One thing that I wrestle with as a follower of social media is whether *all* media isn’t social somehow. In the same way that critics of 2.0 refer to the suffix as a buzzword, perhaps the same can be said of the ‘social’ in social software and media – isn’t all software/media social? I’ll have to ask McLuhan.
In the meantime, I certainly think that Google is more than a search engine company. It is perhaps the quintessential web 2.0 MNC, right? (PageRank is socially-based too.) (For more on social search, see Barsky E, Cho A. Introducing web 2.0: social search for health librarians. Journal of Canadian Health Libraries Association. 2007; 28(2): 59-61. )
I think new search tools like
WolframAlpha are having a hard time competing with the social aspects of Google, Yahoo and Bing. But I do find that the new geek on the block,
WolframAlpha, tries awfully hard to be a responsible
social citizen. In any case, here’s what they are doing today to engage younger audiences on
“Homework Day – October 21st”. Enjoy….Dean
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Throughout Homework Day, Stephen Wolfram and the Wolfram|Alpha team will tackle your toughest assignments and highlight some of the most creative submissions from teachers and students. Send us your questions anytime throughout the day. Those who submit questions used on the show are eligible to win great prizes!
Here are some highlights of the Homework Day schedule. Make sure to tune in all day to see surprise guests. (All times are U.S. CDT)
- A special Homework Day Welcome from Stephen Wolfram
- A demonstration by a forward-looking elementary school teacher of lesson plans that use Wolfram|Alpha
- A conversation with the creator of “Shift Happens” about tech trends and their impact on education
- A fun experiment with Wolfram|Alpha’s mad scientist Theodore Gray
- Several live, interactive Q&A sessions where Wolfram|Alpha scholars and experts help you tackle your homework questions
- A special live Q&A session tackling the toughest math questions
- A thought-provoking in-depth conversation with an internationally known actor and education advocate
- A live interview with the creator of the Ning social networking group Classroom 2.0
- An insightful dialog with an award-winning physics professor and best-selling author of several popular science books
- A vibrant panel discussion of teaching with technology led by noted journalist Elizabeth Corcoran
- Several live, interactive Q&A sessions where Wolfram|Alpha scholars and experts help you tackle your homework questions
- A special live Q&A session tackling the toughest math questions
- An interview with a renowned theoretical physicist, best-selling author, and frequent PBS contributor
- A special live Q&A session tackling the toughest science questions
- A live concert by Common Loon
- A demonstration of Wolfram|Alpha examples from an innovative college professor
- Several live, interactive Q&A sessions where Wolfram|Alpha scholars and experts help you tackle your homework questions
- A recap of the best highlights of Wolfram|Alpha Homework Day
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About Dean Giustini
I am the UBC Biomedical Branch librarian at Vancouver hospital. I teach at the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies, and the School of Population and Public Health.
Yvonne Chan
lse721