MacArthur Foundation – Digital Youth Report

The MacArthur Foundation has released the comprehensive results of multiple ethnographic studies describing and evaluating adolescent use of technology. In total, the report is quite positive and indicates that adolescents make productive use of the Internet and technology devices for personal learning and in what the report describes as “friendship-driven” social activities.

While the focus of the report ignores within-school, curriculum based learning, the generally positive take on what individuals of this age range do with technology should offer a challenge to administrators concerned that they must filter within the school.

Summary pdf

Some may see this as offering a message to those in traditional schools. Perhaps. However, it seems fair to ask if the expectations of a comprehensive curriculum can be based on what may have always been true about the commitment we all make to our hobbies and personal interests? With the exception of the commitment of a far larger proportion of a group to similar activities but not necessarily similar goals, I am not certain I see that a demonstration of personal, self-regulated learning as a novel revelation. What about understanding this research as a message to parents?

I see Marshall Kirkpatrick, writing on the ReadWriteWeb, offers some similar observations.

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McCain in Trouble for Copyright Infringement

Perhaps it was the mention of disputed fair use that caught my attention.

Jackson Browne is not a conservative AND has a history of not allowing his music to be used in ads. Yet, part of “Running on Empty” evidently was matched to video in a McCain presidential ad.

Now, the lawyers are involved. Perhaps the participants failed to read the new treatise on copyright and fair use. Should politicians (and teachers) be models for the rest of us? It is interesting to read what lawyers have to say.

Wired account

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Related Posts

Blogs end up being about complex connections. As the amount of material I have generated over the years is considerable, I have lost track of whether or not I have offered related content in the past. The idea of identifying connections within this collection of entries is appealing.

Yet Another Related Post Plugin is a tool (a WordPress Plugin) that automatically lists related resources. You don’t see these links from the main page of this blog, but you will if you examine “single entry pages”. So, click the title of an entry that interests you (the topic, not necessarily what I have to say about it) and you should encounter a list of related content. I keep hoping I once said something profound and just don’t remember where I put it. Perhaps I will discover that I keep repeating the same 4 or 5 ideas and I just assume I have something new to say.

This is a test and I will see what I and others think of this technique.

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Quibbling About Copyright and Fair Use Is Off Target

The recent release of a “best practices” guide to copyright and fair use has generated the typical echo effect among educational bloggers. It is pretty obvious from my previous comments that there is something about more and more liberal interpretation of “fair use” that annoys me. The exact source of this annoyance is difficult to pin down. I think it has something to do with my typical reaction when I interpret behavior as based in assumptions of entitlement.

  • That is good stuff.
  • I deserve that good stuff whether I feel like compensating those responsible or not.

I really think a different approach should be promoted within the educational community. This approach would be based in principles of learning by doing/authoring and sharing. Creative commons, inexpensive online social applications and tools, and wider acceptance of authentic projects encourage the type of personal commitment I would like to support.

Why assume you have a right to the good stuff someone else expects to be compensated for creating? Have you made the effort to search for resources others offer you the rights to use? Have you made the effort to contribute to such a sharing community yourself? When are choices based in convenience and self-indulgence?

Why isn’t the online discussion focusing on questions such as these and promoting the work of those who take the sharing option?

Yes, I know projects like this exist. There are big and small efforts to share lessons and learning objects (e.g., Merlot).

My favorite “test case” for this approach might be the effort of Bernie Dodge to establish a repository and organizational system for web quests (Quest Garden). I wonder how this project is going. The site still exists. I tried “One Trick Pony” , Dr. Dodge’s blog, but he hasn’t posted since July of 2007. One issue is this. The “sharing” site requires a minimal fee to support the cost of server space, maintenance, etc. I wonder if use has grown. I wonder if the fee was too much and folks only respond to free. A second issue is simply the willingness of individuals to contribute webquests they have developed.

BTW – I do think it is important to back up your own position with actions. I do expect people to pay for some resources I create (our books). I also make the effort to share (my free book). I hope you take a look and I also hope you offer resources you create.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

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Paranoid? I am no longer alone

I am no longer one of the few worried about investing too much time in free online services. See Jason Perlow’s post concerning Flickr (my previous example) with the recent resignation of Jerry Yang and the possibility Yahoo! may tank. If you have made heavy use of Flickr and have assumed your image collection is safe, Perlow explains how to backup your images.

My use of Flickr does not really exemplify the situation that concerns Perlow. I use Flickr mostly as a backup for a subset of the larger collection I keep on several of the computers we own. I am still interested in this topic because I would hate to promote a service and then learn that folks who follow my recommendations end up losing their investment of time.

This is one of the dangers of promoting tech applications. For several editions of our textbook, we used HyperStudio as our main example when discussing student multimedia authoring. Soon after the printing of one edition, HyperStudio pretty much dropped off the map. We switched to products from eZedia for our most recent edition. Soon after publication, eZedia was purchased by Safari Video and development seemed to slow with the emphasis on video access more so than student authoring. However, HyperStudio rebounded with a commitment from MacKiev and the return of the original founder Roger Wagner.

There is probably a message or two here. Textbooks are too slow for the pace of change in some areas – use the web (we try). Never assume too much from a service you did not purchase. Backup often.

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Google Offering Life Photos

When I was a kid, we subscribed to Life magazine. According to Wikipedia, Life offered its last issue on April 20, 2007. I must say I hadn’t noticed. I guess many of us have moved on to other media.

The Life collection of images has historical value and now Google is providing all of us access. It looks like Life is going to launch its own venture, but Life.com is not yet available.

This is another resource educators may find helpful.

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My Type

Typealizer claims the ability to identify your personality type based on a substantial sample of your writing. Blogs make a good data source. While I am skeptical, I did give it a try and the results make some sense. Actually, my wife gave it a try and said this sounds exactly like you.

Typealizer categorized me as “Scientist” – long-range thinking and individualistic, intellectually curious and daring. Sounds good so far. It also says “scientists” tend to be so abstract and theoretical they may difficulty communicating their vision to others. I suppose some of my students might agree.

My wife’s blog – With eyes wide open – also resulted in a positive category. “The Doers – high energy and social. Especially atuned to people. Impulsive and more keen on starting something that following through.

I have been trying to figure out if I would rather be a thinker and individualistic or high energy and social. I guess you are what you are.

I make no claims for this service and the developers suggest that the results should not be taken too seriously. I wish they gave a little more information on what features their system picks up on.

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