I think went to the NYC public library. However, I snuck in the back door; I guess I was afraid of the lions out front.

I sat and worked in the “reading” room for a couple of hours—finished grading and cleaning up email, etc. After working for a while I had to go to the restroom. Stacey took this video of me walking through the hallway…

I think went to this cool little restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen with Stacey. They had amazing milkshakes. I even saw the sticker for them being “yelped” about in the window. However, what really amazed me was that the restaurant couldn’t be more than 15 feet across.

After that, the back muscle that I pulled on the plane yesterday decided it was cranky. But I really did love running around on the subway…cool stuff. I think I’ve figured it out pretty well; my only problem is that I don’t quite understand how to look for/read the rush hour only trains. Last night I had to ask some nice locals because the train I wanted…wasn’t stopping. Oops!

If you are interested…

1. here is my twitter page (you see the most recent on the front page of my blog): http://twitter.com/rrodrigo
2. get started and make me a friend, this webware blog entry can help!

And…to follow up on my last blog entry, yes…I am thinking about how/why this would help facilitate teaching and learning. I’m hoping to post some ideas by the end of the conference.

In his book, Richardson spends a little time talking about what Educause, and others, refers to as the Net Generation. Clearly since Richardson is focused on K-12, his audience does fit that category more—at least the middle and upper class school populations. I think many university scholars researching and writing on this subject, again check out Educause’s yearly report on the techyness of college students, also make grandiose statements about the tech savvyness of incoming college students.

Folks…drop by your local community college campus and get a reality check.

So yes…even if they are from the lower class that might have more difficulty accessing various technologies, the K-12 and “traditional” college student are more tech savvy. But I’m getting really tired of these folks making grand claims and missing a huge population that is going to college, returning students (even those still in their late 20s). These students look more like what Prensky (quoted in Richardson) calls “Digital Immigrants.” And whereas some of these Immigrants might be very tech savvy, heck those of us doing all this teaching and technology scholarship stuff have to still consider ourselves digital immigrants, they show “accents” (again, Prensky quoted in Richardson).

So first, we have an “older” student population that does not fit the definition of net generation or digital native. However, I’m not sure these digital natives are as savvy as Richardson, Educause, and others would like us to think. Yeah, they may know how to text message, take and send pictures, and download music and ringtones—all on their cell phones. But that doesn’t mean they are knowledgeable about various web2.0 tools (blogs, wikis, social bookmarking…probably social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook are the only exception). And it doesn’t mean, by any stretch of the imagination, that they are willing, ready, and able to adapt to change. In other words, these digital natives may know how to use their cellphones, but sure as heck are not motivated to “play” in the same way with their blogs and social bookmarking sites as a way to learn them.

So what does this rant mean? It means back to emphasizing the critical responsibility of explaining the what/whys of each technology an instructor uses in a course. In other words, even the techy-savvy need to understand how and why they are using something, and might use it in the future.

…Context: I’m on a plane flying to Corpus Christi for a meeting on an executive committee I accidentally got myself elected to. I’m missing one of our podcasting FPLC meetings and we were going to talk about some chapters from the book. I’m also writing these as my contribution to the discussion…

Again, chapter one grabbed me when Richardson started talking about the safety of using these tools. It’s finally gotten me to reflect on the ethics of teaching with these tools; I’ve been wanting to “rant” since early last semester. Richardson’s book is more focused on K-12 teaching, and his “safety” section is important since that sector works with minors; however, I think most of his concerns do translate.

Another input…this concern of safety, and privacy, has been a focus of discussion numerous times on the tech rhet listserv, the listserv for computers and writing scholars. I think there are two major concerns:

· Safety—Making sure students do not present enough information about themselves that they can become victims of cyber predators.

· Privacy—Making sure students work, especially graded work, is not shared with the public at large.

This privacy issue is tough with writing classes. So many of our students don’t “get” audience because they’ve never really had an audience. Blogging begins to make the concept of audience real, especially when other people respond (TYCA West Experience). And although our students at the collegiate level are legal adults, for the most part, that does not mean they are trained in cyber safety and security. I already have written a blurb I call Tech-Help for my students. This focuses on computer safety (viruses, ad/spy ware, running updates, etc.). I’m now thinking I need a Cyber Safety & Privacy blurb (which would have to go out with the syllabus so they read it prior to signing up for any accounts—that pushes the Tech-Help, which needs a new name, out to a weekly tech tip). The Cyber Safety & Privacy blurb would need talk about:

· Usernames and passwords for accounts

· Profiles on accounts

· Simultaneously the what/why blurbs on each technology need to have both generalized whys (usually connect to the social/civic sense) as well as specific why-in-this-class explanations.

· And…please respond with ideas/concerns.

Rant on this topic: Although I’m being “polite” above, I do have a serious rant on this topic. I’m SO tired of all the whining about the “dangers” MySpace, and the internet in general. Richardson emphasizes that “teaching appropriate use is critical.” I guess I want to flip that a bit…teaching critical use is critical. If students use the technology critically, it will most likely be “appropriate” as well. Let me give credit, in the last chapter of the book Richardson says that readers need to become editors, meaning they have to recognize a lot of web content is not been filtered through editors and readers need to critically evaluate material, not just passively read it.

One of the part-time instructors in the English department, who also teaches at one of the local high schools, has a great bumper sticker on his laptop. It’s something along the lines of “You wouldn’t let your children go to the park alone, why would you let them surf the internet alone?” So what I’m trying to say with this rant—although I am willing to take the responsibility mentioned above to warn students about cyber safety and security and to give suggestions on how to be safe and secure—it is the responsibility of parents to teach their children to be critical and act wisely in “unknown environments,” whether they be in the first life or second.

PS—I’ve mentioned more than once the blurbs I’m typing up for my students. I’m realizing it would be useful, and kinda social of me, to post those as well.

Anyhow…all that to say I just finished reading the intro/chapter 1, podcasting chater, and conclusion/final chapter of Will Richardson’s Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (his emphasis). In the first chapter he spends some time discussing how these web2.0, or as he calls them read/write web tools, are radically changing how journalism and politics is being done. This makes me think of one of my political science colleagues, Brian Dille. Brian repeatedly emphasizes the need for us to motivate our students to become more civically engaged. I like this idea of contributing to our students’ ability to actively participate in civic discourse by teaching them how to use powerful communicative web2.0 tools. I’ve started writing “what/why” blurbs for my students. For example, I have them all get social bookmarking accounts. Most of the time they have no idea what these tools are…so the “what/why?” blurb helps to clue them in. I haven’t yet constructed a “what/why” for either blogs or RSS. I think this civic duty angle is going to work smashingly!

So don’t I feel all warm and fuzzy inside, my teaching blogging, social bookmarking/networking, and RSS aggregators tools is a civic act!

First, a google maps mash-up for wedding activities…how cool is that? (http://lifehacker.com/software/google-maps/weddingmapper-google-maps-mashup-227135.php) Since the wedding will be in Vegas, and technically it is a double wedding (separate days, separate locations, overlap of family) there will be lots of location stuff to worry about. Hey…if this makes it easy to share with everyone, and to map for my own sanity…rock on!

Second, since we’ll be out of town, and some individuals need to bring children, I was starting to wonder about childcare. Yeah…hopefully you read my mind with “who the hey is going to trust their children to someone they do not know from Vegas?!?! So to find an online babysitter database (http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9674155-2.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=Webware) is another definite rock on! That means I can start searching for people now!

I think this geeky element to the wedding will be fun. The other couple met online; they’ve already sworn it will be a very internet heavy based affair! So…these cool tools should help, right?