I just edited my wikispace page entry, which was a brief bio and tourist guide to Bumpkin Island. I actually found the experience very enriching. I was unsure of how to navigate the wikispace website at first, but after re-reading some of the course material combined with some experimenting of my own, I was able to navigate the system with ease. This familiarity with the page allowed me to add features such as web links and pictures to my entry.
I also really took interest in the island I was researching. The history behind the destination as well as all the beauty it has to offer visitors has interested me to the point of planning a camping trip there this Summer. The area has great views and hiking trails and is very easily accessible.
The group that I am working with has been great! We’re all a little behind with the various projects were all juggling right now, but I have found communication with my group leader, Courtney, combined with her advice and direction in the projects duration to be outstanding. We used numerous forms of communication (from AIM to email) to work on the project and I am now just hoping that it turns out as great as we had all envisioned it!
I am sad to report I have had little interaction with the wikispace program. Although there is very little that excuses this fact, I had to be home this week due to a family emergency. I was placed in a group a little late and have contacted my group leader (although I feel my attempts may have failed). I am anxious to partake in this project and hope to do so over the following week.
Since I have disclosed my favorite type of mashup, I thought it would be important for me to reflect on what a mashup really is. When I heard the term for the first time, I immediately thought of a web feature that must contain a hodgepodge of components, hence its name. And although this assumption was not completely accurate it is the begginning of what a mashup can be defined as. I had previously heard the term mashup when referrring to musical technique of blending various songs in order to create a new composition, and was eager to learn what the internet application would consist of donning the same name. After examinging the modules for this week I learned mashup is merely an internet website that contains different features from various websies into one dynamic web page. I then went onto experience some of the different examples of mashups listed in the module and learned that I had been using these websites all along and simply not known they were considered mashups. I am a big fan of Google Street View as well as Google Maps feature in realty, so I was already familar with these examples. The examples I wasn’t familiar with were equaly interesting and were a great way to illustrate what an internet mashup is.
After becoming familiar with all the various types of mashups the internet has to offer, I have declared my favorite a mashup I have used before learning more about it in this exercise. The Street View in Google applications which allows the public to explore famous landmarks and streets in numerous locations through Panoramio, an application on google maps that utilizes vehicles that are equipped with specialized equipment, and also use images taken by internet users. The corporation of these images allows the user to explore different landmarks and even streets without leaving their computer. It is my personal favorite, not only because it allows me to see places I have never been to before, but also because it enables me to see images of my hometown that are accurate and vivid.