I recently had a bout with a deranged hacker who found deep satisfaction in breaking down the back door of my Joomla! website. It was my own negligence that allowed it to happen; I hadn’t done a security update to the plugins installed on my site in oh…I don’t know, 2 years. /shrug

After much frustration and an unsuccessful attempt at recovering my blog posts from the past few years, I decided to throw it out and start from scratch with a fresh install of WordPress on my domain.?

Given that I am more active on the UF COE Community site than my personal domain these days, I thought it would be great to be able to pull the content I post in the Community over to my new WP blog. It looks like the RSS Feeder plugin by a development group called WPXpand might be just the way to do it.

So this post is a go at it. I think I have configured the plugin properly on the WordPress site to pull from this here blog, but I never get anything right the first time.

James Gee has crafted a remarkably educational book, while exploring a field generally considered un-educational – at best – by many instructional theorists. Anyone attempting to sell video games as educational tools faces a myriad of media focused on the graphic content of some games and their supposed penchant for “teaching” nothing but violence. Gee challenges this bad press and supports his ideas with conclusions derived from his own introspective endeavor into the world of “good” video games. While his research methodology may lack scientific credibility (due to its purely qualitative nature), his book could potentially plant a seed of curiosity in even the most callous of video game critics.

Gee opens What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy, the first of his three books investigating video games as educational vehicles, with an ingeniously crafted introduction. In it, Gee clearly states his intention to avoid focusing on two prominent issues in previous writing about video games: “violence (e.g. shooting and killing games, depictions of crime) and gender (e.g. whether and how much girls play, whether and how video games depict women poorly)” (p. 10). Gee also outlines the book’s format for the reader. He intentionally avoids breaking lines of thought with bibliographic citations to seamlessly construct scaffolding within the reader. Instead, Gee opts to include additional resource materials in a single narrative section concluding each
chapter. The author aims to build each chapter around the goal of illustrating specific learning principles exemplified in “good” video games.

Additionally, Gee explains his intention to integrate his insight into the world of video games with three existing fields of modern research: situated cognition, connectionism, and New Literacy Studies, a body of work depicting reading and writing as social and cultural practices, not merely internal mental achievements (p. 8). This last field serves as both a backbone for Gee’s theorization and a built-in defense against critics who will quickly attack the lack of hard scientific evidence backing up his hypotheses.

The majority of the book discusses various learning theories and their seemingly unintentional inclusion in “good” video games. Naturally, one could offer a “chicken or the egg” argument regarding learning theories and video games, though it probably would not accomplish more than such arguments typically do. The distinction between a “good” video game as opposed to a “bad” video game is one Gee hardly touches overtly. Though the underlying thread throughout the book attempts to tie the learning principles discovered through playing video games to a game’s inherent “goodness.”

The concept of semiotic domains recurs consistently throughout the text, alluding to Gee’s background in linguistics. Semiotic domains refer to the varying types of literacy within and across contexts. To illustrate this principle, Gee keenly analogizes the different lenses used to view video games by digital natives and immigrants to the different interpretations one can derive from a point guard on a basketball team dribbling the ball up the court and holding up two fingers. Depending on whether the viewer is another teammate on the court, an opponent, or a fan in the audience, each will glean a different meaning based on his or her own semiotic domain (p. 44-48). Gee uses this concept to enlighten readers with the lessons he learned while immersing himself in the video game domain.

While it may be easy to criticize What Video Games Have to Teach Us… for its lack of hard evidence in support of its theory, such a critique would have little to do with Gee’s book. Throughout the text, Gee acknowledges the dearth of supporting research. The mere fact Gee, a decorated academic, sought to personally endeavor into video games and ended up becoming a huge proponent of game-based learning, should stifle many staunch advocates of education free from video game infringement.

Methodology for inclusion: Due to a relative dearth of research in online sustainability education paired with a lack of standardized curricula for “green” education, I initially focused on case studies of nascent sustainable business and construction education programs. This lead to an evaluation of developments in personal learning environments (PLE) and social software as applied to sustainable education programs. In order to account for a rapidly evolving set of technological tools for distance educators, I limited my results to publications released from January 2005 to February 2009.

Search terms: green construction, green collar, personal learning environments, sustainability, sustainable education, social networking

Literature Review:

Anderson, T. (2006). Higher education evolution: Individual freedom afforded by educational social software. In M. Beaudoin (Ed.), Perspectives on the Future of Higher Education in the Digital Age (pp 77-90). New York: Nova Science Publishers. http://hdl.handle.net/2149/1071

In this chapter, Anderson examines the technical tools available for informal learning opportunities afforded by new developments in educational social software (ESS). Drawing from research in the social capacities of traditional brick and mortar educational settings, Anderson cites a need for further development of social networking tools for distance learners.  While development of these tools is ongoing, many educators continue to argue the tangible benefits of fostering student collaboration and community in an online setting.

Ballantyne, Roy and Packer, J. (2005) Promoting environmentally sustainable attitudes and behaviour through free-choice learning experiences: what is the state of the game? Environmental Education Research,11:3, Pages 281-295.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13504620500081145

While not specifically tied to technological tools, this article seeks to encourage informal, “free-choice” learning opportunities for students in environmental education programs. Ballantyne and Packer present extensive resources to analyze the current state of research in relation to the many, and varied pedagogical methods utilized to introduce concepts of sustainability in environmental studies curricula.

Breslin, C., Nicol, D., Grierson, H., Wodehouse, A., Juster, A., Ion, W. (2007). Embedding an integrated learning environment and digital repository in design engineering education: lessons learned for sustainability. British Journal of Educational Technology, 38 no5 805-816, London, UK.

This paper outlines the effort to embed a learning environment and digital repository into the teaching and learning of Design Engineering at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. The authors include a thorough analysis of the technological, pedagogical and cultural Issues related to use of a shared workspace and a digital repository within the Distributed, Innovative Design, Education and Teamwork (DIDET) project. Conclusions focus on the need for attention to sustainability when developing a program reliant on students sharing digital media.

Domask, J. (2007). An experiential approach to sustainability studies. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. Vol. 8 No. 1. Pages 53-68.

This case study seeks to provide a concrete example of how experiential learning approaches, in the form of internships and community outreach, can effectively meet empirical educational goals in international sustainability studies. In order to assess the effectiveness of these nontraditional methods, Domask suggests a qualitative focus on 4 educational goals:

1. Connecting the student with practice
2. Fostering effective interdisciplinary curriculum
3. Linking students to work experiences
4. Engaging and empowering students.

Domask cites the lower financial costs of lecture-centric instruction as a significant inhibitor to implementing experiential educational methods.

Holden, M., Elverum, D., Nesbit, S., Robinson, J., Yen, D., Moore, J. Learning teaching in the sustainability classroom. (2008). Ecological Economics. Volume 64, Issue 3, Pages 521-533. Vancouver, BC, Canada. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VDY-4PYRKF1-2/2/bcb114f1b8cc2301cc6defd6dced74d8

This case study chronicles the implementation of a course on the green building industry in Vancouver, BC. The authors pay specific attention to the instructional methods and technological tools utilized to deliver the course. Participants in the course came from a broad range of backgrounds, and the authors cite this fact as a strong contributor to the perceived success of the course.

Mankoff, J., Matthews, D., Fussell, S., Johnson, M. Leveraging Social Networks To Motivate Individuals to Reduce their Ecological Footprints. To be published at Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2007.

In this article, Mankoff et al. analyze the utilization of social networking communities (SNC) in American households in order to propose a method to leverage SNC to teach users about their carbon footprint. The authors point toward a lack of knowledge on the part of the average American as a significant road block standing in the way of the proliferation of environmentally conscious activities. To develop greater awareness among individuals, the authors intend to create a web application capable of estimating one’s carbon footprint and publicizing that footprint as part of one’s personal profile across various SNC. Additionally, the application will offer tangible suggestions to reduce one’s footprint, and allow individuals to share additional suggestions and personal testimonials.

Payne, P.G. (2006). Environmental Education and Curriculum Theory. Journal of Environmental Education; Winter 2006, Vol. 37 Issue 2, 25-35. Washington, D.C. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pbh&AN=20355451&site=ehost-live

Due to a lack of curriculum standards for environmental education, Payne draws from social constructivist and phenomenological learning theory to propose an infusion of 9 recurrent questions into school curricula. These questions span various content areas and encourage students and instructors to actively engage in dialogue about the interplay of environmental problems and solutions in small and large arenas. Payne sees the advent of purely empirical curriculum standards as a guard against non-traditional subject matter, and views a sustained dialogue regarding environmental concerns as a means to circumvent the lack of subject-specific curriculum standards.

Shrestha, M., Wilson, S., Singh, M. (2007). Knowledge Networking: A Dilemma of Building Social Capital in Nonformal Education. Adult Education Quarterly. Vol. 58 No. 2. Pages 129-150.

This study begins with an explicit delineation between formal, informal, and nonformal education. While informal and nonformal are often used interchangeably, the authors suggest informal learning essentially takes place without intent, while nonformal education (NFE) has a specific, often community-centered, intent. The study employs a participatory action research methodology to investigate the interpretations of educators in a range of NFE venues, such as local libraries, neighborhood centers, and sporting clubs. Many of these venues offered learning opportunities in environmental sustainability.  The results showed a perceived lack of financial support for these opportunities and a need for further investment. Analysis of the results focused on 5 key elements of a successful NFE venue:

1.Client focus

2.Sustainability

3.Learning paths

4.Use of volunteers

5.Links with other providers

We are beginning to crack at the SEO aspects of our new system. The rename of the distance.education to community.education sub-domain seems to have knocked our site down in the Google page rank scheme of things. We will need to do some heavy lifting to get it back in place.

Unfortunately, Kampyle no longer offers a free service to any new users. I was hoping to employ a system like Kampyle to glean feedback from users of Purlieu. We’ll have to re-think the feedback process; it might just be easier to write a little application that will aggregate user feedback in a database we can manage.

Unfortunately, offering live video content on a production par with the quality of the events commonly occurring at the COE is no small task. These services will likely involve a complex interweaving of various hardware and software technologies. I hope to post a schematic of the proposed technical configurations in the near future…

Though it still lacks content, the Drupal theme it runs on looks pretty slick. Kudos to the designer responsible for the background image and CSS; it definitely reminds me of another political site with a focus on civil service.

Using image sprites, the page will load a single .png for all states of the navigation buttons, drastically decreasing the number of image requests on the server when a new page is loaded. If all goes well, this method should applu to the navigation across all 3 applications (Moodle, Elgg, and WordPress).

This seems like a nice trick, but it sure does take a lot of time to create all those images the first time around…

Profile

Entrepreneurial individual with a proven ability to effect positive change, seeks employment in a progressive instructional setting.

Experience

Instructional Technology Expert, University of Florida College of Education, Office of Distance Education, Gainesville, FL, February, 2007 – Present
Provide Instructional Technology and Design support for a rapidly growing eLearning initiative, serving over 1500 active users in 100 online graduate courses and degree programs.

• Instructional Design – Rapidly develop, implement and evaluate graduate courses and grant collaboration sites for faculty, students, and staff using various eLearning and Web 2.0 technologies. Conduct live individual training and workshops for university faculty and staff related to course design and technological innovation. Highlight – Designed and developed technical training portal resulting in a 45% decrease in technical support requests per user.
• Instructional Technology – Coordinate technical support team in delivering support and training in non-technical language to diverse stakeholders. Consult with hardware, software, and service vendors in order to recommend high-value solutions to college administration. Highlight – Researched and implemented a college-wide migration to an outsourced Learning Management System (LMS) hosting environment dramatically reducing down-time and cost to the college.
• Web/Graphic Design – Design and maintain the college’s distance education marketing/informational site. Brand, develop, and administer the college’s Moodle installation. Highlight – Implemented and evaluated a complete re-design of the UF COE Online LMS portal using standards-compliant HTML, CSS, and PHP.

Instructional Technology and Digital Media Consultant,, Gainesville, FL ?October, 2005 – Present
Offered web design consultation and implementation solutions to clients including the Employ Florida Banner Center for Energy, SynAppSys, artist Lissa Friedman, FussBall Features, and others. Acted as screen writer and technical consultant for instructional video projects in the UF Department of African and Asian Languages and Literatures. Trained and assisted graduate student filmmakers in the UF Documentary Institute in the production and post-production of short-form documentary films. Highlight – Acted as Sound Designer and Soundtrack Contributor for “Desecration Nation,” a documentary focused on the historical, legal, and social implications of flag-burning in the USA.
Educational Media Coordinator, University of Florida Health Science Center, Information Security Program, Gainesville, FL, January, 2006 – February, 2007
Coordinated end-user security awareness training opportunities for a health science center with more than 12 thousand constituents.

• Instructional Design – Developed print and web-based IS training materials for diverse, non-technical end-users. Designed and delivered workshop materials for IS Managers and Administrators focused on industry-current best-practices. Assisted in the development of HSC IS policies and standards. Highlight – Designed and implemented IS Awareness compliance training for all HSC faculty, students, clinicians, and researchers.
• Web/Graphic Design – Developed and branded the SPICE (Security Program for the Information and Computing Environment) awareness campaign. Designed and maintained the program’s website, utilizing role-based navigation and secure login procedures. Highlight – Designed a one-page computer configuration guide with an initial print run of 10 thousand.

Co-Founder and Co-Owner, High Noon Pictures, Gainesville, FL ?February, 2003 – December, 2005
Participated in all facets of concept design, financial and organizational planning, management, marketing, client and vendor negotiations, and digital media production. Focused specifically on sound design, web design, information design, and client relations. Highlight – Produced the first-ever documentary on the indigenous Garifuna people in North-Eastern Honduras, Men en Mañali.

Education

University of Florida – Ed.D. Educational Technology (currently enrolled), Specialization in Multimedia Production for 21st Century Learning. August, 2008 – May, 2011
University of Florida — M.A.E. Educational Technology, Specialization in Distance Teaching and Learning. August, 2006 – August, 2008
University of Florida — B.A. English with Honors, Specialization in Film & Media Studies. August, 1999 – December, 2002
Winter Park HS – International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, Winter Park, FL. May, 1999

Skills

• Technical Skills – Proficient in: Mac OS X, Windows XP/Vista, MS Office, Adobe Creative Suite, HTML, CSS, Final Cut, Google Web Applications, Drupal, Joomla, Moodle, Blackboard, Elluminate Live!, Captivate, Camtasia, A/V Production Hardware. Knowledge of: PHP, ASP.NET, ActionScript, SQL, Network Infrastructure, IS Contingency Planning.?
• Soft Skills – Excellent verbal and written communication skills; patient and empathic technical trainer, ability to establish rapport with diverse stakeholders; capacity to recognize and foresee the complex interplay of policy, practice, and technological implementation; accomplished musician and A/V production engineer.

References
Tom Dana, PhD, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, UF COE
Colleen Ebel, MBA, Chief-Information Security, UF VPHA
Randy Graff, PhD, Assistant Director of Education & Training, UF VPHA
Chris Sessums, PhD, Lecturer, UF COE, 352.392.0726
M. Adam Ball, Owner-Creator, Fuss-Ball Features

Profile

Entrepreneurial individual with a proven ability to effect positive change, seeks employment in a progressive instructional setting.

Experience

Instructional Technology Expert, University of Florida College of Education, Office of Distance Education, Gainesville, FL, February, 2007 – Present
Provide Instructional Technology and Design support for a rapidly growing eLearning initiative, serving over 1500 active users in 100 online graduate courses and degree programs.

• Instructional Design – Rapidly develop, implement and evaluate graduate courses and grant collaboration sites for faculty, students, and staff using various eLearning and Web 2.0 technologies. Conduct live individual training and workshops for university faculty and staff related to course design and technological innovation. Highlight – Designed and developed technical training portal resulting in a 45% decrease in technical support requests per user.
• Instructional Technology – Coordinate technical support team in delivering support and training in non-technical language to diverse stakeholders. Consult with hardware, software, and service vendors in order to recommend high-value solutions to college administration. Highlight – Researched and implemented a college-wide migration to an outsourced Learning Management System (LMS) hosting environment dramatically reducing down-time and cost to the college.
• Web/Graphic Design – Design and maintain the college’s distance education marketing/informational site. Brand, develop, and administer the college’s Moodle installation. Highlight – Implemented and evaluated a complete re-design of the UF COE Online LMS portal using standards-compliant HTML, CSS, and PHP.

Instructional Technology and Digital Media Consultant,, Gainesville, FL ?October, 2005 – Present
Offered web design consultation and implementation solutions to clients including the Employ Florida Banner Center for Energy, SynAppSys, artist Lissa Friedman, FussBall Features, and others. Acted as screen writer and technical consultant for instructional video projects in the UF Department of African and Asian Languages and Literatures. Trained and assisted graduate student filmmakers in the UF Documentary Institute in the production and post-production of short-form documentary films. Highlight – Acted as Sound Designer and Soundtrack Contributor for “Desecration Nation,” a documentary focused on the historical, legal, and social implications of flag-burning in the USA.
Educational Media Coordinator, University of Florida Health Science Center, Information Security Program, Gainesville, FL, January, 2006 – February, 2007
Coordinated end-user security awareness training opportunities for a health science center with more than 12 thousand constituents.

• Instructional Design – Developed print and web-based IS training materials for diverse, non-technical end-users. Designed and delivered workshop materials for IS Managers and Administrators focused on industry-current best-practices. Assisted in the development of HSC IS policies and standards. Highlight – Designed and implemented IS Awareness compliance training for all HSC faculty, students, clinicians, and researchers.
• Web/Graphic Design – Developed and branded the SPICE (Security Program for the Information and Computing Environment) awareness campaign. Designed and maintained the program’s website, utilizing role-based navigation and secure login procedures. Highlight – Designed a one-page computer configuration guide with an initial print run of 10 thousand.

Co-Founder and Co-Owner, High Noon Pictures, Gainesville, FL ?February, 2003 – December, 2005
Participated in all facets of concept design, financial and organizational planning, management, marketing, client and vendor negotiations, and digital media production. Focused specifically on sound design, web design, information design, and client relations. Highlight – Produced the first-ever documentary on the indigenous Garifuna people in North-Eastern Honduras, Men en Mañali.

Education

University of Florida – Ed.D. Educational Technology (currently enrolled), Specialization in Multimedia Production for 21st Century Learning. August, 2008 – May, 2011
University of Florida — M.A.E. Educational Technology, Specialization in Distance Teaching and Learning. August, 2006 – August, 2008
University of Florida — B.A. English with Honors, Specialization in Film & Media Studies. August, 1999 – December, 2002
Winter Park HS – International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, Winter Park, FL. May, 1999

Skills

• Technical Skills – Proficient in: Mac OS X, Windows XP/Vista, MS Office, Adobe Creative Suite, HTML, CSS, Final Cut, Google Web Applications, Drupal, Joomla, Moodle, Blackboard, Elluminate Live!, Captivate, Camtasia, A/V Production Hardware. Knowledge of: PHP, ASP.NET, ActionScript, SQL, Network Infrastructure, IS Contingency Planning.?
• Soft Skills – Excellent verbal and written communication skills; patient and empathic technical trainer, ability to establish rapport with diverse stakeholders; capacity to recognize and foresee the complex interplay of policy, practice, and technological implementation; accomplished musician and A/V production engineer.

References
Tom Dana, PhD, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, UF COE
Colleen Ebel, MBA, Chief-Information Security, UF VPHA
Randy Graff, PhD, Assistant Director of Education & Training, UF VPHA
Chris Sessums, PhD, Lecturer, UF COE, 352.392.0726
M. Adam Ball, Owner-Creator, Fuss-Ball Features

Profile

Entrepreneurial individual with a proven ability to effect positive change, seeks employment in a progressive instructional setting.

Experience

Instructional Technology Expert, University of Florida College of Education, Office of Distance Education, Gainesville, FL, February, 2007 – Present
Provide Instructional Technology and Design support for a rapidly growing eLearning initiative, serving over 1500 active users in 100 online graduate courses and degree programs.

• Instructional Design – Rapidly develop, implement and evaluate graduate courses and grant collaboration sites for faculty, students, and staff using various eLearning and Web 2.0 technologies. Conduct live individual training and workshops for university faculty and staff related to course design and technological innovation. Highlight – Designed and developed technical training portal resulting in a 45% decrease in technical support requests per user.
• Instructional Technology – Coordinate technical support team in delivering support and training in non-technical language to diverse stakeholders. Consult with hardware, software, and service vendors in order to recommend high-value solutions to college administration. Highlight – Researched and implemented a college-wide migration to an outsourced Learning Management System (LMS) hosting environment dramatically reducing down-time and cost to the college.
• Web/Graphic Design – Design and maintain the college’s distance education marketing/informational site. Brand, develop, and administer the college’s Moodle installation. Highlight – Implemented and evaluated a complete re-design of the UF COE Online LMS portal using standards-compliant HTML, CSS, and PHP.

Instructional Technology and Digital Media Consultant,, Gainesville, FL ?October, 2005 – Present
Offered web design consultation and implementation solutions to clients including the Employ Florida Banner Center for Energy, SynAppSys, artist Lissa Friedman, FussBall Features, and others. Acted as screen writer and technical consultant for instructional video projects in the UF Department of African and Asian Languages and Literatures. Trained and assisted graduate student filmmakers in the UF Documentary Institute in the production and post-production of short-form documentary films. Highlight – Acted as Sound Designer and Soundtrack Contributor for “Desecration Nation,” a documentary focused on the historical, legal, and social implications of flag-burning in the USA.
Educational Media Coordinator, University of Florida Health Science Center, Information Security Program, Gainesville, FL, January, 2006 – February, 2007
Coordinated end-user security awareness training opportunities for a health science center with more than 12 thousand constituents.

• Instructional Design – Developed print and web-based IS training materials for diverse, non-technical end-users. Designed and delivered workshop materials for IS Managers and Administrators focused on industry-current best-practices. Assisted in the development of HSC IS policies and standards. Highlight – Designed and implemented IS Awareness compliance training for all HSC faculty, students, clinicians, and researchers.
• Web/Graphic Design – Developed and branded the SPICE (Security Program for the Information and Computing Environment) awareness campaign. Designed and maintained the program’s website, utilizing role-based navigation and secure login procedures. Highlight – Designed a one-page computer configuration guide with an initial print run of 10 thousand.

Co-Founder and Co-Owner, High Noon Pictures, Gainesville, FL ?February, 2003 – December, 2005
Participated in all facets of concept design, financial and organizational planning, management, marketing, client and vendor negotiations, and digital media production. Focused specifically on sound design, web design, information design, and client relations. Highlight – Produced the first-ever documentary on the indigenous Garifuna people in North-Eastern Honduras, Men en Mañali.

Education

University of Florida – Ed.D. Educational Technology (currently enrolled), Specialization in Multimedia Production for 21st Century Learning. August, 2008 – May, 2011
University of Florida — M.A.E. Educational Technology, Specialization in Distance Teaching and Learning. August, 2006 – August, 2008
University of Florida — B.A. English with Honors, Specialization in Film & Media Studies. August, 1999 – December, 2002
Winter Park HS – International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, Winter Park, FL. May, 1999

Skills

• Technical Skills – Proficient in: Mac OS X, Windows XP/Vista, MS Office, Adobe Creative Suite, HTML, CSS, Final Cut, Google Web Applications, Drupal, Joomla, Moodle, Blackboard, Elluminate Live!, Captivate, Camtasia, A/V Production Hardware. Knowledge of: PHP, ASP.NET, ActionScript, SQL, Network Infrastructure, IS Contingency Planning.?
• Soft Skills – Excellent verbal and written communication skills; patient and empathic technical trainer, ability to establish rapport with diverse stakeholders; capacity to recognize and foresee the complex interplay of policy, practice, and technological implementation; accomplished musician and A/V production engineer.

References
Tom Dana, PhD, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, UF COE
Colleen Ebel, MBA, Chief-Information Security, UF VPHA
Randy Graff, PhD, Assistant Director of Education & Training, UF VPHA
Chris Sessums, PhD, Lecturer, UF COE, 352.392.0726
M. Adam Ball, Owner-Creator, Fuss-Ball Features