Last Group of Presentations (and a Broken Phone?) -- Updated

Presentations

So, I figured I'd write this before I potentially break my G1 by installing Android 2.1 on it.

UPDATE!!! - I should have updated this after I actually updated to Android 2.1, back when someone might have actually read it. Anyway, phone is running a kind of stripped down version of Android 2.1. It's pretty good, save for the data connection issues and that it killed my beta install of Swype.

(Note: Sorry Brent, I showed up late to class and missed the first presentation. I don't feel that I'll be able to add anything to the discussion about the presentation because I'd be basing it off someone else's thoughts. So, there is no entry for Brent in this blog post.)

(Note 2: Wow, more people than I realized are no longer in this class)


Tuesday, April 27

Dan
Lee
Mike
Angel
Kristin

Thursday, April 29

Brent - Missed
Cynthia
Neil
Josh
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1 - Dan - Video Games and Virtual Communities

So, the argument I took away from Dan's presentation was about gaming communities and how they're just as much about learning as they are about hanging out. In other words, learning principles are enhanced in online environments (games) and this may account for the rise in the number of users online.

I think it is an interesting topic, but as I look at my notes I have some thoughts about the stats you're using. I think you were quoting Xbox Live user stats. How are those broken out? Is it only Gold level (those who pay a monthly/annual rate, can play online, and get demos). Do the figures include Silver level (those who have a free account, can only do voice chat and send direct messages, but can't play together online)? Are the recorded accounts just the pure number of accounts or is it the active accounts. For example, I have Gold XBL account, but my 360 broke over Christmas break and I haven't been on since (nor have I fixed it). Are people like me included in the total? It doesn't hurt your overall argument, but I think that's something that needs to be made clear.

This part of my notes is a little dicey, but you noted an "Affinity Group Principle" and how multiplayer/collaborative play in that context contributes and makes learning possible/better. Considering improvements in machine AI (see the Eureka Machine), can a artificial participant simulate that now. If not now, would an artificial player(s) (not conversationalist, but just playing) comparably contribute to learning in virtual gaming environments.

A step down from the AI thing, I was wondering if you were going to address the trial and error learning found in puzzle games. Afterall, there are many puzzle games on iPhone, MySpace, Facebook (Bejeweled Blitz) that can be played in a vacuum. Do those intersect or counter your argument/paper?

That's all I got.

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2 - Lee - Political Activism and the Perpetuation of Hate (Youtube's Unique Roles)

There's a lot to this topic and presentation. In fact, I think there's a bit too much. For example, the discussion of how fact-based discourse is "better" than emotional. There just seems to be things in the presentation that are beyond the scope of DTC 475 that I would take out. I don't have a ton of specific examples of things to remove, but if this were my topic I'd approach it this way...

We know that there are extremes on Youtube and we know there are people who are looking to spread hate/wild opinion and those looking to spread "fact-based" arguments. I would argue something like why/how YouTube is such an effective (and neutral tool) for this rather than the fine details of what various arguments are and how they are presented on Youtube.

That's not a great argument I just outlined there, but I would focus the paper on Youtube or video sharing sites and how they encourage or discourage things people want to talk about.

Fin

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3 - Mike - CYBERCRIMES! REAL VS VIRTUAL! (-- What's the Difference?)

The title is all caps because that's how I wrote it down in my notes. Strange.

Anyway, on to the presentation. Not to get all super critical right up front, but this felt kind of like a report than an argument. What we saw in the presentation was more about you can do this, that, and the other, to protect yourself from cybercrime rather than something like -- Crime is all around us. As more money and information move to the anonymous realm of cyberspace, criminals are increasingly taking advantage of these opportunities to remediate meatspace crime online.

You then outlined 3 reasons why this is. Convenience, freedom/anonymity, and growing pools of information (people and money) accessible online. You could incorporate your personal experiences into the intro section of your paper to set the table, so to speak.

Overall, I think you know what you're doing and are on an appropriate track. I just wasn't sure exactly where you were headed based on the presentation.

End of the line.

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4 - Angel - Bridging the Digital Divide Through Game-Based Learning?

I didn't really have any significant notes. Overall I thought it was an interesting argument that not only can games teach groups things, but considering the digital context, that learning process can also help bridge the digital divide.

I don't remember the specifics of your proposal so this not might be irrelevant, but I wrote down "When access != Access. Access in school vs home" In other words, when "access" isn't the same as "access" and how access in school and access at home might have different impacts on learning and ultimately the digital divide. You might have addressed that in your presentation, but my notes aren't that detailed. If you aren't covering it, you might want to touch on something like that.

Cease reading. Unless you want to read other stuff.

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5 - Kristin - Proposal: Healthy Online Presence Education

I like the idea and concept. I don't know if this was in the presentation, but I wrote that the goal of the project is to create a proposal for a program focused K-7th graders that strives to make kids effective users, safe netizens, and good stewards of net culture/communities.

I had some comment written down about the long term viability of this program. In the near term it really makes sense, but down the road, assuming cyberspace continues grow in importance and use, wouldn't something like this just be part of the standard elementary education curriculum. However, this is a proposal hat highlights a need and explains a jumping off point that could lead to other things. So, my note about this is rather pointless.

So, I had a comment, but really no comment.

---EOM---

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6 - Cynthia - Under-represented Can Be Represented in Cyberspace

I only caught the end of this presentation due to my tardiness, but based on what I saw and heard I think there is a good argument here about how cyberspace is (or can be) a space of increased diversity and this allows for representation and additional understand of various groups.

Exposure and discourse helps us find a common ground. This affordance of access to groups who are otherwise "hidden" in meatspace also gives them tools of representation they wouldn't otherwise have.

Again, I don't know what examples (and counter examples) you were looking at using, but I like the argument and it sounds good.

Halt.

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7 - Neil - The Advantage of Smartphones: Closing the Digital Divide

Similar to Derek's topic. The topic and argument sound decent, but I did have a note or two written down.

I don't know what I meant by this, but maybe it will spur something if you read it. Next to a note about your discussion of mobile use in developing countries, I wrote, "wealth as access?". I think I meant something like you could use measures like average income per capita in various countries to illustrate how as these communities get more money, they get more connected. I think this is beyond the scope of your paper, but it might help identify a financial "sweet spot" where connectivity become feasible in emerging economies. I don't know, I just wrote it..

Another comment I wrote was a potential question that might come up about your example of mobile phone loaning. That does improve access, but does it do anything to the knowledge side of the digital divide equation. Sure, someone can get online with someone else's mobile phone, but what good is that if they aren't fluent or able to participate online?

Done.

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8 - Josh - Phones and Connected Communication Tech as a Way to Affect Change in Meatspace

First of all, sorry for potentially adding extra work to your paper by bringing up SMS. Especially if you were already done.

Anyway, I felt like you're on the right track and everything.

My only concern was SMS since you brought up phones as an example and used the WTO protests in Seattle (1999). As we saw in the readings for DTC 375, SMS can effectively be used as a tool to make changes in meatspace, people can create communities in meat space by recording a list of numbers and then the community gets virtualized when the SMS part takes over.

I don't recall what examples you were linking to the WTO riots, but most if not all mobile connectivity in that case would have had to be via SMS since internet connected phones weren't viable for most people or cell networks.

I don't know, just a thought.

Stop - Hammer time.

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Rounds 3 and 4 - I Wear My Sunglasses At Night

I have no idea why "I Wear My Sunglasses At Night" is the subtitle of this post. I think it's best not to question it.

Presentations

Tuesday, April 20

Mark
Sara
Cassie

Thursday, April 22

Dena
Michelle
Brittany
Mark
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1 - Mark - Online Enabled Environmental Activism

Cyberspace and online communities are the most vital part of Internet-based eco-activism.

Based on Mark's presentation, civic action, Environmental activism in this case, is enabled and encouraged through distributed communication/reporting often found in web tools and other internet connected tools. This not only leads to responses to activities through spoof and media/culture jamming websites, but it creates the ability for these movements to be more proactive. Combining disparate reports and whistle-blowing activity into one widely accessible pool lets people notice trends and address them before they become more significant problems. The Internet and cyberspace enable local activism that has global support. Examples of this, as noted in Mark's presentation: iPhone app - Ecosnoop, citizen journalism, whistle-blowing sites/blogs, etc.

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2 - Sara - Presentation of the Self in Cyberspace

So, this is a topic I tend to take issue with in general. Not that the argument is invalid or anything, but I tend not to agree with it. Yes, people represent themselves differently in different spaces online, but this also happens in day to day life. We typically take on different codes of conduct or styles of self-representation according to the context of any given situation. One behave differently with friends they've had since elementary school than with friends made via work, behavior around a boss changes, class behavior is typically different, etc. These representations aren't put-ons, made up, or completely faked, but rather a filtered version of what the situation dictates at any given time. I think if one acted without these filters all the time, they'd be considered anti-social or at least lacking etiquette.

Granted, in meatspace we have the opportunity to connect person's behavior in context A with their behavior in context B, so we can see that they have a full "character." Without the persistence and visual element, this is nearly impossible online, but I don't think that one's selected persona online is any less real than the meatspace personas that constitute one's full character. If anything, I think that online spaces have given people an opportunity to explore aspects of their real personality that meatspace situations don't support. In that case, we have to consider if the relatively low-risk environment of online spaces allows one to reflect an even more "real" version of themselves. Personally, I don't know if I'd go that far, but I think it is more appropriate to say that online personas can be very flat and focused out of necessity, but they're no less real or valid than personas in meatspace. A question to consider might be something like "Does anonymity/transparency online, by both the actor and observer, support very narrow interpretations of who people "really" are?

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3- Cassie - Social Networking Sites in the Classroom

I think the topic is interesting, but without much context of what it's like to teach, it's hard to make any real good points. However, as a student, I completely agree that incorporating social networking tools/sites into a class would be helpful. Questions of academic honesty and whatnot start to crop up when you bring remote tools like these into play, but those exist anyway. So, I'm not certain of social networking's viability to do "class work," but I think it would be good to explore how these tools can teach lessons that might be ignored due to state requirements and whatnot. Things like social skills, conflict resolution (via starting/stopping flamewars - a stretch, I know), etc. I recall there being a few social networking sites noted (WoogiWorld, A.R.D.P (I think that's my acronym for something longer), and Facebook), but it would be best to focus on one and show how it can be used to improve an existing part of the lesson plan or fill a gap that is overlooked, but increasingly important.

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4 - Dena - Social Networking Tools Don't Have Controls That Reinforce Real World Rules

This is a cool argument and a rather complex topic, but I feel like Dena has a good handle on it by picking out specific laws/rules that have attempted to regulate behavior online, but are ultimately just for show. Without enforcing Chinese-style filtering, user identification, and content guidelines, these things are practically unenforceable. I think Juile mentioned this, but my notes don't specify, but I think something to explore to support this is where the responsibility for actions lie. Obviously that's a difficult question to answer, but I think the complexity of the situation can help support an argument about the difficulty/impracticability of such an endeavor. Do we really want a UN of cyberspace that regulates how various sites/services can function?


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5 - Michelle - HCI is Promoting Migration to Cyberspace and Blurring Boundaries Between the Real and Virtual

I think everything fit together real well in this presentation. There was some discussion about how computers, software, and other systems are becoming increasingly anthropomorphized, which is incredibly important, but I think, as was noted in the Medotate example, it is also important to look at how metaphors are very important in making cyberspace feel more like reality (e.g. spreading things out to "move them out of the way" so you could focus on one document on the desk). After going through most of an HCI class already, metaphors in terms of actions and icons are an integral part of making people innately understand how something works and making people feel comfortable. It seems like this is already discussed through the examples, but that's another HCI "trick" that is important in accommodating migration to cyberspace.


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6 - Brittany - Location Based Advertising

This seems like a well researched topic, but I think there is too much focus on individual examples. Location Based Advertising (LBA) is certainly important for business, but rather than focusing on how or why it is important, I think it would be interesting to focus on where the information comes from, who seems comfortable with it, and why they're comfortable with it. Personally, I think the examples of it working are less important than why it works.

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7 - Mark - WoW and the Cost of Access - How Changing Modes of Monetization (in MMOs) Impact Communities

I think this is a really good topic and argument. As we do migrate more fully into cyberspace, these communities become more and more real. It's great to try to bring people on board, but when changes to accommodate new users are "overpowered," it doesn't "break" the game, but it can break the experience. There are several micro-transaction based MMOs and other online games that have this community division due to people being able to buy levels and loot. I also think looking at the way it changes learning within the context of the game is an interesting approach also. How can people learn these skills if it's given to them?
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Round 2 - Presentation Boogaloo

Presentations
Katie
Beau
James
Hans
Spencer
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1 - Katie - Proposal: Bridging the Digital Divide in Low-Income Schools

Considering the nature of the project, it is somewhat hard for me to make a ton of comments and where things can be shored up. However, I did have one thought on the topic in general.
Based on my own impressions of where things stand and some of the texts we've read, I think addressing the digital divide in the context of schools only goes so far. Katie seemed to be focusing on giving kids, teachers, and, to a lesser extent, parents, access to and knowledge about computers and cyberspace, but it was all offered in the context of schools, libraries, business-like skills, and "the man." This isn't some anti-government or big brother thing, but more an authority thing.

Most of my (elementary) education was in a school in a rural community of about 1,500 people, but computer classes were a big part of the curriculum (Basic (on Apple computers), LOGO, Oregon Trail, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego, etc). This undoubtedly generated an interest in computers, which translated to computing at home and further exploration at home, but it eventually turned into touch-typing, word processing, resume writing, publication creation, simple web-page building, etc. And that's where it fell apart, there was no discovery or real skill building in 90% of the activities in class because it was all really derivative and under the constant gaze of teachers. Those activities in that context didn't really add to my fluency or grasp on technology.

I learned way more about the internet, software, computer repair, script writing, and other interesting skills while I was playing around with computers at home. Anything that deviated from the lesson plan while at school was quickly curbed and gave me (any my classmates) a very limited impression of what computers were really for. I know this proposal is intended to be a tool to get a school to adopt or expand programs, but I think getting computers in the home where kids can really experiment is critically important. Clubs and open lab nights are great, but they can also be very limiting. Katie may want to consider incorporating a school issued laptop initiative into the plan for more drastic change. As we saw in the recent school laptop spying thing, the watchers can watch at anytime and activities can still be restricted, but being invisibly restricted is a completely different experience (which may lead to learning through circumvention attempts) than having an authority figure hover and correct all the time.

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2 - Beau - Gaming: Myths and Facts

Sorry Beau, I know the Konami code, but didn't speak up. Anyway, I think this should focus on how gaming has irrevocably changed culture. Traditionally, culture shaped gaming, but gaming no longer just mirrors reality. Reality increasingly adopts lessons and ideas from gaming (and fiction as a whole). Overall, I think Beau has everything sorted out.

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3- James - Gaming From Birth

There was a lot in James's presentation and I didn't get it all down, but I'll post what I've got.

First off, Pac-Man (and Mrs. Pac-Man) didn't get all strong when he ate the fruit (that's only for bonus points). He could only eat ghosts when he got the power pellets.

Game mechanics aside, I THINK (because my notes suck), my take away was that society (and parents more specifically) should not vilify and completely separate kids from games because the rates of game playing are increasing. In addition, gaming, like literacy, has the potential to fundamentally change (and improve) thought processes. Gaming isn't a fad like the pet rock and has already changed society and digital/video gaming is critical in understanding our world as it moves forward; taking gaming away (maybe) is like keeping a kid from reading certain genres.

On a Pac-Man related note, Pac-Man meets Saw:

PACMAN: THE MOVIE TRAILER from Therefore Productions on Vimeo.

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4 - Hans - Social Networks Bridging the Chasm? (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Horatio from CSI: Miami)

Some of the things that Hans discussed were kind of in opposition to things I was planning for my own paper, so I've got a bunch of questions written down that would be largely unhelpful to anyone else. Anyway... I think the idea of the inverting pyramid of production and people's roles shifting is a good focal point. That, combined with personal experience might help demonstrate how social networks are breaking down traditional hierarchies online and that's helping bridge the divide.

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5 - Spencer - Do Games Make Better Soldiers?

I think this will work as long as everything is kept in the present and the argument doesn't start looking too much at what may come. I say this because the emotional stress and whatnot may be better emulated in more immersive gaming experiences down the road. A chart of stresses was used as a reference point in the presentation, but I imagine some of those stresses aren't represented in the simulated war environment of training camps. It's training camp just a more high-impact game? Through more immersive systems, many of the physical (and some emotional) stresses noted in that chart could be effectively emulated or "imported" into the virtual experience (e.g. tear gas exposure).

Virtual simulations/games may never match reality, but neither does physical/"real" training. War is war, training, no matter how real or virtual, is still a simulation of what one might encounter.

I feel like arguing this point is going to be a constant battle about why one simulation is less valuable or warranted than another. Especially when we consider efforts in "remote" and mechanized warfare. And this is why I would shy away from talking too much about future ramifications.

I think the context of soldier training might be a good way to explain how gaming can be a good teaching tool, but it is only successful to a point. We reach a point where real-world ramifications shatter what is applicable, learned, or expected in simulations and virtual spaces.

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Round 1 - Fight!

Round 1 - Fight!

There's not a real fight but I might find myself in one..

I did like everyone's presentation and I think it helped shape or recognize relatable threads in my thoughts about my own final.

---

So, topic the first:
The PRC's Traditional Control of Information (and the People) Remediated Online

This is a huge topic, but I think it can be pared down. I really like this topic and it kind of intersects with some of the things I was going to discuss in my final paper re: fragmentation of groups/technology and how that will continue a divide online.

Lorena referenced a Chinese YouTube analog called Tudou, but another popular video sharing site is Youku. If I were writing about how Chinese video services filter content/results, I'd look at more than one site. I'd also try to use Chinese search terms. I don't speak/understand much Mandarin and I don't imagine many in the class do, so here's a useful English-Chinese dictionary: http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php .

Also, I had a problem with the video clip because that wasn't really indicative of user generated content (I'm certain it exists), but rather a repost of a clip from CCTV-9 (the English language arm of China's government run news service), which might be available through on your cable or satellite service. I found it on Dish Network 265 and online (http://english.cctv.com/01/index.shtml). I felt that was kind of like searching for America on Youtube and finding a clip from a pro-America news outlet and claiming that the prevailing sentiment/available opinion about in the US.

Another issue to consider is how Internet use in China is different than here. Although I largely interacted with students, accessing the Internet at an Internet cafe is significantly more common there than here. Due to various factors, personal computing seems less personalized. Tracking may be easier or harder due to this.

Might also want to look into the PRC's history of requiring registration for people who owned computers/got online, I don't think they require this anymore (Did I learn this in this class? I don't remember).

May also want to browse some English language Chinese blogs to get a better feel for online culture in China. There is a surprising amount of anti-government blogging and whatnot. Is it quickly altered? Yes, but it is out there. There's a lot about China's online culture at this blog: http://www.zonaeuropa.com/weblog.htm.

So, I brought up a Firefox extension/add-on called China Channel, but I didn't realize that it hasn't been maintained since '08, but you check it out here: http://chinachannel.hk/#home. It basically allows you to temporarily route your traffic through a Chinese proxy so you can get a Chinese view of the web; however, I don't know if it works any more.

Some things that Julie brought up that also concerned me were the sites Lorena referenced as examples of the Chinese web browsing experience. Having accessed the Internet while in China, I can speak from experience that when you do a prohibited search or try to go to a prohibited URL, there's no red screen saying forbidden or otherwise explicitly notifying you that you've done something the state doesn't appreciate. In my experience, if you try to go to YouTube or Facebook it just loads a white page, acts like the page didn't exist, and then blocks your service for 10 to 15 minutes. Searches were very similar, things were either completely absent from the search results (Tiananmen Square would just give you pictures of Mao) or your access would be temporarily blocked.

A more recent thing related to Internet filtering in China is the Green Dam Youth Escort. There should be a significant amount of news about the effort and public backlash.

Wow, that's a lot of crap about Chinese Internet. Sorry, I think I'll have to truncate the rest of these a bit.

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Gender Roles Reinforced Online?

I wasn't sure where Sheila's topic was initially going. The Facebook and MySpace stuff initially seemed more about demographics rather than gender roles. However, both the ultra-gendered and neutered spaces of Stardoll and Club Penguin offer all sorts of possibilities about who and how they play out gender roles in these spaces.

I like the idea of exploring the possibility of gender neutrality in online spaces and/or how meatspace social pressures/norms migrate with us as we migrate into cyberspace.

Maybe this was part of the original concept, but I also think it might be interesting to look at how developers/owners try to create a space for purpose X, but it gets transmuted into purpose Y by the users even though they theoretically have less "power" using that service.

Sorry for this anemic section, I don't think it's going to get much better though. I think it's a really good idea, but I don't have a clutch of resources at hand for this. However, there was an article a while back about Myspace being a digital ghetto and the "white flight" to Facebook. Kind of crazy and not related to gender specifically, but it's an interesting side note in the context of social networking tools and there could be gender issues at play as well. (http://www.inquisitr.com/27998/myspace-now-a-digital-ghetto/)

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Cell Phones as a Bridge Between the Urban and Rural

There seemed to be quite a bit of discussion on this in class already and I didn't have any burning questions or comments about Maurice's topic.

It is a reasonable argument to make. I think the only thing that came to mind was the idea of something like a connectivity/technological arms race between independent farmers as they try to circumvent large commercial farms and agri-business. The little guy can use technology to undermine and compete with the big guy, but doesn't the big guy have the same opportunity to respond in kind using the exact same tools.

I don't know if that makes any sense, but I'm trying to make sense of my own notes.

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Education Through Gaming

Corrinda's topic is rather good and the research/reasoning seems on point. An article about an achievement gap, gaming, and gender was recently posted on Kotaku.com: http://www.kansas.com/2010/04/08/1260027/are-video-games-causing-achievement.html. That article argues that a "decline in boys' [academic] scores coincides with the emergence of video games." The article talks more about how gaming for entertainment is a distraction to traditional education, so it is different from the core of the argument, but it provides a counterpoint to build an argument around or something to support the position that since kids are distracted by gaming, why not use it as an education tool because it inherently has educational potential. However, I don't know if that can be worked into the lesson plan project that Corrinda is creating.

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Politics Online and in Traditional Media
Or
Old School vs New Skool

There definitely potential to argue that the Internet has or is beginning to fundamentally change a significant aspect of contemporary society; however, I think the way the topic was framed make it sound more like a report of what happened in the most recent presidential election.

Kat had a lot of information, but I think the main point might need to be focused into something about how the Internet and web have fundamentally changed expectations and in order to be successful in politics or marketing, people/groups need to rely on the micro-level communication and detailed organization afforded by the Internet and web rather than the macro-level broadcasting that worked before. That's kind of vague too, but I think that's a path that might yield more than just approach A vs approach B.

Local Activism on a Global Stage

I don't know what our metric for "recent" is, but I'm going to refer to a specific instance of political action that is part of a broader and ongoing series of political action. It may be played out, but the People's Republic of China (PRC) crackdown on Tibetans in the lead up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics was made visible to the world at large through the Internet. I'm not familiar with any activism sites or other technology based social networking tools that were used to organize protests within Tibet, but there were many videos posted to video sites from the spring of 2008 up through the beginning of the Olympics.

This wasn't a secret crackdown, but most everything that was being reported was based on information supplied by the Chinese government or through state sponsored news agencies. People (here and in China) knew that there was a Tibetan protest/uprising, but most news media was blocked from entering Tibet to see what was going on and very little information about the reality of the situation was available. The people who lived in Tibet and were witnessing the uprising (or riots as the PRC called them) found ways to use technology to circumvent the state media and state operated "Great Firewall of China" to get a non-state filtered point of view across.

As I noted above, I'm not certain how the Internet played into the organization of physical protests and whatnot, but the Internet and web were used to bring attention to and spread what was going on in the Tibet Autonomous Region and how the PRC controls the flow of information into and out of the country. If you go to a site like http://tibetanuprising.org/, you can see posts detailing experiences in Tibet during the lead up to the 2008 Olympics, the issues surrounding Tibet and China, and videos of the protests. What I mostly saw during that time was videos posted to YouTube and LiveLeak. You might have seen a news story about the Tibetan uprising or riots, but it tended to show aggressive protesters being subdued by perfectly behaved military officers. However, the videos posted online by anti-PRC or pro-Tibet groups showed a situation where protestors were antagonized by the state police, which led to violent clashes that started with more or less civil arrests but further devolved into protesters being severely beaten by police.

In addition to videos posted online, various sites have been created which serve to expose and bring attention to the political views and activities within China, and Tibet specifically, that would otherwise go suppressed and unnoticed in the greater global consciousness.