I just wanted to stop by for a minute to wish everyone Happy Holidays and a 2011 full of new discoveries with my favorite video of this holiday season. See you next year!
Showing posts with label Uncategorized. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Uncategorized. Show all posts
The power of the unexpected
We're all naturally curious beings, but our day to day lives often get stuck in predictable routines that can dull our minds. And what's a great way to wake up our curiosity? The unexpected. Something that makes us pause and wonder, something that requires us to reconsider what we know about the world.
Like the company that added the ability to hear a duck quack when calling their toll-free number. Or The Fun Theory initiative, which among others included the world's deepest bin to motivate people to throw garbage into the trash bin. Take a look below and pay attention to people's reactions.
I love this example because it shows a lot of people inspecting the bin, trying to figure out how it works.
And that makes me wonder why is there so little of such wonder in our schools? The place, where such behavior should be expected; the people in the video above show a very clear desire to understand the bin, to learn why it behaves in an unexpected way. Do our students have such a desire to learn in our schools? And if not, what can we do to bring the unexpected and the wonder in our schools?
A little attention goes a long way
I recently celebrated my birthday, and one of the most memorable greetings came from quite an unexpected source: the business social networking site Xing. I received an e-mail informing me that they are giving me 10 days of Premium Membership. That in itself is a nice touch, but what really brought a smile to my face was the picture of a Xing cake with my name on it that was attached to the message.
My own virtual cake! Yummy! :)
Technologically speaking, it was nothing special; it's quite simple to program a piece of software that does this for every member's birthday. But still; Xing took the time to think of a special way to wish their members a happy birthday, and it certainly worked for me. I confess that I don't even use Xing regularly, but this simple gestures has increased my appreciation for the site. An unexpected and original display of affection can certainly go a long way. Can you remember when was the last time you tried to do something different, unexpected, something personal for your customers/students/friends?
My own virtual cake! Yummy! :)In case you've been wondering...
Yes, it certainly has been a while since I last posted on this blog. I can easily think of several reasons for this: finding micro blogging easier for sharing quick ideas and cool content, having the feeling that what I have to say has already been written more eloquently somewhere else, not finishing drafts, spending more time writing a newsletter for my company, dealing with health problems, struggling with finding the right direction and voice for this blog... and probably much more. But that's not really what I want to talk about today.
I started this blog as a personal exploration of this new medium and perhaps it's best to keep it this way. It's just one of the many channels I use to communicate with the world and right now I have no desire to have this blog as my main channel. That's why I'm not writing this post to promise to blog more regularly or to keep this blog in a certain direction. And neither am I giving up on this blog completely. I might post again tomorrow, next month or even next year; the thing is that I just don't want to worry about that anymore. I never considered myself a blogger anyway; right now I'm just somebody who enjoys writing blog posts once in a while, and I think I do a better job at sharing interesting content through my Google Reader shared items or on my recently revived tumblelog.
So, I guess I just wanted to make an announcement that this blog isn't quite dead yet, but at the same time admit that I really have no idea of what you can expect here. All I can do is to invite you to keep watching this space and watch its journey with me. Who knows, we might find something interesting along the way :)
I started this blog as a personal exploration of this new medium and perhaps it's best to keep it this way. It's just one of the many channels I use to communicate with the world and right now I have no desire to have this blog as my main channel. That's why I'm not writing this post to promise to blog more regularly or to keep this blog in a certain direction. And neither am I giving up on this blog completely. I might post again tomorrow, next month or even next year; the thing is that I just don't want to worry about that anymore. I never considered myself a blogger anyway; right now I'm just somebody who enjoys writing blog posts once in a while, and I think I do a better job at sharing interesting content through my Google Reader shared items or on my recently revived tumblelog.
So, I guess I just wanted to make an announcement that this blog isn't quite dead yet, but at the same time admit that I really have no idea of what you can expect here. All I can do is to invite you to keep watching this space and watch its journey with me. Who knows, we might find something interesting along the way :)
Happy Holidays!
I just wanted to wish all readers of this blog happy holidays!
May all of you have at least one secret wish granted in the year 2008!
Musings on the importance of speaking English
For me, one of the important questions I always have to answer before creating any kind of content is: in which language will it be? Will it be in Slovenian (my mother tongue) or in English (the international language of the web that I've learned as a second language)? This was, of course, also a major question when I started this blog. And sometimes I really hate this question, and I hate having to choose between languages.
On one hand, writing and speaking in Slovenian is always easier for me, but by choosing Slovenian as the language for my content, I automatically limit myself to an audience of probably no more than 2 million people (and the number get smaller if you consider the number of Slovenian speaking people that are actually interested in what I'm writing about). The fact that a lot of the current tech terms (and buzzwords) don't yet have a good Slovenian translation, also make my decision more difficult because I sometimes feel like I'm writing half in English anyway.
On the other hand, I get a much bigger potential audience by writing in English, but it makes writing/speaking a bit more difficult, and it may also make my content more difficult to understand (or maybe even relate to?) for Slovenian people that don't speak English well or at all. And although I consider myself fluent in English, I often feel a bit insecure or self-conscious when I write or speak in English (especially for an audience of native speakers). The self-consciousness is even more apparent in synchronous communication situations - like IM or more recently with Second Life voice. When I blog or write emails I have the time to reflect, analyze, run a spellchecker, so I feel more confident (though I always worry about making typos that could be interpreted as insufficient knowledge).
But no matter which language I choose, there is always the question: should I translate this to the other language? And sometimes I do translate, but usually I don't because I don't have the time or motivation to do it - and let's not forget that some things are always lost in translation no matter how hard you try. There is just so much good content out there that's impossible to translate it all back and forth to one language and another.
So how can one deal with the language problem? I often choose English over Slovenian just because it helps me to get in touch with so many wonderful people around the globe, but I sometimes miss more discussions in my own language. And that is why on some levels I'm glad I can now also blog for my company's website in Slovenian, but then again: I often wish I could share some of my Slovenian content with my English speaking friends... I guess the language question can never have just one answer. For me, it's always a bit of a struggle, and in the end it's up to each individual to choose his/her "side". It isn't easy, but I guess it's one of the prices you have to pay to live in a flat world.
I'd like to finish this post by turning to you, dear reader, and asking for your answers to the language question. If you're not a native English speaker, how do you choose the language you write/speak in? And if you're a native English speaker, how do you deal with all the non-English content on the web? Do you ignore it or try to understand it by turning to native speakers of the foreign language or by trying to learn a foreign language? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject :)
(And by the way: one of my Slovenian friends answered the language question when he recently started his blog, so I guess I'm not alone in the language dilemma :) )
On one hand, writing and speaking in Slovenian is always easier for me, but by choosing Slovenian as the language for my content, I automatically limit myself to an audience of probably no more than 2 million people (and the number get smaller if you consider the number of Slovenian speaking people that are actually interested in what I'm writing about). The fact that a lot of the current tech terms (and buzzwords) don't yet have a good Slovenian translation, also make my decision more difficult because I sometimes feel like I'm writing half in English anyway.
On the other hand, I get a much bigger potential audience by writing in English, but it makes writing/speaking a bit more difficult, and it may also make my content more difficult to understand (or maybe even relate to?) for Slovenian people that don't speak English well or at all. And although I consider myself fluent in English, I often feel a bit insecure or self-conscious when I write or speak in English (especially for an audience of native speakers). The self-consciousness is even more apparent in synchronous communication situations - like IM or more recently with Second Life voice. When I blog or write emails I have the time to reflect, analyze, run a spellchecker, so I feel more confident (though I always worry about making typos that could be interpreted as insufficient knowledge).
But no matter which language I choose, there is always the question: should I translate this to the other language? And sometimes I do translate, but usually I don't because I don't have the time or motivation to do it - and let's not forget that some things are always lost in translation no matter how hard you try. There is just so much good content out there that's impossible to translate it all back and forth to one language and another.
I'd like to finish this post by turning to you, dear reader, and asking for your answers to the language question. If you're not a native English speaker, how do you choose the language you write/speak in? And if you're a native English speaker, how do you deal with all the non-English content on the web? Do you ignore it or try to understand it by turning to native speakers of the foreign language or by trying to learn a foreign language? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject :)
(And by the way: one of my Slovenian friends answered the language question when he recently started his blog, so I guess I'm not alone in the language dilemma :) )
Giving good directions
Lately I seem to be stumbling a common problem a lot while surfing the web, visiting different places in Second Life or just going to different analogue places by analogue roads. That problem is lack of good directions related to different content and places.A common example: I often find an interesting blog post, and when I try to find more about the person that wrote it or the purpose of the blog, there is nothing. Nada. On blogs, I often get my hopes up when I see the "About" page, but too often I find the default message to the owner of the blog that no visitor should ever see (something like: "Write something about yourself/your blog on this page"). I really don't expect everyone to provide their full CV and contact information, but even if you decide to be anonymous, you can at least tell us what field you work in and what is the purpose of the blog.
Then another common example from Second Life. I won't even mention those places that are supposed to have a grand opening and can't be found anywhere on the map or under search. What I find even more disturbing is getting to a new place and receiving no clue of what the place is about and no help for getting easily from one part of the sim to the other (i.e. teleporters). Flying is fun in Second Life, but I don't always have the time or will to fly from one corner of the sim to the other to see there is nothing really interesting on the other side.
The immediate reaction to the lack of (good) directions is for me confusion, self-consciousness (thoughts like: are there really no directions here or is it my fault that I can't find them?), and the final result is usually leaving the confusing place without plans to return in the near future. This confusing place should of course never be your online course site, your virtual world presence, or even your personal or professional website.
So, what can we do to avoid users leaving our places, and how can we prepare good directions for our users (students, clients or friends)? Having really good directions is not an easy job I grant you, but I think there are some things we can do to get closer to that goal:
- The first step is of course recognizing that some directions are needed. In our enthusiasm of building something new we often forget that.
- Think like a newbie and like an average user of your content when preparing directions, and (if possible) test them on a random person that was not involved in the design process and is not a super geek. If your grandparents can understand your directions you're certainly on the right track!
- Make directions easy to read, help yourself with simple visual clues (a map, icons etc.). Keep it simple and try to include the basic information. First time users/visitors don't need to know all the details, but they should be able to get to those later when they need them.
- Make directions visible for first time visitor, but not disturbing to frequent visitors. Avoid using intrusive tools such as pop-up messages. The first time user might appreciate them, but only the first time. On the second visit he/she will start looking for the mute button, on the forth he/she will start looking for excuses for not visiting.
- Not all directions should look like they're there just because they have to be there. Add value: entertain your visitor, provide additional functions (i.e. teleporting in Second Life, a list of the most interesting posts etc.), make them feel welcome and appreciated.
- Be polite to all users, not just those that you want to have today or those that pay you. You never know when you'll need somebody, so try to make a good first impression on everyone.
- Provide personal support options. Even if you don't manage to give good directions, you can be saved by giving your users/visitors/students and easy way to contact you and get personal directions from you or your staff. It's the age of a user-centric web, on which we like the feeling we can all go talk to the boss if we want to.
- Listen to user feedback. And don't listen just to the users that talk to you. Sometimes you have to make the first step and ask the users for feedback.
On my blog, I try to provide good directions by having a "Who am I?" block right on the top of the blog sidebar, which has some basic info about me and a few links to my extended profiles if the visitors want to know more about me. Also, I decided to visualize my blog purpose with a simple moto (Click. Learn. Share.) and icons right below. I might also add some links to my most interesting posts in the future, but overall I hope I did a decent job in providing directions and different ways for navigation. If you think I'm missing something, please let me know :)
I certainly think that once in a while we should all stop to think about how new users feel when they first enter one of our places. And I think we can often find some little and sweet details to add that will make the visiting experience for first-timers and regulars alike that more pleasurable and memorable.
Gotta Get Goals Meme
I admit: I've been a bad blogger lately. I've been tagged for my first blog meme over 3 weeks ago, and I still haven't done my homework :blushes: I'm glad that I can now finally take some time to add my post to the Gotta Get Goals Meme, for which I was tagged by Eduardo Peirano (also, check out his College 2.0 network on Ning), who also wanted to learn about my goals.
I admit it took me some time to write this post. I'm in a way at a turning point of my life - just got my bachelor degree, and now I'm trying to get a full time job and continue with my formal education. And although I'll probably continue in the field I'm already so involved in, it certainly is a good time for me to think about goals, and all the things I'd like to do in the future.
So, after much thought, I have decided that these are the most interesting goals for me right now:
I admit it took me some time to write this post. I'm in a way at a turning point of my life - just got my bachelor degree, and now I'm trying to get a full time job and continue with my formal education. And although I'll probably continue in the field I'm already so involved in, it certainly is a good time for me to think about goals, and all the things I'd like to do in the future.
- I'd like stay on track with recent developments and best practices in the the field of e-learning, and also in other fields that can help me with my work or are just interesting for me (for example informatics, psychology, communication science, marketing, graphic design,...). My goal is to keep my eyes open for new discoveries, to keep reading, keep asking questions, meeting new people, learning something new every single day, and trying to apply new knowledge both to my professional and personal life.
- I'd also like to continue with my formal education. My goal is to find a good online master and later a doctoral program connected with e-learning, during which I'll be able to improve myself as an online learner, and of course continue to reflect on my work as an online tutor.
- I'd like to continuously improve my tutoring and teaching skills, and try to share my passion for my work with my students, colleagues, and anybody else that is willing to listen ;) With that I'd like to inspire people to discover new things that are not necessarily related to a single course subject, and to start viewing the process of learning as a daily activity and not just as part of a formal educational setting.
- I'm my lifetime I'd also like to learn another foreign language - currently I know English and Italian (although I need to improve my speaking and writing skills in Italian!), and I would once like to learn a language that is completely different from the languages that I already know. Currently, Japanese looks the most tempting for me. Why? Because it is something entirely new, because it'd also give me the opportunity to get to know a different culture, and because it would enable me to watch Japanese anime in the original language :)
- I'd also to continue blogging and make my blog an interesting place to visit at least once a week :) Although blogging takes a lot of time and effort, it gives back so many wonderful rewards that I certainly hope I'll be able to actively use my blog as my starting point for learning for as long as possible.
- And at last but certainly not least, I'd also like to continue making the lives of people closest to me (my family and closest friends - you know who you are) brighter with tiny thoughtful displays of affection that show them that I care about them and that they are special for me. By doing this I'd also like to thank them day by day for all their love and support - because that in the end is what fuels all my passions and makes me go on.
Back from an offline week
Hello world! Today I finally returned online after an offline week in Egypt (how was it? Well, let me just say that the words "hot weather" now have an entirely new meaning for me :) ). And I already spent most of the morning answering e-mails, sending out Joost invites (if you need one for yourself or your friends you can still mail me - ialja(at)mac(dot)com), updating Second Life, and getting through messages from various Web 2.0 sites. While I was gone my Sloodle presentation even became featured on Slideshare! I guess it shows that the Web 2.0 never sleeps :)
For me the past week has been quite odd. Time passed slowly, and differently. I spent an entire week without using a computer, and even with limited use of my cell phone. It was strange, but in a way it was good to take a short break. The only problem is that I've got so much to catch up on :( This week will be also very busy for me, so I don't think I'll manage to post to my blog in the next days. I know I still have some blog homework to do, but I'm afraid it will have to wait for at least another week... Until then you can take a look at some photos from my vacation on Flickr.
Yeah, I know, I am quite hopeless: one of the first things I did upon my return was to upload some photos to Flickr. Yup, it's good to be back! :) So... stay tuned ;)
For me the past week has been quite odd. Time passed slowly, and differently. I spent an entire week without using a computer, and even with limited use of my cell phone. It was strange, but in a way it was good to take a short break. The only problem is that I've got so much to catch up on :( This week will be also very busy for me, so I don't think I'll manage to post to my blog in the next days. I know I still have some blog homework to do, but I'm afraid it will have to wait for at least another week... Until then you can take a look at some photos from my vacation on Flickr.
"Out of office" notice
Tonight I'm leaving for a short vacation in Egypt, so I'll probably be offline for the next week (from May 20th until May 27th). That means there will be no new posts on my blogs, and that I will be unable to send you Joost invites in the next week (but if you don't mind the wait feel free to send me a request by email and I'll respond when I get back). If you mail me (ialja(at)mac(dot)com) or IM me in Second Life I'll get back to you after my return. I'll try to bring some nice pictures with me :)
Unfortunately I'll miss the Second Life Best Practices Conference, so I tried to contributed my part in advance by making the conference logo. I hope many of you will attend the event in my place, and I'm looking forward to read some great blog posts about the event and seeing some nice pictures on Flickr :)
I will certainly be back online and in-world in one week. Upon my return I will also write my goals (I've just been tagged for the first time :) ), so stay tuned!
Unfortunately I'll miss the Second Life Best Practices Conference, so I tried to contributed my part in advance by making the conference logo. I hope many of you will attend the event in my place, and I'm looking forward to read some great blog posts about the event and seeing some nice pictures on Flickr :)I will certainly be back online and in-world in one week. Upon my return I will also write my goals (I've just been tagged for the first time :) ), so stay tuned!
What does "I don't have time to try this" really mean?
A few days ago I was reading Will Richardson's post The Next Generation of Teachers on how often "yeah, but" excuses can be heard from young, still to-be teachers when it comes to the usage of educational technologies. I think this isn't common just among educators (young or old), but it's something we often have to deal with when presenting a new technology/service/tool to somebody. One of the very popular excuses in these cases sounds something like this: "Yeah, it sounds great, BUT I don't have time to try this right now". How often did you heard that reply? From colleagues, friends, family that you were just trying to help by presenting this really amazing new tool that you find soooo useful and is making part of your life easier, more enjoyable or more efficient. Sure, sometimes we just are too busy to even know our own name, but I often get the feeling that not-having-enough-time is just a handy excuse to avoid the usage of a new tool. Being busy is always an acceptable way out, right?
So, I often wonder what "I don't have time to try this" really means - especially when the presented tool isn't so demanding that it would require weeks of intensive training, but perhaps just an hour of a person's time, and especially when the tool at hand is really intended to save time (for example RSS feeds). Let me share with you three (in my opinion and experience) of the most popular hidden meanings of not-having-enough-time and some ideas on how to avoid getting the "I don't have time" excuse or on how to deal with it:
When I say that I don't have time to try the tool you're presenting, I in fact...
Possible solutions: When trying to get somebody hooked up on a new tool because you just know he/she could greatly benefit from it, use some empathy. Get to know the person, his/her needs, problems with similar existing solutions and use that knowledge during your presentation. Show the features that are relevant to the person you're presenting to. (example: If somebody presented Second Life to me as just a new game, I wouldn't be interested in checking it out - instead I decided to join because I read articles and personal reports from educators about how SL can be used for education.) When presenting listen to small clues (often hidden in questions) that might show that you're not presenting the tool in a relevant way.
Possible solutions: When presenting the tool also present the steps required to get started with the tool. Show the person simple (and if possible support) tutorials that can be used for beginners. If possible offer personal tutoring and support for the initial steps (example: "I'll help you create an account on Flickr and we'll upload your picture together"), but try to make the person comfortable in using the tool on his/her own or you might get called each time the person will need the tool ;) (example: "See, it's easy. Now you can try this on your own. I'll help you if needed.")
Possible solutions: This case is perhaps the most difficult to solve. You might be dealing with a person that just doesn't like change - period. In some cases resistance to change might be a symptom of insecurities. In this case you could always try to present the tool in a relevant way and offer your help (just as described above), but that might not always work. In these cases it is perhaps better to retreat. After all, not every exciting new tool is meant to be accepted by everyone. But if the time comes when the tool you failed to present successfully becomes so popular that it can't be avoided anymore, you can always come back to the person and use the strategies presented above to help the person make the change.
In my opinion the keywords when dealing with new tools are relevance and support. Try to find what the person really needs and shape your presentation according to the person's needs. We aren't very good at changing our habits because somebody tells us to, but we are willing and capable of great change when we decide the change is needed and know exactly how to make it happen.
Finally, I would really like to hear your opinion on the not-having-enough-time excuse. How do you deal with it when you can tell it's just an excuse with a hidden meaning? What are in your opinion other common hidden meanings of this excuse? And what do you do to help people find the time to try something new?
So, I often wonder what "I don't have time to try this" really means - especially when the presented tool isn't so demanding that it would require weeks of intensive training, but perhaps just an hour of a person's time, and especially when the tool at hand is really intended to save time (for example RSS feeds). Let me share with you three (in my opinion and experience) of the most popular hidden meanings of not-having-enough-time and some ideas on how to avoid getting the "I don't have time" excuse or on how to deal with it:When I say that I don't have time to try the tool you're presenting, I in fact...
... don't understand why I should use this tool.
Translation: The person you are talking to doesn't see a personal benefit in using the tool you're presenting; therefore he/she sees the tool as a waste of his/her time.
Possible solutions: When trying to get somebody hooked up on a new tool because you just know he/she could greatly benefit from it, use some empathy. Get to know the person, his/her needs, problems with similar existing solutions and use that knowledge during your presentation. Show the features that are relevant to the person you're presenting to. (example: If somebody presented Second Life to me as just a new game, I wouldn't be interested in checking it out - instead I decided to join because I read articles and personal reports from educators about how SL can be used for education.) When presenting listen to small clues (often hidden in questions) that might show that you're not presenting the tool in a relevant way.... think I understand what this tool is about, but it seems so hard to use.
Translation: The person can see some of the benefits of the tool you're presenting, but to him/her the tool just seems too difficult to use; he/she thinks he/she doesn't have the appropriate skills to be able to use it or that getting to know the tool would require a lot of training - therefore a lot more time the person is willing to dedicate to get the benefits of the tool.
Possible solutions: When presenting the tool also present the steps required to get started with the tool. Show the person simple (and if possible support) tutorials that can be used for beginners. If possible offer personal tutoring and support for the initial steps (example: "I'll help you create an account on Flickr and we'll upload your picture together"), but try to make the person comfortable in using the tool on his/her own or you might get called each time the person will need the tool ;) (example: "See, it's easy. Now you can try this on your own. I'll help you if needed.")... don't want to change the way I'm doing things at the moment!
Translation: The person is most bothered by the change the new tool might cause in his/her life. One of the fears might also be that the new tool will demand more of a person's attention; therefore it seems easier to say one doesn't have time to try doing things another way. Why change if the way I'm doing things works just fine?
Possible solutions: This case is perhaps the most difficult to solve. You might be dealing with a person that just doesn't like change - period. In some cases resistance to change might be a symptom of insecurities. In this case you could always try to present the tool in a relevant way and offer your help (just as described above), but that might not always work. In these cases it is perhaps better to retreat. After all, not every exciting new tool is meant to be accepted by everyone. But if the time comes when the tool you failed to present successfully becomes so popular that it can't be avoided anymore, you can always come back to the person and use the strategies presented above to help the person make the change.In my opinion the keywords when dealing with new tools are relevance and support. Try to find what the person really needs and shape your presentation according to the person's needs. We aren't very good at changing our habits because somebody tells us to, but we are willing and capable of great change when we decide the change is needed and know exactly how to make it happen.
Finally, I would really like to hear your opinion on the not-having-enough-time excuse. How do you deal with it when you can tell it's just an excuse with a hidden meaning? What are in your opinion other common hidden meanings of this excuse? And what do you do to help people find the time to try something new?
Good luck with finding and spreading innovation!
Welcome in the year 2007! The start of a new year is always a time when we try to sort out the past and look forward to the future (if you dare, Google this: 2007 predictions) and so I decided that it is entirely appropriate for my first post of 2007 to be in this spirit.
Today I came across this post: Progress and Innovation in Education, which presents some very interesting quotes made by educators that question the usefulness of certain innovations that we now of course take for granted. Reading these quotes in the year 2007 is certainly quite amusing, but anyone who has ever tried to introduce a new technology in education (or elsewhere) knows that attitudes towards innovation haven't changed much from those of the year 1703. Surely, not all new innovations are useful, meaningful and meant to be adopted, but if we find something that works and that does the job better than ever before - why not? And here we must not forget (as history teaches us) that we can't predict the failure of something just because we fail to see its use.
But how can we fight against those skeptics that seem to be afraid of innovation and progress? One way is surely by showing them the now hilarious failed skeptical prediction (for more material check out the Wikipedia Failed predictions article) and by reminding them (and ourselves) that change is inevitable and constant. And I think the best way to adopt change is by trying out new things - sometimes you just can't see the use of something until you try to use it in real life situations. So, my wish for our new year is that we'd all try many new exciting things and with any luck find at least a few innovations that will rock our world. And I of course also wish everyone good luck with spreading innovation - with some people such luck will always be needed :)
(By the way - if you want to know how to sharpen your own quill or prepare your ink check this site out :) )
Today I came across this post: Progress and Innovation in Education, which presents some very interesting quotes made by educators that question the usefulness of certain innovations that we now of course take for granted. Reading these quotes in the year 2007 is certainly quite amusing, but anyone who has ever tried to introduce a new technology in education (or elsewhere) knows that attitudes towards innovation haven't changed much from those of the year 1703. Surely, not all new innovations are useful, meaningful and meant to be adopted, but if we find something that works and that does the job better than ever before - why not? And here we must not forget (as history teaches us) that we can't predict the failure of something just because we fail to see its use.But how can we fight against those skeptics that seem to be afraid of innovation and progress? One way is surely by showing them the now hilarious failed skeptical prediction (for more material check out the Wikipedia Failed predictions article) and by reminding them (and ourselves) that change is inevitable and constant. And I think the best way to adopt change is by trying out new things - sometimes you just can't see the use of something until you try to use it in real life situations. So, my wish for our new year is that we'd all try many new exciting things and with any luck find at least a few innovations that will rock our world. And I of course also wish everyone good luck with spreading innovation - with some people such luck will always be needed :)
(By the way - if you want to know how to sharpen your own quill or prepare your ink check this site out :) )
New year greetings!
I would just like to wish everyone happy holidays and of course a great new year (already 2007!). I'll be taking the remaining days of this year off, but have no fear - I'll be back in the new year with fresh ideas and thoughts :)
Painful e-life
Today I came across an interesting story on Reuters: Popular gadgets may make painful Christmas presents, which reminds us about repetitive strain injuries (RSI) that can be caused by high-tech gadgets. And gadgets are no longer used just for fun; they are now an integral part of our everyday lives and are now increasingly present even in learning (which is something I even try to promote). And here I wonder - do we, as e-learning enthusiasts, give enough thought to health problems that new technologies might be causing? We all want to use the power of modern technology, but how often do we talk about its proper usage, the importance of taking breaks during work or proper sitting or typing positions? Are our students aware of these problems at all? Why aren't we talking about this in our schools? And actually, I'm writing this post while wearing a wrist band because of the pains I got after a few days of intensive at least 8-hours long typing plus of course "leisure" browsing.So, what can we do about this "disease of modern times"? I think that as educators we should be talking about this with our students when discussing new technologies and letting them know about safe and healthy technology usage. And also we should take better care of ourselves and take regular short breaks from work if we have to work with computers for a longer period of time. The best way to fight something is as always to learn about the enemy, so here are some useful links about this topic:
- RSI Tips, Tricks, & Suggestions - RSI-Relief
- 10 Simple RSI Prevention Tips
- Top 10 Tips to Prevent Wrist Repetitive Stress Injuries
- Micah's Tips for Preventing and Recovering from RSI
Dear Browser, I wish...
Dear Browser, I wish you could help me keep track of my browsing in a better way. What do I mean? Well, lately I'm just finding quite some opened windows/tabs and had no idea where they come from or why I opened them. How does this happen? The usual process: in the morning I open all the feeds that have new posts, right click - open in new tab on those that seem interesting, quickly read through them, click on a few links, and then if I'm still too sleepy I grab a cup of coffee that of course wakes me a bit, so I decide to minimize all opened browser windows and start doing something else - writing, researching, reading.... And an hour (or even more) later I remember those minimized windows and realize I still have some posts to read. Cool! I read the most interesting posts more carefully, and then... hm... why do I have this window opened? It was in one of the posts I read... but which one? The one I just closed? Hm... Yep. You can see my point. And this is really getting irritating. I know, I know, it's all my fault, I should try to do one task at a time etc. etc. etc.But anyhow! I do think that our dear browsers could help us a bit in such situations. How? Well, I'd give anything (well, not my Mac ;) ) to be able to click on something that says "How did I get here?" and that could show me the link I clicked to get to the site I'm viewing right now. And I'm not really picky - put it in any menu you want, make it available with a right click, add a toolbar... anything! But I don't want it as a separate program and I'm too lazy to re-open and search through my browser's history. I just think that this would be a really useful browser feature for people that get lost between links like I sometimes do and that want that option available without having to go a certain site or turn on anything :) It would just be there, available when we need it. Some sort of log, but presented in a user friendly way with clear connections between sites.
And you know what else would be really cool? If we had an easy, simple way to share the "How did I get here?" info. Why? Well, I think it could be used in education. Just imagine this situation: you give your students a task to do Internet research on Christmas trees. Your students of course go to a search engine of their choice, type in the keyword they think are the most appropriate, and then click on the search results they think are the most relevant. Of course, you can make your students write a written report on how they performed their search, but wouldn't it be great if there was a simple (browser integrated) way to share and compare the browsing activity? And of course be able to produce readable and easy to understand report (they could even be visual, in form of sideshows for example).
Of course there is also a commercial application of this function - I think many companies would be interested in seeing how we browse and especially how we get (or fail to get) to their sites. Here of course I think it should be up-to the users to decide if (and for how much ;) ) they want to share this info.
So, this is my biggest feature wish for my dear browser. What features do you wish your browser would bring you in the next version? :)
About time perception
Maybe a bit off topic (though this being my personal blog I can never really be off topic ;) ) - I stumbled upon a really interesting article on NewScientist.com about inner time perception: Teach your brain to stretch time. The article presents some really interesting findings and theories about how our brains deal with time and why time flies by or seems to stand still on different occasions.
This reminds me of a great BBC series that I recently saw - Supernatural. The series features the episode Time Warp in which differences in time perception among animals are presented. Definitely a series I recommend to see!
This reminds me of a great BBC series that I recently saw - Supernatural. The series features the episode Time Warp in which differences in time perception among animals are presented. Definitely a series I recommend to see!
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