POD Groups project for ITC510 (Weeks 4-10)

Topic : Social networking and professional devvelopment case study

This task required our Green Pod group to work through a senario in where we were to present to the CEO of a company a report on the use of social networks in providing professional development experiences for staff.

As a group we investigated Facebook, Twitter, SecondLife, Wikis and Social Networking for Schools. We corresponded on a weekly basis either using e-mail, Ning, etherpad and wikis to bring the task to fruition.

We have a page dealing with information to the CIO and three research questions: A,B & C and various other information relevent to the group task.

Access to this wiki site which has our group assessment item two you will need to visit our URL http://greeniespod.wikispaces.com

TOPIC 10: COMPLEXITY AND SOCIAL NETWORKS

Exercise 10.1 Social networks case study
What is Following?
Do you have a favorite blog and want to let the author and readers know that you are a fan? Well now you can do that and more with the Blogger Following feature! You can even keep track of the blogs you follow via your Reading List on the Blogger dashboard.

How do I become a Follower of a blog?
There are several ways to become a follower of a blog. One of the easiest ways is to visit a blog that has added the Following widget and click on the "Follow" button under the "Followers" widget:

By following a blog you show the author you are interested in their subject and will therefore encourage further dialogue from them:)

Illustration from my observations of who is following whom on the Blogger website

reference:

http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en-uk&answer=104226

Etherpad Log

Since earlier posting I and my three other member of the Green Pod have met regularly particularly with the Assignment 2 task in mind. We still use the etherpad log as it allows us to keep a record of our meetings. We found that the Ning site was not capable of keeping a journal of our discussions so we no longer meet there.

I'm including a screen dump to document our discussions and teamwork during this course.

It is Sunday and we are still working on our assignment. The three other members are excellent participants and keep all to task.

TOPIC 9 BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND RESEARCH PERCEPTIONS

Exercise 9.2 Research and evaluation in Government 2.0

The term Government 2.0 is used "to describe the new opportunities presented by online technologies and social methodologies to achieve a more open government", Lundy & Waugh.

Wiki: Senator Kate Lundy


Senator Lundy states, (pg.11, 2009 briefing paper) that the benefits to the people from the government using a wiki to post papers for public discussion will be that, "Individuals and service users must have a say in shaping their own futures and the benefits and services that are offered to them. Detailed feedback from users and community members and genuine and inclusive consultation are important sources of information to improve policy settings and service delivery."
Twitter:
This web 2.0 tool has emerged as a significant channel for breaking news, announcement and discussions on political, social, environmental and commercial topics. The tweetMP site at


http://tweetmp.org.au/ allows for a "transparent" government. The tweetMP site further suggest that by engaging with the Web 2.0 tools the government is providing "real-time interaction, allowing a unique chance for politicians to connect with their constituency....... let the Government know your ideas and hold them accountable."



Yes! It would appear that by adopting the latest technology the Australian Government if making itself more visible and accessible to all, particularly those young adults who are techno savvy.

references:

Laundy & Waugh http://cpd.org.au/article/case-study-public-sphere

Senator Lundy 2009 briefing paper http://www.katelundy.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Public-Sphere-2-Government-2.pdf

TOPIC 9 BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND RESEARCH PERCEPTIONS

Exercise 9.1: Is social networking a business model?



"Social networks operate under an autonomous business model, in which a social network's members serve dual roles as both the suppliers and the consumers of content. This is in contrast to a traditional business model, where the suppliers and consumers are distinct agents" (Wikipedia).

The advantages of having social networks as a business model are:

1. They connect people for a low cost, which helps those business just starting out.


2. Companies can use social networking for banners and other text based advertisements.


3. Allows for ease of contacts around the globe. One example is LinkedIn.com which has over 40 million users in over 200 countries.

The disadvantages of having social networks as a business model are:

1. Cultural differences
2. Technological infrastructure or the other party may not allow them access to your site.
3. Potential buyers may feel overwhelmed.
4. Small business owners may find it time consuming to keep up with social networking.
   

"Barack Obama's presidential victory demonstrated that platforms like YouTube and Twitter could transform electoral politics" (Forbes 09). Yet it would appear that many business executives feel that social networking is "a time-wasting distraction or a risk management problem. Much of their fear has focused on potential risks like security breaches and data privacy": (Forbes 09).

"Nonetheless, big brands, generally speaking, haven't successfully tapped the potential of social media; they tend to regard Web 2.0 platforms as just another way to push out short-term marketing campaigns. They fail to grasp that the new media require new ways of doing business. Old ways need to be tossed out" (Forbes 09). Lets face it! "Web tools like blogs can help corporate leaders enhance their credibility by communicating directly and having authentic conversations with key stakeholders" (Forbes 09).

reference:

Forbes 09 http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/11/social-networking-executives-leadership-managing-facebook.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network_service
http://www.gaebler.com/News/Small-Business-Technology/SMBs-may-see-some-disadvantages-to-social-networking-19173166.htm

TOPIC 8 APPLICATIONS,TOOLS AND SERVICES

EXERCISE 8.4: AGGREGATION, SYNDICATION AND THE SOCIAL ENGINE

a) RSS, or really simple syndication is the format for delivering regularly changing web content as required by news sites and weblogs. Still confused! Try YouTube-video:RSS in Plain English http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU. RSS is an XML file that summaries and links information and is typically linked to the word "subscribe" says Murudesan. The orange rectangle or the letters RSS in an orange box identifies the feed.

Aggregation and syndication are used to serve your web pages content. Syndication is according to Wikipedia refers to making web feeds available from a site in order to provide other people with a summary of the website's recently added content. Where aggregation is having new content being retrieved at user determined intervals to create a unique information space or "personal newspaper" states Wikipedia.

To subscribe to an RSS feed you need to have a news aggregator (sometimes called a 'newsreader'), a software tool that collects and displays the feeds you choose to subscribe to. Wikipedia suggests one of the following tools;
1) With a recent browser
2) With an account on an aggregator website.
3) With dedicated Podcatching software

b) del.icio.us http://delicious.com/is a social page which uses a tagging system. Users bookmark interesting pages and assign tags to them. You can share your tags with others, "it is a great way to capture contextual knowledge" states Murugesan.



The advantage to work groups was proven to me when I was marking a group of Maths 3 student assignments. This assignment required the students to bookmark and tag suitable websites to facilitate the teaching of Mathematics to primary students. Each student gave me their del.icio.us user name and password so I could access their selected Websites. Marking this assignment was easy as I could access their assignments from any computer and at any time without carrying around bulky assignments and could easily see for myself the websites value. if a student used an hierarchical tagging system the task was very easy to follow. Some of course called all their tags the course number making the tags irrelevant.



Where as a tag used by a web publisher is called a meta tag. These tags are used used to help search engines find a specific site and to create redirects.


c) Go2Web2.0, how easy is that! All one page and with one single click you can gain access to what you want. But before you go directly to the site you are given on overview to assist with whether this site has what you are after.


Go2Web2.0 informs users of new and updated applications on the web. It has over 3,000 services listed and it adds to this daily, with outdated services being removed.


I went to the E-learning Web 2.0 Tools this stops so much time being wasted. Fantastic in this busy time. You could direct your work group to this site where at a single click they can all be on the correct site without having to type in a web address, which often gets misspelled and without the need to Google. 5 stars from me :)





d) The Elgg social engine provides the following for its subscribers: 'advanced user management and administration, social networking, cross-site tagging, powerful access control lists, internationalisation support, multiple view support (e.g. cell phones, iPhone), an advanced templating engine, a widget framework" (The Elgg Community). How does it work on the website it is installed on? "Elgg has special mechanisms to entice visitors into registering. By giving visitors a sneak-peak of the content on the network, Elgg ensures that only interested people join......When visitors land up on your main page, they are greeted by Elgg's customized
welcome message."(Sharma pg.18)



Yes! it would be fantastic as it offers a simple social bookmarking tool and can cater for small or large membership. It is easy to join as the Elgg sends out email and handles all aspects of registration.



reference:

Murugesan San 2007 "Second Generation Web Technologies Understanding Web 2.0" published by IEEE Computer Society.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_syndication
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggregator
http://wiki.arts.usyd.edu.au/elearning/index.php?title=Rss_feed&redirect=no


http://www.ask.com/bar?q=web+publishing+tag+&page=1&qsrc=2417&ab=2&title=Web+Publishing+Reference+-+Using+Meta+Tags+%7C+IS%26amp%3BT&u=http%3A%2F%2Fist.mit.edu%2Fservices%2Fweb%2Freference%2Fcreate%2Fmetatags&sg=aqIXU8bTUAPF2rBhvMZhRJHRbQ03mv9057PYdEhQmXc%3D&tsp=1256347140730


http://www.go2web20.net/about/

http://community.elgg.org/pg/pages/view/17/

Sharma http://www.packtpub.com/files/Elgg-Social-Networking-Sample-Chapter-Chapter-3-Users-Profiles-and-Connections.pdf

The semantic web

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The semantic web

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TOPIC 8 APPLICATIONS,TOOLS AND SERVICES

EXERCISE 8.3: DATA PORTABILITY, FOAF AND THE SEMANTIC WEB



The Semantic Web is an enhancement that gives the Web greater utility. The Friend of a Friend (FOAF) project, is a social-networking system where users post information and imagery in any format they like and still connect it all, which other social networks like MySpace and Facebook cannot do because of incompatible data language. The Semantic Wed uses a data language, "called Resource Description Framework (RDF), which names each item, and the relations among the items, in a way that allows computers and software to automatically interchange the information." (L.Feigenbaum et.al.)

Some "observers worry that people's privacy could become compromised as more data about them from different sources is interlinked. Advocates argue that the protections are the same as those used in the non linked world. If two databases joined by the Semantic Web have different privacy criteria, then the software will have to honor both sets of rules or create a set that covers both".(L.Feigenbaum et.al.)

FOAF is written in OWL or Web Ontology Language which allows users to choose the "sites and tools they like without being cut off from their friends". This is great as it allows users of mac and windows to get together.



reference:

The Semantic Web in Action December 2007 Lee Feigenbaum, Ivan Herman, Tonya Hongsermeier, Eric Neumann and Susie Stephens
http://thefigtrees.net/lee/sw/sciam/semantic-web-in-action#page1
The Friend of a Friend project http://www.foaf-project.org/

image from http://www.relativitycorp.com/socialnetworkmarketing/article3.html

TOPIC 8 APPLICATIONS, TOOLS AND SERVICES

EXERCISE 8.2 THE AVALANCHE OF APPLICATIONS SELF-INTERVIEW

image accessed fromhttp://www.link3it.com/blog/?p=59

Q1. Am I getting inundated with new tools and services? Yes, in this course alone I have encountered so many previously unknown tools. Some of which like Skype I have not even ventured into. Tried to get onto the Tolbox site today 21st during my lunch break at school, guess what! Blocked by the DET.

From Ken's list I'm saying to myself what is Webex, Elluminate and Google Wave!!!! I'm Out of my depth here. I know what Itunes are but I don't use them. Why am I reluctant to try and have a go. My personality requires me to see others using it and to try it out in a safe environment. I don't like trying anything on my computer from the Internet that may cause a virus to enter it. I know that sounds DUMB!! but it's the truth. I will say that I have enjoyed the wiki, NING and Ether pad experience I have had as part of the Green Pod group. Here I was forced out of my comfort zone to participate or to fail and the prospect of failing this subject because of this was too much for me, so I bit the bullet and engaged with the members.

Q2 Facebook and Twitter, is there a place for these in my busy life?

No! I have been informed by Facebook that I have four friends waiting for me to let them onto my friend list. No can do! I've forgotten my username and password and what with the identity theft scare I really wanted to distance myself from the whole scene. I only joined up as part of this course and without access to the Internet at home I find I'm not interested and because the DET bands Facebook, I can't access it after school.

Q3 What tools do I use?
Wiki, Blogging and emailing all of which I use either for work or for uni studies. I have no life!!!!! I would really like to have confidence using the other social networks or have someone to corresponded with. I would like to really use blogging and wiki with the older students at my school and the DET say blogs are the way of the future, but as yet there is no facility for using this with students at primary level.

TOPIC 8 APPLICATIONS,TOOLS AND SERVICES

EXERCISE 8.1 THE 30 MINUTE WALK

Gee! I've just come back from an interesting walk around part of my property and who is waiting for me, our friendly wallaby and her joey. I 'm on 100 acres and no I didn't walk that! Only a very small section.

I followed the path through the semi tall grass that has been flatten by the passing of wallaby feet. Through into what was once the secret garden. My children when they were young would often play here and I take a moment to sit and contemplate the many hours they spent with their dolls and other toys playing under the shade of the weeping fig tree.

While I've been contemplating and lost in my own thoughts the bird sounds have returned, I can hear the tweeting of small fairy wrens as it is the time of day when the larger predatory birds rest. Time to move on.

As a walk further my senses are overwhelmed by the sweet sickly smell of jasmine. The buzzing bees is loud but not loud enough to drown out the incessant sound of the cicada. They had ceased there noise when I first entered this area but now it is leave or be deafened.

I keep following the wallaby trail until I spot a small mob of the animals under the shade cast by the avocado tree, how peaceful they look. In the afternoon I know they will be around the house looking for bread scraps and the sweet freshly mowed lawn.

TOPIC 7 DEVICES FOR DISPLAY AND INTERACTION

EXERCISE 7.2: NEW DEVICES, AGED CARE AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

In the futuristic cartoon series "The Jetsons," a robotic maid named Rosie whizzed around the Jetsons' home doing household chores--cleaning, cooking dinner and washing dishes. At MIT researchers are working on a robotic helper which could help the elderly or wheelchair bound person with simple tasks, such as putting away dishes.

For more than 15 years, Microsoft has been a leader in developing accessible technology for people with disabilities. Popular Microsoft products, such as the Windows operating systems and Office applications, include many built-in accessibility features, from a screen magnifier and voice recognition to filter keys that help people with shaky hands or stiff fingers avoid typing extra keystrokes unintentionally. These are available from the start button on each computer.

Intel Health Guide, has a device that let doctors monitor a patients health remotely. Each day the patient steps on a scale and strap on a blood-pressure cuff that are attached to the Health Guide. The device collects the patients vitals and sends them to their doctor's office.

In an article on Intelligent housing it was noted that some nursing homes are engaging a programmable interface which monitors the use of electricity, lights, water or any number of digital devices in the residential units and issues alerts to staff if there is irregular use.This intelligent monitoring solution which can also be fitted to an individuals home, enabling them to reside in their own homes for much longer. The system can also be programmed to turn on the bathroom light when you get out of bed at night, making it easy to see where they're going.

When it comes to smart homes image.... pressing a "welcome home" button on a remote control as you pull into your driveway and having your pathway, front porch and hallway lights turn on. Your air-conditioner begins to warm or cool your living room, and your favourite music starts playing throughout your house. That's a smart home! From your television you can also check to see if the baby is sleeping - then change back to the video channel to watch the television or movie. That's a smart home!

references:

Intel wants you to age gracefully, at home http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=11241223 (accessed 20/10/09)

intelligent housing http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/ageing-rescare-clinitfly-case9.htm (accessed 20/10/09)

smart homes http://www.smarthomesystems.com.au/comfort.html (accessed 02/10/09)

Assistive robot adapts to people http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/domo.html (accessed 20/10/09)

TOPIC 7 DEVICES FOR DISPLAY AND INTERACTION

EXERCISE 7.1 SMART SCREEN INTERFACE CASE STUDY



At my school we have an interactive whiteboard, this board is not one of the Smart touch boards but the Panasonic board. Which requires the user to use a stylus to manipulate the board instead of the hand. I have used both boards and with the Smart board if any body part accidentally makes contact with the board it begins the interactivity of the board, a real problem for large breasted women.

The visual impact of these boards are very engaging for students. The Learning Federation has numerous sites that can be used to teach students in all areas of Key Learning Areas these very visual sites stimulate learners and cater for a variety of learning styles.






image from http://lonewolflibrarian.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/cartoon.jpg


The advantage of using an interactive whiteboard over a projector and a computer are numerous. For starters the interactive whiteboard pages are kept in an archive along the side of the board and at any time during the day you can bring these pages back up and refer back to them or those students who didn't finish their handwriting or maths examples can gain access to the lessons during their lunch break. The teacher can also keep their notes and annotations as an electronic file for later distribution on paper or through a number of electronic formats.

Being in front of the class allows the teacher to still have control, which is lost when you are behind the computer and projector. Also you can call on students to show their understanding to their peers and allows them to experience what it is like to instruct the class. During brainstorming on a topic students can come out and share their thoughts directly onto the board.

The software which is the essential component of an interactive whiteboard enables the teacher to quickly change and reconfigure information, providing opportunities to engage with pupils at a higher level of understanding.

According to a white paper on Interactive Whiteboards and learning students gain the following personal rewards when using the interface of the interactive whiteboard:
Intrinsically students are motivated to demonstrate their understanding in front of their peers.
Extrinsically students are enticed by the "wow factor" of the technology and the enjoyment they get from using the equipment.

How does the Panaboard and Smart Interactive Whiteboard work?
The Panaboard works by displaying the contents of a computer screen onto a large white screen, because the screen is interactive the user is able to control programs directly from the whiteboard. The board is compatible with Windows Applications like Excel, PowerPoint and Word. The electronic pen allows for easy-to-use mouse –like operations and lets the user draw, add annotations, and illustrate on top of the display. The Smart board is similar as it allows the user to use their finger or the coloured pens to control aspects of the board.


reference:
Panasonic whiteboard image accessed 20/10/09 http://www.ivexpress.com.au/whiteboards.php?gclid=CNnR3ouXyp0CFRYhDQodi2ydqw
White paper on Interactive whiteboards and learning http://www2.smarttech.com/NR/rdonlyres/2C729F6E-0A8D-42B8-9B32-F90BE0A746D8/0/Int_Whiteboard_Research_Whitepaper_Update.pdf (accessed 20/10/09)

Trust in Online Communities

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Trust in Online Communities

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TOPIC 6 DESIGNING FOR USABILITY, SOCIABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

Exercise 6.3: Trust and reputation: how is it achieved?

What is trust?
Mayer, Davis, and Schoorman, 1995 define trust as “the willingness of a party to be vulnerable to the actions of another party based on the expectation that the other will perform a particular action important to the trust or, irrespective of the ability to monitor or control that other party”

it is the foundation for any relationship.(Dwyer et al). This is especially important with online communities. Martin Reed highlights the importance of trust in his article, "The importance of trust", "Right from the very first seconds of visiting your website, a user is deciding whether they can trust you. Are your articles or posts trustworthy? Can they trust you with their email address? Can they trust you to safeguard their privacy?"

All users expect an environment that is free from hackers and where your personal identity is preserved. this certainly was not the case for Big Brother fans who went on line. The official Big Brother site said they were not using encryption technology on its credit card sign up page and names and phone numbers of members were being revealed to others, TRUST!!! I don't think so! See full story Porn and privacy:Big Brother's Big Brother, at http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/04/23/1177180545710.html

Members of online communities often follow the leader, if the leader is sarcastic in their comments others will be too. If you want trust from your community members you have to earn it. "Communities are built on human relationships. Relationships based on lies, suspicion and deception are not healthy. You want to ensure your community is associated with trust and honesty if you want it to succeed. Give your members confidence that they can share information about themselves without being mocked or belittled. The more personal the information your members share, the more they are demonstrating their trust" (Martin Reed,2009).

I chose Facebook and MySpace, because they are popular sites and have millions of members.
Dwyer et.al (2007) states, "Facebook’s association with physical entities, i.e. universities, helps vouch for the authenticity of its members. MySpace, has a poor reputation in terms of trust. Law enforcement officials allege that MySpace is used by sexual predators to lure teenagers."
My personal experience with face book is on of a skeptic. I'm not into this form of communication and how can your information be safe! a recent news article on how your identity can be stolen is proof enough for me on the dangers of this site and I want to remove my identity from it but I can't work out how:( (SMH 'Facebook is 'gold for identity thieves' http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/facebook-is-gold-for-identity-thieves-20091012-gtlw.html )

So what of the pragmatists, conservatives and the skeptics? The preceeding graph shows that these people are the last to join any social networks they do not make that leap across the chasm until they are very sure. I am like these people, but looking at the graph I'm not a skeptic but more of a "Conservatives", but up the top of the bell curve. Once I'm sure of a thing I usually try it out.

reference:

Dwyer et.al 2007 Trust and Privacy: A Comparison of Facebook and MySpace http://csis.pace.edu/~dwyer/research/DwyerAMCIS2007.pdf (accessed 20/10/09)

Martin Reed The Importance of Trust March 2007 http://www.communityspark.com/the-importance-of-trust/ (accessed 19/10/09)

Martinn Reed Are you honest enough to manage an online community April 2009 http://www.communityspark.com/if-you-cant-be-honest-dont-build-an-online-community/

(accessed 19/10/09)

trust image http://www.communityspark.com/if-you-cant-be-honest-dont-build-an-online-community/

the chasm image http://www.dilanchian.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=293:beware-of-web-20-crossing-the-chasm&catid=23:ip&Itemid=114 (accessed 20/10/09)

TOPIC 6 DESIGNING FOR USABILITY, SOCIABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

Exercise 6.2 Wiki and Moodle design







According to Wikipeadia a moodle is 'designed to help educators create online courses with opportunities for rich interaction. Its open source license and modular design mean that people can develop additional functionality.' The major features of a moodle are:
Activities (including word and math games)
Resource types
Question types
Data field types (for the database activity)
Graphical themes
Authentication methods
Enrollment methods
Content Filters



(Wikipedia accessed 19.10.09 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moodle)



For a simple and visual understanding on Moodles, see Moodle Presentation on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvCIv5KCbeE

I went to the Charles Sturt University Moodle and found it a bit daunting. It was another experience where I was unsure of what I was supposed to do, or what I was supposed to achieve :(.

A Wiki is a community website, it can be used for personal note taking or collaborative activities. To get a simple explanation on what is a Wiki go to You Tube and watch Wiki in plain English at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY .



To me Wikis have the following advantages. Once you set up your wiki and allowed your members in, then those members can edit the wiki. This allows the other group members to refine and expand on each others ideas. The end result highlights Ben Parr at (http://mashable.com/2009/10/04/business-wikis-guide/) is a 'cohesive idea by the group rather than a series of scattered thoughts"

I found the wiki useful for keeping track of past postings as a history is kept. Ben Parr also suggests that a wiki is useful as it archives information. Making it a repository for legal documents, old memos etc.


Both Moodles and Wikis follow the three underlying principles of Kim, as they are designed for growth and change, they create and maintain community feedback and the members do take control over the structure and direction of the community.


My Green Pod group have our own wiki at http://greeniespod.wikispaces.com/

We meet weekly at this site and are using this for our Assignment. I have found this wiki to be very usable and sociable and it is meeting the needs of our group.

TOPIC 6 DESIGNING FOR USABILITY, SOCIABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

Exercise 6.1 Design rules and your CSU forum experience

image downloaded from: http://www.jeffandcompany.com/ethnography/bc2.html

Purpose to connect to like minded people, we all have the same goal and there has been plenty of times when I was unsure of what a particular task was asking from me. without the ability to ask from my peers what was aim of a particular topic I would have floundered. Even if you don't participate and are only a lurker you can read others ideas and postings and get some direction. without the forums you would never know of any releveant changes to assignment due dates or any additional information or corrections.

People once again it is the like mindedness that keeps the forum engaging. There is no such thing as a "dumb" question. Everyone wants to help, perhaps it is because you can't physically see the other party that you can't develop any preconceived ideas as to who they are! They are just a name. I personally don't feel others are holding back comments or steering others in the wrong direction, perhaps it is the very nature of the course and the maturity of the participants.

Community size it is not that large that you have to wait for ever to get some response to postings. The pod groups are small and the GREEN GROUP is fantastic!!! So supportive they want everyone to succeed. The more experienced online users help and support those of us who find this technology daunting. I feel that I have joined a great group and will miss our weekly correspondences, but we are all evolving and need to move on to new challenges.

Compare and contrast the works of Ward Cunningham and Adam Curry

Who is the person responsible for introducing the world to the first wiki? Howard G. “Ward” Cunningham that’s who! Born in 1949 this American computer programmer installed the first version of a wiki onto his own website in 1994. Ward himself describes a wiki as “The simplest online database that could possibly work” (What is Wiki). Since 1995 Ward’s site hosts over tens of thousands of pages.
In a conversation with John Gage, Ward states that “he was developing a data base that was “ragged and irregular” to track all the ideas that had floated through the company!” (An evening with Wiki Inventor Ward Cunningham) Ward had to let this idea which he developed using “HyperCard” form into what it wanted to be! (An evening with Wiki Inventor Ward Cunningham) Ward’s idea was “if a person can read a page then they can modify the page with the same tools they read the page with” (Wikipedia). As a designer he was aware of this.
Is Ward an architect or a designer? Ward says, “I move between both!” (An evening with Wiki Inventor Ward Cunningham) At WikiSym2006, Ward gave a keynote speech on the Principles of Wiki: “How can so little do so much? Simplicity is the key says Ward!”
Makice (2006) states that, “the structure of a wiki needs to be able to grow and evolve with the community that use it”. Ward himself describes Wikis as a work of public art! It takes a community to sustain it argues Cutter Summit (2006). I have used Wikipedia and am dubious about some of the information presented on it as it appears anyone can edit it once they have set up an account and received a password. I inform my students to look for supporting information elsewhere and not depend solely on Wikipedia. I haven’t contributed to a Wiki and I’m not sure I would even know how to set up an account! With that in mind, I would have to say I have never had a shared experience with a Wiki.
Adam Curry who is he? Born in 1964 he was known as a video jockey on MTV, during the late 1980’s and the early 90’s. He helped develop podcasting and according to Wikipedia is known as the “podfather”.
Podcasting arose from Curry’s experimentation with “audio blogging”. Curry started off with a tiny application which was a combination of a blog and an Apple MP3 player, referred to as the iPlodder (wired 2005) .He changed his mind and direction as a result of a conversation with David Winer who convinced Curry that people wanted to “take the Internet way with (them) and listen to it on headphones” (wired 2005). Because of his celebrity status; Chen (2004) suggests that Curry took the role as pioneer for David Winer’s invention.
Currently Curry is involved in the development and promotion of podcasting. His own podcast “Daily Source Code” has according to Wikipedia 500, 000 subscribers and is a mixture of, according to Chen (2004) a “Curry’s ramblings about everyday life with his favourite indie tunes and mashups of pop music”.
In 2005 Curry stated on Apple that, “With the release of iTunes 4.9, listeners are voting with their ears.....and I predict over the coming months tens of millions of new listeners will be introduced to the world of podcasting”.
In 2008 Curry used podcasting to endorse and support Congressman and Republican Presidential hopeful Ron Paul
What is Curry currently working on? As at the 4th September, 2009 he was working for Mevio.com on display advertising and uses his podcast to discuss conspiracy theories. He has over 100,000 regular listeners to ‘No Agenda’ a podcast he shares with J.Dvorak states Absolute Astronomy (2009).
Two very different individuals, one a baby boomer who grew up in a time of social change and the other a member of generation X both saw the power of the Internet to unite communities. Both developed ideas which today have evolved into powerful mediums for discourse.

References

Absolute Astronomy.com Adam Curry; facts (retrieved 13/9/09)
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Adam_Curry#encyclopedia
Apple, June 2005 iTunes Podcast subscriptions Top One Million in First Two Days http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2005/jun/30podcast.html
Chen Brian, August 2004 This day in TECH (retrieved 13/9/09) http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2009/08/dayintech_0813/
Cutter Summit Ward on Wiki, May 2006 (retrieved 13/9/09) http://www.yourdonreport.com/index.php/2006/05/09/cutter-summit-ward-cunningham-on-wiki-software-and-the-changing-nature-of-work/
What is a Wiki retrieved 8/9/09 http://wiki.org/wiki.cgi?WhatIsWiki
An evening with Wiki Inventor Ward Cunningham in conversation with John Gage, retrieved 8/9/09 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7739076742312910146#15m25s
Wiki info, from Wikipedia the free encyclopedia (retrieved 8/9/09) http://www.wikinfo.org/index.php/Wiki
Kevin Makice 2006, Ward Cunningham on design principles (retrieved 8/9/09) http://www.blogschmog.net/2006/08/27/ward-cunningham-on-design-principles/
Wikipedia, (retrieved 13/9/09) http://www.answers.com/adam+curry?gwp=11&ver=2.0.0.453&method=3
Wikipedia, (retrieved 13/9/09) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Source_Code
Wired issue 13.03: March 2005, (retrieved 13/9/09) Adam Curry wants to make you an iPod radio star http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.03/curry.html

images

Adam Curry (retrieved 13/9/09)http://blogfinds.com/images/crankygeeks080adamcurry1.jpg

Ward Cunningham (retrieved 13/9/09) http://many.corante.com/archives/2005/03/

TOPIC 5 ONLINE COMMUNITY BUILDING AND SOCIAL ARCHITECTS

EXERCISE 5.2: Social architects and online games

1. What is meant by a social architect? They are those individuals who transform our online adventures, through their development of "smart games" for communities.



2. Whyville.net was a weird site, it felt kind of creepy joining and moving around this site which is designed for young people. Not that I could do much no one wanted to chat and I didn't push the issue because of the creepy feeling I felt. Zanpo at http://www.zanpo.com/virtualcity.php is another odd site it is a building site you can chat and move around and buy and build houses. Very weird, I couldn't find much about this site at all:(



3. The objectives, rules of engagement and unique features for Whyville.net are as follows:
   

• objectives an educational virtual world for curious minds to explore, learn and create together in a safe environment.
  
  
• rules of engagement you can chat anywhere in town , you are not to interfere with another users enjoyment of the site, you are not to upload, post or transmit through the site.



• unique features of the site offers parents and users the ability to delete user information at any time. Inactive accounts will be purged from their database.
  
  
  

The objectives, rules of engagement and unique features for Zanpo are? who knows there was nothing special at all about the site it was kind of fun and you could chat using the screen and blog to others.

4. "Numedeon established Whyville as its first virtual world in 1999 in an effort to provide preteens and teens a chaperoned, safe learning environment in a wide range of subject matters, some serious, and some just fun. Whyville runs on the company’s proprietary virtual world engine, NICE (Numedeon Interactive Community Engine), which supports a wide range of interactions and engagements."

http://www.whyville.net/press/Sajak_Numedeon_Investor_Press_Release.pdf

Whyville is sponsored by major corporations such as NASA, Toyota, Adobe, and Sun Microsystems.

Zanpo is owned by gaudreault.org and has been online since 2000.

I would say that the whyville site was designed by a social architect as the game seems to be evolving to suit the nature of the users. Zanpo is just a game and is a follower not a leader in its field.

TOPIC 5 ONLINE COMMUNITY BUILDING AND SOCIAL ARCHITECTS

Exercise 5.1: The many faces of you

image retrived 5/9/09 from

http://dowlerseoul.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/paz-three-faces-of-eve.jpg

What are my online identities?

myCSU e-box, Interact, e-mail accounts, blog, wiki, LC_MOO, Delicious, Teacher Tube, You Tube, Facebook, Second Life and DET Portal.

I think I'm consistent across all of my online activities.

I feel that a persistent identity says I'm predictable and regular in my habits.This pattern or rhythm is a behavioural fingerprint, suggests Child, 1998. Niels states that a persistent identity builds reputation. I suppose this brings us back to Topic 2 and the video of Who Is the Dick on My Site? Yes how can you be sure of who someone is! How can you truly prove who you are?

http://www.educause.edu/blog/nils_peterson/PersistentIdentityornot/164982

Palmer states that"...identity has more to do with thoughts and ideas than with
events or physical appearances" retrieved 5/9/09 http://www.avataroverdrive.com/inside_avatar/i_a_5/Who.htm

So if it is only your thoughts and ideas that keep you consistent while online then your identity should be safe.

references: Child Lee 1998 Bantam Press Die Trying

Morley Deborah & Parker Charles S.2007 Understanding Computer Today and Tomorrow 11th Edition Thomson

TOPIC 4 HUMAN CENTRED COMPUTING: HUMAN INTERFACES

Exercise 4.3 Social networking tools for your "PLN"

a) Social network sites that I personally feel support, i) Learning and ii) Professional development in the workplace.

Learning

YouTube Yahoo! Teacher Tube, SocialGo & Delicious

Professional development
YouTube, Yahoo! Teacher Tube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Bubbl.us, SocialGo & Delicious


I could not find any useful potential for the following sites Bebo, Facebook, Ning, MySpace, RevYu, Flickr and reddit in regards to, i)Learning and/or ii) Professional development in the workplace.


I hadn't even heard of half of them and had to go to each unknown site and find out what they were about!



image retrieved 5/9/09 from

http://www.masternewmedia.org/images/online_collaboration_best_of_2008_id25851991_size485.jpg


b) Make up two new profiles, Yes I now have a profile at Teachers Tube http://www.teachertube.com/ and at Delicious http://delicious.com/



c) Do I have a personal learning network? Yes to a small degree I do as this course has forced me to build one and to realise that I always had a PLN I just didn't realise what it was called. I try to make myself a member of sites that I can use on a regular basis. Far too many usernames and passwords to remember otherwise:(

TOPIC 4 HUMAN CENTRED COMPUTING: HUMAN INTERFACES

Exercise 4.2 Hosting good conversations: House Rules!
The cartoon image comes fromhttp://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/h/house_rules.asp

a) Three ways of providing users with more control in an online community.

1. Stop big corporations from taking over the online community base, because when big corporations take control and there is no profit to be made they shut them down. This was seen with the demise of GeoCities.


2. Like the real world communities, online communities tend to mirror the same short comings, "racism, exclusivity and class privilege" http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=neo_cities again resulting in the demise of the community. Users need to raise their awareness of these and strive to alienate them altogether.


3. Having a set of HOUSE RULES that all members know and agree too.

b) Howard Rheingolds, three good rules?

1. Make newcomers feel welcomed, contributors valued, recreational hasslers ignored.


2. Keep the rules simple and based on ordinary human courtesy.


3. Conversations about a variety of subjects.
   

The preceding points come from, http://www.rheingold.com/texts/artonlinehost.html I chose these because I feel they are important to the success of an online community and I have experienced these while online for this course.

c) Why do we need these rules? and are they the same with document sharing systems?

1. Without rules online communities can become just like high school with the cool kids and the nerds.


2. Do you feel you are being attacked personally, is it because the other party doesn't agree with your ideas? Let the conversation die, don't keep on about it. Your not in Primary School!


3. If you belong to a community you need to bend to their way of thinking sometimes, or leave if the direction of the group is altering.
   

http://www.newmedia.hhs.gov/images/sm101fig1.JPG

Yes! whether you are communicating on line via a chat or blogging, rules need to be followed. If a person is being a tool give them the thumbs down and report it to the hosting website. If you where given a document into your hand from a colleague and you weren't happy with its content you would do something about it. There are rules of social conduct which we follow, without such rules anarchy reigns.

TOPIC 4 HUMAN CENTRED COMPUTING: HUMAN INTERFACES

Exercise 4.1 Blog or Wiki design
1. How would I design and manage content in a blog? Well I'm already doing it. I use titles to organise my work. As with this blog I use the title of each topic as my main theme then list the exercise into the body of the blog. For the use of colour I only liked the one and I have no intention of changing anything as I'm paranoid that I will lose my formatting :( I love how this blog automatically saves for you. It is very simple to use similar to word as it offers different fonts, weight and colours for text. bullet and numbering options are available as with alignment of text, insertion of images and video, (not brave enough to attempt that at this time). Also has , and this is a big plus! it spell checks:) You can also revisit posts and edit them at any time.

2. What supportive tools are similar to the design advice offered? It is very easy to become a member of this blogger site. You need a valid e-mail account and it doesn't ask too many questions when you set up the account. You can allow your blog site to be found by search engines. According to Morley & Parker, pg. 346 (2007) "There are news services which monitor blogs on a daily basis .....watching up to 100,000 pages a day."

Unless you set up your blog for multiple authors, such as what you would use to collaborate on a project most blogs are an individual online personal journal. I would have to therefore say that Kim's, (2000a) nine design requirements are not met by blogger.com. Kim's (2000b) underlying principles are met at point one and two. Yes! blogger is designed for growth and change, currently there are 70 Million blogs today, http://www.blogherald.com/2005/07/19/blog-count-for-july-70-million-blogs/ with that many blogs any site that can't adapt to this would no longer be available to users and blogger.com has been available since 1999. You don't have to have feedback to your blog, it still exists without it. If you required feedback for it to be usable to your community you could have followers who post to your blog. Do members take control over their own blog? To some degree they do, you can say who can post and whether you want your blog seen by others.

LC_MOO

What a learning experience I didn't have:(

I don't understand this Multi User domain tool. I got my username and logged on and wandered around a bit and couldn't do a THING!!!! I couldn't work out how to type or do anything. I've looked at Ken's posting and there I am, "entering the room and going down and few steps, then leaving then disappearing!" what the!!!! I still don't understand it.

I really need step by step instruction, I work best by seeing and doing. Is there a You Tube posting that could help? I'll look into it. No couldn't find anything there, will need a manual of how to communicate to others when I try again. Perhaps I could have linked with the Green etherpad at the same time and got instructions as to how to achieve success.

TOPIC 3 AUGMENTED REALITY, GAMING AND MOBILE COMPUTING Exercise 3.2

Exercise 3.2: Mobile computing research

What education value is there from online mobile games and mobile social networks?

http://wiki.media-culture.org.au/index.php/Mobile_Phones_-_Education states the following mobile games help educate young adults with their literacy and numeracy skills. Educational games come under the category of multiplayer games and provide a link to online communities. According to Bluetooth and security

"Bluetooth is a new technology that utilises radio frequency waves as a way to communicate wirelessly between digital devices. it sets up personal area networks that incorporates all personal devices into one system."

http://wiki.media-culture.org.au/index.php/Bluetooth-_Security

Bluetooth technology became into existence in 2000, it replaces cables with low power radio waves to connect electronic devices. Bluetooth also uses frequency hopping to ensure a strong link and uses peer-to-peer network. Uses can use either point-to-point or point-to-multipoint.

Bluetooth devices are inexpensive and use an unlicensed radio frequency, unlike infrared devices they don't need line of sight to work. Games designed to communicate with each other through bluetooth are restricted to both useers being within a limited distance to get connected, up to seven devices can be connected. Using a bluetooth phone is like having a walkie-talkie.

Imagine this across the room sits your partner roommate or family member. You turn on your phone find a game and play a game together. Why bother to do this? It's cheaper. Most mobile providers charge for internet service, but a direct phone-to-phone connection is FREE. Here's how it works according to http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/help/6aed3a37-e40e-40fa-9917-1fdfb18703c41033.mspx one player's phone is designated the "host" to play all you have to do isconnect to the host device with your device. Many games automatically "sniff" for the wireless signals to eligile players and connect automatically.

There are several threats to bluetooth devices, such as retrieving sensitive data eg phone books messages and images without alerting the user. An attacker can accesss the internet; WAP and GPRS gateways. You Tube is full of this information and how to hack bluetooth devices :(

TOPIC 3 AUGMENTED REALITY, GAMING AND MOBILE COMPUTING Exercise 3.1

Exercise 3.1

The Battle for Wesnoth

Well I downloaded the game and practiced with the tutorial, didn't help still not sure how to play and really I don't have the time to devote to this type of thing. Reminds me of the episode from South Park when Cartman and friends can't stop playing Warcraft, they only have three hours sleep a night and don't stop for decent food. They become fat and pimply (see this part of the episode at ) http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/104291

The following images are screen captures from http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/155273

I will have another go with my green pod and report back via my POD label.

TOPIC 2 VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS AND COGNITION exercise 2.4

Exercise 2.4 online Identity and your state of presence

Dick Hardt! what an interesting presentation he put forth. It was funny and enjoyable to watch. Dick commented on how we have many persona's (usernames and passwords) which in itself can lead to us loosing our identity. That there is too much information moving around about you without that information being checked as to whether you want that information to go to a paricular third party. I feel that he was trying to tell me that if we all take his advice and use his security system we will be safe.

Phishing according to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, "is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication."

Users are tricked into entering their details into a website that looks and feels like the real site they wanted to visit. Phishing was first used in 1996.

Below is an example of an ebay phishing example set to people it looks legitimate. This information was retrieved (30th August 2009) from http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/phishing.htm#examples.org/ar/phishing.htm#example

Subject:
eBay Account Verification
Date:
Fri, 20 Jun 2003 07:38:39 -0700
From:
"eBay"
Reply-To:
accounts@ebay.com
To:

Dear eBay member, As part of our continuing commitment to protect your account and to reduce the instance of fraud on our website, we are undertaking a period review of our member accounts. You are requested to visit our site by following the link given below http://81.180.59.10/index.htm Please fill in the required information. This is required for us to continue to offer you a safe and risk free environment to send and receive money online, and maintain the eBay Experience. Thank you Accounts Management As outlined in our User Agreement, eBay will periodically send you information about site changes and enhancements. Visit our Privacy Policy and User Agreement if you have any questions.
Copyright © 1995-2003 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy .

Pharming

Pharming is according to wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, an attack "aimed to redirect a websites traffic to another, bogus website". It aims to capture usernames and passwords. In the example opposite main window has the correct address but the smaller window does not. The customer may feel confident with this site as two windows opened, also notice there is no https:// on the new window that has opened. This example comes from:

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=example+of+pharming&page=1&qsrc=2417&ab=4&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.citizensedmond.com%2FSecurity%2Fphishing.cfm

The site suggests you ignore the opened window and type in the address in a new window of your own making.

Privacy invasion

Privacy invasion is the lawful surveillance of a persons dwelling. James Otis in 1761 stated that "A Man's House is his Castle" and gave an impassioned speech about upholding the right of privacy when he refused to enforce the new policy which allowed customs collectors to search a merchant's establishment.

http://encarta.msn.com/sidebar_1741503197/James_Otis_A_Man

With this there has been a number of successful cases against privacy invasion;

1. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/107675,google-sued-for-street-view-privacy-invasion.aspx A Pennsylvania couple are suing Google for posting pictures of their hoe on Google Street View...


2. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Email-snooping-seen-as-privacy-invasion/0,130061744,120218854,00.htm Email snooping seen as privacy invasion.

The above image came from: http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/mbc/lowres/mbcn574l.jpg

Identity Theft

Identity theft is a type of fraud which involves stealing money or gaining other benefits by pretending to be someone you aren't. Your identity can be stolen by people accessing information about you through rubbish you have disposed of (dumpster diving) or by lossing your purse or wallet. What a mine of readily available information those items have. Also through the use of emails, as seen in this example below.

Following are examples of scams collected by the Identity Theft Resource Center. These are copies of the actual text as received via email on some of our own “lure” email addresses.

ITRC was given permission by the Red Cross to publish details of this scam.

New Scam Targeting Military Spouses
National Headquarters2025 E Street, N.W.Washington, DC 20006http://www.redcross.org/Contact: Devorah GoldburgPhone: (202) 303-4461goldburgd@usa.redcross.org Washington, Tuesday, May 29, 2007 — The American Red Cross has learned about a new scam targeting military families. This scam takes the form of false information to military families as described below:
The caller (young-sounding, American accent) calls a military spouse and identifies herself as a representative from the Red Cross. The caller states that the spouse's husband (not identified by name) was hurt while on duty in Iraq and was med-evacuated to a hospital in Germany. The caller stated they couldn't start treatment until paperwork was accomplished, and that in order to start the paperwork they needed the spouse to verify her husband's social security number and date of birth. In this case, the spouse was quick to catch on and she did not provide any information to the caller.

In 2007 8.4 million Americans reported identity theft
http://www.bankofstanly.com/bos/p/security/identity-theft-examples.html