Friday, December 17, 2010

Final Review


Learning Outcome:
In review of learning outcomes I think there is little to add to the work I have already done in my Prezi that I spent a few hours making just a few weeks ago.  I have learned how to use a lot of different tools and put them into application. 

One thing I have taken into account is the direction from Professor Zappalla from this last review.  I have set up my blog so that it is networked with my facebook page.  Although it’s too early to see many results, I have had some feedback and connection from family members who didn’t know I had set up a new blog.

Personal Learning Experience:
Throughout the semester I have learned how to learn to learn.  I have found how to quickly find learning tools and sites to get the resources I need.  For example, just recently a few weeks ago in preparation for the final project I was working on our PowerPoint presentation.  However, in the spirit of web 2.0 I wanted to put it up for review on my blog.  So I went online and quickly found a review site of different PowerPoint hosting sites.  I then picked one and signed in by way of my facebook account.  From there I was able to post it online and put it up for feedback.  More than learning how to use a tool, I have learned how to learn how to use tools.

 Highlight reel of the semester in Digital Civilization.
Some of the greatest posts I have made during the semester are as follows.
Harvard Classics:  This has been by far one of my favorite posts.  The main reason I like this post is mostly because I didn’t do it out of requirement, but because it was of personal interest.  This post was an extra post I put in one week that I put out because I wanted to get feedback from others in this class.  I knew students in our class would have a lot of expertise in the area and would offer some good insights. 
DigiTech Blogs:  Another post that I really enjoyed was my search for digital blogs.  In my personal outreach to find other blogs and sites with an emphasis in modern technological innovations I stumbled upon a handful of sites that have continued to amaze me.  So many times we think of things and tell ourselves that it would be cool to have them in the future, but then you look and find that it is already there!
The Divinity in Natural Selection: This post is one of the best examples of deeper research.  In preparation for this post I personally got a copy of Darwin’s Origin of Species and read a couple sections and scanned through even more.  I personally enjoyed reading through all the examples and depth that Darwin put into his works.  I think the best part of it all was that I was sitting in a Jacuzzi as I was reading!

Where I will go from here….
Although it has been a good opportunity for me to learn and grow through regular use of this blog I feel it will undergo some serious changes.  During this next summer I am going to completely change the theme.  It will be restructured and designed to help me as I work on my Honors thesis as I am in South America.  I am going to use it as a means to stay connected with my referee and assisting professor back in Provo while I am off in the field doing research.


Saturday, December 11, 2010

Got Bless Us, Every One! ~ A Christmas Carol

I have once again started my yearly review of the Christmas Carol.  I was happy to say this year I found a copy of one of the most valuable books ever written for 100 pennies, and not one less. ( Even the former Scrooge would consider that a transaction worthy of purchase.)  Thus in my new personal copy I have broken out pencil and marker and have found some happy highlights as I have breezed on through A Christmas Carol.

Here are a few snippits from the text that stood out most to me as I read and highlighted.

(Scrooge reminiscing his youthful experience with Fezziwig his old master or boss)
“It isn’t that,” said Scrooge, heated by the remark, and speaking unconsciously like his former, not his latter, self. “It isn’t that, Spirit. He has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil. Say that his power lies in words andlooks; in things so slight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count ’em up: what then? The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune.”  (Page 26)

Friday, December 10, 2010

La Restauracion: Prezi

La Restauracion del Evangelio de Jesucristo.



Here is a Spanish remix of one of the Prezi's created by the missionaries.  I still have a few last boxes to translate, but it has taken a couple of hours to get where I have thus far.  But so far it looks pretty good.

Feedback?

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Slide Update

After are run through in class we have gone through and made some updates of our slide show.  We have added   touched up a few slides and worked on strengthening the emphasis of how members get involved.  We are going to continue working on this and add a few more slides too solidify the point.  But what do you guys think so far? How does it look?  Any feedback?



Saturday, December 4, 2010

Sharing the Gospel - V2.0

Our group has been hard at work at upgrading and putting together a strong presentation.  Today we spend about three hours with the entire group brainstorming and putting together a strong presentation.  After sifting through many diffrent ideas of how to present our good material we finally came down to a group decision of telling it in a story.  We are going to look at it all through the viewpoint of an investigator and how the new forms of communication through digital missionary work.  So far things are looking pretty good.  Here is our power point so far...


Sharing the gospel v2.0
View more presentations from James Wilcox.


As a side note SlideShare is a great powerpoint hosting site.  You can login using your facebook account and its easy to upload full presentations.  Oh yea, and of course the basic version is free.  Just another tool/toy to add to the digital toolbox.

Friday, December 3, 2010

DIGICIV REVOLUTION

Come join us this next Thursday, December 9th at 7pm!

It will be an amazing showcase of digital tools and their applications in our ever changing digitalizing world.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Blog Nomination

Now I know I might be bending the rules of nomination a little bit, but I would like to nominate Sean Watsons blog, http://seanrwatson.blogspot.com/.  Now I know we were asked to pick an individual blog, but the thing that stands out more than any of his post is the sleek new design of his blog.  The overall look of the front blog page makes its easy to scan over recent posts and find exactly what you are looking for.  I have enjoyed his posts, in the past, but I really do say that the blog front page has caught my eye this time arround.

LDS.org. Its offically up!

The new.lds.org no longer exists.  It has left the beta testing and has been put into full force.  Now the general membership of the church can delight in the new aesthetically pleasing and extremely useful LDS.org.

The new Membership Directory, Calendar, and Online Study Guide will be a great addition to all ward members, and the new leadership tools will prove to be an incredible aide for finding information out of MLS anywhere!  Its great!