Web 2.0 Tools in Higher Education

Web 2.0 Tools in Higher Education

"For web 2.0 tools and processes to become embedded in mainstream practices in higher education, They must be seen as bringing added quality to instructional processes." (Collis, B and Moonen, J. 2008) I strongly agree that in order for higher education to use and support web 2.0 tools, they must first realize that it is an integral part of technology that is, in a way, becoming more of a necessity. For example, some of the most highly used web 2.0 tools online are: Blogger.com, WordPress, Myspace, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, etc. There are a whole bunch of them and depending on what you are wanting to do, if you know where to look, you can find something that will suit your needs. Higher education should have some sort of learning design technology department that is setup with the sole purpose of not only designing courses, but to be familiar with the use of web 2.0 tools and the benifits it could be for the students, instructors, and the school. With that in mind, they need to implement it in a way where the instructors and students know of these tools and how to use them. I would highly recommend Go2Web20 to anybody looking for web 2.0 tools to use. They've made it easy. All you have to do is click on the topic your are doing and you should definitely find something that will work for you.

Reference

Coolis, B., & Moonen, J. (2008). Web 2.0 tools and processes in higher education: quality perspectives. Educational Media International, 45 (2), 93-106. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.dml.regis.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=32718701&site=ehost-live

“According to a study by German technology advocate Bitkom, people age 14 to 29 would rather give up their relationship partner than their cell phone – by a 2-to-1 margin!¹ ” Cell phones have become an integral part of our society. As of April 2010, 75% of teens have a cell phone, and 88% of those teens are texting.² When you combine the cell phone, a teenager, and the ability to text, you have a trend (texting) that is not going away.

So is texting a good thing or a bad thing? The answer depends on who you ask and which group you are addressing the question to. It is safe to say that texting seems to fit into the masculine culture of America. It provides direct, no frills communication. Advertisers are quite fond of it. It is estimated that 95% of texts are opened and read¹. This is a much higher percentage than your average spam email. Some people (I am in this group) will tell you it is affecting our teen population’s ability to write, spell, and properly express feelings.³ “According to a recent report from Pew Internet and American Life Project, "Writing, Technology and Teens," the vast amount of cell phone text-based abbreviated communications teens use is showing up in more formal writing.”⁴ I think everyone can agree text-based abbreviations have no place in formal writing.

Texting cannot and should not be considered a writing tool. Texting teens use acronyms, emoticons, and one-liners. Even the one-liners are not required to be complete sentences. This type of writing can be habitual, and that is another habit our teens do not need. While researching this topic I discovered numerous incidents of people, responding to articles, which spoke in favor of texting, but did it with incorrect spelling and incomplete sentences. This makes it quite difficult for me to “see” their side. It is unfortunate I could not locate more recent studies showing the effect texting has on teens and formal writing. In the end, I believe texting can be a very handy tool, but similar to sharp objects, it needs to be in the right hands.

¹ Texting Rules Perkins, Bart 11 May 2009 http://web.ebscohost.com.dml.regis.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=24c4e227-e5cd-458c-b794-f5cdefbf6e8f%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=122

² The Age of Teen Texting Dolliver, Mark 26 Apr 2010 http://web.ebscohost.com.dml.regis.edu/ehost/detail?sid=a8c2f5b0-2286-4d94-ad5c-795cebe73fad%40sessionmgr113&vid=1&hid=122&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=50038151

³ Is Texting Destroying Kids' Writing Style? Ream, Jacquie Sep 2008 http://web.ebscohost.com.dml.regis.edu/ehost/detail?sid=d3bd0969-dd95-4e54-b94c-421629417111%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=122&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=34561836

⁴Does Texting Hurt Writing Skills? Lisa Singleton-Rickman 16 July 2009 http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090716/ARTICLES/907165030?Title=Does-texting-hurt-writing-skills-

Computer Viruses - Attack Back

I don’t know of many people who leave their houses unguarded, because the protection factor is obvious. Computers with an Internet connection are just as vulnerable to intruders if left unprotected. Think about how many of us have a computer. How many of us are connected to the Internet? For those of you who have an Internet connection, do you feel you are doing all that needs to be done to help eliminate intruders? I urge everyone who has a computer with Internet access to install antivirus software on to your computers. I am glad I looked into this topic because I have an always on connection, which I have learned makes me a greater target for Internet criminals. I am not an expert by any means; however the information I researched has taught me that it is very important to have at the very least antivirus software. While antivirus software is not the answer to all of our internet worries, it is certainly one of the best things we can do to insure an extensive comfort level to internet users. Antivirus software is used to protect computers from viruses, worms, and trojan horses. It is the first line of defense in protecting our computers and personal information. I have to stress; any internet user should at the very least have antivirus software down loaded onto their computer. These are some things to consider while looking for Anti- virus software.

Automatic Updates: This is an update of the latest virus definitions that +update silently in the background.
Email Scanning: This automatically scans in and outbound emails and attachments for viruses.Spy ware Detection and removal: Quickly detects and helps delete any potentially unwanted applications. For example, key loggers and web dialers. A key logger is some one who sees passwords and account numbers as they are being keyed in on the internet. And a web dialer is one who imposes on someone’s private connection.
Worm Stopper: Uses advanced tech. to detect mass mailing worms.Script Stopper: Detects and helps stop fast spreading viruses like the "I Love you" virus which traveled through an email attachment and infected millions of computers.

These are some steps for maintaining a safe PC. Install and always use antivirus software. Keep your system patched, which means upgrading software to keep everything working properly. Use careful judgment when reading email attachments, make proper backups, use strong passwords, and use care when downloading programs. I hope that the information I gave you all in this blog gets you to install or update your antivirus software. For those of you who already have antivirus software, I hope I gave you a little bit more information that will help you improve your software. As Thomas Drummond said, “Property has its duties as well as its rights.” We should all know how to protect our computers and our personal information the best way we can. This will offer piece of mind while being able to access the world thru the web.

 Understanding Computer Viruses
Antivirus World
          

Cyber Attacks Threaten U.S

Since the start of the cyber world you have had hackers trying to see if they can break into networks of companies to gather information that is vital. But now you have different countries that are considered threats to the U.S. trying to crack into the DHS network all the time. So is this a new way that warfare can be started? If other countries hack into our defense systems does that leave our country vulnerable? Per http://proquest.umi.com.dml.regis.edu the article discusses how the Obama administration is focused on cyber security as a critical nation asset. According to Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO's secretary-general, he is quoted as saying "It's no exaggeration to say that cyber attacks have become a new form of permanent, low-level warfare," he said. Of course it does.  The Pentagon Cyber Command is scheduled to be up and operational as of Oct, 2010, but according to the article much of the U.S. government is lagging behind debating on the responsibilities of the different agencies. I think it is typical that our government is lagging behind on this issue.  Many countries including the U.S, Russia, China, Israel, the U.K., Pakistan, India and North and South Korea have developed sophisticated cyber weapons that can repeatedly penetrate and have the ability to destroy computer networks. This could be a very serious issue since we rely so much on computers and the internet. With technology advancing the way it is, countries don't have to bomb each other in the physical sense to start a war now. That is a scary thought in the unknown sense because you don't know when it will happen, and are we really ready for an attack of this magnitude.

The youtube video below discusses how the U.S. is wanting to treat cyber attacks as an act of war.

Are your kids getting bullied online?

     Are your kids getting bullied while online, probably so!  When we were kids, our parents only had to worry about bullies in our own school.  Today, parents better watch out and stay vigilant to how their kids interact and behave while online.  The bad part is these bullies are very hard to find!  You will have to sharpen your "cyberspace" savvy and use technology to catch these bandits!
     In one article, two phychologists recommended that “Parents need to know that when school ends, your children are not free from the danger of online predators (Cohn & Canter).”  If your kids have cell phones, home computers, access to online chat rooms at school or at the local coffee shop that they attend at lunch time, they are at danger.  They are either being bullied, know someone that is being bullied or are acting as a bully on line.
     Do you remember the fatal story of a girl who hung herself over a boy that never existed?  Well, let me remind you of it and bring this topic back to real life.  According to a news report, “In 2006, 13-year-old Megan Taylor Meier opened up a Myspace account. Shortly after activating, she received a friend request from a boy named Josh. They began to exchange messages, and quickly became online friends. Family and friends reported that Meier had been feeling depressed, but it was accredited to typical teenage stress. When she started messaging Josh, her spirits were lifted.
     However, in October of 2006, Josh sent a message to Meier that had a significantly different tone: “I don’t know if I want to be friends with you anymore because I’ve heard that you are not very nice to your friends.” Hurtful bulletins and public posts were made about her. Josh sent Meier another message saying “You are a bad person and everybody hates you. Have a bad rest of your life. The world would be a better place without you.” Meier replied, “You’re the kind of boy a girl would kill herself over.” Her body was found twenty minutes later, suicide by hanging in her bedroom closet only three weeks before her fourteenth birthday (Martel & Grace).”
      I have children that are very computer savvy and while I have conducted the research for this article, I know that I must make changes to "computer time" in my household.  I recommend to those of you who have children or know someone that does, become aware of your child's internet exposure and habits before a life changing event occurs right beneath your eyes!

Sources:
Cohn, Andrea & Canter, Andrea Ph.D., NCSP National Association of School Psychologists, Bullying: Facts for Schools and Parents, http://www.nasponline.org/resources/factsheets/bullying_fs.aspx

Kaleighrae44, Glogster.Com, http://kaleighrae44.glogster.com/

Martell, Bradford & Grace, Brad, PearAwareness.Com, Cyber Bullying, http://www.peerawareness.com/services/cyber-bullying/

QR Codes: Marketing of the Future

Have you ever wondered what those black and white squares of code on advertisements and flyers are? They are popping up everywhere nowadays used for a plethora of marketing techniques. These mysterious black and white blocks are QR codes and they are the advertising of the future. QR code stands for Quick Response (Cramer, 2010, p. 28). These square barcodes of marketing allure are on the front of magazines, popping up in libraries, and they even appeared in rapper Lupe Fiasco’s new music video. QR codes are gaining popularity exponentially because they are convenient, can link to anything, and they accommodate today’s generation of instant gratification.

QR codes pack a URL into a picture that can be scanned by a smart phone application. They are taking over because they have eliminated the daunting task of typing in a web address. QR codes add a mystery that entices someone to use their phone to see what site is embedded. They are popular with businesses because they save ad space. A historic park in Arkansas has been using QR codes in their park to link to maps, and information on park history (Cramer, 2010, p. 29).

QR codes can link to anything, including videos. In regards to the topic of QR marketing, “Sephora, an international cosmetics retailer, used QR codes on almost every page of a recent catalog; the codes can take the shopper to online videos showing how to use various products” (Tolliver-Nigro, 2010, p. 9).

QR codes cater to the postmodern world of instant gratification. In October of 2010, a QR code was featured on the cover of Time Out New York Magazine (Tolliver-Nigro, 2010, p. 10). They are all over TV, on billboards in Times Square and even becoming permanently marked on people as tattoos.

Online marketing changes every day, and it is safe to say that QR codes are the promotional tool of tomorrow. Who knows what will come next in future trends. Maybe we will have virtual reality promotion, where we can feel like we are actually testing out a product.



References

Cramer, T. (2010). A Case of Taking QR Codes to the Park. EContent, 33(8), 28-30. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Tolliver-Nigro, H. (2010). Best Practices for Making the Most of QR Codes. Seybold Report: Analyzing Publishing Technologies, 10(21), 9-11. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.