Lecture on Chrome at Baychi

Great organization to check out:
Baychi

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Designing Google Chrome
Glen Murphy, Google

Pursuing a philosophy of "content, not chrome," the Google Chrome team sought to design a window manager for the web, a browser that would recede into the background and elevate web pages, applications, and entertainment to first-class citizens on the modern desktop.

Glen will describe the process and reasoning behind this approach, the challenges and user research involved, where Chrome is going, and how you can get involved.

Glen Murphy is Google Chrome's designer and an engineer on its front-end team. Prior to moving to California to work at Google, Glen bounced around Australia as a CS dropout, a dotcom-boom designer, a programmer of interactive installation artwork, an engineering lead, a Master of Design student, and a suit-wearing enterprise software consultant.

Artistic Entrepreneurship

some interesting reading. maybe there's hope for the right brainers yet.

http://www.artsentrepreneurship.com/
a class in N.C. about making money with arts.


From Ny Times article:
Transforming Art Into a More Lucrative Career Choice
Alex Quesada for The New York Times
Some artists have begun to figure out ways to make money and make art — aiming to end the notion that “starving” and “artist” are necessarily linked.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/27/business/smallbusiness/27shift.html?_r=1&ei=5070&emc=eta1

This article explores the topics of A whole New Mind and how they're really being put into practice.

Site Review - http://www.freedictionary.org

Eric Marshall
Site Review


http://www.freedictionary.org/On Information Design

* Who are the users?
Users are English speakers needing to look up a word. Could be any age or any level of English speaker.

* Information chunk (gestalt principle, amount information)
Information is kept to a minimum. Very sparse like google.

* Relevance (graphics, content, reading level, text)
Although the site is very simple the Google Ads are a little distracting.

* Labeling (visual with text)
Simple to use. "search" is only real label.

* Consistency (visual, text)
Definitions are formatted consistently.

* Detail (too much on one page or one screen)
Because it displays the results of several dictionaries there can be several screens of info. It's all text, so scrolls pretty easily though.


On Interactivity

* Orientation (Can you find the path, and know your way around?)
interaction is kept to a minimum. Search for word, or follow links of synonyms within definitions.

* Navigation (Branching)
The site is essentially flat. There is only one level within each definition.

* Functionality (Does it work?)
Yes, simple and easy to use.

* Information access (Multiple entry and exit? Logical path?)
again, limited choices make it easy to use.


On Screen Design
# Attractive (first impression)
Not really attractive. Only one bar of gold color at the top on home page. There are blue subheads on definition pages. I find the blue of the Google Ads links overpowers the understated search results.

# Resolution
n/a

# Color
Maybe overly simple.

# Lay out
one column. Easy to navigate and use.

# Readability
Very readable.

Eluminate

Last night we had class via Eluminate. Professor Foreman joined us from Taiwan. I've done class via Eluminate a number of times and it's always worked fine for me. I find it hard to sit at the computer and pay attention at times. In class the visual clues and interaction between people is important and I miss that. This was the first time I'd watched so many presentations through Eluminate and presented myself. I think it worked pretty well. One disconcerting thing is the lack of feedback. If you're totally bombing, or making people laugh in real life you'll get some feedback. On Eluminate you've got to plunge forward and hope you're making sense. Overall I was impressed with the ability of the class to make use of the different video and audio delivery methods, it was a useful experiment.

eSchoolNews.com, Digital Divide

Here's an interesting publication people might be interested in:

eSchool News

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=55665

Tue, Oct 21, 2008
'Digital Disconnect' divides kids, educators
Most principals think their schools prepare students for 21st-century careers -- but students disagree
By Maya T. Prabhu, Assistant Editor


he study found that 64 percent of K-12 students play online and computer games, and the average time spent playing is eight to 10 hours per week. Of the students surveyed, 51 percent said they would like to include gaming in school because it's easier for them to understand difficult concepts, 50 percent said they would be more engaged in learning the material, and 46 percent said they would be able to learn more in general...

twitter and football

Not really a mashup, but a fun use of twitter and football:
http://www.twootball.com/

Socialtext - Eugene Lee - Curiosity

As much as the great presentation on web 2.0 and enterprise, what I got from Eugene Lee of Socialtext was that he took the time to come and present to our class. He really embodies what he's talking about as one of the "nodes" of information, one of the people who has the connections and who adds value to organization by knowing people, by knowing where to look for something. The common factor I've seen in our presenters, is that they share an enthusiasm for their work and a need to put technology to use to help people. (I guess you have to be enthusiastic to make it 'till 10pm!)

Eugene asked us to think of a way Socialtext could could apply to learning in the workplace. We talked about the value of acquaintances, or "weak links" between people. If you want to find a job, you probably don't get it through your best friend, but through a friend of a friend etc. My idea is that these kind of social networks could more formally acknowledge "weak links of curiosity". Eugene seemed enthusiastic, passionate and curious about how to use technology. I think that the things I'm curious about and what I'm interested in are what I'll put a little time into investigating. These might be the things I have a good idea about how to use.

First, as with the phrase "soft skills", I'd look for a more positive way of saying "weak links", (or was it "weak ties"), anyway we've seen their strength, are they really weak?

Secondly, I think by keeping track of what a lot of people are curious about we can see what ideas are gaining traction, what's hot like the next meme, and we can provide a forum for a further investigation. Maybe it goes somewhere or maybe not, but often times people are thinking along similar lines. I think this is where learning and web 2.0 can come together. I was trying to see where this happens in the Socialtext software and I guess it happens in many places, but by enabling this collaboration, without having to make it into a major official project, by allowing it to be casual and possibly lead nowhere, without an agenda, we might learn a lot more than we think.

I'm also a musician and now am off to google Condi Rice on YouTube playing piano and send it to my friends...

International Journal of Design

This is a cool journal. They presently have articles on:
Special Issue Editorial: Cultural Aspects of Interaction Design

http://www.ijdesign.org/ojs/index.php/IJDesign/index

International Journal of Design
ISSN: 1994-036X (online); 1991-3761 (print)

The International Journal of Design is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal devoted to publishing research papers in all fields of design, including industrial design, visual communication design, interface design, animation and game design, architectural design, urban design, and other design related fields. It aims to provide an international forum for the exchange of ideas and findings from researchers across different cultures and encourages research on the impact of cultural factors on design theory and practice. It also seeks to promote the transfer of knowledge between professionals in academia and industry by emphasizing research in which results are of interest or applicable to design practices.

5 picture story

Nocycle
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eroksf/sets/72157608310731392/show/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eroksf/sets/72157608310731392/show/

Locative Learning

Tonight Leslie from KQED came and spoke about locative learning. It was interesting to hear her perspective on the difference between digital storytelling in the first person, where the storyteller gets really deep into a personal narrative and the type of stories people were telling using locative learning - going outside and making content with a sense of place. Maybe like apples and oranges I think.

There were a lot of ideas about how this new technology might be used. I'm trying to be open-minded and have fun with these ideas, but I feel like I've heard a lot of Utopian ideas before of how technology will, or could, change things. I think these ideas reflect a certain agenda which may or may not reflect reality. But I do like the new tech and can see that it opens up many different opportunities to learn and have fun with the technology. Leslie pointed out some cool applications and was enthusiastic about using the new tech which I appreciate.

Mobile, wireless, connected Information clouds and learning

Mark van ‘t Hooft's article gives a nice overview of the ways wireless technology might change education. I like that he touches on the idea of locaton-based and context aware applications which could bring learning into the world. Another idea I liked was that learning would be possible anytime and anywhere.

The article also points out that the user will become more in control and personalization will be more prevalent. I think the ability of the user to follow their own curiosity will lead to greater engagement with the subject.

The dislocation of learning from the classroom may make instructional designers more important. With so many options for learning and so much information, having clear instructional goals may become a critical piece to evaluating learning.

Critique of Flatworld Classroom Project

I enjoyed watching the videos from students around the world. I was impressed by their tech savvy with the video.

I think the instructional objective was to explain their chosen concept using video and wiki software as well as other web 2.0 apps. By using web 2.0 technologies to create their digital stories they obviously gained a level of familiarity with web 2.0 tools and tried their hand a creating multimedia as well as using collaborative sytems to communicate between classrooms and countries.

I think they must have learned a lot from having real world interactions with students from different environments. I like to think that travel is one way of opening up a person's mind to new ideas and new ways of thinking, perhaps this online collaboration can have a similar result. I was even struck by the different accents and use of the English language amongst the different students.

The students used video, wikis, online research, youTube. I looked at the video on work flow software. Although the videos weren't too complete, given the difficulty of editing video and concisely making a report I think they were very successful. Along with the info in the wiki I think they were able to make a fairly good report through their collaboration.

Freemind map

Emerging Technologies for learning

I enjoyed this article. The concept I find exciting is "collective intelligence". I find that as a group more can be done than individually. I was surprised to see that 70% of students first turn on IM when they get on their computer. I heard a quote that "email is what I use when I want to talk to old people" - something along those lines. I find the two linked. When it's possible to leverage the input of a group the collective intelligence is truly brought into being. What that means for learning and education is a different matter. I think the article was well balanced in that it acknowledged the limitations of tech savvy and maturity. There are still needs for guidance and training and it's important not to mistake knowing how to use the tools for actually having something to say.

wiki, Sylvia, Common Craft

Here is rss for my wiki, http://ericmarshall.org/wiki/feed.php
I think perhaps we have too many places to upload things. Blog, wiki, ning, netvibes, iLearn. Mulitply this by several classes and it's quickly very confusing to someone already largely confused like myself. I also think deadlines that aren't related to the day class meets are difficult also. I have so many days to upload this or that it's confusing. Welcome to grad school I suppose! It would be nice if the system could remind me when things are due, like my cell phone does. OK, enough rant.

I really enjoyed Sylvia's presentation. How inspiring! I think she should host the learning tools herself and then make the money from all those Google Ads that wetpaint is running on her site. Add to the teacher's income a little! Wonderful enthusiasm and dedication to her work. I find that super-refreshing. Thanks for bringing her to class. I can learn a lot in person from a person's attitude, which might be hard to get from an online experience.

Emerging Technologies

I found this reading exciting. I already use many of the technologies mentioned and look forward to the benefits of their continued adoption. I enjoyed that the book is itself using the principles it expounds. I think that student-centered learning will be adopted, but perhaps at the expense of our existing brick and mortar institutions. I see the idea of m-learning occurring anywhere and in small bits of time as very important. As with other post-modern ideas, I think we will see learning fragment and become more specific to meet the needs of smaller audiences. I think we will also see the death of the 40 hour week as smaller units of time become more viable.

Eluminate

OK, I already posted this somewhere and am a little confused, hope it wasn't to my 801 class....

Taking the course on Eluminate was great. I was sick and didn't want to spread my cold to everyone. I enjoyed the class presentations. One hard point was that I was on a little bit spotty wifi connection and the audio wasn't too clear so I did miss some of Kim's points. I think when she walked too far forward it was hard to hear. Eluminate does this think where the voice get higher when it's having bandwidth issues which makes things sound very surreal - especially when you're sick. Overall I think it's great benefit to be able to participate remotely.

Connectivism

I like the idea that a variety of opinions leads to knowledge. It seems like a more democratic process. By connecting various nodes each individual creates their own perspective with builds a "truth" for them at that time. With the increasingly short half life of information choosing what to learn and what sources to heed becomes more and more important to becoming informed.

Cartography Metaphor, BayChi 9/9

Hi ITECers

There is an interesting article on A List Apart about cartography as a metaphor instead of "architecture"

http://www.alistapart.com/articles/mappingmemory

Also there is an upcoming BayChi meeting that sounds good. I have class that night and can't go, so please give a report if you make it there!
www.baychi.org
Upcoming BayCHI Events
Monthly Program Meeting
September 9, 2008
PARC, Palo Alto
Creating Adaptive and Personalized User Experiences
Niall Kennedy, web technologist, founder of the Widget Summit
Sketching Metaphors
Bill Verplank, CCRMA at Stanford

ITEC 830 - Is this thing working??

Tonight is my first post to ITEC 830 Blog at SFSU. We briefly ran over our ideas regarding Web 2.0. Kim said that the new high careers will be information and design instead of MBA's. I wish she had a time line for that as most of my MBA friends are doing quite a bit better financially than I am! :-)

Our group opened with a skit where I pretended to text-message Gordon and Brian that is was our turn to start our presentation. Everyone laughed. The point I enjoyed about our presentation was that web 2.0 is about like-minded groups of people.