Week Twelve Summary

The lecture for week twelve was about social and ethical issues. We first learned about identity theft and how the public do not realise how much information they give out about themselves. Other problems are plagiarism, security, privacy and intellectual property such as music, movies etc.


Tutorial Activity One:
Information taken from http://www/copyright.org.au
Information Sheet G010: An introduction to copyright in Australia.

• When material is created it is automatically protected my copyright.
• Copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, information, styles and techniques.
• There is no registration for copyright in Australia.

Information Sheet G021: Hobby crafts and copyright.

• Handmade craft will automatically be protected by copyright.
• Permission is required to reproduce artwork.
• artwork can be registered under Design acts 2003.

Information Sheet G076: Film and copyright.

• Legal advice is usually necessary when registering films for copyright.
• If you are making a film, you will need will need to get clearances for any third party copyright material which appears in a shot or which can be heard on the soundtrack.

Information Sheet G075: Graphic designers.

• Drawing, photos, logos and visual images are usually protected by copyright.
• Ownership of copyright varies according to the circumstances in which the work was made.

Information Sheet G081: Journalists.

• Journalist have moral rights in relation to their work
• Generally, employees of newspapers and magazines own certain rights in relation to material they create for publication.
• Copyright protects; press articles, reports, scripts, interviews etc.

Tutorial Activity Two: What you need to know about music and the web. http://www.apra.com.au/music-users/online_mobile/online_mobile.asp

• Free downloaded music on the Web is a misconception, it just means the artist is not getting paid.
• The Internet is an application for artists to distribute their music.
• Any use of copyright music requires the appropriate clearances to be obtained.

Tutorial Activity Three: How to protect yourself from attacks on your privacy and security:

• Install a firewall.
• Install antivirus software.
• Beware of attachments.
• Be aware of spy ware.
• Do not give our personal information about yourself.
• Do not reply to SPAM mail.
• Set online programs to maximum security settings.
• Use peer 2 peer (P2P) software with caution.
• Update your Antivirus software at least weekly.
• Always scan documents (with antivirus software) before you open them for the first time.
• Turn the email in your e-mail client off.

Reading Summary One: EFF's top 12 ways to protect your online privacy.

The first reading describes how to protect yourself by focusing on spam and not giving away personal information to anyone on the Internet. I found it difficult to read the detain, however i understood the content.

Reading Summary Two: Ethics in Computing

The second reading was also about protecting yourself on the Internet, however this website is more in depth about key strokes and case sensitive material. I didn't find this information too interesting or helpful.

Reading Summary Three: Brown and Michaels overview of Intellectual Property

The third reading is an easier read of how to protect yourself and your privacy. This site explains what certain domains are, which the other two didn't, so the reader has a better understanding of what to watch out for.

Week Eleven Summary

The lecture for week eleven was about data, information and knowledge, and conceptualising the gap between cognitive-space and cyber-space.

According to the lecture data or datum is a raw fact or proposition and is not bias, is temporary and has no essential meaning or value. An example of data is exchange rates.

Information is a collection of facts or data that relate to each other. Information is permanent, has meaning, and its value is uncertain. An example of information is minutes of meetings.

Knowledge is the range or sum of what has been learned. Knowledge is very valuable, constantly changes and is bias. An example of knowledge is marketing strategies.

The lecture then looked at the relationships between these three components and strategies to successfully use this information for assignments.

Tutorial activity one: Create your own definition for data, information, knowledge and wisdom.

Data: Data is raw material such as facts that has not been processed into information, therefore has no significance.

Information: Information is when data or a collection of data is communicated to an individual or individuals and develops importance.

Knowledge: When an individual understands information it becomes knowledge.

Wisdom: When an individual is able to use knowledge to asses situations and make good decisions.

Tutorial Activity Two:

Tutorial Activity Three: Understanding the relationships between data, information, knowledge and wisdom can assist a student in their university studies. If a student understands these relationships it makes applying what they learn easier because they know the only way to create knowledge of a topic is to understand the material and apply it to their work.

Tutorial Activity Four: Five organisations that collect information for their clients or the public and why they might collect this information.

1. Property managers collect client and tenant information and personal details so when renting a property discrepancies are minimal.
2. Dating agencies collect client information such as hobbies and interests and personal information to match them with the "perfect" date.
3. Banks collect client information and create account details to manage money efficiently.
4. Day care services collect client personal information and children's immunisation status so payment and caring discrepancies are minimal.
5. Specialty stores collect customer information when a customer has a layby so the item on layby is not lost and payments can be kept up to date.

Reading Summary One: Data, information, knowledge and wisdom.
The first summary was an extension of the definitions for the terms; data, information, knowledge and wisdom. This was interesting because the definitions were in layman's terms so I found it easier to read. However i was already aware of the information given.

Reading Summary Two: Information Literacy Tutorial.
I found this reading tedious and some of the information i did not know because it was American based. The lessons had too much unnecessary information about information, e.g. government information.

Week Ten Summary

Lecture Summary: The lecture we had in week ten was about information management. We were shown the problems with managing personal and public information on the Internet.

There are two information formats; atom-based which is information that has matter in space, for example: paper, books. atom based information is good because it is hard to change and copy and it is easy to protect. this format can however be inconvenient, bulky and difficult to distribute among others.; bit-based format is when information exists electronically. Bit based information is good because it is not bulky, it is cheap, easy to distribute and easy to edit. Bit based information cons are: it is easy to copy, change and steal, and you receive SPAM.

I was then shown how to manage and organise bit based information by using files, editing the properties of information so it is easier to find and saving documents and information in different formats e.g. .doc, .ppt, .pdf.

Tutorial Summary: I found the first task useless because i already know how to add favourites. This sort of site may be useful for someone who has never used the Internet before but not for me.

Screen Shot of my favourites list.

I think that Negroponte's ideas are still relevant. Even though times and technology has changed since the article was written we, the public, still experience the same problem with the computer, the Internet and the was our social environment changes around the Internet. A balance still needs to be created and even though the Internet is a fantastic thing, changes do need to be made and people need to be able to not rely on the computer as much as they do.

Reading Summary One: The first reading was an essay by Jamie McKenzie. This essay was about whether having the Internet in schools is a good thing and how schools and and teachers can take advantage of students using the Internet.

The essay firstly explains to the reader how an average student works academically and how teachers can effectively help them learn. Secondly McKenzie provides disadvantages to having the Internet available for school students.

I found this essay interesting because of the strategies McKenzie suggests for efficient learning. for example. "We need to identify and teach literacy skills."

Week Nine Summary

Week nine's lecture was titled Communications: Applications, protocols and benefits of ICT ( Information communication technology).

The class got introduced to the meaning of communication and how it is different compared to 20 years ago. We were also shown who can communicate. Communication can take place between two or more individuals or individuals and companies, between two or more companies etc. When a communication has taken place it is called a network.

Different types of networks are

• Chain networks e.g. "a" communicates with "b", who communicates with "c", who communicates with "d", etc.
• Circle network e.g. communication between people at the same level, "a" communicates with "b" who communicates with "c" who communicates with "a".
• Wheel network e.g. a team that reports back to an individual.
• All channel network e.g. where everyone communicates with each other such as in a group discussion.

There are four types of communication which was best shown on the lecture slides.

ie.

The class was then given some examples of ICT's such as mobile phones, chat rooms, blogs, mayspace, laptops, electronic mail music devices (iPod, mp3) and video conferencing.

Currently there are issues concerning netiquette. Problem with applications like emails is that the recipient cannot understand the emotion the email was written in because emails do not convey emotion, emails are also informal and many people use slang instead of proper English. e.g. "ur" instead or "your" and personal emails can easily be accessed and read by others.

Benefits of ICT seem to conquer the bad things about ICT's. ICT's are easily accessible, easy to use and are portable making them very convenient. Podcasts are delivered immediately so recipients do not have to wait for journals, magazine articles etc. They also allow you to communicate to whoever you want, discussing topics of interest and allow people to work from home.

For the first task in the tutorial the topic i entered was "abstract art" and groups i found were; a group for artist doing abstract art, galleries showing abstract art. Many of the posts on on a group for digital abstract artist were artists asking others to help critique their work and links to go to a web page showing their artwork.

Benefits of podcasts for university students are that it makes quotes recorded more accurate then ones found on websites. Podcasts can also easily be downloaded onto student's iPods or mp3 players. However sometimes quality information can be difficult to find.

Screen shot of podcast results page. Search term "News"

Reading Summary One: Guide to using email

The first reading contains tips for Internet users when using email programs. The article was strait to the point and clarified things i already knew such as when sending an email you may not get a response straight away so it may be best, in some situations, to call the person. The text also provided information about email etiquette and how spelling and grammar is always important especially when emailing coworkers.

The reading also gave tips for the recipient of emails, informing them that emotion cannot be conveyed properly over email so if you are offended by an emails content to make sure that that was what the sender intended. Other tips were to help with organisation and time management.

Reading Summary Two: The problem with SPAM

SPAM is unsolicited bulk email. There are often SPAM blocks or filters on computers but it always manages to find away to pollute your screen. The problem with this is that a lot of the time the advertiser does not have to pay for these advertisements and so there is no limit, meaning millions upon millions of ads are sent out daily to our computers. these adds can often carry viruses which infect our computers. These UBE's cost the recipient time and money. The reading gives information which i found was just an extension of what i already knew. However the text does explain some solutions to this pollution problem and their effectiveness.

Week Seven Summary

The lecture for week seven was about using EndNote. EndNote is a program that can be used to help reference sources electronically and is also a bibliography maker. A student would use EndNote in essays as a tool to references sources as they go.

End Note can be used as a stand alone program to manage references or it can be used in cooperation with Microsoft Word.

The class was informed on how to open, use and download EndNote.

Tutorial Task One:

Tutorial Task Two:

End Note Exercises for Vista

Cite while you write exercise

Reading Summary One: Endnote.

The first reading summarises endnote and its facilities. The text shows how to extract sources from ProQuest to make referencing easier. The document also shows the reader how to insert references into Microsoft Word. I found this information very similar to what i had previously read except more indepth. This meant that the reading was not very helpful to me. I did learn how to import and export sources directly.

Reading Summary Two: Some additional Endnote help.

The second reading is additional help for when using endnote. This site helps with the same functions that the first reading helped with as well as how to format endnote to your personal style. this was not very helpful because I was reading what i already had read, however if I were to have trouble with endnote I would prefer to use this website rather then the other site because it is easier to follow.

Week Six Summary

During the lecture in week six I learned about information quality and how many websites that are not controlled so anyone can edit them, for example anyone can add a definition on wikipedia that could be completely false.

The class was also shown a small history of the world wide web and how it became so out-of-control.

There are ways that you can evaluate a website to check if it is authentic, these were also given in the lecture.

• Check the currency of the website to see how often it is updated


• Find out who the author is and check if that person or organisation is credible


• Read the content of a web page within the website and evaluate whether it is biased or if the site is sponsored


• Does the website refer to other sources? are they credible?


• Check that the content is error free and by looking at other websites on the same topic, check that the content is accurate


• Is there any advertising on the page


• How current are the links


• What topics are covered?


• Explore other websites on the same topic and find out what that website offers that the others don't


• What is the domain type (.com, .org, .gov, .edu, etc.)? Is the website a personal homepage (~)?

For the "Reliving the Sixties: A Web Evaluation Assignment" I evaluated site A: American cultural history and site D: The psychedelic sixties.

American cultural history: The first thing I noticed was that the site was educational because of the .edu domain. After researching the topic through other websites most of them have the same information which leads me to believe that the text is accurate. The website states, "The purpose of this web and library guide is to help the user gain a broad understanding and appreciation for the culture and history of the 1960s." The text goes into examples but there is not a heap of detail. I found this website very informing.

The psychedelic sixties: This site is also an education site because of the .edu. I found that the information is accurate and all of the links work. the author is real and credible. the purpose of the site is an exhibition to show others what happened in the sixties. The site is from the Library or Virginia which also leads me to know it is credible. I did find the site informing and had a lot more detail then the American cultural history site.

Week Five Summary

Week fives lecture was about using search engines. The class was introduced to the three different categories of search engines.
1. The free, visible Web
2. The free, invisible Web
3. Paid databases over the Web

Search tools are divided into two main categories.
1. Search engines: A program on the Internet that works as a portal to help a person find a website by using keywords to search for them. The problem with search engines is that the return number of websites is usually too big and most of the websites' content is irrelevant.
2. Directories: Human-edited sites so users only get quality results. these are used more for finding answers to a query rather then finding a website.

The lecture also contain information about search engine interfaces, search engine interaction, common search engines and statistics on search engines.


Tutorial Activities


Four strategies that will help you structure are good search:

1. Create a phrase by putting key words in quotation marks " " to narrow down the results and achieve more relevant websites.
2. Start your search at the right place e.g. for a specific search go to a search engine, for a broader search go to a web directory.
3. If unsure where to start then your best bet is to start at a web directory
4. Try not to use stop words i.e. unimportant words too short or too common to be considered relevant strings on which to search



Screen shot of results page on http://www.siteseen.co.uk/questions/historytrivia/



To finish this quiz took the main words from the questions and put them into quotation marks. this made my search more effective and even though I still had to go through some dud websites, the answer i was looking for wasn't too hard to find.

Reading One: Robert Harris "Web search strategies"

Most of the text was an extension of what was in the lecture. This still helped me further my knowledge on how to search effectively. Something that was not is the lecture was the FOREST LOG scheme: FO- Forms or variants of different words RE- Related terms ST-Synonymous Terms LOG- Ladder of generalisation.


Reading Two: History of the Internet (Chapter 4 - search engines)


The reading was about the history of search engines and web directories. It gave information on the first search engines and how they worked. This gave me insight to how far technology has come in just a few years. The reading also gave statistics to help the reader have some understanding just how big these search engines are and just how many files they hold.


Reading Three: Search engine optimisation for companies


This site is basically a company that analyses other companies websites and distributes them. This reading was a brief overview of what they actually do in order to give another company the most effective website possible.

Week Four Workshop

For the workshop activity I looked at the websites http://www.haggishunt.scotsman.com/ and http://www.molossia.org/ the task was to question the authentication of these sites and explain why I think they are or are not authentic websites.

I first looked at the haggis hunt website. Straight away I knew that haggis was not an animal. commonly many people know what haggis is and it is not a platypus-like animal. The way definitions, profiles and the website in general is written is with humour and very little seriousness. The website does not have an official country code e.g. .au;.uk. This information lead me to believe the website is not authentic.

I could tell that the website about The Republic of Molossia was fake as soon as I opened it. An authentic government website would have the domain .gov at the end of it and would have a country code, which it does not have. The location of this "country" is in between two American States. In the general Government information section of the website there are photos of the same man in different costumes. This information shows me this website is not authentic.

Before looking on the website http://www.martinluthurking.org/ I expect to find a website organisation on who Martin Luther King was, what he did, when he died and other general information. After opening the site my first impressions were that this was a tribute site. After having a look I think the website is racist and by a person or group that idealises him but is extremely bias.

Week Four Summary

The lecture in week four covered

• Internet vs Web
• Historical perspective of the Web
• Defining WWW
• Web protocols
• Web Browsers/Interface

My understanding from the lecture is that the Internet is a giant network of computers connecting via the web, which contains documents, videos and other types of information.

During the lecture we were shown the history of the web; when the first packet switching theory was published, when the first WAN was built, and who developed the Web and in what year these events happened.

The definition of the World Wide Web given in the lecture was: The Wen is a universe of accessible information stored on computers throughout the world. The information is available through a gigantic network called the Internet.
A network of servers are linked together by a common protocol, allowing access to millions of hypertext resources.

i learnt how to recognise WWW resources, for example; domains (.com;.org) and country codes (.au;.uk).

We covered web browsers, and the different types, Web browser interfaces and common interface shortcuts.

Week Three Summary

The topic for week three was "Using online libraries and databases"
We use online libraries for convenience, to update journals, electronic formatting etc. The lecturer informed the class of the advantages and disadvantages of using online resources. Advantages are obvious e.g. convenience, time. Disadvantages are that not all online libraries are credible or accurate. There are many copyright issues and limitations to what can be used.

The task for week three was to use and online library to find a certain article on global warming. To do this I went through "ProQuest" to find an appropriate journal. The difficulties I found were finding a journal with enough content on what I actually needed, and figuring out if the journal was accurate. I think these types of services are good for students in their studies. A person in the medical profession might use this type of service to compare findings with other doctors.

10 useful functions/search tips from the ECu library site;

1. Provides academic tip sheets to assist students in their studies
2. Provides and introduction to using the library and the online library
3. Helps students find credible websites to assist with research
4. Provides links to help students navigate their way around the ECU website pages
5. Provides online journals
6. Provides software at a very reasonable price to help student improve their referencing skills 7. Provides information for staff
8. Makes searching in a catalogue easier by using different search terms e.g. keyword, title, author, ISSN etc.
9. Allows students to search on other university and library databases so student have a wider range to search in
10. provides a feedback section so the site is always improving and students perspective is taken into consideration

Screen shot of Journal article: Economic impact of global warming on business






Screen shot of http://www.medlineplus.gov/

People would use this website to find out information about drugs that have been prescribed to them. Patients would get this website from their GP.

Reading One: "Finding what you want on the web"

The article by Bill Thomson is about searching effectively and not just using Google as your only search engine. Thompson explored many of the other search engines available and came to conclusions about them related to his specific use.

Reading Two: "Bare bones lesson 7: Basic search tips"

This lesson contained exactly what the title suggests. this was helpful to me personally because I have never really been shown how to get the most relevant results based on what my search terms were. An example of this is that I never knew to use "+" and "-" to force the inclusion and/or exclusion in searches.

Week Two Summary

The subject of the lecture for week two was applications. This included common PC tasks such as file handling, word precessing, spreadsheets and presentations just to name a few. We use may applications to achieve these tasks. Applications vary from "my computer" to "Internet explorer". Within these tasks are more tasks, for example: within word processing there is formatting and styles, inserting pictures, tables and charts and document mapping.

During the lecture the class was also shown what skills we need to have acquired by the end of the course. They are:

• Word processing and presentation skills


• Email skills


• Internet browser skills


• Knowledge regarding various applications and their use in specific tasks

In the tutorial the class we were assigned to make a table, pie and bar chart representing my weekly activities, with the total and average of the activities shown. When creating the pie chart I learnt that the selection criteria has to be accurate otherwise the chart will be incorrect. I found after creating the pie graph that I spend a lot of time sleeping and only 2% of my week doing independent study.

Images of Word document task

Table and chart from excel exercises

Reading One Summary:

The reading "Using MS word for APA tasking" is a helpful guide for creating academic documents. It helped me find functions in vista, even though is was directed for word it was easy to follow. The document included headers and footers, alignment, spacing and many other functions needed for a university student.

Reading Two Summary:

The reading "Graphic file formats" is an introduction to the different types of formats a picture can be under, what they mean e.g. .jpg,.bmp,.gif and what they are best used for. This was slightly helpful for the blog when I am uploading pictures.

Week One Summary

During week one I was assigned to log on to the ECU website, so I can become familiar with the aspects of Blackboard, SIMO and student webmail. I was then required to set up a blog as a part of Assignment One. Each week I am to post a blog summarising the lecture from that week, and other information retained through slide shows and reading.

The week one lecture contained information on the UPC0004 course outline.
I was introduced to:

• The learning outcomes



• The course structure, which is broken into six modules



• The assignments, exams and how much each is worth



• General student responsibilities and regulations



• Lecturer and tutors' email address and email etiquette

Below is a screen shot taken from blackboard

Screen shot of student web mail

Reading One: PC Lube and Tune

PCLT is an organisation that describes them selves as a service station for computers. The article provided was an introduction to computer hardware and software. This reading was an extension to the lecture because it explain many basic hardware and software components.

Reading Two: How stuff works

How stuff works is a website that contains exactly what it says in the title. the page we were given is about a basic computer tower. the components and processes are explained in the exert.

Week One Introduction

Welcome to my Blog.
This is the first week of Accessing and Organising Knowledge. I am in this course to gain entry to further university studies. In the future I endeavour to complete a teaching degree in primary education. I am in this unit as a part of my University Preparation Course. I will be posting blogs as a reflection each week. Creating a blog is the first assignment in this unit.

My name is Tess, I am nineteen years and in my second year out of high school. I am engaged to be married and have an eight month old baby. I enjoy reading, playing with my son, being with family and friends, and many other normal teenage activities. I am looking foward to learning tools that will assist me in the future.