The Next New Thing

A useful new media for Baruch students would be a new app such as the Facebook but for students. This would be like a social media app for only Baruch students that would allow them to connect and communicate with each other. The app would be right at the palm of their hands and it would allow them to communicate with professors as well. Also from this app, we would be able to get the Baruch academic calender as well as other necessary Baruch announcements. Also students would be able to put up questions or comments they have about certain classes. Students and professors would be able to post up pictures and videos through this app.

P2P File Sharing

1.) File sharing is when digitally stored information is accessible from a provider. For example computer software, or computer programs, videos, pictures, music etc.
2.) P2P file sharing is peer to peer file sharing. This is done by using a peer to peer software and internet access. Peers can basically give each other a variety of files. Basically the user has access to all types of media files.
3.) Computer programs, software's, multimedia such as pictures, videos, disk sharing, etc.

The article on Wikipedia about Digital Rights Management is pretty interesting. It takes us back to the topic about privacy and confidentiality. DRM helps stop online infringement and copyright issues.

Privacy And Confidentiality

Privacy and confidentiality are both very important whether it has to do with new media or some other aspect. A lot of times we are unaware of the fact that we are putting up a lot of our personal stuff online. For example, many times on social networking sites such as Facebook, we put our personal information, but don't put the proper security or privacy settings on our pages. Same goes for other social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter. With the use of Youtube, you have copyrights which prevents people from using other peoples work to claim it as their own. All these measures are taken simply because the internet is so enormous now, you never know where your work or personal information is going. Furthermore, any work that you do put online, such as even a small piece of work such as a poem, maybe used by someone else without using your reference. That poem is your own individual intellectual property and you might not want someone else to share it. Therefore, privacy and security is a major issue when using new media and the internet in general.

Advice

If I was hired by Baruch College to improve their usage of media, I would
1.)  Open up more online courses using blackboard. Blackboard is an awesome way to use technology to instruct courses. For example, our CIS class is an online course. Its easily accessible to all students who are at Baruch and it would maybe decrease the traffic in the college if this was done.
2.) Incorporate more social media websites in courses. For example, instead of writing papers all the time about certain topics, blogging about topics is much more interactive and perhaps students will be more interested in reading the material and writing about it. This kind of change might be much more intriguing and interesting to students.
3.)  This would be a stretch but if we could have virtual classes where the instructor is basically teaching the class online with all the students at the same time on a webcam, class might be more exciting.

Creativity and New Media

I am not much of a creative person but as part of the assignment, I've created my first avatar. It was pretty interesting because I felt like I could create her just how I want to.When you click on the link, please wait for the page to load and click on the play button to hear the voice.


http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?partnerID=symbaloo&scid=5783181&height=267&width=

This is my avatar pet
http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?partnerID=symbaloo&scid=5783141&height=267&width=

This is my friend
http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?partnerID=symbaloo&scid=5783202&height=267&width=

Creativity

The idea of new media itself is very creative. Ten years ago, we could not even imagine some of the ways that media has changed. For example, instead of books and magazines we now have the web and instead of the news sometimes we would rather watch YouTube. Media has drastically changed and one of the ways is that it has become so much more creative. New media allows for people to be themselves.
For example, social networking sites allow people to just be themselves and express themselves in ways that were not possible in the past. Sites such as Facebook and twitter allow people to post their feelings. Even this blog is a creative piece of work because I am expressing my feelings while I am writing here. This creativity also ties people together because people can read and comment on them or just express their own opinions.
New media also allows us to enter worlds that are incredible. For example, new media offers virtual worlds that give people the opportunity to be anything they want to be. In virtual worlds, users also have the potential to be whoever they want to be, however they want to be. Therefore, even users get to use their creative sides. Furthermore, sites like YouTube and even Skype allow users to post videos and share videos that foster creativity. For example, from the article, "Disney Tolerates a Rap parody of its Critters, But why?", we learn that Disney allows YouTube users to make a parody of their characters because it allows for users to utilize their creativity. I personally think that YouTube users do an amazing job fostering creativity because they also market various music videos, songs, and video blogs, etc. As a conclusion, new media allows people to use and utilize their creativity which I believe will only increase as time passes.

Virtual Worlds

  Virtual worlds are online communities in which users come face to face with an enviornment similar to the real world. In virtual worlds, which is usually in a 3D format, the users are usually faced with real life situations in which they have to make decisions. Virtual worlds can be used for many different factors. For example, vitual worlds can be used for training or educational purposes. Virtual worlds can also be used for medical, sales, or just recreational purposes.
  There are good things and bad things about virtual worlds. One of the benefits to virtual worlds is that it allows for users to use their creativity. It can also be a very good tool for training in jobs because virtual worlds are stimulated to be a model of what should be done and its similar to real life. So one who is being trained for a job will get the real feel of the job before they start working. Virtual worlds allows the users to get full perspective of what they are looking at. For example, in the article titled "Avatar II", author Stephanie Simon talks about a virtual world which is a hospital with patients all lined up in the emergency room. This allows for nurses to learn how they would deal with patients at that kind of a moment. Furthermore, she explains that this method is used in many hospitals as a training drill so that doctors and nurses will learn how to handle themselves in different situations.
  Another benefit to virtual worlds is that it can help users to improve their moods. For example, in the article "Chelsea, In Room 100, its Sid and Nancy All Over Again", the users create the hotel for themseleves on Second Life, a virtual world, where users are avatars. They create it to their own liking which satisfies them because its not like the actual hotel, but as to what they wish the hotel were like. In return, they feel a self satisfaction. Virtual worlds also allow lonely or shy people to find company online which gives them self satisfaction as well.
  Virtual worlds also have its cons. For example, the world is still a 3D world, its not real life. Therefore, users might fantasize it as a real world where its not. Also, users might behave in ways in which they might not behave in real life. There might be abuse in virtual worlds that might encourage them to get violent in real life as well.