Technology+Overview

=ACG 2021=

The Spring semester of ACG 2021 section 0M02 will be delivered as an M based class. What does this mean? According to the [|University of Central Florida] **"MIXED-MODE/REDUCED SEAT TIME** courses require electronic media-based instruction that substitutes for some classroom time (reduced seat time). Students must have access to the Internet, a Web browser such as Internet Explorer, ability to use email, and basic computer skills such as word processing".

Concepts and lectures for ACG 2021 will be delivered via "ScreenCasts", but other technology will be utilized during the semester to enhance your learning experience, more on these technologies will be discussed below. First, what is a screencast, in terms of acg 2021 a screencast will consist of Microsoft PowerPoint narrated by Dr. Hornik and accessible via hyperlinks in a streaming format. Don't worry if you don't know what this means, if you've watched any videos on YouTube like this one:

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Ahhh, you've woken up, great. Well if you can watch that then you can watch screencasts of accounting lectures (hopefully just a bit more exciting, but the same idea). As stated most of these will be streaming PPT narrations (they will also be made available in iPod Video format - now you have an excuse to ask your parents for a new video iPod, and in .wmv format for playback on non-iPod devices).

Here's an example of one of my [|screencasts] (in Quicktime format the way it would appear in your iPod) just so you get the flavor, ok ok I know it's only a little more exciting then the previous video but this is accounting ;-). In addition to the narrated PowerPoint slides the screencasts will also contain narrated "whiteboard" material. What does that mean? Well sometimes it means I'll be demonstrating some of the accounting techniques you'll need to learn this semester using excel or an electronic whiteboard -think blackboard only digital, here's an example from [|MathCasts] calculating [|simple interest].

The neat thing is that these screencasts will be available 24/7 so you can view them via the Web anytime, in our Second Life classroom on Teaching 4, via my webstie http://www.mydebitcredit.com/test-new-page/screencasts/ or anyplace if you download them to your iPod.

=Technology used in ACG2021:= is a 3-D virtual world, created by Linden Labs. Everything in the world (in-world) has been created by the residents of Second Life. Second Life has it's own currency, Linden Dollars (L$) and virtual items, services, and land can all be purchased. We will NOT be spending any L$ for this course, all that you need is available for free (including membership).
 * 
 * ==Second Life==

Second Life is not a game (like WoW or Eve Online, etc.) in that there is no objective or goal to be reached. Instead Second Life is a social environment, allowing individuals, through their avatars (that's me below), to interact with each other and objects via text based or voice based chat. Additionally, Second Life has the ability to bring in certain content from FL/RL/PL (First Life / Real Life / Physical Life), primarily in the form of audio or video media. Currently you can not view web pages.

Avatars:
When joining Second Life you will need to pick a name, you can not use your own name and will be provided with a list of last names that you must choose from. You can pick any first name you like. My Avatars name is Robins Hermano. Please think about this choice as this is how you will be known to me, your classmates, or others in Second Life. So avoid names that you might use in IM, like swimchick0683, in general leave numbers out of your first name. I have chosen to be a male, but you can choose to be any gender or a non-human, the choice is yours. Since I will need to know who you are in order to give you credit for some of our activities in Second Life, you will have to let me know your RL name and your SL name so that I can keep track of who is who.

Get an Account:
There are three steps to using Second Life: 1) Get an account, 2) download the software, and 3) go through an Orientation. Sign up for an account at [|Second Life] (this will take you to the New Media Consortium sign-up page). Once you have created an account, you then need to [|download the Second Life software] (referred to as the client) onto your computer.

You may want to [|] [|view this screen capture] to see how to log in.

[[image:T4-REA_003.jpg align="center" link="http://slurl.com/secondlife/Teaching%204/59/162/22"]]
Click the link above (or the picture) to teleport directly to our spot in Second Life. This will open your Second Life viewer with a map, click teleport and you're there. This assumes you have alreade signed up for an account and downloaded the software using the links above.

[[image:view_lecture_001.jpg align="left" caption="Video Lecture Area"]]
As mentioned above, SL allows video to be brought in-world, and there will be several locations on our parcel at Really Engaging Accounting set up for you to view the lectures. You will be able to view any lecture from any chapter at any of the three viewing stations set up in Second Life. In order to view the lectures in Second Life you will need to have [|Quicktime] installed on your computer. Some of the concepts in this course can be difficult to visualize. SL allows us the opportunity to create 3-D models of some of these concepts, and you will have the ability to interact with these to deepen your understanding of the concepts. Currently you will have the ability to interact with a 3-D interactive accounting equation (Assets Liabilities + Equity) and to play in a single-player interactive T-account game (and who said accounting can't be fun). If you're struggling with a concept and feel it might help to visualize it let me know and I'll try to create something (or if your so inclined you can create it yourself to share with the class, if you do there might be extra-credit points coming your way).
 * __Watch Lectures__
 * __Interact with Accounting Models__

What else are can you do in Second Life?
 * Meet in groups to discuss accounting
 * The best way to learn accounting, well pretty much anything, is in a social context. The classroom has traditionnaly served as the social setting, but in todays world this is no longer the only place to meet. I have created Second Life spaces for you to have a place to meet other students to discuss, question, and answer accounting related issues. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF STUDY GROUP OPPORTUNITIES!
 * Meet with me to discuss accounting
 * I will have virtual office hours throughout the semester, so if its hard to come to campus you need only log into SL meet with me.

There's a lot to do, and a lot to learn so that you maximize your time in SL. I've created a set of how-to videos for most of the things that will be necessary for you to learn (and they will be available for viewing within SL as well as here in the wiki).

[|Community Standards] - these MUST be followed while you are in-world.

is a graphical tool used to organize your knowledge. It serves two purposes, 1) to ensure that you understand the material enough to create a map of the concepts, and 2) to allow me to ascertain your understanding of the concepts. By creating and posting your concept maps I (and/or my G.A.) will review your map and provide you with feedback regarding any misconceptions you might have. Please review the following slides to get a better understanding of Concept Maps and then review the videos to get a feeling for how the concept map tool we will be using works.
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 * ==CMap Tool==

[|Download Cmap] and if you are having trouble look [|here] and [|here]. After completing your Cmap you will need to upload it in the WebCT HW area. Your Cmap files will all have the extension .cmap and are located in your My Cmaps folder which is in your My Documents, folder. [|Watch this] for a demonstration of where your Cmaps will be located. And [|watch this] to see how to download a .cmap I send back after grading your assignment.

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is a social networking tool that was devised to enable you to stay in touch with your group of friends. Limited to 140 characters, twitter'ers send tweets describing: What am I doing now? (limited to 140 characters). Watch this to get a better idea. media type="youtube" key="ddO9idmax0o" height="355" width="425" These tweets are sent to everyone who has signed up to follow your "tweets" via the twitter web page, various [|twitter widgets] (e.g. ), IM, or your [|cell phone]. How will we use this for accounting? First you need to [|sign up] for a Twitter account, don't worry it's free. Periodically through the semester I will tweet you (after you sign up to [|follow] the acg2021 tweets) with an accounting question. How does all [|this work?], it's quite simple really. The first individuals to tweet back with the correct answer will receive extra-credit points. Remember, tweets can be sent to your cell phone as SMS messages, and depending on your cell phone plan this can cost $'s. If you have a per text message cost to your cell phone plan and don't want to pay for the ~20 messages I may send out during the semester, turn off notifications from all your followers. You can then selectively choose to be notified via text for selected followers (acg2021 being one). Click [|here for a short screencast] for turning off notifications and setting your twitter account to follow acg2021 tweets. Below are some of my latest tweets:
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 * ==[|Twitter]==
 * [|Twitteroo] by RareEdge || [|Twitterrific] by IconFactory || [|Twitbin] by Infinimedia ||

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