Digital Literacy

David Byrne sings "(Nothing But) Flowers" | Video on TED.com

2010-10-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

David Byrne sings "(Nothing But) Flowers" | Video on TED.com

Welcome to the Learning Commons

2010-01-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Cicchetti of CCHS Library Learning Commons wants to help with change. She wants libraries to change to "learning commons." The old version of a somewhat silent, book-filled room is going to transform into a creative, paper-less area for real collaboration. This is more of a list of guidelines for teachers and librarians, but it has some cool ideas. New mediums and formats will only help the way people learn. If teachers are not willing to change formats from pencil and paper, they may struggle with keeping up with the "learning curve," if that makes any sense. This will be a short post. That's all I got.

Carrot vs Stick Approach: Fit for the 21st Century?

2010-01-07T07:34:00.000-08:00

David Pink talked with TED about the science of motivation and how the classic "Carrot Stick" method of incentive only works in a very narrow field. I would strongly advise watching the video before reading what I have to say. Basically, the 9 to 5 business model is not fit for a company that wants to create something amazing. I guess companies like Apple and Google and that Australian company have already got it covered. For me, his talk was very inspiring. I am interested in human behavior and may pursue it in college. I also find this idea to be true. When I have a certain task in school that is something other than daily homework, I get distracted if there is a break ahead or some reward. At work, it really does not matter if there is a reward because I work a scheduled 8 hours regardless. In order for this collaboration to work, you really have to love what you are doing. I guess this doesn't make too much sense and that this is more like a free write than anything else, but whatever. Here are some points that I liked:
Rewards narrow focus. Autonomy. Mastery. Purpose.
Just some ideas.

Reciprocity is the Foundation of Tacit Knowledge

2010-01-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

There seems to be a new way of thinking when it comes to social networks, and the emphasis is on the group. The Harvard Business Review posted an article about how these networks change how knowledge is gained, or perhaps more appropriately put, shared. It talks about this tacit knowledge, which is generally gained from experience over time, and how social networks help the flow of this knowledge. Before, you would want to make yourself appear very appealing, without having any questions about your subject matter. Now, it is more about a two-way learning, where both parties involved can benefit. It seems like people working together to achieve a common goal tops one person telling the rest of the people how to do something. It may make more sense in the article.

Android Takeover

2009-12-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

Alright, so there may not be a takeover, but I did see a droid phone on the train today. I don't know how the phone will do against the iphone in the long run, but I'm sure it will get a lot of followers once kinks are worked out. There are a couple of android based phones out, and they have been growing in popularity. Google is already a web giant, and they know that everything will be mobile very soon. Ben Parr of Mashable listed some statics about the growth of smartphones. I think Google has made a solid stance in the smartphone business, even if they don't take it by storm.
On another note, I got Chrome for my computer, and found that it was a little dinky. I know that Google wanted it to be minimalist, but I felt that it wasn't a full browser. Maybe I have to warm up to it. I don't know how much of an impact Chrome will be on Firefox. Google could potentially wipe them out.

99 Red Ballons, or Ten Weather Ballons: DARPA Challenge

2009-12-16T11:35:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency made a competition to find ten red weather balloons placed in random public places around the country. The Washington Post covered the story and talked about how MIT was able to win. Apparently, they used social networks as a form of bribery to get the job done. I'm not knocking MIT, but it is interesting to see what they did. Part of it was that they split up the $40,000 potential prize in to ten parts, $4,000 for each balloon. They would give $2,000 to the first person who found it, then less and less to each subsequent helper. Now this would only pay off if MIT won the competition. They did. I guess they have enough people following them on Twitter and Facebook that this method was effective. There was also money involved. I think that is what did it.

New Tools and a New View of Life!

2009-12-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

Take a picture of a street. Now find the best restaurants on that street using the picture. Sounds far fetched? Well it is becoming more and more um, fetched I guess. Data of restaurants and ratings and other things that begin with the letter "r" used to be static, but now, like everything today, they are becoming more and more interactive. An article by CNN begins to explain how the data can be used in a more "exciting" way. Adrian Holovaty of Everyblock.com has created a way to use the data of the crowded streets of Chicago to find out what places are "happening."
Soon, you will be able to do everything from your phone. And have you heard about people making a brain?

Tweet Books?

2009-12-03T07:28:00.000-08:00

Wired magazine's Epicenter blog recently published a post on hardcover Tweet Books. Just in time for the holidays, another egocentric creation to give to your poor friends. It costs $20 for paperback and $30 for hardcover, just in case you want to preserve your tweets in good condition. To me, this seems like some type of photo-album type thing, but what's the point? The reason why Twitter works is that it is based online. I really can't see anyone sitting by the fire on a cold winter night with a cup of hot chocolate reading anyone's old tweets with a sense of nostalgia. A collection of things like "Oh, remember when Bill was in the airport and he thought he saw Jack Nicholson so he tweeted us about it? That was back in October," does seem like a good use of $30 or even $20 dollars. Now some tools are helping you to spread some cheer, like Google's holiday postcards. At least they don't reek of egocentricity.

Is there a War for the Web?

2009-11-19T07:24:00.000-08:00

With many useful tools accessible on the internet, it is hard to draw the line where one would need permission from the website or company. Tim O'Reilly talked about this problem in detail. Of all the computer/internet giants, it is hard for one to stand out above the rest. Google is a giant when it comes to searching and web tools, but Apple tries to control those tools on its extremely popular iPhone. The two worlds that he mentions exist simultaneously, but it is hard to tell which on will "prevail." Google works because so many people use it. It is now trying to branch out in other realms, but is this where the problems start? With the Google phone and andriod, Google hopes to even the playing field from Apple, but at the same time, Apple requires permission to put apps on its phone. I am not sure if I agree with hi prediction: Microsoft will come out on top. How can this be true? I am not doubting the force of one of the most powerful companies in the world, but what about Google and Apple?

Success in Social Network

2009-11-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

Reading Mashable's 12 Inspiring Stories of Successful Social Networks, I came to a few conclusions. In order for a social network or blog or anything like that to be successful, you have to have a goal and you have to want it. You have the potential to make hundreds of connections, and you can keep trying. If one way does not work for you, try another. Use all of the connections you have that could potentially help, because they probably will.
Mashable talks about giving advice and connecting with the people in your social network. I guess I agree, but what comes first? Content? Or Advertising? I guess you need some of both to start. And you need motivation. Make people want to use your network. And they shall come. That is what I got out of Mashable's advice.

Here Comes Everybody: Chapters 4 and 5

2009-11-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

With this world we live in, we are unprotected from the vast amount of horrible amateur "productions." Like this blog, user-generated content is published and then "edited." I actually don't know if this counts as user-generated because I have not gotten feedback from anyone. I could be writing in my journal for all that matters. On another note, people who use Facebook or MySpace or whatever have little followings of "friends" that they shout little jumbled messages. It is very easy to get overloaded with the latest ten-second youtube video or the stupid MySpace posts, but as Shirky says, they are not all intended for you. Communication has expanded, and most people are still saying the same types of things they would normally say to a small group of people. We are now in a many-to-many communication pattern.
This new patter of communication allows for a new type of collaboration. Essentially, the communication allows for collaboration itself, on a vast level. Sites like Wikipedia have been put up and they work because of collaboration. Collaboration works because there is a very dangerous assumption and trust that people truly want to help each other and that they also want to help others that may not even put anything into the website. That is a pretty inspiring idea.
On another note that kind of links to the ideas in the first paragraph, the smaller the audience, the more tightly knit the conversation is. This has advantages as well as disadvantages which are all pretty clear. Tell me if you have any thoughts on this.

Dashboard and Privacy

2009-11-05T07:28:00.000-08:00

Google's Dashboard is a useful organizing tool for all of your Google web apps. I can see all of my RSS feeds with the reader, collect mail, and look at my entire web history. I just realized that this has all of my web information. So does Pete Cashmore of Mashable. Now the feature is not really new, but I do agree with Cashmore when he said that Google and other online services have a lot (and I mean a lot) of information about you. Yes you.
It is a little worrisome that Google knows this much, but then again it is Google. How would they be able to offer their array of services if they did not receive this information? Now I don't remember them asking for it, but the privacy options are still available. It's good that you can now know what they know. I'm not worried.

Common Threads: What does this all mean? (Part I)

2009-11-02T09:44:00.000-08:00

So far, we have examined if/how the internet and more recently social networking has affected us and how it will affect us in the future. Starting with looking at a video by Jonathan Zittrain, we have learned that the "revolution" is not necessarily technological. Things like this blog and Twitter and other networks are simply "windows" that people can open and connect with. The internet shouldn't work according to Zittrain, but it does. And it does because we have adopted new behaviors according to Clay Shirkey's Here Comes Everybody.
The internet has created a global connection on a scale that has never happened before, and the old ways of governing/organizing no longer work. Any form of government would not, and cannot control the vast amount of information and ideas that are being shared across this space. The twitter incident with the earthquakes in China are a prime example. Twitter itself is not a news organization, but it served as one when it spread the word of the earthquake faster than any other news source. And that was because of the people. This new world kind of feels like a new frontier with loads of new opportunities and dangers. Going back on Zittrain's question, Why does it work?
The internet could easily fall apart. Any government has the power of blocking it completely, but they cannot filter it well. And there is so much spam, I wonder how the valid stuff gets to the top. To answer my own question, it is 'because of you.' You have the power to lead (and filter and fix and whatever) according to Seth Godin and his book called Tribes, which talks about how much power people have when they unite for a common goal that impacts the greater world instead of just themselves and how they will actually get more out of it. All of these people seem to be the new thinkers for this digital and global age. And we have to accept change and be ready to not get used to any of it, because it will change again. Before we know it.

What Will the Web Look Like?

2009-10-29T07:47:00.001-07:00

So Chinese will be the most common language online in about ten years. Personally I think it is pretty cool that this is happening, but some people are a little anxious about this change. This does not mean that Chinese is going to be the only language on the internet. I guess in the future, since the world is growing closer and closer, some languages may die off. English, Spanish, and Chinese could possibly be the three languages of the modern world.
i actually don't think that will happen for a while if not at all, because tools like babel fish will help out. We analyze the present and future in this day and age.

Check this site out. Watch the Vid.

Google vs. The Bear (and Microsoft): A smartphone story

2009-10-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

In a recent article by the New York Times, Saul Hansel examines the battle for smartphones. At this point, Apple is the "bear" in context with the bear in the woods joke that he mentions in the article. What Google has done with the internet, it hopes to do with phones. Android, Google's operating system that has been featured in other smartphones, is uniquely open to developers and seriously threatens Windows Mobile. Microsoft has to worry about charging phone manufacturers for their service. Google does not. Google hopes that manufacturers will go for the open source Android OS instead of the $15 to $25 per phone Windows Mobile OS.
I think that Microsoft has a business model that worked out really (really) well for them, but the internet/computer/world world is changing in a direction that Microsoft is not necessarily taking. They are a monster of a company that has earned its place, but Google has grown to size exponentially. I wonder how all of this will play out. It does not look like Microsoft (or anyone) will gain or keep control in the smartphone world thanks to Google and Android.

Here comes everybody chapter 1

2009-10-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

The first chapter of Clay Shirky's "Here Comes Everybody" begins with a story of a lost cell phone. Cell phones are lost every day, but this story is unique in the way Ivanna, the woman who lost her phone with all of her wedding information on it, got it back after leaving it in a cab and having it wind up in the hands of a girl named Sasha. When Ivanna was able to find Sasha's email address, she asked her friend Evan if he could help. Evan put the information out on his personal website. They used social networks to spread the news of the lost (stolen) phone. Having a phone stolen with that much information is pretty devastating. I probably would have just canceled the old phone as soon as I got a new one, but if you know who has your phone, it is different. Evan and Ivanna had an advantage because Evan was a programmer and already had a small following online.
Using the site Digg allowed them to spread the news to people that may not have been able to help, but with a following growing, it was harder for Sasha to stay in the dark. I guess if anything like this happened even a few years ago, it would have been handled in a different way. A report to the police on a lost phone would not have done anything. I think the reason why this is an interesting story is that it does not occur to often and it is still a special case. Social networks have made it possible, but collective followings for a just cause are still not completely everyday things. There is so much stuff on the internet but some of the sites do make it easier to filter out the junk. I guess if you doubt this "system" it will not work. You have to go with it and sometimes be a little tenacious.

One Review of Tribes

2009-10-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

The Snarky Optimist gave a nice review about Tribes by Seth Godin. She gives a fair overview of the book, noting the strengths and weaknesses of the book. I agree with the fact that Godin was a little repetitive and even hypocritical and she supports them with examples. The book is only 160 pages long, but even then it feels a little stretched. This is a perfect example of internet-style writing being translated to a book and having that format not workout too well. I am not completely sure if the book would be better if it was a series of blog posts, but I am sure he could have gotten his point across with less words. It may be that some people just want to write a book, and Godin had enough ideas, but he almost went backwards in publishing a book instead of posting blogs about it. Maybe he wanted to expand his audience. In this way, Godin is a leader of a tribe. I think he leads better by example than what he actually says and I agree with The Snarky Optimist.

Social Networking Learning Theory

2009-10-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

An article on The Journal gives an insight to how social networking can enhance learning. It is more active learning with using the skills taught in ways that may not be noticed at first. Students must learn how to use the tools instead of the tools dictating how they work. The article also talks about collaboration through social networks. People have an enormous amount of resources at their fingertips, but the study showed that it was not the same as purely human interaction. Maybe it would help if people read my blog. But its okay.

Tribes Summary

2009-10-16T07:23:00.000-07:00

Seth Godin's Tribes attempts to analyze the explosion of social networking that has occurred in the past few years. He begins by explaining what Tribes are and what they need to expand. A tribe is a group of people who come together with a common interest. He mentions the Grateful Dead followers as a tribe. Deadheads are die-hard followers of the Grateful Dead, and their music means something else to them. Tribes also need a leader and with the use of social networks, anyone can be the leader. In order to be effective, a tribe must want to change the status quo. A tribe that fails would be a struggling company or a large charity that strongly believes in the status quo.
Tribes can still benefit the world, even after the have been around a while. They just need to be able to change. They have to constantly want change. And they need a leader. They need you.

Levels of Tribes

2009-10-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

David Logan spoke about tribal leadership on TED Talks. He named fives stages of tribes. It feels like this year as a senior class because we are trying to be the leaders of the school and be the underdogs who came on top. We are at stage four or three. We are doing things for the good of the school, but sometimes I think we are doing it in order to show the school that we are the best. Reminds me of school. Tribes are everywhere but the man is trying to stop them. Not really. I think we are at a stage where we can see what is happening and we are trying to analyze it. I am doing that right now.

Management is Static

2009-10-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

Seth Godin talks about the differences between leadership and management. Management, he says, is keeping control of the status quo. I find that is pretty accurate, but he doesn't go too much further. The book is an easy read, and it reflects what is happening with the internet. Everything is more public, but not in the commercial way. Leadership doesn't call for anything in return except for a tribe. He seems to say the same thing over and over again. Blogs have followers. Podcasts do too. They use twitter and things like that to stay connected. Maybe for someone who has not experience something too different, it is not that extraordinary. Gary Vaynerchuk of makes his videos without want for endorsements. He can do it himself and ends up getting something in return. So I guess he is right.

Tribes

2009-10-02T07:42:00.001-07:00

What is this book gonna be about? Seth Godin wrote it.