Working together on the Web

Web 2.0 influenced us in our ability to communicate and permeability to share and interact; furthermore, our learning progress would be benefitted too. 

 A web 2.0 site allows us to edit the content of the website and enables everyone to share their masterpiece without anybody’s permission, like Wikipedia, a comprehensive learning platform, consisted of contributions around the world users and have been found that professionally as Encyclopedia Brittanica (Giles, 2005) although teachers won't treat Wiki source credited.

Indeed, as a student, I found that Wikipedia facilitated professional collaboration and multicultural learning.  For example, the Discussion Page enabled users to chat and give comments on a particular topic, this action suggested cultural diffusion like abbreviations, terms that every users utilize; people with different cultural background like political preferences, religion, environmental protectors would for or against particular topic. We can definitely learn global understanding apart from entire knowledge in printed Encyclopedia. 

In favor to our academic learning, Google documents created a great hit and welcomed by professionals, teachers and students around the world. But why?

First, free of geographical and temporal constraints (Kanselaar, G. Erkens, Prangsma, & Jaspers, 2002);

Second, Google Documents’ toolkit enables only one version of the collaborators’ document at all times and highlighted changes by users, this feature is incredible fantastic since we won’t feel annoying about which version is the most updated while sending files back and forth with E-mail or MSN;

Third, Google Documents enable collaborators to see changes of the document in the real time, this feature facilitated the delay of messages or communication barriers with amendment towards the document;

Forth, collaborators’ names are found in a small, colored boxes at the bottom of the document, to identify who are working on the document with you at the same time;

Fifth, Google Documents’ commenting tool provided chatbox/dialogue square for collaborators to exchange ideas, like Instant Messages as MSN.

In short, Google Documents demonstrated a great example of collaborative writing with a great complexity and comprehensive mixture of technologies. Social presence and precise amendment, contributions with a maximum 10 talents at one time, the result is a great piece of work – to match the intelligence of collaborative writing. I agree with the following quote!

Computers and computing offer profound opportunities to learn new things, old things in new ways and construct knowledge in ways that would be inaccessible without access to technology. Constructionism particularly applies to learning with digital technology. (Stager, 2005)

However, things cannot be perfectly designed. The nature of your job will determinate or constraint the usage of Google Documents.

For example,  if you work in a bank, personal information from clients should be handle  delicately and carefully. As a result, email system rooted in the Intranets will be a suggestive way to communicate and facilitate group working, other than tools designed and managed by a public website/server.

Speak with picture

A famous campaign launched by Diesel called BE STUPID, the aim of this campaign is to suggest people to act stupid - those who claimed SMART are actually coward because they don't even try to work things out but STUPID isn't afraid to fail. Below is my favourite advertisement from this collection.

This one demonstrates well of image text interaction. The text" STUPID MIGHT FAIL. SMART DOESN'T EVEN TRY." served to frame the image, the boy who tried to push himself into the rubbish bin was a stupid guy or even crazy. It spoke in the consistent way with the text, he tried but he failed as the picture shown. Although the picture is hilarious and exaggerated, it appealed to our emotion. While we were growing up, we always told "Don't be stupid." But why? If we all follow the way and path that the others do, our life cannot be improved, agree? Scientists are the one who got stupid thoughts, that's why so many fantastic inventions are invented. They are brave but not stupid.

Picture speaks louder than words, we can "feel" how brave we should be! 

From page to screen

Inspired from Christoph and Rodney's lecture, I tried to analyze two web-pages to see whether the theory "meaning potential of textual regions in an image" can applied on webpage layout or not.

Example 1: Lady Gaga official website

There is a clear left-right division on this screen, with a white line straight from the top to the bottom, divided clearly into two separate sections. On the left of the screen (from top to bottom), we see a big LADYGAGA, few navigation buttons created beneath the name. Followed by the latest updates in Twitter@Ladygaga, lyrics and MV of Ladygaga, to conclude, latest news from Ladygaga. These information should be regarded as the cultural knowledge towards Ladygaga - her music, personal information, events like concerts...(GIVEN CONTEXT)

On the right of the screen, there is log-in form of different popular social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter; search engine bar, featured sites of Ladygaga. Firstly, the linkage with different social networking websites allowed us to explore new information - a gateway to share the news from the Ladygaga website; featured sites of Ladygaga: new information other than the official website of Ladygaga that provided. (NEW CONTEXT)

Example 2: Rihanna Official Website

This website also consisted of left-right division.  

Left-Right: The portion under the picture of Rihanna should be regarded as the left part of the screen, which included the news of Rihanna (MV, lyrics, TV commericials), similar to the Lady Gaga's website.

On the right hand-side of the screen, there is a sign-up form for Rihanna's newsletter, icons link to different social networking websites, music bar and links to features websites. Sign-up form for Rihanna's newsletter enabled further communication and connections with fans, new information will then attached.

These two examples voiced out the usual layout and pattern of a singer's website, fans would like to get the latest news about the singer, as a result the dominant element would be NEWS of the webpage.

One more interesting point I would like to add is: we are now hardly to find a commercial website without linkage to social networking websites. These tools are great to serve as advertising purpose and reach potential partners if a person found interesting of the news that shared by his friend in Facebook! Business is now everywhere, who knows?

Canon, suggested the public to record with every part in our life, create with inspiration, an idea creeps into my mind - "Digital Storytelling". Most of us love to take pictures but seldom of us would link our memory together to form a unique story of our own life, technological problems? For me, absolutely YES!

According to Rule, Lesley (2010)
                   
            " Digital storytelling is the modern expression of the ancient art of     storytelling. Digital stories derive their power by weaving images, music, narrative and voice together, thereby giving deep dimension and vivid color to characters, situations, experiences, and insights."

Digital storytelling is much more interesting than bibliography, narrative entry, written diary of a person. More realistic and appealing....with different visual effect like sound effect, sound track, shocked image.

St. Valentine's Day is coming, try to create a digital story between you and your beloved, no matter your lover, family or friends. A nice present to recall precious moment. Here's a great commercial from Canon, a love story for you, ENJOY!