04/10/23 1Travis Noakes
* Beware! A PowerPoint presentation is not a social media presentation!
Affordances in Social Media for Education.*
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My PhD in Media Studies Research Title
Understanding functionality in software: the affordances of free, web 2.0 graphic software in art education.
How &Why software interfaces?Important to communicate their affordances?Why only to secondary school students?Describe engaged in the online creation of... Why specifically visual art?
Research Question (in black!)
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Environmental scientists, ecologists, make use of the concept of niche. A given
species of animal is said to utilize a certain niche in the
environment. It is not the same as habitat of the species, that is, where it lives, but rather how it lives. I suggest that a niche is a set of affordances. The natural environment offers many ways of life and a way of life is a set
of affordances that are utilized.
Environmental scientists, ecologists, make use of the concept of niche. A given
species of animal is said to utilize a certain niche in the
environment. It is not the same as habitat of the species, that is, where it lives, but rather how it lives. I suggest that a niche is a set of affordances. The natural environment offers many ways of life and a way of life is a set
of affordances that are utilized.
J. J. Gibson (1977, 1979)
What is an affordance in psychology? What is an affordance in psychology?
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… J.J. Gibson’s definition can be confusing.
Discussions of Gibson's concept of affordance have been plagued by confusion about where to locate the reference of the term.
For example, is the affordance that a chair provides for sitting a property of the chair, a property of the person who sits on it or perceives that he or she could sit on it, or something else?
Credit: Wayne Ho and Joanna McGrenere (2000)
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There already exists the start of a psychology of materials and of things, the study of affordances of objects. When used in this sense, the term affordance refers to the perceived and actual properties of the thing, primarily those fundamental properties that determine just how the thing could possibly be used.
What is an affordance inHuman Computer Interface and Interaction Design?
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What is a perceived affordance?
What the designer cares about is whether the user perceives that some action is possible (or in the case of perceived non-affordances, not possible).
What the designer cares about is whether the user perceives that some action is possible (or in the case of perceived non-affordances, not possible).
The concept has caught on, but not always with true understanding. Part of the blame lies with me: I should have used the term "perceived affordance," for in design, we care much more about what the user perceives than what is actually true.
The concept has caught on, but not always with true understanding. Part of the blame lies with me: I should have used the term "perceived affordance," for in design, we care much more about what the user perceives than what is actually true.
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… Donald Norman’s definition is ambiguous.
Norman’s definition [of affordances] spread quickly and some inherent ambiguities have lead to a widely varying usage in HCI literature…Wayne Ho and Joanna McGrenere (2000)
As the concept of affordances is used currently, it has marginal
value, because it lacks specific meaning. Returning to a
definition close to that of Gibson’s would solidify the concept and
would also recognise that designing the utility or functional
purpose is a worthwhile endeavour in its own right. In order for
the affordance concept to be used fully in the design world,
however, Gibson’s definition needs to incorporate the notion of
varying degrees of affordances.
Wayne Ho and Joanna McGrenere (2000)
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A better concept for affordances is needed in HCI/ID.
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Use Semiotic Engineering to define a “software affordance”
Use the right metaphor -Software is an epistemic tool, not a concrete artefact.
Adopt a semiotic approach -Look at software development holistically as a semiotic process and aim to include ALL roleplayers/speech makers (i.e. The Designer’s Deputy).
Narrow the definition’s focus -Focus on the perceived and real affordances of an intellectual, software artefact (versus a natural environment’s, for example).
Credit: Wayne Ho and Joanna McGrenere (2000)
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Software application’s semiotic interface
PLATFORM
Base it on an semiotic view of the “speakers” in software
perception
invokes an action
learns
functionality offering
feedback
Browser
Operating System
Desktop, laptop, notebook, netbook or mobile
software experience
Device
brand
USERUSER DEVELOPERDEVELOPERDEVELOPER’S DEPUTYDEVELOPER’S DEPUTY
interpretation
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A software affordance definition for ALL speakers.
A software affordance is an action-possibility (or functionality) that a developer’s software offers by communicating in the semiotic interface to a system and/or that a user interprets and may choose to invoke through that system, thereby learning about it.
A software affordance is an action-possibility (or functionality) that a developer’s software offers by communicating in the semiotic interface to a system and/or that a user interprets and may choose to invoke through that system, thereby learning about it.
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What is your favourite onlineaffordance?
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Sourced from http://centeredlibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/06/web-30-in-plain-english.html
Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0 vs. Web 3.0
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The Networked Teacher
Credit Alec Couros
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What can a teacher use?
Youtube Myvideozoopy
Google YahooHotmail BingWolfram
Delicious diigostumblupon
Wordpress TypepadSquidoo BloggerThoughtLeader (M&G)
Picassa FlickriStockphoto
iTunes iLikespotify musopenlastfm pandora
Share bookmarks Afrigator AmatomuTechnorati
Email and search Upload a video edit
SMS and chat
MSN ChatSkypeMXit
Blog
Share photos
Download music
Download podcasts
ted.comthedolectures.comaudible.com
Upload a podcast
Track your website’s popularity
Advertise online
Google adsenseFacebook ads
podcast.com
Run a survey
Promote your blog
Google Analytics
Use a feed aggregator
Rate, write reviews
metacritic
LinkedInbigthinkFacebookTwitterMyspaceFriendsterOrkut
Social network
Easy (consumer)
Share a portfolio
Use a CLOUD service to share files
Google docs box.net Sugarsync dropbox
N.B. Just scratching the surface of what’s out there… N.N.B. Experiment with new services, different platforms, etc.
Resource intensive(producer)
Share shopping lists
Amazon
Create a group
Launch software project
Google Groups
sourceforge.netedgewall
Take part in online forums
Use newsgroups
Create shared content (Wiki)
Wikipedia
Launch a petition
bhance.net
Web 1.0 Web 2.0
Raise charity
greatergoodsa
Do search engine optimisation
Share your slides and documents
Slideshare docstoc
Create your own social network
Ning
Subscribe to Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds
Publish website pages
Create a portfolio site
omeka
Outsource your research or code
InnocentiveMarketocracy Topcoder
Learn from experts
CGSociety
polldaddy.com
petitiononline.com
Download from an FTP site
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Department of Education’s National Policy
Bridge the digital gap
Address the relevance gap
Bridge the participatory gap
Web 2.0 technologies support OBE’s
democratic objectives
Accommodate special students’ needs
Software affordances @ High School
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Strategic thinking must factor in abundance management
The pedagogy of visual arts and visual design’s studio-based education can readily
accommodate Digital Visual Literacy (DVL) modules:
1. Visual literacy plays an important role in arts education, already. In particular, its focus on formal characteristics supports the understanding a communication’s form can be an important part of its content. This is seldom emphasized in text- and numbers-focused subjects;
2. The studio environment promotes better experimentation with digital media than a normal class setting. There is more scope for collaboration, peer-to-peer education and constructive feedback in a studio.
3. Successful examples of DVL modules may be readily adopted in other subjects, since using the Form, Theme and Context approach to teach DVL in art education provides a framework that’s easily transposed to other disciplines (Sandell, Renee. 2009).
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Why trial digital literacy modules in Arts and Design departments?
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• Prepare a digital portfolio of one’s progress- Track improvement (and be grateful it’s backed-up).
• Experiment with digital self-expression- Better understand digital affordances.
• Provide feedback on others’ content- Learn about Sturgeon’s law and the Pareto Principle first-hand.- Showcase the best annual work from Bishops’ website.
• Experience the modern, knowledge-sharing, work-environmentUnderstand web 2.0 technologies’ functions and affordances.
• Connect with Old BoysLearn from their examples; good… and bad!
• Increased literacy in digital media- Understand the benefits (and hazards) of new media early on.
Potential outcomes of a web 2.0, Digital Visual Literacy module
Key functions web 2.0 supports:
Flag it
Tag it
Share it
Rate it
Comment on it
Subscribe to it
Syndicate it
Remix it
Publish it
Edit it
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Pupils will learn to create online portfolios with their favoured service: i.e. carbonmade.com or foliogem.com, for example.
Matric and grade 11 online portfolio project
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The OD See 2010 exhibition
Chose Facebook initially dueto:1 At least 500 ODs are on italready2 ODs not really a MySpace or Friendster demographic
Learnt it’s:3 Very easy to create a group4 Cheap to advertise on5 Must provide FAQs.
So far:• 26 members• 14 links• 6 discussion topics (mostly group advice)
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The OD See 2010 exhibition benefits from these Facebook affordances
Search by name and email address (function)
Connect with friends, colleagues and associates using their names (affordance)
Message people irrespective of their contact details (affordance)
View a friend’s friends
See a person’s social network
Update one’s status
Share one’s activities and interests
Join networks, groups, fan pages
Meet like-minded people and keep abreast of events and activities
Tag photos
Share photos efficiently
Share coursework (function)
Facebook’s founder used it to share Art History course-work (affordance).
Add applications
Benefit from new affordances.
Easy for third parties to add new artefacts (Yazid, Idris, 2009)
Tailor information to specific social circles
Customise information for one’s relevant social circle (personal. network or pages). (Yazid, Idris, 2009)
Birthday notification and wall message
Be more pro-active in sending best wishes to friends and colleagues.
Define one’s location
Look out for friends in one’s travel destinations.
Customisable interface design (Yazid, Idris, 2009)
Customise one’s profile.
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Some other useful Facebook affordances
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Top 100 Tools for E-Learning
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Available online 24/7 (function)
Mobility (affordance).
Free
Inexpensive, easily accessible.
Browser-neutral
Easily accessible on W3C compliant platforms.
No need for bloat-ware in cloud-computing
Smaller, cheaper device as minimal hard-drive, storage space required.
Easily updated
Running the latest version.
FAQs are current
Latest product knowledge.
Some affordances of free, online software
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A few affordances of design software
Select a file format (function)The image is represented in binary code and can easily be modified (affordance)
Define the canvas sizeThe area one works on can be easily adjusted.
Select a drawing toolOne’s mouse can serve as an airbrush, paintbrush, etc.
Select a colourIt’s easy to define the colour one wants, numerically.
Set a drawing tool’s settingsOne’s mark-making can be easily adjusted.
Make or erase a markAny recent mark one makes is simple to remove.
Export to curvesThe design can be saved for printers to develop proofs from.
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Which educational affordances excite
you the most?
Which educational affordances excite
you the most?
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Producers create functions
While the production of software functionalityis easily understood, the consumption of software and adoption of affordances is a complex subject.
Sometimes, functionality of perceived marginal importance becomes the most important in the market:FlickrWikipedia
In these cases, the affordances’ benefit to users are more important than the value developersperceive they create with specific functions.
Frissen V. 1995 Gender is Calling: Some reflections on past, present and future uses of the telephone. In K. Grint and R Gill (eds), The Gender
Technology Relation, London: Taylor and Francis, 79-94
Early telephone companies did not appreciate the telephone’s affordance for intimacy, instead promoted the phone as a purely functional, instrumental device.
Telephone companies issued prescriptions for how to use the telephone:during the day it had to be used in an instrumental way for business or housekeeping matters, such as ordering things… Only in the evenings was “chatting” or “visiting” by phone permitted, although this should be restrictedin any case. It took these telephone companies some to realise that thesemarketing strategies were not an accurate reflection of what was actually beingdone with the phone.
The Telephone’s Affordances
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“The Street Finds Its
Own Uses For Things.”
Gibson, William.
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Consumers and Prosumers create Affordances
The unexpected role of the consumer
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But we need to remember, we're only at the beginning.
The epics of history are long. The cultural revolution, the industrial revolution.
By comparison our information age is still in its infancy:
we're only at Web 2.0.
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Visit my blog attravisnoakes.co.za
Message me on Facebook or Twitter.
Email me on [email protected]
Need help; web 2.0 me :) !
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