It was very easy for me to identify with Robert Carr's, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" My journey into stupidity begins with Personal Data Assistants. Before PDA's I was able to sit through long meetings with a notepad and take notes, I wouldn't always be paying attention but it looked like I was. When I got a PDA I would sit in those same meetings and take notes on the PDA and still only pay attention 50% of the time. As PDA technology improved I would take notes until there was a subject that didn't concern me and during that part of the meeting I would play games. Over time this taking notes and occasionally playing games changed into mostly playing games. I don't know if this was a change in my attitude towards meetings (99% of what is said can be conveyed in one paragraph in an e-mail) or if this attitude towards meetings was partially driven by my PDA. I'm sure the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
The question is whether or not my multitasking and my new inability to concentrate for extended periods of time was an indication that I was becoming stupid. I can't honestly say that I took as much information from the meetings as I had in the past but I did take away 90% of the information and that information was easier for me to retrieve. The information was memorized instead of hiding somewhere in my notes that would never be looked at again. I have become far better at splitting my consciousness, I can retain information and surf the web at the same time. In fact I was able to enhance what I was learning in those meetings by going online or on the companies interweb and supplementing what I was being told with additional information. I was getting more out of meetings than I had in the past. My ability to sit motionless and pretend I was listening was severely limited but my ability to listen to what was being said was enhanced. Before, if a meeting covered 30 minutes of information that didn't have anything to do with me by the time the important information was disseminated I was so far into daydream mode that many times I did not catch it. With the invention of the PDA I played games for the first 30 minutes and was fresh when the important information came around.
This is all anecdotal evidence in support of what Carr said but it is what I have seen in my own life. I am not sure that I'm getting stupider but I do know that everything has changed.
Monday, November 23, 2009
My research paper
I was very happy to hear the two reports on Thursday. I have been leaning towards my research paper being on classroom technologies and Kindle/Reader and Twitter are two technologies that I wanted to include in the paper. I was worried that there would be no information about either of these technologies being used for education. The reports gave me an indication that there is information available. Now I just need to create an outline and get to work. I always have a problem organizing papers, this one will be no different. I might divide the paper into two parts, one hardware (Kindle) one software (twitter/blackboard). Or I might divide it into useful technologies and worthless ones. Both of these black and white categories are problematic, sometimes hardware and software are bundled and most technologies have advantages and disadvantages. Maybe I can divide them by the cost of the technology or possibly by the newness of the technologies. Again both of these are problematic. Maybe I will seperate the report alphabetically, not exactly grouping like technologies together but it would be simple. Maybe my problems with organization can be ignored because Shirkey wrote that ontology is overated. If I created the report on the web, something I have no experience with, I would just be able to tag everything and not worry about categorizing everything.
I will just have to pull out a sheet of paper and brainstorm. Once I know exactly what I will include in the paper I shoulod be able to organize the information in a coherent way. That is my hope at least. Maybe it would be easier to learn how to create the report on the web. I doubt it. Next step deciding what technologies will make the cut.
I will just have to pull out a sheet of paper and brainstorm. Once I know exactly what I will include in the paper I shoulod be able to organize the information in a coherent way. That is my hope at least. Maybe it would be easier to learn how to create the report on the web. I doubt it. Next step deciding what technologies will make the cut.
Monday, November 16, 2009
The NEA's rise and fall of reading
Reading for many people is an enjoyable pastime. In 2004 the NEA found that fewer than 50% of American adults reading literature. In 2009 the NEA that for the first time in over 25 years the percentage of American adults reading literature was increasing. In 5 years we went from the end of a literate America to a positive outlook on literacy because the fastest growing segment of readers are 18-25 years old. The NEA attributed this increase to reading programs that are working. I attribute this increase to Harry Potter. Specifically I attribute this increase to the realization by publishers that a huge amount of money can be made by making books that people want to read, specifically the youger readers. Twilight and Harry Potter are wildly popular.
The 2009 survey finds that most of the increases come from fiction. Poetry and Drama continue to decline. This would seem to back up my claim that young wizards and teenage vampires are driving the increase in reading, not necessarily reading initiatives. Is this a bad thing? Absolutely not, as long as people are reading it is a positive thing. The NEA studies have shown readers are more likely to volunteer, go to social events and be better human beings in general.
My main concern is that these studies are self serving, The NEA gets money to run literacy programs and if they show improvement than they continue to get money.
The 2009 survey finds that most of the increases come from fiction. Poetry and Drama continue to decline. This would seem to back up my claim that young wizards and teenage vampires are driving the increase in reading, not necessarily reading initiatives. Is this a bad thing? Absolutely not, as long as people are reading it is a positive thing. The NEA studies have shown readers are more likely to volunteer, go to social events and be better human beings in general.
My main concern is that these studies are self serving, The NEA gets money to run literacy programs and if they show improvement than they continue to get money.
My research paper is going to deal with technology in and out of the classroom as a way to improve education. To do this I will have to first define the improvement of education. Is it better scores on standardized tests, is it better student interaction and participation, or is it advancing more students on to higher education? I have come to the conclusion that education needs to be a means for people to find greater happiness. This sounds crazy but it is becoming a,n important field of study in science and even political theory. Bhutan has become measuring "gross domestic happiness" and valuing it higher than Gross Domestic Product. Many media outlets have started making lists of the happiest countries in the world and science has begun studying what happiness is and where it comes from. Maybe I should do my research paper on teaching children to find happiness? I know this sounds simplistic and even silly but really what is more happy than the pursuit of happiness? According to the constitution the pursuit of happiness is an unalienable right that is endowed by the creator.
Well I guess teaching children how to find happiness is important but it is difficult to quantify and impossible for me to write a research paper on so I will concentrate on studies that discuss student achievement as it is linked to technology in the classroom. This will be difficult because many of the internet sources I have found are biased towards technology because they are run by technology companies that are trying to sell electronics to schools to make money.
I will also look at the technology that is being used in technology and try to determine if it is being used to greatest effect. I really need to nail this paper down before I get started. The focus of the paper is just too broad right now. The most intersting aspect of technology in the classroom to me is the emergence of social networking, Twitter and texting as a means of communication. Can facebook, Twitter, or texting be used to ehance the classroom experience? How much technology should be used in the classroom?
Well this paper is still up in the air.
Well I guess teaching children how to find happiness is important but it is difficult to quantify and impossible for me to write a research paper on so I will concentrate on studies that discuss student achievement as it is linked to technology in the classroom. This will be difficult because many of the internet sources I have found are biased towards technology because they are run by technology companies that are trying to sell electronics to schools to make money.
I will also look at the technology that is being used in technology and try to determine if it is being used to greatest effect. I really need to nail this paper down before I get started. The focus of the paper is just too broad right now. The most intersting aspect of technology in the classroom to me is the emergence of social networking, Twitter and texting as a means of communication. Can facebook, Twitter, or texting be used to ehance the classroom experience? How much technology should be used in the classroom?
Well this paper is still up in the air.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
History of Chinese Bookbinding Website Report
Troy Johansson
Professor Lisa Maruca
English 5080
10. November 2009
Chinese Book Binding
This website is dedicated to Chinese book binding. It is a part of the much larger International Dunhuang Project. The Dunhuang project is a collaboration on the known history of the East Silk Road. Dunhuang is a province in China that was important because of the Silk Roads that ran through it. The text for the Chinese bookbinding website is written by Colin Chinnery and the diagrams are by Colin Chinnery and Li Yi. Layout, content, and appearance all work together to make this a very good website.
The layout of the site is intuitive and user friendly. There are six styles of bookbinding covered on the site with a link to each type at the top of the site. These links do not go to separate sites but jump down the page to the section that is desired. Each section has two Chinese words in parenthesis following it. I was originally confused when I noticed this because I thought they were names of the people that worked on each section. When I noticed each “person” had the same last name and a different first name I puzzled out that it was not the names of contributors but the Chinese name of the style of bookbinding. This was the only time I was confused viewing the website. There are illustrations throughout the site that are not distracting to the text at all. There is a bibliography at the end of the page where it should be; it was not scattered throughout the site which made it easy to understand. The site is completely contained on one page, it doesn't become necessary to jump from page to page. It is organized in a very straightforward time line, earliest forms of bookbinding to the most modern. The layout and organization of the site is very well done and makes following the information provided on the site very easy.
The content of the site is very focused. It does not try to teach the reader everything about every different type of Chinese bookbinding. The site shares the information in a concise and easy to follow way. Studying the site beginning to end is not a masters class in Chinese bookbinding but it allows the reader to pretend they are a master. The text is backed up and strengthened by the many diagrams and pictures. The pictures are not just gratuitous, they link directly with the information shared in the text and improve the understanding of the reader. Difficult concepts are clearly explained through the use of pictures and diagrams. The information on the site comes from the International Dunhuang Project and is documented in the bibliography. The reputation of the Dunhuang Project and the thorough citing makes the information above reproach.
At the top of the site there is an option to download the site as a PDF. The PDF and the site are almost exactly the same, the only difference I saw is the PDF has a selective bibliography instead of the complete bibliography of the site. The site did not list when it was created or last modified but the nearly identical down-loadable PDF has a date of July 2nd 2007. There has probably been additional information on Chinese bookbinding uncovered in the last 2 years and an update of the site would appear to be in order but the source material for the website is all older. The most current source for information for this site is more than ten years old so it is possible that no new information has been uncovered in the last two years.
The appearance of the site in no way detracts from the content. The font is a very easy to read no nonsense font that works well with the scholarly nature of the website. It is a comfortable size to read and the color is well contrasted so straining is not necessary when reading. The diagrams were pleasant to look at and helped the reader understand. The pictures were high quality and pleasant to look at but probably would only be considered beautiful by book scholars. The colors and fonts work together to make this site pleasant to look at but not frivolous in any way. The appearance works well towards the aim of informing the reader. The diagrams and pictures are in close proximity to the text they are explaining and do not have to be searched for. The appearance is uniform throughout the page.
The intuitive layout, accurate and well explained content and simple appearance of this website combine to make it very effective. Stylistically nothing detracts from the content and the layout makes the website simple to use and follow. The content of the website is most important in this case and the content is not overwhelmed by useless tricks or distracting graphics and animations. The design of the website is very effective at allowing the information to stand on its own.
Chinnery, Colin. "Bookbinding." IDP Education. IDP, Web. 22 Oct 2009..
Professor Lisa Maruca
English 5080
10. November 2009
Chinese Book Binding
This website is dedicated to Chinese book binding. It is a part of the much larger International Dunhuang Project. The Dunhuang project is a collaboration on the known history of the East Silk Road. Dunhuang is a province in China that was important because of the Silk Roads that ran through it. The text for the Chinese bookbinding website is written by Colin Chinnery and the diagrams are by Colin Chinnery and Li Yi. Layout, content, and appearance all work together to make this a very good website.
The layout of the site is intuitive and user friendly. There are six styles of bookbinding covered on the site with a link to each type at the top of the site. These links do not go to separate sites but jump down the page to the section that is desired. Each section has two Chinese words in parenthesis following it. I was originally confused when I noticed this because I thought they were names of the people that worked on each section. When I noticed each “person” had the same last name and a different first name I puzzled out that it was not the names of contributors but the Chinese name of the style of bookbinding. This was the only time I was confused viewing the website. There are illustrations throughout the site that are not distracting to the text at all. There is a bibliography at the end of the page where it should be; it was not scattered throughout the site which made it easy to understand. The site is completely contained on one page, it doesn't become necessary to jump from page to page. It is organized in a very straightforward time line, earliest forms of bookbinding to the most modern. The layout and organization of the site is very well done and makes following the information provided on the site very easy.
The content of the site is very focused. It does not try to teach the reader everything about every different type of Chinese bookbinding. The site shares the information in a concise and easy to follow way. Studying the site beginning to end is not a masters class in Chinese bookbinding but it allows the reader to pretend they are a master. The text is backed up and strengthened by the many diagrams and pictures. The pictures are not just gratuitous, they link directly with the information shared in the text and improve the understanding of the reader. Difficult concepts are clearly explained through the use of pictures and diagrams. The information on the site comes from the International Dunhuang Project and is documented in the bibliography. The reputation of the Dunhuang Project and the thorough citing makes the information above reproach.
At the top of the site there is an option to download the site as a PDF. The PDF and the site are almost exactly the same, the only difference I saw is the PDF has a selective bibliography instead of the complete bibliography of the site. The site did not list when it was created or last modified but the nearly identical down-loadable PDF has a date of July 2nd 2007. There has probably been additional information on Chinese bookbinding uncovered in the last 2 years and an update of the site would appear to be in order but the source material for the website is all older. The most current source for information for this site is more than ten years old so it is possible that no new information has been uncovered in the last two years.
The appearance of the site in no way detracts from the content. The font is a very easy to read no nonsense font that works well with the scholarly nature of the website. It is a comfortable size to read and the color is well contrasted so straining is not necessary when reading. The diagrams were pleasant to look at and helped the reader understand. The pictures were high quality and pleasant to look at but probably would only be considered beautiful by book scholars. The colors and fonts work together to make this site pleasant to look at but not frivolous in any way. The appearance works well towards the aim of informing the reader. The diagrams and pictures are in close proximity to the text they are explaining and do not have to be searched for. The appearance is uniform throughout the page.
The intuitive layout, accurate and well explained content and simple appearance of this website combine to make it very effective. Stylistically nothing detracts from the content and the layout makes the website simple to use and follow. The content of the website is most important in this case and the content is not overwhelmed by useless tricks or distracting graphics and animations. The design of the website is very effective at allowing the information to stand on its own.
Chinnery, Colin. "Bookbinding." IDP Education. IDP, Web. 22 Oct 2009.
literacy
It seems like the current trend in humanities is to deconstruct everything. The term literacy is being deconstructed now. Does literacy mean able to read? Does it mean able to read and write? Does it mean able to figure tax in your head? Does it mean being able to use a computer? Does it mean being able to use LinkedIn? Literacy has become a moving target. Perhaps literacy should only be used with a modifier.
Reading literate, writing literate, math literate, computer literate, social networking site literate.
This becomes clunky but necessary to define what type of literacy is being discussed. Time to go to the source, Merriam-Webster online dictionary define literacy as: "the quality or state of being literate." Well that was useless, I guess I am not dictionary literate or possibly reference work literate or most likely I am online dictionary illiterate. Second try, literate: "able to read and write." Now that is more like it.
Academia has complicated literacy far beyond what it is. If the Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines literacy as "able to read and write" where do the complications come from? My theory is political correctness. It is no plonger socially acceptrable to call someone or some group illiterate. The term has moved from a simple description of reality to an indictment of that person or groups intelligence. Many words have moved in this direction. Ignorant has moved from: "destitute of knowledge or education (M-W)" to unintelligent. Unintelligent and ignorant to two completely different things yet current usage equates them.
So what is the offshoot of all this? Academics argue constantly about things that already have a definition. This is tiresome but it is actually important, without people pushing the accepted definitions or norms we would still accept Eugenics as science. Academia can be frustrating but the trivial arguiment actually can become far from trivial in the long run. Woodrow Wilson/Wallace Sayre were pretty astute in their observation that the intensity of an argument is inversely related to the value of the stakes of the issue, that is why academic arguments are so bitter. Many times the stakes are miniscule but they can have a broad and overreaching affect.
Reading literate, writing literate, math literate, computer literate, social networking site literate.
This becomes clunky but necessary to define what type of literacy is being discussed. Time to go to the source, Merriam-Webster online dictionary define literacy as: "the quality or state of being literate." Well that was useless, I guess I am not dictionary literate or possibly reference work literate or most likely I am online dictionary illiterate. Second try, literate: "able to read and write." Now that is more like it.
Academia has complicated literacy far beyond what it is. If the Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines literacy as "able to read and write" where do the complications come from? My theory is political correctness. It is no plonger socially acceptrable to call someone or some group illiterate. The term has moved from a simple description of reality to an indictment of that person or groups intelligence. Many words have moved in this direction. Ignorant has moved from: "destitute of knowledge or education (M-W)" to unintelligent. Unintelligent and ignorant to two completely different things yet current usage equates them.
So what is the offshoot of all this? Academics argue constantly about things that already have a definition. This is tiresome but it is actually important, without people pushing the accepted definitions or norms we would still accept Eugenics as science. Academia can be frustrating but the trivial arguiment actually can become far from trivial in the long run. Woodrow Wilson/Wallace Sayre were pretty astute in their observation that the intensity of an argument is inversely related to the value of the stakes of the issue, that is why academic arguments are so bitter. Many times the stakes are miniscule but they can have a broad and overreaching affect.
research paper thoughts
This blog is mainly brainstorming for my research paper. Please feel free to offer any suggestions. I plan on teaching high school English when I finish my degree at Wayne State. Because I will be a teacher I want to do a research paper that will help me as a teacher. For my research paper I think I will try to apply new technologies to the classroom. Many classes have computers now and many students are using laptops. I am not interested in the use of computers in education I am more interested in applying current communications technology to the classroom. Is it possible to use Twitter as a means of learning? How about face book? Can cell phones be used to enhance the learning process? Is there some sort of technology that is being used in business that can be applied to the classroom to enhance learning?
A large part of learning is communication and the Internet is being optimized as a method of communication. What level of communication though? Should teachers always be available through e-mail? Should teachers have a face book page that the kids can use to communicate? How about a twitter account? would it really enhance learning if the teacher and student were able to communicate at anytime? I don't know many teachers that can communicate anything in 140 characters.
Much learning takes place in the classroom. Some learning is through homework. Would twitter allow a student that is having trouble with their homework assignment to contact the teacher and get some help? This sounds like a teachers nightmare, maybe it would be better if the students relied on each other. Maybe the teacher should only be available at certain times and the rest of the time students could communicate together for help. Twitter is probably too restrictive.
Wayne State uses blackboard. Whoever invented and administers blackboard should be incarcerated in my opinion. It seems like there is a lot room for improvement there. Should a completely new form of communication be invented for high school? Can Blackboard be improved?
I guess my first step should be finding out what kind of communications technology high schools are using. From there I will have to test them and see if they are effective. Time to research.
A large part of learning is communication and the Internet is being optimized as a method of communication. What level of communication though? Should teachers always be available through e-mail? Should teachers have a face book page that the kids can use to communicate? How about a twitter account? would it really enhance learning if the teacher and student were able to communicate at anytime? I don't know many teachers that can communicate anything in 140 characters.
Much learning takes place in the classroom. Some learning is through homework. Would twitter allow a student that is having trouble with their homework assignment to contact the teacher and get some help? This sounds like a teachers nightmare, maybe it would be better if the students relied on each other. Maybe the teacher should only be available at certain times and the rest of the time students could communicate together for help. Twitter is probably too restrictive.
Wayne State uses blackboard. Whoever invented and administers blackboard should be incarcerated in my opinion. It seems like there is a lot room for improvement there. Should a completely new form of communication be invented for high school? Can Blackboard be improved?
I guess my first step should be finding out what kind of communications technology high schools are using. From there I will have to test them and see if they are effective. Time to research.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)