And anyone who has had a blog and hasn’t updated it in a lonnng time can empathize with my perspective.  Its been almost a year and while many things have changed, others have remained the same.  Here are a few keywords that describe new interests, initiatives and activities that I’ve been either investigating or involved in: web 2.0 storytelling, Omeka for portfolios, Blackboard for accountability, Moodle for access and affordability, Wordpress for personal learning environments, faculty development, visual literacy, information literacy, media literacy, 21st century skills, adult education, community technology centers, equity in academic technology, online HBCUs, EdD vs PhD, overcoming apathy, sustaining intrinsic motivation and, of course, trying to enjoy the fruits of a stressful, year-long home renovation.

Whilest there are no blog posts that extrapolate each of these keywords that identify all thats been going on with the teechr in the past year, expect that to change (dont hold me to it).  Additionally, I think I need to clean house, update WP and remix a new theme.  Stay posted cool people!

“It’s pitiful how fickle the American people are. People ate, slept and breathed Iran until Michael Jackson died. Really?! Good grief.”

I personally recommend all celebrities consider planning their deaths months after political movements.  For the sake of the twittersphere, of course.

RIP to all who are twittered about.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31571885/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/05/18/death.online/index.html?iref=t2test_techmon

Thats right!  Online life after death - existing etherally upon physical erosion.  I promise you I had this idea back in 2001, I just didnt patent it, and now I’m kicking rocks!  There’s gotta be HUGGGEEEE growth potential in this sector, as people research issues concerning the intersections of security, virtual worlds, identity and martyrdom!

What are ya’lls thoughts?

Ever thought how family members would manage your digital assets (and persona) after you kick the bucket? It’s amazing to see how people leave “virtual flowers” on folk’s facebook profiles once they’ve transitioned.  It’s a new era man… new era.

I have an avatar myself - DeMario Watkins - and I’ve sought to make him as culturally-replicative as I could (brown skin, cornrows, baggy clothes, and an intimidating countenance)  Is it wrong for me to amplify the conventional stereotypes that exist in my “first” life while engaging in self-evaluative research of my virtual identity crisis? Lets hope not.

If you’re still a little skeptical (as I still am/was) of Second Life, take a look at Tom Woodward and Jim Groom’s presentation on the metaphorical enslavement of society via Blackboard’s dictatorship.  A rather clever and excellent use of the medium, their message seems to wanna take dolla’ billz outta my corporate sponsored pockets!  Although I haven’t been quite as engaged in Second Life as my peers, I’m feeling that I should start getting used to the ability of flying around a pixelated island, mimicing human gestures with a series of mouse-clicks and looking at Powerpoint slideshows inside of a polygon box.  Mind you, I’d be doing all of this while praying my computer doesn’t crash from Second Life’s hungry resource requirements. Yay technology!

Looks like we’ve got a mini-Madoff marital affair connected to my institution.  Being that the SEC is going after Madoff’s wife, I wonder how they will go after Connelly’s.  Most importantly, how will this affect Curry’s construction plans and future funding for scholarships and activities.  Such bad press. Shame on you Ponzis!!! Now I really need to finish my dissertation before UVA goes bankrupt

There is good news however! My other other alma mater faces UCLA in the first round! Go RAMS!

At the University of California at Berkeley, 67 percent of graduate students said they had felt hopeless at least once in the last year; 54 percent felt so depressed they had a hard time functioning; and nearly 10 percent said they had considered suicide

Couple this with a bleek economic outlook, rescinded tenure and depleting endowments… sounds like a recipe for the perfect Pookie to me (minus the high-top fade and yellow teef).

I mean it’s totally cool if we are - I like to spin my wheels too, every now and then.  I just figured online learning and distance education would really be taking off right now in the midst of this ailing economy when millions of people need to be re-trained, re-educated, and re-vocationalized.  Efficiency, coupled with low-cost technology and accessibility, is a fiscal administrators dream!

I really became overjoyed from this quote right here:

Instructors’ extra time and effort aren’t being rewarded financially or professionally, and what’s more, online education doesn’t translate into better learning outcomes, said respondents in the faculty survey.

Learning outcomes? Seriously? Last time I checked the “outcomes” from a traditional higher education left 1.4 million folks unemployed in 2008.  Wanna change that with online education? Set up a learning platform at no-cost, remix and rewrite some curricula about how to conserve energy and live green, and then pitch it to the Obama administration as a way to revitalize the American workforce!  Outcome: Someone becomes rich for implementing the idea and millions of others may be somewhat more employable.

I guess contemporary faculty aren’t getting paid enough to teach online - you know, sit at a computer in their house slippers and moo-moo’s, while theorizing about why the sky is blue (all while eating strawberry fig newtons and stale graham crackers)? Pity!  Someone reward them!

In the 21st century, online education knowledge consumption (with or without a teacher) is going to be the norm -  no matter what any ones survey data tell you about the lack of authentic pedagogy - and this is coming from a post-modern pseudo-philosopher who used to think online degrees were one big corporate conspiracy ploy. For those of you who want to continue to criticize and paralytically analyze my field - then by all means!  However, when I become the wealthy, albeit arrogant, mogul who pimped online learning for all it was worth… and you’re still standing there having the SAME CONVERSATIONS you were having in 1999, then might I ask you to not disturb me,  and to, kindly, remove your hands from my pocket!  That is all.

Note: those who know me, I hope you are able to absorb my sarcasm accordingly.

http://www.google.com/latitude/intro.html

I’ve said it time and time again, people are too overly concerned with “Big Brother” (big govt/institutions/city cameras) looking over their shoulder. Folks should be more afraid of ourselves, because its the “Little Brothers” (us/cell phones/flickr/facebook) who are spying on each other.

1.) limiting her use expressive comments that were either inflammatory, inappropriate, or easily misinterpreted in her Facebook status messages,

or

2.) understanding the technical intricacies and details of privatizing ones facebook profile and sub-networks.

The latter recommendation is what so ferociously intrigued me.  How do we inspire those with some degree of institutional authority (faculty, staff, or otherwise) to learn more about the consequences of establishing an online identity.  If incidents such as these begin to become more of a public relations problem, rather than a concern about free speech (and free thought on facebook status messages), then my next would ask “What exactly would a Facebook 101 class look like?”

More specifically, what are the most salient learning objectives that faculty and administrators must attain when managing their place in the social-network nebula?

I’d love to see what folks have to offer!