College Student’s Guide to Computers in Education/Chapter 9: On the Lighter Side



'''Links to the chapters of the book. You are currently reading Chapter 9.'''

Title Page

Preface

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Inventing Your Future

Chapter 3: Expertise and Problem Solving

Chapter 4: Human and Artificial Intelligence

Chapter 5: Computer-Assisted and Distance Learning

Chapter 6: Learning and Learning Theory

Chapter 7: Increasing Your Expertise in ICT

Chapter 8: Brief Introductions to A number of Key Ideas

Chapter 9: On the Lighter Side

References

Links to Sections of the Chapter 9

=Beginning of Chapter 9: On the Lighter Side=

If you are feeling stressed, perhaps you need to “lighten up” by taking advantage of some of the lighter side of the Web. This chapter covers a variety of topics, mostly non-academic in nature.

For example, do you need to see some jokes and cartoons, or to have a joke sent to you via email ever day? Do a Google search on free jokes. I am sure you can find something to amuse you among the 23 million hits from this search.

Five-Minute College Education
Father Guido Sarducci is a fictional character made famous by American comedian Don Novello. Read more about him at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Guido_Sarducci.

Interview with Father Guido Sarducci
This “interview” is quoted from JibJab Joke Box retrieved 3/22/07: http://www.jibjab.com/JokeBox/JokeBox.aspx?Id=21532&JokeId=18066,


 * I find that education, it don’t matter where you go to school, Italy, America, Brazil, all are the same—it’s all this memorization and it don’t matter how long you can remember anything just so you can parrot it back for the tests. I got this idea for a school I would like to start, something called the Five Minute University. The idea is that in five minutes you learn what the average college graduate remembers five years after he or she is out of school. It would cost like twenty dollars. That might seem like a lot of money, twenty dollars just for five minutes, but that’s for like tuition, cap and gown rental, graduation picture, snacks, everything. Everything included. You know, like in college you have to take a foreign language. Well, at the Five Minute University you can have your choice, any language you want you can take it. Say if you want to take Spanish, what I teach you is “Â¿Como estÃ¡ usted?” that means, “how are you”, and the answer is “muy bien,” means “very well.” And believe me, if you took two years of college Spanish, five years after you are out of school “Â¿Como estÃ¡ usted?” and “muy bien” about all you’re gonna remember. And Latin! Forte Dux Fel Flat in De Guttor means forty ducks fell flat in the gutter. Forte Dux in Ero means forty ducks in a row. So in my school that’s all you learn. You see, you don’t have to waste your time with conjugations and vocabulary, all that junk. You’ll just forget it anyway, what’s the difference. Economics? “Supply and Demand.” That’s it. Business is, “you buy something, and you sell it for more.” Theology, I’m gonna have a theology department, you know, since I’m a priest, and what you have to learn in theology is the answer to the question, “Where is God?”, and the answer is, “God is everywhere.” Why? “Because he likes you.” That’s kind of a combination of the Disney and Roman Catholic philosophy. It’s just perfect for the late 70s or early 80s you know, just perfect. Well, after the courses are all over, then it’s time for a little Easter vacation. No time to go to Fort Lauderdale, only lasts for like twenty seconds. But what I’ll do for you, I like to turn on the sun lamp you know, give you a little glass of orange juice, that’s for the snack part, orange juice, and then after vacation it’s time for the final exams. I say to you, “Â¿Como estÃ¡ usted?” you say “muy bien,” “Where is God?” “God is everywhere,” Economics, “supply and demand,” Biology, God made the universe, no hastle over intelligent design or evolution, then you put on a cap and a gown, I get out my Polaroid camera, you know, make a little snap flash picture for you, I give you the picture, you give me twenty dollars, I give you a diploma, and you’re a college graduate, ready to go. I’m not sure, but I’m pretty sure, right next door to the five minute university, I might open up a little law school. You got another minute?

Help Desk for the Technology Named "Book"
Here are two Websites where you can find a copy of a 2 ½ minute comical video about a technical support person helping a student to use the technology called “book.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFAWR6hzZek

http://www.devilducky.com/media/57946

I included two addresses, because the address I used while first writing this section did not work when I was revising the chapter. Perhaps by the time you read the book, at least one of the two links will still work. The video is from a show produced by the Norwegian Broadcasting television channel (NRK) in 2001. The spoken language is Norwegian; the subtitles are in Danish and English. The humor works well in all three languages.

Converse with an AI Computer System
There are a number of computer programs designed to carry on a conversation with a human. The underlying idea is to develop a computer program that can pass the Turing Test. The earliest of these is named Eliza and was developed in 1966. It imitated a style of non-directive therapy developed by Carl Rogers. You can converse with a computer that uses a version of Eliza at http://jerz.setonhill.edu/if/canon/eliza.htm.

A number of more modern versions of chatterbot programs are available on the Web. Quoting from the Wikipedia:


 * A chatterbot is a computer program designed to simulate an intelligent conversation with one or more human users via auditory or textual methods. Though many appear to be intelligently interpreting the human input prior to providing a response, most chatterbots simply scan for keywords within the input and pull a reply with the most matching keywords or the most similar wording pattern from a local database. Chatterbots may also be referred to as talk bots, chat bots, or chatterboxes.

Current chaterbot programs mainly make use of weak AI, although some have a learning capability. I find it to be fun to play with some of the current programs such as A.L.I.C.E at http://www.alicebot.org/. A large list of chaterbot Websites is available at http://usa.ultimatetopsites.com/entertainment/thunder7/.

Self Assessment
There are lots of self-assessment tests available on the Web. They vary tremendously in quality and usefulness. My advice is, “Don’t take them too seriously.”

The Website http://www.allthetests.com/ is an example of a site that contains a number of self-assessment tests and links to many other self-assessment tests. I can’t attest to the quality (whether they are fair, reliable, and valid) of the tests. Quoting from the Website:


 * Welcome to AllTheTests.com, your route map in the exciting exploration journey into the fascinating world of Internet tests! Here you can find thousands of tests in more than 20 different categories, and you can choose any of them depending where your interests lay. Fun, Personality, IQ test, Love and Relationship, Quizzes, Fan Tests—everything is possible on AllTheTests.com.

Here are some additional examples of self-assessment opportunities:


 * 111 tests just for fun: http://www.queendom.com/tests/minitests/index.html.


 * Depression: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/MH00103_D.


 * IQ and Emotional IQ: http://www.queendom.com/tests/. My Google search of emotional IQ produced ell over a million hits.


 * Learning styles: http://adulted.about.com/od/learningstylesqu/ and http://www.myersbriggs.org/.


 * Likeability factor: http://timsanders.com/images-downloads/l%20factor%20self-assessment.pdf.


 * Personality tests: http://www.2h.com/personality-tests.html. My Google search on personality self-assessment produced over 600 thousand hits.


 * Self-assessment resources: http://www.rileyguide.com/assess.html.


 * Self improvement and personal growth: http://www.selfgrowth.com/. My Google search of personal growth produced over 71 million hits.


 * SAT practice test: http://www.petersons.com/testprep/tips.asp?id=400&amp;sponsor=1&path=ug.pft.sat

Events in a Particular Year
Would you like to know some of the “happenings” in the world in the year you were born? I was born in 1936. I did a Google search of 1936 and got over a hundred million hits. This is, of course, an overwhelmingly large number of hits.

I now know that in 1936 the NY Yankees baseball team won the World Series, a first class postage stamp cost three cents, the U.S population was a little over 128 million, unemployment was 16.9 percent, Boulder Dam was completed, the first successful helicopter flight was made, and Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to his second presidential term in a landslide victory over Alf Landon. Wow, that will certainly spice up my next conversation!

Here are a couple of sites that I enjoyed:


 * BrainyHistory. Go to the Website http://www.brainyhistory.com/years/1936.html, but with 1936 replaced by the year you are interested in.


 * Today in history. Go to the Website http://www.historyorb.com/today/index.php and scroll down to near the bottom of the page.

You can also search on a particular day of the year, such as your birthday. Or, you can search on a specific date, such as the year and date your were born. My Google search on the expression 3 November 1936 produced about 1.8 million hits.

The Best and the Worst
PC World Canada is a Canadian affiliate of the International Data Group, a large, worldwide publisher. You might be amused by PC World Canada’s articles on:


 * The 10 worst games of all time. See: http://www.pcworld.ca/news/column/e73b0b190a0104080187a604e28f6492/pg0.htm


 * The 25 worst Websites of all time. See: http://www.pcworld.ca/news/column/38cd5e950a01040801c7c7c371d11316/pg1.htm


 * The 25 worst tech products of all time. See: http://www.pcworld.ca/Pages/NewsColumn.aspx?id=ed7a76bf0a0104080036ef2108a2b0ea.


 * The 50 greatest gadgets of the past 50 years. See http://www.pcworld.ca/Pages/NewsColumn.aspx?id=e550468f0a010408000b1b14a7c3c1c1.


 * The 25 greatest PCs of all time. See: http://www.pcworld.ca/news/column/8e1804de0a01040800506ee750932078/pg1.htm


 * The 50 best tech products of all time. See: http://www.pcworld.ca//news/column/e1823de90a01040800470a3719fcc26b/pg0.htm

Computer Games and Puzzles
The computer gaming industry is huge! The following free book captures some of my insights into this field:


 * Moursund, D.G. (June 2006). Introduction to Using Games in Education: A Guide for Teachers and Parents. Access at http://uoregon.edu/~moursund/Books/Games/games.html.

There is an increasing body of research on educational values of computer games. My book contains many examples of roles of games in teaching and learning. It has an emphasis on problem solving and an appendix lists and briefly discusses more than 40 general-purpose problem-solving strategies that can be learned in a computer game environment.

Here is a definition of a game:


 * Garris et al. (2002) define game play as “voluntary, nonproductive, and separate from the real world” (p.459). On the other hand, Jones (1999) points out that for some people, computer and video games are real and sometimes, they are more engaging than reality. Computer games can be categorized as adventure games, simulation games, competition games, cooperation games, programming games, puzzle games, and business management games (Hogle, 1996, citing from Dempsey et al., 1993; Jacobs & Dempsey, 1993). During the past 40 years, computer games have been played from a floppy disk, CD-ROM, with the use of email, or online through the Internet. Computer games can be played individually, against the computer, or against other people face-to-face or on-line. (Asgari & Kaufman, 2004).

For many people, games are attention grabbing and attention holding. They are intrinsically motivating, and they may be addictive. This is an important idea to keep in mind as you explore possible roles of Games-in-Education. I am interested in how games can be used to improve education. At the same time, I am fully aware that games can damage a person’s education and other aspects of their life. For example, it is well known that gambling games have seriously damaged or destroyed many lives!

Free Puzzles
A puzzle is a type of game. Many people generate and/or accumulate puzzles that they make available free on the Web. Some of the Web-based puzzles can be played on a computer, while others can be printed out and used in a paper and pencil mode. A recent Google search of “free puzzle” produced about 150,000 hits. Many of these sites also offer free access to some games.

Here are four examples that attracted my attention:


 * 1. Puzzle Choice: http://www.puzzlechoice.com/pc/Puzzle_Choicex.html. Provides free access to crossword, word search, number, logic puzzles, and Soduko.


 * 2. AIMS Puzzle Corner: http://www.aimsedu.org/Puzzle/. Quoting from this site:


 * The AIMS Puzzle Corner provides over 100 interesting puzzles that can help students learn to enjoy puzzles and the mathematics behind them. The puzzles are categorized by type, and within each category are listed in order of increasing difficulty. The puzzles have not been assigned a grade level appropriateness because we have discovered that the ability to do a puzzle varies by individual not grade level.


 * 3. Free Puzzles: http://www.freepuzzles.com/. Provides access to a large and growing collection of puzzles. Categories include: puzzle games, puzzle links, geometry, logic, math, miscellaneous, weight, and moves.


 * 4. http://perplexus.info/tree.php. This Website uses the following categorization terms for puzzles: logic, probability, shapes, general (includes tricks, word problems, cryptography), numbers, games, paradoxes, riddles, just math, science, and algorithms.

Free Games
My Google search of free games returned 120 million hits. The typical site offers some free games that can be played online, perhaps some free games that can be downloaded, and some games for sale. A typical example is provided by site: Top 10 Free Computer Game Websites http://compactiongames.about.com/cs/freeactiongames/tp/freeGameSites.htm. Quoting from this site:


 * The following websites are sites that are dedicated to providing you with free computer games or shareware games. These websites provide a good number of free computer game downloads from almost every genre of game. This list of free computer game websites is updated regularly as games and sites change.

As far back as I can remember, I have enjoyed playing solitaire games. In graduate school, a friend of mine introduced me to some two-deck solitaire games that I found particularly challenging and enjoyable. He was a very bright person who eventually flunked out of graduate school, mainly because he spent so much time playing solitaire games. Many sites provide free online play of solitaire games. A good example is http://www.acecardgames.com/en/,

If you are interested in competitive games such as backgammon, chess, and poker, you can easily find Websites that provide free online play against a computer or against human (online) opponents. For example, my Google search of free online chess produced over 2.5 million hits.

Other Free Things

 * 101 fantastic freebies at http://www.itworldcanada.com/a/The-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/bda0d981-ebfe-4e2c-ade5-fc720523eab2.html


 * A wide variety of productivity tools, such as word processor, spreadsheet, graphics, and so on are available free on the Web. A Google search on free productivity tools will provide you with a good start in locating such tools. Google, itself, provides a number of these tools.

Video Sites
Lots of people publish video and/or photographs to the Web in order to share their work. Some of the self-publication Websites are huge and very popular.

In addition, the Internet has become a powerful competitor of the traditional radio and television broadcasting systems.

For Entertainment
YouTube, at http://www.youtube.com/, provides a good example. If you are bored and have some time to spend, go to YouTube or a similar site. There you will find a variety of “interesting, entertaining” short videos. For example, see The Internet Help Desk short video at http://www.itworldcanada.com/video/video3.html.

Quoting from the YouTube Website:


 * Founded in February 2005, YouTube is the leader in online video, and the premier destination to watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience. YouTube allows people to easily upload and share video clips on www.YouTube.com and across the Internet through websites, mobile devices, blogs, and email.


 * Everyone can watch videos on YouTube. People can see first-hand accounts of current events, find videos about their hobbies and interests, and discover the quirky and unusual. As more people capture special moments on video, YouTube is empowering them to become the broadcasters of tomorrow.

Radio and Video
Do you like to keep up to date on the news? CNN serves as a good example of what is available on the Web:


 * Latest news at http://www.cnn.com/.


 * Video at http://www.cnn.com/video/. “Watch breaking news, world news, politics, business, health, law, sports, science and technology, entertainment, or offbeat videos all on Free Video.”

Perhaps you want a different slant on the news. There are many choices, such as:


 * CBS News Video at http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml.


 * MSNBC Video News at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8004316/.


 * Fox News at http://www.foxnews.com/.


 * ABC News at http://abcnews.go.com/Video/.


 * BBC News at http://news.bbc.co.uk/.


 * Bloomberg (business news) at http://www.bloomberg.com/index.html?Intro=intro3.

Of course, you can also spend time watching weather reports. For example, see http://www.weather.com/.

Social Networking Sites
Quoting from the Wikipedia:


 * A social network service is social software specifically focused on the building and verifying of online social networks for hooking up. Many social networking services are also blog hosting services. As of 2005, there were over three hundred known social networking web sites.

Here is a list of some examples of social networking sites:


 * Bebo, Inc.: http://www.bebo.com/


 * Del.icio.us (social bookmarking site): http://del.icio.us/


 * Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/


 * Flickr (photo sharing site): http://www.flickr.com/


 * friendster: http://www.friendster.com/


 * iVillage Connect: http://www.ivillage.com/connect?ivNPA=1&sky=ggl|ivl|networking|ot|Hee


 * My Space: http://www.myspace.com/


 * Second Life: http://secondlife.com/

Summary and Self-Assessment
It feels a little strange to me to end a “serious, academic book” with this “On the Lighter Side” chapter. However, this chapter provides a glimpse into a major change going on in our world. It is a change to anywhere, anytime access to information and various forms of entertainment. It is a change to anywhere, anytime multimedia communication. It is a change to empowering individuals who have something they want to communicate and share.

This anywhere, anytime access can be used in a passive solitary mode, as you browse the news, weather, and sports. It can be used in a more active solitary mode as you play solitaire games or play games with the computer as an opponent. It can be used in a still more active mode as you buy and sell, conduct business of all sorts, communicate with colleagues, friends, and relatives.

This anywhere, anytime connectivity is a powerful change agent. Are you getting an informal and formal education that helps prepare you for life in our rapidly changing world? Remember, the pace of change is increasing!

Reader's Comments and Suggestions
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'''Links to the chapters of the book. You are currently reading Chapter 9.'''

Title Page

Preface

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Inventing Your Future

Chapter 3: Expertise and Problem Solving

Chapter 4: Human and Artificial Intelligence

Chapter 5: Computer-Assisted and Distance Learning

Chapter 6: Learning and Learning Theory

Chapter 7: Increasing Your Expertise in ICT

Chapter 8: Brief Introductions to A number of Key Ideas

Chapter 9: On the Lighter Side

References