Week 12!

Well, I have made it to week 12 and have spent the last week or so reflecting on what I know now about digital citizenship.  Truly at the beginning of this learning journey I was a little afraid of the online world and the tools offered.  I've heard a few horror stories of downloading a virus from a program.  I didn't feel technically savvy enough to ward off any invaders!

However, now I'm feeling a bit more confident in my abilities to control what I view and how I use it.   I understand the need for a positive digital footprint and why it is so important.  We all have a digital footprint unless we are totally unplugged from the modern world.  I did goggle my name and found there is a famous British actress Christine Hamilton who takes up a lot of space!  However I am in there if you go far enough!  Its important for me to monitor my digital footprint to ensure it is accurate and to be aware of the problem of identity theft.  I must be proactive, rather than reactive.  I control the information released.  Ainslie (2009) says she is " feeling very strongly that it is important for teachers not to avoid having a digital footprint, but rather to make sure they build a positive one".  Similarly I feel  it is very important to model the correct behaviour to students to ensure they build a positive digital footprint and understand the responsibilities which come with digital citizenship.

"digital footprint" retrieved from http://image.slidesharecdn.com/digitalfootprint-2-110814065859-phpapp02/95/digital-footprint-2-37-728.jpg?cb=1334430312

 Great websites for students to view which support digital citizenship include TED Education, Education NPR, Edudemic and Edutopia.  I have these websites in my feedly reader and they have been a great resource.  Here's a article about how the classroom will look and operate in the 21st century. 

Finally its time to say goodbye.  Thanks to everyone who has commented on my blog.  This is my last course and I'm happy to say I will be graduating shortly!  Best wishes to everyone for continuing success and learning.

Ainslie, D.J. (2009).  Yes, you should have a digital footprint...and keep track of it.  Retrieved from http://djainslietech.com/2009.
Christine

Creative Commons

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.


 Christine

Week 11 Screencast

-->Week 11 concentrated on fun video/audio tools!  I choose screencast because the tutorial I viewed was simple to follow. To create my audio file I used my smartphone, uploaded it easily and then was disappointed to realize my file was a little too big to be uploaded without additional help.  Downloaded screencast uploader and then I was ready to go!

MOOC's or Massive Online Open Course was the subject of my audio screencast.  Koller (2012) describes Cousera as a way to research how people learn.  She has feels MOOC's equalize education in that it allows many more people to engage in learning that otherwise may not have the opportunity.  Cormier (2012) says that MOOC's are a great way for people to connect, collaborate and network.  This connection supports life-long learning and the principles of adult education.  It also represents independence and as Cornier (2012) says "only you can decide if you've been successful.  Just like real life".

MOOC's as a learning tool can be added to a PLE and PLN because of the networking, sharing and collaboration opportunities it presents.  I have used MOOC's in the past and after this coursework is completed at Brock I will begin my free MOOC course on permaculture  at the University of Oregon.  MOOC's will definitely become part of my PLE.  I believe as Koller does that MOOC's support lifelong learning and opportunity; however I do know based on my experiences living and working in the remote areas of Northern Ontario that many people do not have access to the internet.  And it also worth pointing out again about the digital divide that exists based on socio-economic reasons as illustrated in my recent tweet "the new digital divide" and discussed in my last post.  I'm stressing this point because I believe many of us including the corporate world do not fully appreciate that many people do not have access to the internet.  Of course there is free wi-fi however it is not secure and with the rise in identify theft, its truly not safe to be online in a public place.

"the north" Hamilton, C. (cc) 2011

As I'm approaching my final week in the course I am appreciating my personal learning from it.  At times it was overwhelming for person with little technical experience with online tools.  However, it has certainly opened my eyes to the possibilities how to take the vast information out there, bring it to me, categorize it and share it with others.

My final post will reflect more deeply on what it means to me to be a digital citizen.  Until then, Happy Easter!

Christine



Cormier, d (2012).  What is a MOOC? retrieved from http.//youtube.be/eW3gMGqc2Q11c

Koller, D. (2012, June).  What we're learning from online education (TED talk) retrieved from http://computinged.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/daphne-koller-ted-talk-whats-new-about-moocs.

Week 10

Week 10 involved a lot of reading, reflection and thought about copyright laws, creative commons and how it all fits with digital citizenship.  I have tried but not have been successful in using the copyright symbol for my own photos used in this blog.  I have used the creative commons logo not fully understanding what that means.  However, after this weeks readings and viewing of the video, I feel I have a rudimentary understanding of creative commons.  It is though a fantastic idea to have this registration in place where parameters can be set on how photo's can be shared and used.  And remixed, if permitted!

The youtube that really caught my eye this week though is the TED talk featuring Kirby Ferguson.  I used the quote "nothing is original" from this youtube as the title to my Prezi as I reflected on his talk about the remixing of songs and albums.  It was a good lesson in understanding how melodies can be similar with different lyrics, how music can be the same and just transformed into a modern message.

"Prezi Image" [online image] retrieved from https://prezi-a.akamaihd.net/press-versioned/190-f5df743b20699ebd8bbeb7b51b6e942bf95cda5b/press/img/kit/prezi_logos/prezi_horizontal.png

Several themes appeared throughout this week about giving permission, creative rights and how as good digital citizens, we must model good behaviour and recognize ownership of content online.  Lucier (2009) says "we live in a world that is really a culture that is right for cheating".  People are looking for short cuts and don't need or want to reinvent the wheel!  However, we do need to acknowledge the authors of creative works and give credit where credit is due.

Looking through my feedly reader, I came across this article about the new digital divide.  In Maryland, there was an attempt to pass a legislative bill to prevent  recordings of bus passengers conversations.  According to reports, the recordings are an attempt to prevent crime against bus drivers or other passengers, however no one is quite sure what is done with the recordings, how they are stored or destroyed.   The author though makes a key point here in that many bus riders in Baltimore are poor and the poor have fewer digital rights.  In previous blog posts, I have made a similar comment about access to the internet.   In many remote northern communities the internet relies on satellite and satellite relies on the weather.  We cannot assume everyone enjoys access to the online world.  Access may be limited due to geography or socio-economic reasons.

Christine

Ferguson, K. (2012).  Embrace the Remix. [TED talk Youtube] retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/kirby_ferguson_embrace_the_remix

Lucier, R. (2009).  Creative Commons:  What Every Educator Needs to Know [video] retrieved from https://dotsub.com/view/b2ead831-4a4e-4530-94d8-381558cfecec

My Slideshow using Prezi!

Okay, I really do like Prezi!  However, what I have learned this week is I need a new computer with a better graphics card and more capabilities!  I'm hopeful is will display properly as it took more time than needed.

This week I choose Prezi to talk about copyright and creative commons and to visually represent the ideas.  In Canada the term we use is fair dealing when discussing copyright laws.  Fair dealing for media education means consumers can use copyrighted material without permission if it falls under fair dealing exemptions.  It sounds a little complicated however the exemption listed include use for research, private study, criticism or review, news reporting, parody, satire and education in the classroom.  Interestingly enough according to Fair Dealing Act, its not clear how this applies to online and distance learning.  Based on my own experiences with online learning and the difficulties I have had registering online for courses, I believe there has been a large increase in the number of online learners in the past few years.  With this in mind, I believe the Fair Dealing Act will need to become more clear to advise students/educators how the act pertains to online learning. Christine                                     "nothing is original" Hamilton, C. (cc) 2016

Week 9 and Scenario 11

Background Scenario 11

Mrs. Smith considers herself to be a pretty savvy computer user.  She has been working with computers for five years and uses them regularly in class.  Mrs. Smith get an email from someone she does not know but the opens the email anyway.  When she opens it, the message has some advertisement for a free gift, so she deletes the email.  Several days later she is working on her computer and notices that her internet browser is working very slowly.  She decides to check the computer with an antivirus program and discovers that she has a virus on her computer.  She determines that the virus came from the email she received several days previously.  How do we protect ourselves from online dangers?

Mrs. Smith is curious.  What is in this email?  Curiosity with unknown emails can lead to big problems on the computer with a virus.  A similar situation occurred on my computer not too many years ago when a email came during Christmas that looked like a Christmas card and I recognized the name of the sender.  However once opened and clicked on the link, it was phising scam which then took all my contacts and sent them the same nice looking Christmas card.  I knew as soon as I had opened it that something was wrong!  Because of all the activity on my account,  Hotmail shut down my account and I needed to get back online quickly to warn my contacts.   Due to my quick action  my contacts heeded my advice and did not open the email with the noxious attachment.  Sending out this quick email  demonstrated digital citizenship and responsibility.  Although I had made an error and suffered the inconvenience, my contacts/friends were spared.

Based on my experience and information contained in the textbook, course reading and online research, Mrs. Smith should not open any email where she do not recognize the name.  I did recognize the name on my email  however the actual address did not look legitimate upon closer examination.  Clicking on a link in an email can also lead to big problems (as I found out).  Second a firewall and anti-virus programs are an absolute must for protection, however they can only do so much and need to be upgraded.  People should always be cautious and use critical thinking skills to help identify credible links.  Students can learn these tools or a more difficult way is to learn through experience as I did.  Experience though is a good teacher as now I critically examine all emails in my inbox.

Christine

United States.  Department of Homeland Security.  Security Tip Using Caution with Email Attachments (2013) retrieved from https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-010

Week 9 and Voicethread

Voicethread is a great interactive tool.  I can use different types of media to create a slideshow which can  involve the audience in more ways.  I enjoy reading however, I believe some people find reading information tedious and maybe boring!  With Voicethread of course I can become more creative with my presentations and create a dialogue between myself and my viewers.  This is a great tool because when dialogue is created between participants people learn more by sharing personal experiences.  Hearing a voice also helps in understanding the context and emotion of the speaker and  less likely to have a misunderstanding with communication.  This last comment is based my own personal experiences with online learning. 

In week 9 more discussion focused on digital rights and responsibilities.  Ribble and Bailey (2007) describe digital rights and responsibilities as "the privileges and freedoms extended to all digital technology users and the behavioural expectations that come with them (p.29).  One of the big take away of week 9 for me is to  respond respectfully online and not react emotionally as words only can sometimes be misinterpreted. I also found the information shared in the cyberbullying toolkit "Standing up, not standing by" an excellent resource for elementary/high school teachers and will share this link with family and friends.

"the beach" Hamilton, C (cc) 2008

 When I first began online coursework this was my biggest complaint; I couldn't see who I was talking to and couldn't interpret their voice or body language.  However with time I think I have become more savvy in my interpretation of the written word.  However images do speak to me as I can look at the photo I've uploaded and see people enjoying the beach, the water and a warm day!

One of the questions asked this week is will I use Voicethread for academic work.  I believe I will use this tool and add it to my PLE.


The following is an interesting article about interviewing skills for students.  Blogger Leigh Ann White says interviewing is a great form of experiential learning.  She says students who develop good interviewing skills helps them in two ways; to learn how to ask questions and how to answer questions well.  Good interviewing skills may help you land your next job!

Christine

 Bailey, G. Ribble, M. (2007).  Digitial Citizenship in Schools.  Eugene, OR:  ISTE
Cyberbullying Toolkit Standing up not Standing by.  retrieved from Common Sense.org/cyberbullying-toolkit

Week 8 and Wiki's

"It's a wiki wiki world"  I the title of this article because it announces two things to me...information is everywhere and its a bit crazy at times.  I like the idea behind Wiki and the simplicity of it.  The nature of a Wiki is everyone/anyone can add and develop content.  This allows collaboration and a equal voice! A Wiki encourages involvement, shared knowledge and the growth of a community...a community of learners.  Maybe we can call this community of learners/collaborators mini wiki's developing small ideas into a Wiki or the final big idea(s).  Digital responsibility comes along with the freedom to add individual mini wiki ideas.  One of the best feature of the wiki is the ability to see page history. 




"Wiki" Michael Brown (8552065) retrieved from Dreamtime.com

In addition this week I could try out Goggle Hangouts which has the ability to connect with others synchronously.  With other tools, like Sakai I can connect with other class members at any time.  This can be an advantage or disadvantage.  When I  connect synchronously, people have to sign in and contribute to the conversation or just read/listen/watch.  Skype is a good example of this.  Sakai however allows posting of information at anytime and anywhere.  With this tool I can post my information and read others while in any part of world and in any time zone.  However, asynchronous
is similar to email and information and questions can be easily ignored.  One of my top digital responsibilities is to respect one another and listen respectfully.

Looking through my feedly account I found a great article titled 17 Great Resources for Building a Student's Self Image  This information provides a great resource for students and teachers and ties in with my research area of cyberbullying and health.  Blogger Joy Nelson asked the question "what do students see when they look into the mirror?  Do they see someone worthwhile or someone who will never be good enough?  The information contained in her article reminds me to respect others and to be kind.  A kind word here and there can bolster a flagging ego and can make someone feeling alone feel part of the community.  It's easy to do.  Try it out.  Instead of a single be kind to someone day...let's try to be kind to someone everyday.

Christine

K12learning20.com(2013).  It's a wiki wiki world retrieved from http://k12learning20.wikispaces.com/8-wiki1

Ribble, M. (2015).  Digital Citizenship in Schools 3rd edition. Eugene, Oregon:  ISTE