Saturday, February 20, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Second Life
I mentioned earlier (and in class for section 25) the pilot program at UWM for using Second Life to teach. It's a VIRTUAL 3D environment online, where people use "avatars" just like with Nintendo Wii, to interact with each other in a fully manipulatable 3d environment.
There is an actual Virtual UWM campus in Second Life, with virtual 3-d classrooms that some professors on campus are using to have class meetings. Students arrive in the classroom, using their computers and their "avatars", and the teacher's avatar can type just like Instant messaging, and can cause media like powerpoints, word documents, and whatnot to appear on one of the classroom walls.
While I'm not planning to use this myself anytime soon, I thought some of you might find this neat.
You can download and install Second Life for free (I linked to it above--click the title of this posting).
This is the location link to teleport your avatar directly to the UWM campus online.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/U%20Wisconsin%20Milwaukee/85/164/24
-Adam
There is an actual Virtual UWM campus in Second Life, with virtual 3-d classrooms that some professors on campus are using to have class meetings. Students arrive in the classroom, using their computers and their "avatars", and the teacher's avatar can type just like Instant messaging, and can cause media like powerpoints, word documents, and whatnot to appear on one of the classroom walls.
While I'm not planning to use this myself anytime soon, I thought some of you might find this neat.
You can download and install Second Life for free (I linked to it above--click the title of this posting).
This is the location link to teleport your avatar directly to the UWM campus online.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/U%20Wisconsin%20Milwaukee/85/164/24
-Adam
1. Adam-Your posts are too long... makes me not want to read them... 2. EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS ESSAY!
read this essay... it's so stupid you'll laugh. Actually you all should base your research paper off if it. COMPLETELY CREDIBLE!
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/image/essay/1
Adam-Why we are Doing This
Heya,
If you read the first blog posting-- the very first one in the whole blog-- I explain what the blog is for and why we are doing it.
There are documents at the bottom of the blog, on the right hand side, one of them labelled "About This Blog"-- that one also contains the same information.
The Twitter issue I just blogged about is also related to why we are blogging like this . . .
But as with everything in 102-- I'm also not telling you what to do in the blog because part of the point is to get all of you to own responsibility for what can happen there. As such, in the next couple of weeks we'll be looking at some blogs and asking those questions-- but I'm not telling you the answer. The point is how all of *you* answer it.
I created the Blog to be a *student* space-- one which might inform our classroom space and our research, but ultimately one for which the students are primarily responsible-- not the teacher.
That is being done on purpose-- because what happens in student space and what happens in "classroom" or "teacher" space is really very different. This blog is my way of responding to scholarship which has suggested that instead of "ignoring" this "backchannel" or student space-- that teachers might better *encourage* this kind of interaction as a space in which *real* learning happens. If learning means making connections between what's going on and other things in your life, then sometimes "in class" isn't the best place to really do that. Sometime the real connections get made in the "backchannel" . .. in the spaces that teachers don't normally see. And those connections get made in the midst of a lot of real life stuff-- like what TV show you are watching, that might initially seem like it doesn't matter or is irrelevant.
That's why there is so much freedom being given here for the blogging space-- its for you to own, not me. In this space, I can participate, but only as an equal to all of the rest of you.
-Adam
I really don't get this
I honestly do not know what is going on here. So confused, this is probably what I get for taking an online English class!
Twitter at UWM
Hi Everybody,
Part of this whole "backchannel" communication blitz is that its happening at UWM-- this is like the epicenter of the Twittering, Facebooking, and MySpacing for Education earthquake. There is a grant right now for research at UWM exploring how to use these social media for educational purposes.
This link is to a blog kept by one of the main people at UWM's Learning Technology Center-- about using Twitter in the classroom.
http://professorjoosten.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-can-twitter-be-used-in-blended-and.html
I'm curious about what all of you think about this.
In particular, the way Joosten describes the use of Twitter reminds of of exactly how section 25 was using this Blog the other day during the Library instruction session-- they were talking about the Librarian's demonstration while it was going on, complaining, asking questions, and working together to figure it out (or not, as the case may be). Here are the links to people's blog entries made during the Library Class session, from section 025:
But you can Tweet right from your cell phone-- all you need is txt messaging.
How useful do you think Twitter could be in an education setting? Even given that, like the blog postings during the Library session, it could also be a "distraction" . .?
-Adam
Part of this whole "backchannel" communication blitz is that its happening at UWM-- this is like the epicenter of the Twittering, Facebooking, and MySpacing for Education earthquake. There is a grant right now for research at UWM exploring how to use these social media for educational purposes.
This link is to a blog kept by one of the main people at UWM's Learning Technology Center-- about using Twitter in the classroom.
http://professorjoosten.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-can-twitter-be-used-in-blended-and.html
I'm curious about what all of you think about this.
In particular, the way Joosten describes the use of Twitter reminds of of exactly how section 25 was using this Blog the other day during the Library instruction session-- they were talking about the Librarian's demonstration while it was going on, complaining, asking questions, and working together to figure it out (or not, as the case may be). Here are the links to people's blog entries made during the Library Class session, from section 025:
Especially the last one-- in the Comments, was actually really productive. And because I saw it-- I was able to ask the Librarian to help people figure out how to export sources into RefWorks because I could see that not everybody was getting it. People very naturally used the blogging space for this "backchannel" communication because they had computers in front of them and *could*. And some of it was definitely "backchannel" communication. . .
But you can Tweet right from your cell phone-- all you need is txt messaging.
How useful do you think Twitter could be in an education setting? Even given that, like the blog postings during the Library session, it could also be a "distraction" . .?
-Adam
Ummm.....yeah!
So I've just accepted this blogger request. Seems kinda booty already! Lol. I'm watching Every Body Hates Chris, and I should be printing off two sources for hw today!
What to do?
I have been thinking about my topic and always come to a dead end because i never can get past the stupid academic inquiry. so i am not sure what i am going to do
booom shakalacka
its 8am.... its friday.....and i still have to print off two resources and study for a math quiz. i didnt last night because the new show peak season is the sh*t. i couldnt stop watching it. it makes me miss snowboarding. i dont know if my topic is a well developed topic and i dont know where im going with it but oh well. im sure ill have to figure it out...oh and if any of you are in a & p right now, our lives suck, doesnt it? test this weekend....and im going to a four hour study lab after alllll my classes today..
ok so in this blog i basically just complained...but i didnt know what else to write.
ok so in this blog i basically just complained...but i didnt know what else to write.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
English 102
My neighbors across from me are playing door soccer. It's very intense. They face each other in the doorway and the ref tosses the ball at the ground and the players begin to defend their doorway space until the ball goes through someone's side. This all has to happened while their hands stay on the door frame. I played a couple of times but I am still not as good as them. It's a very addictive game by the way. They even dressed up!
English 102
Well, this is my first blog and i am totally going to be super random right now: i am going home (3 hours away) and am going to get my taxes done. And see my little brother and sister. I also want everyone to know i went on an insane shopping spree today! No joke: sephora, victorias secret, buckle, champs, and best buy! I also got my shipment from amazon and sephora online today! I also wanna say that...2moro i am going to my math 105 class for the first time in 2 weeks and am taking a test (which i'm pretty sure i know nothing about). Bahahaha. Good times. But anywhoo....thats me (oh, by me i mean: heaven decorah). I'm super random.
P.s. I think there should be a English 102 study group (cause i desperately need it) and anyone who wants to help me with some Math 105, that would be cool :)
P.s. I think there should be a English 102 study group (cause i desperately need it) and anyone who wants to help me with some Math 105, that would be cool :)
English 102
I also am writing something at the last second so i can get my points for this assignment. At the moment I am watching a show called "The First 48", it show what really happens during a homicide investigation in the first 48 minutes unlike the fictional way CSI implies. Well thats pretty much all.
English 102
So it's Thursday night and I so forgot to post something, so I'm doing so now. At this moment I'm laughing at how annoying college drunk guys can be. There is one suite of guys that live on my floor and they party way to much to be freshman in college, but hey thats their parents money. Right now they are running through the halls screaming about how "wasted" they are and I just realized it's not funny it's super sad!!!
English 102 Blog
I have never blogged before and I dont understand what I am supposed to be doing, but I am somewhat interested in seeing how this all plays out. It is kind of a nice tool to have because we are able to discuss things related to what we talked about in class and maybe get some new perspectives. It could also greatly help with this whole research paper, which is something that I am absolutely terrified about.
Hmmm. One could use this to rant about this and that, and use it ones advantage, but this all seems rather trivial, no?
What should we use this Blog for?
I think it would be a great place to rant and rave about various things we like and dislike about the school.
This class is designed to make us better readers and writers. There seem to be people in the class that take everything for granted. Think about that, hard. College is not engineered to be easy, nor should it be. Learning how to converse in an intellectual manner and write efficiently is not a skill that goes unnoticed. Unless, that is you want to manage a Dairy Queen in some backwater town.....
What should we use this Blog for?
I think it would be a great place to rant and rave about various things we like and dislike about the school.
This class is designed to make us better readers and writers. There seem to be people in the class that take everything for granted. Think about that, hard. College is not engineered to be easy, nor should it be. Learning how to converse in an intellectual manner and write efficiently is not a skill that goes unnoticed. Unless, that is you want to manage a Dairy Queen in some backwater town.....
English 102
I guess we got to post something for English 102. So I am just saying that i plan on going down for the count this weekend and having a good time before going back to school next week. This is my English 102 post. Brett favre also Blows on a side note.
So you know what really annoys me is facebook I know it sounds rediculous especially for how popular it is but just how much people rely on information for it and the fact that when people say " it is facebook official" actually means something to so many people... well thats all I have to say about that until next time
Hey Arnold
What ever happened to the show Hey Arnold? When i was in grade school I use to watch that show all the time. I was watching Nickelodeon last night and the shows suck, they need to put Hey Arnold back on the air because his football shaped head was funny too watch. Also the show DOUG, that show was the shit back in the day, i feel sorry for kids today because the cartoons today suck donkey dick.
First Blog
This is my first English 102 blog. I'm not really sure what else to write, or why we're are doing this whole blog thing. Hopefully this will make more sense nest time.
Travel Plans
So I was thinking about it and I have not been on a vacation since I was like 13. (my parents despise traveling for whatever reason) So I decided I want to take a trip.... anywhere, and I literally don't care when. In fact there are no real details involved in this trip, other then I want it to be dirt cheap, there has to be some bars nearby where I'm staying, and I want to fly (Mostly because I've never been on an airplane, yea i know shocking right) I know about 5 or 6 other people who want to take this trip with me, so splitting two rooms at some hole in the wall motel will cost me next to nothing. My only problem is, sites like travelocity and expedia all want ME to come up with a date and destination. So if someone could answer any of the following for me I'd appreciate it.
1) are there any sites that would potentially... "create-a-trip" for me, that would be the best option
2)If such site described in 1 does not exist, does anyone have any suggestions, e.g. specific dates that are cheap to travel, specific places that are cheap to travel, or anything like that
3) any other kind of suggestions are welcome
4) If this trip interests you get a hold of me, the more the merrier (just be 21 or have a great fake)
1) are there any sites that would potentially... "create-a-trip" for me, that would be the best option
2)If such site described in 1 does not exist, does anyone have any suggestions, e.g. specific dates that are cheap to travel, specific places that are cheap to travel, or anything like that
3) any other kind of suggestions are welcome
4) If this trip interests you get a hold of me, the more the merrier (just be 21 or have a great fake)
Lost Phone
I lost my phone everyone in the library yesterday. If anyone see it or know of its where abouts can u let me know please. Its a pink samsung behold with a black rubber case on it. Or if anyone know where I can go check to see if it was turned in. Thanks
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
10 Cent Wing Night
It's 10 Cent Wing Night at Brothers tonight downtown. That's right 10 wings for 1 dollar! Can't beat that! I'll see you all there :D
English 102 drinking game
We should invent an online English 102 drinking game. Here's some ideas for rules.
1. If your discussion post gets a reply from a student, you take 1 drink
2. If your discussion post gets a positive reply from the teacher, give out 2 drinks
3. If your discussion post gets a negative reply from the teacher, take 2 drinks
4. Everyone posts their assignments as normal, then everyone logs on to D2L and drinks at 9:00PM on the assignment due date, according to the posts.
add some more rules here :D
Confused
So is this just for everyone to read everyone elses thoughts? or is there something particular i should be writing about?
umm
sooo we had to use blogger in my english 101 class, n its pretty lame so hopefully itll be better in this class.
not so sure i like that its between all of Adam's classes becuase i wont know half the people blogging which can make it harder to write, but whatever most of the posts on here so far are funny anways.
not so sure i like that its between all of Adam's classes becuase i wont know half the people blogging which can make it harder to write, but whatever most of the posts on here so far are funny anways.
I'm bored....
Anyone wanna go throw rocks at cars or like get harassed by religious fanatics on campus or something...seriously, I was pumped to get back to the house...but this is lame
Is anything being collected today?
Is an actual piece of paper with our keywords and controlling purpose and all that being collected at the end of the class today?
agreed.
I don't think I'm going to be very good at citing my sources and what not. I have no idea what shes talking about. Does that mean I'm stupid?
Somehow I feel like we're abusing this system here....
I can see all of you being lazy MUWAHAHAHHAHA
Major
I was going to be a dance major (I'm listed as one) however I'm going to switch it to spanish.
Introduction
Hello everyone. My name is Jessica from the 2:00 class. This is my first time blogging, and I have to same Im glad its for productive purposes. LOL Any dance majors in Engl 102???
Blogging
I like this a lot more than the class discussions. In class, it is so early and boring that responding to questions become sort of like torture and this way, we can discuss things after we have time to think about them. I never blogged before because I never really understood the purpose of it and now I see it can be helpful to get some type of feedback or ideas on about nearly anything. This way people who never really ask questions because they are too nervous can do it on here.
Interesting
This seems like an interesting way to bring the classroom into a more modern age. From my point of view, I wish this wasn't created as now it has added another website I have to regularly attend as to keep up with the class. I believe use of D2L's discussion feature would have been more appropriate as to keep things simple rather than involving more useless websites that we will never use again after this semester.
Yet, this is now a part of the grade so I will step to the tune.
Yet, this is now a part of the grade so I will step to the tune.
Fuck Henry Beat me!
DAMMIT!!!! I wanted to blog about my thoughts and feelings but Henry ruined it by beating me!!!! GRRR
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Welcome to the EN 102 Blog!
This may well be my first and last posting here. I don't know. It seemed so cold and empty without at least one posting, I thought I should break the ice.
I recently read a piece of scholarship about "backchannel" communication and its potential ties to education. It was about the possibility of tying things like Facebook, Twitter, blogging, Youtube, etc, and bringing them into the process of learning. This is an idea that some instructors aren't comfortable with . . .
And yet, I've been trying to find ways to use blogging as a part of my 102 classes for three semesters now. This is my third attempt-- and inspired by this article, I am employing a strategy that is completely new. Instead of giving you specific writing assignments for your blogs, I am having you all write together in a single, collaborative blog. And moreover, I am not telling you what to write. I am only grading this based on your degree of participation. You will be required to write here-- but what you write, and how you use this space, I am going to leave entirely up to you.
It seems like it might be a good space for you all to communicate with each other, to work out interesting ideas for your research, to write in response to each other, or even to bring in outside interests or content that might be fun for others, or which could be linked to your ongoing research. You can embed images, youtube videos, and anything you want. But be aware, you are also legally responsible for what you write here in this public and shared space, and you need to appropriately cite, link, and give credit for any text, art work, images, or video that may be copyrighted.
I am excited to see what happens here, and I look forward to seeing what kind of creativity you might bring to what you share here.
-Adam
I recently read a piece of scholarship about "backchannel" communication and its potential ties to education. It was about the possibility of tying things like Facebook, Twitter, blogging, Youtube, etc, and bringing them into the process of learning. This is an idea that some instructors aren't comfortable with . . .
And yet, I've been trying to find ways to use blogging as a part of my 102 classes for three semesters now. This is my third attempt-- and inspired by this article, I am employing a strategy that is completely new. Instead of giving you specific writing assignments for your blogs, I am having you all write together in a single, collaborative blog. And moreover, I am not telling you what to write. I am only grading this based on your degree of participation. You will be required to write here-- but what you write, and how you use this space, I am going to leave entirely up to you.
It seems like it might be a good space for you all to communicate with each other, to work out interesting ideas for your research, to write in response to each other, or even to bring in outside interests or content that might be fun for others, or which could be linked to your ongoing research. You can embed images, youtube videos, and anything you want. But be aware, you are also legally responsible for what you write here in this public and shared space, and you need to appropriately cite, link, and give credit for any text, art work, images, or video that may be copyrighted.
I am excited to see what happens here, and I look forward to seeing what kind of creativity you might bring to what you share here.
-Adam
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