Fellow bloggers, I need your help with my project. I have created a survey, it will only take a minute of your time. Your help will be greatly appreciated. Click this link to take the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D3F8ZGQ .
We do not actually have an Ipad 2 to give away, but if we did this is what it would look like.
Photo: http://ptkostyack.wordpress.com/
During the class time today that we had to work as a group, we made great progress on our project. We had a time to bring all of the video that we had taken and decide which clips that we would like to use for the finished product. The videos that we decided on using were the videos that provided unique answers and were the most developed in content.
Besides deciding on the videos that we would use, we also wanted to brainstorm for some questions that we could use that would be thought-provoking. In addition, we wanted some variety for our questions. Therefore, our video would not be an amalgamation of repetitive and hackneyed interviews and responses. However, we do want to emphasize the common threads in the interviews and the responses that represent the beliefs of the populace. A fine line must be treaded due to the situation as a dichotomy has been created by our project as we want consistency, but not repetition.
Due to Kelsea’s background in multimedia and her adroit ability to edit video content, naturally she is the most logical choice to edit the videos. We wanted to provide her with help in this editing process by categorizing the videos and picking the parts of each interview that we want to use for our presentation.
We also discussed that we would like to use this weekend as a means to interview more people on campus, as the parents weekend will bring students and parents alike out of the residence halls and on the campus. Thus, there will be more people for us to interview throughout the weekend. The increased number of potential candidates for interviews provides the chance for not only more interviews, but also more variety in the interviews we conduct and the responses we receive from these interviews.
Finally, we still would like students and members of the Georgia Tech community to participate if they are willing. This is our call to arms, if you would like to participate a comment on this blog with your contact information would be greatly appreciated.
Before I begin let it be known that I, like many others, enjoy lolcats and find them to be very amusing. However, I do not see Clay Shirky’s points as valid in stating that the creation of lolcats having a positive impact. Sure lol cats are cute, funny, and amusing. But, what benefits do they provide to the advancement to the human race? They are merely a distraction to everything that is going on around us, hence their value is very fleeting. Unlike many others I have personal experience, an Advanced Placement World History teacher at my high school spent the first 15 to 20 minutes of every class looking at lolcats. By the time the AP Exam was approaching she was rushing to finish teaching the content and began giving her students massive amounts of homework to compensate for lost time. I watched as my friends complained almost daily and the scores from this particular teacher’s class reflected the lack of focus in the beginning of the year.
This is but one example and by no means am I saying that we should never look at lolcats. My point is that they need to be viewed in moderation, I am comfortable with my will power that I can look at something like lolcats or go on Facebook as an outlet or break and be able to jump right back into my work. I do not trust the rest of society, especially with the increase in Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder our attention spans are rapidly shrinking. Thus, the advent of creative outlets like lol cats may become a bane to our livelihoods.
Despite my ranting about how Shirky is wrong in promoting lolcats as having a positive impact, I believe that he brings up excellent points. Ushahidi is an excellent idea and a great way to use our cognitive surplus. This enterprise is a beacon as to the cognitive surplus that should be used in our lives. In contrast to Shirky’s other points, the facts that he brings up about Ushahidi are brilliant in the formation of his argument.
Lolcats, amusing but distracting
Picture of Lolcats http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/08/10/hungry-hungry-lolcats/
After reading Pink’s discussion on play and the benefits of laughter, I was very intrigued. I personally had never thought of laughter as a great exercise. Of course, I had heard the facts, laughter has been proven to extend lifespan among others, however I had never viewed it in the light that Pink presented. I was shocked when Pink brought up the cardiovascular benefits of laughter, to think our coaches had us run all those sprints for punishment when they could have had us laugh and felt the cardiovascular strain. I definitely agree that laughter is a great way to relax and aid us when we become stressed, but I feel there are even more positive benefits now.
Following the reading I chose a task that I was to perform or rather a game to play. The humor scale caught my eye, what a great way to appeal to left brained thinks by giving them an examination. I scrolled through the questions, answering them with responses of agreement and strong agreement. Excited, I submitted my results hoping to know my humor score. Yet, it was not to be as the ensuing webpage displayed, much to my dismay, the statement “page not found.” I could only chuckle at the thought of my predicament as a joke. I could not think of a greater punchline to a humor test.
In the chapter labeled Symphony, Pink discusses the synthesis of ideas and its necessity in the modern world. The examples that
Pink uses such as the original Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercial embody the idea of synthesis and its integral role in the formation of new ideas. Later Pink presents manners in which symphony may be reached, ideas such as drawing, keeping a metaphor log and reading certain books. I decided to draw. Pink challenged all readers to draw a self-portrait using only five lines. I found that drawing the face and the standard features: eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, was quite simple. However, as I looked to incorporate details I realized that I had used all of my five lines already and I was left to merely look at my crude, simple drawing. Pink’s challenges present difficult tasks, yet they are fulfilling as those who accept the challenges obtain new ideas. It is these people who will thrive in the new world, for they are the ones who know how to synthesize ideas. In my opinion these activities are worthwhile; they provide a chance to unfettered brainstorming.
My self portrait at the request of Brian McMahon; clearly I am no Van Gogh.
Van Gogh's self portain, mine did not quite reach this level.
For the invention mob, I created an origami crane in order to help myself and my group with project ideas. My idea for this handcrafted object
came from brainstorming throughout the week before I came to the idea on Thursday. Despite the fact that my object, as well as others in the group, had little or no bearing on the creative idea that emerged from our group discussion it did perform its role in sparking the creative session. As a group we thought of several ideas before settling on one that was both creative and multimodal in nature, a documentary of the new North Avenue Dining Hall. This 24 hour dining facility does not simply serve as a restaurant, but a social gathering and a microcosm of the cultural melting pot inside of Georgia Tech. Our idea is to observe and record all 24 hours of this dining facility and to interview customers and employees alike, in order to find the true reason for why the dining hall is so special. In doing so, we will be in accordance with philosophy of WOVEN: Written, Oral, Visual, Electronic, and Non-Verbal communication. Thereby allowing us to creating a multimodal examination of what is becoming an increasingly significant facet of the Georgia Tech student experience.
