Favorite Marshall McLuhan Moment

Woody Allen was fascinated by Marshall's writing. In Marshall's later years Allen asked him to do a walk-on to one of his films — he did — Annie Hall.

       

Woody Allen plays the role of Alvy Singer

Alvy Singer: [the man behind him in line is talking loudly] What I wouldn't give for a large sock with horse manure in it!
Alvy Singer: [to audience] Whaddya do when you get stuck in a movie line with a guy like this behind you?
Man in Theatre Line: Wait a minute, why can't I give my opinion? It's a free country!
Alvy Singer: He can give it... do you have to give it so loud? I mean, aren't you ashamed to pontificate like that? And the funny part of it is, Marshall McLuhan, you don't know anything about Marshall McLuhan!
Man in Theatre Line: Oh, really? Well, it just so happens I teach a class at Columbia called "TV, Media and Culture." So I think my insights into Mr. McLuhan, well, have a great deal of validity!
Alvy Singer: Oh, do ya? Well, that's funny, because I happen to have Mr. McLuhan right here, so, so, yeah, just let me...
[pulls McLuhan out from behind a nearby poster]
Alvy Singer: come over here for a second... tell him!
Marshall McLuhan: I heard what you were saying! You know nothing of my work! You mean my whole fallacy is wrong. How you got to teach a course in anything is totally amazing!
Alvy Singer: Boy, if life were only like this!

Marshall McLuhan; Media the message; Hot–Cool Media

Marshall McLuhan, was a pioneer in communcation theory, decades before there any study anywhere.

Of his many accomplishmentd he is best known for two of the more famous expressions:……

(I) In Communication Theory — where he wrote "The Media is the Message"

 

McLuhan's famous expression has been repackaged / reused  by (at least) the Connectivism Theory Researchers without any reference [ed. note What have I seen so far] e.g. "The pipe is more important than the content within the pipe"

 

(II) Defined "Hot" and "cool" media:

Hot media usually, but not always, provide complete involvement without considerable stimulus. For example, print occupies visual space, uses visual senses, but can immerse its reader. Hot media favour analytical precision, quantitative analysis and sequential ordering, as they are usually sequential, linear and logical. They emphasize one sense (for example, of sight or sound) over the others.

For this reason, hot media also include radio, as well as film, the lecture and photography. Contrasted this with "cool" TV, which he claimed requires more effort on the part of the viewer to determine meaning,

On the other hand, McLuhan describes Cool media as those that provide little involvement with substantial stimulus. They require more active participation on the part of the user, including the perception of abstract patterning and simultaneous comprehension of all parts. "cool" TV,  requires more effort on the part of viewer to determine meaning, which due to their minimal requires presentation of visual detail require a high degree of effort to fill in details that the cartoonist may have intended to portray.

McLuhan died in 1980 - thirty years before the cell phone, tablets and other devices.

© Rbrwr, Joyous!, Jenblower,et al. Marshall McLuhan's concept of "Media"

In "Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (2.1 "hot" and "cool" media)".
[Wikipedia article discusses 1964 Pioneering study in media theory written by Marshall McLuhan]. Retrieved March 10, 2012, from Wikipedia website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_McLuhan

Principle 4: Capacity (Ç)

To know more is more critical than what is currently known

McLuhan, M., & Powers, B. R. (1989). Global Village, The; Communication and Society.

In G. Gerbner & M. Siefert (Eds.), Global Village,The;  Transformations in World Life and Media in 21st Century [ebook] (Chapter 7,  Global Robotism: The Satisfactions ). (Original work published 1986)

Marshall McLuhan, in The Global Village, Chapter 7, Global Robotism: The Satisfactions writes:

"The home may very well become more effecient and automated as cable TV, videocassettes, videodiscs, and quadraphonic sound are added to new home construction. For those who need escape, high-density screens will amplify and accenturate the apha state. For those seeking information, TV linked to the computer might eventually surpass the resources of the Library of Congress. The speed of print data through satellite hookups, such as Associated Press Newscable, could deliver to individual users an overwhelming range of information fashioned perhaps, to one's professional needs. The possibility of constant live information would prompt a continual update of background data on key news events.  Audiences oriented to a videogame mentality, neglectful of books and newsappers, might over a period of time welcome a capsule style of reporting, which when pushed to its farthest limit reverts to the style of the ideogarph."

Observation:

McLuhan predicts the Internet, RSS, Twitter and more technology, twenty-five or more years before they came into popular usage. He was actually writing about them in his 1964 book, Undestanding Media printed 1964, reprinted in 1994 and 2003

McLuhan., M. (2003). Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. 

California, USA / Hamburg, Germany: Gingkko Press.
2nd Edition (1994) MIT Press,

First edition published (1964) McGraw Hill, NY.

---

Returning to the topic of Ç:

  

Rethinking Knowledge Now that the Facts Aren't Facts,            Experts Are Everywhere, and the                   Smartest Person in the Room Is … the Room

© Weinberger, David (2012)

Too Big to Know:, New York, NY: Basic Book Press

Quantifying Connectivism

How to get distracted from your work (and life) -- my brother's separation and unfortunate protection order so I become quite familiar with Manitoba Family Law and Family Law Forms 

Favorite form: 16a of course -- where the flip side requires a return address and return postage -- 16a, Acknowledge of Receipt Form.

(PS. If you need help with any legal issue in Manitoba, I am available to assist you with Pro se cases)

It has interfered with my research and paper on Marshall McLuhan - who I believe has to be linked to Connectivism in order to validate the Theory.

To refresh and start the paper -- where L is learning, K is knowledge, Ç is capacity,


P1: L and K rests in diversity of opinions

P2: L is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.

P3:  L may reside in non-human appliances.

P4:  Ç (capacity) to know more is more critical than what is currently known 

P5:  Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning. 

P6:  Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill. 

P7:  Currency is the intent of all connectivist learning activities. 

P8:  Decision-making is itself a L process. Choosing what to L and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. 

P8.1: While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.

Currency - is accurate, up-to-date knowledge.

8th Principle: Learning, a decision-making process...

The process of having a user click on hot spots took literally days to create - at the cost of doing nothing else. Finally I created the above interactive display using Flash over Javascript which was used in the earlier stages. There were reasons for this exercise that I will explain but it has to do with the fact that learning involves a decision making process. The main thing I learned from this exercise is that anyone using the Internet, as a source of knowledge, should know that most of the sources could be slightly wrong. I had great plans for this interactive box. At this point, I am happy a user is able to click on four different spots, read different four facts and have the fact fade out.

Principle 7: Accuracy / Currency of knowledge

How can we assure accuracy when everything is a digital copy of reality in unprotected digital format?

Connectivism Prinicple 6: Ability to see connections ........

Connectivism Principle 6:

Ability to see connections between fields, ideas is a core skill.

Principle 5: Nurturing and maintaining connections

Connectivism Principle 5: Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning. Take your pick! (Facebook is out of focus! What am I saying?)

Principle 4: Capacity to know more ......

 

 

 

Principle 4 of Connectivism:

Capacity to know more — is more critical than what is currently known

With the Internet this is now possible.

It is impossible to now know everything that one has ready access to.

Non-human appliances

	John Mak uses an ATM machines in reference to a non-human appliance. I guess because of the amount of information it contains about people's money transactions.
	Instead of an ATM, I think a store scanner would even have more information about an person, a couple, a family's buying habits.
Eventually our image		will be within the machine.

Principle 3: Learning may reside in Non-human appliances?

Facebook Server Room Facebook World Pentration NA 41%, Europe 26%, Asia 5%, SA 26%, Africa 5%, Aust/NZ 39%

Learning may reside in non-human appliance? "Connectivism Principle 3 "    What exactly is a non-human appliance? A computer?  Or a library?  What about a school?  How about books?  What about videos or films - documentaries or fiction? What about churches?  What about the Bible?

Principle 2: Are we connected yet? What is our Network?

@ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NetworkTopologies.svg
(What happens if you click on the image? Why?)

@ http://www.learn-networking.com/wp-content/oldimages/network-topology.jpg

I saw a few posts with the title Are we connected yet? It seems to me we have to decide what OUR netowrk is before we can answer that question. As well,

Connectivism Principle 2:

Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.

What kind of network would a  OLL/N LE look like?

I am thinking a "simple mesh" because it is really the only one that allows for nodes to connect without some specific design.

What kind of network would a  PLE (personal learning experience) look like?

When we use to write essays in the old days I would think our PLE looked line a line. Today, I would think an "extended star." 

Reasons for Forums

From "Moodle for Dummies" pg 159, Reasons for Forums:

engage learners in collaborative projects enable learners to practice skills not supported in traditional class settings learners participate in forum discussions more than traditional classroom settings increase participation factor of a number of reasons: shyness less of a factor language barriers less hinderance peer pressure lessened overcome communication problems using computers' usability  participants have time to research and think out their answers Observation: In a OLL/N LE (on-line learning / networked learning experence), any factor that encouages particpation should be encouraged. This actually goes nicely with principle one of the connectivism: diversity of opinion.

© Dvorak, R. (2011). Chapter 8: Adding Communication Modules.

In Dummies Guide to Moodle (p. 159).
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing Inc.

Mindmap using Text 2 Mindmap

Mindmap using Text 2 Mindmap Thoughts: nice results easy to figure out and use BUT NOT concept map — but can be used - since FREE!

Why do people leave OLL/N LE?

John Mak in  #Change11 #CCK12 wrote that people leave
OLL/N LE (on-line learning / networked learning experence)

By the way Google says:, Did you mean: roll/n le when I typed in OLL/N LE and gave me the image to the right …………

What is this? Click below to find out. Wet n' Wild LE Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio in The Gilded Age

for five reasons:

1. stupid / incomptent factor -- looking, sounding, appearing, etc
2. motivation factor
3. chaos / confusoin factor
4. identity factor - lost in network / can't identify oneself iin open network
5. security / privacy factor

I would agree with all of Mak's proposals, but I wonder as an explanation

• The human learning machine or experience is truly not ready for networked learning yet.

• OL/N LE can be very challenging because there is so much information.

• Deciding what to study is Principle 8 of the Connectivism Principles put forth by Siemens and Downes in 2008.
•  People have to want to study the material for their own interest and not because it is on the course curriculum.

The challenge for us as educators is to overcome the obstacles put forth by the current human learning machine.

Connectivism's 1st Principle:Diversity of Opinion

Connectivism First Principle:
Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.

How do you make sure 'you' get a diversity of opinion? 

In a local group, setting, class, meeting, and more, I do not think you can.  And this is advantage of the internet. The local, if not regional, support groups of today involve population from a region not more than 60 miles (1 hour drive) from the meeting space.  Common web communication tools like Skype, Goto, Webex, or Elluminate that would allow individuals from farther fields to participate are still not really used in any of the support meetings I attend.  My opinion is that the 'local' meeting just doesn't meet the principle of diversity and the interested person has to go to web site promoting connectivism and connected learning.

Principles of connectivism

1. Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
2. Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
3. Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
4. Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known
5. Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
6. Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
7. Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
8. Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.

Connectivism [Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]. (n.d.). 
     Retrieved February 8, 2012, from Wikipedia 
     website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connectivism 

What I have to do for DamdelionPages

This is from a UBC site (I believe), Elec Tech 512 Section 64B  Technology & Learning where Behaviourism, Cognitivism, Constructivism and Connectivism were in the table. For simplicity I only included Connectivism because I just have to make my website satisfy these requirements 

Property	Connectivism
How learning occurs	Distributed within a network, social, technologically enhanced, recognizing and interpreting patterns
Influencing factors	Diversity of network, strength of ties
Role of memory	Adaptive patterns, representative of current state, existing in networks
How transfer occurs	Connecting to (adding) nodes
Types of learning best explained	Complex learning, rapid changing core, diverse knowledge sources

McMinn,, S. (2008, November 5). Technology and Learning. 
    In Connectivism (Elec 512 Section 64b) [class presentation/notes]
    Retrieved February 9, 2012, from UBC (??) website: 
    https://sites.google.com/site/etec51264btech/connectivism from
    Connectivism presentation: Learning Theory or Pastime of the 
    Self-Amused? 

But for this course, I want to concentrate on AA (alcoholics anonymous)  and make my website into connected learning / connectivism

 

The web site I am constructing aaeveryday.com is not a networked or connected website yet. And why not?

In a typical AA meeting, what happens is:

1. meeting leader for the night will suggest a topic. (eg. keeping sober )
2. the members are invited to comment
• on the topic, or
• or another topic,
• or any other topic that they have a burning desire to talk about -- whether it has anything to do with the topic or not.
  
  This is somewhat similar to the 'other topic' but a bit more urgent -- it allows meetings to run overtime if the individual has not yet spoken and feels the need to talk about some issue.

How can this be coped by a web presence, computer system, cloud application, etc. -- in other words any app, using new or old technology, but still mirrors how a meeting might run.

My thoughts:

1. even morning the computer system selects the daily topic for the day from the dailyl reader
2. the program / system then sends this topic, along with the reading to members using email, text, and maybe even audio. It invites the member to come back to the web presence aka site.l
3. The person is then (you guessed it) invited to comment on
   
   
   • on the topic, or
     
     
   • or another topic,
     
     
   • or any other topic that they have a burning desire to talk about -- whether it has anything to do with the topic or not.
     

Project investigation

I am thinking a lot about Alcoholic Anonymous websites.

Yes they exist. 

No they are not interactive

No they are probably not connective for learning purposes.  

The question then?

A cartoon.....

Busy with A & P. But was working on this cartoon. For those not familiar with the Star Trek Next Generation story, Picard has just been taken by the Borg:

Okay - your saying what. These are the characters from Star Trek Classic - yes, sorry I had no STNG characters. Best to just get this cartoon up. Have some thoughts about networking to explore next.

Two things I hate .............

1.  Videos on a blog site 

XPU.CA

I am sure Josh or whoever is on the video is a very good speaker, but I can read faster than someone can speak. If you are going to add a video make sure it is something that is more than a talking-head otherwise include the text of the video in case someone wants to get the information that way. By placing the video on the screen, the creator is forcing the audience to listen to the speaker.

2. The MOOC diagram and, or video. 

MOOC.CA

 This is a great diagram indicating what a MOOC is. But if you want to use it, it is copyrighted by the owner, so make sure you include the proper references. But more over, why are you copying some stupid  diagram which was drawn in about 5 or 15 minutes?? If you really want to learn, doodle with paper and draw your own version and put it on your blog.

Now where?? (sorry, no link yet...............)

Facebook Networked Learning BAD

My disagreement with Facebook are the following posts I have encountered


Facebook as a formal instructional environment

-- this one was from Mendeley ...

which is some association/business that helps researchers .......

The best free way to manage your research
Organize, share, discover

I also disagree with using Google`s YouTube for business, research, or other professional reasons. 

 

Facebook and Youtube are no place for formal activites -- because your material is owned by them -- which seems to be opposite to all of the anti-piracy bills and actions that are happening currently in 2012 (Popular file-sharing website Megaupload shut down - Yahoo! News )

 

Companies will say Facebook, Youtube, etc are good places for your personal interactions -- because they are easy and cheap for them to setup, explain, and use.

 

Research, personal and especially Health data belong on proper research systems with research controls in place.

Baran, B. (n.d.). Facebook as a formal instructional environment. In 

      British Journal of Educational Technology (2010)(volume: 41, issue: 6, 

      publisher: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, pages: e146-e149) 

      [Research Paper - Abstract only]. Retrieved February 1, 2012, 

      from  Mendeley Ltd website © 2012:

        http://www.mendeley.com/research/facebook-as-a-formal-instructional-environment/ 

February 1 - FACEBOOK

Facebook IPO: six things you need to know- Guardian

Four Reasons Why Facebook's IPO is Irrelevant - Forbes

Selling Google

Someone twitted this site  18 Ways Teachers Can Use Google+ Hangouts  which is said
written By Staff Writers. I wanted to say, really -- more like By {Google} Staff Writers.

We are SUPPOSE to be
EXCITED by all of these
coloured arrows!!!!

1. Group project after school hours	7 Attending academic conferences.	13 Take advantage of whiteboard capabilities
2. Inviting remote guests to speak	8 Have class discussions online.	14 Record sessions for later
3. Answer questions about homework and projects	9 Sharing lesson plans and ideas	15 Help students learn about careers.
4. Expanding professional network	10 Gaining access to professional development.	16 Connect students with native speakers in language courses
5. Hold office hours online.	11 Host study groups	17 Join in on educational hangouts
6. Group grading sessions.	12 Share your screen	18 Collaborate on teaching experiments.

© Online College Staff Writers.(2011, December 6). 18 Ways Teachers 
     Can Use Google+ Hangouts [Article describing Google offers up 
     some amazing tools to help you get students thinking, learning, 
     connecting, and sharing].  Retrieved February 1, 2012, from 
     Online Colleges.Net website: 

     http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2011/12/06/18-ways-teachers-google-hangouts/ 

Explore new ways to integrate technology into teaching & learning

BEST tools and practices for concept mapping

mind map

concept map

Concept mapping and mind mapping are graphic organizers, strategies for visualizing knowledge or graphically representing ideas. The terms may seem to be interchangeable, but there are some typical differences in the way they are used: ......

• A mind map is a creative way to represent an idea or task, while a concept map is a formal attempt to organize or represent knowledge.
• Mind maps focus on a central idea; concept maps connect multiple ideas.
• Mind maps are colorful, use wavy lines, and often include pictures. Concept maps are made with geometric shapes and straight lines.
• A mind map builds outward from the center, while concept map expands downward from the top.

Clark, C. (2011, May 10). Best tools and practices for concept mapping
     (explore new ways to integrate technology into teaching/learning).
     In NspireD2 [Article describing tools for visualizing knowledge or
     graphically representing ideas]. Retrieved January 31, 2012, from 
     Kaneb Center, University of Notre Dame website:

     http://ltlatnd.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/best-tools-and-practices-for-concept-mapping/

Bad way to start the week

Omg I broke by blog ----- and my userid


Error Record ID not specified on update at /var/www/cgi-bin/grsshopper.pl line 3023.For help, please send mail to the webmaster (stephen@downes.ca), giving this error message and the time and date of the error.

Can't help it .... just have to add this .....

(Star Trek Next Generation - The Borg)

Age Discrimination Hits Silicon Valley

Saw this post last night in bed with my tablet .... boy does that say something ... if you have no one else to take to bed take your tablet .....

 Old Techies Never Die; They Just Can’t Get Hired

I will be writing a lot about this topic -- since I have been refurbished a few times already and I have worked for 'younger' bosses who thought they knew it all. The last was at Google where I did get fired (March 2010) because of my age but they were able to dance around it because I didn't have 'development' skills -- I was in their desktop video technical support. My (0,0,0) at that time was Albany NY.

There is lots of reasons these younger, hipper people don't hire the old people -- but the problem is that it will eventually catch up with them as it did when I worked at Microsoft. I have a few tales that I will wind out later.

My point is that an individual has to have something so interesting that a company can't refuse to at least hire the person on a contract. From there, it is up to you. That's the best, you will get in these days. And maybe that's all you want anyway.

Concept map software

I found these 2 mapping packages last night but couldn't enter them into my blog because I can't do cut-and-paste on my tablet right now for some reason -- that's another blog entry. So I entered them as bookmarks and had to add them to my blog this morning.

Freemind: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

FreeMind is a premier free mind-mapping software written in Java. The recent development has hopefully turned it into high productivity tool. We are proud that the operation and navigation of FreeMind is faster than that of MindManager because of one-click "fold / unfold" and "follow link" operations. 

XMind: http://www.xmind.net/

XMind is a brainstorming and mind mapping software tool developed by XMind Ltd. The program is intended to assist users in capturing ideas, organizing various charts, and share them with collaboration. It supports mind maps, Ishikawa diagrams (also called fishbone diagrams or cause-and-effect diagrams), tree diagrams, organization charts, and spreadsheets. It can be used for knowledge management, meeting minutes, task management, and GTD. XMind can read FreeMind files.

Keyboard - What keyboard .... on a tablet

Blogging on a tablet is really unworkable. For one thing I may have found a bug in the blogger system -- I can not seem to enter the verification code at the end of the page to indicate a human is entering the text. But more, the virtual keyboard does not really work well as an entry device. Sure for a few lines or a userid or password, the virtual keyboard is fine, but for long text it doesn`t work. Another example of virtual keyboard failing, I haven`t figured out how to copy, cut and paste work on the tablet -- and they are suppose to work.

I believe the answer will be in audio and video entries as we see in `Star Trek` etc when the crew is doing their personal logs. And who else but Google will figure this out owning YouTube, etc. If I could figure out how the app to translate audio into text on the tablet it would be a good step forward.

Spent Tuesday trying to get all of my required systems setup for class: google group, diigo, twitter, blogger and of course mooc. The one I am having the most trouble with is the blogger fed to mooc but I guess you have to believe in the power of technology, and I looked at the list today and most of the class have added their blogs. It must be straight forward. I am currently exploring MOOC on Wikipedia to see where that might lead me. Interesting that MOOC was the not first and not the last in on-line courses.

Gave up on Kindle / Spending Time On Classes & Camcorder Decision

I am sending my Kindle to my friend Amanda. I find the Kindle is just too small for the Health and Computer manuals that I read. The text is okay but the diagrams are really shrunk to fit the scrreen. Instead I will be using a Gateway netbook and a Samsung Android tablet - preferably the last.

I am spending a lot of my thinking time currently trying to figure out what video cameras I should be purchasing. I need specific camcorders with Firewire and very few cameras have FW -- it was an old Apple standard. The B&H store in NYC have used Sony cameras for $1000 which my partner Chris says are useless. He says go with the PDX150. I have found the Pansonic PV-GS90, and Sony DCR HC52  at Amazon for under $1000.

Besides CCK12, I am spending a lot of time on my SIAST (Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology) HIM (Health Information Management) Anatomy and Physiology I start a Pathophysiology Feb 14th - and that's it for this term -- 3 courses.