Tutorials

ISYS1166 The Digital Information Environment - Assignment 1

Digital portfolio and exploration of information management tools.

Here you will find documentation of the weekly activities completed throughout the Digital Information Environment course. Assignment guide document attached.

Week 1 Introduction and Google Site Creation

Week 2 Controlling information flow - Microblogging and RSS

Week 3 Creating shared resources

Week 4 Collaborating, storing and keeping track of information

+ Maps, mash-ups and linking data

Overview of weekly activities

A brief overview sits at the top of each tutorial post: this includes a brief response to each of the weekly activities, and any problems I faced. Alternatively I have grouped them here.

Week 1 Introduction and Google Site Creation I had issues with the horizontal navigation bar and adding pages. When I created new pages I couldn't get a new heading in the bar. Over the last few weeks I have intuitively worked it out and then when I need to do it again it has taken me considerable trial and error to get back there. I have concentrated on recording everything in my announcements/Blog. I changed the site name but need to change the url. Left it for now. Really don't like inkpinktraining, I did it as a quick placeholder - lesson learned. Finally, have worked out the site structure during my study session in week 6. I am really excited about it, and although the site does not look professional, I feel I have grasped the basics.

Week 2 Controlling information flow - Microblogging and RSS

Distraction is a problem. I do already have a Twitter account, however I have enjoyed and feel I have really benefited from creating one specific to this course and hopefully specific to my future work in information management. My initial problem was focus. I ended up deleting all of the news sites I was following as they were distracting me. My aim is to be distracted by things that are focussed on IM and relevant to my studies. There appears to be some great networks on information management, and twitter is alive with really interesting IM organisations.

I had some issues imbedding the Twitter feed, however it was due to my privacy settings on my Google site. The rss feed also proved to be an issue, however this was just due to the nature of online 'things' changing constantly - and what used to work with the gadgets no longer did. The lecturer sourced a work-around, which was a great part of the lesson also.

Week 3 Creating shared resourcesI have visual portfolio content online in various places online, but haven't used Flickr for a while. I deleted my Yahoo email account some years ago and didn't realise that this action would also delete my Flickr account. Which, in turn, deleted all of my Flickr images I'd uploaded to my 2004 - 2013 inkwinks animation blog. I have added metadata to my new Flickr account images. Pondered whether there was a difference between personal and professional metadata. (ie:quirky names) Really enjoyed Trove Digitised Newspapers article edit. (@TroveAustralia liked my tweet)

I spent some time in the Wikipedia sandbox, and decided to set up a page on Mirai Mizue, an independent Japanese animator. I found the Wikipedia editing/creating experience a little confusing and plan to go back to it, practice, and then see if I can set up a page.

Week 4 Collaborating, storing and keeping track of information + Maps, mash-ups and linking data

I found aspects of this week's activities challenging.

In particular Social bookmarking: I used Evernote once, quite some time ago, and quite possibly not particularly well. Research papers are of interest, however I never knew about social bookmarking, or perhaps just a glimpse at Del.icio.us in about 2004. I remember thinking (I don't want my bookmarks to be public). It took me a while to find out about the 'death' of Delicious for this activity. I signed up to Mendeley and Diigo, perused others briefly.

Once I started investigating both applications, I found it to be really interesting and exciting. My problems here mainly consist of how challenging I am finding it to manage information and a steep learning curve. Writing this weeks responses regarding the two social bookmarking apps has really helped me to gain confidence in continuing to utilise both apps as a part of my personal and professional practice.

Maps: I had fun with this. My maps look terrible, are a bit silly, but I enjoyed exploring what I could and couldn't do. I spent a lot of time trying to include a slide show from my Flickr account in to the map, somehow. It didn't work. Problem: Also I am conscious of the fact that I have used (4?) photos from a Mount Hotham Twitter account without acknowledgement. Yet to rectify.

Mashups: My mashup example perhaps was not a very good example as it only contained one extra 'mash' and actually may not even be considered a mash. Not a very web 2.0 example. My mashup was my holiday map that contained varying media - again couldn't get anything bold and interesting together. I spent time trying to do a video mashup on YouTube, a Macca-Pacca vs. Gangnam Style (backwards). I had permissions issues and gave up. However I really enjoyed listening to this mashup as I worked that day See tweet.

I think I could've found better examples of mashups. I was trying to find Museum or Library related ones. I liked one that utilised YouTube to include on their overview of Born Digital.