I grew up in a culture that was very suspicious of anything not approved of my the pastor. D and D would have been forbidden. So when I found WoW as a part of the EMDT program I was very suspicious. Funny thing, I have been playing for a couple of months now and I still have not lost my faith.
On the other hand, I am closer to my nieces and nephews across the country than I have been in years and I rarely watch television any more.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Reflections on culture and technology
Or perhaps labor verses capitol.
Several years ago I had the privilege to spending a couple weeks in Mexico. The weather was amazing, the food great and cheap. The people were warm and friendly. One day I got to watch the process of pouring a second floor concrete floor. A dump truck delivered the sand and gravel, the bags of Portland cement were unloaded by hand and stacked close to the sand and gravel. The cement mixer was filled with a half sack of cement the right number of shovel-fulls of sand and gravel while it was rotating. When the mix was right the cement was poured out into 5 gal buckets and passed up the ladder bucket brigade style.
In my part of the United States a similar project would involve a pumper truck and the truck from the pre-mix company. The job would probably take about the same time to complete. The difference being four workers in the North and twenty-five in Mexico, and two million or so dollars worth of equipment vs an electric mixer from the Sears catalog.
Thinking back on that story and how much easier it is to accomplish difficult tasks with fewer person hours invested, when does it stop. This year in Boise, half of the garbage collectors lost their jobs when the trucks became self-loading. How many years does it take to amortize a high-tech garbage truck against the loss of jobs? Especially jobs that could be open to felons?
How long will it take until we are living the life of the space travelers in Wall-e.
Several years ago I had the privilege to spending a couple weeks in Mexico. The weather was amazing, the food great and cheap. The people were warm and friendly. One day I got to watch the process of pouring a second floor concrete floor. A dump truck delivered the sand and gravel, the bags of Portland cement were unloaded by hand and stacked close to the sand and gravel. The cement mixer was filled with a half sack of cement the right number of shovel-fulls of sand and gravel while it was rotating. When the mix was right the cement was poured out into 5 gal buckets and passed up the ladder bucket brigade style.
In my part of the United States a similar project would involve a pumper truck and the truck from the pre-mix company. The job would probably take about the same time to complete. The difference being four workers in the North and twenty-five in Mexico, and two million or so dollars worth of equipment vs an electric mixer from the Sears catalog.
Thinking back on that story and how much easier it is to accomplish difficult tasks with fewer person hours invested, when does it stop. This year in Boise, half of the garbage collectors lost their jobs when the trucks became self-loading. How many years does it take to amortize a high-tech garbage truck against the loss of jobs? Especially jobs that could be open to felons?
How long will it take until we are living the life of the space travelers in Wall-e.
Getting an A to off the boat
I am going through a major transition in the EMDT program. For the first 10 months I was riding the pontoon laughing and loving the ride. Then I came off of the boat, and could not find my nose with my toes. I looked for an oar to grab and I think I may have found it.
The Art of Possibility is teaching me how I am inventing my own reality, and calling me back to the boat. I am not quite returned to an A, but it is coming closer. I think I can reach the oar now.
The Art of Possibility is teaching me how I am inventing my own reality, and calling me back to the boat. I am not quite returned to an A, but it is coming closer. I think I can reach the oar now.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Week 4-Blog Posting #8-Reflection on Blogging.
For me, blogging has been a very interesting experience. Not an experience without frustration.
Communities of practice will make this transformation much easier, by providing forums for the free exchange of ideas. These forums can now be used around the world with the aid of the Internet and social networking. Second Life even provides ways of moving through time and space to create meeting places for the 21st century.
As I began this mod blogging was something totally foreign to me. Through the process of writing about, and posting to a blog on a regular basis I’ve discovered new writing skills.
At the same time, the frustration I have found with this blogging exercise has been not so much with the blog itself but the format in which we were doing it. In order to read other people’s thoughts, I have had to switch from one blog to another. I believe the goal of these assignments was to truly share information. A tool that would be much easier shared with the standard discussion window or perhaps even a threaded discussion if our FSO could handle it.
As I think back over the tools we've used in the last four weeks I find Web 2.0 a truly amazing conglomeration with the phenomenal ability to engage in social networking and social bookmarking I have truly extended the range of my data gathering and sorting abilities.
As my students and I move into learning 2.0 we are together discovering new ways of organizing data and sharing our lives with each other. One of the unfortunate side effects of too much information is multitasking, as I looked at my multitasking abilities I discovered the I could really do not want better work if I did not count the radio or television going on. It takes more and more time to shift from one activity to another. I have come to believe there is no such thing as true multitasking. But instead sequential task switching and as I become older it takes longer to switch those tasks.
As information piles on top of information I find myself in many ways suffering from future shock. "too much change in too short a period of time". (Toffler, A, 1972) the following video clips are from any documentary narrated by Orson Welles on Toffler’s groundbreaking work future shock.
Communities of practice will make this transformation much easier, by providing forums for the free exchange of ideas. These forums can now be used around the world with the aid of the Internet and social networking. Second Life even provides ways of moving through time and space to create meeting places for the 21st century.
References
Schanzer, K. (Associate Producer) (1972). Future Shock, Documentary film. From YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ghzomm15yE
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Week 4 - Blog Posting #7 -Second Life
I feel the need as many of my colleagues have done to establish my status as other than a nimrod. I took my first programming class in 1972; computers have been a part of my home and professional life since 1978. While that does not fully qualify me as digital native, I am an immigrant from long ago. Computer games have been a part of my world for many years. As a science fiction fan I have spent thousands of hours in alternate realities with my favorite authors. As a teacher I connect to my students in virtual classrooms.
I approached Second Life with great eagerness and high hopes of finding a new way to engage my students across the country. When faced with a new platform I first go to YouTube and see what other people say, and to look at tutorials.
One of the best I found was
from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOFU9oUF2HA
The possibilities appear to be endless. Unfortunately the reality for me was not so hot. In my professional practice I need to demonstrate live techniques in the Adobe Creative Suite. So far I have not had luck with this task. The exhibits in SL are great; being able to move through virtual museums and historical villages is great. Probably any standard lecture could be enhanced in second life.
I was thrilled at the possibility of a ballet performance in SL. Again the reality failed to live up to the hype. On the other hand, there are many examples of high quality Machinima on YouTube and I am excited to learn the techniques to generate examples of this type.
Among my students I have received the same kind of feedback as mentioned by Anonymous (2009). Students are frustrated by the steep learning curve, the glitches and the lag time as well as the unpredictability of teleporting to new locations.
So there is hope, my best guess SL will be great in a couple of more years as the technology matures.
Reference
Anonymous, . Barriers to Student Learning in Second Life. (2009). Library Technology Reports, 45(2), 29-34. Retrieved August 27, 2009, from Social Science Module. (Document ID: 1668931091).
I feel the need as many of my colleagues have done to establish my status as other than a nimrod. I took my first programming class in 1972; computers have been a part of my home and professional life since 1978. While that does not fully qualify me as digital native, I am an immigrant from long ago. Computer games have been a part of my world for many years. As a science fiction fan I have spent thousands of hours in alternate realities with my favorite authors. As a teacher I connect to my students in virtual classrooms.
I approached Second Life with great eagerness and high hopes of finding a new way to engage my students across the country. When faced with a new platform I first go to YouTube and see what other people say, and to look at tutorials.
One of the best I found was
from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOFU9oUF2HA
The possibilities appear to be endless. Unfortunately the reality for me was not so hot. In my professional practice I need to demonstrate live techniques in the Adobe Creative Suite. So far I have not had luck with this task. The exhibits in SL are great; being able to move through virtual museums and historical villages is great. Probably any standard lecture could be enhanced in second life.
I was thrilled at the possibility of a ballet performance in SL. Again the reality failed to live up to the hype. On the other hand, there are many examples of high quality Machinima on YouTube and I am excited to learn the techniques to generate examples of this type.
Among my students I have received the same kind of feedback as mentioned by Anonymous (2009). Students are frustrated by the steep learning curve, the glitches and the lag time as well as the unpredictability of teleporting to new locations.
So there is hope, my best guess SL will be great in a couple of more years as the technology matures.
Reference
Anonymous, . Barriers to Student Learning in Second Life. (2009). Library Technology Reports, 45(2), 29-34. Retrieved August 27, 2009, from Social Science Module. (Document ID: 1668931091).
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Blog Posting #5 -Social Media
Blog Posting #5 -Social Media
Prior to the days of what we now call Social Media, there were bulletin boards and mailing lists. My favorite memory of these started when I got a paper back from graduate school. The instructor had written in big red letters, “Don’t you have a spell checker.” I thought I did but it was not working and if a work doesn’t have a red line under it, it must be spelled right. For the next three weeks until I found and fixed the problem in WordPerfect I emailed my papers to a fraternity brother in South Africa for spell check. The world has grown ever smaller because of the web and social media applications
To discuss social media and networking I need to break it down into a few chunks.
Social Isolation
For people like my friend Jim who is suffering from a debilitating disease, can’t drive after dark, can’t work, and can’t be up for more than a few hours at a time the computer is a vital link to the world. For Jim the prayer for the computer is very apt.
Every evening
As I'm laying here in bed
This tiny little prayer
Keeps running through my head
God bless my mom and dad
And bless my little pup
And look out for my brother
When things aren't looking up
And God, there's one more thing
I wish that you could do
Hope you don't mind me asking
But please bless my computer too?
Now I know that's not normal
To bless a mother board
But just listen a second
While I explain to you 'My Lord'
You see, that little metal box
Holds more to me than odds and ends
Inside those small compartments
Rest a hundred of my 'BEST FRIENDS'
Some it's true I've never seen
And most I've never met
We've never exchanged hugs
Or shared a meal as yet....
I know for sure they like me
By the kindness that they give
And this little scrap of metal
Is how I travel to where they live
By faith is how I know them
Much the same as you
I share in what life brings them
From that our friendship grew
"PLEASE" Take an extra minute
From your duties up above
To bless this scrap of metal
That's filled with so much love!
Author Unknown
For Jim and the many folks in similar situations Social Media and networking provide a lifeline to the world outside from their rooms.
Connecting and reconnecting to old friends and family
In the days when most people never traveled away from their hometowns social networking was a part of daily life – it took place in the barbershop or the lodge. A quick listen to The Prairie Home Companion will provide a glimpse into those days of yore. In today’s world of mobility it is much harder to maintain those connections. Social Media provides a platform to maintain connections.
Classmates.com provided one of the first reconnect services. Unfortunately they provided mostly teaser service in the free version. For a small subscription fee you can get email addresses and establish direct communication. Facebook and My Space have moved beyond the limitation of premium membership with targeted click through advertisements. Combining search technology with social media has reunited many old friends.
Professional
The Leelefever video lays out the basic concepts of Social Media.
Sites like Linked-in have increased the range of personal networks to span the globe.
Time Wasting
While there are many great and useful applications in the realm of Social Media, there is also a huge percentage of time wasters. I am sure that many people are eager to share their sexual and drug stories along with their farms and hugs. While many of these are harmless diversions, folks need to realize that once something is posted on the web it never truly goes away. Hiring managers are routinely checking Social Media pages to determine an applicants’ character.
As a teacher who requires my students to friend me in Facebook I am amazed at how students that can not find enough time to do their assignments can take multiple quizzes on Facebook.
References.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkSaNToDbW8
Anonymous. (N.D.) The computer prayer. Retrieved August 19, 2009 from http://www.best-quotes-poems.com/God-Bless-my-computer.html
Leelefever (2008, May) Social Media in Plain English [Video File]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIOClX1jPE
Prior to the days of what we now call Social Media, there were bulletin boards and mailing lists. My favorite memory of these started when I got a paper back from graduate school. The instructor had written in big red letters, “Don’t you have a spell checker.” I thought I did but it was not working and if a work doesn’t have a red line under it, it must be spelled right. For the next three weeks until I found and fixed the problem in WordPerfect I emailed my papers to a fraternity brother in South Africa for spell check. The world has grown ever smaller because of the web and social media applications
To discuss social media and networking I need to break it down into a few chunks.
Social Isolation
For people like my friend Jim who is suffering from a debilitating disease, can’t drive after dark, can’t work, and can’t be up for more than a few hours at a time the computer is a vital link to the world. For Jim the prayer for the computer is very apt.
Every evening
As I'm laying here in bed
This tiny little prayer
Keeps running through my head
God bless my mom and dad
And bless my little pup
And look out for my brother
When things aren't looking up
And God, there's one more thing
I wish that you could do
Hope you don't mind me asking
But please bless my computer too?
Now I know that's not normal
To bless a mother board
But just listen a second
While I explain to you 'My Lord'
You see, that little metal box
Holds more to me than odds and ends
Inside those small compartments
Rest a hundred of my 'BEST FRIENDS'
Some it's true I've never seen
And most I've never met
We've never exchanged hugs
Or shared a meal as yet....
I know for sure they like me
By the kindness that they give
And this little scrap of metal
Is how I travel to where they live
By faith is how I know them
Much the same as you
I share in what life brings them
From that our friendship grew
"PLEASE" Take an extra minute
From your duties up above
To bless this scrap of metal
That's filled with so much love!
Author Unknown
For Jim and the many folks in similar situations Social Media and networking provide a lifeline to the world outside from their rooms.
Connecting and reconnecting to old friends and family
In the days when most people never traveled away from their hometowns social networking was a part of daily life – it took place in the barbershop or the lodge. A quick listen to The Prairie Home Companion will provide a glimpse into those days of yore. In today’s world of mobility it is much harder to maintain those connections. Social Media provides a platform to maintain connections.
Classmates.com provided one of the first reconnect services. Unfortunately they provided mostly teaser service in the free version. For a small subscription fee you can get email addresses and establish direct communication. Facebook and My Space have moved beyond the limitation of premium membership with targeted click through advertisements. Combining search technology with social media has reunited many old friends.
Professional
The Leelefever video lays out the basic concepts of Social Media.
Sites like Linked-in have increased the range of personal networks to span the globe.
Time Wasting
While there are many great and useful applications in the realm of Social Media, there is also a huge percentage of time wasters. I am sure that many people are eager to share their sexual and drug stories along with their farms and hugs. While many of these are harmless diversions, folks need to realize that once something is posted on the web it never truly goes away. Hiring managers are routinely checking Social Media pages to determine an applicants’ character.
As a teacher who requires my students to friend me in Facebook I am amazed at how students that can not find enough time to do their assignments can take multiple quizzes on Facebook.
References.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkSaNToDbW8
Anonymous. (N.D.) The computer prayer. Retrieved August 19, 2009 from http://www.best-quotes-poems.com/God-Bless-my-computer.html
Leelefever (2008, May) Social Media in Plain English [Video File]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIOClX1jPE
Week 3 - Blog Posting #6 -Communities of Practice
It is always a wonderful thing to realize you have been successfully on the cutting edge for years and never even knew it. It is even more special to get a really cool name for hanging out with friends with common interests. Communities of Practice WOW.
When I first started to learn Microsoft Office (Version 3) I found buddies that were better at it than I was and hung out in their offices and watched them work. I picked up new techniques and gained understanding of workflows. This helped me to become very skilled in Word and Excel, or so I thought. The reality of my limited knowledge hit when I did an internship with a computer training company. In my first week I learned that I had taught myself the most cumbersome and convoluted ways of doing almost everything. My plan failed because I looked first for a buddy, and then for someone to teach me.
When I became a full time computer trainer I promoted power user luncheons and coffee breaks. It was wonderful to have a team of true power users sitting around a screen figuring out better ways of accomplishing tasks.
McDermot, (N.D.) describes “Information junkyards and empty libraries” as the common result of typical knowledge management. Somebody must know how to do that thing, but who is it and how do we find them? To address this problem I proposed and created Power User Groups for both the City of Boise and Blue Cross of Idaho. Each department supervisor designated a Power User as the go to person in the room. On a weekly basis the power users met for a presentation on a task and were treated to lunch in the cafeteria. The power users gained a new community of friends they could depend upon to help with computer issues.
“Communities of practice are groups of people who share information, insight, experience, and tools about an area of common interest” (Wenger, 1998). By establishing communities of practice in the workplace, recognizing the power users and providing on-clock time for the meetings productivity increased and errors were minimized.
McDermot, R. (N.D.). Knowing in community: 10 critical success factors in building communities of practice. Retrieved August 19, 2009 from http://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=18256282762269958641&hl=en
Wenger, E. (1998), Communities of practice: Learning as a Social System. Systems Thinker. Retrieved August 19, 2009 http://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=13212442059881753827&hl=en.
When I first started to learn Microsoft Office (Version 3) I found buddies that were better at it than I was and hung out in their offices and watched them work. I picked up new techniques and gained understanding of workflows. This helped me to become very skilled in Word and Excel, or so I thought. The reality of my limited knowledge hit when I did an internship with a computer training company. In my first week I learned that I had taught myself the most cumbersome and convoluted ways of doing almost everything. My plan failed because I looked first for a buddy, and then for someone to teach me.
When I became a full time computer trainer I promoted power user luncheons and coffee breaks. It was wonderful to have a team of true power users sitting around a screen figuring out better ways of accomplishing tasks.
McDermot, (N.D.) describes “Information junkyards and empty libraries” as the common result of typical knowledge management. Somebody must know how to do that thing, but who is it and how do we find them? To address this problem I proposed and created Power User Groups for both the City of Boise and Blue Cross of Idaho. Each department supervisor designated a Power User as the go to person in the room. On a weekly basis the power users met for a presentation on a task and were treated to lunch in the cafeteria. The power users gained a new community of friends they could depend upon to help with computer issues.
“Communities of practice are groups of people who share information, insight, experience, and tools about an area of common interest” (Wenger, 1998). By establishing communities of practice in the workplace, recognizing the power users and providing on-clock time for the meetings productivity increased and errors were minimized.
McDermot, R. (N.D.). Knowing in community: 10 critical success factors in building communities of practice. Retrieved August 19, 2009 from http://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=18256282762269958641&hl=en
Wenger, E. (1998), Communities of practice: Learning as a Social System. Systems Thinker. Retrieved August 19, 2009 http://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=13212442059881753827&hl=en.
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