Post Ten

Learning Module 6 Blog Post

This is an Audioboo I made for Learning Journal Six.

listen to ‘Learning Journal 6’ on Audioboo

Website Created Using Google Sites

Here's a link to a website I created for class. It is about web accessibility.

https://sites.google.com/site/dig110batleywebaccessibility/

Steve Jobs Animoto

I created this Animoto video of Steve Jobs for Web Lab 13.
I also plan to use it in my final project.

Post Seven

Learning Module 5 Blog Post

This learning module really got us into learning about some Web 2.0 tools that don't seem as mainstream and included things I never heard of or even knew existed. We began by discussing how images can be so important on the Web. I never really thought about this before. I always appreciated a good picture, and really believed pictures can say so much about practically anything in life. But I never thought about how every single image on the Web is so crucial to the Web's existence. Image the internet without pictures. Every single screen would be plain text- simple, boring, and uninteresting. Pictures help to enhance the web! they make it a much better place for people to share ideas, communicate, and collaborate. For instance, when you go to Yahoo.com or Roadrunner.com (to name a few) the first thing you are hit with is a picture about something that is happening in the news. That picture leads into a headline. People are naturally visual learners. Pictures mean to much so our society, and ever since the first camera was invented, people have been obsessed with taking pictures! We take pictures of everything. We document every part of our lives. These pictures are so important and the fact that we are now able to share all of our pictures on the web, it offers a connection with others that words alone cannot provide.

That is why optimizing images for the web is very important. You want your image to be displayed correctly so that people can not only enjoy, but understand what you are trying to convey with the presentation of your image. Whether in be a news article, blog, social networking site, or a web page for a business, your images have to work properly with the layout you have created. A great tool we learned about in class to edit and optimize photos is called webresizer.com. It allows you to edit, crop, and optimize images so you not only can have the perfect image for your page, but also have it use far less memory data. This can be crucial when using could computing where you are only provided a certain amount of free cloud storage.

Optimizing these images led into the use of another really cool Web 2.0 tool I had no idea existed. It is a website called Kizoa.com and it allows you to create free slide shows to share on your blogs, social-networking pages, and websites. As a class, we took our knowledge of optimizing images, and applied it to a project using Kizoa.com. We created our very own slide shows using a combination of music, effects, and optimized web images. This project was definitely really cool and fun and I love how one thing we learn in this class leads into the next. From day one, everything we have learned is still being applied in new and different ways. In other classes, you learn one chapter at a time and it seems that the next chapter has no associations with the previous ones. Not in the case of this class. Everything we learn falls back on the foundations we learned even from the very first learning module. That is what I would consider true learning, not just memorization.

The third project we did was really fun as well. We made an avatar using Voki.com. I've seen these avatars all over the Web before and I wondered where they came from. It's cool knowing that I can make an avatar myself and have it say whatever I need it to.

This module was really great because in the end, all of the resources we learned could be tied together. To use a hypothetical senario, say you wanted to make a website for your business. People don't want to spend much time sifting through text to find information. Instead, use pictures to showcase different areas of your website combined with small text boxes with short and easy-to-access information. This makes your website more enjoyable for everyone. Now, to get those images exactly how you want them, you need to optimize them. You can do this by using webresizer.com. Next, you can create a slideshow for your website showcasing your business, perhaps including photos of store locations, interior design, and the products you provide. It is much more fun and easy to watch a video showcasing products rather than to read a list of products. You can create this slideshow using Kizoa.com. Finally, want to make the website even easier for people to navigate through? Create an avatar! The avatars we created in class were basic ones, but you can go as far as to create avatars that can answer questions, and even set up a live chat between customers and business professionals. All of these things are a great way to expand a business.

Now, I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. I don't know what career I'll have. I'm not even sure what I'm going to major in when I transfer to a new school. One thing I do know though is that learning these tools in this class have helped to prepare me for the future. One day everything will be online, and knowing how to use these tools to my advantage, no matter what field of study I go into, will be a crucial element in my education and success.

P.S. I would also like to touch on the Facebook discussion we had for this module. I was amazed at the wide spread of people who do so many different things when it comes to accessing music. I was almost sure MOST people would illegally download music. I though almost everyone did it. It was interesting to see that it was almost a 50/50 spread between people who use the internet for most of their music and people who still buy CDs and listen to the radio. I was also pretty shocked that less people downloaded music illegally than I expected. Maybe this is because it is becoming harder to access free music online and less people want to take the risk. Maybe the risk is no longer worth the reward. But as long as there will be music, I believe there will be people who want to share it for free. To say what is right or wrong isn't my place, really. All I can do is make my own personal decision and hope it is the best one.

My Voki

Here is the Voki I created for Web Lab 12

Slide Show

So I made this slide show using Kizoa. The pictures are of my favorite band, Slow Club. Sadly, they are from Sheffield, England and aren't very mainstream so my chances of seeing them live are pretty slim. They have come to the States before though and if they ever come again I plan on taking a trip to see them. They really are incredible musicians.

Slow Club SlideShow - picture slideshow

Post Four

Learning Module 4 Blog Post

Learning module four only had a few assignments, but each of the assignments were really fun, interactive, and allowed us to be creative. All of the students in the Web Technology class, including on-campus and online students, came together to share ideas on tools that could be used in future semesters of the class. I really liked that each of us were able to share our opinions on what aspects of the class we liked, and also suggest new ideas to be used in future classes. We did all of this through Google Docs, a web tool we learned about earlier in the semester. After learning all about Google Docs and what it is capable of, it was really awesome to see it put to use, allowing every student to contribute to a page that, in the end, was full of new and smart ideas. I also liked the fact that this assignment allowed us to choose what we liked best out of the course, and also be creative by challenging us to think of new ideas for future classes.

The second project we did was by far one of the most fun projects I've done for a college class. A lot of times in college you are forced to write a paper, read a chapter, or take a test. But through my experience, many times the information leaves students' minds shortly after the assignment is completed. Instead of being assigned some sort of a standard educational tool such as tests, essays, and reading, we were assigned to create a Glog. I never heard of Glogster before and I expected the assignment to be a bit complicated. I was surprised to discover that Glogster is extremely simple to use, and also very fun. It is really neat that you are able to start from a blank slate, choose something you wish to make a Glog about, and watch it come to life as you literally design a fully interactive display that people are able to take part in and learn from. Glogster is definitely one of my favorite tools and I'd like to see it be used in every class! If I had to present something to a class, I'd much rather make a Glog than a Power Point. I feel that because Glogster is so interactive, and that you're not just writing the material into bullets or paragraphs, but actually designing a layout that displays your material in a creative way, it is much easier to retain the information. All teachers should take advantage of this tool. I'm really glad I have a class that allows me to do something like this. 

Another thing I would like to comment on is the Facebook discussion group. We've been having discussions on Facebook as a class now since the beginning of the semester. In the beginning, it seemed like everyone was doing the discussions as required and I'd feel safe saying everyone thought it was a cool activity for the class. But now that we're into our sixth discussion, it seems like people have really opened up and everyone is going beyond the requirements. It's pretty cool seeing that I am mentioned in someone's post. I can check to discussion group, and respond to that person, not only from my computer, but from my iPod as well. It really makes it easy to do the homework. It's not that the homework is easy or that this class is a breeze, believe me, I've definitely put in my fair share of work to get good grades in this class. But the fact that I can check in on our discussion group anywhere at anytime is really cool. It makes the homework feel less like homework, and more like talking with fellow students and friends about topics covered in class. It's kind of like if everyone were to meet in the lunch room, sit down, and have a good time discussing all of the different types of technology we learn about. Facebook discussion groups are a great thing I'd like to see in more classes. (One class that comes to mind in particular is philosophy class. Imagine all of the ideas people could share through discussion groups, class blogs, and Glogs.) I also feel that the more we use discussion groups, the more information you are able to learn, and the better you can do in the class. 

Even though this module wasn't a long one, only consisting of a few assignments, a quiz, a discussion group, and this Blog entry I'm currently writing, I never felt bored with it or that the class reached a low point. All of the assignments were really fun, the discussion groups are a great thing I wish every class had, and even the quiz wasn't so bad, because everything on the quizzes we take has to do with the tools we implement in the class assignments. This is really such a well-balanced class, easy to learn from yet able to retain a level of difficulty, enough so that when you complete something and get a good grade, you feel not that it was handed to you, but that you earned it. If all classes were like this, I don't think there would be any excuse for anybody not to do well. College shouldn't be a walk in the park, nor should it be an impassable obstacle. This is a great class because when you apply yourself, you do well. That is how college should always be. If every class were like this, more people could succeed and  accomplish so many more things during their time spent in college.

Post Three

Learning Module Three Blog Post

This module (Module 3) wasn't the longest one, or had the most assignments, but I really feel like it was one of the more challenging ones thus far. I think it was challenging because it really dealt with some things I hadn't had much prior experience with. This lesson focused a lot on searching the web effectively and efficiently, a very important skill to have in modern society. The world is going digital, almost anything can be found online, and the world wide web contains, what seems to be, endless amounts of information. Searching through this information to find exactly what you're looking for is like trying to find a marble in an ocean, unless you use the right tools! This module helped me to discover and implement the tools needed to search the web successfully. I found the Web Lab assignments to be greatly helpful in providing me with practice needed for this kind of web searching.

The first Lab we did was a search tutorial learning activity. While is wasn't an entirely "hands-on" project, it definitely covered the basics of searching, as well as many advanced topics. Through this activity, I was able to learn a lot about search engines, search strategies, the search process, searching the deep web, and using Boolean Logic. Now, I have been familiarized with search engines, I thought I knew a few search strategies, and I knew a little bit about what the search process involved, but this web lad really opened my eyes as to how LITTLE I really knew. Like how the web has only a small portion of data readily available on the "public" web, we humans are capable of only storing a small amount of data in or brains. The vast amount of unknown information is similar to the deep web. It's out there, but it isn't common knowledge. That is exactly how I felt when learning about Boolean Logic. I had no idea such a thing existed. I can honestly say that, after learning about Boolean Logic, I have already began using it in my searches.

The deep web is another thing I really didn't know existed. I mean, it makes sense that it exists, but I guess I never really thought about it existing before. Just to think about all of the information that could be "hidden" within the deep web. Now when I think about the deep web, it almost gives me the same feeling I have when I think about the universe, and how vast and uncharted it really is. I mean, the idea that almost ALL of the internet is contained in the deep web is just mind-boggling. It's amazing to think that when I search something and get thousands of results, those results don't even include the millions upon millons of results I could find residing in the deep web. Unbelievable.

We went deeper into searching with later Web Labs. The "Scholarly Searching" web lab was really pretty fun. When we were first assignment this Web Lab my initial thought was, "okay, I hated using the library database in Writing I and Writing II, and I'm going to hate using it for this assignment." But really, I was wrong. We learned through the assignment, a simple was to search through the database, and by applying Boolean Logic, using multiple search tools within the database, and combining all of the other search tools we learned, it really made searching the library database quite a breeze.

I also thought learning about social bookmarking and Del.icio.us was very interesting. I never utilized bookmarking at all in the past. I never knew something like Del.icio.us even existed. I really like how it integrates right into the toolbox in your browser. You can easily bookmark pages. It's actually easier bookmarking to Del.icio.us than it is bookmarking in the browser itself, which is pretty funny.

To close out this blog post, I'd like to discuss some of the things I learned on the Route21 website. This website is full of skills needed to succeed in the 21st century. Some of the highlights include life and career skills, learning and innovation skills, and information, media, and technology skills.

The life and career skills helped remind me that it is important to adapt to change. I think humans are naturally reluctant to adapt easily to change. We people get used to something, it is easiest to stick with it. Unfortunately, that is almost impossible in today's digital world. Things are changing so fast, new technology is created every day, and what used to be years between new advances in technology, is quickly becoming months. With all of this change happening so quickly, it is most important that you are able to adapt to it, or else you will be left behind.

I also thought that the most important part of the, "Information, Media, and Technology Skills," section of the website, was the fact that it is crucial to analyze media and information we receive on a daily basis. With the internet being so expansive and technology reaching so many people, media news and information can be presented by almost anyone. It is critical that we understand where our information is coming from, if it is truthful, and if it is reputable. This is more important now than it ever was before.

Overall I would say this was an EXTREMELY helpful module. I'll definitely be applying the techniques I learned in this module throughout my college career. I would even suggest that this module alone be expanded into a 5 week or full semester 1 or 2 credit class for new college students. Learning how to search, use citation, and expand our web browsing capabilities, is probably one of the most important things a student in the 21st century could ever learn.

Post Two

               

Learning Module Two Blog Post

This learning module was a fairly long one. It encompassed many things and I really felt like I learned a lot from it. From definitions, to activities, to assignments, this module was filled with learning opportunities made for a student to easily take advantage of. It’s easier to learn the material when almost everything is online, can be easily accessible, and we work online to learn about online. This class is almost like a workshop class. It’s hands on and we work one-on-one with the tools we are learning about. This makes learning easier and I feel that, under this method, most students retain more of the information. I know I do. So, what have a learned? Well, it might be hard to cover everything, because I really feel in this class that I am almost ALWAYS learning something new, but I’ll try my best to cover some of the most important topics and lessons I learned from this learning module.

                In this module, we learned how computers communicate with each other, send messages over the internet, and understand files that we can access through the World Wide Web. We learned about TCP/IP, which is a protocol used for transferring data. FTP, another protocol, is used for file transfer. The modem is able to convert analog signals to digital ones, and also digital signals to analog ones. The server handles the data you request, and the bandwidth is the amount of data that can travel from server to server and across the internet at one time. All of these elements play a crucial role in internet and computer communications and without them, computing between computers would be nearly impossible.

                We also learned about something most of us come across, but maybe don’t fully understand. Cookies are little files that are stored in our computer for a multitude of reasons. There are different types of cookies, and all of them do similar and different things. For example, there are temporary/session cookies, persistent cookies, first-party cookies, and third-party cookies. One thing I never knew was that third-party cookies are usually unwanted by the user, while first-party cookies are safe and okay to have in your computer. Third-party cookies usually come from a website accessed through a different website. For example, while on Amazon.com, you may receive cookies from other websites selling through Amazon.com. They didn’t come from Amazon.com, but from a third-party. These cookies may be more than data that saves settings and personalizes searches and preferences. These cookies could be a number of things including malware, spyware, or adware.

                Malware, spyware, and adware are all able to affect your computer’s performance, sometimes without you even knowing it right away. Malware is software designed to infiltrate your computer and cause harm to a multitude of software components. Spyware installs itself on a computer secretly, often times tracking computer use and obtaining data for demographical research. Adware is less harmful, but will often times be frustrating, causing ads to appear on your computer.

                Your computer can also be infected with viruses. We’ve all heard the term, ‘virus,’ when dealing with computers, but there are a few different kinds that are important to be aware of. In class we focused on learning about worm viruses and Trojan horses. Worm viruses can be pretty deadly because they can spread on their own; they do not need a human to duplicate and infect other computers. Trojan horses can be very tricky. They disguise themselves as something else, such as a, seemingly safe, software download. Instead, you download a virus and before you know it your computer is running slower, your settings aren’t what you set them to be, your internet is acting up, and worst of all, your computer crashes and you lose valuable information.

                Thankfully, viruses can be avoided and people have come up with some ways to stay one step ahead of these internet threats. By installing some simple anti-virus software and keeping your network’s firewall in working order is a great way to stop viruses from infecting your computer. Anti-virus software ranges in price from free to over a hundred dollars. When choosing the right anti-virus software, it is important to think about what is best to fit your computing needs. If you use only a laptop at home mainly for offline functions, you probably don’t need a $100.00 anti-virus software.

                To go along with all of this virus-protection and internet safety, we played some games in the learning module that helped reinforce the importance of computer knowledge and staying sharp on how to be safe on the internet. All of the games included tips on protecting your computer from viruses, phishing scams, cyber criminals who try to steal credit card information and social security numbers, wireless hackers, and spamming scams. These games were a really fun and interactive way to learn more about the information covered in class. By playing a game, I was able to retain more of the information because I am able to remember the in-game scenarios and the choices I made to complete the game successfully. I feel many people could learn a lot more this way than from listening to a lecture every class.

                We also learned a lot about IP addresses and Domain Names. I have dealt with these things before because I use wireless devices to go online, watch Netflix, and play games. I encountered a problem with one of my devices about a week before we started this module. The device couldn’t find the IP address to connect to my at-home wireless internet. At first I was frustrated as this had never happened before and I didn't know much about IP addresses. Luckily I was able to find some information online and I had in fixed the next day. Even though I fixed it, I didn't really understand what an IP address was or why it was necessary. Intro to Web Technology cleared up any confusion I had. An IP address is, “a number that uniquely identifies each computer or device connected to the internet,” (Shelly, Cashman). Thinking back to the situation I ran into with my device, I ended up having to reset the IP address because it was lost when my wireless router was unplugged. I still don’t know everything about this, but it’s nice to know what an IP address is when I have to fix it in the future.

                We also took a look at registering a Domain Name and the processes of obtaining your very own website. We learned how to apply for a domain name, how long it would take to get one, how much it would cost, and some good tips for choosing a domain name that is right for you or your business. Many of us may have to set up our own websites in the future so this information is very important to know.

                One of the best sections of this learning module was creating a screencast. I've seen them before and I always wondered how to make one. I had always assumed one needed some sort of hardware hooked up to a computer that was capable of capturing screencasts. I had no idea that there were many websites available that allow people to make screencasts for free. For class we made a basic screen cast discussing features of the browser of our choice. I choose Google Chrome, and just by doing the screencast I learned a lot about Google Chrome that I hadn't known before. Below is a video of the screen cast I made for class.

                          

                 Finally, I would like to add that I really like the online quizzes we have throughout the learning modules. Having these small quizzes really makes it easier to remember the information, because what we’re quizzed on is what we’re learning about. We don’t learn about a multitude of topics then are tested on them all at once at the end. Instead, we learn a few topics, take a quiz, then move on to a few more topics and a few more quizzes, all while working hands-on with the information we are learning about. This is a great way to learn and I’d like to see more of this in other classes.

                I should also add that in two years of college, I have never used a book as much as I have in this class. It seems contradictory that a class conducted mainly online would find so much use with the book, but the fact that a lot of the material is online, I find it even more helpful to use the online and on-hand book source in unison to get the most out of the class.

Post One

Learning Module One Blog Post

When I signed up for Intro to Web Technologies, I thought it would be a fairly easy course. One reason being that it was an introductory class, and another reason being that I thought I knew my way around the internet fairly well. I was wrong.

Intro to Web Tech isn't exactly a "difficult" course in the sense that the work is overwhelming and the subject material is confusing. But it is a difficult course if you aren't ready to apply yourself. On the first day of class I definitely felt a bit overwhelmed. I was just coming off of summer break and I hadn't quite gotten back into the school rhythm yet. I also realized that I didn't know all the much about the internet after all. I left school thinking that I definitely need to prepare to be focused this year, and try to get as much from Intro to Web Technologies as I could, because it definitely had much to offer.

It's hard to believe that only a few classes ago I had no idea what Google Docs were, hardly used Google Chrome, and never would have considered making a blog in my life. Now, here I sit writing my first blog and   telling my friends that they should download Google Chrome. The internet has so much potential and I never realized it before this class.

We've accomplished alot as a class in only a few short days. We've come together on some really good group projects, joined a discussion group on Facebook, learned from each other's ANGEL profiles, and made blogs to share our ideas.

The group projects were great. Having the chance to take teaching into our own hands really helps to retain the material. I always feel that I learn more about something when I describe it to others. In fact, it may be safe to say that your learning REALLY begins when you start teaching. And I was able to learn alot from the other group as well.

The Facebook discussion group was a really cool and innovative way to interact with classmates. I've never seen Facebook used to enhance a lesson like that before, and I'd really like to see more of it in all my classes. It seems like most classes try to keep the students off of Facebook, but Intro to Web Tech actually encourages it. Bringing students together of Facebook is a good way for everyone to share ideas, learn new things, and make technology something that isn't a distraction, but rather a learning tool.

That brings me to the blog entry. To be honest, as I sit here writing this, I hardly have any idea what I'm doing. I figured out how to make a blog, type a new post, but beyond that is all new to me. After I post this I'll take some time to learn the program more thoroughly and maybe my next Blog post will be even more interesting.

Here is a video I found to be helpful throughout the first learning module of this course...

Another video I used in my Facebook Discussion Group entry...

I really put some time in trying to do well in this first learning module. I've always been one of those people who love and hate technology. For example, I love books, find Nooks and Kindles to detract from the reading experience, yet enjoy my iPod, but still collect vinyl records. I realize there are benefits to technology but I am also reluctant to putting my trust into hard drives and cloud storage. I like the tangible world and I'd hate to see it totally disappear only to find EVERYTHING has gone digital (movies, music, games, picture, video, and documents) It is for this reason that I have been reluctant to throw myself full-force into the digital age. But this class has definitely helped me to expand my knowledge on what has gone digital so far, and how to prepare for the digital future.

Definitions I Didn't Know Before This Class

Semantic Web- A new web technology that allows for "implied" searches. The search engine is capable of providing results based on the meaning behind the words you search, rather than just the words themselves

Packet Switching- involves repeating data from a sending computer into small units knows as packets, sending each packet independently over cables, and then reassembling the packets on the receiving computer

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)- provides flow control over the network and error checking for lost packets

Hypertext Transfer Protocol- a protocol that defines how HTML documents are transmitted to a browser