Confessions of a Digital Cynic

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Thanks, greendaydiaz for tagging me and for offering a great suggestion on flipping the classroom. For the most recent round of workshops thatI facilitated through the Faculty Center on campus, I used that same model. A few days ahead of the workshop, I sent faculty some resources on how to, let's say, use VoiceThread. During the workshop, we focused on how to use it and each participant designed their own activity to use VT in their course; no time whatsoever was spent on adding comments, creating a VT, etc -- it was all about the pedagogy rather than it being about the technology. Needless to say, they loved the workshop and enjoyed the flipped model.

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For my final project, I developed a mobile learning unit on social justice.

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Final Project Work

I'm planning on designing a mobile learning unit on Social Justice. I would like to use the theme of "Get the Message Out" to tie the assignments together. The goal of the unit would be to have the students think about ways in which one can promote social justice and change via mobile technology. Some assignments will be broken up into using various modes of presentation such as a podcast, video, or multimedia presentation. The over-arching idea is that we can look at and discuss what is an effective way to reach people; how people are affected by a song or an image would be an interesting topic, for example. I would also like to base the assignments around the idea of reacting vs. being pro-active. Looking at how major movements used social media such as Occupy or the events in Cairo will provide real-world applications and examples. I will also be looking at how some organizations (human rights, etc) use social media, etc to get their message out.

My question is: Is my topic too broad? If so, what are some ways in which I can possibly narrow this down? I was also thinking that it might be interesting if the individual projects could some how be used towards one larger collaborative project...

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Social Media Guidelines

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Appetizers for App Week?

In honor of "App Week," it's only appropriate that we indulge in the deliciousness that are appetizers. Croxleys has 10 cent wings, but Apple Bees does the 1/2 priced deal and two-fers. Either way, you should all come!

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Learn Spanish - App Review

Learning any language can be tricky. It requires a lot of time and patience and to an extent, a reasonable amount of interactivity. One could spend a lifetime reading the Spanish language, but without ever applying it, it would be hard to asses comprehension. After all, we choose the words we speak. Learn Spanish by Mindsnacks provides an interactive environment in which to learn the language. Other apps by Mindsnacks include Chinese, Portuguese, English, French, German and even one for SAT vocab.

Learn Spanish combines gaming and learning into one very entertaining and effective app. The app is organized by six different games that challenge you in various ways. For example, one game times you as you use letters to spell out the number that's displayed.

Another one displays an English word and you have to choose the Spanish equivalent. Oh, and you're being timed on this one, too.

The app is mainly geared towards beginner and intermediate learners.

The graphics and text are well organized. It's clear from the sign-up screen that this app is easy to use, and designed for someone who has very limited experience with games. At any time, you can pause the game you're in and go back to the Main Menu. There, you have the option of reviewing numbers, for example.

The content in the review section will change depending on which level you're on. I think the review section is actually very smart. The app is designed as sort of a "one-stop shop" for learning Spanish. The games are only testing you on the material that is in the review section so at no point do you have to use some other resource. Also, the graphics in the review section are bright, colorful and creative which, as far as "multimedia" goes, I think helps learners visualize better and make stronger connections.

The games are definitely designed so that you can learn. For example, in the spelling the numbers game, you're given a few of the same numbers purposely so you develop more of a fluency with them. Then, there will be a few numbers that are thrown in just to see how much you know. If you don't answer correctly, the numbers will cycle back through the most familiar ones again. At the end of the game, you'll see a chart of the numbers that you answered and a rough average of how many times you got them correct. You'll be able to see which numbers you know very well and which ones you need to work on more. The app is very aware of the level at which you're working. Once you accumulate enough points, you'll graduate to the next one. I actually paid $4.99 to get 50 levels and I intend to, at some point, get my $4.99 dollar's worth.

As far as UDL goes, I do think that this app does an adequate job of meeting basic UDL principles. I wonder if there will ever be a committee, like the MPAA, that assigns a stamp of approval for apps that are "UDL-Approved." I have yet to Google this so there may already be something like this currently available. In terms of basic representation, expression and engagement, Learn Spanish does provide simulations that incorporate those principles. The games are designed to make you think (quickly, mind you - you're being timed!), but most of all, participate in an engaging way. "Active learning" comes to mind with this app because it actually keeps you in constant motion, so to speak. There's hardly any down time with the exception of after you finish around and have to wait for the scores. But even with scores, as was mentioned earlier, you're shown the words, numbers, etc. that you know well and the ones that you need to know a little better. Thus, you're constantly learning new things, testing those new things and assessing your own skill level. This kind of formula would be perfect for Math apps and I'm sure there must be several that work in this way. The way I learn best is to constantly be tested on something repeatedly until it's engrained in my memory. I remember my mom testing me with spelling words, back in the day, and eventually that's how I would test myself when I studied on my own. This app works similarly in that it's giving you new information and making sure that it's sticking. I actually love how you have to spell out the numbers because it works! Having not read Spanish in a while, my spelling was a little rusty. But after playing the game, I quickly remebered that twenty is spelled veinte. (I guess I was used to ordering "venti's" from Starbucks and continuing to confuse myself with Spanish and Italian. I took a year of Italian, too, and the languages are incredibly similar.)

Learn Spanish is a great example of the situated congnition theory. This is an app that makes you "do." It provides an effective and engaging experience (also an aesthetically pleasing one) that will teach you basic and intermediate levels of Spanish. A lot depends on your retention abilities, but the game is designed to advance you to the next level only when you're truly ready. So while there might be some repetition to get there, in the end, you will be more competent overall. I think that this a great app that I plan to use myself. I would be curious to know what data, if any, indicates the median at which people advance levels and complete the game. Did I mention the game is fun, too? Yes, it's fun playing and learning Spanish! And while I was only at the beginning levels, I would love to see a section devoted to sentence structure and grammar. I feel like those are always such key elements in any language and are often the most challenging. Overall, I found out very quickly that this would be an app that I could learn from. I can certainly see this app being used in schools and having homework assignments derived from levels.

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App-Maker, App-Maker, Make Me an App!

Some of my favorite websites are the ones that don't rely heavily on graphics. They don't try to confuse me or trick me. They have a limited amount of functionality, but that functionality is intuitive and very easy to navigate. I can read things clearly and easily, and even when there's an update, the changes are, on the whole, transparent.

There seems to be a very different set of expectations in the world of apps. I feel like many people don't quite know what to expect from an app. Perhaps there's some of that going on on the developers' side, too? In the instance of games, you have major companies that, at one time, dominated the game market - Milton Bradley and Hasbro are the two biggest ones that come to mind. There's Disney, too, of course. These companies designed games that were, for the most part, user-friendly and engaging. And while video games have existed for a long time now, it seems like some things are getting lost in the translation. I wonder if it's a failure on the developers' part to be more thorough with their research; that is, they don't quite fully understand how their audience is using the apps.

Clearly and undoubtedly, both articles expressed an overall disappointment with many apps. It seems that the basic user-friendly nature of many games or websites has yet to transition into their app counterparts. I, for one, have experienced using websites on my iPhone or iPad that are very poorly designed. On a laptop or desktop, the website's features are clear and complete, while the app version omits a lot of basic functionality. Take a lot of retail store apps, for example. I don't particularly enjoy using them on a mobile device because they're clunky and don't provide the same experience I was getting from the web site. I wonder if that's an issue with the design of the app or a conscious decision by the company to limit certain information making its way over.

I wasn't surprised that a Disney app was, overall, well-regarded. While the company itself has much to be disliked for, the one thing it does very well, and is well-known for, is the experience they facilitate in any of their enterprises. Even the Disney store is an experience! (My experience, however, was more like, "There are too many people in here. Get me outta here! And what the jeepers is this thing doing in Times Square?! And why the jeepers am I even in Times Square to begin with?!" (To those who still heart Disney, please note that The Lion King, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid are, to this day, three of my favorite movies, so there.) From their parks, to their games, Disney is tremendously successful (to the count of billions) in creating an interactive experience that you'll never forget. The effect their games have on kids is unbeatable. But they also have a clear grasp on their audience and more so, how their audience uses their products. They know what to provide and how to do it because they know their kids. And while their might be a slight oversight here and there, overall, their products are effective. I would be curious to look at a few Disney apps and compare them. Though they may be the big bad conglomerate that will probably own everything one day, we might be able to learn a thing or two in terms of how they present information. And don't worry, I'm sure it'll be quite some time before Disney owns everything, including Facebook. Hakuna Matata.

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Google Webinars

A bevy of interesting webinars hosted by Google: https://sites.google.com/site/eduonair/conference-sessions

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Foster the Learning

Humans are intuitively visual learners. Take prehistoric humans, for example. They used paintings to tell stories and communicate. Words and language came from visual representations of objects and people so are we that surprised that we learn better from multimedia? Multimedia infers the use of other things besides words to teach, tell a story, deliver a presentation etc. The use of multimedia also implies the use of tools that will appeal to our senses and provide an enriching experience, one that we could not have otherwise had with text alone.

I feel that at the core of the Learning and Instruction article is the idea that there is a relationship between words and images, concepts and words, and concepts and images. If we examine how, cognitively, people learn, I think we'll find a connection between two things that make something understood. For example, there is a lot of research that suggests that students will remember material better if they also write it out. I have a photographic memory, so writing things out helped me quite a bit as I was able to memorize text as I wrote it out. There was a connection between my hand movements and the image of the words.

Overall, I liked the research that was conducted in this study. I found the data "meaningful" in how it was presented. Also, the examples that were chosen painted a picture - so to speak - of how meaningful learning was taking place (or not, in some cases). I also like how the author is conscious of the "big picture" which is basic human cognition.  When you were two or three were you not shown picture books? In those books, the illustrations guided the story and while there some occasional narration or dialogue, the images were designed to inform a child on a basic level as to what was going on.

It's amazing how, when the economy tanked, art programs were among the first to be cut in school districts. But at the core of meaningful teaching and learning is a deep-rooted, binding (in many ways), link to the arts. Even the use of language can be considered an art, whether it takes the form of an essay, poem, novel, script or tag line. I also believe firmly that we have a lot to learn from children with disabilities and autism. They learn, in some instances, in different ways than the "average" learner does. And in a lot of research, the methods that help them learn the best are those that use art - images, sounds, performance, multimedia - to teach a lesson. This article helps affirm the idea that teaching in and of itself is and should be an activity that consists of multimedia, irregardless of the subject. After all, don't they say that "a picture is worth a thousand words?"

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Final Project Pitch

I'd like to create a mobile learning unit for either an art ed class or a social justice class (or maybe a social justice organization?) I think that doing some research about how different organizations are making use of mobile tech to reach and audience and educate them would be interesting. I wonder if they could actually be combined? I could research how social justice orgs use the tech and then apply that to a social justice course?

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Week 11 Reading Response

"People will read again!" yelled a character to Tom Cruise's in the movie Vanilla Sky (2001). I'm not exactly sure why, but that quote has stuck with me ever since I first saw the movie. Apparently, that character was right. Over the past two years, it seems, reading has increased due in part to e-readers. Even my roommate said that he would read more after buying a Kindle. He uses it almost every day on the subway when he commutes to work. When I was taking the subway to work, I read on it, too. But that was long before e-readers. Maybe those of us who want to read more should just start taking public transportation...

I think the ways in which people read things on a computer screen is fascinating, mostly because of how rapidly those habits are changing. I tend not to read things in their entirety. Instead, I'll "power browse" and bookmark things for later. I currently have five tabs open on my browser to things that, for whatever reason, I couldn't finish reading or digesting at the time (I have yet to finish reading them, by the way). Personally, I feel like my reading habits have gotten worse. I browse a lot, too much even, and don't spend enough time digesting. Alternatively, if I pick up a NY Times, I'm more likely to read multiple articles in their entirety. I think for those of us who grew up reading on paper, there will be some adjustments we have to make. It's exciting, too, the amount of information that we can expose ourselves to at once. Throughout the day, I'm grabbing tiny bits of information, some from news sites, others from social media outlets; the multitude of sources contributes to the overwhelming amount of information that is transmitted.

I love that reading is making a come back of sorts. The "E-reading" article talked about the accessibility of books and how more people are buying than borrowing. The kind of transition has affected the movie rental industry. When was the last time you walked into a Blockbuster to rent a movie? Oh wait, they're going out of business. Or have already. There are currently no video rental stores in my hometown on Long Island. At one time there were three, the first being Movie Land. Remember Movie Land, anyone? They used to have a popcorn machine and you could get free popcorn just for being in the store. Those were the days... Now, you can find almost anything you want through the iTunes Store or Netflix. And like movies, books are equally as accessible. And remember when you had to buy shelves to store things, like books? Now, you can store thousands of books onto your tiny, little iPad. It's quite incredible. And remember when your backpack weighed more than you did? Bye-bye chiropractor bills!

In some ways, we're moving away from materialism. I, for one, still pride myself on owning an extensive collection of DVDs. The thought of one day just having a single hard drive with a bunch of files on it doesn't excite me. I LIKE looking at the cases and being able to glance at titles just by turning my head.

Overall, I think integrating devices like iPads into schools are a novel idea. They truly have the power (or rather is used properly by the teacher) to completely change the ways in which teaching and learning transpire. I'm curious to track how iPads will affect the evolution of classroom-based learning. Perhaps they'll have a hand in dismantling it. Either way, at the end of the day, my only question is: will these new devices make us smarter? Will they make us better readers, writers, learners and teachers? Will we become the "e-civilization" or will our imperfect minds never be fully quite capable of processing information like we hope these devices will would help us do? Where's my crystal ball hiding? Oh wait, there's probably an app for that;)

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Go Mets!

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Come check out Adelphi's Teaching with Technology Conference on April 16th in the Campbell Lounge Rooms from 2:30-4:45pm. It's a great way to see how faculty are using instructional technologies in the classroom. Also might be helpful for final project ideas :)

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Comments are back!

After successfully disabling my comments somehow, I've now managed to reactivate them. So...give it a shot and comment away!

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Mobile learning and Literacy

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Podcast Topic

My podcast will focus on mobile learning and literacy.