Open Source Software

According to Wikipedia, open source software is computer software that is available in source code form for which the source code and certain other rights normally reserved forcopyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, and improve the software. Some open source software is available within the public domain. Open source software is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner.


We learned in class that open source software is great because . . . well simply put . . . its free and efficient!


As a college student with little to no money, open source software is affordable and dependent. With word processors and other programs available throughout the Web that can rival those of Microsoft Office's, open source software is almost like a gift from the internet gods. With a few secure downloads, a poor college student can save hundreds of dollars and be on his/her way to creating professional documents, presentations, media, etc.


Here is a Youtube of a user who explains the future of open source software and its benefits: 





The World is currently in a digital age and with the availability of open source software, anyone and everyone can stay current with the changes, for free.

Distance Education

In class we defined distance education as  A field of education that focuses on the 

pedagogy and andragogy, technology, and instructional systems design that aim to deliver education to students who are not physically on site.

Distance education has come along way in my life-time. My senior year of High School, 2007, was the first year my school offered distance education credits. The class consisted of various 45 minutes lectures found on an online data base, message board posts, online assignments and test, and teacher-student meetings once a month. This seemed very informal, but three years later, this curriculum is considered formal by today's standards. Now-a-days there is a collection of online lectures and in-class tests. That is it.

For this method of education to be successful it requires a highly motivated group of students who are willing to watch lectures, ask questions via e-mail or office hours, and (in some aspects) create their own class schedule.

As a public relations student, I have take many classes online and find it very advantageous. That is, if you are organized and stay on track watching lectures. If a student slips up and misses a week of lectures, he/she could be in for a long game of "catch-up." Going into law school is a different story, there are no online classes - just assignments and posted readings. Well, traditionally. The first online law school was recently founded (University of Phoenix), this was all made possible by the evolution of distance education.

Here is a Youtube about the 10 guided principles of distance education: 

The video shows the structure of distance education and provides the viewer with a feel for how the field of distance education functions. 

Professional Web Presence: Google Sites

The ever popular search engine, Google, continues to expand. Google not only is the world's number one search engine. Google also has an email service (G-Mail), a server based document section (GoogleDocs), maps (GoogleMaps), customized home pages (iGoogle), and much more. Google Sites is an aspect to Google that may spread life wildfire and take over the Web, at least it has the potential to.

Google Sites allows Google users to create free Web pages and Wikis. In class we discussed the importance of having a professional Web page to provide an online presence for students. The Web site allows users to upload graphics, pictures, various forms of media (video, audio, multimedia), and much more. Here is a link to my professional Web presence project.

As an aspiring attorney, Google Sites enables me to create an online business profile for myself. With the ability to show off my various works created via my internships and classes, I am confident in allowing a potential employer to view my Google Site.

Above is a video that provides us with a fantastic tutorial of how to use Google Sites. The fact that there are a number of sophisticated and modern web creation tools on Google Sites is incredible, and what is even more incredible is that it is free.

Cloud Computing

According to the Wikipedia link provided on the EME Web page, Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand, like the electricity grind.

Cloud computing is a relatively new tool for document transferring and editing. Here is a conceptional diagram of cloud computing: 

With the implementation of cloud computing computer users will have a much more efficient process of sharing documents with other users. Hard drive space will be freed up, paper will be saved, and time will be saved as well.

The ability to put a document in a central location and allow (and restrict) certain users to edit, view, print, and distribute it is revolutionary and genius. The most popular space for cloud computing is GoogleDocs. The video we were presented in class explained the uses and processes of using GoogleDocs in a simple and effective way.

There are other easy-to-view informational videos about cloud computing available on Youtube. This video is informative and elementary, allowing even the least versed computer user to understand how cloud computing works: 

The field of public relations is filled with press releases, memos, abstracts, client selection sheets, public statements, and many more AP Style documents. These documents go through hundreds of rewrites, hundreds of edits, and dozens of emails. With the implimentation of a cloud computing program, such as GoogleDocs, the editing and revising process could become ten times more efficient. Editors could view and edit documents daily without the waste of work time and paper.

Media and Information Literacy

According to the EME Web site, visual literacy is the ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image. Visual literacy is based on the idea that pictures can be “read” and that meaning can be communicated through a process of reading.

According to the link we were presented in class (http://museumca.org/picturethis/visual.html), visual literacy is defined as the ability to understand communications composed of visual images as well as being able to use visual imagery to communicate to others. Students (humans) become visually literate by the practice of visual encoding (expressing their thoughts and ideas in visual form) and visual decoding (translating and understanding the meaning of visual imagery).

Through the process of encoding and decoding images we are able to make sense out of and attach meaning to inanimate images. For example a sequence of circles could trigger the idea of a super store (Target) in some people, and it could remind others of hunting (an actual target used to practice). It all depends on each individual's process of encoding and decoding. There are many universal signs that trigger universal responses among humans. We see that in a video posted on the EME Web site. This is how why the term "literacy" is used.

In the field of public relations understanding how visual literacy works and the power of it is essential. As a public relations practitioner you must disseminate messages and make them suitable for your target publics. If a practitioner were to use a symbol similar to one that could be taken as offensive, he or she has a problem. The target public decodes the messages that were encoded by the PR practitioner, so when choosing how to present certain messages through images, one must be very careful.

In the following video, we see how a group of images placed in different orders can completely alter the audience's opinion of what the images mean.

Week 4: Copyright Law: Fair Use

In today’s society, where everything can go viral and travel to millions of people in hours, copyright law has had to take on new challenges to stop the spread of copyright infringement on the web. Originally drafted to protect other medias of copyrighted material, laws have had to be re-drafted and amended to cater to today’s viral society. The author or creator of an original work is granted a set of exclusive rights to his product. The author can make copies, distribute, and adapt the work.

            Although copyright laws have been thoroughly drafted to protect a creator’s work, the fair use doctrine, under Title 17 of the U.S. Code, permits some copying and distribution without permission of the copyright owner. Fair use is not clearly defined, but there are four factors that play a role in allowing work to be used without permission:
1. The purpose and character of the use.
2. The nature of the copyrighted work.
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyright work. Works in the public domain are exempt from the restrictions of fair use.

           

            But, as we know, laws are not always 100% effective. As I type I am sure there is copyright infringement occurring on popular, regulated Web pages such as: Youtube, Facebook, Vimeo, Myspace, etc. I have uploaded a slideshow of my great memories of high school with a Beatles song playing as the pictures appear on the screen without attribution. Youtube caught my mistake and actually accredited the music for me. I think this happened because I titled the slideshow as “Octopus' Garden,” which was the title of the song I used from the Beatles. Youtube even has hundreds of videos poking fun at copyright laws. Hitler parodies have become very popular on Youtube, but have violated copyright laws. There have been so many done that Youtube can not regulate them all. There is even a "Hitler Reacts to the Hitler Parodies Being Removed" video. Nevertheless, copyright law is not to be reckoned with . . . but avoiding it is fairly easy.

            I plan on going into entertainment law after I graduate law school. Thoroughly understanding copyright law will be essential to protecting my client’s work. With all of the thievery occurring on the Web, understanding these laws are not only important for someone entering the entertainment field, but also for Web surfers who casually download, upload, and post copyrighted work. Before I learned about copyright law, I had no idea of the laws I had been breaking by posting, creating, and uploading content onto Web pages. 

Here is a video I found that was made on the topic of Copyright laws and fair use, it is very entertaining, informative, and clever. Check it out.