This Final report is a summary of my research activities. This course was an enjoyable one, especially when it came to the research project. I was appreciative of the fact that we were allowed to choose the topic we wished to research and tie it back into the course content.
The reason I chose sheet metal fabrication was largely due to my familiarity with it. I have worked at the same place since high school and have geared my degree (Engineering Technology) to working there. What this project did for me was to study the growth of the industry since the "good ol' days". This research further lead me to believe in how crucial our business is to everyday life.
Of all the research I did, I value the testomony of the four men cited in my annotated bibliography above all the rest. While the literature proved beneficial, the personal spoken opinions of people, in my opinion, far outweigh any text or written knowledge.
This class opened my eyes to technology in a different light. I had taken two online courses before this and had found them educational, but stripped down. This class proved to be both challenging and enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed the online style of debate amongst us. Overall, I believe that this is a quality course that I would recommend to anyone needing to satisfy this requirement.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Proof of Learning Report Week 3
This week's subject matter centered largely around the use of discussion boards. Before this class, discussion boards were a new thing for me. I wasnt too sure how they could be effectively used to stimulate learning. What I found was that the discussion boards actually stimulate learning by showing all points of view. One classmate may be in agreement with me on the topic of asynchronous learning for example, but usually we were in agreement for different reasons. These boards have made the subject matter more interesting and fun to learn about and debate.
Through the discussion board, a debate as to whether mixed mode classes were more effective than strict online or strict in-person classes. Joel Steichen raised a good point when saying, "One of the shortcomings of online asynchronous forums is that they do not “promote the coherent and interactive dialogue necessary for conversational modes of learning". One could say that discussion boards make up for this, but truth be told, nothing can take the place of verbal discussion. I further added that, "The content matter discussed out loud between us would be much easier to understand for some of us auditory learners." Many others shared in our agreement.
I was also through our discussion board that I decided to make a website on weebly.com for our research project. I can include videos and other demonstrations on this page to accurately describe the information I intent to present. This, in my opinion, is a great way to submit a project as the majority of our class has been directly or indirectly tied to today's technology.
E-Zines (online editions of magazines) were discussed toward the end of the week. This was of particular interest to me because I subscribe to some E-Zines myself. I feel that they are a great asset to students for several reasons. First, reading a print version or an electronic version are no different. The same opinions are formed as the content matter doesnt change. Second, they are more portable. With today's technology in mobile devices and notebook computers, having thousands of pages of information is common and easy. Third, e-zines are easy to get around for research purposes. I have used magazines for many projects and papers over the years. The ability to search for a particular article or subject matter save students time and effort. Plus, with today's search engine technology, it is easy to filter out inaccurate and uncredible information.
Through the discussion board, a debate as to whether mixed mode classes were more effective than strict online or strict in-person classes. Joel Steichen raised a good point when saying, "One of the shortcomings of online asynchronous forums is that they do not “promote the coherent and interactive dialogue necessary for conversational modes of learning". One could say that discussion boards make up for this, but truth be told, nothing can take the place of verbal discussion. I further added that, "The content matter discussed out loud between us would be much easier to understand for some of us auditory learners." Many others shared in our agreement.
I was also through our discussion board that I decided to make a website on weebly.com for our research project. I can include videos and other demonstrations on this page to accurately describe the information I intent to present. This, in my opinion, is a great way to submit a project as the majority of our class has been directly or indirectly tied to today's technology.
E-Zines (online editions of magazines) were discussed toward the end of the week. This was of particular interest to me because I subscribe to some E-Zines myself. I feel that they are a great asset to students for several reasons. First, reading a print version or an electronic version are no different. The same opinions are formed as the content matter doesnt change. Second, they are more portable. With today's technology in mobile devices and notebook computers, having thousands of pages of information is common and easy. Third, e-zines are easy to get around for research purposes. I have used magazines for many projects and papers over the years. The ability to search for a particular article or subject matter save students time and effort. Plus, with today's search engine technology, it is easy to filter out inaccurate and uncredible information.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Week 2 Proof of Learning Report
The major study this week was love centered around "online dating", being a soul mate, and one's self image and how they are seen. This was particularly interesting week for me.
The videos regarding the identity theft and scams that are part of online dating spurred online debate. Mostly, conversations centered around the fact that generally, people are "suckers" and are easily swayed into things. This was the case with a man and a woman who frequented an online dating service. In a later article, it was observed that people often change their background information such as age and demographics to "attract" more mates.This lead to the conversation of being a liar from the beginning of a relationship. In the article "Online Dating", it states that 66 % of people surveyed feel that online dating services are dangerous. A large number of people who frequent these sites are individuals who are not honest up front, and use the sheild of a comptuer screen to their advantage. This has a negative effect on communication as a whole. These debates lead me to one conclusion; Online Dating is Toxic.
The videos regarding the identity theft and scams that are part of online dating spurred online debate. Mostly, conversations centered around the fact that generally, people are "suckers" and are easily swayed into things. This was the case with a man and a woman who frequented an online dating service. In a later article, it was observed that people often change their background information such as age and demographics to "attract" more mates.This lead to the conversation of being a liar from the beginning of a relationship. In the article "Online Dating", it states that 66 % of people surveyed feel that online dating services are dangerous. A large number of people who frequent these sites are individuals who are not honest up front, and use the sheild of a comptuer screen to their advantage. This has a negative effect on communication as a whole. These debates lead me to one conclusion; Online Dating is Toxic.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Proof of Learning Report
This is my first proof of learning report. This is a genre review regarding to technology. The amount of uses and applications of technology are vast. Virtually everything we do is somehow effected by or dependent on some form of technological process or product. A question one could ask is whether or not this influx of technology is a net gain or a net loss for our society.
When examining the question of whether or not society has benefited overall from technology in general, one must take into effect who uses it the most and what form is it in. Take written communication for example. In the article "Revisualizing Composition. Mapping the Writing Lives of First Year College Students" it states that overall, Small Message Service (SMS) texting is the overall largest form of communication. This can be both beneficial and negative. On the one hand, one is more apt to text several people that he/she would normally not communicate with. On the other hand, the quality of text communication is pretty poor at times. Young people tend to shorten their spelling and use improper grammar to save time and character space. These are just a few examples.Many older people use technology in their jobs. In this setting, people are monitored more closely and take the time to make quality posts or work in regards to their everyday tasks. What this leads me to believe is that with guidance from mature, higher educated authority figures, technology can be a net gain for everyone involved. If no guidance is present, especially among young people, technology has the potential to be a net loss and bring nothing but problems to society.
When examining the question of whether or not society has benefited overall from technology in general, one must take into effect who uses it the most and what form is it in. Take written communication for example. In the article "Revisualizing Composition. Mapping the Writing Lives of First Year College Students" it states that overall, Small Message Service (SMS) texting is the overall largest form of communication. This can be both beneficial and negative. On the one hand, one is more apt to text several people that he/she would normally not communicate with. On the other hand, the quality of text communication is pretty poor at times. Young people tend to shorten their spelling and use improper grammar to save time and character space. These are just a few examples.Many older people use technology in their jobs. In this setting, people are monitored more closely and take the time to make quality posts or work in regards to their everyday tasks. What this leads me to believe is that with guidance from mature, higher educated authority figures, technology can be a net gain for everyone involved. If no guidance is present, especially among young people, technology has the potential to be a net loss and bring nothing but problems to society.
Monday, May 16, 2011
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