Thursday, March 27, 2014

Weekly Report & Reflection #10: Copyright

     Copyright law is a very important and popular topic in the Digital Age.  In order for digital citizens to act responsibly in the online world, they must understand what copyright is.  Copyright law was created to help protect the creators of original material (2Learn, 2012).  These creations include literary, dramatic, musical, rapid, and audio-visual creations (Burt, 2011).  It essentially shows who gets paid for the creation and who pays to borrow such a creation (2Learn, 2012).  Copyright infringement is when someone claims ownership of a copyright without permission from the actual owner.  Copyright infringement is a massive area in the legal system!

     In order to understand the law of copyright, North America established a Copyright Act that has “fair dealing exemptions” where consumers have certain rights to use copyrighted material without permission from the original owner (MediaSmarts).  The fair dealing has two tests: it must fall under exemption and/or have fair dealing factors (MediaSmarts).  Thankfully education is an area that falls under such exemptions (MediaSmarts). 

     Creative Commons is the newest form of resisting copyright law and infringement.  It is a non-profit organization that allows creators to invite certain uses of their works while keeping the copyright (Sites2See, 2012).  It is pretty much how original owners give permission upfront for others to use their work (Lucier).  One can view Creative Commons as the gap filler between all rights reserved and the public domain (Lucier).  The copyright symbol acts as the red light where the Creative Commons symbol acts as the green light to share other people’s work (Creative Commons, 2007). 

     There are two permissions that Creative Commons offers copyright owners: the permission to share and the permission to remix (Lucier).  There are also several conditions in which copyright owners consider while giving permission to their work.  These include attribution, non-commercial, non-derivative works, and share alike (Lucier).  In order to apply for a free copyright license, digital citizens can go to www.creativecommons.org

     The amount of sites that offer media and online content with Creative Commons licenses is increasing as the Information Age and the internet allow digital citizens to explore so much online content (Sites2See, 2012)!  A very common example of such a website would be www.flickr.com.  But there is an overwhelming amount of other Creative Commons content directories for digital citizens to use on the World Wide Web.

     The use of Creative Commons has several benefits.  First, it allows digital citizens to share creative wealth while staying digitally responsible (Lessig, 2006).  It also builds a richer online culture that is accessible to everyone (Lessig, 2006).  Creative Commons gives online users an opportunity to share, re-use, and remix online content without worrying about copyright infringement (Lessig, 2006).  It has helped to create a world where collaboration rules!

      After exploring the use of Animoto and having to find copyright free images online, I have grown into a more responsible digital citizen.  I was never aware of the serious consequences that arise from using other people’s online content.  Isn’t everything on the internet free? If it isn’t, then why is it still available to me?  That is like keeping a Future Shop unlocked 24 hours with no security! It is hard for me to understand why there is such a heavy focus on copyright law and infringement when the internet instigates using, sharing, and remixing other people’s online content.  But now that I have learnt about the serious consequences of copyright infringement and explored options to find copyright free content, I feel like I am going to be a more responsible and ethical digital citizen.  Now excuse me, while I go and take down everything on the internet that I may have stolen from others without the permission of the original owner!!!

Feedly Item:
“Viacom and YouTube Settle Lawsuit Over Copyright”


References

Burt, R. (2011). Teaching Students About Copyright - the YouTube Way. If you cannot view the video, go to http://youtu.be/InzDjH1-9Ns

CreativeCommons. (2007). Get Creative. If you cannot view the video, go to:http://mirrors.creativecommons.org/getcreative/Creative_Commons_-_Get_Creative.swf

Lessig. (2006). Wanna Work Together? If you cannot view the video, go to http://youtu.be/P3rksT1q4eg

Lucier, R. Creative Commons: What Every Educator Needs to Know. If you cannot view the video, go tohttp://dotsub.com/view/b2ead831-4a4e-4530-94d8-381558cfecec

MediaSmarts.com (n.d.). Fair dealing for media education. Available from http://mediasmarts.ca/intellectual-property/fair-dealing-media-education

Sites2See. (2012). Copyright for Students (resource page). Available at http://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/LRRView/8587/


The 2Learn.ca Educational Society. (2011-2012 ). Your Digital Presence. Available at http://www.2learn.ca/ydp/copyrightabout.aspx

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Weekly Report & Reflection #9: Digital Rights and Responsibilities

     Digital rights and responsibilities has also been a primary topic for Week 9’s readings and learning activities.  After reading the articles, I realized that digital rights and responsibilities is a very large topic that can be grouped into subtopics.  There are just so many rights and responsibilities that relate to participating in the online world! Some of these topics include internet safety, cyberbullying, and cyber ethics (Edutopia, 2011).  “Netiquette” is another term that relates to digital responsibilities. These netiquette guidelines illuminate how digital citizens must act online the same as if they were in real life.  The guidelines can specifically relate to e-mail, cellphone, and social media communication too. 

     Communication is a crucial aspect of digital rights and responsibilities.  More specifically, communicating with others for academic purposes needs to be respectful.  While skimming the readings for this week I came across some great guidelines for online student communication (Tucker, 2010).  These guidelines include:

Avoiding emotional punctuation…it is difficult to determine the tone of some people when their messages are filled with exclamation marks and question marks.

  Re-reading messages before sending… make sure it is free from error or mistake.

Keeping language direct… communicating through screens is hard enough as it is!

Use each other’s names… to build better relationships

Ask questions…this will stimulate more conversation (Tucker, 2010)

     I found the best (and by that I mean most interesting) piece of reading material discussing the absolute worst times or places to use phones (Pappas, 2011).  While reading this, be honest with yourself…as was I. Can you recall ever using your phone during these times or places? Did you think it was disrespectful?


The Movies.
-The most irritating thing to me is when people have their bright digital screen up to their face watching the latest Vine video a row ahead of me… My curious eyes are now forced to glance over at the Vine video while watching the movie.  I think that people who use their cellphones during a movie are completely disrespectful and have no care for anyone but themselves.  If I am with someone who is doing this, I always feel SO embarrassed and force them to put it away.

A First Date
-This is just pathetic… If you are on your phone paying attention to the screen more than the newest potential partner then why are you even there?  Clearly people who use their phones while eating a nice dinner (or whatever individuals do these days on dates) are not worth anyone’s time if they are going to be that rude! This makes me so angry… I have had awful experiences with men more interested in their phone more than in me!

Church
-Although I may not be religious, I do know that using a cellphone during church would most likely be viewed as completely disrespectful to any decent person.

Bathroom Stall
-GUILTY! Okay, I admit it… Sometimes I check my phone to see if I have messages while using the washroom.  But take into consideration this is only in my private washroom at home.

Standing in line to check out
-You got me again! Some lines are long so why not speed up the sense of time with a nice Facebook feed or quick conversation with a friend.

When someone is talking to you
-Depending on who it is, I sometimes can be caught doing this (I know, I know, I am a terrible person).  I absolutely hate when people are on their phone when I am trying to have a normal conversation with them simply because most people can not use their phone while continuing to truly listen to me.  They may hear me, but rarely are they listening.

     The rules and standard guidelines of digital communication can be overwhelming.  This is not a pure science as nothing is ever set in stone.  But after reading that article and noticing that I am guilty for using my phone at wrong times in wrong places made me realize that digital rights and responsibilities play a large role in most digital native’s lives.

     The article of interest from my Feedly for this week relates to a large subtopic of digital rights and responsibilities, cyberbullying.  Cyberbullying is a real and growing threat (Belsey, 2007).  The article Secret CEO Responds to Cyberbullying Criticism is of controversial debate right now.  Do we really need another anonymous sharing app? Doesn’t this just support the act of cyberbullying? … Apparently not according to Secret’s CEO.

References

Belsey, B. (2007). Cyberbullying: A real and growing threat. ATA Magazine, 88(1). Available at http://www.teachers.ab.ca/Publications/ATA%20Magazine/Volume%2088/Number%201/Articles/Pages/Cyberbullying.aspx
Edutopia. (2011). Digital Citizenship: Resource Roundup. Retrieved at http://www.edutopia.org/cyberbullying-internet-digital-citizenship-resources
Pappas, C. (2011). 12 Most Inappropriate Times and Places to Use Your Cell Phone. Available athttp://12most.com/2011/08/11/12-inappropriate-times-places-smartphone/

Tucker, C. (2010 ). Top 10 Dos and Don'ts: Online Communication and Cyperbullying. Available athttp://catlintucker.com/2010/12/top-10-dos-and-don%E2%80%99ts-online-student-communication/

Technology Use Scenario

Max is always on the computer. except when he is at school, Max is on his 
social networking sites, video sites, or just surfing websites. He communicates with many people using his social networking sites or texting but rarely leaves the house. His mother is becoming concerned that he is not seeing his friends or going out. What should Max’s mother do?



Although Max isn’t using the technology inappropriately, some would believe he has been using it too much… But what is too much? Should there be a limit to a child’s online participation?

Considering Max is a young person growing up in the Digital Age, he is a digital native.  The youth generation of the Digital Age is adapted to a lifestyle filled with modern technology and advancements.  They are accustomed to this and find hanging out on the computer for countless hours to be normal. 

There is nothing wrong with the way Max is using technology as he primarily is just using social media, watching videos, and surfing the web. What is of concern in this particular situation is the amount of time spent using technology.  The excessive amount of time that Max plays on the computer illustrates how his real social life outside of the computer could be threatened.

Although he may be communicating with several people in the virtual world, he does not get to develop the interpersonal and interactive skills.  These skills are very important for people to develop at a younger age so that they can properly function in society.  Yes, I understand Max is popular online but does this justify him loosing connection to the real world? 

Max’s extreme use of the computer illustrates how he may be suffering from a computer or internet addiction.  Internet addiction is a global epidemic as the Digital Age continues to advance itself.  Internet addiction can result in physical and psychological symptoms which are very harmful to any human being. 

Max’s mother has every right to be concerned for her child’s well-being and social life.  Many families are experiencing the exact same thing across the nation as technology is more accessible than ever before.  Most of the younger generation know how to use all the digital technologies out there, but does mean we should make it fully accessible to our youth? 



Max’s mother needs to confront Max and confirm that his interpersonal social life is not being affected by his computer habits… or some would say obsession.  Then a limit should be put in place. Families and mothers like Max’s need to monitor their children’s use of technology and place a limit on how many hours they can spend on a computer.  This notion of limit and control is a growing topic in the world as so many families are affected by computer addiction.

I found a great resource for anyone who seeks help to overcome computer or internet addiction.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Weekly Report & Reflection Post #8: Wikis

     During week 8 of ADED 1P32, we got the opportunity to explore wikis.  The word “wiki” is derived from the Hawaiian term for “quick” (Teachers First, 2013).  Wikis can range in size from being a single website based on one topic to a huge online encyclopedia (K12Learning, 2013).   It is essentially a website that can be edited by anyone and therefore is continuously revised and updated by many online users (K12Learning, 2013).  It literally allows the website visitor to become an active participant and editor of the information on the website.  One of the greatest features of wikis includes the ability to view the history of the editing that takes place.

     Although the original creation of a wiki was an online space called WikiWikiWeb, the most popular example of a wiki in this generation is definitely Wikipedia (Teachers First, 2013).  Wikipedia is the most common wiki out there in the World Wide Web however, most academia institutions do not allow students to cite Wikipedia because of its “editable” and therefore not creditable information.
     
     Wikis supports social constructivist learning as it is a knowledge building competency (Teachers First, 2013).  This is unlike blogs that are used in a “Post, Comment, Comment, Comment, Comment style”.  Blogs tend to get messy and unorganized as comments can go on for what feels like for ever.  Without the use of comments, online users have the ability to maintain a much neater online space for information via wikis.  Although wikis may be very different than blogs, they are more similar to digital tools such as Google Docs and Evernote because it allows others to edit and revise the content.  Alike Google Docs and Evernote, wiki’s most powerful buttons are the “edit” and “save”.

     I strongly believe that wikis can be used as a very effective learning tool for digital citizens.  The ability to revise online content and edit other people’s work lets wikis offer online users a service that can promote shared knowledge construction and growth (Teachers First, 2013).  They have the ability to help teach and co-ordinate with others more efficiently (Lefever, 2005).  They also inevitably encourage good writing and editorial skills for students and these are seen as essential skills to be a successful communicator and editor (Clark, 2012).  Wikis can be used to develop websites (in the easiest way), create student research projects, and act as brainstorming pages (Teachers First, 2013).  On a more personal level, the best way to utilize wikis for my own learning is to critically evaluate online information sources (K12Learning, 2013).  With all the information that is accessible out there in the online world, it is hard to depict what is accurate and credible information.  I have trusted sources such as wikis when they were invalid and untrue information, therefore learning to critically evaluate online information sources is the best practice for me while browsing wikis.

     After completing the weekly activities and exploring Digital Rights and Responsibilities in thorough detail, I now understand why this element is so crucial to being a successful digital citizen.  Although there may be countless rights and responsibilities while participating in the online world, all of these guidelines should be adhered to in order to maintain a safe and ethical cyber world.  Here is my mind map of the most important digital rights and responsibilities that are seen in today’s Digital Age.

Worboys, J. (2013). Digital Rights Concept Map Image.


     As our topic for this week’s learning regarded wikis, I found an article from TechCrunch via my Feedly.  This article illustrates how there is massive amounts of money being poured into wiki spaces.  The rise of wikis is growing but why is Google not in the fight for some of its space?


References

Clark, D. (2012). Wikis - wickedly clever, underused learning tool. Available at:http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.ca/2012/12/wikis-wickedly-clever-underused.html

K12Learning20.com (2013). It's a wiki wiki world. Available athttp://k12learning20.wikispaces.com/8-wiki1

Lefever, L. (2005). Wikis in Plain English. If you cannot view the video below, go tohttp://www.commoncraft.com/video/wikis

TeachersFirst. (2008-2013). Wiki Walkthrough Step-by-Step. Available athttp://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/



Friday, March 7, 2014

Weekly Reflection & Report Post #7: Google Docs

     Collaborative learning brings value to everyone who participates in it.  By communicating and learning with others, students are given more opportunities to actively learn and engage themselves with other people’s learning (Institute for Writing and Rhetoric, 2013).  Collaborative learning exercises come in many different forms including peer review workshops, research assignments, group presentations, and written papers (Institute for Writing and Rhetoric, 2013).  This type of learning can be practiced in various sizes including whole classes, large groups, small groups, and partners (Institute for Writing and Rhetoric, 2013).  A great example of one way I use collaborative learning while participating in ADED 1P32 is through the online discussion forums.  Considering we are in the midst of a Digital Age where technology is becoming increasingly popular in the academia industry, there are many collaborative tools students can use to practice this type of learning.

      Say goodbye to unorganized e-mail attachments and hello to a computer-based home for digital documents (Lefever, 2007).  In this week’s learning activities and collaborative group assignment, I was introduced to a collaborative tool commonly known as Google Docs.  Google Docs is a unique service that makes sharing documents simple and free of charge.  I always feel buried by e-mail attachments when sharing, editing, and sending back group projects via Hotmail, this can create one huge mess that is unorganized and can negatively affect productivity.  While working on my group assignment, I got to utilize Google Docs to edit and share the presentation with my partner Eugene.  By allowing him to edit what I share with him, I was free from any messy Hotmail inbox.  Instead, everything was always in one place … my Google Drive.  This made everything much more easy and enhanced our productivity and efficiency.   

     Google Docs provides students with many opportunities to improve their personal learning environments.  Google Docs can create word documents, spreadsheets, visual presentations, and more.  This being said, many students could find this service very helpful while working in collaborative groups.  For example, partners creating a presentation can work on, edit, and share between each other their work… just like how my partner and I utilized Google Docs.  But there are other ways of using this service as well including sharing spread sheet information such as statistics and financial statements for students studying business or actual business people.  Google Docs delivers a great system for students to work collaboratively with their partners and groups in an organized matter.

     Although I enjoyed working with my partner via Google Docs, I was not impressed with Today’s Meet.  Today’s Meet is an online group chat service that my partner and I used to discuss our presentation.  I must admit that I was not satisfied with this service at all because it only allowed me to write 140 characters each message as if I was tweeting on Twitter.  This feature, or lack of, frustrated me considering I wanted to say more to my partner in each message.  We eventually gave up conversing on Today’s Meet and continued our conversation via regular text messaging.

     The experience of working collaboratively online was great, especially compared to previous collaborative group work experiences.  I now realize it is not group work that I dislike; it is choosing the wrong partners that create a nightmare for me.  This week’s assignment has made me realize that I can be satisfied working with others in a collaborative assignment… as long as the partner of choice and the environment in which we work meets my needs.  By working with my partner, we were able to cover more ground that I would be able to alone (Institute for Writing and Rhetoric, 2013).

     After creating our presentation on one of the nine elements of digital citizenship, I have gained more knowledge in regards to digital security.  Although I was familiar with this term prior to researching it, I have found more ways to protect myself in the cyber world.  As technology advances, digital natives like me need to continue to seek knowledge of digital citizenship in order to keep safe in the increasingly dangerous online world.

     Speaking of digital security, while browsing my Feedly I came across an article of interest shining light on the rise of cyber-attacks in Ukraine. Take a quick read!

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Weekly Reflection & Report Post #6: Evernote

     Being a digital native, I am familiar with a lot of applications and digital tools to assist me in my daily personal and professional life.  The classic Evernote elephant is becoming increasingly popular as people begin to discover the digital product.  I had never considered the Evernote elephant as a sign to discover the tool leaving me two steps behind active users of Evernote all the time.  Thanks to ADED 1P32, I have been introduced to pretty much a new way of digital efficiency.
     Evernote was launched in 2008 and has become a major success since.  They have over 11 million users globally.  Although there are several other digital tools that perform similar tasks and functions alike, Evernote seems to be an “all-in-one” software and service.  It provides active technology users to be more productive, organized, and structured.
     This week while exploring the digital tool of Evernote to research the topic of Digital Security, I have realized that this is a fantastic tool to use for many aspects of my life.  This includes meeting personal, academic, and professional needs to become efficient while staying effective. 
     Evernote is a service that captures multiple forms of information (Hamilton, 2010).  Although its primary function acts a note taker, it has many abilities to enhance the classic note taking experience.  Unlike the (somewhat) old fashion hand written notes, this service offers more.  You can store virtually anything you want onto Evernote including photos, notes, articles, web clippings, bookmarks, and more.  Considering I have only been using this tool for a week, I have yet to discover all of the software.  There are countless options to create an uncluttered location to collect practically anything you want. The task management tool acts as a “universal inbox” to store stuff which helps users reduce paper clutter (Pinola, 2010).  The most interesting function that Evernote can perform is digitizing hand written notes.  Although I can’t admit I have actually used this feature, I still find this very advanced.  The cross-platform application also has a back-up service for their users (Pinola, 2010).   How Evernote works as a digital reference system is also a great benefit for researching.  This service has introduced users to a custom and personalized way of collecting and storing anything.
     In reference to Malan’s five types of tools to help build a more effective personal learning environment, Evernote would fall under an organizing tool (2010).  Organizing tools enhance personal learning environments by offering digital citizens an opportunity to clear cluster, sort information, and stay neatly arranged.  I believe that it is in my best interest to eliminate some of the previous tools that have been explored from my personal learning environment.  I feel that Evernote is a “man of many trades” in regards to other digital software and tools. By disregarding other tools I have explored, I can now focus on the one tool that I actually find easy to manage.  Within the past couple of weeks of participating in ADED 1P32, I have noticed that having more tools can actually negatively affect my learning environment.  The stress and time consumption that come along with maintaining and utilizing several different digital tools has taken a toll on me.  I have now realized that Evernote is a tool of my preference that will assist me in my daily personal and academic practices. 
     Throughout this course, and particularly the exploration of Evernote, I have focused my attention on one of the nine elements of digital citizenship.  Digital security has always been an aspect of the digital world that is very interesting to me.  In college, I had enrolled in a course called “Techno-world: Emerging Issues”.  Ever since the completion of that course, I have been very aware of digital security and the dangers of it.  By researching this topic furthermore via Evernote, I realize how serious of a danger the internet can be.  This sense of insecurity is becoming ubiquitous within digital citizenship as technology has given man the power to breach the safety and security that digital technologies seem to lack.
The item below has been discovered from my RSS Reader from Tech Crunch’s website. It clearly illustrates the uneasiness that comes along with being safe and secure while participating in the digital world.


References