Is the asynchronous online seminar just doing what we would normally in a seminar do but online, or does the shift online change the nature of the communication and potentially the nature of your learning?
I wouldn’t say learning online is just a remediation of seminars and face-to-face learning. It’s not just translating this way of learning to the internet, but actually changes the nature of the learning in several small but noticeable ways.
a) Navigation – how do you get around the web forum; is it an online conversation?
The forum is arguably arranged into topics and points of conversation far better than a face-to-face conversation would be. This allows organisation and ease of finding information, but arguably jumping from one topic to another in conversation is often a fruitful way to form new ideas. Maybe this limits asynchronous learning slightly.
b) Expression – do you express yourself in the same way? How do we ‘take turns’?
Asynchronous learning allows everyone to ‘have their say’, even quieter members of the group who may not always feel free to do this F2F.
c) Time – activities being over a week? (not quite sure what this one is asking, so maybe i’m missing the point...?!)
Stopping to think may stunt the natural flow of ideas but also gives time to think about them over a longer time period and come back with new ideas discovered in this time. This also allows time to further research topics discussed and post in an informed way (Also through hypertext online).
Friday, 30 January 2009
WEEK 2. Topic 2. pt2
d) Authority and identity – who is in charge?
I would argue that there is less of a hierarchy of ‘who’s in charge’ online, particularly in a forum. The forums we are using are highly depersonalised and people are all writing in the same font, with few ways to express themselves other than the content of what is being said. In person, we all tend to judge a person on who they are and how they say it, rather than the content itself. I would say the breaking down of this hierarchy is a positive effect of learning online
e) Do you have the knowledge, the media ‘literacy’ to be a user, an advanced user? If not how does it feel?
I have previously used a variety of forums but none that have been set out quite like this one. Usually the user tends to be able to open a post which can expand and show all of the posts in that thread on one page, arguably a bit easier to follow than the one we are using for NMC! This said, I think this kind of thing comes fairly easily to our generation and I can’t imagine anyone having a problem with posting after initial teething problems. In fact I may go as far as saying that it’s probably many people’s preferred method of communicating today.
I would argue that there is less of a hierarchy of ‘who’s in charge’ online, particularly in a forum. The forums we are using are highly depersonalised and people are all writing in the same font, with few ways to express themselves other than the content of what is being said. In person, we all tend to judge a person on who they are and how they say it, rather than the content itself. I would say the breaking down of this hierarchy is a positive effect of learning online
e) Do you have the knowledge, the media ‘literacy’ to be a user, an advanced user? If not how does it feel?
I have previously used a variety of forums but none that have been set out quite like this one. Usually the user tends to be able to open a post which can expand and show all of the posts in that thread on one page, arguably a bit easier to follow than the one we are using for NMC! This said, I think this kind of thing comes fairly easily to our generation and I can’t imagine anyone having a problem with posting after initial teething problems. In fact I may go as far as saying that it’s probably many people’s preferred method of communicating today.
WEEK 2. 2.3. Hypertext
2.3) How, in your opinion/experience, does hypertext shape the experience of using the World Wide Web?
Hypertext, in my opinion, is one of the defining aspects of the internet, making it just so very different from simply being a linear collection of a variety of media. The internet posseses the ability to allow a user to 'surf' from one piece of information to another, to expand links, to click on words for definition or more information, to open a video, or photo, or go to a message board and interact. Essentially this makes everyone's journey on the WWW hightlyindividualised and personal. Unlike reading a book, it is not a case of reading just what is given to you, it is a case of choosing jsut what you want to know and read about; no two peoples 'journey' online is quite the same. Positively, this means we can find JUST what we are looking for., but does it mean we might miss out on potentially crucial information, only seeing half the picture?
I found Ellie's points talking about hypertext in relation to interactive tv interesting as it wasn't something I'd considered, and I made some further comments of my own here: http://elliemccullough1989.blogspot.com/2009/01/hyperlinks-and-effect-on-real-life.html?showComment=1233355080000#c4107458378417978894
Info from lecture notes week 2, and Lister et al (2003) NEW MEDIA: A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION, London: Routledge.
WEEK 2. Topic 1. Part a
a) With Windows Vista replacing XP and Office 2007 replacing Office 2003, (and so on), what is ‘upgrade culture’ all about? Is some new media change just consumerism thought up by big business?
Although it's apparent in many places, I think a particularly good example of 'upgrade culture' can be seen by looking at the Apple iPod. It's easy to lose count of all the new 'generations' of the iPod, what new features each has, and just how different (or not) they are from the previous. How many of us have bought a new iPod (or phone, or CD player, or computer) when our new one is still working perfectly? Apple rely on advestising and that people always want something bigger (or should that be smaller?!) and better than before.
It could be argued that these constant releases are in the interest of the consumer, ensuring that they have the best technology available. However, i think it seems more likely not. There is a business term (which I can't quite remember...) that accounts for this-suggesting that companies don't neccesarily release their best product, but hold this back and release models between, ensuring people are always buying and upgrading. I upgraded to windows Vista to find that a lot of my 'old' software isn't compatible with it and now i'll have to upgrade this, too. Coinsidence?!
From reading: Lister, M et al (2003) NEW MEDIA: A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION, London: Routledge.
Although it's apparent in many places, I think a particularly good example of 'upgrade culture' can be seen by looking at the Apple iPod. It's easy to lose count of all the new 'generations' of the iPod, what new features each has, and just how different (or not) they are from the previous. How many of us have bought a new iPod (or phone, or CD player, or computer) when our new one is still working perfectly? Apple rely on advestising and that people always want something bigger (or should that be smaller?!) and better than before.
It could be argued that these constant releases are in the interest of the consumer, ensuring that they have the best technology available. However, i think it seems more likely not. There is a business term (which I can't quite remember...) that accounts for this-suggesting that companies don't neccesarily release their best product, but hold this back and release models between, ensuring people are always buying and upgrading. I upgraded to windows Vista to find that a lot of my 'old' software isn't compatible with it and now i'll have to upgrade this, too. Coinsidence?!
From reading: Lister, M et al (2003) NEW MEDIA: A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION, London: Routledge.
WEEK 2. Topic 1. Part h
h) If new media allows more people to be involved in cultural production (compared to mass media) what are these new voices saying in public? In a DIY and click-to-send setting, what kind of things are people sharing with others that comes from their private/domestic world and might otherwise not be distributed?
Lister sums up the increasing produser culture in mentioning that new technology facilitates members of the public in not only producing but also distributing work, too. Writing via blogging sites, videos on youtube, music on Myspace: teh examples are endless. However, with the potential to produce and distribute film in this way, quality is often compromised. This is, however, perhaps something which NM consumers are becoming used to and a compromise which must be made.
A lack of censorship and regulations online is certainly an issue her; things which censors would almost certainly ban on tv/radio are freely published online and issues of slander and libel are often avoided by posting like this. Wether this is a positive or negatvie outcome of produserism is certainly debatable.
Positives can be seen in the music business, new media is providing a way to combat merging labels and corperate conglomeration within the industry which has previously prevented small or independant labels and artists succeeding. Without the NM technologies, these artists would have little or no chance of competing with large labels.
From reading: Lister, M et al (2003) NEW MEDIA: A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION, London: Routledge. p33
Lister sums up the increasing produser culture in mentioning that new technology facilitates members of the public in not only producing but also distributing work, too. Writing via blogging sites, videos on youtube, music on Myspace: teh examples are endless. However, with the potential to produce and distribute film in this way, quality is often compromised. This is, however, perhaps something which NM consumers are becoming used to and a compromise which must be made.
A lack of censorship and regulations online is certainly an issue her; things which censors would almost certainly ban on tv/radio are freely published online and issues of slander and libel are often avoided by posting like this. Wether this is a positive or negatvie outcome of produserism is certainly debatable.
Positives can be seen in the music business, new media is providing a way to combat merging labels and corperate conglomeration within the industry which has previously prevented small or independant labels and artists succeeding. Without the NM technologies, these artists would have little or no chance of competing with large labels.
From reading: Lister, M et al (2003) NEW MEDIA: A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION, London: Routledge. p33
Sunday, 25 January 2009
WEEK 1. Task 2 - Goebbels B
(sorry, just realised I had saved these as drafts and not actually posted!)
b) How might his views seem to people today? What is radio ‘good for’ in your opinion?
Because of the nature of the topic in hand, Goebbel’s views regarding the potential of the radio to make change may seem quite extreme, but when considered in other contexts, his point becomes more apparent. His belief of the persuasive and effective power of radio (As a ‘new media’ of the time) are stated throughout and as he notes, radio was becoming accessible to all citizens, making the power of this new medium ever increasing. Although Geobbels is talking just about radio, in modern terms his views can be linked to the Effects Debate, and when we consider the assumed effect of new media such as television, the internet, films etc, his views seems rather more common sense to a 2009 media student . Goebbels touches on many points which seem quite ahead of his time, particularly when he talks about needing some sort of regulatory body for the radio and that it should not become a tool of propaganda but must be used artistically, as long as this is done responsibly and in the interest of the masses: still a priority of regulatory bodies today. Perhaps if writing today Goebbels might consider renaming his speech ‘The MEDIA as the Eight Great Power’, and his words become something we can comprehend quite easily.
Goebbels on Radio http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/goeb56.htm
WEEK 1. Topic 1- Email.
The name E-mail, or 'Electronic mail' speaks for itself; messages sent electronically, through the internet. E-mails are usually sent/recieved instantly, or at least fairly quickly, and have developed to allow the attachment of a variety of different file types from word processed documents to pictures, video and music. Messages can be sent out to many contacts who the sender has pre-arranged into 'groups' (such as family, or work colleages), or to any collection of contacts chosen individually. Junk mail filters and automatic mail sorters are further of the more complex funtions of e-mail. Email has recently become a widely accepted form of communication for not only casual but also more formal communication within the academic and business world.
When I started using e-mail in around 1996 it was simply a fun way to make contact with friends and family, but has since become a highly crucial means of communication in many aspects of my life; a free and fast way to contact family, friends around the world, tutors, sending job applications and to recieve automatic alerts for a variety of things. I think this is not just a result of my growing up but a reflection of the growth of email in Western society in general. My life, and presumably many others, would be far less easy and convenient without the use of e-mail.
When I started using e-mail in around 1996 it was simply a fun way to make contact with friends and family, but has since become a highly crucial means of communication in many aspects of my life; a free and fast way to contact family, friends around the world, tutors, sending job applications and to recieve automatic alerts for a variety of things. I think this is not just a result of my growing up but a reflection of the growth of email in Western society in general. My life, and presumably many others, would be far less easy and convenient without the use of e-mail.
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
