S3sessions

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/

1. Review of tool

Flickr is a web page in which people share their photos. People can get the photos which suit their interest by some tools of Flickr. Also, they can publish their photos and get some comments and advices. Furthermore, it is able to make communication and relationships between the people which have the same interests and to join the groups which are established on the same concern, interest, and curiosity.

Independent Learning
First, I think that this application can help students learn on their own without the help of another person, because this application shows them pictures and images which they want to watch and see for learning activities. Second, this application is matching on students leaning level. The information in this application are photos and images that describe situations of the world and the information through the eyes. In addition, there are many groups in Flickr. So, students can find the appropriate groups which have the information they want. Third, this site is safe, even if people use this without parents and the approve. The photos and images in this site are categorized by groups or communities of friends. So, you see the photos and images which suit you, because your groups and communities of your friends consists of your choice. You don't touch the dangerous and unsuitable information in this site. Fourth, this site can help people understand information faster and deepen their understandings. First, the searching for a group supports people to understand information faster. They can find the group which have the information they want. Second, the contacts with members of the group deepen their understanding. Through the group, you can contact with the people which have the suitable information to your academic desire. So, this site can help people understand information faster and deepen their understandings.

2. My presentation
a) Introduction.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16868230@N07/sets/72157602779561194/show/

b) Body.
There are five features in Flickr.
1. Your own page
2. Organize
3. Contacts
4. Group
5. Explore

There are three ways to integrate with other applications.
1. Google Reader
2. RSS
3. Del.icio.us

c) Conclusion: SCICU Key questions
1. What are the main skills needed to use social software?
It is important to develop the skills to find people who have the same interest as own self, because the people can help your understanding of the interest.
2. What are the affordances (what does the service make possible, what it impedes)?
You can share the interest and the information with the people who have the same interest as you.
3. How can the technology be used to network professionally and connect users to learning resources?
You can share the academic and professional information and learning resources by joining the groups which have the same interest as you.
4. What learned skills and understandings may promote your development as an effective learner in the digital age?
You can find many ways to integrate this social software with other applications such as RSS, Dei.icio.us, and Google Reader. And, you can find more such other applications which you use effectively.

Agre, p. 201, pp. 211-214

1. What is the central problem for citizens in democracies?
The central problem which people should consider is the meaningful way to participate to a democratic society. It is because it is difficult for one person to perform effective activities toward politic. The effective activities can be achieved in the bigger community.

2. What skills do citizens need?
The skills are the building social capital and the participation in political arguments.

3. What term does the author use to describe the process citizens use to promote their concerns about an issue?
It is Issue Lattice.

4. What steps are the four steps in this process?
First step is identification of the important issues. Second step is research and analyze them. Third step is to stake out a position in public. Fourth step is to build social networks with people who have same opinions.

p. 212-214
Write two of your own questions on the ideas and issues raised in this section.
1. It makes a deep difference whether each person can use internet, because internet is very easy way to build social network.

2. Governments should promote to use internet?

Lesson 6: Google Document

Think
In group work, I suggest that it is necessary to exchange E-mail address because communication is very important.
In order to show other members what I have done, I send e-mail which includes the information and document about my work to the members.
If I need to work with the members at the same time, I manage meeting to work together.

Explain
This Google document is so nice skills especially for group work.
By using this, collaboration will go successfully.
It is because we can publish each work to all members and can revise each other.
So, what I should do is to show the usefulness of this skill and share this with group members.

Readings: Kahn & Kellner

Write a brief summary of the main ideas and issues raised in the text. (150-180 words)
In this reading, Kahn and Kellner state that online communities have used and developed internet technology to produce new social relations and forms of democratic political possibility, showing the three dimensions of online communities, political activist organizations, terrorists, and publics.
First, political activist organizations, including both right and left, have used internet to their political goals. By internet and online communities, they have gathered information to acieve their goals. The movements have made the style of the participation to political world diverse and increased, controlling the participation by online communities. For example, it can be written that there are the battles between pro-globalism groups and anti-globalism group in internet. In addition, it can be said that a good aspect is open and radical opinions from many and diverse people.
Second, terrorists have also utilized internet for their political desires and hackers have also used it for their personal or public goals. The terrorists have use websites to distribute their ideas. For example, Al Qaeda sent the secret messages related to their activity to the users. In addition, the hackers have utilized internet. For instance, Wi-Fi networks are sometimes hacked by such hackers who target the free network.
Third, there are the relationships between public and personal online communities. The examples are blog and Wikipedia. Blogs and Wikipedia have become the popular communicative methods.
In conclusion, online communities have used and developed internet technology to produce new social relations and forms of democratic political possibility, but the possibility is sometimes positive, but sometimes negative, or neutral.

What is your reaction? Respond to one particular idea that really resonates with you. (30 words) SCICU e-Portfolio.
The developments of online communities and internet will produce a deep gap between the people who can use internet and the people who cannot use internet. It is because online communities have so strong power and passion that they will be more important and crucial in making decisions of political activity such as vote and support to an own favorite party. On the other hand, people who cannot use internet cannot have the possibility and the choice of such political activities.

Lesson5-Think, Explore, and Explain

Think

Which sites do you visit regularly? What provisions do you currently make to keep yourself up to date on new content posted to your favourite sites?

I regularly visit the sites of Japan Times, uefa.com(about soccer), and wikipedia. I register such sites for Bookmark. So, I can easily keep myself up to date on new content posted to my favorite sites.

Explore
A website that displays a button similar to the ones here on the right has an RSS feed that you can subscribe to. Visit a few of the sites that you use fairly regularly (4~5 is fine). Now, can you find an RSS button? You might need to scroll down the page, and you will need to look carefully if it is a 'busy' page. Which of your favourite sites provide an RSS feed? Which ones don't? Can you think why not?
The sites of CNN , The Japan Times and BBC have the RSS button. I think that it is because these sites are frequently updated and are given frequently new contents.
On the other hand, W3 and the Japanese dictionary site called Goo have no button of RSS. In the case of W3, it is because W3 is a secret site and a limited site to limited users, students and professors, and so on. In the case of the Japanese dictionary site, it is because the site is a negative site which does not add frequently new contents.

Explain
Write a post reflecting on RSS with reference to the four Key Questions. (SCICU e-Portfolio)
Social Computing Key Questions:
1. What are the main skills needed to use social software?
In order to use RSS, it is necessary to understand about tool bar which RSS belogs to, and characteristics of diverse sites. The characteristics are whether some sites are added frequently new contents and updates or not, and whether the sites have RSS button, and so on.

2. What are the affordances (what the software makes possible, what it impedes)?
RSS can make us able to keep ourselves up to the latest contents and posts of our favorite sites. And, it enables us to make deep relationships with our favorite sites.

3. How can the technology be used to network professionally and connect users to learning resources?
The RSS of news sites and academic sites such as CNN and Newton can be used to professions and academic purposes, because these RSSs can give latest information and discoveries according to such purposes.

4. What learned skills and understandings may promote your development as an effective learner in the digital age?

It is useful and helpful for RSS users to learn about the relationships and the connections between RSS and bookmark, tool bar, google reader. It enables them to save times to search latest information and to not to miss important discoveries and updates of their RSS.

Lesson4-Think,Explore, and Explain

Think
How do you currently save and store favourite webpages? What provisions do you make to be able to access them whenever and wherever you need them?
When I find a favorite page, I register the favorite page as my favorite Internet Explorer. Then, I copy the favorite page in my USB.
Through this step, if I have the USB, whenever and wherever I want to access the page, I can access to it by using the USB.


Explore
What other ways can you think of to publicise your Delicious username so that others might access what you know? What are benefits can you identify in participating in an open knowledge network such as Delicious?
The other ways are that I write the username of Delicious on my e-portfolio, and that I send some e-mail to some people with my username.
The bengefits of the network such as Delicious are that I can know what other people are interested in today, and that I can use some useful skills by refferring to the skills that others use.


Explain
Write a post reflecting on Delicious with reference to the four Key Questions. (SCICU e-Portfolio)
Social Computing Key Questions:
1. What are the main skills needed to use social software?
Delicious has a good characteristic as a good social software. It is because Delisious enable us to share bookmarks which we are interested in. The share is social communication because our idea are exchanged each other.

2. What are the affordances (what the software makes possible, what it impedes)?
Delicious makes the share of bookmarking possible. This means that it is possible to share the idea and information which we are noticing today.

3. How can the technology be used to network professionally and connect users to learning resources?
For the professional network, Delicious can offer the opportunity to the users by sharing the latest computer technology.
For connection between users and learning materials, Delicious can enable users to classify the materials easily. It leads them to review their study easily.

4. What learned skills and understandings may promote your development as an effective learner in the digital age?
Sharing is a important concept because it enable us to help each other in the community of network users. The helps encourage us to study further information about social network and to communicate with others.

Barabasi: The Sixth Link pp. 25-35

Barabasi: The Sixth Link pp. 25-35
1. What is the principle of six degrees of separation? What number of social links does any one person need to be connected to global society? p. 30
The principle of six degrees of separation is that one person can communicate with any other person through five linking people.
Any one person need six linked persons in order to be connected to global society.

2. How is the fabric of society today different from pre-internet society? p. 31
The URLs can allow us to move with the click of a mouse from one page to another. They enable us to access to and gather information.

3. How many more links separate any pair of web pages compared to people in society? What can explain the difference? p. 34
In addition to six links in people's society, thirteen links are necessary in the web world. Nineteen links are necessary to connect any pair of web pages. On the other hand, six links are necessary to connect any pair of people in society.
The difference can be explained by the hugeness of web world compared to people's society.

4. So far, what ranges of separation have network scientists discovered in different kinds of networks? p. 34
There are three kinds of separation. First, our society has a separation of six. Second, the web has a separation of nineteen. Third, the internet has a separation of ten.

5. What does research suggest about the fundamentals of networks? p.34-35
The more links people add, the closer distance they need in order to reach any other person. The more links which each person has make the web world small.

6. What is your estimate of your personal number of connections to society? What connections are your strongest?
I estimate that I need 10 persons in order to communicate with any other person in my personal society.
My strongest connection is my members of the soccer club of my high school.

A reflection on my e-portfolio

A reflection on my e-portfolio:

1. There is no communication and no link with other users.
2. The links to some pages of Social Computing is convenient. It is because it is easy to go and come back between my e-portfolio and the home pages of Social Computing.
3. It is possible to develop the design. It can be more colorful and artistic.