This is the final cut of our group project. The project addresses the issue of gender playing a role in the way users interact online. Watch for your self and see if you come to the same conclusion that our group did.
http://genderinavatars.wordpress.com/ Gender in Avatar Project
Rough Timeline
Craig Farnam
9/30/09
Dear Editor,
The video I watched was the students responding to the Thomas R. Watson conference. The conference was being held to discuss matters that had to deal with technology in the classroom and how it would affect the students learning process. The students that made this video felt like the teachers were not speaking them for accurately. They saw it as ironic that the main topic was how technology in the classroom would affect them. In return, they made a video that spoke for them on this topic.
I thought that the video was creative in the way that they used the theme from “The Office” as a way to present the video. I thought they could have had a more diversity as far as the opinions on the topic; they all seemed to say the same basic comments. The video was more focused on content than anything, which was a good thing.
The conceptual core of this video was the idea that technology is not going to help the learning process more that hurt it at least for the time being. The students explain how the technology that they are using such as E mail, Face Book, are great ways to keep the most up to the minute communication with a professor that they would not have if it weren’t for technology. The video also focused on the teacher fear that the relationship between students and teachers could change in a negative way thus they seem weary to totally except technology in the classroom.
I thought the credibility was there but was not overwhelming. I felt that they could have interviewed some teachers that might have backed up their claims on the opinions of the teachers. They would have been better off showing me a small clip of the teachers speaking inaccurately about them than telling me that they did. Overall the credibility was there due to their knowledge on the topic alone.
The audience was definitely the teachers that were at this conference and to all teachers who question the limits of technology use in the classroom. The indirect audience is students as well as anyone who has a connection with education in this era.
The timeliness of the video is perfect due to the current state of technology. The students’ voices were heard through this video based on luxury that technology has provided. The timeliness of this video was its strongest point.
My proposal was reviewed by Lara Eiler and Sean Gahart, they both stated that my proposal has a solid and clear conceptual core. They also felt that credibility as well as research of my idea was solid as well. My audience could be more clearly defined and this I will clarify in my revision. I am torn between aiming it at College or High-Scholl students but would like to make an effort to educate lower grades on this topic, so this must be settled by the revision. They both felt that the timeliness was on track and the topic was current.
My main issue to address is the fact that I am aiming to create an interactive type of activity that helps educate on the misconceptions of Internet sources. This will be a challenge that I will take very seriously and will tap into the creativity aspect of my proposal.
Craig Farnam (217) 735-5977 (Student)
cefarna@ilstu.edu
Dr. Cheryl E. Ball
cball@ilstu.edu
Section: Inventio
Proposal Draft
My proposal is based on the topic of the dangers of using Internet sources and how some can be mistaken as credible or accurate when in reality they are not. The technology in which we have been blessed with has given us so many luxuries in our lives, Map Quest, Goggle Earth and other sources like these are a great thing to have to rely on as credible and accurate. This is not always the case with all information that one might find online. While the mentioned websites are great for everyday use and to make our lives easier some sites like Wikipedia and Awnsers.com can mislead their users into a world of non-credible sources and inaccurate information. Many students like myself have had to learn the hard way that not everything that is on line in the form of a news article or on a website that looks credible actually is. There are many credible and accurate sources online and there are ways to research these sites to judge their legitimacy.
A scholarly article that is full of factual and useful information is not always easy to separate from those that might hold bias or inaccurate information. Some examples of the topics that seem to have an abundance of inaccurate or misleading information have to do with religion, politics, and historic events just to name a few. These misleading sources can easily be mistaken as legitimate if not fully examined by their audience.
My project would consist creating an interactive game or video that provides this challenge to its audience where they will be faced with the challenge of determining if the source that is presented to them is one that can be used as a scholarly source. This will not only educate the audience on the topic of misconceptions concerning online sources but at the same time introduce them to the idea that there are endless credible sources of information online as well. The goal of this project is not to scare people into not believing information that they might find online but to educate them on the process of deciphering the accurate from the inaccurate. I would consider aiming this project in the direction of the younger age groups in order to educate them on these issues and by putting the project in an interactive form that rewards successfully separating the good from the garbage. I believe that this could possibly be a useful tool in educating young people on the topic determining the differences in online sources of information.
My project idea would have to do with the great capabilities that technology has introduced o us in the class room. It would also deal with the way it could hinder the learning experience of the learner. There are many obvious advantages to using computers in the classroom but there is not as much on the negative aspect of using computers as a learning tool. I think that the contrast between the two could be interesting. I would use videos form the web to introduce both arguments. I believe that one of the main components of the argument against the use of technology and computers could be the availability of inaccurate information that can be mistaken as a scholarly source. I wold give examples of how sources online can be mistaken and misused in relation to education.
This is a video that shows the story of the Chicago Bears Superbowl season. It lists players in a way that resembles a movie trailer and has written text inserted to help shape the authors idea. The video is putting the team and the season in a form that resembles the popular TV series 24. The video begins by introducing the audience to the teams long history and gradually builds up to the current team and its accomplishments. There is no linguistic entrees to the video only written text and sound that help set the authors ideas and intentions, which I see as intensity and passion for the Chicago Bears franchise.
This is a video addressing the idea of subliminal advertisement and subliminal messages. I think that this can be used to show just how powerful the visual aspect is and how it can be used to get ideas across to the audience. I’m not sure if these are all authentic pieces of advertisement but they make good examples of the power of visual influences.
This is a funny video of the characters from the sitcom The Office. The editor on this piece shows how manipulation of text and dialog can give a whole new idea to the video. While The Office is a comedy it has been edited to present an entirely different type of storyline which I think is not only cleaver but very funny if you have seen the TV show.
This is a response to the syllabus and what my expectations are of this class. I think that the syllabus states exactly what we are going to do in this class, although we are in an English course we are looking at writing in a modern view with computers in mind. The internet has always been a place where I have felt comfortable because I was the audience but now we will be be putting our own thoughts and ideas out there and that’s a little intimidating to me.
I take being a student very seriously and I feel like from what the syllabus states that is all you need to do is take this class very seriously and get the most you can out of it and you will be fine. Its a good feeling when you can speak to your Professor and they have a open mind and are wanting you to have that “Ah Ha” moment, thats one of those things in education that seem to make it all worth it.
This class looks like it will be very rewarding and possibly send me in a direction that I never saw myself going in. There is no doubt that the issues that we will be dealing with and learning about in this class are the wave of the future and if you miss the wave you will miss a lot.
