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Jennifer's email to us was a catalyst for this post to inquire about your digital prescence experience. I, like Jennifer, have aliases that I use on social networks. It is a challenge, though, to manage multiple presences and even when I do, often have a feeling of unease about the information. For example, in this course a suggestion was for us to update our profile. Although I don't feel secrative that I am taking a course at Bellevue College, the email/signature I use for this course is also the one I use for some other professional endeavors (such a technology consulting). I is not something that is a "need to know" by everyone. I chose, in this situation, not to update my general profile. When we are conscious of what/how we are posting and putting up, is one thing. Often though, I get on a mailing list, that I have no idea how I was included, as I probably forgot to check a "do not include me" box on something I have bought on line. This article was particularly interesting to me, as it talks about a survey that 23% of children get a digital presence even before they are born - having a lasting imprint.

Good article to bring things into perspective about 'online presence.' I found a similar article that compared statistics relating to age and online presence. 92% of children by age 2 have online presence thanks to parents and grandparents. As Jennifer mentioned in her discussion of facebook -- maybe we don't want the world to see what we did in our high school days...we were 15/16. Can we separate a personal online presence from a business profile...

I do separate my profiles by having different email aliases. There is overhead in having multiple ones, however, so not ideal.

This animate was adapted from a talk given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert and recipient of the RSA's Benjamin Franklin award. For more information on Sir Ken's work visit: http://www.sirkenrobinson.com

Helen, I like Sir Ken Robinson's stuff, but I do take it with a grain of salt as well. Like Gladwell, he's a good storyteller and can inspire, but everything's got to be taken in context. I love that you ask your students to follow their train of thought. I do that with my kids, and find I often have to explain my own train of thought to others. I like the way you are in tune with the benefits and risks of reflective practice. It can get messy, and it isn't always the best thing for every student. It sounds like you take extra steps to make sure they understand the value of it.

Helen, thanks for underlining the Evoke game. I did find it - www.urgentevoke.com - and was impressed by what a great representative of eLearning this was. Organized, engaging, lots of information - but what I liked most was that it led to action - i.e., the gaming playing is not just on the computer - but actions you take or are encouraged to take to make a difference.

This is my portfolio post for week 5

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_17396167?nclick_check=1 - This is an OpEd piece by David Brooks of the New York Times, which came out this week. "It could be that the nature of technlogical changes is (causing) a shift in values". This is not an opinion about education, but goes to the point about preparing students for the future/present even that assumes technology. Maybe our values are and how we assess things has to evolve, as well.

I truly thought that blog was thought provoking! I absolutely agree about changing values. But, I think that change must come from this generation and what they want for themselves, for their community and for their country. Hopefully they can think that broadly about themselves and the world. I believe they can and do!

This is an overview of a guideline for how learning occurs and how as teachers we can focus our lessons to this guideline. It is relevant in on-line education, as the on-line environment allows us to have different modes to provide information to our students. We can utilize everything from video to chat rooms.

Ann, do you have any tools or taxonomies that have helped you develop those questioning skills? And have you got any experience using the SOLO taxonomy?

I have not had experience with SOLO - Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes - but from the bit of investigation I have done, it is similiar to Bloom's in that it is based upon the notion that a studen'ts ability to grasp more abstract concepts, is based on more fundamental understandings and that you need to make sure you are not too advanced for where the student is. It reminds me of Piaget's concept that you can only learn something that is slightly more advanced than where you are (my paraphrase). As for my experience with help in developing questioning skills, which I feel is an excellent example of elearning, is that my company had us first take an interactive tutorial on Bloom's taxonomy. The "final" was taking a math problem and providing questions for each level of the taxonomy. We posted this on a dedicated discussion, with the teacher providing her response for everyone to see and learn from. We have since started another topic where teacher can post specific questions they are using and have tried and this will eventually be collected into a reference document. For example, one idea that was shared was that you after you have tested your student on a fundamental, you can ask them to give you a problem. My experience is that I often get back something I didn't expect. Like if adding decimels, they will return with a problem that might be in the millionths rather than the tenths. What I found most useful was not these specifics or having a question for each level, as much as the consciousness raising it did for me to think more creatively in helping the students. I have found that an elearning platform is very helpful in this regard. For example, they might take a lesson on adding or subtracting fractions and another on adding or subtracting decimels. I will then give them a problem in adding both - example - 1/2 + .25 = . By having an interactive whiteboard I can see how they convert the fraction to a decimal to add them and offer guidan

This is my favorite site to learn about powerful presentation techniques.

I think it is than...

I'm a little slow on the uptake, but the potato salad discussion was great!! I like bacon and sour cream in mine--but on the serious side--life, education, teaching, learning, ad infinitum, are rarely black and white; you are so correct, Jennifer, in the longer comment you addressed to Ann and me about the challenge centering around these things not having to be one way or the other because there are so many other factors involved.

Another review on Turkle's "Alone Together."

OMG...how totally eerie. How predictive! Amazing, thanks for sharing that Bruce.

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.

"The Age of Connection now takes its place alongside these earlier epochs in humanity's story.  We are being retribalized, in the midst of rising urbanization.  The dynamic individuality of the city confronts the static conformity of the tribe.  This basic tension forms the fuel of 21st century culture, and will continue to generate both heat and light for at least the next generation.  Human behavior, human beliefs and human relations are all reorganizing themselves around connectivity.  It is here, therefore, that we must begin our analysis of the toolkit."  I haven't had time to read the entire piece, but I can see it makes some important points about human society and connectivity. It's pretty deep, so I want to read it when I've got time to let it sink in.

I too am a fan of McLuan's - presentation becomes part of the content being communicated. I thought this article gave a good description of the impact of the "toolkit" - hyper-everything, but didn't clearly see the point the author was trying to make.

http://www.economist.com/node/18114327 - yet another interesting article in the Economist about how technology is making us one world. In this case, it is how technology will be used to by us individually to define manufacturing and how things are made. " Three-dimensional printing makes it as cheap to create single items as it is to produce thousands and thus undermines economies of scale. It may have as profound an impact on the world as the coming of the factory did."

I found this site while researching this week's topics. I explored the site and watched the demo video, however, I could not find out how much this application costs. I do see how this could be a great tool to use for research papers, essays, all written assignments.

I saw a quote to a university that was over 50K.

We have several secondary schools using it and they like it very much. It is a subscription cost per school but as thePO doesn't come through my office I am not sure how much it is. It probably varies by size of school.

I am sharing a video I made for the class project. I welcome any critiques or information on how to make this a better video. I do not know if I have addressed all the elements Jen has asked for. I tried to address as many as I could...except those I will learn about in Module 8. This was my first attempt in making a eLearning video on You Tube, with the help of Jing and Screencast. I found a few frustrations along the way; but it was fairly easy to use. I have the following probs: 1.) I could not fit the screen to the screen used in You Tube; 2.) I had problems setting the volume controls on my recording; 3.) I found myself unable to think as fast as the video was going and 4.) the overall quality of the screen when used" full screen" was not as good as I would have liked it to be. Finally, I have never ( well maybe not NEVER) had so darn much fun doing something so darn frustrating at times.

Using a headset doesn't get the kind of result I want. However, I will try to do that the next time around. I have found this to be a problem when I made the elluminate recording, too. I could think you must be a fan Mary Ann! I really don't know what I am doing when I start these projects...they just sort of do themselves. My husband just shakes his head and ignores me. His computer is in our office. It is L shaped and I am on one side and he is on the other on the inside side of the L.That way we can't see each other...it keeps me from being tempted to do things to him, I might not want others to know about ( I am saying this while I untangle my fingers from his neck...at the moment.)

Thanks for posting your work. It gives us all good yardstick for our own assignment.

I'm currently searching for an LMS solution for our project, and this is one I am exploring. You can check it out for free on this page.

Mary Ann and I are running close to each other...I just saw the mods in Balckboard listed in Canvas. There were a few missing and I was wondering how many mods it will hold Jennifer? Also, I did see a discussion area but I don't know if you uploaded it to canvas or if it belongs to canvas.

I think I hid some of the stuff in the site I set up, since I don't know how the program folks will feel about it being public. If you set up your own account, you can get a better idea of all the features.

Challenges I found when developing this blog included: 1. Organization. Deciding on the organization of the blog is the most challenging, as is often the situation when organizing a new project. One isn't quite sure what "envelopes" (in this case pages) you want. 2. Privacy. The issue of privacy is very much an issue for me, as I am not sure what I want to have public and/or permanent (as even though you delete something, it still remains somewhere.) 3. Spelling/editting. Proper spelling and grammar I feel is a reflection of who I am and needs to be accurate. Spell checking allows you to find misspellings, but not the use of miswords.

I love that you're seeing the challenges and posting them openly. 1. Organization - I use post-it notes. Seriously. Put everything you want to put on the blog on a post it note, then try to arrange them in similar groups, then try to label those groups. It will help with the structure. (It's a common practice in Information Architecture. I'm not just wacky.) 2. Privacy. There's really no such thing any more. Anyone who can see your stuff on a screen can copy it and put it someplace for others to see. We're under false illusions of privacy, and I just assume anything I put into a computer is going to be seen. 3. This is a great point, especially if you begin to enjoy blogging. Once you begin gathering an audience, it's easy to want to write for them. Pretty soon, you want to publish as quickly as possible. Sometimes it helps to leave the work in draft, and come back to it, just like with a paper document.

1. I will try the post-its. I'm thinking it is an especially good way to keep thoughts/ideas, which I can return to and then see if they really "stick" and I want to explore/use them. 2. Privacy. The interesting thing is that there is so much information out there, the volume almost acts as a gate. I agree with you about not real privacy.

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?

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.

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.

This is a nice collection of papers debunking the myth of the Digital Native. My personal belief is that this myth has been extremely harmful. If you have a chance to read Selwyn's article, I highly recommend it.

Hmmm...after reading that Wiki explanation, I feel a bit of frustration and anger. White middle class youth are probably digital natives if one wants to put a label on it. But, after reading articles on the subject, many lower income families with high school and college age students do not have the funds for technological devices & services: computers; IPADs; laptops; Kindles and the list goes on. I am even more certain youth in other countries do not have access nor would they have high speed internet access on as broad a scale as we have in the US. I suspect they could not afford it either. So this label probably only applies to a small percentage of millennials or digital learners.

Or I should have stated, for those labelled as digital learners...they are only a small percentage of the worlds's millennials and even GenX. Ithink sociological studies would support this conclusion. I prefer using statistics to test hypothesis. Then one can thread these into a theory and test it statistically.

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.

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.

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."

I just wanted to add something light to the mix here. This is one of my favorite youtube videos :)

I happened to be doing laundry and had a fitted sheet that needed to be folded. I used the information in the video and was able to more successfully fold the sheet. (I did a variation, however, after collecting the corners I folded the sheet holding it.) It is true that one needs to practice is to master it and having a "teacher" with me, might have made it more helpful. In addition to learning a new skill , the desire to post about my experience became a reflection of my digital presence. Having the information that I did laundry today is not something I consider secrative, but it is not something I would normally share with large numbers of people or people that I don't know. (A friend might call during the task, for example, and I might indicate why I was busy, but I wouldn't call to tell her that I did laundry.) On the internet, though, I can reach out without touching someone. By posting, I feel it is "about me". When Betty White hosted Saturday Night Live she made comparisons to Facebook. One joke was in her day having to see pictures from someone's vacation was usually considered torture. Perhaps, the vicariousness we can have when looking at someone's life unobserved makes it more exciting.

What's funny is that I discovered that link originally when it was posted by Alan Levine (@cogdog) on Twitter. It's just one of those little personal things shared, that made things seem more friendly. But it's also something useful that other people have passed on.

I thought I'd try something a little bit different for Module 5, and do a CMS review of a current online course that I've been working on, called Visual Storytelling. It's a review of a Blackboard/Vista-based online class, but I'm also blending a couple of presentation technologies together to create this - SlideRocket and Camtasia. If you take a look at it, you'll want to make sure your audio is turned on - otherwise, it won't make much sense... It runs just under 10 minutes. This was a useful exercise for me, because I became aware of numerous changes I'd like to make for the next iteration of this class. These presentation tools are now very powerful and easier to use than in the past. SlideRocket has only been around for about 2 years, and it keeps getting better! You can also access this presentation by way of my Web2.0 Chronicle blog.

Thanks Bruce for showing how you use Blackboard for one of your courses. I do agree that some of the mature LMS need to make it easier to use Web 2.0 tools. Jennifer's comments about being able to use these tools is so appropriate. All of these wonderful tools are available, the problem is learning when and how to use them in our online teaching.

Thanks everyone for your feedback and comments! Mary Ann, I did see your photos from the Galapagos, and it seems like they will make great material for an online class presentation especially with your underlying message - the importance of biodiversity to our long term survival. I'm really glad you're teaching this material... I wish we were more aware of these dire issues 50 years ago! The Visual Storytelling class will be offered again in Fall 2011. Susan... One useful application of online lectures/presentations is that they can free up classroom time for more exploratory dialog and hands-on activities, as appropriate. Students also like them, because they can stop and review material at their own pace. Jennifer - I'll be happy to give an overview some presentation media I use during your office hour on Thursday. This would be a good experience for me, since I've never taught a session using Elluminate. If you could give me some quick tips beforehand, that would be welcome. I can't do it this week, but Feb 24th or following Thursdays look open.

Lawrence Lessig EDUCAUSE09 keynote, November 5, 2009, Denver, a remix building upon lecture at Tokyo University. While we're finding our role in teaching and learning, I think it's important to recognize some of the cultural movements that will influence our professional practice.

A excellent case is made by Johanna Blakely for not having copyright protections on creative work. In this TED TALK she talks about the fact that the fashion industry has trademark protections for logos, but not clothing design - leading to many economic benefits for the entire industry. Here are a few interesting observations from her presentation: The reason the fashion industry doesn't have any copyright protection is that the courts decided long ago is that apparel is too utilitarian to qualify for copyright protection. They didn't want a handful of designers owning the seminal building blocks of our clothing. Somebody would have to license this cuff or this sleeve, because Joe Blow owns it. Because there is no copyright protection within this industry, there is a very open ecology of creative activity. Fashion designers can sample from all of their peers designs - they can take any element from any garment in the history of fashion, and incorporate it into their own design. As a result of this high level of continuing innovation, world wide fashion trends are quickly transmitted worldwide, and the entire fashion industry thrives. Blakely calls it one of the magical side effects of having a culture of copying.

I should amend this last comment to say that I'm recommending this for all kinds of creative work - there should some protections in place. However, I would advocate a shorter copyright period than the current 90 years past the death of the creator. Sonny Bono, a former entertainer (Sonny and Cher) and congressman from Los Angeles who was a staunch advocate of extended copyright thought that intellectual property protections should last "forever less a day". At the time of Thomas Jefferson, copyright protection extended only 14 years past the date of creation.

I have posted the FBI can hear when cell phone is turned off; Is Your Cell Bugged?; and Big Brother is Watching as food for thought and because of earlier comments. The question is: In an Open Society how many freedoms are we willing to give up to be protected from Terrorist attacks? A thought worth pondering.

I had an interesting experience last quarter. I have a History of Animation class that is currently on Vista/Blackboard. What happened was that through an oversight, students weren't charged a use fee for the site, so I couldn't access it for the class. I had to transfer all of the content to a Google Sites location. I was amazed to find out that I could just copy and paste from Blackboard Vista pages directly into my Google site - preserving the links and formatting (!!). It was a life-saver for me.

That's great! That's one of the reasons I've created the files for our course in HTML. If it ever needs to be put someplace else, it will be an easy transition.