Final Group Project for Metaliteracy- The Positives and Challenges (Vlog)

Geoffrey Bapteau and I collaborated on the final project for the Metaliteracy class. We decided to put a video blog (vlog) to discuss how Metaliteracy impacts our everyday campus lives even without even realizing it through the use of technology, blogging and social network sites.

Geoffrey happens to a Resident Assistant on Colonial Quad on campus while  I am the captain for the Albany Red Bulls Soccer Team on campus. Metaliteracy is very important and applies to almost aspects of life.

Here on campus, we use metaliteracy for extracurricular activities such as intramural sports and even in the residential quads and apartments to effectively communicate with members of the University at Albany. I communicate with my teammates via Facebook and Twitter by posting regularly on the team page and sending tweets to members of my team.

This mode of information sharing is very effective and falls within the metaliteracy information sharing and metacognitive frameworks since I carefully think about my thought processes in conveying the right messages to my teammates in a timely and socially accepted manner.

Similarly, Geoffrey reaches out to his residents on a regular basis to inform them about campus-wide events, quad meetings and all other relevant information that enhances the campus experience for all campus inhabitants and visitors alike. Geoffrey puts out information on bulletin boards at designated areas on his quad and around campus to always ensure information reaching the campus community is always up-to-date.

The only challenges Geoffrey and I encountered in our group project was thinking about our thought processes in making the right choice of words for our final video and presentation for this course. Recording was in no way as straightforward as we had both initially imagined. We had to record and re-record parts of the videos so as to get the outcome we were looking for as a team.

Eventually we found a way to make it work and we added a soundtrack and used iMovies to edit the videos. I really liked the outcome of our very last editing exercise and the final video came out just the way we wanted it, considering the time and effort we put in. The recording was done in the Skype Room in the basement of the main library. The video can be found below and please enjoy!

Social Media and Online Tools that enhanced my Metaliteracy Journey

Throughout the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Talks and class sessions this fall semester, I have encountered a number of online tools and multimedia that can be used within the Metaliteracy framework to share ideas and disseminate information with the public at large and interested parties as related to this interesting and evolving field of study. Below is a summary of all online tools and multimedia that I found very fascinating and helpful in the course of the semester and hopefully, I will find a way to put all to good use in my quest to share knowledge and valuable information with the general public, friends and family.

Tumblr is the first social media tool I found fascinating, especially because I have seen a few friends using it to make posts and sharing ideas, videos, photos and information to name a few. Nonetheless, I never really pictured how I could put it really good use I till I took this class. Tumblr is simply a micro-blogging social networking website that allows users to post multimedia in a form of a short blog. Users can keep their profiles private or they can publicize it by following other users of the platform. It was created by David Karp and it's owned by Yahoo! Inc. In one of our brainstorming sessions earlier in the semester I came across Tumblr and how it can be used creatively to share information based on Metaliteracy with metaliterate learners.

Prezi is another powerful online tool I first learned about through the Metaliteracy class. Prezi is an internet cloud-based presentation storytelling tool (including digital stories) that was founded by a Hungarian software company. The materials presented are done on a virtual canvas and the eye-catching features allows users to zoom in and out of the presentation media. Users are also allowed to navigate and well as display the material being presented through a 2.5 D or 3D space on the Z-axis. It was created in 2009 by Adam Somlai-Fischer, Peter Arvai and Peter Halacsy.

The third powerful online multimedia tool I came into contact with for the first time is Padlet. It is internet-based application which enables users to express their thought processes in an area of study easily. It is basically an online pad (sheet) that allows users to add any multimedia material- images, documents, videos and other text, etc.)- anywhere they desire on the page. The interesting point to note is the material can be put by team participation and from any device. It works like a real-time wiki and so it's good for collaborative information sharing.

The fourth multimedia tool that I personally discovered during the course was Popplet. It is a tool that enables users to visualize their brainstorming ideas. Users, mostly teachers and students create graphic organizers, timelines, and many other forms of visual organization. The strength of this online tool lies in the fact that it is a collaborative brainstorming and very effective presentation tool.

Twitter is the internet tool I used in sharing all my blog posts with other metaliterate learners and experts. It is a micro-blogging and social networking site which allows sharing, reading and sending text messages that cannot go beyond 140 characters. Registered users can post, read and re-post (retweet) information to other users while unregistered users can only read the tweets. This online social networking service was created in March 2006 by co-founders Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass. The launch of the site took place in July, 2006. 

Google+ is the last online tool I used in sharing all my blog posts with other users in my circles, including family and friends. According to Google, this platform is a 'social layer' that makes the company online properties advanced. Aside from the fact that it is a social networking site, it is also considered an authorship tool, which directly links web content with its owner/author. It is the second largest social networking site after Facebook. It is directly connected to Gmail, Youtube comments and +1 button, which is used to show a reader or user's liking for a post.

My Journey and Growth in Metaliteracy Part 2

The second half of the course kicked off with the fifth MOOC Talk, which was delivered on Monday, October 28 by co-presenters, Greg Stapleton (on behalf of the original presenter Rex Smith) and Professor John Delano. The old model of communication involved a gap between the creators of information and the consumers which was bridged by media. Between the 1950's and 1960's, the feedback loop was added which made it possible for consumers of information to write letters to the editors. The new model of communication is referred to as the social media age and it began between the 1980's and 1990's. It includes emails, feedback in the form of posts and comments, websites and less newspaper. It has become so clear that our generation sees through a slanted viewpoint and therefore it has become necessary for bloggers and journalists alike to use mass social media which allows peer reviews, critiques and feedback to ensure quality material is provided for information consumers.

 The attainment of power requires even greater responsibility and therefore the education of the next generation on news media literacy through the use of social media is very critical. Sustainable development has also become very necessary. The definition provided by Professor Delano is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition to that, according Hebert Stein, that which is not sustainable will end. According to a Native American proverb, we do not inherit the environment from our parents we borrow it from our children. The field of science has many branches and therefore with the help of global action and education through the use of metaliteracy a major difference can be made to reduce all the environmental issues to the barest minimum as people become more aware of how important their individual roles are in achieving the collective goal. 

MOOC Talk 6 was delivered by Bryan Alexander and Nicola Marie Allain. Ubiquitous Computing, which states, "The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it." In this modern day and age there exists a multiplicity of technological tools and equipment that come together to form a platform for storytelling. Most stories from time immemorial follow Gustav Freitag's model on storytelling which follows the pattern- Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action and Denouement. Storytelling could take a personal form, which could be about someone important, an important event, about what one does, and even criticizing the characters involved. 

Joseph Campbell looks at storytelling as a form of personal art or kind of personal experience as seen in "The Hero with a Thousand Faces," which is based on the phases a hero goes through. A problem ensues, the hero is called upon and this is described as call to action and then the hero saves the day amid some difficulties usually to give the story an interesting twist, or what is referred to as a sting in the tale. Storytelling could also be based on mystery, which is not obvious and involved a component which is obscure and hidden. A good example can be drawn from Frederic Brown's "Knock" (1948). The first and second lines read:

"The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door."

Bryan Alexander's definition of storytelling states, "For a given audience, a story is a sequence of content, anchored on a problem, which engages the audience with emotion and meaning." Social media and blogs are channels for storytelling and through creative writing and through Wiki a collaborative authored novel was created involving millions of writers. Documents have also been converted into narratives to fit into the storytelling framework. The comments that come at the end of articles and blog posts even tell a story. Podcasts and even gaming are also creative ways to tell stories and engage listeners and gamers. In creating Metaliterate Learners, learning and activities under the Digital Story course require students to fully partake in the processes, knowledge building and skills creation that contribute to metaliterate learning.

Digital Storytelling contributes to the Metaliteracy framework hence there is a difference between the two. Students are required to evaluate, understand, share, determine and access information related to the subject and understand the research process.Students find and share stories, analyze, reconstruct and deconstruct and peer review each other's stories and this has added to the high development of Information Literacy, Cyber Literacy, Critical Literacy skills and lastly the abilities to research, review, author, collaborate, participate, contribute, produce, publish, reflect and communicate. The literacies covered in the course include Digital Media Literacy, Media Literacy, Visual Literacy, Computer Literacy, Cyberliteracy, Information Fluency and Critical Literacy. In combining the knowledge, skills and literacies the pathways for student metaliterate learners is created. The inspiration behind digital stories, their importance, intended audience, emotions sparked, the creative process, technical considerations, hindrances, highlights of the writing experience are all essential to the development of future digital stories.

Sue Thomas and Michele Forte moderated MOOC Talk 7, which was based on Tech: Nature Literacy. There is a need to to cultivate transliterate space, Technobiophilia. Individuals having the ability to map out their relationships with technology and nature is currently of the essence in this ever-changing world. Geography about interactions with the web and the deep web to be more precise includes hackers, wikileaks,government undetected, and illegal porn. Attention Restoration Theory (ART) by Rachel and Stephen Kaplan, was based on The Experience of Nature, 1989 and how nature invariably improves our experiences. The central focus was on looking at regular people's preference of nature and the kind of environment that made people feel good without the aforementioned preferences. 

People feel better if they encounter an environment that suggests nearby nature- for example, a view from a window could show some greenery and a lot more to be seen.  Technobiophilia is the tendency to focus on life and life processes as they appear in technologies. It is a known fact that natural environments positively impact emotions. While indoors, an individual can pay attention, use indoor plants advantageously, connect with animals, or even treat one's self to technobiophilic gadgets like computer mouses, etc. While outdoor, an individual can go outside, create an outside office, grow stuff (some greenery), or even use smartphones to enhance an individual's outdoor experience. In terms of being online, one can visit a virtual world, play a video game, sample some next nature, add biophilic designs to individual online spaces.   

The final MOOC Talk of the semester was based on the relationship between Metaliteracy and STEMx. MOOC Talk 8 was facilitated by Betty Hurley-Dasgupta, Anthony Maddox and Samantha Becker.
The processes  employed in the teaching of science can also be applied to the field of engineering. Science is driven by phenomena and Engineering is centered on solving problems. The types of problems encountered were closed and open-ended problems, which all numerous ways of reaching the solutions. In terms of the Designs, there are Multimedia Portfolios for K-12 Education, Lessons, Unit or Program Plans then Proposals for Support. The HP Catalyst Academy is a federated network of mini-courses. Mini-courses challenge traditional skills-based approaches to information literacy by recognizing related literacy types and emerging technologies like video. They also encourage Critical Thinking: Discussion forums to every assignment post- peer feedback loop. The other link to metaliteracy is supporting the acquisition, production, and sharing of knowledge in collaborative online communities. 

The model for learning is centered mainly on the learner in dialogue and it is directly related with experience and activity, documenting , managing and planning, sharing and communication, conceptualizing and making association with previous knowledge, publishing and getting some feedback, repurposing and synthesizing information. Helen Barret is considered the grandmother of ePortfolios, which has e-dentity at its core with digital stories, digital archives, blogs, images, bookmarks, podcasts, social network, wiki directly relating to it. Journaling involves reflective journals employed by educational instructors to deepen the quality of students learning by promoting critical thinking, encouraging a questioning attitude to enable students understand their own learning growth processes (metacognition), strengthening active involvement in learning through personal ownership of learning experience (Boud, 2001; Moon, 1999). Learners in the digital age are required to use critical skills for the 21st Century such as: critical thinking, communication, innovation, collaboration. In addition, ePortfolios provide an environment for: reflection (journaling), formative assessment, learner-created work. ePortfolios are being used at different levels; Weebly is being used by K-12 as well as very simple ePortfolio systems, profile pages and journals.  

This course has really helped me in realizing my dream of owning a sports website: www.ghanafans.com. Before the course began I knew I had the desire to be a blogger but I just never had the urge until the metaliteracy ball started rolling and its ideals have heavily impacted my way of thinking and style of writing and I have had positive feedback from friends and other readers. The Massive Open Online Course is only going to get better from this point since its scope is widening and getting deeper across so many disciplines. I commend Professors Trudi Jacobson and Tom Mackey and all other learned scholars for their immense contribution toward making this project fruitful! I am glad I enrolled in this class!

My Journey and Growth in Metaliteracy Part 1

I started this course not really having an idea of what to expect especially since it was my first time taking a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). Nonetheless, I had a strong feeling within me that this course was going to be so beneficial to me in my college career, considering the fact that this fall semester is my last at the University at Albany. The concept of Metaliteracy is only getting better  and better from this point and I must admit that it is indeed broader and deeper than I had initially assumed. It involves the discovery of fairly new and growing technologies used in the process of crafting and sharing information in an open and healthy participatory online forum. This is what makes this area of study really unique. 

In this blog post, I highlight and summarize and aspects of the course based on all eight (8) MOOC Talks that aided in my comprehension of this interesting, unique and growing area of study. 

Going into my first MOOC Talk, I also did not know what to expect but I went into the Standish Room at the University at Albany Science Library knowing I would have the chance to interact with participants from all over because of the participatory nature of the course. The topics discussed ranged from the very nature of the subject of metaliteracy, reflecting about the research process(thinking thoroughly about one's way of thinking), what makes the concept of metaliteracy unique(how it differs from other disciplines related to literacy), the metaliterate learner, metacognition, the media involved including social media as well as the various types of participants in the field.

The second MOOC Talk based on the subject, "Metacognition- A Literacy of Awareness," was held on Wednesday, September 18, 2013, and it was facilitated by Char Booth. It was based on the extreme importance of all participants in the metacognitive field to be very much aware of their thought processes just as they occur and the underlying factors that are critical in advancing the cause of metacognition. These factors include but are not limited to developmental factors, cultural factors, social factors, and mentoring/instruction. Metacognitive knowledge has to with how one senses development in terms of his or her own cognition, the perception of one's self as well as other people, then finally how one perceives what is easy and what is difficult to interpret within the metacognitive framework. 

Metacognitive experience is related to how an individual understands or misunderstands another person during an interaction, reviewing one's previously held opinions, and finally how a person interprets failure and success. Char Booth's presentation ended with the Learning Theories and analysis of Literacies and Metacognition. Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Constructivism form the learning theories. Behaviorism is about regulating one's behavior within the educational psychology framework. Cognitivism is related to designing learning experiences to help individuals retain information. Constructivism is multi-dimensional; it involves peer-to-peer interaction and social learning-what affects individuals and how their brains develop. Literacies and Metacognition stages in the model are interpretation, evaluation,reflection, revision, and justification.

The third MOOC Talk (3.1) on the subject, "Openness and Metaliteracy," was delivered by Mark McBride, the Director of Library Services at Monroe Community College and Michele Forte, an Assistant Professor and Mentor at the Center for Distance Learning at the SUNY Empire State College. It was based on open learning in higher education. The Modern Language Association's Commons Model is a form of peer review process and peer production model used by scholars to create and update content accurately and freely for the benefit of the the information literacy community. Wikipedia is a good example of the Peer Production Model which allows users to also create and share information freely as well as conveniently update the content of the material. 

Openness within the metaliteracy framework gives rise to looking at content in a variety of ways and sharing it with the community as a whole; this could be scholarly work which involves careful thoughts and thorough research. The sharing process allows for the remix and reuse of information. Open Education Resources (OERs), which is any kind of teaching material such as textbook, syllabi, lesson plans, video, readings, and exams allow free and uninterrupted access as per the content as well as the free incorporation of remix, reuse, revise and redistribute of the material. In higher education, the free access of course material is way more beneficial that adding to a publisher's purse by purchasing a particular edition of book then its subsequent editions. The free access students have to course materials is what makes it a major plus for education. It creates a community of higher educators and advances the cause of metaliteracy

MOOC Talk 3.2 was moderated by Dr. Paul Prinsloo, an Education Consultant and Researcher at the University of South Africa (UNISA). Information from time immemorial has always been dynamic and therefore it is necessary to view it as a field with players having diversified roles and a variety of rules, plans, power relations, inclusion and exclusion. In Dr. Prinsloo's interpretation of the Metaliteracy Framework by Mackey and Jacobson, 2011, he likened the newly developed literacies for cultural changes of Web 2.0 to solid changing from its original state to the liquid phase. I really liked that metaphor! A deeper analysis of liquid metaliteracy brought about a side by side comparison between the work of Mackey and Jacobson(2011) and Area and Pessoa(2012) competencies including instrumental, cognitive-intellectual, socio-communicative and axiological. Liquid metaliteracy aligns with metacognition. 

Critical consciousness as the foundation for metaliteracy as agency was a sub-topic I found very interesting during the presentation. According to Freire, learning to read and write starts from a deep understanding of the process of reading the world. In addition, being illiterate prevents individuals from reading and writing then renders them powerless and dependent according to Burbules and Berk(1999). In order to be a literate player in the 21st century, one has to completely understand the rules, field, the game, positions and skills required. Critical and self-reflective agency as well as making up other narratives, disrupting standard discourses and asking new questions is very essential in this age.

The fourth MOOC Talk was delivered by Professor Brian Stone. He is a practicing designer, educator and researcher in the field of interactive design, information design, user experience and communication through motion. Visual Literacy and Metaliteracy go hand in hand and therefore it has become very necessary for visual forms of communication and design to be enhanced in this modern age to make the visualization of information way more easy and meaningful. Websites, interactive experiences, multimedia presentations and typographic messages collectively help establish visual connections that create a better mental picture as well as aid all types of users make informed decisions as far as information design is concerned. Visual messages are directly linked with metaliteracy. Dr. Stone shared a couple of visual and typographic materials which really caught my attention. 

The first one was a  map used in my country, England-the London Underground Navigation System. Although the underground map was not really based on actual geographic scales, it still achieved its purpose of making underground transportation easier for all travelers, both local and foreign. The map indicated the starting and ending points of each rail line as well as hubs and locations for making connections. Transport for London(TFL), the body in charge of most aspects of the transportation system in Greater London also adopts a similar approach to make moving around London very simple for all travelers. In my opinion, London has one of the best transportation systems around the world barring the occasional delays and change in schedules. Icons, symbols and signs have really helped in promoting the connection between visual literacy and metaliteracy. It has become very essential for multiple modes of communication to cater to the needs of all manner of information users and metacognitive learners. A lot of consideration has to be put in place to make sure disabled people and the older generations are not left out of the the gradually emerging methods of visual communication and metaliteracy. Progressive disclosure, which involves starting by process and synthesizing a concept from scratch is also very necessary in developing visual literacy and it connection with metaliteracy. Dr. Stone's presentation was very informative!

The Link between Metaliteracy and STEMx

The final MOOC Talk of the semester was based on the relationship between Metaliteracy and STEMx. MOOC Talk 8 was facilitated by Betty Hurley-Dasgupta, Anthony Maddox and Samantha Becker. Betty Hurley-Dasgupta is a Faculty Member at SUNY Empire State College and a member at the HP Catalyst Academy.  The HP Catalyst Academy is a joint project with HP through the International Society for Technology and Education and New Media Consortium. The focus is on professional development for teachers. The "x" refers to all additional related material on science, technology, mathematics and all other disciplines involved with the collaboration, innovation and skills in the area of STEM. The model of STEMx revolves around scaling, innovations, exploring, international networks and global collaboration.

Anthony Maddox is a member of the HP Catalyst Academy and his work as per STEMx came through his working experience at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Education and Engineering. Anthony is a licensed Engineer. He created a course on internet and engineering to teach K-9 and K-12 kids on the subject. The course- Thinking like an Engineer: Teaching and Learning Pre-College Engineering- was structured to run for some weeks. Week 1 was on Engineering Design, Problem Solving, Designs, Design Features and Context- Next Generation Science Standards. The processes  employed in the teaching of science can also be applied to the field of engineering. Science is driven by phenomena and Engineering is centered on solving problems. The types of problems encountered were closed and open-ended problems, which all numerous ways of reaching the solutions. In terms of the Designs, there are Multimedia Portfolios for K-12 Education, Lessons, Unit or Program Plans then Proposals for Support. The Design Features center on Iteration- Refinement/Redesign, Design Cycle and Solutions- "Families"-based on solutions, Constraints/Specifications, Decisions. Next Generation Science Standards include Science and Engineering Practices, K-12 Engineering Standards, Inquiry-Based Learning and Project-Based Learning.

Week 2 is on STEM Interconnectedness as related to STEM and STEM(x), STEM and STEM(x) Integration, Thinking Maps, Rigorous Pedagogical Dissemination of Information. Week 3- Engineering Habits of Mind refers to the Values, Attitudes, Thinking Skills and Framework for 21st Century Thinking. Values, Attitudes, Thinking Skills relates to Creativity, Optimism and Collaboration. The Framework for 21st Century Learning as relates to K-12 education, touches on Core Subjects and Themes, Learning and Innovation Skills, Information, Media and Technology Skills, and Life and Career Skills. Week 4 of the education program is about Design Review, which centers on More Engineering "Habits of Mind," Launch or "Rollout" of the Design and Soft Systems Methodology. The three additional habits of mind in K-12 education are Systems Thinking, Communication and Ethics. Launching or "Rollout" is simply about Testing and Measurement, Innovation and Beneficiaries ("Clients"). Soft Systems Methodology, used in United Kingdom has been used for over forty years. It is about Action Research, Individual and Groups, Perceived Words, Discourse, Created Meanings, "Assemblies" and Purposeful Action. Meta means above and beyond and across. Meta-disciplines bring everything together.

Samantha Becker is a Senior Director of communication for the New Media Consortium (NMC), which provides attention to colleges, schools and not-for-profits. It uses social media for formal and informal education. The HP Catalyst Academy is a federated network of mini-courses. Mini-courses challenge traditional skills-based approaches to information literacy by recognizing related literacy types and emerging technologies like video. They also encourage Critical Thinking: Discussion forums to every assignment post- peer feedback loop. The other link to metaliteracy is supporting the acquisition, production, and sharing of knowledge in collaborative online communities. Betty Hurley-Dasgupta's presentation was related to exploring  ePortfolios  for  STEM learning. According to the Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner, 2008, the best schools don't offer the curriculum that includes the must have skills of the future which are:

• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Collaboration across networks and leading
• Agility and Adaptability
• Initiative and entrepreneurialism
• Effective oral and written communication
• Accessing and analyzing information
• Curiosity and imagination

ePortfolios encourage deep thinking as the focus is on what is signified, relates previous knowledge to new knowledge, relates knowledge from different courses. It also focuses on relating and distin,guishing evidence and argument, organizing and structuring content into coherent whole and internal emphasis from within the student. The focus of surface learning is on the signs or on the learning signifier of something else, on unrelated parts of the task, information for assessment is simply memorized, facts and concepts are associated unreflectively, principles are not distinguished from examples. In addition task is treated as an external imposition. Emphasis is external, from demand of assessment (Ramsden, 1988) as cited in Atherton, 2005. 

The model for learning is centered mainly on the learner in dialogue and it is directly related with experience and activity, documenting , managing and planning, sharing and communication, conceptualizing and making association with previous knowledge, publishing and getting some feedback, repurposing and synthesizing information. Helen Barret is considered the grandmother of ePortfolios, which has e-dentity at its core with digital stories, digital archives, blogs, images, bookmarks, podcasts, social network, wiki directly relating to it. Journaling involves reflective journals employed by educational instructors to deepen the quality of students learning by promoting critical thinking, encouraging a questioning attitude to enable students understand their own learning growth processes (metacognition), strengthening active involvement in learning through personal ownership of learning experience (Boud, 2001; Moon, 1999). Reflective journaling has immensely contributed to the exercise of voice (Patterson and Jones, 2001), and the narrative nature of journaling has been shown to contribute to development of a professional identity ( Blevins, 2007; Redman, 2005). Learners in the digital age are required to critical skills for the 21st Century such as: critical thinking, communication, innovation, collaboration. In addition, ePortfolios provide an environment for: reflection (journaling), formative assessment, learner-created work. ePortfolios are being used at different levels; Weebly is being used by K-12 as well as very simple ePortfolio systems, profile pages and journals.  

Nature and Its Association with Metaliteracy

Sue Thomas and Michele Forte moderated MOOC Talk 7, which was based on Tech: Nature Literacy. Sue Thomas is a renowned Scholar in Transliteracy, which heavily influenced her research on this subject. In 1995, she created a trAce Online Writing Center at Nottingham Trent University, where she served as the Artistic Director before moving to De Montfort University in 2005. Her online writing community ran for ten years. Sue was a Professor for New Media at the Institute of Creative Technologies at De Montfort University, where she researched in Biophilia, Social Media, Transliteracy, Transdisciplinarity and Future Foresight. Her latest book is Technobiophilia: Nature and Cyberspace, which is centered on the study of the impact of the natural world on digital culture. She also published Hello World: Travels in Virtuality, a memoir of life online. Her first fiction, Correspodence was short-listed for the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Novel in 1993. Sue was a keynote Speaker at last spring's Three T's- Trasliteracy, Technology and Teaching- Conference. Michele Forte is a Faculty Member at Center for Distance Learning at SUNY Empire State College. She is a Mentor, Assistant Professor and Community Human Services at the Center for Distance Learning. Her recent projects include Luminar Foundation Grant at Empire State College, and it provides credentials for Earthlings Education Resources. She was a leading member in the organization of the Three T's Conference

There is a need to to cultivate transliterate space, Technobiophilia. Individuals having the ability to map out their relationships with technology and nature is currently of the essence in this ever-changing world. Geography about interactions with the web and the deep web to be more precise includes hackers, wikileaks,government undetected, and illegal porn. Twitter's roof garden and Apple's space shuttle-like buildings provide a form of biophilc imagery as they comprise of greenery and fruit trees. Biophilic imagery is now being used in advertising and design than used to be the case. Biotechnophilia according to E. O. wilson is the innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes, just as he did while he studied ants in a Suriname Forest. He experienced the powerful sense of how small he was in nature as he desired to be a part of the closely knit net natural environment. The love for nature according to research and experiments is genetically passed on from generation to generation. Attention Restoration Theory (ART) by Rachel and Stephen Kaplan, was based on The Experience of Nature, 1989 and how nature invariably improves our experiences. The central focus was on looking at regular people's preference of nature and the kind of environment that made people feel good without the aforementioned preferences. People feel better if the encounter an environment that suggests nearby nature- for example, a view from a window could show some greenery and a lot more to be seen. This could have positive and immeasurable benefits to one's health.

There are settings that fall within the Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and they are restorative, extent, fascination and compatibility. Restorative setting is in reference to the environment (Being away) and it physically  or conceptually different from an individual's usual environment- for example, a five-minute walk in a garden while taking a break. Extent setting has to do with a sufficiently rich an coherent surroundings that engage the mind and increase one's yearning. Fascination setting is either soft or hard and it is based on content or mental processes that engage attention effortlessly and allows one to rest the mind. Compatibility is a good fit between  one's inclinations and the kinds of activities supported by the setting. This is particularly useful in situations where people are stressed. The issue of attention has become very important than it has ever been. According to Sue's presentation, Dorset County Hospital in United Kingdom employed Nearby Nature- which was focused on housing patients in restricted wards with constant live feed of videos of the natural environment to aid quicker recovery. Controlled environment helps doctors and scientists to carry out the practice routines in a more relaxed and effective manner- for example, a doctor measuring a patient's blood pressure can do so more easily and effectively when the patients is being made to watch videos on the beauty of nature. Attention Restoration Theory (ART) work in our connected lives. The Daily Zen Smartphone Application helps users to be focused on reaching their goals. This falls under the being away category. The soft fascination staring at an aquarium and admiring the beauty of fish moving gracefully in water as well as the ripples created can help keep the heart rate and emotions like fear in check. It is critical to find space an individual feels comfortable in to carry out  a productive activity according to the well-known Howard Rheingold. Walking in nature improves one's attention span and cognitive functioning.

Technobiophilia is the tendency to focus on life and life processes as they appear in technologies. It is a known fact that natural environments positively impact emotions. While indoors, an individual can pay attention, use indoor plants advantageously, connect with animals, or even treat one's self to technobiophilic gadgets like computer mouses, etc. While outdoor, an individual can go outside, create an outside office, grow stuff (some greenery), or even use smartphones to enhance an individual's outdoor experience. In terms of being online, one can visit a virtual world, play a video game, sample some next nature, add biophilic designs to individual online spaces. Tech: nature literacy is the ability to interpret experiential information generated by a synthesis of nature and technology- for example, the landscape setting in Grand Theft Auto video game. This concept has a connection with metaliteracy. The organic dimension  to online life can:

• Combat digital dualism
• Inform reflective learning 
• Connect experiential learning and research
• Encourage strategies for well-being through tech:nature
• Support lifelong learning   

Biophilic design may be in the form of a building shaped into design with a turf roof or second life teaching space, outdoors in a beautiful garden. Teaching spaces can be very influential to the cause of metaliteracy and connect people within the environment.

The Relationship between Metaliteracy and Digital Storytelling

MOOC Talk 6 was delivered by Bryan Alexander and Nicola Marie Allain. Bryan Alexander is a Senior Fellow at the National Institute of Technology and Liberal Education. He researches, writes and speaks of emerging trends in the integration of inquiry, pedagogy and technology. In 2012, he was the keynote speaker  at the conference of instructional at SUNY IT. His current researchinterests  includes but is not limited to emerging pedagogical forms enabled by mobile technology, learning processes and outcomes associated with gaming and augmented reality, the rise of digital humanities, digital storytelling and futurist methodologies. Bryan published the book, The New Digital Storytelling-Creating a Narrative with New Media.

Bryan's presentation began with a look at a quote by Mark Weiser, a late computer scientist based on Architectures: Ubiquitous Computing, which states, "The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it." In this modern day and age there exists a multiplicity of technological tools and equipment that come together to form a platform for storytelling. Most stories from time immemorial follow Gustav Freitag's model on storytelling which follows the pattern- Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action and Denouement. Storytelling could take a personal form, which could be about someone important, an important event, about what one does, and even criticizing the characters involved. Joseph Campbell looks at storytelling as a form of personal art or kind of personal experience as seen in "The Hero with a Thousand Faces," which is based on the phases a hero goes through. A problem ensues, the hero is called upon and this is described as call to action and then the hero saves the day amid some difficulties usually to give the story an interesting twist, or what is referred to as a sting in the tale.

Storytelling could also be based on mystery, which is not obvious and involved a component which is obscure and hidden. A good example can be drawn from Frederic Brown's "Knock" (1948). The first and second lines read:

"The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door."

The element of mystery is what makes a reader continue reading the following lines in the story as well as the writer's twists and turns. This is what sparks reader or viewer interest depending on the kind of presentation used. Bryan Alexander's definition of storytelling states, "For a given audience, a story is a sequence of content, anchored on a problem, which engages the audience with emotion and meaning." Stories involve some for of difficulties or problems that must be solved by the end to give a meaningful ending to the followers. In the early 1990's digital storytelling was done in the form of Web 1.0, Hypertext, and Multimedia. It was browser-focused, connected with offline and analog content including textbooks and it was like a fad, short trend. By the late 1990's the Center for Digital Storytelling was founded in Berkeley. A curriculum was created and a three-day event was organized, where any individual had the opportunity to create a three-minute video on digital storytelling and in had a personal twist to it as it was based on personal stories. The pedagogy which came up through this event exists today and has inspired movements worldwide in countries like the United States, Britain, Italy and Australia to mention a few. Digital storytelling has enhanced the growth of educational project through platforms such as building critical facilities with technology and very effective brainstorming exercises within an area of study; this is how it has positively impacted the lives of students. This process has helped students discover their voice and identities as storytellers.

Social media and blogs are channels for storytelling and through creative writing and through Wiki a collaborative authored novel was created involving millions of writers. Documents have also been converted into narratives to fit into the storytelling framework. The comments that come at the end of articles and blog posts even tell a story. Podcasts are also a creative way to tell stories and engage listeners. Stories can also be told through picture-sharing websites or online communities like Flickr. Photos are arranged in a particular sequence to tell a story; remixing-taking other people's photos- can be used to tell stories. Gaming is also a means of telling a story so the better the story the more attractive the game becomes. In response to how authors can keep readers interested, there are three ways: make them [readers] worry, weep and wait; that way all of their attention is fully captured. Augmented reality helps put digital ideas to tell stories in the real world and good example of that is Yelp. Geocaching, and choosing your own form of adventure help to collaboratively tell stories.

Nicola Marae Allain is a Faculty Mentor and Area Coordinator for Digital Media for the Center for Distance Learning, a Core Faculty Member of the Master of Arts and Learning of Emerging Technology program in the School of Graduate Studies at Empire State College. She teaches Digital Storytelling and is the Area Coordinator for Media Art courses in the undergraduate program and Advanced Design and Research courses in the graduate program. Her recent scholarship articles are on Digital Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship. Her presentation was based on Digital Storytelling as a form of Metaliteracy. Digital Storytelling is taught through the Digital Media program by the Center for Distance Learning at the Empire State College. It is taught online in multiple sections, five terms every academic year. International programs also offer Digital Storytelling. All the faculties involved in the program collaborate to make it better every term. The Digital Story telling framework used at Empire State College involves creating media-text, audio, images and videos, having a storyline- writing, storyboarding, scripting and lastly projecting- involves importing, editing and exporting media. The faculty areas of expertise include but not limited to Digital Media Arts, Storytelling, Journalism, Public History, Global Studies, Political Science, Communication Design, Information Science, Cultural Studies, Media Studies, Film-making and Photographic Arts. There's a global component to Digital Storytelling and that revolves around international, collaborative, inter-disciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives. International Digital Storytelling was created by Dr. Sheila Aird, who focuses on Global Studies and Public History and Dr. Himanee Gupta-Carlson, whose areas of expertise are Political Science and Journalism. It is facilitated by the SUNY Center for Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). Students collaborate with their counterparts from all over the globe to share ideas and material based on storytelling.

In creating Metaliterate Learners, learning and activities under the Digital Story course require students to fully partake in the processes, knowledge building and skills creation that contribute to metaliterate learning. Digital Storytelling contributes to the Metaliteracy framework hence there is a difference between the two. Students are required to evaluate, understand, share, determine and access information related to the subject and understand the research process.Students find and share stories, analyze, reconstruct and deconstruct and peer review each other's stories and this has added to the high development of Information Literacy, Cyber Literacy, Critical Literacy skills and lastly the abilities to research, review, author, collaborate, participate, contribute, produce, publish, reflect and communicate. The literacies covered in the course include Digital Media Literacy, Media Literacy, Visual Literacy, Computer Literacy, Cyberliteracy, Information Fluency and Critical Literacy. In combining the knowledge, skills and literacies the pathways for student metaliterate learners is created. The pathways include Story Worlds- Wordle Story, Wordless Stories then creating Story Worlds; Story Types include Weaving Narrative, Sound, Images, Personal, Professional, Historical, Fictional. Under the Analysis, Evaluation and Reflection category there is research through field trips, peer review and metacognitive reflection. The inspiration behind digital stories, their importance, intended audience, emotions sparked, the creative process, technical considerations, hindrances, highlights of the writing experience are all essential to the development of future digital stories.

The Parallels between Media and News Literacy-MOOC Talk 5

The fifth MOOC Talk was delivered on Monday, October 28 by co-presenters, Greg Stapleton(on behalf of the original presenter Rex Smith) and Professor John Delano. Mr. Greg Stapleton is the Circulation Community Manager at the Times Union Center in New York's capital, Albany. He works as the overseer of the Richmond Program, which involves helping local teachers using  newspapers and related curriculum guides, lesson plans and social media to attain standards set by the New York State Department of education  and newly developed nationwide Common Course standards. Mr. Stapleton has served in various capacities as an adjunct faculty member at several capital region colleges teaching journalism, mass media theory and contemporary media issues . He is currently teaching technical writing and mass media at SUNY Cobleskill. He received his masters degree in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University and also pursued Public Communications at the College of Saint Rose.

Newspapers emerged to the main scenes in the mid 1800's during the revolutionary period for two main reasons: To get political views known and spread throughout the nation as well as promote local businesses. This is how the Times Union Center began operating in Albany in 1856 to disseminate information about businesses in the capital region. It gradually became a money-making venture. The old model of communication involved a gap between the creators of information and the consumers which was bridged by media. Between the 1950's and 1960's, the feedback loop was added which made it possible for consumers of information to write letters to the editors. The new model of communication is referred to as the social media age and it began between the 1980's and 1990's. It includes emails, feedback in the form of posts and comments, websites and less newspaper. It also involves a two-way mode of communication. Media goes directly to information consumers on a one-on-one basis meaning that the kind of messages sent to consumers is directly related with their various individual styles of living and therefore it suits their personal interests, wants and needs. The sharing of information has become a lot more complex as it involves the new multiple planetary model which means information is shared in a plethora of ways through multiple channels. For example, if I share information on a social media network such a facebook, my friends on the network can share it with the friends too if they like the content of the information.

The Society of Professional Journalists require that media literacy put out by the members of the media is nothing but the truth, must be unbiased, straightforward, abiding by their code of ethics, full of integrity. There is clearly a difference between journalism and a slanted piece of information and therefore there is a requirement for the Times Union Center journalists to check the truthfulness of the information they make available for consumers. Their journalists turn to useful websites like www.snope.com, which works as a definitive internet reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation. The New York News Publishers have a curriculum for teachers to use in elementary and middle schools in teaching their students using the right approaches. Bloggers use social media to promote their works and get sources, share ideas to reach a larger audience. It has become more evident that our generation sees through a slanted viewpoint and therefore it has become necessary for bloggers and journalists alike to use mass social media which allows peer reviews, critiques and feedback to ensure quality material is provided for information consumers. The attainment of power requires even greater responsibility and therefore the education of the next generation on news media literacy through the use of social media is very critical.

The second part of the fifth MOOC Talk was moderated by Professor John Delano. He is a distinguished professor and associate dean at the University at Albany (SUNY Albany). He is a leading scientist in the entire nation and has conducted research on the origin of life and the composition of the planets. He earned his masters in geochemistry at  SUNY Stony Brook in 1977. He has also done research in the field of astrobiology  with NASA and the National Science Foundation. He had the honor of providing a testimony before a Presidential Commission  in 2004 where he addressed NASA's strategic goals for state flight. In 2011, he received an Excellence Award from the University at Albany Alumni Association. He has taught for nearly three decades at the University at Albany. His part of the MOOC Talk focused on science literacy which was based on the topic: Global Challenges of Climate Change-Tragedy of the Commons by Garrett Hardin (1968). The Science magazine, one of the leading science periodicals dedicated an entire issue to Hardin's work on environmental degradation and pollution. The word "commons" as used in the above mentioned topic refers to any situation of unregulated open access that is unsustainable.

Professor Delano branched off to take a look at the peculiar case of the Yosemite National Park, which encountered staggering noise and pollution caused by 88,000 ski-mobiles. This led to government regulations since the park was left in ruins. It has become imperative that regulations are put place to regulate capitalism, immigration, the use of low efficiency cars, the size of families and the population, military adventures to seize resources, universality of human rights and access to public lands to mention a few. Sustainable development has also become very necessary. The definition provided by Professor Delano is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition to that, according Hebert Stein, that which is not sustainable will end. According to a Native American proverb, we do not inherit the environment from our parents we borrow it from our children. Professor Delano went on to provide the population age structure for developing and developed countries. About 32% of people in developing countries are under 15 years old versus 17% in developed countries. The death mortality rate was likened to 35 crashes of 747 aircraft per day without survivors which is quite alarming. The reindeer population in St. Matthew Island prior to 1940 was negligible as only 29 were counted. The animal population soared to a high of 6,000 in the following years before dropping sharply to just 42 due to a very harsh winter!

Planet Earth could be considered as a life boat that sinks with continuous loading. Carbon dioxide emissions and municipal waste must be controlled in order to reduce environmental issues globally. According to the presentation, "humans are trapped in an endless 'Tragedy of the Commons,' unless governments impose solutions on them." "Injustice is preferable to total ruin." "Responsibility is a product of definite social arrangements" and finally ancient ethics are ill-suited in today's complex world. Science literacy involves multiple disciplines that fit within the metaliteracy framework from a social, legal and environmental standpoint to mention a few. It is very complex and therefore requires global action, which can be heavily promoted using the metaliteracy model to make consumers of information well informed on such important issues of concern. The field of science has many branches and therefore with the help of global action and education through the use of metaliteracy a major difference can be made to reduce all the environmental issues to the barest minimum as people become more aware of how important their individual roles are in achieving the collective goal.

The Connection between Visual Literacy and Metaliteracy

The fourth MOOC Talk was delivered by Professor Brian Stone. He is a practicing designer, educator and researcher in the field of interactive design, information design, user experience and communication through motion. He also teaches visual communication at the Ohio State University and is a principal partner at the international consultancy, Latitude for the Design. His focus is mainly on interactive screen based forms which can be incorporated into websites, interactive experiences, multimedia presentations and typographic messages. Dr. Stone has received multiple awards including the Apple Distinguished Educator Award.

Visual Literacy and Metaliteracy go hand in hand and therefore it has become very necessary for visual forms of communication and design to be enhanced in this modern age to make the visualization of information way more easy and meaningful. Websites, interactive experiences, multimedia presentations and typographic messages collectively help establish visual connections that create a better mental picture as well as aid all types of users make informed decisions as far as information design is concerned. Visual messages are directly linked with metaliteracy. The combination of the two forms of literacy helps users to make inferences about language, comparison in terms of information, symbolism, familiarity, ambiguity, understanding and connotations.

Dr. Stone shared a couple of visual and typographic materials which really caught my attention. The first one was a  map used in my country, England-the London Underground Navigation System. Although the underground map was not really based on actual geographic scales, it still achieved its purpose of making underground transportation easier for all travelers, both local and foreign. The map indicated the starting and ending points of each rail line as well as hubs and locations for making connections. Transport for London(TFL), the body in charge of most aspects of the transportation system in Greater London also adopts a similar approach to make moving around London very simple for all travelers. In my opinion, London has one of the best transportation systems around the world barring the occasional delays and change in schedules.

The second visual representation used by Dr. Stone was based on typographic messages used around the Ohio State University Campus to motivate the students as they walked around. Two visual messages shown in his presentation were the words "thrive" and "grow." Thrive was spelled around a tall tree and this tree happened to take the place of the letter "i" in the word. I felt this was an effective and a very creative communication tool in getting specific messages across to the student body. Dr. Stone used one more example in his presentation which came about when went on an Information Exchange to teach in Singapore in 2010. He mentioned that prior to this experience he was used to teaching about 18 students in his class. However, he had a class size of about 45 students in his class in Singapore which meant he had to devise a smart plan on how he could remember the names of all his students. A group of students collected some visual and specific data which included gender, height and nationalities on each student which made it easier for Professor Stone to remember their names. That was very innovative!

Icons, symbols and signs have really helped in promoting the connection between visual literacy and metaliteracy. In the same manner, narratives or story telling also incorporate understanding  the content of the big picture related to information design. It has become very essential for multiple modes of communication to cater to the needs of all manner of information users and metacognitive learners. A lot of consideration has to be put in place to make sure disabled people and the older generations are not left out of the the gradually emerging methods of visual communication and metaliteracy. Progressive disclosure, which involves starting by process and synthesizing a concept from scratch is also very necessary in developing visual literacy and it connection with metaliteracy. Dr. Stone's presentation was very informative!

Metaliteracy in beta: A Southern Anecdote

Dr. Paul Prinsloo moderated MOOC Talk 3.2. He is an Education Consultant and Researcher at the University of South Africa (UNISA). The South African University, where Dr. Prinsloo lectures is a mega online, distance and e-learning institution with a student population of over 400,000 students. Paul's inter-disciplinary focus lies in the fields of Theology, Religious Studies, Online Studies, Business Management and Art History. It is therefore not surprising that Paul has a number publications in addition to his participation in a number of international conferences. He also happens to be the editor of Progressio, which is a resource for open and distance learning practices. His current research focus is in the areas of Learning Analytics, Student Profiling, Student Success and Retention, Graduate Literacies and Attributes.

Dr. Prinsloo began his presentation by providing some clarity on his personal position on the subject of metaliteracy. He provided a disclaimer which stated that his views were shaped by his location and a number  of authors including but not limited to Paulo Freire, Manuel Castells, Zygmunt Bauman, James Martin, Pierre Bourdieu and Pankaj Ghemawat. The published works of the aforementioned authors showcased in order in the presentation were as follows: Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Communication Power, Collateral Damage, The meaning of the 21st Century, Key Concepts, World 3.0, Globalization- The Human Consequences. Dr. Prinsloo then looked at the Metaliteracy Framework as presented by Mackey and Jacobson, 2011, 'reading  the world,' the importance of 21st century world discourses and being informed then finally came up with a proposal.

Information from time immemorial has always been dynamic and therefore it is necessary to view it as a field with players having diversified roles and a variety of rules, plans, power relations, inclusion and exclusion. In Dr. Prinsloo's interpretation of the Metaliteracy Framework by Mackey and Jacobson, 2011, he likened the newly developed literacies for cultural changes of Web 2.0 to solid changing from its original state to the liquid phase. I really liked that metaphor! Web 2.0 is incorporated into a universal library, global market of digital services and products, multimedia and audiovisual communication, hypertextual connection, social networks and virtual interactive environments. A deeper analysis of liquid metaliteracy brought about a side by side comparison between the work of Mackey and Jacobson(2011) and Area and Pessoa(2012) competencies including instrumental, cognitive-intellectual, socio-communicative and axiological. Liquid metaliteracy aligns with metacognition.

Critical consciousness as the foundation for metaliteracy as agency was a sub-topic I found very interesting during the presentation. According to Freire, learning to read and write starts from a deep understanding of the process of reading the world. In addition, being illiterate prevents individuals from reading and writing then renders them powerless and dependent according to Burbules and Berk(1999). In Dr. Prinsloo's summary of reading the world, it is imperative that an individual is aware of who shapes his or her world, the reasons behind it, how the shape affects his or her position and choices made, what the rules of his or her world and who benefits from those rules(including that person's adherence), and finally how that person disrupts and makes up other narratives for himself or herself as well as others. I really appreciated the fact that Dr. Prinsloo derived his own definition of critical consciousness from Freire and Burbules and Berk's works respectively. It is therefore not surprising that understanding the major discourses of this present and even future ages will help shape our understanding and appreciation of the scope and function of literacies.

James Martin's book, "The Meaning of the 21st Century," provides a vivid example of how two extremes- poverty and wealth, mass terrorism with nuclear and biological weapons, starvation, world wars, pandemics, religious conflicts might collectively create the new dark age, which in one way or the other will directly influence and determine how we live as human beings. Other discourses touched on in the presentation included but was not limited to rampant consumerism and destructive capitalism, a networked age, personal privacy and state security and local and global (dis)connections and arguments. In order to be a literate player in the 21st century, one has to completely understand the rules, field, the game, positions and skills required. Habitus refers to the people and past experiences that shape a person. Capital which may be economic, cultural, social and symbolic in addition to the field and other players help an individual to be literate in a networked and (un)flat world. The product of habitus and capital plus the field sums up to the practice or agency [[(habitus)(capital)]+field=practice/agency].

In conclusion, having a full grasp of our choices in particular instances is nurtured by the positions we have in the particular social field at that point in time. Complicating matters has in itself been shaped by other contexts and individuals in a complex chain of power play. Understanding social media in a broader sense of political, social, economic, technological, legal and environmental discourses and arguments is of the essence. Knowing the producers of information, the purpose and claims made, the supporters and exclusions are very important as well. Information is never neutral and there its production, sharing, remixing flow from existing discourses. Finally, critical and self-reflective agency as well as making up other narratives, disrupting standard discourses and asking new question has never been more critical as it is now

Openness within the Metaliteracy Framework (MOOC Talk 3)

MOOC Talk 3.1was on the subject, "Openness and Metaliteracy," was delivered by Mark McBride, the Director of Library Services at Monroe Community College and Michele Forte, an Assistant Professor and Mentor at the Center for Distance Learning at the SUNY Empire State College. It was based on open learning in higher education.

There is a lingering misconception that due to the open nature of information literacy and its related materials, rigor tends to be missing in academic content. This wrong notion was quickly dispelled and that was the main aim of the main presenter, Mr. McBride.

The Modern Language Association's Commons Model is a form of peer review process and peer production model used by scholars to create and update content accurately and freely for the benefit of the the information literacy community. Wikipedia is a good example of the Peer Production Model which allows users to also create and share information freely as well as conveniently update the content of the material.

Creation Commons Attribution video by Jesse Dylan in the presentation demonstrates how licensed material should be credited to the owner or creator and shared with the community at large. This platform allows to a large extent self-expression, freedom and copyright options in a non-commercial manner. For example, Creation Commons can be used by a group of individuals who come together for a common purpose which to create content such as musicians creating a great piece as a team to share with the bigger outside community.

Openness within the metaliteracy framework gives rise to looking at content in a variety of ways and sharing it with the community as a whole; this could be scholarly work which involves careful thoughts and thorough research. The sharing process allows for the remix and reuse of information.

The discussion proceeded  to Open Education Resources (OERs), which is any kind of teaching material such as textbook, syllabi, lesson plans, video, readings, and exams.These materials permit free and uninterrupted access as per the content as well as the free incorporation of remix, reuse, revise and redistribute of the material.

In higher education, the free access of course material is way more beneficial that adding to a publisher's purse by purchasing a particular edition of book then its subsequent editions. The free access students have to course materials is what makes it a major plus for education. It creates a community of higher educators.

Creative Commons as mentioned above allows the transition of education from local to regional then to global. The licensing of content makes it the property of the world and therefore can be used freely, remixed and reused as desired. As a result of social content becoming global, individuals are permitted to add to the material to make it multi-faceted. Individuals with similar interests can collaborate to make content more developed and detailed thus leading to the creation of more solutions to critical problems.

Openness challenges geography in the sense that new bodies of knowledge  are developed over time, place  and space. Finally, the fact that individuals have the tendency to reflect on their respective contents by referring and relating to that of others, further advances the cause of metaliteracy.

Metaliteracy Viewed Through Metacognitive Lenses(2nd MOOC Talk)

The second MOOC Talk based on the subject, "Metacognition- A Literacy of Awareness," was held on Wednesday, September 18, 2013, and it was facilitated by Char Booth, an Instruction Services Manager and E-Learning Librarian at Claremont Colleges Library.

It has become extremely important for all participants in the metacognitive field to be very much aware of their thought processes just as they occur. There are underlying factors that are critical in advancing the cause of metacognition. These factors include but are not limited to developmental factors, cultural factors, social factors, and mentoring/instruction. How an individual becomes aware of his/her way of thinking and learning to boost performance is directly related to the aforementioned factors. On average, individuals become aware of their cognition at age 4 and the way of life these individuals are accustomed to(culture) also affects their thinking and learning processes. Societal norms as well as the socialization that comes in the form on mentoring and instruction affect metacognitive knowledge and experiences. Metacognitive knowledge has to with how one senses development in terms of his or her own cognition, the perception of one's self as well as other people, then finally how one perceives what is easy and what is difficult to interpret within the metacognitive framework. Metacognitive experience is related to how an individual understands or misunderstands another person during an interaction, reviewing one's previously held opinions, and finally how a person interprets failure and success.

Regulation was another important concept that was touched on in the presentation. This concept is related to one's ability to input actions and strategies to make the most of the experience of metacognition. According to Schraw and Moshman(1995), regulation has to do with metacognitive activities that help control one's thinking or learning. Regulation of cognition involves planning, monitoring and evaluation of actions and strategies. One interesting thing I learned from this MOOC talk is how knowledge and experience in terms of metacognition varies from one individual to another. It is therefore not surprising that each individual's reaction to altercation or complication is unique. Char Booth's presentation ended with a look at the Learning Theories and analysis of Literacies and Metacognition. Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Constructivism form the learning theories. Behaviorism has to do with regulating one's behavior within the educational psychology framework. Cognitivism is related to designing learning experiences to help individuals retain information. Constructivism is multi-dimensional; it involves peer-to-peer interaction and social learning-what affects individuals and how their brains develop. Literacies and Metacognition stages in the model are interpretation, evaluation,reflection, revision, and justification.

The second MOOC talk was very detailed and informative. I enjoyed being a part of the videoconferencing experience!

Tale of the tape: Padlet versus Popplet

In our second  session of the semester last week, Professor Trudi Jacobson introduced the class to Padlet. Padlet is a very powerful online tool that enables the sharing of thoughts and ideas in a form of wall posts or a bulletin board. It was my very first time using this free and very simple application. Professor Jacobson put up a question which required students to describe metaliteracy in six words and it was amazing how each individual's response updated on each computer screen right after clicking the "publish" button. Padlet is a great tool for teaching and learning! It also provides features that help users to be more creative; the use of pictures, videos and other forms of multimedia as well as designing the interface to suit users' preferences.

After doing a thorough research I came across a similar online tool called Popplet. This application like Padlet helps users update ideas they acquire from brainstorming exercises and present those ideas in a form wall notes. It is also very simple to use and incorporates various types of multimedia to engage users as well as those they make presentations to. Popplet also provides tools and features that help bring out the preferences of every user. It is a very simple yet creative application which can be used for group and individual projects.

My First Massive Open Online Course(MOOC) Talk

On Wednesday, September 4, 2013, I had the opportunity to attend my first Massive Open Online Course(MOOC) talk organized by Professor Tom Mackey and Professor Trudi Jacobson in the Standish Room of the Science Library at the University at Albany. As it was my first time participating in a MOOC, I did not know what exactly to expect aside from the fact that I knew I would have the chance to interact with participants from all over because of the participatory nature of the course. It took a little while for the organizers to figure out how to successfully set up the equipment to make the talk a smooth exercise. But the exercise eventually began and a variety of topics and concepts were touched upon. 

The topics discussed ranged from the very nature of the subject of metaliteracy, reflecting about the research process(thinking thoroughly about one's way of thinking), what makes the concept of metaliteracy unique(how it differs from other disciplines related to literacy), the metaliterate learner, metacognition, the media involved including social media as well as the various types of participants in the field. It was an engaging forum however, there were a few concerns raised on how to make subsequent MOOC talks a smoother experience for the participants due to the technical difficulties experienced at the beginning. I had the singular honor of being the only student in the midst of learned professionals so I had the opportunity of learning a not of new ideas. I also had the chance to make a meaningful contribution and it is my hope that I will be instrumental in making the subsequent talks a smoother exercise as I intend to volunteer to help the organizers set up for the next MOOC exercise. Overall it was a very good experience for me and I am really excited to be a part of this!

The Concept of Metaliteracy

The concept of metaliteracy  is new to me. My understanding of this innovative style of teaching and learning is that it is a developing model which is making a transition from the theory phase to the actual practice phase. It involves the discovery of fairly new and growing technologies used in the process of crafting and sharing information in an open and healthy participatory online forum. This is my first time taking an online course and it is good to know I will have a chance to interact with participants from all over. I like the fact that I get to share what I learn in my blog simply because I just started a sports website with my best friend so I believe through this course there is so much I can learn about blogging to help make my column better. I commend Professor Trudi Jacobson and Professor Tom Mackey for all their time and effort in developing the metaliteracy model. I believe it will go a long way to enhance teaching and learning in a very creative way.