Final Research Paper

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AU_1OSffc1VHZGN0YjNjNjlfMmRuZjNodGN3&hl=en

Just in case you are unable to read this in google docs, here is my research paper:
Eric Rosenthal
May 4, 2010
English 303/ Baldwin
Final Research Paper:
The Effects of Multimedia on Education

Throughout this semester, the English 303 course has pondered the questions, what is a multimedia author, and how does multimedia writing enable new forms of creativity? As the course has progressed, it has been established that anyone can be a multimedia author and that multimedia writing enables many new forms of creativity. This is a general view of what took a semester long look into the world of multimedia and the multimedia author. As this paper goes on, it will point to more specific arguments concerning these topics. Yet it will do so through the lens of how multimedia has effected education. In the initial days of pondering this essay, it was easier to believe that multimedia has hurt education and learning. However, as more research was collected, the thesis of this paper changed to believing that the functions of multimedia have instead helped education and learning; and in turn it has allowed for a better understanding of the multimedia author and the forms of creativity enabled.
Before being able to make a judgment on whether or not multimedia is beneficial to education, one must first analyze the different functions and applications of multimedia. Abhaya Asthana from Bell Labs at Lucent Technology in Westford, Massachusetts has broken down multimedia into five groupings. Asthana believes "multimedia combines five basic types of media into the learning environment: text, video, sound, graphics, and animation, thus providing a powerful new tool in education." Asthana states this in the article "Multimedia in Education." Asthana gives concrete definitions of what makes these five types of media. "Out of all of the elements, text has the most impact on the quality of the multimedia interaction. Generally, text provides the important information. Text acts as the keystone tying all of the other media elements together.” Text is used in practically all types of multimedia. The next type of multimedia is sound. “Sound is used to provide emphasis or highlight a transition from one page to another. Sound synchronized to screen display, enables teachers to present lots of information at once. This approach is used in a variety of ways, all based on visual display of a complex image paired with a spoken explanation.” Asthana believes that the sound component of multimedia can be a distraction because it can be used wrong at times. However Asthana also believes that it can be used to stimulate a student’s imagination, which of course is a good thing. Therefore the sound component of multimedia is also a key component in student’s learning. The next component is video. “The representation of information by using the visualization capabilities of video can be immediate and powerful. While this is not in doubt, it is the ability to choose how we view, and interact, with the content of digital video that provides new and exciting possibilities for the use of digital video in education.” Asthana makes it clear that the video component is crucial in the creativity factor of multimedia. Not only is it helpful in the learning aspect of education, but it also provides ways to express new forms of multimedia. The next aspect of multimedia is animation. “Animation is used to show changes in state over time, or to present information slowly to students so they have time to assimilate it in smaller chunks. Animations, when combined with user input, enable students to view different versions of change over time depending on different variables.” Animation is a great way for students with disabilities to learn as it allows for student’s to learn at their own pace. The last aspect is graphics. “Graphics provide the most creative possibilities for a learning session. They can be photographs, drawings, graphs from a spreadsheet, pictures from CD-ROM, or something pulled from the Internet.” Asthana believes that graphics allow for students to truly use their imagination. Asthana gets more specific by labeling these as “cortical skills: color, form, line, dimension, texture, visual rhythm.” Asthana concludes that while all of these types of multimedia are great for education, it is the actually implementing of these methods by students that allows for greater learning. Therefore Asthana believes students need to “produce” multimedia documents in order to reach the greatest amount of learning possible.
David R. Wetzel, who has a Ph.D. in Education from George Mason University, a Master's Degree in Science and Math Education from Old Dominion University, and a Bachelor Degree in Business from Saint Leo University, seconds Asthana’s beliefs. Wetzel noticed through his many years teaching, that students learn at different rates and through different stimuli. This made Wetzel search for an ultimate source to help all of his students. While there was no one way to perfectly teach all of his students, he realized that by using the five concepts of multimedia, he was able to better the student’s learning levels. Wetzel contributes this to certain advantages of using “internet based multimedia.” In his article “Multimedia Advantages When Teaching K-12 Science,” Wetzel comes up with the conclusion that “Teaching with Internet-Based Resources Increase Interest in Learning.” He points to four reasons for his student’s better learning and ability to learn at a faster rate. They are “animation (which encourages student interaction), videos (which stimulates visual senses to encourage interaction), sound (which stimulates the auditory senses to encourage interaction), and student interest (because concepts are conveyed quickly and effectively to students).” Wetzel recommends the use of multimedia in education and believes that we should embrace new technology because it can help students learn in ways older techniques of education could not.
The concept of using multimedia in education is not necessarily new. However the frequency and methods of some multimedia we use today is seen as innovative because of the way many people use to think of multimedia. Many people have precontrived notions of multimedia. A common belief is that using multimedia is only for advanced users and therefore its benefits would be limited. This common thought is denounced however in the journal “Beyond the Basics,” where the article “Multimedia Authoring: It’s not just for Experts Anymore” claims that anybody is capable of producing and learning from multimedia. This article questions the multimedia author. It claims that many people believe only computer engineers are able to make use of certain types of multimedia and thus the multimedia author is somebody with a Ph.D. Yet the article goes on to define the multimedia author as somebody who believes “Using an audio- and video-laden presentation has always been an effective method of making your point. If we can see it and hear it, it can affect us. But if we can interact with the presentation in some manner, we have a much greater chance of remembering the information.” The people that act on this belief, according to this article are thus multimedia authors.
Another example of multimedia’s effects on educational learning is shown in an experiment that was done by California State University at Bakersfield students Yeunjoo Lee and Kurt Keckley. It was in this experiment that these two students showed how the use of multimedia positively affected special education students in driver education courses. The outcome of this research concluded that, “as a result of the lessons, the students significantly improved their scores on posttests. In addition, the multimedia lesson was shown to be more effective than a non-multimedia lesson.” This testing shows first hand results that support the “Beyond Basics” journal. Anyone can be a multimedia author and anyone can benefit from multimedia learning. The use of PowerPoint in these experiments was crucial. It directly influenced the stimuli of the special education students. This shows the range of creativity the multimedia author has in creating new forms of multimedia.
In an article titled, “Elementary and Secondary School Lesson Plans: Technology in the Classroom with Multimedia Lesson Plans,” Wendy Russell explains certain creative ways teachers can teach through the use of multimedia. Russell believes that in today’s day and age, all teachers should adapt to the times and learn how to become multimedia authors. Russell goes on to say that she believes it is easy to become a multimedia author today and therefore teachers should help their students by adapting to newer and more beneficial teaching techniques. Russell explains that teachers can use power points to teach anything from math to the formation of clouds in the sky. It is the essence of creativity that allows for teachers to take teaching to the next level. Russell believes the flexibility in making multimedia features allow for creativity in teaching to really show.
Another way, in which creativity is shown through multimedia, is the way certain educational institutions have had to adapt to newer technologies. Since newer technologies have allowed for anybody to become a multimedia author, the pressure is on for people to stay current with times. An example of this is through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where the school’s newspaper has had to stray away from just black and white printing of campus news. In a Washington Post article, the editor-in-chief of The Daily Tar Heel, Andrew Dunn, speaks about the ways the paper has had to change in order to keep up with their readers. Dunn talks about the decline in print newspaper readers and thus The Daily Tar Heel’s adaptation to their online issue of the paper. Without this online supplement to the print edition, Dunn believes there would be very few readers of his paper. Part of this is contributed to the explosion of online social networking components. Dunn states that many people get their news from networks such as instant messenger, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and blogs. Dunn and his paper are not the only one’s to turn to social networking sites in order to increase participants.
Many educational institutions have turned to what was formally known as pop-culture phenomena, in order to better the education of their students. To some, applications such as instant messenger, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and blogs were all used just for fun. However they are all currently being used in the realm of education. In a study by Wooseob Jeong, titled “Instant Messaging in On-Site and Online Classes in Higher Education,” Jeong comes to the conclusion that the use of instant messenger in education is more of a positive than a negative. Jeong points to a specific reason for instant messenger’s positive association with education. The most crucial reason points to the instant communication that students have while using instant messenger. Jeong says that it “expands the student’s comfort zone, [as well as] facilitates flexible office hours.” This ability to increase communication between teacher’s and students is Jeong’s main reason for believing instant messenger is good for education. This is just one way in which these social networks of multimedia have helped in education.
Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and blogs have all had similar success in schools that instant messenger has experienced. Each one is usually used in order to better communication. A first hand example of this is in English 303, where all of these multimedia social networks have been discussed. Not only have these aspects of multimedia been discussed, but also some have been implemented. For instance the use of blogs have been crucial throughout the semester. Classmates have been able to compare thoughts and ideas through blogs and other social media aspects. This just goes to show the creativity that goes along with the multimedia author.
The multimedia author is able to be extremely creative and the best part of this creativity is that it is always expanding. Thus there really is no limit to how creative an author can become. This is proven through the “Beyond the Basics” article, which stated that no longer does the multimedia author have to be advanced. Instead anyone can be a multimedia author, and his or her creativity does not have to be limited. This unlimited amount of creativity is critical in allowing multimedia to help education and learning. Therefore, with more advancement in multimedia, there will be more advancement in education and learning.

Final Creative Project

http://www.sporcle.com/user/Engl303/contributed


This is a link to online tests that I have made. My project focuses on how methods of multimedia effected learning in education . Soon I will show the results I came up with by comparing the online tests results versus the handwritten tests results. The tests vary in difficulty.

After making these tests online, I had ten friends take each test in both written and computer form. As a result, each one of my friends preferred to take the online test because they enjoyed the "clean" look of the test opposed to the handwritten look. They thought it was easier to process what was being asked and easier to take the test. I thought this was interesting that all ten of my friends preferred the online test. Since i went home last weekend, I figured I could ask a wider range of people to take my tests. So I then went on to ask people from different generations to see which test they preferred. I thought it could just be a generational difference; I was somewhat correct. First i had my parents take the test. My parents did not mind taking the test online. In fact they were slightly in favor of the online test for some of the same reasons my friends enjoyed the online test. I then had all four of my grandparents take the test. Three out of my four grandparents liked the handwritten test because they all had difficulty using the computer/internet. The one exception was my grandfather from my father's side of the family. He is also the only grandparent of mine that uses computers/internet regularly. By going home and being able to test other generations, I was able to come to the conclusion that people who are used to using computers on a daily basis enjoyed the internet quiz more so than the handwritten quiz.

Collaborative Trailer Image

Collaborative Trailer

Since my project has to do with multimedia positively affecting learning and education, my part of the group trailer could consist of a series of pictures that demonstrates the evolution of teaching. First there could be a picture of a chalkboard with the letter grade "C." This could be followed by a textbook with the letter "B." Next could be a picture of a computer with the letter "A." This would demonstrate the evolution of learning and the subsequent "grade" or improvement in the student's education.

Adventure

View Adventure in a larger map

Creative Gallery

After viewing a few examples of previous creative galleries, I am not sure how I want to go about completing the final aspect of this project. Initially I thought I would develop two test, one being online and one that would be handwritten; with these two tests I thought it would be interesting to see whether those who took the online test or handwritten test completed the task more effeciently and at what speed. I'm not positive how I can go about completing this, but I feel as if it is pretty related to my topic of the effects of multimedia in learning (or education).

Creative Response

For my creative response towards my project, I think I can test college level students on a series of questions; with one form of testing on the computer (multimedia) and the other appearing on a regular piece of paper. This will show the effects of multimedia on testing. If I am unable to make a testing program online I may rely on a website called sporcle that has all sorts of tests from any category (history to sports). I will compare the results of those that used sporcle to those that took the handwritten test. I think it will be interesting to see how the use of multimedia affects the accuracy and time to complete the testing versus the hand written test.

Youtube Author

The Youtube author is anyone who posts a video having to do with just about anything. It is interesting however because the author has the freedom to post anything they want. The videos defiantly say something about the poster of the video, but it may say just as much about the viewer. It is called youtube because it resembles anything You put on the Tube. It also represents what You want to see on the Tube, if you are a viewer. Obviously youtube is popular and I think it is because there is so much freedom and just about anybody can find something that will entertain them because it is their Youtube.

Logical Map

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AU_1OSffc1VHZGN0YjNjNjlfMGYzNnNxamZx&hl=en

Final Annotated Bibliography

Professor Baldwin,
I was unable to fix the formatting when I copied and pasted my annotated bibliography from Microsoft word, so I will send you an attachment with the correct formatting to your email. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.
Many Thanks,
Eric Rosenthal



Annotated Bibliography
Asthana, Abhaya. "Multimedia in Education." Web."Effects of a Teacher-Made Multimedia Program on Teaching Driver Education." EScholarship at Boston College. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. .
This article is about a teacher who developed multimedia software in order to teach students how to drive with mild disabilities. This software was shown to improve the learning rate of the student’s with disabilities. This is important because it shows the effects of multimedia in education.
Yet this article is limited because it shows the effect on students with disabilities and not students of all learning types. This is important because it may be different with students who do not have these types of disabilities.
It is important to my topic however because it does talk about the affects of multimedia in the classroom. I can use this to talk of how multimedia is not necessarily bad in the classroom.
"HowStuffWorks "How Instant Messaging Works"" Howstuffworks "Communication" Web. 25 Feb. 2010. .
This article explains how instant messenger and other types of multimedia messaging work. It goes through the process of development with instant messaging, as well as the terminology. This is important because it talks about the revolution of communication.
This article is limited however because it does not specifically say anything about education.
Yet I can still use this article to explain the basics of instant messaging and I can attribute this to the style of student writing.
Larreamendy-Joerns, Jorge. "Going the Distance with Online Education." Review of Educational Research 4th ser. 76 (2006): 567-704. Jstor. American Educational Research. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. .
This article speaks of the success in online education due to the ability to reach so many people in different places. It explains that the ability to reach so many people has allowed for more people to become educated. This is important because it is a case that illustrates the ability for multimedia education to improve learning.
Yet this is limited because it does not specifically differentiate the success this program would have if it were not multimedia, but instead in the classroom.
However I can still use this article as a reference explaining a positive in online education.
Johnson, Jenna. "Campus Overload." Washington Post. 24 Jan. 2010. Web. 2 Feb. 2010. .
This article talks about the editor-in-chief of The Daily Tar Heel at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's goals for the coming year. It focuses on the balance between the print edition and the online newspaper. It emphasizes the growing trend towards multimedia authorship.
This is a good source because it distinguishes between the multimedia author and the print author. It is also reliable because it was written in The Washington Post.
This will be a good reference for my project as I can talk about how the print writer has been forced to adapt to the ways of the multimedia author due to public demand.
"Multimedia Advantages When Teaching K-12 Science: Teaching with Internet-Based Resources Increase Interest in Learning." Teaching & Technology. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. .
This article talks about the benefits of multimedia education through the focus of elementary school through high school science classes.
This is not very limited as it shows case studies and backs up its claims.
I can use this to show that multimedia has helped education and thus instant messaging as a multimedia tool does not necessarily have to be bad.
Reinking, David. "A Formative Experiment Investigating the Use of Multimedia Book Reviews to Increase Elementary Students' Independent Reading." Reading Research Quarterly 3rd ser. 35 (2000): 384-419. Jstor. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. .
This journal article talks about the use of multimedia in increasing elementary school student’s independent reading. It is beneficial because it is yet another case study showing the positive effects multimedia has on education.
This is limited however because it only shows the effects on elementary school students.
I can still use this though as a reference in order to prove that multimedia in education can be a positive experience.
Russell, Wendy. "Technology in the Classroom - PowerPoint Lesson Plans - Elementary Lesson Plans." How to Use PowerPoint - Business Presentations - Free PowerPoint Tutorials - How to Use Presentation Software. Web. 04 May 2010.
"Smart Computing Article - Multimedia Authoring." Tech Support, Computer Virus, Computer Security, Computer Virus Information, Home Network. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. .
This article explains the evolution of the multimedia author and how it affects society. The writer believes that because anybody can be a multimedia writer, it is easier to find information due to the ability to specify a website. The author believes that because elites are no longer the only people who can make a website, there are more choices in finding a website, and thus the most appealing website is easier to find. This is important because it talks about the evolution of the multimedia author and how it affects society.
Though it is limited in the sense that it is a short article and it does not go into specifics.
However I can still use this article as a reference in terms of the question what is a multimedia author.
"Technology Impact on Learning." National School Boards Association. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. .
This article talks specifically about technology’s impact on education. It references the impact not only on math or science, but other subjects such as art or music.
This website is not very limited as it specifically talks about the impact on education in every concept of education. It even has case studies to back up its claims.
I can use this to explain how technology has helped students and thus programs such as instant messenger can be beneficial too.
"Technology in Education." New Horizons for Learning. Web. 16 Feb. 2010. .
This website has a large database of articles that reference multimedia authorship and technology in schools. Included is an article that references my subject. This article is titled "Instant Messaging: Friend or Foe of Student Writing?"
Unlike other resources, this website has fewer limitations due to its vast collection of articles regarding technology in education.
This is going to be a great reference for my project as it has a specific case study that I can cite.
"Text Messaging, Chat Abbreviations and Smiley Faces - Webopedia." Webopedia: Online Computer Dictionary for Computer and Internet Terms and Definitions. Web. 26 Jan. 2010. .
This website is basically the largest index of text/ chat abbreviations used on the web. It chronicles abbreviations from A-Z. "With the popularity and rise in real-time text-based communications, such as instant messaging, e-mail, Internet and online gaming services, chat rooms, discussion boards and mobile phone text messaging (SMS), came the emergence of a new language tailored to the immediacy and compactness of these new communication media. If you have ever received an instant message or text message that seemed to be written in a foreign language, this Webopedia Quick Reference will help you decipher the text chat lingo by providing the definitions to more than 1,200 chat abbreviations."
This is limited because the only information listed here is shorthand for instant messaging. It does not provide any information about the effects on education.
This will be great for my final project, as I will need to reference examples of how the multimedia author has been changed due to cultural changes.

Annotated Bibliography II

I'm trying to copy and paste my annotated bibliography from Microsoft Word into my blog and it keeps changing the spacing and formating.

Annotated Bibliography
"Effects of a Teacher-Made Multimedia Program on Teaching Driver Education." EScholarship at Boston College. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. .
This article is about a teacher who developed multimedia software in order to teach students how to drive with mild disabilities. This software was shown to improve the learning rate of the student’s with disabilities. This is important because it shows the effects of multimedia in education.
Yet this article is limited because it shows the effect on students with disabilities and not students of all learning types. This is important because it may be different with students who do not have these types of disabilities.
It is important to my topic however because it does talk about the affects of multimedia in the classroom. I can use this to talk of how multimedia is not necessarily bad in the classroom.
"HowStuffWorks "How Instant Messaging Works"" Howstuffworks "Communication" Web. 25 Feb. 2010. .
This article explains how instant messenger and other types of multimedia messaging work. It goes through the process of development with instant messaging, as well as the terminology. This is important because it talks about the revolution of communication.
This article is limited however because it does not specifically say anything about education.
Yet I can still use this article to explain the basics of instant messaging and I can attribute this to the style of student writing.
Larreamendy-Joerns, Jorge. "Going the Distance with Online Education." Review of Educational Research 4th ser. 76 (2006): 567-704. Jstor. American Educational Research Research. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. .
This article speaks of the success in online education due to the ability to reach so many people in different places. It explains that the ability to reach so many people has allowed for more people to become educated. This is important because it is a case that illustrates the ability for multimedia education to improve learning.
Yet this is limited because it does not specifically differentiate the success this program would have if it were not multimedia, but instead in the classroom.
However I can still use this article as a reference explaining a positive in online education.
Johnson, Jenna. "Campus Overload." Washington Post. 24 Jan. 2010. Web. 2 Feb. 2010. .
This article talks about the editor-in-chief of The Daily Tar Heel at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's goals for the coming year. It focuses on the balance between the print edition and the online newspaper. It emphasizes the growing trend towards multimedia authorship.
This is a good source because it distinguishes between the multimedia author and the print author. It is also reliable because it was written in The Washington Post.
This will be a good reference for my project as I can talk about how the print writer has been forced to adapt to the ways of the multimedia author due to public demand.
"Multimedia Advantages When Teaching K-12 Science: Teaching with Internet-Based Resources Increase Interest in Learning." Teaching & Technology. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. .
This article talks about the benefits of multimedia education through the focus of elementary school through high school science classes.
This is not very limited as it shows case studies and backs up its claims.
I can use this to show that multimedia has helped education and thus instant messaging as a multimedia tool does not necessarily have to be bad.
Reinking, David. "A Formative Experiment Investigating the Use of Multimedia Book Reviews to Increase Elementary Students' Independent Reading." Reading Research Quarterly 3rd ser. 35 (2000): 384-419. Jstor. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. .
This journal article talks about the use of multimedia in increasing elementary school student’s independent reading. It is beneficial because it is yet another case study showing the positive effects multimedia has on education.
This is limited however because it only shows the effects on elementary school students.
I can still use this though as a reference in order to prove that multimedia in education can be a positive experience.

"Smart Computing Article - Multimedia Authoring." Tech Support, Computer Virus, Computer Security, Computer Virus Information, Home Network. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. .
This article explains the evolution of the multimedia author and how it affects society. The writer believes that because anybody can be a multimedia writer, it is easier to find information due to the ability to specify a website. The author believes that because elites are no longer the only people who can make a website, there are more choices in finding a website, and thus the most appealing website is easier to find. This is important because it talks about the evolution of the multimedia author and how it affects society.
Though it is limited in the sense that it is a short article and it does not go into specifics.
However I can still use this article as a reference in terms of the question what is a multimedia author.
"Technology Impact on Learning." National School Boards Association. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. .
This article talks specifically about technology’s impact on education. It references the impact not only on math or science, but other subjects such as art or music.
This website is not very limited as it specifically talks about the impact on education in every concept of education. It even has case studies to back up its claims.
I can use this to explain how technology has helped students and thus programs such as instant messenger can be beneficial too.
"Technology in Education." New Horizons for Learning. Web. 16 Feb. 2010. .
This website has a large database of articles that reference multimedia authorship and technology in schools. Included is an article which references my subject. This article is titled "Instant Messaging: Friend or Foe of Student Writing?"
Unlike other resources, this website has fewer limitations due to its vast collection of articles regarding technology in education.
This is going to be a great reference for my project as it has a specific case study that I can cite.
"Text Messaging, Chat Abbreviations and Smiley Faces - Webopedia." Webopedia: Online Computer Dictionary for Computer and Internet Terms and Definitions. Web. 26 Jan. 2010. .
This website is basically the largest index of text/ chat abbreviations used on the web. It chronicles abbreviations from A-Z. "With the popularity and rise in real-time text-based communications, such as instant messaging, e-mail, Internet and online gaming services, chat rooms, discussion boards and mobile phone text messaging (SMS), came the emergence of a new language tailored to the immediacy and compactness of these new communication media. If you have ever received an instant message or text message that seemed to be written in a foreign language, this Webopedia Quick Reference will help you decipher the text chat lingo by providing the definitions to more than 1,200 chat abbreviations."
This is limited because the only information listed here is shorthand for instant messaging. It does not provide any information about the effects on education.
This will be great for my final project as I will need to reference examples of how the multimedia author has been changed due to cultural changes.

Shared Document

I am working on the implications instant messenger has on education. The two different debates argue whether or not instant messenger helps or hurts the student as a writer. This topic is important as programs such as instant messenger have become mainstream in our society. Although many would argue that instant messenger hurts the student, I am going to argue that by using instant messenger, the student is affected in a more positive way than what most would think.
Eric Rosenthal

Annotated Bibliography

Johnson, Jenna. "Campus Overload." Washington Post. 24 Jan. 2010. Web. 2 Feb. 2010. .

This article talks about the editor-in-chief of The Daily Tar Heel at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's goals for the coming year. It focuses on the balance between the print edition and the online newspaper. It emphasizes the growing trend towards multimedia authorship. This is a good source because it distinguishes between the multimedia author and the print author. It is also reliable because it was written in The Washington Post. This will be a good reference for my project as I can talk about how the print writer has been forced to adapt to the ways of the multimedia author due to public demand.

"Technology in Education." New Horizons for Learning. Web. 16 Feb. 2010. .

This website has a large database of articles that reference multimedia authorship and technology in schools. Included is an article which references my subject. This article is titled "Instant Messaging: Friend or Foe of Student Writing?" Unlike other resources, this website has fewer limitations due to its vast collection of articles regarding technology in education. This is going to be a great reference for my project as it has a specific case study that I can cite.

"Text Messaging, Chat Abbreviations and Smiley Faces - Webopedia." Webopedia: Online Computer Dictionary for Computer and Internet Terms and Definitions. Web. 26 Jan. 2010. .

This website is basically the largest index of text/ chat abbreviations used on the web. It chronicles abbreviations from A-Z. "With the popularity and rise in real-time text-based communications, such as instant messaging, e-mail, Internet and online gaming services, chat rooms, discussion boards and mobile phone text messaging (SMS), came the emergence of a new language tailored to the immediacy and compactness of these new communication media. If you have ever received an instant message or text message that seemed to be written in a foreign language, this Webopedia Quick Reference will help you decipher the text chat lingo by providing the definitions to more than 1,200 chat abbreviations." This will be great for my final project as I will need to reference examples of how the multimedia author has been changed due to cultural changes.

What is a multimedia author?

At this point I believe a multimedia author is anybody who creates the written word through the use of technology. This may be a broad definition, but I believe it holds true. It is a very unique subject as anyone can be a multimedia author. People of all ages, races, cultures all have the ability to become a multimedia author. As many people have mentioned, copy right laws may distinguish specific multimedia authors, yet we all have the capabilities. Although major writers from major websites or online newspapers may be the most heralded multimedia writers, we all have the same capabilities. Especially since we are all writing these online posts. So as an example, we are all multimedia writers.

Working Trailer

Preview/Trailer

Like many other students have mentioned, I am not sure how I would like to construct my preview/trailer. However I have come up with a few early ideas that I may develop. Seeing as though my topic involves the evolution of the student through the use of multimedia, I am considering showing the affects of programs such as instant messenger and its affects on student writing. I may be able to use examples of instant messaging shorthand such as "lol," "jk," and other abbreviations during my trailer. This coupled with music and other examples may show how the multimedia author has grown and evolved through time. I am considering using an old sounding instrumental song while showing words such as just kidding and laughing out loud; and using a futuristic song for the words "jk" and "lol."

Brainstorming: what I want to do my project on

I'm really not sure what I want to do for my final project. Originally I thought about writing about how multimedia has changed education and whether or not it has helped or hurt students in gaining a better education. More specifically I could write whether or not the use of multimedia in school has help transform students into better writers or if it has hurt their writing skills. For instance I have heard many teachers talk about how instant messenger and other forms of online communication has hurt students spelling and grammar. On the contrary, the internet also has many examples of writings that can better a student's skills.

Tenner Response

After reading Edward Tenner’s Technology Review of “The Rise of the Plagiosphere,” it made me think of the meaning of originality. Tenner writes about the different ways technology has increased the detection of plagiarism in the form of word for word verbatim as well as paraphrasing. He points out three ways of detection: web-crawlers, text comparison software, and “techniques for identifying no verbatim similarity between documents to make possible the detection of no verbatim plagiarism.” Thus in the future the use of plagiarism will be highly detectable. However, what is really an original piece of writing? Over time the chances of people using the same phrase or two in a particular paper will arise. Is this coincidence or is this plagiarism? If I write in a blog that I cannot wait to start my day today because it’s beautiful and sunny; and another person writes the same sentence on their blog a couple weeks later is that a coincidence or plagiarism? That’s why Tenner’s review makes me think of our research question. What is multimedia writing originality?

My first blog

My first blog!

My earliest memory of using the web was when my older brother signed me up to manage a fantasy football team. I remember the strong emotion of pride in myself for finally using the internet. I was probably only twelve or thirteen years old and was not to familiar with the web like I am today. I thought that by using the web I had grown up a little bit. Although I probably got my butt kicked in my first year in fantasy football, it began a life long hobby of mine that I cannot imagine life without.