read yet was witty and informative. It was extremely short so couldn’t go into too much detail and simply gave a general overview on a consumer’s link with new technology. He criticized more senior members of big corporations for not being tech savvy and implies a need for a better understanding of the enormity of the potential for marketers to reach people (in particular the young) through new technologies. Although it was an academic essay, it wasn’t an in depth look at a theory, or a critical analysis. In some parts I felt it was too general and lacking in new information.
Article 5
This article deals with produserism, without referencing it directly. It focuses mainly on the use of mobiles as a tool of empowerment, “We are the eighth mass media. We are the distribution, the content, the medium, and the message carried with it.” I feel that the author took a long time to say very little. The gist of the article could have been condensed into two paragraphs. Whilst the issue was something pertinent to the unit, and the course, it didn’t offer a fresh perspective on the matter and was a general and basic overview of something that is key in understanding new media.
Whilst I found this article on ‘Academic search elite’, the style and content seemed a bit colloquial; it wouldn’t have been out of place on a blog. The author is a teacher who is observing his pupils interaction with various new technologies. He names the new technology, such as Nintendo DS or myspace.com and explains their functions and appeals. He, like Prensky, tended to generalise who technology was aimed at and used by. He focussed on students, when a lot of older people have and use the internet and games technology. This section also seemed to me to be very derivative, it all seemed very obvious. This could seal my status as a digital native, or perhaps it challenges his status as an academic author of new technologies. Although some parts were witty ( I particularly liked his “any passport to the digital world is likely to stay current for ten months at best” quote at the end) I don’t feel although I learned anything in particular from the article.
Article 2
This article focused on the interaction of elementary school children in America with games to improve their English skills. Prensky referred to the amount of video games that children play and how they could be used as a teaching aid. The article recognizes that there has been little research in the field to prove or disprove the theory. Without referencing him directly, the author pays tribute to Prensky’s ideas. “Successful teachers have long co-opted the existing interests and activities of their students into their curricular materials and instructional practices.” I found the article interesting. It recognised that its findings were not concrete evidence for the use of game-based learning, and that there needed to be more work done in the field, but is a small stepping stone to finding if these new ways can benefit the education system.
Article 3
This article is a self confessed precautionary tale about online courses and the ‘slackness’ of the use of copyrighted material. Whilst as soon as I read the title, I thought I would disagree instantly (it seemed like it would be written by a technophobe stuck in their own ways) I found the article interesting. It brings into light another problem that e-learning creates, without disregarding or undermining the use of digital learning. It advises the reader on the dangers of using copyrighted material through the internet, and the universities that make texts available online without getting the proper permission. The case study it looked into was Georgia State University, who got sued by Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press for “pervasive, flagrant, and ongoing’ unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material through its electronic course reserves service, its Blackboard/WebCT” Although the links to students and youths is quite weak in this article (though not non-existent), I found the new information and the fresh look at the subject reason enough to include it.
Article 4
This article was concerned with the future of marketing and new technologies. It was easy to read yet was witty and informative. It was extremely short so couldn’t go into too much detail and simply gave a general overview on a consumer’s link with new technology. He criticized more senior members of big corporations for not being tech savvy and implies a need for a better understanding of the enormity of the potential for marketers to reach people (in particular the young) through new technologies. Although it was an academic essay, it wasn’t an in depth look at a theory, or a critical analysis. In some parts I felt it was too general and lacking in new information.
Article 5
This article deals with produserism, without referencing it directly. It focuses mainly on the use of mobiles as a tool of empowerment, “We are the eighth mass media. We are the distribution, the content, the medium, and the message carried with it.” I feel that the author took a long time to say very little. The gist of the article could have been condensed into two paragraphs. Whilst the issue was something pertinent to the unit, and the course, it didn’t offer a fresh perspective on the matter and was a general and basic overview of something that is key in understanding new media.
Week 8 - Website Analysis 3
Week 3
This website epitomises the use of digital learning and technophilia, it is a project whose aim is, “to understand and support young people as they grow up in a digital age. Within the project, we make use of a variety of methods to investigate a range of themes pertaining to young people and their use of technologies.” The website is a nod to its own mission statement, being very easy to navigate and professional looking.
Whilst it looks at digital natives from the same perspective as Prensky, it doesn’t restrict the variable of digital ‘nativism’ simply to age, it looks at other factors that can affect a persons connectivity with technology. It strives to understand how people are affected and the best ways to help them learn in this new way (if they are doing so).
The site is unique as it doesn’t theorise around the ideas as much as the other websites do, it is a project with an aim and is active in it’s approach to the effects of technology on young people. Though in some parts the goals of the organization could be made clearer, and it would be nice to see what action they are currently taking to make a difference like any events or school visits etc?
It is, however, easy for the reader to put trust in the site, not only because it appears professional, but also because there are links to other academic sources and there is a child page entitled ‘publications’ listing the books that the organisation has produced.
I think that although the site is well set out and has an air of authority about it, it doesn’t really “say” a lot, there is little relevant information on the website and information is repeated and the flowery language tends to hide the lack of pertinent content.
This website epitomises the use of digital learning and technophilia, it is a project whose aim is, “to understand and support young people as they grow up in a digital age. Within the project, we make use of a variety of methods to investigate a range of themes pertaining to young people and their use of technologies.” The website is a nod to its own mission statement, being very easy to navigate and professional looking.
Whilst it looks at digital natives from the same perspective as Prensky, it doesn’t restrict the variable of digital ‘nativism’ simply to age, it looks at other factors that can affect a persons connectivity with technology. It strives to understand how people are affected and the best ways to help them learn in this new way (if they are doing so).
The site is unique as it doesn’t theorise around the ideas as much as the other websites do, it is a project with an aim and is active in it’s approach to the effects of technology on young people. Though in some parts the goals of the organization could be made clearer, and it would be nice to see what action they are currently taking to make a difference like any events or school visits etc?
It is, however, easy for the reader to put trust in the site, not only because it appears professional, but also because there are links to other academic sources and there is a child page entitled ‘publications’ listing the books that the organisation has produced.
I think that although the site is well set out and has an air of authority about it, it doesn’t really “say” a lot, there is little relevant information on the website and information is repeated and the flowery language tends to hide the lack of pertinent content.
Friday, 6 March 2009
Week 8 - Website analysis 2
In your blog criticise each website (without giving details that would send a reader directly there) in terms of up-to-dateness, usability and practicing what it preaches.
Website 2
Website 2 is a blog from an established academic with a book on sale surrounding convergence culture and many other aspects of new media. The overall look of the page is very professional, graphics are clear and he adheres to the “good website rules”. He clearly references Prensky’s On the Horizon, then adds his own views on the subject. It is a useful website, not only to the insights of an academic on the subject, but also the good blogging style he adopts.
The author of the website is relatively balanced in his musings. He does use a lot of quotes, which can sometimes override his own views; however, they do seem relevant to the topics he chooses.
One of his most pertinent ruminations is that of the concept of ‘digital immigration’ masking the different degrees of immersion that children and young adults have. The digital divide is something that keeps coming back in my research into ‘digital immigration’. It was an issue for the author of my ‘website 1’ and for others that I have discarded for various reasons. I think it is important that we recognise the digital divide when looking at digital immigration.
Website 2
Website 2 is a blog from an established academic with a book on sale surrounding convergence culture and many other aspects of new media. The overall look of the page is very professional, graphics are clear and he adheres to the “good website rules”. He clearly references Prensky’s On the Horizon, then adds his own views on the subject. It is a useful website, not only to the insights of an academic on the subject, but also the good blogging style he adopts.
The author of the website is relatively balanced in his musings. He does use a lot of quotes, which can sometimes override his own views; however, they do seem relevant to the topics he chooses.
One of his most pertinent ruminations is that of the concept of ‘digital immigration’ masking the different degrees of immersion that children and young adults have. The digital divide is something that keeps coming back in my research into ‘digital immigration’. It was an issue for the author of my ‘website 1’ and for others that I have discarded for various reasons. I think it is important that we recognise the digital divide when looking at digital immigration.
He also references another website (which I will be using as website 3) who are keen to make the changes to learning outlined by Prensky. The author would rather see a mix between old styles of learning, whilst incorporating new technology. He sees a complex relationship between the traditional and new media. I think this is key if we are going to head in a different direction with learning. There may be unforeseen problems with new kinds of learning, which some children may not adapt to, it is important to keep some sort of conventional proven techniques. As with this unit on our course, some struggled with it and others flourished, I think it is important that we kept some other units as more traditional.
Overall the website is a great insight into the complexities of the theory, with an opportunity to comment (I’m ashamed to say that thus far I have only lurked on this particular site). You get a feeling that the author is credible, he has a photo of himself and a list of the books he has written. On the whole his ideas are well thought out and inclusive of different aspects of theory.
Week 8 - Website Analysis 1
In your blog criticise each website (without giving details that would send a reader directly there) in terms of up-to-dateness, usability and practicing what it preaches
Website 1
This particular website offers many articles, one in particular that directly references Prensky featuring the writer’s thoughts on digital immigration. The articles are written from an academic perspective, referencing clearly and in the appropriate style, so it would be useful for research purposes. This website offers a different view on the Prensky’s ideas, but is still written in a balanced and thought-provoking way.
One of his main issues surrounds the way in which Prensky homogenises the young and ignores their (or our?) different demographics. He believes that the young haven’t been subjected to the same amount of technology as each other. Throughout this course my eyes have been opened to the impact that technology has on our learning methods and think that social demographics feature highly as a variable in the effect of ‘new media’. Will a child who has been brought up in an environment where the family can afford the best and most recent technology, video games, computers and phones have the same “accent” as a child who was brought up having only library resources or school computers to ‘keep up’ with this fast paced way of learning? Although I can also understand Prensky’s view in that as a whole the younger generation has changed.
The author also finds it difficult to believe the impact of new technologies on our neurological structures will be as great as Prensky infers. He believes that we are de-emphasizing older ways of learning that are still relevant and essential today. He recognises that the way we learn is changing but thinks that we don’t learn from computers, we learn through them.
The website is an attribute to itself. The author makes it clear how he believes children will look at the internet as a main resource to learn with, but will not want to leave old ways of learning behind. This website isn’t a particularly new way of learning, it’s a non-interactive, linear article, but it can be found in a new way.
On the whole, I agreed with his main ideas. I do not think that a video game can be an effective teacher, and neither does he. He outlines how teachers need help in adapting to these changes and I agree. Although games and technology can be effective, they aren’t as interactive as teachers, they can’t sense the mood of the room or adapt their ideas to struggling children. They can’t give personal help or guidance in the way that a teacher can and I think the only way that we can use this technology to our advantage in learning, is to get teachers involved with it and to use it as a part of their overall lesson plans, but not as a replacement.
Website 1
This particular website offers many articles, one in particular that directly references Prensky featuring the writer’s thoughts on digital immigration. The articles are written from an academic perspective, referencing clearly and in the appropriate style, so it would be useful for research purposes. This website offers a different view on the Prensky’s ideas, but is still written in a balanced and thought-provoking way.
One of his main issues surrounds the way in which Prensky homogenises the young and ignores their (or our?) different demographics. He believes that the young haven’t been subjected to the same amount of technology as each other. Throughout this course my eyes have been opened to the impact that technology has on our learning methods and think that social demographics feature highly as a variable in the effect of ‘new media’. Will a child who has been brought up in an environment where the family can afford the best and most recent technology, video games, computers and phones have the same “accent” as a child who was brought up having only library resources or school computers to ‘keep up’ with this fast paced way of learning? Although I can also understand Prensky’s view in that as a whole the younger generation has changed.
The author also finds it difficult to believe the impact of new technologies on our neurological structures will be as great as Prensky infers. He believes that we are de-emphasizing older ways of learning that are still relevant and essential today. He recognises that the way we learn is changing but thinks that we don’t learn from computers, we learn through them.
The website is an attribute to itself. The author makes it clear how he believes children will look at the internet as a main resource to learn with, but will not want to leave old ways of learning behind. This website isn’t a particularly new way of learning, it’s a non-interactive, linear article, but it can be found in a new way.
On the whole, I agreed with his main ideas. I do not think that a video game can be an effective teacher, and neither does he. He outlines how teachers need help in adapting to these changes and I agree. Although games and technology can be effective, they aren’t as interactive as teachers, they can’t sense the mood of the room or adapt their ideas to struggling children. They can’t give personal help or guidance in the way that a teacher can and I think the only way that we can use this technology to our advantage in learning, is to get teachers involved with it and to use it as a part of their overall lesson plans, but not as a replacement.
Week 7- main task
Distance Learning in America
“The development of new technologies is creating a revolution in education and training in the United States” (Strehle: no date)
Distance learning has been used as an aid to studying as well as a primary resource of education in America. Most of the ‘on-campus’ programmes offer an increasing amount of online information for students. The use of distance learning technology is controversial in America, some academics view this as a threat to the quality of higher education. Distance learning uses a lot of new technologies and they are rapidly expanding in America. This has caused the obsolescence of ‘early teaching methods’ worrying the ‘old school’ style of teachers.
There is question whether distance learning is taking over ‘on-campus’ learning, or whether the number of students is simply increasing. The opportunity for students to learn in their own time allows them to have jobs at the same time, whilst gaining an invaluable qualification that is revered by many American employers. Strehle argues that there are simply more people applying for higher education and that there are still enough benefits to on-campus learning that people will apply for on-site University regardless.
It is the public institutions that are responsible for a lot of the distance learning, with 90% of them offering some sort of distance learning course. This does not include highly selective Universities (Harvard, Yale, etc.) They think that learning starts in the laboratory.
Employers are particularly keen on distance learning, as employees can get new qualifications and skills with fewer costs for travelling and lodging. The military are also keen to use this type of distance learning for their recruits, to cut costs and use time effectively.
Whilst a lot of Americans are worried about distance learning and it’s effects on the education system, I think that it has provided a good alternative to conventional learning and it has a lot of positives, such as learning in your own time and space with less costs. I don’t see this new system encroaching on campus based universities, but simply offering those who for some reason can’t attend, an alternative way to learn.
Strehl, G, (no date) Ingeta, Distance Learning In America, http://www.ingenta.com/institute2000/strehle.pdf [06.03.09]
“The development of new technologies is creating a revolution in education and training in the United States” (Strehle: no date)
Distance learning has been used as an aid to studying as well as a primary resource of education in America. Most of the ‘on-campus’ programmes offer an increasing amount of online information for students. The use of distance learning technology is controversial in America, some academics view this as a threat to the quality of higher education. Distance learning uses a lot of new technologies and they are rapidly expanding in America. This has caused the obsolescence of ‘early teaching methods’ worrying the ‘old school’ style of teachers.
There is question whether distance learning is taking over ‘on-campus’ learning, or whether the number of students is simply increasing. The opportunity for students to learn in their own time allows them to have jobs at the same time, whilst gaining an invaluable qualification that is revered by many American employers. Strehle argues that there are simply more people applying for higher education and that there are still enough benefits to on-campus learning that people will apply for on-site University regardless.
It is the public institutions that are responsible for a lot of the distance learning, with 90% of them offering some sort of distance learning course. This does not include highly selective Universities (Harvard, Yale, etc.) They think that learning starts in the laboratory.
Employers are particularly keen on distance learning, as employees can get new qualifications and skills with fewer costs for travelling and lodging. The military are also keen to use this type of distance learning for their recruits, to cut costs and use time effectively.
Whilst a lot of Americans are worried about distance learning and it’s effects on the education system, I think that it has provided a good alternative to conventional learning and it has a lot of positives, such as learning in your own time and space with less costs. I don’t see this new system encroaching on campus based universities, but simply offering those who for some reason can’t attend, an alternative way to learn.
Strehl, G, (no date) Ingeta, Distance Learning In America, http://www.ingenta.com/institute2000/strehle.pdf [06.03.09]
Week 7 - Distance learning in China
Distance Learning in China
China defines creative education through their Television University. They meet the need for cheaper, more effective education systems in their over-crowded and under-educated country. I can see distinct advantages and disadvantages for this unique way of learning. This kind of learning could have set the standard for a new way of working and learning with technology, like learning through the internet and computers
Advantages
The advantages, which are set out throughout the text, are that it answers some of the problems that China has had with its higher education structure and statistics, adults who have little time or resources to learn have become able to join these flexible and wide-ranging courses to the ultimate benefit of the economics of China.
“Most of them went on to make valuable contributions to industrial and agricultural enterprises or to cultural and educational institutes”
Learning through TV could possibly be more visually stimulating and easy to follow. I imagine that this universal standard of teaching would be of a high quality, so there would be little to no
issues with its worth, and it has been received well in China.
Disadvantages
The main disadvantage that I can see with this type of learning is that it is impersonal and not interactive. Although there may be people on hand to answer questions, the television can’t read the mood of the room or explain things in a different way that would be more useful to a group of individuals. There is little interactivity with a television. The tutors wouldn’t (I imagine) be on first name terms with the pupils and I think that you may feel that the service you get is too formal. I imagine you’d feel a little bit like a learning machine?
China defines creative education through their Television University. They meet the need for cheaper, more effective education systems in their over-crowded and under-educated country. I can see distinct advantages and disadvantages for this unique way of learning. This kind of learning could have set the standard for a new way of working and learning with technology, like learning through the internet and computers
Advantages
The advantages, which are set out throughout the text, are that it answers some of the problems that China has had with its higher education structure and statistics, adults who have little time or resources to learn have become able to join these flexible and wide-ranging courses to the ultimate benefit of the economics of China.
“Most of them went on to make valuable contributions to industrial and agricultural enterprises or to cultural and educational institutes”
Learning through TV could possibly be more visually stimulating and easy to follow. I imagine that this universal standard of teaching would be of a high quality, so there would be little to no
issues with its worth, and it has been received well in China.
Disadvantages
The main disadvantage that I can see with this type of learning is that it is impersonal and not interactive. Although there may be people on hand to answer questions, the television can’t read the mood of the room or explain things in a different way that would be more useful to a group of individuals. There is little interactivity with a television. The tutors wouldn’t (I imagine) be on first name terms with the pupils and I think that you may feel that the service you get is too formal. I imagine you’d feel a little bit like a learning machine?
Week 7 - Distance learning in Zambia
The main concern of any school is the wellbeing of the children who attend. I admire the schools in Zambia for being so forward thinking in this initiative, in which children who live in areas affected by floods, Cholera, and even ‘political unrest’ can continue to learn their curriculum through ‘eLearning’ on computers or even, for younger children, on the radio.
In my ignorance, I didn’t think that Zambia had the kinds of resources outlined by John Zulu, such as iPods, flash disks and mobile phones. Upon learning this, I think that eLearning is a fantastic solution to the country’s problems. I am aware that technology is not quite as up-to-date as here, and children may have to travel to internet cafes to use computers, and as long as they continue to have the drive to succeed and continue with the work everyday, the initiative should benefit the country immensely. It will also tighten the education gap between people in poorer areas and people in more affluent parts of the country. It seems that children in African nations, as a generalisation, have much more of a desire to learn and don’t take education for granted as we so often do here.
I think the internet as a tool for learning both the dangers of Cholera and the steps to take to prevent it will help the country immensely if it develops. The steps that they are taking now to make the information known on the TV, radio and through mobile phones may help prevent the disease from taking over the lives of children and allowing them more face-to-face interactive learning, which is important for their development.
I think that as a nation we could learn from this kind of programme, it wouldn’t need to be on such a grand scale as we don’t suffer the same kinds of problems, but I think that all children and young adults should have a school or college email address that they can be contacted with any work they miss due to sickness or on those weeks where we get a bit of snow and everything shuts down. Saying this, there are actually some good eLearning websites that children can look at for revision purposes, but they are run by different governing bodies so cannot follow the curriculum as closely as the different types of eLearning does in Zambia.
As with China, there are drawbacks to this type of learning, such as the availability of resources and the fact that the system is not complete on all mediums. Also, I feel that interactive learning with a real teacher would be more beneficial for a child (although in no way am I a child psychologist or development expert) but when the choice is between eLearning and falling behind, it is the clear choice for a better educative system.
In my ignorance, I didn’t think that Zambia had the kinds of resources outlined by John Zulu, such as iPods, flash disks and mobile phones. Upon learning this, I think that eLearning is a fantastic solution to the country’s problems. I am aware that technology is not quite as up-to-date as here, and children may have to travel to internet cafes to use computers, and as long as they continue to have the drive to succeed and continue with the work everyday, the initiative should benefit the country immensely. It will also tighten the education gap between people in poorer areas and people in more affluent parts of the country. It seems that children in African nations, as a generalisation, have much more of a desire to learn and don’t take education for granted as we so often do here.
I think the internet as a tool for learning both the dangers of Cholera and the steps to take to prevent it will help the country immensely if it develops. The steps that they are taking now to make the information known on the TV, radio and through mobile phones may help prevent the disease from taking over the lives of children and allowing them more face-to-face interactive learning, which is important for their development.
I think that as a nation we could learn from this kind of programme, it wouldn’t need to be on such a grand scale as we don’t suffer the same kinds of problems, but I think that all children and young adults should have a school or college email address that they can be contacted with any work they miss due to sickness or on those weeks where we get a bit of snow and everything shuts down. Saying this, there are actually some good eLearning websites that children can look at for revision purposes, but they are run by different governing bodies so cannot follow the curriculum as closely as the different types of eLearning does in Zambia.
As with China, there are drawbacks to this type of learning, such as the availability of resources and the fact that the system is not complete on all mediums. Also, I feel that interactive learning with a real teacher would be more beneficial for a child (although in no way am I a child psychologist or development expert) but when the choice is between eLearning and falling behind, it is the clear choice for a better educative system.
Monday, 2 March 2009
Week 6 post 2
The forum in which you are working for New Media Cultures is arguably a Community of Practice. We have shared goals, a joint enterprise, experts, newcomers and those with power. Try to put together some thoughts and reflections on which members fit into which category from our work so far and discuss your ideas of what is our joint enterprise and who fits into which role.
I was unsure whether the tasks given and the fact that we’re being marked for our inclusion may affect our behaviour and level of participation and that would mean that we wouldn’t fit into Wenger’s theory but the spectrum for a community of practice is quite large and all-encompassing and I can see the ways in which it could be described as such. The goal of the group is definitely to get the best marks possible and others include supporting each other’s projects and giving them help, and learning new computer and net-iquette skills. The role of the forum is in it’s simplest form, a shared repertoire of communal resources, in which we know the codes and conventions for successful communication and encourage fellow users.
Although we came into New Media Cultures with varying blogging or forum knowledge, we are learning at the same pace, and doing the same tasks, so the students have equal power in the forum (although it could be argued that the people who post on the forum more, have more power as they are seen as more experienced). The tutors have the most power as they are there to answer questions and ultimately mark the threads posted on the forum. This, it could be argued, changes Wenger’s Community of Practice, to an Organizational Unit, however the power of the tutors is not heavily asserted onto the students and rules are not strict. I would say that many of the students entering the unit (including myself) had never worked on a forum or a blog before and are therefore the newcomers. The experts are difficult to distinguish as we are all blogging and posting at a similar rate on the same topics, and there isn’t too much to learn in the ‘how to’ of blogging there are no real advanced styles (it could be argued that at this point we are all experts)
I can’t see any more big differences than that of the students and the tutors, who monitor the forum, can anybody else?
I was unsure whether the tasks given and the fact that we’re being marked for our inclusion may affect our behaviour and level of participation and that would mean that we wouldn’t fit into Wenger’s theory but the spectrum for a community of practice is quite large and all-encompassing and I can see the ways in which it could be described as such. The goal of the group is definitely to get the best marks possible and others include supporting each other’s projects and giving them help, and learning new computer and net-iquette skills. The role of the forum is in it’s simplest form, a shared repertoire of communal resources, in which we know the codes and conventions for successful communication and encourage fellow users.
Although we came into New Media Cultures with varying blogging or forum knowledge, we are learning at the same pace, and doing the same tasks, so the students have equal power in the forum (although it could be argued that the people who post on the forum more, have more power as they are seen as more experienced). The tutors have the most power as they are there to answer questions and ultimately mark the threads posted on the forum. This, it could be argued, changes Wenger’s Community of Practice, to an Organizational Unit, however the power of the tutors is not heavily asserted onto the students and rules are not strict. I would say that many of the students entering the unit (including myself) had never worked on a forum or a blog before and are therefore the newcomers. The experts are difficult to distinguish as we are all blogging and posting at a similar rate on the same topics, and there isn’t too much to learn in the ‘how to’ of blogging there are no real advanced styles (it could be argued that at this point we are all experts)
I can’t see any more big differences than that of the students and the tutors, who monitor the forum, can anybody else?
Week 6 post 1
A community of practice that I have belonged to is Clifton’s Dance Academy, in Grimsby. Not only were the lessons structured into different teams which had their own unique identities, but simply belonging to the same dance school gave us a sense of community. The dance teams took the idea “community of practice” literally, meeting up once a week for the lessons but also practising in our spare time at competitions and after school. We knew our own strengths and weaknesses and whilst some girls would come to me with help remembering the routine, I often looked to others for help with stretching and more acrobatic elements. Wenger described this as a “shared repertoire of communal resources (routines, sensibilities, artefacts, vocabulary, styles, etc.)”. The team wouldn’t work if some individuals weren’t as committed as others. When you joined, you are obligated to attend at least one dance competition a month, and others if you can. It took a huge level of mutual engagement for the team to work and win trophies. The “joint enterprise” of the group changed throughout my time in the team. The goals and aspirations changed as we grew as a team and grew up. The first – to win a competition, then what it was about would change until the aim was to win a regional championship. Our reasons for joining may have been different, to get fit, to advance our dance training, but ultimately, our ever-changing goals gelled us together. Even though we were brought together and structured, the team was entirely voluntary; we worked through different systems and compromises.
Week 5 - Bruns
As a trend, do you think produsage will last? Do you think commercial forces will find ways of exploiting it, or perhaps the ways people are involved will end up being short-term? Conflicts in the communities? Flagging energy/interest? Successful sites get bought out? Just a trend? Or the future of the Net? – What does your crystal ball say? (we must bear in mind this is speculation!)
Whilst I understand Bruns point that people will get tired of contributing to various websites for free, I think that a lot of people make the choice knowingly to contribute in the first place and will continue to. Although people don’t get credit for making their contributions, often what they choose to contribute on is surrounding their own interests. An example of this is Wikipedia. The contributors don’t get paid, but they get an opportunity to show off their knowledge and write about something that they are interested in. As more and more people get comfortable with technology, the ones that do get tired will be replaced with more youthful well-informed produsers. If not, people will find new and interesting ways to produse to their advantage.
I think that the biggest danger to produsage will be commercialisation. I wouldn’t know how many pop-ups or junk would get through to my computer without the blockers or antivirus, because so many still do. I think people will get sick of feeding into the hands of big corporations once they start to take over small but successful web.2 sites. A loophole in the terms of use of facebook has been revealed this week that once you upload pictures, they belong to facebook to use however they want. People are recognising that huge companies can exploit people through the internet and thousands have boycotted facebook for that reason.
I think that when the internet thudded down upon our lives in 1989, the impact was huge and it still continues to grow and adapt at a great rate. I think if produsage gets too big or even runs out of steam, another huge technological phenomenon will occur with the internet that may be beyond my imagination, as produsage was years ago. I have faith in the technophiles to keep things interesting for us, and give us new challenges.
Whilst I understand Bruns point that people will get tired of contributing to various websites for free, I think that a lot of people make the choice knowingly to contribute in the first place and will continue to. Although people don’t get credit for making their contributions, often what they choose to contribute on is surrounding their own interests. An example of this is Wikipedia. The contributors don’t get paid, but they get an opportunity to show off their knowledge and write about something that they are interested in. As more and more people get comfortable with technology, the ones that do get tired will be replaced with more youthful well-informed produsers. If not, people will find new and interesting ways to produse to their advantage.
I think that the biggest danger to produsage will be commercialisation. I wouldn’t know how many pop-ups or junk would get through to my computer without the blockers or antivirus, because so many still do. I think people will get sick of feeding into the hands of big corporations once they start to take over small but successful web.2 sites. A loophole in the terms of use of facebook has been revealed this week that once you upload pictures, they belong to facebook to use however they want. People are recognising that huge companies can exploit people through the internet and thousands have boycotted facebook for that reason.
I think that when the internet thudded down upon our lives in 1989, the impact was huge and it still continues to grow and adapt at a great rate. I think if produsage gets too big or even runs out of steam, another huge technological phenomenon will occur with the internet that may be beyond my imagination, as produsage was years ago. I have faith in the technophiles to keep things interesting for us, and give us new challenges.
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Week 5 Meikle
Is open news quality news?
There are problems with news that has no proof of production. This blog will deal with two main problems. The first, as mentioned in the text, is that there is no control over the value over the news put forward. Something that is newsworthy to one person will be irrelevant to another. This will inevitably result in a large number of news stories “One issue was the large number of items being posted to sites, which meant that even especially well-researched or significant stories would be replaced quickly on the front page” (Meikle 2003). The second is the verity of the news being put forward. Newspapers and television news have a strict editing process but the internet allows for many rumours and myths to appear like fact and stories that haven’t been properly investigated into or which have bias, opinionated slants. Although you do get a huge range of news from different sources, and learn things that you may not have got from other informers. This opens up a range of opportunity for learning, but the quality of this news cannot be established (although there is obviously dispute over the quality of television and newspaper news as well)
Are there ‘new kinds of journalist’ online? If so, how so?
In ‘new’ media terms, anyone can be a news journalist. According to the text, blogs and newsgroups are considered news. The ramblings of a self-important daily blogger who regards their breakfast habits as interesting can be thought of as news. This opens up the news to anybody which will have some advantages, such as the vastness of niche news that is relevant to you, and readily available news, however, this could swamp the internet with news that is irrelevant to the masses.
There are problems with news that has no proof of production. This blog will deal with two main problems. The first, as mentioned in the text, is that there is no control over the value over the news put forward. Something that is newsworthy to one person will be irrelevant to another. This will inevitably result in a large number of news stories “One issue was the large number of items being posted to sites, which meant that even especially well-researched or significant stories would be replaced quickly on the front page” (Meikle 2003). The second is the verity of the news being put forward. Newspapers and television news have a strict editing process but the internet allows for many rumours and myths to appear like fact and stories that haven’t been properly investigated into or which have bias, opinionated slants. Although you do get a huge range of news from different sources, and learn things that you may not have got from other informers. This opens up a range of opportunity for learning, but the quality of this news cannot be established (although there is obviously dispute over the quality of television and newspaper news as well)
Are there ‘new kinds of journalist’ online? If so, how so?
In ‘new’ media terms, anyone can be a news journalist. According to the text, blogs and newsgroups are considered news. The ramblings of a self-important daily blogger who regards their breakfast habits as interesting can be thought of as news. This opens up the news to anybody which will have some advantages, such as the vastness of niche news that is relevant to you, and readily available news, however, this could swamp the internet with news that is irrelevant to the masses.
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