Fotomaps for the COC?

The structure that may help Culture of Conversation receive more attention from students, though a huge technical challenge, comes from fotomaps interactive approach for sharing photos. Instead of photos, Culture of Conversation’s map would consist of “conversation,” which could include, photos, videos, blog posts, forums, etc. Just as I dreamed about walking up to different tables in Linderman library to contribute to the on-going discussion, students in this new conception of the Culture of Conversation can zoom into different global areas to become involved, or just observe, different conversation/interactions. Instead of the flags next to names (as I dreamed up for a new style of forum), the interactive map would allow students to travel around the world, interacting with students depending on where they created their individual space, and visually seeing where Taipei or Jakarta are located.

The benefits:
• The map is a fun way to interact
• Conversations can include anything the student wants instead of just writing
• Students can write in any language, allowing students to write in their second or third language to practice.
• Searching for Colleges takes on a different meaning for international students. Students can zoom into, say, Bethlehem, PA and read what Lehigh has to say about itself. Students could also ask questions if they needed some information about Lehigh. Or, students could interact with other students interested in Lehigh University.
• The map would only be for high school students. We could restrict access similar to how Facebook started: only specific email address, as defined by various international schools, would be allowed to register.


The problems:
• The idea requires a programmer

Maybe some of the ideas from this can be translated into the current site without requiring drastic amounts of programming.