Monday, October 27, 2008

Catch up week

Sports update...Browns win, Buckeyes lose.

This was a catch-up week in all my classes. The projects that were given were able to continue this past week. It seems I am doing ok in my classes. Nothing concrete yet as to grades. With grades, I have always gone with the motto "Expect the worst, hope for the best". This will be a busy upcoming week with a paper, test and two other projects to do.

In Current Issues we are starting on digital media, and CMC topics. Interesting because of the progression we have made in this technology in the last few years. I can still remember my first year of college in 1996. Walking into each class being told we would receive notifications by this strange thing called "email". In my orientation class, we even had a quiz on how to use it, and what email stood for. Seems so simplistic now, but than it was such a new innovative way of communicating, everyone had to do it. My how times have changed. The idea of email and using it for my generation can be in the same category as in the 50's with families who got black and white televisions. Such a great thing that revolutionized everyday life.

Monday, October 20, 2008

And the beat goes on....

Sports update.....Browns gave me false hope that they would turn the corner after winning Monday night. Than they played Sunday against the Redskins and looked terrible. Ho hum, such as life as a Cleveland sports fan!

A lot of great talk continuing about Free Speech online as well as the copyright issues. People are providing some good resources that I like reading. Free speech online is even more difficult to regulate because websites that are run overseas, such as China, do not have the same laws as here in the US. This is kind of like the Wild West in that there are no law. I guess we have moved to an age where we need a cyber-Wyatt Earp!

One last note. I had another group project in another class, and this was by far the worst one yet. I basically did most of the work. Three other people were in the group. One did a good job contributing as well. The other did two contributions, one was quality. The last person basically did nothing. So they made out great, probably getting an A/B on the project for doing nothing. The ITEC program at KSU seriously needs to consider a moratorium on group projects in online classes. I doubt it will change, but I am expressing my Freedom of Speech right online. (Great way to tie in a current issue, huh?)

Monday, October 13, 2008

Copyright

Hopefully the Browns do well on Monday night. OSU was lethargic, but a win is a win!

The topic for this past week was copyright. What an interesting topic this was to me. I brought up the quote "It is easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission" That holds so true with copyright issues. Especially if you can justify the materials that you are using as educational. I wrote a lot on the discussion board about this, I also covered it in my paper as well.

I really wonder if there will be any concrete laws that are passed anytime soon that specifies copyright. It seems like this will be such a complex issue to legislate. With the information that is available today, regulating it is very difficult. Makes you think.

Not much to talk about this week. A very busy week ahead with all of the work to do in my other classes. Friday is NEOEA day, so I get a day off. Spend that whole day doing school work. I really hope to put a huge dent in my assignment load. My goal is to have everything done by Friday night for a relaxing Saturday and Sunday!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Defending the Lab

Well, what an easy sports week. Browns do not play and the Buckeyes won a close one Saturday night. I was able to get some work done!

This past week was spent writing issue 3 for class and I choose to take the side of the lab for computers. The scenario was the elementary school had acquired 20 new computers and what would be the best way to distribute them. I felt that changing the routine of a student, a set lab use schedule, having a centralized facility, and providing teacher training can help both students and staff feel comfortable with technology in the lab. I really feel strongly that the best benefit to the student would be the lab setting. I found a lot of great sources talking about lab set-up, state standards and ways to acquire new technologies. I even was able to refer to a book that I am using in another class because it had a great reference! Hopefully, I was able to defend the side of lab use for those computers well.

This week will be on to Issue 4 and it looks like copyright issues. Oh fun.