My Myths about the Online Enviornment - ZAPPED!

I was very hesitant about taking online classes. Online degree was almost a bad word when it first entered cyberspace. I wasn’t computer savvy and I felt the quality of online classes would be less than traditional online classes. Plus, I felt people would look down on me if I told them I was taking online classes. I felt they would view me as lazy and trying to take the “easy” way out. Boy was I far from the truth!

I admit I put off taking online classes for as long as I could. I worked full time during the day so the only time I could take traditional courses was at night. I attended traditional classes at night in hopes that I could get all of my core classes in. I soon found out the traditional way of getting a degree wouldn’t work out for me. I found traditional classes to be less flexible. I also found I was tired all of the time! I would often drive straight from work to school with no break in between. Snickers bars and MM’s were often my dinner. I was always in a rush and looked half dazed by the time I arrived at my final destination. It was hard for me to switch from work mode to learning mode. Soon I felt I had no choice if I wanted to get my degree and continue on as a working adult. I decided to bite the bullet and take an online course.

I wanted to start out slow. I was really apprehensive about taking an online class. I knew I was no wizard on the computer. How the heck was I going to muddle through an online course? Half the time I felt lucky enough to be able to figure out some excel spreadsheet on my own. I was pleasantly surprised to discover taking a class online wasn’t as hard as it seemed. I had a huge amount of support from my fellow classmates and professor. We were all in the same boat and learning together. I would often ask questions online where under normal traditional circumstances I would have kept my mouth shut for fear of getting snickers or whispers. Not only did I NOT experience the negative feedback I was so afraid of I usually had the answer to my question in no time. And no one made me feel stupid about asking about it either. My peers or professor responses were full of enthusiasm and encouragement. Oh, and if I still had problems my peers and professor didn’t mind if I emailed them directly! One myth of mine squashed.

I quickly discovered taking an online class was no joke. It was hard! Much harder than the classes I took on campus. I found I had to be self-motivated and very disciplined because no one was going to take my classes or do my homework for me. I often dedicated more time towards my online classes than I did my traditional classes. And it was because I wanted too. It’s weird. I suddenly took great pride in taking my online class. Maybe it made me feel like more of a grown up. In any event my experience squashed any myths I may have had about online schooling.

Today, I’m proud to say I’m earning my degree online. I think I have learned a lot about myself and others through this experience. And even though I don’t get to talk to my classmates face to face I feel as though I get a greater amount of support from my online peers and professors than I did with my traditional classmates and instructors. I wouldn’t go to school any other way.

The Big, Bad Copyright Infringement Law

Often times when I'm conversing with friends about a topic something comes up where we are all trying to remember the name, person, place or year of when an event took place. We all are either snapping our fingers or spitting out the words, "it's on the tip of my tongue!" I have found myself responding with "Google it." Simple solution right? This has become my answer to almost everything. Nowadays, it is so simple to just go to a computer, laptop, or pick up my phone with internet capability to search for things. I admit I have paid little thought to internet copyright infringement laws. I mean, all I'm doing is looking up the answer to something. Why should I care where it comes from? Well, bottom line is I should care where my information is coming from. The internet has become an easy place to commit illegal acts such as copyright infringement. Many laws have been created because of filing sharing, copyright violations using images and information taken wrongfully from the internet. As an avid surfer of the internet I need to be sure I'm taking the appropriate steps to protect myself from possibly being slapped with a huge lawsuit by JohnDoe.com.

I decided to search the internet to find out what the huge stink was over copyright infringement and fair use on the internet. Of course I used my favorite internet search engine Google and googled away. I soon found the definition of copyright infringement on the ever so trustworthy website Wikipedia (because I know for a fact they follow copyright laws right? Oh, and everything they tell me has to be the truth). Wikipedia states copyright infringement (or copyright violations) is the following:

"The unauthorized or prohibited use of works covered by copyright law, in a way that violates one of copyright owner's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works." (2010)

Okay, I can understand why the owner would be upset if I decided to use their work and call it my own. I would be upset too. But how do the courts determine copyright infringement has been committed? And what exactly is protected by copyrights on the World Wide Web?

In my search for answers I came across a website called Copyright Website. This glorious website seemed to be the key to what I was looking for. As I read the articles embedded in this website I found it interesting that pretty much everything on the internet can be copyrighted. The question is what things CAN'T be protected by copyright. Short phrases, blank forms, ideas, facts, titles and names can't be protected by copyright (http://www.benedict.com/, 2010). I found that a little scary. So, how can I determine what I'm downloading from the internet to my computer isn't infringing about copyright issues? Again using my trusty Google search engine I found something called "fair use."

"Fair use provisions of the copyright law allow for limited copying or distribution of published works without the author's permission in some cases. Examples of fair use of copyrighted materials include quotation of excerpts in a review or critique, or copying of a small part of work by a teacher or student to illustrate a lesson (www-sul.stanfordedu/copyright.html, 2010)."

If a possible copyright infringement case is presented to the courts they will determine if a crime has been committed by following the Law of Fair Use. An article I found on Stanford's website states The Law of Fair Use will determine the following:

1. The purpose and nature of the use


2. The nature of the copyrighted work


3. The nature and substantiality of the material used and


4. The effect of use on the potential market for or value of work

Case in point, Kelley V. Arriba Soft Corp. Arriba Soft (now Ditto.com) operates much like Google but it's a visual search engine instead. The engine will search the web and store reduced size thumbnail images of pictures found. When the user searches for an artist it will get small thumbnail images of the artist's work. Such as Leslie Kelly, who noticed in January 1999 some 35 images on Arriba Soft's database. Kelly complained to Arriba who quickly removed the images and placed Kelly's work on a "do not crawl" list. However, shortly after, Kelly discovered more of his artwork on Arriba's website. He complained again and again Arriba removed the images. But Kelly wasn't satisfied with this. He sued Arriba for copyright infringement. Arriba shot back at Kelly's suit and stated they were not infringing on his artwork due to The Law of Fair Use. The court implemented the four elements in The Law of Fair Use and after carefully reviewing each element determined Arriba didn't infringe on Kelly's artwork.

The internet is full of so much information that it is hard to monitor everyone and everything that happens on the internet at any given time. However, after researching the severity of copyright infringement and The Law of Fair use I have learned it is my responsibility to be honest and abide by the rules. If I am going to use someone else's work on the internet I need to make sure I cite them appropriately. Not only is it against the law to steal someone's work it is immoral too. I would like to close with this little picture (which I borrowed from http://www.benedic.com/ resulting from the MGM v. Grokster case, I do not claim this image as my own which is why I will properly cite it at the end of this essay):

References
Copyright Case Book Kelly v. Arriba Soft Corp. (2010). Website Copyright. Retrieved June 19, 2010 from the World Wide Web. http://www.benedict.com/Digital/Internet/Arriba/Arriba.aspx.

Copyright Case Book MGM v. Grokster. (2010). Website Copyright. Retrieved June 10, 2010 from the World Wide Web. http://www.benedict.com/Digital/Internet/Grokster/Grokster.aspx

Copyright Infringement. (2010, June 18). Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 19, 2010 from the World Wide Web. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_infringement

Copyright Law and Fair Use. (2002, December 19). Retrieved June 12, 2010 from the World Wide Web. http://www-sul.stanford.edu/cpyright.html

Tim Howard is a Beast

I have to admit, I'm not really a soccer fan. I don't watch it religiously like some. My sisters both played soccer school and my dad coached soccer (still does). I would go to their games and to watch and support them, but I never followed professional soccer. I could not tell you the difference between one call or another, or why sometimes I think it's okay to swat a soccer ball down even though I know the ref would call "hand ball!" I guess I prefer volleyball over soccer.

But not today. Today I was excited to watch USA play against England. I don't know why. I'm not sure if it is because we were the underdog or because I was essentially delaying the inevitable of home and house work. Either way I was clearly patriotic today and knew exactly what side I was rooting for. And when we sang the national anthem I sang (or more so hummed) along. I sat on the edge of the couch preparing. Doing a funny little chant to myself. I wanted so badly for us to do well. I wanted us to win. I knew (as much as everyone else) that England was a good team and would be hard to beat.

Why couldn't we start out easy? Why couldn't we play against Greece or something (no offense Greece, I love you, but I wanted my boys to do well!) I sat on the edge of my couch, nails in my mouth, biting away the anxious feelings which bubbled up inside. We had to do well. We had to do well because we were America. So when England's captain made the first goal within four minutes of the game I wanted to cry. But ye have little faith my child. Ye have little faith.

I found myself doing things I used to make fun of my boyfriend for when he watches football. I did little chants and dances around the room. I prayed to the soccer gods willing for them to hear me. Please, please, please, we had to win! Or at least score a goal! We couldn't go down 1-0 like everyone predicted! We were America and this was the first time in 60 years we had the opportunity to face England again. Other than the Revolutionary War.

I saw my boys lagging, tired so soon. Did they already give up? I thought if I was on the field I could do better. I could do better even though I had absolutely no idea how to play soccer. I don't even think I have even dribbled a soccer ball down a field. But still I shouted. I screamed. I wanted to throw things, but didn't because I knew I would regret it later. I thought maybe, just maybe if I yelled loud enough they would hear me. Or the soccer gods would hear me. Or my neighbors would just complain because I was screaming obnoxious obscenities. Either way, I was willing victory.

Our savior came in the form of Tim Howard. I have to saw, Mr. Howard is a beast. If someone had that many shots on goal on me I would have given up. I would have just laid down on the fake grass (is it fake in South Africa?) and wished for sweet death. But he didn't give up. Yes, he let one goal slip past him in the first 4 minutes of the game, but I had forgiven him by the time the game was over. But then I asked myself, where was the rest of the team? Where was the rest of America (besides the back seat spectators like myself screaming at the television?) I felt our boys had checked out at the door. Now, why would you do that? Why? I shook my fists in anger!

And then when we finally scored (a soft goal, but I didn't care, I would take it) I was thankful! I didn't care if we scored another goal. I just wanted to make sure England didn't score another goal on us. If our boys could just hold it together for the rest of the game I would be happy. If they would just give Tim Howard some breathing room we would be fine. Yes, we had many close calls, but by the end, we tied. And you know what, that is a win for me. Thank you Tim Howard. Thank you for being the beast that you are. I know it doesn't mean anything coming from someone who knows absolutely nothing about soccer, but I think you are the MVP of this game. Now, hopefully the rest of the USA team will show up to the next game and we can prove to everyone we are a force to be reckoned with.

Typical Class / Session - Online Course

My typical day for this online class goes a little something like this:

1.) Log into www.unt.edu / blackboard.
2.) Check my calendar / syllabus daily (I always seem to get my classes mixed up and I'm constantly checking to see if I posted on the discussion board and whether or not I responded to my classmates).
3.) Pull up Twitter
4.) Pull up my blog
5.) Sit and brainstorm
6.) Customize my blog a little bit from the last time I logged on

And I do everything in this order. I'm not an organized person, but I do get in the habit of doing things a certain way that feels comfortable to me. I love taking online classes because it gives me the flexibility to "go to school" at my convenience. I can check things online from work or on my laptop if I'm at a coffee shop. I can sit at my computer in my pajamas and get up as late or stay up as late as I want and still be able to access my online class 24/7.

A few downsides is that I don't get to meet my classmates. As you can tell I'm a very social person and I do miss having class discussions and meeting new people. I know that is what the discussion boards are for, but they aren't really "real" time so it is hard to keep a conversation going. I also feel that online classes are a bit harder. I have taken classes both traditionally and online and I have to say I think the online classes are a bit more rigorous. I think the reason being is because you have to be very motivated and have a lot of self discipline. I find that I'm often giving up weekends (all day) to dedicate to my classes. I'm also doing them during work when I can and when I get home. So I feel you spend more time with online classes than you do with traditional classes.

With that being said, I would still take an online course over a traditional class any day. I'm currently enrolled in a Japanese course at Collin County Community College in Plano and I have to drive up there every Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours. I'm out of my element really and would prefer to be at home listening to music while I do my homework online.

Myer-Briggs Type Indicator - ENFP

I also took the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator Questionnaire. Below are my results:

Your Type is ENFP

Extroverted
Intuitive
Feeling
Perceiving
Strength of the preferences %

33
12
50
44

ENFP type description by D.KeirseyENFP Identify Your Career with Jung Career Indicator™ ENFP Famous Personalities ENFP type description by J. Butt and M.M. Heiss

Qualitative analysis of your type formula
You are:

moderately expressed extrovert
slightly expressed intuitive personality
moderately expressed feeling personality
moderately expressed perceiving personality

Again, slightly eerie with how accurate these tests are. It doesn't surprise me I'm a moderately expressed extrovert. What surprised me I was only "moderately" an extrovert. I'm pretty social and I feel I get along with people fairly well. I know some days I would rather be in a corner by myself and not be bothered, but overall I'm pretty extroverted. It wasn't always that way. In middle school and part of high school I was very much an introvert. I had a few close friends and fewer acquaintances. I think everyone goes through that awkward phase in their life at some point, but I felt that mine just was a continuous awkward phase. It wasn't until I landed my first "career" job that I felt more comfortable with myself and forced myself to talk with people. Now, like I have stated in my previous blog, that is how I recharge my battery. I was surprised to see that I was only slightly intuitive because I usually go off my gut instinct, however, I'm pretty spontaneous and I often don't think things through all the way when I probably should. I think I need to work on thinking before I act on things.

Kolb's Learning Style Inventory - Doing and Feeling

I also took the Kolb's Learning Style Inventory. I discovered I was a "Doer" and "Feeler." Below are my results:

If you prefer Doing and Feeling then you in the organizing category:

o Good at adapting to changing circumstances and solves problems in an intuitive, trial-and-error manner, such as discovery learning.
o Tends to be at ease with people.
o Prefers the challenges of new experiences, involvement with others, assimilations, and role-playing.
o Likes anything new, problem solving, and small group discussions.

I feel that I fit this particular category fairly well. I don't necessarily like change (I don't think anyone really does, if they do you they do they're lying), but I feel that I adapt to change fairly well. I usually go with my gut feeling (as you can see in my typing I use a lot of "feels" to describe the emotions I'm trying to convey). I feel more comfortable doing this in a trial-and-error manner because to me there is a sense of control (because I'm a type A personality I like to be in control of all situations even though I know that isn't possible).

I love to be around people. I have been told that is how I "recharge" my battery. However, there are times where I do like to be alone, but that isn't often. For example, I do enjoy my car ride home alone in my car, but sometimes I feel the need to talk to someone. I'm not sure why, but I will pick up the phone and dial someone. Usually it's my boyfriend, but if he doesn't answer I will go down the list of people I haven't talked to in a while.

I do like the challenges of new experiences, but I really don't like role playing them. In fact, I hate getting up in front of people and giving speeches, especially people I know. I'm not sure why. You would think I would rather speak in front of people I know and trust, but in the back of my mind I feel they will find something I screwed up on which isn't the case at all. I would almost rather jump out of a plane than give a speech to a group of people. Almost. I'm terrified of heights too and the very thought of jumping out of a plane makes my palms sweat. But jumping out of plane sounds really good right before I have to go up and give a speech.

I do for the most part like anything new. I love trying new things, exploring new places and eating weird and different foods. I also like small group discussions because I feel like you can accomplish more rather than conversing in a large group. I feel with a large group of people there is more room for indecisiveness or confrontation.

All in all, I feel the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is pretty accurate. Accurate to the point of being scary.

My Learning Style

Learning Styles Results

Results for: Briannon Keydeniers


ACT X REF
11 9 7 5 3 1 1 3 5 7 9 11
<-- -->

SEN X INT
11 9 7 5 3 1 1 3 5 7 9 11
<-- -->

VIS X VRB
11 9 7 5 3 1 1 3 5 7 9 11
<-- -->

SEQ X GLO
11 9 7 5 3 1 1 3 5 7 9 11
<-- -->


· If your score on a scale is 1-3, you are fairly well balanced on the two dimensions of that scale.
· If your score on a scale is 5-7, you have a moderate preference for one dimension of the scale and will learn more easily in a teaching environment which favors that dimension.
· If your score on a scale is 9-11, you have a very strong preference for one dimension of the scale. You may have real difficulty learning in an environment which does not support that preference.

I took the Index of Learning Questionnaire and honestly, I'm not too surprised by my results. However, I do feel that I may fluctuate slightly back and forth depending on my mood. Some days I feel more extroverted and other days I feel more introverted. I wish I was more balanced with the intuitive and global parts of the questionnaire. I feel you can have too much of a good thing. It's always better to be balanced. Now that I know where I fall on the scale on my learning styles I plan on working on becoming more balanced because it will eventually help me in the long run. Not only with school, but with my career too. I have found career wise you work with so many different kinds and types of people. I think it is best to aware of their learning and teaching styles as well so you can adjust your styles accordingly.

My Expectations for LTEC 3440

I have many expectations for this class. After reviewing and reading the syllabus and first week introductions I was excited to get started. This class has a lot to offer. I didn't really think about the difference of the physical realm versus the online realm. I was also excited about the fact that we get to utilize Twitter and create a blog. I also hope to gain additional skills regarding "netiquette" and online communication.



I already have a twitter account, but honestly, I don't use it as much as I use Facebook. I got rid of my Myspace account because I felt it was time for me to "grow up." I felt Facebook was the more "mature" route to go regarding my online branding. But Facebook is essentially the same thing. I decided to try out Twitter awhile ago to follow celebrity status updates. I figured I could "stalk at a distance." I know that sounds horrible and you would think that my celebrity blogs and websites would be enough. Somehow twitter fell off the map for me and I continued to use Facebook. I felt that was the only way to keep up with friends and family who were out of town.



But I digress....one of my expectations have already been met and that is starting my own blog. I have always wanted to do it, but felt I never had the time to keep up with one. Plus, with me putting thoughts and opinions out there I felt I was leaving myself open for crucification (I learned this the hard way on Facebook). I like to observe now rather than post my status updates for the world to see. I feel I'm taking a chance with blogging and I'm glad this class requires it.



I hope to be able to be consistent with blogging and using my Twitter account. I think this class will force me to do that. Like it or not, the world is becoming more internet based with each passing day. We not only communicate via email or phone, but by the comments we make on blogs, Facebook and Twitter. It's not just a fad that will eventually go away. I hope to become more knowledgeable in the internet world. I feel I have the physical realm down pretty well, but the online enviornment is still a scary thing for me especially concerning ethical issues and concerns.



All in all, I think this course will be great and help me to utilize my creativity online. There is no doubt in my mind that this class will fail to meet my expectations.

Last day of Vacation, First day of School!

I have to admit, I'm a little nervous while I type this. I have blogged things on myspace before, but I have never "officially" created a blog on an actual blogging website.

Today is my last day of vacation....well, I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation! It was kind of a whirl wind to be completely honest. My boyfriend and I travelled to California and to Colorado for two weddings. I was physically and emotionally exhausted and it wasn't even my wedding! But it was great to see family and friends again. I feel weddings are the only time I get to see anyone anymore. Although, I have to say I'm very lucky I haven't had to go back for a funeral. At least I get to see everyone under joyful and exciting circumstances.

But today is also my first day of summer school! I'm a bit nervous about this class, but I think it will finally help me to get off my butt and start blogging. I'm excited and anxious to see how I progress in this class. So here is to my first blog and many more blogs to follow!