Balance and the Mobile Revolution

A video came across my Facebook feed today. After researching the source, it appears the animation I saw was part of a music video between the animator, Steve Cutts, and the musical artists, Moby & The Void Pacific Choir. The video is titled Are You Lost In The World Like Me? 

Here is the link to the original music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VASywEuqFd8

Here is the link to the edited version I saw on Facebook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdz4DvDG_gg (It is instrumental and shorter than the original.)

I am not going to lie; the video is depressing. I do not ascribe to such a gloomy outlook or dooms day picture of life in the mobile revolution. But, I do think the video strikes an important note in the discussion on how the mobile revolution is changing our world. It is a great depiction of "absent presence" a term coined by social psychologist Kenneth Gergen and described as being physically in one place and socially in another (Rainie & Wellman, 2013). It is phenomenon we all have experienced on both sides. I know I am guilty of checking a text message during a face-to-face conversation. I also know how frustrating it is when someone does that too me. It is also a great depiction of what can happen with addiction (or lack of balance).

I encourage you to watch the video. I hope it will make you think about how you fit into the mobile revolution. It definitely made me think. It made me wonder, how much am I missing in the world around me because my head is turned down looking at my phone? The video reminded me of the most important lesson I have learned (and continue to learn every day) about life, the importance of balance.

I think that balance is an important aspect of social media use that needs to be taught. There is not a one-size-fits-all measure for how much to use mobile technology or engage in social media. Trying to quantify its use seems silly, as the web 2.0 environment is fairly limitless in its uses and forms. However, teaching about the importance of balance (i.e., not letting your life become like the people in the video), might be the answer.

So, how do you teach about balance? I don't know. Perhaps making lists of how time is spent (e.g., work, sleep, exercise, friends, family, etc...) and then filling in blocks of time on a daily calendar could help.

What do you think? Is balance important to teach (with this mobile revolution we are experiencing globally)? If so, how?

Reference:
Rainie, L. & Wellman, B. (2013). Networked: The new social operating system. Boston, MA: MIT Press. 

Education and Web 2.0 - Aha Moments and Reflections

When I started the Web 2.0 course this summer, I knew so little about the adventures that lay ahead as I discovered the vast world Web 2.0 encompasses. I have learned about so many new tools, platforms, possibilities... it kind of feels like my head might explode. But it's good; I am just experiencing growing pains. My eyes have been opened to a whole new world of possibilities and resources. And this week, I have had two major "Aha" moments in my Web 2.0 journey.

My first "Aha" moment, relates to the educational uses for Web 2.0 tools. To clarify, I was aware before this week that Web 2.0 tools could be used for education. (I have been studying this for five weeks.) However, in creating my produsage project and viewing many of my classmates projects, it became more real or clearly defined. I realize just how broad (perhaps unlimited) the possibilities for educational uses of Web 2.0 tools can be. Before this course my knowledge of the tools were limited to a small fraction of what exists. Now I feel like my instructional toolbox is overflowing. After this course, I will have to make some decisions about what is going to stay in the toolbox and what needs to move to the tool closet (where the tools I don't use that often live).

The second "Aha" moment can as I checked out OER Commons and MERLOT this week. I cannot believe that I was missing out on so many resources. How did I not know about this before now? I think I could spend days searching through the content within those two platforms. I also realized that I have been stingy with the resources I have created over the past decade as a classroom teacher. I am excited that I can contribute some of my own work to the collective whole and hopefully inspire other teachers with my ideas, as I have been inspired by theirs.

I love my produsage project!

I am not trying to brag, but I am really proud of the project that I created. The reason that I am so excited is that I think it could really be useful for classroom teachers. I first introduced my project idea in a blog post one week ago. Since then, I have seen the project through to completion.

My original idea is essentially what I created. The lesson plan is titled, Pre-Requisite Review with Storify and Kahoot!, and is a multi-day group project. Students use Storify to create a review and Kahoot! to create a quiz for a given pre-requisite topic. It is a three-day lesson plan with three distinct yet connected activities. On the first day, the project is introduced to the students and they create their Storify review. The second day, students finalize their reviews on Storify and create their quizzes on Kahoot!. The final day, students play through each of the Kahoot! quizzes created by the class. The lesson plan is written generically so that it can be modified for use in any subject area. 

The plan includes four additional resources: Project Introduction (PowerPoint presentation), Student Facilitation Guide (Word document), Project Rubric (Word document), and Project Reflection (Word document). All of these documents are located in a folder on Edmodo in my Produsage group. I also created a sample project to demonstrate what students will create. Both the Storify review and the Kahoot! quiz are posted as links in the Edmodo group. (You request to the join group at  https://edmo.do/j/rijtmz.)

If you are not interested in seeing all of the documents but would like to see work samples you can click the links below. 

Storify Review: https://storify.com/Ginny7s/proportions-review

Kahoot! Quiz: https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/91a21acf-a7f0-41f8-a74d-5efd8b9f4dad

Let me know what you think.