FI | Tim Owens

FI

February 23, 2013

Dropping Dropbox

Ever since we replaced the built-in app installer in Plesk that we use for the Domain of One’s Own hosting panel with Installatron there’s one piece of software I’ve been meaning to play around with, ownCloud. The elevator pitch is that ownCloud installs on your hosted space and functions exactly like Dropbox (including desktop and mobile apps) for file sharing and storage. But in reality there a lot more to it than that, hence this post. - Read More -

Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher by Giulia Forsythe

February 17, 2013

This Web Brings Us Closer

I had a very cool moment a few nights ago when I was sitting in my graduate course on learning theory. As a part of the course we’ve all been assigned a particular theorist and we’re asked at some point in the semester to give a short 15 minute presentation. The first round was Thursday and one of the theorists being presented was Dr. Stephen Brookfield. - Read More -

February 13, 2013

Varying Degrees of Open

We had a great discussion with my Domain of One’s Own cohort about the uncomfortable but wonderful space it can be to be an “open” digital scholar. What does it mean to be open, and where do you draw the line? What’s great about this cohort of faculty who are exploring their own space is that they come from a wide variety of disciplines and stages of their career. And what I learned today is just how strong the promotion and tenure track can be in influencing where and how much of one’s work an academic is encouraged to publish in open online spaces. - Read More -

February 12, 2013

Notes on The Digital Scholar: Chapter 3

In Chapter 3 of Weller’s book he takes a hard look at 2 industries whose business models are being radically challenged by the widespread adoption of digital content and social sharing: the newspaper and music industry (the later I would argue could be redefined as “entertainment industry” since Netflix, Redbox, etc are all challenging the MPAA’s business model as well). We are asked to evaluate whether we can see any parallels between how these industries struggle to adapt in this brave new world and higher education. I don’t disagree with many of the stated truths, particularly “Change, when it comes, can happen very quickly” and the argument to not confuse form over function. - Read More -

January 20, 2013

Notes on The Digital Scholar: Chapter 2

In Weller’s second chapter he attempts to take the rhetoric of how technology might be changing education head on with real data. Too often the hyperbolic proclamations of higher education’s impending upheaval as a result of X, Y, and Z are made by people with a dog (or startup) in the fight. It’s extremely important to recognize areas where technology absolutely is changing the way people learn, but within the context of how things have changed. I love the Weller rightly points out that the broader distribution of information and resources is actually an opportunity for higher ed, not a dystopian precursor to its fall from grace. - Read More -

January 19, 2013

Notes on The Digital Scholar: Chapter 1

This semester we are working on a faculty initiative in collaboration with UMW’s Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation run by Mary Kayler. We have 29 faculty on board who have committed to getting their own domain and hosting through the Domain of One’s Own and building out their digital presence as well as exploring what it means to be a digital scholar. We will meet with them 6 times over the course of the semester to provide guidance on the technical aspects of this but also to reflect and discuss the process and implications for academia. As part of this we will be reading Martin Weller‘s book The Digital Scholar which aligns perfectly with the goals of the initiative. I can think of no greater place to take notes and reflect on the readings than right here on my blog and so this series of posts will do just that. If you’re interested in following along you’ll find it easy to do so. Weller’s book has an open license and is available to read in its entirety online (but I’d also encourage you to buy a copy because he’s awesome and the book is excellent and one you’ll refer back to often when talking to faculty about this stuff). We will be posting our syllabus and curriculum for the initiative and the faculty involved will be blogging their reflections over here. - Read More -