Questions from the course outline

I was playing around with GOOGLE DOCS one evening and decided to answer the questions form the course outline. I just thought that I would post them on my blog also.

· what is social software and what is ‘social’ about it?

Social software is normally defined as a range of web-based software programs. The software allows users to interact and share data with other users. This computer-mediated communicationMySpace and Facebook, media sites like Flickr and YouTube, and commercial sites like Amazon and eBay. Many of these applications share characteristics like open APIs, service oriented design, and the ability to upload data and media. The more specific term collaborative software applies to cooperative information sharing systems, and is usually narrowly applied to the software that enables collaborative work functions. Distinctions among usage of the terms "social", "trusted", and "collaborative" are in the applications or uses, not the tools themselves, although there are some tools that are only rarely used for work collaboration. There are many benefits to social software. It improves the accessibility of information, increases collaboration, improves work flow, and frees up your time to focus on creating. In order for software to be truly social,it must help develop in the minority who has access to the technology a responsibility for converting its benefits into a far larger part of society (Ulises Mejias).
has become very popular with social sites like

· how are teaching and learning being redefined by social software?

Social software prepares students to participate in networks where knowledge is collectively constructed and shared. It engages students in learning to learn by having them assume some of the responsibility for integrating and maintaining the social software systems that allow learning to happen. Second, it promotes the benefits of working cooperatively with tools that facilitate the collection and organization of knowledge while at the same time demonstrating that the diversity of individual research interests enhances learning for all. And last, it helps students develop practical research skills that they need in a world where knowledge construction and distribution make increasing use of online information networks. In short, social software allows students to participate in allocated research communities that extend spatially beyond their classroom and school, temporally beyond a particular class session or term, and technologically beyond the tools and resources that the school makes available to the students.

· what are the essential components of a web-based “Personal Learning Environment”?

A personal learning environment can best be described as a web-based space for collecting and displaying your links to all those sites where you're learning, teaching, researching and reflecting takes place. It's a bit like publishing your bookmarked websites for others to see. Its main purpose is to serve as a dashboard for your daily practices on the web, and some people refer to this as a 'mash-up' of links, services and artifacts. A personal learning environment can provide a framework for your learning and teaching experiences, your achievements and a range of life-based learning events. It is one way of organizing the many places you go to on the web, and the many tools you use to plan, schedule, remind, record and reflect your computer based activities. One of the best functions of a PLE is its portability. You can be anywhere and using any computer and link directly to your own organized space.

· what general principles can we identify for using and evaluating social software?

Types of software application enabling communication, interaction and collaboration transcendent of time and space are ever expanding (e.g., blogs, wikis, Flickr, del.icio.us, Skype, Flashmeeting). Users of these emergent tools are varied with a diversity of goals and needs. All these factors render the task of evaluating social software extremely challenging. The high incompatibility between group activities and usability lab environments calls forth field and longer-term evaluation as well as adaptation of existing usability evaluation methods and metrics to cover most aspects of collaborative experience. Relationships between fuzzy quality attributes associated with group interactions/user experience (e.g. trust, social presence, awareness, fun, attractiveness and cohesiveness) and conventional usability metrics need to be defined and refined. We face a number of challenges to identify and develop valid usability evaluation techniques and metrics specifically suited for social software.

MindMeister

Mindmeister is a good strategy to use when working on papers. Today we used a mind map entitled ICT for Teachers where we all just kind of played around and familiarized ourselves with some of its tools. You could apply this to papers/essays as it makes a map of your ideas. It also helps organize your ideas. This would be great for collaborating with others, as it can be shared with a others, so they can see your ideas and vise versa. Great if you need help with ideas or if you are working as a group. I'm looking forward to using this more.

Dimdim

Dimdim allows everyone everywhere to communicate using media in real time. Today in our dimdim meeting we shared a white board, desktop, and pdf downloads. This would be great for picture and label.. have a picture and get the class to label it, math questions...class members could work out the solution, and mind maps, just to think of a few ideas. It was quick and easy to set up, you just need everyones email address. I look forward to using this more in the future.

Zotero

Well this is just too cool! Where was this when I began my masters? It does the bibliography and references for you! I knew there had to be something out there that did this. It takes sites from del.icio.us and if you are going to use that particular site in your paper, you just plug in the information required from that site(author etc.) and tada! I really need to get used to using this tool. It will be very handy.

Del.icio.us

I am busy working on a few papers right now so this is very helpful to me. What a great quick search method to help develop your paper. Also, anything I have bookmarked is on my blog so that it can be shared easily. The "cloud" function is neat...the bigger the font the more tags:) Again I need to play around some more and get used to it.

Goodle Docs

I worked some today with Google docs regarding the final paper. WOW! It is pretty slick! I hope eventually all papers will done this way. A major time and paper saver. All we need to do is get our Profs up to speed with this tool. I am sure in the technological world we live in it will only be a matter of short time before this becomes the norm. I will definitely need to play around some more with this and get used to it, but what a great way to do a paper. Now I need to start the paper:)

Monday May19, 2008

I did a skype call today with Glen as I felt I was very behind. We spent some time catching me up on everything. I now feel like I have "information overload" and need to take some time to process everything. I find all of these tools really useful but I need to use them more to familiarize myself with them. Hopefully it will come with practice.

Google Reader

Now that I am getting the hang of Google Reader I am finding it very useful. I can just go on and see what is new with the course and with everybody...saves lots of time.

Skype Calls

I have a done a couple skype calls and am looking forward to chatting with you all tomorrow. I find this method of communication new, neat and helpful. Talk to you soon.

Skype

I am very amazed with this tool. I too can't believe we have access like this for free!! I am still fairly new at this but I am trying things out and learning as I go along. I am looking forward to the conference call tomorrow. Hopefully I can get it to work LOL.

Skype

I just set up my skype account. My account is hutchihowie. I am somewhat anxious about skype but excited just the same. I am trying to add contacts now.