Media and Information Literacy (Week 5)

This week we began talking about Photoshop. Photoshop is an amazing resource that can be used in wonderful and horrible ways. It’s easy to manipulate photos into something there are not, and it’s also easy to create and manipulate photos in a positive way.

One good example of how images can be manipulated is the doctored photos from Time magazine discussed in class. The historical photos illustrate that visual literacy and photo manipulation has been present for much longer than the just the evolution of Photoshop.  We also looked at a video produced by Dove, where a woman’s image is changed using Photoshop. As the video shows, information literacy is important in this day and age, one where the media and others can change perception.

Our practice with Photoshop in class this week was my first experience the program.  Although it is a complex program, it can have some really cool effects. The tools we went over in class offered me a good introductory course to Photoshop. 

I hope my experience with Photoshop continues to develop, if only for my future career as a journalist. The world, as briefly discussed in class, is increasingly dependent on visual literacy. Journalists must be able to use programs such as Photoshop and Indesign in a visually appealing way. However, as the video and photos in class suggest, as a journalists I have the ability to change the world’s perception of what they see. My goal is to use visual literacy to increase the information the world sees and help shape the media using programs like Photoshop in a honest and positive way.

There are two great Websites that I found as I was researching this topic. The sites show what the media can do with information literacy. The media is beginning to use visual literacy more and more to grab reader’s attention. The first Website is Dieline, which show package designs. Dieline illustrates how far the media has come in visual literacy and offer example to the effects programs like Photoshop and Indesign can have. The second Website is from Richworks and shows the “50 most brilliant typography designs for inspiration.” The site shows examples of what Photoshop can do in information literacy. Check out the sites to get inspiration and see where information literacy is headed. 

Copyright Law, Plagiarism and Ethical Issues (Week 4)

This week we talked about copyright, plagiarism and ethical issues. Although copyright and plagiarism have been around for a long time, which we also talked about it class, the Internet has made plagiarizing and breaking copyright laws even easier.

It’s important for users to understand the different ethical laws, such as the difference between copyright and fair use. “Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United State (title 17, U. S. Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works,” according to the U.S. Office of Copyright. Fair Use, according to Title 17 of the U.S. Code, “is for various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research." Section 107 also sets out four factors to consider in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:

1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
2. The nature of the copyrighted work
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work 

In class we also looked at different videos and discussed whether they were copyright violations. Often times, if something doesn’t degrade the purpose of the work or if it’s for educational use, then it would not be considered a violation of copyright.  One site that helps users avoid copyright violations is Creative Commons. Creative Commons offers information and pictures that are available for people to use, as opposed to the massive amount of available information on the Internet which might not be available for use.

If there is one area where the problems of plagiarism have become evident it is the field of journalism. Jayson Blair stands as an example to not only journalists but also artists throughout the country. Journalists rely on outside people and documents for their information, and it is important that those recourses are referenced. Unfortunately, as the amount of available information on the Internet increases, it becomes harder to decipher what’s available and becomes easier to take information and pass it on as an accurate representation of facts. As a writer, it is important for me to be conscious of where I get my information and be able to tell if it’s a trusted site. It’s also important for me to understand copyright laws, so I know what my rights are in respect to what I have written.

Not only is plagiarizing a problem in journalism, but it can also affect education. The following video offers a cute example of a way plagiarizing and cheating can work its way into the classroom and its consequences. As this is an educational technology class, it is important to look at the educational aspect to ethical issues. In order for people to understand what is ethical it has to begin in the classroom. The video is a parody on Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats”  and was actually filmed in Gainesville. An interesting question to ponder while watching the video: Where does this fit into to copyright laws? Check it out:

 The video was found on Youtube.com, lyrics and video production by Jim McKenzie and
performed by Kristen Huish.

Web Technology (Week 3)

This week in class we talked about Web 2.0 and the Internet’s role in a new generation. From a persons academic life to personal life, Web 2.0 offers thousands of programs or Web sites designed to help different areas of people’s lives. For instance, in a class forum we discussed applications such as WorkoutBOX, Hulu, Pandora or Wantz.it.

We also discussed in class the history of the Internet--from its early beginnings in the 1970s to 2010. Ethan Zuckerman outlines the history of the Internet, as well. The use of email actually began being used in 1965 and the first computer was created in 1969. As we now can see, computers have come a long way since its young beginnings.

Although the online world as many advantages, a reliance on the Internet can also have negative aspects for children, as discussed in a Frontline special "Growing Up Online." The video series documents the Internet’s impact on childhood. Many children are unmonitored when they are online, creating bad or false images of themselves, or becoming the victims of cyber bullying. Educators, however, have the ability to monitor this use and use educational programs on the Internet to help children learn even more.

Journalism is another example of a field that has been so largely influenced by the Internet and web technology. Today, anyone in the world can read the newspaper online for free instead of paying the usual price to get the print paper every day. One of the biggest topics with evolving technology is where print media will go. Will it be here in 10 years or will everyone get their news on the web? As the world changes, the media has to change with it, and as the Internet’s impact on the upcoming generation becomes increasingly important, the face of regular journalism is changing quickly.

The following video offers students insights to the role of Web 2.0 in education and in the future. The video gets perspectives from everyday users and offers opinions on how society is influenced by the Internet and online world. See what people think of Web 2.0:

The video was found on Youtube.com and was made by Raqeeb Thameem.

Educational Technology (Week 2)

In class this week we talked about educational technology, also known as E-Learning, instructional technology or technology performance. As society continues to evolve and begin to use technology more and more in every day life, it is important that students and children are taught in non-traditional ways that allow them to adapt to a rapidly changing society.  Combining education, which refers to learning, teaching, and instruction, and technology, which refers to gadgets, tools and techniques, cumulates into the following definition from Roblyer in 2002:

“Educational technology is a combination of the processes and tools involved in addressing educational needs and problems, with an emphasis on applying the most current tools: computers and their related technologies.”

In class we discussed the transformation of technology over the last few years. If there is one area where educational technology has transformed, it is journalism.

Years ago, when I first decided I wanted to be a journalist, it was a pretty simple idea. I would write. No videos, no photos, no web design or any of the myriad of other technology-based skills. However, the media has come a very long way in a few short years. Unlike the stereotypical journalists, today journalists need to not only write stories well, but also take pictures, design layouts, put together videos, use Indesign and Photoshop, and put together a web page. Most of the UF journalism classes teach or incorporate a new technology based skill, like using Indesign, or incorporate multimedia, such as pictures and videos, into the regular story assignments.

As I am learning, it’s important that I learn to use the technology now, so I can effectively communicate with readers as the world and the media continue to evolve and shift from print to online journalism.  Many of the advantages to educational technology overlap into the journalism field, as well. As discussed in the second week of class, technology can help learners visualize concepts and problems, much like it could help readers visualize ideas and news better, and technology can gain learner attention, much like technology can grab a reader’s interest.

While researching this topic, I found the following video that provides a timeline of technology over the past 100 years. The video shows the progression of technology in the Twentieth Century and can provide insight to how quickly technology has developed and will continue developing. Watch the video for more:  

The video is from Youtube.com and was posted by OscarRetterer.

Copyright, Creative Commons and Journalism.

Jayson Blair showed us well.

In an ever-changing world, shifting more and more to online media, copyright laws and ethical journalism has become  more of a concern. Plagiarizing and violating ethical and copyright laws have become easier for writers as newspapers and magazines put a large amount of its stories, photos and videos online. Unlike in print journalism, stories and multimedia  stay online forever, giving journalists constant access to extra information. Additionally, with multimedia increasing—to incorporate designs, photos, etc.—the list of what is copyrighted is growing.

Journalists are taught quickly the importance of attributing everything that is not your own, but, as Jayson Blair famously proves, it doesn’t always happen. Journalists’ goal is to inform the public, both through hard breaking news and soft features and through photography, design and video. In order to keep reader’s trust, it’s important for journalists to understand journalism ethics and what is copyrighted.

Check out this video that explains copyright and creative commons licensing: