Happy New Year!!!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Happy Face
It was very rewarding to check the Emerging Technologies participant blogs and find a smiley face beside my blog's title. It isn't because I am happy that the program is over though, quite the contrary. This mini course was the best learning experience I have had on the internet and I would gladly continue on with it indefinitely if it were possible(no incentives required). I feel very fortunate to have been permitted to take part in this program and I am extremely grateful to the Emerging Technologies Team for all the time, effort and expertise that went into making this course so worthwhile.
The activities were well thought out, presented in a nonthreatening, fun format, and divided into bitesized chunks that were easy to swallow. I always felt challenged but I never felt overwhelmed. Over the course of the next few weeks I hope to revisit some of the activities and explore some of the enrichment readings that the team made available but which I was unable to get to during the regular course of events.
Here's a spin off bonus that perhaps no one on the team anticipated - the Web 2.0 Technologies program has brought me closer to my children. We now have another shared interest which we can discuss. It was my daughter who forwarded me the 'grocery store spoof' of web2.0 technologies because she knew that I would NOW be able to appreciate the references in the humour.
The drop-in sessions were a great addition. The team was always accessible. There was an attitude of 'there are no stupid questions' (thankfully). The learning was fun! .... I could go on and on.
I will conclude by simply saying THANK YOU to Amanda and the team. You have made a difference.
The activities were well thought out, presented in a nonthreatening, fun format, and divided into bitesized chunks that were easy to swallow. I always felt challenged but I never felt overwhelmed. Over the course of the next few weeks I hope to revisit some of the activities and explore some of the enrichment readings that the team made available but which I was unable to get to during the regular course of events.
Here's a spin off bonus that perhaps no one on the team anticipated - the Web 2.0 Technologies program has brought me closer to my children. We now have another shared interest which we can discuss. It was my daughter who forwarded me the 'grocery store spoof' of web2.0 technologies because she knew that I would NOW be able to appreciate the references in the humour.
The drop-in sessions were a great addition. The team was always accessible. There was an attitude of 'there are no stupid questions' (thankfully). The learning was fun! .... I could go on and on.
I will conclude by simply saying THANK YOU to Amanda and the team. You have made a difference.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Bookmarkleting Morris
This was so much easier than I had imagined. It was a simple matter to install Morris Bookmarklet using an executable file on Internet Explorer. I am amazed with its performance. It was one thing to read that "bookmarklets are bits of javascript code that are embedded into the URL of a 'favourite' which performs an action(such as searching a database from another website)", but it was quite another thing to actually see it in action. There was a definite 'close to home WOW factor' involved. I'm impressed with the work of Wiktor Rzeczkowski. I was able to search Morris by highlighting excerpts from several different websites and the results were impressive. So far I have been experimenting using a Subject search but I can see where Author, Journal, Title, and Keyword searches could also be useful. I think this is a very valuable tool. I guess the ET team have been saving the best for the last. I know I will use the Morris Bookmarklet often.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Browsing toward the finish line
I have been a bit reluctant to complete some of the activities for this week. Some of the information in the 'overview' made me a bit apprehensive. I do the activities on my computer at home and statements such as 'keep in mind that too many add-ons will slow down your browser's performance' and 'for security reasons, download from reputable sources' set off alarm bells. I had trouble with unwanted spam and sluggishness with my last computer and there is a part of me that wants to keep this one 'light and lean'. If I customize my browser to provide additional functionality, I'm not sure I would make enough use of it to justify its installation.
I trust the ET team and have had only positive experiences in this course. So, I have installed Firefox on my computer. It was easy, simply a matter of following the prompts. In preparation for adding a tool, I read the article 'Top 10 Firefox Extentions to Avoid'. It was a bit confusing in some ways, as it warned against certain extensions that it also recommended. I reviewed the list of add-ons available on Firefox. Disclaimers such as 'no spyware or viruses' or 'does not open pop-ups or hyjack your searches' did not fill me with confidence. I finally selected 1-click weather 1.14 as an add-on, but once again got cold feet when asked if I wanted to save the file and the pop-up window warned 'while files from the internet can be useful, some files can potentially harm your computer. If you do not trust the source do not save this file.' I will press on.
I trust the ET team and have had only positive experiences in this course. So, I have installed Firefox on my computer. It was easy, simply a matter of following the prompts. In preparation for adding a tool, I read the article 'Top 10 Firefox Extentions to Avoid'. It was a bit confusing in some ways, as it warned against certain extensions that it also recommended. I reviewed the list of add-ons available on Firefox. Disclaimers such as 'no spyware or viruses' or 'does not open pop-ups or hyjack your searches' did not fill me with confidence. I finally selected 1-click weather 1.14 as an add-on, but once again got cold feet when asked if I wanted to save the file and the pop-up window warned 'while files from the internet can be useful, some files can potentially harm your computer. If you do not trust the source do not save this file.' I will press on.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Gaming cont'd
I have always enjoyed 'wasting' time on the computer with Scrabble, Bridge, and Trivial Pursuit and I have just added to the list of activities that could whittle away the hours by trying my hand at 'The Cradle of Rome' where I managed to build a saw mill. It was a minor achievement at best.
I believe there is a place and a use for Gaming and Virtual Worlds in Education and some of the benefits are obvious; sparking interest, increasing reading, sharpening reaction time, stimulating brain activity, providing a jumping off point, etc. As with any tool, it largely depends on the craftsman and how he chooses to use it.
I believe there is a place and a use for Gaming and Virtual Worlds in Education and some of the benefits are obvious; sparking interest, increasing reading, sharpening reaction time, stimulating brain activity, providing a jumping off point, etc. As with any tool, it largely depends on the craftsman and how he chooses to use it.
Gaming and Virtual Environments
Sadly I was unable to attend any of the 'drop in' sessions related to gaming. From my readings, it sounds like they were a lot of fun and a big success. I did attempt to join Second Life. I had first heard about Second Life while listening to CBC radio about six months ago and although the interview caught my interest and I was curious, I hadn't pursued it at that time. I decided that week ten's assignment was the perfect opportunity for me to check it out. I submitted all of the information, selected a name for myself(couldn't resist the surname MILLS) and chose an avatar. Unfortunately, I could not run the program on my computer(2 years old)??? I did read a few of the related articles posted on the Second Life homepage and I will make a Second Attempt at Second Life soon.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Supermarket - video 'spoof' of Web2.0
This video was brought to my attention and I think members of this course will appreciate the references.
http://www.glumbert.com/media/supermarket
http://www.glumbert.com/media/supermarket
Friday, April 20, 2007
What did I know about 'facebook' before joining?? Well, what with having 3 twenty-something offspring, I knew it was a site that occupied a lot of their time. I knew that it was originally a university student site, designed for keeping in touch and reconnecting with friends and classmates. My preconceived notion was that it was an elaborate message sending site for young people.
What do I know about 'facebook' now that I have joined? Well, in many ways it is exactly what I had expected. It is what it claims to be, 'a social utility that connects you with the people around you'.
The best part about facebook for me was being able to add my two daughters as my 'friends'. I even like the sound of that sentence.
The fact that they are both studying in Dublin Ireland at the moment has meant that I do not always get my 'daily fix' of them, and needless to say, I miss them very much. Thank goodness for SKYPE, but facebook too has given me another way of connecting with them that makes them seem closer to home.
Let's see, we have written on each others' walls. We have sent messages back and forth. We've poked each other.........but I guess the best part for me is just glancing through their many photo albums. It gives me a glimpse into their daily routines and assures me that all is well.
Aside from my children(and their roommates) I don't know anyone else on facebook. I searched all of my hotmail address contacts and none of them is on facebook. So, as 'a social utility that connects you with the people around you', facebook is NOT for me; but as a social utility that connects me with my loved ones, facebook is a success.
What do I know about 'facebook' now that I have joined? Well, in many ways it is exactly what I had expected. It is what it claims to be, 'a social utility that connects you with the people around you'.
The best part about facebook for me was being able to add my two daughters as my 'friends'. I even like the sound of that sentence.
The fact that they are both studying in Dublin Ireland at the moment has meant that I do not always get my 'daily fix' of them, and needless to say, I miss them very much. Thank goodness for SKYPE, but facebook too has given me another way of connecting with them that makes them seem closer to home.
Let's see, we have written on each others' walls. We have sent messages back and forth. We've poked each other.........but I guess the best part for me is just glancing through their many photo albums. It gives me a glimpse into their daily routines and assures me that all is well.
Aside from my children(and their roommates) I don't know anyone else on facebook. I searched all of my hotmail address contacts and none of them is on facebook. So, as 'a social utility that connects you with the people around you', facebook is NOT for me; but as a social utility that connects me with my loved ones, facebook is a success.
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