Computers Internet Philosophy and a Housewife

Teacher Angst

Yvette — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:52:45 +0000

I was chatting – on Facebook instant message – with a friend of some fifteen years from Teachers Training College in South Africa. We learned to be teachers together and have managed to see each other occasionally and remain in touch, despite living in different hemispheres and the rigors of life with small children etc! We were talking about schooling for our children and then began to describe the unique characteristics of our kids. Kids who are the children of teachers. We drew strength from each other as we have to balance our training and educators dispositions with our roles as mothers first. Nurturer first, teacher second. It is hard not to compare, to want our children to perform, to not ply our trade…People say to me it must be so easy to homeschool because I am a trained educator, but in a way I feel clumsy. I am used to large groups that I treat as a normative whole and any strays are to be gathered into the average clump. But with my own children, I know just have very unique they are and as a mother I have seen the amazing transformation from helpless baby to teeth-brushing, self-feeding, thoughtful, playful, determined children. There is no doubt in my mind God created these little beings to GROW and LEARN at an exponential rate and I feel dizzy at their speed and dexterity in this process. What they need most are not my skills, but the intangibles – patience, time, good expectations, space. I am really curious what I would be like as a classroom teacher now since I have become a mother – would I teach them all as uniquely and individually as I desire to treat my own children, or would I find myself using the familiar tools of the collective, like grades, competition, and outcomes, to facilitate their learning?

Cyberpolarization

Yvette — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:52:39 +0000

Fascinating article from The New Yorker regarding politics in the (dis)information age...

The Things People Say

Rumors in an age of unreason.

by Elizabeth Kolbert November 2, 2009

The Internet makes it easy for extremists to chat with their soul mates.

Christmas under the covers!

Yvette — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:56:15 +0000

Cyber Monday shoppers: 4 million per minute

Online traffic surges 43% as Americans hunt for bargains from the comfort of their desk or home.

By Parija B. Kavilanz, CNNMoney.com senior writer

Last Updated: November 30, 2009: 3:34 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Not satisfied with your holiday weekend shopping? Don’t worry, it’s Cyber Monday.

It is the day that e-tailers will furiously push big discounts, free gift cards, free shipping and any other gimmick they can think of to entice consumers to spend even more of their holiday shopping dollars online.

Shoppers seemed to be responding to these moves early Monday.

Amazon.com (AMZN, Fortune 500) spokesman Craig Berman said its wireless Kindle e-reader was the “best-selling item across all of Amazon’s product categories on Monday.”

“This November has become the biggest month for Kindle sales since we launched the product two years ago,” Berman said. But he declines to disclose how many Kindle units have been sold over that period.

I am so part of the culture – my husband’s cousin and I were talking about Kindle last night and scrolling through his books on his iPhone using that book reading app. This thing is really catching on…even in darkest rural Tennessee!

Also, Berman said the e-tailer sold out of its Cyber Monday deal of the day, which was an 8GB iPod Touch for $158.

Other hot sellers Monday included the hugely popular Zhu Zhu pet hamsters, which are sold on Amazon through third party vendors.

Although the retail price of each hamster is $9.99, Berman said some of the hamsters, such as Mr. Squiggles, were selling for as much as $63 each.

4.3 million shoppers a minute

That’s me – online avoiding the rest of the world out there, bumping bumpers and elbowing for deals. I just snuggled down one night late in the comfort of my own bed and took my list to www.christianbooks.com and amazon.com.

By 2:20 p.m. ET, more than 270 retailing Web sites tracked by Internet monitoring firm Akamai were drawing more than 4.3 million visitors per minute in North America.

Akamai said that its Net Usage Index — which monitors North American visitors to sites such as American Eagle Outfitters, Overstock.com, QVC.com and eBags.com — said traffic was up nearly 39% compared to the same time last year.

“We expect an even bigger spike in traffic later today,” said Pedro Santos, chief strategist for e-commerce with Akamai. What’s more, Santos said he expects heavy online traffic to continue on subsequent Mondays leading up to the last shipping day before Christmas.

Here’s a sampling of what other sellers were serving up to customers.

Walmart.com is offering nearly 150 specials on such items as flat panel TVs, gaming systems and toys as well as 97-cent shipping on laptops, digital cameras and MP3 players.

Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) said in a statement the deals are being offered through Friday, but only while supplies last.

LLBean.com is offering a $10 gift card with every $25 purchase or more. Macys.com is hoping that its offer of free shipping with every $75 purchase will draw big traffic to its Web site on Cyber Monday.

For book lovers, Barnesandnoble.com is chopping prices by 50% on all New York Times bestsellers and offering a $10 gift certificate for every $100 purchase.

Still, don’t expect any special deal on Barnes & Noble’s “Nook” eBook reader, which industry experts peg as one of the hottest products this holiday season.

A quick check on the book seller’s Web site showed that if you order the Nook Monday, it won’t be shipped until Jan. 4. And the “extra” incentive to Nook buyers is free shipping and a free gift certificate.

About 96.5 million Americans plan to shop online Monday, up from 85 million in 2008, according to the National Retail Federation.

The group said 88.2 million consumers will shop from home Monday but plenty of consumers — an estimated 13.5 million — will also look to lock in deals during their workday.

Despite these expected traffic numbers and heavy discounts, Cyber Monday is still seen as more of a ceremonial start to online holiday shopping.

The busiest online shopping day tends to be later in December, and is the last day that gifts can be shipped to guarantee delivery by Christmas Day.

The shipping was minimal at the former site and although Amazon bit me in the bottom, I still thought it was worth avoiding the gas and traipsing three kids under the age of seven through the mall. Hey, I haven’t been in a mall in over a year and it feels good! Thank you computers and internet – love, Housewife

First Published: November 30, 2009: 9:13 AM ET

Find this article at:
http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/30/news/economy/cyber_monday_shopping/index.htm

Connectivity

Yvette — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:19:02 +0000

A few weeks ago I was feeling disconnected – longing for some stimulating conversation about the things I am thinking about. I had posted to my blogs and really wanted to enter into a dialogue. I looked for ways to make sure my blog was available to others using twitter and making sure my settings allowed for others to view this particular blog. No responses.

Then I got a comment from a friend of mine who had seen the link on my personal blog. I was glad to hear her thoughts. But what struck me was that these were not the comments of a stranger, but a long-time friend with which my life is very connected. The internet didn’t foster or initiate this relationship, it greased the wheels of it. Emails and blogs gave us a way to act on our already established relationship.

Then next Sunday I attended Sunday school and the topic was the relationship between David and Jonathan. Jonathan was next in line to the throne in Jerusalem, but due to his father, Saul’s behaviour God saw fit to bring David into the picture and the throne was destined to be his. In amongst the fits of rage of Saul, David defeating Goliath and David’s life on the run from Saul and eventual succession to the throne is a story of the friendship of David and Jonathan. Theirs is a deep relationship – Jonathan saved David’s life, David speared Jonathan’s family when he ascended to power, they were involved in each others lives. This struck me on two levels. First, the connectivity we think we feel on the internet is a pseudo-relational experience. There is no real dealing with each others daily lives, helping, caring, supporting in real, tangible ways. The internet offers the choice to respond or not. The Oxford dictionary added the word “unfriending” this year. With a mere click a “relationship” is ended, a friendship closed. We present the identities we want to, the details of our lives are hazy, reality is blurred. Second, in the context of the Sunday School class I found the connectivity I was seeking – in the flesh with real-human beings, I was able to discuss what real relationship was and to explore true connectivity. My needs for community were met, but I had to be there, I had to contribute, and I had to listen. I couldn’t “end chat” or create an avatar of myself…

Social networking offers, I think, a means to augment the communication of relationships that already exist but cannot replace the messy work of being in relationship in the flesh.

(But please post a comment, whoever you are out there…:-)!!!!)

Access and the Digital Divide

Yvette — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:55:12 +0000

I finished reading the chapters on issues of access in “Social Consequences of Internet Use” by Katz and Rice this week. They wrap up this research section by summarizing that on one hand the internet meets the needs (“lifestyle trends” and “human rights”) of many Americans. But Americans of a certain demographic. On the other hand there are those that lack awareness of what the internet can do for them. This was surprising to me, as I assumed lack of access was an issue of money or lack of technical savvy. This issue is more nuanced than this – “the barriers seem to lie heavily in the realm of cultural perceptions about what is possible with the Internet and that nature of Internet activities.” This makes for an interesting policy issue – simply making the Internet available (and I say, high-speed DSL, non-satelite internet- not that I am bitter! ) – may not open the affordances in terms of information, empowerment, and communication to the demographic groups previously not utilizing the internet. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink sort of issue. Clinton wanted internet in every classroom, we are pretty much there, but is it the asset is could be or are there bigger issues at play that prevent those on the side-lines of use using the internet to their best advantage? Or put another way, do we care about the information highway when we are afraid for our lives, struggling to read, hungry, hopeless, or simply are living with the status quo? Or to use another cliché – is it a matter of the chicken and the egg. The affordances of the internet may alleviate some of the very cultural issues that keeping nonadopters away. Or we should deal with the issues and then worry about access?! Mmmm….

Talk Hard

Yvette — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:39:47 +0000

Tonight I watched “Pump Up the Volume”…again. Now in my thirties, I have watched this movie since I was a teenager identifying with all the angst this “us against the world” teen flick toughts. What is interesting to me after this viewing is that the post-modern nihilism that the teens have to struggle to balance with the constrained social order they are rebelling against, is answered by a call to speak. “Truth is a virus,” “Talk Hard,” and making your own voice heard about the issues you care about is the theme of the film. The protagonist uses radio as his medium for social connection to dispel the rampant isolationism his generation is feeling and to address social justice issues. What is interesting to me, as I wrangle with the permiation of society by the internet, is that the social connection and the social construction of knowledge that is marked by the Web 2.0 era is perhaps the medium that creators of the movie couldn’t have imagined, but has been somewhat of an answer to the isolation and frustration of an American generation. Arguably my generation was striped of our metanarratives and had our eyes opened to issues of marginalization and silencing and the internet offered a way for voices to be heard. Of course, we also lost our religion and struggle to find literal and metaphysical peace in the clamor of the constant information and communication, but that’s another story!

Research Questions regarding Issues of Equity & Access

Yvette — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:53:24 +0000

Possible topics for a qualitative research project?

“What are the barriers or enablers to content creation and partici-
pation using Web 2.0 technologies (e.g., skills, knowledge, and
attitudes needed; tools and services used)? How do different
groups of learners experience Web 2.0 participation, content cre-
ation, and knowledge building? How can teachers play a role in
fostering digital participation and reducing disenfranchisement?
Few researchers currently address the roles of teachers and schools
in acknowledging, modeling, or facilitating learning through cre-
ative and participatory practices on the Web. The field needs
projects that address stakeholders in the learning ecology sur-
rounding youth today, including teachers, parents, administra-
tors, and others brought into the learning exchange, such as the
following: Do students’ online creative expressions or participa-
tion patterns change how school staff think about the “content”
and outcome expectations or assessments within formal school-
ing (e.g., reading and writing, civic engagement, scientific
inquiry)? How can teachers build on learners’ everyday experi-
ences in Web 2.0–enabled contexts to engage them better in con-
tent area learning and prepare them for the future? How can
teachers develop their professional knowledge through similar
Web 2.0–enabled practices”

Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship in a Digital Age: Web 2.0 and Classroom Research: What Path Should We Take Now?
Christine Greenhow, Beth Robelia and Joan E. Hughes EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHER 2009; 38; 246

Pros and Cons

Yvette — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:59:23 +0000

Lenhart, Madden, Macgill, and Smith (2007) suggest that many teenagers
actually prefer multichannel communication, such as text messag-
ing, instant messaging, and communication through social net-
work sites, to traditional e-mail and face-to-face communication.
Indeed, 55% of online teenagers are using Web 2.0 technologies,
such as social network sites, outside of school and visit their social
network sites daily or several times a day, devoting an average of 9
hours per week to the network (Lenhart & Madden, 2007;
National School Boards Association, 2007). A recent national sur-
vey of college undergraduates (ages 18 to 24) indicated similar
trends (Salaway, Borreson, & Nelson, 2008). Through such sites,
youth share media (e.g., photos, music, videos), exchange mes-
sages, form groups, request information, articulate or develop
their personal connections, post or remix digital content, and cre-
ate or comment in blogs (Lenhart & Madden, 2007). Contrary to
most assumptions, youth’s online social activities are not devoid
of substantive intellectual activity. A survey from the National
School Boards Association (2007) reported that students’ online
sharing in social network sites involves education and learning.
Sixty percent of students surveyed reported using their social net-
work sites to talk about education topics, and 50% reported talk-
ing specifically about schoolwork (National School Boards
Association, 2007). DeGennaro (2008) describes an example of
education-oriented Web 2.0 use by a group of students who per-
suaded their advisors to use instant-messaging technologies, lead-
ing to home–school activities in which students and advisors
negotiated goals, co-constructed solutions, and “argued to learn”
(p. 12). Despite the current lack of research, these and other
emerging studies, and the emergent technological competencies
in the field, indicate movement toward and projections of Web
2.0 activities with potential educational value.

Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship in a Digital Age: Web 2.0 and Classroom Research: What Path
Should We Take Now? Christine Greenhow, Beth Robelia and Joan E. Hughes EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHER 2009; 38; 246

See, I want to say – “let’s just all sit down and talk and share and learn together,” but reviews of current research such as this one, show that 1) the internet is a prefered means of communication 2) learning can occur. But still in the back of my head I am thinking “they don’t know any other way…they need to be detoxed…then conversation, debate, and face-to-face collaboration might make a comeback.” But then again, why not do conversation, debate and collaboration on-line free of the trappings of space and time! But then as many as can enter the cohort online, how many are excluded due to not having internet access for their 9 hours of interaction?! Shoot – no resolution tonight.

Ode to the Internet !

Yvette — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 03:41:04 +0000

RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

And we’re about to celebrate an anniversary that may not exist. That’s because reasonable people disagree about what exactly marks the beginning of the Internet. We do know that 40 years ago today two guys here in California sent a five-letter message over a primitive computer network. Some people say that was the Internet’s big bang.

And NPR’s ALL THINGS CONSIDERED will have a story about that tonight. For now, we wanted to consider what has flowed from that very first message.

You on YouTube?

Unidentified Man: No, Hulu. You?

MONTAGNE: iTunes. But I lost the USB for my MP3.

Unidentified Man: It’s MIA.

MONTAGNE: Yeah, so is my GPS.

Unidentified Man: Oh, I’m going to lose it.

MONTAGNE: What?

Unidentified Man: This PDF won’t show up on the LCD.

MONTAGNE: Call the ISP.

Unidentified Man: Or I can send them a SMS.

MONTAGNE: Maybe it’s a cookie thing.

Unidentified Man: Yeah. I could look it up on the cookie wiki.

MONTAGNE: So, you’re on Google now?

Unidentified Man: No, Bing. You’re such a Yahoo.

MONTAGNE: Yoo-hoo, I just got poked on Facebook.

Unidentified Man: Who from?

MONTAGNE: My mom. She wants to know if she can use Paypal on Netflix.

Unidentified Man: Hey, did she ever sell her iMac on eBay?

MONTAGNE: No, but she did get Wi-Fi for the Xbox.

Unidentified Man: Wait a minute – can we have a real conversation?

MONTAGNE: Uh, sure, I guess.

Unidentified Man: But can we have it in Second Life?

MONTAGNE: And that was a special presentation by Click and Drag, the MORNING EDITION players. This evening, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED launches a series looking back at 40 years of the Internet.

Copyright ©2009 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR’s prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

You may be an angel or you might be the anti-christ…

Yvette — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 03:09:40 +0000

In reading about the effects of the internet two extremes of opinion can be found:

Katz and Rice (2002) call these dystopian and utopian. My starting point of issues of access drew me to their findings in their extensive quantitative and qualitative exploration of the social consequences of internet use. According to these authors a dystopian view might say regarding internet access that it…

narrows the range of participants
foments racial division
limits discourse
limits economic opportunity
reduces self-esteem
stifles political voice
erodes cultural traditions
creates cyberbalkanization
limits benefits
is inconvenient
erodes political legitimacy due to lack of representativeness
reduces individual and overall privacy

Whoa! This is backed up by their significant review of current literature and the word of other such as

Hoffman, D., Novak, T., & Schlosser, A. (2000). The Evolution of the Digital Divide: How Gaps in Internet Access May Impact Electronic Commerce. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 5(3), 0-0.

Utopian views of the consequences of the internet regarding access are noted by Katz and Rice to be:

overcoming geographic, social class, race, age, sex, time zone, ideological, etc differences
offers participation opportunities
new talent can be discovered and enrich culture
tolerance is increased

Katz and Rice wisely go on to make the case for a “syntopian” alternative to these extremes.