Derek E. Baird :: Barking Robot

Ruminations: 2008 YPulse Mashup Boston

I just spent a couple days at the YPulse Youth Marketing Mashup East which was held on the campus of Boston University. As usual, it was a fantastic event! Congrats to Anastasia and the Modern Media team for putting together a really informative, fun and relevant event.

I have a few longer posts about the event brewing in my noggin that I hope to push out here on Barking Robot sometime next week. But I had a couple quick thoughts  and highlights from the event that I'd like to share while it's still fresh in ye olde noggin.

On Boston: The more time I spend in this city, the deeper I fall in love with it. New England in the fall is something that everyone should experience. One morning I took a walk along the Charles River. The tree's were heavy with orange, yellow and red foliage, the ground was still wet from the overnight rain and rowers glided silently up and down the Charles. Stunning.

On Boston University: Graceful old buildings, a deep sense of history and lots of energy oozing from the student body. Just fantastic. One morning on my way to the YPulse event, I passed the campus chapel and a beautiful sculpture of doves flying up into the sky. At the base of the monument, students had placed bundles upon bundles of flowers. I was curious, but I was also running late, so I didn't have time to learn more.

The YPulse event was opened by Dean Kenneth Elmore, Dean of Students at Boston University. He started with a super energetic and warm welcome to Boston the city and Boston the University. Dean Elmore was full of passion, energy and enthusiasm. As part of his keynote, he spoke about President-Elect Obama, collaboration, community and how great things can be accomplished when we work together. It was very inspiring.

Dean Elmore also took a moment to explain more about the bundles of flowers being left at the base of the sculpture I had seen earlier in the day. The sculpture is a memorial to one of the greatest alumnus ever to study at Boston University--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The morning after Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States of America, students began to spontaneously leave flowers at the MLK monument to honor Dr. King and his contributions, sacrifice and role in making the Obama presidency a reality. It gave me chills.

We need more people like Dean Elmore in the world.

On Virgin Mobile: Ron Faris from Virgin Mobile USA gave a really fantastic presentation on the Virgin Mobile Festival and Pro-Social Initiatives. He started by having everyone text "karma" to 68405. He then told us that for every text, American Eagle would donate a hoodie to homeless teen. Way to go Virgin Mobile!

Ron's presentation was really, really interesting. Virgin Mobile, and the Virgin brand, have done some really innovative, creative and interesting work in the music, pro-social, marketing and branding space. He also talked about the mobile and texting habits of Gen Y and how Virgin is leveraging mobile to engage and market to youth. You can read more on the live blog transcript.

At the end of his presentation, he mentioned that Virgin Mobile next pro-social cause is to become an advocate on the issue of homeless teens. Virgin Mobile will be launching an awareness campaign in the next couple of weeks. Want to hear something shocking? According to research conducted by Virgin Mobile, there are approximately 1 million homeless teens in the United States of America.

Yes....1 million.

These teens are homeless for a variety of reasons ranging from being kicked out by their parents due to sexual orientation, abusive parents or being abandoned. This figure just floored me. I've spent a lot of time working with homeless adults and mothers with children, but I was woefully ignorant on the subject of homeless teens.

I spoke to the Virgin Mobile team about their homeless teen campaign and I will keep everyone here at Barking Robot updated on how you can help out. I feel very strongly that the education technology community should be actively and passionately involved in this issue. Homeless teens are an education issue.

On SurveyU & MTV: Dan Coates from SurveyU gave a really interesting and relevant presentation titled, What Every Brand Could Learn from the Obama Campaign's Marketing to College Students. He shared lots of really good information, far too much to share here, but you can read more over on the YPulse Live Blog. SurveyU also had a very, very interesting report titled, What Happens to Media as Millennial Take Control?, that I'll blog about in-depth next week.

Dan Hart, SVP MTV Digital, also gave a very insightful presentation, Engaging Viewers Through Multiple Screens, where he talked about MTV's strategy to meet the demands and viewing habits of their (mostly) Gen Y viewers.

One example of how MTV was meeting the always on media habits of Gen Y was Backchannel --a social and interactive platform that allows "fans gather to talk about The Hills as it happens! Type your thoughts and don't hold back! Other players award points with a click of their mouse on the best comments. When it's your turn to click, earn points by predicting the comments you think will be the most popular." Mr. Hart said that this multi-channel approach has been wildly successful and popular.

On YPulse: As usual, this was a fantastic event. The next YPulse Mashup will be held in San Francisco on June 1 & 2, 2009. If you work with youth in education, technology, social services or marketing, you should--no you need--to attend the 2009 YPulse Mashup.

And now, time for that nap...

Related Resources

• YPulse.com
• Day 1: YPulse Mashup East Transcript
• Day 2: Morning Sessions, YPulse Mashup East
• Day 2: Afternoon Sessions, Ypulse Mashup East
• Twitter: #ymme

Generation Text: New Research on Teens & Mobile Phones

According to a recent Harris Interactive-CTIA study, "Teenagers: A Generation Unplugged, a majority (57%) of teens surveyed reported that they view their cell phone as the key to their social life. For teens, a mobile phone is more than just an accessory or communication device, it also "tells the most about a person’s social status or popularity, outranking jewelry, watches and shoes."

The study was conducted online in July 2008 among a nationally representative sample of 2,089 teenagers (age 13-19) across the US who have cell phones.

More than 100 questions were asked on mobile phone usage, attitudes, behaviors, and teens’ desires and aspirations for the future of mobile communications, entertainment, and other features.

Other key findings from the Harris Interactive-CTIA study:

• Four out of every five teens (17 million) carrying a wireless device (a 40% increase since 2004),  and 42% of surveyed teens said they can text blindfolded; 

• 57% credit mobility for improving their quality of life, if texting was no longer an option, 47 % of teens say their social life would end or be worsened–especially among females (54% compared to 40% of males);

• 52% agree the cell phone has become a new form of entertainment; one-third of teens currently play games on their phone;

• 80% say their cell phone provides a sense of security while on the go, confirming that the cell phone has become their mobile safety net when needing a ride (79%), getting important information (51%), or just helping out someone in trouble (35%);

• Teens carry cell phones to have access to friends, family and current events;

• Though only one in five (18%) teens care to pinpoint the location of their family and friends via their cell phone, 36% hate the idea of a cell phone feature that allows others to know their exact location.

One of the most interesting findings from this study is how deeply integrated texting has become in teen life. In fact, teens admitted spending nearly an equal amount of time talking as they do texting each month.

"Teens have created a new form of communication. We call it texting, but in essence it is a reflection of how teens want to communicate to match their lifestyles. It is all about multitasking, speed, privacy and control," said Joseph Porus, Vice President & Chief Architect, Technology Group, Harris Interactive. "Teens in this study are crying for personalization and control of exactly what a wireless device or plan can do for them."

Moreover, teens say texting has advantages over talking because it offers more options, including multitasking, speed, the option to avoid verbal communication, and because it is fun - in that order, according to the study.

Looking forward, the survey found that teens "ideal future mobile device would feature five applications – phone, MP3 player, GPS, laptop computer and video player." The mobile boom trend is being driven by teens and their seamless adoption of and expectation to have "on-demand" access to friends, family, information and entertainment.

The education community should also take note that 66% of those surveyed said they hoped that mobile devices would "present opportunities to be educated anywhere in the world." This data should serve as a call to educators to start investigating ways to provide students with mobile virtual learning environments (mVLE) to facilitate self-directed learning opportunities.

Related Resources

• Global Youth: Irish Teens & Mobile Culture
• mobileYOUTH: Research on Gen Y & Mobile Phones
• More Teens Create, Share Online Material as ‘Multichannel Teen’ Emerges

Nastia Liukin Joins the Beacon Street Girls Family

One of the stars of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, gold medalist gymnast Nastia Liukin has joined the Beacon Street Girls community. Members of the BSG community can "friend" Nastia, leave comments on her whiteboard and keep up-to-date on her travels & competitions. You can view her profile by clicking here.

Fans also catch up with the gymnast in the Club BSG Gymnastics Team. There they will be able to read exclusive interviews with the champion and experienced for themselves the excitement, energy and suspense of Olympic competition. This public forum allows tween girls with the ability to connect with Liukin on a personal level, not just as an Olympian.

In a statement, Liukin said, “I appreciate all the encouragement and love reading the notes girls leave on my Club BSG whiteboard.  Plus, through the Gymnastics Team on the site, I have the ability to reach even more girls than ever before!  On the site, we will be talking about self-esteem and staying fit through positive life choices.”

At at time when the "bad girls" of Hollywood seem to be constantly in the spotlight, Nastia is a refreshing breath of fresh air, who provides both parents and tween girls with a positive role model and testament that with hard work, passion and determination---dreams do come true.

Related Resources

• Michael Phelps Has One Million Facebook Fans
• Beacon Street Girls: A Virtual World for Tweens
• Connect Safely

Hurray for Dizzywood: Virtual World with a Purpose

Dizzywood is a new virtual world for tweens created by the folks over at ROCKETpaperscissors.  Like other virtual communities geared for the tween set (I'm talking Doko, Webkinz, Neopets, Moshi Monsters) users can create an avatar, connect with friends, play games and activities that earn them unique super powers and other rewards.

The team behind Dizzywood have designed a virtual environment that "encourages kids to engage in challenging activities and cooperate with others, while developing important cognitive skills. I had my pre-tween nephew give Dizzywood a go this afternoon and he was instantly hooked. He loved the animation and said that the games were "really, really fun."

Beyond the element of online play, Dizzyworld is using their virtual world to teach kids about the environment and other life skills like honesty, digital citizenship and respect. Dizzyworld recently joined with the Arbor Day Foundation on a promotion that allowed Dizzyworld citizens to plant a virtual tree to reforest a damaged area within the online world of Dizzywood.

But here's the really cool part: when you plant a virtual tree in the Dizzyworld forest, a real tree is planted on Earth. And as the virtual tree grows, kids are able to see how the tree is able to clean pollution from the skies above Dizzyworld. This is a great way situate the lessons learned in a virtual world, into a real world context and provide kids with a sense of empowerment and a purposeful gaming experience.

Dizzywood's ability to successfully mash together virtual games, social responsibility and collaborative skills has caught the eye of the YMCA of San Francisco has announced plans to integrate Dizzyworld into their education technology curriculum.

Here's more from the Press Release on the partnership:

"The YMCA is using Dizzywood’s virtual environment to reinforce its program emphasis on activities that promote values such as caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

Children also learn about important issues relating to virtual worlds, such as digital citizenship and online safety, as well as complete storytelling and team-building exercises that emphasize creativity, writing and reading skills, and working together to achieve goals."

Almost every week it seems like there is a new virtual world being launched with no real purpose other than shopping or fun-based gaming activities. It's refreshing to see a product like Dizzyworld that has a strong educational component cleverly woven into the practice of play.

Creating an educational and fun virtual learning environment that kids will actually use is no small feat. It looks like Rocketpaperscissors team is well on their way to finding that magical mix between learning, technology and community.

So give Dizzyworld a whirl, plant your virtual tree and have fun!

Related Links

• Dizzywood Parents Guide
• Facebook > Become a Fan of Dizzywood
• Dizzywood - Arbor Day Foundation Partnership
• Teens, Virtual Goods and Real Money
• Dizzywood's Arpajian Talks Motivating Kids Play

The Mobile Internet Generation

The BBC New blog, dot. life, Rory Cellan-Jones has written a fascinating post investigating "how children used – and abused  - mobile phones and they were knowledgeable, articulate and very demanding of the technology." 

Among the findings:

• 4 out of 5 students had mobile devices with video, camera and music capabilities;

• Students also said that the Internet, multimedia, music and Bluetooth were all features they expect to have on their mobile device;

• Out of the 480 students who responded to the poll, only 3 didn't own a mobile phone.

I feel that this BBC story is a good representation of how tweens and teens are rapidly moving away from the PC-based Internet and rapidly adopting the mobile web. This trend will have huge implications throughout society and most especially in the education space.

Last summer, as part of my work on the Yahoo! Youth and Education Initiative, I conducted teacher workshops across the country. During the workshops I heard many teachers share both concern and misgivings about students using their mobile phones in the classroom.

Many of the teachers in our workshops where surprised to learn that you could, in fact, access the web via a mobile device. Other teachers shared stories of how students simply by-passed content blocked on school computers, instead opting to use their mobile phones to connect to the web and get the content they wanted on-demand.

The debate on whether students should or shouldn't have mobile phones in the classroom is becoming a moot point. The phones are already in the classroom, and as Cellen-Jones points out: 

"The children of the mobile internet generation are getting used to being connected – to their music, their videos, their social networking sites – wherever they go. And that means we are all going to have to think hard about how we rewrite the rules."

The use of mobile technologies is growing, especially among the younger generations, and represents the next frontier in learning. Increasingly we will continue to see academic and corporate organizations research invest, design and launch new mobile applications, many of which can be used in a learning context.

While educators and parents might be a bit nervous to embrace this trend, the reality is that Gen Y have already embraced the mobile web and now it's up to us to figure out how to use this technology in an educational setting to keep them interested and engaged in the learning process.

Related Resources

• BBC News > dot.life
• Student Cellphone Presentation
• Learning 3.0: Mobile, Mobile, Mobile
• Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab > Mobile
• Project uses Cell Phones to Teach Maths

Adobe, Acrobat & Buzzword

Today Adobe launched Acrobat.com a new suite of web-based services that includes, Buzzword, an online word processor that will--especially in the education 2.0 community--go head-to-head with Google Docs.

According to the Acrobat blog the new Acrobat Suite is comprised of three distinctive applications:

• Adobe Buzzword for creating and reviewing documents together.
• Adobe ConnectNow for holding full-fledged online web conferences/video conferencing with up to three people.
• The Acrobat.com organizer for sharing 5GB of files with others online, including the ability to convert 5 documents to PDF and embed your documents in blogs, wikis or other web pages.

Buzzword is compatible with MS Word and also allows you to export your document as a RTF, PDF or MS Word file. It also includes many features to allow for easy web-based collaboration such as real time editing, version control and a slick interface that allows you to easily insert and scale pictures in a Buzzword document.

One of the issues we faced on Yahoo! For Teachers was creating a rich text editor that was easy-to-use, compatible with MS Word and easily allowed users to insert and manipulate images in a document. I spent some time this afternoon playing around with Buzzword and I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with what Adobe has put together.

One feature that I didn't see (and if anyone finds it, let me know) was a Creative Commons plug-in (similar to the one in MS Office) that automatically inserts a CC license into a Buzzword document. I feel that the inclusion of this type of plug-in would provide teachers with an opportunity to discuss copyright and digital literacy issues with their students. I also believe that a CC plug-in for Buzzword would provide a boost to the open educational resources (OER) movement.

As education continues to move towards the web, these types of collaborative tools will be increasingly important. It's clear that Adobe has spent a lot of thought into this product and the result is an impressive suite of free tools that will surely be popular within the education community. This type of virtual collaborative environment also appeals to the digital sensibilities of Gen Y students.

The Acrobat suite of tools are very impressive and just may well provide the first real peek into the 21st Century classroom.Side out: Adobe.

Game on.

Related Resources

• Acrobat Blog
• Google Apps
• Mash Up EDU: A New Digital Pedagogy

Granular Social Network

An overview of the complexity in real social network relationships and visualization to help understand the key points that matter - people and interests.

Granular Social Network from Thomas Vander Wal on Vimeo.

Related Resources

• Granular Social Network (Text Version)
• Social Networks & Online Learning Design
• Social Media & Digital Learning Styles

                           

Shock & Awe: Gen Y [Hearts] IM

A new AP-AOL study found that nearly 50% of teens (13-18) prefer to use IM over e-mail. So who's using e-email? The study reported that 75% of adults reported that they send more e-mail than IM or text messages. More proof that increasingly,  e-mail is for old people.

This latest study reflects the explosion and rapid adoption of mobile communication, especially among Gen Y who are using them to communicate with friends, listen to music, or even do homework.

In fact, former Yahoo! CEO Terry Semel noted that 50% of the Internet users outside the US will most likely never use a personal computer to connect to the Internet. Rather, they will access information, community, and create content on the Internet via a mobile device. The use of mobile technology is growing and represents the next great frontier.

Related Resources

• Mobile Social Networks, Gen Y & Digital Learning Styles
• Generation IM: Youth Embrace Mobile ICT
• Pew Internet: Youth are Leading the Transition to a Fully Wired and Mobile Nation
• Mobile Persuasion @ Stanford Univeristy

Social Media Edu: From the Blogosphere

The guys over at Education Revolution have posted three very good education articles over on their blog. I highly recommend the article Microsoft's Class Action. Give it a read. Good stuff.

Facebook as CMS: I ran across an interesting blog post on the Complex Rhetoric about using Facebook as an alternative to Moodle, Blackboard or other open source CMS platform. What do you think? Is this a good idea? Is this feasible? Join the Teaching & Learning with Facebook Group (on Facebook, requires registration) and share your two or three cents.

I'm a fan of Moodle, but think that for most educators getting it up and running will be too difficult. Facebook, on the other hand, requires just a login and password and they are ready to roll. Not to mention that the students are already using Facebook and it's free.

Wired "How To's": Hosted by Wired, this is a collaborative wiki where anyone can share what they know with other DYI types. Some of the hot topics include: Run Windows on a Mac, back up your Mac or find tiny dinosaur bones. Yes, dinosaur bones. Ah, the wisdom of the masses never ceases to amaze me!

"You Tube" for Scientists: SciVee is a social network/community built "by scientist, for scientists." Members of the science community can upload and share their work as either a podcast or multimedia presentation, connect with other scientists and engage in virtual discussions. As the SciVee corpus grows, there should be some great video that science teachers can integrate into their classroom or Gobble into their Yahoo! For Teachers ePortfolio.

Generation MySpace: "New social technolgies have altered the underlying architectures of social interactions and information distribution." This is an incredible podcast of a presentation given by danah boyd at the 2007 education.au Seminar in Brisbane, Australia.

Related Resources

• education.au Seminar blog
• A Digital Ethnographer Reconsiders How Children Think
• Venturing into the new Web

Totally Wired: Interview with Anastasia Goodstein

Steve Hargadon has a fascinating interview with Anastasia Goodstein, author of Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online. In the podcast, Anastasia talks about what teens/tweens are doing online and how the and the always-on digital lifestyles of today's Gen Y teen.

Anastasia talks about how teens are using technology and social media in their "real life" versus the way they are using (or not) using technology in the classroom.

She also stresses the need for educators (and parents) to provide students with the skills they need to assess the onslaught of information and ability to evaluate the credibility of resources on the web.

Anastasia has a wealth of information on the wired lives of teens. Anyone who works with youth should listen to this podcast. And thanks to Steve for conducting such a great interview!

Related Resources

• YPulse: Media for the Next Generation
• Anastasia Goodstein >Totally Wired
• Ypulse Tween Mashup
• Steve Hargadon Blog
• CBS News: Gen Y & Technology
• Gen Y: Growing up and sharing (way) too much
• Yahoo! Safely

Digital Youth Research

Digital Youth Research is a project at UC Berkeley that focuses on the ways in which Gen Y uses technology and has three general objectives:

• The first objective is to describe kids as active innovators using digital media, rather than as passive consumers of popular culture or academic knowledge.

• The second objective is to think about the implications of kids innovative cultures for schools and higher education, and engage in a dialogue with educational planners.

• The third objective is to advise software designers about how to use kids innovative approaches to knowledge and learning in building better software.

This gap between in-school and out-of-school experience represents a gap in children's engagement in learning, a gap in our research and understandings, and a missed opportunity to reenergize public education.

This project works to address this gap with a targeted set of ethnographic investigations into three emergent modes of informal learning that young people are practicing using new media technologies: communication, learning, and play. (via)

Social Media + Gen Y Learning

The use of current and emerging social media technology is clearly moving us in the education community closer towards Tim Berners-Lee’s ideal of using the web as "an information space through which people can communicate…by sharing their knowledge in a pool.”

In this world of increased web-based social interaction, meeting the unique needs of Gen Y learning styles is the bottom line.  In the 21 Century classroom, the ‘always on,’ student will control the how, what, and when a task is completed.

Gen Y students expect interactive, engaging content and course material that motivates them to learn through challenging pedagogy, conceptual review, and learning style adaptation. This approach offers Gen Y learners flexible, self-paced, customizable content available on-demand (via RSS feeds or Pipes).

Interactive and engaging content motivates students to learn through the course materials and apply them according to their own intrinsic needs and learning goals.

However, educators should be careful not to use social networking for the sake of using social media, rather they should keep in mind how the use of any type of technology element can support student learning--individually and as a collective group.

Social media engages the user in the content and allows them to be included as an active participant as they construct a learning landscape rooted in social interaction, knowledge exchange, and optimum cognitive development with their peers.

Teaching on the Web

"Designing Courses and Teaching on the Web: A "How To" Guide to Proven, Innovative Strategies" Dr. Mercedes Fisher

Here is a practical, "how to" book written for new online web instructors. It will also be helpful to course designers, trainers, administrators, or anyone interested in the potential of online learning and training by providing an excellent introduction to the online education arena.

With direct and clear content, this book emphasizes that web-based learning should be active and engaging for students while supporting them in their learning journey.

Mobile Social Software, Gen Y & Digital Learning Styles

As the first generation to be raised with the Internet, Gen Y has an intuitive ability to use ICT as a means to foster, support, discuss and explore new ideas. As a result, a multi-faceted approach that blends current learning theory, social technologies, and web-enabled mobile devices are the most effective in designing online learning environments.

For example, students can utilize mobile and/or social networking technologies to contribute using related stories, personal experiences, anecdotes and questions to reflect and actively encourage others to contribute as well.

The interactive, collaborative, engaging social activities, combined with the ability to self-publish and remix content on the web, enable students to use technology as a vehicle for presenting and sharing their own work as well as provide feedback on contributions made by other students.

Moreover, due to the wide variety and availability of social software, students are able to choose from multiple formats including text, video, audio, or photos to find the tools that best support their own learning style, interests, and goals.

A recent study by the Irish National Teachers Organization (INTO) found that students are using their mobile phones for just about everything--except making phone calls. According to INTO, only 20% of the 671 students surveyed report using their mobiles to make phone calls, whereas 81% report using their mobile to communicate via text or IM messages.

The INTO survey seems to dovetail with the results of a 2005 Pew Internet and American Life study on teens and technology. Like their peers in Ireland, American youth preferring using IM or TM for everyday conversations with friends.

Other key findings from the Irish National Teachers Organization survey:

• 96% of 11 & 12 year old students have a mobile phone
• 60% have a camera on it
• 72 % say they use it to access the Internet
• 20% use it to make calls
• 81% use it to send texts

Recognizing the growing connection between mobile media and youth, the popular social networking community MySpace has teamed with Helio to provide a mobile version that includes access to Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, and various Yahoo! services.

The combination of social interaction with opportunities for peer support and collaboration creates an interesting, engaging, stimulating, and intuitive learning environment for students. Effective course design will need to blend traditional pedagogy with the reality of the media multitasking Gen Y learner.

Clearly, the nearly ubiquitous use of portable media devices on the college campus has provided instructors with a unique opportunity to design mobile learning environments and new innovative pedagogical approaches built around the increasingly mobile landscape.

Web Resources

• Learning Styles 2.0: Digital, Social, and Always-On
• CBS News > GenTech: The Wiring of Teen America
• Wikipedia > MoSoSo
• debaird.net + mLearning
• debaird.net + social media

eLearning Toolbox: Nuvvo Tutorial

Did you know that you can integrate social bookmarking services like MyWeb2, Blinklist, or del.ic.ious into your Nuvvo course pages?

Yep, it's true!

Most "Web 2.0" services provide users with the HTML snippet (sometimes called a badge) to embed content on another web site or blog. This means there are endless possibilities for you to weave interaction and on-demand resources into your course.

How about using Slide to insert a slideshow in your course? Or embed a Google, YouTube, or SelfCast video into your curriculum. The human voice is a powerful teaching tool, so why not try using a YackPack audio group into your course?

Enough talk. Time to get down to business. Here's how you can add a HTML snippet into your Nuvvo course:

All you have to do is create a LearnPage (or EvalPage) and insert a Rich Text area. that will bring up a mini word processor into which you can directly insert HTML code. Look for the HTML button in the top right corner. 

Easy peasy! So give it a try!

Thanks to John Green over at Nuvvo for the directions on how to integrate the HTML badges into course pages!