End of a Chapter ...

http://www.kemplen.co.uk/
It has come to the end of a project, and I must say it has been an enjoyable and interesting experience. Looking back through the weeks, I have come to realise just how a project such as this can open your eyes and allow you to become aware of so many things.

Through discussions and education from Nigel, I found myself learning about things that I had never been aware of, further developing my understanding of topics (such as the Internet) that I thought I knew so well, but yet it became apparent that in fact had so much more to learn. The group discussions were challenging and interesting, they allowed me to understand subject matters from different aspects, it made me aware that when thinking about something, you have to consider it from more than one angle and theres so many different views and angles to consider it from.

*Group Work...

This week was the final week to meet the completion date, it was tough, however as a group it was collectively possible. Mette finished off putting the group work onto the wiki and Leda and I started and completed the first version of the Conclusion. Everyone has different styles of writing which can sometimes be a little bit of a problem, so Jana and Mette tweaked the conclusion to how they wanted it and it was added to the Wiki and all was complete. It felt good!

*What have I learnt...

Time management and organised plans has proved to be very important throughout out project. We implemented a plan so that we as a group had focus and a target to work towards. At times it could be difficult to follow these plans as there was often technological difficulties, however with persistence and patient, it wasn’t difficult to overcome these problems.

As a group, we found that everyone has different styles of writing, which did prove to be a problem. Despite this, we realised that this was going to be an obstacle that throughout the project we had to learn to adapt to, there was no way to solve or change it, as it would require people to change they was they write texts, so as a result what we did do was, we made sure we wrote the text and presented to each other and then thought about how we could tweak the text a little to suit everybody and more importantly, it had to be written so that it was coherent and focused on the topic. So from this I have learnt that you have to be understanding and compromising and aware that there is not set way to do something, therefore you must be flexible, willing and compromising.

Overall, I don’t think as a group we had many problems which caused any major problems that affected out productivity.

www.jupiterimages.com

*What went well...?

Our communication as a group was brilliant, we chose not to present or store any information, text or pictures that we found on the group wiki as we kept this clean and tidy and alternatively, we found email was the best option for us as a group. We very regularly emailed one another anything that was related to the project and what we had found. It became evident that through email communication, our group were very efficiently communicating with one another, and this made a difference to our production as we were more effective and able to communicate with each other easily.

Overall, the hard work and persistence has meant that the wiki came together and it looks great, I have never done anything like this before and the finished product speaks for itself. I am proud of my contribution to the group work, but I am also very proud of my group have produced. I haven't worked with some members of the group before, but its been interesting and a learning curve for me and I have really enjoyed working with different people. * Well Done to Virtual4 *

There's been so much that I have learnt from this topic, and I could write / talk forever, (which im sure you have gathered) but my previous blogs speak for themselves, I have enjoyed this course a lot, and the class was great as they contributed to this experience, and importantly Nigel has been one of the best tutors I have ever had. His way of teaching has been brilliant, its like I made a friend as well as a tutor, hes honestly been brilliant, quite lucky to have had the opportunity to work with him.

* Thanks to Nigel for all your hard work and for being so supportive..*
www.cartoonstock.com

So its been a journey, and might I add that this has been an enjoyable and learning opportunity for me... This is my final blog, but i'm considering creating my own personal blog, but i'm a little unsure about what and how much personal information I want to put on the Internet as Ive become aware through this course just how easily accessible information on the Internet is to other people, but something I am thinking about .. But my thoughts are, I might start a blog not because I want people to read it, but because I might want to use it as a personal space to voice my thoughts and opinions, somewhere I can reflect and a way to track myself, for me to look back on...

Anyway, I could go on for hours ... So I had better love you and leave you!!


Final Thoughts:

Thankyou to my group for your support and for the work we have produced...
Thankyou to Nigel for your support and the opportunity you have given to us!

Wish you all a Merry Christmas and many Happy Celebrations in the New Year...

Khristina xxx

On the Grind like Clockwork...

Reflection on LAST week:

I had a bad week and inevitably alot of added stress and pressure came with it. The end is drawing near, and its time to pull everything together... as they say, The show must go on!! In my case... The deadlines are rolling in..!

http://www.bigstockphoto.com/thumbs/5/5/1/small/1553866.jpg

Project Work

Last week, it came to a point where the whole group had done as much as they could do at that point, and it was now a question of putting everything onto the wiki, tweeking what we had done and working on the introduction and conclusion. Mette and Jana left early as they had a meeting with some 2nd year students in regards to work placement and Leda and I were left to look for some pictures and think about the Introduction and Conclusion.


Problems we were having last week...


Firstly, When there are 4 people writing, it is inevitable that there will be some difficulties as that comes with group work, but within our group, we had an issue with styles of writing. Everybody writes in different styles and tones and this can affect the struture of the work, making all the written work coherent was a little difficult but not at all something we needed to stress about.

Secondly, there was some technical difficulties with putting the work on the wiki, but it was something that needed a little patient, team effort and support...




P.s Im happy to blog, its reflective, somewhere to voice my thoughts and im enjoying it! (I didnt think i would say that looking back, but I do like it...) : )

It's all getting a bit too much ...

I handed in my dissertation proposal this morning so im so glad that is complete (for now...) I also have a seminar paper to work on and an essay; which are due in 2 weeks time. So im just a little fed up, and unfortunately, when life seems a bit tough at the moment, there was unexpected death of a close uncle in the family last week.. Being a close family, it seems to be having an affect on everyone, myself included and i guess its a little tough to deal with everything at the moment. You know when you want that BIG black hole in the ground to open up... yep ... Im looking for that at the moment... But ... as they say, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going..?! Just have to keep going I guess.

http://www.forward-moving.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/Question%20Mark.JPG

So 'the group' is collating the work and its being put on the wiki at the moment. Mette is dealing with this, and i think shes having a few technical difficulties as the computer doesnt seem to want to work with her on this... Technology!! Its proving to be a little bit of a pain! Jana too is aiding her with this teadious process, whilst myself and Leda have been looking for images and videos that support the wiki and illustrate our work.

I feel that theres unecessary stress and tension within the group at the moment, and this is the only place I can voice that. As expected, people are working themselves up and stressing themselves, and of course the steam does need to be let out after a while... but I feel like everyone needs to BREATHE . . .

Everyones in the same boat, and by shouting, stressing and being short fused in life, your not going to resolve a situation. Its not personal, just a thought.

http://www.listenforjoy.com/art/large/deep-breath.jpg

Group Meeting ...

Leda, Jana and Mette and I were supposed to be meeting on Wednesday (14th Nov) to see where we were so far, what we need to work on, what needs changing, working on etc...

Leda is moving house at the moment, so stressing a little with uni work and keeping up with the moving plan ... I know the feeling, I moved family house 6 months ago... such a nightmare! So much stress and pressure. But with a little patience and management of time she should be ok... so Anyway ... Leda had pre warned that she wouldnt be able to come in.

Unfortunately, Mette felt ill on Wednesday morning and called Jana to let her know she too wouldnt be able to make it.

Jana and I spent the best part of the morning till the early afternoon working on different parts of the project. Jana spent alot of time reading through what everyone had done so far, it was really helpful because it meant that we as a group could figure out where we needed to concentrate more and what we needed to focus on... So... overall... time well spent by Jana and I !

We are meeting in our lesson today, I think as a group we want to focus the work and find a structure and organise...

Problems to focus on:

• Referencing - Has been an issue we REALLY need to work on
• Organising the text - We need to collaborate and it needs to be in an order that makes sense and follows through
• Find a structure - The way it is visually presented in our wiki so that it makes sense

Good and Bad Web Design

I decided to think about what i consider good and what i think is bad about a design, this became more evident when i scanned through some websites. I dont believe what the website is about makes much difference to the design, a good design is a good design.

Good Design: http://www.msn.co.uk/

• Bright, bold, clear features
  
• Its informative and the purpose is clear


• Lots of animation and images which break the text


• Hyperlinks to hotmail, messenger etc; which are useful and its effective
  
• Isnt too much text; reader doesnt become uninterested


• Links to important news/sports/entertainment features


• Simple to navigate around the website
  

Bad Design: http://www.zara.com/

• Very POOR navigation


• Lack of written information


• No clear images (and its a fashion website ! )


• No hyperlinks to gain access to other parts of the site


• Lacks design and creativity


• Very confusing, not interesting.


• Nothing of much use on the website

I found that even though both websites were designed for different target groups, the general layout and design template of a webiste is simple. Following clear and simple ideas will create an effective, useful and informative website.

Week 5 - Reflection

As a group we have decided to meet during the week to collate our ideas and findings so far, so we can then find what areas we perhaps need to work on more. We know and understand what we are doing now, and I feel as a group we are coming together. Its difficult at the moment to say what our focus is, although we could explain it!

Also need to start thinkin about what our written outline is going to be, this will be clear once we have put together our findings...


Motivation thought for this week:
" You're whatever you think you are. Dare to be whomever you want and the future will bring you that. It is now when you decide the future."
Bogdan Bucur --- Illinois

Week 4 Reflection

Its week 4 already?? Time is seriously flying by so quickly!! I enjoyed this weeks session, there was an interesting discussion and we also got together in our groups some more to look at our ideas. (We were a little confused by the end in our group...ill explain...)


Communities

We looked into the concept and meaning of 'communities'.

WHAT DOES THE TERM ' COMMUNITY' MEAN?? Is there one definition....

The debate was great and very interesting, it made me think about something that i was so sure about from another perspective, the juices flowed and i soon started to realise that perhaps, before making a definite assumption in my mind, I should perhaps think about it from other angles... It became apparent to me that:

1. There is not one definition of the term 'community'
2. There are thoughts and ideas that surround the concept of what a community could be
3. PEOPLE decide who is excluded from a group; therefore this indicates who is included.

**What decides who or what a Community is??

I would argue that are many things that influence this, which are:

• Language spoken
• Postcode / Residential area you live in
• Ethnicity
• Interests and Hobbies
• Education and Places you study/work

and many more...

Again, this comes down to this issue, that it is still the PEOPLE who decide who is Included and who is Excluded.

There was discussion about the idea a circle within a community too. Theres 3 parts to the circle:

1. THE CORE - These are the people in the community who know everything about everything
2. THE MIDDLE - The people in that community who are part of it and play an active part
3. THE OUTER LAYER / EDGE - Are these people really part of the community? with them being so close to the outside?

Group Work

This week we tried to create a focal point for our group, everyone has generated some great ideas and we have looked into them. Some have failed to take off; which is great as its part of the processing of finding interesting points and narrowing ideas down. We were a little confused after discussing with Nigel, as it jumbles all of our ideas up and made us start to think again! However, maybe that will make us think more in depth about what we want to concentrateon and look into as the focus of our group work... So a little more research and understanding of what we want to do is what i think we need to look at this week.

Motivation thought for week 4:

" Climb a mountain alone and discover your inner strength. Climb a mountain with a friend and discover the strength in each other."

Copyright © 2007 - Samantha Pickreign

Reading / Research for this week:

• Look at some research for the group work and focus on this

Week 3 - Reflection

This week has been very hectic for myself and havent been feeling to good this week, however, its a new week ahead and im feeling alot better! :)

Week 3 was good, it was a chance to learn some more about the internet and the concept of 'virtual communities and worlds' and we also worked on our group work.

Gift Economy

We looked into the concept of Gift Economy. This looks at how websites, such as Google, Hotmail My Space, Yahoo, Facebook, Hi5, Bebo etc, give something for people to use for free and what they get in return. Its like taking something but not giving ... a 'Gift Economy'. When you think about it, it does feel like one would be selfish to use something for free and not offer anything in return for using these websites for free, but this is understood to be the concept of Gify Economy.


Second Life

We looked at Second Life too, some information about Second Life:

• Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely created by its Residents.
• Opened to the public in 2003
• Inhabited by millions of Residents from around the world
• You'll also be surrounded by the Creations of your fellow Residents.
• Because Residents retain the rights to their digital creations, they can buy, sell and trade with other Residents.
• The Marketplace currently supports millions of US dollars in monthly transactions. This commerce is handled with the in-world unit-of-trade, the Linden dollar, which can be converted to US dollars at several thriving online Linden Dollar exchanges.

http://secondlife.com/


Group Work

At the moment we are looking at virtual communities and all researching into different ideas. I am looking into:

• The concept of virtual communities
• Theroies / understanding behine virtual online communities

My Motivational thought for week 3 :

'You are successful the moment you start moving towards a worthwhile goal'
- Charles Carlson


Further Reading / Research:

• UNIX
• Stallman

Week 2 - Reflection

It's late (I know), written but hadnt been published..oops.. Can you tell im still getting to grips with this?!

This week was interesting. We looked at HTML and also worked on our group work too.


Group Work

Lets talk about the group first. Our group is called Virtual4, and for the moment, we have decided not to assign each person with a role as we feel that the work we are currently doing towards the group work overlaps each other, so maybe at a later stage we will designate roles. Although, we as a group have decided that Mette should take the design role as shes more knowledgable and fluent with this, BUT, it also only fair that we all contribute towards the wiki as leaving this all to her wouldnt be fair. Also, i think it is a good idea that we as a group all publish something on the wiki as it can also act as a board of ideas where we can collate together our ideas and therefore access them whenever we want and need too ...

We had decided to brainstorm some ideas and meet up later in the week, we wanted to discuss these ideas which we wanted to prepare before me returned for week 3's session. It was not only to show Nigel what we were thinking so far, but it also allowed the group to find a focus and a basis, like a foundation, so we have something to work towards; a concept to work around.

So far, although there was some negativity towards the idea of 'group work' within the group at the beginning of the course, i feel comfortable and content with the people I am working with. I feel they are organised, productive and approachable. I feel content that i am working with people who I can understand and think on the same wave length as myself.


HTML

• TIM BURNERS LEE created HTML
• Internet explorer interprets the information and takes the code and does the work
• The browser reads the a code; syntax (if incorrect, it will not work)
• HTML works in containers and Tags are paired
• ERIC BINA created Image Tags
• An 'ABSOLUTE LINK' will always work aslong as it has the full correct address and the image is available
• NICOLA PELLO worked on the 1st HTML
• MARK ANDRES created a browser called Mosaic
• NCSC - National Centre for Super Computers
• NETSCAPE created by Mark Andres and Co..
• MICROSOFT WINDOWS created Internet Explorer
• Browser Wars started as people started creating Tags that only Internet Explorer could read; therefore Netscape couldnt read these Tags, which created Browser WARS!!

My Motivational thought for week 2:
...who waits until circumstances completely favor his undertaking, will never accomplish anything.

Author: Martin Luther

Further Research / Reading to do:

1. NVU
2. Raymond

Week 1 - Reflection

The concept of keeping an online journal in the form of a blog seems a little surreal. Although I am a member of other online communities, I feel that a blog is something like a personal journey; a personal movement. But if my movements are so personal and ‘private’ then why am I part of a global online community? Hmmm. Something I’ve only realised through the first lesson with Nigel. The principles and ideas behind the internet and World Wide Web (which by the way are 2 different things which I learnt only a week ago!) are intriguing and much more influential then I perhaps first realised.


Writing a Blog

Its new, different and something I’m slowly coming to terms with. Its somewhere I can post my thoughts my opinions and view, Its like a voice. A place to express, share and voice my opinion, somewhere I can collate MY journey. I describe it as a journey, because its something I haven’t done before, as well a journey, its an experience…

Well that’s my first thoughts… may sound strange, but I’m starting to like the idea of a blog… May even become addictive! Who knows…


My motivational thought for week 1:

"Continuous effort--not strength or intelligence--is the key to unlocking our potential." -
Author: Winston Churchill

Further Reading / Research :

- Look over what we’ve covered in the past 2 lessons
- Think about my thoughts about working in groups
- Brainstorm some ideas for our group work