Instant Messaging

I used instant messaging a lot more when I was younger, but it's still handy now, especially when chatting with my brother or with friends I've met on message boards or elsewhere online. Group chat (and even group video conversations!) are excellent for collaboration. Being able to transfer files much more quickly than ever before is also a huge plus. Even Evernote, the note-storage and sharing program, has a messenger built in to allow for collaboration between business associates or friends. 

Personally, I prefer Pidgin, which is more of an aggregation client than anything else. It allows me to connect to IRC chats, AIM, Facebook, and many other types of IM networks all through a single client. This allows me to maintain friends I've acquired through various programs who use different types of communication, but without needing to download a ton of different programs myself.

Skype and VOIP

I have used Skype for both business and personal calls. It has allowed me to have free conversations (including video calls) with my family across the States, and gave me the opportunity to have a free conversation with a graphic designer in Chile. Advantages I have personally experienced with VOIP are the cost efficiency and convenience. However, VOIP doesn't work without Internet, and if the current connection is bad, it can also provide poor audio quality.

LinkedIn Examination

From my experience, LinkedIn is great for forming business connections, for sharing your expertise (and becoming more known for it), and for opening up communication with other people who are either in your field or interested in it. I have read a lot of excellent articles and conversations of people who are very experienced with what they do on LinkedIn. I have also made several connections with people in my current industry, or with people with whom I can form a mutually beneficial business relationship. My advice for utilizing this site to the fullest would be to make a powerful profile (using tips for constructing worthwhile resumes), to engage in conversations through industry groups, and to add business relations or friends who hold value to you (and to not blindly go adding a lot of strangers who will randomly endorse you, as it will make your profile look less than genuine).

Social Media Comparison

Podcast #3: Freakanomics

http://freakonomics.com/

I chose Freakonomics because it's an entertaining but interesting source of information. It brings attention to some otherwise underrated or hidden aspects of the world, as well as educates and informs on very important topics - in very fun and engrossing ways! The topics vary wildly but never fall short of being worth every minute!

Podcast #2: Fresh Air

http://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/

I chose Fresh Air with Terry Gross because it's also one of my personal favorite podcasts. It has a lot of interesting talk show style conversations that ask really relevant and fascinating questions, which usually result in some amazing insights from some worthy minds. The interviews are always very respectful as well, allowing everyone their own fair say and never arguing or interrupting; merely asking the necessary questions and being open to the opinions of the other side.

Podcast #1: TED Radio Hour

http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510298/ted-radio-hour

I chose TED Radio Hour because I personally love to listen to it. It's a wonderful presentation of all sorts of breakthrough ideas, opinions, and creations. TED has always been an inspirational and motivational way of both empowering and educating people around the world, and I have learning all sorts of amazing things through this program. I highly recommend it!

My Wikispace Page

https://sherryweb2p0.wikispaces.com/Wikis

Discussion #3: Educational Origami

This wikispace discussion offers a variety of Web 2.0 tools as well. Rather than just listing and comparing Web 2.0 tools and services, however, it also appears to provide tutorials that might assist in one's education and awareness of Web 2.0, such as for Twitter, photo sharing, RSS, blogs, and photo sharing sites. It also provides suggestions for image editing tools, polling and survey tools, and visual search services ("Cool Web 2.0 Tools").

Below the page, people are able to place comments, where one individual even let the original author know that a link did not work on the page. The author thanked the commenter and fixed the problem (Cool Web 2.0 Tools").

References:
"Cool Web 2.0 Tools". Retrieved from http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/WEB+2.0+Tools

Discussion #2: Cool Tools for Schools

This wikispaces discussion provides various Web 2.0 tools that might be useful for teachers and students. An example of this would be the collaborative tools page, which provides a list sites, software, and services such as Google Docs, Google Apps for Education, TeamViewer, Dropbox, WordPress, and even other wikis ("Collaborative Tools").

References:

"Collaborative Tools". Retrieved from http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Collaborative+Tools

Discussion #1: Jim Holland's Web 2.0 Tools for Educators

This discussion defines Web 2.0 as the "next generation of Internet" in which the content is created by users, culminating in an exchange of ideas and perspectives ("Jim Holland's Web 2.0 Tools for Educators Home"). It also goes on to explain what a wiki is, what "widgets" are, the difference between linking and embedding, and the word "Freemium". It's a pretty random mashup of concepts I know are related, but ultimately don't transition well into a single home page. But still, it's related to this week's coursework and is hosted on wikispaces, so I wanted to use it for my assignment.

References:

"Jim Holland's Web 2.0 Tools for Educators Home". Retrieved from https://webapplications.wikispaces.com/