Presentation 3A AIT

Editor's Notes

• #2: IntroductionThe busy lifestyle of a working parent living away from town can have its toll; and it is difficult to juggle work, the kids, and a social life. It is no doubt difficult to also keep in touch and pay attention to the children’s school community. (When was the last time your kid handed you a note that needed to be signed yesterday?)Remote families living fairly isolated from other populations may find that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can be advantageous in creating a greater sense of community. ICT covers many different applications that can aid this goal. Utilising ICT means that remote families can communicate, conduct business, see, post and comment on school announcements. It is important, especially in this day and age to tolerate and embrace what technology can achieve and how it can help in the community.
• #3: To achieve the goal of having a functioning community for both parent and teacher, technologies and tools must be compared and contrasted, taking into account the positive and negative effects of using them and its usefulness on achieving the goal. 2.3.1 Web 2.0 Technologies:2.3.1.2. RSSRSS is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication. RSS utilises Aggregators, which are web-based or installed application that essentially summarises content and information from various sources online which is then condensed into one place.RSS is a specification to which aggregators abide by to distribute the content to users.Advantages: + Quick access to content+ Free Web-Based service or downloadable application+ RSS delivers summary. For more information a link to updated area of the site the feed is hosted on is available in the bottom of the summaryDisadvantages: - Requires a site to operate on. This may be the school’s official site, but while RSS service is free, the site is not.- Downloading the application may pose a problem for those with a reduced access to the internet.- Depending on frequency of the updates, people may start to disregard them and the information in them. 2.3.1.2. Blogs (Web Logs) are pieces of text that act as journals which are posted (put online) on a website, usually in reverse chronological order. For the purpose of a parent/teacher community, blogs are a suitable technology to use. Blogs are hosted on specialised sites, and the sites are generally free to join and not difficult to use. The blogging website has word-processing software embedded into it to make creating and posting easy.Advantages:+ The school can have one account, and be able to set up a single blog for the whole school or multiple blogs for each year group for more specific information pertaining to those years. (‘School swimming carnival tomorrow’ or ‘Year 12 exams are next week’)+ Blog site memberships are free+ Other users can subscribe to a blog and receive its updates and can be notified about them via logging into the site and/or email.+ No extra software is needed.Disadvantages: - Anyone can follow the blog, including those not related to the school.2.3.1.6. Social NetworksAs stated in 1.1, Social networks are an online community/experience, usually hosted on a website that allows users to connect with each other and share data (messages, photos etc.)Social networks usually have groups, or pages, that are separate from a personal page.Lots of businesses (e.g. certain fast food brands) have pages which can be subscribed to by an individual. The subscribers then can be notified when the pages are updated or post a status.Advantages: + Statistic Brain (2012) states that there are 1.2 billion Facebook users worldwide. Facebook is only one-such example, Sensis/Aimia found in a 2011 survey that 62% of Australian participants use any form of social media. This means a possible majority of the parent community may already use a form of social networking.+ Membership to social networking sites is free.+ Members to the ‘school page’ can also contact each other to discuss between themselves or in a group+ Other forms of media (such as photos, audio, and video) can be shared.Disadvantages: - Anyone can subscribe to the page.- Social media isn’t known to be the most secure form of communication. (Coldewey 2013)- Anyone can add inappropriate content to the page.- Advertisements
• #4: 2.3.2.2 YouTubeA site dedicated to ‘discover, watch and share originally created videos.’ (YouTube n.d.) Advantages: + Membership is free+ Users can subscribe to ‘Channel’s, and to other users’ work.+ Users are notified when a subscribed channel uploads a video+ Any user can upload, watch and comment on a video.+ Videos can be put on private, so only those with access to the URL of the video or the creator’s profile can view the videoDisadvantages: - Advertisements before videos- (If on public) anyone can add inappropriate comments2.3.2.3. MySpace/Facebook/Google +Social networking sites that allow users to ‘friend’ each other, share text, audio, video with each other.Advantages: + An easy alternative to calling, texting and meeting someone in person for communication.+ Membership is free+ A majority of Australians use some form of social networking sites.+ Able to communicate and keep in touch with friends and family, which 92% of Australians using social media claim to use their profile for (92% of survey participants, Sensis/Aimia 2011)Disadvantages:- Anyone can ‘friend’ another user.- Social media isn’t known to be the most secure form of communication. (Coldewey 2013)- Users can utilise another user’s information for illegal and morally ambiguous uses.- 'The reason marketers and technology companies want you to be as socially connected as possible is so they can follow your links to others and then exploit your friend's data as well as yours' (Funnel 2012, pg. 91) Any information posted onto the site is liable to be used by the company hosting the social network.2.3.2.7. InstagramA widely used application on smartphones, Instagram allows a user to take photographs and apply visual effects on the image. Users can then share their photos to Instagrams’ own social network hosted in the app (as it has no web-site counterpart apart from a ‘tumblr’ blog which only displays certain photographs, and the application is exclusively on smartphones) or to a different social network.Advantages:+ The application is free+ Do not need to transfer images to a computer to edit them, or buy costly software to do the editing.+ Relatively easy to share photographs in application and on other social networks.Disadvantages:- Application is exclusive to iOS (Apple Smartphone Operating System (OS)) and Google Android OS (Android Smartphone OS), which limits availability.- Audio and video is not supported on the application
• #5: For the purposes of a Parent and Teacher community for remote families and the school, a few options are recommended for a cohesive community.Membership for parents and staff must be freeCustomisable to reflect the school (e.g. logos and colours)A blogging system for updates from the administrators of the school and for class reminders (e.g. Construction in the Science Labs to take place over April holidays… Year 2 zoo visit on the 18th of May…)Allow members to give feedback on school eventsAllow members to communicate between each otherAllow administrators to upload files like documents, photographs, videos. (e.g. Year 2 excursion permission slip… Week 10 Assembly video…)Allow administrators to intervene in inappropriate behaviour.And a viable option that includes all of these settings is a School-based social network.There are many organisations that host smaller social networks for separate organisation to use as their own, without having to have much financial and labour dedication to it, as these social networks are somewhat pre-made, and an annual fee is relatively inexpensive compared to buying a domain, the software and hiring the labour to create a site like a social network.Spruz is a company that achieves these goals, as shown by its information page.
• #6: Web 2.0 and online digital communication technology can aid a school with remote students and families by creating an inclusive and cohesive online community that all may access.
• #7: Benefits of these technologies on the school community:+ A more cohesive school community+ Contact with staff and other parents outside of school, and without having to leave the home+ Many more are included into School activitiesConsequences of these technologies on the school community:- Enables an easier method of inappropriate behaviour- Personal information can possibly be compromised
• #8: Tips for staying safe online:Try not to disclose much personal information. For example a parent may have the username ‘J. Smith’ or ‘James S.’ instead of their full name, and staff may have their title and last name, like ‘Principle DeLoria’ or ‘Teacher Harold’Have a strong password that is easy to remember, but does not have any personal information in it. For example, choose three words and a number. ‘CorrectHorseGrammar4’Make sure your profile in general is set to private, always check the security settings.If applicable, make sure content that is uploaded does not have personal information or an image of an unconsenting person. Either ask for permission or do not post the content.
• #9: Recommended Code of Conduct:Be respectful. If posting something, think of how it may affect others.Be courteousPlay niceHave an enjoyable experienceIf someone is behaving inappropriately, please report them to administration.