Newfound Knowledge

Describe some of the ways in which you intend to make use of your newfound knowledge from this course.

The tree of knowledge of good and evil.

That sounds ominous, but what I'm trying to say is that all these tools can be incredibly useful, or can turn and drive the user. One could become obsessed with checking RSS feeds, or keeping that blog up to date. Over the course of my married life, my husband has given me three truely great, inspired presents. One was a chainsaw. These tools are like chainsaws - powerful, useful and fun, but watch the kick-back.

More than the knowledge of any one or several tools, is the knowledge that I can now explore other tools, with greater freedom and discretion. When the internet was first available, it was slow and cumbersome, and had limited utility. As it became more valuable and easier to use, it also became more dangerous; worms, viruses and phishing appeared. Now we know better how to protect ourselves while using the net, but I think some of the trepidation remains in trying new tools. But a safeguard is that many of these new tools keep information on the user computer to a minimum, and are much safer than the old ways.

Vroom, vroom.

What it all means

Although the expressed focus on the text is on education, I have been trying to assess these tools in how they could be applied in other fields, such as government, business or religion.

Richardson makes two points early on: that the web will continue to provide more and more content, and that this content will be generated collaboratively. And it’s not just the content that is generated collaboratively, but the availability of the content. An essay with one author still requires the collaboration of the programmers that created the wiki/blog/RSS/social bookmarking, the business people who make the application available on the web, the hardware manufacturers, etc.

It’s easy to see the sharing of information and the shift to collaboration in education; after all education is about information sharing. The shift may be slower in other fields, but I think it is happening. For example, when the Town of Brattleboro wants to add to or modify a section of the Zoning Bylaw, we search for a document we can use as a framework. Sometimes the State provides a model document, but more often we look for a Bylaw already in use by another Town. More often, we are finding the sample ordinance on-line. It usually isn’t exactly what we want, so it gets changed to fit the local need.

This is where the “new literacy”, the reader as writer/editor steps in. We first find the content, then evaluate it, then modify (edit) it, and finally, the new document goes full circle, and reappears on the Town website as part of the Zoning Bylaw/Town Plan/Sign Ordinance. All ready for someone else to find, evaluate, edit and publish.

What it all means

Although the expressed focus on the text is on education, I have been trying to assess these tools in how they could be applied in other fields, such as government, business or religion.

The text makes two points early on: that the web will continue to provide more and more content, and that this content will be generated collaboratively. And it’s not just the content that is generated collaboratively, but the availability of the content. An essay with one author still requires the collaboration of the programmers that created the wiki/blog/RSS/social bookmarking, the business people who make the application available on the web, the hardware manufacturers, etc.

It’s easy to see the sharing of information and the shift to collaboration in education; after all education is about information sharing. The shift may be slower in other fields, but I think it is happening. For example, when the Town of Brattleboro wants to add to or modify a section of the Zoning Bylaw, we search for a document we can use as a framework. Sometimes the State provides a model document, but more often we look for a Bylaw already in use by another Town. More often recently, we are finding the sample ordinance on-line. It usually isn’t exactly what we want, so it gets changed to fit the local need.

This is where the “new literacy”, the reader as writer/editor steps in. We first find the content, then evaluate it, then modify (edit) it, and finally, the new document goes full circle, and reappears on the Town website as part of the Zoning Bylaw/Town Plan/Sign Ordinance. All ready for someone else to find, evaluate, edit and publish.

Reaction so far

I've learned some new tools, and
started to think about new and practical ways to use them.

Lookback to Flickr and mashups

My headway into the area I wanted to know more about with respect to online image sharing tools and mashups.

When we first started learning about Flickr and mashups, I didn’t know very much about either. As I started to learn more, I realized that I had encountered mashups, and I was aware of people sharing photos, but I hadn’t explored either tool. One reason I hadn’t experimented was that I didn’t realize that a mashup was a new tool, something new that I could customize so it fit my needs. And both tools are difficult to use without a high-speed connection.

As I continue to think about and use Flickr and mashups, I see more possibilities. Personal uses come to mind first, but that seems convenient but not imaginative. Mashups used for mapping development, guiding people on a tour or outlining an environmental area come to mind as ways to really use this tool. These mashups make possible information sharing in a very understandable format. Flickr could also be used to make municipal information (maps, photos) available to the public.

The drawbacks and difficulties though, are the same as in educational uses: download time, training to use a new tool and availability of equipment.

Social Bookmarking

What is the relationship between RSS and tags?

Tags are very much like keywords – subject-related words assigned by the user. In the case of an internet search, the user searches with keywords that someone else has used within the searched for item. In the case of tags, they are words assigned by the creator or archiver of the item. But a keyword search is a one-time event. An RSS aggregator provides a steady flow of information on the tagged subject. It not only becomes a flow of information, it can also more be specific. The information searches can also be modified; narrowed or broadened in scope, or redirected. Individual sites can be included or excluded.

What is the relationship between Furl and del.icio.us?

Furl saves an archive of the page itself; a great tool for researchers using sites that change frequently, like a news site. Del.icio.us saves the link. Both allow for searches, using tags, of sites other people have bookmarked, and both are accessible from any computer after a sign-in.

How do social bookmarking tools contribute to the Read/Write web?

Social bookmarking tools are interactive, not on a one-to-one basis like a blog, but for one person to see what a group thinks. Furl allows the user to grade the site in five steps as how useful it is. The cumulative effect of many people grading a site gives a new visitor an idea of how worthwhile it will be to visit the site. They also have a potential for connectivity based on group opinion. If many people in a group feel that a site has relevance to a subject, and assign the same tag, the researcher may find connections in unexpected places. Although it’s also possible to follow many side issues, gems are also possible.

Blogs Revisited

In looking over the various tools I've been learning to use in this course, blogs need a re-evaluation. I started out not seeing much use for blogs - I think my understanding of what they are and how they can be used was too narrow. Blogs can be very self-involved soliloquies on trivial matters. But they can also be used to connect people with similar interests, especially with the ability to create groups and then notify the group members when there is a new post(either because the blogger uses RSS or because the blog notifies group members as one of it's features). It's more interactive than a soliloquy, and the blogger can have a personal interaction with others.