tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post6710483113102634734..comments2024-03-28T18:17:00.135-05:00Comments on Computational Complexity: Facebook and Forums and Feeds, oh my!Lance Fortnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752030912874378610noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-44171864528185451042008-04-21T19:09:00.000-05:002008-04-21T19:09:00.000-05:00What can't an instructor do, with RSS or forums, r...What can't an instructor do, with RSS or forums, reach a student that will shot themselves in the foot and not use those technologies, cause they are not part of their mastered tool set.<BR/><BR/>People are already using facebook for class related activities, and they find it useful which is why when other tools appear to fail them, they feel like they would be better served if those tools were replaced with the tool that is already working for them.<BR/><BR/>An important thing to look at with any information tool, is what is the mean time between updates, what is the mean time between an update being posted and that information no longer being useful, and how does the user get notified of an update. If a student has to go through a cumbersome process to see that a sight hasn't been updated, and when there is update (like about a class being canceled), doesn't get in a timely enough fashion to be useful, then they'll stop checking, and maybe lose faith in that system for the future.<BR/><BR/>Ultimately how effective any person finds one information distribution tool relative to another will vary greatly, so the ideal solution for an instructor is one that without extra effort on the part of the instructor will dispense information to each student through the channel they find most effective.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-4120272015862839322008-04-21T13:15:00.000-05:002008-04-21T13:15:00.000-05:00I get the personal feeling that there is not a gre...I get the personal feeling that there is not a great all-around solution for putting courses online. E.g. my school uses "ACE/ANGEL" which is probably similar to the blackboard software, but it's annoying to use (whereas the Facebook interface is a little more, one might say, sexy).<BR/><BR/>It would be really great if some academics or software people were to create a new online tool for academic purposes that incorporated announcements, communication, etc without a big ugly interface. Although many schools do not permit you to keep grades off-site, which would hamper things a bit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-73897481826784826052008-04-19T09:40:00.000-05:002008-04-19T09:40:00.000-05:00Amusingly, I managed (through a series of contorti...Amusingly, I managed (through a series of contortions) to get a hold of my Facebook friend graph (the friendship graph among my Facebook friends) and performed some various analyses. My facebook graph is 21-colorable and not 20-colorable; the maximum separation within any connected component is 7 degrees of separation.Louis Wassermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09791700199162146308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-33099579173611987242008-04-18T15:36:00.000-05:002008-04-18T15:36:00.000-05:00And honestly, I don't understand why the interacti...And honestly, I don't understand why the interactions between students and a professor need to be done in a social network. It is just silly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-10670671030354249282008-04-18T15:05:00.000-05:002008-04-18T15:05:00.000-05:00As an undergrad without Facebook, I'd be put off b...As an undergrad without Facebook, I'd be put off by a professor requiring me to join and use a social networking site just to view essential information for a class.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-38718534589962751462008-04-18T14:51:00.000-05:002008-04-18T14:51:00.000-05:00I do use the blackboard system that integrates wit...I do use the blackboard system that integrates with the registrar at Northwestern (U. Chicago had the same software). It's not the prettiest interface but I can distribute course information, students can upload their assignment solutions and students can view their grades (and no one else's grades) online. Still it lacks any serious social networking features.Lance Fortnowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06752030912874378610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-47999893818564563042008-04-18T14:08:00.000-05:002008-04-18T14:08:00.000-05:00Please do checkout Google Sites http://sites.googl...Please do checkout Google Sites http://sites.google.com/overview.html<BR/><BR/>It's much more appropriate for a class.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com