I realize that we need to create a presentation for our second assignment. It possibly needs to build some characters/avatars to bring our presentation to life.
This week, I gained two interesting websites for avatar creation. The first website is https://avatarmaker.com. It is so easy to attain your own avatar by just 5 minutes. It is not necessary to log in or download App. Click the website address, choose a gender, decide face, eyes, hair, clothes, backgrounds you like one by one, and download it. You did it.

At the second one https://avachara.com/avatar/, you have more options to decide what kind of avatar you like. It adds more items, clothes, and details on it. You can design the whole body for your own avatar that is the biggest difference from the last one (just above the chest).

They are all free for your personal avatar. You could use them as profile picture in social media such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.

I have a plan to summarize key principles of each section I have learned in the course textbook. Let's begin today.

Summary of key principles

Networked Individualism: People have become increasingly networked as individuals, rather than embedded in groups. In other words, people function more as connected individuals and less as embedded group members. Networked individualism is both socially liberating and socially taxing. People must devote more time and energy to practicing the art of networking and to actively network. They need to expend effort and money to electronically connect with others. Internet put more relationships easy to start, and harder to sustain because it brought so many distractions and fleeting interactions into their lives.

The triple revolution is the Social Network Revolution, the Internet Revolution, the Mobile Revolution. They shift people's social lives away from densely knit family, neighborhood, and group relationships toward more far-flung, less tight, more diverse personal networks. 
1. the Social Network Revolution has provided the opportunities--and stress-- for people to reach beyond the world of tight groups.
2.the Internet Revolution has given people communications power and information-gathering capacities that dwarf those of the past.
3.the Mobile Revolution has allowed people to access friends and information at will, wherever they go.
The changes wich the Triple Revolution brought are not all for the good or all for the bad. The effects of networked individualism often depend on personality traits and environmental contexts.

Networked individuals can have a variety of social ties to count on, but are less likely to have one permanent community. Networked individuals have partial membership in multiple networks and rely less on permanent memberships in settled groups. Individuals rely on many specialized relationships to meet their needs.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has shattered the work-home dividing line. Home and work have become more intertwined than at any time. When ICTs have shattered the line, they have also breached the line between the private and public spheres of life. New expectations and realities about the transparency, availability, and privacy of people and institutions are emerging.

Networked individuals use the internet, mobile phones, and social networks to get information, find and contact others, locate new experts to consult, get more opinions, and create new communities around themselves, their interests.

What’s social media? What’s Web 2.0?

This week, I read an article, named “Social Media and Instructional Design” on another course textbook, wrote by Dr. Dennen. This article describes social media’s definition “Social media are Internet-based tools that allow users to build networks through which they may then communicate and share information with each other.” I understand social media are tools to underpin people communicate/interaction/cooperation online. When social media are used as instructional tools, they possess benefits for learners such as they can broaden learners’ communication/engagement/discussion from in-class to out-class, extending the boundaries of the classroom. Additionally, social media may be used to expand feedback’s scope from a wider audience, not only classmates, instructors but also experts of specific fields. Furthermore, learners may search for more relevant materials via online networks.  
In addition to these advantages, there also are some challenges of using social media as instructional tools. First, the driving force behind social media adoption in education should be learning objectives and context, not other external pressures, such as many learning organizations is enthusiastic to social media in their lessons. Second, social media technologies distract learners, especially young learners without self- controlled componence.

Web 2.0 may allow users to interact and collaborate in a virtual community. It is obvious that Web 2.0 is a platform with tools such as social media, social networking sites, video sharing sites, Web applications(”app”), etc. to underpin people communication and cooperation.
I think the relationship between Web 2.0 and social media is interdependent. I agree with Dr. Dennen that it is difficult to make sense who is the first one to come out like chick and egg.  

Get Started!

I am so excited to have a personal English blog to record and explore our learning. Before this course #EME 6414, I didn't have enough courage to create it. First, my American friends usually hold their cellphone with Facebook and Twitter. That is a fad. Nobody would like to face to screen, viewing my blogs.  Second, my Chinese friends never concern my English blog, since they could require me to create it again in Chinese. The first time is fantastic! I usually record my knowledge and skills I have gained from learning in my papered-notebooks. It is an ancient and traditional way so that now there are three full-size papered-notebooks in my backpack. I have to carry them everyday and everywhere. However, I will utilize this blog to document my experiences or provide some recourses instead of one papered-notebook. I believe that the additional two notebooks will also be replaced by convenient electronic tools.  Now I am still a newbie in social media. I am looking forward to studying/interacting with everyone in our course. Get Started!