Iran’s blogfather: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are killing the web
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/dec/29/irans-blogfather-facebook-instagram-and-twitter-are-killing-the-web
is it possible that the Iranian government realized the evolution of social media and his respective obsolescence and this is why they freed him prematurely?
Blogs were gold and bloggers were rock stars back in 2008 when I was arrested.
The hyperlink was a way to abandon centralisation – all the links, lines and hierarchies – and replace them with something more distributed, a system of nodes and networks. Since I got out of jail, though, I’ve realised how much the hyperlink has been devalued, almost made obsolete.
Nearly every social network now treats a link as just the same as it treats any other object – the same as a photo, or a piece of text. You’re encouraged to post one single hyperlink and expose it to a quasi-democratic process of liking and plussing and hearting. But links are not objects, they are relations between objects. This objectivisation has stripped hyperlinks of their immense powers.
At the same time, these social networks tend to treat native text and pictures – things that are directly posted to them – with a lot more respect. One photographer friend explained to me how the images he uploads directly to Facebook receive many more likes than when he uploads them elsewhere and shares the link on Facebook.
Some networks, like Twitter, treat hyperlinks a little better. Others are far more paranoid. Instagram – owned by Facebook – doesn’t allow its audiences to leave whatsoever. You can put up a web address alongside your photos, but it won’t go anywhere. Lots of people start their daily online routine in these cul-de-sacs of social media, and their journeys end there. Many don’t even realise they are using the internet’s infrastructure when they like an Instagram photograph or leave a comment on a friend’s Facebook video. It’s just an app.
A most brilliant paragraph by some ordinary-looking person can be left outside the stream, while the silly ramblings of a celebrity gain instant internet presence. And not only do the algorithms behind the stream equate newness and popularity with importance, they also tend to show us more of what we have already liked. These services carefully scan our behaviour and delicately tailor our news feeds with posts, pictures and videos that they think we would most likely want to see.
Today the stream is digital media’s dominant form of organising information. It’s in every social network and mobile application.
The centralisation of information also worries me because it makes it easier for things to disappear.
But the scariest outcome of the centralisation of information in the age of social networks is something else: it is making us all much less powerful in relation to governments and corporations. Surveillance is increasingly imposed on civilised lives, and it gets worse as time goes by. The only way to stay outside of this vast apparatus of surveillance might be to go into a cave and sleep, even if you can’t make it 300 years.
Inside Netflix’s Plan to Boost Streaming Quality and Unclog the Internet (Exclusive)
http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/netflix-better-streaming-quality-1201661116/
a new bandwidth-saving technology that the company has been working on for four years
At the lowest end was a file encoded with a bitrate of 235 kbps, which would work even on very slow connections, but also only deliver a resolution of 320 by 240 pixels. Somewhere in the middle was a 1750 kbps file for a resolution of 1280 by 720, and the best quality was a 5800 kbps version for a great-looking 1080p experience.
Plan for work with CPSY 101 students on alternatives for presentation and design
short link to this blog entry: http://scsu.mn/1P39zKV
- first class session 50 min TI (technology instruction)
- Homework:
- from the available list of presentation tools and from your own research, list 3 of the most preferable presentation tools, you would like to use
- create an account for each of those tools
- use common sense and logic and/or YouTube and Internet tutorials to learn how to use the tools
- second class session, 50 min
- 15 min Refresh the design principles learned in last class and during homework. Discuss and present to your peers your individual project using the lessons about presentation design:
- script,
- outline,
- storytelling
- 10 min Share your three most-favorite tools
- 10 min working with Powtoon (versus Prezi):
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2015/11/11/powtoon-as-ppt-alternative/ (step-by-step instructions from a TI in 2015)
- 25 min – finishing your project and Q&As
A Shifting Education Model in China
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/12/china-education-system/420234/
The news was taken from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MindShift.KQED/posts/913192562049997. Here are the comments:
While at the same time in their kung-fu schools they have been using models like “station rotation”, “peer-learning”, “immediate feedback”, mastery learning, even some elements of gamification (like badges-like colour belts showing the mastery on some level and unblocking access to higher-level routines available only for the more advanced students), etc for hundreds of years…. And I am not joking. Just ask anybody who does some kung-fu under the watchful eye of a good coach (sifu).
A great example of a “peer learning” session on the enclosed photo (taken at a kung-fu training in Poland, not in China smile emoticon
China has now reshaped its national exam to focus on a broader range of topics and cognitive skills and, in turn, move away from teacher-dominated lecturing. The new test requires that students employ complex analytical skills, mixed with broader knowledge across various subjects.
This is exactly what Finland and the United Kingdom are aiming with the reforms in their education. In March 2015, this blog reported on a reform in Finland: https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2015/03/24/education-reform-finland/, which is to be followed by the UK.
New features in social media tools
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/twitter-improves-how-photos-are-displayed-social-media-news
Twitter Improves How Photos Are Displayed
Twitter is “making your twitter.com timeline more immersive by uncropping photos, so you can experience and present them as they were meant to be viewed.”
Facebook Provides New Admin Tools for Managing Page Communication: Facebook is “giving admins more control over their Page’s responsiveness badge” and rolling out “new features that make it easier than ever for Page admins to manage both the public and private interactions they receive.”
Facebook Improves News Feed for Slower Network Connections: “You can also now compose comments on posts when you are offline. The comments will appear to your friends when you next get a good internet connection.”
YouTube Unveils New Trending Tab: This new tab in the YouTube app delivers the top trending videos directly to Android, iOS and desktop devices.
Google Introduces Shared Albums in Google Photos: Google has introduced shared albums in Google Photos
How Public Libraries Balance Thorny Issues Raised by 3D Printers
http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/04/29/how-public-libraries-balance-thorny-issues-raised-by-3d-printers/
The ALA has recommended guidelines for libraries to address concerns about safety, access and liability.
Copyright 2015 KWMU-FM. To see more, visit http://www.stlpublicradio.org.
Short link the information below on the IMS blog: https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/?p=4441 and even shorter one: http://scsu.mn/1RsQErr
Weds 6th–
Session I 10-11:15 Voyageurs North (Atwood)
Title
Engage your students: connect CMS (D2L) to social media to enhance the learning process.
Plamen Miltenoff and Emil Towner
Join us online via Adobe Connect: http://scsuconnect.stcloudstate.edu/ims (please login as a “guest” and use your real name)
Outline
In this rapid succession of examples, one can experience a showcase how to enhance students’ engagement by modernizing D2L experience through connection with social media. Bring your own examples and participate in a discussion, which aims finding the right tools for your class and field of study.
Audience:
beginners to advanced
Prerequisite:
come with your own social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine
Outcomes:
By the end of this session, the participants will have an idea about peculiarity of each of the social media tools: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine
By the end of the session, the participants will be familiar with the integration of each of the social media tool into D2L
By the end of the session, the participants will be able to asses to what extent each particular tool fits their field of study
By the end of the session, the participants will be able to compare the pedagogical advantages and disadvantages of the social media tools compared to D2L
Useful links to contact us via social media:
IMS blog: https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims
IMS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InforMediaServices?ref=hl
IMS Twitter: https://twitter.com/SCSUtechinstruc
IMS Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/scsutechnology/
IMS Instagram: http://instagram.com/scsutechinstruct
IMS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_UMIE5r6YB8KzTF5nZJFyA
IMS Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/115966710162153290760/posts/p/pub
IMS LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/scsuinstructionaltechnology
Plan – Plamen Miltenoff:
Please consider the following survey about your opinion regarding social media in education:
*http://aidemoreto.polldaddy.com/s/social-media-in-education*
please have the short link: http://scsu.mn/1Z8EFFx
most recent contemplations about blogs and social media in general:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2016/01/01/4507/
- D2L and Facebook
What is the problem with D2L? https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2015/04/09/lms-as-a-concept-under-scrutiny/
Facebook in a learning environment MUST BE conducted using a Facebook group.
Unless the instructor is SPECIFICALLY using h/er FB account strictly for educational reasons and there is no personal content, the instructor can create a class-related group, with their personal FB account. While the account is personal, the FB group has NO access to the personal FB account.
Facebook Page is different from Facebook Group. The first is commercially oriented and thus, not recommended and to a great degree not suitable for educational purposes.
Facebook Provides New Admin Tools for Managing Page Communication
Facebook Improves News Feed for Slower Network Connections:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2015/12/13/improvements-in-social-media-tools/
Facebook group account can be used for: discussions, sharing materials / visuals, calendar
D2L Discussions compared to Facebook Group discussions – http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/facebook-groups-pages/313736
D2L content compared to Facebook Group Wall
D2L calendar compared to FB calendar
D2L news RSS compared to FB Group alert.
- D2L and Twitter
microblogging of 140 characters is often viewed as limiting. However, it can be the ultimate test how well students understand the learning material: making someone sum up in 140 characters what they learned this particular week in their class can take a lot of rewriting.
D2L allows a widget on its main page, where students can view and tweet. Students also can view and tweet from their mobile devices.
Tweeting during class is becoming mainstream in K12, also called “backchanneling.” Harnessing peers help to understand a concept discussed in class can save both time and efforts on the instructors’ side
Twitter is “making your twitter.com timeline more immersive by uncropping photos, so you can experience and present them as they were meant to be viewed.” https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2015/12/13/improvements-in-social-media-tools/
- D2L and Instagram
Instagram is a social media service, which allows both still images and videos (15 sec).
The bottom-line to evaluate if fitting your field of study is: can the content be narrated or is it much better if visualized. If the latter, Instagram can be your salvation for quick and dirty way to bring imagery, instead of trying to explain by words.
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2014/10/14/instagram-apps/
Instagram can be shared vertically across Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other platforms.
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2014/09/25/pinterest-and-instagram/
Instagram in the classroom
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2014/09/15/instagram-in-the-classroom/
Master Instagram in 8 Simple Steps https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2014/09/11/how-to-master-instagram-in-8-simple-steps/
- D2L and Pinterest
QR codes are used by Lorie Crane from Nursing as a gamification techniques for students to learn human bones. The disadvantage of the QR codes is that they physically are placed in the classroom. Pinterest can provide the same gamification environment, but the students can access it anywhere/anytime with their mobile devices. The links to the pin[s] can be provided in the D2L : content area (as learning materials/readings), discussion area, News area. They can be also used as part of the D2L quizzes
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2014/09/25/pinterest-and-instagram/
Instagram defines and shapes brands while Pinterest sells brands.
Pinterest is about curating and discovering information.
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2014/09/25/pinterest-and-instagram/
Using hashtags: https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2014/07/13/3-things-you-didnt-know-you-can-do-on-pinterest/
16 Ways Teachers Use Pinterest https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2014/02/10/16-ways-teachers-use-pinterest/
Free Pinterest-Style Education Service Hosts Common Core Teaching Aids https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2013/11/20/free-pinterest-style-education-service-hosts-common-core-teaching-aids/
Teachers on Pinterest – A Great Resource for Teachers ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2013/11/02/teachers-on-pinterest-a-great-resource-for-teachers-educational-technology-and-mobile-learning/
- D2L and Vine
Vine is a social media services, which provides the ability to share 7 sec videos. Vine is becoming more popular then Instagram (15 sec videos), with the simplicity to create short videos. Students can take sequence of short videos, which amount to 7 sec to reflect the main points of a project. E.g.: chemical reaction, biology dissection, progress of engineering planning, solving a math formula.
URL to the vine can be posted in the D2L discussion area for further collaborative effort or for peers’ and instructions evaluation
Vines are a click away from a FB group page or, with the right handle and hashtag, to a Twitter discussion
The bottom-line to evaluate if fitting your field of study is: can the content be narrated or is it much better if visualized. If the latter, Vine can be your salvation.
How to Create Social Videos With Your Smartphone https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2015/01/10/social-videos-with-your-smartphone/
- D2L and YouTube, EdPuzzle (https://edpuzzle.com/), etc
YouTube Unveils New Trending Tab
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2015/12/13/improvements-in-social-media-tools/
Per SCSU IT disclaimer: MediaSpace (Kaltura) is a free, cloud-based video repository solution for campus that allows faculty and staff to upload and distribute video and audio content for academic or administrative purposes. Facilitators will discuss potential uses of MediaSpace for campus, demonst rate how to create Webcam and screen recordings, upload audio/video, and embed or link to MediaSpace content from D2L or a web site. YouTube is owned by Google and the integration, including statistics and analytics by Google are way beyond MediaSpace. The only selling point of MediaSpace is the FERPA requirement by MnSCU to host privacy data on a MnSCU owned server
- Google+
Google+ is indirect competition with any CMS, D2L included, with its GOogle Classroom platform (https://classroom.google.com/ineligible). K12 and higher institutions are outsourcing to GMAIL and with Google Hangouts (Skype also), one can share video, audio and desktops, which makes Adobe Connect + D2L way behind in integration even before Google Drive is mentioned.
Google Introduces Shared Albums in Google Photos:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2015/12/13/improvements-in-social-media-tools/
8 Ways to Use Google+ Hangouts for Your Business https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2015/09/23/google-hangouts/You can record hangouts directly to your YouTube channel for future use.For private Google+ Hangouts, choose Google+ Video Hangouts, which allow you to have up to 10 participants in a video chat that is accessible only to the people invited.
Plan – Emil Towner:
- General stats on integrating social media and things to consider
- Integrating LinkedIn Assignments
- Integrating Facebook Groups
- I will show a couple of groups that I have used
- I can also come up with an “exercise” that participants can do, just let me know: (1) if you want me to and (2) if participants are suppose to have a Facebook account that they can log into during the session
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Session K 2-3:15: 2PM Wed, Jan 8. Location: CH455
Title
Engage your students: gaming and gamification in the learning process.
Outline
As part of the broader discussion, a short discussion segment to form and agree on definitions and terms regarding games and gamification. Another short segment to seek consensus if this SCSU campus is ready to departure on the path of gamifying education. After several examples, of how games are used in education and gamification techniques, a discussion on how gaming and gamification can be streamlined amidst shrinking budget and increasing workload. More details and information about gaming and gamification at: http://scsu.mn/1F008Re
Audience:
beginners to advanced
Outcomes:
By the end of this session, the participants will have a working definitions on play, games, serious games, game-based learning, digital game-based learning, gaming, gamification and badges. (more at http://scsu.mn/1F008Re)
By the end of the session, the participants will be familiar with the possibilities for integration of games in the educational process and for gamification of the educational process.
By the end of the session, the participants will be able to asses to what extent games and gamification fit their field of study
Plan:
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Friday 8th
Session M 10-11:15: CH 455
Title
Present and be presented: engage your students with modern ways to share information
Outline
Two trends plague education: the swamp of PowerPoint presentations and the lack of visual literacy. In this rapid succession of examples, one can experience a showcase of various cloud-based tools, which brings visual presentations way beyond PowerPoint and align with the Millennials demand for current social interaction. A discussion on how relevant these tools are to various disciplines and details on improving the interaction among instructors and students during the presentation. Ongoing discussion about design as part of visual literacy and the difference between blended learning and technology integration.
Audience:
beginners to advanced
Outcomes:
By the end of this session, the participants will have understand the movement “Death by PowerPoint” and will understand the advantage of cloud-based presentation tools to MS PowerPoint
By the end of the session, the participants will be familiar with several tools, which successfully replace PowerPoint and well beyond.
By the end of the session, the participants will be able to asses to what extent games and gamification fit their field of study
By the end of the session, the participants will be able to discriminate between technology integration and blended learning.
Plan: