The learning module on online communication and social media has, appropriately enough, been a way for classmates to get to know each other better online and through the use of Web 2.0 tools. The ongoing Facebook discussions have been a great way to share opinions, knowledge and resources about web technology. I call this entry "Social media with an expresso jolt," because our online communications as a class got a jolt of energy from interaction!
FACEBOOK GROUP:
Our Facebook group has taken on greater importance in this module, and I really got a kick out of others' posts. We had a very interesting discussion to kick off the module, on whether we, as a society, have put digital communication on a par with face-to-face communication. Overwhelmingly, our class felt that face-to-face communication is alive and well and essential, despite a growing use of digital communication, which, in my opinion, definitely is a good thing as well. An interesting post by one of our classmates showed groups of teens in various social situations looking down and texting on their mobile devices instead of interacting with each other. Very apropos! We're in good company to be wary of too much of a good thing, as David noted in his post. No less an intellect than Albert Einstein feared overuse of technology would spawn a generation of idiots! (I wouldn't go so far as to call the kids idiots - there's still hope they will actually look at each other and talk!)
COLLABORATIVE WORK:
In this module we did two projects together as a class.
2. Glogging: The second project was to create a Glog, or poster that conveys information on how to use one of the above tools. This was a tough assignment, because it involved research and use of a new technology. Several people shared comments about some of the "technical difficulties" encountered in getting this project to "work right." It was good to be able to encourage each other and share suggestions. The "Glogsters" the class produced were very informative. In this one, I got a chance to delve into Google Docs/Drive, something a friend and I had been exploring. We have been working toward incorporating my editing services into her ongoing advertising business. I created a Google Doc that we could both work on, built from our Facebook chats over a two-month period. Then I tried to describe that process in the Glogster that I built. I used pictures of the two of us, linked to our actual Google Document, and embedded links to three video tutorials about Google Docs/Drives. Here's one of the videos (I changed the size of it in HTML mode, but I believe when I publish this, I'll find that the envelope for the video got larger, but the video image, itself, may stay small):
And here's a screen capture of the Glogster, with a link to it, below.
http://karenkeefe.edu.glogster.com/document-sharing-kkeefe/
For my new terminology in this blog, the first two are from my classmates' Web 2.0 use suggestions in the Google Doc we shared:
1. Use Digg, as a way to gather news articles pertaining to relevant course topics. Digg does not allow comments, but you can digg a story and it will link to your facebook profile, which in turn could be shared with the course group. - Jason Morris
2. Tumblr- This is a good way to upload pictures and videos. You just have to create a free account and you can upload as many pictures as you want. There are so many people using this website that you can follow people and see what they’re uploading as well. - Shannon Crangle
3. Wiki: Web pages whose content can be edited, supplemented or deleted by authorized users with access to the Internet. Of course, we've all heard of Wikipedia and Wiki leaks, but I didn't know about the widespread sharing of knowledge in this way, such as Diplopedia - a wiki specializing in international relations and diplomacy, or another example in our textbook, a Harry Potter wiki.
4. Flaming: Responding online or in email with strong language or insults to a message about which you have very strong negative feelings.
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