Webpage 1:
This page, written in the summer of 2006 expresses the writer's personal critisism of the concept of the digital native and the digital immigrant. Claiming they are terms that are overused (ALREADY!) to describe something they do not understand or simply to dismiss the behaviour of those who they call digital natives or immigrants.
The page enables users to respond to the article.
Webpage 2:
This page, also from 2006, gives a (VERY!) brief history of the concept of "digital natives/immigrants" and quotes to opposing views on the matter. Sadly, that is all it does.
Webpage 3:
This webpage features a news article from a large British newspaper, also from 2006, explaining the concept itself (by using an example) as well as an example of "the opposite", talks of a "digital divide". Experts involved give their views and the article continues to report on academic research done on the phenomenon. The article concludes with several predictions of future developments of the concept. The article points out that it is not just a case of the age of a person but also their willingness and ability to embrace new technologies. How useful the article is to you depends on your knowledge of the concepts themselves as the article pretty much only covers the basic concepts of digital natives/immigrants themselves, the findings and opinion of experts are only mentioned quite briefly. The article is perfectly useful to give somebody and idea of what digital natives and digital immigrants actually ARE but doesn't seem to go particularly "deep" into the material. However, as it does mention some of these "experts" it could perhaps make it easier to find out more about them elsewhere.
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Thursday, 12 February 2009
Reading week 4 | Networks & communities
CHAPTER 3.5: NETWORKS AND COMMUNITIES
This sub-chapter summarises different theorist's views on Computer-mediated communication (CMC), and suggests that most of these different arguments are based around the notion of "community". Even though they might not even entirely agree on what the term community actually means exactly.
One of the first points of views that is mentioned "...an antidote to the social fragmentation of contemporary life" [p. 172] (which funnily enough doesn't get referenced by the author) is one that I find a particularly interesting one as it somehow inplies that the social fragmentation in real life is something that happens completely seperate from the influence of online communities. Also, surely, the niche nature of many online communities which I mentioned on the blog before SURELY enables for fragmentation of social relations more than anything.
"Computer mediated communications, it seems, will do by way of electronic pathways what cement roads were enable to do, nomely connectus rather than atomise us, put us at the controls of a 'vehicle' and yet not detachus from the restof the world." (Jones: 1994: 10)
Although I can deffinitely see the point Jones is making here, being part of the greater "world" without giving up the sens of individual choice that the internet brings, I personally would argue that the sense of individual choice and the way you can easily avoid certain aspects of the "greater" community easily make that people do all go seperate ways.
Yes, you CAN go different individual ways and still be connected with everyone, for example by using big general-public orientated services like Facebook, but there is nothing stopping you from JUST being part of niche and interest-specific online communities (sometimes even based on actual real-life minorities, for example "the well") and therefore losing touch with "the rest of the world".
This sub-chapter summarises different theorist's views on Computer-mediated communication (CMC), and suggests that most of these different arguments are based around the notion of "community". Even though they might not even entirely agree on what the term community actually means exactly.
One of the first points of views that is mentioned "...an antidote to the social fragmentation of contemporary life" [p. 172] (which funnily enough doesn't get referenced by the author) is one that I find a particularly interesting one as it somehow inplies that the social fragmentation in real life is something that happens completely seperate from the influence of online communities. Also, surely, the niche nature of many online communities which I mentioned on the blog before SURELY enables for fragmentation of social relations more than anything.
"Computer mediated communications, it seems, will do by way of electronic pathways what cement roads were enable to do, nomely connectus rather than atomise us, put us at the controls of a 'vehicle' and yet not detachus from the restof the world." (Jones: 1994: 10)
Although I can deffinitely see the point Jones is making here, being part of the greater "world" without giving up the sens of individual choice that the internet brings, I personally would argue that the sense of individual choice and the way you can easily avoid certain aspects of the "greater" community easily make that people do all go seperate ways.
Yes, you CAN go different individual ways and still be connected with everyone, for example by using big general-public orientated services like Facebook, but there is nothing stopping you from JUST being part of niche and interest-specific online communities (sometimes even based on actual real-life minorities, for example "the well"
Friday, 30 January 2009
Week 2: Topic 2 | Blogs
NAVIGATION | Navigation around the blogs is quite easy, especially since I already had experience with Blogger in particular. It easy to keep track of new posts on blogs of your peers, making it easy to respond to each other's posts. Also, the actual posting-part of the website works very intuitive and is easy to use.
EXPRESSION | Well, originally the essence of blogging is publishing your thoughts and musings to the world, and it is noticeable how blogger is clearly designed to make it as easy as possible but at the same time enables more advanced functions like HTML-support and custom layouts for those "in the know".
In this case it works very well as it enables us to put our different findings in different posts and make it easy for people to find similar posts by using tags.
INTERACTION | It's nice to have an on-the-spot comment-option here on blogger enabling people to comment immediately after reading the post without having to go elsewhere. Hopefully over the next few weeks the blogs will become a places of in-depth discussion and fiery debates! It's a nice thing to be able to read back what people are on about, something you can't do in a real-life discussion without having to ask and halting the process of the conversation when doing so.
TIME | The same goes here as what I said about this this specifgic topic about the forums, really. It is nice to do the work at a time when you are at your best, whether it's at 10 AM or 10 PM, the site works the same and people can respond to your posts anytime after you've posted them!
AUTHORITY AND IDENTITY | THe person who's blog it is is sort-of in charge I think. But more like a discussion leader, if anything. He/She brings up the points of discussion and the conversations go from there. For the rest of it I think the same sense of equality is on the blogs as there is on the forums.
SPEECH & WRITING | The same applies as to the blogs, I feel. The mode of address is quite informal as there is no requirement to use formal "essay style" writing. It is merely a platform to raise topics and share your findings with others. It is even possible to just say that you really don't get or really don;t agree with something that's written or taught on the course.
EXPRESSION | Well, originally the essence of blogging is publishing your thoughts and musings to the world, and it is noticeable how blogger is clearly designed to make it as easy as possible but at the same time enables more advanced functions like HTML-support and custom layouts for those "in the know".
In this case it works very well as it enables us to put our different findings in different posts and make it easy for people to find similar posts by using tags.
INTERACTION | It's nice to have an on-the-spot comment-option here on blogger enabling people to comment immediately after reading the post without having to go elsewhere. Hopefully over the next few weeks the blogs will become a places of in-depth discussion and fiery debates! It's a nice thing to be able to read back what people are on about, something you can't do in a real-life discussion without having to ask and halting the process of the conversation when doing so.
TIME | The same goes here as what I said about this this specifgic topic about the forums, really. It is nice to do the work at a time when you are at your best, whether it's at 10 AM or 10 PM, the site works the same and people can respond to your posts anytime after you've posted them!
AUTHORITY AND IDENTITY | THe person who's blog it is is sort-of in charge I think. But more like a discussion leader, if anything. He/She brings up the points of discussion and the conversations go from there. For the rest of it I think the same sense of equality is on the blogs as there is on the forums.
SPEECH & WRITING | The same applies as to the blogs, I feel. The mode of address is quite informal as there is no requirement to use formal "essay style" writing. It is merely a platform to raise topics and share your findings with others. It is even possible to just say that you really don't get or really don;t agree with something that's written or taught on the course.
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
So, here is where the whole thing starts...
Right... it's still early here at the first ever digital-thingy tutorial, so far we've...
- Been introduced to the forums
- Set up our blogs (As you probably would've guessed)
- Made our groups
My group consists of my good self, Jason New (for as long as he's here, anyway), Sam Jarvis and Pete Byrne. And one of today's skyvers will probably be added to our group next week.
Oh, would you look at that? It's an actual, factual picture!!
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