Online Communications

 Preventing anyone from learning how to participate in the communication technology of his or her generation in an effort to protect from harmful elements is short sighted. The online world as well as the real world is full of potential threats. I agree with Brendesha Tynes that we must open discussion regarding the proper use of these technologies and educate anyone interested. We must not restrict and prevent out of fear or avoidance.

We all need to begin the process of learning how to open conversation up regarding the dangers of online communication so that we may problem solve ways to stay safe and enjoy the collaborative social activities that web 2.0 technologies afford to us all.

As a teacher, I notice the possibilities for applying to my class pedagogy the same principles of sociology and psychology that make Youtube so popular. These technologies should be incorporated into school not for the sake of appearing relevant but in order to show students how to use these technologies to effectively participate as digital citizens in an increasingly digital world.

As our class explores usability, I have been thinking more and more about how websites I use would score if they were evaluated by a usability expert.

I consider myself web savvy but creating a well planned and usable website is a great challenge. However, there is something to say about how it is time well spent, since users will find what they are looking for on your website and even return if they really like your content.

I think it will be a learning process for me, and sometimes a boring one at that. Let’s face it, discussing usability is not all that gripping. With that said, I share with you the Webcredibles Comic Strip for learning about the evils of websites that are not accessible.