The Future of Education?

This week I spoke briefly during the "Harnessing Technology to Advance Afterschool Learning" session at the CTCNet conference this week. I was invited and asked to talk about my thoughts on the future of afterschool education or what education might be like in 15 years. I talked about a real connection between teaching students web design, online distance learning (ex. WebCT, Moodle), and popular services such as MySpace (I have my own page) and Second Life. Recently, I wrote about some of these free web-based applications in this blog, so feel free to browse or check the archives.

I think that popular culture not only reflects what youth are consuming and using but also can provide clues on how to develop new and exciting curricula for students today and in the near future. I think that MySpace and Second Life are more than just distractions. As an educator I am thinking of ways to use these apps to develop building blocks to learning web design and development, including online course development/management. Please note: almost any application can be dangerous if used incorrectly or if the user doesn't understand the rules, guidelines (or terms and conditions).

Learning how to code is an essential skill. Why not use MySpace as a tool to teach coding and other web skills? Editing (or "pimping") MySpace requires knowledge of HTML, CSS coding and web publishing. I enjoy creating images using Adobe Photoshop for my page but what MySpace really helped me with was learning CSS (I am much better with HTML). In my opinion learning CSS is the first step. Exploring MySpace and Second Life on my own has been very helpful.

What you need to know: Second Life is already being used to extend the traditional classroom.

Second Life provides a unique and flexible environment for educators interested in distance learning, computer supported cooperative work, simulation, new media studies, and corporate training.

Second Life provides an opportunity to use simulation in a safe environment to enhance experiential learning, allowing individuals to practice skills, try new ideas, and learn from their mistakes. The ability to prepare for similar real-world experiences by using Second Life as a simulation has unlimited potential! - http://secondlife.com/community/education.php

In my opinion Second Life might be more interesting (if not more challenging and interactive) than some of the currently used online course applications such as WebCT. WebCT is an online management application that aids students in their classes by creating, managing, organizing, and housing a Web-based learning environment. It is a web-based platform for blended learning and lets teachers organize a virtual classroom via the web. Recently, when I learned how to design courses in WebCT I realized I was using the same set of skills I use when editing my MySpace page. It also led me to think about using Second Life for delivering online course content. BTW - I already have a few years of experience developing and teaching online courses using Prometheus. At UMass, Prometheus was recently replaced with WebCT.

Second Life is also a web-based platform where teachers and students can create avatars of themselves and be in a virtual classroom. I know of a couple of teachers who are doing this on the college level. They have some knowledge of coding or scripting. A quick note: coding or scripting in Second Life is more advanced than HTML and CSS. Linden Scripting Language (LSL) is similar to Macromedia Flash Actionscript. I've taught basic Actionscript to students as young as 12.

In conclusion, I think that for very little money* educators can use these new technologies to develop virtual classrooms and web-based content for students who are already learning and using the technology to join online social networks and play computer games. As the content becomes more readily available on platforms other than desktop computers the need to develop online learning opportunities will be very important.

*Note about Campus:Second Life: The Campus: Second Life program offers educators some land on a temporary basis to use as a 'headquarters' for their class to meet. They also offer an educational discount on private islands for educators who wish to have a permanent presence in Second Life for specific classes or ongoing educational research purposes.

Pimping MySpace

First, for the few who don't know what MySpace is:

"MySpace.com (or MySpace) is a free service that uses the Internet for online communication through an interactive network of photos, weblogs, user profiles, e-mail, web forums, and groups, as well as other media formats. This all-inclusive service is sometimes called a social networking interface. MySpace is a very active site, and additions and new features are being added constantly..." - from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MySpace

To be completely honest it was not my intention to ever get on MySpace. However, I got 3 invites in less than 3 weeks and when I ignored those requests I was reinvited twice. Eventually I gave in.

Setting up a MySpace page was really easy and I threw up some basic info, including a new moniker (NettieBeatrice) and I left it alone. It wasn't until my 14 year old mentee and best friend started changing the look of their pages that I felt motivated to do something to mine.

I've had a lot of fun "pimping" my MySpace page. One of the TV shows I often find myself watching is "Pimp My Ride" on MTV. The host is rapper Xzibit and a bunch of car customization specialists who find the biggest clunkers on the road and create "pimped out masterpieces".
Pimping MySpace requires knowledge of HTML, CSS coding and web publishing. I enjoyed creating images for my page. Some were created specifically for MySpace and others are existing work compressed, or prepared for MySpace (I don't mind them having my thumbnails).

I have been able to keep track of my friends and I've reconnected with old friends that found me on MySpace. I am picky about who actually gets listed on my page and as a result my number of "friends" is lower than most...
...and that's cool by me. MySpace friends are able to add comments to my page and even read my blog where I often contemplate my life, goals, and other personal but appropriate experiences.
I've gotten good feedback on my blog and art work, too.

BIG NOTE: There are some serious copyright issues to consider because MySpace (recently bought by Rupert Murdoch and News Corp.) wants to co-own original work.

"After posting your Content to the MySpace Services, you continue to retain all ownership rights in such Content, and you continue to have the right to use your Content in any way you choose. By displaying or publishing ("posting") any Content on or through the MySpace Services, you hereby grant to MySpace.com a limited license to use, modify, publicly perform, publicly display, reproduce, and distribute such Content solely on and through the MySpace Services."

This is a big problem for artists and musicians who post their work on or through MySpace. One solution that works for me is to host my art and movie clips on my own web server. I embed the images and clips on the page and I have more control .

Another problem with MySpace has to do with accessibility, especially on users' profiles. MySpace is set up so that anyone can customize the layout and colors of their profile page with virtually no restrictions. As MySpace folks may not be skilled in web design I often see poorly constructed MySpace profiles that freeze up my web browsers due to malformed CSS coding, or as a result of users placing many bandwidth-intensive media on their pages.

So far my web design, imaging, and media skills have made it easy to view my MySpace page, so feel free to visit at: http://www.myspace.com/nettiebeatrice.