Monday, June 29, 2009

Social Networks and The Green Revolution


Iranian Election Protest
Originally uploaded by Skept
The events unfolding after the Iranian election called the world's attention to the power of social media. Everything started with an election that is said to have been rigged. The opposition to the Iranian government protested and protestants took the streets and traditional media was censored. What followed next was a flood of news from social networks. Iranians used twitter , facebook , and youtube to post videos and text updates about the protests and the violence that the government forces used to deal with it.
Some international news commentators said some Iranians did not even know that their posts or videos were being read and watched all over the word. So, for many of them it represented the discovery of a new way of voicing their protests, of informing the outside world of what is happening in their country. The power of uncensored, unfiltered information is just huge and it is sometimes difficult to understand why some educators still resist using social media to connect their students.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Where I am, where I am not


My creation
Originally uploaded by Jose Antoniobsb
This is where I am now. It is where I spent most of my time when I am at home. I have chosen the mosaic to represent the chaotic nature of online presence. I know I am here but not always here. I am here and also at many other parallel universes. I guess the missing and the visible pieces represent these many possibilities of being at many places at one time.
I live by myself, so I guess I spend a lot of time in contact with people that are physically so distant. Sometimes connected to this people online, sometimes planning lesson for people I will see only tomorrow or the day after. It is funny to think of the many ways we are connected to people.

Monday, June 15, 2009

RSS: My Customized news

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remember that a text book I used to teach English some years ago predicted the advent of customized newspapers. Thinking about RSS and how it has changed my life, I realized that RSS is just that: customized news. I am really a big fan of RSS because it allows me to visit all my favorite websites in one single page. Before using in (I use Netvibes more often than Google Reader), I remember that sometimes I forgot to visit some of my favorite websites. Now, I can always with just a click be updated on my customized news.


José Antônio

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