Rockin' Around the Computer Screen

It’s that time of the year again. It’s time to deck the halls, chug the egg nog, and start shopping for the recipients on your never ending list that seems to, well, never end.

The only problem? You’re family already has everything.

You could be really thoughtless and buy a couple dozen completely impersonal gift cards in the checkout line at Walgreens. Or you could go the ho-hum route and buy the tried and true yet again: a tie for dad, a CD player for the brother, gold clubs for Uncle Mark, cashmere sweater for Grandma (insert yawn here).

But if you really want to knock the stockings off your loved ones and show them that your truly care, put some thought into every gift and look no further than the internet.

Most everybody has either been the giver or receiver of a picture in a frame, capturing a special memory, from a friend or family member. But if you want to take the sentiment to the next level then make a photo mosaic (pictured) might be the answer. The crafty people on designmosaic.com make the whole process simple by allowing the creator to upload as many photos as they’d like and choose the main photo. Within one to two weeks a personalized mosaic made up of tiny thumbnails will be at your doorstep. The prices range from $19.99 to $49.99 depending on the size of the print and puts a clever twist on any picture.

For the environmentally-conscious in your life, look no further than inhabitat.com. Bike-chain picture frames, eco-friendly clothing, and solar-powered messenger bags are just a few of their specialty items. Any green-loving pal life is sure to be impressed and will proudly wear any of their organic clothing or accessories. The website has an assortment of such novel ideas as a necklace with a water faucet charm, reminding the wearer to save water. Their gifts are a little harsh on the wallet but definitely good for the Earth.

If you really want to get creative, cafepress.com can be a one-stop virtual shopping trip for any type of person on your list. Enabling just about anyone to feature their one-of-a-kind designs on clothing and other products, you might have to refrain from buying a few things for yourself (one for you, two for me?). For the family awaiting a soldier’s return, an entire category is devoted to t-shirts with sayings such as, “All I want for Christmas is my daddy to come home”. Funny slogans such as “My boyfriend can beat up yours” or political statements like “Defend marriage against what? Relevance?” can be found in any category on the website. Type any word or phrase into the search box and you’re sure to find a perfect present.

If you’ve ever heard someone repeat something so much that they might as well get it tattooed on their forehead, you can at least tattoo it on their clothing! Custom ink will print any saying or picture you desire onto an article of clothing of your choice (sweatshirts, T-Shirts, boxers, etc.). The only hard part is not laughing at loved one’s reactions when they see their signature phrase on their new shirt.

While these are only a few of the infinite gifting options on the web, you can be sure to start crossing names off after only a few clicks.

And who can forget the best part ?

You can shop in nothing but your Santa hat!

Generation Techno- Savvy

"The Paradox of our time in history is that...we have more degrees but less sense"
-George Carlin

Today’s typical college student can barely remember a time when the internet was non-existent. As the years continue, the number of students that rely on technology to aid their learning will continue to grow rapidly. It is officially the Golden Age of the computer, internet, and technological advancement.

The only problem? Schools haven’t exactly caught up…and are losing the attention of students with outdated course requirements and lesson plans.

A typical college syllabus contains multiple lecture sessions, a few multiple-choice exams and midterms, along with various reading assignments and busy work.

For classes that require attendance, most students drudgingly attend lecture sessions with their prized laptops in tow so as not to lose points for absences. What the professors can’t see, however, is that while many appear to be earnestly taking notes as they’re clicking away, most are actually shooting out emails or checking their MySpace accounts for new picture comments.

Instructors will assign endless chapter summary assignments to supplement lectures and ensure that students have actually completed the reading. Though they might be surprised to learn that a good chunk never even crack open the text and many don’t even purchase it in the first place! Wouldn’t it seem that it’s time for change when students can still pass a course with flying colors without even glancing at a “required” textbook?

Sprinkled throughout most courses are also multiple choice exams, filled out on Scantrons, which do more to kill trees than teach students. While once considered a tool to evaluate a student’s comprehension of the material taught , it is becoming a reality that rote memorization of useless information might not be the way to go. Just because a college student spends 4 hours the night before a midterm committing a study guide to his/her memory does not mean it’s actually been absorbed.

Instead of evaluating a professor’s success by how many A’s are earned in his course, it might be more accurate to track how many students go on to actually use the information they are “taught” in their everyday lives or how many college graduates obtain jobs where the material they’ve been taught is relevant. Isn’t the point of a college education to prepare students for the “real world” or the workforce?

Sadly, college students have stopped paying attention. In order to cope, many lug an arsenal of technology to school with them to keep themselves entertained: laptops, cell phones, iPods, etc.. Warm bodies fill classrooms but their minds are playing hooky.

So what’s the answer then? How can educators reel students back in and make their mounting debt worth the while?

While basic reading and writing skills are absolutely imperative to functioning as a competent adult, technology intervention is the answer. Slideshow presentations, email forums, web-enhanced courses, chat room discussions, and hands-on experiments are just some of the tools that many instructors are using to grab the attention of their many visual learners.

Assigning an essay on YouTube or keeping in contact with students via Facebook might seem foreign and even intimidating to many educators, but we live in a world where novel ideas are the most attractive and with so much stimuli attacking the brains of students on a daily basis (radio, TV, internet, magazines, music downloading, email, text messaging, etc.), it has become critical for professors to fight off the outside distractions and grab the focus of seemingly sidetracked pupils.

As technology continues to advance and multimedia becomes more accessible everyday, classrooms have a multitude of options at their fingertips.

College students are enrolled because they want to be… now is the time to take control of the educational institution before it falls through the cracks.

YouTube... you can run but you can't hide

Thinking back a few years ago, I never thought I would see the day where I would be assigned my homework via YouTube… but the day has officially arrived.

YouTube, aside from MySpace, is possibly one of the most popular websites in the internet stratosphere. Almost anything that your heart desires (or eyes, rather) can be found on the site, featuring a wide range of videos, from Britney Spears’ train-wreck MTV Video Music Award performance to self-made videos by Apple iPhone customers decoding their outrageously thick bills.

The Tube’s birthday was back in February 2005, when three former employees from PayPal got together to create the service, which uses Adobe Flash to broadcast its files. Google then made a smart move and bought out the company for a grand $1.65 billion in Google stock in late 2006.

A video network for the pathetically bored, the insanely talented, and those who just want to catch up on Paris Hilton‘s latest mistake, YouTube has something to offer to everyone. Members can upload their own videos and blogs, download their favorite music performances, and even rate posted videos among about a million other features.

Much to celebrities' chagrin, their every moves (the good and bad) are at the world’s disposal thanks to video sharing. Just ask David Hasselhoff, who suffered not only public mockery but loss of custody of his children after he was filmed wiggling around on the floor, attempting to eat a cheeseburger (he failed) after he tossed back a few too many. The video not only made it to YouTube within 48 hours, but made it to top headlines on news programs and was hot gossip throughout the internet blogosphere.

On the other end of the spectrum, former “nobodies” are experiencing fame they, and most everyone else in the world, can hardly believe because of their home videos. This is the story for Chris Crocker, who famously wailed and chastised the public for being so cruel to Britney Spears and begged for her mercy. He can now be seen rubbing elbows with Alexis Arquette and other stars at some of LA’s most exclusive nightclubs.

Many are also familiar with the rise of “Obama Girl”, actress Amber Lee Ettinger, who flirtatiously lip-synched her love to presidential candidate Barack Obama this year in a video that seems like it was seen by everyone. From there Ettinger was featured on the cover of “Steppin’ Out” magazine, interviewed by big dogs Fox News and CNN and has a website which claims to be “The Home of Obama Girl.” Plus, she sparked the fame of other wannabes… do the “Giuliani Girls” sound familiar?

In addition to being the downfall of some celebs and the rise of those desperately seeking fame, YouTube has brought forth a wave of conveniences to classrooms all over. Many professors across the country are using clips from YouTube to supplement their classroom lectures and homework, which might just might perk the interest of the younger and tech-savvy generations. And it’s likely that almost all students would rather watch their assignments then listen to their instructors drone on and on…and on.

Perhaps one of the best features of video-sharing is exposing controversy. Soldiers in Iraq have had their videos removed after filming overseas, but were at least able to reach a small group of viewers before the ban. Watchdog groups such as Cop Watch LA and others have used the forum to encourage investigations of police brutality, posting videos of questionable police conduct. Another shocking video even showed a young toddler, suspected to be under the influence of ecstasy, riding on the floor of a vehicle with her eyes rolling back in her head while her caretakers laughed uncontrollably.

For the good or the bad, thousands of videos being added everyday and the options are endless.

What are you waiting for? Pick up the webcam… your audience is waiting.