Learning and The Tools We Use

1. Remind us of the learning tool you tried out. Tell us about how that tool helped your learning or did not help your learning.

I tried out the Everynote. I must say that this really was a great tool to use while on the go. I added it to my phone that way I could post "notes" from my cell. That was very helpful. I decided to use it while shopping and trying to get Christmas gift ideas. I also used it for trying to find Thanksgiving recipes.
It was easy to use and fun! It really is an amazing tool!

However the only thing is I can ADD while on the go... but I can't access it while on the go. Which was the only down fall... also it was useful for school but again... hard to access it right away unless you have the fancy Iphone... which I don't.

So overall I would suggest using this tool for personal use and when doing major research (which I used for my paper also). However taking it on the go is the only problem.



2. Reflect on the learning environment changes we made in our class. Which learning environment helps you learn better? Why? How can that learning environment be improved? If you have additional comments, please provide them. Your feedback could help future classes.

I really liked the "visual" aspect of the learning environment. By showing us videos I was able to retain a lot more information than by just reading or having someone "lecture" us.

I also enjoyed the presentations! I actually remember what EVERYONE did and showed us. It was fun and I was able to learn a lot more.

I think my personality and my style of learning is very much visual and "interactive"... so FOR ME it was a great improvement.

xoxo
-B-

Long Tail Assignment

The Wiki would not allow me to send a message OR post so I am blogging about my Long Tail assignment.

The List:

Colbie Caliat - Music Artist
Precious (The Movie) supported by Oprah
The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
LonelyGirl15
TheTwilightGuy.com
StarKidPotter (Youtube Channel)


-Brandi-

Learning, Education, and Research

Upon going to the library for this assignment I found it very difficult to hunt down any RECENT news on Zimbabwe. In fact, I was unable to find anything. Not going to lie, I gave up 30 minutes into the assignment realizing I wasn't going to find much if anything at all.

However using the Internet I was able to get much more. From videos, to photos, to some articles. Some from 2007 and I am not sure how much from this year, however it was much faster and much more up-to-date.

1. What advantages did you find by backgrounding the story without using the internet?

Honestly, in my opinion there really wasn't any benefit other than learning how to use the library thoroughly.


2. What disadvantages did you find by backgrounding the story without using the Internet?

It took much longer. Also the things in the library were not up-to-date or the most recent news. It was very much like being in a dark room with no light trying to read.


3. What advantages did you find by backgrounding the story with using the internet?

I could be more specific with my research. I could type in dates, places, locations, etc. and have thousands of things pop up on the search engine. It is faster and very convenient. On top of that you can find many more medias such as news articles, videos, photos, and more.


4. What disadvantages did you find by backgrounding the story with using the Internet?

Sometimes I would type in what I wanted and other things come up. Also when I wanted the most recent some of the stuff was from 2007, so that was a little difficult. But I could easily revise my search and find other things to benefit me. I really didn't know what I was suppose to be looking for other than stuff on Zimbabwe but I think I was able to get enough research.


5. Was there information that you only found with one method?

Yes, I was only able to find information on Zimbabwe using the Internet. I had no luck with using the library (which is the only way I knew how to research without using the Internet). I gave up pretty quickly. (sorry).


Below are some links I found.

http://www.videosift.com/video/Zimbabwe-2007-Undercover-Report-On-Growing-Civil-Unrest


http://newshopper.sulekha.com/slideshow/political-and-civil-unrest/860476.htm


http://www.kubatanablogs.net/kubatana/?m=200903


http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/005590.html


http://www.zwnews.com/


http://www.irinnews.orgProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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FAfrica-Country.aspx?Country=ZW

Learning, Education, and Research

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0D%0A%0D%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.irinnews.org%2FAfrica-Country.aspx%3FCountry%3DZW%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A

NPR

Making a profit.

I just Twotted all over the place....

First of all,
Epic fail on my part for not adding #intsoc to some of my posts on Twitter, but oh well.

Now on to the blog.

I have been using Twitter for quite sometime now and I have found it very useful on many levels. This weekends assignment has only shown me just how useful it really is.

Yes, I must admit I do post random things and I can honestly not tell you why. I just do.
However, this weekend I was able to communicate with family, friends, and fellow classmates easily.

From Swine Flu updates to what we are doing for Thanksgiving, I was able to create a connection with many people at once rather than a simple text to each one.

This weekend has only refreshed my mind on Twitter.

Some people do not comprehend the purpose of Twitter, and at first I didn't either. I mean it is a constant status update.

However, I have come to realize it connects me with all my friends and family. It is just another way to communicate and another tool to use in marketing.

From Trending Topics to #intsoc it can be used in many formats. Classes, personal, family, etc.

Twitter is a great tool and you can be assured I will continue to use it.

xoxo
-B-

5 Ways I Use the Internet

The internet has been a part of my life ever since I was very young. Over the years I have grown with it and learned from it. Today I use it in several different ways, from school assignments to goofing around on myspace it has become a bigger part of my life than I thought it could.

First, I use it to keep in touch with all my family and friends.
When I was younger my family and I moved around a lot and because of myspace and facebook I have been able to keep in touch with friends from 8th grade or my freshmen year of high school.
Also, my mother lives in California and we chat frequently online on facebook. We leave each other comments and message each other, and we are also able to keep track of each others "emotions" because of the status bar.
For example, I mentioned once on Facebook that "I am not having a good day". My mom saw that and contacted me to see if I was okay.
Its just a nice way to stay in constant contact even if I only see her in person 2 or 3 times a year.

Second, I use it for school. MSU and the Mass Communications department demands a lot of researching and the internet has helped me retrieve a lot of useful information for several projects and stories. From dictionaries online, to news stories, and even language translators the internet is a valuable resource I use often.

For the third I would say I use the internet for entertainment. I read some fanfictions as well as play games. When I have spare time and television just won't cut it, I turn to the computer for some amusing activities. From games with people who are connected online (such as WOW and Halo) to reading. It keeps me entertained.

I also use the internet to promote my review segment called Life After Twilight where I review the latest YA novels on the market. I also promote books and talk entertaining news. Because of Youtube, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and wordpress I have learned so much about broadcasting, advertising, and promotions. It is not only a fun hobby I have but a great ability I can use when I leave college and go into my career.

Finally, the internet plays a big role at my work place. We use Myspace, Wordpress, Twitter, Facebook, and email to promote our photography studio. Not just our studio, we use the internet to create advertising for different photography sessions we have and special offers we have. Due to all the social networks out there we have been able to connect with people we normally would not be able to in person. We blog everyday almost and stay in contact with regular clients. These social networks have brought uProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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down to a more personal level.

Well, those are the 5 ways I use the internet!

Fascinating right?

xoxo
-B-

Net Neutrality

Check out http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=Net+neutrality&i=55962,00.asp for the research I found on "Net Neutrality" for the following Blog post.


Net Neutrality is basically an idea to make the internet "fair" on all levels for different business' and organizations when it comes to the speed of each persons business.

When reading this I still didn't understand the whole idea of it.

However in the end I decided I am against it.

Business' and organizations should pay extra for the fast connections (which won't really make a difference to me) just like we, the normal people, have to pay extra for the different internet services we want.

That seems only fair.

Also, if they begin to monitor this... what will be next?

Or voices?
What we post?
What we share?

No thank you.

Stop them before they can even begin.

That's what I say.

xoxo
-B-

Value of Internet and Society

Value of Internet and Society!

I won't lie. The reason I decided to take Internet and Society was because it was on my list of classes to take and it was the most interesting.

If someone asked me what we learn in Internet and Society, it would be simple. We learn about Internet and Society.

From the beginning of "the internet" to how it affects us. Even the small details as what things mean and stand for.

It is important because everyone uses the internet. Most business' require some computer knowledge and this class will help us now and in the long run.

I think it is important to show us how to run a website and how to begin one. Such as hosts, domain names, and everything to do with websites. As well as basic HTML, CSS, etc.
That way we know the essence of a website and how it works.

Maybe even dabble in advertising and marketing.

xoxo
-B-

The Search for Web 2.0...

Why complicate things? Lets just make this easy.

In the search for "Web 2.0", I came across several long over detailed explanations as to what exactly it is. Or if it should even be defined as "it". Which it shouldn't, by the way.

Web 2.0 is a term created and used by Tim O'Reilly and Dale Dougherty that spread through-out this generation and stuck.

It clearly defines the basic Web 2.0 technology compared to the "Web 1.0" technology. Web 2.0 offers Open data through API's and web services, RSS feed (which we recently went over), Ajax (which is something I still need to learn), and Web Standards (which surprised when I actually knew what this was referring to).

Web 1.0 didn't offer or doesn't offer these technologies like Web 2.0 does.

To make things less complicated:

Web 1.0 = Sucks.
Web 2.0 = Rocks my Socks.


So to quote Andy Budd who I found a lot of this basic info from, Web 2.0 is a "Buzzword".

You can check out the site HERE.


Basically, Web 2.0 is an "upgrade" from Web 1.0.
You have more control over the data you use and where you save it or share it. You are not confined to the limitations of your application, you can reach beyond that.

That is what makes Web 2.0 so great, it allows you to stretch further than before. You can be your own boss through websites, blogs, and community sites (like Myspace, Facebook, etc.).

Positive Effects:
It opens up many more jobs and opportunities. Not only that but the sky has no limit on innovations. It pushes people to work harder to stay on top, thus helping innovation and the economy.

Negative Effects:
Maybe things are a little too accessible.
Getting into things we assume have a solution.
And creating solutions for areas that don't need solutions.


So that is MY take on the Web 2.0. Hope it was easier to understand than the pages upon pages other websites may throw at you.

xoxo
-B-

Think about how the Internet has developed from 1962 to what it is today. Do you think that the developers (e.g., Licklider, Tomlinson, or Tim Berners-Lee) knew how their work would be used/adopted by others? How different do you think today's reality is from their original vision? Are there tools being developed today that might be used in ways that are different from the developers' ideas? What are the implications of this?

The creators and developers of the Internet, I am for certain, did not think or even imagine how huge the internet has grown and what all it has been used for. From basic websites, live video streaming like BlogTV, Youtube, Myspace, and blogs are just some of the things I think they could not have comprehended or thought of back in the 60's.

I think they would be impressed by the "good" uses of the internet and (to be blunt) shocked by the less "moral" uses of the internet. The internet today is very different compared to the original because of the simplicity. The Internet "then" was a very complex system very few people new how to use. Now, because of the new developers and creators, they have simplified it to where even 4 year-olds can use it in their home.

The basic use they had wanted for the internet I believe was the "communication" aspect of it. Which has grown far beyond what I think they imagined, but in a good way. For example, Skype. It has everything from emails, chatting, phone conversations, video convos, etc. It has ALL aspects of media for communications. Found neatly on your computer using the internet :)

Like all things however, there are people who use the internet for good and evil. Because the internet is not "controlled" people have free reign over what they put out into the web world with little thought as to what will happen to them. There are not strict rules.

Thats my thoughts.

xoxo
-B-

2 Blogs, 1 Post

Hello,

Blogs I will be discussing:

• Diary of a Vintage Girl - Click Here
• Living Your Five - Click Here

Without a doubt there are some obvious differences between these two blogs.

Living Your Five, which is ran by 4 professional authors, follows the tips and rules very closely. They draw your attention in and use bullets like crazy. As childish as this may sound, I love the colors they use. It does in fact capture my attention and press me to read more. They keep the layout in chunks which does in fact appeal to me. Even though I love to read, a blog is meant to be a blog, not a novel. This blog would pull readers in because you won’t get the same style over and over again due to it being ran by 4 different people:

• Kay Cassidy
• Tera Lynn Childs
• Becca Fitzpatrick
• Alyson Noel
  

All YA Authors aiming to better the world one person at a time. They have contests and appeal to the younger generation which would make this blog very successful (or so I hope). The concept of their blog is easy to understand and anyone can pick it up. Share 5 ways you can better yourself and the world around you. Simple, right? I think so.

Diary of a Vintage Girl, is something very unique. I came across this only last week and since I am a fan of the vintage style, it was love at first blog. Just her style herself will intrigue you, however what keeps you reading is wanting to know more. She does follow the “chunks” rule, however some paragraphs become a little lengthy. However, her writing style is so proper and interesting you want to know more. So maybe in this case it would work for her. The images and links she provides within each blog are also attracting to the eye. All these things about her blog caught my eye and drew me in. I am not “following” her blog and can’t wait for another post. I just love this blog. Very cool.


As for “which blog does a better job in using the tips”? Definitely the “Living Your Five” blog. Diary of a Vintage Girl’s style and images keep me interested well enough and I love it, but Living Your Five really does follow those tips to a “T”.

Check them out. They are awesome!

XoXo
-B-

Every Blog Needs a Beginning...

Hello,

My name is Brandi but you can call me "B".

This will be my on going blog for this 2009 Fall semester for my Internet & Society course.

Now, every blog needs a beginning. Does it not?

So I suppose I should give you a short tid-bit of information about myself.
You want to know a little about who is typing the madness, right?

Well, I am 21.
"Yay for drinking!"
I am in my fourth year at MSU and I have survived my first week.... thus far.
So I am saying that's a win!
I am a writer.
Poems, Crazy blogs, stories, and even (dare I say) FanFiction (gasp).
Yeah, I do it all.
Did I mention I am a book worm?
Yes, I am one of those people who reads and reads and reads.
My goal for the 2009 year is 50 and I have read 41 (last time I checked).
I love everything about books. Their smell, the crisp pages, and of course the stories that each one contains.
Photography and Videography are my next passions.
I am currently saving for a new camera.
When you work at a professional photography studio, you suddenly realize how shabby your own camera (which you thought was bad ass) is.

Well, that is enough babbling for today. If you want to know more feel free to leave comments/questions!

xoxo

-B-