I think there is a dividing line in the educational community and it goes far beyond any concerns about how to adapt social media into the classroom.

There are those that fear the unknown, because one day it may step out of the dark and devour the world as they know it.  And then there are those that are exhilarated by the unknown, because one day it may step out of the dark and devour the world as they know it.

Education, along with technology and entertainment is in the midst of a sea change.  The old top-down model used in education, entertainment, and information delivery is being torn down and being replaced by organic communities that are ever changing  and grow and receive nutrients from all directions.

I think the fundamental problem that many in the educational community have with embracing this new form or communication is a matter of control.  In order to allow students to become fully functioning members of this new interconnected world we have to relinquish some of the control that we are used to having over them.  We have to acknowledge that while there indeed risks in letting children have unfettered access to their generation's foremost form of communication and expression, the damage down by trying to hold them back would be far worse.  

There is an exciting transition in media going on right now that is making authors, directors, animators, story tellers, letter writers, journalists and game designers out of what was once a passive audience.  No, this not catch in the backyard with Dad, but it's not a threat to traditional face to face social activities.  I see social media as replacing time spend passively watching television or playing one dimensional video games.  Viewed in this light, this has to be seen as a step in the right direction.

Wiki's are an interesting idea because they are user created and open ended, therefore they are constantly in flux. The teacher has to be willing to turn over some of the control that they may be used to in more traditional mediums. However, effectively integrating wikis into a classroom can be a bit tricky.

Some of the potential problems:

Too many cooks spoils the soup- There is a risk that the voice and focus of the wiki becomes jumbled and disjointed because there is no central author to tie it all together

Everybody editing at once- You can't just take your class down to the computer room and have them all start working on the wiki at once. This will lead to student frustration in a hurry because the wiki is changing faster than they can edit it. A big mess ensues.

What's my motivation?- Students who are motivated by pride in their own work will become a little frustrated when their work is slashed to pieces by ever other student in the class. While it would be nice to think that 30 minds are better than one, in a wiki format it can just lead to a regression to the mean.  Students who are seeking to excel and produce quality work will be quickly turned off.

Potential uses

Despite it's drawbacks I do think that there are some potential uses for wikis in the class room. Some examples

-Brainstorming session

-Resource list. What a great way for student to gather online resources and pool them in one spot.

-Peer editing. I think this would work best in small group setting.

-Have students build a How-To site. Because as we all know, teaching a subject requires a lot more depth than merely passing a test.

I think wikis are a useful tool as long as their limits are kept in mind. I expect that as the format matures that there will be more and more models of effective uses of wikis in the classroom.

Week Four:  Screencasting

Flickr

I know flickr probably isn't new to any of you, but since I had never actually used it I thought I'd explore it a little. Flickr is basically just an online-gallery useful for sharing your photo's with people all over the world. I found it to be neat little tool for a few reasons:

• Ease of use-       Drag and drop entire folders into the uploader and you are done!
• Geo-Tagging-     Place your photos on a map to show where they were taken
• Exif data!-           Keeps all the exposure/lens/ISO/camera setting information
  
• Slideshow  -         Simple to use slide show tool
  
• Photostream-               Functions as a photo blog
  
• Comments                     Viewers can add comments about photos
  
•  Photo notes                   Can write notes directly on photo
  

I think the most obvious use of flickr would be as a online photo blog for a photography class. First of ll it keeps the students shooting everyday. Much like a written blog, you could emphasize the fact that this is not supposed to be a portfolio if their best work necessarily, just anon-going sketch book. i think sometimes people freeze up and get the equivalent of writers block in photography. Keeping a daily or weekly flickr blog is one easy way to keep the creative juices flowing.

part 1
part 2

(part one seems to refuse to upload......working on it)

Web 2.0

Here are some websites that I think are an example of the emerging Web 2.0 and provide some hint of where we might be going in the near future.

Entertainment:

www.foureyedmonsters.com 

Four Eyed Monsters is a movie that was produced by a couple of twenty something first time film makers that somewhat successfully took advantage of the new-media tools available in Web 2.0.  

First of all they created a strong and loyal following of fans through the release of a series of short podcasts during the making of the movie.  These detailed how the making of the movie was affecting their lives and their relationship.  Because the movie was about their own relationship, the podcasts served basically as an extended teaser for the movies release.

Second of all, they took a novel approach to deciding where to release the movie in theatres.  They simply set up an interactive Google map where people could enter in their zip code to request a viewing in their hometown.  Once a location received 200 requests for a showing, they would set-up a screening in that city. I think this kind of inter activity helped create a sense of involvement and community for the viewing audience.  

Another way this sense of community was fostered was through the use of blogs and forums.  Fans would post questions for the movie makers and they would respond via a video podcast.

a few questions about Four Eyed Monsters asnwered from susanbuice on Vimeo.

I think the end result was an extremely loyal fan base that felt involve in the creation process and felt like they had a personal stake in the success of the movie.

Education:

www.fxphd.com

This is a site I stumbled across recently.  Basically it fills a very specific need that I have.  I am interested in working in LA as digital compositor in the future.  However, I have A LOT to learn before I am ready for a job in that field.  How could I learn while I lived in Kodiak and the required software programs cost 5-10 thousand dollars apiece?

Well www.fxphd.com is exactly what I was looking for.  For 300 dollars, I am enrolled in four online classes that teach the latest programs being used in Hollywood today.  I am also granted access to those programs while I am enrolled.

Do I get an official degree when I'm done?  No.  Is there an instructor there to prod me along to make sure I'm getting something out of the class? No.

However, for those willing to be self-disciplined and with a real interest in learning the software it is a god send.  

When Will Richardson talked about students in the future not really attending college but instead putting together their own curriculum from a variety of sources I think this is exactly what he is talking about.

Information:

www.opensourcefood.com

This is a recipe site that i think fits into the Web 2.0 category for a couple of reasons.  First it is as much image driven as it is text based.  Secondly it is an interactive collaboration between people all over the world.  A Web 1.0 version of this site would be a collection of recipes written by the site creator.  With this Web 2.0 site the creator created a well-designed gathering site for like minded people to meet and exchange ideas. 

Commerce/Technology

www.red.com

I'm not sure how cleanly this fits into the definition of Web 2.0 but I find this site and company to be an interesting evolutionary step.  

The owner of the company simply stated that he was going to start building the best digital movie camera in the world at a price well below anything produced before.  The interesting thing was that he used the website to very actively solicit input from active professionals and future customers about what they wanted in a camera.  I think this model of customer input may become a model in the future.

Hello, well I guess I'm a little late to the party but I'll see what I can do to get caught up.  First off I am not currently teaching.  I began the MAT program in 2001.  However, due to a set circumstances both tragic and comedic, I did not finish and ended up teaching English in a tiny school in a rural mountainside village in Japan for three years.  After leaving Japan I have been splitting time between working construction in Kodiak, traveling, and working on my photography.

My credits were set to expire and I decided that it made sense to go ahead and finish up the classes I needed to get my degree.  Will I ever set foot in a traditional school again?  I don't know, we'll see.