Virtual Schooling: Gaming

For years students have been stimulated with educational games such as Mavis Beacon Typing and Math Blaster, one of the many products of the educational gaming enterprise: Jumpstart. These games, although effective, are now outdated and have been replaced with more modern versions of educational software. This new world of virtual schooling allows users to learn, practice, and understand various fields of study. This link, click here, provided by a class activity, shows some of the countless fields of study and virtual school activities available for a student to learn with.


As a potential practitioner of law and sports agent, there are an extensive amount of programs available for me to further understand the sports market. Even Second Life, if used properly, can provide a platform for learning about the life of a star.


As a student who grew up in the gaming age, my understanding of gaming is very solid: better than any generation before mine. Since I have grown up in an age where video gaming was a daily activity, learning via virtual schooling seems like a seamless transition. With virtual learning, learning and fun go hand-in-hand. At one time I'm sure some found this concept impossible, but with technology anything is possible. Now that learning has been made fun, next up: curing cancer.


Here is a clip from the original Math Blaster: In Search of Spot. If you, like me, played this game as a child, get ready for some hardcore nostalgia:





The primitive PC game, Math Blaster, served its purpose during its time. But with the advances in technology, virtual schooling has been taken to a whole new level. Here is a Youtube of Math Blaster 2008:





Check out the difference in graphics and sound. Imagine if we had that kind of game to learn on.

Open Source Software

According to Wikipedia, open source software is computer software that is available in source code form for which the source code and certain other rights normally reserved forcopyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, and improve the software. Some open source software is available within the public domain. Open source software is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner.


We learned in class that open source software is great because . . . well simply put . . . its free and efficient!


As a college student with little to no money, open source software is affordable and dependent. With word processors and other programs available throughout the Web that can rival those of Microsoft Office's, open source software is almost like a gift from the internet gods. With a few secure downloads, a poor college student can save hundreds of dollars and be on his/her way to creating professional documents, presentations, media, etc.


Here is a Youtube of a user who explains the future of open source software and its benefits: 





The World is currently in a digital age and with the availability of open source software, anyone and everyone can stay current with the changes, for free.

Distance Education

In class we defined distance education as  A field of education that focuses on the 

pedagogy and andragogy, technology, and instructional systems design that aim to deliver education to students who are not physically on site.

Distance education has come along way in my life-time. My senior year of High School, 2007, was the first year my school offered distance education credits. The class consisted of various 45 minutes lectures found on an online data base, message board posts, online assignments and test, and teacher-student meetings once a month. This seemed very informal, but three years later, this curriculum is considered formal by today's standards. Now-a-days there is a collection of online lectures and in-class tests. That is it.

For this method of education to be successful it requires a highly motivated group of students who are willing to watch lectures, ask questions via e-mail or office hours, and (in some aspects) create their own class schedule.

As a public relations student, I have take many classes online and find it very advantageous. That is, if you are organized and stay on track watching lectures. If a student slips up and misses a week of lectures, he/she could be in for a long game of "catch-up." Going into law school is a different story, there are no online classes - just assignments and posted readings. Well, traditionally. The first online law school was recently founded (University of Phoenix), this was all made possible by the evolution of distance education.

Here is a Youtube about the 10 guided principles of distance education: 

The video shows the structure of distance education and provides the viewer with a feel for how the field of distance education functions. 

Professional Web Presence: Google Sites

The ever popular search engine, Google, continues to expand. Google not only is the world's number one search engine. Google also has an email service (G-Mail), a server based document section (GoogleDocs), maps (GoogleMaps), customized home pages (iGoogle), and much more. Google Sites is an aspect to Google that may spread life wildfire and take over the Web, at least it has the potential to.

Google Sites allows Google users to create free Web pages and Wikis. In class we discussed the importance of having a professional Web page to provide an online presence for students. The Web site allows users to upload graphics, pictures, various forms of media (video, audio, multimedia), and much more. Here is a link to my professional Web presence project.

As an aspiring attorney, Google Sites enables me to create an online business profile for myself. With the ability to show off my various works created via my internships and classes, I am confident in allowing a potential employer to view my Google Site.

Above is a video that provides us with a fantastic tutorial of how to use Google Sites. The fact that there are a number of sophisticated and modern web creation tools on Google Sites is incredible, and what is even more incredible is that it is free.

Podcast

Podcasts could be used in public relations in many ways. They good thing about using podcasts in public relations is their ability to cover every credential to creating an effective campaign. Podcasts use a combination of audio and visuals to deliver messages. They are also easily accessible once uploaded to the Internet. Once on the Web public relation practitioners can direct their locations to those regularly viewed by specific target publics. The ability to produce audio and visual messages daily make podcasts an effective and in someways essential tool to running an effective public relations campaign.

(My podcast still wont upload, I am going to bring it to class tomorrow)

Cloud Computing

According to the Wikipedia link provided on the EME Web page, Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand, like the electricity grind.

Cloud computing is a relatively new tool for document transferring and editing. Here is a conceptional diagram of cloud computing: 

With the implementation of cloud computing computer users will have a much more efficient process of sharing documents with other users. Hard drive space will be freed up, paper will be saved, and time will be saved as well.

The ability to put a document in a central location and allow (and restrict) certain users to edit, view, print, and distribute it is revolutionary and genius. The most popular space for cloud computing is GoogleDocs. The video we were presented in class explained the uses and processes of using GoogleDocs in a simple and effective way.

There are other easy-to-view informational videos about cloud computing available on Youtube. This video is informative and elementary, allowing even the least versed computer user to understand how cloud computing works: 

The field of public relations is filled with press releases, memos, abstracts, client selection sheets, public statements, and many more AP Style documents. These documents go through hundreds of rewrites, hundreds of edits, and dozens of emails. With the implimentation of a cloud computing program, such as GoogleDocs, the editing and revising process could become ten times more efficient. Editors could view and edit documents daily without the waste of work time and paper.

Podcasting: Revolutionary

In the article "Podcasting in the Classroom" by Brian Flanagan, he presents the different uses of podcasting in the realm of academia. He also goes on to explain the new technology that has pushed podcasting to a new level. He even advocates the use of ipods in schools.


One might wonder how ipods can be allowed in schools. The answer is simple. Podcasts. With podcasts, teachers are able to stream media daily, both auditory and visual, to their classes


Flanagan says that at some institutions use podcasting for academic reasons. Their use falls into five categories:

1. Course content dissemination
2. Classroom recording
3. Field recording
4. Study support
5. File storage and transfer

He continues to describe the variety of benefits of podcasting. The one benefit that stood out most to me was the use of podcasting to create soundseeing tours. Soundseeing tours are are combination of sounds and visuals used to disseminate information.

Apple has released "enhanced podcasts" which allow users to create podcasts with audio and visuals. The combination of both auditory and visual resources will be available to audiences on their ipods. Like a complex powerpoint. 

With this revolutionary technology we may soon see a day where online classes are no longer taught and put onto computers, but rather streamed to ipods, ipads, itouches, iphones, or whatever assessable technological devices are created in the near future.

Here is a video on how to create a podcast from various Apple products: 

Digital Storytelling

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Digital storytelling could be used effectively in Public Relations pitch presentations. When a practitioner delivers a pitch presentation they are selling their services to a person, corporation, or client. During this pitch presentation practitioners are taught to use visuals that will attract attention and form a sense of familiarity between presenter and client. With videos like the ones created on Animoto.com, practitioners could create video slide shows to create a story about a plan of action they find appropriate for their client's situation. I find digital storytelling as a tool that can create a sense of comfort during a pitch presentation, which is what practitioners are looking for and rarely find.

The Power of Photoshop

Photoshop is a computer program that is taking the computer world by storm. Its popularity is off the charts due to its diverse and complex functions. Photoshop is used for a cornucopia of things: Photograph manipulation 
painting, virtual drawing, 
graphic design, illustrations, page layout, 
typography, 
animation cells, sprites, gif. animations, 
web images etc.


Photoshop's design allows the user to use several tools on several layers of an image to create an extraordinary finished product. Tools such as the magic lasso, magic eraser, and eyedropper are complex tools that can be used for the simplest of changes. Here is a list of tools used in Photoshop. The list provides a brief explanation of each tool.


In today's age of social networking Web sites, photoshop has become an everyday tool used to enhance people's Web page. With vast amounts of Facebook and Twitter users viewing pictures on other's profiles, users have gone as far as changing their body structure by using Photoshop tools to impress their page visitors. In this video we are given instructions on how to use certain Photoshop tools: 



As a public relations major I have come across mentions of Photoshop but never really used the program to its full potential. After using and understanding the tools provided by the program I was truly able to understand and appreciate the power of photo enhancement provided by the Photoshop. Many public relations campaigns have completely revamped corporation's images (figuratively and literally). With Photoshop practitioners are able to create company logos, enhance images, and create Web compatible photos. The current state and future of Public Relations lies in the hands of programs such as Photoshop.

Media and Information Literacy

According to the EME Web site, visual literacy is the ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image. Visual literacy is based on the idea that pictures can be “read” and that meaning can be communicated through a process of reading.

According to the link we were presented in class (http://museumca.org/picturethis/visual.html), visual literacy is defined as the ability to understand communications composed of visual images as well as being able to use visual imagery to communicate to others. Students (humans) become visually literate by the practice of visual encoding (expressing their thoughts and ideas in visual form) and visual decoding (translating and understanding the meaning of visual imagery).

Through the process of encoding and decoding images we are able to make sense out of and attach meaning to inanimate images. For example a sequence of circles could trigger the idea of a super store (Target) in some people, and it could remind others of hunting (an actual target used to practice). It all depends on each individual's process of encoding and decoding. There are many universal signs that trigger universal responses among humans. We see that in a video posted on the EME Web site. This is how why the term "literacy" is used.

In the field of public relations understanding how visual literacy works and the power of it is essential. As a public relations practitioner you must disseminate messages and make them suitable for your target publics. If a practitioner were to use a symbol similar to one that could be taken as offensive, he or she has a problem. The target public decodes the messages that were encoded by the PR practitioner, so when choosing how to present certain messages through images, one must be very careful.

In the following video, we see how a group of images placed in different orders can completely alter the audience's opinion of what the images mean.

Creative Commons Licensing

Here is a great video educating Youtube watchers about Creative Commons Licensing. Check it out!

Concept Map

Here is MyWebInspiration creation: http://mywebspiration.com/view/563002a17213

Week 3: A New Generation of Learners & Education

           The reading assigned in class, “Web 2.0: A New Generation of Learners and Education,” was an interesting and relevant read. The reading highlighted the numerous benefits and changes that have come about from the fusion of technology and education.

            The section “Web 2.0 Students” illuminated the creation of a culture that my generation has adapted to with ease and acceptance. The article opens with an introduction to the different names often applied to today’s generation of learners.

           

            “The term Web 2.0 students, along with other terms, such as the Net

            Generation and Digital Natives, is a popular catch phrase often thrown out.

            These terms identify a new generation of individuals who are comfortable,

almost natural, at using digital technologies.”

            The article then illuminates the saturation of our lifestyle with technology. We, as learners, welcome technology in our learning endeavors with open arms because of the convenience and effectiveness it brings to the table. The reading contained some interesting and relevant facts about technology’s role in our society of Net Geners.

They are presented as follows:

            This generation is unique in that it is the first to grow up with digital

            and cyber technologies. Not only are Net Geners acculturated to the

            use of technology, they are saturated with it. By the time he or she

            has reached 21 years of age, the average NetGener will have spent

            • 10,000 hours playing video games,

            • 200,000 e-mails,

            • 20,000 hours watching TV,

            • 10,000 hours on cell phones, and

            • under 5,000 hours reading (Bonamici et al., 2005).

            When I first read over these facts, I had to go back and read them several more times. I immediately questioned what my life had come to because I have certainly contributed to those facts on a daily, if not hourly, basis. Although at first I was taken back and embarrassed at the amount of time and trust I put into the use of technology, I was quickly reminded later in the reading that the enhancement of learning provided by technology is a great, and a bad thing. When I am in the professional world of attorneys I will be dealing with clients and fellow attorneys on a daily basis. Being a “Net Gener” will allow me to adapt and take advantage of the opportunities and conveniences that technology has provided and will provide in the future.
           
             This video explains the evolution of our society into a new generation of learners. Professor Don Tapscott explains the shift to the digital age through a synopsis of the trends of America. From the generation of baby boomers to the growing digital baby we have created (the Internet), Professor Tapscott covers it all.

Week 2: The power of a search engine: Web 2.0

      The Youtube video we were presented in class, Web 2.0, simply put, was an eye opener. More than 2 million people have seen this revolutionary video. There were many statistics and facts that would get the average American butterflies and goose bumps. Some of the facts and statistics presented were as follows:

• Many of today’s college majors didn’t exist 10 years ago. It took the radio thirty-eight years to reach a market audience of fifty million.
• It took the television thirteen years to reach a market audience of 50 million; it took the Internet just four years.
• One out of eight couples in the United States met online.
• More than 2.7 billion searches were performed on Google in a month. To whom were those questions directed before Google?

     The Internet has the power to educate billions, in days. The fact/statistic about Google searches and the question that followed was, to me, the most powerful fact/statistic presented in Web 2.0.

Without Google and the Internet, where would we find the answers to our questions? Being a young college student I use Google daily for educational purposes. What the amazing thing is, is that friends, my classmates, and me use Google as a casual fact finding service several times a day. I never realized this until Web 2.0 presented the facts about the educational power of the Internet.

With the Internet continuously growing at a ridiculous rate, Web 2.0 has evolved into Web 4.0. Check out the new video and think about 10 years from now. Think about how ridiculous the educational power of the Internet can/will be.

Introduction to EME2040

After the first week of EME class I began to realize how relevant this class is to our generation and future. The days of textbooks and classroom learning are becoming outdated, shopping online has trumped going to a store, and giant compilations of music can be downloaded in a single click (illegally). These, and many other, changes are a precursor of more to come and we, as a society, need be educated on how to handle them.

In the readings “Partnerships for 21^st Century Skills,” what caught my eye was the section about bringing 21st century interdisciplinary themes

into core subjects. The core subjects consisted of global awareness, financial, economic, business, and entrepreneurial literacy, civic literacy, healthy literacy, and environmental literacy. This caught my eye because these areas are essential to living a successful, well-educated lifestyle.

EME 2040 look to be a class that can educate student for “real life” scenarios, regardless of the field you are studying. I am planning on going to law school and becoming an attorney. Regardless of the field of law I enter, computer skills and education of programs will be essential to the future of my business, career, and lifestyle.


The video 21st Century Educational Reality shows how important it is for America, as a nation, and us, as the youth of America, to become educated. The future is now.

Week 4: Copyright Law: Fair Use

In today’s society, where everything can go viral and travel to millions of people in hours, copyright law has had to take on new challenges to stop the spread of copyright infringement on the web. Originally drafted to protect other medias of copyrighted material, laws have had to be re-drafted and amended to cater to today’s viral society. The author or creator of an original work is granted a set of exclusive rights to his product. The author can make copies, distribute, and adapt the work.

            Although copyright laws have been thoroughly drafted to protect a creator’s work, the fair use doctrine, under Title 17 of the U.S. Code, permits some copying and distribution without permission of the copyright owner. Fair use is not clearly defined, but there are four factors that play a role in allowing work to be used without permission:
1. The purpose and character of the use.
2. The nature of the copyrighted work.
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyright work. Works in the public domain are exempt from the restrictions of fair use.

           

            But, as we know, laws are not always 100% effective. As I type I am sure there is copyright infringement occurring on popular, regulated Web pages such as: Youtube, Facebook, Vimeo, Myspace, etc. I have uploaded a slideshow of my great memories of high school with a Beatles song playing as the pictures appear on the screen without attribution. Youtube caught my mistake and actually accredited the music for me. I think this happened because I titled the slideshow as “Octopus' Garden,” which was the title of the song I used from the Beatles. Youtube even has hundreds of videos poking fun at copyright laws. Hitler parodies have become very popular on Youtube, but have violated copyright laws. There have been so many done that Youtube can not regulate them all. There is even a "Hitler Reacts to the Hitler Parodies Being Removed" video. Nevertheless, copyright law is not to be reckoned with . . . but avoiding it is fairly easy.

            I plan on going into entertainment law after I graduate law school. Thoroughly understanding copyright law will be essential to protecting my client’s work. With all of the thievery occurring on the Web, understanding these laws are not only important for someone entering the entertainment field, but also for Web surfers who casually download, upload, and post copyrighted work. Before I learned about copyright law, I had no idea of the laws I had been breaking by posting, creating, and uploading content onto Web pages. 

Here is a video I found that was made on the topic of Copyright laws and fair use, it is very entertaining, informative, and clever. Check it out.