Couchsurfing

Joined up.  Started a profile.  As this is the default state of our couch and the room that it sits in, and since my in-laws prefer a hotel to the cramped shoebox that is our ranch house, I don't think I'm going to be offering the couch at this time.  I do think the site is very interesting, and would definitely think about hosting in the future!

I don't know how to share a link to my profile - but my user name is jennyhbunn.

Final Project: Individual Project

I used Pixton to create a series of three comic strips that (in a very tiny nutshell) describe my experience in the class. I'm not a comic strip aficionado, but I thought this platform was a lot of fun and could be used in many different ways in the classroom and beyond. I also wanted to put all the comic strips together with a very short tutorial (longer one can be found in the group tutorial project) in an interesting way, so I used Prezi.

Hope you enjoy it!

Not REALLY a "Weekly Video," but -

Some of you guys have seen this from the other class, but I really like it, so I thought I'd post it here!

Project Planning

Fun Group Project: G+ Dogs
What happens when dogs use social media, specifically Google+ hangouts?

• Write script on Google Docs that is easily editable by classmates
• Set dates and times to rehearse and record
• Think through and acquire any costuming pieces
• Jason to record, Jenny records backup

Serious Group Project: Web 2.0 Tutorials

After examining many different platforms, I have chosen to do a tutorial on Timetoast.

• Brainstorm topic for timeline - To Kill a Mockingbird related? 
• Research events for timeline
• Create timeline and record tutorial
• Share tutorial on Youtube and send to Jason for class blog that will include tutorials from all classmates

Individual Project: CI5530 Comics

Using Pixton, I will create comics based on this class, as well as a tutorial showing how to use the program.

• Comic 1: use Pixton's basic model (includes everything but the text) for beginning of class - just getting started, learning the ropes, etc.
• Comic 2: use a set of three blank squares for middle of class - starting to feel more comfortable
• Comic 3: use a double line of blank squares for ending the class - feeling more confident and creative
• Film tutorial at some point along the way - maybe while creating Comic 2?  Maybe bits and pieces from all three?

The "Isn't This Cool?" Files: Flipsnack

I just thought this was super cool (and super easy), so I'm posting it!  I created a pdf study guide for an upcoming performance of To Kill a Mockingbird at Asheville Community Theatre and then put it into Flipsnack to get this:

Which License -

While poking around at the freemusicarchive.org, I found this track by Johnny Ripper:  



I like that he described it as "audio content for visualizing scenes in your head."  The only restriction on its use is a request from the creator that if the song is used in a video, to please contact him first.  It is licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, and conveniently, if you use this somewhere, you can just copy and paste the code on the page in order to attribute.  Like this:

"at the sea by johnny_ripper is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License"

I imagine that the artist made this track (and all the others on the album) available for free in the hope that the music might inspire someone else to create a visual accompaniment.  Or that by listening to Johnny Ripper's music, a filmmaker might understand his own images more clearly, or be able to edit and arrange them in a new way.

I think that if I were to create something - an image, a piece of music, a video - I would use the same license as Johnny Ripper. In a nutshell, it is described as one that "lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms." That seems to open the door to encourage creativity without allowing anyone to make any money off the creation.

Wikimedia -

I reviewed Wikiquote and Wikimedia Commons.  I chose these two because I have used or have needed them the most out of all the Wikimedia projects.

With Wikiquote, I like that you can search for quotes in a variety of ways.  Hopefully, however, you know a little about the quote for which you're searching - Wikiquote is easier to use if you're looking for a quote from a specific person, or from a specific television show or movie (Arrested Development is especially well indexed) than if you're just searching for a general quote about baseball or women's history (no subcategory exists for either of these - so while you can scroll through a variety of quotes about college football under the category "sports" or the Great Lakes Storm of 1913 under the category "history," you cannot do the same with baseball or women's history).

With Wikimedia Commons, I find the opposite to be true in searching.  It is easier for me to find and view many images on a general subject, even with a chosen parameter (ie: "coal miner black and white") than to find images from a certain source (ie: LIFE Magazine).  With Wikimedia Commons, it's very easy to end up in a place you never expected.  Like this.

SLED Event -

Okay y'all.  I went to the St. Patrick's Day party on Eduisland 9 for about 30 minutes tonight.  I left when I tried to stop dancing (you were supposed to click on a spinning shamrock to have your avatar animated by another avatar who had created 6 different dance moves - I thought this was pretty cool - but when I was ready to stop, I kept trying to click that damn shamrock but instead somehow ran/danced past the food table and into a giant hedge).  Also, Jason hit me in the face with a hot dog.

The other people at the party (there were three other people besides Jason and me) were super friendly.  We did not talk about education, but instead made party small talk, which consisted mostly of someone "singing along" with Steve Winwood and insisting that we "crank it up" and various other comments about how awesome the music was.  Strangely, the first song I heard was "Out of Touch" by Hall and Oates (am I showing my age yet?) and I do concur that that could be a song that some might find awesome.  But it felt very outdated to be gyrating around to, I kid you not, "The Living Years."  The song about the conflicted relationship the guy had with his dad and then the dad died.  Erin Go Bragh!

We were dancing on a floor that had been designed with green celtic symbols and had a giant rotating "Happy Saint Patrick's Day" logo in the middle of it.  Someone had gone to a lot of work to design this party!  Off in the distance there were bonfires (and actually, when I first arrived, Jason was somehow sitting on a bonfire dancing.  I don't know how he did that).  Somehow I acquired a giant green bottle, which I suggested to everyone could be Jameson's.  And after the Steve Winwood song ended - it was "Higher Love" for those keeping a checklist of the adult contemporary tunes - I tried to go look around a little more, but ended up in the hedge.

So, all in all, I actually did enjoy myself.  Mainly because it was so crazy and it gave me the opportunity to write phrases like "hit in the face with a hot dog."  Cheers!

Embedding: A Progression -

So, first there's this:



Then this:
http://soundcloud.com/jbunn/apalachicola

Then this:


Hmmmm - why is it cutting off my first slide?

Here's the first slide:

Photos are from my Picasa/Google+ photos site, but I didn't know how to create or embed a slideshow from that platform, so I put them in Quicktime Pro (good thing I'm taking this class at the same time as CI5200).

Now that I'm done with everything, I don't think that the words are a great match with those images, as the poem is all about the arrival and the images are obviously after we've been there for awhile.  Kind of confusing.  But, for my first stab at this sort of thing, I feel okay about it!  Onwards and upwards, right?

YouTube -

YouTube - I've only posted a few things - though I've obviously watched quite a bit.  I'm very much a viewer and am interested in creating other content for YouTube - but I don't really need anyone else to see my vlogs (present classmates excluded, of course).

SoundCloud -

SoundCloud is all new to me - and I LOVE IT. Love the "time comments" - that's a really cool feature! I've also found the podcasts of a friend from college that are killing me (Glitter in the Garbage - Drew Droege - kind of foul, FYI).

We do a monthly storytelling show at the theatre called Listen to This.  All original work.  We should record it and put it up on SoundCloud.  Yay social media class!

Picasa -

For my niece's birthday, I made her a personalized coloring book out of photos from our family vacation. Pretty neat!

I did not edit the photos in Picasa to turn them into line drawings - just sharing them through Picasa.  Very easy to use, especially if you already have a Google account.  Picasa organizes your photos and images for you - sometimes this can be a little frustrating as it doesn't always use the same folder organization as your harddrive - but to share these, I simply clicked "Blog This" and it sent the images directly to a new post on my blog.  (By the way, I used Paint.NET to change the photos to line drawings.)

 

 

The Halfway Point -

The halfway point.  Yes, it does feel like we're here!  This is slightly stream-of-consciousness, but here we go!

Since the beginning of this class, I have created accounts in Google+, Twitter, Diigo, Feedly, Soundcloud, Second Life, Classroom 2.0, and Wikipedia.  While I have found all of these platforms to be interesting in some way, I must admit that joining them all over the period of a few weeks has been slightly overwhelming.  Is there an app to keep track of all your apps? I also haven't been able to go back and spend more time really investigating these platforms in order to feel like I have any sort of mastery over them.  But maybe that's the point of this class? To at least jump off the diving board into the social media pool and start feeling comfortable in the water?

I wish there were another way to participate with this class rather than going to the forum for each specific assignment, clicking to see who's done what, and then commenting (or, as the case may more often be, not commenting) within that forum.  Is there a way to show a feed of most recent activity across all forums?  A "trending now" gadget?  I don't know enough (read: I don't know anything) about Moodle, so I don't know if that's possible.  But I would be a big supporter!

I would also love more critiques of various platforms - what are the pros and cons of using this platform? What educational uses could this platform have?  A few times along the way this has happened - for instance, I thought Neil's introduction of Tagxedo, and Curtis' post about Livebinders were specifically helpful.

I'm not really making the jump to connecting with strangers via social media.  Isn't that strange?  I wonder if it's because I started my social media experience with Facebook, where I don't friend or accept friend requests from people I don't know.  However, on Twitter, I do (but I only have 24 followers, and I know 93% of them) - so I guess I should say I would connect with a stranger on Twitter, if they met some sort of criteria - followed other people I did, lived in Asheville, etc.  I'm following people I don't know - mostly they're celebrities - on both Twitter and SoundCloud.

Here are some other things I don't understand that I would like to:

• How do channels and tagging work on YouTube?  If I ask 40 people to make a short video about a topic, would all those videos appear on my channel if they tag me?
• Is there an ad-free photo sharing site where you can create your own e-cards?
• What about that Google+ hangout?  Are we doing that?  

Module 4 OUT.

 

Understanding Wikipedia -

Well, after reading through the tutorial and a handful of the links (biting the newbie was especially enlightening!), I don't know that I'll ever reaally understand Wikipedia.

It honestly never occurred to me that I could be an editor on Wikipedia.  I understood that it was open-source  and that anyone could be a contributor, but it just didn't cross my mind that anyone also meant me.  I have actively wondered why Asheville Community Theatre didn't have a page (it's the oldest continually operating theatre in Asheville, the third oldest community theatre in North Carolina, and has had its share of notable participants - ie: Charlton Heston was the second artistic director) and yet never thought about writing it myself.  However, it's encouraged for a user to not create a page about themselves or their employer - harder to keep the NPOV.  Hmmmmm - can I throw it out for discussion?  Would it be appropriate for me to create that page?

Wikiversity: Web 2.0 Course -

First of all, here's my change: http://en.wikiversity.org/w/index.php?title=Web_2.0&diff=prev&oldid=882595

It seemed really odd to me that the name of the creator of the wiki was listed incorrectly and also that the meaning of the word "wiki" was wrong.

As for the class, the activities section was very similar to what we're doing in this class.  I think the Michael Wesch videos that we were pointed towards have been very inspirational and thought-provoking, and they might be a nice addition to any Web 2.0 class.  It has been helpful going through the different platforms with classmates - especially knowing the audience for your blog right off the bat.  Otherwise, I think the Wikiversity Web 2.0 class is a good "do-it-yourself" class that can push people to try new programs and see which ones they like to use the most.

Diigo (+Feedly, +Pinterest) -

I created an account in Diigo.  As with any of the social bookmarking sites, I think Diigo will only be helpful if I'm consistent with using it.

I like seeing photos more than just links - and maybe there's a way to do that in Diigo - so I also opened an account with Feedly (I'm not sure how to share my page).  Feedly is just a reader site that basically takes all of your RSS feeds and puts them onto one page.  Very helpful!  I would much rather use my Feedly page than my Google Reader page.

I also have an account on Pinterest, that again, I don't use as often as I should.

Second Life - from random discussion board -

Thought you all would get a kick out of this -

From the comments section on a review of "John Carter" from the AV Club -

Are we "out of touch academics"?

Weekly Video #3 (Michael Wesch Video Reflections) -

I combined my weekly video with my reflections on the Michael Wesch video.

I am continuing to experiment. This video was taken with my webcam which is embedded in my laptop. I like being able to use my hands when I talk - but I don't like the camera angle. I don't believe I'll ever shoot from below the chin ever again!

Second Life -

I have to say that I agree with pretty much everything that Neil and Jason had to say about our meeting in Second Life. I found the experience to be mostly confusing and distracting and only slightly fun.

I randomly clicked on the forum thread about the meeting (Wednesday at 8:30 pm) at about 8:27 pm on Wednesday night. Since I had already set up my account and free avatar, and walked through the initial orientation, I thought I would jump right in and do my best to find Catamount Island and join the meeting. When I opened Second Life, I was told that the program couldn't locate my last location, so I was being dropped into a new place. I don't know what this new place was (I was expecting the area in the welcome pavilion) - it was very grey and had a very unfestive air to it. I was surrounded by pretty spooky avatars - at least one was some sort of prowling grey catbeast. Very weird. I was surprised by my reaction - I felt very awkward and nervous and was relieved when I figured out how to teleport.

Catamount Island was pleasant and deserted. I wandered toward a red beam of light. I didn't know how to tell if anyone else was there, so I typed "Hello?" in the chat box. Of course nothing happened. I rounded a corner and there was Neil. As he said, neither of us could figure out the voice chat, so everything was typed. Jason joined in later and was able to provide some background information about the Island.

I explored some houses built by Western students - tried to open a refrigerator, read a note in Spanish left on a kitchen table, and wondered about the purpose of the cemetery on Catamount Island.

My main issues were:
1) Understanding movement, including walking, was difficult for me. I fell off a bridge into a lake twice (once on the way into a classroom, once I figured out how to get out of the lake, and into the class, a film had already begun playing, so I missed the intro). I also continued to somehow enter an invisible portal that took me to the top of a giant tower. So, really, mid-chat with Jason and Neil, I would suddenly be in a completely different place, have to fly back down to where they were and try to pick up again. Frustrating.

2) Second Life has completely crashed my computer twice. Once was during our meeting, so between shutting down completely and restarting, then trying to find Neil and Jason again, I missed about 10 minutes of conversation.

3) I know there are ways to change this kind of stuff, but I wasn't really happy with how the guys had normal looking avatars, but the women were all Boobs McGee. I chose a fairly conservative looking gal, with regular/casual type clothing, but when I changed my camera angle and saw her from the front, I was pretty heavy handed with the bra size. I don't care about this at all if you're using Second Life for social reasons, but if you're using Second Life for educational or professional reasons, I think it stinks that women could potentially spend a lot of time toning down the sex.

All that said, I did find chatting in Second Life to be more interesting than over email or Facebook or even Skype. For me, there was an aura of a mystery to be solved, which I found exciting. And again, I continue to be surprised at the immediacy of my emotional reactions - laughing out loud when I fall into a lake; feeling anxious in the grey, creepy world; or cursing when I ended up in the tower for the third time.

So I'm there if we meet again, but I'd also support the idea of the Google+ hangout. When's that?

My Logo -

I used onlinelogomaker.com for mine. There were plenty of options for symbols and you could upload your own image. I wasn't crazy about the font choices - they seemed ideal if I were opening up a skateboarding shoe company, though.

Wordle Images -

Here's my first - this is from my class profile:

And this one is from a faux cover letter describing multimedia study guides to an education director at a museum:

I LOVED the idea of writing a cover letter for a job or position I really wanted, and then seeing it as a visual.  I don't know where you all stand on the whole "visualization of goals and dreams to make them a reality," but I come from a pretty new-agey momma (who, incidentally, is the media specialist for her elementary school) who really encourages me (and anyone else in her circle of friends) to do visualization exercises.  I've always been a bit cynical about the whole thing, but this assignment was pretty powerful for me personally.

Tagxedo Word Cloud in the Shape of a Rooster -

Because why not?

Web 2.0 to a Grandfather

My grandmothers and grandfathers have all passed away - and before computers really even came on the scene.  I think that this exercise is a bit easier when you imagine speaking to a specific person, so I chose my father (who is also a grandfather) and who struggles to understand just what it is I'm doing in this program.

* * *

So, Dad, you have a computer and you send and receive emails through the Internet (online).  You have also purchased things online. That's about the extent, right?

Web 2.0 takes this to a more interactive level.  These sites, or platforms, or applications allow you to communicate and share information with people all over the world.  With a site like Pinterest, you can trade recipes for deviled eggs - even though we both know you already have the best!  With a site like Foursquare, you could find out which of your friends are where when you're tailgating at the Clemson games. Scott and his friends are running their fantasy multi-ball league with Google Docs, which basically means that each multi-ball participant has access to spreadsheets that each can update (no more emailing around copies of the same document and trying to keep track of the correct version) at the same time.

With Twitter, you can "follow" your favorite sports commentators and be the first to find out about trades, injuries, or anything else.  And if you'd join Facebook, I wouldn't have to email you separately all those pictures of your grandkids - and you'd get to see all the sweet comments other people make about them.

All of this can happen on your computer with your current Internet settings.  But if you want information even more quickly, and when you're away from your desk, you could always get a smartphone...

But that's another conversation -

Impromp 2.0 -

A definition in 60 seconds:

Web 2.0 is a collection of applications and websites that are interactive on the part of the user.  Users can edit, change, and collaborate through sites.

Weekly Video #2 -

When thinking through Weekly Video #3, I suddenly realized I had not posted Weekly Video #2! Yikes!

For this video, I thought taking a short tour through the theatre where I work would be interesting.  I would still like to get away from pointing out inanimate, uninteresting objects to comment on - will do my best to work on that further with Weekly Video #3.  I do think that I was more confident in what I had to say this time.

The last video was filmed with my Flip Cam.  This one was with my iPhone.  I think the quality of the Flip Cam video is actually better!

Here it is:

Games With a Purpose

I think Mary Poppins really nailed it:

In every job that must be done
There is an element of fun
You find the fun and snap!
The job's a game

And every task you undertake
Becomes a piece of cake
A lark! A spree!
It's very clear to me

And then Luis von Ahn took it to the next level. Towards the end of his session, during the Q&A, he said, "There's no procedure for coming up with an efficient algorithm to solve something ... I think it's going to be an art, much like coming up with efficient algorithms."

I thought that was very interesting to think about the ways that computers can help us to categorize, organize, draw, research, and so on, but a computer cannot know the myriad of connections a human could make between an image seen, a poem read, a conversation remembered, and put it all together into a new concept. A computer would not know that this video could, in some minds, be related to the lyrics to "A Spoonful of Sugar." And I liked the comparison between art and algorithms - both are very much centered on creativity.

But I'm having a bit of a block on thinking through usages of crowdsourcing in the field of theatre. What is the work that we need to get done that many people could help to do? I loved the video of the virtual choir that was posted at some point - and I suppose that could count as a crowdsourced performance. Social media has been invaluable as a marketing tool for theatre - the "word of mouth" aspect of getting new audience has been so much easier and further spread with platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare. Ostensibly, you could do a city-wide collaborative design for costumes and sets for a specific production. But then again, the effort involved in designing those algorithms would probably be better spent on something else. I think the brainstorming part of this class is where I could use a live discussion element!

Private Universe -

"Can everyone see?"

While listening to Heather try to explain the phases of the moon and the seasons and watching her diagram and use 3-D models, I had a hard time pinpointing where she went off the facts until she arrived at the figure-8 orbit of the sun. I realized then that she was clearly misinformed, but I had been with her up until a point.  Had I stopped listening, assuming that since she had been identified by the teacher as one of the smarter students, she was going to be the one student who breezed through the explanation?

I thought it was interesting that everyone in the class, teacher included, had stopped listening.  They may have been hearing, but they weren't processing.  The teacher wasn't processing that some students really didn't "see." The students weren't owning up to the fact that they still didn't completely understand.  And some of the students looked like they literally couldn't see the model in the classroom - it was blocked by their classmates' heads. 

I was unclear on the chronology of the video.  Did the teacher go back and reteach the same concepts using the 3-D model after seeing the footage of her students?  She recognized with the second video of Heather that when Heather was able to hold models of the sun, the earth, and the moon she could better explain the concepts.  Did that influence the teacher to use the 3-D models herself?

Three things jumped out at me from the Khan video.  First, that one student had identified that he or she was "listening but I wasn't really paying utmost attention" to the video about the juggling balls.  That seems to be the crux of this problem. Good for him/her, I guess, for at least being self-aware enough to recognize his lack of attention.  Secondly, I was struck by the 5 things that happened after students watched the videos - especially #3, which was "They don't recognize that what was presented differs from what they were already thinking." Which again, I think, goes back to active listening.

The third thing was that at some point during the Khan video, the narrator mentioned that students couldn't remember what they had just watched minutes earlier, even when they knew they would be interviewed.  And I wondered, when the students watched the juggling balls video for the first time, did they watch it all together as a group?  Did they have the ability to pause it?  Could they all see it?  Was there also a written transcript of the video that they could read/review during the video?  The student speaking in the video that the students watched was British or Australian, perhaps (I'm not good at identifying accents). Were the students watching also of the same nationality?  Did they have a hard time paying attention because of a language barrier, however slight? 

These videos support, for me, a few ideas about education:
+ Students have different learning styles. The more ways the same information can be presented, the better.  Using 3-D models with live teacher time with one-on-one instructor/student time with multimedia with text would probably be ideal, though probably unrealistic in terms of school budgets.
+ Personal accountability is key and it needs to be okay to say either "I don't understand" or "I was wrong."  Heather realized that her figure-8 orbit was wrong, and she was able to voice that, and move forward.  In the Khan video, the student who knew he wasn't paying attention was right, but he also thought that he already understood what was being said, which he didn't.  Even the guys at the end of the "explain the seasons" video realized that they had said the wrong thing - that the earth takes a year, not a day, to travel around the sun.
+ Active listening is hard and distractions are everywhere. If students are given the power to control the speed of information presented, would they use it? Would it make a difference?

The usage of new media in US and global education is valid and can be powerful.  I don't think it can or should replace the interaction between a live instructor and a student.  Even if the live instructor begins to serve as more of a guide, directing students to different avenues for obtaining information, I think it is imperative to have someone who checks in with you, making sure that you "see."

# # #

PS - I watched the Khan video all the way through, pausing it to write down bits to remember.  Then I went back and watched a portion again. And now I'm thinking about the arc of the basketball and the multiple choice answer to the question.  I remember that I picked "b," but even watching the explanation video seconds later, I couldn't remember what "b" was! And I immediately was unable to recognize whether the explanation offered was suggesting that I had chosen the right answer or whether the explanation offered new information that conflicted with the choice I had made.  Add to that the fact that I thought Heather's explanation of indirect rays made a lot of sense, and it has become clear to me that I need some rudimentary science review! 

 

Digital Ethnography: The actual post -

Students are "becoming creators, not just consumers" - Michael Wesch

This statement was, for me, the "a ha" moment. The "wrapping it all up in an awesome 3-dimensional bow" moment. The "forget about an image of a kitten in a hard hat with one paw clawed into a branch captioned 'Hang in There,' this is my new motivational poster" moment.

Contenders for the motivational poster were Wesch's other statements regarding his teaching style. He teaches students "how to ask good questions" and to ask not what they'd need to know to pass the next test in class, but what they'd "need to know for this test of our lives."

At this point in my life, I am rolling the dice on a potential new career. I am trying to be a creator, answer and ask the important questions, and figure out what tools and lessons I need to build the life I picture for myself and my family. The questions that I have asked have somehow led me to this program and to this degree. Because I want to stay in Asheville and remain working in the arts, and because Asheville is a town where I've heard "BYOJ" over and over again ("bring your own job"), I am hoping to carve out a tiny little niche combining educational media - new media - and arts education. I want for a class of third graders to attend "Aesop's Fables" at a local theatre, and then go back to their classroom and do a virtual backstage tour of the same theatre. Meet the lighting designer via video, and then be able to adjust lighting levels and colors themselves using a 3-D model of the set. Use math skills to create a simple budget for the show, then choose costume and scenic pieces for a fable they've written based on that budget.

So how do I get there from here? What tools are out there? What can I download without giving myself another virus (laptop is in the shop for the second time since I started this program)? What can I design that can be accessed universally?

Here are a few pages that inspire me:
+ The multimedia page on the Kennedy Center's blog ARTSEDGE
+ The SPENT game on the Urban Ministries of Durham's page
+ A recent study guide from Seattle Children's Theatre, one of the best children's theatres in the country.  Wouldn't it be so cool to see and hear the interview with the three creators instead of reading it?  Hopefully, this is where I come in.

Digital Ethnography: Initial Notes -

Just finished attending the seminar and thought I would admit outright to all of the platforms mentioned with which I am unfamiliar:
diigo
delicious
netvibes
4 chan (though I've seen lolcats and knew about rickrolling)

Not a platform, but JSON feed - and after reading its wikipedia page, I am still in the dark.

I had heard of Zoho Creator and obviously Google docs, which I still have never used.

And this reminded me of the "Share" button in the header of the e-newsletters that I send out from the theatre, and the hundreds of social networking sites that are out there (316 on this list) - few of which have crossed my radar (26 to be exact). My friends are reluctant to get on Twitter or Google+ - so who is on Bobrdobr or BonzoBox?

There's so much to learn!

Now hiring -

Smarter Study Guides, the leading designers of innovative educational resources for arts organizations, is searching for a creative team member familiar with all things Web 2.0. Successful candidates will help to design interactive games and other activities, videos, and discussion elements that enhance and expand a client's production, performance, or exhibit for K-12 students. Please send resume to info@smarterstudyguides.com.

CI5530 Personal Objectives -

1) To experiment with different platforms/mediums: Second Life, podcasting, wikis

2) To discover tools for designing effective interactive lesson plans/study guides

3) To learn how to use social media in a more effective way

4) To read and watch how other people are using Web 2.0 in their classrooms, businesses, studies, etc.

Defining Web 2.0 -

I have to admit, I'm not familiar (yet) with using or collaborating via wikis (note to self: add into personal objectives for this class), but it seems like it would certainly work for an assignment like this. And it would make sense to use a Web 2.0 medium to define Web 2.0 rather than a chain of forum posts.

That said, I did like reading everyone's full definition before taking a stab at the editing and I don't know that that could happen by using a wiki.

Here's the definition with my edits:

Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that easily allow the user to share information and collaborate, including social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and interactive sites like Moodle, Gaggle and Blackboard. However, Web 2.0 even goes beyond these. Web 2.0 is any website that is interactive, and therefore non-static, allowing the viewer to make an entry to the website, whether that entry is a “like”, “+1”, “friend”, “comment”, “clarification” or question. Web 2.0 sites should grow and improve with user input and never remain stagnant. Web 2.0 allows communities of people to interact with one another as if they were "face to face." This literally allows users to be participants in creating their own experiences.

Filming the Intro Video -

Almost immediately after posting my "Intro Video" link to the forum, my son Levi woke up from his nap. Grumpy.

I thought more about this video in a "when is my window of time to shoot it" frame of mind rather than a "what do I want to say." At work, I share an office and there are always people in and out, and at home, my "office" is a portion of the kitchen table.  And with children ages 1 and 4 who are not always interested in quietly entertaining themselves, I thought I should shoot to shoot during nap time.

Once that time rolled around, I thought, "Okay - just do it like a Band-Aid. One motion, right off!" 

After watching the video, I thought that I could have shared more interesting details - like the name of the artist who does the Nature Matching System (Tattfoo) or what some of the different colors represented (the first row is tomato, banana, broccoli, apple, and olive - all things I currently have in my kitchen - I could have actually matched them to the grid) or that we got our toaster from my friend who now lives in Buxtehude, Germany. Not that there's anything interesting or telling about a toaster, per se, but it is funny to hear the word "Buxtehude."

I also didn't realize that I have an "extended blink" thing going on at times. What is that? I knew that I was going to have a lot of "ummmms" - I worked as a phone clerk for a catalog order house for about 3 months, and my supervisor would hand me progress reports that showed how times I had used a "non word" during a call.

I wish that I had done a little more with the "time and mental energy and tools" part of the assignment and a little less with the "don't spend too long on it."

Thoughts on the first week -

I've been thinking about this class using theatre as a comparison.  I love theatre.  I have worked in the theatre/performing arts world for 13 years.  One of the reasons I love theatre is that there exists an infinite number of ways to solve problems. If you're producing a published script, you are contractually obligated to say every word in that script.  But the actors can change the tone with a glance, the lighting designer can manipulate the emotional atmosphere by dimming a spotlight, and the scenic designer can place the action in an opulent apartment or on a deserted island.  And then there are always constraints - from the budget to the amount of rehearsal time to the end date when the show must open.  You are working as a part of a team, and clear communication is key to a successful production.

I'm interested in the idea of participating and completing this class as solving an open-ended problem; however, I also like to know my constraints. This first week has been a bit frustrating, because assignments (as it were) seemed open-ended, but only later did the constraints become evident.  I'm also a big fan of deadlines - I like a general idea of when I should be done with a project.  I know that obviously that can be something that I can set for myself (as I know we all do with the juggling between work and school and family and finding 20 spare minutes to eat a sandwich).  

I have found navigating AsULearn to be not entirely intuitive - is there an easier way to see the participants other than clicking on your own name? - and in fact, I didn't know it was Moodle-based until Curtis mentioned it in the body of his email (thanks, Curtis!).  I'm a little afraid that I'm going to miss something - an assignment, a reply to a discussion, etc.  New things seem to just appear on the site - or maybe I'm not paying close enough attention - hard to tell.

All in all, though, I'm looking forward to the class, imaginary parquet floors and all - 

Trying this again -

So, a no go on the "balladeer from Dukes of Hazzard as anonymous source to the tabloids" blog. Maybe I'll pull it out again for our CI590000 course: Unlikely Greek Choruses in New Media.

Here's a bit about me:

I am from Spartanburg, SC but have lived all over since then.  I've been in Asheville for the past ten years with my husband, Scott.  We have two children (Stella - 4.5 and Levi - 14 months) and a dog named Gary.  I am the Marketing Director at Asheville Community Theatre.  Other jobs that I've had have been children's touring theatre manager, casting assistant, waitress, janitor, and assorted others.  One of my most favorite things that I've done is write and perform with three sketch comedy troupes, including an all-female troupe in Asheville called LYLAS.  I'm going on permanent hiatus from that while I figure out how to juggle/balance work/family/grad school while still appearing mildly sane.

I went to Wake Forest as an undergrad, and majored in theatre and minored in psychology, and though I wouldn't trade my undergrad experience for anything, in retrospect perhaps I should have taken a few more practical courses.  

What else?  I love using parentheses and dashes.  I love eating and cooking and thinking about eating and cooking.  I like swimming and reading, though not at the same time.  I'm very excited to be on this journey!