Week 8 Group 8 work and thoughts Blog

This week for the group work, the experience was very positive. Our group got in gear early on and showed a great deal of team work which was a marked improvement from the first assignment. I think we all found and agreed upon the facts that in the case study of Georgina's online course that she made several key mistakes. In our work on discussing the questions and what we thought about the situations we all agreed on a few key points. Georgina is a good instructor who knows her material. Georgina however should not try and create a website for the course as she is better suited to instructing. Her lack of knowledge in how to create a website caused many issues with the class and ultimately ruined what could have been a very interesting subject matter.

I think our group knows what a good example of a course is and that no course is perfect. For that reason, I think it is imperative that instructors be open to constructive criticism. Online courses have come a long way in the last 10 years and they will continue to evolve just as technology allows us to do more and more.

The key points to this whole case study are that you have to communicate in a clear and effective manner and also be open to your peers. In this case study Georgina let things progress so far that she got in over her head creating a class that neither the instructor or the students benefited from.

LTEC 3440 Assignment 5 William Falter

Click on link below to go to Prezi for the full screen to be shown.

Getting Attention and Gaining Motiviation on Prezi

Listen Listen

Given the choice between reading from a text and listening to a podcast I would choose a podcast. Given the variety in podcasts, there is a freedom given in the ability to close your eyes and just listen to what is being said. Like most people, I am a visual learner and for that reason this goes against the norm.

Despite the different learning style with this medium, the podcast gives increased versatility to listen on the go, multitask, and listen again to the podcast at a later time. Too often do I dread having to crack a book open and reread material to better understand it. Because most people have digital media players and computers, it has never been easier to take media with us.

In the case we did switch and had our classes posted by blog, how would we prepare for being tested over the material? Because most people are visual in learning material I would take notes over the blog. I think this would be multifaceted in the benefits. Individuals would have to pay closer attention to the material because you are having to write it down. Secondly, because you are writing it down you are giving the subject matter more thought. Finally, in taking notes, we aren't going to write word for word what we hear but rather a brief set of notes. Those notes then make for better reviewing material because they are in our own words and it stirs our memory from when we wrote them.

In principal I think it could be beneficial to switch to a podcast style of learning. There will probably need to be a lot of experimentation in how podcasts should be set up and how to present the information. Just like any new concept though, very rarely does one get it right the first try. When were being creative we have to expect and be ok with making mistakes when venturing in to new territory.

Information Revolution

I find it interesting how opposed to change we generally are. As you will see in this video, we were so used to complex filing systems and having to hunt for information that we just accepted the difficulty. As we moved into the 21st century we slowly began to realize the potential of the internet. We could share and search for information more quickly and efficiently than ever before. Better yet, information now is able to find us. Sites like Wikipedia are a great representation of how the web and information is evolving. It doesn't sleep, slow down, or take breaks. It's constantly changing.

The implications of technology and instruction.

In the three YouTube videos we watched on schools killing creativity, a student’s vision of today, and the web 2.0 there was an underlying common theme among them all. All three videos alluded to the fact that our society holistically has grown yet our methods of learning have remained stagnant. Society is moving at such a rapid pace with technological marvel and yet the environment designed to foster and improve our learning ability has been given little attention.

In his speech, Sir Robinson focused on creativity and embracing it. “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” This is what our educational system lacks in instructing our youth. Rather than embracing what makes us different we too often try and conform to a singular idea of what is right. Sir Robinson points to how growing up many instructional systems try and guide students away from creative things and more towards areas that are viewed as positives to make someone successful later in life. Technology is growing at an astounding pace and yet the inclusion of computers and this technology is lagging in most school classrooms. We have the potential to embrace and utilize these new technologies while also fostering our creative capacities.

Michael Wesch illustrated his findings in the life of a student’s day. His point being that we are educating students in a modern world using outdated means of instruction. Our colleges are emphasizing the importance of having an education yet their student’s views are finding little value in what they receive. Our society’s institutions focus our instructional methods on reading textbooks and writing papers. Yet in his research, Mr. Wesch found students often times were more interested in online activities such as social networks, web pages, and blogs. All areas designed to share and teach yet our educational system continues to abide by long standing and often outdated principles. We are being educated utilizing chalk boards and projectors. Technology is going to be vital in our futures in business and our personal lives. It makes sense to shift the focus to a digital form of instruction. Many universities are making this switch slowly in their transitions to online mediums of instruction as well as shifting. Schools are also beginning to find potential in digitizing catalogs of printed media such as newspapers and magazines. The benefit is space savings for the educational institutions while allowing students an easier way to access this knowledge through a computer.

Michael Wesch went on to illustrate the added benefits of web 2.0 technologies. Pointing attention to the fact that in a digital world connected through web 2.0, many of the original designs for the web were re-envisioned into a much grander scale. That through the use of web 2.0 technologies, no longer was text to be simply read. Instead, it could be used to direct and redirect people to topics of similar content. Through the use of links and hyperlinks people can move from one document to another without anything more than a mouse click. Mr. Wesch sees the potential of the web and how we can use it to better instruct and teach ourselves. We already have control of knowledge, it is how we chose to share it with others that matters. With this technology and the advancements, the web is learning how we move around in our digital spaces. With every post or click we make, we are potentially influencing someone else’s thoughts and opinions. As the web becomes a more integral part of our learning, we do have to rethink our approach to instruction in this modern era. It becomes easier to capture another’s ideas and make them our own. New ethical boundaries are going to have to be set as well as new means of “connecting” with others as we become more “plugged in.”

Our culture’s ideas of what is “the norm” is rapidly changing in how we communicate, interact, and teach others. Society is blazing ahead of the times with the corporate world’s backing leaving our educational systems struggling to keep up. The potential is here to right a wrong in trying to make our instructional methods less conforming. Technology holds great promise for today’s youth’s creativity. How we choose to focus our efforts at this crossroad is still to be decided. We have been given the tools. How do we proceed is the question.

A vision of a students day

I think this video is inspiring in that we need to take note of the fact that we are no longer learning in a non-digital age. Our children are growing up using computers before they even enter elementary school. Whereas most adults today didn't even know what the internet was and how to use it until the mid to late nineties. I think we need to take stock in what our student population is saying about how dated our learning methods are becoming.

Potential benefits of using visual technique in instructional design.

Mind mapping and the visual techniques involved are best compared to a cheat sheet of sorts. Often times we find ourselves attending presentations, classes, or other various events where we don't want to forget the information being presented to us. In using a visual technique we save time because of the added simplicity it gives. We are also able to find information more easily rather than browsing lengthy notes creating less hunting. Other benefits include being able to spend more time listening or paying attention in a note taking scenario because you are simply noting the key points. And by just jotting those key points down it makes for an easier reference at later times. Two other key points are we can consolidate information into a more easily digested form and it allows for a different way to solve complex problems in a straight forward manner.

Much like thinking out loud, mind mapping is a creative, sometimes messy, and yet effective means of brainstorming, note taking, and problem solving.

Mind Mapping using Word and Mindomo for the lesson map.

Mind Mapping by hand.

Designing for Learners

In group 8, I found that we agreed on many different points as to how Ms. Chapman handled herself with regards to the new teacher. Often times it is too easy to try and dominate another person who is still new to something. Instead hear idea of listening to the concerns of her fellow teacher and getting permission to see the other side was well thought out. It showed Ms. Chapman valued the thoughts of the new teacher and that she was open to working on the problem. I think we could both agree that Ms. Chapman's recommendation to rule the class with more authority and stand behind the podium was a bit over the top. She was the instructor and the class should respect that. However, an instructor should also respect their class in being prepared, willing to help, and being reasonable in what is expected of them.

Audience members just like in the reading like to be engaged and not just read to. The text and also in my personal experience I have found that presenters/lecturers often lose their connection with the audience when they become monotone, remain stationary, or lack any sense of interest in what they are speaking about. I think some key points that should be taken into account are to be energetic and interested in what you are talking about. It conveys interest in the subject matter and keeps the audience from wandering. Audience involvement is also a good thing to have in moderation. Lastly, the speaker should move around a bit and not remain stationary. In all three of these points the constant is change. It's human nature to be drawn to new things and bored by those that are always the same. Things in a learning environment should be no different.

Bloom's taxonomy

Blooms taxonomy in relation to social media such as blogging and tweeting are related in these social mediums cause individuals to think. We are curious about what our friends are doing in their lives and about getting to know more about their opinions and thoughts on things. On a friend's blog he often posts about things going on in the economy and his ideas about those things. He is doing many of the things in Bloom's taxonomy. He is spreading knowledge, I am comprehending what he is writing and applying it to my life and formulating my opinion of what I have just read. We often don't realize that we are utilizing Bloom's different levels of thinking, and not always do we use them all. I know it's interesting watching my 2 year old son as he grows and see the correlation in the different levels of his own thinking. I think with Bloom's skills we have to just like a pyramid continually widen the lower foundation of skills before we can fully grasp the next. And once we reach the pinnacle, we spend the rest of our lives continually broadening this higher thinking pyramid.

Week 3 Blog: Myths and Online Learning

Online learning myths in my mind are just that. I generally try not too no put much faith in myths unless the source is a close friend. In the reading and while thinking about the myths that were covered I do think that online coursework is not easier than in the classroom. The reason is there are a lot more opportunities to allow yourself to get behind. You have to keep yourself accountable to getting assignments completed on time. On the opposite side, I do believe there to be a little truth to the myth that online courses are easier. In my search for a university to attend online I looked into the University of Phoenix. The courses they offer generally have no tests associated with them and most assignments were simply reading a lecture and responding with the student's opinion. Judging by the fact that their degrees are also not always held in high regard also could be a possibility from employers that I have talked to. Whether this remains the case now I am not certain of. But I am sure that it is situations like this that help foster these types of myths.

The other myth that you have to be computer geek in order to take online courses is in my eyes completely false. I have attended online coursework at two universities and both had very similar setups. In both situations, students were offered 24 hour technical support and their sites were very easy to understand and use. Instructors placed emphasis on students interacting with one another and fostering a learning environment. As I have seen stated many times before, if you can check your bank account online or shop online, then you are knowledgable enough to take a online course.

Beyond the myths, I think the greatest asset to this style of learning is that you are more open in what type of learning students are able to receive. It teaches one to improve upon their computer skills and become more comfortable with our reliance on technology. In my case, I have found myself more open to communicating online with others. I frequent sites like facebook and twitter with ease and find myself comfortable while doing it. Because of that familiarity, my interaction with my classmates feels more natural.

Week 2 Blog. Fair Use and Copyrighted Material

Fair use is simply defined as allowing “limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders” (Fair Use,” 2010, “Definition,” para.1). Issues of copyright infringement pertaining to fair use have been longstanding until they were ratified into the Copyright Act of 1976.

The problem with fair use is that it is generally never a cut and dry issue, but rather its issues are seemingly always more complex. Creators of different pieces of work are rightfully due credit for their works and with more and more content now days being posted online, it becomes increasingly so more difficult to police those violations. For example, an acquaintance of mine was working on her masters degree with the University of Texas at Dallas a couple years ago. She explained one time that she had been accused of plagiarism on some of her work by a professor. Come to find out there were a couple of charges brought on different classes. We hear about citing our sources and giving credit where it is due, however this hit close to home for me as I knew this person. I never fully found out the rest of the story except that she moved away and did not attend school here anymore. But the point is that you never know if and when something like this could happen. It’s easy to simply take another’s ideas and make them our own today.

Ten years ago a new type of violation of the fair use policy came to light. As we were ending 1999, the popularity of file sharing gained momentum among PC users. People, who were generally younger, had discovered a new means of getting music. File sharing applications had become popular as the Internet grew and people found that they could share items stored on their computers. One such service that was free called Napster enabled users to share copyrighted music online with other users. Then as MP3 players and shortly after the Apple iPod gained traction, what was originally a small problem had grown exponentially. A governmental agency called the Recording Industry Association of America got involved and eventually shut Napster down in 2005 while pursuing legal recourse against those who had shared content. The fair use of music was originally intended to allow end users the right to use the music on their devices, but was manipulated so that people were not paying for it. The result was the R.I.A.A. adapted itself, as did the recording industry. The government went after individuals in court cases seeking damages that were unreasonable and often unable to verify it was the named party. Meanwhile, music labels changed the fair use policies on music so that something called Digital Rights Media was placed on music to prohibit music from being illegally distributed.

Most recently, the R.I.A.A. got involved with another company like Napster. Just as before, the R.I.A.A. is trying to close a software maker LimeWire, a file-sharing client, on the violation of sharing copyrighted material that violates the fair use policies of the recording labels. Even though the software maker is not the party that owns the copyrighted material nor are they the source of it in this case, they have little control over the content. However, they are the medium through which the files are transferred. Cases like this and Napster have proven difficult to decide because these cases are all virgin territory and are setting the precedents for later cases. These file-sharing sites are also used to help undiscovered artists gain popularity and reach an audience they otherwise couldn’t. The underlying problem is that it has become increasingly difficult to go after the offending party who are masked by services, Internet providers, wireless Internet technologies, and a degree of anonymity behind an Internet Protocol address. So the solution is to get rid of the medium used to transfer the content.

Under fair use, people should be allowed to use purchased works on their different devices without limitation as specified by the labels. The question becomes, how to do this without limiting the purchasing owner’s fair use rights.

Reference:

Fair Use. (2010, June 7). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved

June 14, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use

Hoffman, I. (2001). Fair Use: Further Issues. Retrieved June 14, 2010,

From http://www.ivanhoffman.com/fair2.html

Vijayan, J. (2010, June 9). On verge of closing, P2P vendor LimeWire hope for a

Settlement. Message posted to http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9177871/On_verge_of_closing_P2P_vendor_LimeWire_hopes_for_a_settlement?taxonomyId=126&pageNumber=2

Week 1 Class/Session

My attendance with my class being online differs in many ways from when I have taken courses in a classroom. I typically log on as my schedule dictates which is a good change of pace as opposed to following a schedule of being at a certain time and place at two to three times a week. I generally will go to my office where I can get away from the distractions that keep my work from being done efficiently. I tend to look ahead and try and plan out when I am going to have my assignments completed by and then work ahead. I enjoy being able to communicate with my class members online as it seems like thoughts are shared more readily. During the week, I will typically work on an assignment for a class per day.

The areas I have found differ are in the room for error in online coursework. Because you do not have the face to face interaction, there has been a great deal of confusion for me. Areas where more clarification is needed can create a little more stress as well as being reliant upon online variables. In a class room you simply have to be at the location specified at the correct date and times. There is a lot more self-governing involved when you take your courses online.

Overall, I enjoy the online nature of the courses more so than a class room despite the few issues that tend to arise.

First Blog for LTEC 3440 What I hope to learn this semester

Over the semester I am looking to learn more about how our educational systems are integrating technology into the classroom and how this flows into our dealings outside of the classroom. With my wife already being a teacher it is amazing how different the teaching environment is to when I was in elementary. Kids now days are doing in kindergarten what I was doing in the 9th grade. Furthermore, as technology continues to accelerate and we become more connected as a society what this will mean in different areas of learning. Such as the methods of instruction, how we interact with lessons and one another, and how to combat plagiarism as our works increasingly shift to the digital age. The most important thing I hope to learn is about how our different learning styles mesh with this new digital age. With E-readers and our cellular phones performing more and more tasks, we are becoming a much more portable society