Monday, December 1, 2008

relection blog :)

I definitely learned a lot in ENGL 396C this semester. Before this class, I considered myself a digital native. But now that I reflect on what I’ve learned in this class, I’m not so sure that I was a digital native. I do feel like I am now, however.

Web 2.0, MUDS, MOOS, SL… all of those terms were foreign to me. I’ve also never blogged before. While I don’t think I’ll continue to blog regularly, I’m glad I had the opportunity to do so. It was sort-of relaxing to sit down and write about different topics. I also found a bunch of really interesting sites while searching for things to blog about. I loved reading other student’s blogs as well.

The group project was… interesting. I’ve had online classes before, but never a semester long group project online. It was difficult, and I was frustrated occasionally because some people did a lot of work, while others did barely anything (sorry if this offends you, I’m just being honest). Overall, I think Group One’s wiki turned out rather well. I enjoyed researching and posting to the site. I learned a lot while doing it. Thank you to those who also worked on it consistently throughout the semester. Learning how to use WetPaint was also pretty neat. I actually may use it again.

I LOVED Group Two’s project. You guys did an awesome job. I like the idea, the organization, the pictures…. everything. It does seem like Group Two had the same difficultly of some members not participating much. I suppose you’ll get that in every large group situation though.
I also enjoyed doing the fourth writing assignment. My paper was titled “If online games caused violence, we’d all be dead.” It argued that violent games do not cause real life violence. It was fun reading studies done on the topic. Being a professional writing major, I actually like writing. It was nice completing a paper that kept my interest the whole time.

Like others in this class have expressed, I’m glad that I had the opportunity to discover Flickr. I was a bit wary about it at first, because it was a bit difficult to navigate through. I recently got the hang of it, and I will be using it again.

I suppose that’s all. I’m looking forward to be graduating in a week!!! I am a little sad, however. I love learning. I know that I will take more classes in the near future. Congratulations to everyone else who is graduating this semester!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

A Facebook class at Stanford

Because our class has been interacting so much on Facebook, I decided to research how other schools utilize Facebook. Standford is introducing a class in which the sole purpose is to study Facebook. Focus will be on how the site is a persuasive technology and the psychology of Facebook, among other things.

Students will be required to create web applications for Facebook, analyze applications, and present applications.

It actually seems pretty cool, and I do agree - Facebook is a persuasive technology. Check it out: http://credibilityserver.stanford.edu/captology/facebook/

Saturday, November 22, 2008

SL users profit from Obama's win


Second Life users are creating Obama shirts and selling them to other users. How cool! What a creative way to make money AND show support for the presidential elect. This is another example of how second life users incorporate real life into the site. It's amazing how much users can do.
I wonder what other clothing is popular in second life? I've seen a lot of "punk" attire in doing my own exploring. Has anyone else noticed any trends?

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

It's like CNN for Second Life

http://www.slnn.com/

While doing research for a writing project I came across an interesting site. Second Life News Network, or SLNN, contains "SL news when you need it, how you need it." Well, okay then.

Some of the most popular articles, with links to the articles on the homepage, include:
  • RL recession could fuel virtual world boom
  • World Bank's Second Life launch of doing business report
  • Written Word set to begin a week-long writers' heaven (me: how cool!!)
  • Linden Lab and RRR to offer solutions to businesses
  • The blogger's sentenary
I really think that this site shows that Second Life isn't just a "game." People really are starting virtual lives that they take very seriously. Why didn't I know about this until a few months ago?

The article titled "The blogger's sentenary" is a virtual second closet owned by a girl named Felicity Blumenthal. In honor of her 100th blog post, she recently threw a SL celebration party. Her blog contains information on SL fashion. She includes reviews and recommendations of her preferences of SL clothing.

What started as "a little diary for [herself]" has grown into a very popular blog on SL. This is one example of how creativity in SL can gain you RL recongnition. Be sure to check out this site, it's really informative and well orgainzied.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Virtual Classrooms

I love the idea of having a virtual classroom in SL, as presented in "At colleges, real learning in a virtual world." I do think it would be difficult to get used to at first, but if the professor took a week at the beginning of the semester to familiarize students with SL, it should prove to be very beneficial.

Students also have the opportunity to be "in" a class with students from around the world. This once-in-a-lifetime experience offers many different perspectives and a greater learning opportunity.

Students in the virtual classroom can also decorate their "classroom" however they like. This offers a great way to be creative and to work together with other students.

Too bad I'm graduating after this semester, I would try to persuade the administration to try this concept.

Friday, November 7, 2008

What does "wasted time" really mean?

"Converging: An interview with Henry Jenkins" points out an interesting observation. The question asked to Jenkins stated that "[m]any gamers report that they feel like they have 'wasted time' when playing a video game, yet are hard pressed to say what they should have been doing with their leisure time."

Hmm, good point.

My boyfriend and I occasionally play Wii Bowling when we don't have anything better to do. I oftentimes feel like this is wasted time that couldn't have been spent on something more productive. But now that I think about it, it's a good break from my real life.

I go to school full time, work at a car dealership 30 hours a week, coach high school cheerleading at least two times a week and occasionally try to fit in time for my friends, family and boyfriend. I go from one thing to the next and really don't have much free time.

Playing games, particularly video games is a good escape. As Jenkin's points out, "[m]ost of us are overscheduled and overburdened with other aspects of our lives and it ought to be a sacred thing to sometimes goof off with our mates." He continues to say that "[w]e lack ways of justifying or explaining the value of games as a meaningful activity."

That does ring true as it applies to me. As long as Wii Bowling doesn't interfere with my responsibilities, it isn't a waste of time. It's a fun escape from my hectic life. Yet another way technology is more of a positive than a negative.

Monday, November 3, 2008

"Don't believe in miracles, depend on them"

I feel the need to express how I'm feeling. What better way than to blog?

I graduate in December. In 5 weeks. I should be super excited, right? I am! But I'm also really scared. Not until recently did I realize how much I enjoy learning. I've always done well in school, but I never put much value on my education. Now I can't get enough. I have a yerning to know more about the world and what it has to offer. "Knowledge is power" has become my motto.

I don't feel like I'm "done" with school. I've dreamt about graduating college for forever. Finally, no more studying. No more tests or papers. Now, that the day is almost here, I don't want it to be. I want to continue to take classes.

That brings me to a quote I can across that actually inspired this blog: "Learn everything you can, from anyone you can - there will always come a time when you'll be grateful you did." - Sarah Caldwell

That can not ring more true. In addition to realizing how much I enjoy learning, I realized that I'm a lot smarter than I previously gave myself credit for. I have a creative non-fiction story published, I've had articles published in the Post-Tribune.... that's something to be proud of, right?

Switching gears... reflecting on my education carreer, there's one moment that truly stands out to me. While attending class at Purdue Calumet, a professor of mine asked each student to write down two things: what our dream job is and what we actually think we're going to do with our degree. The students took turns saying their response. It was although they knew they couldn't acheive their dream job, so they were just going to settle for something mediocer.

And then it was my turn. I said that my dream job was to write for Chicago Magazine. Then I explianed that this was also what I chose for the job that I thought I could actually get. My professor's response? "You're better off trying to get a job at a trade magazine, they're always looking for writers." Seriously? There is nothing more motivating to me than someone doubting my abilities.

Okay, I'm done. :) I hope everyone votes tomorrow.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Redefining Leadership

An article titled "Can World of Warcraft Help Build a Better Workforce?" brings up an interesting argument. If you're a good at leading people in video games, you're likely to be a good leader in real life.

I can agree with that claim, although there are some exceptions. Sure, if you're able to lead people on a virtual game, without physically interacting with them, that's a gift. It's most likely that such an ability would be present in real life.

However, some people are more outgoing in virtual worlds. Because you're not physically interacting with these people, you may act different. Some people may be more apt to speak out and be a leader online.

Just as people can make up ficticious lives on social networkin sites, such as MySpace, they can do so in virtual life games. I suppose people are living "two lives," and thus have two different peorsonalities.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Lost and Found goes digital

Article found at: http://www.nwi.com/articles/2008/06/01/features/lifestyles/doc8c6f496be43088a4862574580068eba5.txt

A relatively new site, www.ifoundyourcamera.net, lets users reconnect with their lost cameras. Those who find lost cameras are encouraged to post a few pictures from the device, along with where they found it. The article states that has been about 700,000 hits on the site along with eight reunions of lost cameras with their owners.

While this sounds pretty neat, there's also the argument of privacy. Some people may not want their pictures posted online for the world to see. The article states "would you feel happy, or somehow that your privacy was invaded, if that stranger put some of your images on the Web to track you down?"

I would most likely be happy. I'd be devastated if I lost my camera. It has hundreds of pictures that cannot be replaced. I suppose I should transfer these pictures to print or onto a CD so if I do lose my camera, I won't be too disappointed.

What are your thoughts on the topic? Would you be upset if someone posted pictures of you online in hopes of returning your camera?

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Am I not living my life?

In Chapter 5 of The Virtual Community by Howard Rheingold, he states: "Our attempts to analyze the second-level impactsof phenomena like MUDs on our real-life relationships and communities lead to fundamental questions about social values in an age when so many human relationships are mediated by communications technology." He continues by explaining many react with questions such as "what is the matter with these people?" and "don't they have lives?"

Wait, what's the matter with me? Don't I have a life? I admit that I am addicted to MySpace and Facebook. I have to go on them everyday. I wonder if this is hindering my real-life relationships. Should I be interacting with people in real-life rather than on these social sites?

Are we not living our lives like we did pre-social networking? Is living this way the new norm? I'm going to test myself. No MySpace for a week (I have to go on Facebook because of school... I'll try my best to only use it for school purposes). I'll observe if I interact with others more. I'll keep you posted.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Why I love publication design

I am currently taking a publication design class. We're using a somewhat new program, Adobe Indesign. Before the class began, I had no experience with the program. Although I've only been in the class for a little over a month, I absolutely love it.

I've always been relatively creative. In high school I loved art and was an active member in the National Art Honor Society. I've even won a couple of awards. The art I did previously was all material and didn't involve computers. Now that I'm learning more and more about publication design, I wish I began sooner.

Adobe Indesign has what seems like a million different features. I'm learning how to add color effects to almost everything, how things should look on a page to be the most visually appealing. It's really very interesting. Have you heard of serif and sans serif typefaces? Turns out one type is easier to read than the other, and there are many reasons why!

I'm excited to learn more about publication design and maybe even take classes to further my knowledge of design.

Has anyone else used Indesign? If so, what are your impressions?

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Library of Congress photos

Did anyone else take the time to browse through the Library of Congress' photos on Flickr?

"Wow" pretty much sums up my impression. It's like taking a walk through history. The photos are beautiful and it's amazing that Congress entrusted a Flickr to present them on the Web.

The photo of President Wilson addressing Congress caught my eye. It almost looks unreal. It's such a rarity to have the opportunity to look at photos such as this one, it it's original form, while sitting at my laptop.

I don't recognize many of the names in the photos of individual people. I may take the time to Google a few of their names to find out why they're featured and what contributions they made to our country.

Thoughts?

Monday, October 6, 2008

Folksonomies

I've never thought too much of the "tagging" feature on Facebook until reading articles on Folksonomies. It's actually pretty interesting.

I've added numerous alblums to my Facebook profile, and "tag" my friends. I also like that they can tag me.

It's also nice that you can go to a friend's profile and see all the pictures that others have tagged of them. It's creative, and you don't have to be friends with the origonal person who posted the photos.

MySpace recently added the tagging feature, although it's not as popular as Facebook's, at least that's my impression.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Register to vote!!



Do you plan on voting? What's your reason?

Monday, September 29, 2008

I just blogged all over myself

Okay, I'm going to blog about blogging.

I don't think I fully understand the point of blogging. Is it supposed to be like an online journal that others can read? But why? To share ideas? Why blogging? Why not some other form of communication?

I suppose, because I haven't blogged before this class, that I don't get why someone would blog on a regular basis.

Why do you blog?

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Flickr Calendr 2007

After watching the Flickr Calendr 2007 video, I was suprised. A collection of pictures from hundreds of different people spoke so many words.
There were images of children from different countries, portraits of couples, protests, landscapes, etc. What was really interesting is the comments left on the video. Flickr actually contacted the members and infomed them of the video and let them know if their photo was included. The comments were overwhelmingly positive, and it was a creative way to organize a community of Flickr members and show how different they are.
Did you notice that the months of September, October, November and December had the final "e" removed? I thought that was a unique touch.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Do we love distasters?

As I was browsing through this weeks edition on The Chronicle, I came across an article that make me think for a long moment. Nathyn Gibson wrote an article titled "Why do we love disasters?" He states that "we act differently during a disaster compared to how we act in everyday life." I have to say that I agree.
After 9/11, America saw an enormous amount of patriotism. We reached out to those in need and everywhere you looked there was an American flag. Where are those flags now?
This past week many people sent food to flooded areas of NW Indiana and helped different cities by filling sandbags.
It's a little odd to me. Why does it take something like a disaster to show you care about your country and neighbors? Why not help out all the time?
I guess disasters make us take time out of our own busy lives and realize that others, too, need our attention. Wouldn't it be great if people were as helpful and caring at all times?
Thoughts?

Monday, September 15, 2008

Facebook and the flood

I've noticed that Facebook is an easy way to share pictures of bad weather. A lot of my friends have recently posted pictures from this weekend's flood. While, of course, you can see these images on the news, it's different when you see how the flood impacted people you actually know.

Also, a few months ago when the tornado touched down in Griffith and the surrounding cities were badly damaged, there were pictures posted as well. You get greater insight on how widespread the damage was.

On that note, I hope everyone stayed safe and that no one's house was damaged too badly.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Seriously, Facebook is EVERYWHERE!

Ok, adding on to my privious post...

I was just browsing online for a dress to wear to a wedding next month. When I opened a site for a dress that I liked, I saw the familiar "F" icon under "share this product" on Carson's website.

So, just out of curiousity, I clicked the little "F." It took to to the sign-in page of Facebook. I signed it, and there was the dress, on my Facebook. There, I could write a review of the dress and post it on my Facebook profile to share with my friends. Go check it out on my page, it's there.

How funny. It's seriously everywhere! A Carson's website? Who woulda thought?

Monday, September 8, 2008

Facebook is everywhere!

Just another example of the huge popularity of Facebook...

I recently ordered a textbook from Chegg.com. It's a site where you can rent a textbook for a semester. It's a lot cheaper than buying the book. I figured if I don't think I'll use the book much after the class that this idea would work well.

Shortly after placing my order online, I received an E-mail from Chegg.com informing me that because I ordered from them, they are planting a tree. I noticed a lot of companies are doing this now. If you sign up to receive only online statements from many credit cards, they plant a tree in your name.

The E-mail also provided a link on how I can share that I helped the environment on Facebook. It stated "Share with your friends on Facebook that you planted 1 tree." I'm sure the main point of this is to advertise for them, but I thought it was interesting.

This is just a small example of the Facebook phenomenon and how rapidly the site is growing.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Digital Natives

I feel a bit weird calling myself a digital native. Sure, I grew up using computers for pretty much everything, but it still feels odd. I have an Ipod, but rarely use it. Cell phones annoy me. I guess I think technology sometimes restricts us from fully living. I don't want a cell phone plastered to my ear while I'm driving, I'd rather enjoy the world around me, or even pay attention to the road. And while everyone else is at the gym - in their Ipod worlds - I'd like to take in my surroundings and be able to say "hi" to someone and them actually be able to hear me. Don't get me wrong, I like that technology is advancing, but I think people need to step back from their digital lives and move back to the real one every once in awhile.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Facebook

I've had a Facebook account for what seems like forever. After reading the article titled "How Mark Zuckerberg Turned Facebook Into the Web's Hottest Platform," I realized how much the site has changed since I joined.
I was a freshman in college when I set up a Facebook account. My friend Jenni encouraged me to do so. She went to Indiana University and I stayed local and went to Purdue Cal. We were able to share pictures and stay and contact easily. My friends list grew and soon almost everyone I went to high school with was on Facebook. I liked that I was able to keep in touch with some people that, if it wasn't for this site, I most likely would not have.
As for Zuckerberg, I find it inspiring that he turned down $1 billion dollars and chose not to sell his site. There's not many people who would do that. Facebook was something he created and something he felt connected with. No amount of money would persuade him to sell his invention to a company he didn't feel would be able to handle it correctly. I'm sure not many people would do the same.
I like the changes that have been made to the site. I don't interact with many people on the site other than my college friends, even though others are now allowed to join. I was one of those people that were very annoyed by the News Feed feature and first, but I grew to like it after some time.
I think Facebook has a long future with users of all ages and backgrounds. I enjoy being part of it and being able to stay in close contact to friends whom I don't see on a regular basis.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Testing

I'm new to blogging, so I'm just testing this out. I'm excited to learn more about it! I began reading everyone's posts and I love how diverse they are. :)