This course wasn’t what I expected. While I had expected to learn about ‘new communication technology’, I had also expected to learn more about the applications of technology in the workplace and the possible ways humans may be communicating with each other in the future. I had expected more practical information, ‘this is the technology, this is the way it is used and these are the possiblities for development in the future.’ A lot of the information we were given was very specific and detailed which left me with little understanding about the greater picture and where that information fitted in. I expected more general information with an increased practical application. While I learned how to use blogs, I’m not sure how they are used in the real world and how organisations use them. (A lot of graduates will end up working for corporations so it’s useful to know how this technology applies in the workplace.) While the content was interesting, I’m not sure how useful the course was for me. While the lecturers and tutors obviously know their subject matter, there was an element of assumed knowledge that I found a little difficult. (I have never wanted to alter a computer program so the whole discussion about open source software was a little bewildering.) My uses of technology are pretty basic but I don’t think I am alone. I did enjoy a number of the lectures and some of the readings were quite relevant and thought-provoking. On the whole though, I found my expectations of what I would learn and the insights I would gain were not met. Perhaps a little more general information (and not so much history) and some more discussion about the practical applications would be useful.
I have decided to look at the first essay question.
1. Marc Prensky’s “Emerging online life of the digital native” and David Weinberger’s “A New World” both present different views of contemporary internet users. In light of your own experiences with new technologies do you think they are accurate portrayals? Discuss why or why not with specific examples.
I chose this topic because I can relate to it and I find the topic interesting. I have only had a chance to scan the articles and haven’t read them in-depth yet. I have had a brief look for additional resources on the Griffith database and have come up with a short list that will be revised, added to and whittled down when I begin work on the essay. To be honest, I’ve got big pieces of assessment due before this essay so I have only had a cursory look at the material.
1) Computerization and controversy : value conflicts and social choices / edited by Rob Kling. 2) Cyberworlds : computers and connections / Judith Matheson with Matthew Connell ; [cartoons by Tim Hunkin]. 3) Handbook of new media : social shaping and consequences of ICTs / edited by Leah A. Lievrouw and Sonia Livingstone.
4) Online communities : networks that nurture long-distance relationships and local ties. [electronic resource].
5) The Internet in everyday life / edited by Barry Wellman and Caroline Haythornthwaite.
6) Machines that become us : the social context of personal communication technology / James E. Katz, editor.
I’m going to spend a day at the library over the holidays so will follow up on my research then. I’ll also take advantage of Adam’s suggestions regarding finding reliable sources.
Filed under: Tutorial tasks
1. Sign an e-petition. I went online and signed a few of the following current e-petitions on the Queensland Parliament website:(http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/EPetitions_qld/CurrentEPetitions.aspx?lIndex=1)
2. Respond to a professional blogger at a major news site. I read the online article, ‘Society may be losing it’s mind’ on The Australian website and responded with no problems. (http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/janetalbrechtsen/index.php/theaustralian/comments/society_may_end_up_losing_its_mind)
3. What is Barack Obama up to today? I went to Twitter and found this entry from Barack Obama’s Twitter site. Delivering a speech to Wall Street on the need for financial reform. Listen live: http://bit.ly/17eoNf9:10 AM Sep 14th from web. (http://twitter.com/BarackObama)
4. Find out who your local, state and federal representatives are. My local councillor is Peter Cumming, my state representative is Peter Dowling and my federal representative is the Hon John Hogg.
5. Look up the Queensland Hansard to find out the last time your local member spoke in parliament. Peter Dowling last spoke in Queensland Parliament on Wednesday, 5 August 2009. (http://parlinfo.parliament.qld.gov.au/search/)
6. Let you local member know what you think about their speech. You can do this in a number of ways via the following website: http://www.lnp.org.au/lnp-article/our-team/peter-dowling-candidate-for-redlands/300.html
7. What do you think of the Australian governments plan to censor the internet? (the ‘clean feed’) I did a little bit of reading on this topic and I can’t understand why it would even be contemplated as an option. My opinion is that people are responsible for the material they access. Children should be supervised when on the internet anyway and adults can make their own decisions. I don’t want someone telling me what material I can access. I choose the books I read, the movies I watch and the music I listen to. I want to be able to choose the material I can access on the internet. There seems to be a number of issues including: who decides what is inappropriate; the cost of implementing a system that cannot be wholly effective due to the nature of the internet; the slowing down of internet connection due to the filters; and above all, the notion that the state can decide what is best for the people.
<a href=”http://nocleanfeed.com“>
<img width=”180px” height=”60px” border=”0″ src=”http://nocleanfeed.com/nocensorship.gif” alt=”No Clean Feed – Stop Internet Censorship in Australia” />
</a>
8. What place does censorship have in a democracy? None.
“There is a seductive simplicity to banning things you don’t like or find scary. Like a child covering his eyes and ears, there is instant relief. At least, there is relief for as long as you can convince yourself that the nasty thing has gone away because you can’t see or hear it. Democracy is at its heart about a plurality of ideas and opinions, all in constant competition. Some of them are always going to be offensive to some, or even most, because that is the nature of the new.Australians should not accept that they live in the only modern country in the world too immature that make up its own mind. We are not zombies to be manipulated, we should not be told what to think, and we should not be protected from an ugly truth, any more than we should tolerate being lied to.” from Democracy and Censorship by Margo Kingston, July 29, 2003 viewed at http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/29/1059244609141.html
I took sections of this article because I felt it expressed my thoughts better than I could. The article looks at the diffference between classifying and censoring material. If material is properly classified (eg. the current televison and movie classifications of G, PG, M etc.) then viewers can determine if the material is something that is appropriate for them. We should all have the right to determine what material we access and not be dictated to or have that decision made for us.
I actually really enjoyed this week’s tasks. I am a bit camera-phobic so had no photos of myself (don’t really want a movie of myself on the internet anyway.) We were asked to make a movie about something we know well or are familiar with so I chose to make a movie about my dog. He doesn’t seem to like camera’s too much either and there are some dodgy shots (blurred, too much light and glare or too dark) but I had fun making it and I’m not a film-maker so I wasn’t aiming for perfection. Every morning, without fail, we get up at about 6am and go for a walk. It’s one of my favourite times of the day and where we walk is quite lovely. I can let him off the lead and he can do what dogs do best – sniff things, pee on things and eat random things he finds on the ground. He takes such delight in simple things and it makes me happy to start the day with such a cheerful, enthusiastic creature.
I found the project time-consuming because I’ve never used Movie Maker but once I got the hang of it, I enjoyed the process. It could be a lot cleaner, the time could be more accurate, the transitions smoother and I couldn’t figure out how to get the captions where I wanted them. I also couldn’t import the music I wanted but am happy with the compromise. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my movie because I enjoyed making it.
<object width=”425″ height=”344″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/ADa5n_dV32o&hl=en&fs=1&”></param><param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”></param><param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”></param><embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/ADa5n_dV32o&hl=en&fs=1&” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” width=”425″ height=”344″></embed></object>
I just don’t get it. I’ve just spent 40 minutes at http://www.activeworlds.com and I feel completely confused. What is the point? All I got out of the experience is a sense of frustration and nausea (regardless of which perspective I used, first or third person, the jerky movements made me feel queasy.) I cannot get my head around virtual worlds, I guess I enjoy being in this world too much to comprehend any appeal a virtual world has. IT’S NOT REAL! I’m coming to terms with Facebook, blogs and even Twitter as a means of communication. I can understand talking to people through social networks, but I get annoyed at the time it takes to create avatars, construct buildings and whatever else is possible in virtual worlds. I can’t help the feeling that I could be involved in real things, tangible things like walking my dog, going to the beach, reading a book rather than spending time in a world that wouldn’t exist if the power went off. I guess books offer the same type of escapism – the opportunity to enter another world, but a book is a physical thing I can hold. The only difference I could tell from my brief and never-to-be-repeated excursion into the virtual world, is that other people you are communicating with can see what you are referring to. If you are building a car, others are able to ‘physically’ assist you and ‘see’ what you are doing. The added dimension of a visual landscape means you are communicating, not just with words, but with actions and objects. There is an added level of interaction that occurs because of the visual landscape that is created. I wonder too, if there is a greater sense of community, people know each other and recognise characters. Is it the escapism that appeals, the ability to create a ‘perfect world’ and you can be the person you always wanted to be? Personally, I would rather try to be the person I want to be in this world.
Filed under: Tutorial tasks
1. What did Alan Turing wear while riding his bicycle around Bletchley Park?
- Alan Turing was wearing a gas mask while riding his bicycle around Bletchley park. http://www.historyarticles.com/enigma.html
2. On what date did two computers first communicate with each other? Where were they?
- The first communication between computers occured on October 20, 1969 at UCLA. http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-5842105.html
3. What is Bill Gates’ birthday and what age was he when he sold his first software?
- Bill Gates birthday is on October 28, 1955. He was 16 when he sold his first software. http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/bio.mspx
4. Where was the World Wide Web invented?
- The World Wide Web was born in Geneva. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1367151,00.html
5. How does the power of the computer you are working on now compare with the power of a personal computer from 30 years ago?
- Moore’s law states that the number of transistors on a chip doubles approximately every two years so the power of comupter today as compared with computers from 30 years ago, is roughly 15 times more powerful. http://www.intel.com/technology/mooreslaw/
6. What is the weight of the largest parsnip ever grown?
7. When did Queensland become a state and why is the Tweed River in New South Wales?
- Queensland became a state in 1859.http://www.nrw.qld.gov.au/services_resources/item_details.php?item_id=1759
- The Tweed River is on the Queensland/New South Wales border. It lies on the NSW side with Coolangatta lying on the Qld side. http://www.nnsw.com.au/tweedheads/information.html
8. What was the weather like in south-east Queensland on 17 November 1954?
- Couldn’t find 1954 but here is the weather for Queensland on 17 November 1933. Queensland. Metropolitan forecast for today—Fine and warmer. Wind light to moderate veering northeasterly. Queensland.—Generally fine weather, probably broken by sporadic thunder and dust-storms between Gulf and Southern border. Temperature warmer throughout, and very hot over western half. To-day’s High Tides.—6ft. 10in. at 8.57 a.m.; 5ft. 4in. at 9.01 p.m. http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/26558
9. Why is is Lord Byron still remembered in Venice?
- While staying in Venice, Byron proudly claimed he had different woman on 200 consecutive evenings. http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/byron.htm
10. What band did Sirhan Chapman play in and what is his real name?
- The Black Assassins. Can’t find his real name because he has threatened to rip the heart out of anyone who reveals it but it may possibly be Mark. http://www.blackassassins.net/CDlaunch.html
Prior to starting Uni (I’m first year, second semester enrolment) I have never participated in online social networks. At all. Ever. It is a very conscious decision on my part and I slightly resent being compelled to do it now. I’ve had to start a Twitter site for News and Politics and I find I am unable to communicate effectively in 140 characters. I feel very uncomfortable knowing that anyone can read what I’ve written and have intentionally avoided letting others students know my Twitter address. I’m a very private person and have hermit tendencies so I dislike the public nature of social networks. I would rather have a glass of wine over dinner with friends whose company I enjoy rather than have superficial, banal conversations with complete strangers. I do not wish to communicate with people I have never met or am never likely to meet. I would rather have 5 close friendships with people I trust and respect than converse with 50 random souls. I also feel that I cannot express myself appropriately in the social network context. I do not wish to be judged by someone who doesn’t know me, so I feel that I must censor myself. I do not wish to express my emotions or thoughts in the public domain so I come across sounding pompous and uptight. I would much rather talk to people face-to-face, so I can hear the tone of their voice, see their body language and feel some sort of connection. This is not a medium in which I can comfortably communicate with other people so I choose not to participate.
P.S. I Googled myself and was horrified to see the number of results that came up. I was then very relieved to see that none of them were about me (but I do have some rather interesting doppelgangers). I do not exist on Google. (World’s best search engine my ass!)
Filed under: Tutorial tasks
How do search engines rank the stuff they find on the internet?
Early search engines ranked web pages based on page content, formatting and the content of metadata tags and relied on bold text or keywords to indicate relevance to a particular topic. Apparently, Google ranks sites depending on how frequently other sites link to your site. http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/misc/searchworks.html
Search engines use algorithms to calculate the locations and fequencly of keywords on a web page. Each search engine has their own closely guarded algorithm with their own variations on the theme. http://searchenginewatch.com/2167961
Who, or what, makes one page (that you might get in your search results) more useful than another one, so that it is put at the top of your search results?
This website states the simplest way to get traffic to your website is by ‘making good quality, cleanly designed, semantically-constructed sites that people want to read, that people can link to and that people can get the gist of in a few seconds. If you make a website well for human beings, then as a side effect…search engines will spider it well and rank it highly.’ http://www.plasticbag.org/archives/2003/06/against_search_engine_optimisers/
Alternatively, people who specialise in search engine optimisation (SEO) can be employed by businesses to improve their ranking in search engines. Search engine optimisers can help businesses by:
- reviewing site content and structure
- providing technical advice on website development
- assisting with content development
- providing keyword research
- offering expertise in specific markets
http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35291
What are some of your favourite search engines? Why do you like one more than others?
To be honest, prior to doing these tasks for the tutorial, I’ve rarely used other search engines. I am familiar with and comfortable using Google as that is what I have always used. I have occasionally used Bing or Yahoo but know how the Google search engine works and can generally locate relevant and useful information quickly. I have also started to use other Google applications like Google Scholar and Google Calendar so have little cause to use other options. Handy to know there are other search engines out there though.
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