Blog: Advice

I am a new employee at Baruch College hired to use new media to improve the College. Here is a list of suggestions I would make to the school about how they can incorporate different aspects of new media in order to enhance the education of the College: 

 I would say that most importantly, professors should be utilizing social media in a way that facilitates learning. There is so much that can be done online. I have had classes that have used wikis and blogs and other forms of social media. There are things that can be done in class and from home. Since college students do like to bring their computers to class, professors should use that to their advantage. Have them do assignments and group projects by using new media. 
Here is a list of some ways new media can be used in the classroom: 
-Having students create a Facebook page for a character from the literature they are studying
-Have students create a website that allows visitors to hear from students and professors about their daily lives. 
-For computer programming classes, the professors can have students create their own applications. 
-Computer science classes can certainly use work over social media. 
-Creativity is simply endless with new media. You can do things like having students use Twitter to have imagined conversations between famous literary figures.
-One strong suggestion I would make to the College, especially since Baruch is a commuter school, is to have more online and hybrid classes! It makes things a lot easier knowing you can do the class from literally anywhere you have Internet. This is an excellent way for new media to be incorporated into the College. Having online classes facilitates new media. 
-Twitter can be an excellent tool for a Journalism class. The fact that Twitter limits 140 character can be really helpful for people majoring in things like journalism. 
-Social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter offer a great way to enhance communication among students and teachers. 
-Teachers can post homework assignments through Facebook to provide easy access for students and to put the assignments and due date in writing. 
-No matter the size of your class, having all the students on a social media outlet brings them all together.  
-When teachers and students can easily contact each other they create better working relationships. They are also good for keeping updated on any occurrences.
-One benefit of social media is the ability to write down thoughts any time they occur. Encouraging students to brainstorm on class topics outside class time provides more opportunities for sharing great thoughts.
-These are all ways for college students to apply what they learn in a more interactive way. It gets them involved and interested in a way that lecturing just doesn't do. Using new media is also so beneficial because some kids just cannot focus in a long lecture. If a professor breaks it up by incorporating new media aspects this will really help kids who are more visual. Showing videos and things like that are also really helpful. 

Creativity and New Media

I created a Second Life, the avatar I choose really looks like me because it represents the way I see myself. I can go to as different places I want and I can make it that I visit regular places like I do in my everyday life or places I don’t get to go to all the time. I chose to let me avatar travel to different countries that I have never been to, but ones that I hope to get to in the future. I love to travel and this is one aspect of Second Life that is so cool and fun. You can choose to go anywhere! I feel like going to a destination and traveling and I can do that through Second Life. I can change anything I want in this life, which is really cool. It is like I am in a completely different universe. I never used an avatar and I think it is such a different experience. Here are some snapshots of me in my Second Life universe:

Here is my avatar in Moscow, Russia:

  

 

Here is my avatar in Hiroba, Japan:

And here is my avatar on the beach:

Creativity

New media is an excellent way to encourage and enhance creativity. These technologies encourage children to bring out their hidden artistic selves and express themselves in ways they had never been able to before. Neuroscience research has proved that all children are born with innate creativity abilities and as they grow up some of them keep their creativity active while others unconsciously let it just stay still. Everyone has the potential for revolutionary creativity and new media allows people to realize their potential in every person's unique manifestation of his or her creative abilities. Technology allows us to keep creativity intact and flowing. The school system has actually contributed to the deterioration of creativity of children. Certain subjects and skills are prioritized over others to prepare students for the real world. This limits the opportunities they have to express themselves in a creative fashion and use critical thinking and intellectual creativity. Technology can be used to help enhance people's creativity. For example, blogs are an excellent way for the development of creative thinking and writing. They provide freedom to students to post whatever they want and comment and share each other's material. People can openly write on topics that intrigue them and give them idea without having to worry about grades. Blogging makes people feel responsible for their own thoughts and ideas and it encourages creativity. New media fosters creativity because it combines the old and the new. Creating mashups is a way in which new media really encourages creativity to be brought out. The article Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody of it's Critters, But Why? discusses how YouTube users can make videos of Disney characters such as Simba, Bambi, and Winnie the Pooh and edit them together with rap videos. These videos take new popular songs and old popular Disney characters to create something completely new and innovative. This brings more attention to the popular song while simultaneously bringing attention to these old characters. This is such a fun and creative way to get kids to use their imagination in a way that was never possible before. Clearly, technology has transformed the human experience. There is so much knowledge accessible because of technology. Whether through social media or web video conferences it is easier for people to meet and collaborate than ever before and this allows for creativity between people to blend. New media has provided the opportunity for people to come together and share their ideas and encourage one another to be creative and come up with new things.

References:

Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody of Its Critters. But Why? The New York Times, September 24, 2007; available at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/business/media/24crank.html


http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregsatell/2014/01/27/how-technology-enhances-creativity/#79048c1483b1

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

What are different ways these virtual worlds can be used? What are the pros and cons? Be specific. How do virtual worlds foster creativity? What do you think the future of virtual worlds will look like?

Virtual worlds are meant to bring together community and creativity. Virtual worlds mimic the real world and therefore technology is used in a way to enhance the real world. Virtual worlds are models and can represent elements of reality that are more basic. These are altered versions of our reality; there is a different sense of space, time, and ability. A virtual world is a computer-based simulated environment populated by many users who can create a personal character called an avatar and at the same time explore a virtual world and participate in activities and communicate with others. An avatar is a virtual representation of yourself and it can be in any shape or form that you wish to appear in. Virtual worlds can range from fantasies, sports, historical and science fiction. Some are based upon the real world while others are much more focused on the fantasy world. The worlds are completely disconnected from the real world, which is why so many people are attracted to them.

There are many advantages to virtual worlds as they can enhance gaming experience, make use of virtual prototypes, there are training programs for the military, medical training, psychological training, and much more. Virtual worlds are exciting and they allow for communication with other people using text, sound, graphic images and much more. Some advanced technologies even allow voice and touch. Of course, there are disadvantages to virtual worlds. They can be extremely time consuming and it is hard to really re-create an environment that captures all aspects of the real world. Some issues that arise when creating this technology include making better tracking systems, lag time, overlooking basic laws of physics, and a lack of accuracy.

Virtual worlds really foster creativity because they encourage you to use your imagination. You can basically do whatever you want and whatever you have ever dreamed of. It allows people to go into a whole different realm in their brain and use parts of it that cannot be used in everyday life. People can pretend whatever they want. 

Diane Mehta interviewed Jackie Morie in her article "After Second Life, Can Virtual Worlds Get a Reboot?" Morie explains why virtual worlds are not passe. They are not as isolating as they may seem. As Morie states "in virtual worlds, however, you are not alone together, you are really, truly together—connected by these bodily representations caused avatars." I think this is a concept that people just truly miss the boat on and don't grasp the essence of virtual worlds. Morie discusses the positive aspects that virtual worlds bring to many people's lives. People are using virtual worlds for entertainment, social connection, and learning.

Mark Tutton discusses how people use virtual worlds as a tool and mechanism to help businesses in his article, "Going to the virtual office in second life." People are starting to use virtual worlds to have online meetings because the cost of business trips is just getting too out of hand. Tutton explains how this works: virtual worlds allow for "the ability to collaborate effectively using virtual tools may now become increasingly important skills as technology offers more options then, say, video conferencing.

In the future I think virtual worlds will be used as a tool in schools. I think there are many benefits that virtual worlds have to offer. They will probably become more and more advanced and the more advanced technology becomes the more real virtual worlds will be. There are just endless possibilities for virtual worlds and I think they are really going to flourish in the future.

References:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/dianemehta/2013/04/30/after-second-life-can-virtual-worlds-get-a-reboot/#679eb917143b

https://bbhosted.cuny.edu/webapps/lobj-wiki-bb_bb60/wiki/BAR01_CIS_3810_NET2_1169_1/_25852608_1/Home?cmd=GetImage
systemId=Going+to+the+virtual+office+in+Second+Life+-+CNN__0.pdf

Blog about Twitter

Twitter is so different than any other form of social networking or online communication. First of all, the most unique aspect of Twitter is that you are limited to 140 characters per post. This is an excellent thing because it forces people to get to their point quickly as well as be concise. On BlackBoard, I often find that people go overboard sometimes in their post (myself included!) and this can be annoying for other people who have to read the post. Sometimes, the posts are extremely long and wordy because people think that making a post longer will benefit them in some way. On BlackBoard, you are usually not limited to the amount of words you can use and this can create problems. Further, commenting on BlackBoard can be a pain. On Twitter, it is so easy to respond to people and have a quick back and forth conversation about a post. I find that on BlackBoard people usually don't respond to comments that others write on their post, but on Twitter I feel that many more people engage in an interactive conversation because of the easiness and quickness to using Twitter.  Of course, an in-class discussion is completely different. There are benefits to having an in-person discussion and mainly that is you can see and read facial expressions as well as tone of voice. This allows for a completely different understanding of what someone is trying to say than reading a post online. It is often difficult to convey emotions in a post and feelings are not always made clear. It is hard to portray sarcasm and it can be difficult for the reader to get the full picture of what the author wants to say. On the other hand, in an in-class discussion if you want to respond to what someone says it has to be immediate and that can be hard. Sometimes, you need time to think and contemplate how you want to respond to someone and you don't really have that opportunity. On Twitter, or BlackBoard, you can take as much time as needed to think about what you want to comment and you can formulate your thoughts into a coherent comment. I often find that when people respond and have a conversation in class, it can be heated and people may say things that they don't really mean. It is also sometimes difficult to discern what someone is trying to say if their thoughts have not been fully formulated. Of course, there are positive and negatives aspects of both online discussions as well as in-person discussions. I think that each one has its own purpose and it really depends what the goal of the assignment would be. What I do like about having a Twitter discussion or on Blackboard is that everyone must participate as opposed to an in class discussion where a lot of students just don't take part in.

Social Networking Sites

Facebook: I have had Facebook since I was in the 8th grade so it has been almost ten years since I first got it. My impression of Facebook is that it is very practical for certain things and can be extremely useful. It has also changed a lot over the past ten years from what I can tell. The main thing that I use it for is to communicate with people as well as stay in touch with friends who I don't speak to on an ongoing and daily basis. It is a nice way to see what people are up to in life and it is easy to stay in touch through Facebook. When I first got Facebook, people liked to post pictures and it was more of a way to chat with friends in a different form. I find that now I don't really post anything on my wall and the only thing I really use it for on a daily basis is to chat with people who I don't call or text.

Twitter: I am brand new to Twitter. I have been against getting an account for a long time now, mainly because I didn't really understand the point of having it. I didn't really get what the hype was and what purpose it served. Now I am beginning to understand and my impression of Twitter is certainly changing. Twitter is an informal way to have a conversation with all types of people. It is also extremely concise considering you only have 140 characters per post, which I find to be a great advantage to using Twitter because it limits the amount of what people can say. As opposed to Facebook, which has no word limit, I think this makes people really think about what they are saying. It is also less time consuming than Facebook is. Twitter is a conversational forum that people can choose with whom they want to engage in conversation and ignore all factors such as age, social class, and ethnicity. I like that you can follow whoever you want, unlike Facebook where you have to friend people to get approval. The character limit makes it so that people cannot ramble on and I find that to be very effective. When one is on Facebook, it is a lot of looking at what other people are doing and I find that often brings me down, but that is not the case with Twitter. You are not really looking at pictures of people, rather you are engaging in what could be meaningful conversations. Further, on Twitter you can follow your favorite celebrities, politicians, and athletes, which cannot always be achieved on Facebook. Both of these social networks serve their own purpose in a unique way.

Match.com: This is a different type of networking site than Facebook and Twitter. Match.com is an online dating website that allows people to meet via the Internet. You create a profile and fill in all different types of information to inform the website about yourself and what you are looking for. Match.com has a specific purpose: to allow people a medium to find other people they may be interested in dating. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, this is a social networking forum that aims at setting people up and the ultimate goal is for them to end up together. I don't find these online dating websites to be so successful in my personal experience. I find it difficult to meet people over the Internet and I much prefer the face-to-face interaction. I met my fiance through a friend and I find that to be a more trustworthy approach than to meeting someone online. You never really know who you may be talking to on a dating site. I know it does work for many people, but there is also something called "catfishing" where someone pretends to be someone they are not. This can be harmful and even dangerous to an individual. I know today, especially young people, a lot of people are using apps such as Tinder, Jswipe and others as a way to meet people. I think it is great if it works for you, but also you never really know what people's intentions are so you have to be careful with these dating networks. It can be really beneficial, especially for people who can't just walk up to someone and ask them out. I just hope that people are genuine and don't pretend to be someone they are not on these sites. 

Instagram: The last form of social networking that I have had for a while and actually really like is Instagram. It is an online mobile photo sharing, video sharing and social networking service that allows people to take pictures and videos and then share them either publicly or privately on the app. Users can also share pictures and videos on other social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Instagram is unique in that it is not really about having conversations with people such as on Twitter or about staying in touch with people such as on Facebook. It is a way for people to share their lives in a different way, solely through pictures and videos. I like this because I am into photography and I think it is cool to be able to share that with others. People post all different kinds of things on Instagram and follow a whole range of people. You can either just follow friends or you can follow celebrities to see what they are up to. The follower model is similar to Twitter. You can see all pictures and videos that your followers post, but you can also see most popular posts by others who you don't follow. There is a search tab where if there is something specific you want to search you write it in and all pictures will come up having to do with your search. Instagram is an awesome way to discover photos, unlike on Twitter and Facebook, which people are usually just posting pictures of what they are doing. Some people really get into the photography aspect of Instagram, which is what I like most about it. I don't find the video feature to be as useful and I have never used it. The purpose of Instagram is to make connections with others who see the world in interesting ways. You can find and follow people simply based on the images that inspire them and they can also follow you back. You can like others' pictures and comment as well, which provides a great way for feedback. Fun fact, it is owned by Facebook so clearly they are meant for different purposes, but both are a great way for social networking.