Thursday, November 6, 2008
So What Is Web 2.0, Anyway?
What is Web 2.0? Or 2.1? Or Web 3.0 or Web 18.37?
These are serious questions that need to be considered...seriously.
While he may not offer the answers in the way we want, Sid Caesar demonstrates the proper level of critical thinking as he defines jazz. Let's have a look and a listen and see if we can glean some tips on how to analyze such a serious matter.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Catching Up
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Happy Trails
So You Want To Be Digital Rights Manager
Steve Jobs makes a very convincing case for DRM regarding itunes. The ability to share music with 5 computers and unlimited ipods seems perfectly fair to me. but of course, I could be wrong.
Friday, June 8, 2007
What I Think About Online Learning
In a word, fun!
In more than a word, I think that most of the learning that takes place is an electronic or digital version of a correspondence course. It really depends on your ability to be an autodidact.
I got my liberry degree via the Internet, and it was efficient and convenient. But being physically in the presence of an instructor and peers is better. Who hasn't been in a class in which the teacher pick up from the stony silence or the poker-faced expressions of the pupils that something isn't clicking? Online, students and teachers are unable to communicate via body language. A person can make a subtle point by speaking, controlling the tone and pace of the words, and with gestures. This is lost in the digital classroom.
On the other hand, if somebody wants to go on at length, many online classes have bulletin boards whereby a pupil can go on at length, and maybe someone will read it. Also, digital classes are able to reach students around the world - bringing education into the home as well as into the classroom. Also, the anonymity of the Internet allows students to make comments or ask questions without all that humiliation. On the other hand again, this means that you may not really know the person like you would in their physical presence. Think of the flickr video we watched. Nobody said this, but when I was attending school online it was common for someone to say that they would like to get to know the person behind the posts.
This course, again, is fun. I've enjoyed watching the videos, playing with the digital toys, etc. But it seems to be pretty self-referential. That is, you learn about blogs in order to make more blogs. Maybe these blogs have substantial importance outside of the cyber-world. We'll see.
In our location, there are only a few people who have really been able to collaborate in a side-by-side manner. Much of the interaction has been of the nature of advice and encouragement as one walks by the other on the computer. The major way we help each other is by ensuring that we have time away from the desk to pursue these opportunities.