Advice to Baruch College

Baruch College could use new media to improve the college in many ways. For example using smart board touch technology. I had that technology in my high school and it improved the learning experience so much better than just projectors and computers. To actually be able to have the internet and computer interaction with the board is really neat. You can write on the board as if you were using the computer, and save the lessons or what ever you did during class and post them to blackboard. The school website or student pages could be more interactive. They could make a social networking site geared only to Baruch students, because this is a commuter school it might make meeting friends easier. The expansion of technology is always a good thing and Baruch can incorporate all the different new medias into class time, and make then available for students to use at their leisure to improve learning.

Privacy & confidentiality

I think privacy and confidentiality is a big issue when it comes to new media. The internet is not a very private thing, nothing is ever deleted and if you know what to do you can always crack into files. There are people known as hackers that do just that. Whether it is a website like Facebook that doesn't give for much privacy, unless you manipulate the privacy settings it can be scary. There was a story in the news yesterday about a couple updating their status letting all their Facebook friends know they were leaving to go to a concert..and some took advantage and broke into their house and robed them. It turned out the perps were friends of theirs on Facebook and lived in their neighborhood. Thats why people have to be very careful. Due to the fact that everything can be anonymous and you never know who you are talking to for sure..privacy can be an issue.

Twitter discussion

I liked the twitter discussion because it was in a different setting than the school website. Using twitter to have a discussion didn't make it feel like school work but something i would do anyway on my own free time. The only thing i don't like is the character limits, its hard to get a single thought in about the article without having to cut it short. Other than that i am new to twitter but am liking the experience thus far.

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

What are different ways these virtual worlds can be used?

They can be used to creatively express yourself. It can be an escape from real life, and allow you to experience things you maybe cant experience in real life through avatars. Virtual worlds allow you to create a fantasy world and express your desires. For example in the article "In Room 100, It’s Sid and Nancy All Over Again" by Saki Knafo they used second life to keep the spirit of their beloved hotel alive after it underwent massive changes thanks to new management. People had the desire to have the hotel live on and they were able to achieve this through a virtual world. People were able to visit and do all sorts of hotel like activities on the net. Thats what makes this type of technology so appealing becuase people can create a world they want, or keep an old reality alive online.

What are the pros and cons?

Pros: There are many positives about virtual worlds like the freedom to express yourself. You can be anyone you want to be, and create a whole new second life the way you want. Some people are unhappy with their reality and a virtual world can serve as an escape for some people.

Cons: Unfortunately there are some sick people in the world and things that are meant for good clean fun turn into something ugly and dangerous. These virtual worlds are what you make of them, and people can sometimes make them into something horrible. Like for example in the movie Gamer that was recently released, it was all about the virtual world. Some people used these games to hurt others, or express sick fantasies. People use these virtual worlds for different reasons and the reasons are not always positive.

How do virtual worlds foster creativity?

These virtual worlds allow you to pick your own avatar, create the world you want to live in...it allows you to fully express yourself. The world and the character you create is all your own which fosters creativity in and of itself. If you really want to enjoy the virtual world experience you have to be creative to make this world all your own.

What do you think the future of virtual worlds will look like?

I think just like all other types of new media it will continue to grow in popularity and improve. People are always looking for the latest and greatest and if this is a new trend people are going to want the technology to constantly be upgraded. Maybe in the future there will be a way to actually feel what the avatar is feeling or find a way to make the experience more real than just controlling an avatar on the screen. There are already movies about future virtual world technologies, i'm sure safety would be an issue, but i'm sure soon enough virtual worlds will continue to be upgraded and constantly improved.

Social Networking

Social networking sites can be used in a lot of ways in todays society.

According to the article Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting by Frank Langfitt companies use social networking sites to look for potential employees. This is a very common use for these sites amoung other things. Sites such as Facebook allow you to interact with a person in an impersonal way. It allows you to stay connected with others which has become so popular these days.

The benifits of these technologies to society is that people can stay in touch with one another. It makes for easy communication. These sites allow people to express themselves and make new friends. The sites also allow people to advertise themselves and market themselves for free. These qualities are very beneficial.

The dark side to these social networking sites is that it can cause some people to become obsessed. Some people literally post their whole lives on these sites, and you can never be 100% sure who is looking at and receiving the information that you put out there. People can save your information and do god knows what with it, i know because it has happened to me. Thats why i dont put all my real information on the internet because nothing is ever really deleted and you never know who is reading your stuff or on your page, so its always good to be careful.

I think these technologies will continue to evolve in the future because people simply want to know whats going on in the lives of other people at every minute of everyday...and i think these sites for the people willing to participate makes this possible. I think people need to always be careful because these sites continue to push the limits and come out with the next best trend and that could get dangerous.

Check Out Social Networking Sites

My impressions of these social networking sites.

Facebook- This is my favorite social networking site, I log on at least twice a day. I like the fact that it connects you with your friends, it allows you to see what others are doing so that you can interact with them. Everyone has a Facebook account now and days so its pretty easy to connect with the people you lost touch with in the past, people in your present, and meet plenty of people in the future.

Myspace- I'm not such a big fan of Myspace, i have one but have considered deleting my account because no one really uses Myspace anymore, and all the friends i have on Myspace i also have on Facebook...so i don't see the need for two accounts. The only thing i do like about Myspace is the fact that you can express yourself creatively with music and special layouts.

Friendster- I am new to this site, i am still giving it a try, but from the looks of it, it seems like another Facebook. The set up is similar and it allows you to do the same things.

Formspring.me- This social networking site i don't really see the point in. From my observations all it does it create drama and conflict because it allows you to ask people questions anonymously. Due to the fact that it is anonymous people ask to many personal questions and it gets annoying. Thats why i had an account but decided to delete it because people are rude and very nosy.