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Location: Nakasendo English Conference Home
Discussion: Using technology to connect
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 mickstout |
Using technology to connect
Mar 13 2008, 9:25 PM EDT Web 2.0 technology, google docs, wikis, social networking for education websites, blogs and a host of other technologies make it easier for disconnected people to connect. However, some school servers block some of these applications, google docs for example. Using the internet to connect would be advantageous in many ways. In Japan, often colleagues sharing office space can't connect face-to-face. Most schools have internal networks but these networks are inaccessible to most foreign teachers. Long-term residents of Japan could safely be expected to overcome the difficulties they have using internal networks but short-term residents including JETs cannot. Is technology a viable way to connect? 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
 clairmtaylor |
RE: Using technology to connect
Mar 17 2008, 7:51 AM EDT People need a set of skills to work together - I honestly don't know if training can provide them; especially with senior teachers/faculty members. Maybe? An example: I shared the site 'Gliffy' with a co-worker. It is a site where you can collaborate to make a diagram. Months later, she and two other faculty members wanted to make a diagram to show what we are doing with our program here at our uni. This co-worker made a diagram on Gliffy. Each of the others made their own (yes, separate) diagrams using Gliffy. The co-worker invited me to see her diagram at the last minute - but aside from that, none of the three shared their Gliffies, nor invited each other to be collaborators. They each printed out their diagram, and brought it to a meeting, where our boss selected the best one (she chose the one made by the most senior faculty member). Basically, they used the site as if it were Word - no collaboration, no bouncing of ideas, no brainstorming, no openness, no working together, no involvement from the rest of the faculty. The work approach and power structures meant the technology was useless - worse than useless: sitting down together sketching on paper would have been more effective; for individual work, Word would have been a quicker and more accurate tool. So the skills need to be there - if people can't collaborate/ bounce ideas off each other f2f, then they can't do it using technology. Saying that - web 2.0 technology might(?) be a safe way to develop these skills... and for those individuals who have the skills, but lack opportunities for f2f contact then, yes, the benefits are huge. But what to do about security issues and blocking???? I have tried and tried and pushed and pushed...and I don't know what can be done. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
 Arangadillo |
RE: Using technology to connect
Mar 31 2008, 6:11 PM EDT I think as effective as it could be, it could be as not...(does that make sense?) I think Japanese internet culture differs greatly from the "West". Take a look at differences of how facebook works and mixi works. How people present themselves, how they interact with other people, the kind of information they give share. I think the most effective way to create an online environment would be a message board. Further make it mandatory for at least one JTE to be somewhat active in the community. However, I think it would take a lot of work explaining how to use the site effectively. In my experience in Japan, it seems like almost every action taken at work is planned ahead. So this new internet/technology will have to have a detailed plan and use before it is implicated. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
 leanderhughes |
RE: Using technology to connect
May 11 2008, 12:23 AM EDT "However, some school servers block some of these applications.." One way to get around such blocking when using internal networks (albeit with various limitations) is to use proxy servers such as https://copwedding.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi . 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
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mickstout |
RE: Using technology to connect
May 11 2008, 3:10 AM EDT Thanks, Could you explain more, in simple terms even a dummy could understand? Do you find this valuable? |
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leanderhughes |
RE: Using technology to connect
May 11 2008, 5:30 AM EDT Sure. When you are working on a server that blocks certain pages that you want to access, you can try accessing those pages through circumventor sites like https://copwedding.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi . Just go to the site and type in the url you wish to access, and -viola- it will take you there*. *Not all cites are accessible through such circumventors. Also, you have to put up with slow page loading and bombardments of pop-ups. Still, I successfully used a circumventor to read my gmail when I was working at my previous job which had an internal network that blocked access to email accounts. 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |