Final Reflections Before Finals

Upon enrolling in ALES204, I had very little idea of what to expect. I had absolutely no idea that such a course was dedicated to "Communications Theory and Practice." Thinking about it again now though, the course makes perfect sense. Being born in 1990, I grew up just as the internet was starting to really expand. As a child it was primarily meant as a form of entertainment and communication with long distance relatives. My first introduction to social media was Facebook back in high school. All I really understood from that minor usage was that it was a method of interaction amongst friends and I quickly lost interest in it shortly after graduating. To me, all I understood of Wikipedia was that it was simply a quick resource one could quickly refer to if they needed generalized information. I didn't even know what Twitter was until I enrolled in this course.

Image: Doral Chamber of Commerce (July 21, 2011). SocialMediaIcons. Retrieved on April 13, 2012 from: http://www.prlog.org/11593579-socialmediaicons.png

Looking back now as I write my last post about my e-portfolio instead of posting on it, I realize that this course has taught me numerous things about all of these subjects. We were taught how to write a Curriculum Viatae, a useful alternative to a resume especially for current students or recent graduates. In lab I learned that Facebook could be used to advertise yourself to potential employers, simply by uploading one's CV or resume and posting it online. Though using Facebook as a form of personal advertisement came with the catch that there may possibly be discriminatory material on Facebook that you may not want your employers to see. Regardless, with proper monitoring and professionalism, it is definitely a useful tool to put one's skills out on the market and having employers look for you. We learned how to edit and update Wikipedia pages and contribute to a website which many, if not all of us, access and use on a regular basis. This blog was a useful place to post about these accomplishments, I wouldn't use it for anything else but these sorts of personal, professional developments in order to keep things consistent and professional. I personally agree with fellow ALES 204 student Hilary Baker, in regards to looking back now I wish I had taken this class earlier.

All of these subjects previously mentioned, were completed with supplementary practice of critical thinking and literacy, regularly performed via Tweets and Twitter. Our Professor Dr. Jessica Laccetti taught us a number of useful topics that we could apply to our everyday lives here at the University of Alberta, and constructing a critically literate Tweet on Twitter is one that has been emphasized throughout the semester. These critically literate Tweets are more than just an update of one's status, location or hollow comment, they contribute in some way to the discussion at hand. By the end of the term, typing critically literate Tweets comes almost naturally, and I feel as if I'm applying the same element of critical literacy whenever I comment on any other sort of public forum. Pecha Kucha, a power point presentation format that integrates 20 slides that are on screen for 20 seconds each. Considering that before this semester, presenting a power point presentation in a format that did not bore people to death, while at the same time was descriptive and concise, this is by far one of the most useful things that I have taken from this course. A format to give one's presentation in a concise manner while delivering at a rapid pace.

Overall, I find that what I have learned from this course can easily be applied across any course here at the University of Alberta simply because communications and social media are concepts that are unavoidable in the field of research and study. From being able to perform outstanding public presentation, to advertising your skills online, to analyzing scientific articles from numerous fields of study, to critically contributing to a conversation with a limit of 140 characters; All of these are skills that I will use again in my academic career.

As requirement, here are the links to the posts of fellow ALES 204 students of which I have commented;
Becky Bohlender
Cassandra H
Lauren Bradshaw
Nian Liu
Karen Leung

From SOPA to CISPA

In our ALES 204 class we have already discussed SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and the potential harm that it could inflict upon free speech and innovation throughout the internet. This bill has been halted mid-January as a result of mass online protests including the blackout of many high traffic sites such as Wikipedia and Reddit. A new bill has been introduced though, CISPA (Cyber Interlligence Sharing and Protection Act) that has taken the place of SOPA on the political field.

Washington Post (2012) Retrieved April 11, 2012, from: URL http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/01/18/Style/Images/sospmix.jpg

CISPA is very similar to SOPA, as it is said to combat online piracy and protect and enforce copyright and patents. It is too similar although, as like its predecessor, due to the broad terms it uses in regards to a "cyber threat," as it describes in pages 10-11 of the Congress discussion draft. As taken from this draft;

"-it protects a system or network from-
(A) efforts to degrade, disrupt, or destroy such system or network; or
(B) theft or misappropriation of private or government information, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information."

Due to the broad range of interpretation that this definition presents, this bill could easily stifle free speech. The world has already seen the power of free speech on the internet through the Arab Spring and more recently the SOPA blackout. It is what allows us to post and update whatever findings we come across on the web like databases such as on fellow ALES204 student Becky Bohlender's blog; Pro MED-Mail. Free speech is the power that people have and use in a democratic country, and stifling it in any way does not seem like a very democratic-friendly thing to do.

Wikipedia Editing Assignment

I recently updated the Wikipedia stub: High-quality feed block as part of my E-Portfolio assignment for ALES204. The ease of accessibility to editing such pertinent information in my field of study is very interesting, at the very least, seeing as I have not yet completed my degree in Animal Health, yet I can still contribute to my field by providing information to the field and community. This open system of linking and providing information to the general masses makes finding and learning  new things easier, as it is by the world, for the world.

For the project, the first step of finding an incomplete Wikipedia stub was simple enough; search for "Wikipedia Stubs" and choose. Actually editing the page with pertinent and supported information was the challenge. Any information, images or facts that were to be added to the Wikipedia stub must be supported and cited with peer reviewed or primary information. Despite being a bit of work, adding this information was also a learning experience. Looking for research and facts pertinent to the topic led to more things learned by myself, so in posting information for the public to have access to and learn from, I learned a few new things myself.

Image: Alexander Bautista. (Screen shot) (2012). Retrieved from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/76113823@N08/7008859949/in/photostream

 

It is also understandable although, the consequences and drawbacks of having such a vast wealth of information open to public access for editing and alterations. Anyone is capable of accessing and editing the information, from experts of specific fields or children who simply know how to make an account and would do things for the sake of doing them, as well as undergraduate students who wish to share new findings, to individuals with no academic background who want to share something they 'believe' is fact or true with not background or solid evidence. This is the advantage and problem with Wikipedia; it is a double edged sword. It is a place where all information can appear, whether it is validated and supported information, or baseless with no supported evidence. For example, a high school chemistry student could post some "unique" findings he observed in his lab, where it is very possible that the "unique" findings were simply a result of human error. The good part of Wikipedia lies where information can be moderated, scrutinized and corrected by the public as well. Such work is currently being done by my ALES204 class by my peers, such as Jasveer. Regardless of this fault, Wikipedia remains as a vault of information that many people access on a regular basis, information for the world, by the world.

Facebook Resume

I have recently created an online resume on my Facebook Account! This should be useful for later on in my career as it puts me out into the community for possible employers to search me out. While I am usually on the look out for a new or better job to widen my experience, I think by having this online resume available for people in general, other people could possibly spread the word about an ambitious University student on the look out for an occupation in Food Quality Assurance or Food Science and Technology sectors!

 

Flickr Page Link

Introductory/Very First Blog Post

Greetings fellow bloggers! This shall not only be my introductory post for ALES 204, but my very first post as a brand new blogger as well. My name is Alex and I am currently a student majoring in Food Safety and Quality though by next semester I aim to transfer into Food Science and Technology. With the exception of Facebook, I have never used any form of social media before this class so all of this is very new to me.

The way I see it, communication is very important in regards to food safety and quality. For example, the public should know if there is any concern over any product in regards to it's safety and quality. The public should know if there's an outbreak of disease or recall of anything they have already purchased. I personally would like to know if my lunch meats have been contaminated with harmful bacteria during processing, or if Tim Horton's are increasing the sizes of their coffee cups.

(... Oh wait, they have! Image received from http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20120116/tim-hortons-cup-sizes-120116/)

This probably shouldn't have excited me as much as it did... But it did. My first 24oz. Tim Horton's Extra Large Double-Double Coffee

In regards to a little personal information; I was born and raised my entire life in Canada, though I did travel a handful of times to Oregon, U.S.A and once to the Philippines. I have played the piano since Grade 1, taken lessons until Level 6 or 7, but eventually fell out of formal lessons and now I play the instrument as a hobby. I do admit to playing video games whenever I manage to sneak the time in between studies. I come from a relatively large Philippino family, with around 40 or so relatives living just in the Edmonton area. I graduated from McNally Composite High school here in Edmonton, and was one of those students who had absolutely no idea what to do after that. It wasn't until my 2nd year here at the U of A where I finally noticed the Food Science and Technology Degree offered by the Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences, and after one more hectic year of scrambling to get per-requisites done, here I am. If one has not noticed already; I love coffee. Not as much as I love my girlfriend, but still enough for me to get giddy over a 4oz size increase to Tim Horton's extra large coffee size.

That's all really for now and I look forward to learning more of online methods of communication in ALES204!

ps. SOPA and PIPA are off the desk for discussion in the U.S. but are not gone! The bills are being revised as we speak. A warning to all of those who believe in a free and uncensored Internet!