Digital age pen pals

I came across an article online outlining an initiative where high school language students in Washington have undergone a program having them participate in video conferences with students in Senegal. Students were responsible for carrying out the initiative, and for doing background research into each other's cultural and social history.
Reading about thus initiative reminded me of the pen pal project that I am sure many students encountered at some point throughout their academic career. The difference here is that new age technology has allowed these students to interact directly with each other, and have face to face conversations. Personally, I remember very little about y pen pal project other than the fact that I had one. I am sure the students that participated in this event will not soon forget their experience.
This is yet another example of how bringing new media into the classroom enhances education. First off, I am sure that the students were for the most part thrilled to be given this opportunity. The article states how students prepared questions to ask their foreign counterparts, and were able to engage in 'thoughtful inquiry' in real time, providing each other with questions, and answering them instantly.
Exercises such as this demonstrate the capabilities and effects of bringing new media into the classroom.

Googling a campaign

I came across an interesting article on Newsweek.com that outlines how candidates in the upcoming US presidential election are exploiting mainstream technology to gain support.
Particularly, John McCain has been shelling a lot of money into internet marketing, using techniques that are relatively new to political campaigning. For example, if google John McCain you will get a 'sponsored link' sending you to a site that solicits campaign contributions for the senator. The tricky thing about this, though, is that if you type in Giuliani (one of McCain's opponents) into Google you are presented with a link to the same site..... McCain's campaign site.
Each candidate has already discovered the powers of youtube and viral video, but this is a relatively new concept with regards to campaigning. McCain is quoted in the article as stating that for every dollar he drops into internet campaigning her gets four back.
Another valid point that this article brings up is the fact that television and print advertising is often ignored. Advertising on Google allows candidates to target people searching for political information, and can allow them to subliminally insert there articles and advertising in a strategic format.
This reminded me of our discussion on businesses controlling Wiki's and blogs in attempt to shape the image of their organization. It is a new for of advertising and it is just another example on how the powers of the web and new media have a direct effect on day to day life.

Ipod's as pedagogical tools

We have been discussing the concept of using technology to enhance learning. I came across a news clip online that outlines how an English as a Second Language teacher at an American middle school utilizes iPod's as a teaching tool.



We discussed the other day in class what it is that makes technology-based learning more enticing for students. This question was answered straight up by an elementary level student in the video when she was asked if she would like learning strictly from books. She promptly replied, "No... Because it's boring." The youth of today are constantly surrounded by technology and I feel that in order to promote learning, teachers must use material that is new, hip, and cool in the student's perspective. Just how I loved playing Oregon Trail, Kid Pix, and later Civilization, these kids enjoy the idea of being able to use technology that in a sense disguises the fact that they are actually learning. A district representative further confirms this notion when she states that "it makes sense to utilize today's technologies and apply them in an instructional way."

The video clip concentrates on the utilization of iPod's to help bilingual students to learn English, but it also touches on the fact that it can serve many other purposes. iPod's put a whole new spin on the 'book on cassette.' Today in one of my lectures I notices a student in front of me using his iPod to record the lecture, and I had never even considered this possibility.

Although purchasing iPod's at each elementary level seems a little over the top, this is just another example of how how a cool, modern form of technology can help within the classroom.

Video Games as a Form of Recruitment

I came across an article on Yahoo news today outlining a new pilot project where a British spy agencies is attempting to recruit spies from video games. This is being done in a subliminal fashion, using billboards and signs within gameplay instead of explicit advertisements. Games like "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent" are being used to conduct the advertising in an attempt to attract "computer-savvy, technologically-able, quick-thinking" recruits. The advertisements will not be written into the games, instead they will be fed into the gameplay externally targeting users playing online through their PC or X-Box 360.

I found this article rather interesting as it shows how top government agencies are targeting gamers in their recruiting process. I also find it interesting that they are advertising within the gameplay. This is something that would not have been possible just a few years ago, but the lifelike graphics of modern video games make it possible for even advertising and signage in the background of the game to be detailed enough to advertise.

The article states how the campaign will be monitored over the next month and adjusted accordingly. In my opinion, if the campaign is a success it will open the door to a whole new world of marketing. I have noticed through the years that video games have a certain degree of product placement within them. For example, the RBK logo being clearly visible throughout gameplay and especially in replays in EA Sports'NHL 08. This can be taken to a whole new level though, and targetted marketing such as the article describes may be finding a new niche within video games.

Wiki Pranking/Colbert for President?

I know we have wrapped up our discussions on Wiki's but I came across an article today that really caught my attention. A little over a year ago, political satirist Stephen Colbert ran a segment on his show called 'Wikiality,' which was intended to point out the unreliability of information gathered from Wiki's. During this segment, Colbert jokingly suggested to his viewers that they edit the Wikipedia entry for 'Elephant' to state that the Elephant population has swollen in the past few years, and stating that this will be an "inconvenient tusk" for environmentalists such as Al Gore.

Although this was intended as a joke, Colbert has a very large and loyal following, and within minutes, the Wikipedia entry for elephants was locked, and the discussion page became flooded with entries discussing Colbert's 'prank.'

Although Colbert's prank was intended to point out the unreliability of Wikipedia, I think it did much more than this. First off, it served as direct advertising and publicity for the wiki. Secondly, I believe that it pointed out the reliability of Wikipedia. The fact that such a large-scale stunt had little or no impact on the content of the wiki page shows the reliability of a lot of Wikipedia content.

Now it is clear that the fact that Wikipedia was able to control this was the unusual high traffic editing the page, or the fact that somebody aware of the stunt must have locked the page, but it shows how high traffic pages are able to resist this vandalism. I pointed out in class a few weeks ago that this is not the case with many lower-traffic pages, as they are moderated much less, and errors are not noticed as frequently. This is a downfall of Wikipedia, but the relative reliability of the high-traffic pages show the benefits of such a useful online tool.

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This is a little less applicable to our course, but i also read that Colbert announced last night that he intends on running for office in the upcoming united States Presidential Election. This is the latest in a string of pranks by Colbert, including the Wiki prank, betting the city of Oshawa, Ontario over a Junior league hockey game, and instructing his 'Colbert Nation' to vote for him on a Hungarian website running a contest that would name a bridge after the winner.

Although this seems like a harmless publicity stunt, I believe that this proves Colbert's political point. Based on his previous stunts, and his rather large following, I am willing to bet that Colbert will receive at least some support from the public. By no means do I feel that he expects to be successful, but I believe that Colbert simply wants to show the public how little voters know (or care) about the electoral process. In order to accomplish this, he does not need a huge number of votes, just the fact that he probably will get votes will prove his point.

Anyways, I know this doesn't exactly apply to our course material, but I felt that it was a great example that illustrates the power of the media over the general public