Tankman

Week 12-Social and Ethical Issues

2008-05-29T17:12:00.000-07:00

Lecture summary

This week's lecture concentrate on the social and ethical issues associated with the ICT-based information system. Examples of such social and ethical issues include; copyright, interlectual property plagiarism, privacya, security and lastly freedom of speech. Such problems occur becuase the internet is an open protocol with no enforceable standards. In addition, anyone can publish material regardless of whether the information is bias or unethical. To ensure such problems does not arise, one must always acknowledge the work of others. Likewise, they must also reference the work of others even though, they did not make any direct quote. In addition, ensure you reference correctly. Lastly, always copy and paste url when copying and pasting informations for your own personal note making. There are certain measures one can take to protect themself on the world wide web. One thing you can do is istall a firewall which will protect you against probe and unsolicited monitering. Above all, never give personal information about yourself. In addition do not reply to spam mail. likewise, turn off your "auto-reply".

Tutorial summary

Week twelve tutorial is comprised of three activities. The first activity looks at, the Australian copyright council. From this, we are required to select five which are most relevant to us as undergraduate. The second task required us to visit the APRA site. After reading the content, we are then required to explain what we need to know about music. The last task invovl us using several websites to develop a plan which one can use to protect themselves from the dangers associated with the world wide web.

1. Visit the website for the Australian copyright council. http://www.copyright.org.au/
a. Click on the link to the page Copyright Information, then All Information Sheets.

b. Choose FIVE information sheets that are or will be relevant to you as an undergraduate and read them. Record your findings from those sheets in your log.

Websites: creating and publishing on the internet

Firstly, one must understand that their website as a whole may not be protected. Nevertheless, components of the website such as, artwork and musics are protected under copyright. There is no formal registration required to ensure that your content is copyrighted. A content automatically becomes copyright protected assuming it is original and not copied from another copyright protected source. On the contrary, you must ensure that an agreement is formed prior to the production of the website. This agreement will act as a guide to who is the copyright owner for the various components of the website. On another note, content that are copyright protected in Australia, are also copyright protected in other foreign countries.

Internet: copying and downloading

Once again, the process whereby a material becomes copyright protected is automatic.

The fact that many materials are available over the internet, does not by any chance suggest that they are copright-free. One can avoid the infringement of copyright if they express information found on the web in their own way. On another note, one must be aware not to download materials such as music found on various website before the release date as there is a high likelihood the copies are pirated and you will infringe copyright . One does not infringe copyright if they print or copy information from the web for research purposes. It is also possible for someone to foreward email massage but beware as many complication can arise.

Computer software

computer software and novels or poem are all copyright protected in similar ways. They are protected as literacy work. Once you have purchase a programme, you automatically attain the right to use it. Likewise, it allows you to make backup copies of the programe. Nevertheless, there is no general right to copy the programes for your own personal use. A copyright owner has the right to reproduce, publish or communicate the materials in anyway they please. Fair dealing of the copyright material in some case will not infringe copyright assuming it's only use for that particular purpose such as reporting news and givng legal advice. Government are allowed to use copyright material without permission considering it's for government function

only.

Ideas: legal protection

Copyright does not protect ideas, but it does protect works whereby the idea is expressed, described or put into-effect. If one tell another of a confidential idea and that idea was used in a way that was not permitted, then the first person have a legal claim for breach of copyright. An idea which is an invention or a new method of manufacture may be registrable as a patent. In addition, a design for a functional article maybe registrable under the Design acts. Lastly, an image used to build up a traders reputation can not be used by another to build up their reputaion. Should this occur, then the trader has the right to take legal action against the other.

Games

A game as a whole does not have a category of copyright protection. Nevertheless, components of the game such as artwork will will be copyright protected. on another note, names, ideas and or concepts are not copyright protected. One may rely on other areas of the law to protect aspects of their game.

2. Go to the APRA site http://www.apra.com.au/music-users/online_mobile/online_mobile.asp and explain in your learning log what you need to know about music and web.

At this time in age, many things have become digitalised. Many things can be downloaded with the click of a button. With this, comes the misconception that music download over the internet are somehow free. The creative work and talent of the composers are being exploited in one way or another. It is beyond doubt that the creative work of composers and songwriters add value to online bussiness and services. Likewis, it has been found if a website has music on it, then the customer is most likely to browse the website for a longer period. Nevertheless, we must remember that any use of copyright music, require the appropriate clearance to be obtained. All in all, when downloading musics, always consider the circumstances of the composers. While you obtaining their creative work for free, remember they are not getting paid.

3. Using the following sites for reference, write a plan to protect yourself from attacks on your privacy and security. It should cover the threats of viruses, Trojans and how you can protect your own personal information. http://netsecurity.about.com/ http://computer.howstuffworks.com/virus6.htm http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2100282,00.asp

There are a number of measures which you can take to protect yourself from attacks on your privacy and security. Before that, you must first look at a number of viruses. Viruses are simply small pieces of software which attach themselves onto a real programe such as spreadsheet. Opening the spreadsheet then gives the opportunity to spread onto other files. One of the most known is Trojan horse. It's simply a programe which claims to do one thing yet it does another thing such as erasing your hard disk when you run it. Unlike other viruses, Trojan horse doesn't have the ability to replicate. If you are worried about traditional viruses, then I suggest that you use UNIX as this is the most effective opperating system. Secondly, installing virus protection software is another way which you can protect yourself. In addition, ensure that macro virus protection is enable in all microsoft applications. One of the most effective way to protect yourself is to avoid opening documents from unknown sources. Likewise, never double click on email attachments that has executable. Not doing so, will give them permission to do as they please. Since viruses can be obtained from email attachments, never reply to spam mails and never give away your personal details.

Week Twelve: Reading (URL) - EFF's Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy

There are atleast twelve ways in which one can protect their privacy online.

Firstly, one must never reveal their personal information inadvertently.

Also, remember to turn on cookie notices in your Web browser, and use cookie management software or infomediaries

Try and have atleast two email address where one will be use for nonsense and the other will be used for private purposes only.

Secondly, one must never reveal personal details to strangers.

One may be monitored at work

Realize you may be monitored at work, avoid sending highly personal e-mail to mailing lists, and keep sensitive files on your home computer.

Beware sites that offer some sort of reward or prize in exchange for your contact information or other personal details.

Do not reply to spammers, for any reason.

Be conscious of Web security.

Be conscious of home computer security.

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

Ethics in computing is about electronic monitoring of others activity. There are several hyperlinks on the types of monitoring. Also, several hyperlinks of privacy and legal issues were included. The article also contains some suggestion of ideas in defense of employees. In addition, it has stories and articles included under each topic.
The main concerns of monitoring in the workplace are mainly related to blogging, time management and privacy concerns.
Blogging represents a monitoring risk in the workplace as private thoughts put online can be seen by anyone.
Time management is the way in which employers can monitor his/ her employee. To do this, the employers has programs which can monitor what WebPages their employee visit on the company’s computer and also use video surveillance which allows company to keep records of an employee’s activity.
Privacy concern, allows the company to know what calls an employee make from the company and even record the phone call itself.
Protecting yourself:
If you have a blog, avoid blogging about work.
Be aware of your company’s policies such as find out what information they record and how often it is checked.
Avoid personal use of company equipment. For example playing games and talking on the phone for long hour/s.
URL: http://ethics.csc.ncsu.edu/social/workplace/monitoring/

Reading Summary 3 - Brown & Michaels - Overview of Intellectual Property

It is always hard to figure out how to protect your ideas in the virtual world. There are several measures you can take to determine what kind protection is appropriate. This page concentrates on the basic kind of intellectual property protection such as Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights.1. Patents= are useful things. There are three main typed of Patents:
Utility Patents= a machines, an article of manufacturer and a method of doing something.
Plant Patents= granted to anyone who invents or discovers and sexually reproduces a new variety of certain kind of plants.
Design Patents= covers the ornamental appearance of a useful device but not its foundation.
2. Trademarks= covers the name or symbol which represents the source of a product or service.
3. Copyright= protects works of authorship and composition or artistry. It covers books, sculpture, paintings r photograph, computer programs, movies and records and etc.
URL: http://www.bpmlegal.com/overview.html

Reference for week 1-12 post

(A, 2008; bare bones Lesson 7: Basic Search Tips", 2006 ; Barry M. Leiner, Robert E. Kahn, & Jon Postel, 2003;

C, 2003; Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza)," 2008; Griffiths, 2002; Haggis hunt,"

2007;

Luis, 2008; stephenson M; schwitz M, 2008; Martin Luther King;

Microsoft Word Training," 2008; miller,

2008; Republic of molossia," 2008; Thompson, 2004; Tyson, 2001; Welcome to PC Lube and Tune,")A, m. (2008). Kick it like klejestan. Journal, 20(5), 44bare bones Lesson 7: Basic Search Tips(2006 ). Retrieved 12th april 2008, 2008, from http://myecu.ecu.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_154713_1%26url%3DBarry M. Leiner, V. G. C., David D. Clark,, Robert E. Kahn, L. K., Daniel C. Lynch,, & Jon Postel, L. G. R., Stephen Wolff (2003). A Brief History of the Internet. Retrieved 10th april 2008, 2008, from http://myecu.ecu.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_154713_1%26url%3DC, P. (2003). Using Microsoft Word. Journal. Retrieved from http://myecu.ecu.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_154713_1%26url%3DDanshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza). (2008). Retrieved 2 april 2008, 2008, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-danshen.htmlGriffiths, B. R. T. (2002, october 11 2002). History of the Internet, Internet for Historians. Retrieved 11april 2008, 2008, from http://myecu.ecu.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_154713_1%26url%3DHaggis hunt. (2007). Retrieved 10th april 2008, 2008, from http://haggishunt.scotsman.com/

Week 11-Building Knowledge

2008-05-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

Lecture summary

Week eleven lecture mainly concentrate on the terms: data, information and knowledge. The definition for these three terms are as follow:

» Datum: A fact or proposition
» Information: A collection of facts or data that relate to each other
» Knowledge: The sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned

Knowlege is usually very judgemental and above all, very valuable.

A data is factual but non judgemental. In addition, it is non valuable and must be quantitative rather than qualitative.

Next, information refers to understanding relations while knowledge refer to understanding patterns. Data and information are two terms which are correlated to one another. Data exist but have no meaning or significance. Likewise, information doesn't need to have meaning but unlike data, "Information is data that has been given meaning by way of relational connection".

Knowledge was defined as the sum or range of what have been percieved, discovered or learned. Unlike information, knowledge is intented to be useful. These three key terms are the building blocks for the process which are taken following the commencement of an assignment.

» Data – usually relates to the research phase of your assignment

»Information – usually relates to the building phase of your assignment

» Knowledge – usually relates to the composition phase of your

Due to technical difficulties graphical representation of the relationship between data, information, knowledge and wisdom had to be displayed below. I apologise for any inconvinience. This representation relates to section 2.

Tutorial summary

Week eleven tutorial consist of four main tasks. The first task require us to use online dictionaries to compile a definition for the folowing four terms: data, information, knowledge and wisdom. The second task invovles finding alternative ways of representing these terms. In addition, it require us to take a screen shot. The third task require us to briefly outline erstanding the relationship between these four terms can assist in our university study. Lastly, we are required to make a list of five organisation which collect information from their clients or the public. In addition, we are required to state why such orgainsations collect information from their clients or the public.

1. Brows the following webpage http://www.success.co.il/is/dik.html and use the Internet to find some dictionaries that you can look up the terms data, information, knowledge and wisdom. If you are stuck - this is a good place to start http://dir.yahoo.com/Reference/Dictionaries
a. From this research compile your own definition for terms data, information, knowledge and wisdom and record the definitions in your Learning log

An online dictionary definition for the following terms are as follow:

Data:The word "data" is commonly used to refer to records or recordings encoded for use in computer, but is more widely used to refer to statistical (Prof. Michael Buckland, University of California, Berkeley, USA)

Information:Information is facts, figures, and other forms of meaningful representations that when encountered by or presented to a human being are used to enhance his/her understanding of a subject or related topics (Prof. Haidar Moukdad, Dalhousie University, Canada)

Knowledge:Knowledge is knowing, familiarity gained by experience; person's range of information; a theoretical or practical understanding of; the sum of what is known (Prof. Elsa Barber, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Wisdom:the quality of being wise; power of judging rightly and following the soundest course of action, based on knowledge, experience, understanding, etc.; good judgment; sagacity (http://www.yourdictionary.com/wisdom)

2. Use the lecture slides and a search of web for alternative ways to represent these terms. Use the drawing toolbar in MS Word to create a graphical representation of these terms (don’t just copy the one used in the lecture).
a. create a screen-capture and include in your learning log

3. Outline briefly how understanding the relationship between data, information and knowledge can assist your university study - include this in your Learning Log.

As mentioned earlier, these three terms are the building blocks for undertaking any assessment. Once you know what you are looking for, it is then that you can look for relevant data e.g. facts and statistics which you can use to backup your observation or statements. Secondly, once you have collected the relevant data, you are able to piece it together in a manner that it will draw meaning to your assessment. Likewise, you are then able to visualise patterns which will help you to structure your work and draw a conlcusion. Lastly, you are able to make a personal judgement base on the information which you have collected. In addition, you are able to interpret the data and begin to develop your own understanding of the topic. Likewise, you are able to summarise the content and put forward some recommendation.

4. Make a list of at least 5 organisations that collect information from their clients or the public. Can you think of a reason why they might collect this information?

Centrelink: Centrelike is a government organisation set up to help individuals look for work and also to provide them with fortnightly allowance. They require information about your income, status and also occupation. This is of great importance because it allow them to assess your individual needs and condition. In addition, it allow them to offer you the right service whether it invovle looking for a job or fortnightly payment.

Insurance campany: An insurance campany collect information about the value and sizes of your assets. It is of great importance that they collect this information because it allow them to calculate the amount required to insure these assets.

Transperth: Transperth collect information from the public about the efficiency of their service. This is of great importance because it allow them to evaluate their performance and

Police:
Police collect information from the public about criminal activities which are taking place or incidences which has occurred along time ago. They collect this information for several reasons. Firstly, it helps them to prevent the intended criminal activity from occurring. Secondly, it may give them the missing information required to convict an offered or to solve an unsolved case. It is of great importance for them to collect this information because it’s their way of ensuring the safety of the general public.

Political parties:
Political parties collect information from the public for several reasons. Firstly they collect information about the living condition of working families and what they value as the most important. Secondly, they collect information from the public about which party is most preferred by the public. It is through this, that they are then able to modify their campaign in order to persuade the public to vote for them as the most desired party.

Reading summary 1+2 - Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom
The reading http://www.systems-thinking.org/dikw/dikw.htm, provided definitions to data, information, and knowledge. It explained the relationship between them. The content of the human mind can be classified into five categories:
1. Data: which is symbol.
2. Information: the data that are meant to be useful and also provides answer to who, what, where and when questions.
3. Knowledge: is the collection of data and information and answers the how question.
4. Understanding: approval to the answer to why question.
5. Wisdom: evaluated understanding.
The first categories relate to the past. They deal with what has been or what is known. The fifth category deals with the future. With wisdom, people can create the future. They can take hold of the present and the past and create the future.
The second reading, http://otec.uoregon.edu/data-wisdom.htm, was on the information library Tutorial that provided several links. There were also sites to guide the students. These guides were:
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.
The site contained links to handouts, to help guide the students.

week 10-Information Management

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

Lecture summary

This lecture session mainly concentrate on the issues associated with information management in a society of advance technology. Many are faced with the problem of organising their files in a manner that it is quick and easy to manage. Informations are classified into two main format: Bit-base and Atom-based. There are pros and cons of each type of format. The benefits of atom-based information is that, it is very difficult to copy. In addition, it is easy to protect as it is easily concealed. On the other hand, it is very difficult to edit and distribute. In addition, it is not interchangeable and can be bulky. Looking at the bit-based, it is very easy to mass produce and edit. Also, it is very cheap and can easily be moved between formats. Nevertheless, privancy can easily be breached as it is easy to copy and steal information. When using bits format, organise your folders according to their functions.This way it's very easy to find.

Tutorial summary

Week 10 tutorial required us to complete an online tutorial on using bookmarks. In addition, we were required to setup a favorite list using the tutorial. The third task involved reading negroponte's famous achieve online. The last task required us to state whether negroponte's ideas are still relevant considering it was published 13 years ago. In addition, we are required to state the pros and cons of using "bit" and "atom".

1. Complete the following tutorial on using bookmarks and favourites on the internet http://www.inette.com/aibtinette/favoritesI.html

2. Use the information in the tutorial to set up a favourites list that has 3 folders in it, each with at least two websites marked as favourites
a. create a screen-capture and record in your learning log.

There are several steps involve in creating a favourites list with three folders consisting of at least two websites.

Firstly, open a new internet explorer page. At the top most section of the page, you will see a tab key named as favourites. Click on this tab and your screen will look similar to this.

Once that is done, click on the add to favourites tab again and scroll down to the organise folder tab and click on it. In addition, click on the create folder tab three times.

Next, double click on each of the three folders and then click on the rename tab. Name each folder so that it represent the general contents of the websites within it. It should look similar to this. As you can see, my three folders are labelled as communication, games and youtube videos.

Once that is complete, visit your favourite website, for example I visited miniclip which is a gaming website. Once again, click on the favourites tab at the top most section of your window. In addition, click on the add to favourites tab followed by the ok button. Next, go back to the favourites tab but this time click on the organise favourites tab. Find the website which you added and select it. Click on the move to folder tab and place it in the folder which best describe it's general content. Repeat this step for all six websites visited. Your complete favourites list should look similar to this.

3. Read Negroponte's famous "Being Digital" archive online, which can be found here: http://archives.obs-us.com/obs/english/books/nn/bdcont.htm
a. Pay particular attention to the first part "The DNA of Information"

4. Considering it was published 13 years ago do you think Negroponte's ideas are still relevant and why. Write a short review of your thoughts, about 150 words in your learning log. Try to include the pros and cons of using "atoms" and "bits"

Considering Negroponte’s famous “Being Digital” archive online was published 13 years ago, it’s accurate that the content and the ideas expressed are still very relevant in today’s society. In this digitalized society, it’s essential to establish a mechanism which will manage your information in a way that it’s easy to access and retrieve at a later date. The internet is comprised of a vast array of information and so managing your information is most desirable. On another note, the internet has been on the face of the earth for a very long time. Therefore, it’s true that problems faced by society today, was faced by society 13 years ago. Nevertheless, the problems faced by society today are at a much larger scale compared to 13 years ago. One can argue that this is due to the fact that society has become more digitalized compared to the pass. On another note, there are two main format in which information are delivered. These two formats are bit and atom based. There are advantages and disadvantages of using either format to deliver information. Society is divided in terms of which format is the most efficient. As society is becoming more digitalized, bit-base format is becoming a more desired method of delivering information.

Below is a table showing the pros and cons of both bit and atom-base format

Reading Summary 1 - Grazing the Net

The internet is viewed by many as the way forward. This article suggest that in the future schools may take advantage of electronic network to raise a generation of free range standards. Also, it is suggested that future generations will have the capability of navigating through a complex and often disorganized information landscape which will open their mind and allow them to think about important issues which surround their society. Their skills will help them with their decision making process and any other life challenges.

week 9-Communication

2008-05-23T05:08:00.000-07:00

Lecture summary

Week nine lecture looks at communication and how far it has come. Information and communication technology is the main reason why communication is most advance in the 21st centrury compared to the 17th or 18 century. Due to this advance in technology, communication between individuals, individuals and organisation, between business, between a business and an external organisation is now second nature. Communication is categorised into four different types under the headings synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous communication occurs at the same time but came be in the same or different places. On the contrary, Asynchronous communication is one which occur at the same time or at different times.

Tutorial summary

Week nine tutorial consist of three task. The first task involved visiting the google website and performing a search on a topic of interest. Second task required us to investigate messages posted on a particular topic on a bulletin board. In addition we are required to look at other bulletins which contained them. Thirdly, we are required to visit a podcast hosting site and follow step one. In addition, we are to state the potential benefits of podcast for university students.

1. Visit the Google site - http://www.google.com/ and click on the GROUPS tab and enter a search term on a topic of interest to you. What term did you enter and what group(s) did you find?

I was particularly interested about euthanasia and so my search topic was euthanasia. After entering this search term, I found upto 10 different groups on the first page. Some examples of the groups are as follows: alt.impeach.bush , alt.suicide.holiday ,alt.revisionism,soc.culture.netherlands,alt.usage.english.

2. Investigate the messages posted on the topic and look through some of the bulletin boards containing them. Record your finding in your log.

Out of the different groups, I have decided to visit the alt.usage.english group. After an indepth reading at the content, it is true that this group is against euthanasia. They stated that euthanasia is undignified. In addition, one of the group members argued that murder is where one person kills another, therefore euthanasia must be murder as it's someone mercifully killing another. If the person was killing themself then it wouldn't be murder instead, it would be suicide. After viewing the other groups discussion, I found very similar response across the board with a few exception where the groups were pro euthanasia.

3. Visit a podcast hosting site such as http://podcasts.yahoo.com/. Enter a search term of interest to you. If possible, listen to at least one or two podcasts. Look through the library’s website http://www.ecu.edu.au/library/services/podcasts.html

4. What are the potential benefits of podcasts for university students? Record your response in your log.

Once again I visited a podcating site and entered the search term euthanesia. ThereI found that there are much dicussion and controvercy concerning this topic. In addition, I was able to understand the reason why some people are going for such act and why some are going against it. After some navigation through the ecu library, I found several potential benefits of podcast for university students. Firstly, one may question what isa podcast? A podcast is an audio file which can be downloaded and played on a PC or an mp3. The podcast on the ecu library website are mainly an audio tour of both ecu metro campus. In addition, it contained information about how to use ecu library resource. The potential benefits of podcast for university student is that it enable them to find resources which are difficult to find on the world wide web, journal articles and books.

Reading Summary 1 - 'Guide to using Email'

Despite the positives in using emails to communicate, they can also be incredibly inefficient. As the sender of an email, there are several ways one can make their emailing process more efficent:
1. Ensure that email is the right communication tool for your purpose.
2. Ensure you state the main purpose of your message within the first sentence.

3. If you have a request, phrase it as a question to ensure that your recipient knows you need response.
4. If you send an email to a group, you may not receive a response unless you are specify who in that group is responsible for the follow up.
5. If you need a response, make sure that you are clear about what you need.
6. Never assume people will know what you are talking about
7. Don't forget the rules of grammar and punctuation, as doing so will result in an increasing chances of being misunderstood.
8. If you are writing one message then you should keep the message about one topic. If you would like to add more than one, be sure to start a new paragraph and also if necessary change the subject line of your mail message to better describe the new topic.
9. Always provide a summary when you forward a message.
There are several ways which a recipient can make their message more efficient and effective:
1. You should never make any assumptions about the sender’s emotional state unless the sender actually say so.
2. If you do believe that the sender intended to send you a rude email, do not send equal charged response because it will make the matter worse.
3. If the message you receive does not make any sense, ask the sender for further clarification.
4. For help to keep your messages organized, you can set up rules to hep organize incoming messages by using Microsoft Outlook. You can also use colour to organize messages and set up an Outlook filter that automatically moves messages from that lost into a separate folder.
When using email, it is very difficult for one to get their point across. Likewise, it is also very easy for them to be misunderstood. By learning proper email etiquette, one is most likely to be persuasive and inoffensive. In order to do so, one must stick to basic rules such as:

1. Think of an appropriate subject by selecting an effective title to reflect it’s content.
2. Address recipients properly by using people’s names by spelling them correctly.
3. Be sure to select an appropriate tone by being more formal during the first contact and use smileys to lighten the tone such as :) :D :P.
4. It is always best to avoid irony and sarcasm since it is hard to convey your true emotions.
5. Always edit your message and to do that use your spelling checker to spot mistakes such as typos, missing punctuation and grammar.
6. For attachments, do not send them to people you do not know unless you ask them first.

Reading Summary 2 - 'The Problem with SPAM'

UBE (Unsolicited Bulk Email) is known as Emil SPAM. It has the potential to destroy the value of electronic mail. It is a form of advertising which imposes real and measurable costs on the recipients.
The problem with UBE is that it can transmit one million messages for no more than transmitting one. There are no limits. It increases the processing and storage requirements of ISPs (Internet Service Providers) and businesses. The only solution that can effectively stop the problem of UBE is the direct legislation. It is required so it would be able to:
-Ban the practice of transmitting UBE
-Ban the sale of tools designed for spanning
-Ban the marketing of too as being suitable for the purpose of spanning
-Provides a right of action to the recipient
-Expresses the change in terms of penalty unit and
-Covers the spanning by Australia interests

week 8-Presentation Strategies

2008-05-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

Lecture Summary

This lecture concentrates on presentation skills. There are three types of presentation. These include: selfcontained presentation, written presentation and finally stand and deliver presentation. One main advice given when it comes to presentation delivered via power point is, "Kiss" Keep it simple stupid! It states that less is more. The purpose of power point is to aid your presentation. It is not to be used as the main source of your presentation.

Tutorial summary

The tasks for this week involves visting a website along with the use of the lecture slides to produce a list of five signifacnt presentation strategies. The second task invovle the construction of a power point consisting of six slides. In addition, the power point must be about, how to give a low impact presentation. Finally, a screen shot of each of the slides is to be taken.

1. Go to Laura Guertin's "Online resources for how to prepare and deliver a presentation" at http://www.personal.psu.edu/uxg3/blogs/undergraduateresearch/2008/02/online-resources-for-how-to-pr.html and use this, as well as information from this week’s lecture, to make a "Top Five" list of strategies to help you deliver a top-notch presentation. List them in your Blogg.

The "Top Five" list of strategies are as follows:

Arrive early- This helps you solve some unexpected problems. It also allows you to develop raport with the audience.

believe in the presentation-State your case clearly and give strong evidence to support. Be convince of what you are saying.

Practice- As the saying goes "practice makes perfect".

Repetition- This allow them to better remember your speech and also crystalise and intergrate new information.

Flow of Ideas- make what you want the audience to known obvious from the start of your presentation. remember to tell them the punch line first.
2. Construct a PowerPoint Six Slide presentation on your ideas on how to give a low impact PowerPoint presentation: Your presentation should include:
· Title slide
· Introductory slide
· At least 3 ‘Main body’ slides
· Summary slide
· Graphics and 1 animation effect that enhance the presentation
For further assistance, you may also need to refer to PowerPoint online tutorials. There is one included in this week’s folder
4. Include screen shots of each slide in your log.

Resource Summary

The resource concentrate on clarifying the procedures one must take to produce an effective power point presentation. The resource present and explain each of the diiferent methods used for creating an effective power point presentation which will aid the speaker with their presentation. The resource mainly concentrate on five areas; creating slides, adding images and charts, adding motion and sounds. In addition, the resource also state and explain the procedures taken to create an effective note using an electronic version of the software. More, this notes are used as the building blocks for creating effective notes.

Week 7-EndNote Libraries

2008-05-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

Lecture summary

This lecture session concentrate on the components of endote and the reasons behind referencing. Endnote is defined as a "database for storing and retrieving reference that work with MS word to create correctly formatted citation and references list". One may ask, what is the importance of referencing? It is important to reference for two reasons. Firstly, it allow those reading our document to visit the source in which we originally retrieved the information from. Secondly, it is a sign of respect and a way of giving credit to the author of the source which you retrieved such information. A reference list or bibliography is an alphabetical list of the books and other sources.

Tutoral summary

The tute session for this week is consist of three tasks. The first task required us to produce five examples of referencing different types of electronic format materials. The second task involve completing and exercise on endnote. The third task required us to complete a task called cite while you write.

1. Review the online referencing guide and include examples of referencing five different types of electronic format material e.g. a message posted to an electronic mailing list would be referenced as:
Hammond, T. (2000, November 20). YAHC: Handle parameters, DOI games, etc. Message posted to ref links electronic mailing list, archived at http://www.doi.org/mailarchive/reflink/msg0008.html
List the five references you have created in your blogg.

Examples of how to references various materials are as follows:

1. Aggregated database
Borman, W. C., Hanson, M. A., Oppler, S. H., Pulakos, E. D., & White, L. A. (1993). Role of early supervisory experience in supervisor performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 443-449. Retrieved October 23, 2000, from PsycARTICLES database.

2. Email
Office of Research and Development. (1995). ARC large grant guidelines. Email December 2, 1995, from t.lampard@cowan.edu.au/Get ARCLG95

3. Webpage

Technical specifications (iPhone). [n.d.] Retrieved November, 2007, from Apple: http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html

4. Periodical

VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference elements in the selection of resources by psychology undergraduates [Electronic version]. Journal of Bibliographic Research, 5, 117-123.

5. Article in Internet journal
Fredrickson, B. L. (2000, March 7). Cultivating positive emotions to optimise health and well-being. Prevention & Treatment, 3, Article 0001a. Retrieved November 20, 2000, from http://journals.apa.org/prevention/volume3/pre0030001a.html

This weeks tute has been very informative and helpful in many ways. Firstly, it taught me how to reference different types of electronic materials. Secondly, it tested my ability to incorporate what I have learned earlier in the course into the given task, e.g. cite while you write. This has been very vital because now I can reference different types of electronic materials and also cite while I write. This is important becuase reference is one of the most time consumming task, and knowing how to use endnote will elimante all the burdons.

2. Go to Blackboard and first complete the “Endnotev11 Exercises for Vista".

This is a screen shot of the endnote 11 exercise for vista.

3. When you have completed “Endnotev11 Exercises for Vista" open and save a copy of “Cite while you write Endnote Exercise”. Using the EndNote library you have created complete these tasks in italics in the document. Include a screen-capture of your resulting EndNote file and document and record all your results in your learning log.

Resource 1 Summary- ‘Endnote’

Endnote is a programe which can be used to store and retrieve reference which can be used with Ms word to create a crorrectly formatted citation and reference list. It is also an effective way to save time. EndNote is consists of two parts. The first part involves establishing a personal reference library. The second part invovles making citation into the library so that it can be used in an Ms word document. Another benefit of endnote is that it makes a end-text reference list in alphabetical order as you insert citations (in-text reference).

Resource 2 Summary- ‘Some additional endnote help’

In order to be able to use endnote, it is a requirement that you have either macintosh or windows. In addition, you must atleast meet the minimune disk space requirement to be able to run endnote on your operating system. It is possible for one to download a database conversion utilities and other bib tex conversion tools. Furthermore, you can download an endnote terms list. There is also a tip sheet which explains the different features possess by endnote.

Week 6-Evaluation and Authentication

2008-04-30T00:08:00.000-07:00

Lecture summary

This lecture talks about the evaluation and authentication of web materials. Firstly, it stated that data that is "fit for use", can be appropriate for one person but completely inappropriate for another. Further, it states that the web is an open protocol which mean that anyone with a computer can access it in the comfort of their own home. Furthermore, the information on the web bypass filters which ensure the quality and validity of materials. There are a few key problems associated with the web, these include: No control of who and what is published on the web, currency and reliabilityof materials. The web was developed from ARPANET with it's purpose being connectivity, access, retrieval and sending of data. back then, there was little concern about the network security. Quality of web materials are not always assured. When evaluating a source, consider the following: Credibility; Accuracy; Reasonableness; Support. Finally when evaluating a web, you need to consider whether, it is "a personal page or site", "Domain name appropriate for the content "?"Published by an entity that makes sense"

Tutorial

Week six's tute session involved, evaluation and authentication of web resources. Our first task was to review the ICYouSee Critical Thinking page which can be found at http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think.html. We were then required to describe a number of strategies they stated, in our own words. In addition, we were required to compare these strategies to what we found on INCO 48 webpage
http://www.taftcollege.edu/newTC/Academic/INCO48/sec6-4.htm, or the
Good, the Bad and the Ugly webpage
http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/eval.html. After visiting ICYouSee Critical Thinking page, the list of strategies which i derived on evaluating information on webpages include:

Ensure you are in the correct location:
When unsure:
Think about the source:
Take into account what is taking place:
View the content:
"Distinguish web pages from pages found on the web"

I have decided to compare these strategies to that found on the INCO 48 webpage. Inco 48 webpage had a number of strategies. Firstly, it stated that you must look closely at the domain name to discover the publishing body. Some examples of domain are:

.com :a commercial business, organization, or company
.edu :an educational institution
.int :an international organization
.gov :a nonmilitary government entity
.mil :a military organization
.net :other organizations: nonprofit, nonacademic
.uk, .au, ca, jp, etc. :country codes denoting servers found in other countries

The webpage also state that you must consider the purpose of the webpage, i.e. was it to sell products or does the the author present an agenda. In addition, you must check for currency of the page, as regularly updated pages have high reputation. Finally, when evaluating web resources, you must consider the "Ten C's". These include:

Content:
The purpose of the article e.g. is it serious or is it of a comedic nature.
Credibility:
Does the author have any qualification or life experience on the topic in which he/she wrote the article?
Critical Thinking:
Can you identify the author, publisher or edition, as you would with other "traditional" resources.
Copyright:
You must recognize that someone created it even if it's not stated.
Citation:
The resources must be cited thus; identifying source used and give author credibility.
Continuity:
Is the site regularly updated?
Censorship:
Do you have a "moderated discussion list?"
Connectivity:
What sort of connection does the user require and also can multi-user connect to it at busy times.
Comparability:
Does the source have a comparable print?
Context:
Does your research require you to find opinion and narrative or does it require statistics.

More, after visiting the ICYouSee website, i was required to complete the "Reliving the Sixties: a Web Site Evaluation Assignment". I must evaluate two websites under these evaluatuion criteria: ACCURACY ~ AUTHORSHIP ~PURPOSE ~ DETAIL AND DESIGN ~ OVERALL WORTH.

Website 1: American cultural history 1960-1969

Accuracy: The content within this website, appear relatively accurate. To ensure that the content were in fact accurate, i visited various other websites to see any similarities to this website.

Authorship: Lone star college Kingswood library appear as a credible source. After looking at the entented references list, it is true to say that this is a credible source.

Purpose: The main purpose of this website is to inform users about the hsitory of America in particular, from 1960 to 1969.

Detail and design: The website shows extensive coverage of the history of American culture, ranging from fashion to arts. In addition, it is designed in a manner that visual aid is used to give a clearer view. Also, heading and subheadings are used to guide the readers.

Overall worth: Overall, i think that the content is relatively extensive and meets it's purpose. More, it was designed in a manner that, its productive rather than distractive.

Website 2:The Sixties Project

ACCURACY: Once again, this is another website which appear to be very accurate. After reading the information, I found that there are no contradiction between what I already knew about the sixties and, what is said on this website.

AUTHORSHIP: As meantioned before, this source appear very accurate but on the contrary, the author's credibility is questionable as he is not very well known. Likewise, I tried to look up for information under his name but without seccess.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this website is mainly to present topic related to the sixties. It contain both scholar journals and peoples view and stories about the sixties. Above all, they aim to provide routes of collaboration and make available primary and secondary sources for researchers, students, teachers, writers and librarians interested in the Sixties.

DETAIL AND DESIGN: This website has a very wide coverage of the sixties ranging from history to political science. In addition, it is designed in a very logical manner. There is constant use of headings and subheadings to guide the readers. Moreover , there is a usage of simple colours and not animations which can overshadow the main purpose of the website.

OVERALL WORTH: I think that this site is relatively good as the there was extensive coverage and also, good design which is conductive to it's purpose. Nevertheless, this website was last updated in 1999 which make's me question both the accuracy and the reliability of this source.

This week's session has allowed me to put into practice, the procedures which one may take to evaluate a website. As a result, future research will be conducted with a high level of awareness about credible and non credible informations found on the web.

Week 5-Using searchengines

2008-04-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

Lecture summary

Today's lecture concentrated on the topic of "search engine". It stated that a search engine is a "web-based program that crawls the internet, creating indices of websites from the texural information contained on them". Some examples of search engines include:

Furthermore, it stated that there are problems associated with search engines. The problems ranged from too many results with irrelevent content, to out of date and erroneous result. The lecture also briefly touched on Directories. It stated that directories are human edited. Moreover, it stated that the presence of directories ensure quality and prevents pages being submitted automatically which can lead to other problems. Some exmaple of Directories are:

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/

Tutorial summary

This tute session involved reviewing website such as http://www.monash.com/spidap.html, to generate a list of four strategies that will help structure a good search. We then completed an internet quiz which can be found by clicking on the following links: http://www.siteseen.co.uk/questions/historytrivia/. Moreover, we were required to use the four search strategies to help us find the answers on various search engine. After visiting http://www.monash.com/spidap.html, some of the four search strategies are as follow:

Know where to look first
Fine-tune your keywords
Be refined
Query by example

During the course of the online quiz, i experienced some difficulties answering some question. To help me find the answer to those questions, i visted google. Furthermore, i used three out of the four search strategies to ensure my search was as effective as i can possibly make it. First of all, i knew where to look first. i started off by going to google as it's a widely used search engine. Second, i fine-tuned my keywords and used some search tips which i learned earlier in this course. I used double quotation marks and the plus and minus sign to ensure it's suched as it is, and to also force the inclusion and exclusion of various words. Thirdly, i refined my search. These, three strategies combined, were very effective as it didn't take me long to find the answer to the quiz. So far in this module, i have learned a number of things. First of all, i have learned that alot of information on the web can be from a non credible source. Furthermore, the information can be out of date. Secondly, there are human edited source known as directories. This ensure that information presented are current and valid. Thirdly, i haved learned that there are alot of problems associated with search engines. There are often too many result with irrelevant content or the contents are usually out of date or erroneous. On the other hand, there are strategies which can be applied to reduce such problems. These include, fine-tuning your keyword, query by example, knowing where to look first and be refined. To add to this, i have learned some very important information in this tutorial session. Since i now know the four search strategies, i will be able to take on the upcooo2 research assignment.

Reading 1: Robert Harris-Web Search Strategies

On the web, informations are placed into 3 categories. These categories are, Free, Visible Web, Free, Invisible Web and finally, Paid Databases over the Web. When searching on a particular topic, be sure to include variants of the word used or try to find alternative words instead of the original word in the phrase. Moreover, puting your phrase in a quotation mark ensure it's searched actly as it is. Using more than one search engine will give you more hits. Typing only one keyword will have too many hits of which many are irrelevant. On the other hand, using several keywords will minimise the hits to the most relevant. You will also need to decide whether you are looking for anyone's opinon on the topic or an expert's view. moreover, you can guess the website by puting the name in the middle. e.g. for information on harvey fresh, you can try look it up at http://www.harveyfresh.com/. Finally, if you forgot to write down the url of the page in which you retrieved certain document, simply look for the most unusual phrase in the document and type it into a search engine. This way, you are most likely to find the site of retrival.

Reading 2: The History Of The Internet (Chap4- Search Engine)

Directories are electronic library catalogue which organise articles in their order of relevance to your search. Moreover, it does all within a minute. Apart from directories, there are many different search engines but some of the most common and most flexible are: Google, Altavista, and Northern light.

Google: It's a misspelling of Googol which sounded cool. It was established in 1998 by two Stanford graduate. It has the largest coverage of any search engine and also has numerous useable references. Furthermore, it highlight your keywords within a document.

Alta Vista: opened in 1995 as an offshoot of digital computers. It has upto 24,000 categories. More, it's the first to have a translation service, image and sound file search.

Northern light: It's a private company consisting of 40 researcher. It was established in 1995 and now have upto 350 million indexs. Further, it has journal articles which bypass the search-engine spiders. Furthermore, journal articles can be ordered at a small charge.

Reading 3: Search engine optimisation for companies

"WebSight Australia" is a company which aim to increase the popularity of small business and companies through the optimisation of their search engine. Firstly, they analyse your website and provide recommendations for any changes. Secondly, they will provide you with a list of popular keywords that are relevant to your website. Furthermore they also require a list of 2-3 phrases used to find your website. Thirdly, the popularity of your link on various websites will be improved. Finally, they provide you with the progress of your campaign search engine optimisation campaign.

Week 4-Using the www

2008-03-26T18:50:00.000-07:00

Lecture Summary

This week's session was concern with distinguishing between the internet and the web. The web is said to be an "abstract virtual space of information". it was "developed by Tim Berners-Lee (a researcher at CERN) in 1989". It has made sharing information easy and interesting. A down side to this is that, it only works with the presence of the net. A net consist of two or more computers connected to one another with cables.

Tutorial

In this tute session, we began by looking at a number of web sites. After our observation, were to state how each of the following websites, http://www.haggishunt.scotsman.com/ and http://www.molossia.org/ attempted to appear as authentic. Futher more, we were to construct a list of four clues which suggested that such websites are in fact a "spoof". The website, http://www.molossia.org/ attempted to appear authentic by creating the name molossia. This may appear to be authentic as there are many countries in the world, with similar ending, e.g. Indonesia etc. The four clues which give this website away as being a spoof are:

On the very front page there is a tab which says,"teachers click here" This gives you the impression that this a hypothetical nation created for fun.
On one of the page it said "This is not a recognized educational institution, military or otherwise, and is not accredited"
The navy only have 2 main weapon and in the "war against mustachisten", they are not dress for the occasion, e.g. not Camouflaged
Use of informal language.

The website http://www.haggishunt.scotsman.com/ attempted to appear authentic by saying it's an organization but in the URL, it's written as .com and not .org. The four clues which gives it away as a spoof are:

On the page it has picture of what they discribed as haggis but in their dictionary, haggis is defined as a sheep's intestine.
They used madeup words such as Farqhuar Farqhuarson

Discrbing themselves as an organization while in the URL, they use .com instead of .org

When you click on the gleneagle link, it comes up with something completely unrelated to an hotel.

Other website which we also visited is http://www.martinlutherking.org/. Before i visited this webpage, base on the url, i was expecting to find information on the life of Martin Luther King. After visiting the website, my first impression was that the this is a non authentic website as the content appear false. After researching on Martin Luther King, i found that the content are infact false and does not depict the life of Mr King. Although Mr King wasn't a raper, on the website it had a link to a so called rap lyrics which was unrelated to Mr King. The website appear to be discriminative.

Reading 1 summary: "a brief history of the internet"

The first person to invent the net was Mr Tim Berners-Lee in 1989. Mr Robert was the mind behind the computer research. He was the first to recongnise that computers can be interconected in a manner that allow people all over the world to share information over the net from the comfort of their own home. In 1965 Mr Roberts, Kleinrock and Thomas Merill conducted an experiment which allowed access to information previously impossible. These three genius connected the TX-2 computers in mass. Two years later, Mr Robert developed and published a network of computers. In 1969, they connected a host. This was the "main computer that control specific function of the network or files". In 1972 the electronic emailing system was introduced (Email). Furthermore, this was also the time in which the first public demonstration of the network technology was held.

Reading 2 : History of the world-wide web

The world wide web (www) was an advance from the internet. It is a network of sites that can be searched and retrieves by a special protocol known as a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP).In 1980, large number of hosts were connected to the internet. It was then predicted that "the system will eventually grind a halt". 1984 marked the introduction of the Domain Name Servers (DNS), which made the name of host computers easier to remember. Furthermore, tiering systems such as org. gov. edu. com. and country code were also introduced which once again, made the name of host computers easier to remember. In 1989 a guy by the name of Tim Berners-Lee designed the concept of WWW. The name world wide web, originated from a brower which he made in 1990 and named it, " the world wide web". From then onwards, the number of host and the number of websites increased to thousands and millions. During this period, the development of school, bussinese and club based websites were took place.

Search engines

Some examples of the largest and most flexible search engines include: Google, Alta Vista, and Northen Light. Google was established in 1998, while Alta vista and Northen light was established in 1995. Search engines operate by selecting individual web pages or documents. In general, they have a smaller search field compared to dictories. Moreover, some may give a selction of results from different websites. Search engines uses spider which are provided with four information sources. These informations include: page title, Description, Keyword and the the text of the document itself.

WEEK 3-Online libraries and database

2008-03-13T22:01:00.000-07:00

Lecture summary

This week's lecture was an introduction into using the library data base to locate journal articles on various topics such as economical impact of global warming and many more. In order to obtain journal article from a credible source, you are advice to use the Proquest 5000 search engine. You can get to it by going to http://www.ecu.edu.au/library/. In the lecture, it was stated that various online libraries only shows catalogue and at times it can depict out of date information.

Tutorial

In this session, we began by reading an article on useful search tips and functions. Examples of the search tips included:

Ensure most important keywords are place in front
Use double quotation marks on phrases to ensure it's searched as it is, in the same order.
Combine phrases with key words using double quotation and plus and or minus.
Use plus or minus to force inclusion or exclusion of word
If unsure of the spelling of a word, write in short form.
Ensure there are no spaces or between key word and sign i.e + Or -
Be sure that the search engine which you use, does not contain a stop word (words which it, ignores, i.e. and, or).
Use CAP when typing boolean operators (words which increases or decrease the search field) e.g AND, OR AND NOT/NOT.
To find your keyword in a document, use the find function.
Type keyword or phrases in lower form to get both lower and capitalised version of the search.

Next, we searched for a journal article which talks about the economical impact of global warming on bussiness. I managed to find an article which was very informing. I am unsure of the credibility of the author as it was anonymous but i am assuming it is from a credible source as it was published in New Hampshire Business Review. This article can be accessed by clicking on the following links http://0-proquest.umi.com.library.ecu.edu.au/pqdweb?index=13&did=1319237771&SrchMode=1&sid=6&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1206511856&clientId=7582

The last activity for this week was generated around the medlineplus website. To access these activities, click on the link: http://medlineplus.gov/

I was particularly interested to know more about cataracts. This is a condition which involves clouding of the eye. It can be caused by an injury to the eye or if a family has a history of such condition. It cataracts disallow patient to view sharp lift, a surgery may take place, where the cataract will be removed through either one of two procedures call, "phacoemulsification" or extracapsuler surgery. The lens will then be replaced using artificial lens which require no maintenance.

I think that school childrens (secondary) and those affected with certain conditions are more likely to use such services. School children could use it to obtain information for a given a assessment concerning the various topics. Those affected or those with affected loved one's may use this service to also obtain more information on the condition for a better understanding or a starting ground. The search tips which i learned today is very useful because now i can do my research for upc0002 more effectively. I can choose to include or exclude certain words from my search term simply by using plus and minus.

Reading 1: Finding what you want on the web

There is enough reference materials available on the web now, therefore the presence of large encyclopedia is no longer required. One must make sense of online material and decide of credibility of the site in which such information was retrieved. If you have found links from a promising site, ensure you have supporting evidence considering some of the content appear odd. Blogs are examples of search places which act as pointers to other online resources. Furthermore, the use of directory is an effective way of ensuring the information you retireve is accurate. Other than that, google is also a very useful search engine which tell you "where to find the stuff". Other search engine include Meta search engine, which search several other placse and organise the results in catagories and clusters. Apart from that, there are also pay sites such as "Maine infonet". These are also useful as they ensure accuracy of information and also doesn't require any filtering of advertisment.

Reading 2 Bare bones lession 7: Basic Search Tips

In order to get the best possible search result on the web, there are several techniques which you must apply. Some example of the search tips are as follows:

Use (+) or (-) to force the inclusion or exclusion of a word from the search result. E.g. + drug - sport

Make sure your most important keyword go in front of the search. e.g "dog breed family pet choose"

Double quotation mark ensure phrases is searched as it is. e.g. "who let the dog out"

Combine phrases and keyword by using double quotation and (+) & (-)sign. e.g. +cowboys+"wild west"-football-dallas

Use the find command to look for your keyword within a document

Typing keyword in lower case allow you to find both upper and lower case result for the search. e.g. Dog or dog

Always use CAP when typing boolean operators (e.g OR) and ensure they are enclosed in a bracket. e.g Yosmite (camp grounds OR Reservation)`

WEEK 2-Office application

2008-03-12T01:32:00.000-07:00

Lecture summary

This week, we discussed the different Pc application and there importance in our professional and personal life. Now a days, Pc are consist of different applications such as Windows explorer, MS Word, MS Excel, MS Powerpoint, and Internet Explorer to mention a few. MS Excel is a very useful application in keeping data. It allows u to use recorded data to create a graph which present the data in a visual form therefore making it easy to understand. Excel can also perform calculation and generate formulas. Another useful application is MS Power Point. It brings professionalism into the presentation thus making it entertaining.

Tutorial

The task for the second week consist of two tasks which involves using MS Word and MS Excel. We were required to create a data using MS Excel. These datas were then to be used to create a graph and also a chart. The MS Word exercise required us to modify a pre-written text using different MS Word functions. After the complication of both task, a screen shot was required as evidence of work completion. Although I managed to complete the given tasks, I have experience some difficulties in following the instructions. This was simply because the instruction were written for window xp 2003 applications but I soon relised that a large majority of ECU computers are now using Windows Vista application. Now that i have mastered the normal function of windows vista, I will now be able to complete task in my other three units. I can now add footnote onto my task, and also complete my portfolio for upc0001 and capital punishment essay without having to worry about how to use the different MS word function. Further more, I can also create a table and chart using excel, which will give a bit of professionalism to my piece.

Reading - Graphic File Formats

Images on a PC can be saved into different formats. Example of format includes, Bmp, gif, jpeg and Tiff. Only images with transparancy can be saved in a gif format as it only "support images with transparent parts" JPEG is the most common use image format on the net as it "retains" the colour and quality of the image. Images can be compressed to maximise storage space and then decompressed to the original size. There is a problem associated with compressing images. Some common problem includes, lost in picture quality. The more compressed the image, the more deterent in the image quality when it's decompressed.

Reading- Using MS Word for APA Tasks

There are many fuctions which can be used to minimise problems associated with MS Word. For example, if you intend on highlighting certain groups of text in a paragraph for modification, place the cursor where the text begins and then press shift and place the cursor where the txt end. You can also use double line spacing by clicking on the page setup bar and then clicking on paragraph. Once you click on the paragraph, there are a number of options, simply click on the one which says, double line spacing.

Week 1-Introduction to university computing

2008-02-28T21:16:00.001-08:00

LECTURE SUMMARY

This week was an introduction into accessing and organising knowlege at ecu standards.

This is an essential skill because, it allows you to perform research, use word process, setup
presentations and communicate with your surrounding, e.g tutors, lecture,peer groups etc.
It is a requirement that students have basic accessing and organising skills such as using MSOFFICE and WINDOWS OS applications. It is essential for students to be able to retrieve attached documentation from email and also use the world wide web to collect useful
information. This is a knowledge which is essential in this everchanging world of technology. It is a skill which you will find yourself using in your bussiness, personal task or just for fun.

TUTORIAL

This first tutorial session was mainly concern with establishing a base in which we are to build our knowledge over the next 12 weeks. Today, we have created a blog/learning log using http://www.blogger.com/. I have heared of the term blog many times before, but I never knew what a blog actually is. Today, I have not only learned what a blog is, but also created one and familiarised myself with the tools :) I have also learned how to capture the screen, which is done by pressing Prt Scr key and then using MS Paint, the image was edited and saved in the form of JPEG. I also learned that i can upload the image onto my imageshack(online photo album) account and then produced a link of it on my blog profile. This is great because now i can take a screen shot and unload an image onto my blog for all the other activities. This week we also learned how to use black board. This is by far the most important thing I have learnt this week. Now i can navigate through blackboard and preview lectures or even print off work sheet for my other units.

Reading Extra: PC Lube and Tune

This is a service station and convinience which supply small goods such as, gas, drinks, maps and also expert advice. It was established back in feburary 1994 and it's still in bussiness til this very day. The purpose of PCLT is to provide PC users all over the world with a DIY(Do it your self) documentation through theworld wide web. These documents are a self learning guide. They also have articles, (intro to SNR) which states how to solve common PC problems. There are many other articles on Grafic user interface,Computers, Video Files, HDTV, and various other topics.

Reading Extra: How PCs Work

"A PC is a general- purpose information processing device". This piece describes the differentPC parts such as Motherboard, Hard disk, memory, modem etc. It states that computers areinstalled in every device we use such as a car or Tv or even a radio. all these devices have a comptuer which is specialised for its purpose. On the other hand, a PC is for general purpose because it allows us to send emails, access the internet or even create a document.