So, as the semester starts winding down, I guess it’s time for me to take stock and think about what I’ve learned in this class. I’m happy to say that I’ve learned quite a few things. My idea of what social media and tools should be used for have changed a bit since before I started this course. I used to see them as purely as social tool, but now I know they have practical elements as well. Something I’ve definitely learned about college, is that it is life training AND job training. College not only teaches you the necessary things you need for your career but it also introduces you to a new and wider variety of people then what you’re usually used to. You travel more, see more, and experience more. At least that’s how it’s turning out for me anyway. And I have to say, I love every minute of it.  

http://prezi.com/b4wkmyvb9bjj/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Sending a Message

When I saw the assignment for Computer Science this week, I had a bit of trouble coming up with a message I wanted to convey. So, in the end, the message I ended up choosing is something that I’ve been thinking about for awhile now. My mother is a political activist. So, as you can imagine, I grew up in a household where politics wasn’t a subject that was avoided in conversation. Every day at the dinner table there would be some new bill to talk about, some corrupt politician to scorn, or some outrage to protest. My interest in politics would definitely not have been sparked if not for my mom. That being said, there is a message here. With all the craziness of the Health Care website debacle, the NSA scandal, and the general stubborn obstructionism of the Republican dominated House of Representatives, politics over the past few months has left a pretty bitter taste in my mouth. The message I’m trying to convey (with a photo from the DC public library and with a quote from Napoleon Bonaparte, no less) is that the realm of politics have always had a higher tolerance for stupidity, lies, and divisiveness. Since we live in a nation of elected officials, the very least that the voter can do is to stay informed, take part in your local government, and to be careful who you vote for.

 

New tools and my Google test site!

My recent foray into web design as a possible future career has given me some pretty useful tools. Chief among these is Team Treehouse, a website that teaches the basic and advanced workings of web design for a monthly subscription. I chose this site in particular because of its informative lessons, branching projects, and the high application of its subject matter for the modern world of web design.

Take a look for yourself!

 https://teamtreehouse.com/

Also, my idea for my Google site allows me to use my love of military history for an for a site called Battles that Changed the World.  I’m thinking of making it an educational website that will separate the most important battles in history into several different time periods (ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern) with a short description of each battle and its importance.

https://sites.google.com/a/udel.edu/battles-that-changed-the-world/home

Copyright, Plagiarism, and Remixing

I have made a lot of friends who are creative, whether they be musicians or artists. So, the issues of copyright and plagiarism have come up quite frequently in conversation. Now, I’m not an artist so my views on these subject might seem a bit terse. I personally believe that if you have the ability to create something that it is yours and it should be shared with the world and that YOU should be given credit for it. However, I also think that if, for the right reasons and if the person who created said piece is credited, that other people can make something inspired by or in homage to the piece (like a remix for a song). I think copyright is definitely needed because, without it, the temptation to steal and not credit other people’s work (artistic, scientific, or otherwise) would be simply too easy. I also think that copyright laws should last long enough so that it becomes common knowledge for people who created what. If I had to place a time on copyright and patent protection, I’d say at least 30 years. If we don’t give credit where credit is due for people who create new things, we remove one of the incentives to create which is to be recognized and proud of one’s work. 

New Tools for Computer Science

So, as an assignment for my Computer Science course, Although it was a bit overwhelming, I signed up for three different websites that each have several different uses.

Netvibes- A personalized dashboard publishing platform for the Web composed of widgets that are pulled from a widget list open to third party developers. This could be useful to me if I wanted to start a business because it allows me to keep track of other companies, clients, and competitors. The downside is that the user interface is a bit difficult to navigate.

TweetDeck- A social media dashboard application for management of Twitter accounts. This is more of a social tool that can help you keep track of your Twitter. TweetDeck displays your dashboard, mentions, favorites, hash tags, and search results and more. This site’s UI is a bit easier to navigate, allowing the users to organize columns of information in an easy and efficient manner.

HootSuite- A social media management system for brand management and is a bit of a combination of Netvibes and TweetDeck. This site combines business brand management and following social media allowing you to add different social media websites you are using. Thankfully, the UI for this website was probably the easiest to use.

Pros and Cons of Social Media and Online Learning

With the advent of the internet, the world became a much smaller place and recorded knowledge became cheaper and much easier to access. However, for people who are inexperienced with either the internet or computers in general, these benefits can be a little daunting and can lead to several problems.

Well let’s go over them, shall we?

Pros for Social Media:

1. It can connect friends, family, and business partners who live in different parts of the world.

2. Social media can allow people to expand their group of friends and easily contact them.

3. Social media can also allow people to form groups based on similar interests and beliefs and can help create (for the most part) a intelligent forum for debate or discussion.

Cons of Social Media:

1. Social media can make hateful speech and bullying spread faster and much more efficiently.

2. Privacy and security issues. I’m looking at you, Facebook.

Pros of Online Schooling:

1. Cost beneficial to low income households

2. Also beneficial for households who work full time (classes can be taken at home)

3. Gives students who do not respond well to conventional schooling an alternative method of learning.

Cons of Online Schooling:

1. Some students respond more to a direct approach in the physical classroom.

2. No opportunities to ask “in class” questions.

Despite some obvious drawbacks, I certainly think the good outweighs the bad when it comes to social media and online learning. These two things can represent a microcosm of the internet as a whole. The internet opens new doors not just for today’s youth, but for future generations as well.

My expectations for Computer Science

I guess I should preface this by saying that I’ve been somewhat familiar with computers since I was little. That being said, I’ve never really gotten into things like programming or anything like that until recently. My expectations for this course is  that maybe it’ll help me find my way around the internet (and computers in general) with more ease.

Here’s my about.me page!

http://about.me/mutoandrew/#