FROM: Wired News - The Chronicle of Higher Education -- June 19, 2008
Blog Offers Guide to Online Lecture Recordings From 'Great Universities'
A growing number of colleges and universities are recording lectures and making them available free on YouTube or the iTunes Store. But it’s hard to know where to go if you’re looking for a lecture on a particular topic, like geography or philosophy.
The Open Culture blog offers a frequently-updated listing of links to online lecture recordings, arranged by subject. More than 250 online courses are included, covering about 30 academic disciplines. The collection is called “Free Online Courses from Great Universities.” http://www.oculture.com/2007/07/freeonlinecourses.html
You can get a broad education from these free course materials. Titles include “Historical Jesus,” “Frontiers and Controversies in Astrophysics,” and “Wildlife Ecology.” Many are available for download to an iPod, so there’s plenty of potentially enriching material to play during that summer road trip. —Jeffrey R. Young
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
Denominational Considerations
In reviewing denominational uses of various media, institutions within the Roman Catholic church, notably publishers (and to some extent segments of the Jewish community)have been the most extensive and most creative users. Not only have do they have a long history of using print and electronic broadcast medua, they seem to be the most innovative in incorporating the interactive aspect of the World Wide Web in their efforts to form people in faith. This is particularly notable in light of the predominance of Protestant efforts to proclaim the Gospel (more broadcast than interactive).
While this is by no means a systematic analysis, my intuition offers that the more interactive use of the Internet within Roman Catholic contexts is the result of enculturating aspects of Roman Catholicism. More than something to believe, faith is something to practice. While the Word is essential, Roman Catholics tend to focus more heavily on praxis - theology in action. Church documents (rare in Protestant traditions)inculcate adherents to integrate theological understandings with societial innovations for the common good. Thus, it seems more natural that they would integrate a more interactive relational use of the medium.
While this is by no means a systematic analysis, my intuition offers that the more interactive use of the Internet within Roman Catholic contexts is the result of enculturating aspects of Roman Catholicism. More than something to believe, faith is something to practice. While the Word is essential, Roman Catholics tend to focus more heavily on praxis - theology in action. Church documents (rare in Protestant traditions)inculcate adherents to integrate theological understandings with societial innovations for the common good. Thus, it seems more natural that they would integrate a more interactive relational use of the medium.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Pew Internet Releases Writing, Technology and Teens Report
THIS WAS AN EMAIL NEWSLETTER I RECEIVED; THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED:
The state of writing among teens today is marked by an interesting paradox: While teens are heavily embedded in a tech-rich world and craft a significant amount of electronic text, they see a fundamental distinction between their electronic social communications and the more formal writing they do for school or for personal reasons.
* 87% of youth ages 12-17 engage at least occasionally in some form of electronic personal communication, which includes text messaging, sending email or instant messages, or posting comments on social networking sites.
* 60% of teens do not think of these electronic texts as "writing."
Teens are utilitarian in their approach to technology and writing, using both computers and longhand depending on circumstances. Their use of computers for school and personal writing is often tied to the convenience of being able to edit easily. And while they do not think their use of computers or their text-based communications with friends influences their formal writing, many do admit that the informal styles that characterize their e-communications do occasionally bleed into
their schoolwork.
* 57% of teens say they revise and edit more when they write using a computer.
* 63% of teens say using computers to write makes no difference in the quality of the writing they produce.
* 73% of teens say their personal electronic communications (email, IM, text messaging) have no impact on the writing they do for school, and 77% said they have no impact on the writing they do for themselves.
* 64% of teens admit that they incorporate, often accidentally, at least some informal writing styles used in personal electronic communication into their writing for school. (Some 25% have used emoticons in their school writing; 50% have used informal punctuation and grammar; 38% have used text shortcuts such as "LOL" meaning "laugh out loud.")
All of this matters more than ever because teenagers and their parents uniformly believe that good writing is a bedrock for future success. Eight in ten parents believe that good writing skills are more important now than they were 20 years ago, and 86% of teens believe that good writing ability is an important component of guaranteeing success later in life.
These are among the key findings in a national phone survey of 700 youth ages 12-17 and their parents conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the National Commission on Writing. The survey was completed in mid-November and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. The report also contains findings from eight focus groups in four U.S. cities conducted in the summer of 2007.
For the full report please visit:
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/247/report_display.asp
About the Pew Internet & American Life Project: The Pew Internet Project is an initiative of the Pew Research Center, a nonprofit "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Pew Internet explores the impact of the internet on children, families, communities, the work place, schools, health care and civic/political life. Support for the project is provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The project's Web site:
http://www.pewinternet.org
About the National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools and Colleges: In an effort to focus national attention on the teaching and learning of writing, the College Board established the National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools, and Colleges in September 2002. The decision to create the Commission was animated in part by the Board's plans to offer a writing assessment in 2005 as part of the new SAT(r), but the larger motivation lay in the growing concern within the education, business, and policy-making communities that the level of writing in the United States is not what it should be.
http://www.writingcommission.org/
The state of writing among teens today is marked by an interesting paradox: While teens are heavily embedded in a tech-rich world and craft a significant amount of electronic text, they see a fundamental distinction between their electronic social communications and the more formal writing they do for school or for personal reasons.
* 87% of youth ages 12-17 engage at least occasionally in some form of electronic personal communication, which includes text messaging, sending email or instant messages, or posting comments on social networking sites.
* 60% of teens do not think of these electronic texts as "writing."
Teens are utilitarian in their approach to technology and writing, using both computers and longhand depending on circumstances. Their use of computers for school and personal writing is often tied to the convenience of being able to edit easily. And while they do not think their use of computers or their text-based communications with friends influences their formal writing, many do admit that the informal styles that characterize their e-communications do occasionally bleed into
their schoolwork.
* 57% of teens say they revise and edit more when they write using a computer.
* 63% of teens say using computers to write makes no difference in the quality of the writing they produce.
* 73% of teens say their personal electronic communications (email, IM, text messaging) have no impact on the writing they do for school, and 77% said they have no impact on the writing they do for themselves.
* 64% of teens admit that they incorporate, often accidentally, at least some informal writing styles used in personal electronic communication into their writing for school. (Some 25% have used emoticons in their school writing; 50% have used informal punctuation and grammar; 38% have used text shortcuts such as "LOL" meaning "laugh out loud.")
All of this matters more than ever because teenagers and their parents uniformly believe that good writing is a bedrock for future success. Eight in ten parents believe that good writing skills are more important now than they were 20 years ago, and 86% of teens believe that good writing ability is an important component of guaranteeing success later in life.
These are among the key findings in a national phone survey of 700 youth ages 12-17 and their parents conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the National Commission on Writing. The survey was completed in mid-November and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. The report also contains findings from eight focus groups in four U.S. cities conducted in the summer of 2007.
For the full report please visit:
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/247/report_display.asp
About the Pew Internet & American Life Project: The Pew Internet Project is an initiative of the Pew Research Center, a nonprofit "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Pew Internet explores the impact of the internet on children, families, communities, the work place, schools, health care and civic/political life. Support for the project is provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The project's Web site:
http://www.pewinternet.org
About the National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools and Colleges: In an effort to focus national attention on the teaching and learning of writing, the College Board established the National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools, and Colleges in September 2002. The decision to create the Commission was animated in part by the Board's plans to offer a writing assessment in 2005 as part of the new SAT(r), but the larger motivation lay in the growing concern within the education, business, and policy-making communities that the level of writing in the United States is not what it should be.
http://www.writingcommission.org/
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Safer Internet Day
Here are some efforts to make Internet a safe space... balancing the "dark side".
Safer Internet Day
Fact Sheet - 2/08 "Making the Internet a Safer Place"
Library of other fact sheets
Safer Internet Day
Fact Sheet - 2/08 "Making the Internet a Safer Place"
Library of other fact sheets
Monday, April 21, 2008
"Breaking Free of the Web"
Dr. Kimberly Young, co-author of our class text, is a licensed clinical psychologist and a professor of management sciences at St. Bonaventure University. (Faculty Page)She is also the director of the Center for Internet Addiction.
FROM THE CENTER FOR INTERNET ADDICTION BLOG
Friday, March 28, 2008
Should Internet Addiction be included in the DSM?
In the American Journal of Psychiatry for March, an editorial offers the opinion that Internet addiction is a 'compulsive-impulsive' disorder, and should be added to the official DSM guidebook of disorders(Emphasis added). The editorial characterizes net addiction as including 'excessive gaming, online sexual pre-occupations and e-mail/text messaging'. From the article: 'Like other addicts, users experience cravings, urges, withdrawal and tolerance, requiring more and better equipment and software, or more and more hours online, according to Dr. Jerald Block, a psychiatrist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. Dr. Block says people can lose all track of time or neglect "basic drives," like eating or sleeping. Relapse rates are high, he writes, and some people may need psychoactive medications or hospitalization." Going back to 1994, when I started to study Internet addiction, many did question its validity. Today, documented cases in Italy, Germany, China, Taiwan, and Korea as well as the US, support that Internet addiction is a serious condition.
The Dark Side of the Internet
1/8 Americans exhibit internet "addiction"
Tuesday, October 24, 2006 WAMC interview re: Internet Addiction 60 min (WMP file)
* Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University's Impulse Control Disorders Clinic; and Lead author of Internet Behavior Study (published in "CNS Spectrums: The International Journal of Neuropsychiatric Medicine")
4% preoccupied with internet venues
6% affected personal relationship
9% conceal usage
12% stayed longer than intended
14% felt difficult to stay away from Internet for multiple days in the world
Study DOES NOT call it an Internet Addiction because there is no official criteria to define it as addictive!
- used questions to extrapolate from parallel concerns: obsessive compulsive disorder, impulse control issues, substance abuse
* Kent Norman, Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Director, Laboratory for Automation Psychology and Decision Processes, University of Maryland; Author of (forthcoming) "Cyberpsychology: An Introduction to the Psychology of Human and Computer Interaction" (Cambridge)
Kent's criteria to monitor concern - behavioral "addiction" markers
salience - can't stop thinking about it - thinking about being online even when offline
mood modification - "high," uphoria
tolerance - need more and more
withdraw - what do I do when no Internet available (i.e. on vacation)
conflict - esp with family members and work collegues, also internal voice
relapse - go back online after getting off
* Patricia Wallace, Director, Information Technology and Distance Programs at the Center for Talented Youth, Johns Hopkins University; and author, "The Psychology of the Internet" (Cambridge) and "The Internet in the Workplace" (Cambridge)
web stickiness - advertising created
rewards - affirm activity online (gaming, auctions, etc)
addiction is problematic term because no substance involved, no intoxicant
most internet use is productive - watch for markers exhibited by a few people
* Lee Rainie, Founding Director, Pew Internet & American Life Project- contrast compulsive behavior in life with those who are compulsive online
- most online users are productive, enriched social lives, some pain however many more happy and fulfilled
SELECTED RESOURCES RE: UNITED STATES and "INTERNET "ADDICTION" from PubMed, A service of the U S National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (http://www.pubmed.gov)
Internet addiction: recognition and interventions. Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2008 Apr;22(2):59-60.
J J Fitzpatrick .
No abstract available.
Issues for DSM-V: internet addiction.
Am J Psychiatry. 2008 Mar;165(3):306-7.
J J Block.
No abstract available.
Internet addiction : definition, assessment, epidemiology and clinical management.
CNS Drugs. 2008;22(5):353-65.
Martha Shaw, Donald W Black.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
Internet addiction is characterized by excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations, urges or behaviours regarding computer use and internet access that lead to impairment or distress. The condition has attracted increasing attention in the popular media and among researchers, and this attention has paralleled the growth in computer (and Internet) access.Prevalence estimates vary widely, although a recent random telephone survey of the general US population reported an estimate of 0.3-0.7%. The disorder occurs worldwide, but mainly in countries where computer access and technology are widespread. Clinical samples and a majority of relevant surveys report a male preponderance. Onset is reported to occur in the late 20s or early 30s age group, and there is often a lag of a decade or more from initial to problematic computer usage. Internet addiction has been associated with dimensionally measured depression and indicators of social isolation. Psychiatric co-morbidity is common, particularly mood, anxiety, impulse control and substance use disorders. Aetiology is unknown, but probably involves psychological, neurobiological and cultural factors.There are no evidence-based treatments for internet addiction. Cognitive behavioural approaches may be helpful. There is no proven role for psychotropic medication. Marital and family therapy may help in selected cases, and online self-help books and tapes are available. Lastly, a self-imposed ban on computer use and Internet access may be necessary in some cases.
A Review of the Research on Internet Addiction
Educational Psychology Review. 2005, Vol. 17, No. 4: 363
Chien Chou, Linda Condron, John C. Belland
Research indicates that maladaptive patterns of Internet use constitute behavioral addiction. This article explores the research on the social effects of Internet addiction. There are four major sections. The Introduction section overviews the field and introduces definitions, terminology, and assessments. The second section reviews research findings and focuses on several key factors related to Internet addiction, including Internet use and time, identifiable problems, gender differences, psychosocial variables, and computer attitudes. The third section considers the addictive potential of the Internet in terms of the Internet, its users, and the interaction of the two. The fourth section addresses current and projected treatments of Internet addiction, suggests future research agendas, and provides implications for educational psychologists.
Modification in the proposed diagnostic criteria for Internet addiction. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2001 Jun;4(3):377-83.
K W Beard , E M Wolf.
School of Professional Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA.
The Internet is a new technology that has impacted the world and provided many benefits to its users. At the same time the Internet has had negative ramifications. Some people are becoming preoccupied with the Internet, are unable to control their use, and are jeopardizing employment and relationships. The concept of "Internet addiction" has been proposed as an explanation for uncontrollable, damaging use of this technology. Symptoms of excessive Internet use are compared to the criteria used to diagnose other addictions. In particular, pathological gambling is compared to problematic Internet use because of overlapping criteria. This article suggests some modifications to the diagnostic criteria that has been commonly proposed for Internet addiction.
--------------------------------
Canadian Medical Association Journal (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/)
Internet addiction: a new disorder enters the medical lexicon. CMAJ. 1996 June 15; 154(12): 1882–1883.
M OReilly
The latest consequence of the information age may be addiction to the Internet. A psychologist who has established the Centre for Online Addiction in the US says the disorder causes the same type of social problems as other established addictions. Michael OReilly went on line to find physicians interested in discussing potential problems posed by the Internet. (Full article - .pdf)
Tuesday, October 24, 2006 WAMC interview re: Internet Addiction 60 min (WMP file)
* Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University's Impulse Control Disorders Clinic; and Lead author of Internet Behavior Study (published in "CNS Spectrums: The International Journal of Neuropsychiatric Medicine")
4% preoccupied with internet venues
6% affected personal relationship
9% conceal usage
12% stayed longer than intended
14% felt difficult to stay away from Internet for multiple days in the world
Study DOES NOT call it an Internet Addiction because there is no official criteria to define it as addictive!
- used questions to extrapolate from parallel concerns: obsessive compulsive disorder, impulse control issues, substance abuse
* Kent Norman, Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Director, Laboratory for Automation Psychology and Decision Processes, University of Maryland; Author of (forthcoming) "Cyberpsychology: An Introduction to the Psychology of Human and Computer Interaction" (Cambridge)
Kent's criteria to monitor concern - behavioral "addiction" markers
salience - can't stop thinking about it - thinking about being online even when offline
mood modification - "high," uphoria
tolerance - need more and more
withdraw - what do I do when no Internet available (i.e. on vacation)
conflict - esp with family members and work collegues, also internal voice
relapse - go back online after getting off
* Patricia Wallace, Director, Information Technology and Distance Programs at the Center for Talented Youth, Johns Hopkins University; and author, "The Psychology of the Internet" (Cambridge) and "The Internet in the Workplace" (Cambridge)
web stickiness - advertising created
rewards - affirm activity online (gaming, auctions, etc)
addiction is problematic term because no substance involved, no intoxicant
most internet use is productive - watch for markers exhibited by a few people
* Lee Rainie, Founding Director, Pew Internet & American Life Project- contrast compulsive behavior in life with those who are compulsive online
- most online users are productive, enriched social lives, some pain however many more happy and fulfilled
SELECTED RESOURCES RE: UNITED STATES and "INTERNET "ADDICTION" from PubMed, A service of the U S National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (http://www.pubmed.gov)
Internet addiction: recognition and interventions. Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2008 Apr;22(2):59-60.
J J Fitzpatrick .
No abstract available.
Issues for DSM-V: internet addiction.
Am J Psychiatry. 2008 Mar;165(3):306-7.
J J Block.
No abstract available.
Internet addiction : definition, assessment, epidemiology and clinical management.
CNS Drugs. 2008;22(5):353-65.
Martha Shaw, Donald W Black.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
Internet addiction is characterized by excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations, urges or behaviours regarding computer use and internet access that lead to impairment or distress. The condition has attracted increasing attention in the popular media and among researchers, and this attention has paralleled the growth in computer (and Internet) access.Prevalence estimates vary widely, although a recent random telephone survey of the general US population reported an estimate of 0.3-0.7%. The disorder occurs worldwide, but mainly in countries where computer access and technology are widespread. Clinical samples and a majority of relevant surveys report a male preponderance. Onset is reported to occur in the late 20s or early 30s age group, and there is often a lag of a decade or more from initial to problematic computer usage. Internet addiction has been associated with dimensionally measured depression and indicators of social isolation. Psychiatric co-morbidity is common, particularly mood, anxiety, impulse control and substance use disorders. Aetiology is unknown, but probably involves psychological, neurobiological and cultural factors.There are no evidence-based treatments for internet addiction. Cognitive behavioural approaches may be helpful. There is no proven role for psychotropic medication. Marital and family therapy may help in selected cases, and online self-help books and tapes are available. Lastly, a self-imposed ban on computer use and Internet access may be necessary in some cases.
A Review of the Research on Internet Addiction
Educational Psychology Review. 2005, Vol. 17, No. 4: 363
Chien Chou, Linda Condron, John C. Belland
Research indicates that maladaptive patterns of Internet use constitute behavioral addiction. This article explores the research on the social effects of Internet addiction. There are four major sections. The Introduction section overviews the field and introduces definitions, terminology, and assessments. The second section reviews research findings and focuses on several key factors related to Internet addiction, including Internet use and time, identifiable problems, gender differences, psychosocial variables, and computer attitudes. The third section considers the addictive potential of the Internet in terms of the Internet, its users, and the interaction of the two. The fourth section addresses current and projected treatments of Internet addiction, suggests future research agendas, and provides implications for educational psychologists.
Modification in the proposed diagnostic criteria for Internet addiction. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2001 Jun;4(3):377-83.
K W Beard , E M Wolf.
School of Professional Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA.
The Internet is a new technology that has impacted the world and provided many benefits to its users. At the same time the Internet has had negative ramifications. Some people are becoming preoccupied with the Internet, are unable to control their use, and are jeopardizing employment and relationships. The concept of "Internet addiction" has been proposed as an explanation for uncontrollable, damaging use of this technology. Symptoms of excessive Internet use are compared to the criteria used to diagnose other addictions. In particular, pathological gambling is compared to problematic Internet use because of overlapping criteria. This article suggests some modifications to the diagnostic criteria that has been commonly proposed for Internet addiction.
--------------------------------
Canadian Medical Association Journal (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/)
Internet addiction: a new disorder enters the medical lexicon. CMAJ. 1996 June 15; 154(12): 1882–1883.
M OReilly
The latest consequence of the information age may be addiction to the Internet. A psychologist who has established the Centre for Online Addiction in the US says the disorder causes the same type of social problems as other established addictions. Michael OReilly went on line to find physicians interested in discussing potential problems posed by the Internet. (Full article - .pdf)
Friday, April 18, 2008
Privacy?! Another thought re: the Dark Side of the Net
Brother Lawrence, who visited campus on Monday to talk about Facebook, sent me this message.
Subject: When the Ex Blogs, the Dirtiest Laundry Is Aired - New York Times
"Thought you might want to share this with your class. You can tell them I sent it to you on facebook!"
It gives another example of the Dark Side of the Net... the opportunity to share EVERYTHING you want with hundreds of thousands of people... It is another example that makes me wonder what is happening to our notions of "public" and "private." Post comments here and we can talk more in class.
Subject: When the Ex Blogs, the Dirtiest Laundry Is Aired - New York Times
"Thought you might want to share this with your class. You can tell them I sent it to you on facebook!"
It gives another example of the Dark Side of the Net... the opportunity to share EVERYTHING you want with hundreds of thousands of people... It is another example that makes me wonder what is happening to our notions of "public" and "private." Post comments here and we can talk more in class.
100+ Virtual Worlds!!
One of the eLearning mailing lists I subscribe to is George Sieman's eLearning News and Resources (ENR) (subscribe bere). This week's posting focuses on "Visualization, Journalism, Virtual Worlds, and Video." The segment on Virtual Worlds is reporting from an April 3-4 Conference in New York City which includes over 100 links for current and underdevelopment virtual world sites. The majority target teens and younger users. A quick glance of the list indicates that a large number of the sites are commercially oriented or sponsored (i.e. Disney's Bunnytown and BarbieGirls). NASA's underdevelopment Education World is one of the few exceptions.
As we are exploring "Online Religion," that is religious and spiritual expressions that exist only online, it is important to critique the context within which they operate and how they are influenced by their virtual neighbors. I'd be curiouys to hear what impact you think such circumstances create?
As we are exploring "Online Religion," that is religious and spiritual expressions that exist only online, it is important to critique the context within which they operate and how they are influenced by their virtual neighbors. I'd be curiouys to hear what impact you think such circumstances create?
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Last Class
As a way to bring closure to the class, please create a post that
1) identifies any key insights or new learnings you have gleaned from this class and
2) describes how you will integrate what you have seen and/or heard into your praxis (theology and practice).
1) identifies any key insights or new learnings you have gleaned from this class and
2) describes how you will integrate what you have seen and/or heard into your praxis (theology and practice).
Monday, March 31, 2008
Religion Online
During tonight's class, Daniella and Elizabeth led us through some of the layers of Roman Catholic and Episcopal websites. I will post their presentations in our Blackboard site under Course Documents for your review. I will also open a few threads for continued conversation. Some of the elements that you may want to consider that I wrote on the board include:
Daniella's five-point lens from Our Hearts are Burning Within Us
* Community
* Prayer
* Education
* Relationship
* Active Service
Elizabeth's lens drawn from Massimo Introvigne's article, A Symbolic Universe: Information Terrorism and New Religions in Cyberspace, in which he combines Jordan’s definitions of virtual space with Gackenbach’s psychological categorization of the Internet:
* individual, social and imaginary
* intrapersonal, interpersonal and transpersonal
Other elements to consider for intent and impact include:
WHY? (purpose for going online)
- information sharing
- gateway (to church)
- conversation starter/venting location
- "evangelization" and/or outreach
- prayer/worship
status - "official" vs "unofficial"
priority - funding, staffing, time
authority
creation - volunteer vs professional
maintaining - updating
languages - across whole site or in part
denominational and faith-group differences (Sacrament/sacrament, etc)
I'm sure you have others to add as well. Please do so on Blackboard.
Daniella's five-point lens from Our Hearts are Burning Within Us
* Community
* Prayer
* Education
* Relationship
* Active Service
Elizabeth's lens drawn from Massimo Introvigne's article, A Symbolic Universe: Information Terrorism and New Religions in Cyberspace, in which he combines Jordan’s definitions of virtual space with Gackenbach’s psychological categorization of the Internet:
* individual, social and imaginary
* intrapersonal, interpersonal and transpersonal
Other elements to consider for intent and impact include:
WHY? (purpose for going online)
- information sharing
- gateway (to church)
- conversation starter/venting location
- "evangelization" and/or outreach
- prayer/worship
status - "official" vs "unofficial"
priority - funding, staffing, time
authority
creation - volunteer vs professional
maintaining - updating
languages - across whole site or in part
denominational and faith-group differences (Sacrament/sacrament, etc)
I'm sure you have others to add as well. Please do so on Blackboard.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Twitter?? Faculty "invasion"? What do you think is appropriate?
The following is an article from The Chronicle of Higher Education online newsletter:
More on Academic Twittering: Breaking Down the Classroom Walls
We've had plenty of interest in our coverage of Twitter (and other micro-blogging services) at colleges, and so it's worth noting that David Parry, who has been a leading experimenter in this area, posted a useful follow-up post yesterday on the AcademHack blog.
Mr. Parry, an assistant professor of Emerging Media and Communications at the University of Texas at Dallas, expands on his philosophy for using Twitter, and offers some fresh pointers to others who have experimented with the service. For instance, he expands on a point he made during our recent Webcam interview, describing what he means by using Twitter to break down the classroom walls: "Students attend college where their identity as a student is just part of what they do and who they are. Many of them have jobs, commute to school, etc., and thus the social aspect of the campus life has changed," he writes.
"If this is the case then these 'new' ways of socializing such as Facebook and MySpace are where students are forming their learning communities, ones which do not entirely, perhaps only minimally, overlap with their classroom experience. Thus to extend the walls of the classroom, make education relevant to all aspects of students lives rather than just what they do four-five hours a day we need to think of ways to extend the ways we form and foster learning communities."
Yet many readers gave mixed reaction to Mr. Parry's basic argument in our most recent Wired Campus post on the topic. "My experience with using Twitter and anything similar — blogs, Facebook, etc. — for academic purposes is that students just think it is weird, creepy, and geeky in the negative sense," one reader said. "And they think that it’s inappropriate for me to be invading “their” space. Within two days of telling my students that I had a Facebook page, I was blocked from all of them." Thanks to everyone who wrote in -- and keep us posted on your own experience with micro-blogging. --Jeffrey R. Young
More on Academic Twittering: Breaking Down the Classroom Walls
We've had plenty of interest in our coverage of Twitter (and other micro-blogging services) at colleges, and so it's worth noting that David Parry, who has been a leading experimenter in this area, posted a useful follow-up post yesterday on the AcademHack blog.
Mr. Parry, an assistant professor of Emerging Media and Communications at the University of Texas at Dallas, expands on his philosophy for using Twitter, and offers some fresh pointers to others who have experimented with the service. For instance, he expands on a point he made during our recent Webcam interview, describing what he means by using Twitter to break down the classroom walls: "Students attend college where their identity as a student is just part of what they do and who they are. Many of them have jobs, commute to school, etc., and thus the social aspect of the campus life has changed," he writes.
"If this is the case then these 'new' ways of socializing such as Facebook and MySpace are where students are forming their learning communities, ones which do not entirely, perhaps only minimally, overlap with their classroom experience. Thus to extend the walls of the classroom, make education relevant to all aspects of students lives rather than just what they do four-five hours a day we need to think of ways to extend the ways we form and foster learning communities."
Yet many readers gave mixed reaction to Mr. Parry's basic argument in our most recent Wired Campus post on the topic. "My experience with using Twitter and anything similar — blogs, Facebook, etc. — for academic purposes is that students just think it is weird, creepy, and geeky in the negative sense," one reader said. "And they think that it’s inappropriate for me to be invading “their” space. Within two days of telling my students that I had a Facebook page, I was blocked from all of them." Thanks to everyone who wrote in -- and keep us posted on your own experience with micro-blogging. --Jeffrey R. Young
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Online Learning Resources
Lisa asked a pertinent question about where to go to learn about educational technology resources and how to network with people doing this type of work. I've listed a few on the nav bar to the right. Unfortunately, I have not found appropriate church related associations. Feel free to send me links/names you know so we can build a useful list. Thanks. :)
Monday, March 17, 2008
Reminder for tonight's class on Online Learning in Theological Education
(Originally emailed on February 21)
When I created the syllabus, I inadvertently put the wrong URL for the Boston College C21 Online website. The correct URL is http://www.bc.edu/c21online. To prepare for the March 17 class, please go to this site and 1) watch the "demo course," 2) explore the mini-course list, and 3) explore "course info."
Also, to give an overview of the move to theological education at a distance,the syllabus lists some required readings from the Association of Theologicical Schools: Association of Theological Schools, Theological Education, Vol 41, No 1, 2007, (SEE http://www.ats.edu/projects/TE41-1Articles.asp) especially:
* Theological Reflection, Theology and Technology: When Baby Boomer Theologians Teach Generations X & Y by Edward Foley;
* Implications of a Digital Age for Theological Education by William J. Hook;
* Not Just One More Good Idea: A Reflection on the Integration of Digital Technology in Theological Education by Jan Viktora and
* A New Tool or a New Way of Doing Theological Education? by Steve Delamarter
There are also recommended readings:
* Association of Theological Schools, Theological Education, Vol 36, No 1, 1999 and Vol 42, No 2, 2007
* Mary Hess, Engaging Technology in Theological Education, Rowman & Littlefield, 2005.
Please read as much as you can. Remember, posts are due as usual by Sat noon (your reflections on your blog) and Sun evening (your comments to your peers).
When I created the syllabus, I inadvertently put the wrong URL for the Boston College C21 Online website. The correct URL is http://www.bc.edu/c21online. To prepare for the March 17 class, please go to this site and 1) watch the "demo course," 2) explore the mini-course list, and 3) explore "course info."
Also, to give an overview of the move to theological education at a distance,the syllabus lists some required readings from the Association of Theologicical Schools: Association of Theological Schools, Theological Education, Vol 41, No 1, 2007, (SEE http://www.ats.edu/projects/TE41-1Articles.asp) especially:
* Theological Reflection, Theology and Technology: When Baby Boomer Theologians Teach Generations X & Y by Edward Foley;
* Implications of a Digital Age for Theological Education by William J. Hook;
* Not Just One More Good Idea: A Reflection on the Integration of Digital Technology in Theological Education by Jan Viktora and
* A New Tool or a New Way of Doing Theological Education? by Steve Delamarter
There are also recommended readings:
* Association of Theological Schools, Theological Education, Vol 36, No 1, 1999 and Vol 42, No 2, 2007
* Mary Hess, Engaging Technology in Theological Education, Rowman & Littlefield, 2005.
Please read as much as you can. Remember, posts are due as usual by Sat noon (your reflections on your blog) and Sun evening (your comments to your peers).
Sunday, March 9, 2008
ReThinking Academic Technology Leadership in an Era of Change
Aura Fluet, the EDS Reference Librarian, shared a good article with me yesterday. Its a little more technically oriented but it offers another perspective on our upcoming conversation. Educause is one of the primary associations and publications for people interested in educational technology issues. See the article here. Food for thought.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Food For Thought from Media Ecology....
Weighing InWeb 2.0, Secondary Orality, and the Gutenberg Parenthesis
3/5/2008
By Trent Batson
In the large picture of human history, the brief few centuries when print reigned unchallenged as the most revered form of knowledge will be seen as a mere parenthesis. Before Gutenberg, knowledge was formed orally and, now, in this post-Gutenberg era, knowledge is formed -- increasingly -- through "secondary orality" on the Internet (Walter J. Ong, Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word. New Accents. Ed. Terence Hawkes. (New York: Methuen, 1988).).
The sequence is: orality --> literacy --> secondary orality as the primary locus of knowledge authority over the last 500-plus years. Over the thousands of years of human history, those 500 years are a parenthesis.
"Gutenberg Parenthesis" is a term Tom Pettitt, Associate Professor of English at the University of Southern Denmark, used at an MIT conference on Folk Cultures and Digital Cultures. ("Before the Gutenberg Parenthesis: Elizabethan-American Compatibilties" Tom Pettitt
http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/mit5/papers/pettitt_plenary_gutenberg.pdf )
What did writers do before the "Parenthesis"? "Sampling & remixing; borrowing & reshaping; appropriating & recontextualizing," in the words of the call for papers for the conference. This is "the way that some university students now think they should write academic essays," Pettitt says. He says this process, in folklore, is called "quilting." But on campuses, educators call it "plagiarism" unless it is properly cited and does not constitute the majority of the text.
Before Gutenberg, humanity mostly shared knowledge through the spoken word, what is called "orality" -- as opposed to "literacy." During the Gutenberg period, just ending, humanity valued printed works as the foundation of knowledge, and tended to believe knowledge is "owned" by an individual. After this "Gutenberg Parenthesis," humanity is beginning to understand once again, with the Internet, that knowledge is communal. The "Parenthesis" was the anomaly, not the Internet. We are not losing knowledge and learning values, we are reclaiming knowledge and learning values.
Web 2.0 can be defined in a number of ways, technically, by uses, by generational shifts, etc., but underlying all of the definitions is the cultural and historical fact that we are now in a period of "secondary orality" (Walter Ong, Orality and Literacy) that brings us back to the norms and processes of communications that humans have always sustained. Print artifacts, though they continue to hold enormous value, will continue to do so, and are not going away, can no longer be seen as the ultimate or even primary way that our world culture expresses received knowledge.
When we talked of "the late age of print" in the 1980s, such talk quickly came to be seen as delusional: Instead of print going away, we were swamped in new computer-generated print material. Only now with Web 2.0 do we get a concrete demonstration of the social structuring of knowledge and the multiple threads that directly or indirectly lead to any single expression of synthesis of those threads.
-------------------------------------------
Trent Batson, Ph.D., is a researcher, author, and speaker, specializing in ePortfolio research and development. He is also editor of Campus Technology's Web 2.0 e-newsletter. http://www.trentbatson.com.
Cite this Site
Trent Batson, "Web 2.0, Secondary Orality, and the Gutenberg Parenthesis," Campus Technology, 3/5/2008, http://www.campustechnology.com/article.aspx?aid=59351
3/5/2008
By Trent Batson
In the large picture of human history, the brief few centuries when print reigned unchallenged as the most revered form of knowledge will be seen as a mere parenthesis. Before Gutenberg, knowledge was formed orally and, now, in this post-Gutenberg era, knowledge is formed -- increasingly -- through "secondary orality" on the Internet (Walter J. Ong, Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word. New Accents. Ed. Terence Hawkes. (New York: Methuen, 1988).).
The sequence is: orality --> literacy --> secondary orality as the primary locus of knowledge authority over the last 500-plus years. Over the thousands of years of human history, those 500 years are a parenthesis.
"Gutenberg Parenthesis" is a term Tom Pettitt, Associate Professor of English at the University of Southern Denmark, used at an MIT conference on Folk Cultures and Digital Cultures. ("Before the Gutenberg Parenthesis: Elizabethan-American Compatibilties" Tom Pettitt
http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/mit5/papers/pettitt_plenary_gutenberg.pdf )
What did writers do before the "Parenthesis"? "Sampling & remixing; borrowing & reshaping; appropriating & recontextualizing," in the words of the call for papers for the conference. This is "the way that some university students now think they should write academic essays," Pettitt says. He says this process, in folklore, is called "quilting." But on campuses, educators call it "plagiarism" unless it is properly cited and does not constitute the majority of the text.
Before Gutenberg, humanity mostly shared knowledge through the spoken word, what is called "orality" -- as opposed to "literacy." During the Gutenberg period, just ending, humanity valued printed works as the foundation of knowledge, and tended to believe knowledge is "owned" by an individual. After this "Gutenberg Parenthesis," humanity is beginning to understand once again, with the Internet, that knowledge is communal. The "Parenthesis" was the anomaly, not the Internet. We are not losing knowledge and learning values, we are reclaiming knowledge and learning values.
Web 2.0 can be defined in a number of ways, technically, by uses, by generational shifts, etc., but underlying all of the definitions is the cultural and historical fact that we are now in a period of "secondary orality" (Walter Ong, Orality and Literacy) that brings us back to the norms and processes of communications that humans have always sustained. Print artifacts, though they continue to hold enormous value, will continue to do so, and are not going away, can no longer be seen as the ultimate or even primary way that our world culture expresses received knowledge.
When we talked of "the late age of print" in the 1980s, such talk quickly came to be seen as delusional: Instead of print going away, we were swamped in new computer-generated print material. Only now with Web 2.0 do we get a concrete demonstration of the social structuring of knowledge and the multiple threads that directly or indirectly lead to any single expression of synthesis of those threads.
-------------------------------------------
Trent Batson, Ph.D., is a researcher, author, and speaker, specializing in ePortfolio research and development. He is also editor of Campus Technology's Web 2.0 e-newsletter. http://www.trentbatson.com.
Cite this Site
Trent Batson, "Web 2.0, Secondary Orality, and the Gutenberg Parenthesis," Campus Technology, 3/5/2008, http://www.campustechnology.com/article.aspx?aid=59351
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Digital Worship: Blessing or Curse
This week's class uses Len Wilson and Jason Moore's book, Digital Storytellers, to consider the opportunities and limitations of including digital media in worship. 
Based on the postings from class members websites (see class members postings using links on the right), there will be a lively conversation when we gather face-to-face.
The range of responses can be examined in light of individual and communal assumptions about worship and liturgy. Consider your own assumptions along with what can be extrapolated as those of Wilson and Moore.
How would these assumptions change depending on denomination or faith expression? For example,the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) conducted a Worship Video Project in which Bowld Music Library digitized five Baptist churches in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Check out some of the recordings. In particular, listen to Dr. Brett Younger's response to the qustion: what would you say is the philosophy or worship at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth Texas? What are the purposes and goals? How does that compare with Next Level Church's video showing What to Expect in worship?
Mary suggested an article from Alban to continue the conversation:
Well-Tempered Worship by Robert Glick. It suggests that "some of the major elements of a well-tempered worship service
* honors Word and Sacrament equally,
* values symbolism,
* values the spoken word,
* welcomes and nurtures the arts,
* honors diversity,
* encourages various forms of prayer,
* remembers the children."
How does this resonate with your beliefs? Are they appropriate criteria for evaluating the use of digital media in worship and liturgy?
What would you add or subtract?
Based on the postings from class members websites (see class members postings using links on the right), there will be a lively conversation when we gather face-to-face. The range of responses can be examined in light of individual and communal assumptions about worship and liturgy. Consider your own assumptions along with what can be extrapolated as those of Wilson and Moore.
How would these assumptions change depending on denomination or faith expression? For example,the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) conducted a Worship Video Project in which Bowld Music Library digitized five Baptist churches in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Check out some of the recordings. In particular, listen to Dr. Brett Younger's response to the qustion: what would you say is the philosophy or worship at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth Texas? What are the purposes and goals? How does that compare with Next Level Church's video showing What to Expect in worship?
Mary suggested an article from Alban to continue the conversation:
Well-Tempered Worship by Robert Glick. It suggests that "some of the major elements of a well-tempered worship service
* honors Word and Sacrament equally,
* values symbolism,
* values the spoken word,
* welcomes and nurtures the arts,
* honors diversity,
* encourages various forms of prayer,
* remembers the children."
How does this resonate with your beliefs? Are they appropriate criteria for evaluating the use of digital media in worship and liturgy?
What would you add or subtract?
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Extreme Example of How Envirnments Form Us
One of my assumptions undergirding Fashioning-a-People that our contexts act as containers that provide both opportunity and limitation for our formation. These pictures provide an extreme example of what can happen to watermelons when they move from an open-air environment into a contained space. If this is what happens to watermelons, what do you think happens to people in similar boxes?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Running Conversation about Education and the Digital Age on YouTube
As I have explored various YouTube videos and the "related videos" that are listed beside them, I have been amazed by the running conversation that is occurring both through the text-based comments offered under the videos and through video responses and remakes.
I am particularly interested in the conversation the Kansas State Digital Ethnography project and its advisor, Michael Welch, Assistant Professor, have begun. It seems to have started about a year ago (1/23/07)with "web 2.0" (shown in class on 2/11)and has continued through "The Machine is Us/ing Us," "A Vision of Students Today" (shown in class on 2/25), and "The Information Re/volution" (shown in class on 2/11). There is a documentary style video about Kansas State that frames the conversation within the realm of Academia ("Academia 2.0)".
From these you can follow diverse tracks. Today, I was particularly touched by "A Vision of K-12 Students" created by B. Nesbitt.
These videos mark the changing dynamics of teaching and learning. Gregg Whitney sees it as changing the DNA of Education when he presents "21st Century Pedagogy." (Daniella Note: He's the Exec Director of Schools for the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta). "Three Steps for 21st Century Learning" highlights not only one possible set of steps to transform education, but also implies the g/local impact.
These videos reflect my pedagogical philosophy and show how education, at least in some arenas, is changing. This brings both excitement and trepidation to faculty, students of every age, parents and others. The question is not whether or not we should consider incorporating technology as much as acknowledging it is here to stay and developing methods to appropriately incorporate its potential benefits while limiting its potential detriments.
I am particularly interested in the conversation the Kansas State Digital Ethnography project and its advisor, Michael Welch, Assistant Professor, have begun. It seems to have started about a year ago (1/23/07)with "web 2.0" (shown in class on 2/11)and has continued through "The Machine is Us/ing Us," "A Vision of Students Today" (shown in class on 2/25), and "The Information Re/volution" (shown in class on 2/11). There is a documentary style video about Kansas State that frames the conversation within the realm of Academia ("Academia 2.0)".
From these you can follow diverse tracks. Today, I was particularly touched by "A Vision of K-12 Students" created by B. Nesbitt.
These videos mark the changing dynamics of teaching and learning. Gregg Whitney sees it as changing the DNA of Education when he presents "21st Century Pedagogy." (Daniella Note: He's the Exec Director of Schools for the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta). "Three Steps for 21st Century Learning" highlights not only one possible set of steps to transform education, but also implies the g/local impact.These videos reflect my pedagogical philosophy and show how education, at least in some arenas, is changing. This brings both excitement and trepidation to faculty, students of every age, parents and others. The question is not whether or not we should consider incorporating technology as much as acknowledging it is here to stay and developing methods to appropriately incorporate its potential benefits while limiting its potential detriments.
Upcoming Class Presentations
VIRTUAL WORSHIP March 3
- Mary and Richard
THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION March 17
- Visitors from BC C21 Online: Barbara Radke and Melinda Donovan
RELIGION ONLINE March 31
- Daniella and Elizabeth
ONLINE RELIGION April 7
- Wai Moo and Sam
PARISH REL EDUC april 14
- Pedro and Lisa
- Mary and Richard
THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION March 17
- Visitors from BC C21 Online: Barbara Radke and Melinda Donovan
RELIGION ONLINE March 31
- Daniella and Elizabeth
ONLINE RELIGION April 7
- Wai Moo and Sam
PARISH REL EDUC april 14
- Pedro and Lisa
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Virtual Church??
Sunday nights tend to be my night for surfing. In addition to going through my emails since Friday, I follow links that lead to links that lead to links. I sometimes wonder how I got from "A" to "M." Tonight I know. It's Liz' fault! She sent me a spam mail asking if I knew anything about a newsletter by "Dr. Thomas Hohstadt." This is the email she forwarded to me:
From: "FutureChurch"
Date: February 24, 2008 5:24:31 PM EST
Reply-To: newsrecipient@futurechurch.net
Dear friends,
The refusal of an empowered laity has proven the greatest failure of today’s church. The co-dependency of skeptical pastors—protecting their own financial interests—and lazy laity—protecting their own membership privileges—has become an insidious addiction. Because of this cozy collusion, the more fervent and faith-filled entrepreneurs are finding their way outside the church. Turn this problem into new hope for the church by clicking: http://www.futurechurch.net/
Blessings,
FutureChurch
P.S. Please share this link with those who care about the future of the church.
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Well, I'm not sure if there is much more than self-promotion at the FutureChurch site, however, I did find an interesting link off it to "Virtual Church." There is going to be an event on Tuesday evening. I'm going to try to check it out. Will I see you there?
Apparently its a SecondLife location. See this article for more info.
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