Novel way for using technology.
By PETER LELONG, VINCE SUMMERS.
500 words31 July 2002Hobart MercuryMRCURY26English(c) 2002 Davies Brothers Limited
STUDENTS in years 5 to 8 are helping to write a great online novel
called Billy Bathtub.
As confidence grows in the use of online learning technologies, we are
seeing the range of activities made available for students continue to
develop.
The adventures of Billy Bathtub, supported by the Department of
Education, is a topical case in point.
Author Damian Morgan is currently engaged in writing a novel, online,
in collaboration with Tasmanian students during second term.
A teacher and writer for many years, Damian has been working with
students from around the state in recent weeks.
On the completion of the novel in August, Erica Wagner, a publisher
with Allen & Unwin, will be editing the novel for publication. The
contributions of the students who participated in developing the story
will be acknowledged.
The partnership of writer and editor in an online collaborative project
with schools around Tasmania is certainly a new and innovative way of
engaging students from years 5 to 8 in the writing process.
With the completion of four drafts of chapter one completed, the author
posted a number of questions on the forum to engage students to take an
active part in writing the story with him.
"I know this is the story of Will Reynes, but do I call him Will or do
I call him I?" Morgan asks.
One of the many responses which he received: "I think if the story is
going to be written in the present tense it should be written in the
third person, but if it is in the past tense, the first person. I
personally find stories easier to read if they are written like that."
The story revolves around the adventures of Will Reynes, who we first
meet in chapter one as he tries to rescue his window-cleaning mother
from a high-rise building, where she has become entangled in her safety
harness.
In chapter two, Will, is with his father in a frantic rush to the
airport, to meet an important scientist who comes complete with a large
ceramic elephant.
Students involve themselves in the writing of the novel by submitting
ideas through the Discover Education online forum.
The author responds to the suggestions from the students. This
interaction between author and reader in the development of a novel
demonstrates a very good use of the technology.
Schools can also engage in online chat sessions with the author by
booking time with him over the web. Alternatively they can invite him
to visit their classroom.
The Discover web site provides a link to download the software,
Microsoft Comic Chat, for the online chat segment of the project. Once
configured this program provides a secure online environment for
students to communicate with the author.
The story will continue to unfold with contributions from students
until the end of August. To take part visit the Discover web site at
http://www.discover.tased.edu.au/
billybathtub/.
Document mrcury0020020730dy7v000nc
Steffi Jones on 15 Apr 11This article is an assessment of the book 'Crowd sourcing' by Jeff Howe. An important example of crowd-sourcing is the way in which businesses can be created. As discussed in this article, the use of crowds in businesses is highly effective because they are inevitably the consumers as well. With the example of Threadless.com, an online clothing business that allows crowds to design, vote for and buy t-shirts, we can easily see how a business can benefit by not having to hire people to do the jobs they used to. Outlined in the article is the way in which crowds are more efficient than current organisations. 1. Making predictions These are the decisions made by the crowd, which seem to be accurate as they know how to appeal to the consumer market. 2. Solving problems With opinions coming from a crowd of people, problems are able to be solved more easily as a range of solutions can be offered and applied. 3. Brainstorming and designing Relating to companies such as Threadless, since the designs come from the same people as the website markets to, they are able to receive designs that are more likely to appeal to the consumers. 4. Funding With the use of a crowd, business have a larger database of knowledge available to them, as well as an excess amount of time. This is another example of how crowd sourcing is able to eliminate the jobs that have always been completed by professionals, by allowing people online to participate and put forward their skills to those who may be able to take advantage of them. Meyer, F. D. (2011, January). The Business of Crowd Sourcing. Retrieved from Crowdsourcings.org: http://www.crowdsourcing.org/document/the-business-of-crowdsourcing/2430
Elin Frustol on 17 Apr 11This is an interesting article which gives an insight of how companies can use crowdsourcing in their corporate strategy. The author presents his assessment on Jeff Howe's book "Crowdsourcing" from 2008. The term crowdsourcing was coined by Howe, thus a review of "Crowdsourcing" will be relevant and valuable as a resource for this project. Meyer (2011) presents four different areas in which crowds can be more performing or efficient than current organisations. Howe's work excels in opening the mind regarding what will be possible through crowdsourcing in the future. With the emergence of Web 2.0 tools, crowdsourcing has proven to be an efficacy tool more and more businesses are adopting. Kessler (2010) argues that asking a pool of people to create something can be faster, cheaper, and more accurate than putting a project in the hands of individuals. As the competition to get consumers attention increase, crowdsourcing can be used to better satisfy consumers' demands. For example, the public may be invited to develop new technology or carry out a design task which has been seen in the company Fashion Stake (Kessler, 2010). During the crowdsourcing process people can vote designers up and down, thus the consumers are deciding what items go from sample to retail. By doing that, consumers are giving the company an understanding of what they really want (Kessler, 2010). This is an example of what Jeff Howe refer to as "brainstorming and design", an effective tool where the consumers are given the opportunity to influence the output. References Kessler, S. (2010). 5 Creative Uses for Crowdsourcing. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2010/05/26/creative-crowdsourcing/ Meyer, F., D. (2011). The Business of Crowdsourcing. Retrieved from http://www.crowdsourcing.org/document/the-business-of-crowdsourcing/2430
