Peace Begins with a Smile

2004-10-19T17:30:00.000-04:00

On Amanda's blog, she posted the following question in response to Steal This Computer Book 3: Are we opening up a giant can of worms by putting traditional forms of literature on the web or are we opening the door to a younger generation who may be more interested in reading War and Peace if it was available in a hypertext edition?

I think that this question is an extremely important one. As we saw with the repurposing (or retelling, depending on your interpretation of the work) of Where the Wild Things Are, the web creates new opportunities to present classic works, whether they be children's books or novels, in innovative forms. For example, Dr. Whithaus showed us the books from the British Library online. This was AMAZING to me. The potential good of this is technology is limitless. At the same time, there is also a limitless possibility for misuse of this technology which must be considered as well. Both these issues are ripe topics for discussion in this class. I think we should all think seriously about Amanda's question.

Stylistic Concerns of the Internet on NPR

2004-10-05T13:42:00.000-04:00

Once again, I heard a piece on NPR related to this course. This time, it was a commentary by Linguist Geoff Nunberg on Technology Magazine's decision to stop capitalizing the "I" in internet and the "W" in web. He has an interesting perspective on how we think of the internet (as a place or a specific location, though it is clearly not). He also mentions that the internet permits the illusion of community, though it is hardly a cohesive entity.

Listen here to the NPR story
or
Read here what wired.com has to say.

If you get a chance to listen to this piece, I'd really be interested in your opinions. I'll reply with my own opinion next week.

Liz's Book Talk

2004-10-05T13:12:00.000-04:00

I had never taken the time before class last week to think about a future without the internet. However, Liz's descriptions of the short stories in her book made me think about how integrated into our lives the internet has already become. In particular, I thought about the concept of a discourse or interpretive community, which we discussed in class. Even a topic as small as the "I" in internet can be of major importance now. Why? Because the internet is a large and growing part of our lives.

I feel like many of us have already become highly dependent on our access to the web. I use the internet for everything from getting my news to keeping in touch with my family to buying clothes and make-up.

When I first moved here, I didn't have internet access for the first three months, and it was so difficult to adjust. I did get used to it and actually didn't mind it all by th end, but not having the internet made my life much more difficult that it was when I had it and not that I have it again. For example, if I wanted to go somewhere new, I couldn't simply look up the address, phone number, and directions. If I wanted to manage my bank account, I couldn't just click a few buttons. There were times when I had to go out of my way to my finance's mom's house, to Kinkos, or to the library when I had to get to my e-mail. Not having easy access almost cost me my TA job! (My program director had to call me and ask why I wasn't accepting a job offer I didn't even know I had gotten, since it was an e-mail!)

Liz's book talk really got me thinking about the changes happening in our global community as the direct result of the internet.

Amanda's Photograph

2004-09-21T13:36:00.000-04:00

Last week I attended class from the Peninsula Center and met Amanda in person. What you all may not realize is that Amanda took the beautiful photograph on her blog. I'd like to see more of her photography, so you all should help me encourage her to post more of it.
Click here to see the photograph from Amanda's blog
Click here to link to Amanda's blog

Sick!

2004-09-21T13:17:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you all, but I love fall! The past few days the weather has been wonderful, but I haven't been able to enjoy it because I'm sick. I don't know what I have, but I basically have symptoms of a head cold (cough, sore throat, sinus problems, no appetite, pain/itching inner ears, etc.)

I have officially been feeling bad for a full week. I am trying both traditional and holistic treatments, but I'm not feeling better. So, I appeal to you all to please help.

If you have any suggestions for how I can get well, I'd love to hear them. The sooner I get over this sickness, the sooner I can enjoy this lovely weather!

Thanks!

NPR Story on Google

2004-09-21T12:38:00.000-04:00

On September 5, I heard a discussion on NPR's "Talk of the Nation" about Google, and I thought you all might find it interesting. The discussion includes an really good and clear explanation of how search engines work, and it hightlights some of Google's helpful features.

You can listen to it online at:
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1421546

Cognitive Profile for Education

2004-09-13T19:23:00.000-04:00

I wanted to forward a helpful educational tool, particularly for anyone in or perusing a teaching career.

It is a learning styles inventory based on the Myers-Briggs personality test. Dr. Lois Breur Krause of Clemson University has adapted the test to be used in an educational setting. It breaks people down into four types of learners based on a series of word pairs.

This test has been used in the ODU LADDERS program for students having academic difficulty for a number of years with much success. It is especially helpful for students who have trouble studying.

The test can be found online at www.cognitiveprofile.com There is also a book with the test and information on each type of learner called How We Learn and Why We Don't, which I believe is available in the bookstore.

Please let me know if you take the test and whether or not you find it helpful. I will be using this book in the courses I am a TA for in the spring as part of an experiment, and would find your feedback very helpful.

Thanks so much!

Response-"Where the Wild Things Are: A Retelling of the Story"

2004-09-07T16:59:00.000-04:00

In class, I briefly mentioned the advantage of multisensory presentations in appealing to members of the "Zoomer" generation. However, this recreation of Where the Wild Things Are demonstrates the disadvantage of many stimuli, particularly when trying to reach "Zoomers."

First, it is extremely common to lose one's place or miss information entirely when a hypertext essay format is used. Ease of navigation is among the most important qualities of a good hypertext. When I lose my place or have difficulty understanding the flow of a piece of work, I am unfortunately inclined to get frustrated and dwindle in my enthusiasm/interest. This tendency is particularly true of students who are young, have issues with attention and/or hyperactivity, or are already confused about or disinterested in the topic.

Another problem is that too much stimulation has a negative impact on the audience. If words or images are placed on a page sporadically or to access, it becomes difficult to process. I imagine this fact is why professional webdesigners usually have at least a rudimentary background in the visual arts. How you display information is essential in how or if people receive it.

My concerns over how information is displayed actually stem from my enjoyment of the story this retelling presents. I think it's a nice idea and the basic visual structure is good, but it is unfortunate that the problems here (navigation and surplus of images/text) make it so difficult to appreciate.

Response- "Perspective: Notes Toward the Remediation of Style"

2004-09-07T16:37:00.000-04:00

QUESTION:
I noticed that the Perspective piece is up on the George Mason University server. Did Collin Brooke do work there? I ask because I'm a GMU alum. Just curious is anyone knows!

Since class last Tuesday, I have been considering the advantages and disadvantages of presenting information through the use of hypertext/multimedia tools. This presentation encouraged me to this about the role of perspective in this debate.

As with any new technology, the audience must be "disciplined" to perceive the information from a different perspective. It seems to me that Collin Brooke is making the arguement that hypertext/multimedia is the most recent step in the evolution of media, and this evolution is progressive.

From the perspective of educational and cognative theory, I agree that multisensory means of presenting information can be superior in many ways to other forms. For example, Brooke's work contains stimuli that appeal to visual, auditory, and kinesthtic learning styles (the fact that the amount of auditory elements is limited isn't important for my argument). Thus, his message has the potential to reach people who might otherwise lose meaning if they couldn't apply hands-on techniques or could only hear what he was saying. By including all three elements, he ensures a greater understanding of his message.

By considering the perspective of different audiences in relation to their learning styles, I believe hypertext/multimedia presentations have the potential to result in greater comprehension of information by all students.

Update:
Shaun-Estelle made an interesting point about the necessesity of multitasking as we become busier and more technologically-dependent people.

Here's a link to that post:
http://theworldthewayiseeit.blogspot.com/2004/09/multitasking-next-step-in-human.html

Response- "Think Different/Think Differently: A Tale of Green Squiggly Lines, or Evaluating Student Writing in Computer- Mediated Environments"

2004-09-07T16:32:00.000-04:00

I did my undergraduate work in an learning community program at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. In most of my courses for this program, there was some IT element. This included webpages, hypertext essays, and web-based portfolios. As such, this article was particularly interesting to me, since my writing in a variety of forms has been evaluated many times.

All students in my program were required to complete a graduation portfolio. Beginning my year, students had the option to create an online portfolio en lieu of a traditional one. However, this presented a number of problems in terms of assessment. First, to what extent should the aesthetic aspects be taking into consideration, since they were a minor part of the traditional ones and major part of the web-based ones. Next, should students get additional credit for attempting this type of portfolio, particularly since it required more time and effort. In other words, was it fair to judge the traditional and online portfolios by the same standard?

This essay highlights these questions and many of the others faced by the professors who decided to make a technology-intensive alternative. While I opted for the more traditional form, the students who chose to go in a different direction had both positive and negative experiences. Certainly, this debate over the influence of computers on the assessment of students will only grown.

Link to Green Squiggly Lines

Response: "Orbital"

2004-09-07T16:16:00.000-04:00

I will be interested in hearing what my classmates have to say about this site, because I don't know what to make of it myself. It certainly calls into question how the poetic genre can and will be influenced by the use of multimedia tools. Poetry has often been one of the first forms of literature to push the limits of form, content, and comprehension.

This site led me to wonder about the potential of web-based poetry. I can invision various types of people (performance artists, students, commercial webdesigners) using this type of presentation and appropriating it for their purposes.

Link to Orbital piece

Welcome!

2004-09-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

I never imagined I would be joining the world of bloggers, but here I am. Good luck to my classmates as they set up their own blogs. I look forward to exploring this new medium with you!

Naite kurasu mo issho, waratte kurasu mo issho.
It is the same life whether we spend it crying or laughing.