Presentations: Week 3!

Tuesday:

First off, Mark talked about online enabled environmental activism. His presentation showed a lot about how communication is changing. Cyberspace and online communities are vital for future communications and awareness. I find this very true, and since we are always connected to our cell phones, using iPhone apps for awareness is where we are going. I think this type of communication is useful because we no longer watch the news or call each other on the phone. Instead we use our phones to text or surf the web. I think you are headed in the right direction. I would follow Julie’s advice and focus on the information flow and the things you can do with the machine, not the history.

Sarah argued that people present themselves differently in cyberspace, namely on Facebook, than they do in meatspace. I like that you included the opposition (virtual spaces as an extension of real life) and explained that this is not true. Also, having personal stories really helped prove your point. It shows firsthand how your argument is valid. I think as long as you make sure to state your thesis clearly and stay focused on it with support and examples, you will be just fine. I think with so much time and so much discussion you were getting a little flustered, but not to worry. You have valid evidence supporting your thesis.

Cassie brought up the idea of using social networking sites in the classroom. The first site was WoogiWorld, a site created for educating kids on internet behavior and knowledge of the 21^st century. It includes events, challenges, and activities, which get the students actively involved in learning. The other site was A Really Different world, which was a class blog created by a teacher. Both of these sites I feel would be beneficial to learning, and create a more engaging learning environment. Also, being able to learn computer skills at a young age is vital. I like that you included a bad site, Facebook, and why sites like this one wouldn’t work. I guess the only thing I am left wondering is if there are any downsides to using social networking sites in the classroom. ?? I think this is a great idea to incorporate into education systems.

Thursday::

Dena started us off by talking about how ubiquitous computing and the popularity of social media sites lack government tools to prevent cyber culture bullying/stalking and other issues. Overall, in social network sites you’re on your own. She talked about different cases that have been brought to court, but ultimately, as of now, there are no laws in place enforcing ‘mis behaviors in cyberspace’. Great presentation. You are definitely headed in the right direction. Start writing!

Brittany talked about mobile location based advertising and how the rise of social networking sites has led people to change the way they think about privacy and publicized interaction. It is revolutionizing the way people interact with the places they live and they are more open to GPS enabled software. I think you included a lot of information. Maybe a little too much? (not that it’s not good to know for background info) I think narrowing things down a little bit would help. If I were you I would make sure to answer the question of why mobile advertising works? And also you may look at including the negative side to your argument and disprove it.

Mark presented on WOW. ‘The Cost of Access’. I feel like I learned a lot from your presentation. I have never played WOW before, but it was not over my head or anything. Nice work. I found it interesting that people were going to 3^rd party websites to figure out how to play the game, and the different ways in which the games were changing and affecting the way players work together was also interesting. Good work.

Chris finished off the day by explaining that even if we solve the problem of the digital divide in the physical world, it will just continue on to cyberspace. There will be divides between individuals, communities, and different forms of technology. This is a great topic and you have a lot of great support and ideas.