Tag Archives: technology

Defending My Dissertation Proposal with Prezi

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In late December I successfully defended my dissertation proposal, titled Writing as Development and the Implications of Blogging. Despite my cautious review of Prezi, I decided to use it for the defense for a few key reasons.

1. Powerpoint is soporific

Powerpoint is soporific – it makes people in the room tired. This isn’t always the case – some people are great with PowerPoint, I’m just not one of them. Prezi designs are sleek, so compared to PowerPoint, it takes a lot less work to make your presentation look good.

2. Reinstated Privacy Function

locked

Second, Prezi has reinstated the private function. When I wrote the previous review, Prezi had temporarily removed the feature that allowed users to create private presentations. This was problematic. For example, consider my  my proposal presentation. After presenting I hoped to get feedback from my committee (of three professors) and then make revisions before proceeding with the final paper and subsequent data collection. I wanted to be able to decide after the presentation what was public and private and what would be changed.

Luckily Prezi reinstated the locked or private presentation function. As you might notice I made the presentation private and have kept it that way. My committee gave me critical feedback that changed the research method and some of the final directions. I’d like my presentation to reflect these changes before I make it public. In addition, I have yet to do the research. I know it is unlikely, but what if someone were to see my presentation and be able carry out my design before I do!

3. Familiar Turf

Finally,  Prezi needs the latest Flash player to run, so if you are using an unfamiliar computer this could be a problem. However, my defense was at the Graduate Center – where I spend a lot of time so I was able to test out the computer well in advance. Looking ahead this may be an issue.

And how was my proposal defense you might ask?

I’d rather not write too much about that…at least the Prezi worked! Overall, it went well. The basic format was as follows, I talked for about 20 -25 minutes,  then each of the three committee members offered  some excellent feedback.  I later incorporated their comments into a revised copy of my proposal, which I  submitted to The Graduate Center. If you’re interested in the content of the proposal you can check out a brief description on my New Media Lab page.

And the future?

Jean Piaget Society Banner

I’m slated to present the initial results of my research in late May at the Jean Piaget Society Conference in San Francisco. I will not be able to test out the computers beforehand. If I choose Prezi I must accept the possibility that it may not work. But no matter what presentation software I choose – there’s  a risk of technical failure, and based on my experiences Prezi only slightly increases this risk. Prezi as a PDFDownloading the Prezi as a PDF is a good backup, it won’t look as good but at least if Prezi does not work I will still be able to scroll through the PDF as I talk. Even if I know there won’t be any tech issues, I’ve found printing out the PDF’s is useful as it helps keep me on track during a talk and I can always check the printout for what’s next before moving what’s projected on the screen. I’ll be sure to post an update on how Prezi worked after the conference!

 

 

What’s the Opposite of a Smartphone? 5 Reasons to Stay Stupid

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What’s the opposite of a smartphone? My Nokia C2 -1.05, though it does boast a 3.2 mp camera with video and music capabilities.

My Nokia C2 -1.05 In fact, many of the photos on this blog were taken using this trusty tool.

However,  I have decided to succumb and move into the smartworld. First, why did I hold out all these years? And second what’s changed?

Why Not Use a Smartphone?

1. I didn’t need one. It’s hard to believe but some New Yorkers don’t use cell phones at all.  I spend most of my working day – as I am now sitting in front of a computer – so why would I need another computer in my pocket?

2. Having that computer in your pocket or by your head may cause brain cancer- though like plastics – it’s hard to say because everybody is doing it.

3. I didn’t want to pay more for a phone that I wasn’t going to use.

rooster4. On an ideological level I think the smart phone, like the pocket watch in E.P. Thompson’s (1967) classic work serves as another way for our jobs – or the man – to control the worker’s life. As I wrote in a comment last year on the ITP blog:

“According to Thompson (1967) the shift from cock as timepiece to watch as timepiece signified a paradigm shift. Before the cock people told time by the sun. Chaucer’s cock reflects an agricultural modality. Can the current shift from wristwatch to smartphone be interpreted as a harbinger of the Internet revolution?”Christina quickly picked up on this thread writing “… as we consider this shift from watch to smart phone we also consider how this shift functions for Capitalism. Certainly there are implications for blurring the time of the working day. Are there other implications?”

5. And finally, everyone else has a smartphone,  so if  I need one they’re never far away.

What Changed?

1. Though I’m a far cry from self reliant, recently I’ve felt the desire to be in command of my own smartphone. Perhaps, it’s a response to the uncertainty associated with writing one’s dissertation proposal. I don’t know how that will turn out, but I do know that right now it’s 51 degrees in Central Park, I’ve read the Times top ten article titles, and my commute today will take exactly 37 minutes.

2. On a number of occasions I’ve yearned for a smartphone to direct me to the nearest Citi Bike station, or at least a station with working bikes. It’s this on the fly type of adjustment that only a computer in your pocket can provide.

3. Entertainment. I almost always carry a print version of the New Yorker, or The Atlantic in my bag or back pocket. However, I can’t carry the whole paper – or all the articles I’m perusing. One might counter – but you can’t read them all on the go anyway. Instead of reading I occasionally use the headset on my nokia to listen to the radio, but it doesn’t work on the train  and I’m growing tired of NPR – especially during pledge week.

4.  As noted in a previous post, I’ve become more reliant on my google calendar. In the past I used my trusty notebooks to keep track of  daily engagements. However, now that I use my google calendar more often, the process of transferring information from the notebook to the calendar is flawed and has become cumbersome. For example, I might be at a meeting (without my laptop?!) and I want to schedule another meeting – but I don’t have my calendar because google has it. trusty notebooks

5. I want the ability to check my latest email.  If I don’t choose to respond right away I don’t have to – but at least I’ll know what’s ahead. Which leads to a larger existential question – is it better to know about the email lurking in your inbox,  or to live with the possibility that there is a pressing matter at hand that you don’t know about?