Edutainment Today

President Obama Misses One Facebook Milestone, But Grabs Another « Row 2, Seat 4

2010-07-07T22:19:00.000-07:00

President Obama Misses One Facebook Milestone, But Grabs Another « Row 2, Seat 4

U.S. Facebook growth sputters in June

2010-07-07T22:18:00.000-07:00

U.S. Facebook growth sputters in June

Some doctors join Facebook, Twitter; others wary - USATODAY.com

2010-07-07T22:17:00.000-07:00

Some doctors join Facebook, Twitter; others wary - USATODAY.com

E-Book Readers: Does Apple iPad Spell Doom for Amazon Kindle? | Peter Kafka | MediaMemo | AllThingsD

2010-06-20T22:49:00.000-07:00

E-Book Readers: Does Apple iPad Spell Doom for Amazon Kindle? | Peter Kafka | MediaMemo | AllThingsD

Social Media Addiction: It's Everywhere!

2009-02-12T11:36:00.001-08:00

As we approach the beginning of the end of winter, I have noticed that everyone around me has become a social media addict. I have high level exective who has literally gone wild with the Flip camera that I advised our boss to get. She is pretty good telling stories too. My direct supervisor has become the queen of Facebook and actually keeps in touch of things through Facebook. The big boss who I call Papa Bear is really getting into it by encouraging us to do more and to be creative when use social media. Is this Bizarro land or something bigger?

At first I thought it was Bizarro land, I really did! However, it has become quit clear that the Obama digital revolution has finally taken hold in government, big business and even the non-profit sector. Why? In government, the President is literally the driving force because he ran his campaign utilizing social media as a fundraising tool, a direct unfiltered platform to address the public in concert with mainstream stream media, and as a media tool that can address multiple things simultaneously. Is this a good thing? I think it is a great thing because it allows the citizenry to get direct information from the government, as well as big business, and it does not cost a thing. Now that's what I call cost cutting and a stimulus!

The key thing for business, non-profit and government leaders to understand about social media is that these tools are bottom-up tools not top down tools. One cannot use the same old approaches to speak directly to the public or one's employees when they have the capability to instantly answer you through multiple devices like cell phones, gaming consoles and personal computers. You cannot disable questions when utilizing social media because then it is not social media, it is simply plain old new media, and the questions that you avoid will invariably be found on YouTube or other video sites by angry consumers, citizens or other stakeholders. While it is important to allow the executive to blog, it is even more important for rank in file employees and experts within the organization to participate. Many of these individuals are more savvy with these tools than their bosses and they make the boss look smarter when he or she has employees who are producing compelling content.

The bottom line is that everyone wants their content to be viewed or heard! If you are an organization looking to expand your horizons, do not wait to do it, just start a social media campaign and run with it. Have fun! Try new things! Really think outside of the box, and you will be surprised at the responses that you will get over time. Social media is not about control, it is about collaboration and compelling content. It means that the people in charge have to share the ball with the whole team and create stars from their team who may not necessarily be the stars that the boss would have picked in the past. This is a new day! We need news ideas and solutions! We need new voices! Are you listening to me business and government executives? What do you think?

Facebook Excommunication: It Can Happen To You! The Remix!

2008-08-16T23:55:00.000-07:00

By Chris A. Heidelberg, III, PhD. Publisher & Managing Editor

Well I am already getting feedback from some of my 1600 Facebook friends, and they are not happy either. Why? Because they realize that what I wrote was true: you can be excommunicated from Facebook or other online sites on real charges due to lack of knowledge or trumped up charges or a combination of both. Apparently, Facebook is doing this to other people who are not adding too many friends but for other alleged reasons as I found out by reading Digg. Remember MySpace used to be the unquestioned leader, and now Facebook has surpassed MySpace for the first time recently.

One of the reasons was that Facebook was able to compete was that they were the more professional version of MySpace; however, Facebook runs the risk of engaging in the same type of heavy handed tactics that doomed Netscape, AOL, Sony, and to a lesser extent Microsoft. My point is this if you have the best product or service and people love it: work with them. Some of us are digital immigrants who are learning as we go along and other have researched the technology and we still have issues with understanding the terms of use.

So as you read a re-post of the orginal post below, I want you to ask yourself a few basic questions: do you want to be treated fairly; do want the the terms of online agreement clearly explained to you in plain English or your language of choice; and do you want companies to work with you when you make honest mistakes due to lack of knowledge. With great power comes great responsibility, let's make sure that great young companies like Facebook do not get puffed up like the older companies that are having tough times today because they did not do the right thing long term for their customers because they only cared about the immediate profits and not the long term. I guarantee you the company that has learned this well has been Google. They made things simple for their customers and then gave it away for free so that they could charge great advertising fees. Now for the remix!
If you are one of my former 1600 Facebook friends, don't even bother trying to contact me because you can't! I don't exist! I am officially disabled which really means excommunicated! I guess the YouTube videos below best describe how I feel right now. One of the biggest problems of dealing with many online companies is knowing what the terms of your agreement. Like Internet veteran Rob Scobie I recently had my Facebook account disabled after receiving a warning email that I might be disabled. I think that there is a huge difference between getting a warning email and being straight up cut off by the powers that be at Facebook. My "warning" from Facebook turned into being banished from Facebook in a manner that would have made Charlton Heston's Moses look like he was still included in the Egyptian Royal Family. I was kicked out, thrown out, and literally made an example of because I betrayed the terms of my agreement.

Here is a quick quiz: how many of you really understand the terms of the agreement when you signed up for Facebook or any online service. I actually went to law school, have a PhD and deal with legal documents all of the time and I have to tell you that the document that most people routinely scan and click is clearly written in favor of the drafter of the contract because they know that few people will successfully protest or win in a court of law.

My point here is that I love the Facebook platform, but in their zeal to prevent spam they are persecuting amateurs like me who have no intention of spamming and only intentions of networking. Maybe they should borrow from LinkedIn and allow people to network who belong to the same groups. In my case I was experimenting with teaching a class in South Africa and here simultaneously before taking a trip. So I networked through one of my friends and that was considered a violation because I was adding too many friends too fast.

I have written Facebook several times and I have only received an initial response and after that I have received no response email from Facebook. This is disturbing to me that a company of this size would treat its customers like this and not even both to respond to email with at least a form letter. Hey, I work with the government and even they send you a form email to respond to your email. I realize that I will probably not get my account restored for writing this post but after trying to correspond with them and promising to reform from my "wicked ways" that I did not know I had. All I want to do is network with my academic, technology, media and student friends. I am so disappointed because I feel that the heavy handedness of Facebook is a shame because I think it has the potential to become the platform. I have always liked it better than MySpace but it appears that they don't want me.

My real problem with Facebook is that when you try to find out how many friends that you can add they cannot tell you what the limits are. Please spare me the lecture about safety when we know that everyone's data is being mined and used for advertising in the future by Microsoft after that huge deal. If by some miracle that I manage to get my account restored, you can bet that I will be on ten friend limit per day. What is really terrible is that I actually interacted with my friends and used them for both professional and media contacts.

So here are my questions: what does one do when they run afoul of the undisputed king of social networking? What would you do? In the meantime, if you want to contact me by Facebook you may be eligible for retirement by the time I even get a response, so don't hold your breath waiting. Come on Facebook give me one more chance and loosen up because you are starting to act like Microsoft used to act before they re-discovered customer service.

If you're reading this and you are on Facebook, I hope you learned what I did: Facebook can do whatever they want to do; Facebook will cut you from the squad quick and then tell you to read the vague rules that they wrote to protect themselves legally; Facebook will not give you specifics in plain English on how to stay out of trouble once you have run afoul; Facebook will not give you real due process and you will be punished with a snowball's chance in hell of being reinstated with all of your existing friends; Facebook will not respond to your requests for reinstatement even when you promise to change; Facebook has created rules similar to the credit card companies and you know you can't win appeals with them unless you are F. Lee Bailey or loaded; and Facebook has the best social networking site in the world that will make you an addict as I am finding out as I go through withdrawal. Hey maybe we should protest! Yeah right!

Hey I have already lost my privacy, due process, and right to protection against self-incrimination with Facebook. So I better use my First Amendment right while I still have it! I guess I feel like the guy getting lectured to by Clint Eastwood as Clint is holding the gun to him and promising this gentleman to, "Go ahead make my day!" You never get a straight answer when the person holding the gun is holding all of the cards, has cut you off of Facebook, and has already shot at you quite accurately. Don't bet on me getting reinstated, especially after this post!

It's Time To For Performers And Media Outlets To Embrace Edutainment!

2008-08-16T23:48:00.000-07:00

By Chris A. Heidelberg III, PhD, Publisher & Managing Editor

Why is it that no one was really paying attention when Gil Scott-Heron said, " The revolution will not be televised." Scott-Heron was not only right, he was absolutely on point because that is exactly what is happening! Remember when Apple introduced the iPod in 2001, this was the true beginning of true convergence because it put the power of technology literally in the hands of students and professionals alike. Once the iPhone, the iPodTouch and iTunesU officially debuted last year the revolution went into high gear.

The fact that schools like Stanford, MIT, Duke and many other prominent schools are on board with iTunesU is a shot across the bow of traditional education and the telecommunications companies that have been using traditional distance learning platforms in large rooms or directly to personal computers. What makes iTunesU special is that students literally can summon their course on demand on a computer or portable device anytime, anyplace and anywhere! Moreover, professors and students can utilize tools like Digg and Facebook to promote, share, bookmark, and blog the course internationally, and they can utilize video services such as blip.Tv, YouTube, Google video, Yahoo video, Vimeo, and Brightcove to to disseminate the content of the class through iPhones and iPodTouch devices too!

The fact that iTunesU is a free service is a winning hand for Apple and I am sure that Google and Apple will figure out a way to monetize this and share some of the proceeds with the schools through advertising in a non-distracting way so that academics do not hit the roof with anger. Nintendo is doing a very similar thing with its Nintendo DS model and its highly popular Wii platform with its Wii Fit game. Nintendo has already integrated learning into a few of its games and I see them taking a serious plunge into serious gaming already because of Wii Fit. Microsoft and Sony will definitely respond to stay competitive with Nintendo.

The Wii Fit is a game that teaches one how to get fit, and iTunesU gives you a class in your hand. The only thing missing is innovative content! Are you listening Jive Records, Warner Brothers, Def Jam, A& M, Virgin Records? I am listening to an edutainment based rap song that teaches multiplication and it is already a hit in the Baltimore-Washington area. These are two areas with high public school dropout rates and majority African American populations, and anything that can help these children learn and have fun in school is critical. The house is literally burning while experts are fighting over whether or not an esteemed Harvard professor should pay kids to learn! Why not! The rap game actually popularized the term edutainment with KRS 1 back in the early days of hip-hop, and now it is time that the new school rappers go back to the roots of rap and provide something lasting and positive to young people who are often from the same backgrounds and areas as many of the rappers.

I have an experiment with anyone that will take it. Ask your child regardless of age to tell you the words to Lil

Wayne's Lollipop and then ask them to recite a serious academic lesson verbatim. Most of them will flunk this test, but if you challenge them to write a rap about their history project, Hamlet or any other type of literature, basic science principles or a how to on math you may get a surprise. Say what you want about Bill Cosby and Barack Obama, but the education problem is an American issue and a matter of national defense. The country is turning brown and multi-colored and if we are serious about not leaving any children behind in this nation. KRS 1 said it years ago, " You must learn!" I guess the learning establishment was not listening! I can guarantee you that within ten years there will be a rise in learning rappers and I am looking for them.

The time is now, we cannot keep creating two jails: one for the mind and one for the person in America. Edutainment and convergence is a force that is here to stay! It is time for performers and media outlets to create, promote, and financially get behind serious hip hop that teaches learning principles, or are they really about money and all that stuff about social responsibility is really horse hockey? Victor Hugo once wrote, "There is one thing more powerful than all of the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come!" Today that ideas is iTunesU but record labels as well as the rest of the entertainment world is missing out on a chance to make real profits and transform society. The question is this: do they have the intestinal fortitude to do the right thing the right way for the right reasons and still get

paid? I think we all know what the answer should be! These media firms often hate Apple and Google, but they often fail the creativity test instead of trying to work with these creative companies for the long haul they like suing them or punishing them even when it costs them big money like the Viacom and NBC fights have demonstrated! For once will someone show some leadership in academia and corporate America, and work with people like me to help to solve this problem.

I focus on tech things because I see the power of technology when combined with the arts and educational theories and practices in innovative fashions. Apple, Nintendo, and Google should not have all the fun and get paid! Let's share the love of gaming, convergence, and the joy of learning through music, drama, art, and dance. Gil Scott-Heron was right revolution has not been televised but it sure has been streamed and downloaded.

Now that's edutainment!

Facebook Excommunication: It Can Happen To You! Part I

2008-08-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

By Chris A. Heidelberg, III, PhD. Publisher
If you are one of my former 1600 Facebook friends, don't even bother trying to contact me because you can't! I don't exist! I am officially disabled which really means excommunicated! I guess the YouTube videos below describes how I feel right now. One of the biggest problems of dealing with many online companies is knowing what the terms of your agreement. Like Internet veteran Rob Scobie I recently had my Facebook account disabled after receiving a warning email that I might be disabled. I think that there is a huge difference between getting a warning email and being straight up cut off by the powers that be at Facebook. My "warning" from Facebook turned into being banished from Facebook in a manner that would have made Charlton Heston's Moses look like he was still included in the Egyptian Royal Family. I was kicked out, thrown out, and literally made an example of because I betrayed the terms of my agreement.

Here is a quick quiz: how many of you really understand the terms of the agreement when you signed up for Facebook or any online service. I actually went to law school, have a PhD and deal with legal documents all of the time and I have to tell you that the document that most people routinely scan and click is clearly written in favor of the drafter of the contract because they know that few people will successfully protest or win in a court of law.

My point here is that I love the Facebook platform, but in their zeal to prevent spam they are persecuting amateurs like me who have no intention of spamming and only intentions of networking. Maybe they should borrow from LinkedIn and allow people to network who belong to the same groups. In my case I was experimenting with teaching a class in South Africa and here simultaneously before taking a trip. So I networked through one of my friends and that was considered a violation because I was adding too many friends too fast.

I have written Facebook several times and I have only received an initial response and after that I have received no response email from Facebook. This is disturbing to me that a company of this size would treat its customers like this and not even both to respond to email with at least a form letter. Hey, I work with the government and even they send you a form email to respond to your email. I realize that I will probably not get my account restored for writing this post but after trying to correspond with them and promising to reform from my "wicked ways" that I did not know I had. All I want to do is network with my academic, technology, media and student friends. I am so disappointed because I feel that the heavy handedness of Facebook is a shame because I think it has the potential to become the platform. I have always liked it better than MySpace but it appears that they don't want me.

My real problem with Facebook is that when you try to find out how many friends that you can add they cannot tell you what the limits are. Please spare me the lecture about safety when we know that everyone's data is being mined and used for advertising in the future by Microsoft after that huge deal. If by some miracle that I manage to get my account restored, you can bet that I will be on ten friend limit per day. What is really terrible is that I actually interacted with my friends and used them for both professional and media contacts.

So here are my questions: what does one do when they run afoul of the undisputed king of social networking? What would you do? In the meantime, if you want to contact me by Facebook you may be eligible for retirement by the time I even get a response, so don't hold your breath waiting. Come on Facebook give me one more chance and loosen up because you are starting to act like Microsoft used to act before they re-discovered customer service.

If you're reading this and you are on Facebook, I hope you learned what I did: Facebook can do whatever they want to do; Facebook will cut you from the squad quick and then tell you to read the vague rules that they wrote to protect themselves legally; Facebook will not give you specifics in plain English on how to stay out of trouble once you have run afoul; Facebook will not give you real due process and you will be punished with a snowball's chance in hell of being reinstated with all of your existing friends; Facebook will not respond to your requests for reinstatement even when you promise to change; Facebook has created rules similar to the credit card companies and you know you can't win appeals with them unless you are F. Lee Bailey or loaded; and Facebook has the best social networking site in the world that will make you an addict as I am finding out as I go through withdrawal. Hey maybe we should protest! Yeah right!

Hey I have already lost my privacy, due process, and right to protection against self-incrimination with Facebook. So I better use my First Amendment right while I still have it! I guess I feel like the guy getting lectured to by Clint Eastwood as Clint is holding the gun to him and promising this gentleman to, "Go ahead make my day!" You never get a straight answer when the person holding the gun is holding all of the cards, has cut you off of Facebook, and has already shot at you quite accurately. Don't bet on me getting reinstated, especially after this post!

The Convergence Effect: Consolidation Is Now Impacting Brand New Media!

2008-07-12T11:10:00.001-07:00

As I was reading All Things Digital on the Wall Street Journal online portal, I noticed that my Facebook friend Rafat Ali had sold the popular digital news site paidContent for somewhere between $25 and $30 million dollars to English publishing conglomerate, The Guardian. Under the terms of the deal Guardian will take a hands off approach and let Ali and his team do what they do best: keep us informed on the latest technology news.

Normally, I am not a fan of media consolidation; however, my concerns are usually when big companies merge. I actually am more of a fan of deals like this when social media pioneers and gurus like Ali are financially rewarded. Why? First, it will encourage more blogging teams to produce quality content that draws eyeballs if they want the same financial rewards. Second, it brings new players into the media game with new ideas and approaches to reporting that is sorely needed. Third, it demonstrates that the big companies are willing to pay real dollars to become real players in the digital media world.

Media consolidation is not always evil; however, it has to be regulated. Now I know that this may not be popular with some of my supply-side economic friends, but regulation is often needed because human beings are complicated creatures who behave both good and bad. At the end of the day, change is coming to media because of the impact of convergence.

To be sure, the media conglomerates are finally beginning to understand that social media is different and cannot be controlled and manipulated as easily as traditional media because of the democratizing effect of the Internet and social media. Politicians and big business are just beginning to learn these lessons, but the Google mantra of "do no evil" is a start. Even though, Google and these companies are far from perfect, the idea of dealing with the public in a forthright and transparent manner is what is driving the web.

The Convergence Effect: Consolidation Is Now Impacting Brand New Media!

2008-07-12T10:57:00.001-07:00

Now That's Edutainment and Convergence!

2008-02-13T13:13:00.001-08:00

My iPhone, originally uploaded by George Ruiz.

Here is a great post by George Ruiz on Flickr that says the three words that I am always talking about on this site: Edutainment and Convergence!
If you have a Mac and an iPhone you are more than half way there, all you need is the right HD video camera and tripod and a Canon Powershot if you want super digital stills.

My point is that one can a really nice Mac and an iPhone for less than $3,000 and then add on a decent HD and Powershot Shot for another $3, 000 and you can have a walking studio that can fit in one bag when traveling for less than $7, 000. I remember that a similar hookup during the early 90's or at the beginning of the decade and it would have cost closer to $70 to get the same quality results for video, sound and to put it online. Of course, no cell phone existed for the masses during the 1990's ,and neither did iTunes , that play back video like iTunes. People were just really adopting digi-Beta at the beginning of the decade and the tapes were high: nearly $50 at the time. My point is that you could have done streaming and downloads but the qualtiy was not there. After the Duke Digital Initiative, one would think that every college could put this set up in every students hands, and throw in a digital camera and classic iPod for storage purpose. Why? Because no one would ever have an excuse for missing a class that they can download on their computer or their phone via rss, and the students could also create their own visual homework to accompany what they write. It would be a great way to conduct natural research in field whether it was qualitative, mixed or quantitative.
This is just part of the future of education. We just have to get all of the Academy on board because those who podcast on iTunesU are already ahead of the game. We just need to work with them on presentation, and we can recruit producers and directors for the job of killing the snooze factor and making the class/show fun, interactive and learner-centered.

Recording a Podcast Using an iPod and a Micromemo

2007-12-30T23:05:00.001-08:00

Edutainment and research keeps getting easier with tools like the iPod and inexpensive recording attachments that are a little more than $69. You can record lectures, research interviews and media interviews with your iPod and upload them to your computer and create your own podcasts. Now that's edutainment!

Strike It Out Grandma With Wii!

2007-12-17T16:49:00.001-08:00

Nintendo Wii Gamers, originally uploaded by bmcvey.

Here is the rest of story from the previous post! As you can see this senior knows how to bowl a virtual strike, and she is not alone. The average gamer age is 32 and climbing. These folks are going to mess up the curve and are already bringing the family hour back with a little friendly - or should I say - serious competition!

Don't believe me, check out The Washington Post.com story that has been all over Digg.com on this issue!
Yes, and now you can see the rest of this story with just you and Wii!

Seniors Are Leading The Edutainment & Convergence Charge With Wii Addiction!

2007-12-17T16:44:00.001-08:00

Nintendo Wii Gamers, originally uploaded by bmcvey.

By Chris A. Heidelberg III, Managing Editor & Producer

Just In case you thought I was joking about the seniors playing Wii check out this photo. As you know, this is the version of Edutainment Today that focuses on the visual image more than text, so I figure that this picture says a thousand words!

By the way, this photo is not from New York City where there are huge lines to buy a Wii which I will show later, these senior are literally from Omaha, Nebraska in middle America. The silent majority has spoken: casual games are hear to stay and learning or serious games are a big part of the future of learning, assessment and competency development according to experts such as John Paul Gee, Marc Prensky, Robert Wisher, and Clark Aldrich. So get your game on!

The Wii Is Still A Hit With Seniors And They Got Game

2007-12-17T16:25:00.001-08:00

Hey if you want to see some really competitive video game action all you need to do is to go to your local retirement community, senior citizen home or just call your grandparents if you are blessed to still have them! The Wii has become so huge with seniors that many are confirmed fans, and yes some have confessed to being Wii gaming addicts.

I have been writing and speaking about the impact of casual games with edutainment for the past four years and the Wii has been at the top of the list for the past nearly two years. When I spoke about this at the Ragan Web Content Conference in Chicago, I was greeted with some surpised looks and some exciting looks from some of my students who had heard about this phenonemon.

You can read more about this story on our sister site http://edutainmenttoday.wordpress.com andThe WashingtonPost.com.

Verizon Makes The Right Move By Getting On Board With Google's Android - For Now

2007-12-05T06:44:00.001-08:00

Now here's another sign of the apocalypse. Verizon Wireless is embracing the open approach advocated by Google's Android because it makes common sense, it may become mandatory like Carter Rules, and it is an excellent preemptive strike just in case Google wins the 700Mhz spectrum auction and radically changes the business model and all of the rules. Verizon cannot lose with this approach. There is nothing like an 800 pound gorilla named Google to get people to change their core business values and adopt new business values. Your move AT&T!

read more | digg story

It's Vegas Baby and It's A Light Show

2007-12-04T16:40:00.001-08:00

Vegas Slow Hand, originally uploaded by iceman9294.

Viva Las Vegas as this beautiful shot from the top of the Eiffel Twoer at Paris, Las Vegas during CES 2007.

Who says you can't travel the world and learn something in Vegas?

The sheer artistry and the use of color is something to remember when creating your blog. It's all about getting your attention and keeping it so that you come back. Nobody does it better than Vegas, except for Disney, and they both take your money for a lifetime of memories.
Now that my friends is edutainment with convergence to boot with all that digital gaming taking place!

Michael Jones of Google Using the iPhone

2007-12-04T16:33:00.001-08:00

Michael Jones, originally uploaded by duncandavidson.

Now here is a perfect example of business and education working together.

In other words what we have here is Michael Jones of Google on stage at the 2007 2.0 Conference at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, California shortly before the release of the iPhone in May.

The crowd at the time was saying oooh as this example of edutainment with convergence has gone viral on the web and has remained popular even though over 1 million people worldwide own the device.

This is the power of convergence!

The Ultimate Disruptive Technologies: The iPod Family

2007-12-04T16:26:00.001-08:00

iPods [Sept.2007], originally uploaded by fayyazb.

The many versions of the iPod and now the iPhone have changed the way that people listen, see and obtain media and entertainment.

Increasingly everything is being narrow-casted to the individual based on individual tastes.

This new line up of disruptive iPods now have brought iTunesU and AppleTv to the party and they may be the way that many of us learn in the future considering that Duke, Stanford, MIT and Cal-Berkeley are part of the movement!

Remember, iPods can and should be utilized as business and learning tools because of their ability to replay, record and re-learn outside of the traditional learning or business environment!

These devices bring power to the individual for the greater organizational good, and its a perk that people love! Hey its the holiday season, do it!

Here Is A Close Up Of The iTouch iPod

2007-12-04T16:17:00.001-08:00

itouch, originally uploaded by conan_cat.

This is what the iPhone could become if Google wins the spectrum auction.

You would not have to have a carrier in the normal way. You could use GoogleTalk to conduct conversations instead of AT&T and it would all be cloud based and VOIP.

iTunes and YouTube would become your video outlets and you can use Google search, Yahoo and Flickr to posts to your sites with this tool. This will happen within the next 2 to 3 years if Google wins the spectrum auction and takes phone service to the advertiser based model. Consider if whitespace technology is adopted for HD television on the the blank broadcast channels.

Most local television stations will have at least 3 broadcast channels and one could see local universities or companies providign education and training online, via broadcast or via cellular and cloud based distribution points.

Businesses will be able to narrow cast to existing and potential customers through social networks like Facebook and Google's search. The possibilities are endless!

iPod Touch - The Next Generation of Ipod

2007-12-04T16:08:00.001-08:00

iPod Touch X10 Remote, originally uploaded by buytees.

Plain and simple touch and voice technology will coming at us in waves within the next few years.

The iPod touch with some quick lessons produced this photo.

If you don't have a touch screen don't worry, you will soon. So get in the game and don't fear it! The key with all technology is ease of use when trying to adopt a new technology (Davis, 1989).

Nintendo Wii - It's Virtual Reality

2007-12-04T16:04:00.001-08:00

Nintendo Wii will be sold in early December, originally uploaded by digitalbear.

Good luck finding one of these in stores!

This is the Nintendo Wii!

It has an addiction factor of 15 on a scale of 1- 10 and some of its biggest fans are senior citizens.

It is serious competition and few plasma screens have made the ultimate sacrifice due to over-exurberant players over 65, not to mention the younger ones.

This is also a great team building exercise that doesn't require great skills.

Gaming With A Sony PSP

2007-12-04T15:59:00.001-08:00

Sony PSP - Lumines, originally uploaded by koolsmoky.

The game is called Lumines.

It is very addictive! It is extremely addictive!

But guess what, it teaches decision making, consequences, spatial reasoning, critical analysis, and problem solving skills.

In a multi-player online environment, it teaches teamwork, collaborative skills, communication skills and even language skills since players in this environment often live in different nations.
(Bonk & Dennen, 2005; Gee, 2005; Prensky, 2006; Wisher, 2000)

This Is A USC College Student's Bag - And He Is Not Alone!

2007-12-04T15:55:00.001-08:00

What's in my bag?, originally uploaded by koolsmoky.

I know what you're thinking when you see this picture of a college student who appears to be a USC student with all of these gadgets: he is not learning jack!

Wrong answer! He is a digital native and he learns different than many of us. Because I just stopped going to classes last spring I actually recognize myself with many of these tools at work! Guess what I actually use most of them as short cuts for learning new skills, information and for conducting research.

So just because there is a lot a junk in the trunk, does not mean a person is playing games without a purpose! LOL!

By the way how many of these devices can you name? How many do you own? How many do you actually use? How many of these devices do your friends, children, spouse or significant other use on a regular basis?

Questions! Questions! Questions! This is what drives convergence, and it is coming to a classroom and office near you no matter how much bosses try to ban them as just games or gadgets. That is not what the research or the Armed Forces of the US thinks!

They don't spend billions on this stuff for nothing and research it, and then go totally digital unless it works (Bonk & Dennnen, 2005; Wisher, 2000, 2007).

The Future of Learning and Business

2007-12-04T15:45:00.001-08:00

Sony PSP, originally uploaded by Heeran Rathod.

If you don't believe that the future of learning and business is gaming, you have obviously missed the memo. When the Defense Department spends billions on smart weapons and creating a digital armed forces, it is time to re-think how we educate civilians with the use of simulation and gaming.

Academics such as Aldrich (2004), Gee (2005), Halter (2006), Jenkins (2006), Prensky (2006), Tapscott & Williams (2006) and Wisher (2000, 2007) have spaking about the potential of gaming to transform the education and training from a 19th century model to a 21century model for digital immigrants. Nations, universities and government agencies now have to develop gamers and science fiction writers because of the real prospect of cyberware. Don't believe it? Well the Pentagon was not talking much but there were several reports of cyber-attacks on our computer networks as well as other Western nations from Chinese hackers with alleged military intentions to swipe sensitive data. So you may want Johnny or Jill to play games for strategy and for analytical reasoning purposes.

You Can Capture The Essence of Travel

2007-12-04T15:31:00.001-08:00

On The Turning Away., originally uploaded by Gui =D.

Conside this trip and how it visual stimulates anyone. Take a look at the rich detail of this image and what does it say to you.

Creativity With Convergence Tools Is Addictive

2007-12-04T15:23:00.001-08:00

Working on my pictures, originally uploaded by h.andras_xms.

As you can see from viewing this photograph, it has become easier than ever to create and transform visual images with software, web tools, and user friendly computers like the one in this photo.

The point of this photo is to make you think! Think about how you can transform the mundane into the context of a greater narrative that speaks of you and your organization's mission.

This is the portrait of the modern thinker consumed inside the global village and painting a picture that can now speak 1000 words in several languages simultaneously. This is why we get addicted to our Macs, PCs. cell phones, Blackberry's, iPhones and games. There is a human need to express ourselves.

Now This Is Truly Remarkable!

2007-12-04T15:14:00.001-08:00

iEye, originally uploaded by h.andras_xms.

This is what happens when old mediums of telephones and photography meet the new mediums of wireless technology, the Internet, microprocessors, and digital photography and software. This my friends and colleagues is convergence. The iPhone was the cited as the invention of the year by Time Magazine for 2007.

The potential for entertainment, education, and business is limitless. Why did I show the iPhone again? To remind you to keep your eyes open and focused on things like iTunesU and YouTube where elite universities such as Duke, MIT, Southern California and the University of California at Berkeley have posted courses for download. How about Digital Duke where courses can be downloaded to iPods and iPods are given to students for free for classes that podcast? Business can benefit tremendously from these tools!

Convergence Can Trap You With An iPhone

2007-12-04T14:43:00.001-08:00

Rubin is iTrapped, originally uploaded by Stillframe.

The iPhone is such an addictive convergence device that people literally want to live in the phone ala "I Dream Of Jeannie." The fact that this photo could be shared instantly on web that it created a buzz for an upcoming site titled iTrapped.com tells you everything that you need to know about the viral power of the web when one utilizes free tools.

See You At Ragan - In Chicago - My Kind Of Town

2007-12-04T12:07:00.000-08:00

You know Old Blue Eyes was right when called Chicago my kind of town because that is the only reason why this snow wimp is getting on a plane and presenting my research at the Annual Ragan Content Management Conference.

I will be giving an hour interactive workshop on how to utilize Social Media to augment your organization's marketing, communications, advertising, and learning organizations. I will be providing the benefit of my twenty years of experience as a producer, director and writer in the private, public, academic and non-profit sectors and how social media and new media can assist your organization in meeting your communications objectives through convergence technologies and web tools.

Am I excited? Yes! Is it great to do a dry run one week before I formally present my study in the academic environment? Yes! Is a professional audience of your peers sometimes a tougher group than old school academic? Ooh! That is too close to call, but I will let you know in two weeks or so!

Naturally, I am going to Chicago in December with snow in the forecast again! Well, I just want to get to the event safely, give folks some valuable information, and return safely! Since I just taught myself how to use blogger in its new rendition, I am proud to say that it is extremely user friendly. It does not hurt that Google also provides video posts directly from YouTube which I plan on trying for the benefit of my session. I think this will make the class more interactive and innovative. We may actually utilize some of the research data from the participants to improve this blog or create a new one.

Hey, you can expect a few blogs from Chicago! I am really interested in setting up my PowerPoint presentation in the slideshow mode directly from the site for my next presentation next week as part of a shock and awe moment for the professors to liven up the usual boring PowerPoint moment with a highly interactive version. Now that's edutainment!!

The Google Effect - Sets Up A Showdown With Telecomms In The Spectrum Auction

2007-12-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

Google's announcement that it will enter the 700 MHz spectrum auction in January has had a ripple effect in the fields of entertainment and education. From an entertainment perspective the two leading cable giants Comcast and Time Warner cable announcement yesterday that they would not be participating in the auction for wireless space with a reserve price of $4.6 million. It is literally amazing how the convergence of events - no pun intended - has created a showdown of epic proportions when the auction begins on January 24, 2008.

Why? Well for starters telecommunications giants AT&T and Verizon have favored a closed network approach while Google has successfully lobbied for an open network approach that will allow consumers to utilize any electronic device to access the Internet. Google and believe it or not Microsoft are part of a tech industry initiative to utilize white space - or open local television channels - as access points for the Internet once local television stations begin broadcasting in high definition as required by federal law in February 2009. Preliminary tests have been promising for white space technology, but a recent demonstration for the FCC did not totally convince the regulatory body. However, the white space model is simply the Google model in disguise because it advocates an open system that allows consumers without cable to access the web and utilize an advertiser driven model that mirrors broadcast television.

The telecommunications duopoly of AT&T and Verizon and the cable duopoly of Comcast and Time Warner Cable have been so busy running attack advertisements against one another that Google has managed to make an end-run around them by first introducing the Android system which will create an open mobile system that of course will run Google ads and YouTube video ads across mobile platforms. The decision by Google to succesfully lobby the FCC for limited openess to the winner of auction may actually help maintain a form of net neutrality or openess for consumers even if Google does not win. The cable companies blinked yesterday and got out of the race which radically exposes AT&T and Verizon. AT&T has been riding high with the iPhone and its merging of Bell South into the fold, and Verizon made an error by not taking the iPhone but has been successfully in implementing its FIOS network and breaking the cable monopoly.

For the first time the telecommunications companies face an adversary that is smarter, leaner, more creative, more popular, and more consumer oriented than they are. Did I mention that Google is loaded too? This is problematic for the telecommunications companies. Why? Because Google will not rest until it has an open Internet with an advertiser based model rather than the subscription based model that has failed miserably on the Internet and will impact cable subscriptions soon as consumers will migrate to many to the Internet and HD broadcast television as well as iPods and gaming devices for entertainment.

The question becomes this: is it cheaper for these companies to settle and split up the Internet and allow Google to utilize its Android platform and advertiser-based model or is it better to keep the status quo? Verizon recently announced that it would open up its network, but to paraphrase Ronald Reagan and Walt Moss in All Things Digital- one must verify before one can trust the Soviet Ministry as Moss refers to the telecommunications industry. AT&T would actually be smart to open up its network, so that its iPhone partner, Apple, is not left to fight a war against hackers who keep opening up the iPhone because of its exclusive deal with AT&T. Look for Apple to get out of this deal once, it can so that it can distribute the iPhone 3.0 version across platforms, especially if Google wins spectrum space in the auction. Apple is the wild card in this whole auction deal. Why? Three of its board members sit on Google's board including Google CEO, Eric Schmidt and Nobel winner and former VP Al Gore. This is probably why Google did not openly compete against the iPhone but instead created an open platform that a 3G or maybe even a 4G iPhone, by the time the AT&T deal is done, could thrive with the Mac operating system. Apple would be a logical partner for Google and Apple could also help Google by creating its own social networking platform of iPod and Mac users to compete against Facebook and arch-Google competitor, Microsoft.

Social networking demands loyalty and a voracious fan base and nobody this side of the Boston Red Sox Nation, Chicago Cub Fans, Yankee fans or Dodger fans are as loyal as Mac fans. If you want to see Facebook get nervous watch what happens if Mac uses a social network with Google ads to show programs on iTunes and to promote AppleTv which could use a boost. The television networks could use the help with the write strike creating losses by the day. Moreover, the longer the strike the more it may embolden writers to cut their own side deals with Google, Apple, Amazon and even Microsoft for digital content.

The networks have been so busy trying to make Apple and Google conform to their antiquated ways that they are facing a war from within that will never be over! Why does NBCU walk away from a $15 million because they want Apple to change the most succesful and profitable online media downloading business that Apple essentially created? Why does NBCU and music executives expect Apple to give them a piece of the iPod? HULU is unproven, and it may end up just like AOL video and a bunch of other pretenders who took on Apple's iTunes. NBCU should have developed HULU and made it profitable before cutting ties with Apple. Besides Apple customers with iPhones will still be able to view HULU for free, and so will AppleTv customers.

Now back to the unwinnable war being fought by networks with its backbone: the writers. Why is this war never going to end? Because even if the writers get most of what they want, they know that they can never trust the networks or studios when the next new technology appears. Writers as a group tend to be very smart people, and they are also independent minded too! I know because I have been a producer/director/ writer for 20 years and I have many friends in the business. Some are on strike right now, and they will be cutting side deals within the next year as HD television enters in earnest.

The spectrum auction is going to fundamentally change how we entertain and communicate. It will also fundamentally change how we educate our students at every level. iTunesU has already taken off in its first year and it is only going to grow, so look forward to iPods and iPhones that are book readers in the future to compete with the Sony ebook reader and the Kindle book reader by Amazon. If you think the entertainment war is fierce, wait until academia starts creating digital publishing houses that directly download books via Amazon, iTunes, ZuneMarketplace, Google and other sites to computers and portable devices. The howls that you are going to here is the researchers and writers who will be fighting with college presidents over publishing revenues when tenure is disappearing faster than clothes at a bordello! The other howl will be the publishers who have been charging premium prices for books to the point that books costs have added close to $1000 to the cost of tuition which has continuously risen higher than inflation and maybe even cable rates. LOL!

Google is holding the sword to radically change at least two fields of endeavor right away by simply signing the check in a battle it needs to win after having lost Facebook and Digg to Microsoft. Today's announcement by Verizon that it would be adopting the Android open software that was developed by Google is another sign that the Big 2 are serious since there is a legitimate fear that Carter Rules, which enabled us to buy our own home phones a few decades ago, may be coming to wireless phones too! Why? Because the Asians and the Europeans already have open wireless phones as standard, and they have been fighting Microsoft and Apple on opening up their software. For some reason the US has some of the best technology minds, but we have permitted the intellectual property attorneys, corporate lobbying, and an FCC that forgot that the airwaves belongs to the public and that includes the Internet. I mean we still do have a Constitution and that thing called The First Amendment? Yeah, it has taken a few shots to the gut lately, but its still on the books!
This was long for a first post, but it had to be said!