On Point Discussion about "The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History"

Above is a link to an OnPoint discussion that I heard on NPR the other day about The Next Great Extinction. It is a wonderful discussion about what many scientists term the Sixth Extinction. This is an extinction that may happen largely due to the human impact on our planet. Elizabeth Kolbert, author of "The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History" is the guest on Tom Ashbrook's show and she has some remarkable insights. For instance, humans operate - evolve - at a pace different from that of animals. As "agents of change" as she terms humans, I wonder, why are we not more often taking into consideration the destructiveness of our actions on other species? Our capacity to intelligently create all that we have created in this world has led us down this path toward this eventual extinction. Kolbert argues for us to use our intelligence to figure out how to inflict less suffering upon the creatures with whom we share this Earth. I agree.

New Multimedia class posting:

SOCIAL BOOKMARKING Erin N. Kidder

http://delicious.com/enkidder

New Post for Multimedia class

Week 6: Gratitude Project

I am grateful for warm evenings out at La Tuna! The La Tuna Grill food is incredible, the beer is cold, and every so often you can get serenaded by good musicians! I love evenings like this when I can relax Johnny, Arnold D. Horshack, and good friends. Friday, February 21, 2014

RSS HOMEPAGE AND ALERTS

For Multimedia class assignment

RSS Homepage: http://protopage.com/erinnkidder

Google Alerts:  Animal Welfare, Animals and Society, Habitus and Field, Animal Cruelty

Seedy side of the circus

Seedy side of the circus

Salon.com posted this story about the "seedy side of the circus" and it compelled me to share it here. It is hard to understand how humans can be so arrogant and manipulative. The scariest part is that humans have the capacity to make a choice. We can either hurt others or not hurt others. This seems like a no brainer to me. More on this later.

Feb. 3, 2014

EXPLORING ONLINE SOCIOLOGY 

Each of the sociology and related sites provided on the syllabus offer a wealth of diverse information, ranging from racism, to feminism, to social media, and much more. As a student of sociology, I find each website to be interesting, though not all sites are necessarily relevant to my focus, which is animals and society (i.e., human-animal relationships).

There were a few websites, such as OpenLearn, Teaching with Data, the Society Pages, and The Sociological Imagination that perhaps lend themselves a bit more to my focus due to their array of topics; however, if I have to select one off of the list, I would select OpenLearn. Generally speaking, I am often forced to fit my focus into existing sociological research (methods and theory) due to the limited focus on animals and society within the sociological discipline. This is something I do not mine and in fact, I actually appreciate being part of a somewhat developmental aspect of social science, which has focused on humans. OpenLearn seems to offer a range of topics, including topics on animals.

OpenLearn appears to have a wealth of information, including but not limited to health, education, the arts, finances, science and technology, and nature and environment. The last topic most closely pertains to my focus as it discusses issues regarding species, habitats, and conservation, to name a few areas. Additionally, the site has a section on society, which contains links to policy and legal matters. As I go forward with my educational goal of gaining a PhD in Public Policy, I can see where this site, more than the other, will continue to offer me valuable resources for my area of focus, which is ultimately to improve the human-animal relationship.

As a side note, I have also discovered online resources more directly related to my focus. Here are three: 1) Society and Animals Forum http://www.societyandanimalsforum.org; 2) Homepage for Animals and Society section of the American Sociological Association http://www2.asanet.ogt/sectionanimals/; and 3) The British Sociological Association Animal/Human Studies Group http://www.britsoc.co.uk/study-groups/animalhuman.aspx.

ONLINE MULTIMEDIA SYSTEM

Feb. 3, 2014

ONLINE MULTIMEDIA SYSTEM

The world is a changing place indeed, and Miller’s (2011) article provides a clear outline of how multimedia systems may be incorporated into the learning environment as a means of enhancing curriculum and improving student-instructor engagement. Miller describes multimedia systems as “the combinations of different types of media that appeal to more than one perceptual sense, such as images with text or sound, or moving images and sound” (p.2). The seemingly general description encapsulates content such as slideshows, video games, graphics, virtual domains, and more, and offer “symbolic communication that are not predominantly text-based” (p. 2). Miller goes on to explain that those working with “digital learning sources” will do best to conceptualize “online multimedia within the context of an information generation and processing system” comprised of five components: distribution, location, collection, conceptualization, and production (p. 5).

Distribution is simply the availability of digital content on the Internet. This content is at the disposal of instructors and can be used for teaching and learning purposes. Familiar names such as The New York Times, ABC News, The Wallstreet Journal, and NPR all offer digital information, which is easily accessible for classroom sharing. Additional tool, such as YouTube, SlideShare, and blogs, not only provide digital information, but they also allow users to create and distribute their own content. Searching for content, perhaps even at sites like the ones listed above, can be done through the component of location.

Locating content can be “daunting” as Miller states (p. 8). Knowledge of search engines, for instance, Google, Safari, and others, can help find content more easily. Search engines like Google, compartmentalize information even further with Google Images and Google Video, helping the user to narrow precise content down even more. In the article, Miller explains that, “Perhaps the best and simplest way to facilitate location, however, is by creating a multimedia homepage comprised of push vehicles such as RSS feeds” (p. 8). RSS feeds more intuitively seeks information from key websites the user has visited and updates relevant and up-to-date information on the user’s homepage, alerting the user to the updated content; thereby minimizing time and effort in locating information. Once all of this content is located, the question then becomes, where does it all get stored?

The collection component is crucial if the user wishes to store digital content for retrieval at a later time. Similar to a library or a music and/or video collection, the digital information located and collected may be catalogued in an orderly manner. Tools, such as RealPlayer can do this with video and audio content for instance. Social bookmarks like Google Bookmarks, can help to collect and organize content for users. For instructors, this ability to collect the abundance of digital information and have it organized for easier retrieval, can be invaluable. Having the content accessible and organized allows for more time to conceptualize the way this information can be integrated into a classroom setting. Sites such as MacArthur Foundation, MindShift and others, are set up to help guide instructors with the multimedia teaching and learning content. Key to the aspect of conceptualization is, as Miller states, “the value of a piece of multimedia does not lie in the resource itself, but rather in how well it facilitates instruction and meets student learning needs” (p. 10). Without first understanding these components (i.e., distribution, location, collection, and conceptualization), it would be difficult for an instructor to effectively utilize multimedia content for classroom instruction. An instructor needs to have a clear vision as to just how the digital information works in conjunction with the other course material, or as Miller points out, “showing the real-world relevance of abstract content” (p. 11).

The four components mentioned above culminate into production, which the article clearly states is not simply limited to those who have “specialized media skills”. Though instructors can simply click on and show video or audio clips, or websites, or slide shows, they may also develop a level of proficiency to truly integrate the digital information by linking it directly to the course material (p. 12). Resources such as Mosaic Maker, SlideShare, or even Windows Movie Maker allow the instructor, as well as the students, to be the innovators and creators of their own content that can be distributed for classroom use (p. 12).

Interestingly enough, I have engaged in each of the five components Miller discusses, although, I had not previously put much thought into each process. In fact, I could not have articulated each component until after reading this article. While I do consider myself a digital immigrant, by virtue of having grown up in the 1970s and 1980s, I have managed to incorporate multimedia into my everyday life. It certainly is not with as much ease or swiftness as someone many years my junior, but for me it feels almost second nature at this point. For instance, I am a big fan of online news content such as CNN and shows like This American Life which Miller mentions in his 2011 article (p. 3). Those are just two name a few. I have recently started blogging and have read many blogs. Though I have used search engines like Google and Safari, I have not made use of RSS Feeds or bookmarks. I had a very limited knowledge of how they worked and didn’t understand until recently how both can help me organize all of the information I access in a more efficient manner.  With regards to conceptualization, I feel that I have managed – as a student – to effectively incorporate various aspects of digital information and content as a means of indicating my understanding of instructional material.

Moving forward academically, I plan to enlist RSS Feeds and bookmarks more generously in an effort to manage and maintain the heavy amount of content I retrieve. Hopefully this will help avoid any scatterbrain moments I may endure as I try to locate information for future projects.

PHOTO MOSAIC

RESEARCHABLE INTEREST

RESEARCHABLE INTEREST

I am interested in researching animal and society. Sadly, San Antonio has one of the worst stray animal populations in the United States, and since 2004 – roughly – it has been a hot topic off and on. The blame is typically placed on Animal Care Services; however, I am interested in exploring the deeper causes within our community. I would like to do a comparative study with cities of similar demographics, most specifically, cities that have managed to improve the welfare for animals. I haven’t narrowed down my thesis entirely, though I do plan on utilizing mixed methods to examine this issue and will likely explore this topic from a cultural theoretical basis.

My goal with this class is to learn how to best utilize multimedia to create a visual impact that will hopefully inspire change in our community.