Week 13: Distance education and virtual schooling

Our discussion in class today provoked a lot of serious questions about the future of college as we know it.  Our instructor showed us Second Life, a virtual world where users can create a character and travel around lifelike places.  Second Life is already being used by universities to hold online classes.  Students can go online and essentially "meet" their instructor in a virtual museum and go on a virtual tour.  

I think the potential is absolutely enormous for what can be done with this technology.  I am enrolled in a couple of online, distance learning classes at U

F right now.  Currently all I do for an online class is log into my e-learning account and check updates on assignments and tests.  There is little room for instructors to be hands on or personal.  In fact, in most of my online classes I hardly have contact with any other classmates or the instructor.   

If technology like Second Life continues to develop and improve, classes will be able to be held online and be even better than classes in person.  In my journalism classes now, I have to meet with instructors to go over my writing and learn how to improve it.  These classes are impossible to put online with UF's current system, but with a combination of Second Life, video chatting, and a few other resources, it could definitely be made possible.

Here is a screen shot of the current system for online classes at UF: e-learning.  Compare this 2-D, simple layout with the screen shot of a class being held in Second Life below.  Second Life is already being used for distance learning at some universities.

Week 12: Creating a Professional Web Presence

I've always been interested in learning about how to create a Web site.  I would like to continue learning more about HTML and coding so that one day I can create my own site.  This week in class we learned how to make our own professional web presence sites on Google sites.  Google sites allows you to create a site without knowing HTML, coding, or anything too complex.  I created my whole site and uploaded information in just a few hours.  There are many other ways to make personal sites for free, Google Sites is just one of them.  

My professional web presence site is something I can continue to use after this class is over.  I have already uploaded my resume, examples of my work and links to some articles I have written.  It is a great tool to have as a journalist and if tweaked, can really be turned into something valuable.  It is something that potential employers can look at to learn more about me and my experience.

Check out my site here

I am considering buying a domain name for my site so that I can list it as a regular .com URL.  You can buy domain names through Godaddy.com. Some Domain names cost less than $10 a year.

Week 11: Open Source Software

Open Source software is the wave of the future.  More and more programs are being created in open source formats and are beginning to compete with the titans of the software industry like Microsoft and Adobe. The move towards open source software is very convenient and beneficial for most people. Rather than having to pay hundreds of dollars for expensive name brand software, anyone with an internet connection can now use comparable tools for free. The other important benefit is that the software can be updated by multiple people and continually adjusted to fix bugs and improve it overall. Although major software companies are still the industry leaders, I think they will have to start lowering their prices if they want to continue to sell.

Open source software affects everyone. Even as a journalist, open source software can be used. Microsoft Word has been the industry norm for word processing, but even that is being shaken up. New open source programs are coming out that are even better. Photoshop was also the clear cut answer for photo editing software for years. Now Gimp, an open source equivalent is available for free. It is also constantly updated and changed so that it is getting better and better. In the past you had to pay hundreds of dollars to install a program like Photoshop. Now you can download an equivalent for free on any computer.

This image is a perfect example of why you have to be careful when using Photoshop.  As you can see here, the employees at Maxim needed a hand.

Week 10: Tech Tools for Critical Thinking

There are so many interesting tools on the Internet now that its getting hard to keep up. We learned about concept mapping in class this week and a bunch of sites that let you create your own for free. I think concept maps are pretty useful and are good visuals for projects and presentations. I created my own concept map that related some tools on the web to my field, journalism. You can see my map a few posts down on my blog. I used Gliffy to create my concept map, but there are other sites out there as well.

Concept maps are great for planning and personal use also. In journalism they can be used for multiple purposes. I think they are a great way to lay out and organize a newspaper. I was the editor-in-chief of my high school's newspaper and I know that the planning and assigning stage is the most critical part of putting together a paper. People are all over the place trying to find stories and working on leads, that it can become difficult to keep track of who is doing what. With a concept map, especially one created on a site like Gliffy, you can keep track of all the assignments and allow anyone to update the map from anywhere.

This is what the Gliffy interface looks like. You can create and edit your concept map using a variety of shapes and tools. Anyone can sign up for free and try it.

Week 9: Social Tools and Cloud Computing

This week in class we learned about a new wave of technology that is sweeping the Internet. Cloud computing allows you to use server-based applications as a service rather than being tied to a specific platform on a specific machine or device. Sites like Google for example are already producing applications and tools that use this technology. Google Docs allow you to create or edit documents from any computer and virtually save them. This makes it very easy to work with a group or share your documents with people all over the world.

Cloud computing can be used all over the journalism field. I've already used Google Docs to write stories and edit them. It makes it very convenient, especially when you are on a deadline. Some times I am out interviewing sources and cannot access my computer or go home to write on my own Laptop. If I use Google Docs, I can still get to my story and work on it from any location.


Here is a Youtube video that explains cloud computing in simple terms. I think this is an important concept to understand and definitely worth a few minutes of your time to check out.

Journalism and Social Networking Tools

Here is the concept map I created to show how social networking tools can be used in Journalism

Week 7: Digital Storytelling

In class we discussed and looked at a bunch of different sites that allow you to create videos, slideshows, animations and other examples of digital storytelling. Digital storytelling is clearly the wave of the future. We watched examples of simple animations that were used to teach lessons and tell stories. They were far more interesting and captivating than a lecture would have been. Digital storytelling can be a great tool to be used in classrooms to keep the attention of students. I was surprised to learn about all the sites out there that you can use for free. For homework we had to create our own example of digital storytelling using one of the sites, and I used Animoto. Animoto lets you upload pictures and music to create a soundslide presentation. The most amazing part is that the whole thing takes less than 15 minutes to put together.

Digital storytelling may even become the future of journalism. As newspapers decline in readership and advertising sales, it is obvious that they will not be around forever. As a journalist, that means you must be able to tell stories and relay information in many other ways. I am very happy I got a taste of digital storytelling and now know how to put some stories together. This is a really cool tool that I will definitely use in my journalism classes in the future.

Here is a link to a really cool site dedicated to digital storytelling. It is a non profit organization that shares people's stories and assists them in using multimedia to tell them.

Center for Digital Storytelling

Week 6: Visual Literacy

We continued working on and discussing visual literacy in class this week. One of our largest grades in this class is for our visual literacy project. For the project we are given an image and must alter it using Photoshop using all sorts of tools and techniques. I think the project really taught me a lot and made me much more comfortable using Photoshop. I've learned that even if I don't know how to do something in the program, there are so many tutorials online that you can figure out how to do anything. Photoshop really is a valuable resource and something that I would like to continue learning about in the future.

As a journalism student Photoshop is one of the most important computer programs to master. I was the editor-in-chief of my school newspaper in high school. I used Photoshop almost everyday to fix images for print. Even so, I still did not know much more than the tip of the iceberg for what the program is capable of. An image that is stretched, not modified for brightness and contrast, and not cropped can ruin a newspaper. It is important to remember however that you have to be careful when altering photos not to change them too much from their original state to alter their meaning.


Here is a really cool video that shows the capabilities of Photoshop and makes you think twice every time you salivate at a bathing suit model in a magazine ad

Week 5: Media and Information Literacy

In class we discussed media and information literacy further and we began talking about visual literacy. Visual literacy is the ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image. What this means is that videos and images can essentially be read and deciphered. There is meaning below the surface and determining what that meaning is can be extremely important when it comes to evaluating its credibility among other things. We watched a video in class that showed an image being manipulated by photo shop to make a model much better looking. This makes you realize how much images must be manipulated and changed from their original state.

In journalism, visual literacy is so important. You run across serious ethical lines when you manipulate images or alter video from its original state. Journalists have gotten in serious trouble or even lost their jobs for doing things like that. Being visually literate lets you see the truth behind altered images. I also really enjoyed working with Photoshop and learning new techniques. Photoshop is such a cool resource that can be used in any field. Half of the stuff we did in class, I had no idea Photoshop was even capable of performing.

Here is a video that explains visual literacy and shows examples of its importance

Week 4: Copyright Law, Plagiarism and Ethical Issues

In class we talked about copyright laws and other ethical issues that relate to the Internet and technology. I did not realize how careful you have to be when using content from the Internet. Even though virtually any one can access most content, if it is used without licensing or permission it is illegal. We also learned about information literacy. Information Literacy is a transformational process in which the learner needs to find, understand, evaluate, and use information in various forms to create for personal, social or global purposes (Abilock, 2004). We completed an informational literacy activity in which we had to decipher the web address, find the publisher, check the history of the site and check out the external links. All of these acts help to determine the credibility of the site and determine if it is a good source of information.

Both information literacy and copyright laws will be extremely valuable information in my future field. I am going into journalism, and the heart of any journalism assignment is credibility. Whether I am writing a story, shooting a video or designing a slide show, I will have to be able to pick out credible and reliable sources. It is also very good to know the ins and outs of copyright law so I do not use content that I could get sued for. Plagiarism is also a hot topic among journalists. If it is discovered that a journalist has plagiarized his or her work, they are immediately shunned by their colleagues and kicked to the curb by their employer. This has happened to several well known journalists in the recent past.


Here is a link to a New York Times article about the Jayson Blair scandal. He was a Times reporter that was discovered to be plagiarizing his work. Check out this article to see how the Times covered plagiarism at their own organization.

Times Reporter Who Resigned Leaves Long Trail of Deception

Week 3: Web Technology

This week in class we discussed new technology on the Internet and Web 2.0. According to Wikipedia.com, one of the most used Web 2.0 sites, Web 2.0 facilitates interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design and collaboration on the World Wide Web. Some of the most well known Web 2.0 sites are Facebook, Blogger, Myspace and Flickr. Web 2.0 has been dubbed the future of the Internet, and I believe rightfully so. With so many people having access to the Internet, it is becoming a global crossroads where each and every user can create and be published with the click of a mouse. We looked through a list of Web 2.0 applications and wrote forum posts about three of them. I had not realized how many interactive, user created sites were out there.
I am a journalism major and have plans to go to law school. Web 2.0 and new technology on the Internet are very relevant to my field. Journalism is evolving and its future is very unclear. Newspapers are disappearing every minute and the news is being reported on the Internet. Web 2.0 sites such as Twitter, Blogger and many more allow essentially anyone with an Internet hookup to become a journalist. Many columnists and reporters of major newspapers also keep their own blogs now. In order to get ahead in Journalism you must master all of these tools.
Here is a link to the Web 2.0 wikipedia page: Web 2.0
check it out to learn more.
The following are links to some very interesting Web 2.0 sites that are worth taking a look at:

Freezly is a site dedicated to informing people about all the free stuff that is out there on the internet. It collects all the information on Twitter about giveaways and freebies and posts them in one place so users can easily find them and try to win.

TheSummarizer is a site that compiles all of the tweets about a topic for you. You can search by keyword and read everything people have posted about a particular person, place or anything you're interested in. This is a really cool tool to use and stay informed.

Copyright law

Check this video out. It's about copyright law and how it relates to YouTube. It's pretty interesting and not too long.



The Great YouTube Copyright Debate