Blog #12 - Wikipedia Post

As I was trying to decide on what to post/edit on Wikipedia, I looked for a page on the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards. To my surprise, there was no site dedicated to the standards which was very shocking to me considering they are a major part of public education in NJ. So I decided to create a small page/contribution on the basics of the standards.

I created the page on 3/23/09 (a little late) and I'm not sure if it is because I have just recently created it, but when I type "New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards" everything is still up and ok!

I will continue to check and monitor the page.
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Here is the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_jersey_core_curriculum_content_standards

And my ID is JMC3080 for Wikipedia.

Blog #11 - Website Users

For my website idea, I was thinking of researching and writing about why Americans have such a fascination with celebrity but I think I might change it to a site about the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (still unsure):

Questions from page 19:
1. Who will use this site?
Those interested in acquiring knowledge of the NJCCCS and why they are important. I think the main users will be teachers, future teachers & college students, and parents.

2. Where are they?
The users of the site will obviously be computer literate and able to maneuver a web site. They will most likely be behind computer screens at home, in school, at an office, or on a laptop.

3. What do they want from the site?
The site will provide information on the NJCCCS so those who are going to use the site will be looking to either gain or further their knowledge on the standards.

4. How does the site address the users?
I was thinking of blocking the site off into sections. The first section will be background information on the NJCCCS and why they are useful. The second section will breakdown the standards so they are easily understood. The third section will be for teachers and it will have helpful tips/sites that will be useful for them so they can abide by the standards in their classroom.

5. How do the graphics of the site address the users?
I will try to make the site very vibrant to attract the readers attention. I will also try to use images related to the subjects

-AUDIENCE: The site will be designed for teachers, parents, and future teachers/college students.
-PURPOSE: To give insightful information regarding the NJCCCS and why they are useful.
-FOCUS: I wanted to focus on the standards because, as a future teacher, I believe it is important for everyone to understand the standards because they encompass a large portion of NJ public education.
-FINAL TOUCH: I am hoping to make the site very vibrant and user friendly. I am also looking to have separate charts/sub pages related to the material.

USEFUL SITES:
-http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/
-http://www.nj.gov/education/aps/cccs/

Blog #10 - Exploratory Writing for my Web Assignment

I'd just want to start by saying that I'm a bit confused as to what I might like to do for this assignment. I was thinking about celebrity and why people are obsessed with everything that word entails. Specifically, Americans, rather than those from other nations and countries, become completely infatuated with the thought of celebrity. Why? People run to stores to imitate certain styles, they go to the hair salon to get the latest cut, and some even take it to the extreme and visit the plastic surgeon so they can have permanent features that make them appear like their favorites stars. But what makes celebrity so appealing? The money, the glamour, the lifestyle? And why is it that Americans, above all, seem to be infatuated with the thought?

I think this could make an interesting web assignment - especially for me, the gossip magazine junkie. I do have other ideas, but this is something that I am really interested in so if this seems like a good topic that I could possibly do this assignment on, please let me know.. if not, then it's back to the drawing board!

Blog #9

Skipping this one..

Blog #8 - Exploratory Writing

When I first made my list of possible topics for my Wikipedia article, I was very confused and my list was composed of a variety of topics, most of which involved how the Internet could help teachers and students and the pros and cons of the net itself. While playing around on Wikipedia, I typed in identity theft. Much to my surprise, there is a ton of different types of ID theft that I was completely unaware of. This topic serves as interest to me because I was a victim of identity theft (on my birthday - what a coincidence) just last year. I feel that this topic would have a variety of information available and that will be useful to not only myself, but to others as well.

Here are a few articles I found relating to my topic:
-en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_theft
-www.business.mcmaster.ca/IDTDefinition/defining/idfraudTCF.htm
-www.identitytheft.org/
-www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/websites/idtheft.html

Each one of these sites listed above has a great deal of quality information regarding identity theft that I'm sure will be very useful and informative when doing the article.

Wikipedia Article Presentation - Key Points

Here are some of the key points discussed in the Wikipedia article:

-More people use Wikipedia than Amazon.com or Ebay
-Wikipedia ranks with programs like Facebook and MySpace with the amount of users
-It contains 2.2 million articles... and growing
-Wikipedia is the first site that comes up when using a Google search
-It started as a nonprofit purpose that took less than 8 years to create
-"Editors" are those who add or refine Wikipedia articles
-"Deletionists" are those who "guard" Wikipedia
-From the beginning, the Wikipedia project was supped to be like an encyclopedia
-The project absorbed articles from the 1911 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica (which is public domain). It also absorbed Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography, Nuttall's 1906 Encyclopedia, Chamber's Cyclopedia, Aiken's General Biography, Rose's Biographical Dictionary, Easton's Bible Dictionary, and various other celebrated works.
-The real reason that Wikipedia grows so rapidly is because "The main thing about Wikipedia is that it is fun and addictive," said Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia
-Brion Vibber (one of Wikipedia's 1st full time employees) explained the attraction to Wikipedia is because it's not only a place to research, it's also "more like an online game, in that it's a community where you hang out a bit, and so something that's a little bit fun."
-Articles can be adjusted, deleted, and revised at anytime and by anyone
-Example, on Jan. 11, 2008 the entire entry on the aardvark was replaces with "one ugly animal" and in Feb the aardvark was described as a "medium-sized inflatable banana."
-Example, in Dec. 2007 someone altered the article on bedbugs so it read like a horror movie
-Antivandalism software VoABot II reverts edits
-Vandalism on Wikipedia spiked in Aug 2006 after comedian Stephen Colbert invited his viewers to post made up facts about the increase in population of African elephants
-The University of Minnesota studied millions of Wiki edits and found that most were mad by a tiny percentage of contributors
-For those looking to be a continuous contributor to Wikipedia, John Brighton has a manual book called Wikipedi: The Missing Manual
-Broughton himself has made more than 15,000 Wiki edits which puts him in the rank of the elite top 1,200 of all editors. He promises that "the information you absolutely need to avoid running afoul of the rules" is in his handbook
-Broughton also has a rule he calls "Ignore all the Rules" which states: If rules make you nervous and depressed, and not desirous of participating in the wiki, then ignore them entirely and go about your business.
-Now, there are rules and policy banners that guard Wikipedia. There are strongly urged warnings and required tasks, as well as normal procedures, notability guidelines, and complex criteria for various decisions. This is called "instruction creep" which is defined by Wikipedia as something that happens "when instructions increase in number and size overtime until they are unmanageable."

Link to Wikipedia: www.wikipedia.org

Blog #7 - "Flashmobs"

Up until class last week, I had absolutely no idea what a flash mob was (I guess I was living under a rock). Now that I am aware of this, I was really intrigued by it all. I would never have thought of something like grabbing a group of people and freezing at a supermarket for like 20 minutes... never crossed my mind.

As far as print, there could be a variety of underpinnngs. For example, a spontaneous piece of mail delieverd to the addresses of a select group, a chain letter that is ongoing, an editorial in a weekly newspaper, there could be an ad in a college newspaper like we have here at Kean, and various others. I think digital media and technologies may have a better way of reaching people. For example, text messaging is one of the main ways people interact today. A text sent to a group could definitely spark a flash mob. Also, emails and MySpace/Facebook comments could also generate a flashmob or flashmob activity.

I believe digitial communications may spread the word faster. Emails, comments, and text messaging can all be sent and recieved in the matter of seconds. Text messaging is something the world (especially students) rely on. If someone creates a text message, you can forward that same message to numerous people.. similar to an email. MySpace and Facebook (although I'm not 100% sure on how they really work - I'm probably the one person that does not have either), also have an email and commenting system that could spread the word of a flashmob rather quickly. Blogging can even be a source used in generating a flashmob. Bloggers have the ability to post and comment on just about anything.

As far as future changes and remediation, I believe that since new technological advances seem to be created everyday, there could be or will be a variety of new and exciting possibilities. If people can get groups to freeze for twenty minutes or tango in the mall food court, what will they think of next?