Web 2.0 is redefining the teaching and learning experience.

No matter how much educators try to duck and dodge the realities of Web 2.0 and its plethora of associative tools, the fact is this expansion on the original world wide web is also changing the landscape of the teaching/learning environment.  I'm enlightened almost every day by the seemingly endless possibilities of knowledge acquisition and content management through the numerous resources that are available online and it's amazing how the internet is changing the way we teach and learn. Even the skeptics are understanding that instructors who fail to embrace technology including and especially Web 2.0 tools are losing out on incredible opportunities for creativity and innovation in education.  I love the way Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach expanded on the idea that technology "will never replace teachers. However, teachers who know how to use technology effectively to help their students connect and collaborate together online will replace those who do not."

That said, I was amazed by the number of tools that are actually available for educators.  Edjudo, for example, presents a very nice collection of Web 2.0 teaching tools and segments them into categories that include Audio, Video & Photo Editing, Bookmarking & Online Collaboration, Blogging, Games, Quizzes & Educational Activities and Social Networking, along with many others. In fact, the choices can be overwhelming. When I first saw Pinterest's Web 2.0 Tools for Educators I was really impressed with its collection, but I prefer Edjudo's and Wikispaces (Web 2.0 Resources) categorization and purpose of each tool.

To add to this, if educators believe that Web 2.0 is going away anytime soon, then they need to think again since this platform and the online communities therein, are actually growing in number and scope.  Some sites like AllTwitter present Social Media Stats, while others like KISSmetrics show us who likes what.  Additionally, I thought the social networking stats for 2014 also presented some interesting demographics that show the direction social networking is headed.  I was intrigued by this last set of information which presented, among other data, that 45% of Internet users aged 65+ use Facebook.  It also revealed that Pinterest and LinkedIn users are wealthier than those of other networks. Now that must get you smiling as I too am wondering if my check is in the mail since lately I've been more involved in both communities!

Google maps is simply amazing!

I've been using Google maps (GMaps) for years and I'm still fascinated by its functionality.  It is unbelievably easy to use and very comprehensive.  You can type in just about any destination or the name of a business or organization on the planet and get a map within seconds.

Another huge function is the integration of the various forms of transportation. Users can get travel times if they were to walk, cycle, drive or fly to a destination. GMaps even offers data on current traffic as a determinant for drive times.  Did you know that through the use of global positioning satellites (GPS) and wifi info, GMaps can provide you with a kind of "You are here" status or determine your location if it doesn't come up automatically once the application is started?  GMaps has also added interesting sites and photos of things to do or places to go based on your current location info and this is in addition to the use of the pegman to get street views.

GMaps is so amazing that I find it hard to pin point disadvantages or cons of the tool.  Except for the fact that there are still so many places on earth where street views are not available, and that it's not that easy to view and compare two or more maps from different locations, GMaps is the best mapping tool available out there. Sure there's Yahoo! maps (didn't even realize that Yahoo! had a map tool), Bing maps, Waze (by the way this is now owed by Google even though it's still operating independently) and Apple maps for Apple computers and smart devices but I don't believe any of these favorably compare to GMaps.

To add to all of this, Google maps also has some associative tools like BatchGeo, Google Crisis maps, Google Timelapse maps, and Google Map Maker and these are a mere sample of many other tools that are out there.

Fakebook? Really? Is it music in a 'tech' class!?

I've been a jazz bassist for many years and any jazz musician can tell you how important it is to have 'fake books' in their music collection. These books are invaluable to musicians on the whole, but especially to jazz musicians. Fake books include a category of books called real books and are all wonderful collections of sheet music usually written to include an overview of melodies (tunes), lyrics (words) and/or chord movements (music) of numerous songs, typically written on one page. Some really popular books include the: "Ultimate Jazz Fake Book", "Real Jazz Fake Book", "Performer’s Complete Fake Book" "Real Book" (3 volumes) and the "New Real Book" (3 volumes). I've actually found the popular and self proclaimed "World's Greatest Fake Book" being fully shared (.pdf version) online. Other popular books also available online in pdf include: "Jazz Fakebook" and "557 Jazz Standards swing to bop".  These last three examples provide a model of the format for all of the other music fake books.

In addition to this, there's the very powerful "Fake Book Index" that list tons of tunes and the appropriate book where the chord charts (sheet music) can be found. Did you see any song that you know and love in the index? If you did, you now know which fake book to find it in.

But I'm not writing about music today. The Fakebook tool that is associated with Web 2.0 is a completely different animal. Classtools.net describes Fakebook as a tool to create fake profiles for historical/fictional characters. The site further outlines that you can "use 'Fakebook' to chart the plot of a book, the development of a character, a series of historical events, the debates and relationships between people, and so on".  (You can find searchable archives in Fakebook from Classnet.net).

I suppose Fakebook is doing its best to maintain top search results on search engines but because this term has been associated with music for so many years, Fakebook's name as a Web 2.0 tool will face an uphill battle.  To add to the confusion, Fakebook has a Facebook page. Yes that's correct, but Facebook doesn't appear to have a Fakebook account!  I know - I'm also trying hard to keep up with the puzzle.

Now that you've been informed, remember that Fakebook still means something totally different to many folks. For me, it's still mostly about music even though I've been enlightened.  Thought you should know.

Flickr is not bad at all!

Flickr is a pretty nice online photo management, hosting and sharing website.  I thought using the 'word cloud' concept to categorize the vast number of tagged photos is a user-friendly way engage the observer. These 'tags' (use of descriptive words) are so significant to cataloging photos that users are encouraged and guided to correctly and appropriately tag uploaded photos.  Not only is tagging important to Flickr itself but it also translates into better search engine interfacing. Flickr makes it easy to add, edit and remove tags and even has an option to see all of the tags you've ever used/created in Flickr. 

I admit, I was drawn to the plethora of captivating photos on Flickr's Blog. But what I found even more intriguing was how photos that were taken by seemingly ordinary photographers, appear to be so extraordinary.  Some of these photographers have taken incredible photos from astonishing angles and others with extraordinarily amazing timing.  Just a few of the ones that caught my attention are:

·       Arpit Rawat's "Sunset at Dam", 2014

·       Grey World's "Lakeside Beach", 2014

·       Frank Kovalchek's "View from the Blue Mesa loop", 2014

·       Don Miller's "Morning Glory", 2014

·       bvi4092' "Double Rainbow over Bromley", 2014

·       Transformer18's shot in Matterhorn, Switzerland, 2010

As an update, Flickr's cofounder Caterina Fake is still thinking ahead and providing useful apps that add to the Web 2.0 arsenal of tools.  She recently launched an updated version of her own Pinwheel app that was designed to let users pin notes online to a world map.  Her latest update is called 'Findery' and it is analogous to Pinwheel on steroids. Your notes or pins can now include photos and video feeds to describe the experience.  If you love traveling, this app can be particularly useful. Check it out at Findery.com

Great - I'm now a Scoopiteer!

Since the introduction of Web 2.0 and the rise in the use of social media, there seems to be no end to the increasing number of new terminologies.  From Twitter, FaceBook, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram and the like, to tweeting, facebooking and blogging, it's as though we're concocting a whole new language to talk to one another. Last week, I announced that I had been lurking around a few online communities and experimented with turking but never twerking! I've been tweeting for a while, used mash-up on occasion and today I've learnt that I'm now a Scoopiteer!  Say what?

It seems as if there is yet another Web 2.0 activity to talk about - content curation. As can be expected, there are any number of tools for this exercise in online knowledge management.  The list below, which is by no means exhaustive, presents some popular tools:

•  Pinterest     •  Storify     •  Scoop.it     •  Slideshare     •  Pearltrees     •  Evernote     •  YouTube

From this list, Scoop.it is gaining momentum in its market.  It turns out that some folks are also recommending noteworthy curators who use the Scoop.it platform and they are affectionately referring to them as Scoopiteers. For my first content curation project (Google tips for you!) I used Scoop.It. Though this was a tedious and time-consuming exercise, because the aim is to curate the better presentations, I enjoyed the experience.  By the way, along with the turking and lurking, I'm now happy to say that I've been 'scooping'! You see why we have to keep up with the lingo, because we'd be lost in the discussion otherwise.

Shopping via 'TwAmazon' - say what?!

When American Express (AmEx) joined forces with Twitter in 2013 it was a big deal. In fact it added fuel to the concept of social purchasing where sellers and purchasers come together in an online social community to target user interests.  With an AmEx card synced to a Twitter account, users could tweet special hashtags to shop online. How cool is that! To date there are tons of AmEx offers on Twitter that you can check out here.

But my 'big deal' today is the recent union of Twitter and Amazon that is expected to provide a whole new shopping experience for consumers. It's also simple to set up. With #AmazonCart you can now purchase almost anything online without moving from account to account to shop. Since some Twitter accounts are very public there is a concern about personal privacy, but I have to admit the concept sounds really intriguing.

As for "TwAmazon" - if Sprint can combine words like 'friends' and 'family' to get 'framily' (my dictionary says it's not a word), then I'm quite content joining 'Twitter' and 'Amazon' to get 'TwAmazon'!  It's my term and I'm sticking with it.

From 'lurking' to 'turking' - what's next?

By now, I believe we all would know what 'lurking' online is right?  Well just in case, in its simplest form, it's reading the postings of others but not participating in any of the discussions.

A mechanical turk on the other hand, is a service provided by Amazon that makes use of human intellect to perform tasks that computers currently are unable to perform.  Examples include tasks like reviewing products, completing online surveys and providing opinions on music or art.  Called Human Intelligence Tasks or HITs, the participant will be paid for services rendered.  So you would be 'turking' if you work for Amazon in this fashion.  But for goodness sake, don't confuse lurking or turking with twerking!

Intellectual Property and Copyright

For those who missed the Webinar on Thursday (06/12), you missed a great presentation.  I knew that intellectual property laws (of which copyrights form a part) were complex but I didn't realize the breadth and depth of the intricacies until now.  Our special guest, Micah Vandegrift, did an impressive job and I encourage all to view the session in its entirety!  He outlined the five 'rights' that make up copyrights as:

• the right to reproduce the work in copies (e.g. as photocopies or online);
• the right to distribute copies of the work;
• the right to prepare translations and other derivative works;
• the right to perform or display the work publicly; and
• the right to authorize others to exercise any of these rights.  (Adapted from the University of Minnesota © Info & Resources site)

Of particular interest was the concept of 'classroom use exemption' and defining what is meant by 'fair use'. I found another noteworthy source at Stanford University's four factors for measuring fair use.

Check out the recorded session in 'Week 5' from the 'Assignments' button in Blackboard.

The Terry Fox story.

I was really touched by this story.  At first I thought to myself, how could I write about something that occurred some 30+ years ago that would still inspire others today?  In that moment, not only was I was pleasantly surprised by the momentum that the Terry Fox story has gained over the years, but I was also very encouraged by the indelible mark he has left on so many people.

Terry, of British Columbia, Canada in my view, epitomizes the indomitable human spirit!  On the day of April 12, 1980 Terry began a quest that became known as his "Marathon of Hope" in the fight against cancer. You'll say, okay a marathon - what's the big deal? People run marathons just about every day.  Just so you know, over a year before this date, one of Terry's legs had to be amputated because of bone cancer.  So yes, people do run marathons just about every day, but in Terry's case he wanted to run a marathon (26 miles) every single day and he wanted do it with an artificial leg. Unbelievable!

Starting at St. John's Harbor, Newfoundland, Canada his initial intention was to raise $1 million as he ran across Canada (3,426 miles) but it quickly became a dream to raise a dollar for every Canadian. (A population of about 24 million at that time).

Though Terry was forced to end his "Marathon of Hope" on September 1st in Thunder Bay, Ontario, by this date he had run 3,339 miles in 143 days!  He had raised over $5 million and by the next year, he was alive to see his $24 million mark realized.  His story was so inspiring that a movie, produced by HBO (The Terry Fox Story) on his gallant efforts is available in full on YouTube.

Sadly Terry did not financially benefit from his own efforts and lost his battle to cancer on June 28, 1981.  A Foundation was set up in his name to ensure that his dream lives on.  To date, the Terry Fox Foundation has raised over $650 million worldwide for cancer research. One person can truly make a difference!

Can you tell that I'm concerned about the weather?

Okay even though I know I'm not the only one who seriously believes that mankind is messing with this planet's weather, I am rather disappointed that a more concerted worldwide effort is not being made to educate all societies about the impending danger. Yes, I'm back on the weather because the signs may be slow in coming to fruition but ominous nonetheless. When I think of the freaky weather occurrences I've experienced in recent times, and have wondered why they are happening, most scientists agree that humans are to blame. This planet is our home and I am concerned that people, generally, are seemingly oblivious to the warning signs about future extreme weather events.

Chairman of the United Nation's (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Rajendra K. Pachauri at a conference in Stockholm (2013) reported that "each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the earth's surface than any preceding decade since 1850." Qin Dahe, co-chair of the IPCC group that wrote the long-awaited 2007 global warming report summed it up this way: "our assessment of the science finds that the atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amount of snow and ice has diminished, the global mean sea level has risen and the concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased". View more at Scientists finalize climate warming report and IPCC climate report: human impact is 'unequivocal'

All across the globe we are finding any number of reports about the problems associated with global warming or climate change, whichever you prefer to call it, and all incidents point to a serious need to address this planet's weather system. The examples below represent only a few of the many unusual events:

May 2014: In a report titled "Australia’s 2014 Heat Wave Picks Up Where 2013 Left Off" was a startling revelation: "… 12 stations across Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia all saw temperatures rise above 118.4°F over the first three days of the New Year [2013]. The hottest temperature recorded over that stretch was 120.7°F, which occurred in Moomba, South Australia on January 2."

Feb 2014: The guardian blogs an interactive global map showing January 2014's extreme weather worldwide.

Jan 2014: Leading Scientists Explain How Climate Change Is Worsening California’s Epic Drought.

May 2013: a report by weather.com reveals that the "Arctic Ocean [is] Rapidly Accumulating Carbon Dioxide" because of the gas pumped into the atmosphere by humans.

Adding to these, Pachauri in January of this year also warns that Asia [is] under 'increasing threat' from climate change.

I think the Showtime documentary Years of Living Dangerously is a good way to begin making us more aware of the impending doom from our weather system if human beings do not change the way we interact with our environment. I hope this all leads to a new paradigm in our way of thinking about, and living on, this planet we call Earth.

Where you 'raised' to give unselfishly?

How's this for inspiration: she's an unemployed mother of seven children (three of which are toddlers) and yet just about every week, she finds time and scarce resources to give to the city's homeless.  If you don't know her story, she is Althea Guiboche who, in the city of Winnipeg, Canada is better known as 'The Bannock Lady '.  Like some of you, I too was wondering, the 'who' lady.  But yes you've read it right. Bannock is a type of unleavened flat bread or biscuit that is made with either oatmeal or barley and it's said to be quite the tasty treat.

Sometimes we go through life wishing for more of any and everything. More money, more friends, more gadgets, more children (okay maybe not the children part) but we often want more, more, more. Here's a lady who wants more so that she can give more. She doesn't actively solicit financial contributions but would prefer people to donate ingredients to make more bannock and more soup to feed more people in need.  Even after the city tried to stop her benevolent acts because they 'didn't conform to city standards', a few good-willed friends stepped in to help her cause.  She teamed up with an organization called 'chili from the heart' ran by Darlene and Craig Phillips and together they fed even more people. I was so moved by Darlene's emotional words intimating that "… the need is here … these people need help, they really need help. I mean it's easy for someone to turn around and say oh why don't they go get a job. Well how do you get a job when you've got no address, no phone number, no clothes - you've got nothing. All they want is a meal and some socks. I mean you give them a pair of socks and you'd think you've given them the world."

Interestingly, even as I see this story as such an awesome display of kindness and generosity, the Bannock Lady doesn't see what she's doing as anything special. She sums it up to "that's how I was raised". What an inspiring story! More of us need to be 'raised' that way. Follow her story at http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/got-bannock-gives-bread-in-winnipeg-for-a-year/.