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Take Care!

To all reading this...

This blog was created for a class that I took called Immersive Education Collaborate Computing at Boston College. My classmates and I learned different ways to utilize technology in order to collaborate with one another. We used several applications such as various social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, etc and virtual worlds including Minecraft, World of Warcraft, etc. To learn more about the Immersive Education Initiative at Boston College please visit http://ImmersiveEducation.org/@/bc. 

Id like to say “adios!” to my fellow classmates and Professor Walsh. I had a great time taking this course, learning about virtual worlds and different ways we can collaborate with one another with technology. This course was great and a nice change of pace from the typical courses I have taken throughout my college career. 

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Class 14, Homework 2: What is Dropbox?

Dropbox is an application that allows its users to bring their files together into one simple space. Information is stored over the “cloud” that way it is accessible from virtually anywhere. Users can then share these files with whomever they want with the touch of a button. The application allows you to collaborate on projects with others by editing and leaving feedback on others files.   

Dropbox standard is free to use and comes with 2gb of space. The next step up is $9.99/month which offers 1 TB of storage, offline storage, and additional features. The next step up is $19.99/month and allows you to see the history of the document up to 120 days, a showcase option, and full text search. Additionally, there is Dropbox business which has three options, from $12.99/month. Dropbox business has either 2 TB of storage or unlimited and can allow multiple users access to the same account. 

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Class 14, Homework 1: My Google Drive folder

These screenshots show me creating a Google drive folder that has stuff related to our course. I then shared it with our class Google group.

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Class 13: Slack Channels

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Class 13: Slack App

My classmates and I all collaborated on the Slack application. 

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Class 12: Getting Into Slack

Here is a screenshot of my classmates and I talking in Slack.

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CLASS 12: Google Hangout with VOICE CHAT.

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Class 11, Homework 5B: My own Prezi presentation.

Here is an overview of the prezi that I created for my gaming report. Check it out!

https://prezi.com/view/9fWjXUj5xfYtmOQVesGK/

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Class 11, Homework 5A: My Favorite 3 Prezi presentations.

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Class 11, Homework 4: Google Documents as HTML files.

For this assignment, we had to dive back into one of our previous google doc files. I chose to go back to my gaming report. I downloaded my gaming report as an HTML zip file. I then had to unzip the file. When I unzipped it, it showed up as a hyperlink which I was able to click on and access through my internet browser. 

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Class 11, Homework 3: Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

What is HTML? HTML is a language that allows computers to communicate and talk with one another. No matter what operating system a computer is running or what company it is made by, all computers use HTML. HTML essentially creates hyperlinks that connect web pages to one another. 

Without HTML, the web would not function in the way it does today. This means that computers that use different OS’s would not be able to communicate with one another. HTML essentially is the standard for computing today. Without HTML, there would be no standard language for computers to communicate with one another. 

HTML is the most essential tool for internet growth. We live in a world of collaboration. HTML allows computers from all over the world running thousands of different operating systems from thousands of different manufacturers to communicate. Pretty much all modern web browsers support all versions of HTML. 

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Class 11, Homework 2: Collaborative Web Pages with TogetherJS

TogetherJS is a tool that allows users to collaborate online in order to create a website. I explored a few of the applications that are built into the website that TogetherJS has offered as an example. These include collaboration on a grocery list, a drawing board, a mab lib. These collaborations are real time and show work being done by peers the moment they are editing from their screen. Pretty Cool!

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Class 9 Homework 4: Video Games - More than a Game

Video games and specifically MMORPGs (Massively multiplayer online role-playing games) are now, more than every, an important and impactful part of our society. Millions of players interact on a day to day basis in virtual, video game environments. So, to ignore the impact of them on our society and culture would be shortsighted. “MMORPGs mirror the business context more than you would assume,” says Byron Reeves, a Professor of Communication at Stanford University.

Gaming leaders are able to do many things that emulate business leaders of the real world. Many times, they do things even better. Collaboration is an essential part in mastering a video game. Gaming leaders are able to work so well with their peers in order to accomplish their goals. They are also much more comfortable when it comes to taking on risks and they are more accepting of losses and failure.

Video games including MMORPGs create massive multiplayer environments where players interact on a day to day basis in order to achieve their goals. These virtual worlds set goals and challenges that players work towards sometimes on their own and sometimes with a group. As the business world continues to catch up with technology, virtual environments will be much more common among the workplace. Gamers already have a step ahead in this department.

Virtual environments are more common than ever among the workplace. Workers need to be able to collaborate with others all across the world, in different time zones and various circumstances. There are strikingly similar attributes between video game worlds and virtual business environments. Members of teams in virtual environments including video games make their individual skills and competency levels apparent just like they would in the real world. Leaders are able to assess these skills and delegate tasks to their workforce.

Virtual world leaders can be people would struggle, or would rarely get the opportunity to lead in a real world environment. People like Helen Cheng for example who is naturally a much quieter person in the real world have found success in virtual environments.  Cheng began playing in virtual environments with Star Wars Galaxies. The gaming world moves fast and there is often very limited time to make decisions. Cheng was playing in a game of 40 people where the raid failed tremendously. The leader was stewing and not making decisions fast enough. This is when Cheng turned on her microphone and spoke to the other 39 players. She rallied the troops, got everyones attention and led the team to victory.

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Class 8: Facebook and Privacy Concerns in the Media

Midterm for Sam McGee

Class 8: Facebook and Privacy Concerns in the Media

Throughout the past few years, there have been several incidents surrounding Facebook that involve how they handle their users privacy and personal information. Many users are concerned that their data is tossed around and sold to various app developers and advertisers without their consent. Facebook is free to use, so the way that the company makes its money is by selling users information to app developers and companies wishing to advertise on their platform. Facebook argues that protecting people's information is something that they value extremely highly. It is difficult however to believe these claims when the companies business model is based upon selling people's information.

On March 19th, 2018, CNN reported that Facebook had suspended a data firm called The Cambridge Analytica. A few years ago, Aleksandr Kogan, a professor from Cambridge University set up a “personality test” application that gathered information from everyone that used the app as well as all of their Facebook friends. This allowed him to gain information from over 50 million Facebook users. Kogan then gave the data to Cambridge Analytica which is a political consulting company. Politicians including Donald Trump hire this company in order to specifically target and manipulate voters.  

What is wild about this scandal is that Kogan gained all of this information from Facebook users without violating any guidelines. What looked like a fun and quirky app within Facebook was able to manipulate users as well as every single one of their Facebook friends into providing information which was then given to Cambridge Analytica. President Trump's campaign as well as other politicians then paid for this information in order to manipulate voters to tell them what they want to hear in order to sway them one way or another. According to Facebook, the one thing that violated their terms was Kogan giving the data to third parties. Facebook also acknowledges that it is nearly impossible to monitor what these people/companies do with the data that Facebook sells them meaning it very easily can wind up in the wrong hands.

Facebook might not get let off the hook for the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The Federal Trade Commision (FTC) created a consent decree that governs how Facebook handles its users data and privacy. Although Facebook officials have denied it, this most recent scandal seems to have violated that decree. Each violation could carry up to a $40,000 fine and with the data of fifty million users, that fine could be in the trillions (highly unlikely that the fines rise that high). The decree requires that users are to be notified and give their explicit consent whenever data about them is shared beyond their current privacy settings.

In conclusion, Facebook users must be very careful about what they post on the app and what information that they put out there. The data that someone shares on Facebook is more often than not used for purposes that they didn't intend. Facebook users have to understand that if they sign up for the app, they are agreeing to have their data sold to advertisers and developers who can manipulate it in any way shape or form. Users also must be wary that their information can easily get into the wrong hands. And finally users must be wary of third party apps within Facebook which can give your data to the wrong people.

References:

http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/19/technology/business/facebook-data-privacy-crisis/index.html

https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-privacy-transparency-cambridge-analytica/

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/19/how-to-protect-your-privacy-on-facebook.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/03/18/facebook-may-have-violated-ftc-privacy-deal-say-former-federal-officials-triggering-risk-of-massive-fines/?utm_term=.98c38ae4ef26

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Class 5, Homework 5: My Game Console Report

The gaming console that I will be reviewing for this assignment is the Xbox One. The Xbox One is a device that connects to your TV. The Xbox One allows you to access entertainment, video games, music, and various entertainment applications. This device serves as the main hub for your television allowing you to do a variety of different things instead of simply watching cable.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-sGDn8ZcJPVm5XIHQEiqeR7DGB4-1R0A29PpZv5T09g/edit?usp=sharing

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Class 5, Homework 2: Google Scholar Alerts

For this assignment, we had to create alerts on google and google scholar so that we would get alerted every time a post was created about various things, particularly we focused on Immersive Education.