Content about Web Content

In this module, we learned how to create a website using google sites and how to use animoto, a very fun tool that creates unique videos of user images. We also learned some lingo, such as: Web Accessibility (Not only did I learn the meaning, but also the correct spelling of "accessibility" Good thing I haven't had to use the word much in the past, because I've been spelling it wrong for years! Lucky for spell check) Measure of how compatible a site is for disabled or otherwise impaired users Syntax: set of rules that something operates under XHTML (Extensible hypertext markup language): stricter and cleaned up verison of HTML WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get): programs that create html files but do not neccesarily require the creator of the file to be familar with coding. (An example is Google Sites) Web Design was the topic of discussion, and a very interesting one at that. The Voki below will talk about the discussion in greater detail. (I hope that is ok... I love those things!) As far as my partcipation in this module, it could definately stood for some improvement. I suppose spring fever got the better of me. (Un)fortunately, the weather has taken a turn for the worse (Snow in mid-April? Agh!) so there is one less thing to stand in the way of my work. I also have started a new (exhausting, albiet rewarding) job at a daycare, so that has sucked up a lot of my time. I will have to balance my time better and get going on this final project. A useful link: http://www.siteideas.net/sites.htm I apologize, whenever I include a Voki, the paragraphs run together no matter how many times I enter between lines. It is most peculiar.

Lara's Artwork

Hey, just between you and me--Peer to Peer Sharing

I thought this was the most fun module yet. I loved creating an avatar and using Voki. I had so much fun with it that I am going to put another on in this blog post. I also really liked making the slideshow. I could see myself using Photobucket in the future. I am really glad we learned about it in class. Recently, my computer crashed and I lost all my photos that I did not upload to Facebook. Uploading images to Facebook takes awhile. I think Photobucket was quicker and it is more private, so I will start using it, so my pictures will be portable and safe if my computer crashes. I also think I will teach my Grandma, who is a scrapbook-aholic. Image optimization is something really important, and overlaps with another online course I am taking, so it was great to get a refresher with that too. The dicussion and poll about illegal downloading was also really interesting--I hope we have more polls in the future. Honestly, I don't really know how to download things illegally, otherwise, I would consider it. I know it is pretty predominant and it was interesting to see other peoples' thoughts on it. I was shocked to see how severely one student thought illegal downloaders should be punished! On the flipside, most people were more lenient. I see myself being on the lenient side. Speaking of dicussion, that is something I definatley should have partcipated in more this module. Otherwise, I think I put in enough time and effort, partially because it was so enjoyable! New words: Shareware--software you can buy and try out but you have to pay for if you plan on using it permanently Freeware--software you can download and use without paying, but you must use it in accordance with copyright laws Peer-to-peer file-sharing network (P2P)--network that permits files to be transferred between individual computers on the same LAN or connected to the Internet FTP site--a computer with files on it that can be accessed using the FTP protocol (some are anonymus but some require password and usernames) useful sites: http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4922890_peer-peer-file-sharing-work.html Also, sorry this post is one big paragraph--for some reason my "entering" isn't working.

Final Project Plan Avatar

Golden Memories with Golden Doodles: Roxy and Scout- A slideshow

Chapter 4: A little birdie told me... Twitter and other Social Media

This module was interesting. We learned about both sychronous and asychronous types of communication (sychronous requires both recipicents to be online at the same time like IM, while asychronous (like email) does not), social media sites, and how to practice proper netiquitte. I thought we learned some really useful practical things about using social media in a professional setting. One student said they used Twitter to post weather updates since they want to become a meterologist. I thought this was a great idea and a wonderful way to impress future employers. However, social media can be used against you when you are looking for a job. We learned how to track our digital dirt and the importance of minimizing any dirt. I don't really have any dirt, just maybe a few party pictures, but the idea of employers searching me, makes me a little nervous because my friends might post something stupid.

I definately feel as though I put the necessary time and effort into this module. However, I did lose track of a due date and had a late submission, which wasn't good.  In order to prevent this from happening again, I will be more organized in the future.

What's the good word? Well, here are a few:

Flaming- use of flagrant or insulting terms when responding to someone online
Message rule- tool on email that automatically moves certain messages (usually from certain senders) to specific folders
Wiki- webpages that can be edited or deleted by authorized users
Stationery- background image a user can add to outgoing email messages
Lurking- reading a mailing list's messages without responding or posting to the list (sounds much creepier than it actually is, in my opinion)

Useful Links


http://www.scribd.com/doc/3283966/The-Essential-Guide-to-Social-Media
An introduction to social media sites and guide on how to use them.

I'm fluent in English, Spanish... and Information

Overview
This intriguing module was packed with information regarding searching the web. We also learning about information fluency and how to properly cite sources in MLA format. Information fluency, which I had never heard of before, is a combination of information literacy, technological literacy, and critical thinking. The combination of the 3 is highly desirable to modern employers. I also learned smarter ways to search, such as eliminating stop words, and using a plethora of search engines. If after trying to search a few times and no desirable results appear, you should change your search query or try a different search engine. Not all search engines contain the same information. We also covered how search engines collect data. They use web crawlers to go in sites and copy the pages. Not all pages are copied on a site. These pages are known as opaque. Sites that are not copied at all are known as invisible. They are often not in html format. Some search engines are now taking steps to add sites that aren't html by changing their crawlers. I was also alarmed to learn that search engines save what you search. It did not surprise me that search engines saved what was searched, but for the duration some engines such as google, save it for. Google saves queries for up to 18 months! I learned from some one's discussion post that some search engines, such as Startpage, do not save your information for any great length of time. I was pleased that Boolean operators were covered in this unit. I think digital logic is fascinating and I've had experience using the NOT, NOR, AND, IF, OR, and NAND commands in coding. Overall, I would say I learned a lot in this module, and I believe I put in the necessary amount of time. I do think I could've been a little more active in discussion but that is about it.

New  Words!
Stop words: small, unimportant words that are part of a natural language search like: what, where, is, the of, in, how, why. These words can be eliminated to speed the search and save the user the trouble of typing them.
 Breadcrumb Trail: (What Hansel and Gretl left?) Actually, it's list of category and subcategory links that the user has clicked
Invisible Web: (All the cobwebs in the world. Never seem to see them until I happen to run into one) In regards to the computer Web, it is part of the Internet that users can't access using regular search engines. Usually, the material on the Invisible Web is more scholarly and professional than on the visible web. The invisible web is also supposed to be 2 to 500 times more vast the visible public web! This is incomprehensible to me, seeing as how huge the public web is. Non-html resources (PDFs!) and password protected sites are some examples of what the invisible web consists of.
Opaque Web: Also known as the partially visible web. (And no, it isn't partially visible because the users need glasses) It known as partially visible because it is only a click or two away from the reach of a search engine. Search engines don't collect every page of a site, the pages they don't collect are partially visible.

Helpful Sites!

http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=6482
Site about information fluency

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-search-engines-explore-deep-invisible-web/

Article with listing of sites that can be used to access the invisible web

Life, Career, Media, and Technology Skills Necessary for this Century

Life and Career

• adaptability
• flexibility
• work well with others
• time management
• works efficiently
• community oriented

Media and Technology

• find and evaluate information in a timely fashion
• analyze media: why and how was the media message created?
• consider how different people interpret messages differently
• keep in mind cross cultural connotations
• use technology to research, analyze, and communicate information

Second is the Best: Learning Module 2- Chapters 2 and 6

This unit was very broad and educational. I learned how to perform various tasks with my browser, such as turning the pop up blocker on and off and changing cookie settings. We also compared and learned about different browsers like Internet Explorer, Opera, Firefox, Safari, and Flock. We also covered different parts of a web adress and broke it down into sections. The most important thing I think we learned was, however, was how to protect your computer from various risks like hackers, viruses, and phishing scams. I am ashamed to admit I have fallen for phishing scams in the past, so this was particularly relevant to my life.

I believe I put in the necessary time and effort required to succeed in this module. However, I think I could have spent a little more time on the quizzes to ensure the best score possible. In the future, I will be in less of a hurry to finish and read each question more carefully. One question in particular I was hung up on referred to something as being expensive that I thought was inexpensive, so I got it wrong. This shows me that I need to do more outside research and understand what things are like in a practical setting before assuming I know everything I need to from the reading.

The following words I was happy to learn that I did not know prior to this module:
Node: Each computer or device connected to a LAN
Hub: A piece of hardware used to connect multiple nodes on the same network
Throughput: the amount of data that can be transferred from one node to another node in a certain amount of time (To help remeber this, I think of throughput as being analogous to frequency in terms of waves)
Star topology: connects each node to the next node using a single circle of cable
Token: small packet that moves in a clockwise circle from node to node
Twisted-pair cable: consists of inuslated copper wires twisted around each other in pairs, then enclosed in plastic coverign. (Interesting choice of matierals, definately something I am interested in researching more!)
Hop: (it is more than something cute bunnies do! who knew?) forwarding a packet to the next internet router

This link was extremely helpful in understanding what ports are and how firewall works:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_EVfWpL6L4&feature=related

Although the book adresses some of these points, this is a nice brief article that offers

 some useful suggestions on how to keep your computer safe: 

http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Tips-For-Keeping-Your-Computer-Safe-and-Secure&id=4823642 

This user friendly site was especially helpful for comparing web browsers:

http://internet-browser-review.toptenreviews.com/

The only "phish" I'll be having after this module (and this link) is salmon:

http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/phishing-symptoms.aspx 

The First Chapter

Not only does the title regard chapter one in the book, but a new chapter in my life. This is the first semester of college that I am taking online courses and that I am back in my hometown, not Binghamton. I look forward to making discoveries with each new page in the course, and in my life.

 This module's Course Cast provided some interesting facts and speculations. According to the Course Cast, Intel predicts that there will be a rise in digital billboards. I doubt this, however, time will tell. They also predict that Moore's Law, which states that approximately every 2 years, the number of transistors on a chip will double. It is good that they believe this, since one of Intel's finders created this law. The Course Cast also provided some international news regarding current events. Putin ordered all Russian government computers use Linux by 2015. Trojan has been affecting Androids in China. Skype was reported to have a bug, but was updated at the end of December. And despite the rise of the Ipad, Kindle still is holding it's own, and its still Amazon's top seller. Speaking of the Ipad, the Course Cast also reported that a privacy law suit has been filed against Apple. The thing I found most interesting that the Course Cast reported was that Canada was the number one internet user. I expected either China or the United States to be at the top, but neither made the top 3.

The week's discussion was about which of Course Cast's predictions for the technology advances in 2011 would be most successful and why. There was a variety of different opinions on what would be the most successful and there didn't seem to be any one thing that most people agreed would be most popular. I didn't really learn anything notable from the discussion, other than that my classmates seem to have interesting and diverse opinions.

In the reading, I learned that there is a difference between the Web and the Internet. Previously, I used the terms interchangeably. Now I know better. I also learned some terms that I had heard before but didn't formally know what they meant or knew what something was but didn't know the official name for it. Here are a few examples:

Circuit Switching- a technology that allows users to communicate privately on a dedicated circuit through a continuous stream

Packet Switching- a technology that disassembles data in smaller portions, sends each portion of data separately across cables, and reassembles the data on the intended source

Backbone- "the main long-distance lines and the hard-ware that connects computers to the Internet" (Shelly, 15).

Hypertext- system of hyperlinks that permits a viewer to click on a selected word which leads them to another spot in the same file

Microblogging- allows subscribers to read brief texts sent by authors throughout the day or week