Time Card: 8/25-8/31 - 63 Hours and 60 Hours the Week Before

Time Card: 8/25/2013 - 8/31/2013

63 hours this past week and 60 the week before.  First 2 weeks of classes are busy times.

Previous weeks.

Below is a record of the work that I've done over this past week, mainly in the areas of research, teaching and service. I usually average about 50 to 55 hours per week. If you are interested in how I keep track of this information and why, please let me know. 

Date	Day	Task	Area	Total	Work unit notes
08/25/2013	Sun	MCM420	TEACHING	02:09
08/25/2013	Sun	MCM485	TEACHING	01:35
08/25/2013	Sun	MCM510	TEACHING	02:03
08/25/2013	Sun	CrsPrep	TEACHING	01:45
08/25/2013	Sun	JRN290	TEACHING	01:44
08/26/2013	Mon	MCM510	TEACHING	03:15
08/26/2013	Mon	CrsPrep	TEACHING	01:47
08/26/2013	Mon	EmlTodoScdNews	MISC	00:22
08/26/2013	Mon	JRN290	TEACHING	04:00
08/27/2013	Tue	ResMisc	RESEARCH	00:40
08/27/2013	Tue	MCM420	TEACHING	08:15
08/28/2013	Wed	MCM420	TEACHING	00:18
08/28/2013	Wed	MCM485	TEACHING	05:45
08/28/2013	Wed	MCM510	TEACHING	00:15
08/28/2013	Wed	JRN290	TEACHING	03:52
08/28/2013	Wed	EmlTodoSchNews	MISC	00:21
08/29/2013	Thu	ResMisc	RESEARCH	01:21
08/29/2013	Thu	MCM510	TEACHING	01:28
08/29/2013	Thu	CrsPrep	TEACHING	01:27
08/29/2013	Thu	EmlTodoScdNews	MISC	02:06
08/30/2013	Fri	Proj-EternalJew	RESEARCH	03:02
08/30/2013	Fri	ResMisc	RESEARCH	00:23
08/30/2013	Fri	MCM485	TEACHING	00:25
08/30/2013	Fri	CrsPrep	TEACHING	02:00
08/30/2013	Fri	TchMisc	TEACHING	01:10
08/30/2013	Fri	MiscServ	SERVICE	01:20
08/30/2013	Fri	EmlTodoScdNews	MISC	00:35
08/30/2013	Fri	JRN290	TEACHING	02:14
08/30/2013	Fri	Proj-BoM	RESEARCH	00:11
08/31/2013	Sat	Proj-EternalJew	RESEARCH	04:01
08/31/2013	Sat	ResMisc	RESEARCH	01:57
08/31/2013	Sat	TchMisc	TEACHING	01:00
		TOTAL		62:46

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MediaTech: Winston's Model and the History of Media Tech (U2-P5) Fa13

Winston's model explains how media technologies develop from ideas to diffusion.  The story begins at the bottom left of the figure and ends at the upper right of the figure.

According to Winston's model a new technology starts (1) as an idea based on science and then (2) develops into early prototypes.  As a technology develops it faces some social pressures ((3) does society see a need for it and (4) will powerful competitors or the government attempt to repress the technology?).  The technology will then (5) diffuse through a society and may (6) spin-off related technologies.

How does this theory help us understand how media technologies develop?  Does it help us understand the future of media technologies?


Source: Media Technology and Society: A History From the Telegrapph to the Internet


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MediaTech: Diffusion of Innovations and the History of Media Tech (U2-P4) Fa13

Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations
“the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system.”(Rogers).

The graph above shows how people in a society over time adopt an innovation.

At first nobody had a TV in the U.S., but over time...


How does this theory help us understand how media technologies develop?  Does it help us understand the future of media technologies?


Source: Diffusion of Innovations, 5th Edition



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MediaTech: SCOT, Tech Determinism and the History of Media Tech (U2-P3) Fa13

Ev Rogers and I wrote a book chapter which, in part, explained the Social Construction of Technology and Technological Determinism theories.  We also tied the two theories together.


The chapter appeared in The Changing Conversation in America edited by Eadie and Nelson.



Ev and I wrote about Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) this way:

We said of Technological Determinism:

At the end of the chapter we included a diagram.

There is something missing in the figure.  It was included in the paper we submitted, but left out in the printing.  What is missing?

How do these theories help us understand how media technologies develop?  Do they help us understand the future of media technologies?



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MediaTech: How Do You Learn from the Past to Help Understand the Future? (U2-P2) Fa13

A theory is an explanation for how something works, how something happens.  There are helpful theories that can be used to explain how media technologies have developed (i.e., tell their history). How they came to be.  How they spread in a society.

• Social Construction of Technology
• Technological Determinism
• Diffusion of Innovations
• Winston’s Model Communication Technology Development

These theories can be used to better understand the development of past media technologies (e.g., radio).  They explain how and why certain things happened in a history of a technology.  Let's preview each theory and see how it fits into helping us tell the history of media technologies.

See more at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.


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MediaTech: Why Study the History of Media Tech? (U2-P1) fa13

Source: Flickr (CC - KN6KS) 

Why Study the History of Media Tech?

• To satisfy our curiosity.
• To gain an appreciation for the work done and the progress made.
• To show a little respect for those who came before us.
• To gain a sense of identity w/ community.
• To learn from the past to help understand the future.

Source: Based on Hart, 1999.











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InterculturalCom: Onions, Icebergs and Culture (U2-P4) Fa13

Hofstede has more metaphors.

Do you notice what is at the center of the Tootsie Pop, I mean onion?  What's the significance of being at the center?  Being on the outside layer?

Others have "metaphoricalized" culture as an iceberg.



Like with the onion metaphor where would the different aspects of culture be located?  What would be on the surface (above the water-line)?  What would be below?  What is the significance of something being below the surface?

As a captain of your own ship out of the see of intercultural interactions, what should you be most aware of? What is going to sink your ship?



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InterculturalCom: Ways in Which Cultural Groups Differ (U2-P3) Fa13

What are ways in which cultural groups differ?



According to Gardenswartz and Rowe, cultures vary along the following dimensions...

1. Sense of self & space
2. Comm.style & language
3. Dress & appearance
4. Food & eating habits
5. Time orientation
6. Relationships
7. Values and norms
8. Beliefs and attitudes
9. Mental processing & learning
10. Work habits & practices


Source: Managing Diversity: A Complete Desk Reference & Planning Guide

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InterculturalCom: Hofstede's Computer Metaphor of Culture (U2-P2) Fa13

Geert Hofstede views culture as the software of the mind.


What does that mean?

What is software?

• a list of instructions which tells a computer what to do.

All metaphorical comparisons are not perfect.  How is culture not like software?

If culture is software, who programmed us?


Source: Cultures and Organizations: Software for the Mind, Third Edition



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InterculturalCom: What is Culture? (U2-P1) Fa13

What is Culture?

A 19th century approach to culture:

• cultured: a high state of Western civilization.

Over 200 definitions in the literature.

Culture is "the set of shared knowledge that influences a particular group of peoples' thoughts and behavior" (Hart).

So, if you had to define culture in one word, what would that word be?

Knowledge.

So where is culture?  

In in our brains?

How did it get there?

We learned it.  Culture is learned.

As members of cultural groups, what knowledge do we learn?

Language, beliefs, values, history, rituals, etc.

Who teaches us the culture?



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MediaTech in the News: Engelbart, Black Girls Code, Jobs Movie + more [VID]

If for some reason your browser does not show the above news stories, then see the stories on Dr. Hart's Storify account at http://storify.com/WilliamHartPhD#stories. You may also want to consider updating your browser (Explorer or Chrome).




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"Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" spee..." (My New Fav YouTube Video) [VID]

I just added this video as a favorite on my YouTube channel.



Originally uploaded to YouTube by CNN.

See Video: Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" spee...

Description: "Today marks the 50th anniversay of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. CNN's Don Lemon has more."



Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

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InterculturalCom in the News: The March - 50 Yrs After, Reducing Prejudice, New Minority Group + more [VID]

If for some reason your browser does not show the above news stories, then see the stories on Dr. Hart's Storify account at http://storify.com/WilliamHartPhD#stories. You may also want to consider updating your browser (Explorer or Chrome).


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Mass Media in the News: The March and the Media, Reality TV, Al Jazeera America + more [VID]

If for some reason your browser does not show the above news stories, then see the stories on Dr. Hart's Storify account at http://storify.com/WilliamHartPhD#stories. You may also want to consider updating your browser (Explorer or Chrome).


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"New Construction on NSU Campus" (New photo of mine on Flickr)

Title: "New Construction on NSU Campus"
Photographer: William Hart, Ph.D.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamhartphd
Description: "via Instagram bit.ly/1dJKhvW"
Taken: August 26, 2013 at 02:21PM
(C) William Hart

DigPhotog: Intro to Photography: The 4 Stages of Competence & Photography (U1-P4) Fa13

"Taking a Shot": The 4 Stages of Competence and Photography

When studying photography you are learning some knowledge/facts and some skills.

How do you take a good photograph?  What's the process?  How do you do it?

Learning how to shoot a good photograph is like learning how to shoot a good foul shot in basketball.

Photo by mollyali (flickr.com).
Photo used under Creative Commons license and embedded using  the Flickr share feature.

Whether we are learning how to shoot a basketball, how to study for an exam or how to take a good photograph, we go through some stages.

The Four Stages

1. Unconscious Incompetence - We don't know that we don't know.
We are unaware of what it takes to accomplish a task.  We don't know what it takes to make that foul shot.  We don't know what it takes to get the perfect photograph.

2. Conscious Incompetence - We know that we don't know.
We may not know exactly how to do the task, but we recognize there are things we need to learn.  We become aware that there are certain things we need to do to consistently make that foul shot.  We become aware that there are certain things we need to do to consistently make a good photograph.

3. Conscious Competence - We know that we know.
We are very consciously aware of the steps to doing a task and we can carefully work through the steps of the task.  We know what is needed to make the foul shot and we consciously think through those steps when taking the foul shot.  We know what is needed to make a good photograph and we consciously think through those steps when taking a photograph.

4. Unconscious Competence - We don't know that we know.
We know the task so well, we don't think about it any more.  It has become second nature. We take that shot with little conscious thought.


What was the last skill you remember learning in which you went through these stages?  Can you describe what happened in each stage and when? 

When it comes to photography, what stage are you in now?  What's your goal?

Note: The Four Stages of Competence has been attributed to noted psychologist Abraham Maslow, Gordon Training International and William Howell in intercultural communication.



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DigPhotog: Intro to Photography: Photo Criticism II - Andre Cabuche & Kevin Carter (U1-P3) Fa13

Photograph Criticism II

There are a variety of ways of critiquing a photograph.  Below is another way outlined by Andre Cabuche in a Canadian Camera article (2004). Cabuche divides his approach into three parts: technical quality, composition, and emotional appeal.

1. TECHNICAL QUALITY

• "FOCUS: Is the image sharp? If not, is it intentionally soft and successful?"
• "CLEANLINESS: Is it free of scratches, dust spots, stains, lens flare, etc?"
• "EXPOSURE: Is it too light, too dark or just right?"
• "LIGHTING: Is the lighting too contrasty, too flat or just right?"
• "COLOURS: Does it have neutral colours or a strange colour cast?"

2. COMPOSITION

• "BALANCE: Is the image aligned correctly or is it crooked?"
• "LOGIC: Is the arrangement of the visual elements effective?"
• "PURPOSE: Is there a strong centre of interest, pattern or design?"
• "CLARITY: Is it simple, yet complete and without distracting elements?"

3. EMOTIONAL APPEAL

• "DYNAMIC: Does it grab and keep your attention? Does it have the "wow" factor?"
• "PROVOCATIVE: Does it excite your imagination, or create a strong emotion in you?"
• "CREATIVE: Does it show a familiar subject in a new, unusual and yet effective way?"
• "UNUSUAL: Does it show a very unusual subject in an effective way?"

Use the above approach on Kevin Carter's Pulitzer Prize winning photograph of a starving girl in Sudan.  This photo definitely provokes emotional appeal and raises ethical issues in photojournalism.


Some closing questions:

• Any similarities or differences between Cabuche's approach and Barrett's approach?
• What is the relationship between critiquing a photograph and composing a photograph?

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DigPhotog: Intro to Photography: Critiquing Photos (U1-P2) Fa13

Photography Criticism

When learning how to critique photographs, a good place to start is with Barrett's book, Criticizing Photographs: An Introduction to Understanding Images.

• “Criticism is informed discourse about art to increase understanding and appreciation of art.”
• “Criticism is not a coldly intellectual endeavor.”

Barrett's Approach to Critiquing Photographs

• Describe what you see - just the facts, be objective
• Consider the subject matter
• Consider how form relates to subject matter.
• Subject matter + form (focus, contrast, etc.)= content.
• Let interpretation be communal.
• Who determines the meaning?  Photographer? Critic?
• Suggest photographer be silent.
• Interpret the photograph by questions it raises.
• Avoid hasty judgments - don't jump to judgement
• Consider presentational environments.
• Subject + form + context = content
• Ask how the photograph would be judged.
• Consider assumptions/theories - why did the photography do what they did?
• What are the photographer’s theories about the way the world works?
• Be honest and open.

Barrett's approach can be summarized as the DIET way of critiquing a photograph.

1. Describe - just the facts, be objective
2. Interpret - what does it mean?
3. Evaluate - is it good or bad, rate it, past careful judgement
4. Theorize - why did the photographer take the photo? 

Below is a photo to critique using Barrett's approach.  Start with describe and then...

Gordon Parks' American Gothic. Portrait of government cleaning
woman Ella Watson. August 1942. (Public domain photo)   

If you like, you can post below your critique of American Gothic using Barrett's approach.

American Gothic, that sounds familiar.  What was Parks' inspiration for the title of his photo?

For some background on the American Gothic photograph see the clip below starting at about 19:00.



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DigPhotog: Intro to Photography: Mentors - Gordon Parks (U1-P1) Fa13

Gordon Parks, 1963,
(public domain photo)

One way to begin your study of digital photography is start with a close study of photographs.  Before taking photographs, study photographs.  Be able to critique a photograph first.  Be able to say what is a good photograph and why and then go out and take good photographs based on what you learned in your study of good photographs.

Instead of studying just any photo though, it would be best to start with a study of photographs taken by some of the great photographers.

I'd suggest that you find two or three great photographers that can serve as your mentors.  Start by visiting the Masters of Photography site.  You may find other similar sites online.

I'd encourage you to consider Gordon Parks as one of your mentors. In addition to being a photographer, Parks was an artist, a composer, an author, and a film director (e.g., Shaft).




Gordon Parks, a Master of the Camera, Dies at 93 (NY Times)

See the clip below from about 11:58 to about 19:00.  Wait to view the rest along with a future blog post.






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DigPhotog: News & Tips - Day Care Instagram, War Photography and the Power of Lines, etc. [VID]

If for some reason your browser does not show the above news stories, then see the stories on Dr. Hart's Storify account at http://storify.com/WilliamHartPhD#stories. You may also want to consider updating your browser (Explorer or Chrome).


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Gamifying the Classroom

I'm a gamer and video games are one of my areas of expertise in research.  In terms of research, I am interested in game design, (particularly something that I call the 'deduction engine') .  I also do research on the depiction of race in video games.  Ask me about these areas of research, if you are curious.

So, the idea of gamifying my classroom is not so foreign to me.  It makes perfect sense.

So, what is gamification?  It has been defined as

"the application of typical elements of game playing (e.g., point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity, typically as an online marketing technique to encourage engagement with a product or service" (Oxford Dictionaries).

Gamification is used in the business world and is beginning to be used in the classroom environment.  Let's take a look at a short video about gamification.


If you are curious for more about gamification see my gamifying-the-classroom YouTube playlist and my gamifying-the-classroom bookmarks.

How would games work in education?


The idea of gamifying the classroom fits well with the idea of flipping the classroom that I mentioned in a previous post.  They go hand-in-hand.  In a flipped classroom students cover course content before a class and during class-time they do activities.  Some or all of those activities could be games.

Since in most courses students are learning a terminology (i.e., new words), I'd recommend starting with some standard word games (word scramble, word search, crosswords, etc.) and then move into some game-show games (e.g., "Jeopardy" and "Who Wants to be a Millionaire"). Two good resources for building these types of games is Jeopardy Labs and Puzzlefast.  Socrative and Quizlet can also be used to help gamify the classroom.

While word game and game-show games are helpful, I would like eventually (next semester?) to use open-world video games in my courses.  Open-world games like Minecraft could be integrated into a course with some work and potentially resulting in some learning and some fun.  To get things up and running, it would require some hardware, some software and some technical support.



I have over 200 hours in Minecraft and have some great ideas for integrating it into the classroom. I'm just needing a little support (financial, technical and otherwise).

Here are a few books that I've read (in whole or in part) and that I recommend on gamification.




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Time Card: 8/18-8/24 - 60 Hours - 1st Week of Classes

Time Card: 8/18/2013 - 8/24/2013

60 hours this past week.  First week of classes. Busy.

Previous weeks.

Below is a record of the work that I've done over this past week, mainly in the areas of research, teaching and service. I usually average about 50 to 55 hours per week. If you are interested in how I keep track of this information and why, please let me know. 

Date	Day	Task	Area	Total	Work unit notes
08/18/2013	Sun	MCM510	TEACHING	00:26
08/18/2013	Sun	CrsPrep	TEACHING	07:07
08/19/2013	Mon	MCM420	TEACHING	02:51
08/19/2013	Mon	MCM510	TEACHING	00:40
08/19/2013	Mon	CrsPrep	TEACHING	05:28
08/19/2013	Mon	EmlTodoScdNews	MISC	00:22
08/19/2013	Mon	JRN290	TEACHING	01:20
08/20/2013	Tue	MCM420	TEACHING	09:51
08/20/2013	Tue	MCM510	TEACHING	00:09
08/20/2013	Tue	EmlTodoScdNews	MISC	00:11
08/21/2013	Wed	ResMisc	RESEARCH	00:20
08/21/2013	Wed	MCM420	TEACHING	00:54
08/21/2013	Wed	MCM485	TEACHING	06:15
08/21/2013	Wed	EmlTodoScdNews	MISC	00:38
08/21/2013	Wed	DeptServ	SERVICE	00:21
08/22/2013	Thu	MCM485	TEACHING	02:56
08/22/2013	Thu	CrsPrep	TEACHING	03:36
08/22/2013	Thu	EmlTodoScdNews	MISC	00:30
08/22/2013	Thu	Proj-SMMediaDept	RESEARCH	00:33
08/23/2013	Fri	ResMisc	RESEARCH	02:56
08/23/2013	Fri	CrsPrep	TEACHING	00:58
08/23/2013	Fri	EmlTodoScdNews	MISC	00:30
08/23/2013	Fri	JRN290	TEACHING	02:45
08/24/2013	Sat	MCM420	TEACHING	03:22
08/24/2013	Sat	MCM485	TEACHING	02:29
08/24/2013	Sat	CrsPrep	TEACHING	01:51
08/24/2013	Sat	EmlTodoScdNews	MISC	00:25
		TOTAL		59:44

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"3ushroo3s a9ain - spac3y" (New photo of mine on Flickr)

Title: "3ushroo3s a9ain - spac3y"
Photographer: William Hart, Ph.D.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamhartphd
Description: "via Instagram bit.ly/13PEMtL"
Taken: August 24, 2013 at 09:21PM
(C) William Hart

MediaTech: Key Theories Related to Media Tech (U1-P5) fa13

What are some key theories related to communication/media technology?

• Diffusion of Innovations
• Social Construction of Technology
• Technological Determinism
• Winston’s Model Communication Technology Development
• Others...

Examples:

Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations
“the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system.”(Rogers).

Winston’s Model of Communication Technology Technology Development, 
Winston's models explains how technologies develop from idea to prototype to diffusion.

Media Technology and Society: A History From the Telegraph to the Internet by Brian Winston.





More details on these theories later.




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