Our last class before the final project brought class full circle going back to our original brainstorming on web 2.0 technology. The first time Dr. Foreman asked us to come up with an image of web 2.0, I had no idea what it was (at all!) About five weeks into the class, I started to get an idea of the power or web 2.0 and had a complete "paradigm shift". The web could bring us together, rather than leave us feeling isolated. To me that this really the difference between web 2.0 and web 1.0. Since starting the class, I have become more engaged in social networking and blogging, and I have rallied the other trainers at my work to get more involved in possible using Ning or another tool to continue our networking between meetings. Our social networking subcomittee will be meeting soon. I am also working on lesson plans for both 830 and 800 classes that involve web 2.0 tool. This last class work was great. I was really struck by the difference between our two charts.

PB Wiki wins the Amy's Free Wiki Design Awards!

A Design Critique of PB Wiki

In the following summary, I am evaluating the free version of the PB wiki website, including the front page and as well as the free personal wiki page. The users of PB wiki may include the general public, business or education users who want to build their own wiki.
On Information Design

In comparing free wiki websites, I found PB wiki to be the most visually pleasing when compared to Wetpaint and Wikispaces. The layout of PB wiki is clear and concise. Spacing, paragraphs and subheadings are consistent and information displayed in the central column is displayed in small chunks of approximately equal size. Each chunk is accompanied by a screenshot of the concept being described. Subheadings remain consistent through the column in size and font. While the front page of PB wiki offers quite a bit of information, especially compared to the more graphic Wetpaint wiki, it is easy to read and sort out, due to the sharp and consistent layout.

Another visually pleasing aspect of the PB wiki front page is the actual PB wiki logo, which is a simple line drawing of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The logo is oddly appealing in that the peanut butter and jelly sandwich tends to have a good association with childhood memories. While I don’t know why PB wiki settled on this logo and name for their company, I do think that it is clever, using this as a logo seems to be saying something about how simple the website is to use, as using this wiki is: “As easy as making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

From just glancing at the front page of the PB wiki site, it is quite clear where you can go next. The right hand column contains three distinct buttons, which can take you to the next step. These buttons are: “Create a Wiki”, “View a Demo” or “Buy Now”. Because of the large buttons, it is very easy to find the correct path.

Once you get signed up for your own wiki, the functionality is still quite easy, but there are a few flaws. Adding and editing a page is easy to figure out since the functionality is apparent by just glancing at the page. Adding a link to a page could also be done fairly easy through a logical path. However, I found setting up a sidebar with labels to match the page titles to be slightly less obvious, although I was able to set up sidebar labels with some trial and error. The most disappointing aspect of the functionality, however, was that I was unable to find a help menu or search. When I was initially setting up folders in which to sort pages, I had some questions, but I was unable to find a help menu. In the end, I had to e-mail the technical support team. After receiving a response I was easily able to set up folders (it may have been user error), but I was disappointed that I could not find the help menu anywhere.

Editing features on the main wiki pages mirrored closely editing features in Microsoft office programs, so they were fairly simple to use. However, I did have some issues in figuring out how to adjust both font size and line spacing. Font size seemed to be only adjustable by a percentage rather than font size, and line spacing seemed virtually impossible to change, particularly when I was cutting and pasting text that was created outside of the wiki.

As mentioned above, the first impression of the PB wiki front page and the personal wiki that I created within PB wiki was that it was the most tasteful of the three wikis that I looked at. Wet Paint wiki’s front page for example, contains more graphics, most of which have very little to do with providing the specific information a user would need to set up a wiki. Much of the front page of the Wetpaint wiki is a display of popular wiki communities, for example “High School Musical”, etc. The purpose of the Wet Paint wiki seems more about joining communities rather than creating their own site. While the Wetpaint design appears flashier and less functional than PB wikis page, the Wikispaces front pages felt less professional in its design elements than both PB wiki and Wetpaint. The use of four or more fonts, poor line spacing between sections and poor line spacing between text and subheadings gives an scattered amateurish first impression. In addition, links to various paths are not presented in a consistent manner as they were on PB wiki.

As far as setting up a free personal wiki page, PB wiki and Wetpaint wiki are somewhat comparable in the page layout. Both offer a variety of page designs. Wetpaint wikis design choices are more extensive and slightly more complicated. In comparing the edit button and some of the other function buttons, I find PB wiki’s easier to locate at a glance, but the difference between Wetpaint and PB is negligible. Wikispace’s layout does not compare in design quality, due to both the resolution and size of the fonts used on the page. As a matter of personal taste, I find that the PB wiki design template and page layout is tends to be sharper and more concise due to the white space on the page, simpler design options and the simple logo. While all sites offer advertisement on their free pages, PB wiki advertisements tend to be less obvious and intrusive on the page compared to Wetpaint and Wikispaces. I did not see any advertisement while editing my PB wiki page, while I saw a column of advertisements on both my Wikispaces and Wetpaint wiki pages, which cluttered the page.

Every Day Design: The Vacuum Cleaner

Early in my marriage, my husband and I had a disagreement. He wanted to buy a $500 vacuum cleaner, and I didn’t. Specifically he wanted a Dyson. At the time, even I was taken in my persuasive Dyson marketing campaign, in which the designer of the vacuum cleaner, discussed his desire to design a vacuum cleaner, that unlike all other vacuum cleaners DID NOT LOSE SUCTION, EVER! As it happened my husband checked with his mum and brother back in England, who both owned the vacuum cleaner, and they both verified that the vacuum cleaner did not lose suction. EVER! So he promptly went out at bought the vacuum cleaner, without my knowledge.

To say the least, I had mixed feelings about this expensive purchase, but secretly, I was kind of happy that he had made the decision on his own. After all he Dyson was anything if not clever looking, with its colorful toy-like design and if it didn’t work out, I had no one to blame but him. In addition, my husband gleefully vacuumed for several weeks, sometimes, and I am not kidding you…taking it out to demonstrate to guests. During those honeymoon days, I never even had occasion to use it.

One day, my husband was out running errands, and I was in charge of the cleaning since we had guest coming round. For the first time ever I had to take the Dyson out and use it myself. For 45 minutes, I struggled to find, get this: THE ON SWITCH. I made repeated accusing and frantic phone calls to my husband’s cell phone: “Where are you? I can’t figure out how to turn this thing on! SEE, I told you. I knew we never should have spent $500 on a vacuum cleaner!”

After getting instructions on where to find ON button, I vacuumed the floors and carpets, and then wanted to hook up the hose with the furniture vacuuming attachments. I stared it and started at it. I could not figure out how it worked. Again, I called my husband, cursing the Dyson. "Why did we buy this thing? I can’t even use it." Then I knocked it over in anger and cleaned the bathroom instead.

Why the trouble with the high concept product that touted itself on its design value?

The Dyson conceptual model did not match my own conceptual model for a vacuum. Every vacuum I had ever owned turned on with a foot petal, but the Dyson’s switch was on the handle. Before I received instruction on how to turn on the Dyson, I repeatedly tapped different parts of the base with my foot looking for the on-off paddle that I was used to. In addition, when I did find the switch in the handle, the button was flush with the handle. (See picture 3) While it was clever and sleek, I was confused by another button that was near this button, which I repeatedly mistook for the switch.

In order to use the attachment and hose, the handle which is attached to a long metal hose, must be pulled out of a plastic collapsible sleeve and reinsert it backwards. If this sound complicated, that is because it is. This all in one design is clever, and compact, but not self-evident. The “mapping” or relationship between the hoses made no sense to me, since I had only had either upright vacuums or hose-like vacuums, never a vacuum that combined a hose and upright. Who would think to detach the hose and plug it in backwards to make it work? To get all this down, I had to have about three different lessons from my husband who: ACTUALLY read the manual.

To this day, I feel happy about the Dyson purchase. The suction is good, but every time I use the hose, I have to admit that I have to give a brief pause and think about it before I do it. I also have a little fit of anger about having to unwrap the entire cord from the handle, in order use or put away the hose attachment. This is why the Dyson hoses and cords can sometimes be seen sprawled across the floor for hours before I can get motivated to put it away. (See picture 1)

CEO Shares Stories and Meaning

Having just concluded Daniel Pink's book and our recent five frame story project, I am currently thinking about the relevance of story to provide context and meaning in education. Eugene Lee, Socialtext CEO, perfectly illustrated this key concept during his October 23 visit to our 830 ITEC class.

Mr. Lee interlaced his lecture with very specific personal stories including a detailed story his career path, which led him to job where he has found alignment between his passions and his work. Mr. Lee also told several humourous and engaging story about the use of Twitter as a social and work tool. In the week since the lecture, I have actually relayed Mr. Lee's Twitter stories several times, in order to illustrate a point that I was making regarding the importance of social networking.

Mr. Lee's great use of story gave depth to his presentation and this has given me pause, as I have recently been struggling with a Power Point heavy work environment. It should be noted, that while Mr. Lee did have a perfectly fine Power Point with him it was the personal stories that made the impression.

Social Media for Online Learners...

In her article Moira Hunter discusses online tools, such as blogs, wikis and social networks, the use of which, is currently reaching a “tipping point” among adult learners. Hunter points out that blogs and wikis provide adult learners with a relative ease of use, customize-able interface, and a variety of privacy settings that are important to adult learners. Social network blogs allow the learner to be more self-directed in their own learning, whereas the learner can set up their learning space, and put all the information that they need in one spot. This can be very appealing to the adult learner who generally has limited time, and very specific motivations for learning. The article points to several factors which influence the success of online learning for adults. These are: ability to manage the online learning environment, interaction with online content, and interaction with online peers and instructors.

This article really coincides with where I am personally in adapting online tools for my personal learning. Having never really used a blog before, I can say that the ITEC 830 blogging experience has been a key motivating experience for me. I feel like I can track my progress in class through my reflections, and I can use the blog to post additional information that has been meaningful to my learning. In addition, I have to admit that I really like to have the interaction with my peers through the comments section with. Hunter emphasizes several times in the article that adult learners are have concerns with privacy and confidentiality, which I can relate to. The class blogging experience motivated me to start my own personal blog to share with my friends. I really gave a lot of thought to whether I wanted a private or public blog, but opted for private, because of my own personal issues with confidentiality. I think this might not be a chief concern for younger generations who are used to using social networking tools.

Story, Symphony and Meaning

As I was reading Daniel Pink’s Whole New Mind, several concepts really resonated with me. These concepts were: Story, Symphony and Meaning.

Story: As I have recently moved from more technical training to professional and leadership development training, I am thinking more and more about how to make training concepts more meaningful through story. As I read through the chapter on story, I could not help but think about one of the most personally meaningful books that I have read in the past few years. This is Po Bronson’s “What Should I do With My Life”, which is also recommended by Daniel Pink in the last part of the chapter on Meaning. Bronson’s book contains short stories on how various people made shifts in their careers to find more meaning in their life. Each story is inspirational in its own way, and I recommend it to anyone, who is thinking about a career shift or wanting to get more out of their work.

Symphony: Daniel Pink defines symphony as “the ability to put together the pieces…to see relationships between seemingly unrelated fields; to detect broad patterns rather than to deliver specific answers; and to invent something new by combining elements nobody else thought to pair.” I think an aptitude for symphony is the most important thing for a curriculum developer to have. Someone who is able to help people see things, and patterns that they did not see before by making connections sums up the job of a training developer.

Meaning: My favorite quote is one that my father gave to me at a time that was struggling with what to do with my life. It said, “The secret of life is learning what you have to give.” As Daniel Pink proposes in his chapter on meaning, more and more people are trying to find purpose in their job, emphasizing true meaningful work over moneymaking goals. Having had past struggles whether to leave a higher paying job that did not fulfill my life purpose, I can certainly identify with this struggle. I have recently done research on generations in the workplace and have found that a common trait among the newest generation of workers is their strong desire to have meaning in their work.

Below is a picture and word story that I created to describe a time in my life where I was searching for meaning in my work. I was struggling between two fields, and could not make a decision, so I chose a third alternative. In the end, the third alternative helped me combine my two passions in a new way. I think this is a good example of a personal “symphony”. I tried to use a technique that was suggested in the book, so I wrote a mini-saga, which is an extremely short story, of fifty words no more, no less. My mini-saga accompanies the pictures. I have to admit that editing myself to fifty words was truly difficult, and I think I did give up some of the emotional value of the story. I am still struggling with connecting photos and story, but the process was a good learning experience, and I think combining mini-sagas with brief visuals is a good practice for making training and learning experiences more concise and meaningful. The voicethread tool was not very intuitive for me, but I think it has a lot of potential that I have not fully realized.

See my symphony mini-saga below:

Thoughts on Locative Learning

After reading through recent articles on Location Based Education, such as Adam Greenfield’s article on Location Based and Context Aware Education and listening to Leslie Rule’s lecture on Locative Media, I have to admit that I am still struggling with these concepts and exactly what this means for the future of educational technology. I understand that learning in right place and context can help to create a more memorable learning experience.

A recent example: Recently a childhood friend of mine quit her high tech job to go back to school and get a PhD in Oceanography. She credited the memorable eco-trips of our grade school days, where we did field work on location in the wood, finding our own samples to examine under the microscope as sparking an interest scientific discovery. Now thirty years later she is taking part in lengthier “ocean eco-trips” where she goes out on a boat, collecting samples for her studies.

Another example: This summer, my husband and enjoyed a cross country trip where we stopped in the Black Hills to visit both Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument. After the trip we returned home and raved to all our friends about the Crazy Horse Monument, which we found very memorable. Both the museum and the theater attached to the monument gave a complete story of the still-under-construction monument, and each building including sweeping views of the real monument, putting the dramatic construction story in context. We spent over three hours at the monument and remember almost every detail. In contrast, we also visited Mt. Rushmore, which is just 30 minutes away from the Crazy Horse. At Mt. Rushmore, we looked at the monument first, then briefly popped into a completely separate museum to find out about the history and information. The disconnected story did not peak our interest as much, and we left after 30 minutes, and can recall virtually no details of the monument construction story. While both locative learning opportunities were similar, the Crazy Horse Monument was viewed in context of the story of its construction, while Mt. Rushmore was viewed separate from its story. Crazy Horse was more memorable.

While articles and lectures on locative learning have made me think about the importance of location and context to learning, and have brought to mind a multitude of examples in my own life, I have yet to make the leap in my understanding of how ever changing technology will play a role. I think this is because of my own biases against portable technology. I am the kind of person who has a purposefully low tech cell phone, which I often lose for weeks at a time. I often find portable technologies to be an invasion of my private time, which I view as a hindrance, rather than a help. I am slowly changing my paradigm as I learn more about GPS technology and the convenience of iphone, but I have to admit that it may be a while before I can personally make this leap. Right now the context is just not there.

Jill Bolte Taylor Video - A Stroke of Insight

Jill Bolte Taylor is a brain scientist who dedicated her life to brain research, after being inspired to study the brain because of her schizophrenic brother. Bolte Taylor had a stroke at the age of 38. Because she was familiar with brain functions and the functionality of the left and right brain hemispheres, she was able to study the functionality of her own brain, through the experience of the stroke. Since Bolte Taylor had a hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of the brain, she had moments during the stroke where her left hemisphere functionality stopped working.

Bolte Taylor describes these moments of disconnection with the brain chatter of the left brain as "euphoric". She said that she had moments of expansiveness, where she could no longer define the boundaries of her body. She also explains that she had a sense of peacefulness. She describes the right hemisphere of the brain as being about the here and now...she said, "...in this moment we are perfect, we are whole we are beautiful."

On the flip side, Bolte Taylor describes the left hemispheres of the brain as the portion of the brain that separates the person from the environment. She explains what it was like to lose the functionality of her left brain hemisphere; the hemisphere that is responsible for categorizing and associating information from the past to possibilities for the future. In her lecture she describes moments where she had a flicker from the left brain, which told her that she needed to get help, since she was having a stroke, but then when she attempted to call for help she was unable to remember or identify a telephone number to call for help.

Bolte taylor concludes her lecture in discussing the possibilities for the world, if people were to choose to work more from their right hemisphere. She argues that we have the power to choose who and how we want to be in the world, and which hemisphere to work from. She suggests that if more people were working from their right hemisphere, more peace would be injected into the universe.

I was extremely interested in Jill Bolte Taylor's lecture, as I had already heard a very riveting interview with her on NPR's Fresh Air several months ago. When I was reading the first several chapters of Daniel Pink's "A Whole New Mind", I was actually reflecting back on the Fresh Air interview, because I think Bolt Taylor's description of the the initial onset of the stroke to the time that she woke up in the hospital, give an extremely well painted picture of the division between the two brain.

Bolte Taylor is able to describe the complicated systems of the brain very clearly in terms that non-scientists can understand. As she brought out the real human brain in the lecture, I clearly saw the division between the two sides of the brain. Bolte Taylor expands on her explanation with the use of personal story, which really evokes relateable emotions that anyone can understand, even if they have not experienced a stroke.

Bolte Taylor, as a well-known and respected scientist, has been able to interconnect science, with personal experience, and has created a message which has generally not associated with medical science. The idea of letting go of the left brain chatter is generally considered to be associated with alternative or eastern style philosophies associated with meditation, yoga, etc. Perhaps Bolte Taylor's creditability in the science world will help to bolster these well-known philosophies in the United States. Perhaps there will be more of an integration between "western" and "eastern" style philosophies.

I feel like Bolte Taylor's thesis is really enthralling, but for myself, like many people, I struggle with how to put this into action. I want to let go of the left brain chatter, but how?

Check out the link to the Fresh Air Interview with Jill Bolte Taylor under the NPR links on my sidebar! It is a good one!

Mobile, Wireless, Connected Info Clouds and Learning

The Emerging Technologies - "Mobile, Wireless.." by Mark Van't Hooft discusses the use of mobile and wireless devices for learning. The article points out the today's wireless devices along with the endless supply of emerging 2.0 technologies allow people to globally access personalized and customized information that can be controlled, remixed and accessed as needed. This data can be called up in a variety of different contexts. The article likens this to storing "information clouds" that the user can access when and how they want.

Because the hardware (mobile tools) and the applications (software) are readily available to many consumers, this situation can make it much easier for learners to customize their own learning "on the fly." The article points out that this is currently happening informally, but there are issues with developing formal learning utilizing mobile devices. An examples is given, in which a museum allows people to customize their museum experience using mobile devices. However since learners can only use the museum's mobile devices, this limits the learner to use unfamiliar hardware that can only be used in a specific context. In addition, the article points out that formal use of mobile devices in schools can be difficult because of the ability to keep devices current.

When I first read through this article, I felt overwhelmed at the suggestions that students would use mobile devices to go off and be responsible for their own learning. This type of learning feels scattered and and ambiguous to me. However, after thinking about it, and looking at my own learning experiences, I realized, that mobile and wireless devices are really just another tool, that could be used to compliment and further customize more traditional classroom education. They are a tool that could allow for more streamlined, customized fieldwork.

I started to think about one of my most memorable college educational experiences. While attending a study abroad program in Vienna, Austria, I studied art history, with a hardcore drill sargeant-type instructor (Those from the 1970s, think: Paper Chase). The in-classroom instruction was very, very traditional. Students were questioned in class and berated when they did not get the answer correct. With my bad German language ability, the only thing that saved me in this class, was that I could study by taking the streetcar to the famous Kunsthistorische Museum, and look at the actual paintings that I was studying. In this way, I took responsibility fo customizing additional learning that allowed me to practice identification, and do well in the class. (I can still identify a Breugel, Klimt, and Kokashka. No problem)

This was 17 years ago (before cell phones really). But what if I had been able to use my iphone to plan my museum visit, based on slides I had seen in class that day? What if I could go to the museum and take notes and pictures using my iphone? OR what if I did not live in Vienna? - What application could I use that would allow me access to the museum content and allow me to to organize my studying, even though I could not actually go to see the pictures myself. When I think about utilizing these devices and applications in this context, I realize, again, that these technologies can be a way to organize and make data more specific, rather than more ambiguous.

While the author points our a number of barries to using open technologies, including privacy issues, copyright issues, etc., these again, are issues that are brought up by many of the articles on emerging technologies. While the issues may be evolving, instructors have always had to deal with guiding students on ethical issues.

Class Reflections #6 - October 3

I have to say the experimental remote classroom could not have come at a better week for me...after spending almost a week sick from a terrible cough, it was so great to be able to attend class from home. If I had not had this option I might have missed class or I might have come to class, and coughed through the entire thing, bothering other people around me.

For the most part using the Eluminate tool did work for me, and I was able to follow class with the exception of a few times when the audio was garbled. I have been the trainer using a similar tool (WebEx). To use this tool, I actually had to practice quite a bit and run through the tutorial. I definitely think I if I was using the full functionality as a participant or moderator, I would need a tutorial and additional assistance on the tool.

I also think that although I got a flavor for the lecture, I really did miss out on being a participant. For me the online side conversation was good, in that you felt a sense of community with the other online listeners, but bad, because it did distract somewhat from concetrating on the lecture / presentations. I think that ultimately, this type of lecture would probably have the most success if all members were online, so that there was not a split community of people in the classroom and online.

Wiki Presentation

Here is a link directly to my wiki on wikis...Please add to my list of favorite wiki sites! Check out the links to interesting Wikipedia stories from the radio.

Wiki Wiki

Using Online Mind Map Tools

I just completed my 21st Century Learning Mind Map, which I have posted below. I am really hoping that you can read it, when you click on it. This was only my second time using mindmapping software (although I generally love to take notes using mindmaps on paper). I never used Cmap or FreeMind before.

I started off using Cmap, but actually found it kind of difficult to use. I could not figure out how to add sister nodes (or lists easily) and the process became a bit cumbersome. I ended up spending too much time trying to learn the tool and could not concentrate on the reading. I switched to FreeMind and found that it was much more intuitive for me. The only two slight frustrations for me was not being able to maneuver the child nodes and it took me a while to figure out how to edit.

All and all this was a very good assignment for me. I will continue to work on this skill so that I can do it faster, and will probably incorporate into future training classes.

21st Century Learning Mind Map

Class Reflections #5 - September 25

During our September 25 class, we had a remote lecture from Dr. Curt Bonk of Indiana University. I was really impressed by the seamless lecture, and the technology that allowed us to interact in real time with Dr. Bonk. The fact that our instructor had to operate a camera, PowerPoint, lecture all at once, really emphasized the need for instructors to be up-to-date on technological tools to get their content to the audiences who really want and need it.

A few fascinating items from the lecture: I really liked the example that Dr. Bonk gave about the lecture that he was giving, where the audience quicly grew from 10 to 100s (or 1000s) of people in minutes because of the use of several key technologies. I think that really summed up his points about leveraging the tools to create accessibility for more people.

We also touched upon gaming and about whether society would be able to turn away from "shoot em up" types of games. This topic was really interesting to me, as it has been something that I was thinking about as I started this program. I don't really like playing video games myself, but when I saw a friend playing Grand Theft Auto IV recently, I have to admit that I was struck with the enormous potential for learning with this type of technology. With changes in storylines, just think how we could use this technology to teach fundamental social, economic and problem-solving skills.

Another point in the lecture that I am still thinking about was the future example regarding students having more choices regarding how and who they will receive learning from. Dr. Bonk gave the example, of the student selecting their lesson from various teachers on various screens. Will there be too many choices? How will students learn how to make these decisions?

The lecture centered around exponential growth in technology, through electonic books, cheaper computers, more and more tools, but at the same time, how can we grow in this way without addressing energy concerns in an exponential way. Eventually we need a tipping point where where alternative energy sources grow exponentially, or I think these worlds will collide.

All and all it was a fascinating lecture, and I really appreciated that we could have this kind of remote lecture.

Flat Classroom Project: Outsourcing

I looked at the global outsourcing project part of the Flatworld Classroom Project.

From reviewing the instructions and videos created in this project, I think one of the main objectives of the project was to learn the concepts from Daniel Pinks book, specifically: Design and Innovation, Story and Emphathy and the Fun Factor. By producting a video that portrayed one of these concepts, the students utilized the digital storytelling technologies for their individual projects and the wiki technology for their collaborative writing and planning effort. The learning that took place on this project may have been the use of the a new web 2.0 tool, as well as the review and tie in of the Daniel Pink concepts. From looking over the videos, I did not get the feeling that students had spent that much time researching or analyzing their topics. It felt like more time may have been spent working on the actual video production. Most of the stories had little depth, beyond stating global observations and opinion. I do think that there may have been some learning in contrasting all the different stories on a single topic. It was quite interesting to have students from a variety of countries talking on similar topics, particularly about the effect of outsourcing. This topic is generally one that people see from their own perspective. I particularly thought it was interesting to see the girl attending and American school in China and how outsourcing had affected her personally, as well as the the other countries that were involved in providing the products of her everyday life. It was a very interesting contrast to the American girl, who might see much of their outsourcing coming from China. The juxtaposition of the two written opinion pieces from two American girls, one living in China and one in America was intersting. More in depth pieces and reactions from the team members would have been really interesting.

Blogs vs. Wikis

A blog puts one person at its center, the author. A blog can be a electronic diary, a place to critique things, or even a place to practice journalism. The idea behind a blog is that the author has control of the content, and the author has control over who reads it, by either creating public or private settings. In general, blogs are controlled or managed by one person, and may take reader feedback by way of comments or feedback on surveys etc. While more sophisticated blogs can be arranged in a variety of ways, blog entries generally appear sequentionally.

The wiki can also be centered around one author, who has control of the content and security settings. The author may use the wiki to arrange information on different pages and folders. When compared to a blog, wikis create more choices for organizing content. In addition wikis are more collaborative then blogs, generally having multiple authors and the general philopsohy that information will constantly improve, because of this collaborative effort.

Emerging Technologies: Growing Up With Google

In this article, "Growing Up with Google - What it means to education", author Diana G. Oblinger describes the values of the net generation and contrasts then against the values of older generations. Net generation students, born after 1982 - see the internet and Web 2.0 technology as an organization tool, which helps them to manage their relationships and lives. They value getting their information fast, and place a high value on convenience, collaboration and creation, preferring experential learning to book and lecture style learning. Due to the expansion of multimedia options, the Net Generation is accustomed to visual learning.

While the article describes the general values of the Net Generation, it also warns against making assumptions or "sterotyping" the generation, warning that not all Netters have an equal level of comfort with all technology tools or even a equal desire to incorporate technology into their learning. Furthermore, skills and equipment vary widely.

The author concludes (and I agree) in suggesting that educators need to help students to confront ethical and privacy issues that arise from the fast paced use of the internet, and continue to emphasize the basics such a critical thinking and information analysis. In other words, while the tools may change, and the values of the student align with the new systems, it is the teacher's job to find new ways to help students make decisions around age old ethical issues.

Reflections on September 18 Class

My understanding on how to use wikis was further strengthened by our guest speaker's examples. While I was thinking of using a wiki for collaborative work, I had not thought of it as a way to organize personal information (which is why I had some difficulty with the wiki assignment.) After seeing the examples, I tried using a new wiki site and started doing an experimental wiki for work, to organize some reference materials that I would like to share cross-departmentally. This class was quite inspiring for me.

I am loving Common Craft videos!

The Common Craft videos are genius. What a great example of how Web 2.0 technologies can be used as a teaching tool! In my head, I am writing these short, instructional videos on a multitude of subjects. Last week at work I had to teach supervisors how to do performance planning in a four hour time period. After viewing the common craft videos, all I could think about was how I could get it down to a three minutes with some quick visuals. Maybe this could be a great way to follow up to classroom training.

Emerging Technologies

This week's article was an extension on the articles we have been reading about connectivism, but the article explored how specific technologies are currently changing the learning environment, by placing high value on collaboration, design and invention. The article also focused on the role of the instructor in the world of emerging technologies. The point was made that the role of the instructor would evolve from a lecture mode into a role of the facilitator, "placing the instructor alongside the students instead of in front of the classroom" as learners take more control over creating their own content.

I found this article to be more of the perspective I was searching while reading and discussing last week's assignments on connectivism, since it really delved into the need for the instructor to guide collaborative learning by providing structure, editing and other guidelines. This week, I read further about the "Net Generation" and how they view learning and communication, and I realized that while many of the values of this generation are evolving, the principles are unchanged. Teachers still need to create ways to reach people with different learning styles and different levels of technological knowledge. Educators must help students develop ethics to deal with issues with intellectual property rights, plagarism, and privacy etc. Educators must help students to develop core skills in critical thinking and analytical writing. These are the core skills and issues that teachers always had to deal with, however the context is changing fast.

Class Reflections #3 - September 11

In class I brought up my concerns about connectivist theory and how it would influence education and the style of instruction. I felt concerned that if students write and learn in short snippets and quick research on the web, that they would be missing out on the "basics" of developing in depth writing and analytical skills. Someone in class had a great response, reminding me that it is a combination of learning theories that need to be used and not just one. That said, as a student, I felt more comfortable in class tonight, as I feel I have been struggling a bit with embracing a new learning style myself, of listening and participating in lecture and being linked to the Internet, etc. at the same time. The addition of the class agenda was really helpful to me, because I was able to follow along very well. I also really enjoyed all the presentations, because I felt like I got a more in depth look at some of the web 2.0 tools that had previously quickly passed me by. I also liked the in class blogging assignment. I have really enjoyed blogging and making comments already, but the activity reminded me to keep things concise and brief (a struggle for me.)

Connectivism and Siemens Part 2

In George Siemens article from the 2006 global summit, he outlines his definition of his connectivist theory. He calls it chaotic, continual, complex. He also says that "no single entity can know all the required elements". When I first read Siemens last week, I was struggling with the role of the instructor in this world, and I started to feel that in the connectivist world, maybe the role of the instructor or trainer would be diminished, but after reading further about this theory, I feel the opposite is true. Now more than ever, I think it will be important for the instructors to help their students make sense of the "messy chaotic" world. It will be their role to continue to help students analyze, organize, and make sense of all the content that is available. Perhaps now more than ever the "basic" skills will be important.

Connectivism

Many of the points that George Siemen's makes in his article regarding organizational learning rang true to me. The principles of connectivism such as: "Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinion" and "Nuturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning" are key points that I have been thinking, as I have been brainstorming ways that web tools could be used in organizational learning. 

For example, as I was discussing wikis with a colleague this week, he considered that one way to use a wiki would be as a change management tool; a way for change targets (those responsible or implementing a change) to communicate back to the change initiators (generally the high level managers), allowing for continous feedback and improvement during all stages of a change process. Organizations who do not catch on to this concept are doomed to be less competitive with products, services and retaining staff. I am also preoccupied with the idea of figuring out a way for the trainers in my organization to break out of their departmental silos by working on  connections between the trainersthrough use of how-to wikis and online trainer networks, as Siemens noted "...knowledge rests in diversity of opinion" and we can't get the diversity if we don't connect the trainer nodes. 

What About My Generation?

During our September 4 class, I have to admit that I bounced back in fourth in my mind between total excitement about trying these tools in my own classroom, and verging on frustration with my own ability to use the tools while I was a student in the classroom. Listening to lecture while on my laptop: taking notes, clicking from site to site, and referencing ilearn was a stretch for me. During my last graduate school experience (over 8 years ago), while about 50% of the students clicked away on their laptops, I rarely brought a laptop to class, much preferring to take nicely outlined notes, or draw a mind map while listening to the lecture. At that time there wasn't even an option to link up to the wireless Internet. Using Web 2.0 tools allow us to multi-task, and to quickly link to new topics of interest. For me this seems such a great way to do individual learning, but for me the stretch is taking this to the classroom. My current work project is developing a class on managing generations in the workplace. I can't help but think about how this newer style of classroom learning will work for people of varying generational biases and learning style preferences. I am thinking about how to make this bridge for myself, and for the people that I might be training in the future.

Paradigm Shift: Open Space Online

I have come a long way this week. A reluctant online networker, I joined Facebook and Linked-In this summer to get ready for school and explore life from a Gen Y perspective. I even started a blog, but didn't do much posting. I have to admit, I was hooked by Facebook, but I was still not seeing the educational or the business purpose, but this week, after joining ilearn, starting my blog, and viewing the wiki video, I think I felt my paradigm shift. 

Long frustrated by the silo mentality of City government, I am starting to thinking about a few applications. Trainers across the City meet formally only once a year for an open space forum, where we bring up topics that we want to discuss. The open space forum is basically a well organized free-for-all. Those who have a topic may lead. Those who want to join a discussion can. Those who want to, can float from discussion to discussion. Those who want to carry on discussion or work after the forum, may do so. The right people who are supposed to be there are there. Does this sound familiar?

Last year, I led a topic re: my concerns about the need for a forum that could work on a continuing basis. Some people were interested, but no one was committed.  And truthfully, I had no solutions. How about this for a solution? Open space online? I like it. 

Creator vs. the MBA

I come to my first week in the ITEC program with excitement and anxiety, and like most new things I know that I will probably fluctuate between the two feelings for at least a few weeks. One concept that captured my interest was 21st Century Skills beyond the analytical. Storytelling, design, empathy were some of the ideas listed by Professor Foreman. When I heard this list, my anxiety level decreased and my excitement level increased. Storytelling, design, empathy. These are areas I can feel passionate about. The MBA degree, not so much. The creator wins versus the MBA. Can't wait to read "A Whole New Mind".