Chapter 7 focuses on the social aspect of gaming. Players spend a lot of time in the game tyring to reach the next level. Most players today play with groups of people online. They form groups with whom they play the game. Some of the players spend more time interacting with their group members about a video game thatn they do communicating at school in small groups. In some video games, such as EverQuest, the players need each other to help them make it through each level. He shows how much information and knowledge can be gained through collaboration, communication, and networking with people in the classroom as well as connecting with others on the internet.
Again, we point to the fact that states MUST find a different way to assess student knowledge. They also need to consider that in today's very connected world, why should students memorize the formulas to calculate area, volume, and/or surface area when they could very easily find the formulas online in just a few seconds. We are stressing the importance of communication and collaboration among the students but yet we assess them in EXTREME isolation. The writer points out that learning is not only social but also distributed. In other words, more and more we let other people and even some technologies do some of our thinking for us. Again, why does the government think that students need to have all of the answers locked in their brains while they themselves will instantly turn to a computer or an intern to find the answer?? Do as I say, not as I do.
Kelly, Heather and John
Thursday, April 22, 2010
VIDEO GAMES Chapter 6
Chapter 6 focuses on how video games allow the players to choose to play the "good" or "bad" character. By doing this, the content in video games either reinforces or challenges the players' taken-for-granted perspectives on the world. One of the downsides of video games is that sometimes the player gets so "caught up" in the different perspectives that they begin to have trouble distinguishing between the real world and the game world, such as the Grand Theft Auto series.
Cultural models are images, story lines, principles, or metaphors that capture what a particular group finds "normal" or "typical". These models only capture a partial view of reality and they must be taken in the context of the situation. People can apply their own cultural model to any and every situation. Cultural models can be applied to video games as well helping the player see different aspects of the "problem". He gave the example of the 2 video games created after 9/11 both with the same "plan" but handled in very different ways.
Cultural models are images, story lines, principles, or metaphors that capture what a particular group finds "normal" or "typical". These models only capture a partial view of reality and they must be taken in the context of the situation. People can apply their own cultural model to any and every situation. Cultural models can be applied to video games as well helping the player see different aspects of the "problem". He gave the example of the 2 video games created after 9/11 both with the same "plan" but handled in very different ways.
VIDEO GAME Chapter 5
This chapter deals with a double-edged sword. To be able to learn, students need overt information. However, they often have a hard time handling it. So, they need immersion in actual contexts of practice, but they often find these experiences confusing unless they have overt information and guidance. Hmmm. Instead of choosing one over the other, we need to practice both in school. As students are immersed in experiments and problem solving, teachers should assess their progess and then give out overt information at the time the students need it. Then, the information the students learn will be useful to them. We know that students don't learn information as well when it is presented/taught out of context, so why do teachers continue to teach in isolation? Students need to see real world connections with the information they are learning. On the opposite hand, there needs to be a major shift in what information the state feels students should know and then how to assess the students, ie, box-and-whisker plots. I have an extremely hard time making a real-world connection to box-and-whisker plots that the students would find relevant.
Another key point made in this chapter concerned fundamental skills. In video games, players get to practice basic skills at the beginning of the game over and over again so they will learn them well. This is essential for game play. Players must be able to perform fundamental tasks well in order to master harder tasks later in the game. In school, students rarely get to practice a skill over and over again before moving on to harder skills. This is a key reason why students struggle with reading, writing, and math in general. Instead of immersing students in meaningful situations where they can practice a few fundamental skills over and over, we move them along through curriculum at a rapid pace. Our students end up mastering very little due to mile wide, inch deep standards. Sure, we expose them to tons of skills, but if students cannot apply them in real-world settings, have we really taught them anything?
Kelly, Heather and John
Another key point made in this chapter concerned fundamental skills. In video games, players get to practice basic skills at the beginning of the game over and over again so they will learn them well. This is essential for game play. Players must be able to perform fundamental tasks well in order to master harder tasks later in the game. In school, students rarely get to practice a skill over and over again before moving on to harder skills. This is a key reason why students struggle with reading, writing, and math in general. Instead of immersing students in meaningful situations where they can practice a few fundamental skills over and over, we move them along through curriculum at a rapid pace. Our students end up mastering very little due to mile wide, inch deep standards. Sure, we expose them to tons of skills, but if students cannot apply them in real-world settings, have we really taught them anything?
Kelly, Heather and John
VIDEO GAME Chapter 4
In general, people rely on past experiences to think about new situations. "One good way to make people look stupid is to ask them to learn and think in terms of words and abstractions that they cannot connect in any useful way to images or situations in their embodied experiences in the world. Unfortunately, we regularly do this in schools."
In school, we often teach students using generalizations. They may be asked to memorize certain words or phrases, but the students may have no idea how to actually do anything with these words. Often times, students cannot even carry on a conversation with these school terms, because all they know is a dictionary definition. Students need to be in situations where they use the information they are taught. Otherwise, it does not make sense to them, and they may never know how or why they will need it.
The author points out that when speaking with teachers about video games, he often gives them a video manual or strategy guide and asks the teachers how much they understand. The teachers often get frustrated. They can read the words, but they can't visualize the information in a way that makes sense. This is what happens to our students when we ask them to read a science textbook, for example. It's all just words. "Good" students can memorize these words and repeat them on a test, but it still does not make "sense" to the students. This is why many school children can pass test but still cannot apply their knowledge to real problem solving. We've got to make what they are learning meaningful by creating real or imagined worlds where children can have experiences to use and apply what they learn. Just like you can't learn how to cook by reading about it and watching shows on TV, you can't learn to be a scientist by reading a textbook and memorizing facts for a test.
Kelly, Heather and John
In school, we often teach students using generalizations. They may be asked to memorize certain words or phrases, but the students may have no idea how to actually do anything with these words. Often times, students cannot even carry on a conversation with these school terms, because all they know is a dictionary definition. Students need to be in situations where they use the information they are taught. Otherwise, it does not make sense to them, and they may never know how or why they will need it.
The author points out that when speaking with teachers about video games, he often gives them a video manual or strategy guide and asks the teachers how much they understand. The teachers often get frustrated. They can read the words, but they can't visualize the information in a way that makes sense. This is what happens to our students when we ask them to read a science textbook, for example. It's all just words. "Good" students can memorize these words and repeat them on a test, but it still does not make "sense" to the students. This is why many school children can pass test but still cannot apply their knowledge to real problem solving. We've got to make what they are learning meaningful by creating real or imagined worlds where children can have experiences to use and apply what they learn. Just like you can't learn how to cook by reading about it and watching shows on TV, you can't learn to be a scientist by reading a textbook and memorizing facts for a test.
Kelly, Heather and John
VIDEO GAME Chapter 3
Lessons we can learn from video games about teaching and learning:
1. Learners must be enticed to try, even if he or she already has good grounds to be afraid to try.
2. Learners must be enticed to put in lots of effort even if he or she begins with little motivation to do so.
3. Learners must achieve some meaningful success when he or she has expended this effort.
Video games provide an environment where learners can take risks, but real-world consequences are lowered. Children cannot learn in a deep way if they have no opportunities to practice what they are learning. Yet, at the same time, children must be motivated to engage in a good deal of practice if they are to master what is to be learned. However, if this practice is boring, they will resist it.
Passive learning-rather than active, critical learning-will not lead to much power and empowerment in the contemporary world, however much it may suit one for a low-level service job. Learners need to try skills that are challenging, but not "undoable."
1. Learners must be enticed to try, even if he or she already has good grounds to be afraid to try.
2. Learners must be enticed to put in lots of effort even if he or she begins with little motivation to do so.
3. Learners must achieve some meaningful success when he or she has expended this effort.
Video games provide an environment where learners can take risks, but real-world consequences are lowered. Children cannot learn in a deep way if they have no opportunities to practice what they are learning. Yet, at the same time, children must be motivated to engage in a good deal of practice if they are to master what is to be learned. However, if this practice is boring, they will resist it.
Passive learning-rather than active, critical learning-will not lead to much power and empowerment in the contemporary world, however much it may suit one for a low-level service job. Learners need to try skills that are challenging, but not "undoable."
Monday, March 22, 2010
What would Google Do?
As we read on the next section of the book "If Google Ruled the World", we felt like the book started to restate a lot of the information from the first part of the book. We realize that the author is applying his principles to specific areas of business though.
One area he talked about was publishing. What will the publishing world look like if it doesn't start to embrace the ideas that Google has developed and create a community around ideas, aritcles, books, and more? How can publishers and authors share the financial risk involved with printing and selling printed material? How can they work to share their information for free since that is a big part of the post Google world?
Another area he discussed was advertising and the need for a new approach here. Advertisers no longer have a large captive audience. How can they still reach customers using the Internet?
Our favorite part was on restaurants. We liked the idea of restaurants allowing people to rate their entrees for others, allowing people to help develop menus, and providing feedback. We felt that having suggestions " You might also like...." similar to iTunes or Amazon would be really awesome. What a way to connect people!
Last we wanted to share the author's blog on the book. He is using this to have readers build a community around his book!
Posted By Laura Schwiebert, Angela Hicks and Staci Tatum
One area he talked about was publishing. What will the publishing world look like if it doesn't start to embrace the ideas that Google has developed and create a community around ideas, aritcles, books, and more? How can publishers and authors share the financial risk involved with printing and selling printed material? How can they work to share their information for free since that is a big part of the post Google world?
Another area he discussed was advertising and the need for a new approach here. Advertisers no longer have a large captive audience. How can they still reach customers using the Internet?
Our favorite part was on restaurants. We liked the idea of restaurants allowing people to rate their entrees for others, allowing people to help develop menus, and providing feedback. We felt that having suggestions " You might also like...." similar to iTunes or Amazon would be really awesome. What a way to connect people!
Last we wanted to share the author's blog on the book. He is using this to have readers build a community around his book!
Posted By Laura Schwiebert, Angela Hicks and Staci Tatum
Monday, March 15, 2010
What Would Google Do?
The last several chapters that we have read in our book have talked about giving people control to use things and figure out what needs to be changed to make these things better. If you don't listen to the people using your products, you will loose them. We think that this is also true in education. If students do not feel that they are a part of their learning process, you will loose them. It is important to ask students what they would like to learn and how they would like to learn it. This gives them a sense of ownership and they will make it their own.
Mistakes that are made are leaning opportunities. This is a message that we should be sending to our students. We do not expect them to be perfect-we are not. Everyday we make mistakes, sometime in front of our students, and do we expect them to not believe in us anymore because of those mistakes? No, that makes us human. Just like them.
One very interesting fact that we learned is that Google gives its technical employees the chance to use 20 percent of their time to work on new ideas, new products, and new business. Wow!! Can you imagine the amount of teaching and learning things that we could search for, find, and produce with 20 percent of our school year. We feel that is the greatest drawback to the teaching profession-no planning and preparation time. Everything must be done outside of the school day and by then you are exhausted from doing your job.
Google says that we should first find problems and then create the solutions to solve them. We think that the schools systems are trying to do this, but going at a snail's pace.
Group Member: Anglea Hick, Laura Schwiebert, and Staci Tatum
Mistakes that are made are leaning opportunities. This is a message that we should be sending to our students. We do not expect them to be perfect-we are not. Everyday we make mistakes, sometime in front of our students, and do we expect them to not believe in us anymore because of those mistakes? No, that makes us human. Just like them.
One very interesting fact that we learned is that Google gives its technical employees the chance to use 20 percent of their time to work on new ideas, new products, and new business. Wow!! Can you imagine the amount of teaching and learning things that we could search for, find, and produce with 20 percent of our school year. We feel that is the greatest drawback to the teaching profession-no planning and preparation time. Everything must be done outside of the school day and by then you are exhausted from doing your job.
Google says that we should first find problems and then create the solutions to solve them. We think that the schools systems are trying to do this, but going at a snail's pace.
Group Member: Anglea Hick, Laura Schwiebert, and Staci Tatum
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Gadget (Chapters 7&8) discussion
The next part of this book tries to address complex issues such as paying for creative bits of information instead of everything being free. The author references a time early in the 80’s, when the skeptics believed that there would be a small minority of people that would write online for others to access and read. How wrong the skeptics were, instead today we have a world of millions of active voices online. We liked the idea mentioned in the book that bits of information should have only one copy and that they should have value tied to the work. It went on to suggest that if people want to use other’s creative ideas they enter into a social contract and pay a reasonable fee. We discussed that personal input would have more value in this structure and we believe that as a result the information out there that does not have value would not get the attention it seems to get today. We wondered if the useless, tasteless information on the web would take a back seat, since a hopefully a small minority of people would be interested in investing in these bits of information.
This topic becomes very tricky. It seems if we structure a digital economy it may require some government intervention. Many are concerned that it would be a violation of freedom and more like socialism in nature. They mentioned other systems that run through the government that we all benefit from such as; currency, military and the court system. Another example listed was the “Do not call” list that seemed to serve a majority with great success. The book questions whether or not it is too late for us to move from “open copying to paid access”. We all agreed that this would have to be a system that had global universal buy in. It’s overwhelming to think of how could we get to this and who would regulate it??
We then discussed the ideas mentioned to help make a universal transition. The first idea mentioned is called “Telegigging”. We thought telegigging was very much like a pay per view type option. You could get high end, real time interactive media for a price. People that are very interested would pay a fee to access the information. We also discussed that prices could vary based on the type and demand of the information.
The next idea was called a songle, which would allow you to retrieve music or a song with a small piece of hardware that would plug into a computer. It mentioned that you might be able to attend a party with your songle necklace that would include the music you purchased that you want to hear. It sounds very much like what an IPOD like device accomplishes today. The difference might be that the songle would be a more universal device and not proprietary.
The last part of the sections we discussed in Chapters 7&8 was the concern that the newest generation can’t seem to dump old ideas for something new and fresh. The book compared Wikipedia to the old concept of an encyclopedia and that Linnux is nothing more than a stable and secure Unix platform. The book suggests the progress since the eighties has been pathetic. We discussed how the book thinks that the Web 2.0 world seems to stifle innovative creation. We all think and believe that the web 2.0 tools have enabled us to go places that we would have never gone in our classrooms. As users of the tools we have benefited (both students and teachers). So, I wonder if the availability and ease of obtaining these tools has put a lid on our creative and innovative ability or simply opened the door to our ability to be more innovative and creative?
This topic becomes very tricky. It seems if we structure a digital economy it may require some government intervention. Many are concerned that it would be a violation of freedom and more like socialism in nature. They mentioned other systems that run through the government that we all benefit from such as; currency, military and the court system. Another example listed was the “Do not call” list that seemed to serve a majority with great success. The book questions whether or not it is too late for us to move from “open copying to paid access”. We all agreed that this would have to be a system that had global universal buy in. It’s overwhelming to think of how could we get to this and who would regulate it??
We then discussed the ideas mentioned to help make a universal transition. The first idea mentioned is called “Telegigging”. We thought telegigging was very much like a pay per view type option. You could get high end, real time interactive media for a price. People that are very interested would pay a fee to access the information. We also discussed that prices could vary based on the type and demand of the information.
The next idea was called a songle, which would allow you to retrieve music or a song with a small piece of hardware that would plug into a computer. It mentioned that you might be able to attend a party with your songle necklace that would include the music you purchased that you want to hear. It sounds very much like what an IPOD like device accomplishes today. The difference might be that the songle would be a more universal device and not proprietary.
The last part of the sections we discussed in Chapters 7&8 was the concern that the newest generation can’t seem to dump old ideas for something new and fresh. The book compared Wikipedia to the old concept of an encyclopedia and that Linnux is nothing more than a stable and secure Unix platform. The book suggests the progress since the eighties has been pathetic. We discussed how the book thinks that the Web 2.0 world seems to stifle innovative creation. We all think and believe that the web 2.0 tools have enabled us to go places that we would have never gone in our classrooms. As users of the tools we have benefited (both students and teachers). So, I wonder if the availability and ease of obtaining these tools has put a lid on our creative and innovative ability or simply opened the door to our ability to be more innovative and creative?
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
What Would Google Do?
These next few chapters in our book talk mostly about organizing information. Examples are ways that Facebook organizes friends and Craigslist organizes items for sell. It is important that things are organized and easy to find. Often if items are hard to find we give up on them. Google's main purpose is to find things easily. It is easier for Google and other sites to track what customers want and are interested in than it is for a store like Walmart to keep track of this. Everything is online and organized. One fear is that jobs such as the "middle man" may go away. For example real estate agents may not be need anymore because people can look for their own houses on the internet. We think that even though some jobs may be in jeopardy, there will be other jobs created that we don't know about.
One question that my group had was is Google does all of these things for free, how do they make money?? How do they do so much for free??
Thursday, February 25, 2010
A Whole New Mind
Meaning is the most relevant concept in the 21st century.
"I believe the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we are all seeking something better in life. So I think the very motion of our life is towards happiness." - The Dalai Lama
People who go to church regularly tend to live longer than those who don't.
Students have to believe in themselves in order for them to be happy.
Look at yourself at 90 years old, have you lived a fulfilling life?
Angelina Etter, Diane Ireland, Brooke Jennings, and Elizabeth Hill
"I believe the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we are all seeking something better in life. So I think the very motion of our life is towards happiness." - The Dalai Lama
People who go to church regularly tend to live longer than those who don't.
Students have to believe in themselves in order for them to be happy.
Look at yourself at 90 years old, have you lived a fulfilling life?
Angelina Etter, Diane Ireland, Brooke Jennings, and Elizabeth Hill
A Whole New Mind
Play - "Games are the most elevated form of investigation." Albert Einstein
21 century people spend more money on video games than they do on movies.
"A growing stack of research is showing that playing video games can sharpen many of the skills that are vital in the Conceptual Age." The book commented that even doctors could benefit from the GameCube.
In India a doctor created the laughter club used to create a sense of joyfulness. A doctor noticed that the patients got better faster when they laughed.
Laughter provides something that the left-brain can not. From laughter students are lead to greater creativity, productivity, and collaboration.
What games do your students play with or without technology?
It is important for us to find our inner child.
Angelina Etter, Diane Ireland, Brooke Jennings, and Elizabeth Hill
21 century people spend more money on video games than they do on movies.
"A growing stack of research is showing that playing video games can sharpen many of the skills that are vital in the Conceptual Age." The book commented that even doctors could benefit from the GameCube.
In India a doctor created the laughter club used to create a sense of joyfulness. A doctor noticed that the patients got better faster when they laughed.
Laughter provides something that the left-brain can not. From laughter students are lead to greater creativity, productivity, and collaboration.
What games do your students play with or without technology?
It is important for us to find our inner child.
Angelina Etter, Diane Ireland, Brooke Jennings, and Elizabeth Hill
A Whole New Mind
Elizabeth Hill, Angelina Etter, Brooke Jennings, Diane Ireland
Design Our school system with the STEM initiative has “designed” a STEM school with STEM philosophies in mind. The school would enable different types of learning and teaching in a non- traditional atmosphere. The classrooms would be a laid-back atmosphere instead of traditional rows of seats. There would be couches and chairs and the rooms would be convertible in order to enhance cross curricula collaboration among students and the faculty. Let your students create.... Story- “We are our stories.”Technologies tools to enhance narratives:Photo story2 SimpleStory BirdBlogCenter for Digital Story Telling Symphony- “Seeing the Big Picture”Problem SolvingBrainstorm
Art in Education
Music in Education Empathy - "The ability to image yourself in someone else’s position intuit what that person is feeling."
Leadership
Emotion
Spontaneously
Character Education
Guidance Counselor support
Creating cards for Veteran’s Day
Raising Money
Volunteering
Technology and computers cannot detect empathy. "But it’s hard to deliver Empathy-touch, presence, and comfort-via fiber-optic cable."
Empathy is a very important part of healing especially for the sick.
How could you be a true teacher with no empathy?
Design Our school system with the STEM initiative has “designed” a STEM school with STEM philosophies in mind. The school would enable different types of learning and teaching in a non- traditional atmosphere. The classrooms would be a laid-back atmosphere instead of traditional rows of seats. There would be couches and chairs and the rooms would be convertible in order to enhance cross curricula collaboration among students and the faculty. Let your students create.... Story- “We are our stories.”Technologies tools to enhance narratives:Photo story2 SimpleStory BirdBlogCenter for Digital Story Telling Symphony- “Seeing the Big Picture”Problem SolvingBrainstorm
Art in Education
Music in Education Empathy - "The ability to image yourself in someone else’s position intuit what that person is feeling."
Leadership
Emotion
Spontaneously
Character Education
Guidance Counselor support
Creating cards for Veteran’s Day
Raising Money
Volunteering
Technology and computers cannot detect empathy. "But it’s hard to deliver Empathy-touch, presence, and comfort-via fiber-optic cable."
Empathy is a very important part of healing especially for the sick.
How could you be a true teacher with no empathy?
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
NEW MIND
Whole New Mind opened up our minds to realize how important it is for our students to play, create, problem solve in other words utilize more of the creative right side of the brain. In order to compete with work that is going overseas and computers. Pink discusses the importance of working on the six aptitudes of being proficient in right brained thinking.Those aptitudes are: design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning. We thought how as teachers can we implement these aptitudes and what do they exactly mean in the right brained spectrum.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
What Would Google Do?
New Publicness: This chapter enlightened us about making yourself or your company searchable by google. If you do not make this possible then you are making it difficult for consumers to find you. The author called this Googlejuice!
We spent a lot of time discussing the fact that web pages must be simple and easy to navigate. If we, as users, were not able to quickly (about 30 seconds) find what we wanted on your site then we would move on. This means that companies must focus on CUSTOMER SERVICE in this aspect. It is the new wave of marketing!
We spent a lot of time discussing the fact that web pages must be simple and easy to navigate. If we, as users, were not able to quickly (about 30 seconds) find what we wanted on your site then we would move on. This means that companies must focus on CUSTOMER SERVICE in this aspect. It is the new wave of marketing!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
VIDEO GAME Chapter 2
The first thing we had to figure out is what semiotic and semiotic domain meant. Semiotic simply means "signs." Semiotic domain means something like "an area or set of activities where people think, act, and value in certain ways." For example, you don't think, act, and value the same ways when playing video games as you do when bird watching.
So, what can we learn as educators from watching kids play video games?
1. It's active learning.
2. They learn to experience the world in a new way.
3. They get the potential to learn and collaborate with others.
4. They develop resources like "cheat codes" and watch videos for future learning and problem solving.
5. Encourages using texts, video, and images to solve problems and reflect on the design of the game and design of both real and imagined social relationships in the real world.
Active learning involves three things:
1. experiencing the world in new ways
2. forming new affiliations
3. preparation for future learning
It's not always about the content...it's about the problem solving skills students gain. Why do so many people feel that no "intellectual content" equals no learning? No one would want to learn about basketball using a textbook with never having played or watched the game. "But we do this sort of thing all the time in school with the areas of math and science." Hmmmm...how true. (hanging head in shame...)
Need we say more...stay tuned for more "shame."
Posted by Heather, John, and Kelly
So, what can we learn as educators from watching kids play video games?
1. It's active learning.
2. They learn to experience the world in a new way.
3. They get the potential to learn and collaborate with others.
4. They develop resources like "cheat codes" and watch videos for future learning and problem solving.
5. Encourages using texts, video, and images to solve problems and reflect on the design of the game and design of both real and imagined social relationships in the real world.
Active learning involves three things:
1. experiencing the world in new ways
2. forming new affiliations
3. preparation for future learning
It's not always about the content...it's about the problem solving skills students gain. Why do so many people feel that no "intellectual content" equals no learning? No one would want to learn about basketball using a textbook with never having played or watched the game. "But we do this sort of thing all the time in school with the areas of math and science." Hmmmm...how true. (hanging head in shame...)
Need we say more...stay tuned for more "shame."
Posted by Heather, John, and Kelly
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Gadget--Regina, Yvette, Kevin, Denise, Donna
You Are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier—Chapter 1
I guess the author is spending the first 18 pages of this book pointing out that some programs, operating systems, and organization techniques (like MIDI, UNIX, and the file) have far-reaching effects on how things are done in the future that the original creators don’t foresee when they create them. Once systems are in place on computers, it becomes a monumental task to try to do things differently. I guess if I ever create something like this, I’ll try to consider what the ramifications are for 20 years and 100 years down the road…(KDH)
(DD)Ok –wow. If you can wait to page 21 you might get something out of this book. At least so far, this author makes pages of nebulous points that don’t go anywhere. It is a lot of hard work with very limited satisfaction to arrive at this author’s premise. What the hell is he talking about was my common thought throughout the first many pages. (RL)This has been a very difficult book for me to read and understand. Much is way over my head…(YS)Obviously an intelligent man, but appears to me to have had thoughts at random times during the day and night and put them into print.
I find it interesting that he spends so much time (and this is considering much of the book beyond the first two chapters) emphasizing that personhood is a unique quality to be reverenced and celebrated; yet, his worldview is founded on persons becoming who we are now through a process of billions of years of random mutations and other random evolutionary processes (and his version seems NOT to include a personal God or really any god at all). This seems like a paradox to me. Without some higher being (in my own view, the Christian God) responsible for the existence of humans in the first place, personhood seems like a concept that is extremely hard to define and somewhat irrelevant considering the blurred lines of both past and future in his particular philosophy of life. And yet he argues strongly for just this concept of personhood. I fully agree with his notion that people are unique, and we should not lower our standards to be happy with machines and technology that reduce us to a lower level, but I fail to see the cohesiveness of his passionate argument for personhood with his underlying presuppositions (KDH).
My favorite glimmer of hope came on page 19 when he refers to us as a “culture of reaction without action.” (19)
He seems to be criticizing the Web 2.0 world of anonymity. (He also briefly questions the future of copyright and privacy.) And he cautions that we should all struggle against being caught up in someone else’s recent careless thoughts. (22) (YS) I believe he is cautioning us against going with the crowd. When we look over the big picture, technology is only as “smart” as we (as a society) have made it. I think he embraces our individuality and the contributions that individuals can make.
His list on p 21 is the best part of the book so far. In part—
Don’t post anonymously unless you really might be in danger.
If you put effort into wikipedia articles, put even more effort into using your personal voice and expression outside of the wiki to help attract people who don’t yet realize that they are interested in the topics you contributed to. (RL) Is he suggesting blogging???
Create a website that expresses something about who you are that won’t fit into the template available to you on a social networking site.
(RL)I do like the idea of putting time in the creation of a video – not losing the concept of quality.
I also like the point about twittering simple external events – he says find a way to describe your feelings and thoughts – not just – “I’ve gone shopping” twitter.
(YS) Again, I think he is placing emphasis on our being individuals. He addresses our “personhood”.
I think he is criticizing a world in which we lose thoughtful scholarship and individuality in place of mob mentality. I don’t know if I agree yet. Have the masses EVER participated in thoughtful scholarship???? At least if one chooses to participate in Wikipedia, he has to worry about whether or not he knows anything. A lot of power in the hands of the people exists because of the web. That has never been true before.
Furthermore, technology has shaped and changed human experience, and tiny correct-at-the-time decisions by the people designing software have become huge influences on our existence as a result of “lock-in.”
His rant about Web 2.0 and his analogy to Maoists and Freudians is bizarre to say the least. His point I think???? is that the rushing headlong into a cultural revolution without careful consideration is dangerous. The current cultural revolution to which he is referring is the technology revolution
Final thoughts--
-- anonymity is dangerous
--lock-in makes us forget the lost freedoms we had. . .?????
--in the old days of the web —“People did something cooperatively, solely because it was a good idea, and it was beautiful.” (rather than because of the “classical motivators of people.) Chapter 1:
(DA) After spending entirely too much time on Chapter 1, here’s what I walked away with….
Lanier seems to be warning us that software often gets frozen in place and we find ourselves in a locked in state. I think what he is stating is that if we use existing software we will be restricted by the limitations of the software itself. He uses the example of MIDI software that was casually created by a musician to supplement the sound of a single keyboard. The software itself is limited in its ability and works much like a keyboard. It can go up or down but can’t musically create the notes in-between the two notes like string and brass instruments or even one’s voice. But this software only one of its kind has become the standard. He describes that once something has become a standard it’s close to impossible to change it. It becomes entrenched into part of the “defining unchangeable rules of our lives”. This is where it appears the software standards restrict any further human creativity that allows for improvement and growth.
Chapter 2:
Pg 27-28 He does have a point about some aspects of computer is “evolving into a life-form that can understand people better than people can understand themselves” – his example was Microsoft Word indenting, etc on its own. (RL)I don’t know how many times I have copied documents for my students only after which realizing that the numbering was wrong.(YS) This is scary when you really think about it. Think about the helpful tips in word….”were you trying to…” as if it’s reading your mind. Turn that thing off! I’m sure that programmers working on the software decided…wouldn’t it be neat if this happened and that happened….but it causes us to almost “rely” on the hints and tips too much sometimes.
I hate those auto-formatting functions as well (KDH)
So what the hell is a Luddite?--apparently it is a turn of the century term for someone who opposes technology. Interesting. This is my kind of guy-- aqlal about challenging the status-quo, but so far, he is hard to read--not a cool feature!
The original Luddite was Ned Lud, an embecile who broke two improved stocking frames at a factory. From 1811 to 1816 a body of English workmen endeavored to prevent the introduction of labor-saving machinery by burning factories and destroying machines and became known as Luddites(Websters Dictionary). The term seems to have come to mean exactly as you say, someone who opposes technology (KDH).
Pg 35 – Is it useful to portray computers themselves as intelligent or humanlike in any way? Does this presentation serve to clarify or to obscure the role of computers in our lives? Pg 36 – When people are told that a computer is intelligent, they become prone to changing themselves…blaming themselves when a digital gadget or online service is hard to use. (RL) I have been known to do this – I always assume I don’t have enough knowledge or experience with software/gadgets when things don’t work properly. I don’t know how many times I have asked my boys for help with new tech toys. The first time in AET Zone – I was frustrated and Blake easily made it do what he wanted. I don’t think I ever thought it was the designer’s fault – always mine.
(YS) I’ve been here before, too, blaming myself or lack of knowledge in regard to technology. I’ve even been told “OE”-operator error. Shame we aren’t born knowing all we need to know. “No Operator Left Behind” would be more suitable in our current times. (DA) But we must all remember without human input there is no information that can be added to the information systems of the world. I guess I'll just never forget those hours punching cards that allowed the running of a program on a computer and realizing that it was only going to be able to run successfully if there was no human error. The computer could not create the data nor could it fix the data without human intervention. I do feel that I have a lot more to learn about how to identify a reliable source out in the vast world of information. We give the computer the credit for being more intelligent but it seems that it is the vast combination of knowledge coming from humans from all parts of the world that create this intelligence. The computer is merely the vehicle we use to store and connect all the information.
This is somewhat off-topic here, but I am constantly amazed at how easily people are influenced by Facebook culture. I still don’t have my own Facebook account, but as I look at my wife’s account, I don’t recognize 80% of her “friends,” because they have changed their profile picture to a celebrity who they supposedly look like. Two weeks ago was “retro profile pic” week, and everyone looked like a little kid or a teenager I didn’t recognize. Everyone seems to just go along with these ideas without questioning whose idea it was in the first place … and these are just a couple of examples on Facebook. The author points out that people blame themselves for not understanding computers and software. In this case, they seem too easily influenced by the people who create the software and the people who make all these odd suggestions (KDH).
Chapter 3-Inner Trolls…Isn’t this real life? Think about a crowd of people. In every crowd there’s a leader that evolves. There’s also a “loner”. Isn’t it the same on the internet? I think that the internet makes it easier to “bash” someone due to anonymity. Sadly, for some, it’s a thrill to have fun at the expense of another who’s just a pseudonym on a site. Maybe we should question whether our lives have turned into a database. (DA) I'm hoping that the internet is helping introverted people find a voice. I hope for my students that this will help them learn to speak up in class and in other real life discussions. I also hope that online social communities will evolve into communities that will not allow people to be inappropriate. I feel that as the audiences grow so will the intolerance for inappropriate behavior. The author talked about quality over quantity. I hope that eventually communities will also demand appropriate grammar and spelling as well...maybe I'm dreaming!
I was glad to hear that he is not anti-Internet (p. 71). I think I'll post more about this chapter some other time. I'm getting really tired...(KDH)
I guess the author is spending the first 18 pages of this book pointing out that some programs, operating systems, and organization techniques (like MIDI, UNIX, and the file) have far-reaching effects on how things are done in the future that the original creators don’t foresee when they create them. Once systems are in place on computers, it becomes a monumental task to try to do things differently. I guess if I ever create something like this, I’ll try to consider what the ramifications are for 20 years and 100 years down the road…(KDH)
(DD)Ok –wow. If you can wait to page 21 you might get something out of this book. At least so far, this author makes pages of nebulous points that don’t go anywhere. It is a lot of hard work with very limited satisfaction to arrive at this author’s premise. What the hell is he talking about was my common thought throughout the first many pages. (RL)This has been a very difficult book for me to read and understand. Much is way over my head…(YS)Obviously an intelligent man, but appears to me to have had thoughts at random times during the day and night and put them into print.
I find it interesting that he spends so much time (and this is considering much of the book beyond the first two chapters) emphasizing that personhood is a unique quality to be reverenced and celebrated; yet, his worldview is founded on persons becoming who we are now through a process of billions of years of random mutations and other random evolutionary processes (and his version seems NOT to include a personal God or really any god at all). This seems like a paradox to me. Without some higher being (in my own view, the Christian God) responsible for the existence of humans in the first place, personhood seems like a concept that is extremely hard to define and somewhat irrelevant considering the blurred lines of both past and future in his particular philosophy of life. And yet he argues strongly for just this concept of personhood. I fully agree with his notion that people are unique, and we should not lower our standards to be happy with machines and technology that reduce us to a lower level, but I fail to see the cohesiveness of his passionate argument for personhood with his underlying presuppositions (KDH).
My favorite glimmer of hope came on page 19 when he refers to us as a “culture of reaction without action.” (19)
He seems to be criticizing the Web 2.0 world of anonymity. (He also briefly questions the future of copyright and privacy.) And he cautions that we should all struggle against being caught up in someone else’s recent careless thoughts. (22) (YS) I believe he is cautioning us against going with the crowd. When we look over the big picture, technology is only as “smart” as we (as a society) have made it. I think he embraces our individuality and the contributions that individuals can make.
His list on p 21 is the best part of the book so far. In part—
Don’t post anonymously unless you really might be in danger.
If you put effort into wikipedia articles, put even more effort into using your personal voice and expression outside of the wiki to help attract people who don’t yet realize that they are interested in the topics you contributed to. (RL) Is he suggesting blogging???
Create a website that expresses something about who you are that won’t fit into the template available to you on a social networking site.
(RL)I do like the idea of putting time in the creation of a video – not losing the concept of quality.
I also like the point about twittering simple external events – he says find a way to describe your feelings and thoughts – not just – “I’ve gone shopping” twitter.
(YS) Again, I think he is placing emphasis on our being individuals. He addresses our “personhood”.
I think he is criticizing a world in which we lose thoughtful scholarship and individuality in place of mob mentality. I don’t know if I agree yet. Have the masses EVER participated in thoughtful scholarship???? At least if one chooses to participate in Wikipedia, he has to worry about whether or not he knows anything. A lot of power in the hands of the people exists because of the web. That has never been true before.
Furthermore, technology has shaped and changed human experience, and tiny correct-at-the-time decisions by the people designing software have become huge influences on our existence as a result of “lock-in.”
His rant about Web 2.0 and his analogy to Maoists and Freudians is bizarre to say the least. His point I think???? is that the rushing headlong into a cultural revolution without careful consideration is dangerous. The current cultural revolution to which he is referring is the technology revolution
Final thoughts--
-- anonymity is dangerous
--lock-in makes us forget the lost freedoms we had. . .?????
--in the old days of the web —“People did something cooperatively, solely because it was a good idea, and it was beautiful.” (rather than because of the “classical motivators of people.) Chapter 1:
(DA) After spending entirely too much time on Chapter 1, here’s what I walked away with….
Lanier seems to be warning us that software often gets frozen in place and we find ourselves in a locked in state. I think what he is stating is that if we use existing software we will be restricted by the limitations of the software itself. He uses the example of MIDI software that was casually created by a musician to supplement the sound of a single keyboard. The software itself is limited in its ability and works much like a keyboard. It can go up or down but can’t musically create the notes in-between the two notes like string and brass instruments or even one’s voice. But this software only one of its kind has become the standard. He describes that once something has become a standard it’s close to impossible to change it. It becomes entrenched into part of the “defining unchangeable rules of our lives”. This is where it appears the software standards restrict any further human creativity that allows for improvement and growth.
Chapter 2:
Pg 27-28 He does have a point about some aspects of computer is “evolving into a life-form that can understand people better than people can understand themselves” – his example was Microsoft Word indenting, etc on its own. (RL)I don’t know how many times I have copied documents for my students only after which realizing that the numbering was wrong.(YS) This is scary when you really think about it. Think about the helpful tips in word….”were you trying to…” as if it’s reading your mind. Turn that thing off! I’m sure that programmers working on the software decided…wouldn’t it be neat if this happened and that happened….but it causes us to almost “rely” on the hints and tips too much sometimes.
I hate those auto-formatting functions as well (KDH)
So what the hell is a Luddite?--apparently it is a turn of the century term for someone who opposes technology. Interesting. This is my kind of guy-- aqlal about challenging the status-quo, but so far, he is hard to read--not a cool feature!
The original Luddite was Ned Lud, an embecile who broke two improved stocking frames at a factory. From 1811 to 1816 a body of English workmen endeavored to prevent the introduction of labor-saving machinery by burning factories and destroying machines and became known as Luddites(Websters Dictionary). The term seems to have come to mean exactly as you say, someone who opposes technology (KDH).
Pg 35 – Is it useful to portray computers themselves as intelligent or humanlike in any way? Does this presentation serve to clarify or to obscure the role of computers in our lives? Pg 36 – When people are told that a computer is intelligent, they become prone to changing themselves…blaming themselves when a digital gadget or online service is hard to use. (RL) I have been known to do this – I always assume I don’t have enough knowledge or experience with software/gadgets when things don’t work properly. I don’t know how many times I have asked my boys for help with new tech toys. The first time in AET Zone – I was frustrated and Blake easily made it do what he wanted. I don’t think I ever thought it was the designer’s fault – always mine.
(YS) I’ve been here before, too, blaming myself or lack of knowledge in regard to technology. I’ve even been told “OE”-operator error. Shame we aren’t born knowing all we need to know. “No Operator Left Behind” would be more suitable in our current times. (DA) But we must all remember without human input there is no information that can be added to the information systems of the world. I guess I'll just never forget those hours punching cards that allowed the running of a program on a computer and realizing that it was only going to be able to run successfully if there was no human error. The computer could not create the data nor could it fix the data without human intervention. I do feel that I have a lot more to learn about how to identify a reliable source out in the vast world of information. We give the computer the credit for being more intelligent but it seems that it is the vast combination of knowledge coming from humans from all parts of the world that create this intelligence. The computer is merely the vehicle we use to store and connect all the information.
This is somewhat off-topic here, but I am constantly amazed at how easily people are influenced by Facebook culture. I still don’t have my own Facebook account, but as I look at my wife’s account, I don’t recognize 80% of her “friends,” because they have changed their profile picture to a celebrity who they supposedly look like. Two weeks ago was “retro profile pic” week, and everyone looked like a little kid or a teenager I didn’t recognize. Everyone seems to just go along with these ideas without questioning whose idea it was in the first place … and these are just a couple of examples on Facebook. The author points out that people blame themselves for not understanding computers and software. In this case, they seem too easily influenced by the people who create the software and the people who make all these odd suggestions (KDH).
Chapter 3-Inner Trolls…Isn’t this real life? Think about a crowd of people. In every crowd there’s a leader that evolves. There’s also a “loner”. Isn’t it the same on the internet? I think that the internet makes it easier to “bash” someone due to anonymity. Sadly, for some, it’s a thrill to have fun at the expense of another who’s just a pseudonym on a site. Maybe we should question whether our lives have turned into a database. (DA) I'm hoping that the internet is helping introverted people find a voice. I hope for my students that this will help them learn to speak up in class and in other real life discussions. I also hope that online social communities will evolve into communities that will not allow people to be inappropriate. I feel that as the audiences grow so will the intolerance for inappropriate behavior. The author talked about quality over quantity. I hope that eventually communities will also demand appropriate grammar and spelling as well...maybe I'm dreaming!
I was glad to hear that he is not anti-Internet (p. 71). I think I'll post more about this chapter some other time. I'm getting really tired...(KDH)
VIDEO GAME: Introduction and Webinar
We are reading What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning And Literacy. The three of us got the opportunity to attend a webinar by the author, James Paul Gee.
The author looked at all types of games including violent and SIMS games. He made a point that it's not about the content of the game, but knowing how to play the game comes first. Students learn how to solve problems and content comes from actually solving the problems and/or playing the games.
The following are several quotes and comments that he made that we felt were spot on:
"Front the problem solving and make the people use the facts to solve the problems." He made this same comment several times. As an example, in World of Warcraft, students get hooked on the game then they want to understand and design.
"Games make you reflective as long as you have the community around you to make you reflect." Having this group of people to collaborate and reflect with causes everyone involved to problem solve together. For example, the Army trains many of its soldiers through games and a large part of the learning takes plac eafter the game when the soldiers are discussing the strategies they used in the game. Ask a seven year old about his gaming when he finishes and you will be listening for 30 minutes! Kids are excited about what they are learning during gaming and will talk about that for hours.
"Humans learn best when they care. The problems must be problems that they want to solve. "(Learning Communities - produce not just consume)
21st century teachers will need to design learning experiences!!!
Several examples that he gave of gaming "in real life":
Surgeons now are looking at screens instead of the patient when conducting their surgeries. As one participatant commented, "Would you want a non-gamer doing your brain surgery?"
A woman who failed geometry in high school became one of the best designers in Second Life because she "learned" geometry while using Second Life.
When a participant asked him what was wrong with education and pointed to these 3 things: skill and drill, teaching to the test, and the tests themselves.
Here is a link to the recording of the webinar session if you are interested in listening to the comments made during the hour long session.
http://www.learncentral.org/node/53213
Heather, Kelly and John
The author looked at all types of games including violent and SIMS games. He made a point that it's not about the content of the game, but knowing how to play the game comes first. Students learn how to solve problems and content comes from actually solving the problems and/or playing the games.
The following are several quotes and comments that he made that we felt were spot on:
"Front the problem solving and make the people use the facts to solve the problems." He made this same comment several times. As an example, in World of Warcraft, students get hooked on the game then they want to understand and design.
"Games make you reflective as long as you have the community around you to make you reflect." Having this group of people to collaborate and reflect with causes everyone involved to problem solve together. For example, the Army trains many of its soldiers through games and a large part of the learning takes plac eafter the game when the soldiers are discussing the strategies they used in the game. Ask a seven year old about his gaming when he finishes and you will be listening for 30 minutes! Kids are excited about what they are learning during gaming and will talk about that for hours.
"Humans learn best when they care. The problems must be problems that they want to solve. "(Learning Communities - produce not just consume)
21st century teachers will need to design learning experiences!!!
Several examples that he gave of gaming "in real life":
Surgeons now are looking at screens instead of the patient when conducting their surgeries. As one participatant commented, "Would you want a non-gamer doing your brain surgery?"
A woman who failed geometry in high school became one of the best designers in Second Life because she "learned" geometry while using Second Life.
When a participant asked him what was wrong with education and pointed to these 3 things: skill and drill, teaching to the test, and the tests themselves.
Here is a link to the recording of the webinar session if you are interested in listening to the comments made during the hour long session.
http://www.learncentral.org/node/53213
Heather, Kelly and John
What Would Google Do?-First Reflection
Laura, Angela, and Staci
In order to survive in a changing world, we need to change the way we think. This book is modeled after Google, who successfully did just that. The first step in changing their thinking was giving the control to the people. Another step is to utilize the blogs and message boards to find out what people need and want. Use this information to grow in a way that listens to customers and find out what they need. In education, we need to listen to students, teachers, and the community to find out what students want to learn and how they want to learn that information. Our hope is that the STEM initiative will do just this in education.
In order to survive in a changing world, we need to change the way we think. This book is modeled after Google, who successfully did just that. The first step in changing their thinking was giving the control to the people. Another step is to utilize the blogs and message boards to find out what people need and want. Use this information to grow in a way that listens to customers and find out what they need. In education, we need to listen to students, teachers, and the community to find out what students want to learn and how they want to learn that information. Our hope is that the STEM initiative will do just this in education.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Welcome ITC Davie Members
Please use this BLOG to post discussions about the books you are exploring. Be sure to title posts as WWGD, VIDEO GAME, GADGET or NEW MIND. Good Luck, John
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