A Review of ALES 204

I have to admit, at the beginning of the term I was skeptical of this course.  It has been unlike any other university course I have taken and so I was unsure of what I was going to take away from it.  However, now I do know what I have gained from this class.  Options.  Before ALES 204 I was unaware that there were so many resources and tools out there to help improve communication.  I had never before heard of LinkedIn, Audioboo, or even thought about using Twitter.

http://principlesofmakingmoney.blog.com/making-money-ideas/social-media-map-making-money-on-the-internet-you-need-to-see-the-map-of-relationship-to-find-a-nitche-2/

In thought it was also very modern and innovative that we used these tools to gain participation marks for the course.  This allowed us to really try it for ourselves, see which options work best for us and which ones will benefit us most in our future career paths.  If I had to make a point of constructive criticism it would be that it might be more respectful and beneficial to make our Tweets for participation following the lectures instead of during.  This way we can really give the speaker the attention they deserve and get more out of the lecture. 

Another area of the course I enjoyed was the labs.  The time during the labs were used very effectively and all students can appreciate that.  Some of these new websites and social media tools can be hard to navigate; having the lab T.A.'s there to help was very beneficial and made it less stressful.

I also just want to point out a few skills that were taught that I found to be quite helpful.  The first one being professional emails.  This does not seem like crucial information at first but it is an important skill that will have to be used mostly for my entire life.  Even just learning a couple more things about what comes across as professional was beneficial.  Another skill I found helpful was the citing of APA style.  Yes, most of us have already had to do this for papers throughout university, however, citations can easily be written falsely.  The practice references we were given showed me a lot and actually ended up helping me on a research paper this term.  Without ALES 204 I would not have known how to cite articles with a DOI.  Finally, the other skill taught throughout this course was how to use Twitter to get involved in conversations of interest.  By learning how to use the hash-tag symbol I can now stay up to date on topics of my choice and even make my own opinions public.



The 5 blogs I wrote on this semester were:

Emily
Rosie
Laura
Dani
Jasveer (Jessie)


I hope everyone has a great summer!

Wikipedia Stub Article

This week in ALES 204 we were learning a lot more about Wikipedia, it's reliability, and how we can get involved.  The stub that I chose to write on was "blacklight poster".  I thought it would be interesting and I also wanted to know more about how they worked.  Since it was a more general, social topic there wasn't much to be found in scientific journals or databases.  So I chose to get my information from a Wikipedia approved website, http://science.howstuffworks.com.  I expanded the article on three different areas which I categorized as "What are blacklight designs?", "How do blacklight posters work?", and "How do I make my blacklight poster glow?".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blacklight_poster

Expanding on this article was an excellent way to see how we can get involved with the information process and make an impact on our expert areas.  Although blacklight posters are not my specialty it showed me how easy it is to add my opinion and research that I have done to those topics I have studied.

However, there is a downside to this.  The fact that anybody can make an account with Wikipedia and add information into any topic is worry some.  It is also the reason why it is not a reputable source and should not be used in an academic paper.  There can be a lot of false information as well as vandalism on a public website so viewers must be aware of this.  When settling a dinner time argument Wikipedia is a great source but when looking for something peer-reviewed it is better to search for the sources through an academic database.

If you are also interested in learning more about blacklight posters you can do to this Wikipedia page that I helped to expand.  You can also learn more about overlearning here.  This was a stub that Emily worked on expanding.

Social Media: It's Not All Fun and Games

Throughout this term we have seen many advantages of social media, including Twitter and Facebook. Engaging in conversations around the world, spreading awareness for products and ideas, and of course meeting new people we could have never before contacted all would not have been so possible without the use of social media. However, easy access to such a massive program does have its negatives and I believe it is important for people to be aware that it is not all 'fun and games'.
 

First and most importantly, privacy. The internet is a very large place and we must realize that when we put any information on the web it can be accessed by millions of people. When making a 'tweet' or a post on Facebook we are giving everyone including strangers around the globe a look into our personal lives. When creating accounts on any social media website it is very important to check and adjust your privacy settings  to what you feel is comfortable. Although the internet will never be fully secure you can have some control over what is released to others. The only way to one hundred percent prevent something personal becoming public knowledge is by not sharing it. When using the internet, please proceed with caution.

The other point I wanted to bring up is about when engaging in social media is appropriate. Making a 'tweet' while in a professional setting is not the best time. Also, when listening in on a presentation it is not appropriate to either be looking at your smart phone or laptop to see what is new on Twitter or Facebook. People spend a lot of time and effort preparing for a class presentation and we should give them the attention and respect they deserve.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/youth/article51740.ece

Social media does have many positive features going for it that cannot be compared. While engaging in this wonderful innovation however, we must do so carefully. By being cautious of our own privacy and using its benefits to our advantage we can be sure to get the best experience possible.

If you have not already, check out Facebook and Twitter and get started in the conversation!

To check out another great ALES204 blog take a look at Laura McSporran's page