Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Going Digital
Recently our class researched topics on the Digital Nation website (click post name for site) and presented what they learned to the rest of the class. Each person chose a tab to research. I did Learning, Raquel did Relationships, Jordon did Virtual Worlds, Dalton did Waging War, and Vince did Living Faster. I learned quite a bit from the presentations of the other topics.
Raquel went first with her topic Relationships. She talked about a girl who created an online personality about herself, and another girl researched her eating disorder online and blogged about it. Raquel also talked about an 83 year old grandma who makes a cooking show with her grandson, and she is thrilled about using the new internet technology to touch people's lives. In Relationships, they're showing how people can connect to each other and even lead separate lives online, and how lives can be changed from the internet. But there was a dilemma with the internet, with parents wanting their kid's Facebook passwords, and even a kid who committed suicide because of online bullying. But everything in life has it's strengths and weaknesses, and I believe the internet connects more people than it hurts.
After Relationships was Virtual Worlds, presented by Jordon. She talked first about how they were using virtual games and scenarios to help cure soldiers of PTSD. They use sights, sounds, and even smells to trigger reactions from the soldiers, helping them relive what happened during the war so they can slowly come to terms with it. Then Jordon talked about a young teen in South Korea who is addicted to internet gaming. With South Korea being the most wired place on the planet, a teen boy named Young Il spends at least 8 hours a day on the computer. He's addicted to computers and gaming and so is 10% of South Korean teens. He recognizes his problem and is trying to get help, but the real problem is the parents and even the internet itself for allowing Young Il to become addicted. Lastly Jordon talked about creating virtual avatars of kids and adults, sometimes for therapy and sometimes just for research. The studies found that time spent with a person's own avatar was profound, and that people learned something about themselves. Also, if a kid saw their avatar doing something there was a good percent chance that the child would honestly think that THEY did that action themselves. It just goes to show how much virtual reality can affect the mind.
Dalton presented after Jordon with Waging War. Dalton's tab was about how technology is being implemented to help the military and even to help recruiting for the military. He talked about this gaming center in California that allows teens to come in and play all sorts of violent video games while recruiters walk around the center just talking to the kids. They don't actually recruit them, they're just there to "answer questions" and talk to them, but if a kid comes up to them wanting to join the military, then they go into action. This caused a moral dilemma within the community and there was mass protesting about it. There was an argument that these kids believed war to be like the video games they played like Call of Duty and Medal of Honor, but war is NOT a video game. There's no respawn in war, your life is really on the line. Dalton also talked about how Marines use simulators to train, using realistic video imaging and situations called Immersion Training. The Marines have to clear a building that can be loaded with hundreds of different scenarios, and they train and train until they get it perfect every time. There are also people in the military who control unmanned aircraft that conduct bombing missions and then go home for dinner to their family. Even these pilots of Predator Drones suffer PTSD from trying to separate their military lives from their home life.
Vincent wrapped up the presentations with Living Faster, talking about just how technology impacts our lives. Technology connects us, helps us interact, and even controls what we do. Kids now are wired all the time, having smartphones and computer messaging, they're always connected. Their focus is less on the world and on school and more on their phones and friends and their technology. Technology has created a less peaceful environment for the world, everything is busy and there is technology everywhere. One couple talked about reading with their Kindles in bed, but how it wasn't peaceful anymore because of the annoying click of the button for next page. There was another researcher who believed that the hearing of the new generation has diminished from being able to hear 300,000 sounds, to only 100,000 sounds. He says that the senses are being dulled by the overload of information and noise that this era involves. The question is, do we try to prevent this, or just let it happen?
Digital Nation has much to offer, and anyone who decides to look into this site will learn great things about technology and the new digital world. I know that I myself learned quite a bit about how technology affects us all and how it's being applied in the world today. And in this world today, you can't afford to be ignorant about technology.
Raquel went first with her topic Relationships. She talked about a girl who created an online personality about herself, and another girl researched her eating disorder online and blogged about it. Raquel also talked about an 83 year old grandma who makes a cooking show with her grandson, and she is thrilled about using the new internet technology to touch people's lives. In Relationships, they're showing how people can connect to each other and even lead separate lives online, and how lives can be changed from the internet. But there was a dilemma with the internet, with parents wanting their kid's Facebook passwords, and even a kid who committed suicide because of online bullying. But everything in life has it's strengths and weaknesses, and I believe the internet connects more people than it hurts.
After Relationships was Virtual Worlds, presented by Jordon. She talked first about how they were using virtual games and scenarios to help cure soldiers of PTSD. They use sights, sounds, and even smells to trigger reactions from the soldiers, helping them relive what happened during the war so they can slowly come to terms with it. Then Jordon talked about a young teen in South Korea who is addicted to internet gaming. With South Korea being the most wired place on the planet, a teen boy named Young Il spends at least 8 hours a day on the computer. He's addicted to computers and gaming and so is 10% of South Korean teens. He recognizes his problem and is trying to get help, but the real problem is the parents and even the internet itself for allowing Young Il to become addicted. Lastly Jordon talked about creating virtual avatars of kids and adults, sometimes for therapy and sometimes just for research. The studies found that time spent with a person's own avatar was profound, and that people learned something about themselves. Also, if a kid saw their avatar doing something there was a good percent chance that the child would honestly think that THEY did that action themselves. It just goes to show how much virtual reality can affect the mind.
Dalton presented after Jordon with Waging War. Dalton's tab was about how technology is being implemented to help the military and even to help recruiting for the military. He talked about this gaming center in California that allows teens to come in and play all sorts of violent video games while recruiters walk around the center just talking to the kids. They don't actually recruit them, they're just there to "answer questions" and talk to them, but if a kid comes up to them wanting to join the military, then they go into action. This caused a moral dilemma within the community and there was mass protesting about it. There was an argument that these kids believed war to be like the video games they played like Call of Duty and Medal of Honor, but war is NOT a video game. There's no respawn in war, your life is really on the line. Dalton also talked about how Marines use simulators to train, using realistic video imaging and situations called Immersion Training. The Marines have to clear a building that can be loaded with hundreds of different scenarios, and they train and train until they get it perfect every time. There are also people in the military who control unmanned aircraft that conduct bombing missions and then go home for dinner to their family. Even these pilots of Predator Drones suffer PTSD from trying to separate their military lives from their home life.Vincent wrapped up the presentations with Living Faster, talking about just how technology impacts our lives. Technology connects us, helps us interact, and even controls what we do. Kids now are wired all the time, having smartphones and computer messaging, they're always connected. Their focus is less on the world and on school and more on their phones and friends and their technology. Technology has created a less peaceful environment for the world, everything is busy and there is technology everywhere. One couple talked about reading with their Kindles in bed, but how it wasn't peaceful anymore because of the annoying click of the button for next page. There was another researcher who believed that the hearing of the new generation has diminished from being able to hear 300,000 sounds, to only 100,000 sounds. He says that the senses are being dulled by the overload of information and noise that this era involves. The question is, do we try to prevent this, or just let it happen?
Digital Nation has much to offer, and anyone who decides to look into this site will learn great things about technology and the new digital world. I know that I myself learned quite a bit about how technology affects us all and how it's being applied in the world today. And in this world today, you can't afford to be ignorant about technology.
Monday, March 7, 2011
That... Was... Epic!!!
My classmates and I just finished creating PowerPoint presentations on epic films that we watched on our own after viewing all three of The Lord of the Rings movies. My first comment is that I have to say my classmates did very well on these presentations. Good job guys/girls. I did this same thing last year with the previous class and there were more presentations, but I believe that these were better prepared.
Raquel Ortega went first with a comparison/contrast between 300 and LOTR. She was a good presenter, spoke well and presented her movie well, too. I especially liked how she pointed out the parallel between the two movies on how the protagonists face insurmountable odds but don't cower in the face of fear. One of the best things Raquel did during her presentation was describe her images and why she put them on the slides that she did. Overall she had a very good presentation, and a very good movie too. :)
After Raquel, I presented my own movie, Matrix Revolutions. Following me was Vincent Ribordy, presenting Brave Heart. First off I believe Vincent had a VERY good grasp on the connection between Brave Heart and LOTR, and he fully understood his movie as if he watched it 20 times. It was really nice hearing descriptions of certain things from the movie that I never even understood myself. He pointed out how William Wallace and Frodo were very similar in the same aspects of sacrificing themselves for the greater good (even though Frodo doesn't die). He also presented the subject of supernatural forces really well, describing the visions of William's love and what they meant. He also showed a video of the torture scene and explained how that didn't instill fear in the resistance, it just made them stronger. Overall he had a very good presentation with good images and great explanations.
Following Vincent was Dalton Ricketts presenting Saving Private Ryan. Dalton showed his love and enthusiasm for Saving Private Ryan and explained much of the movie for those who hadn't seen it or couldn't remember. He explained the plot and quest line very well and also described Captain Miller to give us a better understanding of how he was such a hero. I believe that Dalton could have used a few more images and more slides on the other topics such as parallels, conflicts, or symbolism, but his overall understanding of the movie was excellent. It was a good presentation.
Wrapping up the presentations was Jordon Kampfer and her movie Pirates of the Caribbean. She had a good presentation of this movie, and a good description of Will Turner, the main hero. She fully understood the plot of the movie and explained the sub heroes really well. I like how she pointed out that Orlando Bloom played in both movies and also that the themes matched up very well. Jordon also had many images and really good ones at that, making her slides interesting to look at. In my opinion she could have used more slides and explained more parallels between the movies, but overall it was a good presentation.
I believe that my classmates had a good time studying epic films and they enjoyed watching and talking about their movies. I think they have also learned to look deeper into films as they watch them, and not just watch them as movies. This has taught me an easier way to compare movies and look for parallels between those movies. I enjoyed these presentations and I'm looking forward to what else is in store for the year.
Raquel Ortega went first with a comparison/contrast between 300 and LOTR. She was a good presenter, spoke well and presented her movie well, too. I especially liked how she pointed out the parallel between the two movies on how the protagonists face insurmountable odds but don't cower in the face of fear. One of the best things Raquel did during her presentation was describe her images and why she put them on the slides that she did. Overall she had a very good presentation, and a very good movie too. :)
After Raquel, I presented my own movie, Matrix Revolutions. Following me was Vincent Ribordy, presenting Brave Heart. First off I believe Vincent had a VERY good grasp on the connection between Brave Heart and LOTR, and he fully understood his movie as if he watched it 20 times. It was really nice hearing descriptions of certain things from the movie that I never even understood myself. He pointed out how William Wallace and Frodo were very similar in the same aspects of sacrificing themselves for the greater good (even though Frodo doesn't die). He also presented the subject of supernatural forces really well, describing the visions of William's love and what they meant. He also showed a video of the torture scene and explained how that didn't instill fear in the resistance, it just made them stronger. Overall he had a very good presentation with good images and great explanations.
Following Vincent was Dalton Ricketts presenting Saving Private Ryan. Dalton showed his love and enthusiasm for Saving Private Ryan and explained much of the movie for those who hadn't seen it or couldn't remember. He explained the plot and quest line very well and also described Captain Miller to give us a better understanding of how he was such a hero. I believe that Dalton could have used a few more images and more slides on the other topics such as parallels, conflicts, or symbolism, but his overall understanding of the movie was excellent. It was a good presentation.
Wrapping up the presentations was Jordon Kampfer and her movie Pirates of the Caribbean. She had a good presentation of this movie, and a good description of Will Turner, the main hero. She fully understood the plot of the movie and explained the sub heroes really well. I like how she pointed out that Orlando Bloom played in both movies and also that the themes matched up very well. Jordon also had many images and really good ones at that, making her slides interesting to look at. In my opinion she could have used more slides and explained more parallels between the movies, but overall it was a good presentation.I believe that my classmates had a good time studying epic films and they enjoyed watching and talking about their movies. I think they have also learned to look deeper into films as they watch them, and not just watch them as movies. This has taught me an easier way to compare movies and look for parallels between those movies. I enjoyed these presentations and I'm looking forward to what else is in store for the year.
Friday, March 4, 2011
DigiNati Intro
I just read the introduction to Digital Nation, even though I participated in this project last year. I feel like the introduction provided a good overview of what they were researching in the program. If you just jump into the program and start watching videos, eventually you get a good grasp on what they are trying to learn about and research, but it's much easier to understand by reading the introduction. They are looking at the effects of technology on the way humans now connect and interact as well as learn and even wage war. It's so fascinating that just 30 years ago on this planet not a single person in the world had a cell phone or a desktop computer. Compare that to now, how I don't know a single person without a cell phone, and most people in our country have anywhere from 1-4 computers at home or with them.
I enjoyed watching the user submitted videos, especially the guy who talked about his kids ingesting information from wherever they could get it. He talked about how he would bring home a new phone or a new piece of technology and his kids weren't even surprised by it, they just absorbed it and took in all the information they could. I believe that this world and this youngest generation will be just that, 'information ingesters'. In a world where connection and interaction and learning is dominated by technology, they are going to NEED to ingest all the information they can. We have left the time where we could sit down and focus on a single thing in this world. We have now entered the world of the multi-tasker.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Slings and Arrows
By looking at my other classmate's blogs on Slings and Arrows, it looks like a really weird show on Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth. I saw really weird costumes and looks on the people's faces, and it seems like this was a parody or knock off of Shakespeare.
The last entertaining show that I saw on TV was Tosh.0 and it was absolutely hilarious. He talked about this little girl who had a video when she was little where she was standing on her counter in front of the mirror and yelling about everything she loved. He always makes really funny jokes about videos and sometimes he brings the actual people to the show to make new funny videos.
The last entertaining show that I saw on TV was Tosh.0 and it was absolutely hilarious. He talked about this little girl who had a video when she was little where she was standing on her counter in front of the mirror and yelling about everything she loved. He always makes really funny jokes about videos and sometimes he brings the actual people to the show to make new funny videos.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Snow Day
Saturday, January 15, 2011
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