Question: To start this week, watch the short video "Playing for change: A better place" to see how technology can bring people together to speak out against inequality and fight for social justice.
The human experience of interaction has changed with the exponential growth of technology. Consider the reach of the Internet. People from all over the world are sharing space online. That has provided collaboration opportunities between medical teams, authors, musicians, and researchers that were not possible before email and file sharing software. The human experience in virtual space is in its infancy, and as online learners, you are pioneers into a new way of gaining knowledge and sharing information. By choosing to learn in a virtual space, you will process and communicate with your academic colleagues and Instructor in an emerging and changing virtual classroom. How comfortable are you in communicating in this environment?
A technologically advanced world provides us with new capabilities but there are a number of important limitations. This course focuses on the way we process and communicate our human experience through technology. As with any human advancement, this new virtual environment is full of potential pit falls. Credit card fraud, spam, Trojan viruses, and security breaches cause individuals to distrust and even fear aspects of the online environment. The news is filled with stories of online predators, cyber bullying, and virtual robbers hoping to steal identities and more. For adults to really learn and be transformed, we need to create a safe oasis where trust flourishes. How can each of us contribute to a healthy classroom culture?
Since the creation of language, oral and written traditions have emerged. Today, social mediaincluding Facebook, Tumbler, and Twitter provide platforms for exchanging ideas. Texting has brought with it linguistic short cuts such as "brb" and "ttyl"; we are frequently reminded that "yolo". Because technology impacts how we communicate, it also creates opportunities for our private communications to others to be distributed across great distances, with incredible speed. Every message crafted on a keyboard is retrievable.
The objective of this Assignment is to provide you with a private place to think on the page; "thinking on the page" is a phrase used to describe writing as a form of thinking. Some of us process our thoughts out loud as we describe them to others. In an academic environment, you will be asked to record your ideas in writing or "thinking on the page" to show the new knowledge that you've acquired through reading and listening to the resources and completing the assignments. The journal is not a formal type of writing and only you and your Instructor will see the journal entry.
The weekly journals will be used to develop a personalized academic writing plan that will fit into the Week 6 Personal Success Plan Assignment.
Video: A Better Place | Playing For Change | Song Around The World (By Playing For Change)
Post an entry that addresses each of the following:
Observe. Describe the week's content and resources to a person who has not seen/heard or observed it.
Process. Answer the question: "What does this content/topic mean?"
Reflect. Answer the question: "What is the value in understanding this?"