Comments for EdTech Bits http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/edtech random musing on technology, education, culture, and all things digital Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:08:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 Comment on Who’s Afraid of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and the Big Bad CMS. by Jake http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/edtech/2008/04/20/whos-afraid-of-blogs-wikis-and-podcasts/#comment-26 Jake Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:38:40 +0000 http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/edtech/2008/04/20/whos-afraid-of-blogs-wikis-and-podcasts/#comment-26 The fact that the web and web publishing has become a tool of the people is great for democracy. Do we really want to reserve this access to the corporations, the "talented", the "informed" or the otherwise "privileged"? Who makes those decisions? Yes, open tools and more contributors allows room for mistakes and imperfection (as in wikis), but as we've seen in the open source movement, the "wisdom of the crowd" usually prevails. I don't think greater access to the tools also will stop the art or artistic expression. It just means we'll have more artists. :-) The fact that the web and web publishing has become a tool of the people is great for democracy. Do we really want to reserve this access to the corporations, the “talented”, the “informed” or the otherwise “privileged”? Who makes those decisions? Yes, open tools and more contributors allows room for mistakes and imperfection (as in wikis), but as we’ve seen in the open source movement, the “wisdom of the crowd” usually prevails.

I don’t think greater access to the tools also will stop the art or artistic expression. It just means we’ll have more artists. :-)

]]> Comment on Who’s Afraid of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and the Big Bad CMS. by The Overseer http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/edtech/2008/04/20/whos-afraid-of-blogs-wikis-and-podcasts/#comment-25 The Overseer Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:04:34 +0000 http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/edtech/2008/04/20/whos-afraid-of-blogs-wikis-and-podcasts/#comment-25 Who’s Afraid of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and the Big Bad CMS? No one. The base idea regarding Blogs, Wiki's et al revolves around the idea of online communities. Enter the blog. Now everyone can have a blog. Now everyone can read about anything people feel like putting online. This can be good, or bad depending on the source and situation. We've seen in the news that there are lawsuits over people's blog postings... discrimination, slander and other naughties online. Ah the ever popular Wiki. Again - another online social community that has taken off. Another arena in which people can say and type whatever they want. The problem with this Web 2.0 revolution is that people are taking Blogs and Wiki's as gospel, fact... There are a whole host of people who are actively posting to Blogs and Wiki's to offer information, valid information, opinions etc. These people are the ones who started the Wiki movement. 'Lets offer an area where we can post some good information and make it easy for other to update and/or correct. The main problem there is that there are the other groups of people who are posting misinformation and at times they are doing this on purpose. This defeats the main reason why the wiki movement was started. Podcasts - I don't even know why that is included as something to be afraid of. The whole idea is offering another form of media to keep us all in the loop. I assume that there are those doobies out there that will try to corrupt that medium too... Web, Web 2.0, Web 2.5, Web 3.0 whatever it is. We are in a period of time where we are coming away from our parents' websites.... heck they probably didn't have one, but the single page that goes on forever bland, single font monstrosity of a website is becoming a thing of the past. Java, Flash, SWF, and other backend technologies are offering a whole new world of web based communication. Where once you needed extensive education and training to come up with a 'flashy' web site, now there are programs and templates that can do it for you in minutes. Why should I write code when I can just drag this box across the screen? Why should I learn how to write HTML when I can get a free blog from x.y.z online? Yes the Web 2.0 movement and the advancements in web technology have moved the threshold so everyone can do everything online... but what happens to the skill... the ambiance, the art of the web? We can share our opinion about things, about how we hate this company, how that teacher gave you a bad grade and how your ex-best-friend did whatever. A thing to remember in this new online world, Just because we can make flashy buttons and make things all cool and rant about whomever we want - does that mean we should? -=- The Overseer -=- Who’s Afraid of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and the Big Bad CMS? No one. The base idea regarding Blogs, Wiki’s et al revolves around the idea of online communities.

Enter the blog. Now everyone can have a blog. Now everyone can read about anything people feel like putting online. This can be good, or bad depending on the source and situation.

We’ve seen in the news that there are lawsuits over people’s blog postings… discrimination, slander and other naughties online.

Ah the ever popular Wiki. Again - another online social community that has taken off. Another arena in which people can say and type whatever they want.

The problem with this Web 2.0 revolution is that people are taking Blogs and Wiki’s as gospel, fact…

There are a whole host of people who are actively posting to Blogs and Wiki’s to offer information, valid information, opinions etc. These people are the ones who started the Wiki movement. ‘Lets offer an area where we can post some good information and make it easy for other to update and/or correct.

The main problem there is that there are the other groups of people who are posting misinformation and at times they are doing this on purpose. This defeats the main reason why the wiki movement was started.

Podcasts - I don’t even know why that is included as something to be afraid of. The whole idea is offering another form of media to keep us all in the loop. I assume that there are those doobies out there that will try to corrupt that medium too…

Web, Web 2.0, Web 2.5, Web 3.0 whatever it is. We are in a period of time where we are coming away from our parents’ websites…. heck they probably didn’t have one, but the single page that goes on forever bland, single font monstrosity of a website is becoming a thing of the past.

Java, Flash, SWF, and other backend technologies are offering a whole new world of web based communication. Where once you needed extensive education and training to come up with a ‘flashy’ web site, now there are programs and templates that can do it for you in minutes.

Why should I write code when I can just drag this box across the screen? Why should I learn how to write HTML when I can get a free blog from x.y.z online?

Yes the Web 2.0 movement and the advancements in web technology have moved the threshold so everyone can do everything online… but what happens to the skill… the ambiance, the art of the web?

We can share our opinion about things, about how we hate this company, how that teacher gave you a bad grade and how your ex-best-friend did whatever.

A thing to remember in this new online world, Just because we can make flashy buttons and make things all cool and rant about whomever we want - does that mean we should?

-=- The Overseer -=-

]]> Comment on Digital Identity, Social Networks and Learning Communities by mbolser http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/edtech/2008/03/22/digital-identity-social-networks-and-learning-communities/#comment-7 mbolser Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:50:03 +0000 http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/edtech/2008/03/22/digital-identity-social-networks-and-learning-communities/#comment-7 Are you sure social networking technologies are not connecting us even more, or at least in useful, meaningful ways not possible before? See http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/2008/03/19/finding-each-other-digital-natives-and-communities-of-interest/ Granted, online interaction is a newer mode of socialization and may seem foreign and alienating to some, especially those newest to it. My grandmother thought in a similar way about my mother's use of the telephone, which was very foreign to my grandmother: "Why don't you just go <em><em>visi</em>t</em> your friend? And <em>see</em> her while talking to her? Spend time <em>with</em> her? She only lives <em>two houses down the street!</em>" My mother's use of the telephone for socialization was disturbing to her. Yet many relationships, intimate ones included, develop, evolve and solidify through frequent telephone communication. Many put frequent phone contact on their top 10 lists of means of maintaining the type of communication required for a healthy relationship. Is online interaction so different, or is it just newer? The whole concept of a "digital identity" sounds perplexing and perhaps very alienating, but many of us already have one whether we want one or not. I can find out lots of info about almost anyone through google searches if I'm determined enough, even if that person never published anything to the web himself. The information that exists on the internet about you and the elements of your online interaction are parts of what make up your digital identity. If we all are now acquiring digital identities (whether we like it or not), isn't it better to learn to understand them, participate in the process, and consciously craft them ourselves? Are you sure social networking technologies are not connecting us even more, or at least in useful, meaningful ways not possible before? See http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/2008/03/19/finding-each-other-digital-natives-and-communities-of-interest/

Granted, online interaction is a newer mode of socialization and may seem foreign and alienating to some, especially those newest to it.

My grandmother thought in a similar way about my mother’s use of the telephone, which was very foreign to my grandmother: “Why don’t you just go visit your friend? And see her while talking to her? Spend time with her? She only lives two houses down the street!” My mother’s use of the telephone for socialization was disturbing to her. Yet many relationships, intimate ones included, develop, evolve and solidify through frequent telephone communication. Many put frequent phone contact on their top 10 lists of means of maintaining the type of communication required for a healthy relationship.

Is online interaction so different, or is it just newer?

The whole concept of a “digital identity” sounds perplexing and perhaps very alienating, but many of us already have one whether we want one or not. I can find out lots of info about almost anyone through google searches if I’m determined enough, even if that person never published anything to the web himself. The information that exists on the internet about you and the elements of your online interaction are parts of what make up your digital identity. If we all are now acquiring digital identities (whether we like it or not), isn’t it better to learn to understand them, participate in the process, and consciously craft them ourselves?

]]> Comment on Digital Identity, Social Networks and Learning Communities by xortiz http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/edtech/2008/03/22/digital-identity-social-networks-and-learning-communities/#comment-6 xortiz Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:40:36 +0000 http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/edtech/2008/03/22/digital-identity-social-networks-and-learning-communities/#comment-6 Digital identities are actually alienating us from one another, sadly. In fact, just using the term: "Digital Identity" is a shame. The most basic of people- to-people skills are lost through this phenomena. Just think of online dating for example. People use to actually interact face to face! This digital and often times dark, ARTIFICIAL identity should really have us shaking our heads. Digital identities are actually alienating us from one another, sadly. In fact, just using the term: “Digital Identity” is a shame. The most basic of people- to-people skills are lost through this phenomena. Just think of online dating for example. People use to actually interact face to face! This digital and often times dark, ARTIFICIAL identity should really have us shaking our heads.

]]> Comment on The Future of the Book by J.E.Mankin http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/edtech/2008/01/11/the-future-of-the-book/#comment-4 J.E.Mankin Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:24:37 +0000 http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/edtech/2008/01/11/the-future-of-the-book/#comment-4 It seems that digital copies of books are just the relief students’ need. By eliminating the bookstore and purchasing directly from the publisher, students will save time avoiding the crowded bookstores as well as reducing their expenses on books. This is great news for publishers should they decide to embrace this technology. According to halfvalue.com, about 20% of the cost of the book goes towards printing costs and another 5% goes to shipping and distribution costs. College bookstores earn about 20-25% profit on textbooks it sells. If they were to sell digital copies they could eliminate these expenses, lower their material cost, eliminate the bookstore, and pass some savings along to the consumer. This new technology seems like a win/win situation for both the publishing company and for the student. If students had the ability to search for a specific keyword or phrase in their textbooks, it would save hours of flipping through a paper book to find whatever it is they were looking for. Keeping all of their books in one device would eliminate carrying bagfuls of books between classes. This could also have a positive impact on the environment. When a publisher releases a new edition of a text book and students can no longer sell their old copy back, chances are it is going to end up in the trash. With a digital copy there’s nothing to throw away. This technology has enormous potential to change the industry. Let’s hope that publishers embrace this technology so we can move closer to the day where we can have everything we need in one device and the media which we consume is provided at a lower cost. It seems that digital copies of books are just the relief students’ need. By eliminating the bookstore and purchasing directly from the publisher, students will save time avoiding the crowded bookstores as well as reducing their expenses on books. This is great news for publishers should they decide to embrace this technology. According to halfvalue.com, about 20% of the cost of the book goes towards printing costs and another 5% goes to shipping and distribution costs. College bookstores earn about 20-25% profit on textbooks it sells. If they were to sell digital copies they could eliminate these expenses, lower their material cost, eliminate the bookstore, and pass some savings along to the consumer. This new technology seems like a win/win situation for both the publishing company and for the student. If students had the ability to search for a specific keyword or phrase in their textbooks, it would save hours of flipping through a paper book to find whatever it is they were looking for. Keeping all of their books in one device would eliminate carrying bagfuls of books between classes. This could also have a positive impact on the environment. When a publisher releases a new edition of a text book and students can no longer sell their old copy back, chances are it is going to end up in the trash. With a digital copy there’s nothing to throw away. This technology has enormous potential to change the industry. Let’s hope that publishers embrace this technology so we can move closer to the day where we can have everything we need in one device and the media which we consume is provided at a lower cost.

]]> Comment on Welcome Readers! by Mr WordPress http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/edtech/2008/01/08/hello-world/#comment-1 Mr WordPress Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:03:48 +0000 http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/edtech/2008/01/08/hello-world/#comment-1 Hi, this is a comment.<br />To delete a comment, just log in, and view the posts' comments, there you will have the option to edit or delete them. Hi, this is a comment.
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