Our Brains and Technology

I have been reading several articles on the interaction between humans and technology and how they affect and drive each other. Super interesting stuff! One article uses the term technostress which encompasses everything from technophobia to technoaddiction and everything in between. I even delved into a research paper on robotic systems in which a robot arm was connected to a pc and webcam (very simplified version). Robotic systems with sensory and motor skills are being currently being developed. They are capable of “learning” how to interact from observation during very basic experiments in order to help or cooperate with human partners. While research is still in the embryonic stages, those sci-fi movies with house robots and C3P’s might not be that far off. Already computers have removed much of the burden of performing everyday calculations and other mundane tasks. Information is much more readily available (I love when I pose a question in Google and it supplies how many seconds it took to answer me, as though it’s having a race against itself). I also read an interesting article by Matt Ritchel who covers Technology and Telecommunications for the New York Times and who was awarded the Pulitzer prize in 2010 for a series he wrote on driving and multi-tasking. Somehow he inveigled 5 neuroscientists into agreeing to accompany him for several days on a wilderness experience in Utah, disconnected from all technology. Their reactions were interesting even for the skeptics. I can’t wait for the day when my personal robot, does all the cleaning and cooking and homework for me! How about you?

New tools

Spent some time checking out this week's tools. I really liked Webquest and Edmodo and think that kids would really respond to it positively. Apparently, my daughter had been exposed to it 4 years ago in one of her high school class setting. Symbaloo, Google Maps and Fakebook were OK. Didn't much get into them although I can appreciate their applicability. There truly is an endless sea of tools out there to explore.

To be proficient or not to be proficient?

Tonight Dr. Dennen shared some insight on how she became so adept at social media and networking. Although that's not what she would say. First, she signed up to follow some interesting people and topics. She also subscribed to some professional journals and visited blogs of interest. Some tools were dedicated to personal communiques while others were more professionally focused. Soon she was learning tidbits from all kinds of sources and the separating lines became somewhat blurred. Finally, it took time. Growing a successful personal learning network cannot be artificially induced. It is a gradual process. That became evident when I tried to inject myself into the gardening community of practice I was observing. You have to be genuinely interested in a topic and committed to following along regardless of all the twists and turns. And you have to be willing to give it time.

Who Knew? Savoir Faire and other mini triumphs

This is probably going to sound retarded since it's such a basic thing for most of my classmates but I feel as though I just struck GOLD!!!! For the past several weeks (and prior) I've wanted to learn how to embed a link in a word. It seemed so cool, like something only someone who was really "pro" would casually do without thinking twice. Last night (seems like a week ago) at What Cafe, I asked Ji Yae if she would email me instructions on how to do it. However, tonight, as I was writing my previous post, I happened to notice the word "Link" on the dashboard. I clicked on it and a new world opened up to me!!! It took me a few tries but it finally worked. Ever see the excitement in a toddler's eyes when he takes his first steps on his own? This mini-triumph has led me to reflect on a much deeper truth. In the past, I have experienced a strong aversion to clicking on buttons I knew nothing about. I have even disliked watching other people click on buttons by way of experimentation. Tonight I learned that sometimes it's the best way to learn.

More Exploration and Discovery

Somewhere in the recesses of my memory, I have the image of a very young child surrounded by mountains of presents at Christmas. Instead of ripping them open and playing with them one at a time, the little girl just sat there, dumbfounded, mouth agape,in a state of confusion. Despite having to fight with feelings of being overwhelmed by the deluge of new tools we are introduced to each week, some of them surface as real gems. Today, I spent some time exploring WebQuest and found it impressive. I think it would be a great vehicle through which to present our next assignment. Now all I have to do is decide on the topic of instruction. In this class probably the hardest thing for me is wrapping my head around what any given tool is supposed to do and how it does it. Until I'm actually doing it, the concept is almost impossible to grasp. For example, when I first heard about Baked Alaska I couldn't conceptualize it. How on earth could you stick ice cream in a hot oven and it not melt? Then I tried it and witnessed it for myself. Then I looked up the science behind it and, although I couldn't relate to much of the terminology, I could accept and understand the concept. It's much the same with trying new tools in this class.

It's not for everyone

AS we draw to the close of week 6, I have come to some conclusions. Social Media is not for everyone. While I share in the excitement of all the tools that are available to us today with new ones developing all the time, I'm pretty sure it's not for me. Perhaps I'll feel differently after the class is over and the pace slows down. I'm definitely grateful for the exposure and knowledge I've gained. Certainly without Dr. D's prompting, I'd never be this far along. I was really excited about creating my first word cloud (lop-sided as it may be). I never thought of myself as a private person. Family, friends and even co-workers describe me as rather open with my life. Sometimes, I think, too much so. However, when it comes to putting myself "out there" for any and everyone to see, I am truly uncomfortable. Perhaps it's because of the lack of reciprocity. "They" are viewing me but I know nothing about "them". My pseudonym has worked very well for me. And, contrary to one of our classmates observations, I wouldn't dream of doing, saying, posting anything under a pseudonym that I would feel uncomfortable doing under my real name. For me it's just an added layer of protection. Of course, if anyone wanted to spend a little time, they could easily peel back the layer and trace the footprints back to me. However, I banking on no one caring enough to take the time. For a vacation week, this has been pretty stressful. I'm looking forward to a measure of normalcy returning now that we're not running all over the place and trying to keep up with school as well.

What Do Students Want?

Recently I read an article written by Lash Keith Vance and published in the Journal of Educational Computing. It was entitled,"Do students want Web 2.0? An Investigation into student instructional preferences". Needless to say, since I'm currently enrolled in a class on Web 2.0 and have been experiencing first hand all the wonders of this new phenomenon, the title caught my attention. The results were surprising. A survey of over 1800 students, ages 18-33 (the so-called millenials), revealed a strong preference for blended instruction utilizing both Web 2.0 or interactive, collaborative tools and Web 1.0, which encompasses the more traditional, instructor-generated material. In higher education, there was a strong preference indicated for using blogs as a learning management system and discussion boards for peer interaction. Although the article acknowledged the fact that the use of Web 2.0 for instruction is increasing, the author asked the question if this increase were possibly due to “well-intended” educators pushing in that direction rather than the students enrolled in their classes wanting it. Opinions, please?

Communication, reciprocity and the like

It's rather ironic that we're enrolled in a Web 2.0 class. Much of the excitement about Web 2.0, is connectivity and facilitation of collaboration. We just completed papers on communities of practice which required we observe, attempt to participate in and comment on the types of interaction we noted online. How many papers have we read marveling on how the web has bridged gaps between continents, cultures, language and time zones? We are as connected as we want or do not want to be. In this class, however, it seems as though we are experiencing "failure to launch". Perhaps, I'm out of the loop since so far, my attempts to tweet to the class hashtag has not met with much success. I've been told that Twitter can be frustrating that way and that I should continue to tweet until the post shows up. I have floated around and visited many of my classmates blogs and left posts on several. Other than our instructor, who's been dedicated to encouraging us all by leaving comments on almost every post, I've had two classmates view and comment on posts of mine over the past five weeks. Doesn't reciprocity count? Dr. Dennen has even addressed this in the class blog, yet very little "comment kindness" has resulted. Why not? At one point, I theorized that the learning curve for many of us has been rather steep which has left some of us with little brain power and time to spend online for simple social "interacting". Unless it's absolutely required for grades, it ain't happenin'! But I notice that everyone seems to be doing very well, tweeting a bunch (although I don't consider tweeting the ideal mode of interaction) and even going above and beyond the expected on their individual blogs. Some of my classmates have demonstrated amazing prowess technologically. Whatever happened to practicing what we preach or, in this case, what we're learning? Guess when all tech fails, we resort to meeting for coffee face-to-face. Looking forward to it for those who live in the 850.

Medical Marijuana - For or Against?

Hot Topic

 Hi Everyone,

I tried Storify tonight as my curating tool and really got into it.  I found Storify super easy to use and loved being able to drop and drag content to my story.  Even though my efforts are  somewhat rudimentary, I am pretty happy with both the outcome and what I learned.

Since I grew up in Jamaica, I was thinking about constructing my story around one of my all-time favorite philosophers and song-writers, Bob Marley.  But since the 2014 Florida Legislature recently made a decision regarding the use of medical marijuana, I decided to construct my story around MM instead.  I feel Bob would have approved.

Please visit and share your thoughts with me.  Don't miss the fun song at the end.  It's really funny and, if unnu need elp, mi wil translate fi yu!:)

https://storify.com/juvibug/how-about-that-medical-marijuana#publicize

Copyrights

I have often wondered about people sharing content on the internet.  So many great ideas are, seemingly, given away for free.   In his book, Here Comes Everybody, Clay Shirky writes, "Life teaches us that motivations other than getting paid aren't enough to add up to serious work.  And now we have to unlearn that lesson, because it is less true with each passing year.  People now have access to myriad tools that let them share writing, images, video - any form of expressive content, in fact - and use that sharing as an anchor for community and cooperation." (Shirky, 2008, pg. 105).
Take Wikipedia, for example, what a noble, selfless and useful endeavor.  (Of course, Wikipedia is a breed onto itself).

As I read Alm's and Edwards et al. articles on the conflict and contradiction that have been born and bred between copyrighting claims and social media tools that, for all intents and purposes, encourage participants to violate copyright laws. Pinterest, identified by Alm as a second generation platform, actually caters to user-copied content as opposed to user-generated content.  So does Twitter with retweeting.  Of course the point is that legislation has not kept up with technology.  Certainly the examples of judicial ruling on the cases Alm includes in the article seem arbitrary and confusing.

An interesting point cited in the Edwards et al. article indicates that "the growth in illegal downloading has been accompanied by a rise in legal sales of digital content (Andersen and Frenz, 2010).  The article also cites many content producers who actually want their content copied and circulated.... to some extent.  They view it as an additional promotional benefit.  But what about those who depend on copyright royalties for their support?  This issues are complex to say the least.


The dilemma springs from the fact that social media supplies us with the primary, cheapest (free is very cheap) and most effective ways for anyone who wants the content they create to "get out there" and be seen and heard.  However, it is a double-edged sword since the means they use to arrive at the ends they want also violates their very ownership of the content because no truly enforceable copyright control currently exists nor can the extent of the duplicating of copyrighted content itself be controlled .

Guess I'll hold back on posting my million-dollar idea on the web until the dust settles on the copyrighting and litigation issues.

Online versus face-to-face relationships

Participation in the butterfly gardening communities of practice left me with mixed feelings and thoughts.

Primarily due to the short period of time assigned to observing the COP's and the accepted newbie behavior, I was unsuccessful in becoming an active member of the community with which I tried to interact.  Yet in both COP's, whenever someone allowed themselves to become vulnerable and share their struggles and their humanity, I felt instantly closer to them and wanted to reach out instinctively.  This was a new experience for me since I did not know these individuals.  Also, since the sharing was done online I didn't even know what they looked like.

Typically, for me to be vulnerable with someone, I at least have to have gotten beyond the handshake phase of the relationship.  Yet in my work environment, in our neighborhood, even in the church we belong to since we moved to Tallahassee just under three years ago, it has become increasingly difficult to truly "connect" with other human beings.  Much of this I attributed to growing older and to having moved around so much in my life.  These were, undoubtedly, contributing factors but from what I hear other people saying, the way our society is interacting has changed in the last 15 to 20 years.

I used to love listening to one of my best friends, Jane, who celebrated her 94 this year, talk about when her kids were growing up.  All the moms in the neighborhood would meet each day for coffee and to socialize while the kids played together.  "Moms" became "stay-at-home-moms" to differentiate them from the majority of women  who no longer stayed at home with their kids.  Coffee and "visiting" in each other's homes has become a tradition of an age long gone.  People meet at Starbucks or Panera to chat.

When we first moved into this neighborhood, I made a point to meet as many of the neighbors as I could and had several over for dinner.  In two years, all but a few have moved away.  While I will admit that I currently work in one of the most hostile environments I have experienced in my life, it is still disappointing to see how guarded my co-workers are about their families and lives away from work.

What if this change in society that I perceive is one of the reasons why social media has met with the success it has?  What if it's easier and safer to share who I am with people I don't really know; people who live far away.  They (unlike co-workers and neighbors) are only allowed to see the very best side of me....the parts I choose to reveal.

That I should feel such empathy for people I only "knew" briefly online and who never knew I existed.  They allowed any and everyone who cared to read their reflections to see a vulnerable part of themselves that face-to-face people seldom do anymore. 

I wonder if anyone else experienced what I did?

But do you have something to say?

Blogging is becoming a national pass-time.  Everyone seems to be blogging about anything, everything and nothing. Today, I read an article on a survey of over 1,800 students.  Blogging was their "Numero Uno" choice as an LMS.  Simultaneously, many of these same students shared that they attached little value to the blogs originating with their peers.  INSERT REF (If Wikipedia can do it, why can't I?)

Yesterday, the participants in our class blogosphere (present company included)  received a shout-out from our Blog Coordinator, urging us to get out there and spread some blogging kindness by posting comments on each others blogs.  It made me wonder why we're not all jumping over each other with blog comments.  I have a few theories:

1)  The class is composed of either very tech savy students who create visually appealing and/or information-packed blogs with sophisticated set-ups or of students (like myself) who have lagged behind the techno-wave and are hoping this class will bring us up to speed.  In the first instance, visiting these blogs makes me feel like the poor country mouse or overwhelms me with links, graphics and expertise in general.  After spending time clicking on a few buttons and links, I'm too tired to bother comment.

2)  Keeping up with our own workload and blog requirements keeps us too busy to visit and chat with others about theirs.

3)  We don't truly value what our classmates have to say (surely not!).

I've always been of the opinion that unless you have something worthwhile to say, it's better to keep silent.  How many inconsequential, chattering idiots do you like hanging around?

P.S.  If by chance you wonder onto this blog by accident, the blazing honesty was just me thinking out loud.

P.P.S.  Check out this delightful TED talk INSERT LINK

Clumping Rice

All these articles, blogging, jumping from one social media tool to another in rapid succession and late nights at the computer is starting feel like soggy rice clumping to a spoon.  You just can't shake it off.  Clumping rice is not necessarily a bad thing, though.  Works great with chopsticks.

Take for instance the concept of the Pro Am.  "Pro-Am leisure is a very serious activity involving training, rehearsal, competition, and grading and so also frustration, sacrifice, anxiety and tenacity.  Pro-Ams report being absorbed in their activities, which yield intense experiences of creativity an self-expression.  Pro-Am activities seem to provide people with psychic recuperation from - and an alternative to - work that is often seen as drudgery.  Leisure is often regarded as a zone of freedom and spontaneity, which contrasts with the necessity of work.  Yet much Pro-Am activity is also characterized by a sense of obligation and necessity.  Pro-Ams talk of their activities as compulsions."  (Leadbeater and Miller, 2004:21 cited by Bruns, 2010).

Previously, I would have read this quote and thought Pro Ams a little crazy....as in "get a life".  Who chooses leisure activities fraught with frustration, sacrifice and anxiety?  Yet in many ways, my choosing to go back to grad school at this stage of my life is much the same thing.  I find myself in a job that is personally unfulfilling, at a time when my brain needs something constructive and creative on which to focus.  While I hate "crunch times" like this week as much as the next person, I'm addicted to the learning experience...to the becoming.  Life long learner - what a beautiful concept.

Then that clump of rice sticks to this one about Pro Ams and their possible exploitation by unscrupulous for-profit companies?  Of course, it's just like human nature to take advantage of someone else's generosity.  But then the latter is also human nature.

Changes to the fabric of our world are taking place so fast, who is controlling it all (is anyone?)  What can we or should we do to protect the intellectual contributions of so many who give so freely?  Is that what they want or do they not care beyond the act of creating?

Crowdsourcing

No longer surprised, I discovered yet another new term this week, thanks to our latest course topic:  Crowdsourcing.  According to Mason and Suri in their article, "Conducting Behavioral Research on Amazon's Mechanical Turk", the term originated with Howe (2006), "who defined it as a job outsourced to an undefined group of people in the form of an open call".  I guess, loosely speaking, much of what is being accomplished online these days is due to crowdsourcing.  Although the contributors to Wikipedia are not compensated financially, every time someone posts a stub, it is definitely an invitation or call to an undefined group of people.

The discovery of Amazon's Mechanical Turk was also amazing.  I am torn between feeling like an ostrich whose head has been buried in the sand for over two decades and the other extreme:  That of a kid at Christmas opening one gift after another!  How do people come up with all these ideas? What Amazon has created is the equivalent of an employment agency (a very efficient employment agency) x's 1,000 and then some.  With the initial capital investment for set-up complete, their operating cost (site maintenance, administration of payments received and made) must be quite low.  Amazon has managed to create a link between companies and research facilities seeking low cost labor and vast numbers of individuals who are seeking either employment from the comfort of their computer (did I just use the word comfort and computer in the same sentence?) or entertainment or both.  Sure there are hurdles, such as the lack of quality, committed participants who sign-up for the "job" but since the cost is negligible and the supply open-ended, it really doesn't matter that much.  The Mechanical Turk is the silent platform where numbers of employers advertise their jobs and potential employees shop for the one that best suits their fancy.  It's one-stop advertising, application, interview and hiring all bundled together.

American ingenuity at it's best!