ITC 510 ONLINE COMMUNITIES

Social network analysis of our weekly meetings and blogs.

Since we have a fine collection of artefacts from our own learning community in this subject, use the references to guide your directions AND figure 1 on mapping the social network as a set of nodes, follow these steps: [HINT -don't pick too small or too big an extract]

What to do:

1. Who is following who? Exmaine the blogs in your POD and works out the map of Followers/Following relationship .
2. Assign each person a letter in the same order as they appear in the dialogue as a, b, c .. etc.
3. For your chosen extract, draw the social network diagram and build the same matrix of 0 and 1′s as per figure 1.
4. Descibe any patterns of people’s interactions that you discover. ( I am forcing you to think here).
5. If you were to repeat this analysis on another set of blogs from another POD, would you find the same patterns?
   1. Why or why not? [HINT - changes in context and process may be just some variables to consider]
   2. Support you opinion with any of the reference provided or with others you find.

**************

I chose an extract from one of the Red Pod Group’s Meetings.  As there were only four of us in the meeting, creating a table and diagram was easy.  As the meeting was held for us to discuss our assignment, we all spoke to each other.  No one sat back and did nothing.  In this meeting, the analysis didn’t really show anything.  This kind of diagram does not analyse the content of peoples comments or the tone of the conversation.  One can’t tell whether people were agreeing with each other or whether the meeting was productive.

RED POD MEETING

I decided to have a go at analysing a slightly bigger meeting.  So I copied an extract from a CSU chat from 5 August 2009.  The extract appears below:

EXTRACT FROM CSU INTERACT CHAT – AUGUST 5, 2009

James Vyhnal (Aug 5, 2009 4:51 PM EST) Hi all, I’m a bit confused about username passwords for the etherpad tonight. Can anyone help me?

• Ashleigh Johnston (Aug 5, 2009 9:12 PM EST) Sorry James, i’m confused too. I didn’t get an email to join…
• Sarah Eade (Aug 6, 2009 8:11 PM EST) I’m glad everyone else seems confused. I only just discovered this Interact bit and realised we were somehow supposed to meet yesterday. I am really feeling like a fish out of water so far in this subject.
• James Vyhnal (Aug 7, 2009 5:09 PM EST) Hi ken
• Melenna Zeleznik (Aug 7, 2009 10:16 PM EST) Hi is Lesley still here?
• Melenna Zeleznik (Aug 7, 2009 10:18 PM EST) I am very confused with the etherpad thing to James!
• Diana Briscoe (Aug 7, 2009 10:59 PM EST) Hi Melenna, I’m really not used to this chatting thing. I am a bit ancient!!!
• Diana Briscoe (Aug 7, 2009 11:01 PM EST) I am assuming that the little speaker thing next to the name means someone (Lesley) is online.
• Lesley Anderson (Aug 10, 2009 12:15 PM EST) jenny, you there?
• Lesley Anderson (Aug 10, 2009 12:37 PM EST) Dale are you around?
• Dale Mate (Aug 10, 2009 10:58 PM EST) WOW, you are good at this stuff
• Dale Mate (Aug 10, 2009 10:59 PM EST) Gees, Sarah, I’m with you on this one, I only just discovered this as well. Too much stuff and too many places in MY head.
• Denise De Paoli (Aug 17, 2009 10:14 PM EST) Just testing this chat thingo out, seems to be like Google chat but less exclusive because you don’t have to get invited to the party, have secret passwords to enter or have a dress code. Simply crash in and see whats happening. Hope there’s karaoke at our next session lol.
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 10:59 AM EST) ****WELCOME TO ITC510/213 CHAT ROOM****
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:04 AM EST)
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:04 AM EST) AGENDA
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:04 AM EST) Topic 4 Human Centred Computing (http://ispg.csu.edu.au/subjects/cscw/schedule/topics/topic4)
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:04 AM EST) Topic 4 Human Centred Computing (http://ispg.csu.edu.au/subjects/cscw/schedule/topics/topic4)
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:06 AM EST) I think the 11am class should move to another evening. No-one seems to like it.
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:06 AM EST) Topic 4 Human Centered Computing (http://ispg.csu.edu.au/subjects/cscw/schedule/topics/topic4)
• Benjamin Speirs (Aug 19, 2009 11:07 AM EST) g’day Ken
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:07 AM EST) Sorry about the multiple lines… there is a lag even in this simple chat.
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:07 AM EST) Hi Ben
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:08 AM EST) We can discuss any or all of the following plus your own agenda.
• Benjamin Speirs (Aug 19, 2009 11:09 AM EST) we can’t expect Interact to work properly yet lol
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:09 AM EST) 1. Hosting a conversation: taking/giving control and rules of engagement 2. Blog/wiki design brainstorming 3. Taxonomy vs Folksonomy – What is it all about? 4. Other business (e.g. as suggested by you on the Forum)
• Benjamin Speirs (Aug 19, 2009 11:09 AM EST) To be honest, I’ve been sick for most of the start of the semester with a sinus infection
• Benjamin Speirs (Aug 19, 2009 11:09 AM EST) so I am rather behind
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:10 AM EST) I do! LC_MOO is better chat environment, as members get more control and giving users control at the right time is part of Topic 4.
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:10 AM EST) Hi Ken and Ben *waves*
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:11 AM EST) I’m in the same boat as you Ben, getting started this semester has been a challenge. I hope you’re feeling better?
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:11 AM EST) Ken waves at Jessica and reaches for his coffee…
• Benjamin Speirs (Aug 19, 2009 11:11 AM EST) g’day Jess
• Benjamin Speirs (Aug 19, 2009 11:12 AM EST) I’m still on anti-biotics and they’re pretty crazy… I’m not allowed to lie down for an hour after taking them, I need to wear sunscreen if I go outside because they “increase my sensitivity to the sun”
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:12 AM EST) me too… being behind…. you are not alone! let all move forward at our own rates and use the assignment due dates to get up to date. Easy for me to say, but hard to do!
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:13 AM EST) Phew, well it’s a relief to hear that you’re feeling a bit behind too, Ken!
• Benjamin Speirs (Aug 19, 2009 11:13 AM EST) I just need to pull my finger out and start doing work instead of procrastinating and I’ll be good as gold
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:13 AM EST) How awful, Ben. I hope you fully recover soon – sinus infections can knock you about terribly.
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:14 AM EST) One of my family has the swine flu but not here in Wagga Wagga!
• Benjamin Speirs (Aug 19, 2009 11:14 AM EST) Well Ken’s mentioning of coffee sounds awfully good right about now… So I’ll brb
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:15 AM EST) Ken hands Ben a get well soon card.
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:15 AM EST) That’s terrible! The kids in the US are about to head back to school and we’ve been ramping up efforts at work in case swine flu rears its head in Baltimore again.
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:16 AM EST) as you see hosting a conversation is an art… and my style is till very MOO-like after 16 years of MOO chat with students.
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:17 AM EST) Breaking out of my IRC habits was tough – I still find the style completely charming though *lol*
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:18 AM EST) ken grins
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:19 AM EST) ++++ Hosting a conversation: taking/giving control and rules of engagement+++ What do you think in your own context?
• Vicki Saville (Aug 19, 2009 11:19 AM EST) For all those people who are totally confused Kenneth, could you please give us a starting point?
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:21 AM EST) This is from topic 4 – each topic can be done in any order… after the first 2.
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:21 AM EST) Hi Vicki, glad you made it
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:22 AM EST) You can scroll up and catch up on the agenda, Vicki.
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:22 AM EST) I think it’s more challenging – and definitely more of an art than a science – using online tools. The biggest benefit is that people are more likely to share their opinions than compared to IRL meetings, but I’m constantly surprised by the number of people who “detect tone” in a completely neutral sentence typed in Arial 10pt.
• Vicki Saville (Aug 19, 2009 11:22 AM EST) Thanks, I tried last week, but the iste was blocked. I teach most nights so it is a problem.
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:23 AM EST) Hi Vicki!
• Benjamin Speirs (Aug 19, 2009 11:23 AM EST) And now I’m starting to wake up
• Vicki Saville (Aug 19, 2009 11:23 AM EST) I already read it all. This is my first chat so a bit daunting!
• Vicki Saville (Aug 19, 2009 11:23 AM EST) Hi Jessica!
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:24 AM EST) That is OK its my first chat today too…
• Vicki Saville (Aug 19, 2009 11:25 AM EST) Jessica, how do you detect tone in most written sentences in a forum like this?
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:26 AM EST) What sort of rules for chat would you have a) with students at school age b) with colleagues? How would the rules differ for online interaction?
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:27 AM EST) -Vicki We can try to “emote” in other systems and virtual worlds like LC_MOO and Second Life or even Skype – three tools coming soon.
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:27 AM EST) I tend to rely on emoticons, punctuation (!) – unless there is an obvious implied tone from the language, I’ve had to train myself out of seeing emotion. It’s more important with people you don’t really know, I think it becomes easier when you interact with people regularly because you get to know their style.
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:28 AM EST) Ken, I would say that more moderation would be required when dealing with students at school age.
• Benjamin Speirs (Aug 19, 2009 11:30 AM EST) I agree with Jessica, students are generally unruly (I know I was!) – I certainly wouldn’t be giving them “moderator” access
• Vicki Saville (Aug 19, 2009 11:30 AM EST) Ken, turn taking is a focus of talking and listening in Primary school, and I was surprised to find that it is even more of a problem in secondary schools. How you determine turn taking in this environment I’m not sure. I think you could derail a chat if you were pig headed enough and had a fast eough computer.
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:32 AM EST) Good point, Vicki. I think it would be relatively easy for a conversation to be taken over by a few fast-typing students. How do you regain control as a moderator? SHOUT? *lol*
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:33 AM EST) Turn taking in MOO is via a sign that helps. I will demonstarte that when we use LC_MOO in 2 weeks from now.
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:34 AM EST) -jessica Tools like Webex and Elluminate have a lot of the those host controls built in, so will shall also see that in the Webex meeting we do later in the subject.
• Vicki Saville (Aug 19, 2009 11:35 AM EST) But how do you “take turns” effectively in a chat like this? There are big gaps between the postings the way I see it, is this the DET portal or is it always like this?
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:35 AM EST) I think the ultimate goal of online interaction is different between school students and work colleagues. While both aim to promote collaboration, the record-keeping in a business setting becomes very important (or at least it does in my uber-political environment!)
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:36 AM EST) Chat like this free form without controls works for 6 to 8 members but mots classes may be bigger, so different turn-taking modes are required.
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:37 AM EST) True. WebEx is particularly effective for taking turns with the functionality to facilitate virtually raising your hand to ask a question. I don’t have any experience with Elluminate, but I look forward to learning more about it.
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:38 AM EST) Why do I groan every time I hear about the DET portal? Too much control taken away from users almost renders the Internet useless. It seems like the ‘loco parentis” responsibilty has gone loco!
• Vicki Saville (Aug 19, 2009 11:38 AM EST) I think Jessica is right, you need to be aware of the different tools available to choose the one that suits your purposes and audience.
• Benjamin Speirs (Aug 19, 2009 11:39 AM EST) I think Interact chat, like pretty much most chat sites/programs available, there is no “take turns” – it’s wild west and whoever is QuickDraw McGraw will always win out. For the purpose of having a ‘structured’ chat tools like Ken suggested are probably the way to go. Hell, even a basic forum that isn’t as old as the hills as the CSU one is has a form of controlling turns by allowing moderators to set an allowable time between posts before a user can post again. And if someone pips you to the post, a general pbp forum will inform you that someone has posted before you did, allowing you to edit your post respectively
• Vicki Saville (Aug 19, 2009 11:39 AM EST) The DET Portal control is nothing compared to the rigid control comig to a high school near you with the laptops for learning stuff starting with Year 9s!
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:39 AM EST) I’m having a similar argument with the security manager at work – there comes a point where forcing compliance does nothing but promote non-compliance. This is a decent tool for what it is, but it wouldn’t take much to make me “jump ship” to another tool (shh!)
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:42 AM EST) Very true, Ben. In a larger group, it can become almost impossible to keep up in chat rooms. Particularly in those chat rooms that tend to be inundated with chat bots (not mentioning any names, Yahoo! Chat) *lol*
• Vicki Saville (Aug 19, 2009 11:42 AM EST) I love your description Ben! Imagine a class full of Quick Draws trying to outgun each other, nothing would be accomplished!
• Vicki Saville (Aug 19, 2009 11:43 AM EST) Pardon my ogorance Jessica, WHAT is a chat bot?
• Benjamin Speirs (Aug 19, 2009 11:44 AM EST) Haha… I don’t think I have ever seen anything good ever come from Yahoo chat
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:44 AM EST) Chat bots are automated “users” set up to enter chat rooms and post scripted messages, post shonky links, bogus advertisements etc. Very painful and annoying…think of spam mail for chat rooms.
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:44 AM EST) It will force teachers to use accessible services outside the portal as many tools like this should work via HTTP and Port 80 which should be unblocked.
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:44 AM EST) Ben, I will say that it’s occasionally good for a laugh – so many whackjobs, so little time *lol*
• Benjamin Speirs (Aug 19, 2009 11:45 AM EST) You’ll meet Rocky when we use LC_MOO… He’s a chatbot
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:45 AM EST) Rocky better not sell me Viagra *lmao*
• Kenneth Eustace (Aug 19, 2009 11:45 AM EST) -Ben that pipped at the post comment was good. That often happens when I post a chat message here, with bigger groups as a studenst answers a post before I do.
• Vicki Saville (Aug 19, 2009 11:45 AM EST) Great, I’ve just discovered chats and now you’ve given me a good reason NOT to look at them further!
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:47 AM EST) They’re certainly not all like that, Vicki – I just wouldn’t recommend that a chat newbie venture into Yahoo chat. It used to be a decent place with intelligent people and a myriad of rooms tailored for any topic you can imagine – now it’s just full of bots and creeps!
• Benjamin Speirs (Aug 19, 2009 11:47 AM EST) He mightn’t sell you Viagra Jessica, but he does have a good deal on genuine Rolex watches lol
• Jessica Delahunty (Aug 19, 2009 11:47 AM EST) Oooh good, I’m in the market for a genuine Rolex – I imagine Rocky sells the warranty too? *chuckles*

There were more people involved in this chat.  For the analysis to be accurate I would have had to analyse the whole chat but it was 47 pages and unfortunately time did not permit me to go through a chat of that size.  I analysed 4 pages.  It is clear from the diagram that some people came on early in the chat and then listened for most of it.  It is possible that those people came back on later after the 4^th page.  Ken, Ben, Jessica and Viki appear to be doing most of the talking.

I did repeat the analysis on another group and found there were different patterns.  This was because the second group was larger therefore there were more interactions.  Also the reason for each meeting was different.

References

Kirshbaum, D, 2002, Introduction to Complex Systems, <http://www.calresco.org/intro.htm>, accessed 21 October 2006.

Pavard, B & Dugdale, J 2006, An Introduction to Complexity in Social Science, <http://www.irit.fr/COSI/training/complexity-tutorial/complexity-tutorial.htm>, accessed 21 October 2006.

Centre for the Study of Complex Systems, 2005, <http://www.pscs.umich.edu/>, accessed 21 October 2006, University of Michigan

Hallinan, J 2005, Introduction to Complex Systems, <http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~comp4001/>, accessed 21 October 2006.

Richards, B (ed) 2005, International Network for Social Network Analysis, <http://www.insna.org/>, accessed 21 October 2006.

Exercise 9.2 Research and evaluation in Government 2.0

Ever since our state and federal politicians began using tools like Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook, the ‘mashup‘ of social networking with politics was inevitable. Now all over the world there are summits on Government 2.0. In Australia, The Gruen Report is due in late 2009. Here is an intersting audio to explain about Participatory democracy, Web 2.0 and the Government 2.0 Taskforce

1. Summarise the use of
   1. Wiki drafts of papers for public discussion and
   2. Twitter in Government.

Wiki drafts

Wikis provide a vehicle for collaboration on documents by numerous participants.  It enables a large number of people to be involved.  Wikis are used for drafting policy documents or summarising policy documents.  Wikis are also be used to enable government departments to develop policies collaboratively.

Twitter

Twitter has become very popular over the last few years.  As there are so many Australian users, Australian government agencies are also using the service.  Some councils are using Twitter as are the Prime Minister and the Leader of the opposition.   Twitter allows people to send messages to others around the world from the computer or mobile phone.  Once you join up for Twitter you can follow other people’s tweets and they can follow yours.  Tweets can also contain links to websites, photos, videos or audio.  Twitters can be used to listen to conversations and some government agencies use it to keep on top of what people are saying about them and see what trends or fashions are occurring.  Government can judge what people are thinking about certain policies etc.  Twitters can also be used to send out information especially breaking news and announcements thus enabling information to be more rapidly spread.  Twitters can be used to ask for people’s opinions about various government services.  This information was found at: http://egovau.blogspot.com/2009/04/getting-started-with-twitter-in.html.

1. Did you see yourself as a supporter of Government 2.0? If so how did you benefit? If not then explain why. Consider the Gov 2.0 taskforce site at http://gov2.net.au/ and the conference at http://www.gov2.com.au/

No I did not see myself as a supporter of Government 2.0.  I still don’t because other than the research I have just done for this topic I’ve no idea what Government 2.0 involves and whether it is of benefit to anyone other than the Government.  I am afraid I suffer slightly from conspiracy theoryitis.   I worry that so many people have my email address and access to my computer – are they spying on me?  On the other hand I guess if I were to consult on a government policy and I had the choice of going to a meeting or using a wiki, I would probably choose the convenience of the wiki as getting into a government office from where I live would be to hard.  As a result, I would be more likely to be involved if I could use the internet to communicate.

Exercise 9.1 Is social networking a business model ?

Join the site called linkedin.com and setup your “business” profile. While many businesses use social networking sites or buy islands in virtual worlds, some argue that therie use is not a model for doing business.

Linkedin is just the same as facebook except you find business friends rather than social friends.  It wanted to go through my email contact list but I refused.

What is a business model?

Put simply a business model is the way a company makes money.  The following quotes define ‘business model’ in more detail:

      “The business model is simply a working description that includes the general details about the operations of a business. The components that are contained within a business model will address all functions of a business, including such factors as the expenses, revenues, operating strategies, corporate structure, and sales and marketing procedures. Generally speaking, anything that has to do with the day to day functionality of the corporation can be said to be part of the business model” (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-business-model.htm)

      A business model describes the rational of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value^[1] – economic, social, or other forms of value. The term business model is thus used for a broad range of informal and formal descriptions to represent core aspects of a business, including purpose, offerings, strategies, infrastructure, organizational structures, trading practices, and operational processes and policies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_model)

What are the arguments for and against social networking being classified as a business model? In other words – can social networking sites make money.

For

      Social networking sites allow users to network with each other and exchange knowledge. (http://www.temple.edu/newsroom/2007_2008/03/stories/socialnetworking.htm)

      Users can be enticed with free trials and then subscription fees can be charged for special membership.

      Advertising companies will pay social networks to adverstise on their sites thus making both companies money.

      Adverstisers can target specific audiences by looking at the users (are they male or female) of the individual social networking sites.  They also look closely at the profile (what are their hobbies and interests) of the individuals and adverstise appropriately e.g. advertising jewellery or evening wear to young single women.

      Social network sites can make money if they think creatively e.g. Amuso “charges users a small amount to enter contests and game shows created by them and their peers. Players who buy in can upload photos, videos, text and audio files in order to win prizes” (http://venturebeat.com/2008/11/12/monetizing-social-networks-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#)

Against

      Information can be leaked more easily within social networks.

      In social networks, users can post anything they want so advertisers can’t guarantee to reach the market they want to reach.  This means adverstisers go to where they know they will reach their market – search engines where information is more controlled – “one of the Web’s largest social networks, Tripod generates the same advertising revenue in a year that Google does in an afternoon” – http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/25/AR2009092502547.html.

      Many users are not interested in paying subscription fees as there is usually another social network out there that does the same or similar for free.

Many users of social networking sites are not interested in reading adds they want to communicate with their friends.  (http://venturebeat.com/2008/11/12/monetizing-social-networks-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#)

After researching this topic it does seem that social networking sites are really not money making ventures.  I personally hate the advertising and my profile is very limited so that I can reduce being bombarded with advertising.  If social networks rely on advertising alone to make money then I can’t see there being enough advertisers to go around.

a) RSS is an XML application needed for aggregation and syndication, often called a Web ‘feed’.

What is RSS and explain what aggregation and syndication are and how they have changed the nature of the Web. How do you subscribe to an RSS feed? Try some of these RSS enabled sites such as itunes.com and the notions of “swarm” and “stack” at digg.com

• RSS (Rich Site Summary) is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. Many news-related sites, weblogs and other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it (http://www.whatisrss.com/).  RSS feed allows people to get the latest information from websites without having to actually visit them.
• Aggregation means making a selection of web feeds available in one spot and this is done by an internet aggregator.  Syndication is the method by which web providers allow users to subscribe to their RSS web feed.   Aggregation and syndication have changed the nature of the web because they allow people to have immediate access to a huge amount of information.  People no longer have to visit individual sites they can just have updates posted into an email inbox or other feed reader avenue (http://perishablepress.com/press/2008/03/11/an-easy-introduction-to-web-feeds/ )
• To subscribe to an RSS feed you first of all need a feed reader.  There are many different types.  Ones that run on your computer and ones that run through the web.  Once you have downloaded your feed reader you look for buttons that say XML or RSS or Syndication.  This enable you to access their RSS feed. (http://www.sixapart.com/about/feeds)

b) del.icio.us is a social bookmarking website. What does this mean and what are the advantages for workgroups? Discuss how del.icio.us uses the term ‘tag’ in a different context to what Web publishers would be familiar.

Social bookmarking is a method of creating a bank of favourite websites that you can access them from any computer by logging on using your username and password through the internet.  You can also share your favourite websites with others.

Social bookmarking sites are a fantastic collaborative and time saving tool particularly in the teaching profession.  Our school has set up a delicious account where teachers can tag useful educational sites, interactive sites and sites with professional reading.  This enables teachers to share valuable resources quickly and easily.  In my class, I have also set up a delicious site for my students.  This means that with a click of a button I can make websites accessible to my students and save myself valuable time whereas previously I would have had to write a list of websites and students would have to type the web addresses in themselves. The big advantage of social bookmarking sites is the fact that your bookmarks are accessible from any computer connected to the web.  The other great advantage of del.ic.ious is that your book marks are sorted by the use of tags and therefore retrieving the ones you want are easy as long as you ‘tag’ careful.

Delicious uses the term ‘tag’ in two different ways.  Firstly, when you find a webpage you want to bookmark you click on the ‘tag’ icon to save it to your delicious bookmarks.  A dialog box comes up and information about the website is added in including ‘tags’.  These tags are like keywords that will help you find the website again when you need it.  For instance if I was bookmarking a site about dinosaurs so my students can write a scientific report, I might use the following words as tags: dinosaurs and science.  Tags are usually words that describe the website.

Web publishers use tags to imbed information into their websites that describe that page.  They are called meta tags.  A meta tag is a line of HTML coding that contains metadata about a webpage.  Meta tags help web crawlers sort webpages in search engines. (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-meta-tag.htm)   This helps people find the web pages they are looking for by typing key words into search engines.  There are different types of tags e.g. keyword meta tags and description meta tags.

c) How do you see services such as those provided at the GoToWeb20.net site as changing the way that YOU and your future workgroups operate?

I found the quantity of tools on this website extremely overwhelming.  To look at each one in detail would take me a huge number of hours.  There were 65 pages of tools.  Am also not sure what “future workgroups” means.  If it means in future study then I guess the fact that there are so many more social networking tools and other Web2.0 tools available now that future workgroups will function very differently. 

To be honest I think the list of tools on there is a bit over the top.  There are tools on there for downloading your dream body, mean really.  I am sure there are useful tools on there but there seems to be so many tools that do the same thing but with a different name, I have to ask, “do we need them?”.  I am looking forward to going through this site and hope to find some useful tools when I have my study load off my back and I have time to browse the 65 pages.

 d) Explain how the Elgg social engine works on a Web site where it is installed? Is this the type of application you want on your Web server in the workplace?

Elgg is a social networking framework that combines the elements of weblogging, e-portfolios, and social networking designed to promote learning through sharing of knowledge, conversation, and reflection in a social/academic setting.  It enables people to create an online identity, publish their thoughts, meet new people, join communities, converse with others, and share text, photo, sound, and video files.  ( http://www-writing.berkeley.edu/TESL-EJ/ej34/m1.html ). 

I don’t really see the purpose of having this application on my work’s web server.  Our school already has a portal where people add announcements and messages, give appreciations, share documents, run forums etc.  If teachers want to communicate with each other socially they will probably use facebook or create their own Ning or something.

1. 1.        Begin with the YouTube video at http://www.foaf-project.org/community

HUH!!!!

1. 2.        Like a chain letter, our data seems to move within and between tools like Facebook and Twitter. Is this a good thing?

No, I don’t think this is a good thing.  While it might make it easier to join various social networks, it also makes it easier for unsavoury characters to get access to people’s personal information.  I am a private person and don’t really want my data going anywhere I don’t tell it to.  I feel very uncomfortable putting my information into facebook and twitter and have only done so for the purpose of this course.  I have said before that I don’t like the fact that facebook looked into my email contacts to suggest friends without my permission.  What else on my computer can these things look into?  I also hate chain letters!

1. 3.        According to http://www.foaf-project.org/about, the “Friend-of-a-friend” project or FOAF is described as:

FOAF is a simple technology that makes it easier to share and use information about people and their activities (eg. photos, calendars, weblogs), to transfer information between Web sites, and to automatically extend, merge and re-use it online. The Friend of a Friend (FOAF) project is creating a Web of machine-readable pages describing people, the links between them and the things they create and do.

How does the FOAF tag from part of the Semantic Web and Web services via social networks?

A semantic web is “a mesh of information linked up in such a way as to be easily processable by machines, on a global scale. You can think of it as an efficient way of representing data on the World Wide Web, or as a globally linked database” (http://infomesh.net/2001/swintro/ ).  A semantic web allows data to be shared across a variety of platforms.  The semantic web describes the relationship between things in a language that computers can understand.  It enables people to find, share and use information more easily.  FOAF actually facilitates the creation of a semantic web.    FOAF is a project that was set up to tackle the goal of creating a semantic web.  FOAF tags enable people to tag their personal information using a language (RDF – Resource Description Framework) that computers understand thus enabling others to use that information.  RDF “is a language for describing information and resources on the web” (http://www.w3schools.com/semweb/default.asp ). 

I found FOAF and RDF very difficult to understand even after lengthy research on the web.  After locating and reading a variety of web articles about FOAF, semantic web, RDF and social networks I have attempted to answer this question.  However, I feel my difficulty understanding the technical language in the articles may mean that I have not been quite so successful in my attempt.

Try an interview with yourself like mine below to extract your own thoughts on the topic. Devise three (3) questions that interest you at this stage and reveal what is on your mind to yourself. Comment on the self-interview experience in your blog.

My questions

1. Will I use what I have learned in this course in my teaching?
2. Will I continue my association with the various social networking sites after this course?
3. What is my favourite newly discovered tool?

My answers

1. I will use some of what I have learned in this course in my teaching and already do use some of it.  For instance, I use del.ic.ious bookmarking for my own bookmarks and for setting up bookmarks for my students.  I have shared this site with my colleagues and some of them also use it now.  I will do more blogs with future students and have used this tool previously in my teaching.  I won’t use things like facebook or secondlife as I don’t believe they are appropriate.  I would like to try and do a wiki sometime in the future for developing a collaborative piece of writing like a narrative.
2. I will keep going with Skype and maybe facebook but some things like Second Life, I haven’t been back to since I joined up.  I will also keep my edublogs sign in as I might want to create a blog for my students.  I feel that the big thing I’ve got from this course is the confidence to try these things.  I wouldn’t think twice now about trying to set up a wiki for my students as I have tried so many things.
3. Skype has been my favourite tool.  I like being on my computer at night working and having a message pop up – “liz are you there?”  I also like being able to chat to my family overseas.  Skype is a good tool for group chats.  It is smooth and easy and I’ve rarely had any hassles.

Comment on the experience

I, surprising, enjoyed interviewing myself.  I wrote question 1 with the thought in mind that I would say that I found nothing useful.  But when I thought about it I found there were some useful tools that I do and would use.  Interviewing yourself is a form of self reflection – something all good teachers do.

Take a break and go a walk for 15-30 minutes. Like me, you need the exercise, so relax and enjoy the surroundings of your farm or neighbourhood, as you need a break from the computer.

Come back to the computer and begin writing a short narrative on the experience. It took me over 200 words to record mine!

I reached for my torch and put on a very non-glamorous pair of blue crocs and headed out into the night.  I shone my way down the steps into the moonlight garden and unlatched the gate.  It squeaked like a trapped mouse as I opened and closed it.  It is amazing how sound travels on a quite moonlit evening.  My footsteps crunched on the gravel as I made my way up the dimly lit driveway.  As I reached the dirt road my feet sunk into the sandy surface.  I heard a rustling in the bushes and then a desperate cry.  Shining my torch I could see golden scales glistening in the darkness.  A golden tree snake was winding its way tightly around the struggling body of an unfortunate green tree frog.  The pair seemed to be paused in some sort of dramatic dance partnership.  The snake was waiting for the frog to give up his fight for life so he could enjoy his meal.  I continued on my walk and again was startled when a flash of white flickered before my face.  It was a nightjar, startled by my approach, flying off to safety.   As I reached the other driveway I could hear a strange low humming sound.  Looking around I could see nothing.  I shone my torch into trees and discovered hundreds of caterpillars munching on the leaves.  What a strange sound.  After completing my lap around the property I came to the back gate which also called out in the night as I opened it.  Genie the possum was hanging from her tail in a tree outside the kitchen window munching on a piece of celery I had discarded after making dinner.  Her belly wobbled and quivered and I could just barely make out the little nose of her latest offspring snuggling down in her tummy.  I climbed the steps into the house being careful not to tread on unsuspecting brown tree frogs.  As usual my walk in the bush was a welcome relief from a hard days work and study.

Tonight I had a long meeting with Lesley and Meleena to discuss our second assignment.  This was a very productive meeting.  We were all a bit confused by the requirements but made some decisions tonight so that we can get on with the task.  A log of our chat is below.  Basically we are going to each take a section of the assignment to research and we are going to create and develop a group blog to report our findings.

There was a university chat tonight using Webex.  I didn’t receive an invitation for this chat so did not join in.  Some fellow students posted some feedback for me on the forum.  I had contact fromJustine the organiser who emailed to tell me she’d sent me an invite.  I got her email but not the invitation.  I kept checking my emails right up to the chat time and still did not and still have not received the invite.

Exercise 7.2 New devices, aged care and people with disabilities

New devices come into being due to market competition. Do a WebQuest research exercise on how features such as voice commands, large letters etc provide access to others or how smart devices connected via bluetooth or WiFi to the Internet improve the nature of caring or improve the lifestyle for those with disabilities or in need of aged care. Here are some examples from my research interests in aged care informatics:

• World’s Smallest LCD Screen is 0.27 Inches in Diameter
• Smart toilets:
  • that monitor sugar levels for diabetics;
  • with toilet seat equipped with electrodes that sends a mild electric charge through the user’s buttocks, yielding a digital measurement of body-fat ratio;
• swarm robotics and nanotechnology;
• robot lawn mowers
• smart homes

Report your key findings. [250 words]

My Findings

There are many new devices continually being devised to improve the lifestyle of those with disabilities and that make caring for others easier these include voice recognition systems, safety alarms, screens that control devices around the home, remote controls, electronic purses, health monitoring systems and much more.  The following describes only some of the devices I discovered after carrying out research on the internet.

Vibrating Touch Screen

In Finland researchers are developing a vibrating touch screen device that enables users to read Braille.  It uses a single vibrating pulse to display a raised dot and a longer vibrating pulse to display a missing dot.  This device is still being developed but so far volunteers have been able to read letters in 1.25 seconds.

 ( http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/31/researchers-develop-braille-for-vibrating-touchscreen/ )

Jitterbug Cell Phone

A company called GreatCall Inc have created a simple to use mobile phone specifically designed for the elderly.  They have two versions one is a touch screen one and one uses keys for dialling.  They describe the features of the phone which they have named the Jitterbug as follows:

Jitterbug Dial

• A soft ear cushion and powerful speaker make the sound loud and clear
• Bright screen with large text for easy viewing
• Simple “yes” and “no” action buttons – no confusing icons
• Large, backlit and bright easy to see buttons
• Dial “0″ to reach a live Jitterbug operator

Jitterbug One Touch

• A soft ear cushion and powerful speaker make the sound loud and clear
• Bright screen with large text for easy viewing
• Press Operator button to reach a live 24-hr Jitterbug operator
• A middle direct dial button personalized for you
• One touch access to 911 service

Information retrieved from: http://www.etoengineering.com/elderly.htm

Making Life Easier

 ( http://www.tiresias.org/cost219ter/making_life_easier/making_life_easier.htm )

This website lists a many devices and services that help people with disabilities.  They are described in simple language and provide a variety of examples of where they can be used.  For example:

• For people with speech and hearing problems who want to speak to someone who doesn’t know sign language there is a service that enables their call to be redirected to a video relay service that acts as an intermediary.  For those that do speak sign language the person can use a video camera broadband link.
• For those with vision impairments who cannot read the labels on bottles and packaging, a scanned image can be sent to a help centre where the information is read for the person with the vision impairment.
• For people with medical problems such as high blood pressure who are caring for themselves at home but live in remote areas there are services that enable them to send their blood pressure details to a doctor who will advice them on their medical care.

There are many more devices but it is beyond the scope of this exercise to go into them in detail.  The tricky exercise is to trawl your way through the many websites that describe these devices