Web 2.0

When reading O'Reilly's article, I could only accept the honesty when he states the criticism of this term being more than a meaningless marketing buzzword. I grasp that the web has become more of an interactive platform than a simply extension of published texts. I accept the analogy of the webtop being similar to the horseless carriage. I acknowledge that Netscape has given way to Google, that DoubleClick has given way to AdSense, that Akamai has been replaced by BitTorrent, that Britannica Online is no longer as significant as Wikipedia, that blogging has become more popular than personal website, and that publishing by experts is now less important that the participation of users. I resent the wording when it comes to the blogging and the wisdom of crowds and the obfuscation of the fact that this culture of participation is rooted in the desire to have customers volunteer their time to do what had previously been done by paid employees. Most of the article discusses the business potential of the revolution in information dissemination. The perpetual beta is interesting in that it is the manner in which these hugely successful companies have decided to make their money. On the other hand, there is still the monopolistic control on technology Microsoft has, and those who cannot afford to buy an Apple computer are still forced to continue purchasing products from this company every few years. Though the article paints a pictures of communities being built around sites such as Flickr, Napster, MySpace and Facebook, I still believe that the other more traditional communities suffer as a result. These communities are first and foremost prosumers, or with the neologisms put aside, consumers. As Tim Berners-Lee states, most of this is simply jargon. Darcy DiNucci, a consultant, coined this term. In reading the wikipedia article, I was slapped in the face with the underlying nature of this movement. The Web 2.0 is instrumental in getting customers to build business for the people whom they give their money. In assessing the merits, we are asked to completely forget about the never-ending spamming and trolling we must endure. Though "we" were chosen as the Person of The Year in 2006 by Time magazine, I support John Flintoff's assertion that Web 2.0 has created an endless digital forest of mediocrity. Adrew Keen's description of digital narcissism and amateurism is rather poignant. The accumulative value of centuries of print and peer-review should not be tossed out the window in the pursuit of greater participation. Let us not forget that over the centuries, experts have been given their status after jumping through countless hoops and never-ending accreditation. The cult of the amateur, though valuable to companies trying to cash in on fads and trends, still calls to mind the nature of society displayed in the film Idiocracy. It is well-known that television stations experimented with broadcasting informational shows that flopped and became commercial failures. Mass consumerism, though being the engine car of our recent service-based economy, does not in and of itself justify tossing out the book we have written over millennia. As useful as I have found wikipedia as a launch pad for further research, the idea of trusting all members is beyond short-sighted.

Blog Reflection 5

For a brief moment, I epitomized the characterization of Aggies in not recognizing that Dihydrogen Monoxide was in fact water. Seeing that the website was listed as a .org domain, I was initially caught off guard. Even though I have nothing but suspicion when I look on the web, I was taken for a ride. Just as Professor Butz's appallingly idiotic explanation for the Holocaust, this website was under the radar because most people only perfunctorily glance at where the website comes from. The fact that it lists reputable websites such as the Department of Health and Human Services, the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute, Sandia National Laboratories, the Sierra Club and Greenpeace leads one to believe that there may be a grain of truth to the assertions until one does what the internet has impeded and that is think. This website was obviously created to make a solid point. That or the author really had very little to do with his or her time. It is a bit funny when one reads that it is loosely affiliated with the US Environment Center and it's division on creating awareness of the dangers of water. When I typed in the URL on altavista.com, the second entry is wikipedia's page on the DHMO hoax. Then a website devoted to the Dental Health Maintenance Organization comes up. Go.com provides the very same results. Yahoo.directory.com only provides sites connected to the website in question and another entry on uncyclopedia.wikia.com which is clearly nothing but nonsense. Teoma.com provides the same results. In looking for the author through easywhois, I discovered that Tom Way from Newark, Delaware was the sole author. I find it hard to believe a single individual,especially if he is from Newark,Delaware. In using this web source, it was hard for me to give any weight to what was written on the website. In using archive.org, I discovered that practically nothing had changed on the website from the time it was first created to the present date. I would imagine that if water were really that detrimental to the community and the health of its members, there would be some kind of development, but like the movement to save the tree octopus, there is nothing to it. Even if one does not want to go through the trouble of looking up the specifics about the website, one must merely read about hos dihydrogen monoxide is related to cult rituals, the KKK, the NAACP, death camps, school violence and other sinister aspects of life, to realize that it is merely a joke. The truth is that even before the dot.com bubble and the new Web 2.0 renaissance, people tended to be rather gullible. Why else would advertising be so lucrative and so much money spent on figuring out how to direct customer behavior? The sad fact is that people will believe almost anything. This website, like the website about harvesting velcro and nineteenth century robots, is a good joke. Unlike these two examples, one can almost be taken in if the reader only briefly looks at the site and lazily uses it in a report. It is almost as good as allaboutexplorers.com, but anyone who received a C in seventh grade science will remember that two plus two is four and the H20 is water. Likewise, anyone with any common sense will read through that site and realize that the information provided is sprinkled with complete nonsense.

Blog Reflection 4

The premise of getting with the times is clear in the questioning, but I do not like being forced to support using computer games and technology in every facet of my life because it is new. DDT was new at one point and look at how wonderfully the revolution in fertilizers and pesticides worked out. Nuclear power is an extremely useful tool and most people support its utilization, except for maybe people who live in Belarus and Ukraine or those who survived the nuclear explosions of World War II. When asked whether I am more comfortable composing documents online than writing it down a piece of paper, I can remember having to go the computer lab every time I had to write a paper. It was easier for the teacher to read, but I spent a considerable amount of time going back and forth to the lab. I think it is much easier, but at the same time, I have to say that I remember fondly receiving letters. There is something personal about it that emails have stolen. Human kindness and consideration have taken a back seat to the need for immediacy. Spam used to be a term used for less than nutritious meat. Now, we spend hours of our life going through letters that should never be written. I think a lot of the technology we are discussing is analogous to the introduction of air conditioning on such a wide scale. In some countries, regardless if it is scorching hot or not, people survive without air conditioning. Better yet some people actually still walk to stores. What I see happening to society is what the movie Wall-E intended to portray. Wall-E was an excellent film in that it showed what will possibly become the future of humanity. Junk will pile up so high and people will become floating whales that do nothing more than hit buttons to have everything done for them. I remember fondly the days when I visited my friends unannounced. I remember when people had to make plans and stick to them. Now, our commitments are whimsical half-promises. People no longer make decisions and follow through. Everything is malleable and respect has been chucked out the window. There was a time when it was understood that it is rude to talk loudly on a cellphone. That notion no longer makes much sense to most people who could not care less about the people in their vicinity. There is another issue right there. With the ability to communicate with whomever at almost any point in time, there is no need to be aware of the people standing right next to you. Most Dallas residents do not even care about the lives of people driving on the road near them. Whatever they are blathering on about is more important. There is also nothing more assuring that seeing a driver's head faced down reading that important text message. While I was attending Texas A&M as an undergraduate, only the most ostentatious of people would have their laptops with them. A computer was an instrument of work. Who would try to simulate a cubicle around them while not at work? I can remember the first issue of having a cellphone and being on call. I refused to buy a cellphone until 2003 because I simply did not want a lease around my neck for anyone to yank. I do not know how many times my employers have made liberty with my time and expected me to be "flexible". I suppose slave masters also lectured their property on flexibility. Another important factor that seems to simply not come up in this conversation is money. Five hundred dollars for a phone used to be simply preposterous. Instead of spending eight dollars on a quality notebook, I have to spend a thousand in order to write up documents on my notebook. Our society's understanding of technology stems from Rockefeller's irate reaction to Tesla's plan to provide energy for free. If there's no meter, there is no reason to introduce it. I can remember maybe six phone numbers. This means the very instrument that was supposedly intended to make my life easier owns me. When Facebook become unbelievably popular, my professor whose degree was from Harvard came right on and said how stupid do you have to be to put all of your personal information on the web for everyone to see. When it comes to a task, I focus on the work I am doing at that time. When someone skypes me, they are distracting me. When I get a text message at the library, it does not make my life easier. It makes it harder for me to accomplish what I have set out to do. Multitasking seems to be a catch word for employers who dump more and more responsibilities on their employees. At the current time, my school has kindly explained that attendance is now online for my convenience. In reality, I have been given more work to do that is unpaid. Instead of being able to take care of this course, or better yet live, I am doing more for my employer's business and in reality helping fill up my employer's bank account. The subject of computer games could fill up volumes of books. Instead of skipping rocks at a creek like I did, children now decapitate figures for fun. Those famous words "Finish Him" have filled out kids with the most perverse and I would be willing to say evil aspects of the human soul. Grand Theft Auto enables people to live out fantasies that only the most amoral could ever even think of. Yet, it has a hefty price tag, and if it sells, it is unassailable. Instead of living life, people choose to live through their avatars. World of Warcraft has left so many people completely socially inept, yet it sells and thus we should incorporate such technology in the classroom. Why? In Korea, there are instances of people dying in front of computers. In some instances mothers play their children's games because the student refuses to go to school if the mother does not keep his or her status where he or she wants it. I am part of the NetGen which seems to be incapable of spelling out whole words or even bothering to spell them correctly. Instead of simply embracing with open arms, I look at how my generation was given flight simulating games to bomb, destroy and kill, and then I have to scratch my head when I watch videos of UAVs in actions. The desensitizing of our people is rampant. The scariest and most horrifying idea is what would/will happen when the lights go off. I am afraid that I will not want to live and see what comes afterwards. I may be stretching the context of this question, but I am truly saddened that these issues have been so thoroughly muted. My criticism does not come from shamanistic rules that say one is not meant to fly on an airplane. Neither am I affiliated with the Quaker movement. I simply want educators, the very people meant to mold young minds into I would hope better and more morally-guided human beings, to take a step back and ask themselves if they should blindly line up in support of the agenda so many private actors are leading.

Blog Reflection 3

From the ten research-based principles of AFL, the one tenet that I can identify with is the first one which states that AFL should be part of effective planning of teaching and learning. The productive aspect of the assignments we have been doing is that I have created a web-based storeroom for some of my teaching material. My wiki will come in handy, and I will continue to develop it to assist me in performing my job. The class I am currently enrolled is helping me acquaint myself with the programs and software. I am essentially paying an overseer to whip me into doing much more than I would in the event that creating a blog and wiki were completely voluntary. Thus I have a positive feeling about what I am working on right now. From the article I have come to conclude that the literature on this subject makes a distinction between assessment for learning and assessment of learning. Though I have just said that I am happy to be doing this, I am happy because I am forcing myself to adjust to external standards so that I may find a position where I continue my learning, help others learn and be able to support myself by working in the field of education. Throughout my post-secondary education I have had problems with the underlying contradiction between what common sense dictates and how standards assessment is presented. When a project is assigned to a student with the full understanding that their future opportunities are affected by the final assessment of that project, whatever conversation pedagogues entertain themselves with, maintaining learner intrinsic motivation is not going to happen. Whatever models are created to explain the problem of creating genuine enthusiasm, such as the positivist-constructivist dichotomy, the portfolio is still initially forced on the student or something done to students. How that student runs with it is the only thing that can really be measured. Since I entered the education system, I do not ever recall owning my learning. On the contrary, I have noticed how my mind has been systematically rewired to conform to the standards outlined by society in general. When being told to create an advertisement to sell myself, I always accepted it as just that. Whether I believed that I had been the main decision-maker or not was a moot point. In my opinion, there is no need to even ask if this is “deanware” or not. The statement that the portfolio should support an environment of reflection and collaboration is nice to read, but the very meaning of “should” betrays the truth of the matter. This being said, we have to do what we have to do. The primary motivation for me to fulfill the requirements of this assignment is rooted in complying with the standards of the education system within I am trying to find employment. The state education board, and the teaching faculty of our institution has created a rubric with which to assess pre-service teachers. This is not a bad thing. The statement that “I Just Did It it to Get it Done” is not a horrible thing to say. We all work and have families. Anyone with a strong sense of morality coming from whatever religious background would, I hope, say that they work so that they can be with their families. They work to live, and not live to work. To me, the entire argument stinks of corporate team development in sales where sales personal circle a room giving high fives and making claims of breaking their previous record this coming quarter. Bridging the gap between individual self-realization and external assessment is a slippery slope if not outright unobtainable. A culture of lifelong learning and professionalism are not things that we hope will manifest from nowhere. We all have to survive and just like all other living organisms, we have to adapt to outside pressures in order to survive. We have to keep learning to stay competitive and whatever it is we need to do in order to remain in good favor with our 21st guild, we have to do. If I need to construct a digital resume highlighting my competence in my field, then so be it. The truth is the more a student attempts to explore and pursue his or her goals while doing an assignment, the more that student has to work. To get by and regurgitate what the teacher obviously wants to hear, see, or read is infinitely easier than exploring ones interests while still fulfilling the requirements laid out. With all this taken into consideration, I am still energetic to get my wiki up and running. I plan to use the benefits of its construction this week in the ESL classes I am currently teaching. Because I am absolutely in love with language learning, this will be fun for me. I will be making an archive of my work that I can use in my classroom. In organizing it, I am working in an environment where I am creatively reflecting on my work for the past four years and creating my very own digital story. This is most likely providing me with a vehicle to grow metacognitively. I am having to make a decision on what direction I will start taking in making use of technology in the classroom. It is becoming more and more obvious that I have been confined to using generic tools, while I should be mastering the use of information technology to strengthen my teaching. I fear that using power point presentations is becoming outmoded. Regardless I have compiled thousands of images and made connections about the subject matter I will be teaching for the rest of my professional life. I am becoming more acquainted with the new face of education. I am working on improving my methods. I hope that I will later be able to share this with colleagues and receive constructive and specific feedback. With my work so accessible, I will most definitely receive feedback with substance and hopefully will have the wisdom to make the necessary adjustments.

Blog Reflection 2

I believe that Lori has captured the exact feeling that I had while doing the assignment. I was unbelievably frustrated with trying to embed my mapping. There is an interesting paradox between the justification for the extensive use of technology being that students want immediate results and the never-ending process of gaining a working understanding of the programs. While working on the idea map, I was in the same situation my students will be. I will be giving them assignments. Due to time constraints, I will not always be able to explain the advantages of mastering the skills they are learning and how later this will enrich their lives. The students often see the exercise as arbitrarily drawn up by the teacher in accordance with whatever belief he or she has. They want to finish the assignment and return to aspects of their lives they deem important. While working on the assignment, I simply want to finish this project and move along with my life. I fear that students will have the same reaction. No matter how we present education, like ourselves when we were younger, students see this as a chore and not a life-altering positive experience. On the other hand, there is the final result of feeling a sense of accomplishment in having done something for the first time. Thought the amount of time spent trying to complete the task may detract from other interests, everyone enjoys the feeling of completion. It is also incredibly important that our students face less of the anxiety some of us feel right now in using new technology. We grew up with transparencies, blackboards, notebooks and cassette tapes. We can still remember when we gawked at touch screens and tiny cellphones even if they did not have smart features, and let us not forget the magic of caller identification. How one week of instruction has changed my entire approach to searching for information on the web is a rather odd question. I believe that things change gradually and old habits die hard. It is my hope that after this class, I will have moved into a position where I make better use of technology in designing lessons and activities. The question raised in my mind is whether as a potential high school social studies teacher, I am expected to chuck the textbook, forget about the content and use my subject as a mere input for the expansion of technology courses. I am slightly opposed to the idea of discarding the emphasis on critical thinking skill for practical computer skills. If we want systems operators who merely follow protocol, then this is exactly what I will have to do.

Idea Mapping Educational Technology