JMU only and Scratch

1. The “power law distribution” or “long tail” phenomenon, as seen in behavior online on the Wikipedia, suggests that the concept of an average user of Wikipedia is meaningless. Support your answer: how do you think a local, “JMU only” version of the Wikipedia would compare to the worldwide version? Would it be very similar? Higher quality? Less quality? Why?

First of all, I defiantly do not think Wikipedia is meaningless. The information might not always be accurate but I think it is a great way for information to get a start. I think a local version of “JMU only” would be of higher quality and more accurate then a worldwide version. Especially now, I think the worldwide version would focus on only what they know from the media and right now that would be the recent events this past spring and are recent victory against Tech. I think the local version would have a greater insight on other qualities that JMU has past parting and football and maybe what organizations are doing to give back to the community. Worldwide versions I feel tend to focus on a broader spectrum of what the over all concept of something, giving it less quality . Where as a local view would cite more detailed information and go in depth on things that the worldwide version would not have. I also think by having the different versions of something could really show how accurate and different something can be depending on the source.


2. After reading the article about Scratch and exploring the Scratch website, what are some observable benefits in creating a space to share student work?

The main thing I observed as being a benefit was how it was meaningful. When you participate and involve yourself in something that you care about you tend to put in a lot of hard work and effort. When you put other people in the equation that share the same passion that you do, I think the space created is a great place for collaborative work. It is also a great way to learn a new tool in creating something new. The one quote that summarized what Scratch was all about for me was one that I believe would get others interested and involved. “Three core design
principles for Scratch: Make it more tinkerable,more meaningful,and more social than other programming environments.” All three of these are benefits that would absolutely create a space where people would want to share their work and continue to do so. Scratch also reminds me of Facebook, or social networking because there is a community that is formed and I think it is a great way to share information and learn new things.