Wiki
Communication on awareNet
There are many different ways of communicating on awareNet: sharing ideas and thoughts (blog), telling news (calendar, blog), giving and receiving information (PM, blog, projects, forums, calendar, chat), discuss different topics and matters (forums, chat), and most importantly creating and representing information and content for everyone (projects).
What is a Blog?A blog (a contraction of the term "weblog") is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketches (sketchblog), videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), and audio (podcasting). Micro-blogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts.)
To write a blog go to "My Pages" in the main menu. Then you click on "Blog" in the sub menu. In the side column of your personal blog home page is a box called "Add New Post". You can open the box by clicking on the "+" and close it by clicking on the dot in the little circle. Type a title for your blog post into the text field and click on the >> button next to it.
On the following page you can enter your text for the blog. You can edit your text body with the little icons above the text box. If you want to change the title of the blog, you can type a different title into the title field. You can also up- or download a picture and add it to the blog using drag and drop. Don't forget to save your text and changes by clicking on the "save" button.
To comment on a blog click on the title of the blog to open the blog. To add the comment, click on the little + in the circle in the "Add A Comment" box. Type your text into the text field and click on the "Post Comment" button.
What is a Tag?A tag is a keyword assigned to a piece of information, e.g. education would be one key word for a blog about schools. It helps describe an item and allows it to be found again by browsing or searching, which means if you would like your blog to be found easier by other awareNet members then it is a good method to add tags to your blog. A tag cloud describes all blogs that have been tagged on awareNet by using larger text sizes for frequently used key words and smaller text sizes for rarely used key words.
To add a tag to your blog click on the little [edit] link under your blog. Scroll down to find the tags block. There is a little text field to type the tag before you click on the >> button. You can add as many tags as you like. They will appear under your blog and describe your blog in key words.
A tag cloud will appear next to your and all blogs which gives you an overview of all topics of all tagged blogs. A larger text size means that there are relatively more blogs with about specific topic. By clicking on a specific key word in the tag cloud you will see all blogs that were tagged with that key word.
What is a Project?A Project on awareNet is also called collaborative content. It means that a person or a group of people can work together on the same project online, but have the possibility to work individually at different times from any computer with Internet access. The topic of the project can be chosen freely, but must not be offending, aggressive, or discriminating. The project can consist of text and pictures. In the future, audio and video files can be used as well. Projects are meant to be educational for the project members as well as for future researchers. They will be stored in the awareNet's database for other users to read and learn.
To start a project, go to "Projects" in the main menu. The project's front page displays several ongoing or finished projects. You can read through existing projects to get an idea what a project could be about and how to create a good project. Have a look if there is already a similar project to the one that you would like to start. It is more interesting and follows the nature of awareNet if you join an existing project with the same topic rather than starting a new one. You can work together with other people in your school, at a different school and even internationally to share ideas and safe work, because you won't have to do the same research again. Further, working in a team with foreign learners is an important skill to learn by your learners, too.
If you can't find an existing project similar to the project you planned, you can start your own project. In the side column of project's home page is a box called "Add New Project". You can open the box by clicking on the "+" and close it by clicking on the dot in the little circle. Type a title for your project into the text field and click on the >> button next to it.
To edit your project you can either open your project from the main project page by clicking on the project title and then on "Edit This Project" in the submenu, or by clicking on the little [edit] link under the abstract of your project on the the main project page. You will only be able to edit your abstract and title. To edit a section of your project, click on the little [edit] link under a specific section of your project. You can change the title, add, edit or delete text, up- and download pictures and drag and drop them into the text box, and edit the text with the little icons on top of the text box. Remember to save your changes by clicking on the "Save Changes" button under the text box.
To structure your project, you can add sections that will appear below your title and abstract. To add a section to your project, type a section title in the little text field in the Sections box in the side column of your project and click on the >> button. Sections can be edited as projects. All section titles will appear in the side column of the project page while editing. You can change the order of the sections by clicking on the little up or down arrows next to the section titles in your Sections box.
You can work on a project together with a group of other awareNet users. To add new members to your project you have to click on "Edit This Project" in the sub menu. In the side column you will find a Project Members box. All current members are listed in that box. By clicking on the little triangle next to "User:" you can select a specific user from a list. Below you can determine if that person will be a member or an administrator of that project. Usually, there is only one administrator per project. They have special rights that regular members don't need, e.g. deleting the project. Regular members can edit the project the same way as administrators.
What is a Tag?A tag is a keyword assigned to a piece of information, e.g. disease would be one key word for a text about HIV/AIDS. It helps describe an item and allows it to be found again by browsing or searching, which means if you would like your project to be found easier by other awareNet members then it is a good method to add tags to your project. Tags will appear next to your project, which describe your project in key words. A tag cloud describes all projects that have been tagged by using larger text sizes for frequently used key words and smaller text sizes for rarely used key words.
To add a tag to your project click on your project to edit it, e.g. click on "Edit This Project" in the submenu. Scroll down to find the tags block. There is a little text field to type the tag before you click on the >> button. You can add as many tags as you like. They will appear next to your project and describe your project in key words.
A tag cloud will appear next to all projects which gives you an overview of all topics of all tagged projects. A larger text size means that there are relatively more projects about that specific topic. By clicking on a specific key word in the tag cloud you will see all projects that were tagged with that key word.
What is a Forum?A Forum is a place to discuss different topics and matters in public. The topic of a forum is decided by the initiator of the forum. Each forum can contain numerous discussions that all discuss the same topic, but e.g. about slightly different aspects. Every user can join any discussion in awareNet and add their opinion. Even if you do not join a forum, you can still read the posts. It is therefore important to keep in mind that opinions expressed in a forum will be made public to everyone. Avoid being too specific for others to understand what you are talking about. Explain yourself well. Do not offend, threaten, or lie. Don't repeat yourself or others. Refer to other posts. Make an interesting contribution!
To start a forum click on "Forums" in the main menu. You will come to the main forums page, where you can see what other forums already exist. Before you start a new forum make sure that there isn't already forum with the same or a similar topic in which you could just add a post, which is quite likely. Read through the other forum introductions first, before you start a new forum. Only when you are sure that your forum is different to all the others you can click on "Create New Forum" in the submenu. A new page will open with several text fields. In the first text field you must write a title to give your forum a name. In the text field below the title field you must select to which school the forum will belong, e.g. your school. In the large text field you can type your text body, i.e. here you describe what your forum will be about. Remember that other users will also start a discussion in your forum, so keep the introduction rather general and don't be too specific. You can edit the text using the icons above the text field. When you have completed filling out al three text fields, you must click on the "Save" button. If you change your mind and don't want to publish your text, click on the "Delete" button.
To start a new discussion in a forum click on the specific forum to which you want to contribute by either clicking on the title of the forum or on the [see all threads >>] link behind the introductionary text. You will get an overview of all the ongoing discussions in that forum that are all about the same forum topic. Before you start a new discussion make sure that there isn't already an ongoing discussion that you could join which is quite likely. Read through the other discussions first, before you start a new discussion. Only when you are sure that your discussion focuses on a different angle of the forum's topic, scroll down and type a title for your new discussion into the text field next to "Title". Then you type your text body into the large text field, i.e. your message or opinion that you want to share with everyone. You can edit the text with the icons above the text field. When you have finished typing your text, click on the "Create Thread >>" button to save your text.
What is PM?PM is equivalent to writing an email in digital format or a conventional letter. There is only one sender and one or several selected recipients, which means that the message is personal and can only be read by those seleced users. PM can be used to exchange any kind of information that is desired, e.g. about content, projects, blogs, or discussions in awareNet as well as unrelated matters. All the messages that you receive and send are stored in your inbox and outbox, so that they can be read again any time.
To send a PM or message click on "Inbox" in the main menu. In the main column you will find all messages that have been sent to you. In the side column is listed how many read and unread messages are in your inbox and how many messages you have sent and are now in your outbox. Below that you will find a list of contacts, who are other users that have already sent a message to you or received one from you. Now, you click on "Compose" in the submenu. A new page opens:
Type a title for your message into the first text field. The title should contain a keyword for the text message that you are going to send and helps you and the recipient to sort and find messages easier. Next, you choose the recipient, i.e. the person to whom you want to send the message. In the text field next to "Search" you type the name of the recipient and click on the ">>" button. awareNet will show you a list of possible users. Choose the user you were looking for by clicking on the arrow next to the user, not on the name or thumb. If you accidentally clicked on the wrong person's arrow, remove the recipient by clicking on the "X". If you want to send the message to several users, add more recipients in the same way as you added he first one. Then, you type the text message that you want to send into the large text field. You can edit the text with the little icons above the text field. Finally, you click on the "Send" button. If you change your mind and don't want to send the message click on the "Cancel" button.
To send a message to one of your existing contacts you can click on the [send message] link next to the desired contact in your contact list.
To read a message click on "Inbox" in the main or in the sub menu. All the messages that have been sent to you will be listed in the main column. You are able to find information about the sender, possible additional recipients and about the content, which is indicated by the subject or title of the message. Additionally, you can see when the message was sent and if you have read it already or not. If you click on the subject of the message, the message will open and you will be able to read the text.
To reply to a message open the respective message as described above. Below the message you will find a "Send Reply" button. Click on it. Now, you can compose your reply in the same way as you would compose a regular message (see above), except you don't have to add a title or subject or recipient. However, you can add additional recipients or change the subject if you wish. Then, you click on the "Send Message" button. If you change your mind and don't want to send the message click on the "Cancel" button.
To delete a message open the message as described above. Below the message you will find a "Delete" button. Click and done.
If you want to read a message that you have sent to another user click on outbox in the submenu. Here are all your sent messages listed. You are able to find information about the recipients and about the content, which is indicated by the subject or title of the message. Additionally, you can see when the message was sent. Click on any subject to open and read a message.
What is Chat?Chat means "informal conversation" and can refer to any kind of communication over the Internet, but is primarily meant to refer to direct one-on-one chat. A chat is similar to a series of emails between two people that follow rapidly one another in real time. The single messages do not appear in different windows or web pages, but are displayed in the same chat window below each other, comparable to a conversation in a book, but with different text colours to mark the different individuals. The same window offers a text field where the next message can be typed and send. Emoticons (e.g. little faces with different expressions) can be added to the text to express feelings. One's own messages are visible as well as the other person's messages.
To start a chat you must first make sure that the person you want to chat to is also online. You can check who is online by opening the school pages. At the bottom of the side column of each school's profile page is displayed how many users are online and who. Also on project pages, single galleries and blogs it is displayed if the member of a project or author of a gallery or blog is online or offline. Click on a user to open their profile. Below the profile picture you can find a block called "Chat". Click on the "Begin Chat" button to start the chat.
The chat is displayed in a separate window that hovers on top of the other awareNet pages, so that you can continue to work on awareNet while you chat. You can move the window around on your screen by clicking and holding on the grey bar at the top of the window to get the window out of the way if you need to. You can alter the size of the chat window by clicking and holding on the little grey triangle at the bottom right corner of the window.
In the smaller field at the bottom of the window you can type the text that you want to send to your chat partner. When you have finished typing press enter to send the message. The message will appear in the larger field in the middle of the chat window displaying also date and time when the message was send. A red bar on the left side indicates that the message is still being transferred to the other chat partner. A green bar indicates that the message has arrived and can be read by your chat partner.
Your chat partner will most probably send an answer now, which will be readable just below the message that you have sent previously. Now, you can continue to send messages as long as you like. You can scroll up or down to read first and later messages.
To end the chat simply clicking on the little white X in the upper right corner.
What is a Shared Calendar?A shared calendar is an open calendar that can be used by all awareNet users. Every entry will be visible to all users. A shared calendar is used for publishing open and public events, not for private events or private deadlines. For example, public holidays can be described, special classes can be entered including date, time and venue, or upcoming events can be announced.
When you click on "Calendar" in the main menu, the shared calendar opens. Visible will be an overview of all days of the month in the main column and of the three upcoming months in the side column. Days with entries are marked in a different colour, and their relative entry can be found below the days' overview. If you wish to see a different month you can click on "Previous" or "Next" or the corresponding arrows, respectively, in the side column. If you rather want to see an overview of all months of the year click on "This Year" in the sub menu. Here. you can also choose to click on "This Month", "Next "Month", or "Today" to see the corresponding content.
To add a new entry to the calendar click on "Add Calendar Entry" in the sub menu. In the following page you must give your entry a title, i.e. the name of the event. You should add information about the venue, and the time the event takes place. Add the times in the following format: e.g. 14:30 for 2.30pm. You can also add the time when the event will end. By clicking on the little black triangles on blue background you can choose from a list, in which category falls your event, so that it can be found easier. After adding the date of the event, which is perhaps the most important information, you can describe your event in the large text field and edit your text by using the little icons on top of the text field. Finally, you can add pictures to the text field using drag&drop after you have up or downloaded them. Don't forget to click on the "Safe" button after you have finished typing in all your information. If you change your mind and don't want to publish your event click on the "Delete"button.
Taking Pictures
Before you can upload a picture you must take a picture with a digital camera. If you don't have a digital camera, you can also use your cell phone or borrow one from a friend or contact your teacher or nearest community coordinator. Before you take and upload a picture think about what you want to show to everyone else on awareNet. Keep in mind that all your pictures will be public to everyone on awareNet, to other learners whom you know, whom you might not know, and your teachers. There is no possibility to show your picture to only a selected group of learners.
Once you have decided to publish one or several pictures, you must first download them onto the computer to a convenient place that you will be able to find again. Then you must create a new gallery. To create a new gallery go to the pictures main page. In the side column you will find a box called "Create New Gallery". Click on the + to open the box. Then, you must type a title for your gallery into the text field and click on the little ">>" button.
On the next page you have to describe your gallery in words. What does your gallery show, who are the people, what is the event, where were the pictures taken and why? You can edit your text with the little icons on top of the text field. Then you can click on the "Save" button to save the text before you actually upload your pictures.
The next step is to actually upload the pictures. In case you have saved your descriptive text for your gallery, you must click on the little [edit] link under the text of your gallery. Then you scroll down. Under the text field you will find another box for up- and downloading pictures. To upload a picture click on the "Choose File" button. Then you must browse through your files and select the picture that you want to upload. After selecting, you click on the "Upload" button. After uploading you can insert your picture into the text field using 'drag and drop' for the different image sizes thumbnail, width300, or width570. Then, you must click save.
You can edit the caption, license, attribution, and source url by clicking on the [edit caption, license, etc.] link under the image title. Add you information into the appropriate text fields and click save. You can change the order of your pictures by clicking on the little up and down arrows next to the image. You can delete a picture by clicking on the red X next to the image. Then, you must click safe again to see your gallery with all the changes.
Downloading Pictures
You can also download a picture from the Internet into your gallery. Make sure that you are allowed to use the schools Internet connection, so that you do not use up restricted Internet quota. Further, make sure that you are allowed to download the picture. Some pictures are not freely licensed which means that you have to pay to use them.
To download a picture you have to type the picture's url into the text field in the same box where you can also upload pictures. Then, you must click on the "Download" button. After that, you can treat that image in the same way as the uploaded images. Don't forget to click safe.
You can view all your existing galleries by clicking on "Pictures" in the submenu. If you click on "Pictures" in the main menu, you can view all images on awareNet. You can browse through galleries by clicking on "All Galleries" in the submenu. You can have them sorted by different categories by clicking on the appropriate link above or below the galleries, e.g. [title] [creator] [school] [number of images] [creation date]. When you click on a specific gallery you can use the navigation in the side column to enlarge single pictures in the gallery. You will be able to read who has created that gallery and what other galleries were created by the same author. Further, you can leave a comment on a picture for the creator of the gallery. Simply click on a specific image and scroll down to leave a comment as you would on someone else's wall.
Taking Videos
Before you can upload a video you must take a take with a digital camera. If you don't have a digital camera, you can also use your cell phone or borrow one from a friend or contact your teacher or nearest community coordinator. Before you take and upload a video think about what you want to show to everyone else on awareNet. Keep in mind that all your videos will be public to everyone on awareNet, to other learners whom you know, whom you might not know, and your teachers. There is no possibility to show your video to only a selected group of learners.
Once you have decided to publish one or several videos, you must first download them onto the computer to a convenient place that you will be able to find again. Then you must create a new gallery. To create a new gallery go to the video main page. In the side column you will find a box called "Create New Gallery". Click on the + to open the box. Then, you must type a title for your gallery into the text field and click on the little ">>" button.
On the next page you have to describe your gallery in words. What does your gallery show, who are the people, what is the event, where was the video taken and why? You can edit your text with the little icons on top of the text field. Then you can click on the "Save" button to save the text before you actually upload your videos.
The next step is to actually upload the video. In case you have saved your text, you must click on the little [edit] link under the descriptive text of your gallery. Then you scroll down. Under the text field you will find another box for up- and downloading videos. To upload a video click on the "Choose File" button. Then you must browse through your files and select the video that you want to upload. After selecting, you click on the "Upload" button. Then, you must click save.
You can edit the caption, license, attribution, and source url by clicking on the [edit caption, license, etc.] link under the image title. Add your information into the appropriate text fields and click save. You can change the order of your videos by clicking on the little up and down arrows next to the video thumbs. You can delete a video by clicking on the red X next to the image. Then, you must click safe again to see your gallery with all the changes.
Downloading Videos
You can also download a video from the Internet into your gallery. Make sure that you are allowed to use the schools Internet connection, so that you do not use up restricted Internet quota. Further, make sure that you are allowed to download the video. Some videos are not freely licensed which means that you have to pay to use them.
To download a video you have to type the video's url into the text field in the same box where you can also upload videos. Then, you must click on the "Download" button. After that, you can treat that video in the same way as the uploaded videos. Don't forget to click safe.
You can view all your existing galleries by clicking on "Video" in the submenu. If you click on "Video" in the main menu, you can view all videos on awareNet. You can browse through galleries by clicking on "All Galleries" in the submenu. You can have them sorted by different categories by clicking on the appropriate link above or below the galleries, e.g. [title] [creator] [school] [number of images] [creation date]. You will be able to read who has created that gallery and what other galleries were created by the same author. Further, you can leave a comment on a video for the creator of the gallery. Simply click on a specific video and scroll down to leave a comment as you would on someone else's wall.
