OER stands for Open Educational Resources. The Web site is the gateway to an online community of educators of all sorts, from all over the world, who have come together to collaborate--to share--their methodologies, tools and techniques with the rest of the OER community. The Web site and the resources in it are easy to find and easy to use.
Describe OER’s member benefits. How much would it cost you to join?
I clicked to register but my efforts were thwarted at the "email confirmation" page--for some reason I never got my email. But it doesn't look like it costs anything to join the community. The benefits include coming in contact with others in the field of education and being able to learn from them, their methods and tools. Also, there are all types of materials and all types of subjects. The use of the Web site in itself promotes education/knowledge on educational technology and broadening the global classroom. The concept of "sharing" is very powerful in the context of learning and education. OER is taking things to the next level by promoting sharing among educators.
Explore OER’s Materials and Recommended Resources. What resources stood out to you and why?
One thing I noticed immediately was the ELATEwiki which was actually under "News&Events." Because of our work with wikis in class, I recognize the power of this tool in the classroom and was impressed to see that other's have also tapped into it. The "Recommended Resources" section made navigating easy and resources easy to find. The format of the Web site is very user-friendly which I think is a major strength-- you don't really have to be an educational technologist to get involved with and start using the site or its resources. They don't have an "English/Language" section under subjects which I noticed because that it is one of my primary areas of interest. I didn't really delve too deep into why but I noticed that they have a plethora of types
of materials with everything from notes to lesson plans to simulations.
Summarize OER’s Community. In what ways could you become involved?
OER's community is composed of researchers, students, teachers, policymakers, admininstrators...I feel like there is a little something for everybody on the site and myriad ways to get involved. Uploading resources, contributing to wikis and other content areas...all are ways to get involved.
What else stood out to you related to this website/ Describe in what ways this resource may be useful to you.
When I saw the Web site I immediately bookmarked it, knowing it will be a resource that I will use in the future. The wealth of information and resources sets it apart but the opportunities for collaboration and sharing really made it stand out. Actually it's all about collaboration.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Cafe World
Café World
About this study:
I chose Café World because I like food! I had played similar games (at least I thought they were similar) before and was curious to see what Zynga’s version of a be-your-own-chef game would look like. Like many other Zynga games, Café World is played on Facebook. Upon Googling Café World I found a plethora of information on everything from how to cheat (using a resource called Cheat Engine 5.5), tips and hints.
Café World, like Farmville, Mafia Wars etc…is a “social game.” I believe what makes it social is that it is not just me playing, rather others (friends) are playing at the same time, competing against me, serving with me (as waiters/waitresses) etc… The aim of Café World is to work your way up the culinary ranks, earning points for meals served, the popularity of your restaurant, money made etc…I saw someone in the one of the pages I found on Google refer to it as the “Iron Chef” of the virtual world.
This video on Youtube illustrates some of the spaces users have created in Café World.
Café World game plot:
Everyone is their very own restaurateur and chef in Café World. I can sauté, fry, boil and blanche my way up the Café World ladder. You can work with friends in your restaurant, make money like you would at a real restaurant (different dishes are different amounts of money), compete against other restaurant owners, decorate and expand your space and much more. Check out http://www.wikihow.com/Play-Cafe-World for more information on how to play Café World.
Café World data:
According to AppData, just this week Café World has climbed from the fourth spot on the leaderboard to the third and is third in the number of monthly active users (MAU) with more than 28 million people playing Café World monthly.
According to an article by Virtual World News Oct. 9 (a week after the game was launched), Café World had been played by 10 million and experienced a growth of 1.5 million in one day.
In the month of Novemeber alone, Café World grew from almost eight million daily active users to peaking at about nine million Nov. 8.
http://statistics.allfacebook.com/applications/single/-/101539264719/DAU
Café World is part of the billion dollar virtual goods industry. The game is tied to Facebook, probably the most popular social networking site to date. Additionally, Café World has many sites that give Café World hints, tips, ideas etc…
The popularity of Café World can be tied to several factors (many of which are similar to those cited by Prof. Sessums for his Farmville analysis):
• Building something users love to come back to is the best predictor of success. -- http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/29/how-to-measure-the-true-stickiness-and-success-of-a-facebook-app/
• The game is social, allowing users to interact with their FB friends and “neighbors”
• The game allows the player (you and me) to be something we could not be in real life—a restaurateur and chef.
• Growth and success requires customization, which requires time. The time investment (required to grow your restaurant, monitor the restaurant almost constantly and earn kudos from others) gives a sense of ownership and makes the user keep coming back for more play.
• Unlike a game like MafiaWars or even a non-violent game like YoVille, players are doing something good—cooking. This may be viewed as “more productive” and even educational by opponents of other games.
• Creativitiy, creativity, creativity! You are in charge! For your own recipes, your kitchen, your design…this plays again to the pyscyhology of ownership, but it’s also fun!
• Like other games, you get hooked! I almost want to go check my spitfire roasted chicken right now and whip up a new batch of French onion soup. It’s hard not to keep coming back for more, working to earn rewards and Café coins.
Educational value:
I could teach a lesson to elementary to middle school students on restaurant economics. It is virtual-world example of a real-world scenario. I believe it could give students a better understanding of what it takes to run a restaurant, and really any business for that matter, in a fun way. It’s educational in the sense that it requires creativity and imagination on the user’s part, and increases understanding of culinary tools and practices/principles (basting, chopping, dicing). At the least it could be used in a home economics course to add some variety to the curriculum/provide students with a virtual learning opportunity.
Controversies:
Like with any and every online social space, the social and psychological ramifications will be examined and assessed. Café World is not violent or immoral, religiously objectionable, sexual or otherwise a game that could be opposed the way many video and computer games, and even some virtual worlds/spaces are. However, some take issue with the concept of a “social game.” Because it’s a game online and requires no human interaction past having FB “friends” to hired for your kitchen can it really be deemed social? Or has the definition of “social” changed/adapted in such a way to include activities like Zynga gaming? I choose the latter.
Other Connections:
Prof. Sessums’ Tamagotchi example brought to mind the Furby which were SUPER popular in the late 90’s to early 2000’s. Created by Tiger Co., this toy, which was a must-have for preteens everywhere, was considered a robot and cried, ate, slept and snored! I had a Furby and I think it’s inner clock was off or something because it would be awake when I was asleep and vice versa. It would stay up at night crying because it was hungry. One day I threw it against the wall.
This really has nothing to do with Café World…What Café World does remind me of is a game I have on my computer called Diner Dash. I also have one called Cake Mania. The purpose of these games is very similar to that of Café World, however I believe the kicker for Café World is that 1. It is social and 2. It utilizes Facebook which is probably the number one most popular social networking site, making the game available to millions more people.
BOTTOM LINE:
Cook! Cook! Cook!Keep coming back for more...
EDUCATIONAL IMPACT:
I don’t agree with games like Café World (or other Zynga games) being lauded for their educational impact. While (as I stated earlier in the “Educational Value” section) some basic lessons can be learned, the benefits of these games are mostly social ones. Bottom line, they offer people an opportunity to play with their friends, doing something that they couldn’t do in the “real world”—in this case be an award-winning chef. I don’t think it can be taken too much further than that in terms of educational value.
HIDDEN AGENDA:
There is no such thing as free. While you can play the game for “free,” Café World gaming requires that you have a certain amount of money and coins. You can purchase Café Coins in packages from $9.99 to $149.99 of real US Dollars! This is what really differentiates “social games” from the ones of the good ‘ol days of computer gaming. Advertisers and creators must make money!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Participatory Divide
What would your ideal school look like?
Would your school have a specific focus like a magnet school? Who would be in charge of the school?
Is it big or small?
Would it be year-round?
What would a typical day for students be like?
Who would you hire to work with the students?
Would you use grades like conventional schools?
How would student work be assessed?
What role would digital media play in your school?
What role would parents and community members play?
Remember, you are only limited by your imagination!
Well for starters, I don't yet understand the them of this week "Participatory Divide." The participatory divides refers to the gap between the haves and the have nots of access to educational technology. At least that's my understanding. These reading speak more to the classroom, pedagogy, rethinking the traditional classroom.
I would like a school for girls (My husband will run the adjacent boy's school). Kids won't have to pay to attend, yet there will be selection criteria. There will be an interview and some sort of portfolio or other display/audition by which we will examine the girl's reasons for wanting to attend my school as well as to guage their abilities/drive/skill etc...By and large most applicants will get in. Sometimes we may scout girls who we've heard good things about. The school is pretty small so we cannnot let everybody in. The school will be like a family. The teachers will know the students, their names, career aspirations etc... Careful attention will be paid to each student. There will be uniforms.
School will start at 8:15 and end at 3:15. The girls will do the majority of their learning in collaborative groups, outside of the classroom. Also we will bring people from outside into the classroom. Everyday will be a career day of sorts. Emphasis will be placed on developing the whole human not just a certain part of the brain. The arts (musical, culinary etc...) will be explored, sports will be explored, dance. Students will get to pretty much pick their classes. Let me specify. While there is a standard curriculum, students will have latitude in deciding which courses fit into their plan.
The school is for grades 1 through 8. Digital media would play a big role in the schooling. At every opportunity, teachers will integrate the technologies that the students are using outside of the classroom into the lesson plan. Students should know that technology isn't just for wasting time, looking up celebrities, talking to friends, but that it can be an integral and fun part of learning. We will have a big field trip in every grade once a month. Teachers may take their respective classes on other trips if they choose. The students won't have to pay for the big trip. We will have a school-wide assembly once a month where we'll bring in a prominent individual to discuss something in keeping with the month's theme (Each month will have a theme like "Into the Future: College and Beyond," or "Celebrating Diversity."
Parents and community members will be a crucial part of the learning process. While it is understood that some parents will be more vested in their student's education, we will embrace the saying "It takes a village to raise a child," and take a very hands-on, group approach to ensuring that every child knows she is cared about and that her successes (and failures)are a reflection on everyone involved.
Would your school have a specific focus like a magnet school? Who would be in charge of the school?
Is it big or small?
Would it be year-round?
What would a typical day for students be like?
Who would you hire to work with the students?
Would you use grades like conventional schools?
How would student work be assessed?
What role would digital media play in your school?
What role would parents and community members play?
Remember, you are only limited by your imagination!
Well for starters, I don't yet understand the them of this week "Participatory Divide." The participatory divides refers to the gap between the haves and the have nots of access to educational technology. At least that's my understanding. These reading speak more to the classroom, pedagogy, rethinking the traditional classroom.
I would like a school for girls (My husband will run the adjacent boy's school). Kids won't have to pay to attend, yet there will be selection criteria. There will be an interview and some sort of portfolio or other display/audition by which we will examine the girl's reasons for wanting to attend my school as well as to guage their abilities/drive/skill etc...By and large most applicants will get in. Sometimes we may scout girls who we've heard good things about. The school is pretty small so we cannnot let everybody in. The school will be like a family. The teachers will know the students, their names, career aspirations etc... Careful attention will be paid to each student. There will be uniforms.
School will start at 8:15 and end at 3:15. The girls will do the majority of their learning in collaborative groups, outside of the classroom. Also we will bring people from outside into the classroom. Everyday will be a career day of sorts. Emphasis will be placed on developing the whole human not just a certain part of the brain. The arts (musical, culinary etc...) will be explored, sports will be explored, dance. Students will get to pretty much pick their classes. Let me specify. While there is a standard curriculum, students will have latitude in deciding which courses fit into their plan.
The school is for grades 1 through 8. Digital media would play a big role in the schooling. At every opportunity, teachers will integrate the technologies that the students are using outside of the classroom into the lesson plan. Students should know that technology isn't just for wasting time, looking up celebrities, talking to friends, but that it can be an integral and fun part of learning. We will have a big field trip in every grade once a month. Teachers may take their respective classes on other trips if they choose. The students won't have to pay for the big trip. We will have a school-wide assembly once a month where we'll bring in a prominent individual to discuss something in keeping with the month's theme (Each month will have a theme like "Into the Future: College and Beyond," or "Celebrating Diversity."
Parents and community members will be a crucial part of the learning process. While it is understood that some parents will be more vested in their student's education, we will embrace the saying "It takes a village to raise a child," and take a very hands-on, group approach to ensuring that every child knows she is cared about and that her successes (and failures)are a reflection on everyone involved.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Social Media and Consumer Behaviors
Have you ever vetted purchase decisions with your friends online friends? If so, describe your experience. If not, why not?
When it comes to consuming, I still make most of my decisions the old-fashioned way. For me, the Internet has not even come close to replacing more traditional consumer behviors (going out, sampling a product(s), purchasing a product, discussing a product with those trying to sell it) and I hope it never does. Internet life is a subset of REAL life and cannot replace the fun of going out and going shopping.
In what ways do you use the Internet when considering making a purchase? If I have to make a large purchase, like a bigscreen T.V., a electronic gadget, car, apartment etc... I will use the Internet to look up information, compare prices, see reviews from other users/buyers etc...
In what ways has social media* shaped your decision about purchasing an item/items? Other than the above-stated ways, social media has not done much at all to shape my purchasing decisions or habits. I rarely participate in online shopping. For me it's almost an oxymoron. Like for many people, shopping offers a sort of therapy almost. Online it's just clicking buttons. You can see or feel the real item. Test it for fit or quality, only hope that it works out.
When it comes to consuming, I still make most of my decisions the old-fashioned way. For me, the Internet has not even come close to replacing more traditional consumer behviors (going out, sampling a product(s), purchasing a product, discussing a product with those trying to sell it) and I hope it never does. Internet life is a subset of REAL life and cannot replace the fun of going out and going shopping.
In what ways do you use the Internet when considering making a purchase? If I have to make a large purchase, like a bigscreen T.V., a electronic gadget, car, apartment etc... I will use the Internet to look up information, compare prices, see reviews from other users/buyers etc...
In what ways has social media* shaped your decision about purchasing an item/items? Other than the above-stated ways, social media has not done much at all to shape my purchasing decisions or habits. I rarely participate in online shopping. For me it's almost an oxymoron. Like for many people, shopping offers a sort of therapy almost. Online it's just clicking buttons. You can see or feel the real item. Test it for fit or quality, only hope that it works out.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Social Action
You work in a school where only half of your students have high speed access and computers at home.
What could you do to bridge this digital divide? How might you use social media to change this situation
and get kids and their families decent computers and high-speed access?
This is a very difficult situation. The gap in this case is substantial and would present a MAJOR barrier to effective learning, teaching and communication to everyone involved. Getting more computers in the schools could be accomplished through partnerships and deals with corporations and businesses who receive a certain amount of money to give to a charitable cause every year, if the school didn't have enough money to purchase computers.
However, bridging the digital divide entails more than just computer access at school. It involves, as the question points out, making sure that kids AND their families have access in their homes as well. All of these technologies and social media tools are useless if you don't have access to them. I think, first of all, we must reach a consensus as a community and a society that access is important. We must educate on what the digital divide is, agree that it exists and that it is a hindrance to our educational progression, and brainstorm ideas on how to deal with it.
I think it would be a great idea if teachers/schools/school administrators started utilizing text messaging to increase the sense of community amongst students and their families. More people have cell phones than computers, including most students, and text message updates on everything from upcoming events, to student progress could be a great tool bridging the social divide (which perpetuates the digital divide).
What could you do to bridge this digital divide? How might you use social media to change this situation
and get kids and their families decent computers and high-speed access?
This is a very difficult situation. The gap in this case is substantial and would present a MAJOR barrier to effective learning, teaching and communication to everyone involved. Getting more computers in the schools could be accomplished through partnerships and deals with corporations and businesses who receive a certain amount of money to give to a charitable cause every year, if the school didn't have enough money to purchase computers.
However, bridging the digital divide entails more than just computer access at school. It involves, as the question points out, making sure that kids AND their families have access in their homes as well. All of these technologies and social media tools are useless if you don't have access to them. I think, first of all, we must reach a consensus as a community and a society that access is important. We must educate on what the digital divide is, agree that it exists and that it is a hindrance to our educational progression, and brainstorm ideas on how to deal with it.
I think it would be a great idea if teachers/schools/school administrators started utilizing text messaging to increase the sense of community amongst students and their families. More people have cell phones than computers, including most students, and text message updates on everything from upcoming events, to student progress could be a great tool bridging the social divide (which perpetuates the digital divide).
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Creatvity and Play
My childhood experiences were many and varied. Making half my childhood memories on the southside of Saint Petersburg and the other on the Southside of Chicago provided for a diversity of experiences. Play was an important part of my life. Internet and T.V. were not allowed in my house the way they are in large doses in other homes. We were sent outside, in the heat, in the snow, sometimes in the rain. In Chicago I made sprinkler memories, walks around the block memories, block party memories, dancing in the basement memories. Having a younger brother and sister made for good games of hide-and-go-seek in my grandmother's big house in North Chicago. In Saint Petersburg, my play landscape was characterized by Easy Bake Ovens, buliding "fortresses" out of chairs, blankets and pillows in the middle of my sister's bedroom, playing in the "jungle" (the plot of banana plants in the middle of my backyard) and hanging out outside in the heat.
Play was extremely important in the formation of my early ideas of life. Playtime was time to explore the world and form my own ideas about it based on how I saw things. It was time to vent, to blow off steam, to get away from my parents and to be whoever I wanted to be at the time. "Simulation games" like Easy Bake Ovens, toy cash registers, vacuums, refrigerators and grocery stores parlayed into real-world application of crucial life skills.
Play is a necessary part of the learning/educational process. Play is most key in the earlier days, when the brain of a child is still in the early stages of its development. However, and this goes along with the points that Sir Ken Robinson made in the video, play is still important throughout the learning process and beyond. "We start to educate children progressively from the waste up, then we focus on their heads." This rings true in classrooms across America. I absolutely LOVED the story he told about the Jillian the dancer.
"It was great, I walked into a room and it was full of people like me."
I loved this quote and it illustrates how we as educators must stop ignoring the other parts of the human body. As Sir Ken Robinson pointed out we must stop "educating kids out of their creative capacities." "Education [] is shifting beneath our feet." Now a Masters degree is necessary where before a Bachelors degree would suffice, and a Doctorate for a Masters...We are going to have to start reshaping/rethinking our ideas of education and what it means/will mean in the next 10-25years.
"We are educating for a future we have little to no concept of."
Play was extremely important in the formation of my early ideas of life. Playtime was time to explore the world and form my own ideas about it based on how I saw things. It was time to vent, to blow off steam, to get away from my parents and to be whoever I wanted to be at the time. "Simulation games" like Easy Bake Ovens, toy cash registers, vacuums, refrigerators and grocery stores parlayed into real-world application of crucial life skills.
Play is a necessary part of the learning/educational process. Play is most key in the earlier days, when the brain of a child is still in the early stages of its development. However, and this goes along with the points that Sir Ken Robinson made in the video, play is still important throughout the learning process and beyond. "We start to educate children progressively from the waste up, then we focus on their heads." This rings true in classrooms across America. I absolutely LOVED the story he told about the Jillian the dancer.
"It was great, I walked into a room and it was full of people like me."
I loved this quote and it illustrates how we as educators must stop ignoring the other parts of the human body. As Sir Ken Robinson pointed out we must stop "educating kids out of their creative capacities." "Education [] is shifting beneath our feet." Now a Masters degree is necessary where before a Bachelors degree would suffice, and a Doctorate for a Masters...We are going to have to start reshaping/rethinking our ideas of education and what it means/will mean in the next 10-25years.
"We are educating for a future we have little to no concept of."
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The type of reader I am, I feel like I've missed out on something important if I don't read the whole article or whole story or whole book. Simply scanning a reading is not my style. So to have two articles both over 20 pages (one a whopping 37!)was just short of the death penalty. But that's all for the complaints.
The content in each reading, video followed each other pretty closely and often overlapped and repeated. I can say that I have pretty thorough understanding of new media literacies.
1. What is your general reaction to the video? Well for starters I liked the music. I thought the video accurately and succinctly got to the essence of what new media literacies are; that someone who knows nothing at all about what a "new media literacy" is (like myself) could sit down and watch the video and walk away with a pretty good idea.
Points of Interest:
"We're not just consumers of media anymore, we're producing things."
Necessary skills include: Negotiation, appropriation, play, simulation, multi-tasking...
2. What features of participatory culture are evident in the video? Which are not?
I don't understand this question and I HATE when I don't understand the questions? Do you mean what features of participatory culture were not discussed in the video versus which are? I'll answer this question...
The video and article shared definitions and skills. Play, performance, simulation, appropriation, multi-tasking, distributed cognition, collective intelligence, judgment, transmedia navigation are New Skills that the article and video both site. Obviously the articles (with its 37 pages) explores the concept of new media literacy more in-depth, as well as its implications.
Points of Interest: *3 Concerns=>Need for Policy & Pedagogical Interventions
1. Participation Gap, 2. Transparency Problem, 3.Ethics Challenge
~Schools and Afterschool programs must devote more attention to fostering new media literacies~
~Participatory culture shifts the focus of literacy from one of individual expression to community involvement~
~Fostering such skills & cultural competencies requires a more systemic approach to media education in the US~
3. Based on the video and article, how do the experiences of the student look similar/different from your experiences as a student?
I like this quote: "If it were possible to define generally the mission of education, it could be said that its fundamental purpose it to ensure that all students benefit from learning in ways that allow them to participate fully in public, community, [creative] and economic life." -New London Group (2000 p.9)
Luckily, I was able to go to pretty good schools that employed a pretty good staff and group of teachers and principal that allowed for pretty good teaching methods.I recognize several skills on the list from my experiences. I remember having ample opportunities for play, performance, simulation, distributed cognition...However some of the newer competencies that require more technological savvy i.e., transmedia navigation are not as memorable.
4. In what ways might you engage your students in participatory culture?
Every subject presents ample opportunities to involve students in play, performance, simulation, appropriation, multitasking and distributive cognition. I would like to teach writing so there are ample opportunities for collective intelligence (Ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with other toward criminal goal), appropriation.
Educational Fair Use
1. What is your reaction to the new media literacy video?
2. Define Media Literacy Education. In what ways is it important for students to be aware of media literacy? Media Literacy is the tools that students need to be active in the new participatory educational setting.
3. Define Educational Fair Use. Define the different licensing options associated with Creative Commons?
4. What is your reaction to the idea behind Creative Commons and their different licensing options?
5. How might you use Flickr in your classroom?
The content in each reading, video followed each other pretty closely and often overlapped and repeated. I can say that I have pretty thorough understanding of new media literacies.
1. What is your general reaction to the video? Well for starters I liked the music. I thought the video accurately and succinctly got to the essence of what new media literacies are; that someone who knows nothing at all about what a "new media literacy" is (like myself) could sit down and watch the video and walk away with a pretty good idea.
Points of Interest:
"We're not just consumers of media anymore, we're producing things."
Necessary skills include: Negotiation, appropriation, play, simulation, multi-tasking...
2. What features of participatory culture are evident in the video? Which are not?
I don't understand this question and I HATE when I don't understand the questions? Do you mean what features of participatory culture were not discussed in the video versus which are? I'll answer this question...
The video and article shared definitions and skills. Play, performance, simulation, appropriation, multi-tasking, distributed cognition, collective intelligence, judgment, transmedia navigation are New Skills that the article and video both site. Obviously the articles (with its 37 pages) explores the concept of new media literacy more in-depth, as well as its implications.
Points of Interest: *3 Concerns=>Need for Policy & Pedagogical Interventions
1. Participation Gap, 2. Transparency Problem, 3.Ethics Challenge
~Schools and Afterschool programs must devote more attention to fostering new media literacies~
~Participatory culture shifts the focus of literacy from one of individual expression to community involvement~
~Fostering such skills & cultural competencies requires a more systemic approach to media education in the US~
3. Based on the video and article, how do the experiences of the student look similar/different from your experiences as a student?
I like this quote: "If it were possible to define generally the mission of education, it could be said that its fundamental purpose it to ensure that all students benefit from learning in ways that allow them to participate fully in public, community, [creative] and economic life." -New London Group (2000 p.9)
Luckily, I was able to go to pretty good schools that employed a pretty good staff and group of teachers and principal that allowed for pretty good teaching methods.I recognize several skills on the list from my experiences. I remember having ample opportunities for play, performance, simulation, distributed cognition...However some of the newer competencies that require more technological savvy i.e., transmedia navigation are not as memorable.
4. In what ways might you engage your students in participatory culture?
Every subject presents ample opportunities to involve students in play, performance, simulation, appropriation, multitasking and distributive cognition. I would like to teach writing so there are ample opportunities for collective intelligence (Ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with other toward criminal goal), appropriation.
Educational Fair Use
1. What is your reaction to the new media literacy video?
2. Define Media Literacy Education. In what ways is it important for students to be aware of media literacy? Media Literacy is the tools that students need to be active in the new participatory educational setting.
3. Define Educational Fair Use. Define the different licensing options associated with Creative Commons?
4. What is your reaction to the idea behind Creative Commons and their different licensing options?
5. How might you use Flickr in your classroom?
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
On Week Five
Boy was there a lot of work for me to do this week! I have my presentation today, Lesson plan 2 due using wikis and the readings (which were good but pretty intense and time consuming--especially once they got into the Q&A). A few point I'd like to make for Prof. Cessums.
1. I made the requested additions/revisions to Lesson Plan 1 regarding the utilization of a concept map in my lesson plan. Hopefully I answered your question and made myself clear.
2.I STILL DON'T KNOW HOW TO PUBLISH MY LESSON PLANS TO THE COURSE WIKI. I tried to access the course wiki last night several times and it kept telling me I didn't have access to it! This could be a big problem...
3. I don't think the rubric I created was appropriate for this week's lesson plan. I mean I think it sucked anyway, but it's even more off this time. If I had more time, I'd like to formulate a more appropriate, and just overall better, rubric.
4. My wiki is incomplete. I don't have an example of what I want the student's work to look like. When I saw the assignment required us to use course wikis I thought "Wow! I'm gonna come up with something that looks just like this !" But it didn't work out that way. So, needless to say, I plan to continue working on it...
I think that is all for now. If I have anything else, I'll be sure to post it. See you in class!
1. I made the requested additions/revisions to Lesson Plan 1 regarding the utilization of a concept map in my lesson plan. Hopefully I answered your question and made myself clear.
2.I STILL DON'T KNOW HOW TO PUBLISH MY LESSON PLANS TO THE COURSE WIKI. I tried to access the course wiki last night several times and it kept telling me I didn't have access to it! This could be a big problem...
3. I don't think the rubric I created was appropriate for this week's lesson plan. I mean I think it sucked anyway, but it's even more off this time. If I had more time, I'd like to formulate a more appropriate, and just overall better, rubric.
4. My wiki is incomplete. I don't have an example of what I want the student's work to look like. When I saw the assignment required us to use course wikis I thought "Wow! I'm gonna come up with something that looks just like this !" But it didn't work out that way. So, needless to say, I plan to continue working on it...
I think that is all for now. If I have anything else, I'll be sure to post it. See you in class!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Online Youth Victimization
So the video series was informative, not what I expected at all. The panelists really seemed to set the record straight and the audience seemed receptive; they seemed to accept their ignorance like a good kid swallowing a bitter pill, out of necessity rather than desire, but they swallowed it all the same. Hopefully some good will come of the panel and some real-life, realistic changes will come about. Maybe they already have, online youth victimization isn't one of my areas of expertise.
1. Who are we making safe?
I think what this question is asking is who are we hoping to make safe through legislation, action, inaction etc...I believe that at face-value the answer is teens/children. The "targeted" group defined and discussed in the panel. The panel cleared up the misinformation on the group that is actually being targeted (vs. who the media tells us). Teens are the most "targeted" group.
"Targeted" is defined as, for the purposes of the panel, those who are victims of being taken advantage of in some way by older adults. One quote I like from Dr. David Finckelwhore (not sure if that's spelled correctly):
"[...]Criminal seductions that take advantage of teenage vulnerabilities[...]"
This is what we are guarding against (what we should be guarding against and hopefully future legislation, action by adults and those in power will work to guard against).
As of right now. Based on the information presented. Our current legislation and understanding of the problems is warped and outright erroneous in many instances. The panel took the time to disabuse the audience of many wrongly held beliefs (i.e., deception as a major theme, young children being taken advantage of, abduction a major issue etc.... I don't know if what is being done right now is working so it might not be making anyone any safer in actuality.
2. What are we making safe?
Like I said earlier, based on the current information things aren't being done the right way so we might not be making anything/one safer. But as far as future implications go, we will be making the Internet a "safer" place. Safer being defined as (to me) a place where we have lowered instances of cyber-bullying, harassment by solicitors, marketers and external groups, and unwanted solicitation of all sorts by all groups essentially.
The Internet will be safer in that it will be used explicitly for those things which it is desired for (social networking, research etc...)Is this possible?
A key point to consider: It was stated several times that in the overwhelming majority of these cases, the teen willingly took part in the "unsafe" process by engaging in sexual conversations with the adult/stranger and practicing generally "unsafe" Internet behaviors (*see "Internet Daredevil"). The point was made that only through education and the elimination/minimization of the root problem (in many cases an "unsafe" family/home environment)can we make headway in the problem of adult-child online sexual victimization.
3.What are the consequences of such decisions?
What decisions exactly Prof. Cessums????
I'll say that teens must understand the implications of the decisions they are making. Although the majority of them do (as evidenced by the statistics that show teens are limiting the amount of personal information they put online etc...), many teens still don't understand the long-term consequences that can result in 1.Getting involved in inappropriate conversations 2.Sharing sexual information online 3.Following up with strangers etc...
Once these are THOROUGHLY understood, explained in a REALISTIC manner that does not employ "scare tactics" or obviously unrealistic language and claims, teachers, parents, legislators etc... MUST be willing to 1.have uncomfortable conversations and 2.LEARN THE TECHNOLOGY. You cannot educate about something you don't understand. Kids know this and are able to take advantage of the ignorance of those in power (parents, teachers...).
I think these questions were to broad. I don't see how any of them touched on or tested my understanding of the video.
1. Who are we making safe?
I think what this question is asking is who are we hoping to make safe through legislation, action, inaction etc...I believe that at face-value the answer is teens/children. The "targeted" group defined and discussed in the panel. The panel cleared up the misinformation on the group that is actually being targeted (vs. who the media tells us). Teens are the most "targeted" group.
"Targeted" is defined as, for the purposes of the panel, those who are victims of being taken advantage of in some way by older adults. One quote I like from Dr. David Finckelwhore (not sure if that's spelled correctly):
"[...]Criminal seductions that take advantage of teenage vulnerabilities[...]"
This is what we are guarding against (what we should be guarding against and hopefully future legislation, action by adults and those in power will work to guard against).
As of right now. Based on the information presented. Our current legislation and understanding of the problems is warped and outright erroneous in many instances. The panel took the time to disabuse the audience of many wrongly held beliefs (i.e., deception as a major theme, young children being taken advantage of, abduction a major issue etc.... I don't know if what is being done right now is working so it might not be making anyone any safer in actuality.
2. What are we making safe?
Like I said earlier, based on the current information things aren't being done the right way so we might not be making anything/one safer. But as far as future implications go, we will be making the Internet a "safer" place. Safer being defined as (to me) a place where we have lowered instances of cyber-bullying, harassment by solicitors, marketers and external groups, and unwanted solicitation of all sorts by all groups essentially.
The Internet will be safer in that it will be used explicitly for those things which it is desired for (social networking, research etc...)Is this possible?
A key point to consider: It was stated several times that in the overwhelming majority of these cases, the teen willingly took part in the "unsafe" process by engaging in sexual conversations with the adult/stranger and practicing generally "unsafe" Internet behaviors (*see "Internet Daredevil"). The point was made that only through education and the elimination/minimization of the root problem (in many cases an "unsafe" family/home environment)can we make headway in the problem of adult-child online sexual victimization.
3.What are the consequences of such decisions?
What decisions exactly Prof. Cessums????
I'll say that teens must understand the implications of the decisions they are making. Although the majority of them do (as evidenced by the statistics that show teens are limiting the amount of personal information they put online etc...), many teens still don't understand the long-term consequences that can result in 1.Getting involved in inappropriate conversations 2.Sharing sexual information online 3.Following up with strangers etc...
Once these are THOROUGHLY understood, explained in a REALISTIC manner that does not employ "scare tactics" or obviously unrealistic language and claims, teachers, parents, legislators etc... MUST be willing to 1.have uncomfortable conversations and 2.LEARN THE TECHNOLOGY. You cannot educate about something you don't understand. Kids know this and are able to take advantage of the ignorance of those in power (parents, teachers...).
I think these questions were to broad. I don't see how any of them touched on or tested my understanding of the video.
Monday, September 21, 2009
On Here Comes Everyone
I'll have to say that this was probably my favorite "reading" yet. Instead of doing an overview like I usually do I'm going to post the notes I took on the video. Maybe they will be helpful to my fellow classmates.
Reading: Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations
Audience: General
-Effects of Internet becoming broadly social=> General Awareness-
-"Internet not a decoration on contemporary society, it's a challenge to it."-
I think this is a very good quote. It makes so much sense given the implications of the Internet in every aspect of society. I love it!
-We're living through the largest increase in human expressive capability in history-
*4 Revelations
1.Printing Press and Movable Type
2.Telephone/Telegraph
3.Recorded media, movies etc...
4.Harness Broadcast
Notice: The one's that create groups don't create 2-way communications and the ones that creat 2-way communications don't create groups.
*Peacock hitting windscreen
~GROUP ACTION JUST GOT EASIER!!!~
-Freedom of Speech, Press and Assembly now all the same freedom
-Humans natively good at group action
-*Complication of group formation=>
5 people=10 connections
10 people=45 connections
~"Adding more engineers to a late Project makes it later"~
*Diminsihing utility
-Native disabilities of groups past a certain size
*Hierarchy
-Set of tools=>Make each link easier to produce=>Larger, easier groups
~Ridiculously easy group forming~
*Email as afterthought on original Internet
*Reply-all Significance(Upsides and Downsides)
B/w 1974 and Now...
-Enormous social lag=>Social Capability has NOT transformed society...vs other types of apps b/c groups natively conservative
~"Curiously the moment at which technology becomes boring that the social effects become interesting."
"Once technology sinks deep into the culture the social effects that get built on it simultaneously REQUIRE the technology and ARENT ABOUT (IT) the technology."
*Internal combustion (Engine) moment with Internet
*About none of it and all of it at the same time
Ladder: Ways in Which Group Effect more than just aggregated individual action
1.Sharing
2.Conversation
3.Collaboration
4.Collective Action
~How much does the individual have to work to coordinate their actions with the group~
1.Sharing
*Delicious=>Lowered difficulty of sharing=>social effects afterthought
-"Me-first" utility
-Reverses old order of sharing
Congregate->Share
Tagging systems:Share->Congregate
Sharing as a platform invisibly changing media...
2.Conversation
*Community of practice and Hi-dynamic range photography
Media Sharing=>Platform=>Group gets better TOGETHER
~"Sharing + Conversation leaves residue of instruction"~
*Bronze Beta & Buffy the Vampire Slayer=>features as distractions
3.Collaboration
*Anime and Market failure
4.Collective Action
-Rarest pattern...FUTURE
*Airlines & Planes stuck on Tarmac
-Flier Bill of Rights & Kate Hanni
~"Thinking is for Doing"~
-William James
~PUBLISHING IS FOR ACTING~
=>One click away...change
Reading: Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations
Audience: General
-Effects of Internet becoming broadly social=> General Awareness-
-"Internet not a decoration on contemporary society, it's a challenge to it."-
I think this is a very good quote. It makes so much sense given the implications of the Internet in every aspect of society. I love it!
-We're living through the largest increase in human expressive capability in history-
*4 Revelations
1.Printing Press and Movable Type
2.Telephone/Telegraph
3.Recorded media, movies etc...
4.Harness Broadcast
Notice: The one's that create groups don't create 2-way communications and the ones that creat 2-way communications don't create groups.
*Peacock hitting windscreen
~GROUP ACTION JUST GOT EASIER!!!~
-Freedom of Speech, Press and Assembly now all the same freedom
-Humans natively good at group action
-*Complication of group formation=>
5 people=10 connections
10 people=45 connections
~"Adding more engineers to a late Project makes it later"~
*Diminsihing utility
-Native disabilities of groups past a certain size
*Hierarchy
-Set of tools=>Make each link easier to produce=>Larger, easier groups
~Ridiculously easy group forming~
*Email as afterthought on original Internet
*Reply-all Significance(Upsides and Downsides)
B/w 1974 and Now...
-Enormous social lag=>Social Capability has NOT transformed society...vs other types of apps b/c groups natively conservative
~"Curiously the moment at which technology becomes boring that the social effects become interesting."
"Once technology sinks deep into the culture the social effects that get built on it simultaneously REQUIRE the technology and ARENT ABOUT (IT) the technology."
*Internal combustion (Engine) moment with Internet
*About none of it and all of it at the same time
Ladder: Ways in Which Group Effect more than just aggregated individual action
1.Sharing
2.Conversation
3.Collaboration
4.Collective Action
~How much does the individual have to work to coordinate their actions with the group~
1.Sharing
*Delicious=>Lowered difficulty of sharing=>social effects afterthought
-"Me-first" utility
-Reverses old order of sharing
Congregate->Share
Tagging systems:Share->Congregate
Sharing as a platform invisibly changing media...
2.Conversation
*Community of practice and Hi-dynamic range photography
Media Sharing=>Platform=>Group gets better TOGETHER
~"Sharing + Conversation leaves residue of instruction"~
*Bronze Beta & Buffy the Vampire Slayer=>features as distractions
3.Collaboration
*Anime and Market failure
4.Collective Action
-Rarest pattern...FUTURE
*Airlines & Planes stuck on Tarmac
-Flier Bill of Rights & Kate Hanni
~"Thinking is for Doing"~
-William James
~PUBLISHING IS FOR ACTING~
=>One click away...change
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Re: Lesson Plan 1
I would like to say that the mindmap on my lesson plan IS NOT MINE. I don't want to get hit with the plagiarism thing so I am clarifying I DID NOT CREATE THE CONCEPT MAP THAT IS FEATURED ON MY LESSON PLAN. I believe what happened, in the midst of my technological difficulties my concept map ended up not getting saved and I copied the incorrect url. Either way, I do not have an appropriate concept map.
But if I did, I would like to utilize the mindmeister format in that it allows the group to edit the concept map. So the way I see it, I might start a thread but have the students for homework each add a strand. The topic would be on the assignment, which assesses both how the student performs as an individual writer and how he/she performs in the context of the group (collaborating via Twitter, facebook etc...).
But if I did, I would like to utilize the mindmeister format in that it allows the group to edit the concept map. So the way I see it, I might start a thread but have the students for homework each add a strand. The topic would be on the assignment, which assesses both how the student performs as an individual writer and how he/she performs in the context of the group (collaborating via Twitter, facebook etc...).
Lesson Plan
So I'm posting this at the last minute because last night my Internet crashed and I had to re-do a large part of my lesson plan. Luckily I managed to copy and paste the contents of my lesson plan into a Word document before my computer shut down. Anyhoo, I enjoyed doing the lesson plan. The Google spreadsheet is a very efficient format for a project like this. Additionally, I'd like to note that I did not follow the directions for the RSS lab. See I have a personal feed reader with Yahoo that I keep up with regularly so instead of following the Google Reader (which I am now subscribed to) I used Yahoo so I will report on my experiences with that.
Yahoo is a lot different from Google. It allows you to personalize your page and trick it out with backgrounds and pictures and music. I love NPR so I follow them and several of their feeds. Also, as a journalist, it is my business to keep up with the news. I like the Google reader format better because I feel like it's less cluttered and no-nonsense. With such varied interests, I find news feeds very useful. They allow you to get a taste of all the different types of news and choose which ones to explore more in-depth.
Because I am posting this at the last minute and it is now time to go to class, I will say that this week's assignments were very useful and I know that I can and will use them throughout my teaching career.
I'd like to add that I kind of stole some of Prof. Sessums' teaching techniques in formulating my lesson plan. The utilization of blogs, journals and twitter in instruction I modeled after the techniques in this course. Not because I'm unoriginal or trying to copy, but because I plan to use them in my own classroom. The tools are very relevant and students respond to things that are relevant to them personally.
Have mercy Prof. Sessums for my last-minuteness please!
Ciao
Yahoo is a lot different from Google. It allows you to personalize your page and trick it out with backgrounds and pictures and music. I love NPR so I follow them and several of their feeds. Also, as a journalist, it is my business to keep up with the news. I like the Google reader format better because I feel like it's less cluttered and no-nonsense. With such varied interests, I find news feeds very useful. They allow you to get a taste of all the different types of news and choose which ones to explore more in-depth.
Because I am posting this at the last minute and it is now time to go to class, I will say that this week's assignments were very useful and I know that I can and will use them throughout my teaching career.
I'd like to add that I kind of stole some of Prof. Sessums' teaching techniques in formulating my lesson plan. The utilization of blogs, journals and twitter in instruction I modeled after the techniques in this course. Not because I'm unoriginal or trying to copy, but because I plan to use them in my own classroom. The tools are very relevant and students respond to things that are relevant to them personally.
Have mercy Prof. Sessums for my last-minuteness please!
Ciao
Saturday, September 12, 2009
On Week 3 Readings
The professor did a good job of picking readings that were all related. Taken as a whole they provided a cohesive and thorough analysis of Active/Collective learning vs. the traditional classroom.
Reading 1: Active Learning
This reading provided an easy-to-understand summary of what active learning is and how to put it into practice. The reading incorporates different perspectives, tying them together to present an accurate, balanced analysis of active learning, how to implement it and its elements.
By giving a list of in-class active learning techniques, the reader is able to visualize what the active learning classroom looks like (making the concept of active learning real to the reader instead of a far fetched ideal).
Reading 2: What is the Collaborative Classroom?
I thought this reading was uneccessarily long. Although it started off focused, the background at the end on research methods and beyond worked to dilute the main message.
"New learning and thinking curricula require collaboration"
I think this goes to the heart of what the article was trying to get across. The collaborative classroom is the product of student and teacher efforts to keep the learning process engaging and meaningful for all involved.
Even though it was long, it was thorough and gave examples for how teachers and students should approach transitioning from a traditional classroom to one that's collaborative and meaningful.
Reading 3: Strategies for Engaging Students
I liked that this reading was specific, focused and succinct. After giving the suggestions, it gave examples of how these things can be implemented in the classroom. "Make Content and Assignments relevant to the students' lives," "Provide Students with a choice and a sense of control," "Encourage Self-Reflection on Learning," these are objectives that are easy for educators and policy makers to agree upon, nor are they difficult to do.
Reading 4: Problem-Based Learning
The shortest of the readings, I like how the article spoke to the student instead of the teacher. The use of this tone gave the article more meaning and made its suggestions more tangible for the reader.
The article made learning seem kind of scientific in that it provided a sort of formula, a scientific method of sorts, for the learning process.
Reading 1: Active Learning
This reading provided an easy-to-understand summary of what active learning is and how to put it into practice. The reading incorporates different perspectives, tying them together to present an accurate, balanced analysis of active learning, how to implement it and its elements.
By giving a list of in-class active learning techniques, the reader is able to visualize what the active learning classroom looks like (making the concept of active learning real to the reader instead of a far fetched ideal).
Reading 2: What is the Collaborative Classroom?
I thought this reading was uneccessarily long. Although it started off focused, the background at the end on research methods and beyond worked to dilute the main message.
"New learning and thinking curricula require collaboration"
I think this goes to the heart of what the article was trying to get across. The collaborative classroom is the product of student and teacher efforts to keep the learning process engaging and meaningful for all involved.
Even though it was long, it was thorough and gave examples for how teachers and students should approach transitioning from a traditional classroom to one that's collaborative and meaningful.
Reading 3: Strategies for Engaging Students
I liked that this reading was specific, focused and succinct. After giving the suggestions, it gave examples of how these things can be implemented in the classroom. "Make Content and Assignments relevant to the students' lives," "Provide Students with a choice and a sense of control," "Encourage Self-Reflection on Learning," these are objectives that are easy for educators and policy makers to agree upon, nor are they difficult to do.
Reading 4: Problem-Based Learning
The shortest of the readings, I like how the article spoke to the student instead of the teacher. The use of this tone gave the article more meaning and made its suggestions more tangible for the reader.
The article made learning seem kind of scientific in that it provided a sort of formula, a scientific method of sorts, for the learning process.
Course Expectations
Even though this post is late I'm going to respond anyway so as not to fall behind...
1. I expect to learn a lot from this course. I know that's vague and pretty meaningless but the professor's passion for the subject matter coupled with my eagerness to become increasingly tech savvy and proficient with computers make me very excited about taking the course. I expect to discover new techniques that will help me become a better teacher. I expect the professor to make the course interesting and engaging, to encourage response and feedback as often as possible and to hold my and my peers' attention on a weekly basis. I expect him to hold us (the class) accountable for the information presented.
2. I expect my classmates to participate actively in classroom discussions and activities, to recognize their responsibility in maintaining an engaging and interesting class and interaction with all members of the class
3. I expect the instructor to maintain a realistic awareness of his part of the responsibility of ensuring that all members of the class are engaged and participate in the learning process. I expect him to keep the atmosphere fun and informal (non-traditional) by encouraging participation. I expect him to be understanding. I expect him to recognize each student individually, for his/her contributions, abilities etc...
4. None right now.
1. I expect to learn a lot from this course. I know that's vague and pretty meaningless but the professor's passion for the subject matter coupled with my eagerness to become increasingly tech savvy and proficient with computers make me very excited about taking the course. I expect to discover new techniques that will help me become a better teacher. I expect the professor to make the course interesting and engaging, to encourage response and feedback as often as possible and to hold my and my peers' attention on a weekly basis. I expect him to hold us (the class) accountable for the information presented.
2. I expect my classmates to participate actively in classroom discussions and activities, to recognize their responsibility in maintaining an engaging and interesting class and interaction with all members of the class
3. I expect the instructor to maintain a realistic awareness of his part of the responsibility of ensuring that all members of the class are engaged and participate in the learning process. I expect him to keep the atmosphere fun and informal (non-traditional) by encouraging participation. I expect him to be understanding. I expect him to recognize each student individually, for his/her contributions, abilities etc...
4. None right now.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Mouse Cloud Black Cow
Written July 17, 2008 11:26p.m.
Mouse Cloud Black Cow (Unedited)
You never really notice the clouds at night. They’re just something else to take for granted like street lights or the sound of crickets. Well actually clouds aren’t like those things because with the latter objects you notice them when they’re not there, but how often have you looked up at the night sky, when you weren’t taking it for granted or doing something cliché like admiring the constellations, and noticed the seemingly cloudless night sky? Well I noticed the clouds tonight, only briefly, but nevertheless they were noticed. I think it’s because they (at least the particular cloud I noticed) retained the fluffiness that usually characterizes them during the day but somehow seems to dissipate when the sun goes down. This cloud seemed unusually bright too. I don’t want to say it was white, grey would be more appropriate, with the ebony opaqueness of the sky mixing and mingling with the ivory of the cloud to form this pewterish color. It reminds of the color of a mouse, so that’s what I’ll call it. Me and my mouse cloud, the unfairly pleasant night breeze—not too much humidity—and Steely Dan’s “Black Cow”.
I’m sitting at Alfred’s house, alone in his plain room. White walls, flat carpet, a shoe here or there. Things I’m choosing to notice right now. The list of important black people, people he should know (or at least that I think he should know) still on his mini dry-erase whiteboard where I put them last week. Lena Horne, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte and “People you should know” with the “should” in big fat obnoxious dry-erase letters, still not erased. He probably still doesn’t know who they are.
Today was pretty nondescript. Even the class discussion in Magazine Production was uncharacteristically bland. I actually found myself getting quite bothered. We were continuing a discussion we’d previously started on writing. What makes a good writer? What are the top five things, traits you have to have in order to be a good writer? We filled up sixty minutes tip toeing around the responses to the last two traits. The “I’ll tell you if you don’t get them by the time class is over” game, the “Can you just tell us the last two…tell us what you’re looking for” game. And how disappointed I was! “Active voice” and “Be specific”. How lame. I feel like we could’ve used our time a lot more wisely.
“There is exactly one word for everything you’re trying to say” Prof Bo said. This was the greatest thing I learned today. And how true indeed. I have become sincerely enamored with words. Words as they are, as individual units, pieces of a quilt, or mosaic, or any truly great and beautiful compilation. Are words and vocabulary the same? Prof. Bo, the editor, chooses to use the analogy as words (or vocabulary) being the ingredients to a meal. But aren’t the best dishes composed of the best ingredients? That’s for another time.
I have a history test in the morning, and I should probably be going over some notes or something right now. But I’ll blow the few facts I do know up, inflate them so, sprinkle them with some exciting words or vocabulary and the Professor will scarf it down. It may not be gourmet but it will be palatable. I’m sure it will be tastier than many of the other essays she will receive, and while I do not make a habit of being so mediocre, I’m really damn tired. Which reminds me, I didn’t buy a Blue Book.
There is a bus driver that I’m starting to hate. You see hate for a total stranger has to be cultivated, like a bacteria culture in a Petri dish, or mold. Hate requires a strong emotional attachment, and that is something I do not have for this bus driver with him being a total stranger and all. I feel more disgust or pity, definitely genuine disgust. He makes it his business to give people an extra hard time about showing him their passes. “Make sure I can see the picture or I can’t let you on the bus”-- I just want to kick him in his big stupid face when he does this. Surely he takes his job too seriously; I just know they don’t pay him extra to be an asshole. But then I think to myself (this is where the pity can creep in) he is just a bus driver. That is who he is and who he must remain. Nothing more, nothing less. Sometimes I’ll try to entertain thoughts of him being a dad or a good spades player or maybe a choir singer, but I must stop myself. Because once he is no longer just a bus driver the disgust, feigned hatred, will erode— the drama will be lost. You can’t hate a guy who sings in the choir on Sunday’s and keep his friends entertained by given ‘em a good run at spades during Sunday dinner, who buys his kids candy from the corner store with extra change, and just so happens to have a crap job in the eyes of our status-hungry society; but just a bus driver—how sickening. Even as I write this I see his dumb face, hear his irritated, irritating voice, see his sagging pants, and am disgusted.
He makes it his business to keep his bus uncomfortably cold. Today was a mostly cloudy day, not unbearably sunny or even hot by comparison to most days. There is no reason why he had to keep it so cold. And, like whenever I board his bus, I see myself already home. I ride with a goal in mind, escape from the frigid interiors of the bus. I envision myself passing by the chemistry building, going past the strip on University, passing the unnecessary welcome center and track. I see myself having already passed the law school, already having overcome the longest part of the journey, the trip down 34th street, already stopping at the light on the SW 35th and pulling the cable which says to the driver “Let me the hell off” (it doesn’t really say this it says “stop requested” but I’m saying it when I pull it, especially on his bus). This mental going ahead makes the journey more tolerable. But today it was interrupted. As we made the turn at SW 35th the bus driver pulled over to the side of the road and got off the bus. He then crossed the street (the gas station is on the other side of the street) and took a break. “What the f*** is this guy doing,” some guy asked me, “I have no idea,” I stated not trying to hide my irritation. As me and the guy, and some random chick with a double chin and hair bleached blonde (it reminded me of cotton candy) sat on that frigid bus I though about sarcastic remarks I could make upon his return “I wish you had told me we were taking a break, I could’ve went and picked up some donuts…”. He materialized about six minutes later with an orange pop of some sort in his hand; pants in their signature sag “Come on fat ass,” the guy in back of me said. When he got back on the bus and I noticed his stupid face, I couldn’t muster up the intestinal fortitude to say any of the things I’d thought about saying. His face looked so innocently dumb, so sincerely ignorant, and I decided to let it slide. I always threaten to report him to RTS, mentally that is. I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.
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