10 posts tagged “google”
By Dr. Chris A. Heidelberg III, Publisher & Producer & Isidra Person-Lynn
This is the second interview with Professor Isidra Person-Lynn of West Los Angeles College on the subject of Edutainment & Convergence. Specifically, we focused on blogging; however, I was quick to point out how convergence technology can be utilized effectively in the classroom from a learner-centered perspective. If the student likes it, and it promotes learning maybe researchers and curricula designers need to place more focus on the needs of students, and less attention their needs and other quantitative measurements. If we as educators and researchers continue to focus primarily on the numbers, and place less emphasis on the people who make up the numbers, we will continue the cycle of educational malfpractice that has resulted in achievement gaps nationally at nearly every level of education. I focused on the needs of the students and constantly adjusted my approach to fit their needs and to meet the core objectives of the course curricula. If the student is the consumer why are we not looking at both the needs and the wants of this unique consumer who also requires nurturing during the process. I focused my answers on the edutainment and convergence methods that I utilized in the class that resulted in the specific content of the students' blogs.
Professor Isidra Person-Lynn
What is the student's initial response?
Me: I can tell you right now that most of them were shocked that I was going to allow them to blog in class. A few
were concerned because they did not feel like they were technologically gifted enough to do it. It is important to note that I had a variety of students ranging from the disciplines of finance, marketing, business, communications, speech pathology, and English.
However, I had experience in this area, so I gave a live demonstration on how to use Vox and I even used my own usability standards that I developed from my research. I divided my students into groups that specialized in the varioius media areas: film/tv, radio/music, print, the Internet and public relations.
The assignment became collaborative in nature since the groups were part of a larger production that I supervised. The students who were techologically gifted assisted students who were not as gifted, and the writers and producers made sure that everyone particiapated online. It empowered the students. Everyone had to work together as groups and as a larger group in order for me to utilize my famous over-the-top skits in the classroom and my version of the game show called Food or Funds.
The students who presented could be quizzed at any time by me or I could quiz the audience. Correct answers resulted in prizes! The challenge for the students was that they had to record what the skits were about, what lessons the skits taught based on the readings, what did they learn that they did not know about the media industry, and they were challenged to critique and commend the industry for perceived rights and wrongs. Yes, all of this was placed on the web via our Facebook group and then transferred to the blogs on Vox. I was notified by Twitter and Facebook when they were done.
Copyright 2009 Edutainment & Convergence
By Chris A. Heidelberg III, Ph.D, Publisher & Managing Editor & Isidra Person-Lynn
I have been contacted by many so many colleagues online over the past few years to explain edutainment & convergence that I finally relented to a series of mini-interviews with Professor Isidra Person-Lynn of West Los Angeles College. Neither one of us can recall who contacted who first online, but that is the point of edutainment & convergence or E & C as Isidra likes to call my techniques and approaches to learning, marketing, communications and technology: edutainment & convergence is collaborative, interactive, intuitive and yes, social.
This is my answer to the first question from Professor Isidra.
Professor Isidra Person-Lynn: Dr. Chris, why did you start blogging?
Me: I must say that when I first introduced the twin concepts of edutainment & convergence during my research in graduate school my professors loved it but some did not totally understand all of its ramifications. However, the department chair and my dissertation chair, Dr. Howard L. Simmons and Dr. Rosemary Gillet-Karam immediately got it and encouraged me from the first day I entered the program in fall 2003. In truth, I now realize that I was ahead of the technology as far back as 2001 when I predicted what would become the iPhone as my Master's professor reminded me when I debated him on this issue and he told that technology was way off in the future, but I digress LOL!
For me blogging is the future business model for many professors, researchers, authors, businesses, and students
because of its interactive and immediate nature. This is why Twitter, a micro-blogging tool is so popular! Think about it, you can now tell a story quickly on your blog and take a photo with your iPhone, Blackberry Storm or other smart phone. The significance of Ashton Kutcher beating CNN to one million followers and raising money for hungry people in Africa should not be discounted. This was a shot across the bow of mainstream media during tough economic times. The age of narrow casting is here to stay and that is why professors, researchers, students and businesses need to use these social media tools because they keep you in constant communication on how to refine what you do and create a better product.
I have been using blogs for the entire year at Loyola, and I used it from 2006-2008 with students who interned with me while creating their Master's or undergraduate portfolio. It has been quite successful even with some old school professors. Why? Because one can link in a PowerPoint, photos, videos, audio, music and text with my links in one place across multiple platforms.
Copyright 2009 Edutainment & Convergence
By Chris A. Heidelberg III, Ph.D.
As Apple CEO Steve Jobs presented the new iPhone yesterday in San Francisco, I had a "eureka moment" where the impact of the iPhone has really impacted two of my favorite things higher education and entertainment. For the purposes of being contrarian I will deliberately start with the field of entertainment.
Despite the fact that there is a real fight between Apple and NBC, the iPhone and the iPod Touch have enabled television viewers to view NBC, MSNBC, and USA Networks programming for free. NBC willingly gave up $15 million dollars in iTunes revenues from Apple because they wanted variable pricing from Apple which insisted on the old $1.99 download model (Apple, 2008; NBC, 2008). Ironically, Apple has begun offering variable pricing to the movie industry now, so maybe the two companies should mend fences for the sake of consumers. For NBC, this is really a lose-lose proposition because NBC and Fox just started the HULU network online to distribute their television and cable shows online (Apple, 2008; Hulu, 2008; Fox, 2008; NBC, 2008; Newscorp, 2008).
The iPhone changed the debate in favor of Apple because even iPodTouch owners can view NBC content for free rather than downloading. NBC may have created more iPhone and iPodTouch owners who can view NBC content and save money during tough economic times. The fact that many young viewers of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann are becoming very politically active and are tech savvy has benefited the Obama Campaign which has relied heavily on podcasts, blogs, YouTube and the Internet to campaign and to raise record campaign donations from ordinary Americans. The fact that the new iPhone will operate on AT&T's 3G network which will make the device a fully functional convergence device with less problems than its predecessor which operated on the notoriously slow EDGE network.
The iPhone and competing devices will make it possible for new entertainment content that can air on iTunes,
Amazon, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, and the Zune Marketplace. Smaller content creators now have outlets for their program offerings, and major networks can also air programming on the third screen first and wait for programs to get popular before airing them on USA, MSNBC or NBC. The iPhone and the iPod have been critical to transforming the political process and the entertainment business from a revenue generating and a pure entertainment perspective.
However, the iPhone and the iPodTouch has already impacted the biggest entertainment business of them all: higher education. If higher education can extend the best parts of its NCAA model to the academic side, it will create a business that will rival the major networks, publishers, and music content providers. Furthermore, this organization would also be a major online player too, since most of the people from the tech world have higher edudational roots.
Finally, the most important reason that higher education will change higher education is the delivery of content. Apple delivers more digital content than anyone in the world, and the company has created a future gold mine with its free podcasts which inevitably will be branded with ads from NCAA corporate sponsors on the academic side. The day will come when Apple, Google, Microsoft and Amazon will all benefit from residuals of ads placed strategically within podcasts. Apple's new iTunesU has been extremely successful in its first full year of operation.
Did you hear that sucking sound? That is the
sound of big media publishers screaming when colleges begin to create
their own digital publishing outlets that will enable professors to
teach and publish online simultaneously.
Administrators are going to
have problems with the whole tenure process since they love hiring
adjuncts on the cheap! The real question becomes this: what will they
do when the first academic rockstar professors are born! Even if they
win the intellectual property war, which is not a given, many
professors will simply jump ship and sign better deals with
universities because of the new crop of intellectual property
attorneys. Stay tuned because I hear a storm coming!
Now that's edutainment!
Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin face an interesting next four to five years. As the United States is finally adopting high definition technology and true convergence with devices like the iPhone, mobile software like Android, social bookmarking sites like Digg, and social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace becoming mainstream, Google faces it biggest challenge: becoming big like Microsoft without being perceived as evil as some regard Microsoft. This will be tough after the bitter fight with regulators when Google acquired one of its largest advertising rivals and Microsoft poured it on about Google being monopolistic and dangerous.
Now, as Microsoft is trying to acquire Yahoo, it is Google that is playing the role of spoiler to Microsoft's ambitions. Microsoft has acquired exclusive advertising deals with Facebook and Digg which are two of the major players on the social media front and look to be the next Google. Microsoft was pro-active and invested heavily in Facebook, and that is what earned Microsoft equity in Facebook with the opportunity to buy more. Moreover, it kept Google out of the picture for the foreseeable future by obtaining ownership. Microsoft did not get equity with Digg, but in effect it did by creating an exclusive advertising with Digg which I believe is a real long term competitor for Google.
Google understands this fact which is why it immediately developed its own version of Digg. Google is fighting desperately to keep Yahoo free from Microsoft without appearing too much like the monopoly that Microsoft has described it as being with its complaints to regulators. Frankly, Google needs a cutting edge social network in this country. Orkut which Google owns is huge in Brazil and India, but not in the United States. Orkut needs a major upgrade to compete here in the states, but I believe that Google should do it. I also believe that Google should consider a joint project with Apple and Yahoo to create their own social network. This could Yahoo the needed advertising revenues and Apple the social network that it needs to promote its product and services to its extremely vocal fan base so that it can head Amazon off at the pass.
If Google really puts money and creativity into Orkut while simultaneously working a social networking alliance with Apple and Google would actually help to promote Orkut which could be a default site in its Android mobile operating system.Google has to do something, but it will have to use partners to do it if it does not want to become evil. It has two partners in Apple and Yahoo who face considerable threats from Amazon and Microsoft. Even though Apple and Microsoft are big partners, there is real tension in that relationship as Apple gets bigger, and has the ultimate chip of licensing its operating system in an open environment. Microsoft is also providing the software to Amazon which is now doing quite well with its own media store, Amazon Unboxed, and its Kindle reader and multi-media player.
Apple also knows that it needs a promotional vehicle to help it sell its AppleTv because unlike the iPhone, Macbook computers or the iPods that sell themselves with advertisements; AppleTv is a product that is unique and requires a longer look from average buyers who can benefit tremendously from this project. The solution to this problem seems quite simple to me: Apple and Google should form a strategic alliance with Yahoo, buy equity in Yahoo, form a separate social networking firm with Yahoo where Yahoo can lead as long as Google gets the advertising and shares it with Yahoo; Yahoo creates the social network that links directly to iTunes and a new Apple Digital Store that directly takes on Amazon; and Yahoo can really push its news, flickr, email and television service which is a natural fit for iTunes for downloads with ads or without and for live streaming with advertisements.
The networks are greedy, are jealous of Apple and Google, and will be compelled to release their shows. Why? Well, the writer strike just ended and they need the money; the writers need money and have finally realized that they can control their content and get paid through online distribution on YahooTv, iTunes, YouTube and GoogleTv. AOL is a juicy purchase waiting to happen, and if Google can engineer a joint deal with Apple and Yahoo to save Yahoo, it can easily put together a favorable deal with Time Warner to jointly purchase AOL as long as there is an agreement in place to provide this alliance Time Warner content at favorable rates.
Google becomes the white night by saving Yahoo; Google creates a social network that it desperately needs for its ad service and search; Apple gets a badly needed social network for its loyal fan base and a promotional vehicle for its AppleTV which can record and download the content through iTunes on the Yahoo site; and finally Yahoo keeps its independence, makes plenty of guaranteed money, and can focus on its creativity and promote its news, flickr, email and other services. At the end of the day, Google may get richer but so does all of its partners and new partners that they will bring in to make this thing work. So can these visionaries succeed and innovate without being evil? Yes, it can but they need the power of coalitions. Google must adopt the tactics of a start up to prevent from being cast as evil because then when Microsoft attacks Google it is attacking Apple, Yahoo and all of the other partners that Google will bring to the table who will be part of the Google eco-system.
Well now that my holiday vacation is officially over, it is time to get back to work my friends. I really like what Apple is doing with the Macbook Air product. I am sure that the movie and music industries will love it because it prevents the ripping of DVDs and CDs. The Macbook Air has been critiqued by many because it does not allow one to do these very things. However, this machine was not designed to do that, it was designed to be a different kind of machine for people who hate carrying around heavy laptops for meetings, for travel and for college. The MacBook Air also offers colleges and universities a chance to distribute content through iTunesU via iTunes without having to worry about infringement issues that have seen many universities sued by the music industry. The fact that it is so light and stylish many women may buy one to supplement their PCs or their existing Macs. I say this because I witnessed a similar thing occur in the late 90's when lighter digital cameras and pro-sumer cameras began being rolled out by Sony and other camera manufacturers who made a business decision to appeal to this valuable market. All one has to do is to witness what Apple did by creating multi-colored iPods and smaller versions of the iPod like the mini and the nano.
On another front, I loved the fact that the iTunes Store has added movie rentals from all of the major studios at reasonable prices. I think that Apple should offer a movie subscription plan too, if they want to solidify their position in this market and take on NetFlix. Apple should consider offer subscription plans for music and television shows as well. It will be free money, and it will still give folks and option to buy. In fact, subscribers may be more interested in buying after viewing or listening to a movie, a show, an album or a music track. If Apple is going to remain customer driven it will have to do this.
This drives me to the real beneficiary of all of Apple's new efforts: AppleTV Take 2. Steve Jobs admitted that Apple did not get the job done with the original AppleTV, and he was right. This product needs to be where Apple needs to direct its energies for the foreseeable future because it will act as a centerpiece for all of its offerings because of its storage capacity and its ability to tie the computer, the iPhone, the iPod and iTunes together. Apple needs to create its own original content development line and create exclusive deals with the writers once the strike is settled. This will give the writers a chance to develop, distribute, and produce their own products, so that the studios cannot use their heavy-handed tactics on the industry, on electronics makers, and most importantly on the public.
Two of the best examples of this are Apple's distribution of podcasts, and especially its iTunesU content. Apple has not really begun marketing its iTunesU content likes it need to do because if it did Apple could drive iPod and Mac sales through the roof because of all of the concerned parents who want their kids to succeed in the classroom. The Duke iPod project provides hardcore research on student performance that will only serve to justify parents' buying more Apple products. Now that I have digressed, I will return to the importance of original content and why it is important for the Hollywood writers to cut individual and collective deals with companies like Apple. The writers will not win this strike no matter how great of deal they get unless they create their own content distribution centers on places like iTunes, YouTube, AmazonUnboxed, NetFlix, Facebook, Google Tv and Zune Marketplace. All of these online entities desperately need their own original content that is independent of the studios, the networks, and the cable companies.
Why? Have you witnessed the vendetta that NBC Universal has exercised on Apple by pulling its offerings from YouTube, starting HULU, and cutting a deal with device maker SandDisk which is a good manufacturer but they are not in the Apple class, and they are not where the customers are. The customers reside with Apple, and even a Microsoft deal by NBC will not solve this problem. This is like a manufacturer saying I will not put my products in WalMart because I do not like how they operate. NBC does not understand retail, and it is showing. A basic tenet of marketing is that you have a place or distribution where customers can easily buy your goods. How do you throw aware $15 million in profits, and try to play the pimp game by asking for iPod profits like the music industry tried to do to Apple and they failed badly too? Just because Bill Gates and Microsoft caved into the music industry's shakedown by giving them portions of their profits from their Zune media player out of desperation for any market share does not make the industry behavior questionable. If there was real enforcement by the FTC and FCC, there might have been anti-trust investigation into these kinds of deals. If the movie and music industries want all the profits, they need to create their own devices. Oh that's right Sony is doing that and Apple is still dusting them up royally. HULU and rthe rest of the industry owned sites are digital immigrant efforts from digital immigrant companies who are fighting against digital native companies like Apple and Google who understand digital natives and concepts like ease of use. It will take another decade for them to get it right so that the new blood is in charge. Steve Jobs is not Bill Gates! Steve Jobs is an old school player, a real baller and shot caller as the hip hop generation says. NBC made the mistake of trying to pimp a baller, and they got played. Viacom is trying to do the same thing with Google about its YouTube copyright violations even though CBS has a huge YouTube presence.
The writers are the X factor because they can even out the playing field, sign their own individual deals through a special emerging artists and producers program through Apple. If Apple leads, Google, Microsoft and Amazon will follow! It will provide writers, the true content creators, the opportunity to get paid as producers, and to get their worth. This is America, and its the MLK holiday, so why not have a little justice in the industry for a change. Finally, I will keep advocating that Apple develop its own open social network that could act in concert with an AppleTV network of original content just like Fox is doing with MySpace. Google could handle the advertising, and Yahoo could help with the email and other features. Could you imagine all of the Mac, iPod, iPhone, AppleTV and iTunes customers having their own social network? It would instantly be a game changer, and it may make Microsoft wonder why it spent so much money for the Facebook deal. It would also give Google a chance to fire back at Microsoft for taking its Facebook and Digg advertising business away from it. It would also give Google a chance to become a real player in the game. Remember, Yahoo still has the most viewed online news among key demographics that advertisers love. So Steve what is taking you so long to make this happen? Think different again! Make it happen! You can keep the .Mac for pro users, and save it at the same time! Let's here your take, do you agree or disagree?
Since approximately 80% of all employers now conduct Google searches of potential employees, it may be prudent to check out what your web identity is by Googling yourself. Here are some tips from eWeek on how you can mitigate the bad, play up the good and how to create a more positive profile.www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2210546,00.asp
AppleTv has not sold well because the HD, storage capacity and DVR capabilities have not been exploited full by Apple and it has not been marketed properly either. In fact, there are three companies who are actually in business to exploit these three features, and at least one the companies is in Northern California, A social network would ber a perfect place for Apple to market its devices, its brands and its services. The social network could be called the iTunes Network and it could use cloud based applications of iMovie,iChat, iPhoto and Garageband for short clips to get people to buy more Macs. AppleTv would be the Tv network online that shows continues shows with ads included in them with hosts and Apple could also develop original content of its own so that this could turn into an online television network of its own for professional content providers, up and coming content providers, and consumer generated content. Apple's logical partner would be Google because Google can sell all of the advertisements and push its search and YouTube brands. Besides the GoogleTV brand has not set the world on fire and it could benefit as the for-profit version of YouTube where legal user generated content could be sold or rented. If Apple gets these things rolling it can also get its on-demand movie rental service and its movie download business a boost by having independent, old and some features as advertiser based movies.
Apple could then create a mobi-version of this network for iPhones for people on the go that could run through the iTunes Network and AppleTv. However, the real coup for AppleTv would be when AppleTv ran iTunesU programming through televisions for students and professors with ads attached as billboards, icons throughout like soccer games or through straight up advertising and allow the school to choose the advertising as a revenue generator. Naturally, all of this programming would run through the iTunesStore and the iTunesNetwork and AppleTv. Finally, Apple needs to invest in the spectrum with Google and get its own space on line and partner with Cisco, its iPhone partner, and Intel on creating the cloud based system. Quest, which need a partner any partner to be relevant after being dissed by the government and other telecomms for not working with the government on domestic spying, could be its telecom partner for billing purposes if it decides to enter the residential or corporate side for its computer sales, future iPods with limited calling and iPhones.
By Chris A. Heidelberg III, Producer & Managing Editor
I really like some of the moves that Microsoft has been making recently. Unlike many people who are Mac guys, I still love Microsoft. You never forget your first love. Microsoft was what I learned when I got into computer technology and Mac helped me extend my creativity. If you look at Microsoft's forays into the device market with the Zune device, Xbox, the Windows mobile deals for cell and smart phones, the Windows Media Center, Microsoft Office and the government deals, Microsoft is already formidable. However, I am looking at the future and I predict that Microsoft is building momentum that will enable them to dunk in two to three years when real convergence has been adopted en masse by everyone, and I am also predicting that Microsoft will dunk with authority in the next five to seven years. In ten years, Microsoft could be back in federal court under monopolistic charges if this plan works too well though. Here is why I am bullish on Microsoft right now. First, in February 2009 high definition television will officially be the law of the land for the entire country and full convergence will sweep the land within two years even for people who hate technology. Second, Microsoft is serious and focused on its online advertising business and it will have a lot of allies in the media business because these businesses clearly resent the power that Apple and Google have amassed as the industry leaders and true creators of this profitable business area. You may have noticed that Microsoft has not been named by any of the entertainment companies in any infringement cases or haggling over prices for online download sales.Viacom and Google are embroiled in a no-holds barred struggle over copyrighted content being placed on Google and alleged lost revenues. Apple is fighting with NBC on the television side, Universal on the music side and entire European nations and economic bodies like the European Union over digital rights management issues and the iTunes and iPod bundling. In fact, the French and Norway have even passed laws, and more may be coming. Microsoft is not out the woods with the EU either on monopoly charges but this is not their first time at the rodeo on this issue and I am certain that they will work out the issues. Check out this article on ZDNet and then come back and check out part 2 of this piece.
Ballmer: Microsoft will dunk on Google…eventually by ZDNet's Dan Farber -- Steve Ballmer was first at bat as the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco resumed for the second day. His best line, and classic Ballmer, was about how Microsoft’s search efforts are going versus Google. “Microsoft [search] is just 3 years old and playing basketball with 12 year olds. It may take until he is [...]
My Groups
-
Freethinkers Updated: 3 minutes ago
-
Social Media Group Updated: 1 hour ago
-
Photographers Updated: 4 hours ago
Neighborhood
Explore friends, family, friends & family, or entire neighborhood.
