Introducing Buji Balazic :) I have to admit, I like the name OK but have seen some just wonderful ones from other people.
Like a number of the 23 things, I've found it fun & reasonably easy in the workshop, but don't seem to be get back to "play" in more depth. Well, I've logged on once and managed to get myself lost while trying to work out how to teleport :) For this non-game-player it's not all that intuitive once I get past the basics.
But I WILL continue to find out more about Second Life and similar tools - just perhaps not for a while - perhaps those very early morning baby feeds in a few months time when I will just possibly get some quiet time to be able to take it in! (If I can stay awake of course).
I'm a bit sad the 23 Things have come to an end - I liked Kathryn's recent post about the things she is hoping to learn about in 2009, and will continue to follow this and a number of other blogs to try to piggy-back on the learning of others... I've been pleased with the way I've been able to take some of my existing skills and discover that I can reasonably quickly adapt to these new technologies. Trying to keep up is going to be difficult with a new baby but there are shortcuts available (ie the piggybacking) so I'm hoping that my brain won't atrophy too much!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Thing 22 - Gaming
How might we adapt our instructional material to better engage digital natives?
I have found this a really interesting area and have done a little more reading on it - enough to know that there is a lot yet for me to know! But some of the points that I have picked up on so far include:
From: Engaging Digital Natives http://www.slideshare.net/cliotech/engaging-digital-natives accessed 19/12/2008
* used to receiving information really fast
* parallel processing & multi-tasking
* prefer graphics before text
* work best in networks
* instant gratification & frequent rewards
* prefer 'games' to 'work'
From Van Eck, Richard. Digital Game-Based Learning: It's Not Just the Digital Natives Who Are Restless in EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 41, no. 2 (March/April 2006): 16–30.
* require multiple streams of information,
* prefer inductive reasoning,
* want frequent and quick interactions with content, and
* have exceptional visual literacy skills
Must be engaged to retain information
” For gamers, learning “is consumed in very small bits exactly when the learner wants, which is usually just before the skill is needed” (Beck & Wade 2004b, 159)
Beck, John C., and Mitchell Wade. 2004b. in Got game: How the gamer generation is reshaping business forever. Boston: Harvard Business School.
* risk taking,
* data immersion, and
* trial and error
"It’s a rapid cycle of hypothesis, experiment, and analysis. And it’s a fundamentally different take on problem-solving than the linear, read-the-manual-first approach of their parents” (2006, 111). Wright, Will. 2006. Dream machines. Wired 14 (4): 110-112.
Basically, they don't want huge screeds of information that they think may or may not be of use to them in the future - they want shortcuts for things they are already using, and the ability to quickly find the exact answer to their exact query - at the point they have it.
So, rather than some of the more traditional lecture type situations, hands on involvement (preferably in a fun format) and comprehensive searchable material (that covers all possibilities) for later reference seem to be more appropriate to their learning style. Still thinking on this & it's implications - obviously we're already part way there (at least in what we attempt), but some of the preparation could be hugely time consuming (some examples of educational games required huge dollars as well). Hmmm...
I have found this a really interesting area and have done a little more reading on it - enough to know that there is a lot yet for me to know! But some of the points that I have picked up on so far include:
From: Engaging Digital Natives http://www.slideshare.net/cliotech/engaging-digital-natives accessed 19/12/2008
* used to receiving information really fast
* parallel processing & multi-tasking
* prefer graphics before text
* work best in networks
* instant gratification & frequent rewards
* prefer 'games' to 'work'
From Van Eck, Richard. Digital Game-Based Learning: It's Not Just the Digital Natives Who Are Restless in EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 41, no. 2 (March/April 2006): 16–30.
* require multiple streams of information,
* prefer inductive reasoning,
* want frequent and quick interactions with content, and
* have exceptional visual literacy skills
Must be engaged to retain information
” For gamers, learning “is consumed in very small bits exactly when the learner wants, which is usually just before the skill is needed” (Beck & Wade 2004b, 159)
Beck, John C., and Mitchell Wade. 2004b. in Got game: How the gamer generation is reshaping business forever. Boston: Harvard Business School.
* risk taking,
* data immersion, and
* trial and error
"It’s a rapid cycle of hypothesis, experiment, and analysis. And it’s a fundamentally different take on problem-solving than the linear, read-the-manual-first approach of their parents” (2006, 111). Wright, Will. 2006. Dream machines. Wired 14 (4): 110-112.
Basically, they don't want huge screeds of information that they think may or may not be of use to them in the future - they want shortcuts for things they are already using, and the ability to quickly find the exact answer to their exact query - at the point they have it.
So, rather than some of the more traditional lecture type situations, hands on involvement (preferably in a fun format) and comprehensive searchable material (that covers all possibilities) for later reference seem to be more appropriate to their learning style. Still thinking on this & it's implications - obviously we're already part way there (at least in what we attempt), but some of the preparation could be hugely time consuming (some examples of educational games required huge dollars as well). Hmmm...
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Thing 21 - Ustream and the impact of ubiquitous video
I watched Kathryn's demo of Ustream with interest but would have liked to see the chat functionality in action. I've now registered and will have a play at home, away from the security restrictions (well, hypersensitive IT-savvy husband aside) to see how that side works.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thing 18, 19 - Join Twitter, Tweet for a Week
The Twitter registration process was quite simple and clear - pity I was meant to tweet the week that I only had one day at work :) But I've been enjoying reading other's tweets, and also found out quite a bit more about some people's roles.
I also read something quite interesting:
Terrorist 'tweets'? US Army warns of Twitter dangers
Not that this is a new idea or unique to Twitter - as others have written, the whole point of many of these new technologies is to enable faster communication. Most technologies can be used for positive or negative results depending on the outlook of the users...
I also read something quite interesting:
Terrorist 'tweets'? US Army warns of Twitter dangers
Not that this is a new idea or unique to Twitter - as others have written, the whole point of many of these new technologies is to enable faster communication. Most technologies can be used for positive or negative results depending on the outlook of the users...
Thing 20 - Slideshare.net & YouTube.com
I wasn't sure what to search for, but was having a pang of regret at not being in the Top End, so searched for & found a short video about a section of Litchfield National Park. This shows a section near the Buley Rock Holes - a FANTASTIC swimming spot we visited regularly. This video was taken in the wet so it's not the normal sedate plunge pools but it still brought back great memories :)
I found the embedding process very simple and I have seen a number of instances that this has been a very useful way of sharing information.
I found the embedding process very simple and I have seen a number of instances that this has been a very useful way of sharing information.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Things 16-17 - Join Facebook, add Facebook friends
I've been on Facebook since Feb this year. I decided it was the best way to keep up with a friend who moved to Malawi with AVA for two years. She updates her status regularly using her mobile phone and uploads amazing photos when she is near a large town. It's also been good to keep up with a number of our interstate and overseas nephews & nieces (who range in age from 29 to 4 - not all of them on Facebook!) and all of their doings...
I currently have 37 "friends" - family, local & interstate friends, people I have worked with (some over 10 years ago) and I've just been found by a couple of high school classmates after 20+ years!
I get frustrated by people who want to send me all their wonderful invitations to play games or add pretty things, but I love the ease of ignoring them :) I'm still at a dip in & out stage - every couple of days is enough for me, but I can sometimes find myself getting a little addicted and staying on much longer than the time I have allocated myself.
I haven't yet done much playing with less social type things - I am a member of the ALIA group, and Aussie Librarians, but that's about as far as I've gotten. I'll be interested to hear how other people are using it.
I currently have 37 "friends" - family, local & interstate friends, people I have worked with (some over 10 years ago) and I've just been found by a couple of high school classmates after 20+ years!
I get frustrated by people who want to send me all their wonderful invitations to play games or add pretty things, but I love the ease of ignoring them :) I'm still at a dip in & out stage - every couple of days is enough for me, but I can sometimes find myself getting a little addicted and staying on much longer than the time I have allocated myself.
I haven't yet done much playing with less social type things - I am a member of the ALIA group, and Aussie Librarians, but that's about as far as I've gotten. I'll be interested to hear how other people are using it.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thing 14 - Flickr
I've looked at other people's images on Flickr (sometimes being amazed - as I am with Facebook - how much private information they're willing to give out about themselves) but haven't joined or contributed until now. I can see it's definite benefits in a personal setting but (like many of these tools) I could also use a different 'thing' to achieve a similar result - in my case that would be sharing images with family & friends that are interstate.
I did like Ian's work example and can see the value in something like the Cambridge Library's display with catalogue links - but would also think that it would create a huge amount of work. I do wonder at the time/value equation - although I suppose as with many emerging technologies, someone needs to put in the time & energy initially. Long term there may be huge demand and the time/value equation may swing, but until someone has done the work to allow users to get to know it, it won't happen. A case (possibly) of 'if you build it they will come!' Or not!
I did like Ian's work example and can see the value in something like the Cambridge Library's display with catalogue links - but would also think that it would create a huge amount of work. I do wonder at the time/value equation - although I suppose as with many emerging technologies, someone needs to put in the time & energy initially. Long term there may be huge demand and the time/value equation may swing, but until someone has done the work to allow users to get to know it, it won't happen. A case (possibly) of 'if you build it they will come!' Or not!
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