I’m a little bit quiet..a little shy..and have never been good with words. My paternal grandparents are published writers, but somehow I never got the hang of putting pen to paper.
Needless to say, having to blog was like pulling teeth for me. It was intimidating knowing that other people could read it- people with eyes (!), people with views and far more intelligent opinions.. But once I let go of that (slowly but surely) it did get a little easier to ‘speak up’. I almost had to treat it like a personal diary really. An academic one, that is. There were even times where I simply thought out loud, almost like having a conversation with myself. (I’m not crazy, I promise).
The blogging experience, I have to say, was really worthwhile. And I am actually thankful for this digital ‘nudge’. I can guarantee I would have never otherwise started blogging; I never would have learned to embed or hyperlink or add links, and so on. As a reflective tool, it was extremely useful as it made me really think about the topics covered and also motivated me to read/research further. I am a visual learner so finding relevant videos and presentations on how to use certain digital technologies was really helpful in consolidating my understanding. I did find it difficult to comment on others’ blogs. Similar to the discussion boards on WebCT, I learnt so much from my classmates’ views and posts- I simply felt that I didn’t have anything of value to contribute.
Overall, blogging served as a gateway for me. It opened up the digital world and what it has to offer in our future practice. Having to reflect on course content, reading (and learning from) others’ blogs, receiving lecturer insights, trying out tools, discovering resources, all of these made the unit a success.
All things considered, I started this blog as part of an assessment- but looking back and looking through it, beneath everything (that I thought was) ordinary was something extraordinary. So thank you!
May 31, 2010
May 30, 2010
Looking ahead
I remember…
… my dad’s story of watching the moonlanding of 1969 on their brand new black and white TV
… as a little girl, playing tetris and interactive barbie-doll games on our first computer
… getting my first handphone in 1999, and getting my blackberry in 2009
… going from vcr’s to vcd’s to dvd’s
… listening to music on cassette tapes, to cd’s, to ipods
… searching the world wide web using ‘Ask Jeeves’ (the first search engine I was introduced to)
… having my first skype session with family back home
As mentioned and illustrated in the video 'Did you know? Technology', we are living in exponential times. And how anxiously thrilling that is (both exciting and scary).
Advancements in digital technologies will not stop, nor will it ever disappear. Technology is a human endeavour and personally, I am quite excited about how digital technologies will develop over the next decade. Will it grow as rapidly as it did in the last decade? Time will tell. As it is, Web 3.0 or the ‘semantic web’ as coined by Tim Berners-Lee, is upon us. With all things new and unfamiliar, I suppose the challenge is to keep an open and positive mind.
The advantages of digital technologies in the context of learning are continual. For instance, M-learning is becoming a fairly common tool with more and more students having access to mobile phones and i-touches. In point in fact, according to this updated “Shift Happens” video, the mobile device will be the world’s primary connection tool to the internet in 2020.
Augmented realities are also fantastic tools in making it possible to interact with our surroundings. This is very useful for instance in guided tours. Virtual worlds also offer endless educational opportunities, e.g. attending a talk in UWA in Second Life, The British Council, etc. Simulated environments in the virtual world give us entry to places we otherwise could not physically access, e.g. famous museums, ancient Rome, the inner workings of the human blood system, and so on. Educating children means educating them for the future. And with digital technologies, that future is now, and will only continue to build and expand.
If interested, have a look at Dr. Patrick Dixon's blog, specifically on the future of digital technologies. Also, check out his latest video as he talks about becoming a hologram at a conference where he is able to have a conversation between himself in the past (the hologram) and his then present self.
… my dad’s story of watching the moonlanding of 1969 on their brand new black and white TV
… as a little girl, playing tetris and interactive barbie-doll games on our first computer
… getting my first handphone in 1999, and getting my blackberry in 2009
… going from vcr’s to vcd’s to dvd’s
… listening to music on cassette tapes, to cd’s, to ipods
… searching the world wide web using ‘Ask Jeeves’ (the first search engine I was introduced to)
… having my first skype session with family back home
As mentioned and illustrated in the video 'Did you know? Technology', we are living in exponential times. And how anxiously thrilling that is (both exciting and scary).
Advancements in digital technologies will not stop, nor will it ever disappear. Technology is a human endeavour and personally, I am quite excited about how digital technologies will develop over the next decade. Will it grow as rapidly as it did in the last decade? Time will tell. As it is, Web 3.0 or the ‘semantic web’ as coined by Tim Berners-Lee, is upon us. With all things new and unfamiliar, I suppose the challenge is to keep an open and positive mind.
The advantages of digital technologies in the context of learning are continual. For instance, M-learning is becoming a fairly common tool with more and more students having access to mobile phones and i-touches. In point in fact, according to this updated “Shift Happens” video, the mobile device will be the world’s primary connection tool to the internet in 2020.
Augmented realities are also fantastic tools in making it possible to interact with our surroundings. This is very useful for instance in guided tours. Virtual worlds also offer endless educational opportunities, e.g. attending a talk in UWA in Second Life, The British Council, etc. Simulated environments in the virtual world give us entry to places we otherwise could not physically access, e.g. famous museums, ancient Rome, the inner workings of the human blood system, and so on. Educating children means educating them for the future. And with digital technologies, that future is now, and will only continue to build and expand.
If interested, have a look at Dr. Patrick Dixon's blog, specifically on the future of digital technologies. Also, check out his latest video as he talks about becoming a hologram at a conference where he is able to have a conversation between himself in the past (the hologram) and his then present self.
New to Bing
www.bing.com
Bing is a relatively new (just under a year old) ‘decision engine’ that I just started using. It claims to prevent search overload syndrome as it gives information that is more targeted and relevant. Although I am a loyal Google fan, so far Bing seems quite effective.
If you have time to spare, you can view some of the commercial ads for Bing below, which highlight information overload in a rather amusing way. :)
Bing is a relatively new (just under a year old) ‘decision engine’ that I just started using. It claims to prevent search overload syndrome as it gives information that is more targeted and relevant. Although I am a loyal Google fan, so far Bing seems quite effective.
If you have time to spare, you can view some of the commercial ads for Bing below, which highlight information overload in a rather amusing way. :)
Information overload
I’m pretty sure I.O.S. (information overload syndrome) is something that we have all shared at one point or another. (If you have time to waste here is a funny video about ‘I.O.S.’ in the business world)
I know I definitely have had many, many episodes of feeling overwhelmed by all the websites and articles I have open from multiple sources, especially when doing literature review assignments. (Shamefully, I used to print every article out, sort through them and categorise them accordingly).
In talking about dealing with information overload in class, one great tool that caught my attention was the social bookmarking tool called ‘Delicious’. See a youtube video on how it works and how to use it in the previous post below. It’s a great way to store and index your results and to discover others’ related webpages also. Outside of academic searches for university-work purposes, I don’t think I experience a lot of information overload. Really simple syndication (RSS) is something that I do actually utilise already.
On my laptop desktop I have an RSS gadget that feeds me headlines from MSNBC News. Similarly, now that I am on twitter (thanks to Mark’s invitation to join and follow him), I have chosen to follow other news sources. I have RSS feeds from CNN, The New York Times, etc. directly to my twitter account, which I can access on my smartphone. Surprisingly, (or perhaps unsurprisingly) I don’t feel the obligation to read every new feed or click on every link. The key is definitely finding balance in getting just the right amount of information that I need.
I know I definitely have had many, many episodes of feeling overwhelmed by all the websites and articles I have open from multiple sources, especially when doing literature review assignments. (Shamefully, I used to print every article out, sort through them and categorise them accordingly).
In talking about dealing with information overload in class, one great tool that caught my attention was the social bookmarking tool called ‘Delicious’. See a youtube video on how it works and how to use it in the previous post below. It’s a great way to store and index your results and to discover others’ related webpages also. Outside of academic searches for university-work purposes, I don’t think I experience a lot of information overload. Really simple syndication (RSS) is something that I do actually utilise already.
On my laptop desktop I have an RSS gadget that feeds me headlines from MSNBC News. Similarly, now that I am on twitter (thanks to Mark’s invitation to join and follow him), I have chosen to follow other news sources. I have RSS feeds from CNN, The New York Times, etc. directly to my twitter account, which I can access on my smartphone. Surprisingly, (or perhaps unsurprisingly) I don’t feel the obligation to read every new feed or click on every link. The key is definitely finding balance in getting just the right amount of information that I need.
Beware of online dangers
For some reason, the often quoted "With great power comes great responsibility" from Spiderman is the first thing that popped in my head in thinking about digital safety. Well I suppose it’s because we have been introduced to the (basically) infinite world of digital technologies, and how it can be used to support teaching and learning. Without a doubt, the internet is a valuable educational tool. But with those endless possibilities, come many risks and dangers also. As educators, it is important for us to bring these dangers to light and teach cybersafety.
According to this article from CNET, the top 5 internet dangers for kids online are data theft, malicious software, inappropriate content, cyberbullying and predators.
On the face of it, tackling these very probable risks seem quite challenging, especially in communicating this to children. The good news is that there are actually quite a lot of resources available out there to boost digital safety. For instance, ACMA has online educational resources specifically for the teaching of cybersafety. Activities provided are suitable for children in 5 different year levels spanning from primary to secondary level.
The same article mentioned above also includes this checklist which I think is pretty useful too— the general idea of ‘think before you click’ could be a great motto to teach kids, and one that could easily be emphasised both at home and in school.
According to this article from CNET, the top 5 internet dangers for kids online are data theft, malicious software, inappropriate content, cyberbullying and predators.
On the face of it, tackling these very probable risks seem quite challenging, especially in communicating this to children. The good news is that there are actually quite a lot of resources available out there to boost digital safety. For instance, ACMA has online educational resources specifically for the teaching of cybersafety. Activities provided are suitable for children in 5 different year levels spanning from primary to secondary level.
The same article mentioned above also includes this checklist which I think is pretty useful too— the general idea of ‘think before you click’ could be a great motto to teach kids, and one that could easily be emphasised both at home and in school.
May 25, 2010
Sixth sense
not the movie. but in reality! potentially.
A friend of mine shared this video with me a couple of weeks ago and today's lesson on how the web meets the world reminded me of it.
Part 1:
Part 2:
It must be awesome to be this curious and brilliant. Absolutely feast for thought.
A friend of mine shared this video with me a couple of weeks ago and today's lesson on how the web meets the world reminded me of it.
Part 1:
Part 2:
It must be awesome to be this curious and brilliant. Absolutely feast for thought.
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