Potential Ideas

For potential web portfolio theme ideas, I have no idea where I will go. Some people might like themes that are about change and growth but I don't find those ideas appealing. The thrill of new discovery or similar things usually are what people fall back on, even if its not true. I don't feel as if I have grown throughout the interim, but rather remained fairly static. Although I have learned a bit about electronic writing environments, my writing hasn't changed to suit them, because I feel my writing is ambiguous enough to suit both electronic and traditional writing environments already. Here are some rhetorical themes nonetheless.

1. Plains or Oceans - something great and unchanging, despite factors looking to alter them (wow, I really think I'm a pretty good writer, huh?)
2. Skies throughout the day - I have no idea but it would really appeal to me to have different backgrounds possibly changing from sunrise to moonrise, showing the time that's passed since I began each project

Revisions

I have decided to revise my enthusiast blog and the Wikitravel website. I have chosen these two because I believe they hold the most promise and could turn into the best of my projects with a little effort.

Enthusiast Blog-

• add more pictures and media in general
• add more personal touches (don't focus solely on general RA things)
• add more real stories/try and make HC more realistic with references

Wikitravel Site -

• more detail and design
• more discussion posts
• add entries
  

Kimball Response:

The Kimball article was long and rather repetitive, but it did give me a good idea what I should be aiming for when writing:

• they have good artifacts, and explain the development and reason for the artifacts, and give a honest and thorough self-review of them
• should have a clear navigation with a straightforward layout
• "careful use of color"
• should have a purpose denoted outright

The article had many subpoints concerning these topics, but these are the main headings to be followed. There were also little boxes with tips not concerning any of the above-mentioned that were helpful. When creating an online portfolio, this article will surely come in handy.

3 Possible Topics Pitch

Our cause is to save the endangered sea turtles of the world. 3 topics that I think important to cover include:

1. Conservation strategies, both ones on a larger scale (what are we doing?) and a smaller scale (what cant he reader do?)

2. Educational information about the turtles, life cycles, mating habits, migration habits, food source, common predators, etc.

3. Turtles in media, where do they show up, why are they such a fixture, and what do they represent

Reaction to Ning

I thought it was interesting to learn that Ning doesnt just create pages bu rather "networks". In their own words, they have "...more than 1.7 million Ning Networks created and 37 million registered users, millions of people every day are coming together across Ning to explore and express their interests, discover new passions, and meet new people around shared pursuits." This was particularly interesting because i have never heard of Ning before this class.

When I reviewed the product page, I was surprised to see how in depth you could be with the profiles created. Some examples shown on the home page were fantastically done, and really allowed both user interaction and the owner to tout information on their subject of choice. It seems pretty balanced. This program/service seems a bit daunting after the tutorial/run through, but I look forward to using it.

Reaction to Boyd/Bennet debate

First and foremost, although I disagree with most of Bennet's ideas, I have to say that he is well cited and has done his research, having more than enough sources to support his key points. That being said, his idealistic views of how the internet should be utilized with today's youth (turning away from traditional teaching) did not sit well with me. Traditional teaching is traditional for a reason, which is something coming out of 20 year old college student's mouth. I am not saying that the power of the internet should be ignored, rather only mildly incorporated. I do not think the world is ready for an entirely e-oriented society, nor do I think that young student have the maturity to be able to learn from the internet effectively.

Boyd also made some fantastic points about the use of social networking sites as spamming for political activists. I can 100 percent agree with that statement because while Boyd may not cite research, it is something I have experienced often in my own life. (See psychology's "person who" theory on how I can justify refuting the clearly presented reseach of Bennet). All in all, I thought both arguments had interesting points, but I will continue to support Boyd's theories.

Reaction to Social Networking Sites Article

This article wasn't terrible. In fact, it had a lot of interesting information; I found the history time line of social networking sites especially interesting. I would praise this article because it is well-researched and explores several topic that I wouldn't think to consider when talking about social networking sites. It also reviews several sites (Friendster, Myspace, etc.) and what caused their success and downfall, further shedding light onto what makes SNSs prosper. I thought the section on privacy was most illuminating because I didn't realize there was actual research on students attitudes towards SNSs and privacy. To me, it seemed common sense, since I have grown up with the internet, but it's interesting to see someone taking their thoughts to an official level.

On the other hand, the article was extremely lengthy. While I appreciate it's depth, I cannot say that enjoyed the read. As previously stated, often times I feel rather well informed on these subject, if only because I grew up in the midst of the SNS maelstrom. All in all though, it was a solid, informative read.