What would Twitter do?

Before this class I never really used Twitter. To me Twitter is boring because no one really cares what I have to say! Experiencing a class through Twitter was pretty fun though. I never realized how much Twitter really has to offer technology wise. Before I really got into Twitter, I would use it to of course stalk people like most people do on social media websites. Some of the different things that I liked about Twitter was how easy it is to connect with people. Normally if I were to Tweet someone, it would only take maybe five minutes for a response. Twitter is an easy way to potentially get in touch with celebrities or people that you could never reach on Facebook or Instagram. For me, after this project I still feel like Twitter is my last go to if I have nothing else to check or if I am really bored. Even though I actually got across to some famous people I still really like either Facebook or Instagram. I feel as if Facebook is more of a personal website where you use it to connect with people from everywhere around the world. Twitter is kind of a friend social website that only consist of people that you know personally. What i don’t like about Twitter is how complicated it is to use it. I am lucky that I already started a Twitter before the class but for the people who had to join I felt bad. Twitter is a very complex website I think and it is so hard to get used to. I am glad that the Twitter assignment is over because it was so hard to go out of my way just to make sure that I tweet. I feel like tweeting is just a waste of time too. Honestly I like reading peoples tweets but I hate writing them myself. I feel like really stupid writing something that consists of maybe two words that no one really knows what i’m talking about. Now when I use Twitter I only try and get celebrities to interact with me but maybe I will start using it more frequently.

seriously really proud of myself for making through this semester without ripping all of my hair out #tfw2

— Karissa Gardella (@KarissaG_XO) May 4, 2015

Pecha Kucha – Nicole Gross

A Walk Through A Slide: I decided to choose this picture because it shows the reality of anonymous online bullying. This image is from a website called Formspring. I, like most people, have had accounts with Formspring and many other social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. They are just addicting to be on.

This picture fit in perfectly with my narrative because throughout the whole narrative, bullying and cyberbullying were the main topics. In this particular picture, cyberbullying is occurring because people are saying mean things such as “you are fat”, “do you try to look ugly or do you always look like that?” and “they would never like you”, which are all hurtful comments. For this slide in my pecha kucha presentation, Kevin Kelly acknowledged how social media would expand beyond what they originally thought. Formspring really took over in 2006-2010. This was not like any other social media website like Facebook or Twitter. This was just anonymous comments from people. I chose Kevin Kelly’s article, We Are the Web because it made me think of the various amounts of social media websites there actually are. When I think social media, I think Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The more social media, the more cyberbullying occurs.

I felt as if this picture fit in perfectly with my slides because it shows a real life example of cyberbullying. I think this picture stood out to most people because of the hurtful comments that people do make and can relate to it, even if it hasn’t happened to them. This picture builds on my argument by giving proof. Anyone can say things like “I hate you” or “go away” but those are different. Cyberbullying has to go a little deeper and has to impact a person. For example, in the picture the second response says, “I try to look pretty but…” which shows it has impacted this person’s confidence. Overall, I’m very glad I found this picture because I think it helped describe and prove our point about how bullying and cyberbullying affect people.

If I were to change one thing, I would have changed the order in which we discussed things. For example, I think Facebook should have been included and the first topic of discussion since it is one of the biggest social media cites with a lot of bullying.

What I learned about my blog topic: My blog topic was future teachers of America. I thought this was a very fitting topic for my group since we are all aspiring to become teachers. I have been learning all about the teaching process throughout my years in college, whether at Rowan or another school. I felt as if this was an easy topic to relate anything to because we are always learning new things.

Each article in the readings, I was able to relate to the topic of teaching. For example, Bolter’s article and the Memex article. Bolter’s article was about the technology in writing so I related it to teaching writing in the classroom multiple ways. For the memex article, I was able to compare how technology helps our writing today and how the memex was used back then. These articles gave me a new perspective on writing and ideas that I didn’t even know were possible. It showed me how we can still get by even with the use of little technology or tons of technology.

For my outside readings, I found it very interesting because there were so many topics I could choose from. My favorite, however, was the Ellen Degeneres blog post. I have been watching The Ellen Show for many years, it is my favorite daytime talk show. Constantly, Ellen and her team have been helping teachers because they understand how difficult it can be. Just the little things can go such a long way. I felt as if this was a great opportunity to give credit to Ellen because some day I hope I get recognized as an outstanding teacher.

Overall, my blog topic was perfect for me. I enjoyed reading these articles whether required or not because they were pertaining to my future. It impacted me in a way that many people won’t understand because of their choice of career. Education is such an important thing that people should not take for granted. Also, I hope as a future educator that people start to see what a different we truly make in student’s lives.

Challenge Accepted – Nicole Gross

Everyone is on Facebook these days, it seems to be the social norm. Personally, I use Facebook to connect with friends in other countries and to stay updated with events going on during school. It was difficult to decide whether or not to give Facebook up or something else. I felt as if I would miss too much about what is going on if I were to not go on Facebook for a week, so I chose to give up Instagram instead.

Instagram (for those who might not know) is another social media app where you can post pictures or videos. You have, like Twitter, followers and you follow others. Personally, it took me a long time to start enjoying Instagram because I felt as if it were like another Twitter. Of the three social medias, Twitter is my favorite. This “experiment” to not use Instagram for a week was challenging. There were times where I would accidentally got on it out of habit since I’m so used to having it. The first two or three days were the hardest because it had just gotten taken away, almost like a child being punished and not being able to watch television. 

I have had a similar experience when I would go on vacation out of the country and wasn’t able to use my phone at all. I had to go from one hundrend to zero in a blink of an eye for a week. I wasn’t able to send or receive text messages, use Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. This was very tough for me. I always felt that after the first day of feeling empty without your phone was done, it only got easier. The only difference between this vacation and this assignment was that I was constantly busy on vacation and didn’t think about it too often, whereas during school, it’s all about socializing so it’s more of a necessity.

Overall, this assignment opened my eyes to how much we are dependent and addicted to social media. It has become a part of our everyday lives, which we are used to. Instagram isn’t such a big deal like Facebook is, however they are alike in the way that our minds work around social media. People jump from one social media to another all day long trying to stay updated. I felt as if this was a refresher for most people and had them focus on something different for a change.

“The best teachers I’ve ever had have used technology to enhance learning.”—H.S. student Katie Benmar http://t.co/qGTNF406c1 #ewopinion

— Education Week (@educationweek) April 28, 2015

Technological Literacy- Alex Esposito

In Selfe’s “What is Technological Literacy?” chapter of, “Literacy and Technology linked Literacy and technology linked: The national project to expand technological literacy. Technology and literacy in the twenty-first century: The importance of paying attention  she explains that technological literacy has two different parts. The first part of the definition refers to how to use computers and different computerized technology. The second part of the definition refers to being able to read and write in a computerized environment, as well as knowing the different tools associated with the computer, Selfe also includes culture in her definition as well (11).  To take her definition a bit further, I believe that technological literacy also should refer to communicating with social media in the correct way.

Social media today, has shaped how people view the world around them. It is packed with news, emotions, and knowledge. Social media is also embedded with its own form of technological literacy. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all forms of social media that have their own properties that make them unique. All three sites operate different than one another. Facebook one can upload pictures, create statuses and comment to friends and family. Instagram one can only upload pictures, and with Twitter a tweet can be no longer than 140 characters. Along with the mechanics, there’s also a different language associated with each of the sites includes hashtags and the “@” symbol.

As a future teacher, I think that it is important for students to know the different aspects of technological literacy. When I was younger, I mainly focused on the mechanics of the computer, such as navigating a web page, or special keys on the keyboard. As I grew older, email became more prevalent and knowing how to email the teacher was a must. The excuse “my printer didn’t work” was no longer valid because I was able to email my paper directly to my teachers.

Now with technologies such as tablets, and smart devices it’s important to teach kids the different operating skills needed to make use of these tools, in congruency to the navigational skills of social media sites. Teachers should also learn to become technologically literate. In doing so, it allows both the teacher and student to benefit from technology. After all, technology is a tool, why not use it?