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Week Twelve!!!

2008-05-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

Lecture content

This week’s lecture was all about the security risks of the internet and the social and ethical issues the internet faces and presents in society. The internet, having no enforceable standards, may contain information which has unethical information and opinionated and not trustworthy information. If people do not realize the risks involved and assess the information before considering using it as a resource for knowledge, then they will be gaining improper knowledge and information.
The internets low level of security causes many problems such as copyright, privacy and identity theft. Problems such as Intellectual property, plagiarism and security cause unending issues for everyday people who have hackers gaining access to private information and breaching security, not only on the internet. This personal security being breached can lead a hacker to victim’s personal belongings and where they live.
Plagiarism is a huge issue in today’s society. Because the internet is so diverse having so much information at the click of a mouse, some people simply copy and paste information. To reduce these risks there are a number of things that can be done. By installing a firewall, installing anti-virus software, by knowing your PC and the product itself and by keeping personal information safe (passwords, name, address phone number) you can make your computer and your safety better.

Tutorial Summary

During the tutorial we were asked to visit http://www.copyright.org.au/ and to record our findings from 5 information sheets.

Choreography
As indicated in the information sheet on choreography in regards to dance, the choreography created by a person is generally owned by that person; however, if the person is performing their job, then the employer owns the choreography.

Educational Institutions
Educational institutions are protected with it’s copyright for particular things such as; written material, artistic work, broadcasts and any produced and created material from the school. Depending on what it is, the product may be owned by the employer or in the case of the materials like workbooks the government would own them.

Fashion Design and clothing
Generally with Fashion design, who ever creates the clothing, owns it. However, just like the first two I found the same results that if someone who creates in is working for somebody else, that employer has rights to the pieces of work.

House Plans
Generally the person who creates the initial plan for the house has the copyright for it. Although this differs in each situation, a person who pays another to draw up the plan can also be the liable owner. Deciding the copyright would be unique with each situation, although, ideas and thoughts are not copyrighted.

Music: Bands
In the information sheet, it mentioned that there are at least three possible copyrights in a song, the lyrics, the music and that particular performance/recording. It is best in these situations to have a signed agreement or a clear understanding before recording the song. This is because it can be difficult to differentiate the copyright if someone leaves the group. Each different party that creates a different aspect to the recording of the song can have their own copyright.

The Website (http://www.apra.com.au/music-users/online_mobile/online_mobile.asp) contains information on music downloads and what the real cost is behind them. This website makes the reader understand that the downloading of songs is not technically ‘free’. The artist is paying for it because they are missing out on the money needed to create and produce the song. In today’s society and especially people my age, use the internet for many things and a big one of those is to download material, in most cases music.
Reading this information made me aware that it is worse than I thought and it is getting worse as we speak. I believe the more and more people that read this website will be aware that so many downloads are making the music world suffer and that in years to come it is jeopardizing the future of music as we know it. It may seem harmless now to download one three minute song but when 30 million people do it, it causes problems.
After reading this webpage, I believe that people will be forced to consider who is really losing out in the end= the public. It is a breach of security and technically it is copyright because it is illegal to download unless it is be the service provider. Many people would be shocked to know that they are breaking copyright laws by doing something they do on such a regular occasion.

Plan of Security: To protect privacy

Install a program such as firewall which will work as a protecting barrier against viruses and bugs.
Never give out personal information. Be very careful with where you enter your name and any information which could lead back to important information.
Stay away from spam mail and try to delete as much as possible.
Certain programs that contain possible personal information storages such as myspace and msn messenger turn on the maximum amount of security possible.
Set your myspace to private.
keep on top of your software and check for viruses regularly
Make sure you know what the unfamiliar domain addresses are and ones that seem unusual ignore. They could be viruses.

Reading summary 1- EFF's Top 12 Ways To Protect Your Online Privacy

This reading was all about security and how to maintain it at home and at work. It describes many ways in which to keep a clean and secured PC and internet service. Things such as keeping your personal information to yourself and your emails kept simple, just for messages from and to individuals you know and want to receive mail from. It suggests not clicking on links that offer you a prize or seem like an advertisement. Most likely this is to gain personal information of yours or to have access to your PC. Keep personal emails and information at home in a safe file, not at work were it is possible to change hands. Beware of ‘Cookie’ notices, already in Windows explorer and Netscape; these will help you know if any trackers are watching your movement on the internet.

Reading Summary 2- Ethics in Computing- Social Justice Issues: Electronic Monitoring

This website is dedicated to privacy in the workplace and the implications an employer has when it comes to monitoring what their employers are doing when the internet is involved. An employer has every right to monitor what the employees are spending their time doing, this is why it is best to keep personal business at home, well away from the not-so-private workplace. This website includes articles written by various people on the subject. Because of the growing concerns with the productivity of employees in many workplaces, employers are monitoring workers more and more and intensifying the work so that they can be productive like it once was. The website brings up some interesting points, forming the idea that the misuse of the internet in workplaces is a growing concern, but there is no easy way to rid the problem.

Reading Summary 3- Browns and Michaels- An Overview of Intellectual Property

This Reading is an overview of intellectual property, simply describes the different kinds of copyrights there are such as; trademarks (included for each name or appearance of the company e.g. Coca-Cola labels and bottles), patents (utility, Plant, Design) and Copyrights (Art, Designed or composed). It differentiates the many different types and exactly which ones are which. It describes that protection for the expression of your idea is available, for example, the design, and art work or final piece, although the idea itself is impossible to be copyrighted. Therefore it must be a solid structure, able to be grasped by anyone else, this is when it becomes as risk.

Week Eleven!!

2008-05-25T04:02:00.000-07:00

Lecture content

This week’s lecture was all about data information and knowledge.
Data: A fact or proposition
Information: a collection of facts that all have one single meaning
Knowledge: a collection of all learned and gained from particular information.
Describing exactly what the Three words data, information and knowledge means the lecture was all about these things and how we use them in society. Information is the summarization and collection of facts called the data, which is gained in knowledge when revised. The lecture indicated that it becomes inferential and judgmental by the time it is knowledge because it is processed and the knowledge is coming from a persons mind therefore it is judged.

The process in which the three work together is;
Data- unbiased and factual
Information- informative and related
Knowledge- concluded logically and quantitative

Examples:
Data- Prices, numbers, shares
Information- Records, reports
Knowledge- Articles, stories, News Stories

These Three items work together effectively to create a successful working method of which a person remembers and learns.

Tutorial activity

Definition: data, information, knowledge and wisdom.

DATA:
Data is made up of simple facts comprised of no form of biased material and non judgmental statistical facts. Data is always ready to be processed by human thought and to be collected. Data is mostly numbers and statistical evidence such as the weather forecast and prices and costs.

INFORMATION:
Information is the collection of data that is all related and collected for a certain reason. Information is still not biased and non judgmental although is collected usually to become biased and judged. It is the collection of data that it relevant to one another for reading and understanding purposes.

KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge is the understanding and gained information that a human receives from informational data. Knowledge is the mental storage of the information the brain is receiving. By the time it is converted to knowledge, it is judged and biased by the person’s personal opinion and beliefs.

WISDOM
Wisdom is the further process of Knowledge with opinions formed
And the information having been stored and judged. Wisdom is conveyed from a person’s knowledge; therefore it is a further depth of understanding and memory.

The Understanding of the relationship between Data, Information, knowledge and Wisdom can assist in Uni life because as students we are now able to interpret data from information and understand the difference. This way we will also be able to distinguish between having the knowledge and having the wisdom from the information and the data. Knowing this relationship, students can understand what is happening when information is processed in the brain and understand the concept of learning and forming opinions and views.

5 Organizations that collect information form their clients.

Hoyts Cimemas
Fitness first (gym)
ECU Lawn Bowls
Restaurants
Dance Classes

These Organizations ask clients for information such as address, age and how the client heard of that particular organization. This way, the organization is collecting information to keep as knowledge. This knowledge will better help the company by knowing which age group to target, knowing the type of audiences they attract and to have statistics for advertisements in the future. Therefore, this information will stay and grow with the company causing it to become wisdom and the organization is better equipped with it.

Reading 1- Data, information, knowledge and wisdom

This reading describes the relationship between data, knowledge and wisdom. Authors Castro, Bellinger and Mills have defined the three meanings and concluded their own opinions on the relationship between data, wisdom, knowledge and information. The reading describes that data is the fact that is not backed up by anything and has no reason behind it. It is just presented by itself. Information is described as the factual statements which are backed up by supporting evidence. Therefore, creating a block of information which is all related and too usually to serve a purpose which is to give knowledge. Knowledge is described as a person’s perception with what can be predictability. It is the pattern that has formed in their mind which becomes a perception and long term memory. Wisdom is also described. Being considered the filter of knowledge, embodying the principals gained from the knowledge and turned into experience and long term memory.

Reading 2- Information Literacy Tutorial

This website is dedicated to testing the knowledge of a person. Having online quizzes and the lessons given before the quiz is taken, it is able to show the reader the rate at which they process knowledge and how they are able to use it. It is a self evaluation test with the results varying from each person. It provides the reader with helpful handouts and assignments to improve their learning and understanding ability. After reading one of the lessons and taking a quiz, I found myself thinking of the content more and learning some new information from the content given. This indicates that the website is very useful for general knowledge and especially for students to further understand how they learn, that quizzing yourself on the information later will help you remember the content.

Week Ten!!

2008-05-25T03:57:00.000-07:00

Lecture summary

In this weeks lecture Information Management was discussed. Two types of information were described;
· Atom based
· Bit based
Atom based Information is the older more formal informational source such as paper, books and reports.
Bit based is the more modern resources of information management such as, electronic content and digital formats. Many of the Atom based information management schemes have changed and are now bit based, examples of this are posted mail to E-mail and banking in person to internet banking. It is important when saving things on the computer to know how to manage the information correctly so that it can be easily to find again. By creating files for each important subject by function rather than content, you are able to organize the files and easily find them later. Another mentioned point is to install search items so that you are able to type in the file you are after and retrieve it easily.

Tutorial Summary

During the tutorial we were asked to search a website dedicated to teaching a person how to save websites in their favourites list for easy access next time it is needed. It showed each step with an easy to follow process of how to save websites to a favourites list.

Negroponte's Arguements

I believe that N. Negroponte creates an interesting point in that ‘bits’ are much more effective in cost and size than atom based information. However, after 13 years, the relevancy of this archive has changed as technology has risen and developed. Technology and the Bit based sources in today’s society has become a huge issue, especially since the article was written. At that stage (1995) the internet was still developing into what it is today. Things had just started to be transferred to Bit based technology and it was no where what Bit based information is to us now. Since this article in 2008, bit based information is considered cheap, quick and easy to edit and move however, it is impersonal, a security risk and slowly killing off the atom based exercises such as snail mail since Email has been introduced. None of these risks would have been a growing concern in 1995 as they are in today’s society with more people taking the easy way, not bothering to write their thoughts down but just typing them. For this reason, I believe that although this article may have been spot on 13 years ago, it is quite irrelevant to bit based information in today’s society.

Atom-Based
Pro’s
· Hard copied document
· Kept in a simple place, easily found
· We can easily hide it/ protect it
· Difficult to copy
· Hard to change

Con’s
· Cost Money
· Can take up too much room
· All look the same
· Can get damaged easily
· To change you would have to create another.

Bit-Based
Pro’s
· Can be moved easily
· Can be changed easily
· Easily Distributed
· Cheap

Con’s
· Not private/hard to protect
· Easily forged or faked
· Not as personal
· Informal
· Security Risk

Screen Shot of my 'Favourites' Folder. Displayed are; 3 folders containing my ECU websites, Other Stuff (Facebook) and Search Engines.

Reading – Grazing the net

This reading was written in 1998 and was all about schools and students using the internet. It asks the question that is still asked today, Will children benefit from the internet as another source of information? It concludes that many schools will have to abide by the rest of the country, and be online. The education of children in the 21st century is questioned in a big way to the internet and how it is affecting the learning curve. He concludes that no matter what the internet will be advancing into each school eventually, and the only way to stay in control of the education of children is up to them. The children should be ‘Infotectives’ which should detect whether the information is relevant and useful and should only skim the surface to gain information on the internet thus the title Grazing the Net.

Week Nine!!

2008-05-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

Lecture Summary

During week eight’s lecture, communications were discussed and the issues with security in today’s world. Four types of communication were mentioned during the lecture;

Email; Different time, Different place
Msn messenger; same time, Different Place
Bulletin Board; Same place, Different Time
Chat Room; Same place, same time.

This is account on the place dependency and the Synchronous and Asynchronous time levels between communications. Many cyber levels of communications are overriding regular face-to-face communication between people, for example mobile phones are being used to text people more often than calling or speaking in person. The lecture mentions many issues with the internet. The fact that it is not personal, unemotional and that it is considered to be informal strikes a huge problem in the growing popularity of the internet and it’s communication aspect.
Although there are negatives, there are also positives, such as pod casts and journals, which are formal and easily found information sources, created as a means of intellectual communication. Having such a diverse range of communication possibilities on the World Wide Web, it is almost impossible to us to ignore them. But it is most important to be careful with what we use and the security of our personal messages and ideas. Using security such as hiding last names or not adding photos can reduce the risk of identity fraud. If we are all careful and secure our usage of communications on the internet, it can be a safe environment to exercise in moderation.

Tutorial Summary

We were asked to visit Google and click on the group Tab and search something that we are interested in.
I entered the topic of ‘Dance’.
There were many messages posted on the Web in regards to dance. Some were not entirely about dance, although some had various amounts of information on the topic. The search also offered me to go into more depth on the topic an search it further. Because I had chosen such a diverse and wide subject there were many posts listed. Many covering different kinds of dance and different aspects of the subject.
There are many benefits for university students. As this was my first time searching the group’s option I looked out for any positives for studies in the future. There were many benefits for students, having posts displayed from regular people gives students an understanding of opinions and differing views on the subject. It also gives students an easily found information centre.

Screen Shot of the Pod casts results page when I searched 'Dance'

Reading 1: Guide to using Email

In the ‘Guide to using Email’ it describes the point of view from the receiver and the sender and discusses the best ways possible to write and read an email. Aspects such as how to read the email, what to look for and what to ignore were mentioned such as; not to assume any type of emotional stance of the reader, because it may just be how they write. Also When writing the email, it is mentioned that you are to write with professionalism and make clear points. This way the reader will easily understand your point and respond easily and quickly. An important issue it indicates to remember is to create clear and concise to-the-point emails, stating exactly what you are writing about and as many important details as needed.
Etiquette is also mentioned, describing the ways in which the best types of emails are written. By using the correct addressing formats to the receiver and by stating your points clearly you are able to form a structured and professional email. Also mentioned is the use of emotion, it is instructed not to use any sarcasm or anything like that to form your email. This is because the receiver may take it the wrong way or not understand the conveying message.

Reading 2: The Problem with SPAM

Unsolicited Bulk Email, also known as SPAM is dangerously invading Email systems and is ruining the foundation of which email is safe, professional and reliable. Spam is costing the receivers although does not cost the senders; therefore, they are able to send millions of these spam emails daily. It the big scale of things, Spam mail is costing receiver’s money to get the emails. This is done by spammers (people sending the UBE) charging receivers with 10% GST charges. The article ‘The problem with Spam’ indicates that the receiver’s are being charged more than with money. Spam is said to be ruining the electronic mail idea, destroying the professionalism and ruining the name and the respect that Electronic mail has achieved. Even through you can delete the unwanted mail, the damage is already done, and the cost is already implemented. Sources have tried to filter the unwanted messages, although unfortunately as the information says, It did not work because it will only filter it once the email is already received.

Many tries to rid the UBE’s have failed such as technical Solutions, ISP enforcements and out-put lists. Direct legislation is the only known way to reduce the problem. It is impossible to rid the problem completely, however we can reduce it if there are bans put on buying the tools used for spamming, creating penalties for the sending, and also banning of the transmission of UBE emails.

week Eight!!!

2008-05-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

Lecture Summary

This week’s lecture was all about Presentation strategies. Students were to compile their top ten strategies for giving a good presentation;

Involve your audience
Create an introduction, body and conclusion
Deliver with enthusiasm (believe what you are talking about)
Create helpful and interesting visual or audio aids
Practice your speech
Check your slides before starting the speech
Talk slowly enough for the audience to understand
Use visual aids for the audience to be able to see.
Audio aids good enough to hear.
Speak loudly enough for the back of the room to hear

The most important part of a presentation is the audience and their involvement, if the audience does not get involved, the presentation is useless. The lecture this week described the ways in which to create a good presentation, containing much information on how to structure and deliver a useful presentation. A presentation must contain compelling data and relevant, influencing arguments. It must make an impression on the audience, must gain the respect from the audience deserved and it must sell an idea effectively. There are three types of presentations, self contained, written and delivery presentations. As students, many stand and deliver presentations will be in our future.

Speeches should contain three aspects. An introduction, a body and a conclusion. The appearance of these to the audience is very important, generally the use of visual and audio aids are very effective to convey the idea to the audience. It is very important to rehearse your speech and to understand what is coming next and when to change your information if including visual aids. Although an effective speech will be dominated by speech, with the visual aids such as slides, only to back up the speaker. Visual aids have the importance of conveying a message to the audience and getting them involved, therefore, they are very effective so it is wise to chose them carefully. As mentioned before the most important is to involve your audience and make them believe your views and ideas. By involving them, their attention will be with you and your speech will be digested and thought of later, therefore causing it to be extremely effective.

Tutorial Summary

In this weeks tutorial we were asked to read up and become familiar with Microsoft Powerpoint. We were asked to create a low impact presentation.

During the tutorial, we discovered a range of different views and beliefs on Powerpoint and how to give a good presentation. These helped in a big way in regards to other units, giving students the knowledge and confidence to perform an excellent Powerpoint Presentation.

Top 5 strategies for a top-notch presentation.

1. Create a theme or basis to form your presentation on
2. Create slides that are simple and easy to understand, ones that will jog your memory will you speak.
3. Speak with enthusiasm but speak slowly enough for people to understand you.
4. ‘Tell a story’. Structure your speech from beginning to end.
5. Involve your audience by showing them examples and asking them questions.

Resource Summary

This Resource entitled 'PowerPoint in the Classroom' is a step by step guide on how to use Microsoft Powerpoint and how to teach it to others. It describes how to set up a presentation, explaining each step such as choosing a new slide. By explaining the toolbars listed on the program and describing what each icon means, the website is very effective in teaching someone who has not had experience with the program before. It takes a reader through step by step and shows the different things needed to present a power point. The guide also indictates where the help assistant's are if needed.

It describes important tools such as how to;

Add Pictures
Text Boxes
templates
Colours
Fonts
Charts/tables
Videos
Sounds

Each one of these are described and shown as examples.

It also describes how to transition the slides and to overview them to change and edit what ever is needed. It reminds the reader also to constantly check the work and view the slide show to make sure it is running smoothly. Most importantly to save the work. It is a very useful guide and it describes particular tools such as the tool bars and how to change and add things to the powerpoint since it can be extremely confusing when first attempted.

Week Seven!!

2008-04-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

Lecture Content

End note has been created and is used in an effort to help students with their referencing. Referencing is used in any university and is the validation of someone else’s material which you include in your work and the indication of where it comes from.

Endnote is used to organize and manage your references.
When using end note, you can select particular ways in which you will be referencing, especially the type of data you are referencing (Journal, website). Endnote organizes many different types of files, including many different types of referencing styles.

This weeks lecture showed us how to use endnote, as it was completely knew to most students, taking us through the step by step process of how to create a new library on endnote and how to come to a successful conclusion and creating a reference.

Endnote was extremely new to me and having the practice of playing around with the program and learning how to use it was very helpful with my studies. The Principal of endnote is the organizing and management of references which then save time and stress when doing assignments. It also works in conjunction with MS Word to create references although, as the lecture indicted, we only used the stand alone program to get the immediate gist of Endnote.

Tutorial Content

During the tutuorial, we were asked to configure endnote on our PC's. After doing so we were able to search and create references with the help of endnote and with our studies. We were asked asked first to copy down the information in a new library in endnote from our work sheets, using the quote

"El Nino has clearly arrived on the world stage. But while it has belatedly achieved a wide spread awareness, few people still understand what it is all about".

Later, we were asked to search the website "How Stuff Works". From this we were to copy the vital information into the endnote library. I listed as mnay things as i could find such as the author, year, editor and title. I found endnote to be very helpful and interesting, being able to play around with it and get familiar with it was extremely helpful as i have never used it before.

Screen Shots

These are Screen Capture's of The Program Endnote.

Resources Summary 1

What is Endnote?

Endnote is a Personal Library of all the resources you have used while researching. It is used to construct your reference lists and end text references. It is extremely useful because it is able to store all of your references so that you do not lose them or get them wrong. Endnote is able to add a reference at the end of a document easily, this makes it easier for the user. Endnote also ensures that referencing is done correctly and accurately to the particular bibliographical style you are referencing for example; ECU's Referencing style is APA5th.

There are two Parts to Endnote

PART ONE you can create your endnote library and use it continuously and store your references in there.

PART TWO It can create automatic references for your documents and you can use them straight away and be assured they are correct.

To use Endnote, you must first create a new library. After doing so you can go through a range of steps explained in the document 'Guide to Endnote v9 @ ECU, an introduction to Endnote for new users at Edith Cowan University.'

After creating and naming your first library in Endnote, you can start to add references in. Before doing so, you must select the particluar bibliography style. As mentioned before, the standard ECU style is APA 5th.

After use of your Endnote Library, it will save automatically but to be on the safe side, it is best to save and make sure it is secure. When Adding a new reference, make sure it is clear what kind of reference you are creating, for example; journal or website. After adding the authors name and year and all the relevant information to the 'new reference', you are able to sort the references. This will sort them automatically in chronological order.

The Document 'Guide to Endnote v9 @ECU' also describes how to load the program onto your computer describing where it shoud be and how to get it there for example, having it in the tool bar section in MS Word. There is a application that will help you to create an intext reference in your document.

You are also able to add page numbers and change around the format of the citation itself so that it suits you by opting to not show the author in the reference and instead to include the name in the dcoument.

An important issue is to back up Endnote libararies each time a new reference is added. By saving a spare copy, you will be assured your work is safe. This is because Endnote saves it automaically, slothough does not ask if you wish to save it like MS Word does for it's documents.

In Endnote, you are able to connect to ECU and other databases in order to gain information and cite references easily. If connected to the databases, you are able to export information for references to Endnote and therefore create a full and simple reference. It is also possible to import information to Endnote. This is very useful if you are doing it an external way or saving the information and putting it ino Endnote v9 at home. Depending on the PC it may also help if exporting occurs too many errors. Also possible of encurring errors are filters used by endnote which can alter or send the wrong information to the program.

The Document suggests that the best way to maintain a successful Endnote library is to keep a trial one as well as a main library. The point of this is to first put references in the trial library and then the important and useful ones transfer to the main library. This document is very helpful in introducing a person to Endnote, describing how to do things and how it works.

Resources Summary 2

Endnote: Technical Support and Services

This Website was intentionally created to help Endnote users and beginers gain and understand information about the program. It also advertises downloads and more information on each topic it presents such as Endnote users guide and Output styles. It contains Informational tip sheets and guidee available to download for both Mac and Windows.

As mentioned before, you are able to connect to the university and easily compile your references to the program. This website has links which can lead you to connecting your Endnote to the university's database which will make referencing much simpler.

The website also includes links to related topics. Many of these are news and current information links which have Endnote in common. The reader is able to read these and gain knowledge about the particular topic and the latest news on it. This website is very useful in that it creates a simple way for users to download Endnote and it's essential information on it's purpose and the best ways in which to use it.

Week Six!!!

2008-04-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

Lecture Content

This weeks lecture was all about being able to evaluate the authenticity of the world wide web when searching. Things such as the author, date, bias views (is it a multi-dimentional) and scholarly items will indicate whether or not the information is qualtitaive enough to use in your research. For websites to be legit and a good resource for information, there must be some IQ in the text.

Unfortuantly the world wide web has no means of limitation when it comes to who publishes things on the net, why they do it (what stand do they take) and what is published. The only way for the reader to determine whether or not it is legit is to check by the author, date etc.

The internet is open to the public, it has grown and developed as humans have created new things and developed newer and faster ways of doing things. By evaluating the websites context, you can make an informed decision on whether it is credible as a resource.

Is it biased
Is it scholarly
who is publishing it

The quality of the website is not always easy to pick. Sometimes, before using the website's information, a person must evaluate the webistes details. Search the contact details or if there is an 'about us' section. If the website does not contain these attributes, it is more than likely an unreliable source of information.

There are six main points of evaluating a website;

Accuracy

Credibility

Authority

Objectivity

Coverage

Currency

Using these compontents while searching an internet site, before you use it's information, will help you to come to a conclusion on whether the site is a credible source.

Some other things to look out for while searching information sources on the internet

Check the URL of the website.
Check that there is a legit name which more or less matches up with the topic you are searching

Check that the domain (e.g. com) is recognizable and accurate.

Assess the links presented on the page, they should be of relevance to the topic of the website or should look credible also.

Look for things like spelling mistakes and grammer mistakes.

By using these strategies to research information on the internet, a person is able to evaluate a credible and accurate source of information fit for use.

Tutorial Content

List and compare strategies for evaluating information found on websites using the following webpages:

ICYouSeeCritical Thinking page: http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think.htm
INCO 48: http://www.taftcollege.edu/newTC/Academic/INCO48/sec6-4.htm
Good, the Bad and the Ugly: http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/eval.html

Summary: The strategies Listed on ICYouSee Critical Thinking.

Make Sure You are In the Right Place

Consider what you are looking for. The internet has so much to offer, it is the reader’s job to assess what they need. By looking in the right place, a person is able to do so.
Ask ‘questions’ about your topic and look for the answers on the internet. This way, you can make sure you are in the right place and looking for the right thing,

When in Doubt, Doubt
Because the internet is so diverse, with anybody in the world able to authorise their own opinion, you need to examine the website you are using.
Read through the website, is it biased?
Is content assumed?
Is there structure?
Iis it manipulative?
Check with other infoprmation sources to make sure the facts given are truthful.

Considering the source

Before using it’s iformation, try and find out who wrote it.
Who is the creator of the website
Is there a company listed?
Does it have an ‘About the Author’ section?
Look for past evaluations about the website, such as indication that it is a reliable and good source.
Consider the URL, as mentioned above.

Know What is Happening with the Webiste

Read through the website, if you understand what the website is about, and the motive behind the information, you are able to evaluate and judge its content easier.
Consider whether the main purpose of the website is to advertise, pursuade, or inform. from this, evaluate the key features that the website has in regards to the the intention of it.
Check for research done by the author, are there links involved? The author should include documentation of thier findings or their research to prove it is real and accurate.

Look at the Details

Check spelling and grammer, does it appear scholarly? Consider the images used, if it is a reliable and legit information source they should contain pictures of relevance to the topic. As mentioned before, examine the links presented. Make sure they match up to what they are advertised as and that they have relecance to the topic of the website.

Distinguish a Web Page from pages found on the internet.

A webpage will contain a full content. For example, journal articles can be found in different places, they may have their own found page or they may be found off another webpage. Check which one it is and trace it back to it's original, this way, you can evaluate the information given and check whether it is credible or not. Make sure that the website is full and contains the many points such as a bibliographical approach.

More Strategies found on “INCO 48” http://www.taftcollege.edu/newTC/Academic/INCO48/sec6-4.htm

Be very careful when searching a Webpage with (`) in the URL. This means it is a personal website, not recommended for information purposes.

Consider copyright content on the website or page.

Compare constantly with others. Facts given can be untrue.

It is possible to search up the author and define whether they are a credible source to use.

Complete the "Reliving the Sixties: a Web Site Evaluation Assignment" exercise on the ICYouSee website. http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think60.html.

A Trip to The Sixties

The website a Trip toThe Sixties presents A website dedicated to Anti-war and free speech.

Accuracy
The Accuracy of the website was hard to determine based on it's initial apearance as a biased and opinionated anti-war speel. After looking through the information given, the website does present some accurate information, such as explaining the 'Beginning of the Sixties' and the new president at the time, JFK. Although it is still an opinion, it does accuratly re-tell the story.

Authorship
Although the website is created by a particular social group, it does not contain an author's name. This indicates that the website is less reliable because the reader can not research the author and tell whether they have credibility because they ahve not indicated an author.

Purpose
The purpose of this website is well exercised their intention to sell the ideas of anti-war and freedom of speech. They re-tell the stories that will work for their ideas.

Detail and Design
The Design of the website is well thought out and attention grabbing. It suits the purpose of the website. There is alot of detail shown in the website that can attract the reader and show what the website is about. therefore it is affective in this way.

Overall
Overall, the website holds many facts and figures about the sixties, however, does not indicate in the URL that it is for a particular side, although after reading the text, you find that it is biased and trying to sell the particular side taken. I would not recommend this site for information use as it is only slightly reliable.

A Trip to The Sixties Website.

Week Five!!!

2008-03-30T04:33:00.000-07:00

Lecture Content

In week Five lecture we were introduced to searching and search engines on the internet.
Search engines are used so often by everyday internet users to connect and crawl the internet retaining information for the user. To learn more about them was very handy. Four examples of search engines are; Google, Yahoo!, Altavista and Ninemsn.

The problems with search engines

Misuse of the ranking system

Include too much information/ not relevant information

Can give limited information compared to other search engines

Directories Are human edited and put on the internet. They are similar to search engines although they are never misleading or untrue because they are checked before they are put on the internet.

Most reliable search directories with a comprehensive database;

DMOZ http://dmoz.org/

Google directory http://directory.google.com/

Yahoo Directory http://dir.yahoo.com/

Look Smart http://www.looksmart.com/

About http://www.about.com/

Search Engine Rankings and Statistics (September 2007)

Out of 9.4 Billion searches performed-

57% used Google
23.7% used Yahoo
10.3% used Microsoft
4.7% used Ask
4.5% used Time Warner including AOL

There are four different types of Searches:

Keyword
Phrase
Boolean
Advanced/ engine features

By using several search terms and as many keywords and phraases to search as possible, you will get the most out of your search. Type in the keywords and choose a link which you know will benefit your research. When getting on the site with your content, search around the site so that you know where you are. Once you know where you are, you can then navigate and search for more possible results from links and other options.

Tutorial Content

This weeks Tutrial, just like the lecture, was all about search engines and the best way to search topics to get the best results. During the tutorial we visited the Monash University's interactive tutorial http://www.monash.com/spidap1.html which was dedicated to search engines and helping people to search the web effectively.

Four Effective ways to Structure Your Search;

Use keywords and search terms

If looking for a subject, look at the directories (e.g Google directory) which will give you the biggest range of information.

Use the Boolean system

Use quotation marks to emphasize what you are looking for

So far During this unit, we have been shown easy ways and much more effective ways to search the internet with the use of search engines. By using the Boolean System i have found in my searches that there is definetly more to the topic results than with out the use of the words 'and', 'or' and 'not'. Also to use Directory's if you know what you are searching for, i have never actually used a directory search on the net but it definetly worked to my advantage.

Screen shot of History quiz

Reading One
Internet Search Tips and Strategies

Categories of information:

The Free, Visible Web

The Free, Invisible Web

Paid Databases over the Web

Search Tool Types:

Search Engines

Directories

Starting places for Searches:

Broad subject- start with directories or encyclopedia websites
For General subject areas- Search engines (eg. Google)

Well-known specific subject- directory

For research papers- try different approaches- search engines, directories.

Three best ways to search word terms;

Keyword search- Main topic/word with most meaning

Phrase search- If it is a certain view or question

Boolean operators- 'and' 'or' 'not'

By using more than one search engine or search station, you can widen your subject range and get more results. Direct your way back and forth between results. By using several search basis, you can compare your results and settle on the best one.

Reading Two

Search engine optimisation

This site was dedicated to Marketing strategies for small business. It offers help to any small business owner to shape an interesting website having easy to read and follow search terms. Suggests setting a bench mark to record your progress and describes the popularity of links in a website and how it can benifit the readers and the company.

This website is a site to help small business owners to build their compan. They are offering to help structure the companies website and guide them on what search terms to use, which are important and which will help their readers. Web sight Australia's webpage is very easy to follow and there are many useful choices to follow such as who they are and what they do, including an 'about us' section. This website was very interesting because i never knew there was such a company that would help people with these sorts of procedures.

Reading Three

The History of the Internet- chapter 4 Search Engines.
This Reading contained the history of search engines, and how they have developed since. they started in 1990 with one called Archie, in Montreal. Archie would retrieve information during the night and copy many files and ctore them and when you looked them up, you would send them to yourself in an e-mail and retrieve it from there. It was a much more complex way than we know in todays society.
In 1991 The Gopher system was created in minnesota. This, instead of the complex way from Archie, was able to choose your topic from the list and you were transfered straight to the contents.

The Gopher System, 1991. http://cit.evitech.fi/internet/images/gopher.jpg

Also 1991, WAIS was created, which although it had a smaller database, it was set out like a library system so it was easier to search and returned results which were closer to the catagory of search. Just like the Gopher system, you were able to click on the link and view results straight away. These first ideas have evolved and developed into what we know as search engines today.

Some more important Information on Searches.

Some engines may be sensitive to capital letters

Be specific

When searching a two topics combined, try '+' them together, this will refine your search and make sure you get a double topic in the results.

Because different directories retain their information in different ways, you must use a variety of directories to gain the best results, because different directories will rank the findings from what they think is important based on how they aquired it (eg. from the first paragraph or sentence).

All in all, search engines are created to help categorise information and to help the reader find what they are looking for in detailed searches. They are useful in every day living and i believe they will keep growing and keep developing as time goes on!!!

Week Four!!!

2008-03-29T23:53:00.000-07:00

Lecture Content

This weeks lecture focused on the World wide web. Definitions and meanings of many internet terms were mentioned such as; Domain name system (DNS) and also things like World Wide Web. Including the different domains used for different webstites such as;

Government- .gov
Commercial- .com
Education- .edu
and Organization- .org

In the lecture, the interface of the internet was described, showing us exactly what each abbreviation ment and what it was used for.
Also was the description of a URL and what each part of it ment, having the region and the domain to help locate it and make it easier to find it. This was very useful because many of these things i had no idea what it was actually there for until this lecture. I also learned from this lecture the history of the internet and how they first brought the internet to the public.

Tutorial Summary

During the tutorial, we visited two websites, from these websites we had to determine whether they were legit and real websites. They were;

http://www.martinlutherking.org/

http://www.haggishunt.scotsman.com/

The first Website we visited was http://www.haggishunt.scotsman.com/ . It's authenticity was definetely questionable. It's interface and basic appearance seemed normal and just like other websites, it had a URL and functioned exactly the same as a regular website, this was the most obvious reason why it looked authentic. The website looked like a normal legit website, having picture and definitions and information on it's topic. It has a home page and a login section, which indicacted to me (the reader) that by signig up and logging in to the website it is very real and authentic. Although as i read closely, it was things like it's topic which tipped off the fact that it was a fake. Particular names and terms used in the website such as; "the Haggis Hunt" and "Haggis Season" made it obvious that it was not real.

Reasons to Believe this Website is not real;

'Haggis' not a real animal

Haggis Season does not exist

Names and defintions prove it to be fake

The official website 'Scotsman.com' not real

The second Website we visited was http://www.molossia.org/. When first looked at this website looked very Authentic for many of the same reasons, it had a URL and a homepage, it also appeared to be a homepage about a place called 'Molossia'. This included an emblem with the languages writing on it. On the website it is the 'official website' having the temperature and many dates and events mentioned, this all makes it look authentic and real.

Reasons to believe this website is not Real:

Molossia- not a real place
language does not exist

Fake flag

Fake president

The Website http://www.martinlutherking.org/ suggested to me- by the URL, that it was an ode to Martin Luther King and i assumed (because it's domain was .org.) that it was made in sponsor of him and honouring him. As i read through the website, it was very negative and biased against martin Luther King. It had 'articles' stating that he was a bad person and did not go by what he preached. This made it clear that the websites URL gave the wrong impression of what it was actually all about and that the website was very against Martin Luther King.

Reading One

"A brief history of the Internet'

This reading was interesting, it explained the origins of the internet where it came from and how it all happened to become one of the most used sources of information in the world. In 1972 the first few steps of the internet was created and a demonstration was shown to the public. It became the ARPANET which was highly successful. Electronic mail(E-mail) was also created around this time. Although J.C.R. Licklider was the first in 1962 to write a series of memos as a networking system which sparked the first concept of the internet. The internet was created to create a network for sharing information. This could be done by connecting to different sources of information and sending information from computer to computer. In 1972 a packet data progam called DARPAwas created and using this was called internetting. These were working although certain things were not achievable with ARPANET and DARPA. A new version was created. one which could meet the need of the open achitecture network environment.

The collaboratioin of ARPANET and the internet in the 1970's made a huge economical impact by having E-mail available. Being a new way to communicate it was very popular.

When the internet started to arrive on personal/desktop computers, the original TCP was to large to fit and so David Clarke and MIT started to compact the data to arrive at something which would be used on all computers.

During the 80's the internet concept grew and florished, slowly being used by more and more of the general public. They eventually decided to give the host's a name. These hosts were used on a daily basis and it was beginning to be hard to remember the addresses so it was a necessity to give them titles and names. Paul Mockapetris then came up with the solution, creating a name system, which became the Domain Name System (DNS).

On Jan 1st 1983, Was considered a "Flag Day" in the internets growth, this was the transtion of the ARPANET host protocol from NCP to TCP/IT. This required all hosts to convert over, all simultaneously. BY 1985 the internet was well and successfully established, Being used daily for many different purposes. In the two decades since it's creation, it has grown and developed as have our culture for using it. The internet, as the reading suggests has lots of room to grow as it expands every da

A screen Shot of the World Wide Web and the transition it has made to today. (A Brief History of the Internet, 2003)

Timeline

Week Three!!!

2008-03-29T03:18:00.000-07:00

Lecture Content

Our lecture for week three was all about online libraries and databases, by introducing us to the ECU online library service. Mentioned was;

The simplicity and convenience of being at home while searching a library, also having the internet there to help your search further.

The internet being constantly updated. It is never considered old.

Having access to the internet anytime, again, with the convenience of it being at home.

Although it is known that no matter how convenient the online library is, it will never match up to going to the library in person, since, at a real library, you are able to view everything. It is possible this way to change your mind or spot something that you did not know was there which may help you.

Mentioned also, was the fact that many online libraries are subscription only, just like needing a library card to borrow books normally. Also, with online libraries, it was mentioned that we still need to be very careful with referencing, needing to reference just as much as if it was in the library, because they are still books and if not referenced properly it can be considered plagerism and copyright.

Databases were also talked about in the lecture, these are collections of data and information quite similar to online libraries. Although they do have positives, they also have lots of advertising, since it is still the internet and they are sponsered by many different companies, and just like libraries, many are subscription only. Databases such as Pro-quest are very useful because it is not subscription although it can be used to gather information on journals and articles which can be hard to get hold of in libraries, having quite a high demand.

Tutorial Content

During the Tutorial, we were instructed to Search and explore the online ECU library, and to get familiar with using it to research. To do this, we researched a journal article on global warming and the economic impact on business. To search this, we typed in "The Economic Impact of Global Warming on Business". The Search category returned many links of information, Which were all very useful and interesting. Each one was given with plenty of information for references, and with more links and windows available onthe topic.

We also recorded 10 useful functions and search tips from the ECU library:

Using the "Advanced Search"- By using the advanced search option you can broaden your research and get more depth with what your search returns.

Type in keywords as close as possible to your question or search term. Use your question as a guide and either type that in or type as close as possible, this will allow you to get the best possible answer or information to what you seeking.

Search Journal Articles by subject. For journal articles, by searching them with their subject, you will get the most responses to your subject with many different views.

Search for books by clinking on the link. You are able to use the library catalogue system on the internet, this makes it simple to decide what books you are looking to get, also telling you whether or not they are available at that present time.

Academic Tip Sheet. This option will help you with how to use the online library service beacuse it works as a main guide, a central point.

Asking the library service if needing assistance. On the online Library service, you are able to ask and be guided through each step. This is very useful for beginners or if you simply get lost while using the service.

Using quick links to other ECU sites. You are able to Search and use other site such as SIMO and IT services via the libraries website.

Quick Catalogue Search. This enables the user to very simply search what they are looking for without going further than the home page.

Gives news on ECU. News on the library and ECU in general is displayed on the home page.

As you go guidelines. The service gives you instructions every step of the way if you are unsure on how to use it.

We also Looked at a website called Medline Plus http://medlineplus.gov/ this website was all about health information for anyone to access, it was made by the National Institutes of Health and also the U.S National Library of Medicine. This website was made for the general public, to gain facts and information on many medical aspects.

I believe that many people would use it to learn different methods of treating illness and gain information which would save them time and money when normally they would go to the doctors. I think it is even possible for students, many in medicine would be able to use this website for research since it is created by the Institute of Health. They would get a wide range of information from the website and in a very easy way to read and understand it. The website explains:

What the drugs are

What They will do

How to use them

Special precausions

Other uses for the medicine

What to do if forgotten

Side effects?

You are also able to do keyword searches and follow the links to other related topics, i believe this would be very handy whether you are a student doing research or it is just the general public finding out some knowledge about the medicine at home.

Reading one

The first reading "Finding What The Want On the Web"

This Article on searching the web displayed many views on particular search styles and engines, in particular, Google. Bill Thompson, the writer of this article, explains that google is the most popular and the most used search engine around the world and that it would be hard to search with out it. He also describes that there is more than just the world wide web, that many people rely on that and do not realise that the internet does go beyond that. He then gave his opinion on many different search engines, saying that he disliked Kartoo, Fazzle and Vivismo, although he did like Yahoo! This gave me an insite, first of all into what is on the net as far as search engines go and also what the best ones to use are.

Reading two

"Bare Bones Lesson : Basic Search Tips"

This Website gave interesting conclusions and tips on how to search, which keywords to use and how to write them to get the most out of the search you are doing. The website suggests that things like comma's and quotation marks used in the correct places while searching will help you get the best results in regards to what you are searching for. I tried what the website says by going into Google.com and put quotation marks round a particular subject and compared that to just leaving the words by themselves.

The results were just as the Website concludes, that the search was much more throrough with the quotation marks surrounding the keywords. "Bare Bones Lesson" also describes Boolean searches, with the uses or the words 'and' or 'or' and 'not'.

This is a picture of "Bare Bones Lessons 7 : Basic Search Tips". I found it a really interesting website, it will definetely help me to search terms in the future!!

:) Thats all from me for this week!!

Week Two!!!

2008-03-23T00:28:00.002-07:00

Lecture Content

In the week two lecture, the topic that was dicussed was 'Office Applications'.
here were 7 main office applications brought to attention;

Windows Explorer

MSWord

MS Excel

MS Powerpoint

Internet Explorer

Outlook/ Outlook Express

Adobe Acrobat Reader

By the end of this course we should be able to generally have a knowledge and an understanding on how to use these applications and to be able to apply them to everyday computer skills. I believe that using these applications and learning them from top to bottom, we will easily be able to use these more and more often as our university careers deepen.

We were taken through the basics of everyday office tasks on the PC such as Forming a MS Word document and being able to use the different types of formatting options to change around the document.
We were also taken through another important office application, MS Excel. Just like Word, we were taken through the basic information to create a simple excel spreadsheet. Before this week, i was not so familiar with MS excel, so i have found thatit has helped me alot to understand how it works.

We also discussed browsing the internet and the most popular and important browsers such as:

Internet Explorer
Firefox

Netscape

Ninemsn

Tutorial Content
During the tutorial we worked on a few exercises on Word and Excel As you can see above we did two exercises, just to deal with the main aspects of using Word and Excel to it's full extent. As i mentioned before i am not really familiar with MS Excel although i am pleased with the result and i thnk this exercise really helped me.

A Ms Word Document done in tutorial 2 following the guidelines given.

An excel document done in the tutorial following the guidelines given.

Reading One

We also read through two resource readings for this week. One was "Using MS Word for APA tasks". This reading was interesting because it explained all the main functions of Ms Word and also helped us through the exercises. It was set out in seb topics, having all the important points of MS word as the heading. It was very much to help someone who was not used to Word or had never used it before. There were many things from this article which i never knew were called certain things such as the "typeface". All in all this reading was very helpful when doing the activity and it also taught me some terminology for the future.

Reading Two

The Second Reading we did was called "Graphic File Formats"which was about formatting picture and graphics on your computer. It explained each type of file that a picture can be saved to. Such as;

(.bmp): (Bitemap) -being the standard Windows image format.

(.gif): (CompuServe)- made to save time when saving the image.

(.jpg): (Joint photographic experts)- Most popular to use on the internet. Retains more colour than Bitemap or CompuServe.

(.tiff): (The tagged-image file format)- Best to use while exchanging image between differnt types of PC's such as -Windows, IBM and Macintosh.

(.psd or .psp or .spp) Photoshop Document- Multiple layered technology, having more data in one single document(more advanced).

This reading was very interesting to me because I had used these formats so many times although never knew the difference between them, it was very interesting to learn all the different ones there are and exactly what they are best at.

Week One!!

2008-03-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

LECTURE CONTENT

As an introduction to our course, firstly the outline and course schedule were discussed an brought to our attention during the lecture following an indication to all the important resources we need to succeed in this course. We were taken through important building numbers and places at ECU which we needed to know which was very helpful being our first day.

The course outline was described being that the course was project-based in relation to accessing knowledge and information using the technology of today. During the course we will be focusing on using a wide range of sources to search for information to create a project on a particular topic.

By the end of the course we should be able to;

Access Web enrolment
Sudent Email
Use and understand Learning management System
Know how to use computer applications to produce documents of university standard
Evaluate and locate all data and information from different sources
Work in a team

These will be done by learning the 6 modules;

Online Research Strategies

Communications

Information Management

Building knowledge
Social Ethical Issues
Using Computers

We were talked through our Student Responsiblities

Attending

Completing work

Understanding/ following policies (plagerism/ Email)

Blackboard must be looked at and checked on a regular basis

TUTORIAL CONTENT

During our first tutorial we were taken through and refreshed on basic PC's and how to use them for everyday needs. Pc's are important in todays society, with almost every house hold owning their own computer.

Personal computers are essentially used for;

Business

Lesuire

Personal Productivity

Essential for us (undergraduates) for;

Research

Word Processing

Presentations

Communication

In our Tutorial our first instruction was to login to 'myecu' and simo to search the sites and get familiar with them. We also had to send an email to make sure that we could. We were talked through each step of using blackboard because we will be relying on blackboard all through our university career.

Screen shot of the student email homepage.

Screenshot of the Blackboard Homepage.

Summary of of Reading one!

"Welcome to PC lube and tube"

We recieved links (readings) which were to help us understand the topic of the week, this weeks reading was about PC lube and tube http://www.yale.edu/pclt/default.htm a website dedicated to help and advise computer users to get through tasks, basic and difficult, having page after page of useful information for users.

Obective of 'PCLT'

Supply usable introductions, tutorials, and education on technology subjects to the large audience of the computer users.

Method of 'PCLT'

To supply system independent 'hyper text files' though the internet and the world wide web.
PCLT have created many articles on different aspects of the world wide web to help individuals by giving gas, repairs, maps and advice to the reader.

Articles by PCLT are available on the following

Introduction to PC hardware

Handling Java and C#

Graphic User interface

This Website was really interesting because before reading about it i never knew websites like this were around and it is very helpful for people who are not as quick or do not find it as easy as some on the internet.

Summary of Reading Two!!

"How Stuff Works"

How stuff works is a website also dedicated to helping first time and unfamiliar PC users to give them useful information to get by and learn quickly by themselves. With many links to more and more useful information such as operation systems and the future of PC's "How Stuff Works" http://www.howstuffworks.com/pc.htm was a really interesting website and helped me alot with some queries I had about the personal computer.

Objective:

"How Stuff Works" has many links which would help anyone to learn the basics not only of using a computer but all about the technology you are using which is essential in its use. Step by Step it takes you through the useful knowledge needed to run and own a computer.
This website was interesting because, in the same respect as the last one i did not know these websites existed but i think they are very useful to look up if you get or have already got a PC at home. There was plenty of information which I have never known or never thought of getting to know which is so useful when i use a PC.

A detailed description of the structure and workings of the computer, along with links to a deeper knowledge of how it all works together.