Weekly Reflection - Google Tools

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What?


This week we have been focusing on creating websites via the venue of a Google doc. The idea is simplicity in form and innercontextuality. We also spent some time with iGoogle, creating a personalized page for our own use and reference.

So What?

This means that those who are computer illiterate or who can only handle the basics can create a website. I still think using Google sites (self made templates) would be more beneficial for teachers, but you could easily translate a Google doc based website into a classroom wiki (when wiki’s have traditionally been difficult to set up). The share functionality of a simple Google doc is great. Its design application is iffy, the tables are bad, and it doesn’t marry enough with programs like excel to be fully worthwhile, yet. But I believe it will get there.


Beyond just the website builder, the time with iGoogle was interesting. I personally haven’t used it much. I can see where if I allowed myself, it would be very useful. Of course the time it would take to become entrenched one might argue the why’s of it all. But I have always been an individual who likes the streamlined aspect of one product commitment. Google is doing this for me in a manner in which no other company (even Apple) has yet to match.

Now What?

For my students, this is the beginning of making homework and group work truly group accessible. It’s easier on the environment and makes type work streamlined. Because of my personal background, I don’t see me going about creating a course website in this manner, so I doubt I will use it like this in the future. I will and do support the idea of using Google docs as a way of paper submission. I have been using this function for awhile now and love it. If this is where we are heading and know that it will only improve with time, I can’t fathom what it will be even in a few years. Perhaps creating a website this route will be obsolete and perhaps it will be perfected.


Using this Google tool however, does enable greater collaboration. That truly is the key in moments like this. Open communication can be increased when the access to information is universal. Programs like this one engage and unify.


Video Reflection


The first link posted sent me to the video created in 2007 about web 2.0. I have seen it many times. I remember when I first saw it and was impressed with the editing. Aside from that, I find its personal agenda towards paranoia to be a bit much. Sadly it is also out of date, but nonetheless interesting. I would like to learn more about the ethnographic study this was intended for. What were the final conclusions or are they still gathering? Gratefully there is a Google search for that! The second link we were sent to was the same information you had posted on the class site. I really do like the idea of reverse phone look up. I also appreciate the links for privacy. Many people become hyper-phobic when it comes to the web. I find myself using it all the time to try to look people up. It has become an increasingly important networking tool and I only expect it to become more prevalent as technology increases.

UEN Reflection

UEN and Pioneer are really interesting programs. I use the word ‘interesting’ because it is loosely connected to my field and only helpful for a very narrow genre of classes. If I were in the sciences or math departments, it would be an incredible tool with access to fantastic information. As it stands, there is little to know art content that is not geared towards elementary students. This doesn’t make it totally unhelpful, but almost so. Even searching in Pioneer, they don’t have credible research and links to current theatre journals.

My favorite aspect to the program is the Ebscohost access. Even though Ebsco itself is not full or art references, it does have many other articles and journals that are worthwhile in using in coursework as well as teaching my students how to use peer-reviewed references.

On one hand, it is amazing that teachers can build course sites via UEN, but on the other hand, they are hard to manipulate and rather picky. It takes doing steps frequently in triplicate to post images/video and content. If the format were cleaner, if there were more options and even an aspect to program basics in html or css, it would be a stronger system.

Over-all I won’t be using it much in my classroom. But I am grateful it exists and I know it will continue to become more than what it is today. I can’t wait to keep on top of what is out there.

Module 2 Week 2

What?

This week we are continuing out UEN assignment. We had added EBSCO host to the list of our sites as well.

So What?

This technology isn’t particularly different from what I already use. It has just been frustrating that I am a part of a minority of teachers where there is little viable information around. I realize that the arts and theater are small on the scale of importance to most educators, but I wish there were more articles, links and references to the arts. I will still attempt to use the resources given to us, but unfortunately I cannot fully sign their praises and many other disciplines can. Very sad.

Now What?

For me, this week just reiterated why theatre is becoming obsolete. A great many artists aren’t moving with the digital age. It is my job to demonstrate to my students the viability of both forums and how the future of the arts is dependent on our ability to maintain archival work, academic resources, footage and drive marketing towards our sites. The two can work in tandem without sacrificing. I feel like I want to champion a program that creates a network with regional theatres to record one performance of each show, have some kind of patron system where web viewers can watch seasons (with limited access of course) … so on and so forth. I could explain it in depth. But we are losing a part of our history.

On a different note, this was an interesting piece on dateline.  Here is a snipit of an interview:
 



http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/