Social Networking

1. What is the appeal for the young and old to network in online places like the ones you examined this week?

     Social networking sites, personal learning environments, and photo sharing sites are a very interesting topic for this week.  Wikipedia defined the main types of social networking services as:  “those that contain category places (such as former school year or classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages), and a recommendation system linked to trust” (Wikipedia, 2015).

     I think the overall appeal for all generations is the sense of ease of access, connectivity, and an expanded world.  For the younger generations, this type of connectivity and interaction is very nearly second nature.  They grew up with the internet, and for the most part Facebook and MySpace type of social media sites.  I have to admit that when my kids were growing up and into middle and high school, I worried that they just didn’t seem to socialize like I did.  There were not phone calls with them endlessly discussing all the drama of the day as I did in my youth. I obviously knew about texting and social networks as I had to approve them and set them up, but it never occurred to me that it would be the preferred method of interaction.  I just always thought one would want to “speak” to their friends and not just post pictures and comments or send texts.  I was wrong.  Now, socializing online through Skype, or even just through online gaming is like getting together at someone’s house and having a party!  They are perfectly happy with this type of socialization as a major part, but certainly not all, of their social life.  Now with Instagram and Twitter, this generation connects in 140 characters or less and with pictures lasting 15 seconds or less!

     For my generation and even older, I think the appeal is connectivity, but in a much different way.  I think being able to locate old friends or classmates you haven’t seen in years is wonderful.  Staying in touch through photos and comments is so much easier than writing letters and such.  Plus, sharing accomplishments and even disappointments or sadness has a soothing effect on people.  For a lot of us, keeping up with news from our hometowns or about classmates and friends is quick and easy.  Also, places like LinkedIn and Monster.com provide a different type of professional networking unlike any most of my generation has seen.  We were used to mass mailing resumes and hoping our close circle of colleagues could provide network connections to bigger and better opportunities.  Now, our professional circles can be global, collaborative, and opportunistic.  In addition, social networking sites allow us to organize events efficiently, find interesting places for travel and recreation, and even our soul mate.

2. If used in a classroom, how might networking websites positively and negatively affect teaching and learning?

     Networking website can positively affect teachers and students by providing access to content sharing, collaborative learning, and a way foster supportive relationships between teaching colleagues, teachers and their class, students and their classmates, as well as teachers and parents (Wikipedia, 2015).  According to the MMS Education Survey completed in 2012, teachers, librarians, and principals, participation in social networking sites continues to grow as educators are finding these social networks valuable in “collaborating with colleagues, finding resources, and extending their personal learning networks” (MMS Education, 2012, p. 8).

     There are potential downsides to such open access and content sharing however.  Negative effects on teaching and learning include child safety issues discussed in the Wikipedia article, Social Networking Service, including: trolling or using the network for emotional abuse of others; cyber-bullying by posting derogatory comments or photos of others, threats, and other forms of abuse and the loss of interpersonal communication skills (Wikipedia, 2015).  According to the MMS Education 2012 Survey, teachers, librarians, and principals have concerns about using social networking sites due to concerns regarding maintaining privacy between personal and professional lives.  Many are concerned with appearing “too friendly” with their students and the possibility of legal issues if information or postings become misinterpreted.  In addition, limitations and possible student distractions are listed as concerns (MMS Education, 2012).  

3. In what kind of site might you tend to spend most of your time networking and for what purpose?

     For me, I spend most of my time on Facebook, and check it about once or twice a week.  I really enjoy the banter, videos, photos, and reminders of people’s birthdays!  We also post family events, and parties which is fun and helpful as well.  Hometown news is another big reason I stay connected.  Keeping up with local news is important to me as I still have many friends and family that live in my old hometown. 

     When I was going through my master’s cohort, we started a Facebook page for our group only.  We were able to share our frustrations, vent if needed, clarify due dates, and in general get to know each other even though it was mostly an online cohort.  Now we use it to stay in touch and network with each other.  I love it!  For us, this is our professional network.

     Another use for me is in the area of genealogy.  I have always been big into my family’s ancestry and my grandparents emigrated from Slovenia in the early 1900s.  Recently, I have been able to find and connect with distant relatives still living in their hometown and we have been tracing our roots together!  Now, my nephew is going to travel overseas this summer to visit and he has some familiar faces to greet him when he gets there!  That would not have been possible before social networking.

     I also understand that most people only post the good or maybe even exaggerated aspects of their lives.  However, it has been wonderful staying in touch with friends I haven’t seen in years, colleagues and classmates, as well as new distant relatives.

4. In what ways will this benefit you and what do you think might be the drawbacks?

     I believe that having my cohort as a separate group on Facebook will be a huge asset going forward in my professional life.  Our group was selected because they are all a part of higher education and their backgrounds are so diverse, it provides a wonderful professional network.  In addition, I have been on LinkedIn for several years and it helps me keep in touch with those colleagues that have gone elsewhere, as well as to present a professional profile of myself with endorsements from my colleagues far and near.  Also, I keep an updated resume on Monster.com so that professionals looking for candidates have an opportunity to see what I bring to the table.  I have had several contacts from headhunters and professionals who have seen my information on both LinkedIn and Monster.com.  I really do not see many drawbacks to being out there on multiple networks, but I do see benefits with spreading out and networking with other professionals.  I don’t have the usual drawbacks that some have in that I do not post outrageous pictures of me and I have the strictest privacy possible on my personal pages.  I am very careful about who I “friend” and what information I post.

5. What can you do to minimize the problems associated with social networking? 

     I think the biggest issues of privacy and potential personal information affecting your job is all about you taking personal responsibility for what you post.  The individual needs to be cognizant of the pictures and information provided and the way things are posted.  I highly recommend keeping personal and professional pages separate and reviewing the privacy policy and settings very carefully.  In addition, it is important to “Google” oneself to see what is or has been posted out there about you that may or may not be correct.

     When it comes to our children/students, some of the same policies apply.  Be sure you are aware of what your children and students are doing online.  Internet security and parental controls can assist in this task, but it is up to the adults to ensure good practices are met online.  In addition, we need to ensure our children and students are maintaining a healthy balance of online interaction and face-to-face interaction to maintain interpersonal skills levels.  Balance is definitely the key.

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References

MMS Education. (2012). 2012 Survey of K-12 Educators on Social Networking, Online Communities, and Web 2.0 Tools. Retrieved from edWeb.net: http://utetpt5550.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/62486696/Educators-and-Social-Media-2012-web.pdf

Wikipedia. (2015, February 16). Social networking service. Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network_service

Gaming

What do I think about gaming in the classroom?

     I have to admit, before this week’s readings and videos, I thought gaming in the classroom was really just drilling type software as is used in math facts and reading type games in the K-12 genre.  I know from experience, the benefits of simulation and virtual reality from working with the UT Immersive Interprofessional Simulation Center and watching 4-D surgeries and simulated emergency situations.  However, after reading the NMC Horizon Report:  2011 K-12 Edition, I came to understand how much more there is to this type of teaching tool.  The report gave a number of examples of simulation-based games being used, such as EVOKE to provide real-world applications on focusing attention to serious social issues.  The students work together to develop solutions to these issues in a collaborative, engaging manner (Johnson, Adams, & Haywood, The NMC horizon report: K-12 edition, 2011).   Another example given was Immune Attack, a game used to engage students while learning biology concepts.  I believe working these activities into the curriculum is an incredible educational tool to allow students to think deeper, retain more information, explore and try new things in a safe environment.  I also these collaborative type games teach teamwork and cooperation, along with problem-solving skills.

     My only concern would be instructors relying too much on individual gaming rather than augmenting the tool into other types of learning instruction.  I see the value in educational gaming, but believe face-to-face social interaction and instruction has its place as well in the curricular environment to exchange ideas and collaborate in person as well as online.  The article, Virtual Reality/Simulations by Nicole Strangman and Tracy Hall alluded to this point and two studies that were done in this area.  The studies were contradictory in that one study found a benefit to employing both face-to-face instruction with computer simulation, and the other did not (Strangman & Hall, 2013).  I believe more studies in this area would be needed to convince me there is not a benefit to both types of instruction.

Gaming Sites

     Arcademic Skill Builders:  This simulation game was a lot of fun, using arcade style gaming combined with educational skills such as match, shapes, counting, etc. for grades 1-6.  The activities are varied and appeal to both boys and girls.  Some games are geared more toward one gender or another, such as shooting at tanks or riding ponies, but they were fun and engaging.  After each game, the participant received a score card with the possibility to earn awards or achievements throughout.  This would really be motivational for students to want to continue to improve their scores.  Most of the activities are times as well for further motivation.

     Gaia:  I would say this website is for geeks and nerds who love fantasy, sci-fi, and the Japanese genre of animation called Anime.  I would have loved for my own daughter to have had this growing up as she always felt like a geek or nerd for loving these types of media.  This site would have given her a way to know that she is not alone and to communicate with others that share her interest.  I think this can be a very beneficial website for those students who have that creative or artsy personality that may not be as mainstream as others to help them be themselves and appreciate themselves.  The graphics are great and the forum and games are engaging.

     Stop Disasters:  This simulation game was very interesting in that the participant is dropped in a community and must assess the disaster risk and try to upgrade the community or build defenses to save as many lives as possible when the pending disaster hits.  Disasters could be volcanoes, hurricanes, drought, floods, and so on.  The site gives real information about real disasters such as the top 10 disasters of the last Century and video clips of real people discussing ways to prepare for disasters.  This is incredible with the amount of critical thinking involved and problem solving skills that are really relatable for middle-school/secondary aged students.  Very engaging content.

Benefits of Educational Gaming Sites for Educational Environments

     I think the benefits of educational gaming are that gaming in general is such a huge part of the lives of the student population today.  The NMC Horizon Report:  2011 K-12 Edition had some intriguing statistics:

“The three most recent cohorts of children – those born in the early 1980s, the early 1990s, and the early 2000s – have grown up in a world where digital games have always been an important part of their lives.  Those born since the early 1990s have never lived in a world without a global network.  The most recent kids to enter schools, those born since the early 2000s, have never known a world in which that global network was not accessible from the palm of your hand” (Johnson, Adams, & Haywood, 2011, p. 18). 

     To me, this means we are evolving the educational system to work to the strength of our core students.  Just as transparencies were the media of the day for me in high school, gaming is the instructional method that speaks to today’s youth in an efficient and individualized manner.  Gaming allows instruction to be tailored for students to work on their strengths and weaknesses in a safe and engaging environment while providing motivational goals along the way. 

     The Horizon Report:  2010 K-12 Edition discussed the benefits of augmented reality in education with examples of additional historical information provided when visiting places on field trips.  Students get a more in-depth and invested sense of knowledge when they are making information happen by clicking their cell phones to see more about a piece of artwork or building they are visiting (Johnson, Smith, Levine, & Haywood, 2010).

     Finally, the gaming sites I explored allowed the student to work at their own pace, yet in a collaborative and team-work type environment as well.  Teachers can use these sites to supplement and enhance their instruction in a positive and constructive manner.  In addition, students can move from gamer to designing the game which is a wonderful technique to gauge how well a student is absorbing the information – if they can teach it to others.  All in all, the benefits of gaming and augmented reality rest on teaching skills in collaboration, teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, skill development, and social skills.

References

Johnson, L., Adams, S., & Haywood, K. (2011). The NMC horizon report: K-12 edition. Retrieved from               New Media Consortium: http://utetpt5550.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/49357936/2011-Horizon-                   Report%282%29.pdf

Johnson, L., Smith, R., Levine, A., & Haywood, K. (2010). The horizon report: 2010 K-12 edition. Retrieved from New Media Consortium: http://wp.nmc.org/horizon-k12-2010/chapters/augmented-reality/

Strangman, N., & Hall, T. (2013, October 22). Virtual Reality/Simulations. Retrieved from National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials: http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/virtual_simulations#.VNzn4WjF_zg

Open Content, Creative Commons, and E-Books

Week 4 Blog:

Open Content and Ethics

This week’s material covered much more than I anticipated within the subject of copyright law and the multitude of variations in law pertaining to the areas of open content, Creative Commons, and E-Books.  To me, the theme of the week was “sharing and collaboration - legally.”  Several quotes from each subject area drove home this theme.

Open Content:  “The movement toward open content reflects a growing shift in the way academics in many parts of the world are conceptualizing education to a view that is more about the process of learning than the information conveyed in their courses” (Johnson, Adams, & Haywood, 2011, p. 22).

Creative Commons:   The vision statement listed by Creative Commons on their website states,  “Our vision is nothing less than realizing the full potential of the Internet — universal access to research and education, full participation in culture — to drive a new era of development, growth, and productivity” (Creative Commons, 2015). 

E-Books:  The 2011 Horizons Report K-12 Edition, lists some of the benefits of E-Books to be, “Social tools extend the reader’s experience into the larger world, connecting readers with one another and enabling deeper collaborative exploration of the text” (Johnson, et al., 2011, p. 8)

Benefits and Ethical Concerns of Open Content, Creative Commons, and E-Books

Obvious collaborative benefits abound with the general concepts of open content, Creative Commons, and E-Books this week, including the ability to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute resources in a sharable format.  The key difference in the types of resource distributions are the extent of the legal rights surrounding each resource and their accessibility to the general public.  E-Books are one of the means of accessibility for these materials using free content software such as Google, Flickr, and others. Copyright law is an extremely complex subject spurring professions such as copyright lawyers dedicated to preserving the rights of the creator for example.  However, society has evolved in response to the digital age to open up and share resources more freely.  The creation of new laws and licenses such as open content, free content, public domain, and many additional variations provide additional options for creators of today’s digital works.  Table 1 provides a brief, synthesized description of some of the terms of this week’s material.

Table 1

Definitions of Digital Resource Concepts

Term	Definition
Copyright (traditional)	Legal concept giving the author or creator of a work and legal control over the duplication and public performance of said work.
Public Domain	A range of creative works whose copyright has expired, or was never established; as well as ideas and facts which are ineligible for copyright.
Copyleft	Describes the practice of using copyright law to remove restrictions on distributing copies and modified versions of a work.
Copyfree	A type of permissive license describing a practice that contrasts both copyright and copyleft using coyright law to remove restrictions on distributed copies and modified versions of a work imposed by both copyleft licensing and copyright.
Open Content	Material licensed in a manner that provides users with free and perpetual permission to engage in the 5R activities:  retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute.
Free Content	Any kind of functional work, artwork, or other creative content that meets the definition of a free cultural work, or one which has no significant legal restriction on people’s freedom: ·        To use the content and benefit from using it ·        To study the content and apply what is learned ·        To make and distribute copies of the content ·        To change and improve the content and distribute these derivative works

Note:  Adapted from The NMC Horizon Report:  2011 K-12 Edition, Wikipedia – Free Content, and Creative Commons

There are many advantages to digital media resources, such as reduced cost, increased accessibility, collaborative opportunities, and the ability to update and change the materials in a customized fashion.  The materials can be easily updated and incorporate an interactive nature to the learning environment.  Unlike printed textbooks of the past, electronic resources are easily portable and accessible through a variety portals such as smartphones, e-book readers like Kindle, Ipads and other tablets, as well as most any desktop computer systems. 

Although there are obvious advantages to digital media resources as already described, there are some areas of concern.  Sharable materials can allow for the exchange of ideas, but one must be careful to ensure creativity continues to flow and we do not allow ourselves to become complacent by using the same materials each year without review and quality oversight.  The ability to tailor materials to our needs does not ensure instructor oversight.  Instructors must be vigilant in update and review of materials to ensure they are up to date.   In addition, ethically, users of shared materials must be cautious to provide the proper credit as per the copyright or license of the material being shared.

Licensing and Copyright

With all of the advantages of digital resources, many creators elect to share their work more freely than the traditional copyright rules of protection.  To be clear, anytime a document, photo, music work, or other digital creation is placed on the internet, copyright is automatically applied.  However, there exist several licensing options through Creative Commons that allow the creator the opportunity to choose a more accessible option for their creations on the Internet.  Table 2 depicts the options of the licenses as taken from the Creative Commons website.

Table 2

Creative Commons License and Tool Types

License Type/Tool Type	Description/Attributes
Attribution:  (CC BY)	·        Most accommodating of licenses offered that allows others to distribute, remix, and build upon original work, even commercially as long as credit given to original creation ·        Recommended for maximum dissemination and use of licensed materials
Attribution-ShareAlike:  (CC BY-SA)	·        Lets others remix, and build upon original work even for commercial purposes as long as credit given and license of new creations are under identical terms ·        License used by Wikipedia
Attribution-NoDerivs:  (CC BY-ND)	·        License allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial as long as it is passed along unchanged and whole with credit to originator
Attribution-NonCommercial:  (CC BY-NC)	·        License lets others remix, and build upon your work non-commercially, with the new works also acknowledged to originator and be non-commercial; new derivatives do not have to be on the same terms
Attribution-NonCommercial ShareAlike:  (CC BY-NC-SA)	·        License lets others remix, and build upon original work non-commercially as long as credit given and license new creations under the identical terms
Attribution-NonCommercial  NoDerivs:  (CC BY-NC-ND)	·        License is the most restrictive of licenses and allows others to download works and share with others as long as credit given; the works cannot be changed in any way or used commercially
CC0 – “No Rights Reserved”	·        Enables scientists, educators, artists and other creators and owners of copyright or database protected content to waiver those interests in their works and thereby place them as completely as possible in the public domain so that others may freely build upon, enhance and reuse the works for any purposes without restriction under copyright or database law; the “no rights reserved” alternative license
Public Domain	·        Creative Commons provides tools in the “all rights granted” space; allows licensors to waive all rights and place a work in the public domain, and marks a work as being in the public domain on the web; enables authors and copyright owners who want to dedicate their works to the worldwide public domain to do so and facilitate the labeling and discovery of works that are already free of known copyright restrictions

Note:  Adapted from (Creative Commons, 2015)

All in all, there are many options creators can choose to share their works on the Internet with as many or as little restrictions as desired.  Organizations such as Creative Commons provide tools and licenses applicable for each type of accessibility option in formats designed for the legal definitions, definitions for the common individual to understand, as well as machine readable for tracking and monitoring on the Internet.  Advances in technology have allowed many devices to access the information, including E-Books.  Ethically, with such sharability of resources, it is imperative that ethical standards for use of these resources be followed to maximize the flow of knowledge and information using the Internet while maintaining proper credit and authorship rights.

 References

Creative Commons. (2015, February 3). Creative Commons. Retrieved from Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/

Johnson, L., Adams, S., & Haywood, K. (2011). The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 K-12 Edition. Retrieved January 15, 2015, from New Media Consortium: http://utetpt5550.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/49357920/2011-Horizon-Report-K12.pdf

Wikipedia. (2015, February 3). Wikipedia Free Content. Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_content