Connecting Online and the Importance of Your Online Reputation

This past week our class presented our Social Media Etiquette projects, where we discussed an individual, in our field of study, who ran into trouble in their career due to something he or she had said on social media. My individual was Pax Dickinson; he was formerly the Chief Technology Officer at Business Insider, but he was forced to resign after several of his tweets surfaced. Many of his tweets can be seen as offensive as some were racist, sexist, and anti-feminist, among other reasons. Dickinson claimed the tweets were just comical and that there was nobody that had ever said he was unprofessional professionally or personally. Dickinson says he regrets some of his tweets because they were old and taken out of context; however, he does not regret tweeting it because he feels it was a funny joke. Currently, Dickinson is the CTO for Wesearchr, and he does not plan to change the way he uses social media. Those who know Dickinson understand the kind of person he is, and those who don't know him as well do not matter. 

One of Dickinson most infamous tweets
Click HERE to view my Prezi presentation on the downfall of Pax Dickinson

Chapter five of "The Connected Educator" deals with using tools to support connected learning. With the World Wide Web being so extensive, containing more than fifteen billion webpages, it becomes extremely difficult to know where everything is on its own. Social bookmarking, or tagging, has become an efficient way of categorizing useful information into organized sections that are easy for you to find when you need it. Delicious has become one of the most popular websites for social bookmarking; Google can sometimes too much information, so Delicious has made it possible for you to filter your search by finding webpages other users have categorized with your similar interest. Diigo is another tool similar to Delicious but with enhanced features. Diigo allows you to mkae annotations directly on a webpage, adding sticky notes and highlighting important information; also, Diigo allows you to work in collaborative groups. 

Another tool often used to connect are blogs; they allow you post short entries about your ideas, information, and experiences. Finding blogs again and again can be tedious, RSS Readers, like Google Reader, allow you to follow different blogs and have the content come to you, instead of having to search for it on your own. 

If you do not want read full blogs and prefer more condensed information, then maybe you would benefit from following some microblogs, which allow you to share information quickly and easily. Twitter is a great website to find microblogs; if you're able to find the right microblogs, you can easily follow and keep track of everything you need to by making lists.

Wikis are another way to connect and collaborate; they allow groups to work together to compile many documents and information in one place. Wikipedia is the most well known wiki, as its the largest encyclopedia in the world with thousands of volunteers who collaborate to create all its information. Google Docs are another popular form of a wiki, where students can collaborate on projects with their classmates.

With the importance of an online presence, you need to manage your online reputation; you're defined by what the first few search results that come up are on Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Some tips to manage your online reputation are:

• Build you  own professional webpage or blog
• Stack the deck in your favor
• Share your insights
• Be professional at all times
• Track yourself

Basically, just make your online presence something you would be proud to show a potential employee. Your personal life online reflects the type of worker you are, so be careful with what you post at all times.

Your Phone Isn't a Distraction Anymore

No phones in class? Not anymore!

It was't long ago when if you had your phone out in class, you would get in trouble and possibly have it taken away. As technology has advanced over the past few years, we have come to actually start having kids use their phones in class for activities. Many different apps have been developed to have students get engaged in class by using their phones. Apps like Kahoot! encourage students to use their phones for in class quizzes that don't require paper or pens. We have advanced so much in the past several years with our smartphones; it's interesting to think how much further we'll progress in the next few years. 

Last week in class, we had our second app smacking, where we each show off an app and how it can relate to our major. My app was Fiverr, which is a global online marketplace that offers tasks and services, starting at just $5 per job, which is where Fiverr gets its name. Fiverr is mainly used by freelancers, but really anyone can offer jobs to make some quick, easy money. There are dozens of different categories, so you'll be able to find just about anything you could be looking for.

One of the biggest trends in the education world recently is augmented reality, which is an enhanced image or environment as viewed on a screen or other display, produced by overlaying computer-generated images, sounds, or other data on a real-world environment. Augmented reality allows us to take something from right in front of us and enhance it. Augmented reality has been implemented in many different setting other than schools, such as supermarkets, museums, zoos, and NASA.

As augmented reality begins to be used in classrooms and continues to grow, there have been a few apps that have gained popularity:

• Elements 4D
• ZooKazam
• NASA Spacecraft 3D
• Anatomy 4D

Elements 4D provides a fun, new way to look at various chemical reactions using blocks to  combine different elements.

ZooKazam brings animals into the classroom without the actual mess of a real animal.

NASA Spacecraft 3D lets you learn about and explore different spacecraft used by NASA to explore our solar system, Earth, and the rest of the univese.

Anatomy 4D allows you to explore the human body, removing different layers to get a better look at others.

One specific example of augmented reality, in the few mentioned above, that has caught my attention is ZooKazam, and it's the first augmented reality educational app that doesn’t require a printed marker. ZooKazam allows you to bring animals to life right in front of your eyes as a 3-D image. There are over 45 animals offered by ZooKazam, such as birds, fish, mammals, insects, reptiles, among others. You are able learn about the size, weight, habitat, diet, lifespan, and population of all the different species.

PowerPoint? Let's be a little more creative.

Everyone has seen a PowerPoint presentation at some point in their academic career, and by the time you get to college, you've probably seen hundreds. Because PowerPoint is so easy to use, it's the go-to tool for teachers to use to present the topic at hand, but PowerPoint is extremely boring for those watching; there's no flair in the presentation, nothing to keep students interested. The past several years have brought many new presentation tools for students and teachers to use, but if you don't want to to use a tool much different than PowerPoint, you should be using Google Slides, and here's why:

• Google Slides is built for you to collaborate with others.
• Google Slides is even simpler to use than PowerPoint, but it is so much more advanced.
• You can use Google Slides while offline (when set up correctly) and everything will sync back up when you're connected again.
• You can access Google Slides from any device: any computer or your smartphone or tablet with the Slides app.
• You can easily share your presentation online and have anyone comment or make edits to it.
• IT'S FREE

Another tool that has become popular recently is Prezi. Prezi is a zooming presentation tool that is an alternative to PowerPoint. Here's a guide on the basics of Prezi that can show you the ropes of how to get started and begin to master Prezi. Basically, with Prezi, you start with a blank canvas or a template that is provided, then you add text, pictures, or videos, and plot the order you want everything to be shown; your Prezi zooms from each point for you to deliver your presentation. There are strengths and weaknesses to Prezi, but one of the best features is that your presentation does not have to be linear; you can branch off differently for each presentation or your audience can zoom to wherever they want at any point. Ned Porter even added a Prezi with tips and information about how to make a great Prezi.

When it comes to student presentations, you don't want too much information on your slides; you should try to limit your slide to brief notes and use that as a guide to what you should be talking about. A great tool to help limit yourself is Haiku Deck, which focuses on simple and fun presentations. You simply type a few words and the program finds matching photos where you can choose which one fits best, or you can import your own photos for a more personalized presentation. Haiku Deck is perfect for being short, sweet, and to the point, which is great when your trying to convey a message as simple as possible.

This past week we spoke with Abigail Harrison, better known as Astronaut Abby, through Google Hangouts. Abby is an aspiring astronaut and wishes to be the first astronaut to land on Mars. She speaks frequently about The Mars Generation, which she refers to those under the age of 25. The Mars Generation has had access to technology like no other generation and with our new tools, we strive to grow and learn to be able to land on Mars. Abby spoke to us about The Mars Generation as well as how she was able to build herself on social media. She told us not to get caught up in all the different forms of social media; we should only focus on the platforms that will benefit us in our career path. Also, she made it clear that our personal social media accounts are not as private as we think; anything you say on social media can be seen by potential employers, so everyone needs to be cautious of that. She finished by explaining that volunteering is one of the most effective way to build your LinkedIn profile or résumé, especially when you don't have much work experience to use as a building block.

Schools Want You To Be Creative... Or Do They?

Education is a fascinating topic. Everyone gets one, and each one is different for an individual, but is it different enough? Sir Ken Robinson spoke about this in February 2006; he wonders if schools kill creativity in young people. Ken told a story about a young girl who was drawing; her teacher came over and asked what she was drawing. The girl told her she was drawing God. The teacher responded that no one knows what God looks like. This is one example of how schools do not encourage children to express themselves and be as creative as possible. Children tend to believe what they are told; they are not afraid to be wrong because they don't really know any better yet anyway. However, because kids are being told they are wrong so much as children, they are afraid to be wrong as an adult. Being wrong is not the same as being creative, but if you are afraid to be wrong, you cannot be original. Kids are punished for making mistakes, and they are taught that mistakes are the worst thing you can do. This ideology is educating people out of their creative capacities. Ken stated in his talk, "We don't grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather, we get educated out of it." Ken was able to see, after he moved from England to the United States, that every education system on Earth has the same hierarchy of subjects: at the top is math and language, then humanities, and finally the arts. But the arts have a hierarchy of their own, where art and music are above drama and dance. All kids have tremendous talents, but they are squandered ruthlessly in school. Students that show gifts in the arts that they shouldn't bother with it because you will not be bale to find a job as an artist or a dancer. Education is meant to prepare you for your future, but we aren't able to dictate our own future. Our educations focus on the mathematics and the languages, instead of letting children find their true calling. Our education system has mined our minds in the way that we strip-mine the earth: for a particular commodity. We are not letting people be creative and it's causing people to not be able to find their true potential in life. Overall, we need to reevaluate the fundamental principles of education for children and change them to protect the future of the planet.

In class last week, we spoke to Adam Taylor, a high school science teacher in Tennessee. Adam is the creator of #scistuchat, which is a monthly Twitter Chat where students and scientists discuss general science topics. Adam told us that Twitter Lists are an essential part of keeping up with everything; also, he recommends using hashtags to stay connected with people and topics. Lastly, he said the best way to connect with professionals in your field is to simply search on Google. Many professionals use some form of social media, and searching on Google is the most effective way to find them.

Chapter three of "Untangling the Web" focuses on presentation tools, mainly those other than Microsoft PowerPoint. PowerPoint has always been an effective tool for presenters to use to convey their information; however, throughout high school and into college, I have seen hundreds of PowerPoint presentations, and it just becomes boring. It's extremely easy to use, but it's much more boring at this point than ever before. Many presentations are made for one assignment and then aren't seen again after; SlideShare changes that. 

SlideShare is a social hub that allows you to upload and share your presentation with educators around the globe; it contains a library of shared presentations, and it allows to  share PDFs, Word documents, and more. SlideShare also allows integration with sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to show off your presentation to even more people.

Poll Everywhere is the next tool that can be used to make the classroom experience less monotonous. It can be as simple as making a question and providing answers then seeing what everybody thinks by sending a text. However, it has so many more features than what's on the surface. If you are willing to upgrade to a paid plan, you'll unlock many new feature that you can take advantage of in the classroom; such as, importing names, providing correct answers, and using specific keywords, among many others.

Another tool that is similar to PowerPoint, but also much more detailed, this tool is Prezi. Prezi is like PowerPoint as it conveys information similarly, but instead of multiple slides, you zoom in and out of different parts of the original document to show exactly how everything is connected to each other. Prezi allows for many things to come alive in the classroom: for example, a Venn Diagram. With a PowerPoint presentation, you would list one side of the diagram, then the other, followed by the similarities; however, with a Prezi, you can show the Venn Diagram and zoom to different parts to show off the different sides of the argument.

Presentations have drastically evolved from bullet points over several slides. New tools have made classrooms much less boring for the students, as it is much easier to follow along and get involved with class discussions.