Maria Tannant

What facebook knows about you

mariatannant — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:42:11 +0000

Something that really does not surprise me.

I guess Twitter could tell the same story…

More proof that Facebook keeps all deleted messages and images – read the full story – how Facebook is not playing ball with Data Protection and Freedom of Information

Typesetting, Typeface and Dyslexia

mariatannant — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:52:31 +0000

Typesetting is an old word now, but I’m trying to describe a mix of uppercase/lowercase alpha characters alongside numerals, so for now I will refer to typesetting because that’s what we do when we apply these to a page.

I’m one of those people that struggle with block text presented in uppercase, in fact I also struggle with combination of uppercase letters and numbers such as RFPR2201 – there’s just nothing memorable about it for me. Besides not being able to remember such arrangements, they are hard to read smoothly, coming across as tongue twisters – try saying RFPR2201 quickly. Does this make me dyslexic I wonder? If we consider changing the pattern of this code, which version do you find more memorable? I’ve place them in an order I find most memorable and less difficult to say…

rFPr2201
RFpr2201
rfPR2201
rfpr2201
rFPR2201
Rfpr2201
RfpR2201
RFPR2201

Again, ordering by ease and memorability, the connections I make are denoted by a hyphen acting as a pause:

r-FP-r-2201
RF-pr-2201
rf-PR-2201
rfpr-2201
r-FPR-2201
R-fpr-2201
R-fp-R-2201
RFPR-2201

Typeface also plays a strong role in setting triggers in memory and legibility. I came across Christian Boer’s Dyslexie typeface, which is especially designed for people with dyslexia. Research by the University of Twente in Holland showed that people with dyslexia made fewer mistakes reading with the typeface Dyslexie compared to standard fonts. Dyslexie has distinct differences between each character such as placing emphasis on certain parts of the letter which makes it easier to recognize against similar letterforms.

The side of Twitter I don’t understand

mariatannant — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 11:39:41 +0000

I found this animation by Current News which takes a satirical view of Twitter and the ways people use it. It shows a side of of this technology that I can’t understand, meaning why do people even bother broadcasting their banal life to others, what exactly is the point? The animation hints about the friendships developed on Twitter, from a professional standpoint, I can understand this concept, as knowledge and networking opportunities can be developed by shared interests, but why would anyone bother otherwise?

Click here for Twouble with Twitters animation
I’ll be exploring this theme more over the next month and will review my current stance. One thought is that if I had no friends and not much else to do, Twitter would be a platform to pass time and maybe make connections on a social basis… Lets hope that never happens – God forbid!

Personal Learning Environments

mariatannant — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 17:26:04 +0000

Personal learning environments begin with the interface you are using, so for example my mobile PLE will have different uses to my laptop PLE, and my desktop PLC is different again as this is purely work related. Since moving away from web design and into learning technologies, my repertoire of tools has changed and with that different drivers to learn new tools. So my PLEs reflect my career and interests.

In my diagram I have not attempted to map paths or learning journeys as this would be futile meaning I may be using a number of tools at the same time as well as mixing up tasks – meaning I will answer email, write an essay and dip into the web every now and again for some diversion.

More PLE Diagrams from edtechpost

In terms of VLEs v PLEs, I believe there is room for both, as Martin Weller refers to in his Using learning environments as a metaphor for educational change, the embed code allows the cloud based tools into the VLE and likewise, data can be pushed out to FB (if it really has to, but I’m not in favour of this).

In terms of students knowing all about using these wonderful tools, I wonder just how true this is. I suspect many don’t know how to discern found information just as many will not use social bookmarking tools such as Diigo or micro-blogging such as Twitter for learning. I ‘m in favour of supporting students to use these tools when they first arrive at university so they get a good grounding and realise the great benefits of sharing information. I am speaking from a learner perspective as I had no real idea how powerful social booking and networking was in a formal context.

In terms of issues, some students will require more support and course teams should be aware of this.

4Cs: Communication, Collaboration, Critical thinking and Creativity

mariatannant — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 17:22:31 +0000

It’s good to share!

by The Partnership of 21st Century Skills

Above & Beyond is a story about what is possible when communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity take center stage in schools and transform learning opportunities for all kids.

Lectures – what’s the problem?

mariatannant — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:44:42 +0000

I’m frankly fed-up of hearing about how boring students are finding their lectures (Anderson 2003) and how laptops should be included along with iphones, twitter etc. When I was at university, I really enjoyed 95% of my lectures and I considered these as something unique to my learning experience. Some of my lecturers made very memorable impressions in their delivery, alongside the old-fashioned carousel slide projector, that sometimes failed to work:)

Not everything has to be obviously interactive. I interacted mentally with the most outstanding lectures through imagination and thought process.

If lectures are so boring, then the fault lies with the deliver, not the medium.

references: Terry Anderson – Getting the Mix Right Again: An updated and theoretical rationale for interaction

Institutions and new technologies – never the twain shall meet

mariatannant — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:52:41 +0000

Sometimes I wonder at technology and all the fuss it causes… just as things are running smoothly, along comes another technology ‘we simply must have’ and everything seems to become extremely difficult. Regardless of the fact new technologies requiring some integration (resources) require a business case, then a board of management decides if the cause is worthy. So Conole (2011) is correct in her statement when she states we need a radical change that requires a top-down approach and with this, strategy and policy are needed to ensure the change is systemic. Clear strategic vision and in-depth understanding of new technologies are required from this top level, and as she states, ‘it is debatable as to whether most senior managers have the appropriate skills to accomplish this’.

From my own experience, a practitioner wanting to use a new technology legitimately within an institution has many barriers to cross, not least the resourcing of implementing a new technology. Take WordPress as an example, and the ability to host the software on an institutional server. Issues such a server space, bandwidth and ownership come into play. Who will pay for the resource and hardware- and the time element sparing someone to set it up? It seems people pass such requests from meeting to meeting and something far more important comes along in the meantime that needs fixing (like the finance system) so new technologies take a back seat.

Beyond the senior management knowing a good thing when it comes (or not), there’s the IT crowd and the resource and knowledge expertise they have, this really does becomes a dependant factor. Is there a good captain at the helm who is able to select a good team with a thirst for delivery? But to be fair, we do have a huge problem of speed – that is the speed in which these technologies come and go like High Street Fashion. How can these institutions keep up with the pace – by knee jerk reactions, I think not. It is little wonder people go off quietly and use the cloud – the good old cloud!

My practice has changed considerably with the Cloud and Google in particular. Using a word document now for something I will be sharing with others makes no sense whatsoever, so where possible I use a Google document. Another example being, a colleague need to complete a work request (word document) from home urgently but did not have word installed, she was able to upload the document into Google docs, complete the required fields, download it and send it on. We use wikis to record all our department meetings, from the agenda through to the action points. We use Google docs to write collaborative documents such as powerpoints, word and spreadsheets. In terms of communication, my smartphone gives me 24/7 access to internet, email, people and play.

In terms of how new technology has changed education, students arrive at university expecting to have all their project briefs, timetables and supporting study material online in the VLE. They also expect help and support 24/7 taking the notion of anytime, anyplace quite literately. Students also expect their tutors to be confident in technology – which often is not the case. From my own experience, universities are failing to implement external use policies to safeguard both the institution and students from the many perils using cloud services encounter – such as copyright, privacy and ownership.

Besides these more domestic arrangements, modules of study are not embracing new technologies and their designs are shrouded by old methods that do not pertain to the real world of work, progression and professionalism.

How can Twitter be used well in the classroom?

mariatannant — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 17:06:45 +0000

I’ve been searching around for really good examples of how Twitter is used in education and found the following video which hears the students viewpoints as well as the teacher.

Would appreciate any links to good examples of Twitter practice in your comments.

Drivers in educational reform

mariatannant — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 22:26:41 +0000

I believe technology is a cause to reform, it’s something education has little power over and if we choose to ignore it, we will be in denial of the real world. universities have a duty to prepare students for employment, so if technology is a leading factor within the domain of employment, it has little choice in the matter. Aside, from this, they have to find the right balance and discerns when technology is appropriate and enhances the student learning.

In terms of manufacturing influences on university decisions, if the technology streamlines the work-flow and promises a ROI universities are interested, likewise if mobile technologies prove to be popular with students, more universities will build bespoke apps that are subject specific to entice students in. The digital generation will expect learning engagement through mobile devises as well as F2F. The developers create products and in doing so create demand. Universities strive to meet demand and the wheels keep on turning.

It seems that tutors make very good use of the technologies for their own purposes outside of the classroom as much as the student does outside of the classroom (or inside if they are face-booking every 20 mins or so) therefore it’s not such a bad pattern if these technologies are actually being used. Interestingly, students seem to prefer their own spaces to chat about study (outside of the VLE).

Response to Wesch’s vision of students today

mariatannant — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 17:21:47 +0000

As the world changes alongside technology, the role of the teacher has to change with it. Students’ attitudes are also changing towards their education with many appearing to take a casual approach. There are many more diversions to distract their attention. Technology has brought some good things to education but there’s another disruptive side, which also has to be taken into consideration.

Textbooks are a dying breed with internet replacing them. This shift leaves us with a dependence on technology that is constantly updating itself in terms of hardware. How many computers, laptops, mobile phones, ipads etc do we use over a 2 year period, and how is this sustainable in the long term? How indeed is education sustainable with this constant change in technology. Who is leading what? I don’t have an answer here but “There is no technological panacea; there are only technological solutions to some educational problems (Simpson, 1985, p. 91) seems to make the most sense to date.