Sunday, March 27, 2016

Creativity

New Media fosters creativity in multiple ways. Today more than ever the business for graphic designing and app and web developers is booming. I think the age of new media fosters creativity in multiple ways. We can create lives outside of reality and live in a virtual world, you can envision something and create a prototype using computers and web applications. You can design a website and upload photos and graphics to get yourself out there. People now have the ability to produce an online portfolio and resume as well as a hard copy. You can be creative because you have the benefit of internet at your hands, in my classroom i get creative with my 2 year old students, we Zumba. I use YouTube nearly every single day to play different music for them and make sure they are having the best time. New Media outlets such as Pinterest allow me and my head teacher to find new and innovative ideas to freshen up our classroom and make it more interesting for the upcoming year.
In the article Twitter Serves Up Ideas From It's Followers by Claire Cain Miller we see that creativity sometimes stems from who is following you. People watch Twitter to see whats trending and the smart thing that Twitter does is give the people what they want. Instead of them getting taken down for followers, they listen to them give them what they want and this way they don't have to compete.


Creativity and New Media

So this is my character that I created in the simulated game called Episodes. It is an app that can be found on the Apple App Store. The theme or episode that I was in was based off of the movie Mean Girls which happens to be one of my favorites. I was able to chose every aspect of the avatar that I tried to make resemble me as best as I could. I enjoyed that I was even able to have the avatar use my real name, so in the story line I was addressed as Daniela Cohen. I had the ability to chose everything from my hair, clothing, name, eye color and shape and much more. Its amazing how realistic simulation games are these days and I cannot deny that it was actually fun to do. 















Sunday, March 20, 2016

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds


Virtual Worlds are sometimes an escape from reality. Ironically it can be a reality that you create, there are many games and apps and technologies that can help you create an entire virtual world. Plenty of people enjoy immersing themselves into these virtual worlds that technology can create. When I think of a virtual world I think of The Sims, that game puts the power to create a virtual reality in the gamer's hands. In my opinion I think that Virtual Worlds have lots of benefits. It can aid in business, real estate, education and more. In the article The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Virtual Classroom and the Role of the Teacher by Guy Posey, Thomas Burgess, Marcus Eason, Yawna Jones we see that while technology can aid in Education it also has a downside. By adding new Virtual and technological methods to teaching it is hindering the teaching abilities of the teachers. Yes, virtual worlds are great for helping model different information for students but are they actually learning or getting caught up in the technological aspect.
I believe that the cons to Virtual Worlds is how easy we can get attached to the way something looks virtually and be let down if it doesn't perform or look the same way in reality. I think that the future of virtual worlds will do extremely well and prosper, in a technology and media driven world we live in today, we enjoy having everything done virtually. As the article No Budget, No Boundaries: It's the Real You by Ruth La Ferla their is no object of money or problems in the virtual world,“Everything fits; things don’t wear out. The virtual world represents a different value proposition.”


Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Blog About Twitter



This class was my first time having a discussion board through Twitter. I think it is a cool concept and it also makes us think directly to the point since we are limited to expressing ourselves through 140 characters or less!A Twitter discussion is different from a Blackboard Discussion . For our twitter discussion we used a hashtag to keep all our classes input in one place but on Blackboard you need to click and look at each person's post and comment. Also according to how someone designs their twitter account you might be able to put the tweet to a face as opposed to blackboard it is less likely that you will remember someones face when you are reading their name on the discussion board. Obviously nothing compares to an in- class discussion. That is as personal as you are going to get you can see people's faces and reactions and see the emotion they put behind answering to material. I personally like in- class discussions because it gives the best opportunity to see other people's point of views face to face.

Social Networking Sites


My Top Social Networking Sites are in no particular order: Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. While they are all social networking sites they are all quite different. Facebook is for people of nearly all ages although we hope there aren't users under 12 but we know that isn't always the case. Facebook is a place to connect almost anyone has one; young and old. It is a place to really express yourself on your wall and timeline. Facebook has helped old friends reconnect and people find lost loved ones too. You can see everything that anyone updates or you can see less depending on privacy settings. You can also be a member to as many groups as you'd like and check off that you're attending events.
Twitter is where you write what you want in a Tweet of 140 characters or less. This social network is a little less personal because this is probably the best way to get in touch with any celebrities you've always wanted to talk to. You can tweet a little you can tweet a lot, you can also see suggested twitter accounts, and see what other people are tweeting about all on your feed.
Snapchat is the new age of social media and networking. Not everybody has one and it is quite personal since whoever you have on your Snapchat can see your face. The name is genius since it literally explains what it is. You chat through snapping pictures of yourself or other things. Your snapstory can be as long as you want with pretty much whatever you want.
Last but not least Instagram, the new way to display yourself. Instagram is universal and is known for bringing selfies and personal interests all on one account. Your Instagram says a lot about who you are and what you're up to at the moment. Instead of posting a status you can check in and post a picture or video for the world to see. It isn't only a place to connect with friends but with other people and celebrities too. The "Popular" page is a feed in which you can see whats popular based on things youve liked or followed or people you follow. Instagram is a great place to keep your photos and videos in one place.                                                                        

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Social Networking


 Social Networking our mean of communication these days. I cant even count how many times I've been asked Why don't you just pick up the phone and call? How many times me or someone else around me has been made fun of for checking in and posting our every move. But really is picking up the phone and dialing instead of texting become a lost gesture?  In the article "Being There" by Virginia Heferrnan she writes “What makes a great Facebook update?” I asked, as my status update, one recent morning. She explains about how simple it is to update everyone you're friends with about what you're doing at that moment. But the real question is do they really care? .Social Networking and the new wave of technology definitely has it's benefits. It is so easy to market a brand with the click of a button or get in contact with multiple employees at once. Social Networking is great for business you can have numerous employees selling a brand or an idea through Twitter, Websites, Blogs and the holy grail of Social Network : Facebook and Instagram. I do think that Social Networking is hard to keep up with and especially if you are an employee. Think what if your future or current employer get a hold of your personal accounts? Would you be happy with the content they are viewing? Would it jeopardize your employment?
Today's world is very high tech you no longer have to be in the Technology and Media field of work to be revolved by Social Networking. Cell Phones or should I say Smart Phones rule almost everything around us. Doctors can instantly answer emails when they aren't even in the office and fashion designers can post their latest creation through an Instagram post and in a business meeting you no longer need to come prepared with a flip chart all you need is a projector or a computer.
In the article Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting by Frank Langfitt the unthinkable is possible. Nobody would ever imagine that their Social Network they were a part of could land them a high end job. "Social networking technology is absolutely the best thing to happen to recruiting — ever." Instead of hopeful employees searching for jobs days on end they make a professional profile that showcases themselves and can possibly hear back from any company.
I know that today their are many companies that make a profession out of job recruiting o i think in the future these Social Media networks are going to grow in popularity as opposed to just the old resume and interview and job application process.