Week+1+-+January+11-17,+2010

=Matthew Pacitto= = = =Class Experiences - Entry 1: January 11th, 2010, 1:00PM - 4:30PM=

As per usual for any course in the history of ever, the first class comprised mostly of introductions and explanations of the course outline. Bruce seems like a swell guy, and sharp too: I was immediately identified as "multi-tasking" while he was talking. I'll come back to my thoughts on multi-tasking later.

When I introduced myself to the class I recall mentioning my brother, who is a welder in the Alberta Oil Sands. I made a slight mistake. My brother doesn't make more in a year than I could in a lifetime. More accurately perhaps, my brother makes more in a year than I could in a **decade.** So maybe I can catch up, if I get to work quickly.


 * My Thoughts on Ian Jukes: Understanding Digital Kids.**

We watched a video of Ian Jukes where he spoke about neuro-plasticity. I took introductory Psychology during my undergraduate studies and animal behaviour has been an interest of mine throughout my studies in Biology. The old saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" has been debunked for years, if not decades. Old dogs **can** learn new tricks, and they do. Likewise, people (which are not necessarily even that old!) can and do learn new tricks all the time. My grandfather is in his seventies now and we are slowly (slowly) teaching him how to use a PC.

There was a discussion about multi-tasking I would like to comment on. I, personally, don't believe humans can multi-task in the traditional sense. By the traditional sense I mean, literally, "performing more than one activity at a time." What the human mind can do to **some** extent is switch focus, after all, many of our behaviours include switching focus for basic survival. The human mind can perform one task at a time, but it can **switch** tasks with varying efficiency. I'm not convinced many, if any, people can do it with a high degree of success. Why are places the world over starting to ban cell phone use while driving? Because people can't multi-task. The brain gets by: it can switch between the cell phone conversation and the wheel within maybe a second or so. The problem is, there's a gap where that switch occurs, and sometimes one or two seconds matters on the road. So, traditionally, there is no multi-tasking. Can we have lots of applications running on our PCs at the same time? Sure. Can we use all of them at the same time? Maybe music and one other thing.

I'm looking forward to getting my IT Score and my Teacher IT Score.

=Class Readings Entry 1: January 17th, 2010=


 * Understanding the Digital Generation I and II:**

Today I read Understanding the Digital Generation I and II by Ian Jukes //et al.// I can say right off the bat, the story of TTWWADI relating the space shuttle rockets to the width of a horse's ass is fascinating. And yet, there's a certain poetry to it I guess: after all, society as a whole can be described as things built upon more advanced things which are then built upon more advanced things. It may seem unfortunate the space shuttle rockets could not be wider: I'm a fan of space exploration like most nerds. But, what would the cost have been for transportation of these massive rockets otherwise? What gigantic trucks would need to be designed? New rail lines laid out? What would that cost these days, and would it end up being worth the space shuttle launches?

So there's an underlying logic to things built upon other things. That doesn't make these paths **right**, but it makes sense.


 * Am I Digital Native or Immigrant? Could I be a transition?**

The reading did make me reflect on myself as an individual. I am only 23 years old, so by most standards I will still fall within the definition of the "Millenial" child that grew up surrounded by technology. From a young age I did have access to a TV, a walkman, and game consoles like the SNES. Only a few years later my parents bought their first computer and 28k dial-up internet. Oh, how brutal those days were. But I may not be as completely digital as those I may end up teaching. There were no iPods and no eBooks. The Wireless Revolution of the last ten or so years will be drastically affecting the youth of today. Even more so, I started to feel like a hybrid as I reflected, and I thought of a great example: I have been struggling with the idea of getting an eBook lately. And the reason I've been struggling is because although I am somewhat digital, I grew up reading the old fashioned book. Yet more and more I feel the book is on its way out, and reading is done more on a screen (or an eBook). I feel a sort of discomfort with this, even though I tout my laptop and cell phone everywhere I go.

I'm sure in 20 years I will be very obsolete. Unless I sprint to keep up!

"Several million players working collaboratively to defeat opponents and complete quests." Hahaha, clearly the authors have only read a synopsis of an online game. Though the point remains, you could interact with a few hundred people realistically, and that's a lot.


 * Additional commentary on Digital Generation I and II:**

I agree with most of the points raised in the first article. I have been planning myself to try and deploy classes as project and discovery based learning centers. I think the days of learn this concept, then another, then another, and TTWWADI may be fading away thanks to the Information Age. Sure, we were in the Information Age ten years ago, but it wasn't wireless and broadband! Since the information is already there, as a teacher I want to be giving my students BIG problems and saying, "okay, solve them." One problem I can see with this is adaptation. Even though digital kids are used to heavy info loads, they will be taken aback by this. Some students I taught in my practicum were like helpless kittens if an instructor was not guiding their every second move. And it's because that's what they're used to! So I think, as I embark on this journey, I will be facing many awkward moments and blank faces. Later, hopefully, it will improve.

The nice thing is, project and discovery based learning doesn't have to be way out in space and away from the curriculum. As teachers today we have to come up with Culminating Performance Tasks all the time. I argue that slight changes to these CPTs turns them into full-fledged, long-term, hands-on lessons that can both use the Ontario curriculum and serve students better. As part of my assignments for a class this semester I am trying to create one of these projects. On my practicum I managed to create a partially successful project that strove for this. But it was only partially project and discovery based, I had taught the old fashioned way for most of the concepts. Perhaps if I converted it more thoroughly, I would be more thoroughly successful.

=The Wiki Experience - Entry 1: January 11th, 2010=

It's a new decade, time to learn a new tool! I have had plenty of experience //viewing// Wikis, be it the monolithic Wikipedia or other, smaller Wiki communities dedicated to my various interests. My experience editting Wikis is much less vast. I have editted Wikipedia on a handful of occasions, the most notable one fixing an article on Creatine someone had defaced. I am also the author of several articles and updates to pages over at the Mass Effect Wiki. Fantastic game.

Working with WikiSpaces has been fairly straightforward, but a bit limiting. Setting up the Wiki was very easy, in fact, mine was up and running in its bare and ugly glory before we even reached that part of the lesson. It seems that WikiSpaces, like most ventures, requires plenty of money before I can use any of the "cool" features.

I'm looking forward to sprucing this place up!

include component="comments" page="Week 5 - February 8th - 14th, 2010" limit="5"
 * Did I say anything this week that you found comment-worthy? I doubt it, but discuss anyway!**