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Helen Maynard

Students Slog through College, Don't Gain in Critical Skills - 4 views

seattletimes.nwsource.com/...3970569_collegelearning19.html

#EDUC251

shared by Helen Maynard on 19 Jan 11 - No Cached
  • Helen Maynard on 19 Jan 11
     
    In today's Seattle Times, A3 section - interesting article which followed over 2,000 US students from 2005 to 2009. 45% made no significant improvements in their critical thinking, reasoning or writing skills during first 2 years of study. After completing 4 years, 36 % showed no significant gains in "higher order" thinking skills. Article also states some contributing factors, many students work part-time, however, most students only spent 1/5 time on their studies and 51% on socializing & extra-curricular. I have a strong hunch the internet is a big contributor to the socializing factor. When I read such statistics, it makes me ponder if on-line learning can truly change this social/educational trend. I am enjoying many readings on the diigo, both from Jennifer and others, however, I'm not sure I would design an on-line class which designated a considerable amt. of time to short readings and discussions. Your thoughts on this?
  • ...8 more comments...
  • Helen Maynard on 19 Jan 11
     
    . . . and Jennifer, this isn't criticism of our course structure. I think I understand your reasoning for being introduced to diigo and using this "application" (is that the right word?) to respond to and communicate with our fellow students. I'm simply thinking about what kinds of course activities and applications really challenge students to read, research, analyze and CREATE some original thinking and student work products which can help change these types of findings, especially in higher-ed.
  • ann stephens on 19 Jan 11
     
    Someone observed once that when television first started, the people writing for tv came from a "reading book" age and we had shows like Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, etc. - shows with real stories. Now, although there are some of these, much of our tv is "reality" tv - where the focus is quick stories with emotions and that writers now grew-up watching television for entertainment. So, my connection here, is that perhaps education might need to de-emphasize some on-line usage tools and emphasize others, to balance students so they do get the critical thinking skills. I know with my math tutoring, that when the audio is not operational and they have to use a chat box, they learn more spelling and English. I purposely "chat" in full sentences and will often provide feedback on their chats. Hear and here, for example, is often incorrectly used.
  • Jennifer Dalby on 19 Jan 11
     
    Helen, it's important that you're recognizing that one tool or method won't work for all situations. For an online class, it's hard to predict what your students will do. There's a certain amount of control we have over design, but once things get rolling, there's a lot of improvisation. I didn't figure on Diigo playing such a prominent role so early on, but since several students felt comfortable writing here, I latched onto it for early community-building. We will definitely be creating more as we move forward. If we had a larger class, we'd do smaller group projects, as well. One of the big challenges in online teaching is the fact that so many of us are used to being motivated by grades. We've grown up in systems where we perform and receive a reward. Unless a student finds something to spark their interest and desire to learn, we risk a teaching and learning environment where learners only do the bare minimum. I think the short readings and conversation help learners discover what's in it for them. And, honestly, sometimes there might not be anything in it for them. I try to find something for everyone, but in a society that values certification/degree more than the learning experience, many students are forced to take classes that just don't interest them.
  • Joy LaJeret on 19 Jan 11
     
    It would seem to me, given my comments on Bloom's Taxonomy, that creative and critical thinking can be stifled by Universites and colleges. If this is happening, maybe they need to re-assess the whole concept of teaching and learning. I think that process has begun in the US. Had my professors been able to guide my learning, as we are beginning to learn in our reading materials, I may have finished that Ph.d and written the theory I began to write or not. Who knows. It is a question yet to be examined.
  • Mary Ann Simpson on 20 Jan 11
     
    I read this article too, Helen. It is indeed interesting to contemplate the reasons for very little forward progress in students' critical thinking skills, but you may be on to something with on-line socializing as a possible contributing factor. Since the wave of education today and into the future is focused on a combination of hybrid and on-line learning, I think it's very important that we as educators take the lead in changing our coursework to emphasize more critical and creative thinking as well as problem solving. After all, these are some of the 21st Century Learning skills that CAN be applied to digital technology and teaching. As for a series of short readings as proposed by Jennifer, I would be inclined to take part and enjoy discussions centered around them. Does anyone else have an opinion about this? Jennifer, I agree with your point that not all tools and ways of teaching things fit each learner in a given community, but considering learning styles and differentiated instruction, instructors (on-line) can create a community that is dynamic and viable. Have you ever thought of offering a "CHOICE of activities" focusing on different learning styles, all of which would meet a particular learning objective? Students could engage according to their own interests and preferred learning modes.
  • Jennifer Dalby on 20 Jan 11
     
    Mary Ann, all the portfolio activities will be your choice. You can get an idea of it if you skip ahead and skim the content for next week. I do as for a "cognitive presence" post, but you can use whatever medium you like. Next week we've got a collaborative document where we'll be adding potential activities. As far as learning styles are concerned, I'm not a big fan of how that theory is promoted and distorted. I'll share some resources about it, and you can tell me what you think.
  • ann stephens on 21 Jan 11
     
    I wanted to further Mary Ann's comment about this study making a case for the importance of elearning as tool for delivery of education. I understand elearning is in the early stages, but the internet lends itself to the written word and certainly has the flexibility to be molded to learning needs.
  • Susan Kolwitz on 21 Jan 11
     
    Helen: Very interesting article with compelling statistics. Statistics don't always tell us the true story, however. I say this after reading in our textbook about 'understanding' and 'misunderstanding' and learning how to determine how to express content so the student understands. Now, on the other hand, I agree that students spend more time with extra-curricular activities rather than their studies.
  • Colleen Dixon on 24 Jan 11
     
    I too found the article interesting - thanks! I do wonder about the types of classes students completed especially in their first two years. The might be a marked difference in skills acquisition if students were completing many required large class survey classes to meet initial requirements vs. small, more focused classes in their areas of interest.
  • Joy LaJeret on 25 Jan 11
     
    I am still trying to get the picture of "slogging" through studies! Is that what I am doing when reading all this material in Diigo? I don't think so.
Joy LaJeret

Ask it Early: Is college worth it? - 1 views

www.youtube.com/watch

Early college worth it

shared by Joy LaJeret on 20 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Joy LaJeret on 20 Feb 11
     
    Shouldn't we be making it worth it?
Mary Ann Simpson

Galapagos Module 1 Feedback - 2 views

www.surveymonkey.com/NXD9P52

onlinelearning elearning portfolio assessment EDUC251

shared by Mary Ann Simpson on 20 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Mary Ann Simpson on 20 Mar 11
     
    This is a simple Survey Monkey feedback form I created for my Galapagos Course Framework. It is designed to be inserted into Module 1 of the Course as one way of meeting Boettcher's BP 6--Ask for informal feedback early in the course. This is also my Portfolio9 activity.
  • hyerin suk on 20 Mar 11
     
    I like your informal feedback early in the course! I am also thinking of making survey for the students if they have any trouble while taking the course. Your work helped me to think about my informal feedback survey! :)
  • Jennifer Dalby on 20 Mar 11
     
    Thanks for using a new survey tool and sharing it with the class. I haven't used survey monkey in a while, but it's probably the survey tool I see used most often at work.
Mary Ann Simpson

Boettcher's BP as applied to my Galapagos Course Framework - 4 views

www.screencast.com/...61-70c3-4a48-a8d1-2cde691c8130

#EDUC251 teaching elearning onlinelearning portfolio

shared by Mary Ann Simpson on 21 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Mary Ann Simpson on 21 Mar 11
     
    Here it is--at last!! This is my Final Course Framework tour with 8 of Boettcher's Best Practices featured. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out considering that 100% of the knowledge required to create it was new to me at the beginning of this quarter!!
  • ...2 more comments...
  • Bruce Wolcott on 21 Mar 11
     
    Mary Ann, Your online course on the Galapagos Islands looks really interesting! I like the fact that you brought in and existing pre-developed course material site based on a scientific detective game, where students collaboratively take on the role as research scientists - a journey of discovery. It's a deliberate movement in the direction of student initiated learning, brought to life by your own photographs from 2004. Survey Monkey is used to get feedback regarding what students are understanding and learning during the course. I wish I had this kind of hands-on exposure to Darwin's ideas early on during my early schooling - I might have decided to become a evolutionary biologist!
  • ann stephens on 22 Mar 11
     
    I think this class is very interesting. You have really brought the content to life - knowledge in a fun way.
  • Joy LaJeret on 22 Mar 11
     
    I loved it! When you can get animals to participate in the learning process...that is amazing ( I loved those pics!).
  • Susan Kolwitz on 22 Mar 11
     
    What a great project for grade school students to learn and understand these principles and also learn about the Galapagos. I visited the islands in 2009 and still am in awe.
Susan Kolwitz

Metaphors for online teaching - 20 views

Bruce: Nice...very informative. I'm with you on why I'm taking these courses -- find out ways to engage the student in this stormy eLearning environment. I also, enjoyed the water metaphors. It's s...

started by Bruce Wolcott on 20 Jan 11 5 follow-ups, last by Susan Kolwitz on 21 Jan 11
Jennifer Dalby

Antisocial media - 3 views

www.boston.com/...aging_us_and_our_relationships

#EDUC251 eLearning medialiteracy

shared by Jennifer Dalby on 17 Jan 11 - No Cached
  • Jennifer Dalby on 17 Jan 11
     
    In her important, controversial new book, Sherry Turkle reads our leap into digital technology not as the unfettering of a deep, human urge to connect, but as a dire symptom to be understood within an older framework: psychoanalysis. Whether you find this book's analysis convincing depends on how you read the Rorschach test that is the Internet.
  • ...7 more comments...
  • ann stephens on 18 Jan 11
     
    Based on this Boston Globe book review, I think the slant that Turkle misses is that maybe the internet is redefining, rather than limiting, human development. She uses an example of people instant texting things such as funerals, disallowing deep human, emotional discourse to illustrate how the internet is "not better", but limiting. But maybe this is a reflection of a society where families are often split for a variety of reasons - divorce, geography - and the internet is allowing a connection, rather than isolation. The internet doesn't prevent a deeper discussion.
  • Jennifer Dalby on 18 Jan 11
     
    Ann, from a sociological perspective, I believe the way we handle death and grieving is one of the most important trends to observe with this new media. Death is something we will always have to modify our perception to accommodate, and I think we're only at the beginning of a real cultural shift, and even an assimilation of cultures around how we make meaning around these issues. I'm going to add the Stefana Broadbent TED Talk to our shared bookmarks here. I think you'd like it.
  • Joy LaJeret on 20 Jan 11
     
    I think Sherry Turkle has voiced some of my concerns. I am not convinced that with the internet tools of social media the millennials and others are sharing deeper learning environments and relationships online. I think we need to reexamine these hypothesis as time goes by and they continue to develop.
  • Jennifer Dalby on 20 Jan 11
     
    Joy, you might like You Are Not a Gadget, by Jaron Lanier http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Not-Gadget-Manifesto/dp/0307269647 It's his personal observation of where things might be headed. Much of it resonated with me, though I do understand it's only one point of view.
  • ann stephens on 21 Jan 11
     
    The observation how death and grieving is handled evolves and is reflective of society is an interesting observation. One internet tool I have noticed is that an on-line capability is often provided for death announcements. For several people close to me and a couple of celebrities that resonated with me, I would read or contribute to some of these postings and had a broader and more connected sense of the person. I didn't feel so isolated in my grief.
  • Joy LaJeret on 21 Jan 11
     
    I read an excerpt of the book and will try to find it in the library or buy it used! I really like what he is writing, Jen.
  • Bruce Wolcott on 21 Jan 11
     
    Since the Web is still less than 20 years old, I think the jury is still out regarding the darker isolating potential of online social behavior. Ann mentions online tools that announce death notices that allow people to publicly tell their stories and express grief over someone who recently died. I had a recent experience with an online service called CaringBridge that is used as a public communications forum for people who are experiencing life threatening illnesses or accidents. It gives well wishers an opportunity to express their support and lets family members communicate the ongoing status of the person who is sick. It provides a kind of forum for sympathetic and loving communications that has never existed before. My recent experience involves a friend I knew in high school who is battling brain cancer, and the debilitating chemo and radiation treatments. CaringBridge lets me join with a large group of other people to send messages of support to him. Recently, with difficulty, he has been able to begin writing posts to CaringBridge describing his day-to-day experiences and progress. Rather than being an alienating or "alone together" experience, I think it has a genuine positive effect on everyone involved, and is a powerful reminder of our own humanity and vulnerability.
  • Jennifer Dalby on 21 Jan 11
     
    Bruce, CaringBridge has been a great support for so many people. I originally discovered the site while I was following the story of Baby Allie http://www.scotthousehold.com/allie.htm whose mom documented her short life battling with AML. A huge community grew around her little life, and I discovered many CaringBridge sites. Jenny went on to start the Heroes for Children foundation, raising more than $3 million for families in TX with children undergoing treatment. My own early blogging experiences were around my own grief and loss http://momrealityblog.blogspot.com/2006/01/it-began-with-tragic-ending.html I had previously been involved in several online parenting communities. They were a huge support to me during that time. We have the potential to do a lot of good online and off. I think we just need to be cognizant of how our messages are amplified, and how we amplify the messages of others.
  • Jennifer Dalby on 21 Jan 11
     
    Joy, I am so sorry for your loss. I think grief is different for everyone, and the internet is a place we can find other people who share similar methods of grieving, so we don't feel so alone. In our own families, it's hard to support each other through periods of loss. I've discovered a lot of online communities, some healthy, and some not, where people feel comfortable expressing their feelings about loss. I think the most important thing I learned online during that time, was "be gentle with yourself."
Joy LaJeret

Class Wiki (#Portfolio 3) - 6 views

joysclasswiki.wikispaces.com

wiki spaces

shared by Joy LaJeret on 21 Jan 11 - No Cached
  • Jennifer Dalby on 21 Jan 11
     
    Nice! I'm teaching a wiki workshop at Skagit Valley College today. May I share this?
  • ...10 more comments...
  • Joy LaJeret on 21 Jan 11
     
    Yes, Jennifer.
  • Jennifer Dalby on 21 Jan 11
     
    Thanks! Just got your message. I'll add it to my page at http://injenuity.wikispaces.com/WIIFM
  • Joy LaJeret on 21 Jan 11
     
    Thanks for all the great links in that http:// !! I will use some of that information, and it is another great resource for material and how to work with Wiki Spaces.
  • Bruce Wolcott on 22 Jan 11
     
    Jennifer, Please do share your wiki workshop experiences...
  • ann stephens on 23 Jan 11
     
    The two videos shared here reinforced my understanding and views - i.e., the babyboomers (people born between 1946-1964, according to the PBS video) are planning to enjoy life to the fullest and are often seeing retirement from their primary career as an opportunity fo other careers and opportunities. As babyboomers do retire, I think it could be a different experience for those born closer to 1946 than those born later. Resources will probably be more limited and the earlier retires will probably have more serious, age-related health issues.
  • Joy LaJeret on 24 Jan 11
     
    Hi Ann...I think the articles I have presented show that the early boomers are the healthiest and will live longer than any generation in the future. The later boomers will have increasing shorter life spans and willnot be as healthy. There are a variety of reasons for this.
  • Joy LaJeret on 24 Jan 11
     
    http://www.babyboomer-magazine.com/news/127/ARTICLE/1215/2009-07-24.html This video and article might shed some light on the comments I made to your comments Ann. There are many more.
  • ann stephens on 25 Jan 11
     
    I agree about the boomers being the healthiest. I did not walk away with a strong differentiation between those born in the late 1940s and those in the 1960s, but it resonates with my common sense.
  • Joy LaJeret on 25 Jan 11
     
    On my wiki space...I have a hour long video that goes into all of this aging of the boomers and stats, etc.
  • Colleen Dixon on 26 Jan 11
     
    Thanks, Joy. As one of those baby boomer folks I am hoping there is a next step after retirement to perhaps new ways to use the skills and information we have acquired over time.
  • Joy LaJeret on 27 Jan 11
     
    There will be! My post on my blog listed above has an article about how to do this. You might want to click on it and read the blog.
  • Mary Ann Simpson on 27 Jan 11
     
    Great job, Joy! I enJOYed the videos and loved the layout of your wiki. Your eSkills really are apparent!
Joy LaJeret

Final Portfoilo #10 Blog Post Relecting on Learning - 16 views

joystechtool.blogspot.com

blog post

shared by Joy LaJeret on 21 Jan 11 - No Cached
  • Bruce Wolcott on 20 Feb 11
     
    Joy, Your posts are quite sobering, regarding your own experiences working towards completing your university education. I strongly agree with the following quote in your post: "In sum, it is time for educators to make college and higher learning relevant to their students. It is not about us, it is about them. We are the facilitators of their learning. We must prepare them for the world they will find themselves in when they leave the protected walls of our colleges and universities" I found the recent events in Cairo to be fascinating, where large numbers of people suddenly rose up against an authoritarian and out-of-touch government. This largely peaceful uprising was fueled by the same Web2.0 technologies that are underpinning this class. It's possible that many traditional schools will soon find themselves in a similar situation to the Egyptian government, where students pass them by in favor of lower cost and more relevant educational experiences - many of them available online. Bill Gates recently came under fire for making the statement that valid online college degrees may soon be available for $2000. He may have said this to exaggerate a point, but the evidence of a growing number of online low cost educational resources can't be ignored. One of them is the Khan Academy - run by an MIT graduate who has created a large free archive of mathematics courses that are used by students all over the world - many who claim they are better than their university courses. Colleges and universities ignore this development at their own peril. It's not clear yet how we'll make this transition to relevancy for students, but the next decade will be very interesting...
  • ...3 more comments...
  • Helen Maynard on 20 Feb 11
     
    Hi Joy (and fellow classmates) - we were out-of-town for a week. Internet was available, but for a price $.75 per minute. I had planned on using some of our vacation time to work on this course without the hassle of juggling work commitments. At a price per minute, this idea didn't pan out. To get caught up, I checked out our Diigo communications and visited your blog. I like the way you insert YouTube videos to add dimension to your ideas! The two I looked at addressed the LMS system - Canvas. I was particularly fascinated with the young techy who ended his presentation, asking his audience about how they might define the role for SOCIAL MEDIA in both course structure and as a learning tool. Interesting how our course materials (and we) have also been pondering this same issue! Thanks for finding and sharing a very relevant presentation. I also enjoyed your thoughts as well.
  • Joy LaJeret on 28 Feb 11
     
    Today our senior population is aging at a rapid rate. Is it possible we, as a society, are sending them to an early end of life dead line because of our attitudes and out moded beliefs regarding aging in America? Can we not help keep their minds alive and well by changing some of our society's institutions...of higher education?
  • Mary Ann Simpson on 28 Feb 11
     
    Joy, I just finished reading your blog posts and viewing the videos. I agree with Bruce. . . they are quite sobering. I am angered that there is so much age discrimination out there, excited that Japan has such a unique way of addressing the needs of its aging population, and frustrated that a college degree does not necessarily translate into a job. My own daughter is in that position--she has a teaching degree earned two years ago and no prospects of a job anytime soon. Her income is earned through subbing in the Sultan School District and managing a horse stable. All of this translates into 7 days of work per week, a very minimal income and burnout. She is 37 years old (not quite a senior, but in line with the unemployed GWU grads shown in the video you posted). Your passion definitely comes through in all of the blog postings, Joy. What you say about assessment aligns with my beliefs as well. I have never been a proponent of grades--to me, they are just part of a hoop that must be jumped through in order to achieve a goal. With that in mind, I was overJOYed when authentic assessment came onto the education scene as it offered a way to monitor and guide students in their learning, not just give them a letter or number that was supposed to signify that they had "learned" the course content. In my experience, most students who memorize course content for tests within a given course, will not retain it once the tests have been taken. There is simply too much competition for good grades at all levels of education and not enough desire for a true understanding of ideas and concepts.
  • Joy LaJeret on 01 Mar 11
     
    Thanks you for your comments Mary Ann...the bottom line reads, we may be killing off our aged population by sentencing them to give up and give in to old out-moded concepts!
  • Susan Kolwitz on 04 Mar 11
     
    Joy: I've been following your blog postings for some time now and have been meaning to let you know I always learn and find your postings valuable. Keep the information coming our way.
ann stephens

Stephens - Module 4 Self-check - 14 views

spreadsheets.google.com/viewform

#EDUC251 Self-check

shared by ann stephens on 29 Jan 11 - No Cached
  • ann stephens on 29 Jan 11
     
    Feedback and suggestions are always welcome. Please take the survey and provide your thoughts and experience with Module 4. Thanks.
  • ...2 more comments...
  • Jennifer Dalby on 29 Jan 11
     
    Wow! You're a week ahead. I can't keep up with you all!
  • Jennifer Dalby on 29 Jan 11
     
    I completed it! (fake answers, of course.) How was the process for you? Did you have any trouble with my directions? I was wondering if I should make a screencast, or instructions with screen shots. Your survey looks great.
  • ann stephens on 30 Jan 11
     
    Thanks for the kind words. Next week-end we have out-of-town guests, so that's one of the reasons for my early focus. Your directions were fine and helped the logistical process. I prefer this to a screencast, but that might be reflective of my technology knowledge and learning style. Two things, though, that took me a while to figure out were: 1. Sharing. It might be a default setting, but new documents I create have a privacy share indicated. You have to specifically change the setting (the share button is on the top of the screen) for people to be able to access it. 2. Editting. When you go back into Google docs, I got an excel spreadsheet. To actually update the form, you have to go to the form button and select "edit" in the pulldown screen.
  • Mary Ann Simpson on 03 Feb 11
     
    I had fun responding to your survey, Ann! You did a great job--I liked the questions and the color format!
ann stephens

eTeacher Assessment Example - 5 views

spreadsheets.google.com/ccc

shared by ann stephens on 14 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • ann stephens on 14 Feb 11
     
    This week the focus is on assessment and evidence of understanding. The emphasis is, of course, on how we assess our students. However, eteachers can be more easily observed, so I thought the community might find it interesting as to how I, as an eteacher, am assessed. (The students do an automated self-paced lesson and then take a practice quiz. If they have questions during the lesson or in order to go the next one, we interact. Based on the quiz and other questions/discussions we have, I pass them to the next lesson. I have up to 4 students in one session.) Once a month, my supervisor listens to one of the recorded sessions and writes up an assessment. What I find interesting that is unique to elearning, is that my use of the technology environment goes into my assessment. I need to be logged in on time, I need to effectively switch among my students, etc. Also, if an area is weak, a request by my supervisor to re-take an automated class I have taken before - such as effective questioning - might be assigned.
  • ...3 more comments...
  • Joy LaJeret on 14 Feb 11
     
    I found those examples interesting and am reserving judgement and evaluation until I learn more about assessment.
  • Bruce Wolcott on 14 Feb 11
     
    Ann, Many thanks for this assessment form!
  • Mary Ann Simpson on 14 Feb 11
     
    Great example of a very thorough assessment! It is also of interest that your supervisor logs in on a regular basis to assess your instruction--quite a good strategy to ensure exceptional delivery by the school's online teachers. Thanks for sharing this form, Ann!
  • ann stephens on 14 Feb 11
     
    The online environment provides for easy capture of the session. The requirement for teaching include having a degree and a background check, but not a teaching certificate. I feel the monitoring is an extra check and balance on both how we are teaching and our online presence. We go through training and have guidelines on what we can and cannot discuss with the students - such as sharing emails, contacts outside of class, etc. Recently this has come into focus, as the regular school teachers at the school I am tutoring with (we are a scheduled once a week class during the school year) encouraged the students to ask where we live, etc., to feel more connected. On our teacher platform, the teachers and our supervisor were able to post and share with each other on how they were and should be handling this. It is a balance - just as in a regular classroom - to be connected, yet have privacy. I do not find what information I should and should share or ask to be a problem for me, but the time focus is. The students are used to texting all the time and feel comofrtable with using the time that way. I have now developed my own transitions - from the explicit: "we've chatted enough for right now, please go on with your lesson" to a softer transition by using the information in our dialog to set-up a problem: You got so much snow! So if you had eight snowballs and split them evenly....".
  • Jennifer Dalby on 14 Feb 11
     
    This is fascinating! I've honestly never seen an instrument for a supervisor to evaluate an online teaching session. (Or maybe I just don't remember.) For distance education at BC, instructors/divisions can opt in to the online student evaluations. I don't know if Norma signed up to have this course included in the evals. If so, you may have received access to that today. As far as I know, that's the primary way teachers are evaluated here. It compares to how they are evaluated in f2f classes. For me, I like to get constant feedback from students, and that's why you see me poking around a lot, sending lots of email, and including self-checks. It's always an awful feeling to get to the end of a course and discover you could have made changes early on that would have made a big difference in learning. (But I always expect to discover some of that at the end, as well!) Thanks for sharing this!
Jennifer Dalby

Diagnosing the Digital Revolution Why it's so hard to tell whether it's really changing... - 4 views

www.slate.com/2283467

#EDUC251 review Turkle

shared by Jennifer Dalby on 07 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Jennifer Dalby on 07 Feb 11
     
    Another review on Turkle's "Alone Together."
  • ...2 more comments...
  • Joy LaJeret on 07 Feb 11
     
    That gives me a lot of food for thought. While I escape into my virtual world it is not NOT, like second life. I simply go web surfing and find things that need researching when reality becomes so bad, I simply need to get away. I do not have to buy an island or new virtual clothes. I simply have to apply the skills I learned in the university on research, only through a computer rather than a library. That article has me worried for our children. I want more like this to balance what we know on the positive side.
  • Bruce Wolcott on 08 Feb 11
     
    Regarding Turkle's recent article... Back in 1909 the British author, E.M. Forster wrote a short novel called The Machine Stops. The story is quite extraordinary in its early description of the Internet (called the Machine), and a global society that has migrated to to it while the natural world is neglected. Here are some short excerpts... Imagine, if you can, a small room, hexagonal in shape, like the cell of a bee. It is lighted neither by window nor by lamp, yet it is filled with a soft radiance. There are no apertures for ventilation, yet the air is fresh. There are no musical instruments, and yet, at the moment that my meditation opens, this room is throbbing with melodious sounds. An armchair is in the centre, by its side a reading-desk-that is all the furniture. And in the armchair there sits a swaddled lump of flesh-a woman, about five feet high, with a face as white as a fungus. It is to her that the little room belongs. ... it was fully fifteen seconds before the round plate that she held in her hands began to glow. A faint blue light shot across it, darkening to purple, and presently she could see the image of her son, who lived on the other side of the earth, and he could see her. ... She made the room dark and slept; she awoke and made the room light; she ate and exchanged ideas with her friends, and listened to music and attended lectures; she made the room dark and slept. Above her, beneath her, and around her, the Machine hummed eternally; she did not notice the noise, for she had been born with it in her ears.
  • Joy LaJeret on 08 Feb 11
     
    OMG...how totally eerie. How predictive! Amazing, thanks for sharing that Bruce.
  • ann stephens on 08 Feb 11
     
    The "cultural rachet effect" was particularly interesting to me. (For grown-ups, learning a new skill is painful, attention-demanding, and slow. Children learn unconsciously and effortlessly. Because of this, each new generation rapidly acquires all the accumulated innovations of the past without even knowing it. ) It becomes the new "normal", so rather than the computer, for example, being something new, its integrated as part of lives. It changes our footprint in the world and, therefore, the world.
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