social media is social
While I have been getting out and about and hanging out with friends, it’s very different and exciting to get back into university- there is an exciting bustle of LIFE there. Suddenly twittering was a bit more exciting- there were things to see and comment on. Social networks have been accused of supporting pale skinned geeks who don’t go outside much, glued to their computer screens, but I’ve found that social networks such as facebook, twitter, and flickr are so much more fun when you are out and about being social.
I’m really excited about one of my computer science units at uni this semester: FIT 2001- Systems Analysis and De at Monash. For a start, all computer science units are participating in a trial of Moodle, which is a content management system for sharing unit information with students. It doesn’t stop there though- this unit has a Facebook page, a twitter account (the head lecturer, Peter O’Donnel tweets regularly as well) a blog, and a vodcast that is separate from the regular lecture podcast. I’m excited about this and think that more units should try social media.
The lecturers are mostly good at trying to be personable and answer questions, but sometimes it seems as though there is a mysterious magical cloud when it comes to academia and the marking process. I don’t think that the uni lecturers want to be seen as maniacally laughing “you pass! you fail! you fail! mwahahahah” (well, mostly) so it is good to have some clarity and transparence when it comes to uni subjects. They want you to learn, not fail. I’m looking forward to this subject because I know that they are really keen on communicating, and communicating in a way that fits for me. They’ll even give me extra credit for blogging about my learning experience.
Social media is something that is exciting to me. I know that not everybody learns like I do, but a growing number of young people are technically literate and socially connected on the web. Universities should adapt to this, and it is exciting to see that they are.
What’s your relationship with social networks? Do you have a blog? Facebook? Twitter? How do you use them in your every day life? Do you have some surprising social networking connections?
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bushfires
A week on from the tragic bush fires, I have finally sat down to write about them. Though no one I know closely has been affected by the fires, we have seen and smelt the smoke, heard many sirens and seen helicopters, the fires at one point were not too far away. On the Saturday, we sweltered through the heat- listening to the radio as the various threat messages flooded in. I started following our Local Radio Station on twitter: 774melbourne. This meant that I had updates continually popping up on my screen. I have been checking the google map of the fires- seeing where they are and tracking the changes.
I have been feeling numb, watching the incredible devastation on TV, seeing the death toll rise every half hour to the terrible figure of 181, 80 still missing- the sadness yet numbness is real. Then I think of the people who actually were in the firestorm. My numbness, my emotion, is nothing compared to theirs. I still feel for them though. While this horrible tragedy unfolds in the hills and country side around my city, Melbourne, life goes on. This is surreal. We still have Doctors appointments, rubbish to put out, and the regular schedule of life. Surreal. Ash falls on our deck. And life goes on.
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book list semester 1 2009
I’m taking ENH3991 – Children’s literature: A comparative study at Monash University this year. (This is the third year version of ENH2991, which is the same, but for 2nd year students.) I have managed to get the book-list from a friend of mine who emailed the professor. I thought I’d publish it here so I wouldn’t lose it, and also just in case anyone else was looking for it. Of course, this information might change, I am in no way an authority on the way the course is run, and it will most likely be different for 2010. So, here it is, the 2009 Children’s Literature book list.
![[ readingnook ]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/3256807199_2fc4e5520d_m.jpg)
- Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
- Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
- Terry Pratchett, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
- Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are
- Neil Gaiman/Dave McKean, The Wolves in the Walls
- Mem Fox/Julie Vivas, Possum Magic
- John Marsden/Shaun Tan, The Rabbits
- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl (novel or graphic novel)
- Markus Zusak, The Book Thief
Of those, I have already read: Huckleberry Finn, Little Women, Where the Wild Things Are, and Possum Magic. I have heard of most of them, though I hadn’t heard of The Book Thief, or The Rabbits before.
I’m looking forward to reading these books very much. I’m not looking forward to the 3750 word essay that is worth 80% of my mark, considering:
3rd year students are required to demonstrate greater levels of theoretical reflection and analysis in their written work than students studying at 2nd year level.
oh dear! I’m resolved to be serious this year though and get a good jump on my assignments, and definitely not write them at the last minute. I might still be polishing them the night before, but not starting them then.
I’ve found Goodreads to be a fun way to record what I’m reading, another online tool I’ve found is Project Gutenberg, which is great if you want to read old, copyright expired books. Not so great for the newer stuff, but the library should be able to help there. I know that Little Women and Huckleberry Finn are freely available (according to USA copyright laws, check your locality… yadda yadda- Australia now follows the US model of copyright according to a recentish trade agreement. [source].)
I like reading. I know that some of the people that read this blog do too- what are you reading? What are you excited to be reading next? Anyone else doing English?
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beat the heat
With another 40+ degree day (Celsius) on it’s way after a 3 day run of blistering hot days in Melbourne, I thought I’d share ways we kept cool and even enjoyed the summer. There are three ways you can keep cool- your environment, your outside, and your inside.
It is important to keep your house cool. We don’t have any kind of air-conditioning or evaporative cooling, but even so these steps are important to keep the sun OUT so you can stay cool. While a breeze might sound like a good idea, it isn’t when it is hot air from the outside. Close the doors and windows during the heat of the day. Block out the light, close the curtains and blinds. We even hung some old curtains from the gutter outside the west facing windows, because we don’t have exterior blinds. Of course, once the sun is gone, open everything up and let the breeze through! Inside the house, we set up a mini evaporative cooler, with a wet towel hanging behind a fan. (Not draped over the fan.) We only used this when we were there, as fans don’t cool a room, but only the people in the room.
Now, on days as hot as this, you have to resign yourself to the sluggishness, rushing around is just going to make you hot. Lightweight clothing is a must- nothing more than a tshirt and shorts. An old tshirt dunked in water (that you’ve been religiously saving from the first sprinkles of your shower), wrung out and worn is effective relief from the heat- just sit on a towel. Boredom is also a factor- some people say to turn off computers and the like to prevent heat output, but it’s a trade off I’ll take. Put the laptop on a lap rest though.
Your insides are important to look after in the battle to keep cool- make sure you keep on drinking water. Water might be boring after a while, so have some cordial on hand to make drinking more appealing. Ice is always a plus on a hot summer’s day. What about eating? Well, the oven has already been banned for it’s heat producing capacities, so something cold from the fridge is the way to go, maybe leftovers or a nice salad. Ice cream, of course, helps to cool you down as well. Enjoy it!
After a hot hot day, often comes a hot hot night. While it is cooler and bearable while you are awake, the heat seems to sneak up on you when you go to bed. My favourite way to combat this is to sleep in a hammock, as the air is able to move all around you and take away the heat. A pillow that has been in the freezer on a hot night is a wonderful thing. Have a blanket of some sort on hand- it can get quite cool, which is what you want when it doesn’t dip below 30.
Of course, another resort is to escape somewhere cool- a nice air conditioned shopping centre, friend’s house or swimming pool. What tips have you got for staying cool?