If textbooks and other learning materials are free and openly licensed, this fundamentally transforms the relationship of learners to their content
I think this would allow students to be more involved and interested in the material they are learning. They don't need to focus their energy on the financial costs.
Who doesn’t, on some level, want to get off Twitter, build a tiny house, and move to the unwired northern woods
People either love social media or hate it. There really is no inbetween.
while others were angry and hurt by how the real-world constructions of identity seeped into the track and prevented their full participation.
Society greatly influences people's opinions.
we’re aware of the risks that we take when we, as academics, venture to speak out on hot-button issues
I think it is a shame that educators, and people in general, cannot speak their mind on their own personal social media accounts without facing severe backlash.
A “public” has no product, and there’s no call to work it all out here; but if we are committed to thinking about the digital world as a space that values diversity, minority viewpoints, and nondominant forms of expression, we need to make sure that the conversation is ongoing and open.
I have always believed that open and honest discussion of important topics is necessary so they aren't just "swept under the rug."
the public only works when the public is empowered to speak in ways that the structures that contain that public might not endorse or facilitate
Sad to see that "public" thoughts and opinions aren't actually public.
But what I think we could work for is the slow and deliberate carving out of a public digital space: not a fantasy space separate from our fucked-up world of haves and have-nots, but one that insists on the critical naming and challenging of silencing, exclusive, cruel, and oppressive structures.
This is such a powerful statement.
“the people you choose to connect with and learn from.”
I love how she refers to them as passionate learning networks.
#edchat
I've participated in a similar chat called the #edtech chat on Twitter and learned an immense amount of information through it.
“growing a personal learning network.
Reminds me of what Prof. said about how he met other educators and tech people online.
The flipped teaching method — a blending of direct instruction with constructivist learning activities — can be integrated across many curriculum areas.
Never heard of this theory before.
Increases student engagement
So important to make sure students are engaged throughout the lesson. Bored students don't learn!
Google Docs.)
Google docs have grown on me from the time I wrote a blog post this year about how much I hated the software :)
Screencasts are an effective way to share ideas, deliver content, and obtain student feedback
They are extremely effective in getting information across to people. I have used countless screencasts in my educational career for when I didn't understand something.
Keep the screencast no more than 10–12 minutes.
Prof. said how people lose interest after 7 minutes!
The majority use MySpace (65%) with Facebook (37%) being the second mostpopular site, and many students belong to more than one network
MySpace is definitely not even close to 65% now.
an online social network site (SNS) is a ‘‘web-based service that allows individuals to (1) construct a public or semipublic profilewithin a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they sharea connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those madeby others within the system’’
Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest to only name a few... so many sites now that hit these requirements.
MySpace (MS)
This article is definitely from 2009....
‘The cruelest irony of this public policy [No Child Left Behindlegislation in the U.S.]is that students who need to be prepared the most at school for an online age ofinformation, those who may not have Internet access at home, are precisely thosewho are being prepared the least’’
Couldn't agree more! So prevalent in the classroom I had my field placement in.
print-based literacies, 21stcentury skills(Partnershipfor 21stCentury Skills, 2008) and digital literacies of online reading, writing, andcommunication
a combination of all will lead to greater understanding.
‘‘generationaldivide’’
Present between every generation. There's definitely one between my parents and my generation. More so with my grandparents.
‘‘threat to societal values’’
My grandparents still believe this. They dislike the internet and its social media websites more than anything. I think its because they don't UNDERSTAND them or why they are used.
“mindless blogger.”
Before I started blogging myself, I felt that if anyone saw my posts this is what I would be labeled as. However, the blogging world is so much bigger than I could have ever imagined. You can blog about ANYTHING and find someone with a common interest.
We must teach students greater sourcing skills
I remember citing sources being so stressful in school. I never wanted to cite something wrong in fear of plagiarism so I would only cite one or two solid sources.
Basically socially complex texts are authored by opposing forces discussing an issue with equal passion and often mutual disdain.
Passion is usually the spark for intense discussions and debates. I always feel the need to defend someone or something I care about.
. They seemed to hold more information in their working memories that they could later mold into new meanings.
My working memory helps me immensely when I researching for papers and projects.
The students who could manage multiple tabs, navigate search engines, and move between multiple sources did better.
Some people believe that multitasking leads to a lower quality of work. I can multitask certain things such as listening to music and writing a paper at the same time and I feel that I have done a good job.
manipulate and mold information to achieve a higher goal”
the ability to take information and create a meaning out of it to achieve something else.
New and more complex skills and practices are required to read in online environments.
Very prevalent when we think of our parents and grandparents who didn't develop these skills at such a young age like we did. Generational gap.
Just 2% of code separates us from our Chimpanzee brethren.
Shocking really to think that only 2% of coding separates humans from chimpanzees.
There are things you can do with sound that you cannot do with graphic substance, either easily or at all; not even imitate all that successfully graphically.
Where context of written word comes in. I can say "That's awesome!" and truly mean it or it can be sarcastically said in a demeaning way. Spoken speech is easier to distinguish.
Words have their histories
Very true. Some words will be forever linked to past historical meanings.
I am attracted by “Grille”; I am aware that I am particularly drawn by the “e” on “Grille”.
Just had a discussion about this with my sister the other day. Also, "shoppe" instead of "shop."
the “social” in “Social Semiotics” draws attention to the fact that meanings always relate to specific societies and their cultures, and to the meanings of the members of those cultures.
Different cultures and societies have different meanings for similar words.
from the perspective of multimodality, which deals with all the means we have for making meanings – the modes of representation - and considers their specific way of configuring the world
Drawing out a nucleus of a cell instead of stating what it looks like does lead to better understanding.
from the constellation of mode of writing and medium of book / page, to the constellation of mode of image and medium of screen
Writing vs. media platforms
It may be a small designation to make, but I see a great deal of difference between the act of creation, and the sustained, informed, evaluative elements embedded in construction.
Construction and creation are two very different aspects of online learning. The act constructing something from nothing is seen as different than producing.
Construction asks our students and teachers to focus on the power and patience employed during work process…and not just the final resultant work product.
Valuable lessons from the online construction process can help students become more creative in other aspects of their studies.
Creation can be viewed simply as the act of producing, or causing to exist. Construction is the building or assembling of an infrastructure.
Creation vs. construction. I always assumed they were the same thing.
our understanding of construction and creation needs to be broad enough to allow for change in the future.
Online construction, along with many other forms of education, evolve and individuals need to be open to such changes.
Working online is a fluid experience which calls for flexible learners.
Couldn't agree more.
while making it easy & flexible enough for teachers to make this work happen in their classrooms.
I think this would allow students to learn exponentially in the classroom.
the creativity, composition, and design skills students need
Aspects that I feel aren't taught in typical "computer classes" at school.
online collaborative inquiry, and online content construction
Two every important aspects of online learning, collaboration with others and construction of one's own work.
Yet Schrier was surprised by another phenomenon: the young people took the game’s representation of historical evidence at face value, acting as if all of the information in the game were authentic.
This could be very dangerous.
that game players seek to identify and exploit the rules of the system in order to beat the game.26
Not going to lie, I've used cheats before in the Sims only to make more money. I wasn't trying to beat the game or manipulate the system, I just wanted my Sim to have a car... oops.
Ex-panding access to computers will help bridge some of the gaps between digital haves and have nots,
It's hard to think that every individual doesn't have access to a computer in this technological based world.
Some cities, such as Tempe, Arizona, charge users a fee
I wonder why they charge a fee while other communities don't?
Children and youths do indeed know more about these new media environments than most parents and teachers.
"Generation gap"
Beck and Wade conclude that gamers were more open to taking risks and engaging in competition but also more open to collaborating with others
A huge benefit from playing video games.
even if sometimes only through the “second lives” offered by massively multiplayer games or online fan communities.
"Second lives" communities such as the Sims have a huge fan base following.
young people who create and circulate their own media are more likely to respect the intellectual property rights of others because they feel a greater stake in the cultural economy.13
Agree 110%. You never put a thought into respecting others work online until your own is copied without permission.
Informal learning communities can evolve to respond to short-term needs and temporary interests
Kids might be more interested in learning if they can see short term goals in the near future. Long term goals are usually frustrating to have to wait for and kids may become discouraged.
While formal education is often conservative, the informal learning within popular culture is often experi-mental.
Experiments lead to success and failures. Both of these results help students learn.
affinity spaces,”10 and explores why people learn more, participate more actively, and engage more deeply with popular culture than they do with the contents of their textbooks.
Reading straight from a textbook is boring. Being hands on and involved will help students flourish.
Our goals should be to encourage youths to develop the skills, knowledge, ethical frameworks, and self-con-fidence needed to be full participants in contemporary culture.
We need to revamp our education system in the United States if we ever want to meet these goals.
Yet these activities become widespread only if the culture supports them
I think that technology fluency needs to be recognized, supported, and taught in schools.
black hole that consumes resources that might be better devoted to traditional classroom activities (in the more critical version).
Computers are either seen as one extreme or the other. Black box of magic vs. black hole of despair.
Historically, we have valued creative writing or art classes not only because they help to identify and train future writers and artists, but also because the creative process is valuable on its own; every child deserves the chance to express him- or her-self through words, sounds, and images, even if most will never write, perform, or draw professionally.
I love this. I was always more interested in creative writing, history, and the arts then I ever was in science or math. However, I was told I would never get a job so I decided to go to school to be a nurse of all things.... no wonder I changed my major!
The study also does not include even more widespread practices, such as computer or video gaming, that can require an extensive focus on constructing and performing as fictional personas.
Video games are always seen in a bad light. However, if used correctly, I think video games can be extremely educational.
The Pew researchers found no significant dif-ferences in participation by race or ethnicity
"Love is blind." Anyone, regardless of where they are from or what they look like, can use the Internet. It doesn't discriminate.
a media creator is someone who has created a blog or Web page; posted original artwork, photography, stories, or videos online; or remixed online content into their own new creations.
With the usage of sites such as Tumblr, all of my friends and myself included, can be considered a media creators.
Indeed, many of these youths were frustrated with school; some dropped out
Many students need an outlet, for many the Internet is that for them.
—learning how to campaign and govern; how to read, write, edit, and defend civil liberties; how to pro-gram computers and run a business; how to make a movie and find distribution
All of these skills were learned by the usage of online games and the Internet. Many schools don't even teach students some of these points.
the Firefox Web browser was born
Shocking to see that Firefox was created from the mind of a 14 year old. Technology sees no age barriers.
Heather Lawver was 14 years old. She wanted to help other young people improve their reading and writing skills, so she established an online publication with a staff of more than 100 people across the world.
People have instant access to people all over the world with the use of the Internet.
The Sims Online
One of my favorite childhood games! Loved being able to choose my own destiny.
I’ve met les-bian, gay, and transgendered teens who extensively share to appear straight so that people don’t ask about their sexuality, and I’ve met abused teens who tell extravagant stories about their lives so that no one asks what’s really happening at home.
It's sad that these teens need to falsely represent who they are because they are scared of the repercussion from their peers.
Chris-tina, a mother from New York, explained her reasoning. “I do not believe teenagers ‘need’ privacy—not when it comes to the Internet. I track everything my kids do online. I search their bedrooms too. I’m the parent—I’m not their friend.”
Sounds like a control freak to me.
“subtweeting,” to refer to the practice of encoding tweets to render them meaningless to clueless outsiders
Most commonly used to call people out on a situation without actually tagging them in the post. Still creates drama.
journalists often referred to this application in the same breath as sexting or the sharing of inappro-priate sexual images.
Sure, I bet some teens do use Snapchat to share nude photos of themselves but assuming that ALL teens only use the app for this purpose is ridiculous.
Teens do think through the social cost to what they post, but they don’t always get it right
Neither do adults. I've seen plenty of vulgar posts by adults across all social media platforms regardless of their age.
Linda Tripp’s decision to record Monica Lewinsky’s confession and paparazzi using long-range cam-eras to capture celebrities from afar.
Both complete violations of privacy.
perhaps this young man is simply including gang signals on his MySpace profile as a survival technique.
An individual's "front stage" and "back stage" appearances can vary due to who they are surrounded by or who they are trying to impress. Their "front stage" persona may not reflect their inner beliefs at all.
I came to realize that, taken out of context, what teens appear to do and say on social media seems peculiar if not outright problematic
Social media, like any type of communication not done face to face, can be misinterpreted.
Many teens complain about parents who look over their shoulders when they’re on the computer or friends who copy and paste updates and forward them along.
Teens seem to be worried about their appearances online however they tend to overshare information about themselves to their "intended" audience without a second thought.
it’s often hard to remem-ber that viewers who aren’t commenting might also be watching
Just because someone didn't comment on a social media post doesn't mean they didn't see it.
Because social media often brings together multiple social con-texts, teens struggle to effectively manage social norms
Social media seems to exemplify the hardships of the already turbulent teenage years - teens now have to try to "fit in" in person with their peers and also online.
because he wants to have control over a given social situation
Having control over social media interactions with others online is an uneasy task since the other person can control what they want to say about you on your own posts.
Turkle was critical of some people’s attempts to use fictitious iden-tities to harm others,
Term "Catfishing"
ree people of the burdens of their “material”—or physically embodied—identities, enabling them to become a better version of themselves
I disagree. I think people make themselves look different online than they are in their everyday lives to impress their audience.
they are whimsical responses to sites’ requirement to provide a login handle
Most individuals don't purposely deceive others by choosing a username other than their first and last name. Sometimes the site has certain requirements for usernames and more than not the username one prefers is already taken.
Facebook was the primary place where friend groups collide. Other services—like Tumblr or Twitter—were more commonly used by teens who were carving out their place in interest-driven communities.1
Facebook creates a divide between groups while Twitter and Tumblr creates interest-based group environments.
relished the anonymous norms of the site
People like being anonymous.
teens responded to social media sites’ requests for information by providing inaccurate information that actually contains meaningful signals about friendship and sociality.
The information the teens provide is inaccurate but has a meaning behind it. This doesn't mean they are being dishonest with stating their best friend is their sister on Facebook.
Instead, they’re simply refusing to play by the rules of self-presentation as defined by these sites.
Teens are rebellious in nature and will do so in real life and on their social media platforms.
In doing so, they ignore teens’ privacy while undermining their struggles to manage their identity
It is hard for adults to comprehend the vast world of social media as teenagers because it wasn't created yet when they were young.
given and what is given off. In other words, what we convey to others is a matter of what we choose to share in order to make a good impression and also what we unintentionally reveal as a byproduct of who we are and how we react to others.
"front stage" vs. "back stage" actions
They may want to be seen as cool among their peers, even if adults would deem their behav-ior inappropriate.
Image is everything.
Teens who try to manage context collapses by segregating information often suf-fer when that information crosses boundaries
It is extremely difficult in today's society to try and keep two completely separate personas on one social media account.
They have long seen revealing clothing as an indica-tor of teens’ rejection of privac
Revealing clothing and revealing social media posts outrage parents.
The idea that teens share too much—and therefore don’t care about privacy—is now so entrenched in public discourse that research showing that teens do desire privacy and work to get it is often ignored by the media.
The media often seems to underestimate teens and their ability to grasp basic concepts such as privacy.
Mean-while, technology executives like Facebook’s founder Mark Zucker-berg and Google chairman Eric Schmidt reinforce the notion that today’s teens are different
Every generation of teenagers will differ by how they were influenced by society and media as a whole.
generational disconnect
A perfect term for the issue.
What’s at stake is not whether someone can listen in but whether one should
I think everyone thinks about this. Is it respectful to act like you're not listening into a conversation when in fact you actually are?
she thinks that everything online is bad, and you seem to get it, and you’re an adult.
Many individuals born in the technological revolution of the late 1990s and early 2000s seem to think that older adults, especially their own parents, have no knowledge of the online world.
privacy is always rooted in context
Isn't everything?