We live in a culture that is constantly in change. We have become digital. What does it mean to be a digital culture? The ability to have access to information by plugging into the internet. If I were to ask my parents what the internet is when they were 35, they would have no idea what the word meant. I might get an answer like, "The inside net of something." Computers were just starting to be utilized in universities and couldn't yet be found in homes. Now many homes have at least one computer if not multiple computers.
Turn on one of these computers and navigate to the world wide web in order to answer all your questions. Well maybe not all of your questions, but you might find some answers. The problem is, just because you find an answer it doesn't mean that the answer is correct or the one in which you were searching for. Go to Wikipedia and many of your questions might be answered by a collective (much like the Borg.) Can't find the answer here? Start a new page and those who are ideally waiting will step in to help find the answer. The idea that there are more people proofing the sight to ensure accuracy than those who are posting to the site is amazing.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Week 3 Aha - Gina Nellis
What I learned this week is that I still have no idea has this blog thing is supposed to work. I can't imagine being a person that pays attention to blogs because this is way too confusing and time consuming for me. That being said, I have learned some things this week. I really enjoyed the Zittrain video. The information he shared was fascinating. I'm very interested in studying human behavior so I found the information about Wikipedia and the internet in general very interesting. I liked the example he used of the traffic controller in the Netherlands that removed all of the street signs so there were no rules. My last online class had no posting requirement. Most classes say to post one original and two or three responses in the forum. This professor just said basically to communicate. The conversations were much more in depth and there was a lot more interaction between the classmates. It certainly could have been the class dynamics but I think it was probably related to there being no set number to hit and move on.
In addition, I learned that I'm a person that uses social networking for information. I don't really communicate alot but I like to have the information. Facebook allows me to see what is going on in my circle of the world without communicating with anyone. I'm very much an introvert and I find this fascinating. I feel more connected to people and feel like I have a better social network now than I did ten years ago. I guess I am now questioning whether that virtual social network is real or partly fictional. The only information shared on Facebook is the part of a person's life they want you to see. For example, my personal page has information about my kids and their activities and our family activities but I never talk about work or school. The fact that I'm burned out and want to change my career or that I am in school with plans to do that has never been put on Facebook. It's something I keep private other than with a few close friends that I hang out with. If I'm doing that, and everyone else is doing that, then do we really "know" anyone in a virtual setting or do we only know how they choose to be perceived?
In addition, I learned that I'm a person that uses social networking for information. I don't really communicate alot but I like to have the information. Facebook allows me to see what is going on in my circle of the world without communicating with anyone. I'm very much an introvert and I find this fascinating. I feel more connected to people and feel like I have a better social network now than I did ten years ago. I guess I am now questioning whether that virtual social network is real or partly fictional. The only information shared on Facebook is the part of a person's life they want you to see. For example, my personal page has information about my kids and their activities and our family activities but I never talk about work or school. The fact that I'm burned out and want to change my career or that I am in school with plans to do that has never been put on Facebook. It's something I keep private other than with a few close friends that I hang out with. If I'm doing that, and everyone else is doing that, then do we really "know" anyone in a virtual setting or do we only know how they choose to be perceived?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Aha
When looking at my team's blog page I noticed the "Next Blog" tab on the top. Curious as to what this tab does, I clicked it. Well, it gives you a way to waste more of your time and to look into what else is out on the web. Go ahead click it.
What it does is take you to a random blog. Click it again, another blog. It doesn't filter through whether it is a private or public blog. If you get a private blog, just click it again.
Need an idea on what to put on a blog, click the tab. Want to know what else is on blogs, click the tab.
It is like rolling the dice or throwing a dart at a map to see where your next trip is going to be. You never know where you are going to go. With hundreds of blogs out there, the odds are you won't see the same one twice. I am not sure how many blogs are on Blogger, but I don't think I will be able to see them all, even with the help of a tab. If I am ever board and have nothing better to do and am curious, I just come to Blogger and click "Next Blog."
What it does is take you to a random blog. Click it again, another blog. It doesn't filter through whether it is a private or public blog. If you get a private blog, just click it again.
Need an idea on what to put on a blog, click the tab. Want to know what else is on blogs, click the tab.
It is like rolling the dice or throwing a dart at a map to see where your next trip is going to be. You never know where you are going to go. With hundreds of blogs out there, the odds are you won't see the same one twice. I am not sure how many blogs are on Blogger, but I don't think I will be able to see them all, even with the help of a tab. If I am ever board and have nothing better to do and am curious, I just come to Blogger and click "Next Blog."
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Weekly Aha - Gina Nellis
My aha this week is not really new. I've taken many online classes and at the beginning of each class I have the same feeling of being overwhelmed. I started two accelerated online classes and left yesterday on a week long family vacation to SanDiego, not very good planning on my part! Anyway, one week down in the classes and things have smoothed out. For some reason it is always the first week that seems so overwhelming and then it all starts to make sense. As I am finishing my last two classes it finally has soaked in that I just need to get passed the first week.
As far as what I learned this week, the blog world and the Facebook world is so fascinating to me. There are so many blogs out there about every subject possible. My daughter has one that she updates regularly about college life. It is pretty interesting to read for me as her mother but I'm not sure why anyone that didn't know her would be interested. It does seem more like an online journal as someone else mentioned. Facebook is somewhat similar in the amount of information people share. Some Facebook users do not realize how damaging the posts or pictures on their page could be to their reputation. I search Facebook for a name before I hire any applicant. I had one girl that I interviewed and liked in the interview but her Facebook page was awful. Her language on her personal postings and all of her pictures of drinking and partying made me select someone else. I don't understand why anyone would have their site open so everyone can see.
I saw the movie "Social Network" this week. It really was a very good movie and I highly recommend it for anyone that didn't see it. I don't know the real story behind the creation of Facebook so I can't say whether the information was accurate or not but the storyline and acting was awesome. Zuckerberg's character was absolutely fabulous. His rapid speech and random thoughts showed just how much of a genius he was. The most interesting part of the movie for me was the relationship part and how Facebook has changed that. The fact that a relationship is not formal until you have changed your Facebook status or being able to check out someone's Facebook page before dating them. There is so much you can find out about someone if you can see their Facebook page. It really has opened up your life for all to see and if you don't protect who your "friends" are or protect the information you are putting on there then you would never have any idea who is looking. I'm curious to see what this will do to our social environment twenty years from now.
As far as what I learned this week, the blog world and the Facebook world is so fascinating to me. There are so many blogs out there about every subject possible. My daughter has one that she updates regularly about college life. It is pretty interesting to read for me as her mother but I'm not sure why anyone that didn't know her would be interested. It does seem more like an online journal as someone else mentioned. Facebook is somewhat similar in the amount of information people share. Some Facebook users do not realize how damaging the posts or pictures on their page could be to their reputation. I search Facebook for a name before I hire any applicant. I had one girl that I interviewed and liked in the interview but her Facebook page was awful. Her language on her personal postings and all of her pictures of drinking and partying made me select someone else. I don't understand why anyone would have their site open so everyone can see.
I saw the movie "Social Network" this week. It really was a very good movie and I highly recommend it for anyone that didn't see it. I don't know the real story behind the creation of Facebook so I can't say whether the information was accurate or not but the storyline and acting was awesome. Zuckerberg's character was absolutely fabulous. His rapid speech and random thoughts showed just how much of a genius he was. The most interesting part of the movie for me was the relationship part and how Facebook has changed that. The fact that a relationship is not formal until you have changed your Facebook status or being able to check out someone's Facebook page before dating them. There is so much you can find out about someone if you can see their Facebook page. It really has opened up your life for all to see and if you don't protect who your "friends" are or protect the information you are putting on there then you would never have any idea who is looking. I'm curious to see what this will do to our social environment twenty years from now.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Who Really Cares?
That's what I think when I see just how many active blogs exist out there.
Blogs seem a lot like glorified journals to me. I don't especially care what most average people have to say about Obamacare or their favorite place for a Brazilian bikini wax. I thought these were the things we used to journal about--privately! Since when do we want other people reading our journals? Those are called memoirs, and no one actually writes their own, anyway, so the point is moot.
However, my "AHA!" this week comes from reading the blogs that actually teach us something. No, I don't mean the blogs that pretend to teach us something (http://cubachi.com/2010/08/26/bristol-palin-to-be-on-dancing-with-the-stars-let-her-have-fun/), but the ones that actually help us save money (http://moneysavingmom.com/) or make home repairs (http://diy-home-repair.com/) or travel efficiently (http://wdwfanboys.com/index.php) or cheat death (http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/13891). Those are the blogs worth reading. And if you take notice, they are also the ones with lots of ads. Because people click on ads when they read the blogs. And that generates revenue. And smart people like revenue.
So, what am I saying? Only smart people should blog? Well, perhaps, in a way. If you have something to share with the world that is going to MEAN SOMETHING to other people, then by all means, blog away. If not, then please, keep your journal at home. I don't really care about your shimmery lipstick that goes perfectly with your Prada bag that you bought on sale at Macy's with your new boyfriend and his lactose-intolerant daughter (a child from his first marriage he neglected to tell you about until now, three months into your relationship--queue drama!). So, thank you for sharing, but really, no thanks.
Blogs seem a lot like glorified journals to me. I don't especially care what most average people have to say about Obamacare or their favorite place for a Brazilian bikini wax. I thought these were the things we used to journal about--privately! Since when do we want other people reading our journals? Those are called memoirs, and no one actually writes their own, anyway, so the point is moot.
However, my "AHA!" this week comes from reading the blogs that actually teach us something. No, I don't mean the blogs that pretend to teach us something (http://cubachi.com/2010/08/26/bristol-palin-to-be-on-dancing-with-the-stars-let-her-have-fun/), but the ones that actually help us save money (http://moneysavingmom.com/) or make home repairs (http://diy-home-repair.com/) or travel efficiently (http://wdwfanboys.com/index.php) or cheat death (http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/13891). Those are the blogs worth reading. And if you take notice, they are also the ones with lots of ads. Because people click on ads when they read the blogs. And that generates revenue. And smart people like revenue.
So, what am I saying? Only smart people should blog? Well, perhaps, in a way. If you have something to share with the world that is going to MEAN SOMETHING to other people, then by all means, blog away. If not, then please, keep your journal at home. I don't really care about your shimmery lipstick that goes perfectly with your Prada bag that you bought on sale at Macy's with your new boyfriend and his lactose-intolerant daughter (a child from his first marriage he neglected to tell you about until now, three months into your relationship--queue drama!). So, thank you for sharing, but really, no thanks.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Social Media and Education
The rapid pace of improved technology has brought society to a place where people do not have to speak face-to- face. Facebook allows people who are your "friends" to see what is going on in your life without you ever knowing they were there. Facebook, Twitter, text-messaging and plain email allows people to communicate about everything from relationships to business deals to education. I have taken fifty-six hours through Baker since May 2009 and have never met a student or professor in person. Every class has been online. My teammates and I became friends and got to know each other purely online. The first time we will meet is at graduation in December. This technological change in society and especially the education environment is interesting to me. I'm curious to know if a student taking on-ground courses gets more out of the course than a student taking it completely online or vice-versa. I wonder if students are more willing to share ideas and personal opinions and experiences online than they are in person. What do you think?
Thursday, October 21, 2010
At first I was very reluctant to get on Facebook. The biggest reason I jumped on the bandwagon is that I work with youth who are into Facebook. I can send them an e-mail and get no response for days, yet send them a message via Facebook, I might get an immediate response. They are connected to technology and keep up to date through the technology.
I also have a sister who works for a technology company, so she was exposed to social networks through her job. She is only two years younger, but it seems almost like ten years. She is always on her Blackberry. I try to have a conversation with her when I am visiting her and I get displaced by a text message, right in the middle of my conversation. She couldn't wait a couple of minutes to see what it says or to respond.
I know many other relatives, aunts especially, who are on Facebook who keep in touch or updated on what is going on in my life or my siblings through Facebook. They have told me numerous times that they may not post a lot but they really enjoy reading what we are doing and how our lives are going. Since we live in different states, we don't see each other very often, so they have actually become more in touch with what is going on in my life than before.
The biggest difference in how people use Facebook is some go to the site to fill time. They play games, look at pictures, check in on friends, or search for others out there. Other individuals just check in once in a great while because someone sent them a message or they need to get a hold of someone and it can be a place to start. The biggest issue many have with Facebook is the security risk. Others are oblivious or in denial about the risk. It will be interesting to see where social media will take us in the next few months, years, and beyond.
I also have a sister who works for a technology company, so she was exposed to social networks through her job. She is only two years younger, but it seems almost like ten years. She is always on her Blackberry. I try to have a conversation with her when I am visiting her and I get displaced by a text message, right in the middle of my conversation. She couldn't wait a couple of minutes to see what it says or to respond.
I know many other relatives, aunts especially, who are on Facebook who keep in touch or updated on what is going on in my life or my siblings through Facebook. They have told me numerous times that they may not post a lot but they really enjoy reading what we are doing and how our lives are going. Since we live in different states, we don't see each other very often, so they have actually become more in touch with what is going on in my life than before.
The biggest difference in how people use Facebook is some go to the site to fill time. They play games, look at pictures, check in on friends, or search for others out there. Other individuals just check in once in a great while because someone sent them a message or they need to get a hold of someone and it can be a place to start. The biggest issue many have with Facebook is the security risk. Others are oblivious or in denial about the risk. It will be interesting to see where social media will take us in the next few months, years, and beyond.
Social Network
Mike here. So I watched the The Social Network movie this week. As someone who doesn't especially like Facebook, I was mostly interested in the fact that the movie had a score of 97% fresh on www.rottentomatoes.com, my favorite website for checking if movies are any good or not. Basically the website collects reviews from critics and everyday folks from around the world and assigns them a FRESH or ROTTEN label. The fresher the collective percentage, in theory, the better the film. To earn a 97%, the movie has to be pretty darn good.
And it was.
Jesse Eisenberg (actor in such acclaimed films as Zombieland and Adventureland) plays a picture-perfect representation of the socially-challenged @$$hole, Mark Zuckerberg, the genius/thief who wrote the code for Facebook. Oddly, the protagonist's relationship with Justin Timberlake's character, the other young genius who invented Napster (remember that awesome P2P program?), is as strange in the movie as it is in print. I was waiting for the movie to morph into Brokeback Mountain, and then the cops busted into the room and arrested Timberlake for illegal drugs. Sort of like real life? I digress.
Anyway, The Social Network really is worth watching. The actors are good, the story is entertaining (even if it is admittedly Hollywoodized), and the content is more user-friendly than the website on which the movie is centered. Check out the movie trailer below!
And it was.
Jesse Eisenberg (actor in such acclaimed films as Zombieland and Adventureland) plays a picture-perfect representation of the socially-challenged @$$hole, Mark Zuckerberg, the genius/thief who wrote the code for Facebook. Oddly, the protagonist's relationship with Justin Timberlake's character, the other young genius who invented Napster (remember that awesome P2P program?), is as strange in the movie as it is in print. I was waiting for the movie to morph into Brokeback Mountain, and then the cops busted into the room and arrested Timberlake for illegal drugs. Sort of like real life? I digress.
Anyway, The Social Network really is worth watching. The actors are good, the story is entertaining (even if it is admittedly Hollywoodized), and the content is more user-friendly than the website on which the movie is centered. Check out the movie trailer below!
Halloween -Aha
I didn't think I really read a lot of blogs. Last week I had to search to find ones that might actually interest me. I love learning about new technology, yet I haven't done any blogging except what was required through Moodle for my college grad courses. I waited hoping someone else would start the blogging process, but found myself with free time and decided to bite the bullet (later realizing that I was just duplicating someone else's work since I hadn't checked one of my five e-mail accounts, maybe it is time to sit down and figure out how to streamline them, but that is another topic.) I could have spent hours playing with backgrounds and fonts, seeing about the technical design of the site, but trying to write and tell others my thoughts and ideas was not coming easy.
Give me a topic and I can do the research for you and tell you all the intimate details. Take the upcoming holiday season, I have been doing some research to help educate the youth I work with and also to help make some of our Halloween decorations authentic.
Halloween is my husband and my favorite holiday. We put up decorations with flashing lights, moving parts, and scary noises. I am an individual who like to know the "why" behind everything. So have learned more about why Halloween has come to be.
What we now call Halloween was a Celtic holiday called samhain.
Many of the customs of the Druids were adapted and celebrated during this time. They believed the souls of those just departed would wander the earth on this night, so many would put candles in their windows.
With the rise of the Catholic church, Pope Gregory II moved the holiday "All Hallows Eve" to coincide with samhain, in order to incorporate an already established holiday into a christian holiday. He hoped overtime the Celtic holiday would be forgotten and the christian holiday revered.
Overtime other rituals and customs were added into the mix, until we come to find what we now have Halloween. I don't think it the change of date for All Hallows Eve had the effect that Gregory had hoped for though.
Want to know more history: http://www.history.com/topics/halloween
Give me a topic and I can do the research for you and tell you all the intimate details. Take the upcoming holiday season, I have been doing some research to help educate the youth I work with and also to help make some of our Halloween decorations authentic.
Halloween is my husband and my favorite holiday. We put up decorations with flashing lights, moving parts, and scary noises. I am an individual who like to know the "why" behind everything. So have learned more about why Halloween has come to be.
What we now call Halloween was a Celtic holiday called samhain.
Many of the customs of the Druids were adapted and celebrated during this time. They believed the souls of those just departed would wander the earth on this night, so many would put candles in their windows.
With the rise of the Catholic church, Pope Gregory II moved the holiday "All Hallows Eve" to coincide with samhain, in order to incorporate an already established holiday into a christian holiday. He hoped overtime the Celtic holiday would be forgotten and the christian holiday revered.
Overtime other rituals and customs were added into the mix, until we come to find what we now have Halloween. I don't think it the change of date for All Hallows Eve had the effect that Gregory had hoped for though.
Want to know more history: http://www.history.com/topics/halloween
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