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Web 2.0 Presentation

Creative Things You Can Do With A Plastic Bag

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Devendra Banhart - A True Glimpse

NPR: Online Courses Catch On…

Because I recently started to teach an on-line course, I was really excited to hear this on the radio the other day. ITEC students check it out:

Online Courses Catch On in U.S. Colleges
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16638700

Podcasting 101

The WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHERE & HOW of a Podcast put simply by Christina Noyes…

What is a Podcast?
A Podcast is an episodic program with audio or video content that is automatically delivered via the Internet using a XML protocol called Real Simple Syndication (RSS). The broadcaster Podcast the program by posting the episodes and the XML document to a Web server.

When you subscribe to a Podcast, iTunes reads the XML file and downloads the latest episode. Each day, iTunes rereads the XML file. If a new episode is available, iTunes downloads it automatically. With a click of the mouse, the consumer can subscribe to a particular Podcast and then access it using an iPod, PDA, laptop, or a desktop computer. It is extremely accessible by all!

Check out the first podcast of EasyBabySafe.com



There is a wide-range of educational content being developed for and delivered by podcasting. Podcasting offers compelling characteristics:

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The cost of distribution is limited to the cost of data transfer.
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The XML document that ties the Podcast together is simpler to create and maintain than most web pages.
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The RSS protocol helps facilitate an ongoing, opt-in, and highly convenient relationship with the subscriber.
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The size of the channel is effectively unlimited therefore can’t be dominated by any other publisher or broadcaster.

Who uses instructional Podcast?

Institutions can support learning by distributing Podcast across their company’s campuses through their Intranet servers. Workers can instantly download a Podcast when a situation on the job arrises.

Educators can publish their Podcast files as an attachment to a Weblog, which is much like attaching a file to an email message.

Multiple universities Podcast using iTunes, including Princeton, Yale, and Boston University. There is even a Podcast called UCTV (University of California Television.)

Where can I find Podcast?
Podcast are on plenty of Websites. However, a good place start would be in the Podcast section of your iTunes Store directory where a wide selection of Podcast are laid out by categories and accompanied by visuals. You can also use the Search field in the iTunes Store. After you search, make sure you click PODCAST to only show Podcast. Once you subscribe to a Podcast, the files will live in your Podcast section of your iTunes Library where you can manage and play all of your episodes that you have downloaded.

It's easy to subscribe to any Podcast using iTunes, even ones that aren't available in the iTunes Store. To subscribe to non-iTunes Podcast, find and copy the podcast's feed URL. In the "Advanced" menu, select "Subscribe to Podcast" and paste the feed URL into the dialog box.

You can also submit a Podcast for distribution to the Apple directory and your Podcast might even become sponsored for free on the iTunes site. All you have to do is provide the Podcast feed URL for review.

All of the best radio stations have daily and weekly Podcast. Check out NPR Podcast Directory, which distributes a brilliant amount of Podcast for the bright minded citizen.

You can also find a collection of Podcast organized by categories & interest at podcast.net

What I have found to be the most popular amongst people I know are the foreign language Podcast. It is a simple way to review when you are waiting around and have nothing better to do.


How can I create a Podcast?
If you are on a Mac, creating a Podcast is easy. You can use Mac's easy to learn iLife Suite software of Garage Band, iMovie & iWeb. Beware, their Podcast are in a QuickTime format. Some users, (PC-types), don’t have QT & will not be able to view your Podcast with out downloading QT first.

If you are on a PC, you can also use a free software programs to record your Podcast called Audacity.
It is a popular program for recording and editing Podcast and it's available for both Windows and Mac.

Then you will need an MP3 encoder, which converts your Podcast into an MP3 file. A popular free encoder is the LAME MP3 Encoder.

iTunes for Mac and PC can also convert recordings to MP3 for free.

If you are creating just an audio Podcast you can use your computer’s microphone or you can get a microphone for your iPod to record your voice. You can include a series of slides to accompany your voice. However, most people prefer to watch video podcasting. So you will probably need a video camera of some sort. Because it is for the Web, the quality of the video camera is not important.

Happy Casting~

For more info on Podcasting, go to Christina's site Podcasting 101.

Raunchy Witch

Rebecca revealed…

Her mom tried, her teachers tried, but no one could teach little Rebecca her manners. Now she resides as a raunchy witch in Sebastopol with the rest of the witches. Poor Rebecca, will she ever learn?

Assignment – Everyday Thing - A Brief History On My Use Of Data Storage

A floppy disk is a data storage device that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible ("floppy") magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic shell. Floppy disks are read and written by a floppy disk drive. This was the way data was portably stored and exchanged, from the middle 1970s to the late 1990s. Floppy disk were first replaced by the optical storage devices known as a CD, and then the Zip Drive, which was largely superseded by Flash drives, while email has become the preferred method of exchanging small to medium digital files. It is amazing how a product quickly changes. These days, big is no longer better. All in all, I am impressed with how storing data becomes easier and more accessible each year.

Source: Wikipedia

A Traditional Zulu Story

Manzandaba is urged by her family to leave her village to seek for stories after everyone realizes that they do not have any stories to tell. However, after begging for stories from the animals she meets and finally meeting the King & Queen of the Underworld, Manzandaba realizes that by simply living her life, she creates her own stories. Her journey is her story. Her story is her life. Click below to view a simple story about stories.

Also, check out the late photojournalist Dan Eldon's amazing book of his journals The Journey is the Destination. Or even better, watch a video about this unique young man. He is one of my all time favorite heros. Enjoy~

Asia & Abundance…

Thoughts on Asia & Abundance…

Three very simple and obvious questions:

1. How does Asia make products for so cheap? They pay their workers pennies (if that?). The work environment is extremely unhealthy. It is a socially depressed situation. The rich are taking advantage of the extremely poor.

2. How much fuel is used to ship all of Asia's products? Too much!

3. Do we really need all of these products? NO! but we think we do.

My challenge to you: Learn that it is not taboo to buy used second hand products such as toys, clothes, books, kitchen products and all other supposed needs! Share with friends & trade your belongings when you no longer need them. Fix broken items! Learn to use duck tape and a stapler!

What I am saying isn't anything new or grand. People on our planet live under this veil of consumerism that makes us feel that we need new and bigger "things" in order for us to live. That is just a myth of capitalism that is destroying our world and controlling us.

I strongly believe in buying local organic seasonal produce and products that are made by American companies. However, it is such a challenge to not buy products that have been stamped MADE IN CHINA or somewhere else in Asia. Therefore, if I buy something new, I buy for quality not what is the cheapest deal. Nine out of ten times, when you buy a well made product, it can last you decades if treated right.

It is also important to remember that when you buy cheap products, for example make-up or bath & body products you are buying a concoction of chemicals that are hazardous to your health. You only get one body & one life in that body, so you mine as well treat it right. If you really want to know the details on the ingredients in your bath & body products, check out this outstanding Website by the Environmental Working Group:
Skin Deep

Make our world a better place, buy local seasonal products!

The Power of Story

Below are my thoughts on Daniel Pinks chapter "Story" in his book A Whole New Mind.

In this Conceptual Age, we must RE-awaken to the power of Narrative.

In the very beginning of our education, stories are read and told to us everyday.

But even before institutionalized learning environments were formed, telling stories to one generation to the next has been key to the preservation of culture and traditions around the world. Whether it is cave paintings or the amazing aural tradition of learning used in many African tribes, the power of story has been recognized since the beginning of human existence.

Traditional folk tales have develop morals and beliefs that are run thick in the veins of cultures. Entire societies are built upon myth and folktales. The entire Yoruban Orisha belief system is built upon stories of deities and their character that help believers in certain life situations. Today in Cuban and Brazil people are still practicing Yoruban beliefs that originated in Nigeria hundreds of years ago. The practice and belief are practically identical in Nigeria as in Cuba and Brazil. Miraculously, this culture and their stories have lived for centuries and survived slavery and colonialism.

Similarily children in America are taught through story. For example:

The Boy Who Cried Wolf – Only cry for help when you really need it.

Little Red Ridding Hood – Don’t talk to strangers.

Green Eggs & Ham – Always try something at least once before you say no.

Let’s not overlook, the number one best seller of books through out the world is the bible, which is simply a series of analogous stories that teach people how to live their lives.

Story is so much a part of our everyday life that we often overlook the fact that we all have many personal stories that we can share. By living and experiencing life you are effortlessly creating stories by the minute. Our journey is our story.

We can learn from our history if we only paid attention to it. Hello Vietnam? Hello Iraq!

A Hero’s Journey, coined by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which is the blueprint for tales told since humankind’s earliest days.

Synopsis of A Hero’s Journey:
1. Hero hears a call
2. Refuses at first
3. & then crosses the threshold into a new world.
4. During initiation he faces stiff challenges and stares into the abyss.
5. Along the way usually with the help of mentors who give the hero a divine gift – he transforms and becomes at one with his new self.
6. Then he returns becoming the master of two worlds, committed to improving each.

Examples: Luke Skywalker, Anakin/Darth Vader, Simba in the Lion King, Buddha, King Arthur, Christ and Neo in the Matrix.

The author, Daniel Pink believes that the hero’s journey is the underlying story of the book, A Whole New Mind.

For example:

The knowledge worker/Left Brain Directed aptitudes
Faces transformative crisis – Wrought by Abundance, Asia & Automation
Must answer the call – A new way to work & live
Resist denying change – Protesting outsourcing, denying that things need to change.
Eventually crosses the threshold – Into the Conceptual Age
Faces challenges – Masters Right Brain Aptitudes
Perseveres acquires those capabilities and returns as someone who can inhabit both worlds – She has a whole new mind

Robert McKee, known for teaching influential figures in Hollywood how to craft compelling stories, is now being hired by executives, entrepreneurs and workers of traditional business to help them learn the art of storytelling.

McKee states that these Left Brain Directed Thinkers seek his counsel because "statistics are used to tell lies, while accounting reports are often BS in a ball gown… business persons understands that his or her own mind naturally wants to frame experiences in a story, the key to moving the audience is not to resist this impulse but to embrace it.”

Some refer to this as Organizational Story Telling, which means that organizations make aware the stories that exist within their walls and then use those stories in pursuit of organizational goals.

Companies have entire departments dedicated to this called “Knowledge management” – which is how a company organizes its vast reserves of information and experience.

Pink reports, "Workers have discovered that they can learn more from trading stories in the cafeteria than you can from reading official documents and reports. An organization’s knowledge is contained in its stories. Use stories to contain and convey knowledge. Stories supplement analytical thinking by enabling us to imagine new perspectives and new worlds. Abstract analysis is easier to understand when seen through the lens of a well-chosen story."

The art of story telling is big business today and something that an instructional designer should have in their bag of tricks!

Many companies are already harnessing the power of Story: World Bank, 3M, NASA, Xerox are just a few to mention. Xerox has collected all of its company’s stories into a database at an estimated worth of $100 million dollars.

StoryQuest is a company that actually dispatches interviewers to a company, records the stories of that company’s employees, and then produces a CD for the company to use. Sounds like a good business.

Our minds and lives are built upon stories. As mentioned in the beginning of this presentation, story telling has been around since the beginning of time. As Instructional Designers, we need to learn how to embrace this powerful tool of story telling.

In another realm, stories are being used to sell products by sharing emotional stories about the company’s owners and/or creators.

Ben & Jerry was one of the first companies to creatively use personal stories on the side of its ice cream products. Telling us about their philosophy on life and how the dairy cows were treated by the family farmers:

The author, Daniel Pink states that when he had a choice to buy 3 different wines, he went with the wine that had an emotional personal story written on the label of the wine makers’ mother and how they would donate to cancer research funds in honor of their deceased mother.

If an emotional connection between the purchaser and the products is made then that product will more than likely be the one that is purchased. Story is a direct way to emotionally hook the purchaser.

Western medicine is also recognizing the power of story in how it is beginning to acknowledge the whole person instead of just symptoms. Doctors are being encouraged to write narratives on their patients’ lives. Again, this is not a new idea, but something new to the “so-called” advanced Western world of medicine.

For centuries, holistic healers have taken into consideration the whole person when treating their patients. Which means they learn about the patient’s whole life not just the symptom.

Interestingly, the popular TV program House is built upon this premises. That when all of the other top doctors around the country cannot figure out a patient’s medical mystery, the patient is sent to Dr. House and his team of doctors that take a close look into the entire life of the patient: researching their living environment, friends, family, habits, food consumption and so forth. Dr. House solves medical histories by questioning all aspects of a patient’s life in other words the patient’s story.

Whether it is to teach a child how to behave, improve a company’s performance, solve a medical problem or to sell a product, the power of narrative is all around us. It is not a new thing, but something that the left-brain-directed thinker needs to utilize in order to succeed in this Conceptual Age.

As demonstrated during the first night of the ITEC-830 class – it was easy for most of us to remember each other’s episodic stories, but not easy for us to remember each other’s random names.

Generation M - Not Just Rich …But Saturated

Generation M

Could that article Generation M be any longer? After reading all of that, I feel that I didn't really learn anything that I didn't already assume about children's use of media.

I believe that every second a new MySpace user is born. All you have to do is hang out with some teenagers and they are obsessed! The addiction is really powerful. It reminds me of how I used to talk on the phone until dawn when I was 13.

At night, do a drive by in the neighborhoods and that blue light is constantly flashing on the walls. The majority of mainstream Americans are watching TV whenever they are at home! It is on in the background even if they are not watching it. Researchers say that if you eat dinner with your child at the dinner table, your child will be less likely to do drugs. Is this true if everyone is watching TV while eating dinner?

Media has consumed the interest of our youth at amazing amounts of speed. Is it good for our youth, for our nation? We know that it is good for all of the companies whom are profiting from it. As the article states, "Young people are often among the early adopters of new communication technologies." This is because youth are targeted by industry with content that appeals to mainstream wants.

"Media plays an important role in the socialization of our youth." True, but that should NOT be true! Life is too short to be mindlessly driven by media and the commercialization that comes hand in hand with it.

A quick personal story of interest: When I was traveling on the small island in Fiji, Vana Levu, I met a lot of native Fijians that were untouched by global media. This wasn't because they were on a remote island, because 30 miles down the road was a fully functioning town. I learned that the tribe's elders made a conscious choice not to allow media into the lives of their people. A wealthy resort had upgraded their generator, and therefore offered to donate their old generator to the tribe so that they would have electricity. On a basic level this means that the tribe of people would have hot water and light. However, the elders rejected the generator by saying if they allowed electricity to come into their tribe, their youth would loose their traditions and culture and no longer have the morals of the tribe, because they would be exposed to TV.

Amazing! What an omniscient prediction and so true!

And another short personal story: In Harare, Zimbabwe where I studied traditional Shona music and dance, very few young people their were interested in what I was doing. They thought I was strange to come to Zimbabwe to study traditional music & dance. Instead of learning the ancient instrument the Mbira, teenagers were learning the electric guitar. Interestingly enough, they were taking traditional melodies of the Mbira and putting them on the guitar. One of the strangest things I did while in a township or high-density area was I watched an episode of “The Golden Girls” and on another night I watched an episode of David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks.” What a trip to watch them watch these shows. By the way, they had 1 TV and no furniture.

Again as the article Generation M stated, Youth of America and other developed countries are being socialized through TV, whether it is PBS or MTV. My rhetorical question is: Where are the parents? I know where they are. But really, why have kids if you aren’t going to raise them?

On another note: Stay young, ride a bike! Enjoy the weather ~

Thoughts on Blogging

From one lens, it seems that the typical blogger has more time on their hands than the typical citizen to read, write, create remixes of stories, video or artwork and IM. I wish I had the time to journal, be creative and instantly communicate with all of my friends. However, I have an extremely productive urge and a necessity to pay my bills. Do I sound bitter? I would be interested to see the economic status of the typical blogger. The Pew Internet & American Life Project gives statistics about the educational backgrounds of bloggers. Without reading their findings, I assumed that large portions of bloggers are supported by their parents having the money to purchase gadgets that support their habits, pay for bandwidth and enjoy their days?

I know a blogger quite well, let’s call her Lee. She rarely works and her parents economically support her at the age of 30. She hangs out in her brand new house that her relatives bought her, takes pictures of her children and then blogs about them frequently. Can you say luxury? She has all of the latest gadgets, computer(s) and is very hip to mainstream media & culture. Again, not to be overly bitter, but I feel that the privileged or the non-active are the ones who have time to blog. I partially agree with the statement that blogging is just another chapter in the narcissistic society of reality show wannabes. Everyone thinks they are on TV or wishes. Blogging and You Tube make it more accessible for everyone to get their face out there to the world and hope that they get their 10 seconds of fame. For instance, look at Chris Brockers’ YouTube success.

On another note, I agree that blogging has amazing potential for the people of the world to share and communicate typically censored political views. I have found this to be particularly essential in countries that are in the middle of war. Blogging is instant. In situations of life & death, to the moment is essential. However, The Pew Internet & American Life Project reports that only 11% of blogs are related to politics of the government. If I read a blog or visit You Tube, I am interested in finding out something that I can’t find out in mainstream media, because our media is so censored. For example: Earlier this week, Canada heard Sally Fields say “God Damn War!” at the Emmy Awards and Americans were censored by Fox? Not a surprising action from Fox, but what’s that all about? Americans aren’t allowed to say anything negative about the War? Do we have to go on-line to get the meat of a story? In a lot of cases, I would say yes. Americans are not allowed to see coffins but we are allowed to know the numbers? No visuals; What, are Americans not smart enough to translate numbers to bodies? Our government manipulates and lies to control our masses. Media complies so that they can keep their job. Everyone is scared of the FCC. What happened to freedom of speech? I guess it went to blog & learn how to use You Tube.

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When cleaning your home, don't use store bought cleaners that contain toxic chemicals. All you need is some vinegar, which is cheap and non-toxic. Protect yourself.

Changing the World, One Child at a Time - Video

Christina Noyes on the local news!