Final Metacognitive Post.

This has been an interesting semester for me. I claim to not be a fine arts person, but yet I love to create videos for instructional and personal purposes. Participatory culture seems to come somewhat naturally to me. I am not as participatory and some, but I’m trying.

I am understanding semiotics more and before this class I had no idea what it was. Now I hear about it everywhere. It was the Kress and van Leeuwen book that really changed a lot about what I see when I look at advertisements, billboards, even what I see in TV shows.

Seems being a digital immigrant has not affected me much. I can still hang with the digital natives and even teach them a few things about internet safety and cool technology. Crystal’s book reminded me that there is a lot of Internet language that I take for granted. I use certain terms and expect people to always know what I am talking about. It was also a nice refresher for some of the terms that I no longer use.

Literacies are as important as ever in the digital world. What do we need to stay abreast of the flow of information? It’s a big world out there and understanding the needs of ourselves and of others beyond the traditional literacies is not only essential to compete, but is a form of obligation as educators to make sure everyone understands the technologies, the strengths and weaknesses, and he the technology is going.

Overall, still not being a fine arts student, I think the texts were helpful as well as the videos and additional readings. I learned a lot from my classmates as well and I think them for engaging us all in inventive and creative ways.

Thanks!


Crystal, D. (2004). Language and the Internet.  Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.  Retrieved from https://irenechc89ukm.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/david-crystal.pdf

Jenkins, H.L. (2006). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century.  Retrieved from http://www.macfound.org/media/article_pdfs/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF

Kress, G. & van Leeuwen, T. (2006). Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. London: Routledge.

Internet User’s Guide to Safe Online Purchases

Internet User’s Guide to Safe Online Purchases

Learning Outcomes:

1. Keeping your money safe.
2. Protecting your credit.
3. Identify email Phishing scams.
4. Keeping your PC/Mac safe.
5. Importance of security.

You must choose, but choose wisely!

Before you begin to do online purchases, you should select a computer that you will primarily do your banking/purchases from. If you are not sure how, ask a friend or computer professional to help you scan your selected machine for viruses and other forms of malicious software. Once done, keep this software up to date at all times and perform periodic full scans.

Do not assume that just because you are using a Mac that you can skip this step! Alternatively, you could use an iPad as long as it is not “jail-broken”. Windows tablets still require antivirus and malware scanning.

Never use a foreign computer to do any commercial transactions. You do not know if that machine has been compromised. Spyware could be installed and you should assume it is. Spyware can harvest usernames/passwords and send them to unsavory people for their unscrupulous use.

Never allow your browsers to save passwords. Other forms of malicious software can scan you machine to look for the saved username/password values.

Finally, use strong passwords. Experts say that they should contain digits and special characters (see the XKCD link at the end). But, the longer the better!

Whose money is it?

Never shop online with a DEBIT card! This is your money drawn directly from your checking (or savings) account. When (not if) the card is compromised, your balance will be adversely affected. This means you will need to file paperwork, identify good versus fraudulent transactions, setup special circumstances if you have automatic withdrawals from your checking account (like a mortgage), etc. It quickly becomes a nightmare try and stop checks from bouncing.

Always use one credit card to shop online. This card should have a low credit limit, say $2000. You still want to be able to make a big purchase from time to time. It should also NOT be a debit card. When this card is compromised, you call the credit agency and you’re done. It’s their problem – not yours. They will simply issue a new card.

Another alternative is PayPal in which you can set up a credit card with them. Although you can use a checking account, and one may be needed to establish credit with PayPal, go the PayPal credit card route – it’s safer and easier for everyone.

Catch of the day!

Email phishing scams have become much more clever since the days of receiving an email from someone in Somalia offering to give you $1,000,000. They prey on you by using information they can glean from the Internet – a form of social engineering. If they know you are a member of SEFCU, they may craft an email that looks like it came from SEFCU containing links to lure you to a fraudulent site to enter your username/password.

If you suspect the email is fraudulent, especially if you do not remember the payment they are claiming was made or denied, simply delete it. No reputable financial institution or government agency will ever ask you to provide username, password or account information in an email.

Still, if you think that your account has been compromised, contact your institution and explain the situation. At the very least, they can put a watch on your account.

Trust no one!

Well, mostly. By scanning your computer regularly, assuming all email is suspect and using a specific credit card not tied to any real funds like checking or savings, you should feel pretty secure. But, it is still not a guarantee.

Use only valid web links for reputable merchants like Amazon. Make sure you see the lock symbol when connecting to their web sites. This signifies that the transaction is being encrypted. Do not just assume the connection is secure. Never send any information without the lock!

Even with all of this planning, it is easy to become complacent. Use different passwords for different accounts. Never use the same password for everything – especially if you are always using the same username. If they can get just one, they've got them all!

Change your passwords regularly. At least every six months. With all of this in place, you should have good peace of mind.

Links to additional resources

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2010/11/29/tips-safe-online-shopping-cyber-monday/

https://xkcd.com/936/

An interview with my son...

I intended to use my son for the interview. This was because I wanted the viewpoint of an adolescent who has not had a lot exposure to social media, but has used it on occasion, and has a friend or two that uses it.

My laptop was stolen when I began this project. As a result, I chose to use the event as a teaching moment during the interview. We homeschool and this year we tried a period of time where my son went to public school. He decided that it was not moving at the same pace as home and did not like the approach of such brief intervals on each subject, so he is back homeschooling full time.

This was also a part of the discussion. An excerpt of our interview is below.

Me: What kind of technology do you like to use?

Son: Apple and Nintendo.When I used Windows in school, I was as lost as if i was in Russia.

Me: If you had to use Windows for homework?

Son: I feel like I’d spend a month just figuring out the basic controls.

Me: Was this because we only have Mac and iPads or because the Apple interface was more intuitive?

Son: Mac was easier because first one used and because of little exposure to windows.

Me: Do you understand the purpose of social media?

Son: Familiar with Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.

Me: Why so you think people use it?

Son: To keep in touch and talk with friends over long distances. Some people are careless. I’d say 50/50 on the carelessness.

Me: Do you know I use very little social media? Why?

Son: Yes. Not enough time.

Me: Yes, but my job also requires me to be involved in security. Privacy is a big issue and people put themselves out there in peculiar ways.

Me: Why do your parents not let you use social media beyond YouTube and such?

Son: Don’t want me to be careless or do something that could affect me later. Mostly due to privacy.

Me: If you could, how would you participate in social media? Explain.

Son: Not really interested. There are few friends that are on it and therefore it would be pointless. Maybe grandparents.

Me: You know my laptop was stolen.

Son: Yes.

Me: What do you think went through my mind?

Son: Private records, passcodes, credit cards and stuff.

Me: No. Because I don’t keep that on my laptop.

Son: Wow, that’s a good thing!

Me: I changed all of my passwords anyway because you can never be too careful. I just though wow, that sucked. That’s the machine I keep my homework on and I have work due! And I just edited two chapters of my book that I had not yet backed up. I lost some personal pictures. But, I wasn’t worried because the laptop was encrypted.

Son: So they can’t get your data?

Me: Nope. Not without the key or my password.

Son: Cool.

Me: What do you like most about technology?

Son: Sometimes makes things easier and faster. Makes learning and entertainment much more fun.

In the end I think he enjoys technology and understands what social media is used for. Like me, he doesn’t seem too eager to be an overly active participant. You could certainly say that we are not prosumers in the Jenkins sense of the term. We consume much more than we produce. Perhaps that will change in the not too distant future.

In the meantime, I am grateful that our children will understand the use of social media before being thrust into that world. I am also grateful that my wife is even more about privacy and safety concerns than I am.

We make a great team. We may be restrictive, but at least my son knows why and he really understands the issues.

As for the literacies and things like critical thinking, he knows that this restricted environment has a way of making him do some research before relying on the Interwebs for the answers. He is very much a book person, but likes that he can get missing pieces from the Interwebs.

Non-linear thinking for a non-linear world.

Linear and non-linear compositions, the subject of chapter 6 in Kress and vanLeeuwen got me thinking about some details from the first paper we had for this class. It was about literacies and learning. Specifically the details of how we are learning to search better - especially with our eyes and the details of building new cognitive pathways.

Students skim, skipread and use the index to prepare for exams - the text is “used” rather than read. (Press & van Leeuwen, p.205) This seems to be discouraged by some instructors. I say, “Pish tosh." I recall even recently that colleagues chastised their students for skipping around looking for easy answers. See, as programmers, there are many resources out there and students often use these resources as short cuts while others are genuinely looking for additional examples to help guide them. For example, stackoverflow.com is a great place to get solutions to coding problems - if you know how to ask the right question in your search, or join the forum and be a participant. I recommended that the colleague, instead of chastising, perhaps dedicate some of his lesson to teaching them how to use the many resources they have.

This is is also an issue when looking at other forms of assessment. I used to give mid-term and final exams without any form of help documents (I know, that was mean. No, really it was. Read on.) to help them in solving the problems on the page. Over time I realized I cared less about their style of coding and more about whether they were choosing the right tools. To assist in this, I encouraged the use of previous projects, notes, the textbook, basically anything. The undercurrent of it all is that if they really are familiar with the material, what they often need is a refresher on how to use the tools. If they are not sure what a hammer even looks like, they will likely achieve the same grade as if I gave them no support at all - they will spend all of the time floundering, frustrated and, in the end, will just give up.

It is fascinating how some people will still take the Linear path of selecting the first item in a Google search result list, realize it is not actually relevant, then move to the next. Whereas seasoned users of Internet searches and hopelessly non-linear people (like myself) scan the results mentally highlighting the text and determining the value of the article in question. If its relevance score is low, move on.

Choosing the right words is key as well. Google is pretty awesome at fixing misspellings and figuring out what you really meant, but sometimes it’s the wording of the search criteria that makes all of the difference. My students don’t always notice, but sometime they ask a question and I respond with a Google search. Once a student asked how to really choose the best password. And i say, “Google ‘xkcd password strength’”. They look at me for a moment and then do it (I teach in a computer lab). After I see the surprised expressions I bring up the same item on the screen. We talk about the details of this result and the search criteria used.

Often these little teaching moments really make the difference in the learning process. Students don’t want to be spoon fed pablum. They want to be inspired, encouraged, even wowed from time to time. So do it! Show them exactly how you’d find the answer. Put the search results on the screen and show them the pictures, the words, how you process the meaning and relevance, but don’t just click and say that the link seemed more relevant - tell them why. Was there a keyword or phrase that made the score lower or higher in your mind? Teach them to be more non-linear.

"It is relatively straightforward to see design in text-making; however design is also at work in text ‘reception’. Where more traditional texts such as books have strict order at various levels, and given entry-points, multimodal texts, with their organisation on visual principles, and their multiple entry- points offer and even expect the reader to construct the order of reading for her/himself." (Gillen & Barton, 2010) Using the Internet and digital textbooks can really help to encourage better reading in a non-linear way. With all of the technology and resources at our fingertips, we really need to be encouraging a non-liner approach.

Finally, when I introduce a new topic and I begin to write code on the screen for them to follow along I do this very simple thing - I talk out load. Everything that my mind tells me I say out load as I’m typing. Why? Because they probably do something similar in their own mind - either way I want to encourage it. If they don’t they are not going to be very good programmers. Here’s why. Some of the best programmers are non-linear by design. They need to allow their mind to wander around as they process the solution. One never starts a program at line one and then just vomits code into the editor producing a stellar product. Never.

It takes time and understanding of the big picture. Some say, “Dude,” (no, really they say that), “Dude, just write the code and put it on the screen. Explain it and move on.” I say, “Nay, nay!” Writing it in front of them, they see me bounce around in the code, new piece here, adjusting there, taking into account other variables, recognizing logic errors before they are too set in place. Students need to see the organic nature of programming as it happens. A real problem with a real path to a real solution.

The great mathematician, Paul Erdos, would arrive at someone’s home at 2 a.m., knock on the door, and when a bleary eyed colleague answered the door he’d have a big smile and say, “My brain is open!” Is this not how we should be expected to arrive at every class?


Gillen, J, Barton, D. (2010). DIgital Literacies. Retrieved from http://www.tlrp.org/docs/DigitalLiteracies.pdf

Kress, van Leeuwen, (2006). Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design.

Print Advertisement Deconstruction

I admittedly had a lot of fun with this project. The ad from a trade rag is shown below:

The picture is not the best as it was taken with my phone, but you can see the college life being displayed.

One particular aspect is the distinct diversity in the student population being represented. This coupled with the fact that all of the students appear to be of the same middle or upper-middle class seems of particular interest. Not sure if this has anything to do with the expectations of purchasing power, but they certainly wanted to hit every possible young demographic.

Of particular interest is the lack of students actually using the product! None of them have a laptop in front of them. Maybe this means that they need a laptop in order to get out of the lab.


There is one statement that sure to incite a giggle. The product contains a "design enhanced by a durable, soft-touch coating to provide students with an easy grip on learning." I think the lawyers might want to consider a disclaimer. Unless they mean leaning how not to drop your Chromebook, in which case, I think they are safe.

Week 6: Blogs and Saskia Sassen.

When I first started watching the video Networks Power and Democracy and realized it was a social science perspective of the Internet, I was gearing up for snooze mode. I am a technology junkie. I was one of those kids who would not go to sleep in the late 80s early 90s until I figured out this new program I was writing in <insert non-specific programming language here>. If the video had nothing to do about technology, I was destined for boredom. Then somehow, I was transfixed on Saskia Sassen. Something about her voice, her clarity! That’s what it was! It was the clarity of her message. Granted I did not understand it all. I also began to see shiny objects amidst my thoughts and, so, as I often do, I chased after them - occasionally returning to the meat of the video.

Sassen spoke of technically given openness and technically given choice does not produce equal distribution, the social logic of users, <chases shiny object again>. She continued on finance is not being about the technology, but finance needs the technology and has flourished as a result of the technology - thriving on decentralized access, interconnectivity and simultaneity.

Yet, we are not seeing equal distribution especially when seen from the blog perspective. Ok, stop for a minute. Too many shiny objects in my purview. I began to think about the content I provide my students on my Wordpress site - which is a blog tool. But I am not using it like a blog. It is a static space within which I post relevant content distilled from the materials and topics we need to cover over a 15-week period tempered with discussion, examples and assessments to determine if learning is indeed happening. Sometimes I look at my site and imagine it is a tray of sterilized instruments waiting for a needy patient.

But this content is one way and static. Sure I collect projects and personal journals in Blackboard, but there is not open discussion on the BLOG. I am not posting new and relevant content that is interesting, gripping, compelling - pick an adjective. And why not you ask? I have no idea! It just happened that way. So as I am in this shiny moment, I came back to the video.

She continues with why do the top blogs get so much traffic? It has nothing to do with the engineering or the technology. It has everything to do with the social logic. Going to sites that friends recommend. Using google searches that show the top results and people select those that further boost the likelihood of their presence (read relevance) in future searches. Wait, did I just say that? How could my logic be contrary to a seasoned social scientist? It’s not and never mind because that’s not the point after all. Google is Google and its relevance scores will be driven by its own heuristic model. Anyway...

Interestingly, Sassen discusses how when a blog gets too big it begins to look more like conventional mainstream media - a la “Letters to the Editor”. But at the other extreme, it would almost be like a conversation, texting with a friend, almost an intimate conversational encounter. Then there is the middle zone which is more like a truly social interactive environment and perhaps the best form of participatory culture. I have given no specific thought to this blog space previously and it was eye opening.

In other words, if I had a popular blog, how popular would I want to be to still be providing a good service to my readership? I would not want to be so big - having lackeys answering for me - nor would I want to devote, necessarily, so much effort on such a small readership domain. But wait, the classroom is exactly that - a small readership domain. This domain can be positively influenced by social logic which sadly I had engineered out of the equation.

As a result of all of this, I am making some tweaks to my site mid-semester. I will begin to post links to a variety of related materials in the field of computing, programming, virtualization, networking and security. In addition, I will write some opinion pieces a-al Scott Adams.

http://blog.dilbert.com/post/109389515411/your-phone-interface-is-a-legacy-train-wreck

Maybe it was fear of the unknown that caused me to subconsciously squash this method of interaction beyond the traditional classroom. Who knows and I’m teetering on who cares. It’s time to make some changes, but I am not ready for the full force of replies to posts just yet. Still need to work out some of the finer details there.

What are you’re thoughts on this? And, thank you, Saskia! I, too, will attempt to thrive on decentralized access, interconnectivity and simultaneity.



Sassen, S. (2012) Saskia Sassen: Networks, Power, and Democracy [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpw1GpHzAbc&feature=youtu.be

Week 3: Literacies, discourses & Jenkins, oh my!

The Jenkins video helped to solidify some of the reading for me. Participatory culture. Participatory media & technology. New digital literacies. Civic engagement. All of these are, in my opinion, centered around the idea of discourses as discussed in Lankshear and Knobel and how they directly tie into today's growing need to teach and understand digital literacy specifically, “literacies as socially created constitutive elements of larger human practices - discourses - that [we] construct around [our many] purposes and values.” [Lank shear & Knobel, p76]

This, I think, transcends the idea we have today regarding the concepts of digital immigrant and digital natives. The Internet provides a venue for young and old to meet and share common interests and to be active or passive in the idea of participatory culture but nonetheless require the need for new literacies.

At first I wasn’t seeing the relationship of Peter to Peter Parker - Spiderman - when Jenkins first began. Peter is involved in identity planning, a part of his community, uses Flickr, gets the attention of the local newspaper and begins to submit photos for them. And finally, just before he tells us who he is really describing, I got it and I began to finally understand some this reading that has been somewhat confusing for me up to now. Not that I am good to go, heavens no, but things are more focused.

Jenkins goes on to talk about zines in the 1800’s and then amateur radio and so on. It was fascinating to find out that the language they used was simple - similar to the form of text-speak net lingo acronyms we use today - especially since they had to hand set the type. They understood that a particular level of literacy was necessary. Specifically that they needed to be able to speak to their peers interested in the material or movement, but that they were living in a virtual world - although we certainly may not have used that term in that time period.

The requirement to understand radio frequencies and how transmission and reception worked was an interesting time, because not only did teens have to learn the language that amateur radio users already had in place, they needed to immerse themselves in the world and yet another virtual space was created.

The most amazing part is the need for teens to feel a part of the presumed adult culture when using the technology and they eagerly became part of the culture. The Internet is practically ubiquitous with being alive and breathing unless you were born in a location that simply has no technology. When compared to the printing press and the amateur radio, it is easy to see how a technology can permeate and become an embedded part and necessity in participatory culture.

Moreover, whatever technology is feeding their desire to participate, it fits in perfectly with Green’s model of Operational, Cultural and Critical. It is through their participatory culture that they are using the language, receiving and transmitting meaning, and asking the difficult questions necessary to participate in this world.

I have had to use many pictures with relational conceptual representation to explain a deeper understanding. However, these are mainly in the programming language area, so forgive me if these are not the best examples. Below are two picture. The first is related to the concept of copying content between two objects with the references pointing to each object.

Then to show the deeper relationship that since names (but not numbers) are also objects the true picture is revealed.

Jenkins, Henry. "TEDxNYED - Henry Jenkins - 03/06/10." Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFCLKa0XRlw. January 29th, 2015.

Lankshear & Knobel, (2011). Literacies: Social, Cultural and Historical Perspectives.