Week 10: Tech Tools for Critical Thinking

In class this week we talked about using technology for critical thinking. Critical thinking is essentially thinking logically and using reasoning skills, such as comparisons, cause/effect, deductive reasoning, analogies, critiquing, etc. Critical thinking also helps create ideas and stimulate curiosity.

Another great way to think critically is by using concept maps. Concept maps help organize your thought and ideas. Often times by putting your thoughts on paper you stimulate more ideas. As we talked about in class, there are many different online programs that can create concept maps for you, such as Webspiration, Bubbl.us, or Gliffy. Creating concept maps by hand are often a pain—if you need to change something, you have to erase and start all over. Online tools like these can help save time and organize ideas.  I used Bubbl.us to create a concept map (see below) and it was incredible simple!

One area where I found critical thinking to be very useful is in journalism. I have to use critical thinking all the time for the stories I write, whether it’s comparing notes between sources, drawing conclusions about a particular situation, or examining the cause and effect of different things. One of the biggest ways I gain information is though the Internet. It’s essential for me to know how to effectively use online technology for finding story ideas, writing stories, and looking for sources.  Concept maps are also useful for me in journalism. Many of my classes have talked about the importance of brainstorming techniques for ideas. In one class, we used concept maps to think of newspaper design ideas or to write headlines. The online world is becoming part of journalism, and finding ways to use new online technology for critical thinking is an important part of that development.

However, just because technology could help our critical thinking skills doesn’t mean it actually does. In order to use tech tools to think critically, we have to be looking for ways to develop better critical thinking skills through technology. More often than not, the things we use the Internet for are harming our thinking skills. An article in the UCLA Newsroom reports on a study that says Internet use has caused a decline in critical thinking skills. The article brings up a good point, and I think it’s important to remember that you need to use the Internet wisely. Check out the article for more details.

Week 9: Social Tools and Cloud Computing

This week we shifted to talk about social tools that use cloud computing. Cloud computing is using server-based applications as a service rather than being tied to a specific platform on a specific machine or device. For instance, Google Docs and Delicious are both good examples of cloud computing. Cloud computing is Internet-based and can provide easier access than using a specific server or platform.

Because cloud computing was a little technical for me to understand, thinking of cloud computing in terms of Google Docs and Delicious, both of which were assignments in the upcoming weeks, made cloud computing much easier to grasp. Google Docs and Delicious allow people to access the material you’ve created or added. For instance, in Google Docs people can access a document you’ve created (if you’ve invited them) and add to or edit what you’ve already done. Google Docs is a great group organizing tool. Instead of going through meetings and a long series of emails, Google Docs allows every one in the group to share ideas in one place on their time.

The benefits of social tools and cloud computing can affect almost every job, group, or organization. For journalists, cloud computing programs like Google docs is a great way for journalists to share notes and stories and to check accuracy. For instance, if I'm collaborating with another writer, Google Docs would be a great way to fact check and make sure we have the same notes, or to brainstorm ideas about stories for the next magazine or newspaper issue. Similarly, bookmarking sites like Delicious can refer people to useful sites for other projects, ideas, etc. My professor uses Delicious quite a bit, and I have found her bookmarks on Delicious really helpful for my projects. The sites help with my assignments and give me ideas for future projects.

HowStuffWorks.com outlines the benefits of cloud computing more specifically than what my general examples can. The article explains in more detail what cloud computing is and what it specifically does that is so much more beneficial. I also recommend Google Docs for Educators. The Google site explains how teachers can use Google Docs to help their students. Although it might not seem like, students can benefit from cloud computing programs like Google Docs, and the site helps teachers implement them in the classroom.

Week 8: The Sound of…Podcasting

 This week we talked about the use of sound for teaching and learning. In the previous weeks, we talked about the importance of visual literacy and a child’s need to learn by seeing things, whether its through digital storytelling or other forms of visual literacy. Just like visual literacy is an important aspect to a child’s learning, so is auditory learning. 

With today’s technology, using sound to convey messages is a new way to teach topics or stories. One of the most popular forms of using sound to do this is through podcasting. Although we didn’t do any podcasting this week, we were asked to create a sound file using programs like Garage Band or Audacity.

The assignment was cool one—one that allowed you to try something new and potentially have a lot of fun with it. We even looked tons of available music and sounds that are available for anyone to use. However, as exciting as the assignment was, my experience showed me a different side of technology—the uglier one.

Evidently, my computer has a problem with recording sound. I (tried to) use Audacity to record different musical sounds, but the recorder or sound device had a problem. Technical/Computer problems like these illustrate the negative side to the programs and technology now available. Everything as a negative side, and this is technology's. Although the podcasting and sound programs like Audacity are very beneficial, it’s important to be aware of the problems that can arise.

As I’ve stated through much of my blog, one area where podcasting can be very helpful is journalism. A journalist's job is to covey information, so it only seems logical that a journalist pursue every facet that could tell information. Podcasting is already widely used in journalism. UF’s College of Journalism and Communications even has a class where student are required to have a podcast. Podcasting in the media could be used in a variety of ways—for interviews with celebrities or prominent people in the community, with sports broadcasting, or with other unique stories.  Like with digital storytelling, a journalist's options in the world of auditory-based technology are endless.

But despite how important it is in both journalism and education, it’s not necessarily easy to pick up. You can’t be expected to use this cool program to express your opinions, thoughts, and beliefs if you have no idea what to do. The following video, found on Youtube and made by tinkernet.com, is a tutorial on how to create a podcast. Assuming you don’t have the technical problems I did, it should be quick to pick up.

Happy Podcasting!

Week 7: Digital Storytelling

 This week we talked about the usefulness of digital storytelling. Digital Storytelling is a form of visual literacy, which we talked about last week. Digital Storytelling is the practice of using computer-based programs to tell a story. Better put, it’s using a video or other piece of technology to tell a story.

Much like traditional storytelling, digital storytelling tells the story of something specific and can vary in length. A big part of learning about digital storytelling this week was from our Digital Storytelling Forum, where everyone in the class could create their own digital story and share their thoughts.  Here is my video. It has pictures of me and my sisters, Julie and Jenny. The pictures show us together, on vacation, or with relatives. I really enjoyed the digital storytelling project. I used Animoto to create the video. It was very simple to use, and I think anyone can get the hang of it. I had fun working on it.

Programs like Animoto help bring digital storytelling to the public. Many people have the idea that digital storytelling is too technical and something only for professionals to use, but those same professionals have developed programs that the mainstream people can work with.

One area where digital storytelling is important is the media. Of course, we already see it in TV news. However, as print media shifts to the online and tech-savvy world, it's becoming more important for journalists to tell stories and share news in a variety of ways. For instance, videos like the ones Animoto creates could be used for small features, profiles or even bigger stories. Many readers now get their news from online sites rather the newspaper, so it's a great market to pursue. Many of the areas we talk about in education overlap to the field of journalism, and I think this is one of the key examples of that. Storytelling is, basically, what journalists do. So it only makes since that we use all forms of storytelling.

Education is also an important area for digital storytelling. Students learn in a variety of ways. Some are visual, others need to hear you speak, and others might rather read something, so educators should be ready to help students learn in whatever area suits them. As the age of digital storytelling is still new, there are many teachers who do not yet take advantage of digital storytelling. The Digital Storytelling Resources for Educators breaks down digital storytelling into workshops and lessons. The site is provided by the authors of the book Digital Storytelling with PowerPoint. This site is great for future teachers to get some ideas about how to use digital storytelling in the classroom.

Week 6: Visual Literacy

This week we talked about visual literacy—the idea that using visual images (art, photography, etc.) can be used to help people better understand concepts.  We also touched on how powerful  visual literacy tools can be, as well as the importance of students understanding and recognizing the sometimes complex messages of photos. Two videos, both used in class, help show each of these ideas.

A popular Dove video, found on Youtube, illustrates how images (and people) can be manipulated.  The video shows how retouching and tools like Photoshop can be used to transform a person’s image. Another video on Youtube shows the importance visual literacy has on our everyday lives. Often times people associate the term visual literacy with using Photoshop and other tools that can manipulate and create cool images. However, visual literacy is as simple as looking at a photo in a newspaper or recognizing that a stop sign means stop.

One field where visual literacy is especially strong is in journalism. Nine times out of 10, when someone opens a newspaper they see the pictures first and then decide if they want to read the story. The power of a photo can be just as strong as or stronger than the story itself. In my newspaper design class, we’ve talked about the importance of photography to news. As far as appealing to readers goes, the photo is first and the text is last. People are visual. We like to see things, and that idea needs to translate to what journalists provide people with. A journalists job by definition is to inform people of the world around them. Visual literacy is a very important tool to ensuring we convey that effectively. Imagine a newspaper without photos?

Just as visual literacy is important to journalism, it’s equally important to education. In an ever-changing society, young students need to be able to understand and interpret things in different ways.  Visual-literacy.org is a great site for future educators and students to learn more about visual literacy. According to the Web site, it  teaches students to evaluate advantages and disadvantages of visual representations, to improve their shortcomings, to use them to create and communicate knowledge, or to devise new ways of representing insights. Check out the site to learn more about visual literacy in the classroom.