I've started playing an Harry Potter ARG. I can't really tell if this is an official tie-in to the movies, bridging the gap between movie seven and eight or not. But it doesn't matter. I'm getting more insight into how ARGS bring people together for cooperative play.

And, of course, I'm part of Dumbledore's Army, so I post these stickies in defiance of the Ministry of Magic!

,p.

RSS Feed Sample

This is a sample post to demonstrate how an RSS feed works for my HUM 205 students.

I've joined my first Alternative Reality Game, to see what it is like.  I am currently a villain in training, under a masked bad guy by the name of Thanatos' Sin.  I admire a villain who knows how to properly create a possessive plural!  Step number one: mask yourself.  I look properly villainous, if I do say myself.

I've created a new blog devoted to alternate reality games and to the game I'm playing right now.

CouchSurfing.org as a Social Networking Site

I got bored of writing, so I thought I'd use Voicethread.com to complete this assignment.  Feel free to comment, if you have a Voicethread account of your own.  Accounts are free, if you want one.

Another Fascinating RSA Animation

Blackboard is my mortal enemy, in terms of usability, design, features, and philosophy

This is my favorite quote of the week, and possible for 2011.  From "Going Paperless in the Classroom" by Mark Sample on Profhacker.  Taking a class via Blackboard has really demonstrated what a problem system it really is.

Wikis for Class

I'll be teaching a class for NAU-Yavapai next month, "Technology and Human Values."  All of the classes for this new university are hybrid format, and since this is an super-accelerated course conducted in five weeks, I'm structuring it so we address a new topic each week, five topics that allow students to investigate how technological changes are (or are not) influencing basic topics in humanities.  We'll meet twice a week for two and a half hours, plus there will be considerable online learning as well.  The college is being touted as a new type of university, addressing the needs of 21st century students.





That being the case, I've decided to go whole-hog on the engaged learner thing we've been discussing in school.  I'd already decided not to use a textbook in favor of finding articles and other sources that address the most recent theories and events related to our topics.  But now, building the source material is going to be a big part of the "online" part of the hybrid class.  Each week, for each topic, students will have to find articles, blogs, Twitter feeds, discussion forums, videos, wikis or other online material to add to the class wiki, which I've created in response to this week's assignment.  Each week's assignment will require students to find a variety of sources AND to write a short justification of why each source is credible and useful.  I might have students evaluate each other's sources as well, perhaps a vote will determine which sources will be added to the class wiki, rather than just adding them all.  I'm also setting up a "class notes" page on the class wiki, to create communal notes, and a class bulletin board for questions.

The NAU-Yavapai format, where I will have the students for a couple hours twice a week, as well as online, means I can take the time to ensure that each student has mastered all the various technological formats necessary to do this sort of work.  I've already asked that the class be scheduled for a classroom with computers, so in week one all the students will establish Blogger, Twitter, Lino and Google accounts, set up a Google Reader and a Twitter feed on their blogs, etc.  This way, I don't have to struggle with varying levels of technical knowledge or computer access.  All the students know that their courses are hybrid, and are required to have adequate computer and Internet access to enroll.

I'm very curious to see how this works out.  My classes have always been very free-form and open.  I'd rather address what students want to talk about than to stick to a lesson plan.  But I've never taught a class like this before, where the students will determine not only the conversations but produce the course materials as well.  I have no idea how it will work out...