Internet measurements have previously been done mostly from research labs and universities. The number of home users is growing rapidly and we need a good way to measure their network performance. This thesis focuses on building a web application that allows users to check what their network is like for online activities they are interested in. The application has minimal impediment to use by only requiring a Web browser. A list of online activities we offer users to choose from includes browsing web site categories such as news or social networks, having voice and video conferences, playing online games and other activities.

Social networking sites are among the most popular daily activities of students these days. Students are mostly using social networking sites for communication and sharing of their experiences. Facebook is an example of a social networking site, which supports additional features such as creating a profile page, creating group pages and supports possibility of implementing different integrated application with Facebook. These features improve the Facebook experience, allowing users to form groups, where they can introduce ideas and concepts, which can be shared and discussed in a structured style. For this thesis we have created a new learning management system by implementing an online educational platform within a Facebook context. This work introduces a new, complementary style of education, where students can improve their knowledge and sociality outside the university in an innovative way. The platform takes advantage of gamification, which introduces game-like elements to concepts such as education and learning management systems, to make them more fun and rewarding. The goal of this thesis is to extend the educational border to an interesting online environment where students can learn, communicate, and examine their knowledge globally in different courses within our application platform in Facebook.

FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico / Esta dissertaÃÃo objetiva analisar as relaÃÃes entre letramentos e atividades on-line presentes em Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVA). A execuÃÃo desta proposta baseou-se nas reflexÃes acerca dos letramentos apresentadas por Shetzer e Warschauer (2000), Soares (2002), Xavier (2005), AraÃjo (2007), Fischer (2007) e Ribeiro (2008). Situada no paradigma das pesquisas qualitativas, de cunho predominantemente descritivo e exploratÃrio, nossa anÃlise propÃs a categorizaÃÃo das atividades on-line presentes nas disciplinas LÃngua Inglesa II â A: CompreensÃo e ProduÃÃo Oral e Leitura e ProduÃÃo de Textos AcadÃmicos, atualizadas no AVA Solar, da Universidade Federal do CearÃ, e a descriÃÃo das prÃticas de letramentos em ambientes virtuais mediadas, em potencial, pelas orientaÃÃes das atividades on-line propostas. Os parÃmetros considerados para a anÃlise foram oriundos da sumarizaÃÃo da elaboraÃÃo teÃrica dos autores Shetzer e Warschauer (2000), o que nos levou Ãs seguintes dimensÃes do letramento digital: comunicaÃÃo, construÃÃo e pesquisa. O tratamento dos dados suscitou a formaÃÃo de uma tipologia das atividades on-line, baseadas nos tipos de letramentos demandados por elas, a saber: atividades on-line alheias Ãs potencialidades da web; atividades on-line mediadoras da familiarizaÃÃo com as potencialidades da web; atividades on-line mediadoras de letramentos para a comunicaÃÃo; e atividades on-line mediadoras de letramentos para a construÃÃo e pesquisa. Os resultados dessa anÃlise possibilitaram a descriÃÃo das prÃticas de letramentos que atualmente estÃo sendo privilegiadas neste contexto, vinculando o tipo de atividade on-line encontrada Ãs prÃticas de letramentos que sÃo potencialmente mediadas por essas e Ãs dimensÃes do letramento digital, segundo Shetzer e Warschauer (2000). Como conclusÃo, verificou-se a necessidade de formaÃÃo tecnolÃgica para o profissional da linguagem, pois sà assim poderà haver o oferecimento de atividades on-line que contemplem as mais diversas, senÃo inÃmeras, prÃticas de letramentos em ambientes virtuais. / This thesis aims to analyze the relations between literacies and online activities present in Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The implementation of this proposal was based on reflections about the literacies submitted by Shetzer and Warschauer (2000), Soares (2002), Xavier (2005), AraÃjo (2007), Fischer (2007) and Ribeiro (2008). Located in the qualitative paradigm, with predominantly descriptive marks, our analysis suggested the categorization of online activities present in the courses LÃngua Inglesa II â A: CompreensÃo e ProduÃÃo Oral e Leitura e ProduÃÃo de Textos AcadÃmicos updated at VLE Solar, from Universidade Federal do CearÃ, and the description of literacy practices in virtual environments mediated, potentially, by the guidelines of the online activities proposed. The parameters considered for the analysis came from the summarization of Shetzer and Warschauerâs theoretical elaboration (2000), which lead us to the following dimensions of digital literacy: communication, construction and research. The data prompted the formation of an online activity typology, based on the literacy types demanded by them, namely: online activities strange to the potential of the web; online activities mediating the familiarization of the potential of the web; online activities mediating literacies for communication; and online activities mediating literacies for construction and research. The results of this analysis allowed the description of the literacy practices that are currently being privileged in this context, linking the type of online activity to the literacy practices that are potentially mediated by them and to the dimensions of digital literacy, according to Shetzer and Warschauer (2000). It follows that there is a need for technological formation for the language professional, because this way there will be the offering of online activities that addresses to the most diverse, or even countless, literacy practices in virtual environments.

This dissertation adds to the growing body of research on L2 academic discourse socialization in classroom contexts. Although the importance of students' writing in socializing them into their target discourse communities has been well documented, much less has been made of how students learn through online activities when the division between more and less knowledgeable individuals are blurred. Addressing this gap, this qualitative extended case study explored the experiences and perspectives of novice L2 graduate students in academic literacy practices that involved online writing activities. The focal participants included five first-year female graduate students from different cultural backgrounds enrolled in a graduate class during fall 2008 semester. Data sources included interviews with focal students and with the professor, class observations, field notes, questionnaires, handouts, and students' reflective essays. Anchored in language socialization theories (Duff, 1996, 2003; Schieffelin & Ochs, 1986) and the notion of community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998), this study provides an ecological perspective on these five L2 students' socialization into academic literacy activities. The findings revealed how the students negotiated competence, relations, and identities to participate legitimately as competent members of their classroom communities. This study also contributes to an understanding of the changing role of novice learners in a given academic community by analyzing how they variably exercise their agency and develop their subject positioning in academic literacy activities that are imbricated in social, cultural, and discoursal contexts. Ultimately, this study enriches the notions of academic discourse socialization by demonstrating the dialogic and transformative nature of academic literacy practices mediated by online discourses in order to highlight ever more contextual information. / text

Diploma thesis is focused on social stratification aspects of internet use, as a part of leisure time activities and consequently as a potential part of cultural capital. The main objective of this paper is to make a link between Bourdieusian tradition of research of cultural capital and research tradition of stratification aspects of internet use (especially digital divide). The author is trying to prove if the type of internet usage could be considered as a part of cultural capital. In the first, theoretical part of this text, the author is presenting both research traditions concerned, trying to synthetize them and concluding that internet usage can be considered as a capital. In the second, analytical part of this paper, the author is using data from World Internet Project to provide, that the theoretical synthesis have some empirical support. The analysis proves that the structure of Czech internet users' activities are differentiated by their cultural capital level. On the basis of this analysis, we can conclude that more powerful differentiation between types of internet usages is provided by traditional form of cultural capital, rather than by the emerging one. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)