EXTRA POST: Concept Map

WEEK 4: Copyright Law, Plagiarism, & Ethical Issues

Week 4 was a discussion of copyrights and the legal and ethical issues surrounding it. We began with a presentation on "Copyright & Issues in Education Technology". The presentation included copyright basics, what constitutes fair use, and educational technology issues.

Copyright

We also learned about the 4 key guidelines to designing instructional media: contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. This presentation was particularly useful for designing engaging and informative websites and articles. Additionally we also discussed what separates multimedia from hypermedia. The curriculum concluded with 2 quizzes, one on fair use and the other on design principles.

In Telecommunications, copyright law and fair use play a large role. The college of Journalism offers several courses devoted to these issues. Being able to discern what constitutes fair use and what pieces of media are legal to use is an important skill to learn and can make or break a career in the telecom field. I found this week to be particularly useful for my career.

Fair Use in Online Video

I chose the above resource because it breaks down fair use law within the context of internet video. Internet video is quite possibly the fastest growing form of media and accounts for a large percentage of all online bandwidth. As the media form continues to gain in popularity learning the ins and outs of online video fair use is going to become increasingly more relevant.

WEEK 3: Web Technology

Week 3 we learned about Wikis. Wikipedia, the namesake of wikis, describes them as...

"A wiki ( /ˈwɪki/ WIK-ee) is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor"

We used the EME 2040 Wiki to post links online to our individual class blogs. Week 3 also brought with it a discussion of video embedding and Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is the online trending of sites toward more increased user interaction. Web 2.0 sites

"allow users to own, add, and share content collaboratively and interactively."

Examples of Web 2.0 applications include: Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Convore.

In my Telecommunications studies here at the University of Florida I have become very familiar with the Web 2.0 movement. The ability to share information and various forms of media across the internet are changing the future of telecommunications and journalism. Sites like YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr are both entertaining and useful for business and recreation.

I chose Convore (above) because I believe it to be an apt representation of Web 2.0. Convore allows users to converse back and forth with one another in an instant messaging form without having to download additional software. Thus, Convore allows users an increased level of web interactivity representative of the Web 2.0 movement.

WEEK 2: Education Technology

In Week 2 we discussed Mac OS X, first with an orientation then with two follow up lessons. The initial orientation, or Lesson One, focused on learning what exactly Mac OS X was, powering a mac both on and off, and various on screen elements. We learned where the Desktop, Menu Bar, Dock, and Finder windows are located, and what they are exactly. Additionally, Lesson One focused on computing basics such as scaling windows, navigating a typical finder window, and using tools like the Dashboard and Expose.

Lesson Two focused on files and folders. We discussed file navigation, creating, and opening folders, and saving and renaming files. We also learned how to create aliases, or shortcuts for Windows users. Our assessment for Lesson Two was to create a folder with a Word document in it and make an alias for that folder.

Lesson Three discusses keyboard shortcuts within the Mac OS X operating system. Keyboard shortcuts allow for increased productivity because they are a faster alternative to navigating menu systems with a mouse.

Through my work in the Telecom department, I've become an experienced Mac and PC user, I was familiar with much of the content of Week 2. However, there were several things I learned that I had previously overlooked in my PC/Mac education. I learned both what aliases were, and how to create them. I also learned how to take screen caps on a Mac, a useful skill that I used in a previous blog post.

I chose the screen capturing link (above) because it represents a useful skill unique to the Mac. Mac OS X allows users the ability to customize the portion of the screen they wish to save and capture. This feature, unique to Mac computers, provides a distinct and time saving advantage to Mac users that PC users do not have. The link above also includes several videos illustrating the customizable screen capture feature in a more informative way than the link provided in the EME 2040 curriculum.

WEEK 1: Course Introduction

In our first week of EME 2040: Introduction to Educational Technology, we discussed the "syllabus and other important introductory information including logging on to the blended learning environment". Week 1 consisted of confirming our email addresses, discussing course information,  and updating our Moodle profiles with pictures. Additionally we were required to purchase a 1Gb flash drive, and create a gmail account.

Flash Drive

As a Telecommunications major, I transfer data between multiple computers on a daily basis. Having a flash drive and gmail account that allow me to transfer data is crucial to my education and to my career. Both the email address and flash drive I owned before I began this course because they are so necessary for my day to day work.

Gmail Account

I chose two online resources for this blog entry as there were not many specific topics covered in the first week, but rather broad concepts. The first link is to a flash drive I found on amazon.com. This link illustrates the inverse relationship between flash drive capacity and price. In recent years, flash drives have become increasingly more popular with their increased size and decreased price, illustrating the rise in data sharing through these portable drives. The second link is to gmail, representing the site where we are required to make accounts for this class. Gmail has come a long way over the past several years. Originally it was offered as an invitation-only Beta test with limited features and a limited storage capacity. Today Gmail is available to any one and everyone without the hassle of invitations.

EXTRA POST: Do Copyright Laws Stifle Creativity?

Lawrence Lessig, Stanford law professor and copyright activist, discusses examples of "mash-ups" or "remixes" and their influence on popular culture. He discusses the future of media and how copyright laws are out of date. I found this article on Youtube while surfing the ForaTv channel, a lecture series from the world's top universities. The video stood out to me because it explores copyright laws in a modern context and asks the question, are copyright laws outdated?