CIO Recommendations

CIO Recommendations

Using Social Networks for Professional DevelopmentBefore making recommendations regarding the use of social networks for Professional Development, we believe it essential to address three main areas common to these types of networks. This is important to ensure all staff involved has clear understandings of social networks before investigating tools that may be valuable for this purpose.

Issues involved with using social networks for professional development in the workplace.

Goals:

Successful professional development using social networking requires clear goals decidedupon by staff members from all levels. Goals should be evaluated regularly in order to ensure their achievement and relevance. It may be necessary, during such evaluation, to make changes to the goals or the methods being used to reach them, if either are deemed unsuccessful.

Policies and Rules:

These also need to be clear, and a sense of ownership and worth is created when all staff is involved. Rules and policies should be freely available - in hard copy and online form. Providing explicit rules helps maximise productivity and ensures accountability by increasing the likelihood that all employees remain on task, are aware of accepted best practice, expected standards of interaction and communication and personal responsibilities.

Trust:

· Initial training, should occur face-to-face involving members from all company levels allowing trust to be developed amongst staff from the beginning.

· Allowing time for more informal chat between members further develops elements of trust and confidence in all aspects of the network

· Involving all stakeholders in decision making and planning should occur in the initial stages and agreement reached regarding a time line for implementation

· All staff members should have a presence within the network, abide by rules and guidelines and be given the opportunity to comment, share talk and discuss. Doing this encourages collaboration, improves teamwork and demonstrates that everyone is valued.

· Following company policy, a clear distinction should be made between work-based and personal social networks with only members of the company staff joining the network or using appropriate tools if sensitive material is to be discussed. Staff should be acknowledged for using the networks and the achievements they make in Professional Development to help with group momentum.

Support:
· If social networks are to be implemented, reliable technical support must be constantly available to users.

· Support should also include offering of staff training to maximise use of the network and familiarity with it and any supplementary tools being used.Time also needs to be factored in as staff still requires time to access the social network to participate in the professional development or professional discussion

· Differences across the company community should be catered for.
· Items such as
· distance and time zones,
· culture and language
· staff ages
· differing hardware available
· varying broadband speeds need full consideration if social networks are to be used effectively

Security

All measures should be put in place to ensure privacy and security for members of the network and any tasks they are working on. These should be laid down clearly within the company policies

Web 2.0 tools (blogs, wikis, podcasts and video lectures) used to complement social networks.

A variety of Web 2.0 tools are available to support the use of social networks we have listed some here:
· Blog sites are useful for adding announcements, scheduling meetings, new information or links to websites, uploading documentation - such as course outlines and expectations. Blogs can also be used as a way of keeping track of or up date with a project as it goes through development. Staff members should be encouraged to subscribe to RSS feeds for any of these sites in order to keep up with changes that may occur within them.

· A wiki can be used for collaborative writing of policy documents and submissions.

· Podcasts could be used for delivering tutorials or revising other professional development experiences and allows this to be done by staff members in their own time.

· Video lectures could be used to reach all members of the network and replace face to face meetings with experts when this is difficult in real-time due to distance or availability.

It is important to note that most social networking sites have a selection of Web 2.0 tools available for use.

Developing and sustaining a work-related social network.

To develop, establish and sustain a work related social network for professional development the following needs to be taken into account:

Planning considerations
· Good planning in the initial stages will set the tone for the development of and the ability to sustain the workplace network. Through liaison between working parties decisions are made about goals, professional development, use of personnel and scheduling.

Support Considerations
· Ongoing technical support is required ensuring the smooth running of the network.

· Support with the initial use of software - making sure all staff members have necessary skill in both hardware and software use.

· Setting aside of time for professional development within working hours

· Demonstration of support of the implementations to all workers by company executives.

· Acknowledgement of network members and their skills and achievements and how these will occur.

Budget considerations
· What the company's budget is for the exercise - as this will have bearings on which social networks are implemented as well as their, development and sustenance.

· Costs to the company - as many social networks have extra costs associated with them to increase their functionality, these must be budgeted for.

Security considerations
· Differentiation between work-place and personal use of social networks should be clear

· Policies for which tools are suitable for particular tasks and communication need to be clearly stated and adhered to, with consequences in place for any breaches.

· The company must evaluate Risk vs. Reward - email is quicker than snailmail and has a quicker cyclical turnaround - instant messaging is quicker again yet all methods carry risks of 'leaking' sensitive information.

In providing professional development experiences for staff, we have found that there is no one 'best' option for the job. However, a 'mashup' of different applications may be the best viable option. In this regard, four social networking tools have been researched to determine the possibility of using these tools to provide professional development experiences for staff. We have listed below, our investigations into these social networks for your consideration:

Skype is software using VOIP(Voice Over Internet Protocol) to allow communication over the internet for free between users who have it installed. Skype allows computers, or other devices to become phones. Calls can also be made to landlines and mobile numbers at minimal cost beginning at 3.1 cents per call. Skype software is free, easy to download, has an interface that is ‘user friendly’, and works across major operating systems and with most computers. It offers features such as instant messaging, one-way screen sharing, file transfer and audio/video conferencing. It would be an excellent tool, as is, for both local and global office communications. If sensitive information is being dealt with and security is to be considered, Skype can be switched through a telephone PBX system which will allow closer monitoring of calls and types of information being exchanged.

Second Life is a multi-user virtual environment where people log into a virtual world and take on virtual personas known as avatars. In the three dimensional environment users interact with each other either by text or audio. There are a variety of useful professional development tools available such as an instant chat facility, audio recording and playback and video and hypermedia presentation software. It is also possible to provide links to blogs, wikis and other internet sites. Second Life requires fast internet connections and up-to-date computers with good video cards and whilst Second Life enables professional development to occur with participants around the globe time zones can become a difficulty if collaboration is required. Setting up a work related Second Life network is very expensive with significant development and running costs.

Facebook is a global networking site where people can connect with others by sending messages and engaging in asynchronous chat. This is an advantage when connecting with people in different time zones. Facebook is relatively simple to use and provides the users with the capabilities of using a variety of different tools such as wikis, blogs and podcasting. In terms of using Facebook for professional development the advantage is that membership to a particular network is by invitation only - this is particularly useful when discussing sensitive issues online. A possible disadvantage of using Facebook for professional development is that employees may be tempted to use the social networking site for personal reasons during work time. To overcome this and to ensure worker productivity is not lost there would have to be a clear set of guidelines that is followed by all employees.

Ning is an online platform for people to create their own social networks around specific interests with their own visual design, choice of features and member data. With that in mind, it is a great starting point for a work-related social network. Its basic features include:

· A blog for each individual member of the Ning.
· A discussion forum.
· A photo upload feature.
· A basic chat room.

Beyond these features, Ning allows its’ network creators to add additional applications to their network that allow them to customise the network more in line with their users’ desires. As of May, 2009 additional applications have been made available to network creators, including wiki creation and TokBox, a live video chat service. By using Google’s OpenSocial API’s Ning has made application creation or porting to Ning easy for developers, turning an already well-rounded Web 2.0 application into the perfect vehicle for a knowledgeable and patient network creator to establish a work-related social network.

Red Pod Meeting 27 October, 2009

I am afraid I was a little late joining the group tonight as I have been very unwell. I was well aware that I needed medical attention (having an asthma attack) but felt I needed to fulfill my part of the assignment before I left!!!! I battled through and really appreciated the support of my fellow RedPod Members and their care and concern that preceeded into the next few days. The document is finally ready to go.......!!!

RedPod Meeting - 26 October 2009

Tonight was the night when the group had planned to get together to make our CIO Recommendations. I must admit this night did not seem at times like it was ever going to happen. I think this assignment has been particularly hard for all of us, not just because we were juggling work, family and study commitments but also because most of the time we were not sure if we were heading in the right direction.

We met tonight using Etherpad (this time it worked) and it was good because we could all share our ideas on the whiteboard colloboratively. There were some issues with Etherpad "dropping out" at times but at least we were able to get the project going.

I liked being able to work colloboratively with the others. Sometimes you know what you want to say but not sure how to word it and it was good to write ideas down on the whiteboard in Etherpad and then ask for suggestions on how to improve it.

I also liked the way how all our group were respectable to one and other and no-one dismissed other people's ideas. Generally speaking, we worked well together and we were able to accomplish the task (although it took several hours tonight and isn't quite finished)

Red Pod Meeting - 17 October, 2009

Tonight Ben was unable to meet with the group and initially it was just Lesley and I. I had not used Wordpress before and had limited experiences setting up a blog or even using one for that matter and Lesley was able to show me how to create pages and link them. I felt a bit silly having to ask how to do it - but was refreshed a little later when Liz came online and asked the same thing. I was very proud that I was able to impart the information that Lesley shared with me onto Liz.

RedPod Meeting -

Tonight Lesley and I just met and discussed our progress. I had done some research on Facebook and discussed with Lesley what I had done so far. From speaking with Lesley I had more inspirations on what to write and research so was soon on my way again to find out more information.

RedPod Meeting 3 10 October 2009

We received confirmation back from Ken today that the group was on the right track, which was good news for us all.

Tonight, we discussed ways we have experienced colloborative learning work in the classroom - addressing the advantages and disadvantages.

As decided at an earlier meeting we all were going to "take" one online networking site and do research on it. My task is to research Facebook - I plan to begin looking at relevant sides in the very near future.

Meeting 2 7 October, 2009

At tonight's meeting Ben was able to join us - and we informed him of what we had discussed in the previous meeting and how we thought we would approach it. This brought about a whole set of new questions as to whether or not we were approaching the task correctly, were we answering the questions sufficiently and so on. After what seemed like hours of pondering and discussing it was decided that we should contact our lecturer, Ken, and seek guidance to ensure that we were on the right track. Liz volunteered to be the one to do that.

I have to be honest I am feeling somewhat confused (as I think my whole group may be as well) and not sure what I am meant to be doing or how I am going to achieve it! I am hoping when we receive the response to Liz's questions to Ken we will feel a tad more reassured.

I hope!!!

RedPod Meeting 2 October 09

After the failed Etherpad attempt to meet the group decided that it would be a good idea to try to meet again but this time use Skpe as the online networking tool. We thought Skype might be slightly more reliable and that it was! We had to meet later in the evening because one of our group members is based in Darwin and we needed to accomodate the time difference.

I was a little concerned about our RedPod formation as we have five members, Myself, Lesley, Liz, Ben and Shin. I had not had any previous contact with Shin, nor had I seen her on the CSU Forum, in fact, the only way I learnt of Shin's existence was when the groups were formed and that name was on the list. Nevertheless, not wanting to exclude any of our members from meeting we decided to post our intention to meet on the CSU forum for which, Ben was unable to attend and we did not hear anything once again from Shin.

During this meeting Liz, Lesley and I discussed how we would approach the task. We decided to form a group blog (using wordpress) as a colloborative tool. We also decided to each take one online networking tool each (for example, skype, second life, facebook etc) and using the assignment questions as a guide research that particular networking site and post our findings to the group blog. Lesley kindly offered to set up the group blog.

Having feeling as though we accomplished something tonight we left with plans to meet again in the near future to discuss progress.

Meeting (A) Redpod Group

Shortly after submitting the first assignment for this unit I decided to take the initiative and contact my fellow red group members to set up a meeting to discuss assignment 2.

I posted the idea onto the CSU forum and both Lesley and Liz replied. We decided to meet using Etherpad the following night. When the time came to meet I went to log into Etherpad but found for some reason I couldn't. Thus, I spent a frantic hour trying to work out why I couldn't access Etherpad as well as posting messages on the forum informing my fellow group members why I suggested the meeting and was a no show.

It turned out that the others in the group also had problems with Etherpad as well - so at least that made me feel a bit better. I guess no matter how reliable the person is, sometimes technology can be a tad unreliable.!!

Webex 30 September - 2009

I was very curious to try Webex as it sounded interesting and I hadn't experienced anything like it before.

I received my invitation to join early in the day but found that I was unable to accept the invitation until right before the meeting began. I found this a tad daunting - as my computer is not always the most reliable and I would of liked to of been prepared if anything should not go to plan. Luckily, everything did go to plan and I was able to accept the invitation without any problems.

I had my microphone and earphones set and ready to go, but found I could not hear properly nor could others hear me, thus my microphone and earphones were malfunctioning! This did not seem to be a huge problem as I could still hear without the earphones, but the only problem was I couldn't speak.

I liked how on Webex the person who is facillitating the meeting can "mute" other participants. I sometimes find dialogue during online discussions (particilarly when several people are participating) can run in many different directions and thus can be confusing. The "mute" function helps to overcome that. Similarly, I liked how participants could use the hands up function.

I can see Webex or a program similar to it being advantageous in a remote school similar to the one where I am currently working in. At out school we are often short of specialist teachers and I see (if it wasn't for the financial cost) that we could employ a specialist teacher to instruct classes via Webex, as the students can still see the instructor and vice versa. Of course, in terms of behaviour management there would have to be a teacher physically in the room with the students however, I think this could be something that isolated schools should probably think about considering.

Topic 10 Exercise 10.1

Social Networks Case Study

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:


Who is following who? Examine the blogs in your POD and work out the map of followers/following relationship.


Assign each person a letter in the same order as they appear in the dialogue as a, b, c, etc.

1. For your chosen extract, draw the social network diagram and build the same matrix of 0 and 1's as per figure 1.


2. Describe any patterns of people's interactions that you discover. (I am forcing you to think here)


3. If you were to repeat this analysis on another set of blogs from another POD, would you find the same patterns?


4. Why or Why not (HINT - changes in context and process may be just some variables to consider)


5. Support your opinion with any of the reference provided or with others you find.

A= Mel

B= Liz

C = Lesley

D= Ben

E – Shin

The data that was used for the purpose of this question was taken from a Redpod group meeting. As is the case with all Redpod meetings the conversation flowed steadily – but it is not always on topic. Despite this, the group are very forthcoming with discussing their successes as well as challenges. Everyone seems to be happy to support others to overcome these challenges.

While I know that our meetings with the Redpod members are relatively fruitful and full of discussion I do not feel this is reflected in either of the above diagrams. While I guess it shows we all interacted with each other it does not indicate much about the tone of the conversation, nor does it detail the depth of the conversation. I think upon reflecting on the discussions I have had as part of this online journey I have discovered that I am pretty much a follower and a peacemaker.

I do not think that the results would be the same in another set of blogs from another POD because my the roles may differ in a different situation. As pointed out by Valdis Krebs “organization charts prescribes that work and information flow in a hierarchy, but network mapping reveals (they) actually flow through a vast web of informal channels.

Reference http://semanticstudios.com/publications/semantics/000006.php

Topic 9 Exercise 9.2

Research and Evaluation in Government 2.0

Ever since our state and federal politicialns 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 interesting audio to explain about Parpicipatory democracy, Web 2.0 and the Government 2.0 Taskforce

1. Summarise the use of

Wiki drafts of papers for public discussion and

Twitter in Government

2. 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

Wikis are designed to be a collaborative tool used to gather information. Some businesses are beginning to use wikis as drafts of public discussion. Users are requested to review information and where they deem it appropriate add relevant information. The information gathered on the Wiki usually includes specific challenges, issues and innovations. Staff usually post the wikis for review, comment and to seek additional content. Staff will then usually incorporate edits, comments and additions as appropriate and develop a final draft which is then submitted to members. Similarly, Twitter is being used in Government - for example both members of the public and government officials can use twitter as a place for discussion

Reference: http://www.sacog.org/calendar/2008/11/03/grpa/pdf/09-RUCS%20Wiki.pdf

In all honesty, prior to this course I hadn’t even heard of Government 2.0 – so it is very difficult to contribute an opinion. I have heard of a task force and have seen some articles about this – but because of my limited knowledge would find it difficult to offer any sort of worthwhile opinion.

Topic 9 Exercise 9.1

Is Social Networking A Business Model?

Join the site called linkedin.com and set up your "business" profile. While many businesses use social networking sites of buy islands in virtual worlds, some argue that there use is not a model for doing business.

What are the arguments for and against social networking being classified as a business model?

As suggested I joined the LinkedIn website and was intrigued to find what it was all about. Although I find it hard to see the relevance a website like this would have with me in my current situation, I can see the benefits for others. In particular, being able to set up a slide show to be shown in another location would be ideal.

As pointed out by Wikipedia “social networks connect people at a low cost, this can be beneficial for entrepreneurs and small businesses looking to expand their contact bases” Companies also have the option of using social networks to advertise their businesses in the forms of banners and text ads.

A distinct disadvantage of using a site such as LinkedIn. Is that users can become so absorbed that they do not click on the banners and text ads for businesses. The other distinct disadvantage would be that it does not seem that advertisers can tell if their target group has been reached.

Topic 8 Exercise 8.4

Aggregation, syndication and the social engine

a) RSS is an XML application needed for aggregration 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

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

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

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?

a) RSS or Really simple syndication can also be referred to as Rich site summary. RSS is a family of web feed format which is used to publish frequently updated works such as a blog or a video. An RSS document includes full or summarised text in addition to metadata such as publishing dates or authorship. Web Feeds (as RSS documents are commonly referred to) is advantageous to publishers as it allows them to syndicate content automatically. RSS feeds can be read using software called an RSS reader, feed reader or aggregator. An aggregator is client software or a web application which aggregates syndicated web content in a single location to make viewing easier. Syndication is when website material is made available to many other sites. More commonly, web syndication refers to making web feeds available so people can view most recent events that have occurred at the site.

b) Social bookmarking sites such as del.cio.us is a method for users of the internet to share, organise, search and manage bookmarks of web resources. Files themselves are not shared, merely the bookmarks that reference them.

The advantages for workgroups using bookmarking sites is that descriptions may be added to these bookmarks in the form of metadata, so that users can gain an understanding of the content without having to download it themselves, thus wasting time. According to Wikipedia “many social bookmarking services provide web feeds for their list of book marks, including lists organised by tags. This allows subscribers to become aware of new bookmarks as they are saved, shared or tagged by others.

Tags are one word descriptors that you can assign to your bookmark on Delicious to help you better organise and remember them. Similar to keywords, but the user chooses the most appropriate tag to help them remember and access the site with more ease. You have the freedom to assign as many tags as you wish to a bookmark and you have to option of renaming or deleting them at a later date. This makes tagging a lot easier and flexible than trying to fit information into preconceived categories or folders. Users of Delicious also have the freedom to add more than one tag to their bookmark…which is ideal when it falls into several categories.

c) The services provided at gotoweb.20 and similar websites provide access to many other websites from that one page. It would make it easier for workgroups to operate and certainly would be less time consuming that having to trudge through a multitude of other sites to find the relevant information.

d) Elgg is an open source social engine that began in 2004 and powers all kinds of social environments including education, business. Elgg comes with a set of default profile fields which may be extended or completely changed by the site adminstrator. By using Elgg’s powerful widget framework the user is able to choose a bank of available widgets to create full and rich profiles. The Elgg profile gives a good overview of a member of the site, compiling their activity with the site.

I guess this type of search engine would be beneficial in the workplace as it would help employers to keep a track of their employees activities at work, however, personally I wouldn’t like to have my movements tracked so closely.

Topic 8 Exeercise 8.3

Data portability, FOAF and the Semantic Web

1. Begin with the YouTube video at http://www.foaf-project.org/community
2. Like a chain letter, our data seems to move within and between tools like Facebook and Twitter. Is this a good thing?
3. According to http://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 they things they create and do.

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

Q1. I found the video at Youtube an interesting way to get the message across to an audience. The video reminds us about the mundane task of repeatedly filling in the same details about yourself each time you sign up to a social networking site. It would be so much easier if you did not have to go through that process each time. I, in particular found it very frustrating trying to sign up for Second life as for some reason the registration process was not that fond of me. Life would be so much simpler if there was a uniform procedure that just automatically filled out your details allowing the user to get on with the task of simply using the social networking site.

Q2. I think that users of networking sites should be able to take their data with them when they leave a site. I understand by being able to do this businesses cannot send products etc to entice the user back on board, but I think it would encourage networking sites to ensure that the services they provide are up to scratch so users will not want to leave.

Q3: The connection between Social Networking Sites and semantic community portals is strong. The friend of a friend (FOAF) ontology has been used by many social networking sites such as Tribe and it describes member profiles and their relationships. Using FOAF ontology is leading to interoperability between the different standalone social networking sites. This will increase the number of “happy chances” occurring between people who utilise these online worlds by bringing them all together in a universal social network. For this to happen though, according to Wikipedia “more social networking sites will be required to use FOAF, SIOC (Semantically Interlinked Online Communities) and other related ontologies making the data within them distributed and decentralized as opposed to being locked into proprietary sites or applications.

Topic 8 Exercise 8.2

The avalanche of applications self-interview

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 one your mind to yourself. Comment on the self-interview experience in your blog.

At this point in time, especially after my relaxing walk I ask myself the following questions:

Am I going to be able to use anything I have learnt during this course in the classroom?

The honest answer to that question at this point of time is no. Most of what I have learnt is at this stage no use to me because I am currently working in a small school where we don’t have access to computers very often. I do believe, however that in the future, that will change and my learning from this unit will be more useful. On the other hand, I have met some lovely people during this course and we have had the opportunity to share and discuss different websites that are useful in the classroom so not all is lost.

How am I going to cope with the workload from this unit and that of my full time teaching?

I am finding that the workload combined with the pressures of my work is getting a bit heavy at times. To be honest, I have been thinking whether or not it is worth continuing this unit considering I am under a lot of stress. (I am moving schools/towns/houses in the next few weeks as well). I have decided the best way to cope with it all is to take little steps, do a little bit each day and do my best. In many ways it is good being under this pressure as I have to utilise strategies to de stress myself. I am getting better at this.

What do I think of the tools for communication that has been introduced during this unit?

I think the hardest thing to keep up with is remembering all the user names and passwords! Can be a bit confusing at times. Some of the tools for communication that I have been introduced to I have really liked….in particular Webex as I see something like that working in a small isolated school like mine where specialist teachers are hard to find. I think the only downside of it is the cost of it… I wasn’t as impressed with Second life…..it took me ages to even get to sign in and when I finally got in I though “what the…” and had no idea what to do! It has been good though getting a feel for all the different types of communication available.

Topic 8 Exercise 8.1

The 30 Minute Walk

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

Currently living in a small mining community I did not think my surroundings were that exciting or refreshing. In hindsight I am thinking now that maybe I just haven’t taken the time “to smell the roses” so to speak, before now. Anyway, as part of topic 8, I donned my sandshoes and set off for a walk around the area surrounding my home. Out the front of my house, I can only see a main road dotted with lots of “sub standard” mining houses….pretty boring and mundane. Not really enthused by this prospect I set out the back of my house. Initially, I am surrounded by a railway track and a multitude of my next door neighbour’s collection of various machinery……not to be deterred I set off down past the railway track and discover a walking track…..I am wondering if it is safe to go down there by myself but decide to be brave so off I go. I cannot believe I have lived here for 6 years and have never once been down this track, this in itself is a reflection of the busy lifestyle I lead…or maybe a reflection of my laziness (the jury is still out on that one). Anyway, the track is steep and I have to do everything I can to stop myself from sliding down the hill….but I still keep on. I noticed the stillness as I am beginning to walk through bushland…the smell is also prominent. It has been raining and I have heard people say they love the smell of the rain and the bush but had never really considered that before now. I walk for about 10 minutes and I am amazed to come across a small river….it looks a bit wet and soggy so I don’t go to close. Instead I stand there and take in the silence, which is occasionally broken by a bird calling. I reflect on all that is happening in my life at the moment, which includes working my way through this unit. I take a few deep breaths, stand and ponder for a few minutes longer and then off I set again up the steep hill, feeling recharged and ready to steam roll ahead again.

Topic 7 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 for my research interests in aged care informatics:

• Worlds smallest LCD screen is 0.27 inches in Diameter
• Smart toilets - that monitor sugar levels for diabetic, - 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 (max 250 words)

It is becoming more and more common in today’s society for technological devices to assist those who have some sort of disability or impairment, to enable them to function and have access to technological functions that those without such impairments are able to have access too.

The article “Motor Disabilities – Assistive Technologies” gives a long list of such devices that are available today. Probably, out of all the list the one that I found to be the most interesting was the Eye Tracking Software. As pointed out in the article eye tracking software works by following the movement of the eyes allowing the user to navigate through the web using eye movements only. This eye tracking device is particularly useful for people who have little or even no control over hand movements. Special software that is used in conjunction with the eye tracking software allows the user to also be able to type. According to the article “this type of software can be rather expensive” and I guess that would be a major disadvantage which would stop some users from actually using the technology.

Topic 7 Exercise 7.1

Smart Screen Interface Case Study

Touch screen mobile devices for display and interaction are a growth area. As a case study, summarise how the interface works from your investigations, starting at here.

Discuss a situation where that device improves the display or interaction over any alternative device. Use examples to support your argument (250 words max)

Smart screens or touch screens as they are more commonly referred to, are becoming more and more a part of today’s society.

Touch screens may be considered faster and more efficient to use than other interfaces as users do not need to make way through text to access their needs. Touch screens diminish the needs for manipulating a mouse or using a keyboard which in turn speeds up the use, thus making touch screens more efficient use in retail stores, restaurants, hotels and so on.

When using a touch screen users simply point and touch the icon that they would like to access and through this process they can navigate the system. The ease of using a touch screen is a big draw card for those who may otherwise find it difficult to use a computer. Users select from a clearly defined menu and offers step by step guidance to using the screen.

.http://www.elotouch.com/Solutions/CaseStudies/benefitswp.asp

Topic 6 Exercise 6.3

Trust and Reputation: how is it achieved?

In less that 250 words (one page)

Analyse and comment on other aspects of online trust and reputation (Table 4) that you feel are worth discussing across any TWO online communities. Consider how design for usability, sociability and sustainability can help to foster trust and build a reputation among users especially for pragmatists, conservatives and the skeptics.

Without a doubt trust is an Integral ingredient that is sought for any relationship, including those relationships that are built online, such as those with sites such as Facebook. Facebook is a good tool in the sense that it puts users in touch with people worldwide that they may of otherwise lost contact with – but it has its disadvantages as well and some of those disadvantages are linked with the issue of trust. Recently, it has been reported in the media that there have been cases of bullying associated with facebook. One of the capabilities of facebook is that members can write on other people’s wall. In most cases, but not all, you need to be “friends” with the person to be able to do this. But in the cases of bullying that has recently been reported in the media – some people have placed comments about others that are deemed derogatory and thus have caused distress to others. That is only one example of where trust can be an issue when using a site such as facebook. Some people can “pretend” to what to be a friend on the site when really all they are trying to do is obtain information (such as email addresses) so they can send email to someone encouraging them to buy or endorse certain products.

On the other hand, sites such as the CSU Forum seem to be a lot more trustworthy. I guess this is because unlike facebook where anyone is free to join, on an online community such as the CSU forum members must be enrolled with the university to participate on the site. I guess the bottom line is the world is made up of many different types of characters and when using sites wherein the general public are free to join members should always be a little weary.

Topic 6 Exercise 6.2

Wiki and Moodle Design

1. Visit Moodle.org or ispg.csu.edu.au/Moodle and join it or any similar moodle site that allows public login or that you have already experienced.
2. Get the enrolment key for the ITC510/213 Moodle class from the subject forum post by the Lecturer.
3. Navigate through the system to get a look and feel for the place and try to make forum or blog entry on topic.
4. Using your CSU interact wiki or other wiki experience and your short experience as a Moodle member answer the following.

• What is about the design of the wiki and Moodle that you liked or disliked?
• What features do Wiki and Moodle have in common and what are the differences (eg a Wik, forum and blogtool is also groupware design feature inside a Moodle site)?
• Is the presence of likeable features also a combination of the design tips for usability, sociability and sustainability, as advocated by Preece and Kim in earlier topics?

I was very curious to check out moodle as I hadn’t heard of it let alone used it before. I liked that it that the registration process was relatively painless and in terms of usability moodle looks relatively simple to use. I spent some time just “touring” the site getting a feel for what it is all about. I was not really disappointed at what I discovered. I particularly liked that I could access wikis, blogs, forums and chats all from the one site. These abilities make the site more attractive as I wouldn’t have to have use multiple sites to use a variety of tools.
Unfortunately, my experiences of actually using a Wiki with my students is somewhat limited – but from my studies I have discovered that they too are fairly easy to set up and a good tool for collaboration.

Topic 6 - Exercise 6.1

Design rules and your CSU Forum Experience

Consider all the times you have used a CSU forum in your study in all subjects. Under the 3 headings from table 2, purpose, people and community size, describe in your own words any forum experiences where you not only felt a sense of belonging, worth and satisfaction, but a sense of loss when the forum was closed. If this has never happened to you explain why under the same 3 headings.

Purpose
Using the CSU Forum I have the opportunity to interact with students who are working towards a common goal and thus there purpose for participating in the forum is similar to mine. This common purpose influences the character or tone of the interactions.

People
There is a wide range of people comprised in the forum and despite sharing a common goal they have different experiences and therefore can offer a variety of useful information to the group – making participation worthwhile.

Community Size

Bearing this is mind, interacting with the online community that is the CSU Forum is worthwhile in the sense that we can share ideas, discuss problems and vent frustrations. Even if members of the community do not have solutions to the problems it is satisfying being able to “vent” or discuss issues that other members of the group are more likely to understand.
With the above points in mind, it is fair to say that when interacting on the CSU Forum or indeed, just lurking I do indeed feel a sense of worth and belonging knowing that I am not alone. in my journey.

LC Moo 2 September, 2009

I was very enthusiastic to try moo as even though I had heard of it, had never used it.

Due to other work commitments I only was able to access my emails with my user name and password, a short time before the meeting began. It took a couple of attempts for me to actually get into the program and then finding the room in which the meeting was taking place was another issue! I felt totally out of depth using this program as I had no idea what to do, how to do it, where to do, or even why I was doing it!!! When I finally found where my fellow students were at the meeting was already in progress by the time I arrived.

As the assigment was looming I figured that tonight's chat would be about the assignment. That did not happen. I guess I attribute that to my earlier point that when there is a large group of people in a chat the discussion can tend to get lost and it seems like there is no one driving it.

As one requires an invitation, user name and password to enter the site I would imagine that Moo would be fairly secure for students to use. I can imagine them finding the process engaging as they more around virtual rooms etc.

I would say my Moo experience was not something that I enjoyed, but would use it again with my students (providing I was able to broaden my knowledge of the site).

Skype Coference Call 26 August 2009

Once again, unfortunately I was not able to be part of the Skype chat due to other commitments. I have however, use Skype in the past and it has been rather successful. I have used voice and video chat as part of Skype. My computer does not seem to be able to download the transcript from the discussion (antique version computer) but from talking with other students who were able to be present at the meeting it does not seem this instance was all that successful.

The students I spoke to about the Skype conference agreed that the program does work well on a one to one basis but when a large group attempt to be part of it at the one time it is not quite as successful - this is probably due to differing bandwiths.

Generally speaking though, Skype is an excellent resource that I have used previously to communicate (rather inexpensively) with educators the other side of the globe.

Interact Tool - 19 August, 2009

After feeling totally out of the loop and unable to get the gist of what was discussed at last week's meeting I made a huge effort to make sure I was present tonight for the interact chat meeting.

I found the program itself was relatively easy to use, however, I found with so many people chatting at the one time getting the gist of the topic is somewhat difficult or even impossible! I think it is very important that when we are having an online chat such as this that we stay with the one topic until everyone else is ready to move on. While I enjoyed conversing with my fellow students, I found trying to keep up with the discussion was like unsuccessfully trying to play ping pong! While the experience was good and it was great to converse with others - I don't feel in terms of knowledge I benefitted much from the chat.

Google Chat - 12 August 2009

Unfortunately, I completely missed out on the google chat tonight due to prior commitments. Upon looking at the transcript of the chat it looks like there was an option to do a voice chat or video? On the transcript I cannot seem to follow much detail of what has been discussed. A bit confusing, must try and be part of the loop next week.

Etherpad - 5 August 2009

I had not heard of Etherpad - let alone used the program before, therefore I was very enthusiastic to give it a try. I found accepting Ken's invitation to join etherpad relatively simple (even for a novice like me). The program itself also looked easy enough to use as well. The only time I felt etherpad was a little tricky was when the red group were trying to set up their own. But that was sorted out rather quickly. I found tonight's experience interesting as I had the opportunity to "speak" to other students...share ideas and discuss what we think this course is it about.

I think etherpad would be relatively easy to use in the classroom and would definitely consider doing so.

Compare and Contrast the works of Ward Cunningham and Adam Curry

Online communities which can be defined as (Online Communities) (n.d) as “a group of people that primarily interact via communication media such as the Internet, rather than face to face for social, professional, educational or other purposes.” This is fast becoming a way of life for many people. An online community can be in the form of a social networking site (such as Facebook) blogs or wikis. This paper will explore the works of Ward Cunningham who designed the first Wiki and Adam Curry who pioneered podcasting.

As previously mentioned Ward Cunningham was responsible for developing the first wiki and hypercard. Techterms (n.d) define a wiki as “a website that allows users to add and update content on the site using their own web browser. This is made possible by Wiki software that runs on the web server. Wikis end up being created mainly by a collaborative effort of the site visitors.” As pointed out by wikipedia (n.d.) Ward Cunningham is a ‘pioneer in both design patterns and extreme programming, he started programming the WikiWikiWeb in 1994 and installed it on the website of his software consultancy”.

Ward Cunningham is noted for other achievements than developing the wiki. According to Open Source Bridge, (n.d). Cunningham is also noted as the “Chief technology officer of aboutus.org Ward, a growth company hosting the communities formed by organizations and their constituents. Ward co-founded the consultancy, Cunningham & Cunningham, Inc., has served as a Director of the Eclipse Foundation, an Architect in Microsoft’s Patterns & Practices Group, the Director of R&D at Wyatt Software and as Principle Engineer in the Tektronix Computer Research Laboratory. Ward is well known for his contributions to the developing practice of object-oriented programming, the variation called Extreme Programming, and the communities supported by his WikiWikiWeb. Ward hosts the AgileManifesto.org. He is a founder of the Hillside Group and there created the Pattern Languages of Programs conferences which continue to be held all over the word.”

Another great contributor to the world of technology is Adam Curry. Adam Curry who according to Wikipedia (n.d) is often referred to as “the Podfather” not because he invented podcasts but according to Wired Magazine (n.d) “but by driving the digital consumption model into the mainstream with his program Daily Source Code” Podcasting is defined by Entrepreneur as “a pre-recorded audio program that’s posted to a website and is made available for people to download so people can listen to them on personal computers or mobile devices”.

Unlike Ward Cunningham who was the driving force behind the development of Wiki, Adam Curry did not actually develop podcasts. According to Wired Magazine (n.d) credit for actually inventing podcasts goes to David Winer. As pointed out by Wired Magazine (n.d.) “Software developer Winer helped create Really Simple Syndication (RSS) – a basic web feed simplifying the process of subscribing to websites and other online media. He used RSS to deliver his audio program, Morning Coffee Notes, just a day before Curry’s program debuted.

Again, unlike Ward Cunningham , Adam Curry enjoyed celebrity status according to Wired Magazine(n.d) as a former MTV video jockey which put him ahead in terms of popularity and Curry’s podcast proved “far more influential. Thus, in the podcast revolution, Curry played the role of pioneer for Winer’s invention” ms. Mobiles magazine (n.d) further concludes that even though Curry did not actually develop the podcast he “…was the first that had written a program that used RSS enclosures format, and who later on was propagating Podcasting with his own podcasts, websites and other means”.

Similarly, to Ward Cunningham, Adam Curry has made other contributions to the world of technology other than podcasting. According to Adam Curry (n.d) “Since the early 1990’s Curry has been involved in web technology and media, first as a founder of a design and hosting company, then as an executive with a marketing and communication agency and now as a high profile personality in the development of podcasting. The contributions made by both these men have had a profound effect on technology as it has enabled people from all walks of life and areas of the globe to be connected by these revolving communications.

REFERENCES
Adam Curry (n.d.) Retreived 8 September, 2009 from http://www.answers.com/topic/adam-curry-tv-personality-internet-celebrity

Ms.Mobiles Magazine (n.d) Biography Adam Curry Retrieved 9 September, 2009 from http://msmobiles.com/catalog/i.php/558.html

Online and Virtual Communities (n.d.) Retrieved 7 September, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_community

Open Source Bridge (n.d.) Ward Cunningham. Retrieved 7 September, 2009 from
http://opensourcebridge.org/users/336

Technical Terms (n.d.) Retrieved 7 September, 2009 from http://www.techterms.com/definition/wiki

Wired Magazine (n.d.) Podfather: Adam Curry Launches Daily Source Code, Retrieved 9 September, 2009 from
http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/tag/adam-curry/

Topic 5 - Exercise 5.2

This exercise required a table to show the results. After asking other forum members how to make a table using blogger (cut and paste didn't work), trying to upload images, saving files as various other extensions and trying numerous other ways to get a table onto my blog - I was left with two choices throw the computer out the window or present the information as follows: -
Not being able to easily make tables in blogger is definitely a downfall.

Online Community: Photo Shuffle

Objectives: To locate intricate details in pictures loaded by other members.

Rules of Engagement: Very engaging game. Must successfully place the yellow circle over the detail to win full points. Members can still achieve some points if they are close to the target.

Unique Features:
Easily upload own photos.
Leave comments for other members.
Can choose difficulty rating.


Online Community: Whyville

Objectives: A virtual town where members can build their own avatar, chat with other members and play games.


Rules Of Engagement: A wide variety of activities to stimulate children of all ages. You need to earn points (or a chat licence) before you can participate in that.
Many different games to choose from. Create your own avatar.
Chat with other members.

Unique Features: Many different games to choose from. Create your own avatar.
Chat with other members.

Amy Jo Kingis behind the organisation and management of photoshuffe. Kim is an internationally recognised social architect who has been involved in various social architecture projects.

Topic 5 - Exercise- 5.1

My online identities include: csu, facebook, hotmail accounts, zimbra (work email account), messenger.

I think my identity is relatively consistent across all instances – but I guess I would have to say that my work account takes a more professional stance than the other accounts.

My persistent identity reflects my interests and my professional existence. As pointed out by Jordan (et al, 2003) “ This (persistent) identity should be multifarious and ambiguous (as identity is in life itself), capable of reflecting an endless variety of interests, needs, desires, and relationships. It should not be reduced to a recitation of our purchase preferences, since who we are cannot be reduced to what we buy’.

Topic 4 - Exercise 3a

Software: Yahoo! Learning: Restricted access must be over 18 years. Professional Development: Can promote professional diaglogue with others

Software: Youtube Learning: Student access is blocked in many schools. Proffesional Development: Wide and varied selection of interesting videos that can support curriculum in the classroom or at staff level via professional development

Software: Bebo Learning: There is an age restriction of 13 years and over Professional Development: Social networking site that allows contact with others (professionals) across the globe.

Software: Facebook Learning: Age restriction 13 years and over. Professional Development: Could promote professional diagolue. Provides opportunities to join groups wherein professionals from around the world can share resources.

Software: Ning Learning: Age restrictions 13 years and over. Professional Development: Can invite other professionals to join, enabling them to engage in professional dialogue or to work colloboratively to share ideas.

Software: LinkedIn Learning: Age restrictions 18 years and over Professional Development: Share information, ideas and other opportunities with other professionals

Software: Delicious Learning: Possibility of linking students who share common interests. Professional Development: bookmarking that will link to interest groups

Software: Teachertube Learning: similar to youtube. Professional Development: As per youtube.

Software: Twitter Learning: Age restrictions 13 years and over. Professional Development: possibility of linking professionals

Software: Myspace Learning: Age restriction 13 years and over. Professional Development: Could be used as a multimedia portfolio of students' work.

Software: RevYu Learning: students can review and rate work. Can also make their own contributions Professional Development: review site for books, videos etc

Software: Flickr Learning: allows for photo sharing Professional Development: provides tutorials for photo manipulation, enhancement etc

Software: SocialGo Learning: Age restrictions 18 years and over Professional Development: enables participants to create own social networking sites, connect to forums etc

Software: Digg Learning: social networking that could link students with similar interests or allow professionals to share dialogue Professional Development linking people with similar iterests allows bookmarking of sites

Software: bubbl.us Learning: allows for brainstorming online Professional Development: Could be used for both students and teaching professionals to share ideas

Software: reddit Learning: Allows participants to read and review current news items. Professional Development: Suitable for learning across all groups.

Topic 4 - Exercise 4.2

When participating in an online community in order for the interaction to be successful there needs be “house rules”. My personal belief is the utmost critical house rule (particularly when young children are participating in the community) is that participants need to feel safe. As pointed out by http://www.macmillan.org.uk/House_Rules.aspx which is an online organization for cancer patients members must feel safe and supported as part of the community. The community must have a purpose as pointed by Kim (2000a; 2000b) and members must be aware of the purpose. Finally, the online community must be inclusive and value the opinion of others.

Topic 4 - Exercise 4.1

www.blogspot.com is a relatively easy product to use, particularly for those who have had limited experience with blogging previously. Since the beginning of this course I have used blogspot with my students to enable them to communicate thoughts and feelings about books we have read, with other students interstate. The discussion on the blogs must have a purpose otherwise the teacher desired outcome will be lost. According to Kim (200a; 2000b) “there should be ways of defining the characteristics of participants” and it is my belief that with blogspot this can be done if it is so desired, by simply adding detailed information into the profile or even adding a picture. At blogspot the person who is sharing their thoughts would be considered the leader, but certainly it allows for other discussions to flow from the “leaders blog”. This point as Kim (2000b) points out allows the members to take some control of the blog (however indirect) As Kim (2000a; 2000b) points out “regular events helps promote relationships” this is true for any relationships but it certainly has been the case in the blogging activity I have completed in my class.

Topic 3 Exercise 3.2

The educational value of online mobile games and mobile social network access is becoming more and more apparent. Easier access without having to worry about cords is one advantage. This will in turn allow for more students to have access to the network at anyone time. A case study found at http://journals.lww.com/cinjournal/Abstract/2004/09000/Wireless_Technology_Improves_Nursing_Workflow_and.7.aspx indicates that wireless technology has made the pressures faced in nursing more bearable. The same could be said in education as students can be working in various classrooms or contexts which is relevant to the learning.

As pointed out by Maddux et al ” …..as inexpensive and fast wireless internet access becomes available in school……it will have the effect of greatly increasing the number of classrooms with Internet access and the number of computers with such access in each of those classrooms. Previously wiring problems in aging schools has been a significant barrier to Internet access. Although fast, wireless internet connections will not solve the problem of inadequate electrical wiring, it will certainly eliminate the problems involved in running coaxial cable, fiber optic cable or telephone lines to classrooms.”

Topic 3 - Exercise 3.1

From a personal point of view not being big on fantasy type games the Battle of Wesnoth game does not particularly thrill me! I had a look at it though. There seemed to be a lot of preliminary reading before the game began which I guess has its advantages in the sense that participants can read a lot about what to expect before they begin. However, for someone who just wanted to have a look at what the game was about – and not particularly keen in playing it – it was frustrating and long winded trying to figure out how to merely have a look. Once that was overcome I did manage to get a feel for the game and can see how people who enjoy these type of games can find them addictive.

Topic 2 - Exeercise 2.4

Dick Hardt raises a good point when he asks the question, “Who is the Dick on your site”? This point is something that we all should be aware of, and from an educational point of view something that teachers should consider before they allow children access to online communities. Hardt mentions such terms as phishing which is an email sent with the purpose of “scamming” the recipient into believing the course is legitimate. Pharming is another term used by Hardt which is what hackers do to redirect users to bogus websites. Privacy invasion and identity theft (pretending to be someone else) are two other terms that Hardt mentions in his talk. The solutions Hardt offers to overcoming these problems seem satisfactory but I wonder how beneficial they would be in an early primary classroom setting?

Topic 2 - Exercise 2.3

My Facebook profile is very basic giving out limited information. I do not have an avatar. The reason I initially joined Facebook was to see what all the fuss was about. Different people from varied areas of my life work colleagues, friends, family and people who I had lost contact with over the years are now “friends” on Facebook. I currently live in a small mining community and a responsibility in my professional position is to be professional at all times. With this and my “audience” in mind I choose to put as little information as possible on my profile.

Topic 2 - Exercise 2.2

Second life

I was very keen to explore second life and eagerly went to the website which I found to be pleasant and somewhat intriguing. I clicked on the join now button and a form came up for me to fill in to join up. This is where the frustration began. I spent an hour filling in and then re-filling my form trying to get access to the site. I was continually told to fix errors and re-submit but I was not clearly informed of what my errors were! After making several hit and miss (all misses I might add) as to what I did wrong I decided to scrap the process and try filling out the form again from scratch…..still no luck. Maybe its my internet connection, maybe it’s me…… I don’t know….all I do know is that this website is very frustrating in terms of logging in. I only hope it is better once your finally in it….as for me I probably will never know.

Topic 2 - Exeercise 1

Virtual Environments and Your Cognition
As I was already a member of Facebook I am familiar with how the social networking site works and willingly joined the online community set up for this course.
I asked many people who were in the group to be my “friend” but only two responded. I believe that has more to do with members being unfamiliar with each other rather than anything personal. We are constantly receiving warnings via email and Facebook itself not to accept requests by certain people to be friends because there are some out there who are predators and/or looking to taking over one’s identity. I think if the participants in this course were more familiar with one and other I would have had more success in adding to my “friends” list.
Social Cognition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_cognition is a study of the way individual’s process information, particularly in the encoding, storage , retrieving and applying to social situations.

Visual Cognition
http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~uctymfm/Lecture%20Notes/BA%20Psychology/Visual%20Cognition%202.pdf
the capacity to see objects around us. These capacities involve the manipulation of representations through inference.

Topic 1 - Exercise 3

An Heuristic Experience

As I teach in a Catholic School in Tasmania I thought I would do my evaluation on the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office Website, as this website is widely used by myself and colleagues.
In terms of effectiveness the website rates average in my opinion. All the necessary components are listed and at a click on the link and most of the information is at your fingertips. The thing that let it down is the curriculum component which is critical for myself and my colleagues to be able to find proves to be a little tricky to locate.

Subject: Tasmanian Catholic Education Office: Computer System Usability Questionnaire
Sender: smokie@southcom.com.au
From: smokie@southcom.com.au (CSUQ)

system=Tasmanian Catholic Education Office
date=2009-09-05 22:05:33
comment=
q1=7
q2=7
q3=7
q4=7
q5=7
q6=7
q7=7
q8=7
q9=3
q10=6
q11=4
q12=7
q13=5
q14=6
q15=6
q16=7
q17=6
q18=4
q19=7
negative1=Some of the tags are not specific for example finding the curriculum we use in teaching is not straightforward.
negative2=Online help is not very satisfactory,
positive1=Everything is on the site that is required although some things are not as specific as they could be.
positive2=The interface is pleasant

Topic 1 - Exercise 2

Reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folksonomy
Folksonomy is a system for creating and managing tags to annotate and categorise content. Folksonomy may also be referred to as collaborative tagging, social indexing and social tagging. It allows for the user to find their way around the site with ease.

Who is Dr Jakob Nielson?

Jakob Nielson has a list of positive attributes associated with his name from “the King of Usabilty” to a “person who knows more about what makes websites work than anyone else on the planet” http://www.useit.com/jakob/
Dr Nielson is the founder of “discount usability engineering” movement providing both inexpensive and rapid improvements of user interfaces which includes the heuristic evaluation. Jakob Nielson is the holder of 79 United States patents that are mainly concerned with making the internet easier to use.

Why usability testing works for small groups? As you add more and more users you learn less and less because you will keep seeing the same things again and again. After the fifth user you are wasting your time by observing the same findings .

Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs uses a single line of text to show a pages location in the site hierarchy. While secondary, this navigation technique is increasingly beneficial to users.

Breadcrumbs have always been a secondary navigation aid. They share this status with site maps. To navigate, site visitors mainly use the primary menus and the search box which are certainly more important for usability.

Topic 1 - Exercise 1

Social Networking: Reference http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/
Social networking is an interaction between a group of people who form part of a community, possibly sharing a common interest or hobby. Online social networking means that members of the community are not restricted by demographics eg. Someone in Australia can be part of an online community with members from Japan and so on.
Social networking sites such as Facebook means that members can join the social network then separate into smaller groups for example friendship groups or groups of people with a common interest.
There are some risks associated with social networking sites as members who share files with other users run the risk of computer threats such as viruses. Social networking sites can also be considered a “playground” for predators.

Online Communities: Reference http://www.commoncraft.com/archives/000208.html
Online communities is a group of people who share common interests and interact over the Internet.

To my understanding Social Networking and Online Communities while different there are some similarities. I believe that Social Networking relates more to the interaction of people who form the Online Community. Online Community is the group itself, for example, Facebook is an online community, my “friends” on the site are part of my social networking circle.

Topic One - Exercise One

Prior to commencement of the unit “Online Communities” I feel that I have reasonable understanding of what it means. I have been part of online communities such as Facebook for a while now and am rather comfortable with using it. I have also been exposed to other forms of online communities such as forums dealing with a range of subjects.

As part of this course, I would like to develop a clearer understanding of how I can use Online Communities in my classroom to enhance learning. I am interested in learning about how to overcome ethical and moral issues such as ensuring my students are not exposed to inappropriate behaviour while participating in an online community activity in my classroom.

ITC-510

Hi,
.
I am a teacher working in a small, somewhat isolated school on the West Coast of Tasmania. I currently teach a Grade 3/4 class. Most of my experiences with technology has been self taught. I am lucky enough to have an interactive whiteboard in my classroom and must admit it I love it. The children are so much more engaged by using the activities on the whiteboard.

I use facebook a little bit (I guess look at facebook is more of an accurate description as I am not one to post messages on there). The other that are mentioned as part of this course and the assignments seem a little daunting at this stage but I am sure it will be okay once we get going.

To my fellow classmates, good luck!

Cheers

Mel