When the Virtual World Goes Bad

Virtual Atomic Bombs set off in and destroying the virtual world.

Oh Microsoft...

Alright, I would have inserted the video itself except the New York Times doesn't give me the code to do that. So I was going to find it on YouTube, but YouTube is "busy pushing out some new concoctions and formulas" (aka the site is under maintenance). So, you will have to work to see this video! Click here! It might take a moment to load, so be patient. I found it funny.

iPod, iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, iLife, iWeb, and now.. iPhone!

While the name already existed, Apple has secured "iPhone" for their technological advancements. Cisco, who originally coined the name for their "internet-connected phone" in 2000, dropped their lawsuit against Apple, agreeing to allow Apple to use the term "iPhone" for their "much anticipated multimedia device, which combines the features of a mobile phone, an iPod and a BlackBerry" (New York Times). While Apple will begin to use the name, Cisco will continue to apply it to their product as well. In fact, the companies will be working "together 'in the areas of security and consumer and enterprise communication'" (New York Times).

How will we incorporate this in!? :)

Media Literacy, Hobbs, and ELA/NCTE Standards

· Media literacy is an expansion of traditional literacy that includes both analysis and production of all mediated forms of communication, from books to Web sites.

AND

· Media literacy helps teachers to more effectively address existing learning standards and engage students with varied learning styles

In Reading the Media, chapter 1, Hobbs discusses situation with students at Concord High School where the teacher and student integrate television shows into the lesson plan; realism vs. fiction. Students have a general idea of television and can assume when a show presents a falsehood in comparison with reality, but when comparing the shows together, the students had disagreement in which presented a more realistic standpoint of life; this opened up the class to discussion and debate (3-4). Hobbs is indicating that by integrating a media form that students were comfortable with into the class room, students are more apt to respond during class with intelligent, synthesized answers, rather than one-word/one-line responses regarding plot/setting/theme/etc. Hobbs states, “Growing up in such a culture, students are hungry for serious dialogue about what they experience via the mass media…. As students engage in sharing ideas and reflecting on experiences that matter to them, a learning environment is created where students can examine the relationships between meaning making, power, pleasure, and identity” (6). In other words, when media is already shaping students’ lives, we shouldn’t ignore it and factor it out completely; rather we need have to allow media to help us in the shaping we are trying to do as well. Furthermore, by allowing media to help us, as teachers, in our lessons we are opening our students up to the standards we want to teach them without forcing the standards on them. Through the lesson mentioned above, students were able to focus on speaking and listening skills without being told to do so; from here the teacher could ask students to write up a reflection on the class discussion for homework (whether its in a writer’s notebook or in blog; if it is a blog, students will then be able to respond further to the debates that had already been started in class).

· Media literacy can and should be integrated across the K-12 curricula at all grade levels and in multiple subject areas.

This seems like an obvious principle to me. Why wouldn’t media literacy be integrated through all levels of schooling? Granted some schools may have a more difficult time with certain stages of technology, but integrating media literacy goes beyond having a computer lab in the school.

Regarding Hobbs research and the first chapters of Reading the Media, there was one thing I found interesting: Concord High School’s mission statement and its emphasis of students’ roles. The mission statement exhorts, “Our community of learners will challenge and expect its members to realize their highest potential. Our community will create a positive learning environment through mutual respect and effective communication” (20). Much of the effort and work is put into the hands of the students and what kind of learners/workers they are. The expectations are high, but adequate and effective. It is the students’ responsibility to help create the learning environment they are entering into. I feel by doing this, more interest can be focused into media literacy; students, in my opinion, will have more awareness and attention to what is going on in the media world, and try to incorporate it into their learning. From that, teachers will be able to incorporate technology and media into the classroom as well, understanding what interests the students have and bringing those to a level that the lessons can begin to thrive from.

ELA/NCTE Learning Standards Emphasizing Media Literacy:

Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.

Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

There is SO Much Going On

Here is another New York Times article. This one is discussing Yahoo Pipes, "a hosted visual-development tool that lets people manipulate data feeds from Web sites to create new applications" (New York Times). Apparently Yahoo Pipes "gives power to" users in developing data feeds. The article even has a comment from the man who coined the term "Web 2.0," so check it out!

And apparently I've become a New York Times fanatic because here is another article from the newspaper. This one discusses YouTube's success. It might be interesting to check out considering the Website has become such a popular part of today's culture and many of us have been including YouTube videos in our blogs.

Hope you enjoy those. Let me know what you think.

And now... to leave you with something intriguing to watch...

Web 2.0 in Less Than 5 Minutes and A Song

Warlick, Education, and the Web

"What did education mean then and there?" (Warlick 19).

Warlick begins Chapter 2 in Redefining Literacy for the Century with brief comparison between his grandfather's generations and his with regards to education. He notes, "Education assured that knowledge was learned and remembered. Being educated meant that you held a great deal of information in your memory, and that you gained that knowledge largely through reading, listening, and reciting within a formal and regimented educational setting" (19). I highlighted part of that quotation in hopes that it struck you as it struck me. It occurred to me that while we (as a society) admire those who can recall information in an instance and who retain facts, figures and knowledge easily, there is no longer a dire need to "[hold] a great deal of information in [our] memory"; it is all accessible at our desks or in our laps. All we have to do is turn on our Macs and PC's and we can find any piece of information we choose to know. Rather than memorizing information we are able to interact with it, learn it to a greater level than we may have than by reading and copying books. And why? As Warlick further mentions, students now are able to read "in a third dimension: across, down, and deeper into the information" (22). With the help of technology we can look at a Web site, read the information, and click a highlighted word that takes us to another site with more or related information. It is a quicker way to learn, a more accessible way to knowledge.

Warlick introduces several Web sites (Backflip, PiNet Library) in Chapter 2 and a look into search engine use. Social bookmarking sites and search engines are useful tools for Web users, but rarely are they used effectively, especially the search engines. After starting a search off in a search engine, Warlick suggests using Web directories when finding information on a topic, then referring back to the search engine later on. Internet use is a process: SEARCH ("start Small, Edit search phrase, Advance to large search engine, Refine search phrase, Cycle back and advance again, Harvest the resources"). Students need help learning this process, adapting to it, and using it. By providing technology in the classroom and time to practice Web use for research, educator's can help their students become more proficient and comfortable exploring the Web.

And finally, I just wanted to say I loved this comment made by Warlick: "Once you have your blog, you can publish to your heart's content ad have your ideas, beliefs, and passions available to a global audience" (40). This is exactly what we are doing.

Better Than Google... and We Don't Have It.

It's not a surprise that America isn't the leading nation in technological advancements. It's just a shame. When there is so much out there that can be done on/with computers and the Web, it's sad that we haven't figured more out. But some guy in China has... and he hit big. Pony Ma created Tencent, an "all-in-one packaging of entertainment [...] and a mobile instant-messaging service, “QQ,” has reached more than 100 million users, or nearly 80 percent of the market" (New York Times). And it's grown larger than Google in the two years since it's been created. Amazing. And he's another great piece of information for you: "Another distinguishing feature is the youthful face of China’s online community. In the United States, roughly 70 percent of Internet users are over the age of 30; in China, it is the other way around — 70 percent of users here are under 30, according to the investment bank Morgan Stanley" (New York Times). (Well, I guess in part that's where we come in, incorporating technology into the classrooms and getting students to use the Internet more).

Here's the Wiki for QQ, the messaging service connected to Tencent.

I just found that interesting. Here we are, using Google... everyone uses Google. Right? Well apparently China has found something better.

I feel I should clarify what I was saying last class...

Toward the end of the class on Wednesday we were discussing technology used in schools across the nation. I believe it was Ashley who brought up the subject of schools in less fortunate communities who might not have access to computers/technology/the Web, to which I brought up the school district in Camden, NJ. I feel that our concerns were not necessarily addressed fully, honestly. That is o.k. What I was trying to explain/ask (and I'm not sure about what Ashley, so understand this is just my opinion), was though I understand several schools across the nation are equipped to help us incorporate technology in the classroom, what happens if we encounter a school district that cannot help us accommodate students with such a wonderful opportunity? It was not my way of making excuses to not use technology, nor was I trying to run away from my responsibilities of incorporating such in my teachings. I was merely bringing up a realistic idea: we could be faced with this.

I will admit that it is less likely. I was researching some websites to find out how many students have computers in their homes and how many schools have access to computer use. Science and Engineering Indicators 2006 explains "The ratio of public school students to online school computers improved from 12:1 in 1998 to 4:1 in 2003," and " In 2003, 77% of K–12 students lived in a household with a computer and 67% had Internet access at home." This is wonderful and I hope their research is accurate. I also reviewed IES: National Center for Education Statistics which talks about and shows statistics of how educators are using technology in their classrooms (note: Schools that did not have computer/Internet use were not included in the statistics). So I do recognize the most schools have access to the Web and to technology. I just feel it is important to question and acknowledge the realistic situation/possibility of educating in a school that is less fortunate to be able to accommodate to exposing students to such a wonderful (as well as important and prominent) part of our society. It needs to be addressed that there are schools that exist that may/do not have the money/funding.

Regardless, I have thought up some ideas for overcoming this potential problem. For example, if you wish to include technology, such as Web access, in your classroom but your district has limited funding and the Internet is not available in your particular school you could arrange a field trip to a school (in your district of another) that does have Web access OR arrange a trip to a local library that may allow student to use the Internet to do research. This way, students will be receiving the opportunity to use technology for their class in their class, instead of being responsible for using it solely on their own time and trying to find a computer if they do not own one personally.

I hope I have clarified instead of further confused what I was trying to explain.