In our work on dynamic network visualization, we produced many images and also movies of different types of networks. Especially some of the resulting videos may add value, as they visually emphasize how networks can change over time.
We assembled these pictures and videos on our project website - check out the pics and video section (top left links). Further check out the project case (bottom left links) with further videos. For example, in the pics+videos section there is a link 'Evolution' leading to a very neat video showing how people help each other in a discussion board, forming clusters over time. This was always very inspiring for students. If they see how networks develop they get a better notion of the meaning of the resulting structure and the processes that may have lead to it. Further, there is a network where we can see how the informal interaction done via e-mail changes the whole informal network of an organization and how external events influence the evolution of the network (the Enron case, with the depth of the background story it is always a nice example). We have also worked on the evolution of co-authorship collaboration over 30 years, also showing how the collaboration on certain core topics evolved. And there is also a network movie showing all warfare relationships during almost 200 years on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAKeVMjx9GM
Actually, if you are interested in jointly exploring networks, you might want to use the tool Commetrix (commetrix.net) or the more simple Viewer (shows interactive movies, available upon request) in a class session, it allows you to drill down visually, move a time slider back and forth, search for topics, the backbone etc. I found that exploring a network together in a sort of interactive session can also give a more immersive perception of network data.
Dr. Matthias Trier | Associate Professor Dpmt. of IT Management | Copenhagen Business School Dpmt. of Systems Analysis and IT | TU Berlin | Adjunct http://www.ikmresearch.de http://www.commetrix.de
http://youtu.be/RcCpEf6_Ofg
http://youtu.be/n1-nfySqf9M
http://youtu.be/61a_uTmVk0c
Youtube links go to a documentary by the BBC on six degrees of separation. I used one segment in an undergraduate class and I think the 10 minutes I showed was well received and helped illustrate the material.
Documentary unfolding the science behind the idea of six degrees of separation. Originally thought to be an urban myth, it now appears that anyone on the planet can be connected in just a few steps of association. Six degrees of separation is also at the heart of a major scientific breakthrough; that there might be a law which nature uses to organize itself and that now promises to solve some of its deepest mysteries.
Alan
statnet.org/movies
This "network movie" shows the growth of a reachable path for HIV transmission in a large network, based on data from the ADD health project. The focus is on explaining racial disparities in HIV and other STIs in the US. There's an accompanying paper published in the American Journal of Public Health.
ude.notgnihsaw.u|msirrom#ude.notgnihsaw.u|msirrom http://faculty.washington.edu/morrism/
See also http://videolectures.net/site/search/?q=network Vladimir Batagelj
I have shown a clip of the genius problem from "Goodwill Hunting" which is a network problem. I then use it to motivate definitions, matrix multiplication, and relational algebra. Ian McCulloh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSWIgRtlkv4 Principle from nuclear fission (critical mass) (slow) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxzPN-vdP_0&feature=related (ad)
http://vimeo.com/16430345 Influencers:
http://jhfowler.ucsd.edu/fsn_smoke.mov Christakis & Fowler study of smoker/non-smoker networks 1971-2003:
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/nicholas_christakis_the_hidden_influence_of_social_networks.html More likely to quit if network partner quits: spouse, 67%; friend, 36%; sibling, 25% Christakis TED talk: The hidden influence of social networks.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/3086478682/ Analysis of 1700 Facebook profiles, looking for smiles:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/10/23/sunday-review/an-overview-of-the-euro-crisis.html?hp Interactive network map of conservative donor relationships concerning environmental issues: http://angelsoftheright.net/ Interactive network map of European-USA debt flow network:
Ronald E. Rice ude.bscu.mmoc|ecirr#ude.bscu.mmoc|ecirr; http://www.comm.ucsb.edu/people/academic/ronald-e-rice; http://www.carseywolf.ucsb.edu
http://winworkshop.net/videos.php
"Connected: How Kevin Bacon Cured Cancer,"
a documentary that gives a quick overview of complex networks (circa 2008). It uses the kevin bacon/small world trope throughout, so I usually follow it up with a short takehome activity that uses www.oracleofbacon.org. Essentially, I ask students to try to locate an actor with a bacon number greater than 3 (but less than infinity), to explain how they decided who to try, and to explain why they think they were/were not successful. I've done this in both grad and undergrad courses, and it seems to work well in both cases. Zachary Neal, Assistant Professor
I did a 3 part (10 minutes per part) introduction to networks and diffusion on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG9dAIBd4xQ I don’t know how “fun” or “great” it is, but it is available. -Tom
Tindall, D.B. and Todd E. Malinick (Eds.) (2008) Teaching About Social Networks: A Collection of Syllabi, Assignments, and Other Resources. 251 Pages., Washington, D.C.: American Sociological Association
http://trails.asanet.org/Pages/SearchResults.aspx?all=social+networks&subjectarea=any