Session One (Keynote) Government 2.0: The Not So Secret Society of the Goverati
Presented by: Eric Hackathorn, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Session Description: http://www.nmc.org/2009-nml-symposium/hackathorn-keynote
Recording:
http://media.nmc.org/2009/03/hackathorn-keynote.mov
Goverati web site: http://www.goverati.com/
‘Twittometer’ for determining crowd opinion
Open with Video:
Above clip is an older version is an older one. One used during the session is:
http://media.nmc.org/2009/03/goverati.mov
[podcast format="video"]http://media.nmc.org/2009/03/goverati.mov[/podcast]
Goverai is connected with citizens
Admiral Grace “The most damaging phrase in the language is ‘we’ve always done it this way”
Govloop
Obama is the first wired president. May be the first president to use email. Calling for transparency, collaboration.
[Common Craft video - Networks in Plain English] Network only as valuable as teh connections you can see
Speaker known more by his SL avatar name than his own name.
Video took approx a week and a half to produce.
Questions/Discussion
Who will lead the Goverati, or is it a group effort?
Imagine voting on steroids. Everyone can and should participate.
Accountability can be crowd sourced and discussed out in the open.
Which 3 Twitter feeds would you follow?
Don’t have a really good answer for that one. Twitter is like drinking from a firehose. I rely on my network to determine who/what I should be following.
What about problems with factions in the goverati?
In wikipedia that’s one of the good things of factions. It’s ok to have diversity of opinion. What that means in terms of future governance models, I think those factions will help better represent public opinion and help influence a solution that is most representative.
What are the advantages/benefit of Virtual Worlds
- 1) Better fostering of crowd conditions – decentralization
- 2) Increased collaboration
- 3) Increased sense of ownership
- 4) Bringing raw data to life / visualisation
Session Two: Going GaGa for Google: Using Google in Virtual Worlds
Presented By: Beth Ritter-Guth, The Hotchkiss School
Session Description: http://www.nmc.org/conference-session-proposal/going-gaga-google-using-google-virtual-worlds
Recording:
http://media.nmc.org/2009/03/ritter-guth.mov
NB: This is a break-out session
YouTube clip from Session Description:
Click box to receive a number.
Google is mainly a search company. Their main interest is in gathering as much data as possible. So when we talk about Google, we’ll talk about Google the Search Company; and then the Google Suite of Tools.
Won’t find tools authored by Google in SL because they had Lively, though they did have some land in SL at one point.
Wiki: http://sites.google.com/site/nmcgoo/
Presentation Slides:
Everything Literature Alive does is free and open access. Free to modify, share, and change.
Google Tools that were easiest/best for students in Secondlife:
- Google Docs
- YouTube
- Google Maps – works well with HTML on a prim. With Dantes Inferno, they plotted locations from the work on a Google Map, which is now available in the Prim.
Google for Educators – Overview of Google Tools and Education (Google for Education and Google Tools for Education)
Very competitive program to get into. Teaches you to use every tool in Google Suite.
Google Tools weren’t built for use in a Virtual World; best way to do this is via a Mashup.
Google Maps Mashup
- Enter Data
- Remove Empty Lines
- Map Created
- Enter URL into a PRIM in Secondlife so it’s visible in world
YouTube clips another good tool for use in SecondLife; but feels that it’s better to view both on native location.
Google has been most productive as joint authoring program. Students work in Docs to write biographies of different characters from Literature and fill in the details. Students went in Google Docs while in SL, then would return to SL and chat in world.
Always asks “what makes a tool better by using it in SecondLife.” In this case one group of students were day students, the other students were night students. SL established space to combine classes and therefore work together. So it’s a collaborative tool for use locally or internationally.
Always talks about ethics, fair use, copyright (etc) when teaching students how to create their own spaces so they are aware of proper uses.
Finding images via Google Images does not necessarily imply ability to reuse. Everything appears in the search results. Teaches students how to look for images that permit reuse.
SESSION THREE: Your Video Projects Suck, but That’s OK ’cause So Do Your Papers: Moderating Student Expectations When Teaching New Media
Presenter: Jared Bendis, Case Western Reserve University
Session Description: http://www.nmc.org/conference-session-proposal/your-video-projects-suck-thats-ok-cause-so-do-your-papers-moderating-stu
Recording:
http://media.nmc.org/2009/03/bendis.mov
URL: http://fc.case.edu/newmedia/video
Points to consider
- You need to know you’re medium
- You need to know your audience
- You need to know yourself
Title refers to assigned projects, not self-nominated students.
Most students do not turn in papers that are ready for prime time. Finds it amusing that we assume students will immediately be good at video work. Introduces notion of “writing” versus “authoring.” E.g. writing for submission versus writing for a public audience.
Critics have disagreed, saying “yes, but everything we do [in art] is for show.”
Everything doesn’t have to be good, but enough that we are able to recognise that they were a participant in the process.
FALSE ASSUMPTIONS:
Students know what they’re doing – Can’t say that students are video natives. Adults have seen more videos, should be better/more skilled in video production. So students have minimal creative vision.
Students want to be doing this – “I did not sign up to do a video project. How is this relevant to/for my education?” Professors forget that students come in with assumptions. Movies require far more people to produce than writing. Can’t pretend that we’re doing it like the pro’s. Need to establish what the pedagogical goal is – e.g. I want my students to be proud in what they do.
Spending a lot of time on analysis.
Let’s make students do a short film, but students didn’t have anything in their memory that exemplifies what they want to produce. Talked about the experiences they already have. Student Exercise – find a common film: Who has seen this?
EXPERIENCES:
Failures:
Used mentors, but were not trained in advance so were ultimately not helpful.
Students violated rule number one: It’s not about you. – Need to inspire me, but don’t say “I was inspired.” Make it a video that someone other than your mother would like to see. Not referring to digital story telling initiatives, but ability to convey feeling without resorting to saying “I feel.”
As soon as you remove the ego it becomes less competitive internally and aim becomes making things clear.
Successes:
Propaganda Class: First session devoted to watching videos and discussing what they’re seeing. It’s about them doing things, not what the other/previous classes did.
Premier Elements: Spends a great deal of time covering the application. Wants them to gain standardised skills, so even if they move to a different program they have a base level of knowledge they can take with them. In 2 to 3 hours they can cover everything they need. First hour how things work (wind them up), with the next hour letting them go.
Podcasting: Students went to local radio station. Learned students were told completely conflicting information to what instructor had covered. Importance on focusing on what is possible, not perfect.
Importance in developing something that is theirs.
Importance in awareness of technical requirements or constraints. Different Professor on campus indicated students could make a video in lieu of a term paper. Didn’t speak with media center, didn’t consider training or resourcing (cameras). Media centre has rules not to overstep their bounds – especially when project is assessable student work.
How-To Video
Students must produce individual project; though it is also group project. Students need to cooperate with partners to help produce their videos.
Doesn’t like group projects. Was burned several years ago. Co-teaching with instructor who wanted to make groups self-selecting. Slackers formed one group; Type-A’s in another group. Outcome was unexpected. Type A’s delivered over-ambitious failure. Slackers were aware of abilities and delivered polished, reasonable project.
Constraints:
- Have to use a topic they already know.
- Topic can’t be conceptual
Critiques and reflection enable students to learn from each other.
You can’t cram video. Students write 2 pages every week rather than 8 pages every four weeks. So it’s writing on a regular basis. Can’t cram video, if you try you’re screwed.
With writing students, force students to consider things in advance according to deadlines.
No Defense Rule – Any defense must be part of the video. Can’t preempt the video prior to the clip.
What to include or remove:
- No Timing – No Ken Burns Effect. Don’t pan zoom around the subject
- No rolling or crawling text.
- Watch and analyse lots of video – e.g. Law and Order (simple cuts, no special effects.)
Most videos use cuts and not transitions. If they don’t understand something how will they be able to produce it.
Ethics, Morals, Copyright and Privacy
You must assume that students today WILL post the video to YouTube. Because of this, everyone must sign a release form before they do anything.
Release form: http://fc.case.edu/newmedia/video/releaseform.pdf
Went to attorney’s office for a new release form.
Everyone must understand what they’re doing before they film something. You get permission before filming in a location (e.g. Walmart).
Commercial / Fair Use – Doesn’t want Fair Use to factor it. It’s about ownership and personal ownership and how much of film is original material.
When students are using these things it’s important to realise that they can only use stock materials as stock materials, so it’s clearly visible what is their work.
Likes parameters – e.g. film called “Ubiquitous shovel”
See also: Technical Rules of Film making
Giraffe Problem: as a photographer, if you go to photograph a giraffe and hold the camera in profile the image will be larger, but the giraffe will be the same size regardless of orientation. Understanding aspect orientation is important – black bars (on sides) in video are annoying
Funny is hard. Offensive is still offensive regardless of medium.
We all want our videos to go viral and win awards, but they probably won’t.
Know who you are as a presenter. Are you funny, are you serious?
QUESTIONS:
Shares videos that he demos to students, not the student work itself.
Is it wrong to use video from a cheap video camera?
Have had people do it, but it depends on the motivation for using the camera. Students give a copy of the film and if good enough they can continue.
FERPA Issues
One way to avoid FERPA issues is to have everyone sign everything. Tells instructors to archive all release forms.
SESSION FOUR: One System for Creative Interdisciplinary Collaboration: A Technical and Theoretical Approach
Presenter: Tom Benton, University of Texas, Austin
Session Description: http://www.nmc.org/conference-session-proposal/one-system-creative-interdisciplinary-collaboration-technical-and-theore
Recording:
http://media.nmc.org/2009/03/benton.mov
“Composing is improvising very slowly.”
How can this apply to performance. How can we use technology or systems to apply general principles for success.
Wii has been adapted to play midi music when moved. Video demonstrating dancer playing the Wii.
http://media.nmc.org/2009/03/benton1.mov
[podcast format="video"]http://media.nmc.org/2009/03/benton1.mov[/podcast]
Interactive Demonstration / Audience Participation
Had several platforms set up, each of which was tied into synthesizer on the speaker’s desktop. Any time someone interacted with the platform the synthesizer played a series of midi notes. So effectively jumping or moving on the platform enabled us to “play” the stage.
Process: Platforms use Linden scripting to capture actions of avatars. Then using HTTP Get sends Text file to his desktop every 5 seconds. Mac software reads this text file on regular interval and sends it to the synthesizer, which plays the midi notes. Notes are picked up by his microphone and sent back into SecondLife.
SESSION FIVE: I Can Read Your Mind…
Presenter: Joe Russo, Loyola Marymount University
Session Description: http://www.nmc.org/conference-session-proposal/i-can-read-your-mind
Recording:
http://media.nmc.org/2009/03/russo.mov
PPT Presentation: http://www.nmc.org/files/can-read-your-mind.ppt
Product site: http://livescribe.com
Live Scribe Pens provide insight into what students are thinking. Enables instructors to determine areas of confusion in subject matter.
Notebooks contain special paper needed for the pen to work. This is not a logitech product. There are other similar pens out there, but he has not used any of them.
Can record audio in stereo. Functionality includes calculator and several other options.
Can use just a regular pen and paper, but with increased usage you get used to the different tools and features. Can record and playback audio without the headphones. Under the ink-tip there is a camera that picks up the dots on the paper. Paper uses microdots, which are detected by the pen. This means the pen records everything you write as well as the surrounding audio (lecture and students).
To activate or deactivate a function, you click the tip on a button on the notebook. Can also scroll part of all of the way down the screen by ticking on the slider on the page. Can draw controls on the page and use them as well.
Demonstration of Live Scribe Pen
http://media.nmc.org/2009/03/pen-recording.mov
Once you’ve written your notes on the pad and recorded the audio it is all uploadable to your computer – including the handwriting.
Demonstration of Live Scribe Desktop Software
http://media.nmc.org/2009/03/livescribe-desktop.mov
Applications for Instruction
- Assess student comprehension – Determine whether student understands material and concepts. Gave them pens and instructed them to record their attempts to work through problem sets, during which time they were to speak out loud about what they were doing – thus capturing what they were writing and thinking.
- Rapid podcast creation – Previously instructor had to invest far more time in the process, which made the podcasts preventatively time consuming. Quickly produce podcasts of problem sets, with visuals demonstrating how to work through the questions and audio commentary discussing it in more detail.
- Note-taking strategies – No longer have to frantically write down everything the instructor was saying. Could focus more on participation in class and just write down bullet points.
Audio is linked to the page on which the original note was taken. This enables you to go directly to the point in the recording where each note was annotated and review. From the desktop you can save as a PDF and an audio file, not synced. The synced playback is stored on Livescribe site.
Caveat – you’re writing in pen, so there’s no way to edit.
Question: What media format?
Answer: Audio is recorded to AAC, so you can upload to iTunes. Pages are saved as PDF’s. The Live Scribe format from the video is a proprietary one.
Image / Audio Examples
The following examples made available by Alan Levine (CogDog). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License and was originally posted to:
http://cogdogblog.com/2009/02/22/livescribed-northern-voice
http://cogdogblog.com/wp-content/audio/nv09.mp3
Examples uploaded to Live Scribe site:
The following examples include audio commentary and visual representations of the notes in the way they were written.
SESSION SIX: Dramatically Different: Strategies for Socially-Engaged Learning in Virtual Worlds
Presenter: Kim Flintoff, Curtain University of Technology
Session Description: http://www.nmc.org/conference-session-proposal/dramatically-different-strategies-socially-engaged-learning-virtual-worl
Recording:
http://media.nmc.org/2009/03/flintoff.mp3
Presentation Slides: http://www.slideshare.net/kimbowa/nmc2009-dramatically-different
Learning with drama – engaging as an audience member.
Learning through drama –
Learning in drama
Prefers improvisational Role Playing as opposed to structure Role Playing
‘Process Drama’ - complex form of improvisation. Clear strategies and line. Form of play. Participatory performance – learners inside the performance. “open work” without pre-ordained/established conclusions. Always Fiction – fictional past or future and not emotionally caught up in reality.
‘Generative Play’ – more of a mindset than a structured approach that focuses on the journey. Leading to unexpected insights and discoveries that are of great insight to the learner.
Importance is being involved and fictional and flexible enough to accommodate unexpected ideas and minimise or avoid arguing/debate over the event.
Develop fictional chants, traditions.
Building Process Drama – the stages of planning and implementation that establish the foundation for a drama. Then inject a conflict.
Reflection inside the action – reflect as that character in-role; then reflect outside-role.
Island is named GODOT: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Godot/128/128/2
Active, experiential learning – asked to stand up and get involved. Also use the structures of theature – start, middle, end, protagonist and antagonist, conflict, resolution (even unsatisfactory). Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Purpose of motivation is to create new meaning – engage students in critical thought – e.g. Analysis, synthesis – esp mapping across domains.
Drama Conventions / Drama in an Active Inquiry Process
Who’s involved, why, what’s preceded, where is the story taking place. Reveal elements of character, story, conflicts. Could have asked people to divide into groups and devise a chant that will be sang when marching down the street; could write poetry or design a dance routine.
Facilitating this could involve giving students sequences of movement – becomes meaningful based on context of activity.
Use of Location to emphasize role – In role – meet in Skybox. Out of role – on ground.
Building the space – could use collective drawing, where you lay out big sheet of paper and everyone adds to the drawing. In SL could put out an area where everyone adds to it. Purposeful game playing to establish the scene.
Activity: The Seal Wife
