COIN83 Web 2.0 / Social Computing

Web 2.0

Syllabus

Welcome to COIN83, social computing in a global context. This is the 'second run' of the course in springl quarter 2011, whose purpose is to develop effective approaches for applying social technology to help advance our progress in social, political, and environmental problems. In this 'social learning environment', you are developing the experiences and content that will help build and create a course that continues to grow and evolve. In this course, we'll cover the full range of Web 2.0 and social technology topics, tracing Web 2.0 evolution, the applied field of social computing, and a tour of social networking organizations.

Course description:

You'll learn to apply wikis, blogs, RSS, tagging, and explore conferencing and collaboration tools, and work on a 'collaborative project' with peers. This course is 'extensible' and encourages both directed and self exploration of Web 2.0 tools and individual content development - yes, you can 'edit this class'!

As we put this course together, it is intentionally 'unfinished', with topics being built out following an outline developed over the summer (see attached PDF). Our learning objectives and topics will be posted in the course website at http://fgamedia.org/faculty/rdcormia/COIN83/. Links to course resources and assignments will appear here, week by week, including assignments.

You'll start the course by finding a copy of Wikinomics (print or audio book) which is the only 'required' reading for the course. Next you'll start to explore a series of Web portals, setting up accounts, and participating in social networks. Each week you'll move to more complex tools and applications. Some of you already have experience with many of these sites, which will give you a head start.

We'll explore the evolution of Web 2.0, from the coming of age of the Net generation and Millennials, effect of globalization, and adoption of open source philosophy. Our study of Web 2.0 includes an introduction to social computing, a new field that attempts to understand how human behavior is influenced through the 'social transactions' that occur in 'technology mediated' social networks, and use of social technology. Web 2.0 is a participatory process, with user driven content, social transactions, and a host of technical innovations (RSS, Ajax, mashups, tagging), APIs to open source applications, and new social business models, including collaborative value creation, co-creation and peer production.

You will use the ETUDES-NG course management system at https://etudes-ng.fhda.edu/portal/ to navigate and submit assignments, but please use the course website (on the fgamedia.org server) to follow course material. I will send out a syllabus Monday evening by email. It lists the weekly assignments and final writing assignments, plus an option to do an expanded book review (choose a book in addition to Wikinomics, such as Crowdsourcing, Wisdom of the Crowds, etc.)

We'll use collaboration tools, and depending on the size of the course, we'll try to develop small teams that can participate in collaboration projects. Towards the end of the course, you may choose to do a small project using Web 2.0 portal tools. This might be a marketing project, developing a portal for a social project, or perhaps a wiki, community blog, or even developing a tagging aggregation site.

In the meantime, please start by finding a copy of Wikinomics, which will get you started learning about the context of Web 2.0, social technology, and working on social change. We will meet (physically and socially) on Wednesday evenings to discuss the course topics, somewhat like 'book club'. We hope to 'meet' most of you at some point during the quarter. If you have any questions, just email me us at rdcormia@earthlink.net and pschales@gmail.com, and (please) always put COIN83 in the subject line. I look forwards to working with all of you as we further develop a first of a kind course.

Goals and objectives:

Course will cover the evolution of Web 2.0, social computing and social transactions, social networking tools and portals, and collaboration tools and process, role of Net generation and Millennials, participatory (bottom up) process, user driven content, technical innovations (RSS, Ajax, mashups, tagging), APIs and new business models, societal transformation, and collaborative value creation.

Learning outcomes:

Some specific learning outcomes that we will explore (and develop) are listed below:

  1. Human network, technology network, and collaboration tools, process, and values
  2. Collaboration as a practice and an ethic (social value beyond Web 2.0)
  3. Collaborative value vs. wealth creation (Wikipedia, and companies that ‘do good’)
  4. Openness, sharing, peering, acting globally (Wikinomics)
  5. Web 2.0 marketing - conversation and listen vs. ‘command and control’
  6. Web as a platform, nodes of people and applications, ‘human-process’ not just content
  7. Social computing, social transactions, social networking sites (human process)
  8. Organizations foster and reward collaboration, innovation, and productivity
  9. Emergent vs. engineered, social rather than a technological evolution
  10. Swarm creativity – wisdom of crowds – tipping points – augmented social cognition (PARC)
  11. Broader Web 2.0 impacts – Science 2.0 (open / collaborative) , Democracy 2.0 (participation)
  12. Collaborative engineering (Boeing), peer production, and hybrid innovation models
  13. Crowd sourcing, collaborative innovation networks, Ideagoras
  14. User input vs. top down content creation – citizen journalism
  15. New business models (innovation) – Prosumers – open source
  16. Platform for Web 3.0 – semantic web tools and user driven annotation
  17. Web 2.0 applications and tools – blogs, wikis, RSS, mashups, tagging
  18. APIs to platforms – extending internal technology / process to outside creators
  19. Globalization (The World is Flat) – outsourcing and virtual organizations
  20. TelePresence tools, virtual worlds, avatars, agents, machine collaboration

Textbooks and resources:

"Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything" by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams. ISBN-10: 1591841933 Amazon

Assignments:

Assignments will be posted throughout the quarter. There are twelve weekly assignments, one large book assignment, and a final refelction / writing assignment. optionally, you may also do a class project.

Tentative schedule:

The outline of topics will be posted throughout the quarter. The tentative progression of topics is shown below:

  1. Social Computing and context of Web 2.0/3.0/4.0
  2. Wikinomics
  3. Web 2.0 technology
  4. Web Portals
  5. Social computing & networking, Social Networking Analysis (SNA)
  6. Web as a Platform for Distributed Computing
  7. Organizational Trends and Collaboration Tools and Process
  8. Open Innovation - Building Social and Enterprise Knowledge
  9. Social data/media
  10. Social business models [new living models]
  11. Putting Social Networks to Work: Social Change
  12. Class presentations / insights

Grading:

There are 12 small weekly activities and assignments, a major book review, a final writing assignment, and (optional) description of a class project. The latter topic may (and can) include developing new topics, ideas, and content for future classes. These each comprise roughly one-fourth of the total points.

However, in Web 2.0 fashion, you will assign yourself a grade that comprises three factors: (1) productivity (did you put in a good effort), (2), innovation – what did you learn and or develop that was novel, and (3) collaboration, how did you work with other students, me, and the course itself.

Instructor contact:

Office hours: by email seven days a week, conference calls available, in our 'hybrid lectre, and through networked collaboration tools.

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