... and finally, Thing No #17

Wow! That was actually quite a powerful video clip. 3 things particularly struck me:

1. What a revolution this has been. Putting what is happening now in a historical context really made me see what a big change is occurring and how necessary it is for institutions to keep pace with what is going on.

2. That connection, contexts, complexity and conotation are more important than content. I do think we need to be careful to maintain a role for content and understand that we are talking about new tools for learning rather than replacing the learning of content altogether. Nevertheless, I could see what Federman was talking about so clearly in relation to my experience. For the last 3 years I have been taking exams every October which cover everything I am supposed to have learnt between February and September. I spend a couple of months cramming and usually do quite well, but the scarey thing is how much of that content I have forgotten a couple of months later. Fortunately, with the help of conection, contexts, complexity and conotation I know how to refind it (and how to find new even more up-to-date, relevant material)!

3. That all this public messaging & twittering & selling your soul online actually represents a switch from media for the masses to media by the masses. Not totally convinced by this either, but, socialist that I am, I like the idea and am pondering on it... Certainly, I like the fact that collaborative construction of knowledge provides faster access to more up-to-date material; and I definately felt my identitiy was being falsely constructed when Jenny posted my google page on my blog with the background theme of happy little animals bouncing around...

So maybe there is something in all of this...

Thing #22

This has been good for me! Being a bit of a technophobe, I would probably have avoided using many of the tools we have learnt about, but I am glad I have had the chance to try them out. I am not a convert to them all - still not sure I'm a Twitterer - but others like Google Docs, Mozilla Firefox, Picasa and Delicious are already proving their value. Google Docs has enabled me to work on academic assignments at home and at school without having to carry around my flashdrive; firefox means I can now access my regular sites more easily; Picasa is great for fast editing of photos and through Delicious I have accessed some interesting new sites related to both my work and my studies.

Thanks for the bullying, Jennie!

Thing #23

Milena Topovic would like to do 23 Things next term because she has heard that she will learn about some useful tools and because her brother, Nemanja, has told her it is a great thing to do!

Thing #21

Here are my 3 podcast feeds on the right...

Thing #20

I found these using the creative commons search engine:

http://www.spinflow.org/2008/02/13/mobile-and-education/
"Here's a 3-minute video interview I conducted with Joaquin Alvarado, director of the Institute for Next Generation Internet at San Francisco State University, on mobile technology and education, following a recent conference organized by the Aspen Institute on mobile technology and civic engagement"

http://ccmixter.org/files/aliteralmind/20334
"This is a kids song with a broadway feel to it, and that is the style in which I sing it. The content is silly and melodramatic, but I sing it with total seriousness. I want the music to be serious as well. It's written for elementary and young middle school kids."

http://www.archive.org/details/BartholomewCubbins-BCOnAutism20WhatDoIDoForTherap...
Parent of child with autism talks about the "therapies" they use at home.

Thing #15

Thing #14

Delicious user name is: Marianne.Seabrook

Thing #8

OOooh, there are so many things I can do on Picasa: organise my photos, tag them, create albums, edit photos, make collages, share them with others...

Thing #12

3 Google Reader feeds:
1. Autism News
2. Social Psychology Network
3. All the blogs from the 23 Things group

Add-ons (at least I think they are)

Gutil (got this one from Tim's blog)
Fireshot (assuming this is an add-on)
Remember the milk (hoping this really will change my life - as claimed)
Cooliris (hmmm...)
Corrector para Portugues Europeu (porque falo portugues...)

Thing #7

Thing #5

Finally... Thing #3

In this programme, distinguished scientist Baroness Susan Greenfield explores the influence of "junk culture" on children's behaviour. Greenfield argues that more research is needed in order for us to understand how new computer technologies - based on vision and sound and offering rapid stimulation - are affecting children's brains. She questions whether the rise of these new technologies accounts for some of the increase in hyperactivity amongst children and asks how education should harness such technologies for the best.

http://www.teachers.tv/video/5085

In a further podcast, she suggests that the modern obsession with social networking sites like Facebook could literally be changing the brain of the next generation. She fears that today's children and teens could grow up with an inability to empathise with other people and a shaky sense of identity. She finds it interesting that many people in the autistic spectrum are very comfortable in this virtual environment where real life skills, such as picking up on tone of voice, body language and understanding what others are thinking, are not needed.

testing