Somehow I connect these two concepts.
Let's see distributed cognition first.
After 3 weeks' reading, I guess now we all agree that:
1. it is a cognition process distributing between individuals & groups
2. cognition process connect internal (human) and external (invironment, including tools, aids to enhance cognition)
3. cognition across time & space. (prolong cognition)
Cloud computing:
The unitary definition has not come out yet, because its meaning and application still in evolution.
From a "hard" point, numerous computers / servers connected via the Internet (wifi, satellite) to form a super power
From a "soft" point, this super power handles numerous simutaneous requesting, filtering and outputing.
Do you see that this cloud computing fit cognition in all three of its features? It allows communication and cognition between individuals + groups + environment + time.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Individual distributed cognition: incarnation?
"Incarnation" jumped out of my mind when hanging on distributed cognition. For individual, he/she extends or exchange his/her thoughts/actions to/with external environment. Strange mind, isn't it?
Distributed cognition: simple or complex concept?
Last week I figured out what was distributed cognition:
1. Human brain was unable to handle everything in mind calculation, thus it needed tools and aids. It needed pencil and paper, etc, to extend its ability.
2. Sometimes tools and aids became part of cognition, this was especially true for sophiscated matters. Without them, a cognition process would break down. Eg, I lost my data when a hard drive failure occured, I was unable to continue my contemplation before I made a recovery of previous data.
3. Social aspect (environment) brought about impact on individual cognition and group cognition. When in Rome, you think as Rome thinks. (Wikipedia: 1980s Edwin Hutchins proposed distributed cognition, one of the insights was taken from Vygotsky who emphasized social aspects of cognition)
I wonder what is NOT DISTRIBUTED COGNITION.
If tools were part of distributed cognition, then no tool was more powerful than the Internet which connected people around the globe. Cloud Computing is the product of it. Maybe, advanced artificial intelligence is in its way.
1. Human brain was unable to handle everything in mind calculation, thus it needed tools and aids. It needed pencil and paper, etc, to extend its ability.
2. Sometimes tools and aids became part of cognition, this was especially true for sophiscated matters. Without them, a cognition process would break down. Eg, I lost my data when a hard drive failure occured, I was unable to continue my contemplation before I made a recovery of previous data.
3. Social aspect (environment) brought about impact on individual cognition and group cognition. When in Rome, you think as Rome thinks. (Wikipedia: 1980s Edwin Hutchins proposed distributed cognition, one of the insights was taken from Vygotsky who emphasized social aspects of cognition)
I wonder what is NOT DISTRIBUTED COGNITION.
If tools were part of distributed cognition, then no tool was more powerful than the Internet which connected people around the globe. Cloud Computing is the product of it. Maybe, advanced artificial intelligence is in its way.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Grassroot reporting Beijing hotel fire
The building belongs to CCTV - China Central Television, No. 1 in China. Its voice represents the government.
A high-rank official decided to celebrate Lantern Festival with fireworks. Those fireworks were so powerful that they had to be approved by the government.
As it began to burn, thousands of onlookers (well, a burning flame over 170 yards) used cellphones to take pictures / video to send to friends. In half an hour the news spreaded over the Internet.
As the building was burning, CCTV calmly reported the wild fire in Australia, with little word mentioned this striking 70 million lose (building along. with Olympic Games reporting equipments, the number can raise to 100 million).
Enraged grassroots live broadcasted the fire. It was said that the police had tried to stop the illegal firework use but was in vain. A fact was that in the past 3 years CCTV broke the law without any punishment.
In sum, the most influential network CCTV did little while grassroots live broadcasted with cell phone and the Internet (SMS, text, audio/video clips.) Professional pretends not knowing anything, amateurs did the job.
When doing the reporting, many discussion threads were deleted. Virtually grassroots fought with net moderators until they got the instruction from above allowing such discussions to continue. Even so, many posts were still cleaned up in the following day.
As the fire started, it was about 9 am in US and I was viewing a photography site and follow a thread with high quality photos live report. In the evening when I came home, this thread was no longer exist.
A high-rank official decided to celebrate Lantern Festival with fireworks. Those fireworks were so powerful that they had to be approved by the government.
As it began to burn, thousands of onlookers (well, a burning flame over 170 yards) used cellphones to take pictures / video to send to friends. In half an hour the news spreaded over the Internet.
As the building was burning, CCTV calmly reported the wild fire in Australia, with little word mentioned this striking 70 million lose (building along. with Olympic Games reporting equipments, the number can raise to 100 million).
Enraged grassroots live broadcasted the fire. It was said that the police had tried to stop the illegal firework use but was in vain. A fact was that in the past 3 years CCTV broke the law without any punishment.
In sum, the most influential network CCTV did little while grassroots live broadcasted with cell phone and the Internet (SMS, text, audio/video clips.) Professional pretends not knowing anything, amateurs did the job.
When doing the reporting, many discussion threads were deleted. Virtually grassroots fought with net moderators until they got the instruction from above allowing such discussions to continue. Even so, many posts were still cleaned up in the following day.
As the fire started, it was about 9 am in US and I was viewing a photography site and follow a thread with high quality photos live report. In the evening when I came home, this thread was no longer exist.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Text Message in Education
Required reading:
When fingers do the talking: a study of text messaging
Faulkner, X, Culwin, F.
Abstract:
The article examed Short Message Service (SMS) activities using questionnaire and diary recording. 565 return questionnaires were collected. 265 (45%) and 298 (55%) were completed by females and males respectively. 24 mobile phone users took part in the diary study. Most participants were United Kingdom university students, others were mobile shop customers.
Findings:
People of various age used text messaging for many activities. Females slightly preferred to use text messaging than males.
Comment:
This is a phenomenon study with no obvious intention for exploring SMS educational use. I need to find an article target to SMS in education use.
Self-pick article:
Improving learning performance in laboratory instruction by means of SMS messaging
Martinez-Torres, M. R., Toral, S. L., Barrero F., & Gallardo, S.
Abstract:
The authors used a case study to compare performance difference between traditional approach and SMS service enabled approach in a microcontroller course. 142 students took the course.
Students were asked to rank the importance of 12 dimensions that impact learning performance. The authors found out that 4 top factors were significantly improved by the SMS messaging (motivation, real examples and practice, feedback), thus confirmed the contribution of SMS messaging to learning performance.
Critic on both articles:
The required article "fingers talking":
1. it was a phenominon study. Many SMS-relate issues were covered while not specificly address SMS's educational use.
2. Both authors were from UK, and citing European studies, most of them were from Finland. We need to be aware of the geographical and psychological difference.
3. This article was about mobile phone SMS environment, but not computer-generate Instant Message environment.
The self-pick article:
The learning performance measured in the research was by motivation, satisfaction, desired behavior change and desired interactions, mostly by naturalistic observation and self-report.
Somehow, it is different from what I expect: score.
When fingers do the talking: a study of text messaging
Faulkner, X, Culwin, F.
Abstract:
The article examed Short Message Service (SMS) activities using questionnaire and diary recording. 565 return questionnaires were collected. 265 (45%) and 298 (55%) were completed by females and males respectively. 24 mobile phone users took part in the diary study. Most participants were United Kingdom university students, others were mobile shop customers.
Findings:
People of various age used text messaging for many activities. Females slightly preferred to use text messaging than males.
Comment:
This is a phenomenon study with no obvious intention for exploring SMS educational use. I need to find an article target to SMS in education use.
Self-pick article:
Improving learning performance in laboratory instruction by means of SMS messaging
Martinez-Torres, M. R., Toral, S. L., Barrero F., & Gallardo, S.
Abstract:
The authors used a case study to compare performance difference between traditional approach and SMS service enabled approach in a microcontroller course. 142 students took the course.
Students were asked to rank the importance of 12 dimensions that impact learning performance. The authors found out that 4 top factors were significantly improved by the SMS messaging (motivation, real examples and practice, feedback), thus confirmed the contribution of SMS messaging to learning performance.
Critic on both articles:
The required article "fingers talking":
1. it was a phenominon study. Many SMS-relate issues were covered while not specificly address SMS's educational use.
2. Both authors were from UK, and citing European studies, most of them were from Finland. We need to be aware of the geographical and psychological difference.
3. This article was about mobile phone SMS environment, but not computer-generate Instant Message environment.
The self-pick article:
The learning performance measured in the research was by motivation, satisfaction, desired behavior change and desired interactions, mostly by naturalistic observation and self-report.
Somehow, it is different from what I expect: score.
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