Moving forward....

In the last 6 weeks I have been introduced to so many more facets of Web 2.0 and I've put to practice a lot of tools that I wouldn't have stumbled upon on my own more than likely.  I've discovered over the last 6 weeks how important technology is and how it relates to our jobs and education.  We're moving to a world that interacts through the internet in some form or fashion daily and for some all day!  I hope to take what I've learned and continue to apply it to my studies and career. I am much more familiar with blogging and participating in online communities and I have a new found appreciation for those who are regular bloggers and have made a business out of doing it.  A lot goes into keeping a blog up and running and there's more work behind the scenes that goes into the development and production of a blog.  I hope to see many of those in our class out there on facebook, blogger, twitter, etc etc!!  Great semester and excited to see what Web 3.0 will bring in the future!

"7" An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess

Just as we conclude our course this summer a friend recommended a new read for me!  These last 6 weeks have been filled with lots of eye-opening about the web and applications and resources that are at our finger tips.  I have been amazed and overwhelmed to learn how businesses and educators are putting technology to work.  Usually during heavier work loads with work and grad school I tend to find time to read for fun hard to incorporate but I still try to get a few good reads in throughout each year.  Ironically, the book I'm about to purchase puts a new perspective on how I've been using the internet over our last few weeks.  The book is called "7 - An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess".  The author of the book writes about ministry and is a wife and mother to 3 along with being a regular blogger and a public speaker.  She has a witty and quirky personality that captured my attention within the first two minutes of reading her blog post about this particular publication. 

                                                                   

Her book chronicles the lives of Christians who are living with "the world at their finger tips"!  People who have access to anything and everything they could need and are fulfilled with God but still yearning for that something more.  From her own personal experiences she and her family decided to enter what she calls "7", a seven-month experimental mutiny against excess.  7 areas of consumption are bundled up over the course of 7 months and each month you limit or reduce that particular excess down to 7. 

Food.

Clothes.

Possessions.

Media.

Waste.

Spending.

Stress.

Excert from Jen's blog:

Only seven foods for a month. Only seven pieces of clothes for a month. Give away seven things we own a day for a month. Eliminate seven forms of media for a month. Adopt seven substantial habits for a greener life. Spend money in only seven places. Practice "seven sacred pauses" a day and observe the Sabbath...a deeply reduced life to find a greatly increased God.

I don't know how else to talk about 7 other than to say it changed our lives. The discipline of fasting from such cherished, abused luxuries was transformative in the most difficult, painful, beautiful way. It shined a spotlight on dark corners, corners I wanted hidden and kept from scrutiny. 7 held my life up to God's Word and said, "One of these things is not like the other." It pried our eyes open to needs and abuses and the far reaching effects of unchecked consumerism, and it would not let them close again in ignorance or obstinance, I tell you. It hurt. We bled out in parts. We celebrated in others. We pushed through the chaos of repentence and found liberation waiting on the other side.
So ironically as we conclude a semester of exploring all sorts of technology forums I'm actually considering taking this leap and giving up 7 forms of media for a month!  While I don't find anything wrong with our exploration of the media and putting to use what we've found to benefit our education and careers I do think we all have to be brought back down to reality and in my faith simply doing this is a reminder of why I'm really here and what I have to give thanks for.  I'm still contemplating what my 7 forms will be but I'd love to hear your ideas and suggestions on any of the 7 areas, particularly Media!

New York on the scene

                                                           
The New Yorker will launch on the iPhone tomorrow!  The current issue will be free on the iPhone.  If you're a current subscriber you'll be able to enter your information and access at no additional charges.  Non-subscribers can purchase issues for $5.99/each or $59.99/year.  While it may take a while to flip through pages to completely read an article The New Yorker believes the iPhone is a more logical place for their print version to reappear.\

To read more follow the link below:
http://mashable.com/2012/08/07/new-yorker-iphone-app/

Florida Virtual Schools

In a recent news article, FLVS (Florida Virtual Schools) announced that they will be partnering with a Web 2.0 solutions company ConnectYard to improve communications amongst their 1,400+ teachers and 120,000+ students.  ConnectYard will be implementing a web portal that integrates email, texting, social media networks into a learning management system.  This will allows students and teachers to communicate through their "preferred" networks.

"The most appealing benefit to us is ConnectYard's ability to connect students, teachers, parents and staff using social media without requiring them to change their behavior," said John Logan, vice president of curriculum innovation for Florida Virtual School. "Each user can choose their preferred method of communication. We think this will increase the adoption rate well beyond social media tools that force students and teachers to use a proprietary platform."

Follow the link below to learn more about this collaboration:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/connectyard-and-florida-virtual-school-flvs-team-up-to-improve-communication-collaboration-and-retention-161769005.html

                                                                   

Expertise

First impressions are everything! Whether it be face to face or through an online forum the presentation and first few moments of interaction or engagement usually give me a good inkling of what to expect should the relationship move forward.  In terms of the web visual appeal is going to weigh heavily on how reliable or credible I find a site to be.  Now just because it is visually appealing doesn't necessarily mean the information or materials published are in fact accurate or proven but if it is professionally displayed in a creative way I tend to be more engaged and drawn in to learn more.  I usually look for other contributors to a site for validation of the materials presented by the site owner.  I also look to see if they are referred by other sites and those in similar fields.  I don't think I treat online forums that differently from face-to-face other than first and foremost I would obviously vouch for a face-to-face meeting any day over the web, but I actually rely on the web for quite a bit and most of research stems from my daily google searches.  If I am questionable about a specific topic I usually try to research multiple sites to make sure I'm collecting information that is going to be useful to me.  I also tend to notice sites that have large name vendors or businesses advertising on sites.

For the Olympics enthusiasts.....

While catching up on the latest and greatest of US wins at the London Olympics I came across the mobile and tablet apps that NBC has available. 

        To download the NBC Olympics App or the NBC Olympics Live Extra App click here!

                                                                    
                                                              Apple also offers an app

                                                                   

To Web 2.0 or not?

Now that we're knee deep in the semester I'm sure we're all feeling much more in tune with the latest and greatest of Web 2.0  For many the thought of using Web 2.0 applications in education and even in higher education is still catching on.  I'm the only one I know amongst my group of friends that have pursued higher education that actually has earned my degree online and pursuing my second one the same way.  The responses I tend to get are some of the following:

                                         "I just need the face-to-face classroom setting"

                        "I don't think I'm disciplined to do the work and assignments on time"

             "How do you find time after working long weeks to force yourself to do school work?"

       "The technologies and applications used in online programs are all foreign to me. I would probably be so lost."

These are just a few of the typical responses I have gotten when I share my education with others.
This article proved my point even more that it's very much possible to recieve and earn a higher education while completing all of the required course materials along and with the enhancesments of web technology Web 2.0 actually makes it even more interactive and creative.  The Table 1 Models that integrate Web 2.0 technologies is easy to follow and very informative.

                                       To use or not to use web 2.0 in higher education?

For anyone that replies, I'm curious to know what kind of feedback you get from friends or family that haven't participated in an online educational program.