I have had a great time learning with and from the people in my Internet and Society class.
Overtime, we learned about and how to use various learning tools. The blog and twitter accounts are especially useful to me. When I read my classmate's blogs, I get their take on what we have learned and researched in and for class.The variety of views have often been eye-opening. Now that I have a Twitter account, I follow my classmates in addition to professionals in journalism. The good thing about Twitter is that the news that I want comes to me and I don't have to filter through unnecessary information to find what interests me.
Lately, we have been using discussion questions, framed by us, the students, as a means of directing lessons. This is an enriching exercise for me. It is amazing to see the variety of conclusions that a group of people can draw from reading the very same article. The questions we formulate after reading the articles really make for open-minded, objective, critical thinking.
What I like about our class is that we don't get angry when we hear each others' views but we listen, try to view the situation from each others' perspective, and try to understand.
Monday, November 23, 2009
EtherPad
EtherPad was originally founded by a couple of former users of Google who wanted a real-time, collaboration tool specifically for notes and documents.
EtherPad supports three web browsers—Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. The tool debuted with the ability to allow multiple people to make edits to a document in real-time. A user starts by creating a document then a link to the document is generated and sent to each member of the team. After that, editing can begin.
To keep things in line and easy on the eyes, each user’s edits are highlighted in a different color. Changes are made in absolute real time, instead of after a fifteen-second cushion, like similar tools. Users can improve collaboration even further by taking advantage of versioning, and the chat functionality in the sidebar. EtherPad lets users import and export Word, PDF, Plain Text and HTML documents, or if a user wants to write a document in EtherPad, the tool now features rich text formatting, including bold, underline, italics and strikethrough commands.
Like all good Web-based tools, a free version of EtherPad is available online. However, you cannot protect your documents with a password unless you get the paid version. The EtherPad Professional Edition is free for up to three users. Above three, the price goes up to US $8 per user per month.
EtherPad is a useful tool for students, professionals and family who have to collaborate on projects. It is very practical and convenient because it does not require that all the members of the group be at the same physical location. EtherPad is also great for planning parties, reunions, conferences...Because each person's edits appear in a different color, it's easier to determine who made which contributions to the project without having to call up every member.
Reference
http://www.cmswire.com/cms/enterprise-20/etherpad-the-really-realtime-wiki-005116.php
EtherPad supports three web browsers—Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. The tool debuted with the ability to allow multiple people to make edits to a document in real-time. A user starts by creating a document then a link to the document is generated and sent to each member of the team. After that, editing can begin.
To keep things in line and easy on the eyes, each user’s edits are highlighted in a different color. Changes are made in absolute real time, instead of after a fifteen-second cushion, like similar tools. Users can improve collaboration even further by taking advantage of versioning, and the chat functionality in the sidebar. EtherPad lets users import and export Word, PDF, Plain Text and HTML documents, or if a user wants to write a document in EtherPad, the tool now features rich text formatting, including bold, underline, italics and strikethrough commands.
Like all good Web-based tools, a free version of EtherPad is available online. However, you cannot protect your documents with a password unless you get the paid version. The EtherPad Professional Edition is free for up to three users. Above three, the price goes up to US $8 per user per month.
EtherPad is a useful tool for students, professionals and family who have to collaborate on projects. It is very practical and convenient because it does not require that all the members of the group be at the same physical location. EtherPad is also great for planning parties, reunions, conferences...Because each person's edits appear in a different color, it's easier to determine who made which contributions to the project without having to call up every member.
Reference
http://www.cmswire.com/cms/enterprise-20/etherpad-the-really-realtime-wiki-005116.php
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Internet? Not Interested
The person I interviewed is a graduate of the class of '79. She only uses the Internet to do a few necessary tasks--to send emails to her daughter who is at university, to instant message when her daughter is online, and to buy items that she cannot find where she lives. Actually, her daughters are the ones who do the Internet shopping for her.
This individual has a working computer and Internet access at home. She admits that it is only because one of her daughters studied computer science in high school and begged her to purchase a computer. This is how she learned about the Internet. Since then, she has taken a few computer training courses and has an idea of how the Internet works.
When asked whether she thought she could ever get used to the Internet, her response was: "I guess I could, I have learned to email and use instant messenger, but I'm just not that interested."
Consequently, she does not use the Internet to assist with her work. She is very comfortable with using books to do her research then creating handwritten documents which her secretary types.
The interviewee is usually free at nights and on weekends but she occupies herself with reading books and newspapers, watching television, and visiting friends and relatives.
This individual has a working computer and Internet access at home. She admits that it is only because one of her daughters studied computer science in high school and begged her to purchase a computer. This is how she learned about the Internet. Since then, she has taken a few computer training courses and has an idea of how the Internet works.
When asked whether she thought she could ever get used to the Internet, her response was: "I guess I could, I have learned to email and use instant messenger, but I'm just not that interested."
Consequently, she does not use the Internet to assist with her work. She is very comfortable with using books to do her research then creating handwritten documents which her secretary types.
The interviewee is usually free at nights and on weekends but she occupies herself with reading books and newspapers, watching television, and visiting friends and relatives.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Muckrakers
Investigative reporters are journalists who thoroughly research, investigate, interpret and communicate news and public affairs through various news media. They uncover secrets people would rather keep quiet and dig deep into cases that may involve controversial issues. Investigative reporters, also known as muckrakers, investigate leads and news tips, read documents, observe events taking place at a scene, and interview people.
Investigative reporters must be naturally curious and have a nose for news. When it comes to interviewing people, they should know what types of questions to ask and be interested and respectful about the answers. Investigative journalism requires great people and written communication skills. Reporters must be accurate in their fact checking. They must be scrutinizers who can pay close attention to details. They must also be open-minded--able to understand and see a story from all points of view in order to cover it properly. Overall, investigative reporters must have extensive stamina in order to cope with the pressures of the industry.
I am currently taking a news writing and reporting class. From it, I have learned how to conduct interviews that flow as smoothly as regular conversations. In order to be a good investigative reporter, I would have to constantly work on improving my writing skills. I would have to be very careful and remember to stay alert so that the news in incidents does not slip me. I would have to learn to scrutinize events so that I report the news as accurately as possible without omitting crucial, vital details.
http://www.schoolsintheusa.com/careerprofiles_details.cfm?CarID=798
Investigative reporters must be naturally curious and have a nose for news. When it comes to interviewing people, they should know what types of questions to ask and be interested and respectful about the answers. Investigative journalism requires great people and written communication skills. Reporters must be accurate in their fact checking. They must be scrutinizers who can pay close attention to details. They must also be open-minded--able to understand and see a story from all points of view in order to cover it properly. Overall, investigative reporters must have extensive stamina in order to cope with the pressures of the industry.
I am currently taking a news writing and reporting class. From it, I have learned how to conduct interviews that flow as smoothly as regular conversations. In order to be a good investigative reporter, I would have to constantly work on improving my writing skills. I would have to be very careful and remember to stay alert so that the news in incidents does not slip me. I would have to learn to scrutinize events so that I report the news as accurately as possible without omitting crucial, vital details.
http://www.schoolsintheusa.com/careerprofiles_details.cfm?CarID=798
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