Analysis+and+Reflection+Page

 =Content=

1) ) October 5, 2006: Created a short page on online communities. Defined what they are and how they are formed and also gave some examples of existing communities. (It has been updated by others since then so I am happy :) )

2) November 15, 2006: Created a page on Instant Messengers outlining what it is, an overview, the history, some of the benefits, and its implications on the English language

3) December 4, 2006: Edited my instant messengers page format and deleted some text

4) December 7, 2006: Edited my own content for instant messengers. Deleted text reorganized some sections and added an image

=Community Building=

1) September 29, 2006 : changed the definition of comics in Comic books according to what Scott McCloud defines it as in Understanding Comics

2) October 5, 2006: I posted my opinion about Understanding Comics and stated my personal view on art vs science here: http://ccit300-f06.wikispaces.com/message/view/home/84058

3) October 6, 2006: Posted a definition of Blogs.

4) November 16, 2006 : Added a catch phrase, a new product and image of product offered by infomercials (Velform Sauna Belt), added to the list of informercial personalities, and also provided a link on the page to The Shopping Channel

5) November 20, 2006: Added a History and Legends of Bollywood section to the Bollywood page with images of famous actors and movies and links to all the refences. I was initially interested in starting a page on Bollywood, however I noticed someone else started one, but didn't link it to the main table of contents page, which is what I did now so that everyone else can see it

6) November 23, 2006: Edited format of Comedy Movie page, added Scary Movie and Three Stooges image and added to a little bit of content.

7) December 4, 2006 : Edited the Tabloid page" Added a Paparazzi section with a small paragraph and included an image of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. Edited structure of page to add a table of contents, and made headings bigger

8) December 8. 2006: Added a comment to the Our Final Thoughts page.

9) December 8, 2006: Edited theDesign page by adding accessible design paragraph and editing a few spelling errors.

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=Analysis and Reflection=

=November 16, 2006= =PART 1= . When first encountering wiki at the beginning of the course.
 * **What do you think/feel about this collaborative learning environment ?**

I feel that the wikispaces are an excellent collaborative learning environment. It allows for users to expand their knowledge by not only encouraging them to research and post information on a topic, but also encourages them to help contribute to building a community of knowledge through editing and revising other users' work. Building on knowledge on the Internet is also an easier way to discuss intellectual ideas. Sometimes it may be difficult to gather a bunch of people to discuss a topic in the same room, but a wiki allows for users to contribute their ideas on their own time and still be a significant part of the intellectual process. The only thing I do not like about the wikispace environment is the privacy option. On wikispaces, you can have a space which can be viewed by the public and edited by the public, or a page which is viewable by the public and only editable by members of the community and are free of charge, but if you want a page that only you can edit and only your members can view it costs $5 dollars a month (after a 30 day free trial). I think that everyone has the right to post whatever they want AND to choose who they want to view their pages. If users are allowed to choose who can edit their pages for free, then why can't they choose who they want to view those pages for free also? In addition to freedom of speech, everyone has a right to privacy and confidentiality of their information. So if people wish to post information and keep it private then I don't think it's fair that they have to pay for it. Other than that, I think that the wiki is great.


 * **What are your expectations for yourself ?**

I expect to contribute a fair share of ideas and knowledge regarding different genres of media on the wiki. I also expect to gain more knowledge through reading other students' work on various topics. In addition, I also expect to become a "wiki" expert, in learning how to create, revise, and format a wikispace.

> I have not previously used wikis in another course. However, I was familliar with the similar concept of wikipedia as "the online encylopedia that anyone can edit". Hence, I knew that wikispaces were web pages you can write information about and have either anyone edit it or people within that particular wiki community edit it (ie. only CCT300 students can edit the CCT300 wiki). When I first started using the wiki, I discovered quickly how useful it was in posting information and how easily accessible information was made to the public. I also discovered how easy the wikispace allowed for organization of information. In fact, I started using the wikispace concept in some of my other courses. For my class CCT380 Human Computer Interaction, we are involved in a group project that is involved in designing user interfaces. I helped to created a wikispace to help organize our group's information and ideas and it has been a success so far. You can even view the wikispace here: Cityclaws. Although I have learned and understand the concept of the wikispace as a useful tool for information, I would like to expand my understanding of the structure of the wikispace and how to edit it since I am just a beginner in using the wiki. For example, how to create a table of contents tool, how to change the background settings and colours on the wiki, how to embed media, etc.
 * **If you have previously used wiki in another course, describe what you have previously learned and how you want to expand your understanding.**

As a now more somewhat experienced participant in the wiki, I hope to contribute to building more knowledge in the wiki community on not only the media or for CCT 300, but on a range of other topics that interest me.
 * **What can you contribute as an experienced participant?**

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=PART 2= . Think about the following and answer to the best of your ability:
 * **How do you choose which postings to contribute or change? What do you look for?**

I choose postings to either contribute or change that either strike my interest or that I have some knowledge and/or experience with. I am interested in the Internet and sub genres within the Internet, such as online communities, social networking and the usage of instant messengers and I have posted information regarding those topics. I also have significant experience using the Internet and instant messenging systems as well as a bit of knowledge about them which is also why I have contributed to those topics thus far. In addition, I also look for pages that seem to be incomplete or just recently started because they are easier to add information to since not a lot of information has been covered yet by someone else.


 * **What are your thoughts on adding, editing or re-arranging other people's work?**

I think adding onto and editing people's work is a great form of learning. When one person posts information about something they bring a certain bias with them when presenting knowledge. For example, when someone who is a huge reality tv show fan is writing information about reality tv shows, they may tend to write about them in a more favourable light which is a one sided or one perspective view of how reality shows really are. However, since others are allowed to edit or add onto the work, other people, who perhaps do not like reality shows, can provide information about the disadvantages or the social consequences of reality shows. Hence, multiple user edits and additions will allow for more integrated perspectives on a topic. In addition, I also feel that by allowing other users to edit or re-arrange your work ensures better accuracy of the information. For example, if one user mis-cites a certain work and another user notices that, then they can correct that so that future users who venture upon that page for information are not mislead about that topic. Although objectivity and accuracy are great advantages of enabling multi users to edit their work, I also feel that there are disadvantages also. Some users who do not respect other people's opinions or work may purposely sabotage or vandalize a user's page. I have seen this happen on wikipedia on certain topics and the people of wikipedia had to lock the page in order to preserve its integrity. If other people can respect other's views and opinions and provide constructive criticisms through their edits, then I feel that the wiki system will work well. However, since there are many ignorant or narrow minded users that still exist, the wiki system will always have both its ups and downs.


 * **Do you regularly check your own postings for alterations? Has anyone changed your work and how have you felt about it?**

I regularly check my own postings to see if anyone has made any alterations. I started a page on online communities and I have already seen quite a few changes on the page already. Personally, I feel that these changes are great because they often pick out errors in my writing or content that I wouldn't have even thought of. I also feel that other people also help to refine even the look of the page, by changing the format of the text or by adding relevant images. I have also wrote a page about instant messengers and have yet to see the changes on my page. In addition, I also intend on creating more content related to the Internet genre and look forward to having others refine my work.

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=Part 3: December 8, 2006=

As a final reflection for the course, post your thoughts and ideas on:


 * Challenges or limitations you experienced while working collaboratively on wiki** :

Some of the challenges I found while working on the wiki was figuring out how to go about editing someone else's work and doing that given time constraints. Sometimes I felt that topics were already covered for the most part and it was hard to find out how to start editing one's work. I also found that contributing to the wiki itself was time consuming. Whenever I wanted to post something, I wanted to make sure I got the information right or that I was expressing myself the way I wanted to. I simply didn't want to add banners or change structural things in the wiki alone; I wanted to contribute something to the content either by adding on to what others have contributed and/or editing their actual work. For me, this took a lot of time to do and although I tried to contribute as much as I could, I wish I could have contributed more. In addition, one of the minor challenges/limitations of the wiki was getting the content to appear the way I wanted to, such as getting the images in the right position on the page. Sometimes when I would insert an image into the document it would appear on the wrong part of the page or completely mess up the text of the document. Then I would have to go back and fix it (hence the many edits that appear in the history even though I am working on one major edit). Other than minor technological glitches and time, I felt the wiki was a good experience.


 * Advantages or benefits from participating in this wiki** :

The wiki really introduces a great way for many people to express, yet discuss and critique intellectual ideas. It is a great way for knowledge and community building.

I felt that the wiki worked well in the course. This is my first time using a wiki for a course and in general and I really enjoyed the experience because it was an interesting approach to discussing course related concepts outside of the classroom. The culture jamming project worked really well in the course as well because it taught students to critically examine the underlying messages in the media, while at the same time giving us a chance to poke are fun at it. However, I would improve the tutorials. I felt that the tutorials didn't really cover any important course material or concepts. In fact, content from the lectures were not discussed in the tutorials at all. Also, the course could encompass learning of technological software, such as Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Flash etc. Since it is a CCIT course and it is being taught at sheridan, I think it's important to incorporate both theory and practical applications into the course. I liked how the lectures covered a wide variety of topics, but at the same time I felt that the content was too broad and a bit vague at times. I also felt we should have had more diverse readings than just McCloud's books about comics and a few online readings. Perhaps books or readings discussing and critiquing the Internet, as well as radio, televison, newspapers and other mediums would really aid in a more structured critical analysis of media.
 * Things about the course you thought worked well and/or suggested improvements**:

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