I prepared the following posts for a presentation at the QVCC staff retreat last May. My goal was to open a discussion between colleagues regarding the communication and information seeking behaviors of our young students. I couldn't have hoped for a better conversation! Generally, the responses were rowdy, argumentative, amused, and curious. I think we all learned something (maybe?).
When the dean asked me to recap my thoughts for adjunct faculty in August, I was thrilled. In addition to the stewing of my original ideas, I have the added task of working as an adjunct in the fall teaching Western Civilizations. Hopefully, my preparation for this new position will encourage an evolved perspective since my previous posts.
Please feel free to lurk on the blog after our meeting. Pursue links. Leave comments. Enjoy your teaching expereinces!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
What is a girl to do??????
The LSD Retreat is in the past, but what about the future? Should I regularly update the blog? I know people are reading it (thanks guys!), but are you interested in looking for updates on a daily/weekly basis? If interested, send feedback in the form of a comment or e-mail or see me in person.
Also, if I did maintain the blog, I would love to use it as a way to channel any ideas and informaiton that you wish to share reagrding reaching out to young students.
FYI: Not all blog entries appear on the intitial screen. Please look at the "Older Posts" too, by clicking on the link at the bottom of the screen or selecting blog entries by title in the menu on the left of the screen.
Phew!
Also, if I did maintain the blog, I would love to use it as a way to channel any ideas and informaiton that you wish to share reagrding reaching out to young students.
FYI: Not all blog entries appear on the intitial screen. Please look at the "Older Posts" too, by clicking on the link at the bottom of the screen or selecting blog entries by title in the menu on the left of the screen.
Phew!
Monday, May 21, 2007
Who's got a short attention span? Wait, what?
Q: Do our text-messaging, iPod listening, blog reading students have short attention spans?
A: I don't believe so.
While young students may evince distracted behavior (sending text messages!) during traditional lectures, they certainly have the capacity to download music or chat on-line for hours on end. These are young adults that grew-up in culture where they could access information in an astonishing variety of ways. Furthermore, much of this information is shared democratically (wikipedia, youtube, podcasting), giving young people opportunities to have their voices heard in the kinds of open dialogues that are antithetical to the old-style lecture.
Certainly, we can create a learning environment more interesting than a text message. Since the typical text message consists of such compelling thoughts as what up u?, our task is not that daunting. The challenge is to identify the ways in which students access information and either integrate those processes into the classroom or meet them out there on the world wide web.
Best of all, much of this technology is becoming easier to use and FREE. We love that word in education. Freedom from cost, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, free your mind.
Let us think about how we can capture these new tools to more effectively reach our students!
A: I don't believe so.
While young students may evince distracted behavior (sending text messages!) during traditional lectures, they certainly have the capacity to download music or chat on-line for hours on end. These are young adults that grew-up in culture where they could access information in an astonishing variety of ways. Furthermore, much of this information is shared democratically (wikipedia, youtube, podcasting), giving young people opportunities to have their voices heard in the kinds of open dialogues that are antithetical to the old-style lecture.
Certainly, we can create a learning environment more interesting than a text message. Since the typical text message consists of such compelling thoughts as what up u?, our task is not that daunting. The challenge is to identify the ways in which students access information and either integrate those processes into the classroom or meet them out there on the world wide web.
Best of all, much of this technology is becoming easier to use and FREE. We love that word in education. Freedom from cost, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, free your mind.
Wikis, blogs, social networking sites, podcasts:
free, free, free, free.
Let us think about how we can capture these new tools to more effectively reach our students!
A place for friends?
Myspace is the most popular of the social networking websites. Its features include the ability create photo albums and slide shows; to stream music and video clips; and to e-mail, chat, and send comments to friends.
Although anyone cruising the world wide web is welcome to browse profiles created by users of myspace, only invited Friends can look at photo albums, and in some cases view private pages. Levels of security are set by the creator of each profile (i.e. you or me). In fact, a recent study conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that young adults take intentional steps to protect their privacy on sites, such as myspace. Users can input fake names, locations, ages, and other information to protect themselves or have fun at the expense of site lurkers.
Although anyone cruising the world wide web is welcome to browse profiles created by users of myspace, only invited Friends can look at photo albums, and in some cases view private pages. Levels of security are set by the creator of each profile (i.e. you or me). In fact, a recent study conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that young adults take intentional steps to protect their privacy on sites, such as myspace. Users can input fake names, locations, ages, and other information to protect themselves or have fun at the expense of site lurkers.
Narcissism or image control in a public world?
Myspace calls itself a "place for friends," as demonstrated in the logo. However, a glance at site statistics reveals that users spend more time viewing or updating their own profiles than they do looking at the profiles of other myspace users (source: Alexa).
A 2007 article in the The Chronicle of Higher Education suggests that this type of behavior, as shown on social networking websites, demonstrates the narcissism of modern college students, connecting these tendencies with a lack of empathy for others and a blindness to the needs of others.
Wow! I think this conclusion is ridiculous. If myspace users spend the majority of their time managing their own profiles its because we live in an increasingly public world where your employers can find information by googling your name on the Internet. More and more people are finding love on the Internet, and they want to be sure that their profiles are as polished as behavior on a first date. Any project that requires you to represent yourself simultaneously through text, image, video, and music is going to require upkeep.
Why post a profile?
Because its a fun, easy, and often humorous way to communicate with friends and new people!
QVCC and Myspace
The QVCC Library maintains a myspace profile with almost 400 friends. Take a peek:
http://www.myspace.com/qvcclibrary
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Sharing your videos at YouTube
Youtube is a social networking website where users can upload, share, and rate videos. Or, like me, you can just lurk and comment.Content includes:
- music videos
- TV clips
- documentary footage
- spoofs
- videoblogs
- movie clips and trailers
- political campaign advertising
Another social networking site.
Originally developed for people with college e-mail addresses, facebook (like an electronic yearbook) now registers people regular ole' e-mail addresses, such as gmail and hotmail.
Over the last three month, facebook as had significant increases in reach (global users), rank, and page views per day.
I created a profile for the purposes of demonstrations, but its not my social networking site of choice because of the elitism associated with it and its cluster college groups.
Let's look at www.facebook.com.
Originally developed for people with college e-mail addresses, facebook (like an electronic yearbook) now registers people regular ole' e-mail addresses, such as gmail and hotmail.
Over the last three month, facebook as had significant increases in reach (global users), rank, and page views per day.
I created a profile for the purposes of demonstrations, but its not my social networking site of choice because of the elitism associated with it and its cluster college groups.
Let's look at www.facebook.com.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Where are our students?
I think it's interesting to see which websites are most popular on the Internet. More specifically, knowing which social networking sites are most popular helps you to better understand the interests of students. Are they using facebook? Myspace? We cannot reach them unless we know where they are.
Alexa: The Web Information Company hosts a website that ranks the top 100 websites by reach, rank, and page views. The link provided above reveals a comparison that I instigated to learn whether myspace, youtube, or facebook was most popular. Please, look at the results by clicking on the link!
Alexa: The Web Information Company hosts a website that ranks the top 100 websites by reach, rank, and page views. The link provided above reveals a comparison that I instigated to learn whether myspace, youtube, or facebook was most popular. Please, look at the results by clicking on the link!
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