LECTURE:
This weeks lecture is about Social and Ethical Issues. The first few slides displayed the Who, Why, and What. This is all about why it is unsafe to put your details on the internet, who is watching you, and what the reprocussions are if your details are leaked onto the internet.
TUTORIAL:
Reading 1 - EFF's Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy
The first thing i noticed when i opened up this website was the detailed and informational paragraphs under each heading. This webiste has been made to help people keep their personal details etc, private via the internet. There were 12 headings/tips on how to do this and they are as follows:
1) Do not reveal personal information inadvertently.
2) Turn on cookie notices in your Web browser, and/or use cookie management software or infomediaries.
3) Keep a "clean" e-mail address
4) Don't reveal personal details to strangers or just-met "friends".
5) Realize you may be monitored at work, avoid sending highly personal e-mail to mailing lists, and keep sensitive files on your home computer
6) Beware sites that offer some sort of reward or prize in exchange for your contact information or other personal details
7) Do not reply to spammers, for any reason.
8) Be conscious of Web security.
9) Be conscious of home computer security.
10) Examine privacy policies and seals.
11) Remember that YOU decide what information about yourself to reveal, when, why, and to whom.
12) Use encryption!
This website appeared genuine and very helpful.
Reading 2 - Ethics in Computing - Social Justice Issues: Electronic Monitoring
This webpage has been made to help people in understabding this issues with electronic monitoring. There was different headings ont his page with had various links underneath them, for viewers to browes the website and learn more about these issues. The website appeared helpfull and looks as though it would teach you a lot. The main topics were types of monitoring, privacy issues, suggested policies and privacy resources, although there were many other different links.
Reading 3 - Brown & Michaels - Overview of Intellectual Property
This webpage writen by Brown and Michael is an overview on intellectual property, hows to protect it, and just a little information about it. There are various think that take you to other sections of the webpage, with further readin links. The website is very detailed and has been made to a professional standard.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Week Eleven - Building Knowledge
LECTURE:
Today's lecture began with a short pop quiz containing questions pertaining to past lectures. The questions were:-
- What is a Boolean search?
- What strategies can you use to give a great presentation?
- What criteria can be used for evaluation of websites?
- What are the advantages of atom based information?
- What was the original purpose of the web?
- What are the 5 top things you have learnt about the use of technology at University?
We then looked at Data, Information and Knowledge and the definitions, characteristics importance and relationships between them. The slides then followed with some point form definitions of data, information and knowledge. We then learnt about the characteristics of each one. They are as follows:
Data- facutual, non-judgemental, non-inferential, translent, has no intrinnsic meaning, has no intrinsic "value".
Information- summative, relational, dimensional, permanent, has meaning, uncertain value(must be realtedto something), exists forever.
Knowledge- Inferential, experiential, judgemental, subjective, very valuable.
TUTORIAL:
Today's lecture began with a short pop quiz containing questions pertaining to past lectures. The questions were:-
- What is a Boolean search?
- What strategies can you use to give a great presentation?
- What criteria can be used for evaluation of websites?
- What are the advantages of atom based information?
- What was the original purpose of the web?
- What are the 5 top things you have learnt about the use of technology at University?
We then looked at Data, Information and Knowledge and the definitions, characteristics importance and relationships between them. The slides then followed with some point form definitions of data, information and knowledge. We then learnt about the characteristics of each one. They are as follows:
Data- facutual, non-judgemental, non-inferential, translent, has no intrinnsic meaning, has no intrinsic "value".
Information- summative, relational, dimensional, permanent, has meaning, uncertain value(must be realtedto something), exists forever.
Knowledge- Inferential, experiential, judgemental, subjective, very valuable.
TUTORIAL:
The first task required us to find an online dictionary and conclude our own definitions of data, information, and knowledge. Using Dictionary.com, mine are as follows:
Data: individual facts, statistics, or items of information. (dictionary.com, 2008)
Information: knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or circumstance; news: information concerning a crime. (dictionary.com, 2008)
Knowledge: acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition. (dictionary.com, 2008)
For the second task we had to draw up our own diagram showing the relationship of data, information and knowledge. Mine is pictured below:
How can the understanding of the relationship between data, information and knowledge assist your university study?
The relationship between data, information, knowledge assists my university study, as it is a clear indicator of the process that students go through to help with their uni work. They all relate to eachother as you can see in the diagram, and if you do not understand one term, it is hard to understand another. The data is what creates the information that turns into knowledge.
Five organisations that collect information from their clients or the public include:
1) Banks
2) Medical Surgeries
3) Law Firms
4) Sports Organisations
5) Educational Facilities
They collect this information to have proof of identity, inform them of information and products, to keep their records up to date etc...
Reading 1 - Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom
This reading was about Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom. It provided information on these terms, and why it is important that we use these in everyday life. According to Ackoff, the first four relate to the past, whereas the fifth, wisdom, relates to the future. Examples are then given with a descriptive listing of a refrigerator.
Reading 2 - Information Literacy Tutorial
This reading was about these topics:
The Production of Knowledge
The Organization of Knowledge
From Thesis to Search Strategy
Fundamentals of Online Searching
Using Reference Resources
Citing Your Sources
Copyright and Fair Use
It was good for learning about information literacy skills, and there were several quizzes on the website to help students.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Week Ten - Information Management
LECTURE:
In this week's lecture we were informed of the different types of information management formats, the atom-based format and the bit-based format. The lecturer also discussed the various advantages and disadvantages through the management of bit-based and atom-based information.
Types of information formatting:Atom Based, Books, Journals, Reports
Pros – we can see it, easy to conceal, easy to protect, hard to modify, difficult to copy
Cons – Bulky, Costly, Difficult to edit, and redistribute
Bit Based, digital reproductions, electronic content
Pros – flexible, cheap, easy to use an edit, easy to mass produce
Cons – Privacy, authenticity, unsolicited broadcast
TUTORIAL:
1) The first task required us to read the Internet Explorer favourites tutorial (http://www.inette.com/aibtinette/favoritesI.html)
2) The second task required us to set up our own favourites list with at least three folders each with at least two favourite websites. The screenshot of my list is below.My 3-folder favourites list is; Makeup, Surfing & Puppies.
3) The third task required us to read N. Negroponte's report entitled "Being Digital", with particular attention being paid to the beginning of part one ("The DNA of Information")."The DNA of Information".
4) The fourth and final task required us to generate a 150 word response to the question of if we think Negroponte's ideas are still relevant and why.
My Response:
Negroponte's ideas are still relevant to a certain extent. As technology has moved forward a lot in the last 13 years, some of the ideas and thoughts that Negroponte has made do not apply to us today. He comments on how people have to rely on FedEx, bicycles, and sneakers to get their atoms from one place to another, and of course in the world we live in today, this is not true.
These days information is very easy for you to take wherever you wish, and this is from the help of digital technology.
In this week's lecture we were informed of the different types of information management formats, the atom-based format and the bit-based format. The lecturer also discussed the various advantages and disadvantages through the management of bit-based and atom-based information.
Types of information formatting:Atom Based, Books, Journals, Reports
Pros – we can see it, easy to conceal, easy to protect, hard to modify, difficult to copy
Cons – Bulky, Costly, Difficult to edit, and redistribute
Bit Based, digital reproductions, electronic content
Pros – flexible, cheap, easy to use an edit, easy to mass produce
Cons – Privacy, authenticity, unsolicited broadcast
TUTORIAL:
1) The first task required us to read the Internet Explorer favourites tutorial (http://www.inette.com/aibtinette/favoritesI.html)
2) The second task required us to set up our own favourites list with at least three folders each with at least two favourite websites. The screenshot of my list is below.My 3-folder favourites list is; Makeup, Surfing & Puppies.
3) The third task required us to read N. Negroponte's report entitled "Being Digital", with particular attention being paid to the beginning of part one ("The DNA of Information")."The DNA of Information".
4) The fourth and final task required us to generate a 150 word response to the question of if we think Negroponte's ideas are still relevant and why.
My Response:
Negroponte's ideas are still relevant to a certain extent. As technology has moved forward a lot in the last 13 years, some of the ideas and thoughts that Negroponte has made do not apply to us today. He comments on how people have to rely on FedEx, bicycles, and sneakers to get their atoms from one place to another, and of course in the world we live in today, this is not true.
These days information is very easy for you to take wherever you wish, and this is from the help of digital technology.
Summary of reading materials:
Reading 1 - "Grazing the Net", and an episode of Click published on the BBC website.The article is about "raising young people to think, explore and make meaning for themselves." The article broke this down into several areas: a students ability to analyse the unfamiliar and unexpected, issue of reliability and adequacy, the development of queries when searching for information, taking advantage of the many "good" research model available today, structured learning, internet competencies, and total quality management.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Week Nine - Communications
LECTURE:
This weeks lecture was on Communications. We live in a world where technology is a massive part of everyday life and this is because of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
The Role of the ICT is:
"Place" Independent
Parties can be “anywhere” in cyberspace
Asynchronous
Parties take their turn in their own time. e.g. writing letters
TUTORIAL:
The term I entered was 'House Music'. The search results that I retrieved were groups/forums on people talking about what type of music they prefer and how music influences their lives. The messages posted on the topic were about the genre 'house music' and how it has changed over time. Most of the people on this forum were agreeing that they prefer the old house music, and that house music is not changing for the better. One user quotes "To me, the TRUE house sounds were the stuff that came out of Chicago in the mid 80's (Marshall Jefferson, Farley "Jackmaster" Funk, Larry Heard, Mike Dunn, Hot Mix 5, etc.) Even though that era will never return, to me that will always be what house music is. " (Santiago T 1999).
This weeks lecture was on Communications. We live in a world where technology is a massive part of everyday life and this is because of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
The Role of the ICT is:
- between individuals and organisations
- within a business
- between a business and an external organisation
Communication takes place within the:
- Chain network
- Circle network
- Wheel network
- All-channel network
The four types of communication are:
"Place" Dependent
All parties have to be in the same “place”
"Place" Independent
Parties can be “anywhere” in cyberspace
Synchronous
All parties have to be engaged in communication at the same time e.g. phone call
Asynchronous
Parties take their turn in their own time. e.g. writing letters
Some examples of ICT use is a podcast, blog or MSN Messenger
TUTORIAL:
The term I entered was 'House Music'. The search results that I retrieved were groups/forums on people talking about what type of music they prefer and how music influences their lives. The messages posted on the topic were about the genre 'house music' and how it has changed over time. Most of the people on this forum were agreeing that they prefer the old house music, and that house music is not changing for the better. One user quotes "To me, the TRUE house sounds were the stuff that came out of Chicago in the mid 80's (Marshall Jefferson, Farley "Jackmaster" Funk, Larry Heard, Mike Dunn, Hot Mix 5, etc.) Even though that era will never return, to me that will always be what house music is. " (Santiago T 1999).
What are the benefits of podcasts for university students?
The benefits of podcasting for university students is the educational use it has for students. Podcasts are handy as they deliver recorded lectures, news and information to students. They help students to keep up to date with the information they receive.
Reading 1 - Guide to Using Email
This reading focused on the habits that should be used when sending emails. It was very useful and had great points. The website had a top ten list of tips of what to do when sending an email. They were:
1. Make sure that you use appropriate language. This means no slang or bad language.
2. Get straight to the point, don’t “beat around the bush”
3. Actually ask a question if it is necessary,
4. Always write down on the email who it is intended for and who should reply,
5. Clearly state any due dates or when a reply is needed by,
6. Always write the topic of conversation down first before stating what you want,
7. Always use correct grammar and properly punctuate,
8. Always stick to the topic, never talk about more than one topic, always send more than one email if talking about numerous topics
9. Provide a brief summary about what the email is if you are sending a forwarded email.
10. Always thank the person.
Reading 2 - The Problem with SPAM
Unsolicited Bulk Email (UBE) also known as email spam, is a form of adverting which has no incremental cost to sender, imposes real and measurable costs on the recipients and has the potential to destroy the value of electronic email. It is stressed that while there are numerous problems associated with the UBE, any one of them has the potential to impact the value of electronic mail to the point of destruction.
The is no natural limit on the amount of UBE that can be transmitted. UBE has the potential in costing people unlimited amounts of time to deal with, and that UBE has the potential to drown out legitimate communications, thus making electronics mail useless for it's original purpose.
www.ImageShack.us" />
Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
Week Eight - Presentation Strategies
LECTURE:
This weeks lecture was on Powerpoint Presentations and tips on how to present the best Powerpoint Presentation you can. I watched a video about what NOT to do in Powerpoint and some of these tips included:
* Do not write everything word for word
* Do not use excessive bulletpoints
* Check for Spelling Mistakes
* Do not use bad colour schemes
* Dont overdo the use of data (graphs, tables etc)
* Choose the right font to suit what you are presenting
* Talk Clearly
* Do not talk fast
* Do not overdo the Powerpoint animations
* Use Eye Contact
This weeks lecture was on Powerpoint Presentations and tips on how to present the best Powerpoint Presentation you can. I watched a video about what NOT to do in Powerpoint and some of these tips included:
* Do not write everything word for word
* Do not use excessive bulletpoints
* Check for Spelling Mistakes
* Do not use bad colour schemes
* Dont overdo the use of data (graphs, tables etc)
* Choose the right font to suit what you are presenting
* Talk Clearly
* Do not talk fast
* Do not overdo the Powerpoint animations
* Use Eye Contact
TUTORIAL:
How to make a low impact presentation
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Week Seven - Using Endnote
LECTURE:
This weeks lecture was about Endnote and the referencing system.
Endnote is a database that can be used as a Reference Manager and Biography Maker.
It can be used as a stand-alone program or integrated into Microsoft Word.
You can access Endnote from http://research.ecu.edu.au/grs/resources/endnote.php
Why reference?
To distinguish your ideas from those of others and acknowledge your sources. Also, to enable the reader to follow up if he/she is interested in the source you have used.
Citing or quoting references is when you refer in your text to material written or produced by others.
A Reference List (Bibliography) is an alphabetical list of the books and other references which you have used in your work located at the end of your essay or dissertation.
TUTORIAL:
In this weeks tutorial we had to complete exercises using Endnote. I used five references and entered them into the Endnote system. Below you will see the activities I undertook.
This weeks lecture was about Endnote and the referencing system.
Endnote is a database that can be used as a Reference Manager and Biography Maker.
It can be used as a stand-alone program or integrated into Microsoft Word.
You can access Endnote from http://research.ecu.edu.au/grs/resources/endnote.php
Why reference?
To distinguish your ideas from those of others and acknowledge your sources. Also, to enable the reader to follow up if he/she is interested in the source you have used.
Citing or quoting references is when you refer in your text to material written or produced by others.
A Reference List (Bibliography) is an alphabetical list of the books and other references which you have used in your work located at the end of your essay or dissertation.
TUTORIAL:
In this weeks tutorial we had to complete exercises using Endnote. I used five references and entered them into the Endnote system. Below you will see the activities I undertook.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Week Six - Evaluation and Authentication
LECTURE:
This weeks lecture was on Evaluation and Authentication. I learnt information about the IQ Context on the WWW - Open Protocols and Open Architecture. The WWW has no control of who publishes things on it, why the publishers publish and what is actually published. The Internet was developed from the ARPANET. Not all sites are created equal, therefore does free sites = bad? To determine whether a site is good quality or not considers on the content, visual feel, navigation, ease-of-use.
TUTORIAL:
Reading 1 - Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources
This website is about strategies for evaluating the information on webpages. It provides guidelines such as Content & Evaluation, Source & Date, Structure.. etc to help people determine whether a website is authentic or not.
On the website http://www.taftcollege.edu/newTC/Academic/INCO48/sec6-4.htm, it is also similar to the previous reading and has the same if not more points and guidelines on how to tell if a website is genuine or not. It lists points such as 'The Ten C's" which is:
Content
Credibility
Critical Thinking
Copyright
Citation
Continuity
Censorship
Connectivity
Comparability
Context
The 'Ten C's' help us to determine the authenticity of a webpage. Without these guidelines it would be difficult to determine whether the website is real or fake.
Exercise - "Reliving the Sixties: a Web Site Evaluation Assignment"
Website Evaluation 1 - http://www.hippy.com/php/sitetopics.php?topic=1
This site is meant to be giving information and reviews on events that happened in the sixites. There seems to be a lot of advertising of Calendars and 'Hippy Chat'. The articles and facts arent documented and there are no references. The page seems to come across that it was designed by an amatuer. The colours clash and dont look professional. There are too many different fonts on the page, At the bottom of the page it reads "Published by Hip Inc" which indicates that the site was not produced by professionals, as 'Hip Inc' is just a made up name. There is no links to any authors on the site, which proves that the information was obviously just copied and pasted from other sources.
Website Evaluation 2 - http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture27.html
This site is a journal article. It is titled 'Lecture 27', so therefore this website is authentic. It has an Author and Publisher, therefore this indicates that the information given is real and not copied from another author. Its Author is Stanley K. Schultz, Professor of History and William P. Tishler, Producer. There are no advertisements or links to other sites on this page. The font is clear to read and the colours do not clash. The dialogue is of professional standard and everything is referenced including pictures. It is published by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, this indicates that this is a journal from a University in Wisconsin, which shows that this site is authentic.
This weeks lecture was on Evaluation and Authentication. I learnt information about the IQ Context on the WWW - Open Protocols and Open Architecture. The WWW has no control of who publishes things on it, why the publishers publish and what is actually published. The Internet was developed from the ARPANET. Not all sites are created equal, therefore does free sites = bad? To determine whether a site is good quality or not considers on the content, visual feel, navigation, ease-of-use.
TUTORIAL:
Reading 1 - Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources
This website is about strategies for evaluating the information on webpages. It provides guidelines such as Content & Evaluation, Source & Date, Structure.. etc to help people determine whether a website is authentic or not.
On the website http://www.taftcollege.edu/newTC/Academic/INCO48/sec6-4.htm, it is also similar to the previous reading and has the same if not more points and guidelines on how to tell if a website is genuine or not. It lists points such as 'The Ten C's" which is:
Content
Credibility
Critical Thinking
Copyright
Citation
Continuity
Censorship
Connectivity
Comparability
Context
The 'Ten C's' help us to determine the authenticity of a webpage. Without these guidelines it would be difficult to determine whether the website is real or fake.
Exercise - "Reliving the Sixties: a Web Site Evaluation Assignment"
Website Evaluation 1 - http://www.hippy.com/php/sitetopics.php?topic=1
This site is meant to be giving information and reviews on events that happened in the sixites. There seems to be a lot of advertising of Calendars and 'Hippy Chat'. The articles and facts arent documented and there are no references. The page seems to come across that it was designed by an amatuer. The colours clash and dont look professional. There are too many different fonts on the page, At the bottom of the page it reads "Published by Hip Inc" which indicates that the site was not produced by professionals, as 'Hip Inc' is just a made up name. There is no links to any authors on the site, which proves that the information was obviously just copied and pasted from other sources.
Website Evaluation 2 - http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture27.html
This site is a journal article. It is titled 'Lecture 27', so therefore this website is authentic. It has an Author and Publisher, therefore this indicates that the information given is real and not copied from another author. Its Author is Stanley K. Schultz, Professor of History and William P. Tishler, Producer. There are no advertisements or links to other sites on this page. The font is clear to read and the colours do not clash. The dialogue is of professional standard and everything is referenced including pictures. It is published by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, this indicates that this is a journal from a University in Wisconsin, which shows that this site is authentic.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Week Five - Using Search Engines
LECTURE
This weeks lecture was about Search Engines. We learnt about the difference between a Search Engine and a Directory.
There are three catergories of information on the web:
The Free, Visible Web.
The Free, Invisible Web.
Paid Databases over the Web.
There are many different Search Engines on the web, the most common one is Google. Other common ones are Yahoo and Altavista. Search Engines help you to locate information on the topic or interest that you type into the search bar. S0metimes Search Engines can not always be accurate. By typing in one extra or different word that the Search Engine doesnt recognise, can result in displaying websites that you were not looking for.
Directories are Human-Edited. Reviews are added manually to ensure quality, which is why they are different to Search Engines. Some reliable Search Directories are
http://dmoz.org/ & http://directory.google.com/
I learnt that the term 'Boolean' means keywords such as 'not', 'and' 'or', which helps you search for a specific topic. Example 'football not soccer'. This then informs the Search Engine that I do not want things coming up that involve soccer.
TUTORIAL
Four Strategies to help me structure a good search:
1. Useful Keywords - To structure a good search you do not need to include words that are not neccessary. If I was searching for 'the best and worst dressed at the grammy awards' I would not need to use the words 'the, and and at' because they are not needed.
2. Check the relevance rankings - Even though a website may have a ranking of 5/5 stars, it does not mean that it contains relevant information. If you search the term 'cancer' the search engine will rank the site the highest which repeats the word 'cancer' over and over again the highest. This does not neccessarily mean that this is the most suitable site to your search.
3. Concept Based Searching - These search systems try to locate information by determining what you mean, not what you say. It returns hits on documents that are "about" the subject/theme you're exploring, even if the words in the document don't precisely match the words you enter into the query.
4. Refine Your Search - Sites offer 2 different types of searches. 1 is a 'basic' search and the other is an 'advanced' search. In an advanced search you can search on more than one word and are able to search on proper names, on phrases, and on words that are found within a certain proximity to other search terms.
In the quiz I made it up to question 11, therefore this proves that the methods I used in my searching were successful. I used the search engine Google, and mainly typed in keywords for what I was searching for. I disgarded Boolean words such as 'and, or, the' which gave me better results. I also looked at the websites information and took note on whether they were spoofs or not, this helped me to make the decision whether the information on them would be accurate or not.
I have found that there is a lot of fake websites out there on the Internet, and when I am conducting my research in the future I know what to look out for to decide whether the website is genuine or not. I will now get more accurate results in my search as I have learnt more tips and found out more ways of searching for what I want (not just through Google).
Reading 1 - Web Search Strategies.
This article covers finding what you want on the internet and how to determine whether what you find is good enough or not. There are different categories on the web such as the free visible web, the free invisible web and paid databases over the web. It discusses the search tool types and suggests tips on where to start your search.
This weeks lecture was about Search Engines. We learnt about the difference between a Search Engine and a Directory.
There are three catergories of information on the web:
The Free, Visible Web.
The Free, Invisible Web.
Paid Databases over the Web.
There are many different Search Engines on the web, the most common one is Google. Other common ones are Yahoo and Altavista. Search Engines help you to locate information on the topic or interest that you type into the search bar. S0metimes Search Engines can not always be accurate. By typing in one extra or different word that the Search Engine doesnt recognise, can result in displaying websites that you were not looking for.
Directories are Human-Edited. Reviews are added manually to ensure quality, which is why they are different to Search Engines. Some reliable Search Directories are
http://dmoz.org/ & http://directory.google.com/
I learnt that the term 'Boolean' means keywords such as 'not', 'and' 'or', which helps you search for a specific topic. Example 'football not soccer'. This then informs the Search Engine that I do not want things coming up that involve soccer.
TUTORIAL
Four Strategies to help me structure a good search:
1. Useful Keywords - To structure a good search you do not need to include words that are not neccessary. If I was searching for 'the best and worst dressed at the grammy awards' I would not need to use the words 'the, and and at' because they are not needed.
2. Check the relevance rankings - Even though a website may have a ranking of 5/5 stars, it does not mean that it contains relevant information. If you search the term 'cancer' the search engine will rank the site the highest which repeats the word 'cancer' over and over again the highest. This does not neccessarily mean that this is the most suitable site to your search.
3. Concept Based Searching - These search systems try to locate information by determining what you mean, not what you say. It returns hits on documents that are "about" the subject/theme you're exploring, even if the words in the document don't precisely match the words you enter into the query.
4. Refine Your Search - Sites offer 2 different types of searches. 1 is a 'basic' search and the other is an 'advanced' search. In an advanced search you can search on more than one word and are able to search on proper names, on phrases, and on words that are found within a certain proximity to other search terms.
In the quiz I made it up to question 11, therefore this proves that the methods I used in my searching were successful. I used the search engine Google, and mainly typed in keywords for what I was searching for. I disgarded Boolean words such as 'and, or, the' which gave me better results. I also looked at the websites information and took note on whether they were spoofs or not, this helped me to make the decision whether the information on them would be accurate or not.
I have found that there is a lot of fake websites out there on the Internet, and when I am conducting my research in the future I know what to look out for to decide whether the website is genuine or not. I will now get more accurate results in my search as I have learnt more tips and found out more ways of searching for what I want (not just through Google).
Reading 1 - Web Search Strategies.
This article covers finding what you want on the internet and how to determine whether what you find is good enough or not. There are different categories on the web such as the free visible web, the free invisible web and paid databases over the web. It discusses the search tool types and suggests tips on where to start your search.
Reading 2 - History of the Internet
This article gives the history on:
Directories
Search Engines
Databases
Library Catalogues
In 1990, the first search engine was developed at McGill University.
Reading 3 - Search Engine Optimisation
This article talks about search engine optimisation in small businesses. The program provides recommendations from a small business marketing company for small business websites, relating keywords that people type into search engines to match the small business's website theme or text content. It records the small business's websites ranking, therefore the business's can measure their progress. It gathers quality links from other websites which are of similar theme to the business's.
Week Four - Using the WWW
LECTURE
This lecture I learnt more about the World Wide Web; the history of the web, web protocols and web browsers. I was taught the difference between the Net and the Web. On the Net you find computers, but on the Net you find documents, sounds, videos, etc. The Net came before the Web, and started in 1961 when the first paper on packet switching theory was published. The Web was developed by Tim Berners-Lee (a researcher at CERN) in 1989. The WWW is information stored on computers around the world. The information becomes available and can be accessed through the Internet. Web browers are programs that are used so that people can access the Internet. These programs are Internet Explorer, Firefox or Neoplanet.
TUTORIAL
The first site - www.haggishunt.scotsman.com , is a site trying to sell webcams. It has attempted to appear authentic by using bribes such as 'join now -free!' and by having a section titled 'Haggis Cams' where it shows screen shots of people but when you click on the links it takes you to a page where it has links for other websites.
Clues that give this site away as a spoof is;
1. Too many adds
2. Does not give a clear indication of what the website is about
3. It has competitons, but no place for you to enter your name and details - therefore there really is no competiton.
4. The dialogue is not accurate
The second site - www.molossia.org, is also a spoof. The clues that give it away are;
1. Too many advertisements
2. .org is not a proper url
3. In small text at the bottom it has - copyright by 'ministry of propaganda'
4. There are a lot of spelling mistakes on the site
In the website www.martinlutherking.org, I expect to see information on Martin Luther King, the history of him and the values he has bought to the world.
My first impressions of the site is that it had too many advertisements, this indicating to me that the site isnt genuine. The website also didn't look very professional. It doesnt have a publisher or any small print at the bottom that indicates the legal rights that the site has. The font varies too much and doesnt look professional.
After researching Martin Luther King, I found other websites which appeared genuine and had no advertisements, misleading information or scams. This made the other website appear very fake and I can now tell the difference between sites that are genuine and sites that arent.
Reading 1 - This reading gave a descrption of the history of the Internet. It talks about how the internet has revolutionized the world.
Reading 2- This website also talks about the history of the internet. It discusses inventions and innovations.
This lecture I learnt more about the World Wide Web; the history of the web, web protocols and web browsers. I was taught the difference between the Net and the Web. On the Net you find computers, but on the Net you find documents, sounds, videos, etc. The Net came before the Web, and started in 1961 when the first paper on packet switching theory was published. The Web was developed by Tim Berners-Lee (a researcher at CERN) in 1989. The WWW is information stored on computers around the world. The information becomes available and can be accessed through the Internet. Web browers are programs that are used so that people can access the Internet. These programs are Internet Explorer, Firefox or Neoplanet.
TUTORIAL
The first site - www.haggishunt.scotsman.com , is a site trying to sell webcams. It has attempted to appear authentic by using bribes such as 'join now -free!' and by having a section titled 'Haggis Cams' where it shows screen shots of people but when you click on the links it takes you to a page where it has links for other websites.
Clues that give this site away as a spoof is;
1. Too many adds
2. Does not give a clear indication of what the website is about
3. It has competitons, but no place for you to enter your name and details - therefore there really is no competiton.
4. The dialogue is not accurate
The second site - www.molossia.org, is also a spoof. The clues that give it away are;
1. Too many advertisements
2. .org is not a proper url
3. In small text at the bottom it has - copyright by 'ministry of propaganda'
4. There are a lot of spelling mistakes on the site
In the website www.martinlutherking.org, I expect to see information on Martin Luther King, the history of him and the values he has bought to the world.
My first impressions of the site is that it had too many advertisements, this indicating to me that the site isnt genuine. The website also didn't look very professional. It doesnt have a publisher or any small print at the bottom that indicates the legal rights that the site has. The font varies too much and doesnt look professional.
After researching Martin Luther King, I found other websites which appeared genuine and had no advertisements, misleading information or scams. This made the other website appear very fake and I can now tell the difference between sites that are genuine and sites that arent.
Reading 1 - This reading gave a descrption of the history of the Internet. It talks about how the internet has revolutionized the world.
Reading 2- This website also talks about the history of the internet. It discusses inventions and innovations.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Week Three - Using Online Libraries and Databases
LECTURE
In todays lecture, the Lecturer talked about Online Libraries & Databases. She discussed the convenience of online databases, compared to actual Libraries. Online Libraries are a lot more convenient as the journals are up to date, it is easy for making notes as you can copy and paste and you can access them at anytime of the day or night. I found out that more than half of the content on the web is hidden and not accessible through search engines such as Google. Types of Online Libraries include:
•Online Text Repositories
•Online Journals
•Electronic Books
•Musical
•Artworks
To reference an online library you have to use APA format.
Online Databases are similar to Online Libraries, but they are more accessible to the public, as they can be retrieved through search engines. The disadvantages of online databases is that most of them require a subscription, they are difficult to navigate and there is lots of advertising.
TUTORIAL
In this weeks tutorial, we had to research the topic 'economic impact of global warming on business' in the ECU Library's Online Database. When researching this topic I found an article titled 'Report weighs global-warming effects on N.H. economy'. This article is about the effects that global warming has on the town of New Hampshire. It explains that soon there will be less and less tourists coming to visit their town, because of global warming. There is a 50 percent reduction in skiers, as the season is starting later and snow is now coming down as rain.
http://0-proquest.umi.com.library.ecu.edu.au/pqdweb?index=13&did=1319237771&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1207190634&clientId=7582
10 useful functions/search tips from ECU Library:
1. Use the plus (+) and minus (-) signs in front of words to show specifically what you are looking for. Example - Football - soccer. This shows that you want to search everything 'football' but not 'soccer'.
2. Use double quotation marks " " to make sure that the search is conducted exactly how you typed it in.
3. Put the most important keyword first.
4. Type in lower case, if you type in uppercase your search results will all come back with an exact match (they will all be in uppercase)
5. Use truncation (or stemming) and wildcards (e.g., *) . The search engine will then look for variation in spelling. Example - colo*r returns color (American spelling) and colour (British spelling)
6.Combine phrases with keywords, using the double quotes and the plus (+) and/or minus (-) signs
7. When searching within a document for the location of your keyword(s), use the "find" command on that page
8. Know the default (basic) settings your search engine uses (OR or AND). This will have an effect on how you configure your search statement because, if you don't use any signs (+, -, " "), the engine will default to its own settings
9. Know whether or not the search engine you are using maintains a stop word list
10. In Boolean searches, always enclose OR statements in parentheses
When visiting the website http://www.medlineplus.gov/, I researched the mental condition 'Schizophrenia' because I wasn't quite sure on what the condition was exactly. I found out that it is a lifelong brain disorder, and people that have it hear voices and see things that arent really there.
Article 1 - Finding what you want on the web
This article by Bill Thompson talks about the alternative ways of searching for topics rather than always using search engines such as Google. He states the fact that he now uses search tools such as web indexes, directories and gateways to non-web resources.
Article 2 - This page gave me some search tips. This will help me a lot in my researching as I will get different results by using these tips.
In todays lecture, the Lecturer talked about Online Libraries & Databases. She discussed the convenience of online databases, compared to actual Libraries. Online Libraries are a lot more convenient as the journals are up to date, it is easy for making notes as you can copy and paste and you can access them at anytime of the day or night. I found out that more than half of the content on the web is hidden and not accessible through search engines such as Google. Types of Online Libraries include:
•Online Text Repositories
•Online Journals
•Electronic Books
•Musical
•Artworks
To reference an online library you have to use APA format.
Online Databases are similar to Online Libraries, but they are more accessible to the public, as they can be retrieved through search engines. The disadvantages of online databases is that most of them require a subscription, they are difficult to navigate and there is lots of advertising.
TUTORIAL
In this weeks tutorial, we had to research the topic 'economic impact of global warming on business' in the ECU Library's Online Database. When researching this topic I found an article titled 'Report weighs global-warming effects on N.H. economy'. This article is about the effects that global warming has on the town of New Hampshire. It explains that soon there will be less and less tourists coming to visit their town, because of global warming. There is a 50 percent reduction in skiers, as the season is starting later and snow is now coming down as rain.
http://0-proquest.umi.com.library.ecu.edu.au/pqdweb?index=13&did=1319237771&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1207190634&clientId=7582
10 useful functions/search tips from ECU Library:
1. Use the plus (+) and minus (-) signs in front of words to show specifically what you are looking for. Example - Football - soccer. This shows that you want to search everything 'football' but not 'soccer'.
2. Use double quotation marks " " to make sure that the search is conducted exactly how you typed it in.
3. Put the most important keyword first.
4. Type in lower case, if you type in uppercase your search results will all come back with an exact match (they will all be in uppercase)
5. Use truncation (or stemming) and wildcards (e.g., *) . The search engine will then look for variation in spelling. Example - colo*r returns color (American spelling) and colour (British spelling)
6.Combine phrases with keywords, using the double quotes and the plus (+) and/or minus (-) signs
7. When searching within a document for the location of your keyword(s), use the "find" command on that page
8. Know the default (basic) settings your search engine uses (OR or AND). This will have an effect on how you configure your search statement because, if you don't use any signs (+, -, " "), the engine will default to its own settings
9. Know whether or not the search engine you are using maintains a stop word list
10. In Boolean searches, always enclose OR statements in parentheses
When visiting the website http://www.medlineplus.gov/, I researched the mental condition 'Schizophrenia' because I wasn't quite sure on what the condition was exactly. I found out that it is a lifelong brain disorder, and people that have it hear voices and see things that arent really there.
Article 1 - Finding what you want on the web
This article by Bill Thompson talks about the alternative ways of searching for topics rather than always using search engines such as Google. He states the fact that he now uses search tools such as web indexes, directories and gateways to non-web resources.
Article 2 - This page gave me some search tips. This will help me a lot in my researching as I will get different results by using these tips.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Week Two - Applications Skills
LECTURE
In todays lecture, we talked about Microsoft programs, the difference between Vista and XP, Internet Browsers and common PC tasks.
TUTORIAL
In todays tutorial, we carried out exercises to help us with our understanding of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Knowing how to use these applications is important as it helps you to complete tasks to the best of your knowledge. The Microsoft Office range is very pivotal to oneself, as it is used everyday by certain people i.e in offices, and without these applications, business and organisations would be lost.
Microsoft Word has many uses. Whether you are using it for something fun like writing out invitations, or something more important like writing a formal letter, it is important to know how to use it.
Microsoft Excel is used mostly to produce Tables and Graphs. It is more complicated to use than Microsoft Word, as it invloves data entering and the keeping of records. There are functions on Excel that can help you to produce graphs and and charts, which also is used daily in many organisations and businesses.
Knowing how to access the Internet is a skill which must be learnt by anyone wanting to research and/or browse topics and websites. Without the internet it will be a lot harder to research topics and find out information. The Internet has many uses such as using it for leisure, research, accessing accounts etc.
In todays lecture, we talked about Microsoft programs, the difference between Vista and XP, Internet Browsers and common PC tasks.
TUTORIAL
In todays tutorial, we carried out exercises to help us with our understanding of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Knowing how to use these applications is important as it helps you to complete tasks to the best of your knowledge. The Microsoft Office range is very pivotal to oneself, as it is used everyday by certain people i.e in offices, and without these applications, business and organisations would be lost.
Microsoft Word has many uses. Whether you are using it for something fun like writing out invitations, or something more important like writing a formal letter, it is important to know how to use it.
Microsoft Excel is used mostly to produce Tables and Graphs. It is more complicated to use than Microsoft Word, as it invloves data entering and the keeping of records. There are functions on Excel that can help you to produce graphs and and charts, which also is used daily in many organisations and businesses.
Knowing how to access the Internet is a skill which must be learnt by anyone wanting to research and/or browse topics and websites. Without the internet it will be a lot harder to research topics and find out information. The Internet has many uses such as using it for leisure, research, accessing accounts etc.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Week One - Using Computers
Today is my first day of doing the UPC004. In the lecture we learnt about what we are going to be doing in the coming weeks, and the tools we need to complete this unit. In the Tutorial we learnt how to screen capture a certain image for our blog and by using imageshack.us, we learnt how to paste it into our blog in html format. As I already know how to do these tasks, I did not find it very helpful, but a lot of other people were unsure on how to do it so to them it was very helpful.
Reading 1 - PC Lube & Tune
This article was about a service station and convenience store that has been running since Feb 1994 on the National Information Highway. Their objective is to supply usable subjects to the large audience of computer users.
Reading 2 - How Stuff Works
This article was about how technology works and how it is used in our everyday life and that the word 'technology' does not just mean computers. It informs us on how a PC works and includes diagrams to give the reader a better understanding.
Reading 1 - PC Lube & Tune
This article was about a service station and convenience store that has been running since Feb 1994 on the National Information Highway. Their objective is to supply usable subjects to the large audience of computer users.
Reading 2 - How Stuff Works
This article was about how technology works and how it is used in our everyday life and that the word 'technology' does not just mean computers. It informs us on how a PC works and includes diagrams to give the reader a better understanding.
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