Week 12: Final Reflections

It is hard to believe that 12 weeks have already passed, and the time to write the final blog post is here. It has been an unbelievably thought-provoking and eye opening semester as a student in ADED1P32, and I am confident that the skills I have developed as a digital citizen will lead to lifelong benefits as a learner. 

What have you learned about building a positive digital footprint? Are there connections that you have made between having a positive digital footprint and living and learning online as a digital citizen?

When I Googled myself this week, I was fortunately only able to find my LinkedIn account, which have all of my academic and career accomplishment so far on it. Otherwise, I have found no other information about myself that is available to the public. However, having a positive digital footprint is so much more than what you can find when Googling yourself. It is a result of everything that you do with informational technology online - every message, blog post, forum post, and Twitter mention. Leaving a positive digital footprint is part of being an effective online citizen. The most important elements of digital citizenship related to having a positive digital footprint is understanding digital rights and responsibilities, and digital etiquette. 

What have you learned about digital citizenship that could be used to promote quality online interactions with others?

In learning about the digital etiquette element of digital citizenship, I discovered that the most important thing to do to promote quality online interactions is to be empathetic and understanding. We must try our best to understand what others' are feeling as they type the words into their screens, and make sure that we're able to respond and communicate in an appropriate manner. This applies also to responding to those who do not interact positively with others - we still must understand that they are human, and we can't call them out or abuse them even if that's what they have done. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. 

As a digital citizen, what will you do to promote appropriate behaviors in others? Are you finding valuable web sites that support your idea of appropriate use of the Internet?

Promoting appropriate behaviours in others starts with displaying appropriate behaviours - by using kind words, refraining from all caps, and developing effective online communication skills. Though other students have discussed their view that it is important to call others out when they are behaving inappropriately, I feel that this could potentially be seen as retaliation and being condescending, which can further spark aggression. Instead, in most cases of abuse, it is best to refrain from responding, and directly contacting those in charge of the website about the situation. http://www.digizen.org/ is a good website to use to review appropriate use of the Internet. 

As a digital citizen, how will you help others develop the knowledge to work and live in the digital society appropriately?

I believe that I can help others develop the knowledge to be an effective digital citizen by developing positive habits for behaving in digital society, then sharing them with my friends and family when the situation presents itself. It is very important to get digital citizenship into daily discussion - I hadn't even heard of the term until I took this course! The digital world is beginning to play a larger and larger role in our society, so appropriate use should have more attention than it does at the moment. 

Week 11: Webcasting

This week, we learned about the use of webcasting tools in an educational environment.

What did you learn/notice in your exploration of webcasting tools? How will these tools be useful in your educational activities?
Webcasting is the use podcasts, screencasts, online videos to learn online. Massive open online courses (MOOC) take advantage of these tools to facilitate online classes that can accommodate many students efficiently and conveniently, and can support and inspire lifelong networking and collaboration-based learning (Cormier, 2012). "A MOOC throws open the doors of a course and invites anyone to enter, resulting in a new learning dynamic, one that offers remarkable collaborative and conversational opportunities for students to gather and discuss the course content. (Educause, 2011, p. 2)" This semester, I have taken part in two MOOCs, and I have concluded that MOOCs are absolutely an effective format for learning. In addition to the networking and convenience aspect discussed earlier, I have found that these courses allow me to take control of my own learning. Traditional lecture-based courses provide a comprehensive variety of information, but those courses seem to be a one-size-fits-all system of learning, often overloading students with so much information that they find irrelevant that they lose their initial interest in the course. MOOCs take into account students' individual differences in learning goals and interests, and allows the students to effectively relate course content to their lives and careers, without sacrificing the core concepts that students are expected to learn. Students are also given the opportunity to learn from others' experiences in relation to course content much more conveniently than in traditional courses. One downside, however, is the lack of direct human contact in these courses - you don't really get a chance to have face-to-face conversations with other students.

Korolov, M. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2010/05/on24-adds-social-tools-to-virtual-events/. 

Aside for MOOC purposes, webcasting tools are also useful in other learning settings. Podcasts seem to be a hybrid of blogs and radios, allowing users to access others' recorded work immediately and listening to it on any device. The ease with which we can access this information definitely makes it a useful learning tool, but as discussed in the CNN Video "What is Podcasting?" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM5lXOFD4Zg), podcasts are like blogs, which mean that the content is often more opinion than fact. Through traditional radios, there are checks and balances which ensure that information that is put on air is at least half credible, but podcasts allow anybody to share their ideas, which mean that listeners need to be careful about what they take in from podcasts. However, in an educational setting, professors can take advantage of the podcasting system to upload their lectures online instead of requiring students to come in and sit through the 3 hours. Students have the freedom to listen to these lectures whenever they want, and are free to start and stop the lecture, allowing them to spread out their learning over several days. Furthermore, students have no excuse to miss a week's lecture material! I know that many professors from major universities have already been uploading their lectures on iTunes, but it seems as if this hasn't become a major trend in Ontario universities yet. Hopefully, more professors at Brock University will take advantage of this system in the near future. The same can be said of screencasts, which are essentially podcasts with recorded screen output (Good, 2007). My one experience with taking part in a screencast meeting/online lecture has allowed me to realize that these are not much different than face-to-face lectures, with the difference being that I was able to listen to the speaker who was physically in a completely different country. 

How do creative tools, such as Muziboo, SoundCloud, RecordMP3, Garageband, Jing, and Screenr contribute to your work in building knowledge? 

Webcasting Solutions. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nationwideav.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/webcastwebinar.jpg. 

These online voice or screen recording tools allow us to add a human visual or verbal component to online communication. It assists our knowledge building by allowing us to infer meaning behind the words spoken and understand others views on the topics they are discussing. In educational settings, listening to others sharing their ideas may be a quicker and easier way to absorb information. As fellow classmate Emily states in her blog post, "by using audio and visual components in digital learning we can also get information across a little bit faster than using other collaborative/ communicative tools such as blogging. (Roy, 2014, http://eeroy.blogspot.ca/2014/03/week-11.html?showComment=1396045189415#c2847193600109503023). Even beyond the academic setting, these tools allows us to get listen to others share their opinions and knowledge. In fields such as music or dramatic arts, understanding other viewers' thoughts and insights on certain pieces of art through their podcasts, often recorded by these tools, can provide inspiration and "aha" moments that text otherwise couldn't.

How are these creative knowledge expression tools different from other collaborative/communication tools or the collective knowledge building tools you have explored?
With the exception of Voicethread, most of the other collaborative tools discussed and used earlier in this class, such as Blogger, are based on typed texts. While typed texts are the easiest way to clearly present specific facts and ideas, much of the true meaning behind what you are trying to communicate is hidden. Furthermore, misinterpretation can often happen when reading others' typed works. With this week's creative knowledge expression tools, we are engaging verbal and visual cues, which allows listeners and viewers to better understand and retain the message or ideas we are trying to communicate. Similar to other tools, though, these tools are mostly hosted online and can function regardless of the type or age of the computer you are using. You can also access these files anywhere in the world where there is an Internet connection!

How could you add this to your PLE? Will you? 
I will absolutely be adding Soundcloud, Record MP3, and Screenr to the collaboration and socializing section of my PLE!

What are you learning about becoming a digital citizen? What have you learned about protecting your own artistic works in a digital society? 
This week, I learned that it is, in fact, incredibly easy to place a CC label on my work, ensuring that others will use it responsibly. All I had to do was input some information on the Creative Commons page, and then embed it in the header of my blog. There is truthfully no reason why anybody shouldn't be protecting their information from being used inappropriately whenever they present their work online. Furthermore, it became clear to me that the same digital responsibility rules apply to visual and verbal works online. We must be careful of how we communicate when we are speaking on our podcasts or videos, and also provide proper citations to videos or podcasts.

Are you able to connect one or more items from your Feedly Reader to your learning?
This week, I read an article on my Feedly Reader discussing the possible downsides to online education. "A study released late last year by the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education," reports Bernstein (2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/25/us-usa-california-napolitano-idUSBREA2O02R20140325), "showed that only about 4 percent of those who register for an online course at Penn complete it, even though the courses are free." While online courses may not help disadvantaged students prepare for college or earn their degrees at a lower cost as much as they initially thought, they may still be useful for students who are already engaged in the subject matter that they are studying in their already-established academic career. The main issue I see here is engagement and involvement - many students see online courses as easy and not taking as much time as traditional classes. This may be the reason why many are surprised with the amount of work that it takes, which may explain why so few people complete it. Online courses, such as this one, as I have learned, take just as much time and dedication as traditional courses. If the student isn't passionate about what they are learning in that course, convenience still can't prompt students to dedicate themselves to learning.

Sources: 
CNN Video: What is Podcasting? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM5lXOFD4Zg. 
Cormier, D. (2012). What is a MOOC? http://youtu.be/eW3gMGqcZQc. 
Educause. (2011). 7 things you should know about 
Good, R. (2007) What is a Screencast? If you cannot view the video, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5e5oO1zAPw&list=PL28F3C621E2AFF39F.
MOOCs. http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7078.pdf.

Week 10: Synthesizing, Remixing & Creating Images & Slideshows

This week, we were given the opportunity to learn about the complex copyright laws that exist and to use that information to create a short, 30 second presentation about our findings. It is very important to learn about these laws so that we don't violate them in our lifetimes, and to not be shocked if we are faced with consequences of irresponsible digital use.

What did you learn/notice in your exploration of slideshow tools? How will these tools be useful in your educational activities?
In my exploration of several slideshow tools, I've come to the realization that there are an incredible variety of online presentation tools that we can use as students in place of Microsoft Powerpoint. There are specific tools for specific uses, and choosing the appropriate tool for our intentions can better suit our needs than using Powerpoint for everything.

With Animoto, we were able to make a slideshow using a number of photos, and include captions to explain or clarify the ideas we are trying to present visually. It includes a variety of songs that we can choose from to use to enhance our presentation. It also includes templates that include visually stimulating video effects, without requiring the user to style the video - we only need to upload the photos and provide the commentary.The main problem with Animoto is that it only allows us to make a 30 second video if we don't pay. Other tools, such as Photopeach, seem to be viable free alternatives for students to use to accomplish the same goals. Image-based presentation tools can be useful for visual presentations that do not require tonnes of information on the slides, and can be used to entertain or capture the audience's attention as a presentation's introduction. However, it does not seem to be a valid replacement for Powerpoint if we need to get a certain amount of information across.

Prezi, on the other hand, is an example of a tool that can be effectively used in place of Powerpoint. It allows us to put a significant amount of text and information on the slides, without sacrificing the visual interest element. It also allows us to easily embed videos and images - we don't need to actually download those videos or images, we simply have to input a URL. Prezi also offers a dynamic visual format - the presentation is shaped like a single visual mind-map, with emphasis on certain parts serving as (what would be considered in Powerpoint) 'slides'. With the ease with which we can use this tool to create attention-grabbing and interesting slideshows, it is no wonder this tool is becoming increasingly popular for both students and teachers.

What could Animoto, Photopeach, Fotobabble, Prezi, or Powtoon contribute to your work in building knowledge?

Moylan, K. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.kaylamoylan.info/tag/animoto/. 

These presentation tools can allow me to more efficiently create effective presentations. They also allow me to synthesize information that I learn using images and videos that are available online ['remixing' (Ferguson, 2011, http://everythingisaremix.info)]. Synthesizing and processing information in our own terms and formats is key to learning, as I have learned from my experiences as a student, so while these tools can't help me retrieve knowledge, it can help me solidify my understanding of that knowledge.

How are these creative knowledge expression tools different from other collaborative/communication tools or the collective knowledge building tools you have explored?
These creative knowledge expression tools are more individual based and are, in most cases, created on a single computer. Compared to to collaborative/communication tools we have explored in the past, there is a greater emphasis on the individual learner with these knowledge expression tools. Individuals interact by creating different presentations with opposing opinions and directions. However, similar to tools we have explored in the past, they are also web-based and can be accessed anywhere where there is Internet. In my opinions, these installation-free tools are more effective in most cases than computer software that we often have to pay for.

How could you add this to your PLE? Will you?
I will absolutely be adding Animoto and Photopeach to the synthesizing and creating content section of my PLE. These are effective tools that allow us to both produce and absorb content.

What are you learning about becoming a digital citizen? What have you learned about using images (and media) appropriately in a digital society?

Ritti, M. (2012). Copyright [Online image]. Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com/legalnewsroom/litigation/b/litigation-blog/archive/2012/04/06/safe-harbor-ruling-vacated-in-1-billion-youtube-copyright-case.aspx.

This week, I learned incredibly valuable information about copyright laws and practices, which is a key element of digital responsibility. There is a lot of information that users should be aware of before deciding to use others'  images and media in their work.

Copyright laws establish ownership, and copyright infringement is a serious issue and may result in legal action (2Learn.ca Educational Society, 2011-2012). According to Burt (2011), uploading others' contents without the creator's permission is copyright infringement, and publicly displaying that media without permission can lead to legal action. On Youtube, users will get strikes and will be permanently banned if they repeatedly break the rules. When we create any sort of work, we automatically own an all rights reserved label to protect our creativity against people using it when we don't want them to (Lessig, 2006).

Fair dealing, on the other hand, addresses the exceptions that allow limited non-commercial use of others' work for specific purposes. Fair dealing is important because it facilities creativity, and allows individuals to access and use others' work. It eases some of the many restrictions copyright act enforces (2Learn.ca Educational Society, 2011-2012). There are 2 major kinds of exceptions when considering the use of copyrighted material without permission or a license, according to Mediasmarts.com (n.d.). First, these materials can be used for research, private study, criticism or review, news reporting, parody, satire or eduction. Second, factors including character of dealing, amount of dealing, alternatives available, nature of the work, and effect of dealing on work are considered. We are allowed to use excerpts from work, use material from internet for educational purposes, modify copyrighted works, and can remix copyrighted works for educational purposes, but sources must be acknowledged (Mediasmarts.com, n.d.).

Randell, J. (2008). Creative Commone Logo. Retrieved from http://blogs.nyu.edu/blogs/gc69/stdin/2008/10/hacking_free_software_open_sou_1.html.

Nonetheless, it cannot be denied that  copyright laws can be too restrictive. When people want people to use others images and build upon them without asking the creator, whether the item has a Creative Commons  license should be considered. These free copyright laws allows us to tell others which parts of our work are free to be given to public, and are very easy to use - we just go to the website and directly apply for the license (Lessig, 2006). According to Sites2See (2012), creative commons allows creators of original works to specify how they are used, expanding what is available to users. As long as creators are properly acknowledged, the use of these images are okay. There are many sites we can use to find these copyright-free sources, including a search on the Creative Commons website. Surprisingly, we can also identify these images using Google's advanced search.


Are you able to connect one or more items from your Feedly Reader to your learning?
This week, I was able to identify an article that discussed the importance of updating current copyright laws (The Times Editorial Board, 2014, http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-copyright-online-piracy-20140324,0,2384647.story#axzz2x0wbIEWr). According to this article, the American Congress hasn't updated the rules since 1998, so they argue that these laws are not appropriate to the current state of online content use. In my opinion, copyright laws should be constantly under consideration for change and fixing, as everyday, more and more tools are available to us that changes how ideas, images, and videos are used online.


References: 
MediaSmarts.com (n.d.). Fair dealing for media education. Available from http://mediasmarts.ca/intellectual-property/fair-dealing-media-education

The 2Learn.ca Educational Society. (2011-2012 ). Your Digital Presence. Available at http://www.2learn.ca/ydp/copyrightabout.aspx 

Sites2See. (2012). Copyright for Students (resource page). Available athttp://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/LRRView/8587/

Burt, R. (2011). Teaching Students About Copyright - the YouTube Way. http://youtu.be/InzDjH1-9Ns

Lessig. (2006). Wanna Work Together? If you cannot view the video, go to http://youtu.be/P3rksT1q4eg

Week 9: Digital Responsibility and Voicethread

This week, we discussed the various aspects of digital responsibility, and learned to use two fantastic tools - Voicethread and PollDaddy. 

Voicethread and PollDaddy 

(Reisinger, 2009, http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10262618-2.html)

This week, our first activity required us to answer several questions via PollDaddy about our attitudes regarding certain digital responsibility situations. PollDaddy is an useful online based survey tool that allows users to respond to questions created by another user. I noticed that it was incredibly simple to use, which makes it an ideal tool for students to use for various purposes. Students can post practice questions on course material so that others can use it as a rehearsal for the actual test. Additionally, students conducting research can use it to retrieve casual responses to questions of interest. When using it this week to respond to an opinion question, it allowed me to see where my response stands in terms of popularity compared to others who also answered the survey question. Therefore, it is an effective collaborative tool that can fit in the collaboration section of my PLE.

(Riddle, 2010, http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2010/02/feedback-on-voicethread/) 

Similarly, Voicethread is an easy to use, Internet-based collaborative tool that allows us to express our views and opinions, while accessing and understanding others'. However, in addition to allowing us to collaborate and socialize, it also allows us to produce content, reflect on content, and practice digital responsibility. By allowing us to upload slides and document, it also allows us to share our work with the world. 

Discussion and the exchange of views regarding ideas presented is a central part of the reflection process of learning. Voicethread, unlike other tools that allow us to discuss with others our views on certain topics, allows us to easily upload video, audio or text comments on the original slides. Therefore, Voicethread allows for a seminar or meeting-like atmosphere, without being restricted by whether or not participants can attend because of their location or availability during the day - they are able to upload their responses whenever and wherever they want. As fellow classmate Charon discussed in her blog post, "teachers can set up discussions after their lectures on this website and then allow their students to view and comment on content. (Bhullar, 2014, http://cbhullar03.blogspot.ca/2014/03/week-9-report-and-reflection.html) Compared to other collaborative tools, "more lengthy and detailed explanations are feasible, intonation and voice patterns convey information that can be missed or misconstrued in text based markup. (Educause Learning Initiative, 2009, http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7050.pdf)" 

The interactive discussion that Voicethread allows for also gives students an opportunity to develop their verbal communication skills. Voicethread also allows users to take advantage of it as a presentation software, as they can annotate their own presentations and share it with anybody in the world that has a connection to the Internet. A doodling function is also one that facilitates Voicethread's use as a presentation software, allowing presenters and commenters to direct viewers' attention to areas under discussion. In all, Voicethread's creative potential "may promote greater digital literacy and greater enthusiasm for multimedia creation. (Educause Learning Initiative, 2009, http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7050.pdf)"

Digital Responsibilities 

This week, the topic of digital responsibilities also brought to light many new rules about being a positive digital citizen that I now need to adopt. Initially in my exploration of these concepts, much of the rules seemed very common-sense and obvious. However, Tucker's (2010, http://catlintucker.com/2010/12/top-10-dos-and-don%E2%80%99ts-online-student-communication/) list of suggestions really made me step back and realize that I need to make some changes. 5 of Tucker's rules that had the greatest effect on my were: 

1. RESPOND instead of REACTING. Allow for time to calm down before responding. 

- I have a tendency to react too much to signs of aggression through social media. Often, it is a result of miscommunication. I am not trying to justify my past behaviours, but I also feel as if overreacting is something that is very in our popular culture. 

2. REREAD messages before sending them to ensure that ideas are clearly communicated. 

- There have been to many cases where I have accidentally sent a message that was worded improperly, leading to embarrassment! 

3. CAREFULLY read peers' responses, and respect the time they have spent presenting their ideas - avoid misunderstandings! 

- There were absolutely times when I took others' comments the wrong way by failing to really understand what they were trying to say. 

4. ASK questions if anything is unclear to prevent confusion! 

5. Keep language DIRECT and RESPECTFUL, as readers can't see your body language or hear the tone of your voice. 

These all fall in the category of effective online communication, and in light of these suggestions, I feel as if our education system doesn't place enough emphasis on effective online communication. Especially in a culture where so much of our communication is dependent upon technology, being able to successfully articulate, understand, and respond is a skill that is absolutely crucial. This information shouldn't only be taught to those studying communication - being able to understand others and be understood is important in all settings and for EVERYBODY who uses the Internet. 

Feedly Update This week, an article that I found through my Feedly reader was a harmless but thought-provoking article about Chelsea Clinton discussing her experiences teaching her parents how to text, use email and other electronic communication tools (Griggs, 2014, http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/11/tech/innovation/chelsea-clinton-sxsw/index.html). This made me reflect on the importance of teaching the older generations about the importance of effective digital communication skills as they learn about using these tools. There are many sources that discuss the importance of teaching these digital citizenship skills to students, but I feel that the more mature populations who are also learning to use these tools have been neglected. They are often in positions of power and influence, so their misuse of digital tools may have more disastrous consequences than if it happened with students! 

Inappropriate Technology Use: Not Crediting Photos

Scenario: 

Matt enjoys taking pictures with his digital camera. his pictures are quite unusual and can be easily identified as his work. he wants to let other people see his pictures so he posts them on his website. a couple of months later he is surfing the internet and sees some of his pictures on someone else’s website. At first he is flattered that someone enjoyed his pictures, but on closer inspection he sees that he is not credited anywhere on the site as the person who took the photos. the way the images are posted makes it seem as if the site owner had taken the pictures. 

Response: 
The user who used Matt's picture without properly crediting him has not used digital technology appropriately. By taking Matt's work without giving him the credit he deserves, this user violated a core element of digital citizenship - digital rights and responsibilities, defined by Ribble (2011, pg. 35) as requirements and freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world. The user took advantage of the privilege of being able to have access to others' work, but didn't demonstrate responsibility by simply including a citation. As photo stylist Fuss (2011) discussed in her blog post (http://www.frolic-blog.com/frolic/2011/03/blog-talk-crediting-photos.html), the act is considered theft and is incredibly disrespectful, as the work put into taking the photo is ignored and unrecognized. The individual could have easily demonstrated appropriate use by simply giving a proper citation - something that would have taken less than 5 minutes.

What do you think?

Week 8 - Wikis

Hi everybody! 

This week, we were given the opportunity to learn to use wikis for educational purposes. Wikis have been an essential part of my learning experience since I learned to use the Internet, so learning about how it actually works and how to better take advantage of the tool is crucial to my development as a student that is capable of using available online resources. 

How could you see yourself using a wiki? 
As stated earlier, as a 21st century child, I learned to use Wikipedia to search for information as soon as I learned to use the Internet. Its simplicity and comprehensiveness made it my go to tool for learning about things of my interest. Therefore, it was interesting for me to take an objective look at the tool as a scholar and student. 

According to K12Learning20.com (2013) (http://k12learning20.wikispaces.com/8-wiki1), a wiki is a "collaborative, participatory, living, evolving content repository". It allows us to share our knowledge, construct a common base, and to navigate other pages where others have done the same to create a clear, comprehensive source of information. According to TeachersFirst (2008-2013) (http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/), student participation in an ongoing creation of wiki can help students learn, as it is a tool for collaborative learning. Students are able to teach others and provide information that they have found, while, at the same time, learning from others and the research that they have done, potentially uncovering blind-spots in their learning. The use of wikis reminds me of a more efficient way of doing elementary school group projects, where everybody had to do research about a part of the topic, and finally compile all of their information into one presentable format. The ease with which individuals can use and create wikis makes it a tool that students of all ages can use to collaborate on learning activities. 

What do you consider to be effective ways to use wikis to support learning? 

(The Center for Scholarly Technology, 2006, http://shtmteacherswiki.pbworks.com/w/page/5814911/Using%20wikis%20for%20your%20subjects) 

Lefever (2005) (http://www.commoncraft.com/video/wikis) compares the use of wikis to the use of emails to communicate ideas. He concludes that using a wiki as a central source of information that all members of the group can access makes it much more efficient than using email. Without a doubt, wikis are a much more effective tool for any collaborative activity than using email, which can cause confusion. Clark (2012) (http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.ca/2012/12/wikis-wickedly-clever-underused.html) discusses the use of Wikipedia as an effective source of knowledge. Throughout high school, I was told that Wikipedia had no academic validity whatsoever. What many educators fail to understand is the fact that Wikipedia is an effective initial source of information, as its citations and links can prompt students to do further research. I find Wikipedia to be important to students because it sparks interest and provides students with the most important and relevant information. That way, even before they begin their research, they know what they are looking for. Having to go out and validate the information presented in Wikipedia using academic resources is a much more efficient use of time than to start researching completely blind, with no idea what kind of information is out there. Brain (2005) (http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/wiki.htm) discusses a series of checks and balances that allows Wikipedia to remain a valid source of information, with editor, admins, and writers able to stop those who are attempting to provide inaccurate information. Interestingly, he also tells us that the existence of individuals with very different opinions lead to a tendency for information to be neutral, as a result of what he calls "edit wars". In all, it is my view that Wikipedia is an important learning tool that serves as a useful starting point for research.

How do wikis compare to the other tools we have explored, specifically blogs, Google Docs, and Evernote? Which do you prefer? 
Though Wikis fall under the same category of collaborative tools as Google Docs, blogs, and Evernote, I feel that Wikis provide a different kind of service to users and students, which separates it from these other tools. K12Learning20.com (2013) suggests that Wikis are much more flexible than these other tools - it is "whatever you want it to be". In other words, it can be a very complex Wiki page, or it can be very simple. Many people can have access to the editing function, or very few people can. Additionally, compared to Google Docs, these are actual websites, instead of documents. Similarly, TeachersFirst (2008-2013) (http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/) compares Wikis to blogs. This website suggests that compared to blogs, Wikis have a much more open structure, as it allows individuals to change what anyone else has written. However, as a result of this, individual opinions are often removed, so compared to blogs, they are a much more neutral source. This is important for students when they are attempting to get information that is free of bias. Each student's bias can influence what kinds of information they find, so when using Wikis to compile information, they can get a wider scope of knowledge that they normally wouldn't get.


What are you learning about becoming a digital citizen and the rights and responsibilities of living in a digital society? 
This week, we were also given the chance to learn about the importance of digital rights and responsibilities. According to FSU Digital Citizenship (2014, http://fsudigitalcitizenship.wikispaces.com/Digital+Citizenship+Rights+%26+Responsibilities) everybody has the right to information, transparency, privacy, access, assemble, and of expression. However, these rights come with responsibilities, which EDTP504 (2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTf-EHOI1T0) cites Bailey & Ribble (2007) as being giving credit when it is due, being kind to each other, reporting inappropriate use, and making ethical decisions. The most important rule, in my opinion is the reporting of inappropriate use. Like any society, one without rules and consequences will lead to disaster, so it is important, in my opinion, that users report inappropriate use whenever they notice it. That way, those who are in charge can give appropriate consequences to those who are violating the rights of others. 

Are you able to connect one or more items from your Feedly Reader to your learning?

(Wauters, 2010, http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/13/wikipedia-update/)

Through my Feedly Reader, I was able to find a blog post called The Decline of Wikipedia (Simonite, 2013, http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/520446/the-decline-of-wikipedia/). He points out a big problem Wikipedia is facing - the fact that the volunteer workforce that defends against those who use the website inappropriately (ex. vandals) has shrunk a third since 2007 and is still shrinking. He also points out that the site has skewed coverage, with some topics (ex. Pokemon) getting more coverage than topics that are perhaps very important to certain groups of people (ex. female novelist). This is definitely unfortunate news, but I do believe that Wikipedia is too important for too many people for it to shut down. In my opinion, I feel that they should begin allowing small ads, as they can generate more revenue to overcome these problems. To be honest, I wouldn't mind seeing ads on that site, as I see it on every other site, and have learned quite well to ignore them! 

Week 7 - Collaborative Learning

This week, we were given the opportunity to take advantage multiple online tools that allowed us to complete a presentation with group members, without ever having to meet them in person. The tools I learned this week will without a doubt allow me to complete future group assignments more effective and efficiently. 

Collaborative Work 

One of the key points that were presented this week was the importance of collaborative learning. This was something I had a difficult time accepting and applying, because I have always been an incredibly independent student. I am much more comfortable working by myself and absorbing information independently. However, given the massive amount of information from multiple sources regarding the importance of collaborative work, I will have to push myself to take advantage of collaborative opportunities whenever they present themselves. According to the Institute of Writing and Rhetoric (2013), students are more deeply engaged when they are actively learning with other people. They also discuss the fact that the best way to learn something is to teach it, something that I've known since I took a high school psychology course. Mesko (2013) discusses the usefulness of online tools to facilitate collaborative learning. He states that online collaborative tools allow us to save time and effort, and to have others find problems with our work that we may have overlooked. He also presents Google Docs as a useful and effective tool that allows group members to edit the document simultaneously. However, he concludes that the most important point is the fact that we need to find the tools that best fit our needs, something that I have tried to keep in mind throughout this course.

(Politics Wikipedia, 2011, http://wiki.agroknow.gr/politics/index.php/Grundtvig_Workshop_on_Collaborative_Learning_and_Active_Citizenship) 

TodaysMeet 

One of the first tools that we were told to use for our collaborative assignment was TodaysMeet, which allowed us to discuss the assignment and work out our parts without having to actually meet or add each other on social networking sites. As group member Connor stated, we were quickly able to decide who would do each component of the presentation and how it should be developed (Scott, 2014, http://connors93.blogspot.ca/2014/03/weekly-report-reflection-for-session-7.html?showComment=1393815399598). This made communication between our group simple, professional, and quick. I really like this tool and will be adding it to my PLE because it allows us to communicate with others without having to wait for an email or add each other on a social networking site. Furthermore, anyone with the link can participate in the discussion, making it possible for many people to work together through TodaysMeet. I almost didn't believe how easy it was for us to use TodaysMeet, we didn't even have to make an account or sign up for a subscription! 

Google Docs

The main tool that facilitated our group's ability to complete a presentation online was Google Docs. My experience with Google Docs taught me just how straightforward and easy it was to use. I could do anything I normally do on Microsoft Word online, and simultaneously have others work on the same document without it ever conflicting, making it the ideal tool for collaborative work. Google Docs can be used in so many ways in many different contexts - from employee hour tracking in a professional setting, to sharing notes when preparing for an exam in a academic setting, to preparing different forms or professional documents (ex. contracts, proposals) in a business setting. Basically, anytime you need to collaboratively work on a single spreadsheet, text document, or presentation, Google Docs is the ideal tool if an Internet connection is available. However, the fact that we can collaborate with others through the Internet also means that we aren't able to work on the files if an Internet connection is unavailable. Though this isn't a massive concern in an age where most places have wifi access available, it is nonetheless something that should be kept in mind. As Lefever (2007) put it, it is like keeping files in one home instead of multiple, which makes things not only easier, but much more efficient. 

(Online Colleges, 2012, http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2012/04/04/52-great-google-docs-secrets-for-students/) 

PLE Development

The tools that was presented this week can be added onto my PLE in multiple areas. I will be adding TodaysMeet into the Collaborating and Socializing section, and GoogleDocs in the Collaborating and Socializing section in addition to the Producing Content part of the Synthesizing and Creating section of my PLE. 

As classmate Rosy discusses in her blog post, as our PLE grows, it is also important for us to remove parts of it that are no longer relevant and benefit us less (Bhullar, 2014, http://aded1p32rbhullar.blogspot.ca/2014/03/practicing-digital-literacy-weekly.html). Nonetheless, I haven't removed any parts of my PLE, as it started out limited and small. I am sure, however, that as I learn about more tools throughout this course, I will absolutely be taking out parts of my PLE that are no longer useful. 

RSS Feed Update 

This week, an article that I found through my RSS feed talked about how collaborative learning can be promoted and nurtured in a classroom (Block, 2014, http://www.edutopia.org/blog/nurturing-collaboration-5-strategies-joshua-block). Interestingly, the 4th strategy that Block suggested was to use tech tools to simplify the process, which is what we learned to do this week. With these tools, students can have easy access to the work of their peers, and can add their work to the group assignment. 

Sources: 

Institute for Writing & Rhetoric. (2013). Collaborative Learning/Learning with Peers. Available at http://dartmouth.edu/writing-speech/teaching/first-year-writing-pedagogies-methods-design/collaborative-learninglearning-peers

Mesko, B. (2013). The Social MEDia Course: Online Collaboration. Available at http://prezi.com/ipuvecsfcruz/the-social-media-course-online-collaboration/

Lefever, L. (2007). Google Docs in Plain English.If you cannot view the video above, go to http://youtu.be/eRqUE6IHTEA

Week 6 - Collaborative and Cloud Tools

This week, we looked at the role and importance of collaborative and cloud tools in the growing and expansion of our personal learning environments and networks. The tool of emphasis was Evernote, which was described as the "perfect solution for the students’ need to archive and organize traditional and non-traditional sources of information. (Hamilon, 2011)" (http://blog.evernote.com/blog/2011/01/05/how-my-students-started-using-evernote-education-series/)

How useful is Evernote? 

The session guide for this week started by saying that, "managing the information that you locate on the Internet so that you can revisit or locate that information again is an impossible chore for your browser bookmarking tool." I couldn't have related to this quote any more! I use the Internet excessively for both personal and academic research, and over the years, I have accumulated way too many bookmarks in my browser that are, without a doubt, slowing my computer down. Last week, we looked at a tool called Diigo to help with online content curating. With our introduction to Evernote this week, I feel that I will be using that more than Diigo, simply because it does everything that Diigo does, and more (i.e. note taking, adding images, tags, etc.). I prefer centralized tools where I can use it for multiple functions, so naturally, Evernote is my tool of choice.

Evernote has many functions and advantages that sets it apart from other content curation tools and resources. MacrGeek (2010) pointed out in his video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyrE6SpTNSA) that users can embed research articles into Evernote - a function that Microsoft Word can't even do. That way, we can keep our notes and the primary sources that we use in the same file and access it pretty much anywhere. Green (2012) takes a more critical approach when looking at Evernote's usefulness, considering both the pros and the cons (http://theflannelboard.blogspot.ca/2012/03/my-tribute-to-evernote-students-guide.html). He points out that it is a great tool to use to take class notes because we can then access it on any other device, and states that its tagging ability makes searching for the work that we have done much easier. He also points out the incredible usefulness of its web clipping too, and the fact that we can use it to annotate our PDFs - an advantage over any other tool we've looked at in this course. Even though Evernote allows us to keep everything in the same place, its data limit means that there is only so much work that we can store on it, which is unfortunate. However, we must consider that we are using the tool for free, and most cloud-based tools must limit the amount of data that we can put on it. Miller (2010) points out in his writing that Evernote can sync to pretty much any device - giving it a major edge over other content curation tools, many of which require the use of an Internet browser (http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/take-a-minute-to-collect-your-thoughts-with-evernote/24020). Miller strikes an important point - successful digital tools must be able to function on a variety of popular devices that people use; otherwise, it's usefulness and popularity will be seriously diminished.

I foresee Evernote becoming a key supplementary learning tool for me, and I'm sure that it will make my life much easier in many ways. First of all, the fact that I can access my notes on any device means that I can be studying even when I don't have my laptop with me - which saves me a lot of normally wasted time. Furthermore, as we have practiced this week, Evernote allows us to share our resources and notes with people we are working on with a significant amount of ease. Group work will continue to be a significant aspect of my academic career, so Evernote will be relevant for me throughout my years a student (only issue would be that many people don't use Evernote). Most importantly, Evernote's web clipping feature its the most useful, in my opinion. The fact that I can keep track of all of the useful information I find online, and access it on any device (whether off or online, because I have installed the app) means a significant reduction in the time spent re-researching. Many tools allow us to simply save our bookmarks and access it on another computer, but Evernote actually allows us to directly take a screenshot of the page, meaning that we won't need to rely on the Internet in the future if we want to access it after it has synced to our app. Clearly, we can see that the creators of Evernote have a tendency to go above and beyond, which is why I wasn't surprised when I learned that I can also embed research articles in it. This means that I can access all of my research articles on any device, and annotate them and have them sync to all of the other ones. Furthermore, the ease at which I can switch between using different articles means that I don't need to have 20 different .pdf files opened (which lags my computer significantly). In all, I see Evernote becoming my central organizational tool.

(Tan, n.d.) (http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/evernote-5-new-features/)

How does this add to my PLE?

Under the Organizing Content section of my PLE was Microsoft Word, computer desktop organization, and browser bookmarking. Evernote has the ability to replace all 3 of these parts of my PLE - I can take notes with them, organize my notes with them, and keep track of everything I find on the Internet. However, the one issue that is stopping Evernote from becoming the app I use for everything is the fact that there is limited storage. This means that eventually, I will have to start clearing out the things I have on my Evernote account, but I don't want to lose the work that I have done. Although I can take the files, transfer them to Microsoft Word, then save them to a hard drive, it just seems like it would be easier if I just kept everything organized on my computer. This means that I am risking losing everything if I ever lose my computer, but I have been able to rely on my computer for the past 3 years, so I see no reason to completely change the way I am doing things. Reliability, it seems, is my main issue with Evernote - I will gradually use the app for more and more of my work, but I can't simply decide that I will now completely rely on it - I need to build my trust in this tool!

Interestingly, Evernote can also be used in conjunction with other tools in different parts of my PLE (i.e. Twitter). As fellow student Emily pointed out, it is quite neat and powerful that this app can be connected to different useful tools (http://emilyf93.blogspot.ca/2014/02/week-6-report.html). This is just another quality that sets Evernote apart from other helpful tools!

Lessons Related to Digital Citizenship 

This week's work brings up a problem related to element 1, digital access (Ribble, 2011, p.16). Though Evernote is incredibly useful for sharing work and saves time when doing group assignments, we must consider those who don't have access to any digital tools at home. This means that even with the state of the art technology that are available to us now, we must keep in mind those who don't have access to even the most basic tools, and be flexible in terms of the tools that we choose to use with each assignment. It's not about constantly using the most powerful tools - but choosing the ones that fit the situation. In a group atmosphere, we must select tools that are accessible to all members.

Feedly Reader Update

This week, I found an article related to 'going paperless' from my Feedly reader (http://www.documentsnap.com/top-paperless-products-2013/). Interestingly, the top 2 ebooks related to going paperless were about Evernote (Duncan, 2014). The article brings up an important thought - these tools are all helping us reduce paper consumption, saving students money and making it much easier to organize their files. When I look back at how my parents organized their files years before, with boxes and boxes of folders, it's shocking to me that there is something like Evernote that allows us to access and work with all of our files absolutely anywhere!

(Long, 2012) (http://digitalageofliterature.wordpress.com/)