I wonder, but wasn't it always the case that adults blame technologies for distancing away their children and making them more selfish with shorter attention spans and therefor less achievement in schools? Isn't this exactly what was said about video games, playstations, televisions, email, mirc, msn and icq? I have heard a lot of talk similar to this around my parents and family;
"Video games makes you more violent!"
"Watching TV for over an hour destroys your brains and eyes!"
"Watch out, you can meet people on ICQ who will easily manipulate your thoughts, you won't be able to think anymore", etc.
I think all of you heard similar comments (or gave them, depending on your age!)
Well, all what Lady Greenfield 'speculates' may be correct, but not on social networking sites in specific. Isn't too much of anything (addiction) bad? I may be wrong but her analogies make her sound somewhat like a hopeless romance (caring for the princess?!!) I couldn't quite relate this. If the game was a board game instead of a digital game, will I then care about the princess? Perhaps she (or the writer) should have backed up her arguments with research sources or examples - because it sounds to me like stuff that the older generation always says about the newer one.
I do believe that with more exposure to the new technologies, one's reactions tend to become different (perhaps yes, I sense it a lot when I ask my husband a question and if he takes more than two seconds to answer I start whining about him ignoring me). But isn't this also a feature in everything in the world around us. Think of old songs and new songs, old movies and new movies. The decrease of emotional depth is not only because of the child's exposure to social networking sites - I feel this is over simplified. We have to think of other changes, such as the growing economic pressure that parents now face which makes little time available for their children.
Children's (and adult's) minds are different now than previous generations, but this has always been the case. Life is becoming more challenging on all levels. With the quickening pace of life, people are becoming more individualistic and less romantic, but this is an outcome of various changes in life, and not just 'facebook' or 'Myspace'.
Saturday, 28 February 2009
Facebook group - DSLC
I check my facebook account daily for the past 2 years (or less, I really can't remember!). Almost all my friends are on my list, so we use its messaging facility instead of email to communicate. I see that facebook is now the superset of email, msn, nonoh, and all other social networking methods. It was a logical step from client based to web based applications.
I am a member of several groups, but I will talk about the 'Dubai and Sharjah Ladies Community (DSLC)' group. This group was started by an active lady called yasmine for the sake of gathering ladies in Dubai and Sharjah together. The group increased in number, and has over 400 members now.
Most of the ladies in this group are young Egyptian mothers who don't work but are ambitious and active, and want to make something useful with their free time. We have a very busy weekly schedule, full of both formal and informal activities. On Mondays we meet for a book club, where we discuss current world news as well as books proposed by some ladies. On Wednesdays we meet for an educational session on self improvement. Thursdays we meet of breakfast and casual chat. We also hold events where we get key speakers to give lectures on different areas of interest, such as first aid and stress management. Also, we have organized visits to orphanages (in order to be more positive towards our community). Every other Saturday we have an arts and crafts day for young children, with a different theme everytime. There are many other activities, so if anyone is interested, let me know and I'll tell you all about it!
The discussion board also serves as a very good source of information. I have posted a topic a few days ago asking for recommendations of schools for my son next year. Another has posted asking whether any lady has exam study material for the ministry of health license exam for dentistry.
Just sitting infront of my laptop with facebook on I can get to know lots of ladies with similar interests and lifestyle as mine, and I can get to know about different venues, activities, and other stuff going on in Dubai or Sharjah. Its amazing how this group had an effect on the ladies here. And all this is attributed to the virtual social networking that facebook provides.
I am a member of several groups, but I will talk about the 'Dubai and Sharjah Ladies Community (DSLC)' group. This group was started by an active lady called yasmine for the sake of gathering ladies in Dubai and Sharjah together. The group increased in number, and has over 400 members now.
Most of the ladies in this group are young Egyptian mothers who don't work but are ambitious and active, and want to make something useful with their free time. We have a very busy weekly schedule, full of both formal and informal activities. On Mondays we meet for a book club, where we discuss current world news as well as books proposed by some ladies. On Wednesdays we meet for an educational session on self improvement. Thursdays we meet of breakfast and casual chat. We also hold events where we get key speakers to give lectures on different areas of interest, such as first aid and stress management. Also, we have organized visits to orphanages (in order to be more positive towards our community). Every other Saturday we have an arts and crafts day for young children, with a different theme everytime. There are many other activities, so if anyone is interested, let me know and I'll tell you all about it!
The discussion board also serves as a very good source of information. I have posted a topic a few days ago asking for recommendations of schools for my son next year. Another has posted asking whether any lady has exam study material for the ministry of health license exam for dentistry.
Just sitting infront of my laptop with facebook on I can get to know lots of ladies with similar interests and lifestyle as mine, and I can get to know about different venues, activities, and other stuff going on in Dubai or Sharjah. Its amazing how this group had an effect on the ladies here. And all this is attributed to the virtual social networking that facebook provides.
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
More on Wikipedia..
I have to say that reading http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/The_Wrong_Version really gave me a good laugh! It did raise up some important issues though. I am no expert on Wikipedia, always a reader but never an editor. But I am thinking out loud and I would like to know whether or not you agree with me.
First of all, administrators are humans, and by nature are inclined to take a side on an argument. Would users sometimes blame the admins for blocking them or protecting a page they shared in simply because those admins did not agree with what the users had to say? Is it possible that protection policies implemented by wikipedia's admins may itself result in bias for certain thoughts by certain users?
Wikipedia assumes users have good intentions, and implements NPOV principle for allowing users to be more intellectually independent. Is it morally fair to expose users to an encyclopedia where sources are not trusted, and where this intellectual freedom is at risk of falling into a bag of rubbish information. Even if work is cited, normal users (like myself) won't go back and verify those sources. How better will it be then if editors are to approve all changes, as Jimmy Wales proposed?
With all its good intentions, Wikipedia may not be able to maintain fully its egalitarian stand. With more and more people using the web, with many from the younger age group, one may start to wonder whether information I read was put up by a 12 year old. And I don't personally think I want to go back and check all the history on a topic or verify its sources. Wikipedia is also a perfect place to place rumours - and a rumour just needs a few minutes to spread (until admins hear of them and decide to remove the page).
Can we say that wikipedia is a useful resource then?I think the positives of wikipedia are enormous. Its a place where thinkers/intellectuals/or even normal users are given the chance to post their research or knowledge for the benefit of all. It encourages people to try and provide information, and know that all their work will not be thrown away (especially if posted in a high traffic site such as wikipedia). I believe it will provide self-satisfaction for me to know that I am able to express my thoughts and knowledge in public, and raise up an issue that I believe needs more people to look at. It is also a place of collaborative knowledge, a place to be heard, to argue on anything and everything.
My opinion is that wikipedia is a great pool of knowledge. Only we need to know what we may fall into if we trust it too much. Users using it for research should be 'wikipedia literate' - and this literacy will improve their creativity and critical thinking.
First of all, administrators are humans, and by nature are inclined to take a side on an argument. Would users sometimes blame the admins for blocking them or protecting a page they shared in simply because those admins did not agree with what the users had to say? Is it possible that protection policies implemented by wikipedia's admins may itself result in bias for certain thoughts by certain users?
Wikipedia assumes users have good intentions, and implements NPOV principle for allowing users to be more intellectually independent. Is it morally fair to expose users to an encyclopedia where sources are not trusted, and where this intellectual freedom is at risk of falling into a bag of rubbish information. Even if work is cited, normal users (like myself) won't go back and verify those sources. How better will it be then if editors are to approve all changes, as Jimmy Wales proposed?
With all its good intentions, Wikipedia may not be able to maintain fully its egalitarian stand. With more and more people using the web, with many from the younger age group, one may start to wonder whether information I read was put up by a 12 year old. And I don't personally think I want to go back and check all the history on a topic or verify its sources. Wikipedia is also a perfect place to place rumours - and a rumour just needs a few minutes to spread (until admins hear of them and decide to remove the page).
Can we say that wikipedia is a useful resource then?I think the positives of wikipedia are enormous. Its a place where thinkers/intellectuals/or even normal users are given the chance to post their research or knowledge for the benefit of all. It encourages people to try and provide information, and know that all their work will not be thrown away (especially if posted in a high traffic site such as wikipedia). I believe it will provide self-satisfaction for me to know that I am able to express my thoughts and knowledge in public, and raise up an issue that I believe needs more people to look at. It is also a place of collaborative knowledge, a place to be heard, to argue on anything and everything.
My opinion is that wikipedia is a great pool of knowledge. Only we need to know what we may fall into if we trust it too much. Users using it for research should be 'wikipedia literate' - and this literacy will improve their creativity and critical thinking.
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Wikipedia: NPOV principle
Arguments made by Wikipedia community for the Neutral Point of View principle include
* Presenting the topic in a fair manner.
* Liberating the readers; They are trusted to critically think and formulate their own opinions and are therefore intellectually independent
* Adhering to the essense of wikipedia, being a collaborative effot to collect human knowledge, and thus all theories about a topic must be acknowledged and properly cited.
* Avoiding continuous edit wars and disputes.
Maintaining the NPOV principle may be important when thinking about the intention of Wikipedia: to make knowledge freely available to the public. The other option would be a big business controlling this knowledge, where then the business will surely impose its values and opinions, and may even incorporate them into the technology itself. Wikipedia is thus making an effort to increase the independence of the user and liberate him from perhaps hidden efforts to incline him towards a particular opinion. The NPOV principle fits smoothly with the other guidelines set by Wikipedia, like verifiability where all the point of views must be attributed to their sources.
In practice, maintaining NPOV may be challenging, even with every intention to adhere to it. This may appear where the access is restricted to a particular group with similar experiences and backgrounds. In the faculties of Humanities and Creative Industries in Queensland University of Technology, a project was conducted on the use of Wikis, where the wiki was restricted to students and teachers of the New Media Literacies course. The NPOV principle was not properly implemented basically because the group was relatively homogeneous, and contributors were unaware of other available views (Bruns 2005).To adhere to NPOV principle, participators/editors must do proper research on their topic.
This has its advantages in education where students step back from their opinion and study all the available (unbiased) views. This will encourage critical and logical thinking. In addition, NPOV will encourage collaboration between students since editing/adding information will not be regarded by peers as interference with personal views.
Before using a technology, we should know what the technology seeks to provide, and who the intended target users of the technology are. I believe that Wikipedia should be acknowledged for making its intentions and guidelines clear to the users. Although wikis may be difficult and monitor and track, the collaborative learning environment that they can provide for educational purposes cannot be undermined
References:
Bruns, Alex and Humphryes,Sal. "Wikis in Teaching and Assessment: The M/Cyclopedia Project" (2005)
* Presenting the topic in a fair manner.
* Liberating the readers; They are trusted to critically think and formulate their own opinions and are therefore intellectually independent
* Adhering to the essense of wikipedia, being a collaborative effot to collect human knowledge, and thus all theories about a topic must be acknowledged and properly cited.
* Avoiding continuous edit wars and disputes.
Maintaining the NPOV principle may be important when thinking about the intention of Wikipedia: to make knowledge freely available to the public. The other option would be a big business controlling this knowledge, where then the business will surely impose its values and opinions, and may even incorporate them into the technology itself. Wikipedia is thus making an effort to increase the independence of the user and liberate him from perhaps hidden efforts to incline him towards a particular opinion. The NPOV principle fits smoothly with the other guidelines set by Wikipedia, like verifiability where all the point of views must be attributed to their sources.
In practice, maintaining NPOV may be challenging, even with every intention to adhere to it. This may appear where the access is restricted to a particular group with similar experiences and backgrounds. In the faculties of Humanities and Creative Industries in Queensland University of Technology, a project was conducted on the use of Wikis, where the wiki was restricted to students and teachers of the New Media Literacies course. The NPOV principle was not properly implemented basically because the group was relatively homogeneous, and contributors were unaware of other available views (Bruns 2005).To adhere to NPOV principle, participators/editors must do proper research on their topic.
This has its advantages in education where students step back from their opinion and study all the available (unbiased) views. This will encourage critical and logical thinking. In addition, NPOV will encourage collaboration between students since editing/adding information will not be regarded by peers as interference with personal views.
Before using a technology, we should know what the technology seeks to provide, and who the intended target users of the technology are. I believe that Wikipedia should be acknowledged for making its intentions and guidelines clear to the users. Although wikis may be difficult and monitor and track, the collaborative learning environment that they can provide for educational purposes cannot be undermined
References:
Bruns, Alex and Humphryes,Sal. "Wikis in Teaching and Assessment: The M/Cyclopedia Project" (2005)
Saturday, 21 February 2009
Can VLEs be PLEs?
For a learning environment to be personalized, it should provide the user with features that enable him to manage his learning. It should allow the user to creatively think and participate,as well as give and receive feedback.
VLEs can be personalized by giving each learner and individual learning space. The learner will have an account on the system, where he can play around with the interface to give it a a more 'personal' look. He can upload his work and post interesting information that he would like to share with his colleagues. VLEs can help students track their own progress, by giving them feedback as to how far they are achieving and keeping up with their weekly schedule. Students can be able to look at other student's profile and compare themselves with others who may share common goals. VLEs can provide for student collaboration by the use of working group spaces and chatrooms.
Along with other features, VLEs can provide PLEs. The student must be guided to the features provided by the VLE, and how he can manage the environment for his own benefit.
VLEs can be personalized by giving each learner and individual learning space. The learner will have an account on the system, where he can play around with the interface to give it a a more 'personal' look. He can upload his work and post interesting information that he would like to share with his colleagues. VLEs can help students track their own progress, by giving them feedback as to how far they are achieving and keeping up with their weekly schedule. Students can be able to look at other student's profile and compare themselves with others who may share common goals. VLEs can provide for student collaboration by the use of working group spaces and chatrooms.
Along with other features, VLEs can provide PLEs. The student must be guided to the features provided by the VLE, and how he can manage the environment for his own benefit.
VLEs: what, why, and who?
This is an effort from me to describe what are VLEs, their importance, and their users. Please let me know if there is something I missed out.
WHAT?
A virtual learning environment (VLE) is a software system designed to support teaching and learning in an educational setting. (www.wikipedia.org)
VLEs are designed to include several sections like discussion board, announcements, web links, course content, assessments, grades, chat, work groups, assignments, calendar, etc.
WHY?
* For online/distance teaching.
As a distance learning student in the MA DTCE program in the university of Manchester, I have been exposed to both blackboard and moodle. Both VLEs provide most of the features mentioned above. The difference in design of each VLE did have an impact on how I viewed the organization of the course. So evaluation of distance learning programs has to take into consideration not only the content/instruction of the course, but also the mode and platform of delivery.
* As a support for the face to face teaching mode.
Listening to Mike Chapman talk about his school's use of moodle showed how helpful VLEs can be if used alongside the classroom. He pointed out how helpful it is to post material online so that it can be accessed by students at any time. He also mentioned how parents appreciated the use of moodle because if allowed them to monitor what their children take in school. He also rose the issue of the need for technical support, training, and contingency plans (if migration to other systems was needed)
WHO?
As mentioned above, VLEs can be used for distance learning or as a support to the classrooms, which make it an option for all education levels from the primary up to the post graduate. The features and requirements of VLEs will thus differ according to the target market of the system. For younger learners, VLEs will usually focus on the images, graphics, and sound. For older learners, focus will be more on the organization and structure, and on how easily users can manage their way through the system.
One thing to not with different age groups is that ease of navigation is important for adult learners who have been exposed less to different technologies/software system. KG and primary level VLEs will usually expect less interaction from the users and will focus on the display. Perhaps students within the age range of 12-30 will be (at the present time) able to deal with more complicated features because they have been raised 'with' technology.
WHAT?
A virtual learning environment (VLE) is a software system designed to support teaching and learning in an educational setting. (www.wikipedia.org)
VLEs are designed to include several sections like discussion board, announcements, web links, course content, assessments, grades, chat, work groups, assignments, calendar, etc.
WHY?
* For online/distance teaching.
As a distance learning student in the MA DTCE program in the university of Manchester, I have been exposed to both blackboard and moodle. Both VLEs provide most of the features mentioned above. The difference in design of each VLE did have an impact on how I viewed the organization of the course. So evaluation of distance learning programs has to take into consideration not only the content/instruction of the course, but also the mode and platform of delivery.
* As a support for the face to face teaching mode.
Listening to Mike Chapman talk about his school's use of moodle showed how helpful VLEs can be if used alongside the classroom. He pointed out how helpful it is to post material online so that it can be accessed by students at any time. He also mentioned how parents appreciated the use of moodle because if allowed them to monitor what their children take in school. He also rose the issue of the need for technical support, training, and contingency plans (if migration to other systems was needed)
WHO?
As mentioned above, VLEs can be used for distance learning or as a support to the classrooms, which make it an option for all education levels from the primary up to the post graduate. The features and requirements of VLEs will thus differ according to the target market of the system. For younger learners, VLEs will usually focus on the images, graphics, and sound. For older learners, focus will be more on the organization and structure, and on how easily users can manage their way through the system.
One thing to not with different age groups is that ease of navigation is important for adult learners who have been exposed less to different technologies/software system. KG and primary level VLEs will usually expect less interaction from the users and will focus on the display. Perhaps students within the age range of 12-30 will be (at the present time) able to deal with more complicated features because they have been raised 'with' technology.
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
F2F versus VLEs
Below is what I think the advantages and disadvantages of face to face and distance learning education. Advantages of one are readily disadvantages of the other - so the mention is only made once.
Advantages of face to face Learning:
- The normal mode of learning; no resistance
- Instruction-led tutoring allows for better understanding due to non-verbal communication, body language, etc.
- Maybe the only mode for learning in specific scientific areas (ex. chemistry) where experimentation is needed and the presence of a lab instructor is essential.
- The classroom gives students a sense of belonging. More loyalty exists towards the educational institution especially if the student spent several years there (I'm in love with the American university in Cairo where I got my bachelors degree).
- On campus presence serves more than just educational purposes. Learners engage in social events, extra-curricular activities, join contests, etc.
- Requires more than just sitting in front of a computer. More bodily/kinesthetic intelligence is used. This reduces the boredom that may often result during the course of study.
- Closed book examinations can be conducted where all students take their tests simultaneously in the presence of a supervisor - more uniformity in the assessment method.
- Can combine VLE learning as well.
Advantages of VLE learning:
- Flexibility in time, location, and length of study.
- Engagement in online discussions may give students a good way of expressing themselves who are otherwise quiet or shy to engage in face to face discussions.
- Educational material is more persistent. Students can go and look at previous study files at any point in time (as opposed to normal classroom teaching where the student has to try and grasp all the information during the class)
- Asynchronous discussions give students time to think before posting their comments as opposed to having to contribute instantly during the face to face class.
- Different assessment methods available, which may be auto-corrected and the results given to the student instantly.
Disadvantages of VLE learning:
- Having to keep up with the technology
- May be imposed by the government of institutional authority. Teachers may not be willing to use the technology but are forced to do that for the sake of catching up with the rest
- Training on the VLE is often required especially to older teachers who have less experience with technology, which both time and financially consuming.
- If not planned for carefully, may lead to bottlenecks where migration to other systems is necessary.
- Gives more advantages to younger instructors who are more open and experienced with technology as opposed to older ones who may be more competent with the subject they're teaching.
Advantages of face to face Learning:
- The normal mode of learning; no resistance
- Instruction-led tutoring allows for better understanding due to non-verbal communication, body language, etc.
- Maybe the only mode for learning in specific scientific areas (ex. chemistry) where experimentation is needed and the presence of a lab instructor is essential.
- The classroom gives students a sense of belonging. More loyalty exists towards the educational institution especially if the student spent several years there (I'm in love with the American university in Cairo where I got my bachelors degree).
- On campus presence serves more than just educational purposes. Learners engage in social events, extra-curricular activities, join contests, etc.
- Requires more than just sitting in front of a computer. More bodily/kinesthetic intelligence is used. This reduces the boredom that may often result during the course of study.
- Closed book examinations can be conducted where all students take their tests simultaneously in the presence of a supervisor - more uniformity in the assessment method.
- Can combine VLE learning as well.
Advantages of VLE learning:
- Flexibility in time, location, and length of study.
- Engagement in online discussions may give students a good way of expressing themselves who are otherwise quiet or shy to engage in face to face discussions.
- Educational material is more persistent. Students can go and look at previous study files at any point in time (as opposed to normal classroom teaching where the student has to try and grasp all the information during the class)
- Asynchronous discussions give students time to think before posting their comments as opposed to having to contribute instantly during the face to face class.
- Different assessment methods available, which may be auto-corrected and the results given to the student instantly.
Disadvantages of VLE learning:
- Having to keep up with the technology
- May be imposed by the government of institutional authority. Teachers may not be willing to use the technology but are forced to do that for the sake of catching up with the rest
- Training on the VLE is often required especially to older teachers who have less experience with technology, which both time and financially consuming.
- If not planned for carefully, may lead to bottlenecks where migration to other systems is necessary.
- Gives more advantages to younger instructors who are more open and experienced with technology as opposed to older ones who may be more competent with the subject they're teaching.
Sunday, 8 February 2009
About Me
Full Name : Deena Ahmed El-Shamy
D.O.B : 07/01/1980
Nationality: Egyptian
Education : Bachelor of Computer Science, minor in Business Administration and Electronics, The American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Occupation: Software Engineer
Current Residence: Ajman, United Arab Emirates
D.O.B : 07/01/1980
Nationality: Egyptian
Education : Bachelor of Computer Science, minor in Business Administration and Electronics, The American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Occupation: Software Engineer
Current Residence: Ajman, United Arab Emirates
Motivations and Goals
Pursuing graduate studies was an aim in itself, regardless of the specific program of study. I have always been interested in acquiring knowledge in all fields, and that is why my major interest is reading. After taking a few MBA courses, I found that although the subject was very interesting, it did not satisfy my thirst for information. It took me a while to realize that inorder to know more i.e. be more educated, why not take a degree related to education. It then struck me that this is exactly what I wanted to do with my life: gain knowledge and transfer it to people.
That is why I started doing my MA in Digital Technologies, Communications, and Education. I haven't worked in the educational sector before, but my hopes are up high that with this degree and my background in computer and technology, I will be able to start a career that is very challenging and satisfying.
I still did not find my specific point of focus in this field, but the course is so far very enjoyable to me. I think I will specialize in something related to educational technology research (still not sure what that means though!)
That is why I started doing my MA in Digital Technologies, Communications, and Education. I haven't worked in the educational sector before, but my hopes are up high that with this degree and my background in computer and technology, I will be able to start a career that is very challenging and satisfying.
I still did not find my specific point of focus in this field, but the course is so far very enjoyable to me. I think I will specialize in something related to educational technology research (still not sure what that means though!)
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