This week I want to discuss the internet phenomemon Anonymous. Thanks to my husband for helping me better understand this group! Where does the name come from? What do they stand for?
This group started on 4Chan, an image message board where each new post needs an image, so no one posts with an actual username. This allows users to be freer with what they say and show their true feelings. In other message boards comments are logged forever. In 4Chan posts are deleted so it gives everyone more incentive to speak their mind without having to fear reprecussion. There is a group of people on 4chan that call themselves anonymous which actually started out as a meme. Because of the anonymity users joked about anonymous being an actual person. The anonymous image is of a guy in a suit with a question mark in place of a head. There is no leader in this organization and they are just a blob that choose to do different things on the internet. The users know about computers so they can use those talents for their means. If they protest in public the V for Vendetta mask is worn.
The group is most well known for its stand against scientology and being strong defenders of Julian Assange, the editor in chief of Wikileaks. For more information on anonymous vs scientology check out whyweprotest.net. During the Wikileaks situation, anonymous launched attacks known as DDoS or a Distributed Denial of Service attack against paypal, mastercard, and Visa websites because these sites stopped any money from being transferred to the wikileaks account.
So, clearly this is a strong internet community... stronger bonds then I have even seen in a school classroom. How can we get our students involved in perhaps more positive internet communities?
Try Science for Citizens (http://scienceforcitizens.net/)where you can look for a science project or research that you or your classes could contribute to. There are projects all over so you could have your contribute to a local project. Or, there are projects that can be done virtually like the Sound Around You Project where students collect sound recordings on their mobile phones and submit. There are member blogs on this site so you could require students to post blog updates on the project the class is working on.
Another site, Jumo has the same idea where you can search for the cause and then find ways to contribute. Charity Water has many projects that students and teachers can choose from. The only downside to this site is to login users must have a Facebook account which many schools block.
I believe pulling together this type of blended environment would solidify the bonds between the students and the internet community in a positive way! What types of internet communities are you involved in? What communities are your students involved in... do you even know? Find out and share here!
I used wikipedia.com, BBC News, softpedia.com and cnn.com for my research.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
The World is Flat Reflections
Recently I read The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman, quite a long book, but definitely worth the time! I love reading when all my emotions and thoughts are eloquently expressed and validated... and that's what this book did for me. I want to briefly (and I mean briefly because I will not be able to touch on the intricacies and nuances that Friedman delves into) describe the flatteners that got us to where we are today.
Flatteners - Events and other technology that has made it so someone on the other side of the globe can compete who was not able to be compete before.
>Berlin Wall Falling: This was the defining moment when countries were becoming more open to sharing ideas with the fall of communism.
>Connectivity: The internet, personal computer, the web browser, .com boom and bust, and fiber optic cables prepared the ground work for the tools that allowed for connecting.
>Work Flow Software: The standardization tools that allowed companies to communicate more effectively and efficiently from department to department as opposed to having different software in each department.
>Uploading: Adding your own content to the web and through community based software creation and solutions.
>Outsourcing: Influenced by Y2K, America depended on India for the large amount of work that needed to be done. And so companies learned it was more cost effective to utilize the software engineers abroad than at home.
>Offshoring: In order to stay competitive companies moved entire manufacturing plants and their companies to other countries where labor and benefits were much cheaper. China was at the center of this movement.
>Supply-Chaining: Stores now know when an item leaves the store and when the products need to be restocked. This influenced the need to have many suppliers all over the world to stay competitive in case one supplier was unable to meet the demand.
>Insourcing: Not only does UPS make deliveries they also store and package the products for companies. Now small companies who may not have the ability to compete with the large companies actually do compete. "That's Logistics" is there marketing motto.
>Informing: The ability to use a search engine to find answers to anything.
>The Steroids: Digital, mobile, personal and virtual - Computers chips have gotten smaller and smaller allowing for more mobile devices. We are also able to file share, make phone calls over the internet, instant message and video conferencing. These tools allow us to research anything anytime and eliminate travel to the library or other places to communicate information.
What are your thoughts? If you read the book, what am I missing? What do you agree or disagree with?
Flatteners - Events and other technology that has made it so someone on the other side of the globe can compete who was not able to be compete before.
>Berlin Wall Falling: This was the defining moment when countries were becoming more open to sharing ideas with the fall of communism.
>Connectivity: The internet, personal computer, the web browser, .com boom and bust, and fiber optic cables prepared the ground work for the tools that allowed for connecting.
>Work Flow Software: The standardization tools that allowed companies to communicate more effectively and efficiently from department to department as opposed to having different software in each department.
>Uploading: Adding your own content to the web and through community based software creation and solutions.
>Outsourcing: Influenced by Y2K, America depended on India for the large amount of work that needed to be done. And so companies learned it was more cost effective to utilize the software engineers abroad than at home.
>Offshoring: In order to stay competitive companies moved entire manufacturing plants and their companies to other countries where labor and benefits were much cheaper. China was at the center of this movement.
>Supply-Chaining: Stores now know when an item leaves the store and when the products need to be restocked. This influenced the need to have many suppliers all over the world to stay competitive in case one supplier was unable to meet the demand.
>Insourcing: Not only does UPS make deliveries they also store and package the products for companies. Now small companies who may not have the ability to compete with the large companies actually do compete. "That's Logistics" is there marketing motto.
>Informing: The ability to use a search engine to find answers to anything.
>The Steroids: Digital, mobile, personal and virtual - Computers chips have gotten smaller and smaller allowing for more mobile devices. We are also able to file share, make phone calls over the internet, instant message and video conferencing. These tools allow us to research anything anytime and eliminate travel to the library or other places to communicate information.
What are your thoughts? If you read the book, what am I missing? What do you agree or disagree with?
Monday, March 21, 2011
Instructional and Interactive Videos
For one of my courses in the NC State University Instructional Technology Master's Program, I created a short video called Dogs: A How-To on Food and Training. I posted my video on Viddler which allows commenting anywhere in the timeline of a video. I want to discuss the importance of integrating video creation into courses, the tools I used to create this video, my experience using Viddler, and suggest ways you can incorporate videography.
Equipment
The equipment I used was the Sony Handycam MiniDV Recorder and camera stand (borrowed free from NCSU Library) and a $4 Digital Video Cassette that had sixty minutes of recording time. I am fortunate to live near NCSU and be a student in order to rent the camera equipment. If you are not a college student check out your local or school library to see what technology they have available to lend. You can also purchase a flip video camera for around $100. For video editing Windows computers come with Windows Movie Maker and Macs come with iMovie. I have a Windows PC and used Movie Maker but I used iMovie at the NCSU library for a previous video and I definitely prefer iMovie. These are the basic tools that you would need to create your own video.
Video Tips
Before filming your video be sure to have the storyline in mind. I like to storyboard each scene on paper so I know what video footage I need to get. I also jot down the camera angles I want to use for each scene so I don't have to remember what I need to do each take to make it more visually interesting. This site from MediaCollege.com has the different shot types with images and descriptions. For sound and lighting, remember to eliminate too much background noise and always add more light! I knew my video was going to be dark but it turned out even darker than I expected or wanted.
Viddler
Viddler is an effective way to encourage 21st Century communication for students. Whether the teacher or the students post a video on this site it allows users to comment any where on the video timeline. The video could pose a question that users then comment on or users can comment on questions they may have. This site is free for non-commercial use with 500MB video limit.
Ways to Integrate Videography
Each of these videos could be student and/or teacher made.
Importance of Integrating Videography
Integrating videography can greatly enhance the engagement in any course. To do so properly takes much time, thought, planning, and resources. When a teacher creates a video for a course, students may be more interested and impressed. It gives the teacher the opportunity to tailor the video to their class needs, something mainstream videos can't do. When students are put in charge of designing their video storyboard, filming, editing, and presenting it puts them in charge of their own learning. This is all part of the 21st Century Skills we want to be encouraging students to learn.
Equipment
The equipment I used was the Sony Handycam MiniDV Recorder and camera stand (borrowed free from NCSU Library) and a $4 Digital Video Cassette that had sixty minutes of recording time. I am fortunate to live near NCSU and be a student in order to rent the camera equipment. If you are not a college student check out your local or school library to see what technology they have available to lend. You can also purchase a flip video camera for around $100. For video editing Windows computers come with Windows Movie Maker and Macs come with iMovie. I have a Windows PC and used Movie Maker but I used iMovie at the NCSU library for a previous video and I definitely prefer iMovie. These are the basic tools that you would need to create your own video.
Video Tips
Before filming your video be sure to have the storyline in mind. I like to storyboard each scene on paper so I know what video footage I need to get. I also jot down the camera angles I want to use for each scene so I don't have to remember what I need to do each take to make it more visually interesting. This site from MediaCollege.com has the different shot types with images and descriptions. For sound and lighting, remember to eliminate too much background noise and always add more light! I knew my video was going to be dark but it turned out even darker than I expected or wanted.
Viddler
Viddler is an effective way to encourage 21st Century communication for students. Whether the teacher or the students post a video on this site it allows users to comment any where on the video timeline. The video could pose a question that users then comment on or users can comment on questions they may have. This site is free for non-commercial use with 500MB video limit.
Ways to Integrate Videography
Each of these videos could be student and/or teacher made.
- Create a brief public service announcement: http://tinyurl.com/4anzdeq
- Create an oral history of a person relevant to your course: http://tinyurl.com/6few8dk
- Create a news report on local events
- Show how a current event is impacting the local area
- Create a tutorial
Friday, March 11, 2011
Internet Memes
Internet Memes... You know what they are but you may have not realized it! Remember those images with cute cats that had captions like "I made you cookie but I eated it". And remember how you could spend hours scrolling through them? If you know what I am talking about then you know what a meme is! The Lolcats (as in lol) meme was probably one of the most popular memes that the average computer user knows about. Here's some background information about the lolcat meme and when it was really popular: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/lolcats. Be sure to listen to my podcast below on this topic.
I want to focus on how teachers can capture the meme mentality in their classrooms. Because memes can be very popular, humorous and be related to curriculum it makes a great match for engaging students in the learning process.
Option A: Create a meme yourself and ask students to make spin off memes.
Option B: Have students create their own memes related to a class topic.
Option C: Show students a meme and have them write about how that meme ties into a class topic.
Things to teach along with memes include copyright use of images (use images with creative commons attribution license) and Paint or another photo editing tool. Finally, have a spot to display student work on a class website or wiki. This activity will have your students engaged and thinking you are "with it"!
I want to focus on how teachers can capture the meme mentality in their classrooms. Because memes can be very popular, humorous and be related to curriculum it makes a great match for engaging students in the learning process.
Option A: Create a meme yourself and ask students to make spin off memes.
Option B: Have students create their own memes related to a class topic.
Option C: Show students a meme and have them write about how that meme ties into a class topic.
Things to teach along with memes include copyright use of images (use images with creative commons attribution license) and Paint or another photo editing tool. Finally, have a spot to display student work on a class website or wiki. This activity will have your students engaged and thinking you are "with it"!
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