 Yeah, welcome back to Think Tech. I'm Jay Fiedel and this is CoronaWatch. We'd like to check up on all the stories that tended to CoronaWatch. We want to cover it completely because it is, you know, completely infused throughout our conversation and community. So, today we have Grace Laudeck as our guest. Carol Munley and I met with her last week and she is an intern now for Think Tech and we are proud to have her with us and proud to have her as a guest on the show. She's a communications major in Hawaii Pacific University. So, welcome to the show, Grace. Nice to see you smile and face. Thank you for having me, Jay. Can we both wave to Carol Munley? Wave. Shout out to Carol Munley. Hi, Carol. Very important. Okay. So our show today is about the kind of tools, the communication tools and the internet tools you might use if you're stuck at home because a lot of people are and should be stuck at home at least for a few weeks. So we can see where we are and the numbers of cases and fatalities that are being experienced not only in Hawaii but around the world and from coronavirus. So if you're going to be home, you're going to have spare time and you don't want to go stir crazy. You want to occupy your time in productive fashion. And that's what we're here to discuss now because Grace is a communications major and she's in that part of her life where she is very interested in the kinds of things you would do at home in terms of communicating through the internet. So Grace, tell us your thoughts about this and what we should be doing at home while we are not going stir crazy over coronavirus. I think that this has surely has been a very overwhelming time for a lot of people and I think that learning how to utilize your time in a productive way but also an enjoyable way is extremely important just to help pass the time. So I think that some of the crucial mediums by which we can help pass the time by more quickly or to be more productive or creative is to look to apps and technology. Thankfully today in the modern world we have means where we can reach out to others and reach out and consume news in an easy way just by accessing it on our phone. So some of the apps I'd like to talk about today would be YouTube, Instagram, Zoom which is a distance online learning app utilized by many colleges during this time as there's been a switch to online learning. And then other apps such as FaceTime and Skype which help us have face to face time with relatives and friends that we may not be able to see during this time of quarantine. Yeah, this is when we're not napping or eating or watching mindless TV shows. There are other TV shows that are not mindless and we may want to do that just to stay informed and see documentaries on important educational issues. But when we're on the computer, when we're looking at the internet, these are valuable lessons to know and so let's go through what you have in mind. I guess the first one and we have some slides to show about this, the first one would be YouTube. So why this slide? What do we have on this slide that is helpful? So YouTube is an online platform is also available in app form for your smartphones where you can watch videos on virtually anything and everything. So here I have a picture of the YouTube recommended page. Essentially what YouTube does is the more that you search and watch videos on YouTube they help to curate recommendations for what they believe your interests would be. So this is just an easy way to access content that you would find enjoyable and attractive and it's a great means to help pass your time. So one of the reasons why I love YouTube so much is because it's both a productive and a creative platform all in one. So what you can do is that you can learn how to pick up a new skill, whether it be learning how to cook, whether it be learning how to crochet, how to paint, how to code a computer. There's so many different things that you can learn on YouTube and I think that this is the perfect time to pick up a new skill. And I think that it's also a creative platform as well because you yourself can also become a content creator on YouTube. Just by using your phone or just a simple camera at home, you can just get in front of the camera and just start talking about your opinion. Maybe even share a skill set that you know about or talk about something that you're passionate about. And I think that YouTube is the perfect platform because you can message other people, you can comment on content, even create your own. And I think that it's just the perfect all-in-one media platform where you can exercise both productive and creative sides of your mind. Yeah, well, Think Tech loves YouTube. We have 9,000 videos on YouTube including this one. And if they search on your name like starting tonight or tomorrow, they will find this video and they will be able to see what you're saying, Grace. The other thing is, yes, there are comments. And I would like your thoughts and views on the kind of comments you should be making at home when you are engaging, so to speak, with YouTube videos. Because people come at the comments, the comments experienced from different points of view. Some people use handles and say completely irresponsible things. Other people make very constructive comments. So what are your thoughts on that, Grace? I think it's definitely important to exercise discretion when you're commenting online. I think that a mistake that people often make is thinking that the Internet isn't real, that these comments aren't lasting. But indeed, these comments are lasting on the Internet and they're always tied to your name. So I believe that it's important definitely to provide constructive criticism and to be respectful at the same time. I think that the beauty of digital media is being exposed to other people's perspectives and opinions. And just because you don't necessarily agree with them, you shouldn't resort to brash or hateful comments. Because it's supposed to be a platform where we can productively engage with one another and exchange our opinions in a meaningful way. Yeah, absolutely. And if you're going to be at home stuck at home, you want to have a meaningful engagement where you can actually touch people in a constructive way. You know, one of the things you said reminds me of the whole issue of privacy. And big companies like Google and Facebook and I guess Amazon, use your data that they pick up from you on the fly, on your buying habits or your positions on things or whatever you might put in your messaging on the Internet. And they use that to sell you stuff. And that means like when you come on Amazon, they got some things they want to recommend and you say, how do they know that much about me? Or when you come on YouTube, as you mentioned, and they know what to suggest to you because they know your tastes already. There's a task force. I was a member of a task force in Hawaii to look into privacy issues and, you know, try to put some control on that on a statewide level because, you know, Congress isn't doing much about it. So I wonder, you know, you're somebody who studies this. You're in HPU to learn about digital media and communications on the Internet. How do you feel about privacy? How do you feel about them using my habits, my buying habits, my statements, my tastes and video and the like to make suggestions to me? Is that okay or is it creepy? I feel both positively and negatively about this topic. On one hand, I do appreciate that Instagram, Amazon and YouTube are able to curate my preferences and my interests into something on one page. So for example, the Instagram or the YouTube recommended pages or Amazon creating little ads on the side when I'm searching for something on Google, it definitely is helpful because I don't have to search as extensively for a product or a service that I'm looking for. But at the same time, it is sometimes disconcerting and it does feel invasive at times, especially when I'm having a conversation in person with my friends or messaging someone through Apple's iMessage app. And then the very topics that we're conversating about pop up on my Instagram. Sometimes it is of concern to me. It's like, how was this app listening to what I'm saying in real person time? How was this app accessing what I'm texting my friends on a completely separate app? And I think that definitely does lead to a lot of debate about how invasive should these companies be? How are they storing our data? How are they sharing them with other people? And I think that there does need to be greater accessibility for the public to understand how their data is being utilized. Yeah, one wrinkle on that is that there are data brokers out there. And these companies, the very same companies, actually sell the data that they collect on you and make money on it. And it goes without your consent or knowledge, it goes hither and yon. This is particularly troubling in politics. Cambridge Analytica was buying data and using it in political circumstances. How do you feel about data brokers and the sale of your information that is collected about you when you use the internet on these various sites? It does make me uncomfortable at times. Many websites have created it so that you have to sign off on their terms and agreements. But I think that so often these terms and agreements are so lengthy that a normal reader just doesn't have the time to read every single page of this. And as a result, I don't think that we get a full picture of exactly how our data is being used. So I think that a way that in which we can improve this is creating a simplified terms and agreements form, just so we know exactly how, when, and where our data is being utilized. I think that there needs to be some more increased transparency. I'm giving you an option to say no. I don't want you to sell it. I don't want you to use it. You know, I'm into privacy. I think that may be coming on a national level and it may be coming on a state level also. And some states have adopted rules like that. I'm not sure how far they get with them now. Okay, the next one you wanted to talk about is Zoom. Zoom is very akin to what we use that is VMIX call. VMIX call, we can have conversations around the world with as many as eight people at a time. And we can broadcast what we get on our VMIX call program into our stream. So this is very useful for us. And Zoom is right along the same lines. Our program is, you know, it's part of our stream programming software. In the case of Zoom, it's like everywhere now. And it's a successful company and people are using it more and more. So how would you use Zoom to while away the time while you're stuck at home? So I think that Zoom is an extremely effective app for video conferencing or online digital learning. So for many of us, our colleges have canceled class for the remainder of the semester. And as a result, we have to shift to online learning. Zoom essentially allows us to continue to have class discussions to still have that face-to-face time with your instructors. You can still raise your hand and still have that real-time classroom feel, which I believe is really important to creating effective online learning. So last night, I had my first online class on Zoom for my medical anthropology class. Oh, good. Medical anthropology? Yes. Oh, I think of little else at dinner time. Never mind. Go ahead. So that class is extremely discussion-based. Every week, we take the time to break out into groups to discuss the book that we read for the week. And Zoom was such a fabulous app because it enabled us to break out into different groups and then regroup again as a big group so that we could discuss the group both privately within smaller groups and then together as a class. And that really just helped reflect the exact same feel that I had at class every week. And I think that it helps just ease the transition into online learning. I think that sometimes online learning when you don't have that face-to-face time can often feel alienating or like you don't have the chance to interact with those around you. And I think that having classroom discussions is so crucial to learning about other people's perspectives and opinions. And I think that Zoom is just perfect for that, whether it be for the educational or professional setting. Yeah, well, I'm really happy to hear about that. The breakout groups sound very valuable to me. So who made the choice of taking Zoom? Was it the class? Was it the teacher? Was it HPU? So it's up to the instructor at HPU. So I currently have classes that are being conducted through our normal online learning platform, which is called Blackboard. I have a couple classes where we're actually doing learning through Facebook just by making posts and comments. And then for this particular class, we're utilizing Zoom. And I've seen on social media that many colleges as well are using Zoom. So maybe that's turning out to be the favorite. I know when we use Zoom here in ThinkTech for a while, we found the VMIX call was better for our purposes. But I like Zoom a lot. And are you finding that Zoom is your favorite among the programs that are being used? Yes, I would definitely say it's my favorite. I personally enjoy a discussion-based learning setting. So Zoom is perfect for me. You know, years ago, we first saw these, what do they call it, online courses, MOOCs, multiple online courses, M-O-O-C-S. And they were being adopted all over the country. And the best universities were making courses available either cheap or free. And sometimes you could actually get points toward your degree by taking and passing tests in these courses. I think it's kind of slowed down. The University of Hawaii did not really do that very much. I don't know if HPU did it early on. But I suggest that the whole affair with being locked up at home with the coronavirus epidemic and having all these universities now adopting online learning is going to change that. And we're going to have MOOCs left and right and galore. We're going to have a new renaissance in MOOCs. And by the time we come out of the coronavirus crisis, we'll be much better at it. The students will be much more sophisticated. The teachers and universities will be much more accepting of it. At the end of the day, MOOCs will serve a place in American higher education. In fact, in education in general. What do you think? I think for sure, especially as we continue to industrialize as a world, I think that there definitely has been a shift towards distance learning and non-traditional learners. And I think that by learning these skills now on how to utilize an online class, what are the different platforms we can utilize to create an effective online class. I think that these are definitely important skills for both students and instructors to learn as we start to create a shift towards distance learning to create more accessible educational opportunities for everyone. Yeah, so here's a question for you. Number one, how does the grading change when you use online programs like Zoom for educational courses? So we have had some changes in the percentages by which we divide up how our class is going to be graded. So our participation points have changed rather than being based on raising your hand and maybe how many comments are you making on our Facebook posts. For Zoom, it might be how many words are you writing into the chat bubble on the side. Those are the ways in which they've changed how we're being graded, as well as our finals all now being in a take-home fashion. So it also definitely adds an increased element of accountability for the student to actually be honest that they're not looking in the book when they're writing down their answers for finals. And also even for presentations for class, how do you conduct those? That's definitely been a challenge. I've had to learn various technologies like how to add a voiceover to a PowerPoint presentation. Also the increased use of Google documents where we can all collaborate on a document asynchronously. Those are definitely tools that have been helpful, but it does change instructor expectations and it's also caused instructors to have to be more accommodating and understanding that we may not necessarily be as familiar with these technology tools at the given time. Well, you know, in the past, in a big class, in a college course, you could easily fall asleep and nobody would know. And I think there are people including me who, you know, took that to a new art form. I could fall asleep and I would have a way of not showing it and I wouldn't get anything out of that class at all. But it strikes me now with a class that's online with Zoom or one of the other programs, Skype for example, even FaceTime. You can't fall asleep so easily, am I right? That's correct. I actually have seen some people joking on social media where they print out a picture of themselves and then just tape it in front of their computer. But other than extreme students like that, for sure, it is difficult to fall asleep. You can't hide in the corner of the classroom because you have to be right in front of your laptop. So it has made it more challenging. How about the bottom line education? I think a lot of universities were worried that the MOOCs courses would not educate the student in the same way that a personal experience would educate the student. It sounds like, from your Zoom experience, that it is personal and you have to present, you have to engage. And so, you know, the question is raised. Are you going to get a better education out of online courses now now that we learn about them through this crisis? I think that it partially does lie in what major you are. So I think that for those, especially in STEM majors having to do labs, I think that those just had to be discontinued altogether. And I think that labs definitely are a crucial way to help supplement what you're learning in the textbook. So I believe in those majors in particular, it could potentially be detrimental. I think also as a communications major, because much of our classwork is presentation-based in person and part of having an effective presentation is just learning how to be comfortable with speaking in front of a live audience. I think that Zoom and online learning does take away from learning those essential skills. But at the same time, I think it also challenges us to be more present. I think that sometimes an in-person learning and instructor can become overwhelmed or not necessarily be able to keep track of everyone, especially if you're in a big room. But on apps like Zoom, your face is right in front of the screen. So I think it does challenge you to be more present. Great. I hope our viewers are writing all this down for the final exam. We'll have the final exam right after the show is over. In any event, that's Grace Laudeck. She's a communications major at HBU. And she's an intern here at Hawaii, I think, Tech Hawaii. And we're going to take a short break, come back. I'm going to ask her about Instagram right after that. So stand by for one minute. With Grace Laudeck of Hawaii Pacific University, we want to talk about Instagram. Now you gave us a slide about Instagram. Can we see that? And can you tell us how you feel about it? So I believe that Instagram is going to be the new Facebook. So I think especially for the younger generations, Instagram has become a more popular app than Facebook just because of easier usability and more comfort with privacy. So over here, I just have a screenshot of what an Instagram profile looks like. So here I just took a screenshot of a brand called Anthropology, which is a beauty lifestyle and clothing brand. And over here, you can just see that Anthropology has posted some pictures on the bottom. They also have something called Stories, where you can more actively engage with the brand. And it's definitely a platform where you can help to advertise yourself. It can also be a creative medium. And it can also be a productive medium as well, where you can engage in consuming news and sharing news as well. You have other slides on Instagram too. Do you want to describe them? This over here is a photo of what Instagram looks like when you first open your app. So this is the homepage right here. It displays all the content that the people that you're following are posting. And over here, you can engage with the content by either liking it. You can comment on it. You can message it directly to your friends. Or you can also livestream your opinion on it with the IGTV spot that is at the top of the page. Well, you said, oh, here's another page. What is this? And this is the Instagram Explorer page. This is equivalent to YouTube's recommended page. So what Instagram does is it curates content that they believe you would be interested in based on what you're liking and commenting on, and even what your close friends are interacting with on Instagram. So you said that you thought this was going to accelerate over Facebook. Why? So definitely amongst the younger generations, especially my group of friends, even a few years older than me, and definitely people that are younger than me. There's definitely been a shift away from Facebook. So if I were to just ask people in my class or just within my friend group, there's definitely more people who have Instagram than Facebook, and people are definitely more on Instagram than Facebook. I think that the reason why there's been a shift towards Instagram is because overall the usability of it is easier than Facebook. And I think that people like that it feels more private. So on Facebook, for example, your feed will be clogged with what your friends have liked and commented on. Whereas on Instagram, the content that's curated for you is just content that you choose to follow, not necessarily what your friends' actions have been on the website or the app. And I think that's what's enabled Instagram to be so attractive to the younger generation is because you're more in charge of what type of content you see on the app. It's more yours, and it allows more creativity, encourages more creativity by you and your thinking. That's really important and valuable. Well, we'll see if your prediction is right. I have to follow Instagram. I must say I don't know too much about it. But it does allow you to post videos, and it covers one kind of thing I was going to ask you about, Grace. And that is the notion of making a blog, of speaking to the world about things that occur to you, about writing notes that will reach far away to people you don't even know, to express yourself to them, to have an influence on them. Can you do that through Instagram, or should I just start a blog on Google Blogspot? What do you think? So I believe that Instagram itself can be utilized as a blog, but it definitely isn't your traditional blog platform. So more traditional blog platforms will be websites like Wix or WordPress, and many people do link their own blogs inside of their Instagram biographies, which is located at the top of your personal page. But I also think that you can create essentially your own journal on Instagram of sorts. Many people love to create profiles that are very aesthetic. The pictures all have a similar color scheme. There's an overall theme to your home, to your whole page. And I think that many people take pride in having an aesthetic Instagram feed. It's just something beautiful that they can look back on, whether it be of their memories and thoughts. And Instagram does allow users to write lengthier captions. And I think that many people do take that as an opportunity to express their thoughts or opinions or just feelings from day to day. So it definitely can be utilized as like a newer blog platform. Okay, well we've talked about YouTube, we've talked about Zoom and the like, and we've talked about Instagram and the like and blogs for that matter. What are the limits of it? You know, is this something that I would spend my whole day doing? And where does it go in terms of truly educating me? Does it present better than living my life on the street with my friends in the flesh? How far can I go with these things? How much good do they do me during a coronavirus epidemic? So Instagram definitely is an easy app to access and create content. But I think that at the same time with the rise of the internet, everyone believes that they're an expert on something. And there can often be a blur between opinion and fact. And I think that it's essential to be mindful of that, especially when you're utilizing social media platforms like Instagram. Especially on platforms like Instagram, it's so easy to use Photoshop to just Photoshop someone's face over another person's face or to be able to edit the words of what they said. You can just erase words and just add in your own and it can look almost identical to the original. And I think that that's what can make navigating Instagram difficult at times is trying to separate fact from fiction. But I believe just by exercising your own discretion, it is easier to identify what is fact from fiction, especially if something seems too extreme or just not in line with the rest of the content that you've been seeing in those ways it is easier to pick out. Well, that raises such an interesting poem. You only have a minute left, but I would like your thought on this. Using these programs, becoming facile with these programs, all of them, and reading news on the Internet, using sources for news, including the big newspapers and maybe other news sources too that are less mainstream. Is your generation, and perhaps mine, learning to be more critical in evaluating which is the real news and which is the fake news? Because if I had to spend time on the Internet, the most important thing I could do is get the truth. Are we getting better at that? I think that we definitely are getting better at that, and I think that it's an essential skill with the upcoming decades to be able to differentiate what's fact from fiction. And I think it does encourage us to be more picking news consumers by deciding what content is worthwhile and what isn't. Thank you. Grace Ladick, HBU, communications major, and an intern at Think Tech Hawaii. It's so nice to have you on the show. Welcome aboard in both capacities. Thanks very much. Aloha.