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For the final module I made an infographic based off the Social Network report from Per Research Centre (2015). The Report is focused on adults usage of social networking. I used Venngage to create my infographic and it was extremely easy to use and build. At first I used Piktochart but was having difficulty building the layout I wanted. Venngage layout is better organized and easier to navigate. I also have a smaller computer and Piktochart side bar took up a lot of space on my screen making it difficult to see the infographic I was trying to build. Venngage templates had less on them but easier to add which i really liked because the template wasn’t overloaded. The icons, graphs, and text boxes were very easy to use. Visual information is very important in a time were there is information overload. Infographics are a great way to summarize information in a captivating way. So here’s mine! 

I completed the one hour code on Code.org. The site is easy, fun, and beneficial when learning to code. The guide to learn was clear and easy to understand. I had so much fun figuring out how to craft a game together and have the freedom to change the the details so easily. Switching from the black language to text was extremely helpful to see how the language of coding works. The freedom to create your own game at the end is a fantastic way to conclude the hour. It gave the opportunity to really apply what was learned with our as much guidance from the levels prior.  I plan on returning to Code.org and play around with more codes and text. 

Audacity is an audio editor and recorder that is free to download and available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. This easy to use program provides live audio recording, playback, tape conversion, cut, copy, slice and mix, and numerous effects and generators. Audacity is a open source software meaning the programs source code is available for anyone to use. The easy access to Audacity has made the program very popular in educating students and teachers of their interface. 

I downloaded Audacity from the Audacity website. It was a quick and easy download. It took some time to understand  the navigation of the software. I played around with the generate tab, and ‘click track’. The beat is easy to manipulate and the preview option is a great feature to create the desired sound. The recording feature is very easy to use perfect for creating podcasts. It is easy to cut and paste, and change audio speed. Another great feature is being able to import an audio file that is un clear. Audacity can slow down the audio, clean the sound making it easier to understand the dictation. Audacity is a really great program, easy to use and lots of fun when creating audio. I have never used a program like this before but after making my audio track I will be using Audacity for future projects!

Duolingo is a learning platform for self teaching language. It is free to use, ad free, and offers 23 languages to learn from. Duolingo had an app as well that is available for IOS, Android and Windows 8 and 10 platforms. Due to Duolingo being a free source for users to learn languages, Duolingo used crowdsourcing translation by inviting the public to translate content and vote on translators. The use of crowdsourcing has been a concern. Language is not black and white and to each culture and location the spelling, sound and meaning can be different. Users trust these platforms and languages can be damaged by simplifying or translating them incorrectly. By having a mass free platform like Duolingo take over the pricey Rossetta Stone or the Saturday night community Spanish class at the local high school, the accuracy of the language is at risk. Moving forward tweaking the languages could help prevent this. Adding specific locations such as Barcelona Spain to learn Catalan rather then Spanish would be a option that can narrow the crowdsourcing to be more accurate towards the languages. 

  The platform in general is entertaining, easy to navigate and accessible. The users gains achievements throughout the levels creating encouragement and achievement. I enjoyed the time I personally spent on Duolingo. I created a profile and have been trying to learn Spanish and Ukrainian. The language platform moves quickly and assumes basic grammar which can create a false idea of understanding the language. For basic words and phrases Duolingo is excellent and the audio is extremely beneficial. The site its self kept refreshing the page when ever I would enter a new level which was frustrating, but once I would click on an icon it would stop reloading. This could have just been a server flaw. I still think actual human teacher is the only way to learn a language and really understand it and the culture behind it, but for my Barcelona trip and for the sake of making my Ukrainian mother impressed Duolingo will have to do until I have the time to attend a real language class in a local high school on Saturday nights. 

Feedly is a news aggregator. Feedly captures, organizes and then feeds out the information to simplify the amount of news. It does this by using RSS feeds which is a method for websites to be synced and automatically and updated to the subscriber. Feedly displays the subscribed sites in one spot (the feed) ,organizing and updating the feed regularly to provide the readers with the latest news, everywhere.  Feedly provides web extensions for web browsers, making it easy for the user to sync Feedly with their information and is a customizable to ensure the feed is as organized for the reader as possible. Feedly also allows the reader to customize the layout of their feed such as colour and  categorization. Any article can be shared easily to E-mail, Facebook, Google+, Tumblr and Twitter. 

I really enjoyed learning about Feedly and becoming a Feedly user. I really liked how organized the feed is presented, and the categories that are displayed. The “popular in...” category allowed me to stray from my subscribed sites and introduced me news that I may not typically stumble on through my main news sources. Feedly also suggests an excellent range of sources in each category that expands me as a reader, and allows me to gain more knowledge in a fast and easy way.

I will continue to use Feedly as my main news feed to collect my daily information. I was very impressed with the layout and found it extremely easy to use. Overall, very impressed! 

Feedly. Read more, know more. 

Excerpt: Watson refuses to work in film due to Hollywood’s pay gap, and feels vindicated for her feminist ideologies in the film community. She admits to being difficult to work with and a diva on set but adores being labeled as “feminazi” due to her passion in gender studies and has been inspired to focus on feminism this coming year. She mentions she has been slapped on the arse to many times and wants to share these experiences and spread awareness as a spokeswoman for all the women who have had similar and worse experiences. Watson has created the HeForShe campaign to share the stories of assaults. Watson declares “the only thing that is going to make a difference is if men go away…”

Excerpt based off of: 

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/08/emma-watson-feminazi-harry-potter-sex-discrimination

Summarizing and interpreting events determines the information being shared and the messages being spread. With so much information available on the internet today the information is shortened and summarized to inform the public with speed and convenience to grasp the general message. By having such easy access to information and the ability to share information the process is alike the game “telephone” where the original message gets passed down a line of people and when the message has reached the end of the line the last person announces the message received. By the time the message has been shared, interpreted and shared again it is easy for bias and/ or misinformation to mold into the translation. As for those in the media in charge of collecting the data and sharing it for the public, manipulation towards what information is shared and isn’t shared creates an even further problem.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology defines cloud computing as “a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.” (Grance & Mell, 2011). This model of cloud computing is based off utility by providing, on demand self- service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service.These characteristics enables users to have power and control of transparency, scalability and security within an affordable and reliable platform. Cloud platforms have been growing on a competitive market to provide models suitable for all needs, and demands of the users. Cloud models are broken down into private, public, hybrid, and further sub categories such as community, distributed, inter and multi cloud (“Cloud Computing”, 2016). These models allow all users to find  suitable platform for their needs. It can be a massive company enabling their employees to access data instantly, anywhere anytime, to providing a storage space for the Miller’s 2015 family road trip that the entire family can access anywhere, anytime. Amazon Web Services is the top and the first cloud providers supplying to the most customers. By being the kick off platform Amazon built relationships with with major customers, allowing Amazon to invest and grow to the giant it is today. Amazon has build the reputation as being the “safer bet” when choosing between competitive platforms as well as focuses on providing affordable services through various options of computing deployment models to fit the user's needs (Weinberger, 2015). Microsoft Azure platform is another top provider, coming into the market later but had been playing with cloud concepts since the mid 2000’s and eventually introduced Microsoft Azure in 2010. Azure focuses on adopting the old with the new to ensure flexibility and growth, as a way to compete with Amazon (Weinberger, 2015). These platforms allow information to be shared, saved, accessed by any digital device utilizing time, money, and knowledge. The cloud has enabled small start ups to use current and efficient technology in affordable models to survive in the competitive market.   

Cloud Computing , (n.d) Retrieved February 2, 2016 Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing

Grance, T., Mell, P. (2011) The NIST definition of cloud computing. In National Institute of Standards and Technology. Special Publication 800-145. Retrieved from http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication800-145.pdf

Netiquette by Merriam Webster’s definition is the “rules about the proper and polite way to communicate with other people when you are using the Internet.” Just as a society has its own expectations of socialization behaviour and etiquette these expectations apply to the online society as well.  When using social media, and other forms of communication, netiquette is thus a sense of morals and responsibilities for how, what, and to whom the information being shared with. This is particularly important today due to how dependable society is on the internet to gather information on each other. Social media platforms have created instant ways to learn personal information about anyone and anything, and we as users use this to “lurk” and learn. We lurk for example when we are meeting a new person for a date, or deciding between applicants for a job. If inappropriate information has been shared from the past the penalties could cost the job or your chance to meet your one true love. So how do you avoid this? Netiquette. The instant accessibility to the internet makes sharing our opinions dangerous when we don’t think about our actions. Deleting or hiding inappropriate comments or pictures can still come back around to haunt. Think before posting personal opinions. We have seen time and time again political figures get destroyed for their social media history. 

Most recently The Guardian asked its readers if we should still respect Kanye West after his public fight on Twitter. West Twitter fight was degrading to women and displayed homophobic opinions, disappointing his fans and followers. As a massive public figure one would assume netiquette would be practiced but emotions and pride can get to the best of us. Another lesson to learn from West Twitter fight is to respect others opinions. Personal opinions shape these media platforms and create our profiles but offensive options are not appropriate to share. Those opinions may change in time but the internet will never forget. It is also important to understand privacy settings and use them wisely for protection.  The internet can see everything but your boss, or grandmother doesn't have to. Privacy settings can protect your information from being seen worldwide, keeping personal information safe. However it is still the user’s responsibility to use netiquette even when information is hidden, again the internet see’s all. In conclusion netiquette reminds users to be smart about what information is being shared and to whom. It ensures users to be cautious of their behaviour and the behaviour of others to create polite, safe and respectful  internet communities.

Netiquette. (n.d). In  Merriam Webster Dictionary online. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/netiquette